From Mexican restaurants to Indian restaurants, Chicago is sprawled with delicious cuisine. However, it doesn’t stop there. Have we mentioned that Chicago also has amazing sushi?
It’s a misconception that the best sushi can only be found in states boarding the ocean. Even hundreds of miles from the coasts, Chicago offers some of the freshest sushi bites in restaurants around the city. Whether you’re craving an affordable nigiri roll or planning an elegant, memorable omakase fine-dining experience (in a hotel room, we might add), there are numerous options crafted by talented chefs. Whatever style you’re looking for, this is a complete guide to the best sushi in Chicago.
1. Sunda New Asian
If you’re looking for the best sushi in Chicago, we have the spot for you. Sunda New Asian, with locations in Fulton Market and River North, has become a highly sought-after dining destination known for its culinary excellence.
This award-winning restaurant concept offers a modern Southeast Asian cuisine that is as diverse as it is delicious. The extensive cross-cultural New Asian menu, created through the seamless fusion of elevated cooking techniques and flavors from across Asia, provides a wide range of culinary options, catering to a variety of tastes and preferences.
On a recent visit, we started with the seaweed salad, Tiger Shrimp Tempura, and the delicious Oxtail Pot Stickers, braised with oxtail, caramelized onion jus, and white wasabi cream. For our main dishes, we chose the Miso Bronzed Black Cod and the Tom Yum Sea Bass, both of which were incredibly fresh. As for sushi, we tried the Red Dragon, the Spicy “Tail of Two Tunas,” the Sweet Potato Caterpillar Roll, and, since we’re risk-takers, the Gambler Roll.
📍Address: 333 N Green St, Chicago, IL 60607 (Fulton Market)
📍Address: 110 W Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60654 (River North)
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Sunda New Asian here
2. Sushi | Bar
When you walk in, you’ll be greeted by an intimate omakase-style speakeasy concept before you make your way through a 17-course omakase course. The experience is steadfast in showcasing the freshest fish sourced and flown in weekly via some of the best markets in the world, including Japan, Australia, and California. Sushi | Bar is designed to transport diners with a mysterious allure that fades into a friendly, intimate experience between chef and guest.
📍Address: 405 N Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
📲 Reservation: Make a reservation at Sushi | Bar here
3. Lawrence Fish Market, Albany Park
Lawrence Fish Market is a takeout-only spot in Albany Park but has terrific sushi at incredibly reasonable prices. The market has been around for over 40 years and offers a wide range of sushi options from $1 and up. With many of the recommendations on this list being somewhat extravagant, we will start with the most affordable.
Single sushi and sashimi options here cost anywhere from $1 to $3 apiece. While the cheapest maki tray costs $23 and includes five rolls and 31 pieces, the most expensive option on the menu is the $300 86-piece sushi tray for 7-12 people. A sushi and maki tray is one of the best bets, with 16 pieces of nigiri, a California roll, and a spicy tuna roll costing just $25.
📍Address: 3920 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Takeout · No delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Lawrence Fish Market here
4. Sushi By Bou, West Loop & Gold Coast
Located inside The Emily Hotel, Sushi By Bou brings a 90s flair to the hotel with graffiti-decorated walls, a hip-hop-inspired playlist, and murals of Chicago’s hip-hop legends! The 10-seat counter and 10-seat lounge are ideal for enjoying craft cocktails, great music, and Sushi By Bou’s signature timed Omakase experience.
If you and your favorite foodie are on the hunt for an unforgettable culinary experience with a twist, then this blindfolded Dining in the Dark dinner has your name on it. A 12-course sushi extravaganza served the Omakase way awaits inside Sushi By Bou Gold Coast, giving you the chance to test your taste buds and see how good sushi can really taste.
📍Sushi By Bou West Loop, 311 N. Morgan St, Chicago, IL 60607
📍Sushi By Bou Gold Coast, 1244 N Dearborn Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60610
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in·No takeout·No delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Sushi By Bou here
5. Tanoshii, Andersonville
Many of you may already be familiar with Sushi Mike. If you’re not, the message on Tanoshii’s website, “the official site of legendary Chicago sushi chef Mike Ham, better known as Sushi Mike,” will quickly give you something of an idea.
The Andersonville restaurant is large but relaxed, with a wide-ranging menu, fantastic service, and first-class sushi. Single pieces of nigiri and sashimi are $3-$8 here, while various sushi combo selections cost $35 for ten pieces. You’ll want to name your price, describe your likes and dislikes, and allow Sushi Mike to work magic.
📍Address: 5547 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Takeout · Delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Tanoshii here
6. Juno Sushi, Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park’s Juno has been accoladed as one of the best Chicago sushi spots on more than one occasion. Renowned sushi chef B.K. Park is one of the most prolific sushi chefs, providing expertly created sushi at primarily reasonable prices at Juno. The food is creatively plated and beautifully put together—sleek, scrumptious, and stunning. Perfect for a date night, the nigiri and sashimi options here are predominantly $5 or $6, while Chef’s selection of sashimi is 16 pieces for $56, and the nigiri is nine pieces for $42.
