Sushi may not be the first cuisine people associate with "land-locked" Chicago, but some of the freshest offerings can be found in many fabulous locations throughout the city. So pop open a Kirin, or other Japanese beverage of choice, as we take you through a brief tour of Chicago's finest sushi establishments!
TSUNAMI 1160 N. Dearborn St., 60610, 312-642-9911 Hours: Monday - Wednesday, 5:00pm to 10:30pm. Thursday – Saturday, 5:00pm to 11:30pm. Sunday, 5:00pm to 10:00pm.
Chicago’s sushi aficionados say this stylish Gold Coast hot spot offers the most authentic sashimi in the city. The menu boasts more than 40 exceptional choices, with everything from O-Toro (premium fatty tuna) to Hiramasa (golden striped amber jack). Order the Sashimi Supreme entrée for a beautiful presentation of six different prime cuts. Indeed, everything is artistically crafted at Tsunami, whether you choose an entrée from the kitchen (think Sesame Essence Beef Tenderloin with Lobster Mashed Potato) or maki mono from the sushi bar. One must-have is the Tuna 4-Way, a spicy Ahi tuna maki layered with three different cuts of tuna (yellow fin, shiro, o-toro) and drizzled with orange-mango sauce. You also have a choice when it comes to ambience. The downstairs sushi bar is bold, bright and sexy, with red walls and black leather booths. Upstairs, the lush, full-service sake lounge is more romantic, illuminated by candlelight and a warming fireplace. Sip on flights of sake or indulge in a chocolate-coconut Tsunami Tower dessert, and you have the makings of a perfect date.
Estimated cost per dinner is $35-$45. Reservations are recommended.
Tsunami is closed on most major holidays.
OYSY 888 S. Michigan Ave., 60605, 312-922-1127 Additional locations at: 50 E. Grand Ave, 60611, 312-670-6750 315 Skokie Boulevard, Northbrook, 60062, 847-714-1188 Hours: Lunch: Monday – Friday, 11:30am to 2:30pm. Dinner: Monday – Thursday, 5:00pm to 10:00pm. Friday – Saturday, 5:00pm to 11:00pm. Sunday, 5:00pm to 9:00pm.
If sushi cravings hit at lunchtime, head to this South Loop locale where $12 will buy you a bento box overfilled with spicy tuna maki, California maki, vegetable tempura and your choice of grilled salmon, superwhite tuna, chicken teriyaki or nigiri sushi. Considered the best value in the city, Oysy beautifully balances super fresh sushi and izagaya (traditional Japanese cuisine) offerings with reasonable price points. Here, unhurried diners are encouraged to share and sample many different dishes, and to enjoy each one by one. Be sure to start with the Flaming Dynamite, a spicy breaded seafood appetizer served on a fantastic flaming shell. Then move on to the special maki menu with favorites like the Emerald (sautéed scallop, asparagus and cucumber topped with spicy sauce and green caviar) and the Fire Cracker (a deep fried roll filled with shrimp, eel, avocado, cream cheese and jalapeno peppers). The minimalist chic atmosphere designed by Chicago architect Douglas Garofalo is the perfect place to sit back and enjoy a relaxing hot tea or a mood-boosting martini. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer a great view facing Grant Park.
Estimated cost per dinner is $15-$25. Reservations are accepted.
Oysy is closed most major holidays.
SUSHI WABI 842 W. Randolph, 60607, 312-563-1224 Hours: Lunch: Monday - Friday, 11:30 to 2:00 pm. Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday, 5:00pm to Midnight. Sunday - Monday, 5:00pm to 11:00pm. Located along Randolph Street's restaurant row, Sushi Wabi draws crowds of sushi lovers all week long. The décor is wonderfully understated with warm tones and natural surfaces. The small dining room is always quite busy without being distracting, and there is never a rushed or crowded feel. A live DJ helps to set the mood by playing downtempo jazz and beats that aren't overpowering or intrusive. From the nigiri to the sashimi to the maki, Sushi Wabi's concoctions are truly an experience; each piece is amazingly fresh, and the chefs have been known to whip up on-the-fly creations that aren't on the menu, once they get to know you. For example, a favorite choice of those in the know is the Godzilla roll - a sort of all-encompassing and visually stunning dish made with, among other ingredients, eel, shrimp, avocado, and tempura pieces drizzled with unagi sauce and a creamy horseradish. Wash down the meal with one of the bar's perfectly mixed and chilled martinis topped off with a gari (ginger)-stuffed olive.
