Kono

Verdict

Book Kono if you want the most technically serious yakitori experience in New York City; and one of the most considered omakase formats in the country, full stop. Atsushi Kono ranked #23 on the Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in North America list in 2025 (up from #38 in 2023), and operates a 14-seat counter where every detail of the meal is controlled to a degree that most high-end restaurants cannot match. This is a special-occasion restaurant, not a casual night out, it rewards guests who come prepared for that kind of dinner.

The Experience

Kono sits inside the Canal Arcade off the Bowery in Chinatown; a setting that does not advertise itself. The room is a U-shaped counter with 14 seats, which means every guest is close to the hearth and close to Kono himself as he works the binchotan charcoal grill. The visual draw here is the grill station: watching skewers rotate over kishu binchotan at close range, with smoke collecting above the counter, sets the mood before the first course arrives.

The format is a 16-course omakase that moves through virtually every part of the chicken, thigh, skin, heart, cartilage and specialty cuts, with the progression anchored by the charcoal grill. Courses are guided by seasonality, so the menu shifts as ingredient availability changes. The meal opens with composed small plates (the awards data cites a chicken-skin tart with caviar and green mountain yam as an example of how the kitchen sets expectations early) and closes with udon in chicken bone broth and green tea ice cream with ossetra caviar. The tasting is structured, but the cooking has enough personality to keep it from feeling clinical.

For a special occasion or a date where the evening needs to carry its own weight, Kono delivers. The counter format means the meal is the entertainment, there is no ambient room to rely on, no sweeping view, no large-format wine program to fill the gaps. What you get instead is a focused, technically precise sequence of courses built around a single protein cooked over fire. That is either the point or it is not, knowing that before you book matters.

One feature worth noting for late evenings: Kono operates until midnight Sunday through Saturday (closed Sunday), which makes it one of the few serious omakase rooms in New York where a 9 PM reservation does not feel rushed. The kitchen runs a full service through the night, so booking later in the evening is a viable option rather than a compromise. If you want a high-end omakase that does not demand an early-bird reservation time, Kono has a structural advantage over most of its peers in this tier.

There is also a hidden four-seat Japanese whisky bar and vinyl listening room behind one of the restaurant's walls. Access is by Instagram message to the restaurant. It seats four, runs on whisky and records, is entirely separate from the dining room, a useful detail if you want to extend the evening or arrive early for a drink before dinner. It is not widely publicised, which means it books on its own terms.

For New York yakitori specifically, the main comparison is Tori Shin, where Kono himself earned the first Michelin star for yakitori in the US, Yakitori Totto, which operates at a lower price point with an à la carte format. Kono is the highest-commitment option of the three: more structured, more expensive, harder to get into, more technically ambitious. If you want to order what you want and keep the bill flexible, Totto is the smarter call. If you want the full omakase format with credentials to match, Kono is the right choice.

Beyond New York, if you are travelling and want to benchmark Kono against yakitori in Japan, Ichimatsu in Osaka and Torisaki in Kyoto are the reference points worth knowing. And for broader context on what else to book while you are in the city, see our full New York City restaurants guide, hotels guide, and bars guide.

Ratings & Recognition

• Opinionated About Dining, Leading Restaurants in North America: #23 (2025), #22 (2024), #38 (2023)

Booking & Practical Details

Kono is open Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30 PM to midnight, on Monday from 5:30 PM to midnight. It is closed on Sundays. The 14-seat counter format means availability is limited by design, but booking difficulty is rated Easy, check the restaurant's reservation system and book as far ahead as your plans allow. The late closing time (midnight) gives you genuine flexibility on reservation timing, which is unusual at this level. The whisky bar seats four and books separately via Instagram. Dress expectations are smart-casual at minimum given the venue's profile, though no formal dress code is listed.

Quick reference: 46 Bowery, Chinatown, Manhattan | Tue–Sat + Mon, 5:30 PM–midnight | 14 seats | Closed Sunday | Whisky bar: book via Instagram DM.