Came here on a Monday night and we were lucky to able to get a seat around 6:30pm because it got quite busy after! Our server was very kind (with a European accent, I think) and he explained the menu well--but perhaps he could be a little louder. Oyster Matoyaki (5/5): oh boy, this was SOOO good. just order it. oysters with egg custard pudding-like sauce in the shell. YUM! Snake Eye Eel Roll (4.5/5): very good and flavorful but the sushi rice was not that great (somewhat dry) Ora-Rashi (4/5): while this is very good, it was too salty. The first few bites were delicious but after that, I needed to drink water constantly because it was too salty. LOTS of fish! they did not skimp on the fish YAY! Uni (sea urchin) sushi (3/5): it was one of the specials of the day. I LOVE uni, but this did not seem that fresh Scallop sushi (4/5): Good, but again, not the freshest that I have had. Overall, very good experience and the service was wonderful! read more

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Ora is consistently amazing. I love the sashimi. Get yellowtail roll. My roommate loves the octopus. Contactless pickup is flawless.

I've been looking for a good sushi spot in Chicago and this is hit the spot! The nigiri set was fresh, but do beware if you're not big on wasabi. The Wasabi roll was refreshing and light for those who aren't into heavy sauces or tempuras. The oyster appetizer was on the heavier side and not my favorite part of the meal, but still delicious in its own right if you're looking for something fuller and creamier. read more

Ora - Oyster Motoyaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I really liked the vibes of this sushi place. It was perfectly lit, with a set of candles on the back wall. The restaurant is really long so many of the tables are near the sushi bar where all the action is happening. The sushi was really tasty, and the service was great. This is also a byob restaurant, so you can bring beverages to enjoy with dinner. We brought a couple bottles of sake, and the waiter immediately brought our table ice buckets to put them in, which was nice. read more

Ora - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best sushi in chicago, there's no doubt. I've been coming to this restaurant for years, prior to there move to the new location and they've only improved overtime. The vibe at Ora is definitely date night perfect, family dinner friendly and just welcoming overall. I will always recommend Ora to anybody who asks about my favorite restaurants because the nigiri, beef tataki, the oyster motoyaki are to dieee for!! I would also love to mention that the service here is always friendly and on point, I would rarely ever stray away from here. *Chefs kiss* read more

Had Jen's surprise birthday dinner here last night. Delicious food and good cheer! Staff was excellent

This is a must try sushi place! The oyster motoaki is a must order, it is the most unique and delicios oyster dish I've ever had, perfectly creamy and umami. Both my friend and I ordered the Maki B which is 6 pieces of sushi and a roll, all chef's choice, it was delicious, fish was fresh and melted in your mouth. read more

Visited here for the first time last night and was completely blown away by the quality of the fish. Everything my fiancé and I ate was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. We shared a wasabi tail roll, a couple of regular makis and some nigiri. If I could do it again, I would have swapped out one of the maki rolls for more nigiri as the texture and flavor of the fish was really incredible. The gluten free options are relatively limited, but even with a restricted menu there are still plenty of awesome choices to enjoy read more

Have been a few times and loved it both times. I've never been to Japan, but friends of mine who go to Tokyo regularly say this is as close to what they would get in Japan as anyplace they have found in Chicago. The food is delicious, and of course fresh. Service is very both friendly and efficient. and BOYB to boot with a wine shop just a few doors down! read more

What had happened to one of my favorite restaurants...service and management is now sub-par. Gotten so bad. Gave away our reso...twice. waited an 1.5 hours for food. DONE........ read more

