Order Itoko Takeout or Delivery
Itoko Photos
Itoko Popular Dishes
ITOKO ATMOSPHERE
Recommended Reviews - Itoko
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
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.
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!
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.
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!!
Such a vibey place! Their lunch deals are great! Food is great! Love their dinner as well. Also kid friendly with a kids menu.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Excellent all around! So excited I got to try this place! Ambience is STUNNING - minimal, light wood, west coast vibes. Intimate and upscale. Food was so exciting...I think we tried one of about everything on the menu. This would be a good place to go with like 3-5 friends, where you can order a lot and get small bites of everything. The sushi was the best I've had in Chicago, hands down. Fabulous service, we never once felt like we were waiting on anything. I absolutely cannot wait to come back. Very impressed. read more
Really good brunch! We were able to walk in without a wait for brunch on a Saturday. The space itself is very cute with light wood and lots of soft, warm light. It was a very Japandi aesthetic. We got the honey butter toast, steak and eggs, and teishoku. All of them were very good! The honey butter toast in particular was outstanding. The toast had a really good, caramelly flavor without being drenched in syrup. It still had some nice crunch to it. It sort of tasted as if sticky toffee pudding was a toast. The miso soup that came with the teishoku was extremely salty (and the spoon given with it was waaaay too thick for the size of the bowl), and was the only let-down amongst the food. The servers were quick and nice. read more
1 year ago
Was visiting Chicago for a work trip this past weekend and stayed a few extra nights to explore and hang out with some friends as the last few times I've visited, I never really had the chance to explore Chicago's food scene. I am SO glad my friend and I decided to try Itoko because it was phenomenal in every aspect - food, ambiance, and service. We arrived just in time for their happy hour and got about almost everything we could on the menu and finished it all! I'm from Southern California and i definitely have my favorites sushi spots at home, but honestly this has surpassed them all. I will definitely be back again the next time I'm in Chicago and will recommend to everyone I know! read more
Business owner information
Rachel E.
Hello Ariana! Wow! Thank you for the glowing review on your visit…
1 year ago
Business owner information
Rachel E.
Hi R.B! Thank you for the wonderful review! I'm happy to hear you…
So good! We came for an early dinner during restaurant week and we'll be back! The shishito peppers were cooked nicely and coated with a delicious sauce, but should be served in a plate or different dish because the bonito flakes get everywhere and make a huge mess. The gyozas though? Top tier!!! I lived in Japan so can be really picky on Japanese food but these Gyoza's were everything from the flavor to the sear, spectacular! The crispy shrimp maki was fresh and delicious but the serving size is pretty small. My favorite thing was the Hamachi kama. The fish collar is cooked perfectly so it just falls apart but the sweet miso sauce on top is just *chef's kiss*! I can't say enough about it. The beef chanan was good but had a very earthy flavor from the greens so we added eel sauce and that gave it a nice balance. We also had the chicken katsudon and while the chicken was fried perfectly, I personally couldn't get over the flavor of ginger mayo. It really changed the entire flavor profile of chicken katsu because it was so overpowering. read more
Fish was fresh and w/ decent quality. Loved Madai, Hamachi, Ika, and Botan Ebi. Hirame and Tuna were a little bland. Chirashi Sushi Don was great for sharing by 2 people. The place was busy at a Sunday night. Drink bar and sushi bar have some seats for walk-in but I recommend making reservation ahead of time. Space between tables was kinda small. read more
3 years ago
2 years ago
Lovely dinner tonight at Itoko. We went around 5pm and sat at the Sushi counter located at the back of the restaurant. We had the area to ourselves and it was quiet and nicely lit with candles. Our server Rob was knowledgeable and provided great recommendations. Super attentive as well. The sushi was VERY good and our server timed each plate perfectly. The Mecha Kucha hand roll was one of the best pieces of sushi we've ever had. The spicy tuna roll was also very fresh. We will absolutely be back. read more
1 year ago
Business owner information
Rachel E.
