Looking to get to know the newest restaurant and retail additions to the Chinatown/Near Southside area? From a new Japanese spot to a Chinese dessert joi, read on to see the newest businesses to make their debut in this part of Chicago.

Kome Japanese Eatery

1303 S. Michigan Ave. (between 13th St & 14th St.)

With ramen, fire-grilled skewers, and sashimi offerings, Kome Japanese Eatery specializes in Japanese comfort foods.

On the menu, look for a soba salad with grilled shrimp tossed in a miso vinaigrette, karaage fried chicken and veggie ramen with baby bok choy with mushrooms and bamboo shoots. 

Kome Japanese Eatery currently holds 4.5 stars out of 41 reviews on Yelp, indicating good reviews.

Valerie B. noted: "This is one of my new favorite neighborhood spots. I'm so glad it opened a few months ago: I think I've been here at least once every other week since then! The atmosphere is perfect for a quiet weeknight dinner."

And Cassie C. wrote: "Finally, a worthy replacement in the old Panozzo's storefront! With an eclectic, but focused, menu, it's not your typical generic neighborhood sushi joint."

Kome Japanese Eatery is open Monday–Thursday from 11am–9pm, Friday from 11am–10:30pm, Saturday from noon–10:30pm, and Sunday from noon–9pm.

Asian Cajun Plus

2115 S. State St. (between Cermak Rd & 21st St.)

Lincoln Park's Asian Cajun PLUS—which specializes in Cajun-American seafood boils with an Asian twist—recently opened this new location in Chinatown. 

Fresh seafood, including Dungeness crab, lobster and crawfish, is available by the pound; customers can also customize their spice level and sauces. 

While the fresh seafood is the star of the show here, there are also sandwiches and spicy noodle dishes available. (You can check out the full menu here.)

With a four-star rating out of 17 reviews on Yelp, Asian Cajun PLUS has been getting positive attention.

Yelper Taniqua B., who reviewed Asian Cajun PLUS on February 18th, wrote: "Really good seafood. Generous portions, excellent flavor for a good price. I had the shrimp and crab boil with potatoes and corn in a cajun and garlic butter sauce. Really great."

Jenn H. noted: "The servings are hefty, the service is excellent—hat tip to them for having hand-washing stations. We topped everything off with fruit smoothies + boba. I will 100 percent recommend Asian Cajun to anyone looking for a reasonably priced, flavor-packed meal. It's even worth the drive for anyone not in the neighborhood."

Yelper Nazish C. wrote: "Incredible seafood, big portions, great prices! I got the shrimp boil with potatoes and corn with the Cajun and garlic butter sauce. The sauce was amazing!"

Asian Cajun PLUS is open Monday–Thursday from 11:30am–10pm, Friday and Saturday from 11:30am–11pm, and Sunday from 11:30am–9pm.

Meet Fresh

2026 S. Clark St. (between Cermak Rd & 21st St.)

With more than hundreds of locations around the world, Taiwan-based Meet Fresh recently arrived in Chicago with its first outpost. The dessert spot specializes in Chinese desserts, including shaved ices, tofu puddings and jellies. 

Look for the Q Mochi shaved ice, with mochi, noodle jelly, and taro rice balls; the herbal jelly with sweet potato, barley, and boba; and red bean soup with sesame rice balls. (Take a look at the full menu of offerings here.)

With a three-star rating out of 79 reviews on Yelp, Meet Fresh is still finding its way.

Yelper Victoria Y., who reviewed Meet Fresh on February 17th, wrote: "I came here on a Saturday night around 8pm. Although the lines were pretty long, we were able to order within 10 minutes of waiting and received our food about 5 minutes after ordered."

Connie H. noted: "Got one of the assorted shaved ices to share between four people plus a mung bean tofu pudding. To our surprise, the shaved ice was huuuuuge, so it ended up kinda being worth the price just because of the size."

Yelper James V. wrote: "I give this place an A in terms of their boba. The milk tea has a good tea taste but I would recommend getting the less sweet option. That would make it taste better and allow you to enjoy the drink without getting sick of it being too sweet."

Meet Fresh is open Friday and Saturday from 11am–midnight, and Sunday–Thursday from 11am–11pm.