I love Itoko's brunch!! We can in for the early bird special. The steamed bun and lox had a unique take. The homemade everything steamed buns were so amazingly warm and soft. The cream cheese and salmon were the perfect portions to the bun. The egg souffle was cooking to perfection. I usually feel like I need some extra hot sauce on my eggs and the flavors were great and I didn't feel like I needed to drench the eggs in hot sauce. The pancakes were perfectly soft and not too sweet at all! Layering pancake, butter, pancake, butter and then dipping into the sauce made the perfect bite each time. We got most of our dishes through the southport set which is 100% worth it! On a side note not brunch related: the burger is really yummy. I love their hand rolls. The sushi rolls are a little small for me but still very well made.  I love all their cocktails. They are perfect drinks for the summer and are nicely bubbly. The staff is always so friendly and helpful. The restaurant is beautiful and much larger than you would think. The patio is great and friendly for dogs. read more

I have been to Itoko so many times and absolutely love their happy hour!! Their lychee martini is the best I have ever had. All their handrolls are something you must get! The rice bowl is so good as well. They give you a cute Polaroid pic for your special days either birthday or anniversary. This place is perfect for girls night or date night. Love their panna cotta which is so delicious. The service here is great! I will keep coming back especially for their happy hour. read more

See all

Stopped by Itoko for their early bird brunch on a rainy day. We saw the signs of it being michelin recommended and had high hopes. The ambiance inside felt very elevated with lots of natural light entering. We ordered the honey butter toast, egg souffle, and deviled eggs. In my opinion, everything was good, but nothing really stood out as amazing to me. There was no "wow" factor that I would usually get from a michelin recommended restaurant. The Honey butter toast was definitely the best dish we had. Overall, Itoko is a cute spot with good vibes, but I personally did not find the food to be spectacular. read more

See all

My friends and I went during their happy hour, and were happy that the portions were the same as regular hours. That being said, we ordered one of each on the hand rolls from the happy hour menu. We enjoyed each one, with the shrimp being our favorite. The salmon dip was also delicious! With their lychee martini popping up in every TikTok, we had to try it out as well. Tasted like a juice/slushy, in our opinion. It was good and something we'd order again. Can't wait to come back and try their other menu read more

Itoko - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I fell in line on a Saturday for the breakfast sandwich which debuted that day and overall it was a miss for me. It truly looked the part, but the spicy sauce took over the flavors of the sandwich which was disappointing. I wanted so bad to like it, but I don't. The Asian breakfast sandwich game is real in Chicago and this one doesn't come close to others. I do, however, like the other food at the restaurant. They have a great brunch on the weekends. Just pass on the breakfast sandwich. read more

Itoko - Breakfast sando - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Highly recommend Seared fatty tuna & Kumamoto beef hotate. Melt in your mouth! Don't miss their Happy Hour if you love their handroll and nigiri. Momo Jr and Shio Koji Salmon never make a mistake. read more

See all

One of the best happy hours in the game happening on Saturdays too The food is amazing and their brunch is underrated, I love the sausage and egg hand roll and their Bloody Mary, I had one every Saturday for probably a month I swear their soy sauce hits different too, I believe it's house made. Service is always fast and it's very bright with all the natural lighting, nice patio setting too! Must visit on Southport. read more

Itoko - Spicy Tako, happy hour menu, lychee martini - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tried this spot out for their brunch. It's really cute inside and our server was lovely. We didn't commit to the bottomless lychee sangria but for only $30 it's a great deal, and I will definitely be back for it as I had a glass and it was amazing. I felt the portion size for the chicken katsu was a bit small only like 5 pieces of chicken but it was still delicious. Cucumber salad was good, different from other restaurants as it had seaweed and some other stuff in it but I enjoyed their rendition. read more

Itoko - Chicken Katsu Don - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Lovely Staff. Gorgeous interior. Came for the early bird breakfast sandwich special around 10am. Great deal for a fantastic sandwich. The special sauce was delightful and the sandwich had a great amount of spice. read more

Itoko - Breakfast Sando - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really lovely ambiance and very attentive staff. We came for a happy hour and ordered a little bit of everything. The XO hand roll, crispy shrimp, and nigiris were a highlight and I would definitely return to try the rest of the menu outside of happy hour. The quality of the fish is really up there and this has the potential to become a favorite for me in the city. read more

