Shakou restaurant opens in St. Charles

Shakou, a restaurant featuring Japanese cuisine, recently opened a second suburban location at 312 Main Street in downtown St. Charles.

Shakou St. Charles follows the opening of Shakou Libertyville two years ago.

The main floor at Shakou features a dining room with a sushi bar, and a cocktail lounge with a bar upstairs, there's a sake room for small groups and an upper mezzanine with a bar area for before dinner drinks and cocktail celebrations. The new restaurant will employ approximately 50 people.

Executive Chef Sang Choi will lead the scratch kitchen, and Ed Hartigan, owner along with partners Aleks Dupor and Adam Garvanian, will oversee operations.

“We are excited to welcome the community to enjoy the inventive cuisine and unique ambience that is Shakou,” says Hartigan. “Shakou means ‘social life' in Japanese and we created our new venue as a place for friends, family and business colleagues to meet, network, celebrate and dine.”

Shakou offers lunch and dinner Monday through Friday and dinner on Saturday and Sunday.

Shakou means “social life” in Japanese.

Shakou Libertyville has been named one of the Top 100 “Hot Spot” Restaurants in America by Open Table for the past two years.