The 24 best sushi restaurants in Chicago

One of Chicago's most extensive (and expensive) omakase experiences can be found at Kyōten in Logan Square, where chef Otto Phan offers upwards of 20 courses at his eight-seat sushi counter. Priced at $440-$490 per person depending on the day, it's an expensive meal, but the menu pulls out all the stops, with dishes catered individually to each guest. You can look forward to noshing on oceanic treats like kanpachi, uni, ebi and maguro.

Omakase concepts are having their moment right now, and none are doing it better than Lettuce Entertain You’s intimate 10-seater hidden inside Sushi-san. Led by chef Kaze Chan, The Omakase Room is a dazzling experience that’s both elegant and unstuffy. Guests are treated to a close-up view of the action and the convivial atmosphere encourages chit-chatting with the staff as they expertly carve fish to create 18 memorable courses, which include caviar-topped otoro tartare and uni ice cream.

Celebrated sushi chef BK Park serves an extensive omakase menu at this small West Loop restaurant, which fetches $185 a head for 15+ courses. The menu is sprinkled with pieces of sashimi and nigiri, and fluctuates with the seasons to highlight indulgent morsels like snow crab with kani miso and tosazu jelly. The sushi counter boasts just 12 seats (with an additional 10 seats behind it in the dining room), and each seating is limited to two hours. No need to rush: The chefs are trained to keep things moving at a comfortable pace.

The omakase menu at this small West Loop restaurant changes daily based on chef Sangtae Park's whims and what's in season and available to him. But if you're willing to put your trust—and $225—in the knowledgeable sushi chef, you can indulge in a 16-course menu that's packed with appetizers, sushi and dessert. Only six guests are served each seating at the omakase counter, so make sure to snag a reservation well in advance.

As if omakase menus weren't fancy and intimate enough, Sushi Suite takes things to the next level by transforming a 500-square-foot hotel room (located within Hotel Lincoln) into a secret, six-seat sushi speakeasy for private feasting. The 75-minute, 17-course menu serves up artfully arranged sushi topped with shrimp, uni and other seafood delights for $155 per person. For an even more luxe experience, combine your meal with a trio of pairings from the suite's self-serve sake vending machine.

This omakase newcomer from husband and wife Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee has arrived with much acclaim, including a Michelin star for Sushi by Scratch Restaurants’ outpost in Montecito, California. Tucked away below West Loop bar The Drop In, the 10-seat concept dishes out 17 courses across three seatings each night. You can expect plenty of luxe ingredients to be featured, as well as inventive nigiri—like a piece with unagi and roasted bone marrow drippings.

Although you can order a la carte, the affordable omakase menu at Melvin and Carlo Vizconde's restaurant is the way to go, and includes more food than you can eat—everything from rich oyster and uni shooters doctored up with ponzu sauce and egg yolks or seared tuna maki adorned with truffled scallions and takoyaki to a fried dough ball with a nugget of octopus inside. While these are all fun, utterly delicious takes on Japanese food, the decadence stops short of overwhelming the great fish in the maki and sashimi. Tuna and salmon are packed into a balanced roll with jalapeño, avocado, cilantro, masago, chili and lime, and the omakase ends with a generous plate of sashimi.

Want the best sushi deal in town? It's at Juno, where sushi chef BK Park is doing God's work when it comes to raw fish. The chef’s choice sashimi—perfectly sliced, spread over ice and adorned with shells and orchids—is $56 for 16 pieces of fish (two each of eight different kinds). This is a steal, and while it's enough for a solo diner, there are more great things to eat, like the smoked hamachi, which arrives under a glass dome with two spoons cradling lightly smoked pieces of fish. The Juno King consists of two single bites of tuna wrapped around rice and topped with spicy crab—they're delicious. Even the spicy tuna roll is elevated, with a thick piece of tuna and scallions, and a trace of sriracha and chili oil.

There are more than enough good things at Momotaro to have an entire meal without even glancing at the sushi menu, but that would be a mistake. Toss in individual nigiri or sashimi pieces or go all in on sushi rolls, like the Momomaki with big eye tuna, spicy octopus and pickled daikon. There are several meatless options for the vegetarians at your table, including rolls stuffed with shiitake tempura.

The team behind Raisu have opened a new Lincoln Park spot that’s every bit as memorable as the original. For those who want the full experience, the 15-course omakase menu offers a host of seasonal, high-quality ingredients and is sure to please. If you go the a la carte route, the lobster roll and the chef’s choice selection of nigiri, which comes beautifully presented on a sushi bridge, are stellar choices.

Best known for vodka, Malört and other spirits, CH Distillery is now home to a sushi restaurant in the back of its building. Jinsei Motto, originally conceived as a pop-up project during the pandemic by owners Andrew Choi and Patrick Bouaphanh, offers diners a curated assortment of quality seafood to pair with their Malört Spritzes. While the omakase menu is the recommended course of action, the a la carte options are equally noteworthy. From rich pieces of soy-marinated salmon and uni-and-toro nigiri to a vegetarian-friendly 1Up roll filled with truffle mayo and shiitake and enoki mushrooms, even the most seasoned sushi eaters will be wowed.

Omakase experiences have been on the rise in Chicago and this Lakeview spot is among those exciting newcomers. Grab a seat at the counter and watch as chefs Kristian Cho and Arnold Lee work their magic to craft 14 flavor-packed courses, such as sweet shrimp topped with shaved and compressed caviar and Hokkaido uni. The menu is priced at $150 per person and can be supplemented with sakes, teas and inventive Asian-tinged cocktails.