Itoko - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place looked nice when you walk in. I came here for brunch with my friends. Our server was nice & informative with the menu. The staff were friendly and greeted everyone when coming in. We all wanted to try a little bit of everything. So we all ordered multiple things to share. The ube muffins were nice and warm when it came out. It was baked perfectly! I can appreciate a good mini muffin that isn't dry. Next we had the deviled eggs.....I think I could have went without it. I might have expected a little bit more. It had a slight curry taste to it. But it reminded me of a normal deviled egg. The steak and eggs was a nice portion! I think it could have been shared, if you and the table are ordering multiple items. The skirt steak came with kimchi fried rice, sunny side up egg, gailan, and scallions. The salmon & avocado temaki set was so cute! I think it was one of my favorites! It came with a side of seaweed so you can make your own handroll. My one friend ordered the southport set. The presentation was nice, but the katsu was a little in the dry side for me. We all shared the honey butter toast. It was the perfect amount of sweetness to it! The chantilly cream gave it that perfect balance. The perfect way to end a meal. I will definitely have to come back for the dinner!! read more

See all

I recently had brunch at Itoko and enjoyed the bottomless lychee sangrias and hand rolls. My waitress was wonderful and I loved sitting at the sushi counter. The lychee sangria was so delicious. They bring it in carafe to enjoy at your leisure. I tried the deviled eggs and yolk went well with the bacon. The sausage and egg and the ebi tom yum hand rolls were so fun to put together! read more

See all

I was pretty disappointed with Itoko unfortunately. We came in on a Saturday around 1:30. Our service was pretty terrible right off the bat. The hostess was not friendly or helpful when we had questions about the brunch / current menu being served. Once we were seated it took a long time for a server to come over and greet us. Our server was very friendly and nice but once we ordered she never came to check on us again after our food came. We had to flag down other servers when we needed something and had to get up to ask a bar tender for a to go box. The food was just okay in my opinion. The mushroom salad was described as having roasted squash on it but when it came out it was deep fried and the tiniest slivers of squash. My salmon avocado hand roll was good and was bigger than expected but had no avocado on it. Like I said we were here during brunch, which I would not recommend based on my experience. I'm hopeful the experience may be better during the dinner hour. read more

See all

Itoko was such a great experience and everything we ordered was delicious. We got the lychee martinis, salmon temaki, steak and eggs, chicken katsu, and honey butter toast. My favorites were definitely the steak and eggs and the honey butter toast. The steak was tender and savory, and the toast was warm and buttery and delicious with the strawberries and cream. The lychee martinis were also light, refreshing, and the perfect pairing with the meal. read more

See all

A gal pal and I visited Itoko for brunch during Chicago Restaurant Week and overall really enjoyed it. In fact, I can't WAIT to return for more sushi and to try the dinner menu! Here's a rundown of what we got: We both chose the deviled eggs for the first course - and loved them! They were served cold, creamy, and with a slightly smoky taste. The bacon added a nice crispy crunch on top! For our second course, she had the spicy tuna maki and I had the nigiri. The nigiri was phenomenal. Hefty portions of fish, put together and presented very nicely, and you could tell the fish was fresh and DELICIOUS. It definitely left me wanting more! For the last course, I got the egg souffle (our server said it was his favorite!) and she had the kabocha pancakes - and we shared both. The egg souffle was, without a doubt, the biggest disappointment. It came with cold, semi-burnt pieces of toast that were served plain without butter. The souffle took forever to come out, and then was so dang hot we couldn't even eat it right away. The serving dish it came in was also so hot that the souffle was completely stuck to it. And overall, it was honestly pretty flavorless. On the flip side - the kabocha pancakes were divine and worth returning for alone!!! The serving size was generous, the pancakes were so fluffy, and the caramel-y sauce + kabocha butter that were served with them were phenomenal! Also worth noting, they don't have coffee/tea drinks on the menu (or at least not that I saw?) but were able to make my friend a matcha latte and it was so good! Oh and I can't not mention the interior. The place is stunning! So thoughtfully curated. Just bright and beautiful! read more

Such a vibey place! Their lunch deals are great! Food is great! Love their dinner as well. Also kid friendly with a kids menu. read more

Itoko - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

So yummy! Came here for lunch. Pretty empty inside plenty of seating and very aesthetic. Got the cucumber salad, ebi tom yum and salmon avocado hand rolls, and momomaki. Ebi tom yum was my favorite. read more

See all

Super cute, nicer casual restaurant that's in the middle of my favorite Southport street! We came in for brunch. Each item was creative in its own way and the presentation was really nice. I enjoyed the lox the most but was slightly disappointed by the toast as it was a little hard. The egg soufflé was hyped up, but it was on the blander side. I had high hopes for this restaurant but was slightly disappointed. However, I would like to come back to try their happy hour and sushi. The service was great! read more