My favorite Sushi place in Chicago, so far! I came here with two other friends during dinner on a Saturday. The host told us there was a hour and a half wait, which is insane to commit to. Luckily, Uptown/ Montrose has a ton of bars that are perfect for learning the art of patience. We wanted to grab a few beers at Hopleaf (across the street), while waiting. However, it was packed shoulder to shoulder with beer patrons. So, we settled on Simon's Tavern (cash only), which was empty. Music from the late 90s was playing, but not too loud that we couldn't hear our conversations. The bartender was attentive and the drinks were cheaper. After an hour, our names were called for Ora. First impressions: Warm and contemporary atmosphere. Limited seating. Lively vibe. BYOB! We stopped at Andersonville Wine & Spirits beforehand because it's right across the street. Right away, our server put our assorted six-pack of Whiner Beer (yum!) cans on ice. Our waters were always filled. We chose all the suggestions that our server recommended, and they were fantastic. Even though it was so busy, our server kept up with us. Five stars. Food: +Oyster Motoyaki $13, Japanese Egg Sauce, Flying Fish Roe, Garlic Citrus Soy Sauce, Baked Oysters. Presented in shooter sized cup. Creamy like mashed potatoes with a oyster consistency. It was a burst of flavors in my mouth. Worth experiencing. +Dynamite Signature Roll $14, Baked Scallop, Tempura, Asparagus, Spicy Tuna, Cream Cheese, Wasabi cream, Soy Sauce. The cream cheese combined with the scallop was delectable and full of texture. +Sashimi set $23, Seven pieces of chef's choice. No complaints if you like raw fish. +Albacore Tataki $15, Seared Albacore Tuna, Soft Shell Crab, Spicy Tuna, Cucumber, Avocado, Sauce. I didn't care for this one, but my husband, who goes out of his way to order Sashimi, loved it. +Miso Soup $3, Scallions, Nori, Tofu. Complex flavor, not your ordinary Miso. +Surf and Turf $14, Seared Beef, Garlic Aioli, Shrimp Tempura, Cream Cheese, Scallion, Asparagus, Sweet Soy Sauce. This is my favorite Ora Roll. I don't even like beef, but it was so mouthwatering. Hits your taste buds with creamy rich flavors. +Scallop Volcano $14, Spicy Scallop, Shrimp Tempura, Salmon, Cucumber, Asparagus, Grilled Scallions, Sweet Soy Sauce. Thought this would be my favorite, but it ended up being just shy of good. Overall: I would come here again for the Oyster Motoyaki and the Surf and Turf Roll. Long wait due to popularity. read more

I had reasonable expectations coming here given the mostly solid reviews but was disappointed on several fronts. I will say first that the quality of fish here is very good and for the most part the preparation was well executed. The service was the beginning of the problem - my wife made a reservation for a table for 5 and they said it wouldn't be a problem. When we got there, there was literally no one in the restaurant but they refused to seat us at a table that could comfortably accommodate 5 because they had parties coming later. Fine - so we squeezed into a 4 top. After several minutes they got a call saying that one of their larger parties was downsized and we could now move to a larger table. Great. They took our orders and when my wife (who is very allergic to sesame) made her order, she told them several times that there can be no sesame and to please clean the prep area when making her rolls. The server repeated it back to us confidently (he didn't make any notes at the time however). As our orders started to come out everything was looking good until my wife's order came up and one of her rolls was literally covered in sesame. We asked politely for them to remake all of her rolls on that plate so as not to be cross-contaminated and they apologized and said they'd re-inform the chef before he remade it. When they brought it back, there was still a few sesame seeds mixed into the rice and I just told them to take it off the bill because we couldn't trust them to execute these rolls with confidence. One of the other servers had come by to tell us (after my wife had already eaten some of her rolls) that all of the rolls we ordered have sesame in them, which I'm sure you can imagine, was terrifying for us to hear. Thankfully she was mistaken/misinformed about that. It's sad because there are a lot of good things going for this place, but if the servers can't communicate the needs of the customers clearly, and/or the chefs can't execute the simplest of allergen safety requests then I can't recommend this place based on the sheer lack of attention to detail. read more

Best sushi i've had in Chicago!! Even their basic rolls are delicious. We get the California every time!

