RFK Cuisine · Sushi · Chicago
Best Sushi Restaurants in Chicago 2026
Sushi · Chicago · 7 counters ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 20, 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026
One chef holds three of Chicago's serious sushi seats, and the best of them sits behind a single plaque on West Lake Street. B.K. Park's Mako is the only sushi counter in the city carrying a Michelin star, and it anchors a deeper bench than most diners expect from a landlocked town: a hidden ten-seat omakase room above a River North izakaya, Park's own quieter original in Lincoln Park, and a run of West Loop and West Town rooms importing the same Toyosu fish on a less rarefied budget. Chicago does not pretend to be Tokyo, but it cures and brushes its nigiri with real conviction, and the gap between the best counter and a good one is wide enough to matter. These are the seven sushi rooms worth booking now, ranked on the cooking, the room and what the bill buys, with what to order at each.
1.Mako
Chicago's only Michelin-starred sushi counter; book Mako for B.K. Park's 25-course edomae omakase at about $175 a seat.
Mako is a 22-seat counter at 731 W Lake Street in Fulton Market, marked outside by nothing but a lone plaque, where chef B.K. Park runs the roughly 25-course omakase that earned the room its Michelin star. Park cuts to order in front of you, dressing nigiri with grace notes the city does not get elsewhere — a squeeze of sudachi here, a brush of sesame-pepper soy there — over rice held at body temperature. The base omakase is around $175, with an optional sake-and-wine pairing near $85. It is the most exacting sushi in Chicago and the seat against which the rest of this list is measured. Book on Tock a few weeks ahead, expect a deposit, and take whatever counter slot opens.
Reserve on Tock; the full omakase, and add the sake pairing if the budget allows.
2.The Omakase Room at Sushi-san
A hidden ten-seat counter of imported luxury fish; book the Omakase Room for Kaze Chan's 18-course menu when budget is no object.
Up a flight of stairs behind the busy Sushi-san dining room at 63 W Grand Avenue in River North sits a serene ten-seat counter where master chefs Kaze Chan and Shigeru Kitano serve an 18-course omakase at $250, plus a 20% service charge. The fish leans toward the luxe end — a direct line to Toyosu and a rotating cast of premium cuts — and the pacing is slower and more ceremonial than at the louder room below. It is the city's most expensive seated omakase and, on its night, its most lavish. For a diner who wants the full imported-fish indulgence rather than the starred standard, this is the booking. Reserve on Tock, where a deposit holds the seat.
Reserve on Tock; the 18-course omakase, and let the counter steer the sake.
3.Juno
B.K. Park's original Lincoln Park room and the value omakase in town; book Juno for proper edomae nigiri without the Fulton Market deposit.
Juno, at 2638 N Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park, is where B.K. Park made his name before Mako, and it remains the smartest-value serious omakase in Chicago. The tasting runs to roughly 20 bites — sashimi, a warm plate or two, a long run of edomae nigiri, dessert — built on the same discipline that earned Park his star up the road, at a gentler price. The room is small and quietly run, the counter the seat to ask for. For diners who want the chef's edomae cooking without the flagship's deposit and weeks of lead time, Juno is the answer. Book on Resy a week or two ahead and request the counter.
Reserve on Resy; the omakase, seated at the counter rather than a table.
4.Arami
West Town's thoughtful sushi-and-izakaya room; book Arami for carefully sourced nigiri and a serious sake list without an omakase commitment.
Arami, at 1829 W Chicago Avenue in West Town, has spent more than a decade as the neighborhood room serious sushi eaters trust when they want nigiri à la carte rather than a fixed counter. The sourcing is careful, the sashimi clean, and the izakaya plates — grilled skewers, small hot dishes — give the kitchen a range the pure counters do not attempt. A wood-lined room and one of the better sake lists on the West Side make it the pick for a relaxed dinner where the fish still matters. For a group that wants to order what it likes at its own pace, Arami beats the omakase rooms on flexibility. Book on Resy a few days ahead.
Reserve on Resy; a nigiri selection, a few izakaya plates, and a sake flight.
5.Sushi-san
The lively River North room that hides the city's plushest counter; book Sushi-san for hip-hop, hand rolls and reliably good nigiri with a group.
Sushi-san, at 63 W Grand Avenue in River North, is the loud, design-led downstairs that the hidden Omakase Room sits above — a Lettuce Entertain You room where hip-hop plays, the hand rolls move fast, and the nigiri is far better than the energy suggests. It taught a generation of Chicagoans to eat raw fish without the ritual, and it still does the job: clean sashimi, well-built maki, a long sake and highball list. This is the table for a lively dinner with friends where sushi is the centerpiece but the night is not a silent omakase. Book on Resy a few days ahead, more for a weekend, and sit in the main room.
Reserve on Resy; the toro hand roll, a sashimi spread, and a round of highballs.
6.Momotaro
Boka Group's multi-floor West Loop izakaya; book Momotaro when you want sushi inside a full Japanese spread and a deep whisky list.
Momotaro, at 820 W Lake Street in the West Loop, is the Boka Restaurant Group's sprawling tribute to the Japanese dining room — a grand main floor for robata and sushi, and the moodier Izakaya Momotaro downstairs for skewers and late drinks. The sushi counter is a genuine part of the operation, not an afterthought, and the kitchen's range runs from crudo to binchotan-grilled skewers to one of the deepest Japanese whisky lists in the city. For a celebratory dinner where raw fish is one act in a larger show, it is the booking. Reserve on OpenTable a few days ahead and ask whether the sushi counter or the downstairs izakaya suits the night.
