Budonoki

Budonoki: The friendly izakaya tucked away in Virgil Village

When you first approach Budonoki all you will see are blacked out windows, concealing the splendid delights that lay inside. As soon as you open the door the music and mood lighting catch your attention, setting the vibe as you usher yourself towards the friendly front desk.

Budonoki encourages one of our favorite style of eating in the food family: shared plates and as per usual we ordered a majority of the menu. Stand outs for use included the Spicy Tuna handball, the Naem, the wings and charred sweet potato. They also have changing specials, we happen to be catch the Salmon collar with was brilliant. We didn’t have a bad bite while we dined here but some were better than others. Some room for improvement would be the namesake "Budo-Gnocchi" which had a sour flavor that we could not quite pin down. But what shouldn’t be skipped is the dessert for soft serve, offered with banana and strawberry. Trust me, get both and spoon a little bit of each onto your spoon, the blend together is phenomenal.

The drinks program should not be skipped while here, I myself had their spin on the classic martini and the citrus and peppercorn notes were a delicious twist. But the standout on drinks menu is the “Girls Night Out” that comes served in an adorable animal mug. But do not let the cute mug fool you, these woodland creatures pack a punch and will have you sleeping like a bear if you have one too many.

Virgil Village is no stranger to new and hip resturants setting up shop in the neighborhood, just look towards Courage Bagel and Sqirl which are also located on Virgil Ave not far from Budonoki. If you’re in the neighborhood me and the rest of the food family would recommend you check out Budonoki. It makes our a great date night spot or even a place to grab a drink and a bite with friends.