Estimated cost per diner is $20-$30. Reservations are recommended.
Sushi Wabi is closed most major holidays, but they are open New Year's Day.
KAMEHACHI 1400 N. Wells St., Chicago, 60610, 312-664-3663. Additional locations at: 240 E. Ontario, 60610, 312-587-0600 320 N. Dearborn, 60610, 312-744-1900 1320 Shermer Rd., Northbrook, 60062, 847-562-0064 Hours: Lunch: Monday - Saturday, 11:30am to 2:00pm. Dinner: Monday - Thursday, 5:00pm to 12:30 pm. Friday - Saturday, 5:00pm to 1:30am. Sunday, 4:30pm to 11:30pm. This renowned and innovative restaurant has been blazing a trail in the local culinary scene since 1967 and is widely recognized as the first sushi restaurant in Chicago. The first floor of the Near North establishment boasts a bright open dining area, while the second floor is low-lit and intimate with opaque paper screens separating tables. Kamehachi's complete menu includes numerous hot and cold appetizers along with specialties that are almost too beautiful to eat. Many people credit Kamehachi with introducing the dragon roll, complete with delicate avocado scales, to the Chicago dining public. Another unique offering is the Green Turtle roll, which combines freshwater eel and tempura "crunch" rolled with cooked shrimp and wasabi tobiko and topped off with a creamy wasabi sauce. A cocktail lounge and full bar are available for patrons they while wait. In addition, Kamehachi's Tatami room can be reserved for private parties.
Estimated cost per diner is $20 - $25. Reservations are recommended.
Kamehachi is closed on Christmas.
MIRAI SUSHI 2020 W. Division, 60622, 773-862-8500 Hours: Sunday - Wednesday, 5:30pm to 10:00pm (last seating). Thursday - Saturday, 5:30pm to 11:00pm (last seating). The cocktail lounge has later hours and serves drinks only. This hip restaurant located right near the trendy Division/Damen intersection boasts an extensive menu offering a variety of sushi selections along with inventive and original non-sushi entrees that borrow from a variety of cultures. Specialty appetizers include a patron favorite called Kani Nigiri - a baked king crab served with a spicy sauce - and Madako Kimo - sashimi octopus with monkfish fois gras served with a house ponzu. The standard menu includes three types of tuna and salmon as well as the futo roll (a tasty combination of eel, shrimp, egg, spinach, gourd, and smelt roe). Mirai's dinner specialties are fashioned around the fresh fish that is flown in daily. The chic upstairs lounge and bar exudes energy as diners wait for tables on tall velvet stools or munch on dinner while lounging on plush sofas. The bar itself offers 15-20 different cold sakes shipped directly from Japan, 60 wines selected in-house and a large list of specialty cocktails and martinis.
Estimated cost per diner is $35 - $45. Reservations are recommended.
Mirai Sushi is closed every major holiday.
ITTO SUSHI 2616 N. Halsted St., 60614, 773-871-1800. Hours: Lunch: Monday - Saturday, Noon to 2pm. Dinner: Monday - Saturday, 5:30pm to Midnight. Closed Sunday. This cozy eatery is located in the heart of Lincoln Park. Patrons love it for its casual, laid-back atmosphere, and many declare the fish to be the freshest in the city. Itto's menu offers an extensive list of 40 unique cold and hot appetizers along with the standard nigiri and maki fare, ensuring that there is something for everyone. The restaurant is also known for its Matsu Sushi combination, which consists of half of a tuna roll, half of a cucumber roll and ten assorted non-repeating sushi pieces. Itto's bar offers beer, wine, sake and several mixed drinks. With its high-volume daily turnover rate, Itto's biggest draw is its freshness factor.
Estimated cost per diner is $20 - $25. Reservations are accepted.
Itto Sushi is closed most major holidays.
