Chef Atsushi “ATS” Kono has long been a yakitori expert, grilling and smoking skewers at Yakitori Torishin and his Chikarashi Isso yakitori pop-up at Hotel 40 Bowery. He flaunts those skills through his chicken yakitori tasting menu at Kono, his Chinatown restaurant, which he opened in 2022. The $185 kappa-style menu comes with 16 courses of chicken skewers as well as dishes; there’s a moment for add-ons like organ and rarer cuts, presented in a stylish box.
The 14-seat, U-block-shaped counter faces the deep-set grilling stage (the better to keep the smoke and fire away from diners), where the chefs grill, smoke, flip, and fan all sorts of chicken parts and vegetables to a hip-hop soundtrack.
Sit along the counter if you want to see what the chefs are doing. Opt for the larger group tables for four to five people along the perimeter of the room.
Enter the alleyway at 46 Bowery, and Kono’s speakeasy-style door is on the right of the pathway.
Through the back of Kono is a hidden Japanese whisky and listening bar called Beatbox by Kono. Ask the staff about it.