If you’re looking for an elegant, trendy restaurant teeming with energy and serving quality sushi rolls with a Peruvian twist, Akiro is the place for you.
Akiro is the first U.S. location of the Madrid-born Nikkei hand roll bar, which opened in River North late last year.
The restaurant offers a refined yet approachable lineup of nigiri and hand rolls crafted with Japanese seaweed, fresh fish, and rice. After debuting in 2023, Akiro quickly expanded to Barcelona and, more recently, to Chicago.
Affordable alternative to Chicago’s expensive omakase scene
The spot provides a relaxed alternative to Chicago’s increasingly elevated omakase scene, pairing imaginative Japanese-Peruvian sushi and hand rolls with affordability, making it an easy stop.
Some menu standouts include house guacamole and tuna tiradito, which are must-have starters. The velvety guacamole is delicious, blended with sundried tomato mousse and served with rice crisps.
There’s an expansive à la carte selection of hand rolls, and you can’t go wrong with any of them. We particularly gravitated toward ones with Peruvian flavors, including the fish-and-chip hand roll, topped with crispy hamachi, Peruvian tatar, and string chips.
The scallop hand roll is light and refreshing, drizzled with yuzu aioli, while the crab roll stood out with its yuzu rocoto aioli, avocado, and panko.
Akiro marks the latest evolution with Éxodo Hospitality Group—the team behind local favorites Matilda, Clandestino, Kayao, and Ayayay.
