Came here for the lunch omakase, which features dry-aged fish. Overall, the fish was fresh and well-prepared--nothing particularly mind-blowing, but definitely good quality, especially for a more affordable omakase option. My only critique is the pacing. Since the chef already had the fish sliced and prepped, I expected a smoother flow, but the meal took about an hour and a half for 14 pieces of sushi. It felt a bit slow, especially for a lunch service. That said, if you're looking for a reasonably priced omakase with quality fish, this is a solid choice. read more

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Went for restaurant week with friends. Got there early after work and was able to hit the happy hour which is a decent deal. Got the snow maiden sake and the spicy scallop hand roll. Both were great. Our bartenders were lovely and very friendly. Found out this is a Malort tasting room and we were able to sample some different Malorts (the cocoa one was good!). Then we were taken back to our table for dinner. Our server was super friendly as well. Started with the miso soup and crispy tuna bites which were probably my favorite dishes. The taki yoki fritters weren't bad either. We saw people getting omakase, so we ordered a yummy looking piece they were receiving. It was just okay (chutoro truffle). The nigiri was also okay. The tuna piece was the only I really loved. The fish quality wasn't as high as I was expecting. The sushi was decent. A little too much truffle in the spicy blue fin tuna and a little too vegetable forward in the hamachi serrano. All in all, the atmosphere and amazing service pushed this up to a 4 for me. read more

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I went here for dinner with a friend and made reservations day of as it is a Saturday so it'll be quite busy. It's a good call since while you can walk in and get seated in front, the back room is a more nicely decorated, speakeasy-like vibe. We got the chicken karaage to start which was decent but a bit on the salty side, and there is quite some chicken skin so just as an fyi (it's delicious but could be crispy). We then got the seared scallop, spicy bluefin tuna, and hidden dragon rolls. The seared scallop was my favorite as I like the torched flavor. The spicy bluefin tuna was also pretty solid, leveraging the crispy garlic and green onions for additional flavor. The hidden dragon is good especially for those that prefer a cooked sushi since it's eel plus spicy tempura, with more garlic. I am glad the garlic added to the flavor rather than overpowering the flavor. 3 rolls plus appetizer is sufficient for a nice meal for 2. Service is excellent as you are never out of water - the server keeps coming to top off your water throughout the entire meal. It is a bit of a spend of dinner as we spent close to $50 a person, but it's standard in Chicago for these types of places. read more

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Ambiance - super cute intimate spot for omakase, offers 6 seats at the chefs counter Service - exceptional, super attentive and kind staff, chef explained the sushi piece by piece Food - loved that a lot of their fish were aged (super unique), you're in for a treat if you are coming for omakase! My favorite was definitely the hotate (they added uni to this) The only thing that was a miss for me was the addition of the white truffle on top of the chutoro, didn't pair too well and masked the flavor of the fish read more

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We did the omakase and while I think the price point is decent, I don't feel it was on the level expected. Cool concept with it being in the back of the distillery, and a very intimate atmosphere at the sushi counter. All of the staff were overall great and helpful but my husband and I found the main sushi chef to be a bit inexperienced. He also seemed sick as he was sniffling constantly which was off putting. Multiple nigiri pieces nearly fell apart before we could get them to our mouths as the rice wasn't packed properly. We really enjoyed most of the omakase offerings with the exception of a few. While it was an enjoyable experience, we wouldn't do the omakase again here. I do highly recommend you come and just order off the regular menu as some of their nigiri options are great. We'll be back often to do so ourselves. read more

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Excellent, excellent, excellent. Our waitress was great, I believe her name was Alina. She was the best. Our food was delicious, so fresh and so flavorful. We will definitely be back. read more

