The 10 best sushi restaurants in Chicago

Chicago sushi runs from eight-seat counters where dinner costs more than a plane ticket to storefronts where a dozen pieces of nigiri come in under $40. This list covers both ends: the omakase rooms of the West Loop and Logan Square, a long-running Lincoln Park bar, a dry-aging specialist, an Irving Park neighborhood room and one western suburb that draws city diners out on the Metra. The picks are for anyone deciding where to spend a birthday dinner, where to take out-of-town guests, or where to eat raw fish on a Tuesday without a reservation made three weeks ahead.

The list favors fish that arrives from Japan at least weekly, a chef who is at the counter most nights, and a room that has kept its standards through more than one hot season. Expect to pay for the top of the list: set omakase menus run from $98 at the cheapest counter here to $225 per person at the starred one, with the original Kyoten above $400. The a la carte rooms are kinder, with single pieces of nigiri from $5 and full sashimi plates around $62, and two places on the list serve lunch.

How we chose

The order reflects how consistently each restaurant shows up, and how highly, across independent local coverage: Eater Chicago, Chicago Magazine, the Tribune and Sun-Times, Time Out Chicago and The Infatuation, whose Chicago sushi guide was last updated in August 2026. Named and dated awards count, chiefly the Michelin Guide, which gave Mako and Omakase Yume one star each in the 2020 guide (announced September 26, 2019) and kept Mako at one star in the 2025 guide (announced November 18, 2025). Longevity counts, which is why a Lincoln Park bar with a decade of press sits above newer rooms with more buzz. Breadth of reviews counts too; a place with 4,000 diner reviews and steady press over a decade ranks above one with a hot first year. No restaurant was placed on the strength of a single site’s star rating, and every one was checked as open in September 2026 against the business’s own site or a live booking page.

Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Mako

The omakase at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/mako/ is the one Chicago sushi menu the Michelin Guide still stars, and B.K. Park’s West Loop counter has held that star every year since the 2020 guide. Dinner is a set progression of roughly 15 to 17 courses, listed on the restaurant’s menu at $225 per person, moving from scallop and king crab through nigiri to black cod, a handroll and dessert. Mako takes the top spot because no other room on this list pairs a current star with a room this size: the Michelin entry counts 22 seats, which makes a party of four realistic. This is the address for a serious anniversary or a client dinner that has to land.

Hours: Seatings Wed-Fri 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; Sat-Sun 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Address: 731 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60661

Why they made the list

• Mako kept one Michelin star in the 2025 guide announced November 18, 2025.
• An optional beverage pairing is $110 per person on top of the $225 menu.
• Deposits on reservations canceled within 48 hours are not refunded, so transfer the booking to a friend if plans change.
• Lake Street runs under the L here, and the Clinton Green and Pink Line stop is a short walk east, so skip the car.

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Kyoten Next Door

Otto Phan opened this second counter beside his original Logan Square room, and by August 2026 The Infatuation was calling https://windycitymagazine.com/business/kyoten-next-door/ the best omakase in the city. The format is nigiri and only nigiri: about 15 pieces of generously cut fish flown in twice a week from Japan, pressed onto rice portions bigger than most counters serve, closing with a tuna handroll and a slab of sweet tamago. The room ranks second rather than first because the Michelin Guide lists the ten seats as recommended, not starred, and the counter is too new to have the years of coverage Mako has. For a nigiri-only meal at a fair price, this is the pick.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 2513 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, IL 60647

Why they made the list

• The Infatuation rates the counter 9.5 out of 10 in its Chicago sushi guide updated August 2026.
• Time Out put the price at $159 to $169 per person in October 2025, roughly a third of what the original Kyoten charges two doors down.
• Reservations go through Resy and have opened about 20 days out; a solo diner has better odds than a group.
• The California Blue Line stop is about a ten-minute walk.

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Omakase Yume

Six seats, three seatings a night, one chef. That is the whole of https://windycitymagazine.com/business/omakase-yume/, which Sangtae Park opened in 2018 after running neighborhood Japanese restaurants in Highland Park and Niles. The chef’s tasting is 16 courses, with the fish prepped ahead so the meal moves fast and quietly; grilled miso black cod over well-seasoned rice is a fixture. Yume sits third because the Michelin star Park earned in the 2020 guide is gone from the current guide, which lists the restaurant as recommended, though the restaurant’s own site still describes the star. Book on Resy and give yourself time to walk over from Ogilvie.

Hours: Tue-Sat seatings at 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; closed Sun-Mon

Address: 651 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, IL 60661

Why they made the list

• Each seating takes six guests, so a party larger than that books out the whole room.
• Cancellations inside 72 hours carry a $225-per-person fee.
• House rules include a 15-minute grace period, no substitutions and no strong fragrances.
• Park earned the star in the 2020 guide, announced September 26, 2019, the same year Mako did.