Hi Maggie -…
3 years ago
It was busy when we went, the service was great but the food was overpriced and a bit underwhelming. The sushi was good but some of the Asian fusion menu items were a bit too simple for a higher end price tag. read more
4 years ago
"I'm loco for Itoko" Thank you for the wonderful dinner had last night. I'm already planning to go back for my birthday. The experience was easily one of the best I've had in Chicago. The service, the food, the decor, the cocktails, and the attention to detail was outstanding. For only being your seventh day in operations your staff ran it like you've been in the neighborhood for years. Chicago is so very lucky to have you. Dining experiences such as the one I had last night are a great reminder of what eating out should be like and can be like when so much love and thoughtfulness is poured into the work. read more
3 years ago
Staff was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. Adamant about not having empty plates lying around on the table. The dining is upscale modern chic. The food was better than we expected! We loved all the dishes: yellowtail, tuna, egg and scallop Negiri. Shiitake rabata and rice were very good. Will definitely come back to try out more of the menu! read more
I was amazed at how big this restaurant is! What a wonderful transformation from what was previously there. My cocktail was delightful and so was the sushi! Prices are on the higher end, but the quality was worth it. The salmon melts in your mouth and was sensational. The sushi rolls were a highlight for our group. Tables are pretty close together making it difficult to get in/out of the booth without talking to your neighboring table. We had a reservation, but did have to wait about 15 minutes to get seated. We grabbed a drink at the bar while we waited. The server pours your soy sauce, personally I wish we had had our own soy sauce so we could refill independently as needed. Our server was lovely and knowledgeable. All in all, a great spot and a lovely experience, will be back! read more
2 years ago
As some of the other negative reviews have said--yes, this place is overpriced for the quality of the sushi. They failed twice to cook a steak to appropriate medium rare...their robata grill needs a little help. Our server was great. But this place does that odd thing where they don't ask if you'd like more cocktails, which is how staff earns tips and restaurants stay in business, so..... The ambiance was "cute," which a lot of folks here seem to place a lot of weight on. Overall cannot recommend. There's a surplus of Japanese sushi and robata places in Chicago now (Sunda, Roka Akora, Miru, ......) it's not worth it for this level of execution. read more
2 years ago
I flew in from Seattle and joined my cousin who loves Itoko. The interior design is amazing, modern and warm. The wait staff was great. Monday isn't too busy, so a table was ready before the 6 pm reservation! We were served high quality fish and tastes yummy! I forgot to take more pictures, but the trio hand rolls and the Yama were also delicious. They all look so pretty. I would love to visit again, but honestly I think I would need to start digging through Bellevue to find a place similar to Itoko. read more
1 year ago
Business owner information
Rachel E.
Hi Madison - Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. While we’re…
1 year ago
Business owner information
Rachel E.
Hi Dennis -…
2 years ago
Stopped by for happy hour and had a great time. The place has a cozy, laid-back vibe and the food was amazing. The salmon dip with nori rice crackers and the seared fatty tuna were both super flavorful. Service was really friendly too. No regrets--definitely coming back! read more
3 years ago
I didn't realize the Southport corridor was mostly high-end retail and middle to upscale dining, Stephanie Izard has her claws in it with the little goat diner location and 4 Stars' Ella Elli has been buzzy and potentially mainstay for awhile. It makes sense that boka group also has stake with a more casual alternative to momotaro and izakaya. Itoko is described as sushi and robata grill, plus a brunch menu that includes lox bagels? Overall menu feels pricey for a place that hasn't really established itself in my mind as providing quality and excellence but hey you that's what giving it a shot is for. My friend and I tried the dinner restaurant menu and honestly it was relatively okay value for $42, though we ordered additional hand rolls to make the meal sufficiently fitting. The chirashi don was standout for me, it was a smaller portion for restaurant week menu but I would get the full size item if I were to come back, the scallop was so yummy. The negima chicken thigh was so good but when I look at the price on the menu I balk a little. Itoko is super vibey and the ambience is of course excellent, cute and perfect for a nice brunch or dinner, the early hype means it's packed and it's best you get a reservation for now. I liked it, but too pricey for me to go back without a corporate card. The cocktails with wasabi in them are FIRE though, what a lovely pop of sinus-clearing heat read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
