Jinsei Motto Sushi Brings Live-Fire Cooking To Former Testaccio Space In Logan Square

LOGAN SQUARE — A sushi concept that built its following in the West Loop is now making a mark in Logan Square.

Jinsei Motto opened in April in the former Testaccio at 2456 N. California Ave.; now, it’s gearing up to offer lunch and open a downstairs cocktail bar. Owner and chef Patrick Bouaphanh has billed the sushi business as one of Chicago’s original and largest dry-aged seafood and sushi restaurants.

Jinsei Motto’s seafood and meats are cooked in a live-fire oven and prepared over Japanese oak charcoal before being served with greens and garnishes. Dry-aged fish is used in nigiri as well as in non-sushi dishes.

Jinsei Motto, which means to “get more out of life” in Japanese, operated out of CH Distillery Bar and Table in West Loop from 2020-2025, Bouaphanh said. The restaurant had seen success with its takeout sushi trays and was an incubator of sorts, Bouaphanh said.

When the partnership with CH Distillery ended, Jinsei Motto chefs went their own way, including one who opened Omakase Box also in Logan Square in summer 2025. Another is opening a new sushi concept inside CH Distillery called Jōtō Sushi.

Bouaphanh, who has been a sushi chef for 14 years, said the West Loop experience was a dream come true, but he felt it was time to focus on the next iteration of Jinsei Motto. The Logan Square location is its first individual storefront — and the business having its own space with a proper kitchen will open the door to more creativity, he said.

“I really dreamt of just having my own kitchen,” Bouaphanh said. “That’s where I almost feel like I hit a writer’s block with sushi.”

Jinsei Motto’s new space features a large wood-fire oven already there from its Testaccio days, and a full bar, seating area and patio. It’s great for the renewed Jinsei Motto energy and is in an optimal location in the neighborhood, Bouaphanh said.

“With the addition of the wood oven, we try to incorporate live fire and the smokiness that gives depth to foods — like our soy sauce, now it’s a smoked soy sauce, or any garnishes, we will char the vegetables and make them into different sauces for our sushis and our meats,” he said.

Alongside Executive Chef Eric Blanck, the team has been able to expand its menu with items like wood-fired edamame, broccolini, mushrooms and Wagyu picanha dry-aged steak made in the oven, as well as more aged and dried seafood and meats.

The team had hoped to reopen the restaurant last fall, but things took longer than expected — a sign to go slow and outfit the space they way they wanted, Bouaphanh said. That included updating the bar and adding a new one as well as adding tile around the wood oven, wooden tables and Japanese-themed art, Blanck said.

A massive tiger mural outside is also new; it was created by Chris Orta, tattoo artist at Sunflower Tattoo in Avondale.

“We’re in a good rhythm now,” Blanck said. “We’ve been able to start bringing extra stuff locally to highlight our farmers, support local farmers and bring that to the community as well.”

Owners have gotten to connect with neighbors, including through pop-up events with nearby restaurants.

Jinsei Motto has also become known for another unlikely fact: its dog treats.

The restaurant has an abundance of fish offcuts like bones, collars and tails. The team dry aged and dehydrated them and put them outside next to the patio in a bowl. Dogs now know to make a pit stop at the restaurant and will protest if they don’t get their treat, Bouaphanh said. Cats can have them, too.

“Dogs will stick their head in either the front of our door here or the back and be like, ‘Hey, I know I got treats here before,’” he said.

The team is working to expand its menu for lunch and to turn the downstairs space into a late-night cocktail bar. It used to be Soif wine lounge, which was under the Testaccio ownership. Jinsei Motto’s owners don’t yet have an opening timeline for the bar, but they are finalizing plans and the remodel, they said.

“The food’s going to complement the cocktails versus up here, where the cocktails have to complement the food,” Bouaphanh said.

In the future, they also hope to open the spot as a Japanese cafe with drinks and pastries.

Jinsei Motto is open 5-10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.