On Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, Donald Young of Duck Sel steps behind the 12-foot griddle at Gaijin, Paul Virant’s okonomiyaki house at 950 W. Lake St. in the West Loop, and cooks his own Osaka-style okonomiyaki from 6 to 8 p.m. Young earned a Michelin star at 28, and for one evening his duck-loving, French-trained cooking lands on Japan’s favorite savory pancake.
It is the opening act of a busy stretch on Lake Street. Gaijin turns seven the following week with two five-course anniversary dinners, a Japanese whisky night on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and a sake night on Thursday, Nov. 5, both at $75 a person. Then Andy Lim of Perilla takes the griddle on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Reservations for all four nights are on OpenTable.
Donald Young’s night at the griddle, Oct. 28
Young is one of the most playful cooks in the city. He started a pop-up called Salted Duck in 2016, named for his Instagram handle, @donaldduckconfit, and his obsession with cooking duck. In 2018, at 28, he was running the kitchen at Temporis in Noble Square when it held a Michelin star, which made him one of the youngest chefs in America with the honor. He took Best Service at the 2019 Jean Banchet Awards, trained in classic French cooking under Roland Liccioni of Les Nomades, and later relaunched his pop-up as Duck Sel, a 12-course tasting menu full of pickles, ferments and duck in every form.
At Gaijin he plays with a much bigger canvas. Osaka-style okonomiyaki mixes shredded cabbage, batter and fillings into one thick pancake that crisps on the griddle, then gets striped with okonomiyaki sauce and kewpie mayo and buried under bonito flakes that sway in the heat. Young’s version is a one-night special served alongside the regular menu, so you can build a whole dinner around it: twice-cooked garlic with senbei crackers, chicken karaage with yuzu kosho mayo, a round of highballs, and kakigori to finish.
The special is available from 6 to 8 p.m. Book a regular table on OpenTable, or ask for a seat at the chef’s counter if you want the show up close.
Seven years of okonomiyaki on Lake Street
Gaijin opened in 2019 as Chicago’s first restaurant devoted to okonomiyaki. Virant, a 2007 Food & Wine Best New Chef who also runs Petite Vie and Vistro Prime in the western suburbs, calls it a love letter to his wife, Jennifer. She fell for okonomiyaki while studying in Japan, introduced it to him when they started dating in 1995, and it became a family staple long before the restaurant. Before opening, the Virants traveled Japan to learn the regional styles, and the name, which means outsider, is the chef’s own wink at a Midwestern cook paying homage to Japanese comfort food.
The 60-seat room is built around the griddle. The chef’s counter faces the cooks as they flip and sauce each pancake, and every table holds a small teppan from Hiroshima that keeps your okonomiyaki hot and crisp after it arrives. Outside, a mural by Ceasar Perez of Ava Grey Designs wraps the building with a samurai wanderer drawn in the style of Edo-period block prints. The Morgan stop on the Green and Pink lines is right at the door.
What to order at Gaijin on any night
The menu comes in three styles. Osaka-style okonomiyaki starts at $19 for tofu with shichimi togarashi and mushrooms and climbs to $30 for teriyaki duck with bonito, with pork belly and bacon at $25, tempura shrimp with corn and creole butter at $26, and octopus with honey chili gastrique at $27. Hiroshima-style is layered over a thin crepe with yakisoba noodles, cabbage, scallions, bacon and egg, a version born after World War II when flour was scarce. Negiyaki swaps the cabbage for a heap of scallions, with bacon, egg and ponzu.
Start with Virant’s tsukemono trio, a nod to the pickling and preserving he is known for, and add an egg, cheese or crispy rice to any Osaka pancake. Dessert is kakigori, Japanese shaved ice so fine it melts on the spoon: Shiro Kuma with coconut and pineapple sherbet, sesame yuzu, or Ujikintoki with matcha ice cream and red bean. Mochi donuts are $6. At the bar, the Moody Tongue house lager, sake, Japanese whisky and highballs do the heavy lifting, and the new miso caramel espresso martini is worth a detour.
Gaijin turns seven: whisky on Nov. 4, sake on Nov. 5
For the anniversary, Virant and executive chef Marcus Rasmussen wrote a five-course menu that tells the restaurant’s story through Japanese tradition and Midwestern produce, and both nights, 5 to 9 p.m., serve the same food. Dinner opens with sweet potato korokke, a crisp Japanese croquette, with honey miso mayo and pea shoots. Marinated beets follow with pickled myoga, Asian pear and kosho whipped tofu, then nitsuke-style sole simmered in a sweet soy broth with sunchokes, scallion and rice. The fourth course is the house signature dressed up for the party: braised wagyu beef cheek Osaka-style okonomiyaki. Dessert is a persimmon kakigori with hojicha ice cream, maple kinako ame and a cinnamon snow cap.
Wednesday, Nov. 4, is the whisky night with Beam Suntory, poured as a Toki highball, Hakushu 12, Hibiki Japanese Harmony, Yamazaki 12 and, with dessert, Yamazaki 18. Thursday, Nov. 5, pairs the menu with newly imported, limited-release sakes from Yamasho. The menu is $75 a person. The whisky pairing adds $65 and the sake pairing $55, before tax and gratuity, and the bill is settled at the end of the meal. Book the anniversary dinners on OpenTable.
The two nights share a crowded week. They sit among November’s best one-night dinners in Chicago, so book early if a date matters.