I had been super excited to try Itoko & left feeling pretty underwhelmed. To start things off, we waited 20 or so minutes after our reservation to be seated. We were told it would be 10 minutes because of the previous table and then didn't hear anything for a while. I ordered one drink, the Shiso highball, which was underwhelming. The flavors were muted and not very interesting. The strongest items were the Momo Jr. Handroll, Yama Roll, and the Slider Robata. The Slider was interesting and delicious. The wagyu tataki was somewhere in the middle. We got a few pieces of nigiri and the Toro Nigirizushi. Both were fine but not outstanding. The Negi Hamachi roll was also simply okay. I had high hopes and was disappointed by this meal based on previous positive experiences at Boka group restaurants. Based on how many other delicious sushi restaurants are in Chicago, I'm not sure we'll make it a priority to return. read more
Food: 3.5/5 Service: 3/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Let me start by saying that I was so excited to come here; I planned ahead and made a reservation as I'd heard it gets busy. It was busy for a Wednesday night, so I recommend resos. I ordered mezcal cocktail and the three hand roll set, which was amazing. I would come back for these alone. But I think the food got increasingly mediocre. The beef chahan was good, but the donatsu was just not my cup of tea. The flavors were unique and didn't taste bad, but I left wishing I hadn't ordered that and just stopped with the beer chahan. I'm a frequent solo diner; it's never my favorite thing to do, but it works for my schedule sometimes. I know they were busy, but my server went to other tables 2x-3x as often as he came to mine; I just needed to order. I almost went up to the host to ask to be seated at the bar. Naturally, when it was time for the check, the server moved really quickly. If this was based on service alone, I don't think I would come back. read more
2 years ago
Awesome food, service, and ambiance. Came for restaurant week with friends and loved the prefix menu. Though some people say the portions are small, I think you had the perfect amount of food to be full. Will definitely come back after restaurant week! read more
Before coming here we had heard "good, but over priced" and while it is quite pricey compared to other sushi spots, I think it's more about ordering smart! Went with two friends and we got a hand roll trio, 2 regular rolls, one specialty roll, spicy salmon dip, the beef chahan with dessert and it was perfect. I was a fan of the dragon's milk drink, but my two friends didn't love their highballs. Also, really cute ambiance and really friendly waitstaff. The matcha donut dessert is a must to finish off the night! read more
1 year ago
Business owner information
Rachel E.
Hi Leona -…
2 years ago
Came here for restaurant week and LOVED IT! Their $42 menu is unmatched. Is saying I was blown away dramatic? Everything was so delicious and super fresh. Quality of fish is probably some of the best I've had - especially the scallops in the Chirashi Don. Portions were generous and service was great! Ambiance is also really nice and contemporary. Would definitely come back outside of RW. read more
3 years ago
we came here for brunch because I was really excited about an Asian fusion brunch menu in Chicago! the honey butter toast was definitely the highlight, soooo good a must get. the skirt steak and eggs was ok, the kimchi fried rice it comes on is on the spicier side but my side tolerance is really low so keep that in mind. my friends Japanese breakfast set was also pretty good but nothing outstanding. honestly my favorite thing about this place might just be the vibe, I love the decor and branding and overall ambience. I do wish they served fun Asian fusion flavored drinks. the service was standard. read more
3 years ago
Delicious food, great service, very trendy Japanese restaurant. Little bit overpriced but freshest seafood. Will try their brunch menu next time. read more
4 years ago
when I find a bone in my $24 hand roll I expect not to pay full price for it. Yes, I made my server aware. I've been to several omakases and well known sushi restaurants in New York and itoko, although quality ambiance, fell short from a food perspective. Loved the amuse Bouche but menu items were limited and service was slow/poor. Been to several other establishments with Boka group but this was not my favorite from a service/food perspective. Gyoza was mediocre and had hoped for more diversity cold/hot items, it's a place where you try once and probably don't go again. However the beef special roll was a great culinary surprise and one of the best handrolls I've had in Chicago. Ponzu jelly is epic! Drinks were good too- but for more menu options and better service I enjoyed momotaro much more. read more
2 years ago
Great ambiance for date night or a group dinner. Everything we had was delicious - fresh fish and flavorful combinations. Our favorite and a must get is the YAMA maki. The portions are small so we ended up adding the wagyu fried rice at the end which was worth it. The rice is served in a hot bowl with a poached egg and is still cooking on the table. read more
3 years ago
The food here is so so so delicious. All of the fish was so fresh and the combination of flavors is outstanding. Still dreaming about the crab salad to this day. There is a very fresh and clean feeling about the area. The bar area is just so nice. Our server had amazing suggestions and really took the time to make sure that we were enjoying ourselves. read more
More info about Itoko
Ask the Community - Itoko
Is chef Gene Kato a graduate of the CIA?
Unfortunately, this is not answered on their webpage. Probably best to call the restaurant directly to inquire.
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
10 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
3 years ago
9 months ago
4 years ago
1 year ago
4 years ago
6 months ago
3 years ago
9 months ago
1 year ago
