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    Friends Sushi

    4.0 (1.6k reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Izakaya
    Closed 11:30 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Order Friends Sushi Takeout or Delivery

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    FRIENDS SUSHI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Trendy
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Friends Sushi

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    Can You Handle It? (back), Rainbow Roll (middle), Muskateer (front)
    Claire C.

    Such a cute spot for an intimate dinner date or a night with friends!! I've ordered take out from here before but finally got the chance to dine in the other night. We were easily able to make a reservation on a Saturday night and we were seating immediately upon arriving. We got a couple of different rolls to share - the Can You Handle It?, Muskateer, the veggie gyoza and the Rainbow Roll. I really enjoyed each of them. The Can You Handle It was a bit spicy - I thought it was really good but if you don't like any spice I would stay away from this one. I also got an espresso martini which was a nice start to the evening. The servers were super friendly and attentive! I would definitely go back for these rolls and the service again. Great spot!

    Hamachi Carpaccio
    Charel G.

    Came in craving sushi and ended up finding such a gem. We ordered the scallops butteryaki, hamachi carpaccio, dragon roll, and the friends maki, every single dish hit. The standout for me was definitely the scallops butteryaki; super rich, buttery, and paired perfectly with mushrooms. The space is small but cozy, which honestly adds to the charm. Service was A+, attentive, friendly, and made the whole experience even better. Definitely a spot I'd come back to.

    Fire Dragon roll
    Aaliyah L.

    Accidentally went to the wrong Friends location on the evening on Valentine's Day and they were still able to accommodate us even without a reservation. It's a very intimate setting, prompt and friendly service, with a solid and plentiful menu. I got a lychee martini, spicy miso soup, and the fire dragon roll. Everything was delicious. I was hoping to be more blown away by the roll, but I'd definitely return and get the same one again. Also still thinking about that miso soup! My entire party enjoyed their meals as well. Missed opportunity: add crab rangoon to the menu!

    Pomegranate martini
    Debangana S.

    Picked friends sushi on rush for our valentines day lunch and off the bat it was a great choice! To start, the ambience - they had done a bunch of cute decorations which got us in our Valentine's Day mood. We got started with a wine for myself and the hubby got a pomegranate martini. The cocktail was a fun blend of sweet and tart. Dived straight into a two bowls of spicy miso soup which might have been the best miso soup I've had. Pair that with the spicy edamame and it was the perfect start! Then came our sushi, the truffle me softly had a great flavour of truffle, and crunchy jalapeno - the perfect balance. The friend's sushi was indulgent, with lobster, shrimp tempura, cream cheese and spicy mayo. Definitely worth trying that one! All in all, a fun experience at friends sushi and we'll be back again to try their other fare!

    Rainbow Roll bite
    Megh L.

    Friends Sushi never fails to deliver top notch sushi! It's become my go-to place for a Rainbow Roll and a Philadelphia Roll. I'm still perfecting my chopstick skills (mangled one of my bites ). I also highly recommend their tempura veggies. They're delightful (just didn't get them this round, but have in the past). Verdict: Look no further for your sushi fix

    Minerva H.

    The sushi was delicious and the service was great. Loved the Volcano and Dragon rolls most but it was all good. Also got a Dragon Dance cocktail which was sweet and pleasant. Ambiance was like a typical dinner date type restaurant. Overall a nice experience.

    Unhinged Philly,Rush,California

    If you are in River North and want sushi, Friends Sushi is the perfect place to go! It's pretty affordable and the staff is so sweet and welcoming. It was hands down the best sushi I've ever had and it was such a clean and cute place. The lemonade there was also so tasty and refreshing! Overall it was an absolutely amazing dining experience and I highly recommend it!

    Interior
    Jarriae A.

    Friends is such a cute and quaint spot. I feel like it's the definition of a hidden gem. I've been here before years ago, so it was nice to see they did a revamp of the inside. It's the perfect date spot. It just feels so intimate here. As for the food, I loved it! I got the Yakuza sushi, and it was delicious. I can't remember which sushi my friend got, but she loved hers too. We also tried the miso soup, and I really need Friends to tell me where they get their tofu from or how they got such a great texture on it. Honestly, leaving there, I looked up miso soup recipes because it left me wanting more. The prices here aren't so bad either. I paid around $45 including tip for my sushi, miso soup, and to-go california rolls. The staff is also quite friendly. They check on you when necessary but leave you be for the most part, which I like. Overall, a great place! Can't wait to go back soon!