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Sushi-san

Two restaurants share this River North address. Downstairs, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/sushi-san/ is the Lettuce Entertain You room that plays golden-era hip-hop and moves a lot of handrolls, built from Spanish bluefin and Toyosu market fish. Upstairs on the second floor, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/the-omakase-room/ is a ten-seat, 18-course counter led by Kaze Chan, one of the chefs who shaped Chicago sushi in the late 1990s. The pairing is why the address ranks this high: a loud, cheap, walk-in-friendly bar below and a formal counter above, a block from the Grand Red Line stop. Order the D-Luxe nigiri plate downstairs if you want to taste the fish without the omakase commitment.

Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sat noon to 11 p.m.; Sun noon to 10 p.m.

Address: 63 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60654

Why they made the list

• Handrolls run $7 for crunchy fatty tuna and $9 for toro oshinko, or three for $20.
• The 12-piece D-Luxe nigiri plate is $55.
• The Omakase Room seats at 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
• Sushi-san adds a 3.5 percent surcharge to every bill and removes the charge if asked.

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Kai Zan

Twin brothers Melvin and Carlo Vizconde run https://windycitymagazine.com/business/kai-zan/ on Chicago Avenue in Humboldt Park as the city’s most approachable omakase, and the 2026 menu prices the chef’s-choice meal from $98. Regulars know the a la carte hits by name: Orange Rush and Angry Crab, two-piece nigiri bites, the escolar or maguro pearls, and a tuna flight of otoro, chutoro and lean tuna when the kitchen has enough on hand. Kai Zan ranks fifth on value and staying power; the room has been on local best-of lists for years without raising prices into the range of the counters above. The room is small, so reserve.

Hours: Tue-Thu 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.; closed Sun-Mon

Address: 2557 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622

Why they made the list

• Orange Rush, Angry Crab and the pearls are $14 each, and the tuna flight is $27.
• Time Out reported an early-bird omakase at $49 per person Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 5:30 p.m. as of October 2025; ask whether the deal is still running.
• Street parking on Chicago Avenue west of Western is easier than anything downtown, and the No. 66 Chicago bus stops nearby.

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Juno

Before Mako, B.K. Park built his reputation at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/juno/, and the Lincoln Avenue original is still the better deal. There is no set menu and no set seating time; the chef’s-choice sashimi, 16 pieces spread over ice, is $62, and nine pieces of chef’s nigiri are $48. The signature bites are the ones the press has written up for years: smoked hamachi under a glass dome, the Juno King of spicy king crab over tuna, and a trio of eels. Juno lands sixth on longevity, a decade of steady coverage that newer rooms with more buzz cannot match, and suits a mid-week dinner for two who want counter-quality fish without a $200 check.

Hours: Mon, Wed-Thu 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Sun 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Tue

Address: 2638 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL 60614

Why they made the list

• Single pieces of scallop, fluke, amberjack and salmon are $5 apiece, with otoro topping out at $12.
• The restaurant’s press page lists Time Out and The Daily Meal naming Juno among the best sushi restaurants in America.
• Parking on Lincoln Avenue is metered and scarce on weekends; the Diversey Brown Line stop is about a ten-minute walk.
• The one day off is Tuesday, so a Monday dinner is easier to book here than at most counters on this list.

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Momotaro

Boka Restaurant Group’s Japanese flagship, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/momotaro/, is the big-room option on this list: a main dining floor and sushi counter designed by AvroKO, an izakaya in the basement, and executive chef Gene Kato running all three on Lake Street in the West Loop. The menu spans robata, sushi and cocktails rather than a strict omakase, which makes Momotaro the pick for a group of six with mixed appetites or a work dinner. The restaurant ranks seventh because breadth of reviews counts: OpenTable shows more than 4,500 diner reviews, a volume none of the counters above can match, even if the sushi alone would not beat them.

Hours: Sun-Thu 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Fri lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Address: 820 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL 60607

Why they made the list

• A Friday-only lunch of bento boxes runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is the cheapest way to try the kitchen.
• OpenTable logged more than 130 bookings in a single day in September 2026.
• Takeout has a happy hour Monday through Thursday from 4:30 to 6 p.m., ordered through DoorDash.
• The Morgan Green and Pink Line stop is three blocks west, and the Clinton stop is about the same distance east.