SAI CAFÉ 2010 N. Sheffield Ave., 60614, 773-472-8080 Hours: Monday - Thursday, 4:30pm to 11:00pm. Friday - Saturday, 4:30pm to Midnight. Sunday, 3:30pm - 10:00pm. This comfortable, always-lively neighborhood spot is ideal for a night out or a casual bite with coworkers. Sai Café has three levels of dining rooms and a 10-seat sushi bar with six chefs working in the front of the restaurant and three working in back (a total of 10 chefs work on the weekends). Sai Café's menu offers 40 types of a la carte sushi and a variety of hand rolls including specialties that chefs will make upon request. Most recently the restaurant started carrying amberjack, white and baby salmon and is currently offering a Halloween roll, which is a combination of salmon, caviar and green bean tempura. Specials include the Spicy-Crunchy White Tuna roll (white tuna in Sai special spicy sauce, scallion and avocado wrapped in rice and seaweed) and individual pieces such as the Rainbow Tobiko (spicy wasabi and black flying fish eggs). The lengthy sake list includes descriptions that allow diners to pair the traditional Japanese drink with their entree.
Estimated cost per diner is $25 - $35. Reservations are accepted.
Sai Café is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
BLUEFIN 1952 W. North Ave., 60622, 773-394-7373. Hours: Monday - Saturday, 5:00pm to 11pm. Closed Sunday. Bluefin is a relatively new stylish and funky eatery located in the heart of Wicker Park. The restaurant's dark lighting and low-key drum-and-bass music creates a cozy yet hip atmosphere that is an ideal date setting. The standard menu includes many standouts such as the Tataki Tuna roll, which features spicy tuna on the inside and seared tuna on the outside, as well as Bluefin's take on the dragon roll - tempura shrimp surrounded by eel. For those sushi lovers who don't necessarily enjoy the seaweed wrap part of the dish, Bluefin offers an interesting alternative - mamenori - which is made of soybean. Several rolls feature this wrap instead of the traditional seaweed. Currently Bluefin is awaiting its liquor license, so for the time being, the restaurant is a B.Y.O.B establishment.
Estimated cost per diner is $20 - $25. Reservations are accepted.
Bluefin is closed most major holidays.
NOHANA 3136 N. Broadway, 60657, 773-528-1902 Hours: Lunch: Monday - Saturday, Noon to 2:30 pm. Dinner: Monday - Thursday, 5:00pm - 10:00 pm. Friday - Saturday, 5:00pm to 10:30pm. Closed Sunday. Affordable, dependable and delicious, Nohana is considered one of the Chicago sushi scene's best-kept secrets. The skilled chefs at this small and friendly Lakeview area restaurant offer up almost every kind of sushi possible. Menu selections such as the deluxe sushi platter, a broad sampling of Nohana's fare, are the perfect introduction for first-time sushi eaters. Traditional rolls such as salmon with avocado and yellow tail are paired with varying specials such as spicy scallop rolls. Many loyal diners frequent Nohana's daily happy hour from 5:00pm to 6:00pm during which time sushi pieces are $1.00 and rolls are $2.50.
Estimated cost per diner is $10 - $20. Reservations are not accepted.
Nohana is closed most major holidays.
PACIFIC CAFE 1619 N. Damen, Chicago, 60622, 773-862-1988 Hours: Sunday, Monday and Wednesday, 11:30am to 10 pm. Closed Tuesday. Friday - Saturday, 11:30am to 11pm. Pacific Cafe is a warm and inviting oasis amid the hustle and bustle of the Wicker Park/Bucktown scene. This eclectic establishment offers Thai, Japanese and Vietnamese dishes as well as a large array of fresh and tasty sushi. One of the many things that separates Pacific Cafe apart, however, is that along with the raw fish variety, they also specialize in vegetarian sushi. Diners can build their own veggie sushi roll by combining any four vegetables or choose from non-fishy fare such as the Avocado roll. The giant garden maki rolls are another customer favorite. For those who like to stick with the more traditional variety of sushi, Pacific Cafe offers specialty rolls such as the Pacific roll - fresh tuna, salmon, white tuna, avocado and crab sticks rolled in tobiko. A variety of beverages, both alcoholic and non-, are also available.
Estimated cost per diner is $10 - $15. Reservations are accepted.
Pacific Café is closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Top List of Sushi Restaurants - Chicago, IL