Reserve on OpenTable; a sushi selection upstairs, then skewers and whisky downstairs.
7.Sushi by Bou
The Manhattan-born speed-omakase counter; book Sushi by Bou for a fun, fast 30-minute nigiri run before a night out, not for purists.
Sushi by Bou, at 152 N Halsted Street in the West Loop, brought its Manhattan format to Chicago: an eight-seat counter, a fixed-time clock, and a brisk run of nigiri delivered inside a 30- to 60-minute window you book by the slot. It is a novelty done well — the chefs are careful, the fish is good, and the timed structure makes it a sharp pre-dinner or pre-show stop rather than a long evening. No one will mistake it for Mako, and it does not try to be; the appeal is energy and speed at a friendly price. For a quick, fun omakase before drinks, it is the pick. Book the time slot online and arrive on the dot.
Reserve the timed slot online; the standard nigiri run, with a sake add-on.
How Chicago eats sushi
Chicago's sushi splits along a clear line. At the top are the chef-led omakase counters — Mako, the Omakase Room at Sushi-san, and Juno — where a single itamae cuts edomae nigiri to order, the fish flies in from Toyosu, and the seat is fixed, priced and paced. Below them sit the à la carte rooms — Sushi-san, Arami, Momotaro — that brought raw fish to the city's mainstream and still do it well, with sake lists and izakaya plates rounding out the table. Sushi by Bou occupies its own lane: a timed, party-minded counter built for speed rather than ceremony.
One name explains a lot of the map. B.K. Park trained the city's palate from Juno in Lincoln Park, won his star at Mako in Fulton Market, and added the Tamu hand-roll bar in the West Loop, so three of the rooms most worth knowing trace back to one chef. Geography clusters the rest: the West Loop and Fulton Market hold Mako, Momotaro and Sushi by Bou within a short walk, while River North keeps Sushi-san and its hidden counter, and West Town has Arami. Book the omakase rooms as far ahead as their deposits demand. For everything beyond sushi, the Chicago dining guide maps the city by neighborhood and occasion.
Where not to look for it
Skip these for serious sushi in Chicago
The all-you-can-eat and conveyor rooms. Chicago has plenty of AYCE and grab-and-go Japanese spots, and they are fine for a cheap fill — but they are a different product from edomae nigiri, built on pre-cut fish and cold rice. Do not judge the city's sushi by them; book any counter on this list instead.
Momotaro and Sushi-san for a quiet omakase. Both are excellent, but they are loud, group-driven rooms by design. If you want the hush and focus of a chef-led counter, point yourself at Mako, the Omakase Room or Juno rather than the busy main floors — the experience is a different thing entirely.
Frequently asked
What is the best sushi restaurant in Chicago?
Mako, chef B.K. Park's 22-seat counter in Fulton Market, is the city's best sushi and its only sushi room with a Michelin star, serving a roughly 25-course edomae omakase at about $175. For a pure-counter alternative, the ten-seat Omakase Room at Sushi-san runs an 18-course menu under Kaze Chan at $250. Choose Mako for the starred standard and the Omakase Room for the most luxurious imported fish.
Which Chicago sushi restaurants have a Michelin star?
Mako in Fulton Market is the sushi counter carrying a Michelin star in the current Chicago guide, held by chef B.K. Park since the room opened. Several other rooms on this list — the Omakase Room at Sushi-san, Juno and Arami — are Michelin Guide-listed or critically decorated but not starred. Star count changes year to year, so confirm Mako's status on the Michelin Guide before you treat it as guaranteed.
How much does omakase cost in Chicago?
Chicago omakase spans a wide band. Mako is about $175 with an optional $85 sake-and-wine pairing; the Omakase Room at Sushi-san is $250 for 18 courses plus a 20% service fee. Juno's tasting runs lower for roughly 20 bites. Sushi by Bou's fixed-time format starts cheaper still, while Sushi-san, Arami and Momotaro are à la carte where you can spend from about $50 upward. Drinks and service are extra everywhere.
Where is the best omakase counter in Chicago?
The two serious seated counters are Mako at 731 W Lake Street in Fulton Market and the Omakase Room hidden upstairs at Sushi-san, 63 W Grand Avenue in River North. Both are edomae-focused, both import fish from Toyosu, and both run a single chef-led menu. Juno, at 2638 N Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park, is the third true omakase room and the value pick of the three, also from B.K. Park.
How far ahead should I book sushi in Chicago?
Mako and the Omakase Room at Sushi-san release seats on Tock and sell their prime Friday and Saturday slots a few weeks out, so book early and expect a deposit. Juno takes omakase reservations a week or two ahead. Sushi by Bou's 30-minute slots open online and turn over fast. Sushi-san, Arami and Momotaro hold à la carte tables on Resy or OpenTable a few days ahead, more on weekends.
More sushi, by city
More from RFK
Browse the full Chicago dining guide, compare the global picks in the best sushi restaurants worldwide, read the verdict on one-star Mako in Fulton Market, plan a first-date dinner at the counter, find an impress-the-client table in the West Loop, or open the full RFK cuisine index.
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