Crowned as Chicago’s next best restaurant before it even opened, Momotaro lives up to its hype with stunning Japanese cuisine and a world-class experience. Located in Chicago’s West Loop, the restaurant was Boka Restaurant Group’s first foray into Asian cuisine, making it a crucial turning point for the group. Utilizing a raw warehouse across three levels, the new restaurant contains a dining room and office on the top level; a main dining room, 30-foot bar, lounge, and dedicated sushi and robata grill stations on the main floor; and a basement bar called the izakaya serving up shared bites in a Yokocho street-scene of Tokyo style. Morlights teamed up with interior designer AvroKO to provide a united, state-of-the-art lighting for the fledgling restaurant.
Japanese culture itself is very much rooted in tradition, as well as being distinctly modern. Momotaro takes this approach, and challenged its designers to infuse the space with both nods to the past while remaining placed in the present. We used warm LED and incandescent sources throughout the space to reveal the elegant, elevated aesthetic of the materiality and design, providing a modern and romantic atmosphere for diners. Our implementation of fully adjustable lighting control offered consistency and ease of use, and our emphasis on communication ensured that both NYC-based AvroKO and Chicago-based BRG experienced a seamless lighting design process that met each group’s needs and standards. This thorough, detailed approach helped put Momotaro on the national map, a success story that was named “Best New Restaurant in America” by Esquire Magazine.