📍Address: 2638 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Curbside pickup · No delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Juno Sushi Chicago here
7. Mako, West Loop
Of course, we don’t like to repeat restaurants with the same owner, but we now must mention Chef B.K. Park’s latest Chicago-based passion project—Mako Here, B.K. Park’s sushi magic earned him Michelin Star status just six months after opening.
The extensive omakase menu here is $175 ahead for 15 courses and an optional beverage pairing for a further $95, but if you’re serious about sushi, you certainly won’t be disappointed. The tiny West Loop restaurant seats 22 in total, with bar space for 12 and a dining room that can fit 10. You’ll spend three hours sampling some of the finest sushi you’ll ever experience in a nature-driven interior setup.
📍Address: 731 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Curbside pickup · No delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Mako here
8. Momotaro, West Loop
Momotaro prides itself on “tightly executed cuisine and highly personal service” to provide one of Chicago’s best mixes of traditional and contemporary Japanese dining experiences.
Chef Gene Kato is the mastermind behind this upscale Japanese restaurant in the vibrant Fulton Market District. Though there is far more than just sushi at Momotaro, an entire menu page is devoted to various exquisite nigiri, sashimi, and makimono options. Most of the nigiri and sashimi options cost $6 or $7, while more extensive options like the Chef’s Seasonal Nigiri Selection and the Chef’s Seasonal Sashimi Selection cost $70 and $80, respectively.
📍Address: 820 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Curbside pickup · Delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Momotaro here
9. Kai Zan
This hidden gem in Ukrainian Village has been consistently placed in the Chicago Michelin guide over the last decade, earning the Michelin Bib Gourmand staple for exceptional food at moderate prices. The brainchild of twin brothers Melvin & Carlo Vizconde, the Kai Zan menu offers opportunities to pick out a few different things or branch out away from sushi altogether.
For $85, Chefs Melvin and Carlo will spoil you with various flavors and innovative creations. You’ll find few places with such an exceptional and generous omakase experience at this price. There is also an assortment of five pieces of delicious and thoughtfully created vegetarian nigiri for just $15, eight pieces of flaming tuna maki for $17, or eight pieces of Green Monster Maki for $19.
📍Address: 2557 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Takeout · No delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Kai Zan here
10. Sushi-San
River North’s Sushi-San reflects a laid-back yet elegant dining experience; however, the sushi is up there with any other you’ll find in Chicago. It’s the san-sets you’ll want to try out here—they rely on daily deliveries, making it some of the freshest fish and seafood available. San sets range from $17 for the domain vegetable, consisting of four nigiri, two gunman, and eight maki, to the $105 Megatron, composed of 12 nigiri, 12 sashimi, and two rolls. They also have one of the best happy hours in Chicago if you love sushi.
📍Address: 63 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60654
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Curbside pickup · No-contact delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Sushi-San here
11. Omakase Yume
Chef Sangtae Park is the veteran sushi artist behind the intimate Omakase Yume. Moving to Chicago from his native coastal hometown of Busan, South Korea, Chef Sangtae spent years at various highly-rated Japanese restaurants in the area before opening his dream omakase-focused sushi restaurant in the West Loop called Omakase Yume (yume translates to “dream”).
This omakase adventure offers an exceptionally Chicago sushi experience with the chef’s unique dining choices, with the contents changing regularly based on Chef Sangtae Park’s whims. And at Omakase Yume, Santae Park will never fail to impress you. A $185 16-course menu includes appetizers, daily sushi prepared by the chef, and dessert emphasizing quality and the best product. This is an omakase-only restaurant; only 16 guests are served each evening. If you want to experience it, you must reserve it in advance.
📍Address: 651 W Washington Blvd Suite #101, Chicago, IL 60661
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Takeout · Delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Omakase Yume here
12. Sushi Suite 202
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · No delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Sushi Suite 202 here
13. Kyōten
Logan Square’s Kyōten is a reservation-only private omakase experience that caters to some of the best sushi in Chicago. At an intimate eight-seat sushi counter, Chef Otto creates and explains over 20 dishes made from some of the world’s greatest ingredients from Japan and beyond. The total menu price is $440 per person on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday but $490 per person on Fridays and Saturdays.
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Takeout
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Kyōten here
14. Planta Queen, River North
You might be wondering why we have a plant-based restaurant on the best sushi list in Chicago. Well, PLANTA Queen serves some of the best sushi in Chicago—and it’s all vegan. They have an expansive, vegan menu, but it’s the sushi that stands out. From the Unagi Eggplant Nigiri and Ahi Watermelon Nigiri to a Dragon Roll and Spicy Tuna Roll, you’ll forget there isn’t any fish.
🍽️ Service options: Dine-in · Takeout · Delivery
📲Reservation: Secure a spot at Planta Queen here