See all

For my girlfriend's birthday, we wanted to give Itoko a try. We had walked by a couple times and thought it looked super cute. When we came inside, we were greeted by a gorgeous dining room. Itoko has a gluten-free menu that is celiac-safe. My girlfriend particular loved the Ebi Tom Yum. I thought the yellowtail nigiri was also ferocious. For dessert, they have a soy milk panna cotta that is really delicious and refreshing as well. read more

See all

Came here for Restaurant Week and wow, such a great deal. The space itself is very modern and clean, with a great overall vibe. It can get a little loud, so conversation during dinner was slightly difficult at times, but still a fun atmosphere. Street parking can be tricky, so plan accordingly. For $45, you get two appetizers, one entrée, and a dessert, which felt like incredible value for the quality and portion sizes. This was my first visit, but I will definitely be back to try their regular menu. We started with the shishito peppers and cucumber salad. The shishitos were lightly grilled, and the flakes on top really added a nice boost of flavor without overpowering them. The cucumber salad was super refreshing, and I loved the addition of seaweed. It added great texture and depth. Next up were the crispy shrimp maki and negima (grilled chicken thigh). The shrimp in the maki was fried perfectly and not greasy. The chicken thigh completely surprised me in the best way. The portion was much bigger than expected and grilled perfectly juicy. For entrées, we ordered the chirashi don and the chicken katsu. The chirashi don was hands down the better deal. It came with salmon, tuna, scallop, and ikura, and the fish quality was very fresh. You get three pieces of each fish, which felt generous considering the price. The chicken katsu was also solid. It was fried nicely with a light batter that did not feel heavy. Dessert was the soy milk panna cotta and piña colada kakigori. The panna cotta was my favorite. It had the perfect texture with a subtle soy milk flavor that was not overpowering. The kakigori was refreshing and good, but the panna cotta definitely stood out more. Our waitress was friendly and attentive, which made the experience even better. Overall, Restaurant Week was an amazing introduction to Itoko. Great food, great value, and a spot I am excited to revisit. read more

See all

Itoko is good but I wouldn't say it's amazing. The atmosphere is nice and the waiters were all very sweet. To start we had the spicy salmon dip and hamachi crudo. Both were good but I don't think either were anything special. I did like the nori rice crackers that came with the spicy salmon dip. We then split the tantan ramen. I think the ramen was lacking a depth of flavor and was a little salty for my liking. I had the mechakucha half roll and something else that I don't remember! I thought both were good but again I don't think either were remarkable. I'd like to come back to try happy hour but I'm not sure I'd do dinner again. read more

Itoko - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came for happy hour and was seated at the bar as I was eating alone! I ordered a few nigiris and an xo scallop roll. Sushi was great but definitely not worth the price they charge. Also took way too long to get my order as I waited around 20 minutes for the first dish. Since it doesn't come out all at once, I had to wait even longer for my xo scallop roll. I had ordered a maki roll but did not get it around the 30 minute mark, so I called for my waitress to question about it, only for her to tell me I had never ordered it. I then asked for my check and saw that the maki roll was on the receipt which I pointed out to her and asked for it to be taken off as I did not receive it. She acted as if she did not tell me 5 minutes before that I never ordered it and asked if I still wanted it. By then, my mood had kinda been soured by the long wait time and gaslighting experience, so I requested again that it be taken off my check. Portions are tiny and unfortunately I could not be bothered to order more. read more

See all

Another occasion where I was headed to a different restaurant and then got distracted by a new one that caught my eye. In this case, I wish I'd kept on walking. We went here for brunch, and we started with the Ube Muffins - 4pc mini ube muffins with coconut crumb topping ($5), which were delicious. I got the Kabocha Pancakes - Japanese pumpkin pancakes (triple stack) with pecan praline sauce and pumpkin butter ($18). The sauce was very bitter and made this meal very unappetizing. The Continental Egg Souffle - fluffy egg with cheddar cheese, bacon (it wasn't a problem to omit this ingredient), chive, and tomato jam ($16) had an unappetizing smell. It smelled burnt, and it was very hot in temperature. The tomato jam was interesting. The bathrooms had a lengthy line as it looks like this is a shared space with Little Goat Dinner. It's a nice space, and the dishes were presented in an aesthetic manner, but the flavor was a miss for me. read more

See all

9/12/26: Itoko is one of my fav Japanese spot in Chicago since I've moved to the city. Always good quality food and i like their set menus for brunch or dinner. You can tell everything is really good quality when you take a bite. The vibe and decor also feel calming in a way. read more