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Is dry aged sushi really a thing?! Apparently the answer is yes. Jinsei Motto tucked away inside CH Distillery is serving up dry aged sushi along with more traditional maki, sashimi and quality cocktails. I've been a few times and here to tell the story so I guess it's safe to eat. If they hadn't pointed out the fish was aged, I'm not sure I would have noticed. It's not what you're thinking. Not fishy and the texture didn't have a discernible difference in my opinion. Friendly service that explained each dish thoroughly. Cocktails were balanced and there's typically a hip hop playlist. 4.1 stars. read more

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A great omakase experience at the chefs counter! The decor overall was beautiful and trendy. There is a great mix of fish and non-fish related items. There were some very unique flavors with some of the pieces that fit really perfectly!  Our service was phenomenal. There were very accommodating to our friends who had to bring their four month old. Our server made great recommdations for sake that would go well with our sushi.  Highly recommend this experience for a celebratory dinner. read more

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Went to Jinsei Motto for restaurant week with some friends. My friends started at the bar and then we were showed to our table which was in the back room. The room has an omakase bar and then tables around. Our waiter was great and very personable. The restaurant week deal had 5 courses. I started with the edamame and my friends had the miso soup. Than we all shared the crispy tuna bite and tako yaki fritters. Then we had a course of nigiri. We decided that we only wanted to try two of the roles beong the spicy tuna and hamachi Serrano and added on an extra tuna truffle nigiri. We then ended our next with the cheesecake. The tuna crispy rice was super good and would just go back for that! I also enjoyed that tako yaki fritters and tuna nigiri. Other than that I was disappointed with the other nigiri pieces which did not feel like the best options. I did enjoy my time and meal at Jinsei Motto but for the price I feel there is better sushi in Chicago. read more

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I literally love it here! I've been for omakase. Drinks and apps and sushi dinner and it never disappoints. Vibes are cozy and cool, service is always on point. I heard they're leaving the CH Distillery location and moving somewhere new so I'm really excited for that! read more

Did a pickup order and the process itself was smooth. Some of the rolls and pieces were not my favorite which is disappointing especially at this price point: - classic setto: Akami and dry aged zuke salmon were my favorite bites, others had too much ginger or other sauces on it that were distracting. Cuts of fish were very fresh though - spicy bluefin tuna was good but more mayo based than I thought it'd be but I'd eat it again - seared spicy scallop was not what I was expecting and not in a good way. Would prob not order this again as the topping was very mayo based and creamy and not what I was expecting and I usually love a scallop roll. Have been meaning to try their omakase too but not sure if I'll prioritize given this experience. read more

Jinsei Motto - Classic Setto, Spicy Bluefin Tuna, Seared Spicy Scallop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing omakase! My boyfriend surprised me with an anniversary dinner here and this spot was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The front desk was helpful and communicated that the previous dining group was wrapping up their omakase experience and it'll be ready for us a little after our reservation time which was fine. We ordered our drinks at a high top table and I loved my Rum Rain or Shine. It was a strong drink but the flavors went well altogether! My boyfriend also loved his Old Fashioned where he chose the Suntory Toki whiskey. We were directed by the front desk to follow them to the back of the restaurant and the omakase room was a totally different vibe from the front of the restaurant! We thought they had cool decor such as the Jordans and pictures with greenery everywhere. Our chef Jamel was incredible! We loved watching him do his magic and explained every bite off the menu. The menu was unique and complex, we both enjoyed every bite, but the most memorable was the Ora King Salmon, Otoro, Hotate, and the Steak and Eggs. The service was 10/10 and made our anniversary special with the pre-made printed menu and anniversary shots with them at the end. Thank you for a wonderful experience, can't wait to come back for happy hour! read more

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Came here on my birthday for omakase located at the back of the restaurant. I enjoyed the vibes and there were fish on display in refrigerators. It was pretty chilly inside so I wish I had brought my jacket with me. The omakase included 10 pieces and most of the pieces were good except one piece (chutoro) was broken and falling apart as I was eating it. The tamago was slathered in honey so it was all I tasted. Our sushi chef almost seemed like a robot and not personable. I was kind of put off since some of his finger nails were dirty. He also high fived one of his co-workers and then proceeded to prepare our next pieces without washing his hands. Overall, I've had better omakase experiences in the city. read more

