CHIReview
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Gaoku
You never know you need khao soi with ramen noodles and karaage, until you do. This was the epiphany we had at Gaoku, a unique Humboldt Park izakaya with an impressive fusion of Japanese-Thai dishes, ingredients, and flavors. It’s equally exciting for a date, or when you’re hungover at 1pm on a Saturday and the only company you want is that life-giving bowl of soup.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Gaoku looks like someone converted a warehouse loft into a bar, and depending on when you’re here, the space takes on a different character. Their weekend-only lunch is calmer with only a few people eating rich khao soi ramen or saucy rice bowls with crispy pork belly (both are lunch menu exclusives). Nights are more active as tables of friends throwback fruity wakamomo smashes and couples at the bar trade bites of excellent tom kha-inspired scallops before a show at the California Clipper across the street. The tall red curtains draped across the windows at Gaoku make the space more intimate in the evening, as a playlist reminds everyone that "Electric Feel" still hits even though 2010s flannels might not.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
The menu does have some missteps, like a mushy oyster omelet or an overly rich miso hot buttered rum. And since most of the small plates are indeed small and hover around $20-30, the bill can easily add up. But Gaoku’s take on fusion drinks and bar snacks is fresh and very welcomed. In a city that's especially crowded with stuffy cocktail lounges and musty dives where Old Style is religion, there’s nothing quite like Gaoku.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Hotate Scallops
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Akami
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Sakura Pork
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Tora Ebi
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Crispy Charshu Mini Don
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Khao Soi Ramen
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Drinks