See all

The best handrolls and sushi I have had. The handrolls came out fresh and in a timely manner. The service was great. Celebrated our anniversary here and they gave a complimentary Polaroid picture which was so nice. The lychee martini was the best I have had and will definitely be back for it. The ambiance inside was so nice and soothing you can hear yourself talking to others at the table not too loud. We got seated right away. The rolls were also good as well. Loved their panni cotta which was small for two people but still really good. Have Ben coming here more than two times now. read more

See all

One of our favorite places in Southport. We stopped by for some lunch and tried: - Cucumber Salad - Salmon & Avocado Handroll - Charcoal Burger The burger was interesting, the bun was extra crispy but it was good. I think the star was the Handroll, but great experience as usual. read more

See all

I came here for my birthday back in July and I had an amazing experience! Walking in, I loved the ambience and low lights. I had the Lychee Martini which was my first and I downed it instantly. It was so good and so fruity. I did the Southport Set, so I started with a Miso Soup. For appetizers we got the Gyoza and it was great, I loved how they were served where you had to split each Gyoza. I had the Chicken Katsu Don and it was amazing and that's all I have to say. We also got the Momomaki* roll which has tuna and was so fresh! For desserts we got surprised with a birthday cookie which had a green, creamy filling (pistachio I think?) that also came with my Polaroid photo being taken! We also got the Choco Creameux which was very light, creamy, nutty, with not a strong chocolate flavor everything blended in nicely! Lastly, we got the Seasonal Kakigori which was Lychee Raspberry. Everything was great, the server was so sweet, and everyone around had a good vibe, so I would definitely recommend coming here. read more

See all

Review is only for brunch but it was just okay. The food was pretty expensive for small portion sizes and it was a fairly standard experience. The pancakes were thin and the sauce was so thick it was over powering. The service was really prompt and attentive but unfortunately the food was nothing to write home about. read more

See all

Totally a new Southport corridor vibe, it's very fancy. I made a reservation a week in advance and there appeared to be little to no need, but we did arrive at 5pm on a Saturday. They do have a kids menu and kids cups. Which is nice. The kids menu has a sushi box; bento box, and chicken leg. Definitely need a more adventurous eater, but my kid did try it. It also comes with an ice cream. It was a fish shaped ice cream sandwich. The service was great, and gave good advice. They also now have a happy hour menu on Saturday nights. The food was good, the sushi was fresh, and not at all slimy or sour. We started with the gyoza (foie gras) they were good, and crispy. We also got the Salmon Robata, and the spicy salmon dip. Everything labeled spicy was a 2/10 spice level it appeared. For rolls we got - crispy shrimp; spicy tako, mono maki, yama, and we got a hand roll with salmon and roe, it was very good. For drinks we each got a cocktail, I got a the dragons milk, very unique, peppery / Sake heavy drink, and my partner got a mezcal cocktail. Definitely recommend coming here, it is a good sushi spot. read more

See all

Lord have mercy this place was AMAZING!! Me and my hubby went here for my birthday dinner last week and we were blown away. First things first the server was an absolute doll. Nice brunette woman I wish I got her name! She took great care of us and we sat at a fabulous booth near the front. The restaurant has a very chic & cool vibe. We ordered the crispy shrimp, edamame, chocolate mousse, and Kama roll. Oh and don't forget to get a Lychee martini!! YUM 10/10 recommend for drinks or a yummy dinner read more

Itoko - Choco Cremeux - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

This review is for brunch only. Took off one star because the soup and salmon in traditional set Teishoku were both a bit too salty. Otherwise, the pumpkin pancakes and the chicken katsu don, and the ube muffins were all very delicious. Portion size wise - not very big except for maybe the pancakes. Service was very friendly. Restaurant looked clean and modern! read more

Itoko - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

(Kari's Rating 8/10) Came here with one of my girlfriends on a Saturday for restaurant week. I've been to Momotaro where Chef Kato cooks as well, so I had high expectations for this place. They actually had a great offering of curry deviled eggs and pumpkin pancakes. The brunch was pretty incredible for $30. Honestly, I would return, if it weren't so far, but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to come here. read more

Happy hour was pretty good. Very extensive happy hour menu which includes a variety of maki rolls , hand rolls, ramen, a burger with fries, a fried rice - so much to chose from. Food was solidly good. We shared a big ramen , ordered some rolls and hand rolls ( all good) and our teen got the burger and fries ( he loved the fries and thought burger was OK). Overall, solid meal . Service was attentive. Pricing fair. Would recommend for happy hour if in the neighborhood read more