    I am extremely disappointed with how my daughter and I were treated today. We placed an $80 carryout order around 3:00 p.m. and picked it up at approximately 3:30 p.m. Because we were short on time but wanted to eat before heading to our next destination, I asked the employee who handed me our food if we could eat at one of the three completely empty outdoor tables. It had been drizzling all day, was hot and humid, and there were no customers outside. There was only one occupied table inside as well. She told us, "Yes." We sat down, opened our food, and my daughter was about to take her first bite when a man came outside and, in a rude and confrontational tone, told us we could not eat there because we had ordered carryout. I explained that we had specifically asked for permission before sitting down and had been told it was okay. His response was simply, "My boss said customers can't eat here with carryout." I asked to speak with the manager, and he told me the boss wasn't there. There was no apology for the misinformation, no attempt to honor what his employee had already approved, and no effort to resolve the situation. Instead, we were made to feel like we had done something wrong. Restaurants are certainly entitled to have a carryout-only policy, but customers deserve consistency and basic respect. If your policy is that carryout orders cannot be eaten on the premises, every employee should know it and communicate it before giving permission, not after a customer has already sat down and opened their meal. After spending $80 and being treated this way in an almost empty restaurant, I can honestly say the customer service was far more memorable than the food, and unfortunately not in a positive way. We won't be returning.

    Holly M.

    Excellent place to stop for a quick bite while wandering around mag mile! Great service, fresh seafood and tasty options!

    Rollin Dirty ( TD )
    Stephen D.

    Great sushi spot in the downtown Chicago. We ordered three rolls and the spicy edamame and they were really good. I highly recommend the Rolling Dirty roll as that was our favorite out of the three. Great service and I will be back!

    Jason S.

    Stopped into Friend's Sushi the other week after doing some shopping along Michigan Ave and wanted a solid meal nearby. I'd heard some good things about this spot, so figured I'd finally check it out. The vibe is definitely low-key, especially considering how close it is to the hustle of Michigan Ave. The interior is on the smaller side, cozy and intimate, but we were able to walk in on a Sunday evening and get seated right away. I imagine it could fill up fast depending on the night, but we lucked out. Started off with a Sapporo, which was nice and crisp. For appetizers, we shared the edamame and karaage chicken. The edamame was great, no complaints there. The chicken was flavorful, though a bit on the chewy side and the portion wasn't huge. That said, the sauce it came with was really tasty. I went all in on sushi and ordered three rolls: the spicy maki, dragon roll, and creamy spicy tuna. I wanted one each with salmon, shrimp, and tuna, and these did the trick. They run about $15 a roll (eight pieces each), which is pretty standard for downtown or any good sushi spot really. Not massive rolls, but solid quality and satisfying overall. We also split an order of gyoza dumplings, which were delicious and crispy on the outside and packed with flavor. My friend got the teriyaki box, which looked great and seemed like a strong value for around $20. All in all, Friend's Sushi isn't the most mind-blowing sushi I've had, but it's definitely very solid, especially for the location. If you're looking for a chill, quick walk-in spot near the Mag Mile that won't totally break the bank, this place is a great option.

    The desserts--mochi ice cream
    Neel G.

    Amazing ambiance and food. If you love spicy, try the spicy edamame and the ghost tequila drink. Great service also.

    Red Spider, 23 RD ST, Black Shrimp Tempura, Tiger Eyes, Spicy Roll, Can You Handle

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    11 months ago

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    7 months ago

    Very cute spot with amazing drinks & sushi! We enjoyed the nigiri platter, miso soup, and crispy rice trio. Service was fast & friendly!

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    2 years ago

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    3 months ago

    Hidden gem right off Michigan ave. The food was so good! We almost went again the next day.

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    Page 1 of 40

    Friends Sushi Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Friends Sushi

    Do you still use white rice or have you switched to black rice like Friends on State?

    there was definitely white rice in the roll i got

    Is this byob?

    No. Serious wine and beer list plus mixed drinks.

    Is this place all you can eat?

    No I don't believe they offer that option

    Can you accommodate gluten free?

    Yea

    View All 6 Questions

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    TenGoku Aburiya

    4.1
    (153 reviews)
    1.3 mi

    I love this spot! I will say ive only been for brunch, but I went back to back weekends I had such…read morea great time! High quality sushi and great service. Its a cute spot and very nice and clean!