Incredible omakase experience. 14 bites of nigiri. Fresh fish, delicious rice, lovely complementary toppings. I really enjoyed every bite. Perhaps not the ideal pairing but I got a Hibiki Old Fashioned. read more

Great express Omakase experience. Joined a few other Yelp friends to do this. $50-$75 depending on if you choose to add the premium pieces. Great service and so much fun watching the nigiri get prepped. Real wasabi is made in front of you, no soy sauce, no chopsticks. Quite the authentic experience. Add sake to pair with the Omakase and its perfect. Friendly staff and beautiful trendy ambience. Like anything else in Chicago, it's unassuming when you enter through CH distillery, walk all the way to the back for Jinsei Motto. Strict 45 min seating policy. Reserve in advance, only 7 spots open for each session. read more

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I came here for omakase for a birthday. We were seated at the sushi bar which was when I noticed how loud the restaurant music was playing. It didn't convey an intimate and personable environment and it was hard for me to hear the omakase chef as he introduced each dish. The quality of fish was okay, not the best I've had. One of the nigiri had also fell when the chef was trying to place it on my plate. The dessert was a sesame cheesecake but you could tell that it was premade for days as the graham cracker base was stale and had completely come off when I bit into it. read more

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We were catching a show at the Lyric Opera House and decided to get dinner here. It's an intimate place and great for a weekend outing! There are barrels of aging liquor everywhere, and it's a distillery meets fancy restaurant vibe. There are a ton of unique menu items to choose from. We decided to go with a la carte. For drinks I got the strawberry Serrano cocktail. Tasted like drinking a bell pepper--not a huge fan and should've tried something else. We ordered the karaage--Japanese fried chicken--for our appetizer. It was absolutely delicious--super crispy on the outside, piping hot on the inside (heads up lol), and perfectly peppery and flavorful. We ordered 3 sushi rolls, and they were all unique and fresh. My favorite was the fire salmon roll, which was actually really spicy but the avocado helped pronounce the flavor. The California roll was decent--the crab was soft and light; way better than grocery store sushi for sure. I also tried the Everything roll which I believe was white fish, tuna, salmon, and fresh veggies for a nice crunch. The sauce added a tangy pop of flavor. I'm very particular about sushi and am on a mission to find the best in Chicago. Honestly, this place is up there now. My only other complaint is the order in which we received the items. We got our sushi before appetizer and drinks which didn't make much sense.. read more

Jinsei Motto - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I visited Jinsei Motto on a snowy evening after having a sushi craving for weeks. Even though there was barely any signage for the restaurant, I didn't have too much trouble finding it. What I was surprised by was the fact that it is located inside (with?) CH Distillery. A distillery + sushi combo is certainly novel and a first for me. To satisfy my sushi craving, I ordered the Ora King Setto and a Seared Spicy Scallop roll. The various types of salmon preparation in the Ora King set was great and really kept each bite from becoming boring. While the salmon was prepared well, I felt like I've had fresher salmon elsewhere in Chicago. The salmon felt very soft, perhaps too soft. What I did enjoy was that the fish was cut a bit thicker. The Seared Spicy Scallop roll is lovely in concept, but I felt that the seared scallops used to top each piece of the roll were not very fresh. It lacked the natural sweetness I expect from a very fresh scallop, and had a bit of a fishy aftertaste. Overall, for the price they are charging for the sushi, I am expecting higher quality. There are other sushi restaurants in Chicago at around the same price point but with fresher fish. Service throughout the evening was just so-so, nothing to write home about. I think I could be convinced to come back if a friend wanted to try it to try the omakase experience, but I'm hoping more focus is placed on sourcing quality fish first. Food: 3/5 Service: 3.5/5 Price: 3/5 Ambiance: 4/5 Overall: 3.25/5 read more

