History
After serving as the executive chef of Yakitori Torishin for a decade, Kono left to open his own yakitori restaurant, Kono, in April 2022 after finding a suitable location for it in the Canal Arcade of Manhattan's Chinatown. [4] Kono told Represent that he had always wanted to open a restaurant in a hideaway, much like the yakitori restaurants in Japan. [5]
With fourteen seats, Kono currently serves an omakase tasting menu with sixteen courses—most courses are a yakitori skewer utilizing a different part of chicken. [6] [7]
Kono, also a breakdancer, has frequently stated his love for hip-hop and regularly plays it during restaurant hours. [8] In 2023, Kono was the venue for the rapper Nas' 50th birthday party. [5]
Critical reception
Many publications have lauded Kono's yakitori. [9] [4] Pete Wells, writing for The New York Times, gave Kono three out of four stars, named it an NYT Critic's Pick, and called chef Kono a "Yakitori Master" as well as "the city’s most accomplished yakitori chef and, by extension, one of its greatest chicken cooks." [10] E. Alex Jung, writing for Grub Street, called Kono's yakitori "chicken in its most elevated form." [11]
Kono has been twice-nominated in the Best Chef: New York State category of the James Beard Awards, in 2024 and 2025, for his cooking at his namesake restaurant. [12] [13]
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