50 Best Japanese Restaurants in Chicago

“"This is my new favorite thing." -Dr. A. Haller“

“Quick friendly greeting and seating on a cold, wintery evening. The place was busy but the service was prompt and accurate. Excellent quality food and large portions. And you'll probably never be short of soy sauce per your taste.“

“We enjoyed everything whatever we ordered“

“Amazing freshest sushi , best in the town , great service , and nice ambiance.“

“Wow, amazing lunch, just amazing!❤️😃“

“loved the cozy atmosphere of this place. went with a friend on a saturday night (with a reservation) and they told us service would be slow because they were understaffed - it was not slow at all

we tried:
• lychee please cocktail
• toro tartare
• chicken karaage
• shio pork belly
• tako nuta
• takoyaki
• hamachi nigiri
• sake nigiri

toro tartare and shio pork belly were definitely the stars. toro tartare was delicious, and it had a perfectly soft & buttery texture. shio pork belly was juicy and flavorful with a tasty sauce drizzled on it

the chicken karaage and nigiri pieces were dishes that i could tell were quality, but not necessarily for me. the ginger flavor in the chicken karaage was too strong for my liking, and the nigiri pieces had strong wasabi flavor, which i don’t personally like

overall a very pleasant dining experience that i would definitely recommend“

“Wonderful service and excellent rolls!! Overall great experience“

“I really enjoy with with Matcha drink tonight“

“This place is the perfect dining experience in my opinion. It's casual, yet intimate, and the atmosphere is chill hip hop. I got the Beef Bulgogi and the KFC and I am at odds with myself in choosing a winner between the two. I am 100% coming back to try the Tomago and Tonkatsu! The pièce de résistance was the Ube and strawberry dessert sandwich, it blew me away. However, what made this a 5 star experience in earnest was our server Calvin, he gave us so much knowledge and made us feel very comfy and welcome ? he is a G and I look forward to coming back to tell him how I feel about the rest of the menu!!!“

“Amazing sushi... unique offerings, and ultra delicious. i seriously think about my next visit waaaay too much...“

“Best Japanese food in Chicago“

“Foods are outstanding and delicious Friendly staffs and great service“

“Amazing time! Danny was my server! He is the best very attentive very helpful. the hostess was great also and sweet“

“Not only is the omakase pretty legit here, shout out to Chef Bou for adjusting the rice when I mentioned I was getting full, but this is also a place I feel safe coming as a female solo diner.

Thank you Chelsea and Maddie. That's worth its weight in gold.“

“We had a fabulous dinner last night at Chicago Kalbi with Cummins Peru, Komat'su, and the VPs from Antimina copper mine.

Such a great place, where you cook the wagyu & kobe beef at your table. The food was delicious ?

Isao Tozuka, the chef and his wife Chiyo-san, are fabulous hosts, very friendly, and really happy to help and show you how things are do e.

I would definitely recommend coming here. It's a unique place. Make sure you book though ad it can be busy.“

“Delicious food and fabulous service!“

“The food and service is excellent! I do not know what the previous person experienced. I, along with everyone else around me, paid after we finished eating. This Black-owned business is crushing it. They helped me make my poke diabetic-friendly with much flavour. I look forward to coming back again with my return flight. My favourite bartender is Lerin!“

“Awesome place for Karaoke Bar Nice rooms music choices and a party atmosphere“

“Upscale, elegant atmosphere. Outstanding cocktails.“

“Very nice spot for evening cocktails. Service was outstanding. The food was a little uneven. Some dishes were outstanding (brussel sprouts, edamame, sliders) but others like the crispy rice and tuna, maki rolls) were pedestrian especially given the reputation and price point. We still had a very nice time and would definitely go back.“

“The best omakase experience I have ever had. The wine/sake pairing was perfection, the staff are welcoming and knowledgeable, the chefs are outstanding. The food is stunning and delectable of the highest quality. There are not enough superlatives or adjectives to express how much I enjoyed my meal and the entire experience.“

“This place still continues to be good. However, as prices to up, I don't think it's suitable anymore for me to continue spending money in this location.
I have been going to this place since I was in highschool. They have good food and have made noticable renovations through the years.“

“Ora is a fantastic sushi restaurant with FRESH fish and excellent service. Definitely a go to for date night.“

“Our waiter Kong was so attentive and very helpful with choices from the menu since this was our first time eating at this restaurant. The sushi was amazing! We had the Crab Wontons, Tokyo Tonkotsu Ramen, the Lobster fried rice, Rock N Roll, Spice Girl, and the Spicy Cowboy rolls. The atmosphere, staff, and food will definitely have us coming back when we are in town!“

“30 years I’ve been going to Sai Cafe. Quality has never changed. Always the best.“

“Some of the best sushi my girlfriend and I have had in Chicago. Never had a bad meal!“

“We enjoyed everything whatever we ordered“

“I called ahead on a Tuesday for their dinner reservations, we were told they weren't busy that night so we went ahead and made the one hour drive just for their sushi and their great reviews. We had the best experience and their sushi was truly top notch. We basically ordered everything on the menu from sushi, caviar to desserts and drinks. they did not disappoint, customer service was superb. The owner even came outside to attend us, he showed up with his own bottle of sake. I truly appreciate the great experience we had at this beautiful and clean restaurant. I have nothing bad to say, the food was high quality and extremely delicious. I definitely recommend this location, even if you have kids which I did. We left so happy and satisfied, loved it.“

“California man says Yes, and highly recommend here“

“Every time I leave this place I look forward to coming back.“

“March 2025
Dined here for the first time. Place was packed on a Sunday night. Menu looked decent. Total spent $75 with tip.