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All the fish things in a jumping hipster bubble. They really go for the 17 kinds of tuna; the lean tuna was unexpectedly a favorite. Service is attentive, but they move you through; they whisk those plates away as soon as the last morsel hits your mouth. As with all hipster sushi, small portions and high prices. Here: smaller than usual and more expensive than usual. Tasty, but unlikely you'll leave feeling full. Also, bathroom capacity is likely insufficient for the crowd. read more

With many sushi places to choose from this was one that bubbled to the top. It's in the back of a distillery. We got here a bit earlier and then the crowd started to roll in as we were leaving. The sashimi was really good. We did one of the options of 5 different types. Most of them were extremely good. We ordered a couple extras of our favorites as well. The drink I had was also super. It was their take on a Manhattan. The highlight, however, was the Lion's Mane appetizer. My wife picked it and it was the star. I never thought these could be so good! And kudos to our waiter who wasn't just really good but made straight up honest and fantastic recommendations for both drinks and sashimi. read more

My party of 3 was blown away by the omakase experience at the sushi counter here. $125 for 14 pieces was well worth every single penny. Each piece was extremely high quality and only got better and better as the course progressed. Even the rice alone was amazing. Our chef (Jimmy?) was incredible at his craft and we enjoyed watching him slice each fish with precision and care. The highlights of our meal were definitely the zuke sake (marinated salmon), hiramasa (king fish), saba (mackerel), Hotate (scallop with uni), Alamo (lean bluefin tuna with mushroom topping), otoro (super fatty bluefin tuna w/ caviar), and of course the A5 wagyu (w/caviar). Omg I'm drooling reminiscing this meal We got the whole place to ourselves since the only reservation available was 4pm when they opened. It was an interesting ambience that felt private yet relaxing at the same time. I can't wait to come back, either for lunch/dinner omakase or just dine in at the restaurant. read more

Jinsei Motto - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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What a pleasant surprise! I've always been meaning to visit here but I personally think Chicago has a pretty saturated Sushi scene. Thus I'm even more impressed after visiting! The sushi was fresh, fairly priced. Definitely competes well at this price range. For reference I think the sushi was better than Sushi San where I've visited multiple times, while they cost about the same. Sushi San does have a slightly more upscale interior decor perhaps. My one complaint for this restaurant would be the sort of limited menu. The Robata options are great, but I felt like a larger entree was missing. Something like a cod, or donburi perhaps? Momotaro, for example, has many options to keep things interesting . Tengoku Aburiya has some exciting non sushi entrees as well. The service was fantastic, the cocktails also. We also got the sake flight which was a great way to try 3 different styles of sake! Overall a great experience. read more

Jinsei Motto - a table with sushi and sauces - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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our server was sweet & so amazing. she went out of her way to help us with any questions we had. the food was SO FRESH. so good!! the kitchen is out in the open & tiny & so cute!! this place was a overall hit! will be recommending read more

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High quality sushi and nice space for groups. Service was impeccable - and a huge shout-out to our server Jane who didn't miss a detail and made excellent suggestions based on our likes. read more

Jinsei Motto - Main bar - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We did girls' night out at Jinsei, and we were glad to make it in for happy hour. The hand rolls were the perfect size and ratio of rice to protein. My favorites were the Spicy Scallop, Spicy Tako, and Spicy Tuna. We loved everything and the hospitality from the staff. Our server Peter was friendly and entertained our fun night. read more

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The food- amazing. We did tableside omakase which was 14 pieces including a tuna flight. The service- awesome. Very attentive with good explanations of our courses. Ambiance- such a lovely space in a busy area of the city. Almost speakeasy feel. Love this place! read more