Andy Lim brings Korean flavor on Nov. 18
The next guest is Andy Lim, executive chef of Perilla Korean Fare in the West Loop and Perilla Korean Steakhouse on the Riverwalk, and the chef behind Sir Chicken. Perilla Fare earned its fifth Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2025. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., Lim puts his own Korean spin on Osaka-style okonomiyaki, a natural fit for a pancake that already loves kimchi, pork belly and a sharp, savory sauce.
A guest list that keeps getting better
Gaijin’s chef collaboration series hands the griddle to a different Chicago cook a few times a season, and each one leaves a pancake you can only eat that night. In April, John Manion of Brasero brought shrimp with malagueta mayo and dendê-roasted cashews. In May, Javauneeka Jacobs and Zach Steen of Frontera Grill took their turn. In June, Oliver Poilevey of Obélix, one of the brothers behind Chez Poulet, topped an Osaka pancake with duck confit and seared foie gras. Summer brought John Asbaty of Ox Bar with a BLT okonomiyaki and Sungold tomatoes, and Umamicue with smoked, crispy-skinned pork belly and char siu sauce.
Pastry chefs get their own kakigori nights. Leigh Omilinsky of Daisies, Mary Eder-McClure of Galit and Dana Cree of Pretty Cool Ice Cream have all built shaved ice specials this year, and Cree’s butter pecan butterscotch kakigori came crowned with a mini banana ice cream bar.
When to go and how to get a table
Gaijin serves lunch Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m., until 10 p.m. on Fridays. Saturday runs straight through from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the restaurant is closed Mondays. Happy hour is Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m., with highballs, sake, wine, draft beer and plates from $5, and Tuesday keeps $5 Toki highballs going all evening. The new $20 express lunch, Tuesday through Friday, brings yakisoba, a side and mochi donut holes.
Reservations are on OpenTable or by phone at (312) 265-1348, and walk-ins are welcome. Parties of six or more book by email at info@gaijinchicago.com. Corkage is $25 a bottle, with a two-bottle limit.
Plan your visit
- Where: Gaijin, 950 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60607 (West Loop), at the Morgan stop on the Green and Pink lines
- Donald Young of Duck Sel: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, 6 to 8 p.m., one-night okonomiyaki special
- Seventh anniversary, whisky: Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, 5 to 9 p.m., $75 menu, $65 whisky pairing
- Seventh anniversary, sake: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, 5 to 9 p.m., $75 menu, $55 sake pairing
- Andy Lim of Perilla: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, 6 to 8 p.m., one-night okonomiyaki special
- Reservations: OpenTable or (312) 265-1348; walk-ins welcome
Gaijin Chicago FAQ
What is Gaijin Chicago?
Gaijin is chef Paul Virant’s okonomiyaki and kakigori restaurant at 950 W. Lake St. in the West Loop, open since 2019 as Chicago’s first restaurant devoted to the Japanese savory pancake. It serves Osaka-style, Hiroshima-style and negiyaki okonomiyaki from a 12-foot griddle, plus Japanese shaved ice desserts.
When is Donald Young cooking at Gaijin Chicago?
Donald Young, the Michelin-starred founder and chef of Duck Sel, cooks a one-night Osaka-style okonomiyaki special at Gaijin in the West Loop on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, from 6 to 8 p.m. The special is served alongside Gaijin’s regular dinner menu, and tables are booked through OpenTable.
How much is the Gaijin seventh anniversary dinner?
Gaijin’s seventh anniversary dinner costs $75 per person for five courses by Paul Virant and Marcus Rasmussen. Nov. 4, 2026 adds an optional $65 Japanese whisky pairing with Beam Suntory, and Nov. 5 adds an optional $55 sake pairing with Yamasho. Prices are before tax and gratuity.
How much does okonomiyaki cost at Gaijin Chicago?
Osaka-style okonomiyaki at Gaijin in the West Loop costs $19 to $30. Tofu and vegetable versions are $19, pork belly and bacon $25, tempura shrimp $26, beef and octopus $27 each, and teriyaki duck $30. Add-ons such as egg, crispy rice, cheese or bacon cost $3 to $5.
Does Gaijin Chicago take reservations?
Yes. Gaijin takes reservations for tables and chef’s counter seats on OpenTable or by phone at (312) 265-1348, and walk-ins are welcome. Parties of six or more book by emailing info@gaijinchicago.com. Weekend reservations are strongly recommended at the West Loop restaurant.
How do I get to Gaijin Chicago?
Take the CTA Green or Pink line to Morgan, whose station sits right at Gaijin’s door at 950 W. Lake St. in the West Loop. Gaijin has no parking lot or valet, street parking nearby is limited, and the restaurant suggests a parking reservation app, a taxi or a rideshare.
Further reading
- Gaijin event calendar: Donald Young, seventh anniversary and Andy Lim
- Gaijin on OpenTable
- Gaijin seventh anniversary dinners on OpenTable
- Gaijin menu
- Gaijin FAQ
- Gaijin on Instagram: Donald Young of Duck Sel, Oct. 28
- Duck Sel: Donald Young
- Perilla Korean Fare and Perilla Korean Steakhouse
- MICHELIN Guide: Chicago’s first okonomiyaki restaurant will open in West Loop this fall (2019)
- Eater Chicago: After leading a Michelin-starred restaurant, Donald Young returns to his pop-up roots
- Food & Wine: Every Best New Chef since 1988
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