4/5 stars overall on food
Ordered shoyu tonkatsu ramen, regular tonkatsu ramen, and one homura don to try the rice bowl. Appetizers gyoza and the age tofu.

The two appetizers were good, just enough portion wise to wet your appetite. Typical dumplings that you can buy in the frozen section but still tasty. The tofu lightly coated and fried sat on top of a slightly sweet soy based sauce.

The two ramen bowls were good size. However, everyone agreed that the broth in the shoyu bowl was tastier, 4 stars. 😋 The other one was bland 😒, according to the person who ordered it, but adding the chili oil helped, 3 stars. Bowls were mostly bamboo shoots, one piece of seaweed, 2 pieces of thinly sliced chashu pork belly plus half soft boiled egg. Approx $15 each.

As for the homura don, which was a ground pork rice bowl, this was the most disappointing, 2 stars, compared to other Japanese restaurants back home in Michigan, as well as the Taiwanese version, which is lots of ground pork drenched over rice with a sauce and pickled vegetables, which were nonexistent in this recipe.

For $8.99, this was basically a bowl of rice, with maybe a tablespoon of ground pork, sauce, green onions, plus half soft boiled egg. Also added a side of kimchi for a dollar. This was not what I expected. I would not order this again. Basically ate a bowl of rice for dinner with kimchi. The pork had no flavor and not even visible in this dish. 😢

5/5 stars on service and atmosphere
The waitstaff are all male and in observing all the busy tables plus ours, and a line waiting to be seated, they were on top of it. They filled water glasses, food came out fairly quickly, took care of people walking in...kudos to great service! 👏👏👏

The atmosphere is quite lively. The space comprised of some booth type seating, with a few tables to accommodate 4 to 6 people; and places for 1-2 guests available separated by a wood panel. Comfortable and easy for conversation.

We would go back and try a few other dishes to see how we like it, next time we visit Chicago.“

“Very nice place . Owners are really good people , very warm and friendly . A large selection of drinks and great hang out place . Love it ! Highly recommend!!“

“Voor de 5e keer hier gegeten. Heerlijke pokebowl en sushi. Ruime keus.“

“My boyfriend and I LOVE the food here! The nigiri is absolutely delicious - melts in your mouth and so fresh! We’ve been here several times before going to zanies or second city. It’s now become our go-to sushi restaurant! We tend to sit upstairs, which is a quaint place to sit for privacy. We seem to always get the same server, Yord. He is SUPER helpful and kind! He helps us pick out different foods when we are feeling adventurous. Now that I know his name, I’m going to ask where his section is so that I can be waited on by him! 😁 finally, the manager came by our table to ask how everything was tasting and how the service was. That was a great touch to an already impressive experience. 5 out of 5 ⭐️!“

“I will say this was a 3.5/4 out of 5. I’m rounding up my overall rating to a 4.

It’s a very nice ambience inside with various seating options (bar, high stool, regular seating). When we went around 7pm it was practically empty and not sure if because it’s a new restaurant or it was a week day but I recommend going on a weekend when it is a bit more lively. Despite it not being packed, service was a bit slow.

Food wise - the food tasted really good however the portions were tiny for the price. We ordered the cucumber salad, mushroom skewers, and chicken sandwich. All were really good. Mushroom skewers were seasoned very well but were a bit dry (no sauce or anything). Also, chicken sandwich was very good but the chicken was a bit dry. We asked for more honey mustard because it was so dry and then saw that they charged us for the additional mustard which was a bit penny pinching. The sandwich is very flavorful and chicken was thoroughly cooked.

There’s also not a lot of vegetarian options.

All in all the food was good in my opinion however do have these few suggestions.“

“The dragon roll delicious also the Spicy tuna yum.. and I had the Lychee tini 🍸 it was also great my new spot for sushi“

“The Xtra hot flavor on the chicken sandwich is blazing hot 🥵 but still full of flavour. Loved it.“

“Friendly staff and great vegan options! The mushroom ramen is amazing!!! They have a great happy hour Monday - Friday from 4-6pm“

“Good sushi and ramen. A little noisy. And warm; hot day in Chicago. Attentive service.“

“I love this place so much. Everything about it is just perfect.“

“The food is delicious and the drinks are great!! The atmosphere was amazing!!“

“The 17 course Omakase was exceptional, the service was on point. they have the timing down to a science. It is a hidden gem. You are transported into the 90s, it almost like a 90's hip hop speakeasy. It is truly a restaurant that is one of a kind.“

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“Excellent sushi in Lincoln Park. Staff is fabulous. We were treated like gold in the back cocktail room. A hidden gem!“

“It’s very pleasant and the food is delicious!“

“Delicious food. Wonderful service.“

“We had a terrific experience here. Great service, atmosphere, and the Hong Kong style curry cuttlefish was to die for. Will definitely be back“

“Over the years, Indie Cafe has been amazingly kind and thoughtful in their service, and their food preparations and presentations always go above and beyond all of my expectations. From quadruple-checking whether or not a menu item is gluten-free, to recommending the best wine/sake pairings for an entrée, their staff have always ensured that I've left their restaurant knowing that I was appreciated as a customer. And welcomed as a friend. Maya is hands-down one of the most excellent servers I've had the pleasure of dining with. She always goes above and beyond with her level of professionalism and attention, and her personality is lovely as well! Given the quality of their sashimi, the creativity behind their menu, and the warmth in their hearts? I look forward to dining with them for many years to come.“

“Had a great time last night. Thank you so very much!! Excellent!“

“I walked into this place without knowing what it was and all the way at the back corner this restaurant caught my eye, and I’m so glad I went there because I ordered the hibachi beef burger and you would’ve never thought they would put a fried egg in there it was so good every good burger should have an egg in it. She knew exactly what she was doing when she did that. FIRE ?“