The 5 Best Sushi Restaurants in Chicago 2026

Not every good sushi night needs a $250 counter and a deposit. This is the other Chicago sushi — the a-la-carte rooms where you order what you want, stay as long as you like, and still get fish flown in from Tokyo. Sushi-san runs loud in River North; Momotaro stacks three floors on Lake Street; Arami has been quietly excellent in West Town for over a decade. Five rooms for a regular sushi dinner, ranked, with the omakase counters left to their own Chicago ranking.

The a-la-carte case

The counter-omakase boom made it easy to forget that most sushi dinners are not tasting menus. The rooms below serve nigiri to order, run izakaya and robata alongside it, and let a table of four graze for two hours — the format the omakase counters deliberately refuse. The sourcing at the top of this list is as serious as the counters', it is just handed to you differently. The sushi cuisine guide sets the sourcing and rice standards, the Japanese cuisine guide covers the wider kitchen, and the Chicago dining guide places these rooms in the city.

The five, ranked

1. Sushi-san — River North

Sushi-san, at 63 W Grand Avenue, is the Lettuce Entertain You room that made a-la-carte sushi feel like a night out rather than a ceremony: an imported-Japanese-fish programme run with real edomae knowledge, hip-hop on the speakers, and a counter that trades reverence for energy. It is also the front door to the city's serious omakase, since the Omakase Room sits behind it. Sushi-san's full review covers the fish programme. Book it for a sushi dinner with a pulse. Not for a hushed date; the room is loud by design, and weekends are louder.

2. Momotaro — West Loop

Momotaro is Boka Restaurant Group's Japanese flagship at 820 W Lake Street, three floors covering a sushi counter, a robata grill, and a basement izakaya modelled on a Tokyo train-station bar. The sushi counter takes the discipline seriously while the robata runs through Japanese vegetables and proteins over charcoal, which makes it the most flexible Japanese room in the city for a mixed table. Momotaro's review ranks the three floors. Book it for a group that cannot agree on sushi versus grill. Not for a quick bite; the scale rewards a full, unhurried evening.

3. Arami — West Town

Arami, on Chicago Avenue in West Town, has been one of the city's quietly excellent sushi rooms for more than a decade: nigiri rice properly seasoned, fish flown in several times a week, and a confident izakaya programme handling the wider small-plate canon. It has the neighbourhood loyalty the flashier rooms have to buy, and the wood-and-paper room is calmer than anything in River North. Arami's review covers the izakaya side. Book it for a grown-up sushi dinner that actually lets you talk. Not for a spectacle; the appeal is restraint, and the room stays low-key on purpose.

4. Juno — Lincoln Park

Juno, at 2638 N Lincoln Avenue, straddles both lists: a disciplined edomae room that runs a proper tasting omakase but also serves nigiri and a hot-and-cold appetiser programme to order for a table that wants to stay put. Rice is handled correctly and the fish comes from East Coast and Tokyo wholesalers, which is more than most neighbourhood sushi rooms can claim. Juno's review has the room. Book it for serious a-la-carte sushi in Lincoln Park. Not for a big loud group; the small room favours pairs and quiet fours.

5. Sushi by Bou — West Loop

Sushi by Bou at 152 N Halsted is on this list with an asterisk: its format is a 30-minute fixed-time omakase rather than open a-la-carte, but the eight-seat counter and 12-to-17-piece run make it the closest thing to a walk-up sushi fix in the West Loop for diners who do not want a two-hour commitment. Sushi by Bou's review explains the timed format. Book it for a fast, cheap, chef-made sushi run before something else. Not for a leisurely dinner; the half-hour clock is the entire concept.

What to skip, and where to trade up

Skip the a-la-carte route entirely if what you actually want is a chef leading a full tasting — that is the counter-omakase experience, and Mako's Michelin-starred counter or the full omakase ranking is the right map. Skip Sushi-san if you need quiet, and Sushi by Bou if you want to linger. And do not judge Momotaro by the ground-floor sushi alone; the robata and the izakaya downstairs are half the reason to go.

Booking mechanics

Sushi-san and Momotaro run on Resy and hold same-week tables outside weekend primetime, though the Sushi-san counter fills first. Arami and Juno take reservations for their small rooms and reward a few days' notice, especially for weekend seatings. Sushi by Bou sells timed slots directly and books closest to the day. The wider strategy is in the last-minute fine-dining playbook.

Keep reading

For sushi elsewhere in the directory, see the New York sushi ranking and the Tokyo sushi guide. The Chicago Japanese guide covers ramen, izakaya and robata beyond raw fish.

Frequently asked questions

Prices, chefs, awards and opening status were checked against the restaurants' published menus, booking platforms and the current Michelin and local guide editions; all of it changes without notice, so confirm on the booking page before you commit. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.