Jinsei Motto - Steak & Egg nigiri & Tamago - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Trendy setting. Modern take in Omakase. Focused on looks. Each course uses fresh ingredients and use good quality cuts, although $175 pp was a bit steep compared to the other Omakase peers in Chicago and other major cities. Qualities more aligned with trendy sushiyas vs. higher end omakases. Shari was off at least during my visit. Understood on adding sugar to balance out the vinegar, but a bit overdone. The rice were also undercooked. Instead of nigiris feelings like one piece in balance, each ingredient play by itself in your mouth. Service was good and caring. Chef shared his experience starting from a sushi counter at Mariano's and moving to where he is. Inspiring for sure. He also visiting other sushi locations (including one of my favorites, Nakazawa) to experience and provide better quality/service. Real respect. Overall experience: Quality - 3.5/5 Ambiance -4.5/5 Interaction with chef - 5/5 Price for Quality - 3/5 read more

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We celebrated my husband's bday downtown night. We're always on the hunt for good sushi so ended up here thanks to the stellar Yelp reviews. I made a reservation using their technology where you choose your table ahead of time for a fee. I typically don't really care where I sit so not really worth the extra charge, but for those who do care it's a cool idea. When we got there for our 7pm res our selected table wasn't ready. They offered to refund us and seat at the table next to it, which was fine by us. It was a pretty cool distillery type of atmosphere. It looks pretty small when you first walk in, but there's a room hidden in the back (where we sat). I originally thought we would do the omakase experience. It's pricey at $120/person, but seems to get lots of amazing comments on Yelp. Based on what we wanted we decided instead to share a setto and a few rolls. But first started with seaweed salads- probably the best one I've had in awhile. The tokushu setto was great- the fish so fresh and tasty. We also really liked the seared sea scallop and the kraken rolls. My husband was still a little hungry after and I can always go for more sushi so we ended with a few pieces of unagi nigiri. I mentioned it was my husband's bday so they sweetly brought a piece of complimentary cheesecake. Husband thought just OK (i'll get him his fave carrot cake today for his actual bday!), but I really enjoyed it. I also enjoyed 2 vodka martinis with their CH vodka. It ended up being a pricey meal and probably not much less than if we did the omakase for both of us, but it was a great celebratory dinner and night out sans kids. read more

Jinsei Motto - Setto - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Everything was beyond delicious and fresh! I felt like we ordered most of the menu and everything was absolutely bomb! Crispy tuna Bang bang lions mane Classic set And bunch of nigiri's We also got some maki's based on the waiters recommendation. I don't remember which ones they were but they were all great My only disappointment was that they don't do hand rolls outside of happy hour. read more

came here for lunch omakase and opted for the premium lunch. i think premium was the perfect amount of food for me. if you get the regular, i think you'll leave hungry. overall, it was pretty good but my mind was not blown away. don't get me wrong, the fish was fantastic--very fresh and high quality. however, the rice was kinda dry and the garnishes on top were just okay. i went to a different omakase place before this that used more interesting garnishes that really brought out the different flavors of the fish. nonetheless, my favorite was definitely the lean tuna with truffle and wagyu sauce because this nigiri had the most interesting garnish. that being said, the service here was fantastic. my server and sushi chef were both so friendly and explained the craft to me very well, which i really appreciated. read more

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Came here for some great hh deals and fresh sushi. It was fun walking to the back of ch distillery to discover a totally different restaurant ambiance. Our service was great overall and pretty quick too. We started with a bottle of sake off the happy hour menu and chicken karage for the table. We also got to try the crispy tuna bites, which were delicious and flavorful. The classic setto off the happy hour menu was a great deal and fun to split with someone. The pieces of fish were so fresh and flavorful. We also shared a seared spicy scallop roll, and this was tasty and hearty as well. I got to try my friend's shrimp tempura roll and spicy tuna roll, both of which were very well priced for the quality. Overall we enjoyed the quality and flavors of the food, as well as the ambiance and service. The price was amazing for everything during happy hour. Would definitely recommend this spot to get authentic sushi! read more

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If you love sushi and good drinks then Jinsei Motto should be on your Chicago bucket list. Being attached to CH distilleries many of the cocktails are inspired by the hyper local distillates. You can eat at the bar or go all out and get the omakase either way you'll leave fat and happy. Just make sure to call a cab or take the CTA home. read more

Went in for lunch omakase - can't wait to be back already! I've tried other omakase's in the city and am so glad that my search for the best omakase is done. Got 10 pieces, can add premium 4 more pieces for extra. Everything was amazing, the rice was the best I've had. Fish was so fresh, the added flavors definitely enhanced the whole experience. Good service, love the private atmosphere hidden in the back. read more

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I love it here. Great quality fish, fantastic complimentary sake. The perfect place to be without fanfare. Or fanfare, if you want it.