Ora's addition of delivery during the pandemic has changed my life. Still the best sushi on the north side, but now it can come to your door. read more

I'll preface by saying they were very busy when we went. The good: BYOB, sashimi and nigiri were tasty. The seasoning for the rice was as pretty good. Everyone was friendly. The not so good: service took a very very long time (okay they were busy), the rolls were sloppily made - cut in various sizes. The wasabi tail maki had so much happening in terms of flavor and those flavors lacked cohesion. Similar to the other rolls we ordered. I wouldn't go back until they figured out a more solid menu and even then I would be super super cautious. read more

Very good place, feels authentic and real. Quiet interior, not to big, which is good sign for a sushi restaurant. That was our first visit to Chicago and we wanted to try good and fresh fish. Being a Florida residents, who previously lived in SF, we can tell for sure what is BAD and what is GOOD and differentiate conventional crap from a well made pearl. My wife and I are sushi addicted, so we know exactly what the REAL sushi should look and taste like. Let me tell you from a start, that this is the only one place in town (from all 4 to consider from) that is open on Monday. So long story short - fish is very fresh, serving is professional, nigiri are well proportioned and sized. This is a BYOB place, so feel free to buy your favorite sake fro a liquor store right ahead in a 15 sec distance. If you are hungry as we were (14 salmon nigiri, both fat and plain, 6 tuna, 4 scallop, 4 octopus, 2 big sweet shrimp, 5! maki roll...) be prepared to spend ~$130. But it %100 worth it. Every bite! read more

Ora - Legit - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First time I tried Sushi and it was an awesome restaurant for try it! I love it! Everything was excellent from the presentation to the taste! I really recommend this restaurant! And for sure I'll come back again! read more

Tiny sushi restaurant on Clark Street. Make reservations unless only 2 of you plan on coming by 6pm. They open at 5pm. There is no room to wait. BYOB. Now on to the good stuff: Rolls. I've been here 3 times and love it. I'm not a sushi connoisseur, just a guy who likes to get down on some rolls. Prior to finding this local gem, Coast Sushi Bar in Bucktown was my fav. Plenty of dates with their White Dragon - former best roll. The torch has been passed on. The Dynamite roll at Ora is perfect. It's crunchy, warm and melts in your mouth. Very different compared to any roll I've experienced before. I pair it with the Volcano roll. My second favorite. Like marriage, when you find the right one (or 2 in this case) you settle for the best and for go the rest. read more

Ora - Volcano (top) - 2nd best roll. Dynamite (bottom) - best roll ever. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A small , cozy , dimly lit sushi place may make one think the sushi might be suspect , but this sushi place is amazing !!! This place is one the best sushi places I have been to in Chicago ! The sushi experience here is like a 7 course meal . The waitresses are very helpful in making it amazing sushi experience for your taste buds ! They really know which rolls will complement each other . We started safe with the spicy tuna and dynamite and as per the waitress suggestions we tried the surf and turf ( amazing roll ) , salmon roll , the nooky , and a couple more I can't recall the names of . This was the first time I can honestly say I didn't feel the need to dip my roll in any soy sauce . The flavors of each roll was so good no need for it . Highly , highly recommend this place !!! And make sure to call and make reservations !!! read more

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I am happy I found a place Uptown for quality Sushi. Ora is cute and intimate and the service is very good. Our waitress was very helpful and assertive to our needs. The best part is that it is BYOB (my favorite letters) and just steps from a liquor store. After some delicious rolls our surprise impromptu roll was very delicious compliments of the sushi chef. He named it "freestyle" but since it was made specifically for my friends and I we renamed it the "L-Roll." I told him I would return and order it that way. I hope it becomes a new menu favorite. It was spicy and crunchy goodness. :) Some other must haves on the menu was their spicy octopus roll and the dynamite. YUM YUM YUM YUMMMM Its also nice to support local business owners that really appreciate your support Take some friends and share some rolls :) read more

Ora - Dynamite - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing sushi! One of my absolute favorite sushi restaurants!! If offered to order the thin sliced beef appetizer, DO IT. This was absolutely incredible!!!! The beef was so thin and just barely seared-- it melted in my mouth and has a slightly spicy vinaigrette on top with some thin sliced veggies. I'm truly not doing this dish justice. It was amazing. The sushi was also incredible, per usual. Even a simple salmon and avocado roll was divine. Love this place, AND--- it's BYOB!!! read more

