Gaoku Izakaya & Craft Drinks

Tried this place as it was recommended by a friend, and it was amazing! The cocktails were inventive and delicious, and the food, was SO good! The fish was so tender fresh and delicious! Even the rice was so sticky and great I could’ve made a meal of it. I feel like this place is a current hidden gem that once the word gets out, will be booked up months in advance with good reason. Go here tonight!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Chef Choice Sashimi, Sushi, Matcha Tiramisu

GaoKu! If you haven’t been here yet GaoKu is absolutely fantastic. The staff is some of the best in the city, as well as the owner alike. From their traditional Japanese apps, to the elite nigiri and sashimi options, they truly are my go to in the genre. Cocktails are incredible as well. They are coming up on 1 year open, and there really is no reason as to why you haven’t been yet! There’s built in fun on this corner with the clipper across the street. Make a night of it and go enjoy this gem!

Best service. It is a quiet and gentle ambient with unique tasting. I recommend all the dishes here. Good quality sushi; however, rice is a bit cold. It is a great place to get special dinner.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

As expected Chef Oni and the crew delivered! From scheduling the dinner all the way through the end, the care, communication, service, food and drinks was off the charts! This is why we go back over and over again and bring more people! Like no other...

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food is delicious! The tuna was definitely on my top 3 I have ever had. I'll be back to try other things.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Incredibly good food!

We were hesitant with the 4.9 rating on 86 reviews but the reviews were all truthful.

Must get the tora ebi, sakkura pork and sashimi plate (appetiser)!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Celebrated my boyfriend’s birthday here. The food was very unique and delicious! We ordered Tiger Prown, Scallop, Sashimi platter, mini crisp port Don, Thai curry ramen, matcha tiramisu and mochi, and three drinks. Everything was great. The owner is very friendly too, he gave us the matcha tiramisu and offered birthday shots for us and drank with us!! The next time we are gonna try something else!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

just left from having my birthday dinner here and knew I had to leave a review - it was that good! we ordered about 10 items across the menu (some pictured, not all) and enjoyed each one. the stand outs for us were the scallops and the miso tuna - I don't remember the exact names of the dishes, but honestly it doesn't seem like you could go wrong with any dish here. our cocktails, the old cuban and the sour wakamomo, were also very smooth and balanced. we opted for more sushi over dessert, but the tamago could've been on the dessert menu itself. it had the texture (and almost the taste) of spekkoek, a thin layer cake, which means it wasn't soggy at ALL - a common issue with tamago elsewhere.

even though we went for a special occasion and ordered accordingly, the menu was very accessible and had more affordable options for a regular meal. the atmosphere was refined but laid back, a bit dark but not too loud, just really comfortable for any type of outing. the server, bartender, and (I believe?) chef/owner were all kind and accommodating.

before now, I would have said the best sushi in chicago was at 312 fish market or aji, but gaoku easily ranks alongside them. I'll return for sure!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place was amazing! The drinks were delicious and the best food I've had in a very long time!! I had the tuna hand rolls, and I honestly can't remember what the other hand roll was. But they were both delicious!! You could definitely taste how fresh the fish was! I also had the curry ramen noodles. That was very good as well, it would be really nice to eat that in the winter. It just felt like a nice hug! The staff was wonderful too, everyone who works there really cares about giving you the best experience. Come to this place as much as you can before you can't get a reservation!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Tuna Hand Roll

We stopped by here last night after seeing a post on Reddit about Gaoku and everything exceeded expectations! We ordered an assortment of dishes and every single one tasted great. A huge fan of the Thai/Japanese fusion dishes, especially the scallops. Friendly staff, delicious drinks, and fast service as well! We’ll be back soon and will definitely be recommending to friends & family

Everything was brilliant.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love this place. Really great food & drink and super nice staff. 10/10 recommend.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

??????

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

First time there and had a great experience.
It was happy hour so the beers were $5.
I was pleasantly surprised with the Chirashi bowl. Not only were cuts fresh, but also had some uni and diakon radish.
Staff were pleasant and attentive!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

A hidden gem. The quality and craft is next level. We went twice in the same week. Everything is delightful!

Food: 5