    The staff are nice, the interior is clean but uninteresting, and the food is disappointing. The…read moremenu is also formatted badly, the udon lunch set comes with a standard "plain udon" that isn't even on the menu as far as I can tell. The way it's written implies that you can choose an udon from the udon section, not the case. Minor gripe, but annoying nonetheless. The maki is fine, spicy tuna was bland but decent quality and the shrimp tempura maki was good but also lacking. Personally I prefer a spicy tuna with more tuna texture and this is basically puree, personal preference I guess. The udon is where my meal fell apart. For a lunch menu focusing on udon I expected a more flavorful broth and noodles that weren't overcooked. It's not like the underlying flavor is bad or anything, it's just barely there at all. The dashi is very weak and one dimensional, and the noodles taste like plain flour with a spongy overly soft bite. The toppings are extremely basic, I can't even comment on them because I'm not sure if I hallucinated them having any flavor or not. They might as well not exist. The shredded cabbage side salad is also mediocre. Dressing was weak and the cabbage could've been cut thinner. People I went with told me "maybe you just got the wrong things" but I don't think a chef should have losing items on their menu to begin with. Overall quite disappointed considering the name attached to this place.

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    Gaijin

    4.3
    (796 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    $$

    Gaijin may be a small restaurant, but it makes a big impression the second you walk in. The dining…read moreroom isn't huge, but it has this lively energy that makes it feel exciting instead of crowded. I even was able to watch the chefs cooking just a few feet away. I could hear the sizzling from the grill, smell the food cooking, and by that point I was more than ready to eat. Our server was really nice and gave us a bunch of recommendations. Everything sounded good, but I ended up going with the Pork Belly Yakisoba. This dish was packed with flavor. The noodles had that smoky, slightly charred taste, and they were coated in just enough sauce to make every bite rich. The sauce brought a nice balance of savory, a little sweetness, and plenty of umami that soaked into the noodles. The pork belly was easily the best part. It was incredibly tender and juicy, with just enough fat that it practically melted in your mouth. Every piece had those caramelized edges that added even more flavor. Then you get the crunch from the cabbage and bean sprouts, the freshness from the scallions, and the little nutty flavor from the sesame that tied everything together. Hahaha I'd definitely come back. This is one of those dishes that sticked with me long after I left.

    There are few places in general across the US that serve up okonomiyaki, so I was thrilled to find…read morethis spot near my office. Ultimately, the food was just ok. I got the pork okonomiyaki lunch set and added a fried egg to it. I like that the table has a built in grill to keep it warm (I'm a slow eater, so this is extra beneficial for me). The bacon was quite salty, compounded by the okonomi sauce. Hoping the kombu vegetables would offset this, I mixed them into each bite to no avail. The pandan coconut mochi donut holes I chose were probably the highlight. They were crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and there was ample sauce for dipping. I think some people would find the service top notch here--constantly checking in on me and keeping water refilled. I guess that came with a cost: 3% service charge automatically applied, and the server proactively brought over a digital payment system, so the 18% tip I selected calculated off the total leading to what was essentially a tip of 23%.

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    SUSHI-SAN

    SUSHI-SAN

    4.3
    (1.3k reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$$

    My husband went to Sushi-San on a work trip. He enjoyed the experience so much that he recommended…read moreI give the place a try on my trip to Chicago. Candidly it wasn't on my to-do, but the restaurant happened to be on my route back to my hotel and I hadn't had dinner yet. I walked into the restaurant, and there was a spot open right at the bar waiting for me. I think it was meant to be. Loved the vibe of the restaurant, which was casual but trendy. Best part of all was the music. My ears perked up when I heard Hieroglyphics - The Who... A Plus Remix. Instantly felt "at home" with the underground, old school hip hop. Compliments to their curated Pandora playlist. I ordered the the spicy scallop roll, super san roll, and sawara (Spanish mackerel) nigiri. The spicy scallop roll was my favorite. The super san roll was a mix of their toro with varying fattiness. I appreciated that you could order half rolls at Sushi-San, which came out to 5 pieces instead of 10. This was more than enough food for me. The sawara was buttery and fresh. If you don't like the "fishiness" of saba, you'll enjoy sawara. Lastly, overall customer service was great. The food came out incredibly fast. The bartender who assisted me was awesome. He was attentive and personable.

    Solid sushi spot in River North that does the job and has good ambiance, but doesn't blow me out of…read morethe water as the best sushi ever. I came with a friend for lunch during the week and they have a somewhat decent lunch special (for today's standards when factoring the cost of living and inflation). We took advantage of that and ordered the 3 combo platter per person so we got 6 total items since there was two of us. The highlights for us were three yellowtail yuzu sushi as well as the salmon rice bowl. The miso soup that came out first wasn't that great. It was overly salty. My friend who is from Japan that I ate with said this place was ok for American standards but not at all great compared to anything in Japan lol.

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    Friends Sushi - sushi - Updated August 2026

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