Noodle lovers flock to Ramen Takeya for hot bowls of chicken paitan ramen, but tucked away in the space below sits a similarly impressive concept: A tiny six-seat sushi bar. Here, chef Hiromichi Sasaki prepares edomae-style sushi—raw fish on cooked rice seasoned with vinegar—alongside small plates and hand rolls. The 15-course meal, priced at $99 per person, is a rapid-fire experience that spans 75 minutes. If you’re still feeling hungry afterwards, order delicacies like fatty tuna belly and hotate scallops off the a la carte menu.

Sometimes it’s best to leave things in the hands of the experts, as is the case at Raisu in Irving Park. A variety of fish are flown in multiple times a week and you’ll find them in creative options such as the Snow White, a maki roll showcasing fried smoked salmon, crab, tempura avocado and asparagus, chives, and garlic and unagi sauces. But for a full taste of what chef Simon Liew can do, opt for the omakase. It starts at $75 per person and provides luxuries like wagyu beef and uni.

You're in good hands with sushi star Kaze Chan (Kaze, Momotaro), who's crafted a menu of hits using super-fresh ingredients and wildly simple techniques. For a full understanding of Chan's skills, splurge on a San-Set, consisting of portioned collections of nigiri, sashimi and rolls that are designed to share. For a totally different experience, grab a seat at the hand roll bar, where fresh pockets of crispy seaweed, warm rice and pristine fish are served directly to you from the chefs behind the counter. Chan argues that this type of sushi should be gobbled up as soon as it’s constructed; even a 30-second delay in service could spoil the experience.

Look for the loyal following of Mike-heads: Sushi foodies who swear by Tanoshii chef Mike Ham. If you try the cooked items, you’re likely to not go back. If you order your own sushi, you’re likely to offer up a “So what?” But if you make like the regulars and put yourself in "Sushi Mike’s" hands (name your price, and he creates a combo), you might just become a believer.

This West Town sushi joint serves monstrous rolls with a side of art. Some of the Yuzu jumbo rolls are served on platters decorated with colorful sauces in Instagram-worthy patterns and shapes. Try the unholy Green Harbor, which is packed with broccoli and sweet potato tempura, grilled asparagus and cucumber and then topped with avocado, spicy mayo, wasabi mayo and sweet soy sauce. Open wide!

Pan-Asian stalwart Sunda knows how to pull out all the stops to impress. You can never go wrong with the signature crispy rice—topped with either wagyu or spicy tuna—but if you’re craving some rolls, there are terrific choices, too. The Gambler features spicy tuna, kani, cucumber, scallions, kampyo and avocado, plus ghost pepper sambal in a random single piece for those who like to be daring. Ballers can opt for the Lux Roll off the secret menu, a luxurious combination of negi toro, wagyu, truffle vinaigrette, shaved truffles, white wasabi cream and tobiko.

Food court sushi doesn’t always carry a sterling reputation, but 312 Fish Market is an exception to that rule. Located on the second floor of Chinese grocery emporium 88 Marketplace, this sushi bar imports its products fresh from Japan. Former Sushi-san chef and co-partner Joe Fung delivers impeccable slices of raw fish, including Konbujime-style cured madai and torched salmon maki. The menu also focuses on to-go party platters, which feature everything from an all-salmon tray to a 50-piece selection of sashimi.

This takeout-only spot in Albany Park is an unexpected gem for sushi. First, it's insanely cheap—a tray with 16 pieces of nigiri, a California roll and a spicy tuna roll is just $26, and most nigiri are $1 or $2 apiece, with six-count maki rolls starting at $3.45. These prices are cheaper than grocery store sushi, and while the maki may not be perfectly wrapped, it tastes worlds better—the flavors are clean, from supple salmon to sweet tamago.

The posh Nobu Hotel—co-owned by Robert De Niro—opened in the West Loop in 2020, with its equally stylish flagship sushi restaurant arriving a few months later. Inside the 10,000-square-foot space you'll find a dining room, lounge, two private dining areas and 28-foot sushi bar inspired by a jewelry box, where guests can feast on chef Nobu Matsuhisa's signature dishes like black cod with miso and yellowtail jalapeño sashimi. There's also an omakase-style tasting menu available if you don't feel like sorting through the myriad of seafood options. Want to take advantage of the good weather? Head up to the 11th floor for nigiri, sashimi and maki at the Rooftop at Nobu, a sprawling outdoor terrace with Japanese-inspired design.

You've likely heard about Tao because of its 1,000-person capacity club, but the venue's posh restaurant is not to be overlooked. Snag a table in the dining room or saddle up at the sushi counter, where you can order sea-kissed treasures a la carte or through a decadent omakase menu. Sashimi and nigiri pieces are cut with precision, while specialty rolls conceal spicy tuna, salmon tartare and creamy lobster salad.

Shaw's is one of our go-to spots for oysters and lobster rolls, but the sushi menu is also worth exploring. Given how serious Shaw's is about seafood, it's not surprising that its takes on sushi are simple and well-executed. There are neatly rolled and balanced maki, including combinations like soft shell crab tempura, cucumber, mayonnaise and scallions, while the slices of salmon, tuna and yellowtail sashimi are precisely cut.

This New York and South Beach import is a jack of all trades when it comes to seafood, serving oysters, caviar, lobster rolls, tuna tacos and a crispy Asian snapper for two. Lure Fishbar also boasts an expansive sushi menu (all prepared at a dedicated sushi bar), including a selection of signature rolls and platters laden with sushi and sashimi. If you're looking for something a bit different, opt for the crispy sushi rice, which places spicy tuna or yellowtail jalapeño atop fried rice patties.