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Jinsei Motto

Dry-aged fish is the whole idea at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/jinsei-motto/, which chefs Patrick Bouaphanh and Eric Blanck describe as Chicago’s original dry-aged seafood sushi restaurant. Aging concentrates the flavor of tuna and salmon the way it does a steak, and the Logan Square counter leans into that with a 12-piece Tokushu set of dry-aged bluefin and seasonal fish for $69, or an eight-piece classic set at $39. A wood-fired robata section, lamb chops and chicken thigh with green curry among them, keeps non-sushi eaters happy. Jinsei Motto ranks eighth as the most distinctive kitchen on the list with the shortest track record; a few more years of coverage would move the room up.

Hours: Wed-Thu 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Address: 2456 N. California Ave., Chicago, IL 60647

Why they made the list

• Single pieces run $6 for sea bream to $16 for uni.
• A binchotan-seared kama toro collar shows up at $15 when the restaurant has one.
• Fish comes from Tokyo’s Toyosu market and local suppliers, and the robata burns Japanese oak charcoal.
• The room sits a few blocks north of the California Blue Line stop and is open four nights a week.

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Raisu

A neighborhood sushi bar with a fine-dining kitchen is a rare thing on the Northwest Side, which is why https://windycitymagazine.com/business/raisu/ has built a following well beyond Irving Park. The kitchen flies fish in from Japan weekly and runs a small omakase that must be reserved ahead, alongside nigiri, sashimi and cooked dishes ordered a la carte. The dining room is larger and quieter than the counters downtown, with real tables, and that makes Raisu a good fit for families or a first date that needs conversation. The restaurant ranks ninth because the press coverage is thinner than the diner reviews; the Irving Park Road address keeps Raisu off most downtown-focused lists.

Hours: Tue-Sun 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Mon

Address: 2958 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago, IL 60618

Why they made the list

• Raisu holds a 4.9 rating on OpenTable across several hundred reviews.
• OpenTable lists the price range at $31 to $50 per person for an a la carte dinner.
• Street parking on Irving Park Road and the side streets is straightforward, and the No. 80 Irving Park bus runs past the door.

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Nabuki

The suburb that earns a spot is Hinsdale, where https://windycitymagazine.com/business/nabuki/ has drawn a near-cult following for chef Juan Perez’s sushi with Latin accents. Perez, who is from Mexico and learned the trade in California and New York, tops thin-sliced yellowtail with serrano and cilantro for the hamachi tiradito and rolls lobster tempura in soybean paper for the Piccadilly, alongside a straight nigiri list for purists. The room is sleek, with a black granite bar and a sushi counter. Nabuki closes the list at tenth because the trip out is a real cost for city diners, but the restaurant is the answer when the group is coming from Oak Brook or the western suburbs.

Hours: Sun-Mon 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Tue-Thu 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 18 E. First St., Hinsdale, IL 60521

Why they made the list

• The hamachi tiradito is $21 and the Piccadilly roll is $22 on the current menu.
• OpenTable shows nearly 1,600 reviews and dozens of bookings a day.
• Lunch runs Tuesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m., which few city sushi rooms offer.
• The BNSF Metra line stops at Hinsdale station a block away.

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Also worth knowing

In Lakeview, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/aji-omakase/ at 3809 N. Broadway runs a 15-course counter that Time Out priced at $165 per person in October 2025, and The Infatuation’s August 2026 guide rates the room 8.0 out of 10.

On the second floor of the 88 Marketplace food court in East Pilsen, https://windycitymagazine.com/business/312-fish-market/ sells party trays by day and a 17-course omakase by advance request, one of the cheaper long-form sushi meals on the South Side.

The original https://windycitymagazine.com/business/kyoten/ at 2507 W. Armitage Ave. remains the most expensive sushi in the city, with Time Out quoting $440 to $490 per person for 20-plus courses. Bookings have moved off Tock, so check with the restaurant directly before planning around a date.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best sushi restaurant in Chicago?

Mako in the West Loop tops this list because B.K. Park’s counter is the only Chicago sushi restaurant holding a Michelin star in the 2025 guide, with a $225 omakase of roughly 15 to 17 courses. Kyoten Next Door in Logan Square is the challenger; The Infatuation rated the nigiri-only counter 9.5 out of 10 in August 2026 and called the counter the best omakase in the city.

How much does omakase cost in Chicago?

The range is wide. Kai Zan in Humboldt Park prices a chef’s-choice omakase from $98 on the 2026 menu, Kyoten Next Door was $159 to $169 per person as of October 2025, and Mako and Omakase Yume sit around $225. The original Kyoten is the top of the market at $440 to $490 per person for 20-plus courses.

Where can you get good sushi in Chicago without an omakase reservation?

Sushi-san in River North is walk-in friendly and open from 11 a.m. on weekdays, with handrolls from $7 and a 12-piece nigiri plate for $55. Juno in Lincoln Park has no set menu or seating time, with single pieces from $5 and a 16-piece sashimi plate for $62. Momotaro in the West Loop has the largest room on the list and a Friday bento lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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