Itoko - Burger and fries - stick with the sushi - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The ambiance is calm and upscale. The service was great and the food came out pretty quickly. The sushi was also high quality and it was decently priced. Definitely would come again and recommend. read more

See all

Great happy hour deals even on weekends! We came after a cubs game on a Saturday and feasted. The lychee martini was tasty and refreshing, and service was pretty quick. The place is beautiful and was pretty filled as well. The highlights off the happy hour menu that we tried: Shrimp salad Steak robata skewers Chicken katsu don - small but very tasty we really liked this Tuna hand roll Spicy tuna roll Scallop roll Salmon sashimi read more

Itoko - Spicy Tuna* - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Was so surprised the restaurant was quite empty on a Saturday at 12pm, given how popular their happy hour is growing. More parties came in starting 12:30pm though! We got two Southport sets. The cucumber salad was like a mixture of the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean versions with some sort of gochujang and seaweed with pickled onions. The cucumber wasn't marinated throughly, but the seaweed did absorb all the flavor. Not as garlicky as the Chinese version. The deviled egg had a hint of curry spice which I found incredibly addictive and very creative!! Now onto the main courses. The egg soufflé was very fluffy and jiggly on top with a nice blend of bacon bits to add some saltiness and a small sprinkle of cheddar cheese. My issue is at the side of the sizzling pot, the soufflé was burnt and tasted quite bitter near the bottom. Otherwise, a fun way to pair with tomato jam and toast! The chicken katsu Don didn't taste quite like a traditional Japanese one due to the ginger mayo base rather than the tonkotsu sauce usual Worcestershire base. The pickled carrot daikon slaw was quite yum! Definitely love a good Japanese fusion restaurant! The decor is so classy and the servers are friendly. Menu is so cute too! read more

See all

not sure if the food has changed or if i have, but the food was excellent this time! the hand tools were all good and quite unique- our favorites were the xo scallop (sweet!) and shio koji salmon (the mousse if very creamy). the beef chahan was nicely crispy. only critique is that the vday matcha cake wasn't anything special -- the matcha was too subtle for me, and for all intents and purposes it was simply a fluffy strawberry cake. still good, but i wish it had more matcha flavor! perhaps most importantly for valentine's day, the mood (dim lighting, candles, and music) was perfectly romantic read more

See all

Came by with a friend for their weekend brunch on a hot summer Saturday. We got there around 12:30 with a reservation, and while quite empty when we arrived, they definitely filled up quickly during our meal. I really liked the interior design -- spacious and well-lit with modern/minimalist decor and fixtures. We started with an order of the ube muffins to share -- soo good. The outside has a lovely coconut-y (?) crumble layer, which has a great contrast in texture to the soft and fluffy inside of the muffin (not too dense at all). The gooey ube filling was so rich and delicious. I really liked that the muffins weren't too heavy or sweet at all; it felt like I could just keep eating them one after another haha. We also had the salmon and avocado handroll -- another hit. The salmon was so fresh and yummy, and overall it was a really good value (you get quite a few small hand rolls' worth of food). Finally we shared an order of the teishoku breakfast. The grilled salmon here was delicious (perfect amount of teriyaki sauce), but a little bit unevenly cooked (the colour/texture inside the fish was a bit inconsistent, but it was still tasty nonetheless). I really liked the pickled cucumber and radish sides for the set -- wish they could have included a bit more :) Yummy meal in a lovely restaurant for a good price -- I'd love to come again! read more

See all

Restaurant week at Itoko truly impressed me. This food was SO fresh, presented perfectly, and flavor combinations were off the charts. Portion sizes for each course were very generous. The shishito peppers were the best ones I've ever had! Low lit ambiance, nice date spot. Staff were all great! read more

See all

Made a reservation for happy hour! They have an extensive HH menu. My friend who's been here before said the beef chahan was the same size as during regular hours. So I suspect the other items were as well. We sat at the sushi counter thinking we'd see the preparation, but it was just awkwardly making eye contact at times with the chefs. I didn't notice at the time, but they staggered bringing out our dishes from lightest to heavy which was nice because we didn't have much space. The sushi pieces and maki were delicious especially the scallop and spicy tuna. The chicken on Negima was juicy. We got that one not knowing what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised. The beef chahan bowl was huge and came out sizzling. I would recommend if you like a good rice bowl. Highly recommend their happy hour! I will definitely be back to try out more. read more

See all