The food is impeccable. I give this 10/10 I have never seen a sushi restaurant with such an incredible variety of fish. Think every fish you have seen in any sushi bar and then add ten more varieties. Their tuna - all 3! Their omakasi for a $175/per travels you around the world. Oh and the ONLY sushi place with dry aged fish. Wow, experimental. Service- just under obsequies while not going so far as effusive. Again, 10/10 for service. Oh they have fresh ground wasabi. Ambiance - 7/10 I am going two ways here. The music was a bit too hip for gourmet sushi. It needs to not interfere with conversation. Especially when the folks are paying $$$ to talk about their sushi to one another. So 4.8 stars rounded up to five. read more

This might have been one my worst sushi experiences ever. The crab maki tasted and had the mouthfeel of cat food. The edamame was so hard I couldn't get the beans out. The ugliest part is that the rice on the maki was falling apart and uneven on every piece. And the coup de grâce: the tuna. Oh the tuna. It had pieces of a hard rubbery substance attached. How it was served like that is beyond me. I thought I was eating offal. I read in another review that the Chef used to work the Mariano's sushi counter. Makes a LOT of sense. read more

Jinsei Motto - The white stuff on top of the piece on the right. What is that?? - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Dinner omakase was amazing with Chef Jamel and Nick! Intimate 6 seats. 19 courses. 2h experience. Good music and nice ambiance. Mackerel was a serious surprise; Aji was so delicious that it changed my opinion on mackerel altogether. Back third of the menu was tuna which was stellar as it is at most omakase experiences. Specialize in dry aged fish. Combinations were unique. Flavors were very balanced. Recommend and will return! read more

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Drove out to the city with my sister on a Friday night and we came here for a late dinner. I made a reservation but I feel we could've gotten in even without it. The place wasn't busy but there were people who seemed like regulars since they knew almost everyone, and the workers knew them. I really wanted to try their tuna nigiri tasting but they were out of one specific tuna part so I opted for some nigiri instead. I wasn't too wowed by anything we ate, but it was good enough. The drinks we ordered were pretty good but the food wasn't too special, maybe we just didn't order the right stuff but even then, they were out of some ingredients, which is surprising for a Friday night? read more

Jinsei Motto - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Wow! The sushi at Jinsei Motto is fantastic!! Every bite was so tasty and the fish was very fresh. We got the seared spicy scallop roll which was amazing, the flavors melt in your mouth. Along with the seared miso salmon without asparagus which was delicious as well. We also got an appetizer sampler which has different variations of meat and some vegetables, this sample had delicious meat. Our waiters were very kind and attentive as well. The service was quite fast and we felt well taken care of. The ambiance was quite nice as we were seated by the omakase which was interesting to see. We will definitely be back hopefully to try the omakase since all of the fish was so delicious! read more

Jinsei Motto - Cotton cheesecake - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This was the first place I ate at during my stay in Chicago and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their fish here! We ordered the Chicken Karaage as an appetizer and Seared Miso Salmon, The Kraken, and Seared Spicy Scallop rolls all to share between three people which was a good amount of food for us. I enjoyed all of the rolls, my favorite was the Seared Miso Salmon as my go-to choice of fish for sushi is salmon. We would probably pass on the Chicken Karaage next time as nothing stood out to us about it since it kinda just tasted like popcorn chicken. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed my dinner here and would recommend it to anyone craving sushi! read more

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