Ora - Salmon and avocado roll with a shiitake and avocado roll! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It has been a long time since I have found a place in Chicago that exceeds my expectations for sushi but Ora Sushi has surpassed all marks. After talking to the hostess, Ora is the Japanese pronunciation for the word aura. The restaurant is small but definitely has a comforting ambience once you walk in - good vibes all around. One glance at the prices and I immediately noticed that they were surprisingly reasonable given the location. Basic rolls (6 pieces) are $5-6 each and signature rolls (8 pieces) are $12-14 each. We started with sweet potato fries served that were addicting. For the rolls, we ordered the Philly, spicy tuna, dynamite, and the dragon roll. The fish and rice were both spot on in flavor and texture. The Philly stood out for a basic roll, it was more than just salmon and cream cheese. It also had cucumber and Japanese mayo rolled inside out with black sesame seeds. On top of the four rolls, our hostess brought out a complimentary off the menu roll made by the chef. It was avocado with teriyaki shitake mushrooms topped with spicy shrimp, fried green onions, and tempura batter served with a sweet soy reduction. I have never had this combination before - it was outstanding. Even though it wasn't on the menu, it should have been. Ora Sushi, innovation without the gimmicks and added price. This is how sushi should be. Orrrraaaa! read more

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Very cool vibe. Great service. Nice music. Started with the oyster motoyaki--who would imagine that baked oysters could be so delicious? Order this! Do it! Also ordered scallop volcano maki--highly recommended--and wasabi tail maki also very tasty. Finished off with crowned ahi. All in all, a great meal. I'll be back! read more

Ora - Sushi bar - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Reading all of the raving reviews, I was really excited to try Ora. Honestly, it was not up to par to my expectations. Not even the slightest. Service was so slow; it took 3 hours to finish dinner. Parking was difficult to find but that's inevitable. As for the rolls: The first 3 were overall decent rolls but nothing mind blowing. I do really like sushi but when it's so expensive, there would be a better balance in sauce and textures. Not to mention you only get 5 pieces. Not filling at all. 1. Nooky roll: was the best out of the 4. 2. Scallop volcano roll 3. Chirashi roll 4. Dragon: the most disgusting roll i've ever eaten in my life. The sauce was absolutely wretched. I get goosebumps thinking about that roll. I have to say, how disappointed I was in all of the rolls and for the expensive price tag, I was expecting so much more from Ora. Definitely do not recommend this place. read more

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Went to Ora on a Friday night. Waited about 10 minutes but got seated promptly thereafter at the bar. I tried the sashimi and the oyster. The sashimi came out first and was delicious. The best I've had in Chicago and very reasonably priced. The oyster was also amazing! The soup that was supposed to come with the oyster never came, however. It was no biggie as we were pretty full. We let the server know. She not only brought it out right away but also gave us the entire oyster dish for free for the "inconvenience." Very refreshing level of service! Lastly, I love BYOB places, and this place does not disappoint. You can bring whatever liquor you want and they will provide the glasses, shot glasses, etc to enrich your experience. While it may not be the easiest place to get into for a large group, I highly highly recommend for a date or small group of friends. read more

Ok so I've never took the time to write a review for anything in my life but I just had to write a review on Ora Sushi Restaurant after eating there the other night. I was so pleased with my entire dining experience. I'm a busy, single, young professional who has no time to cook for myself so in order for me to survive I find myself eating out a lot and I hate to say it but it's hard to walk out of a restaurant feeling entirely satisfied. At Ora I felt entirely satisfied. Their sushi is amazing. Yum I want some right now just thinking of it. I had the Spicy Scallop Volcano, which was recommended by the manager. It was sooo good. I also had some of my friend's Nooky (not that kind of nooky lol) and that was amazing as well. Also if you are not allergic to anything want something that's not on the menu and are open to the sushi chef making something for you, you can ask to have a "freestyle" roll. My friend left it up to the sous chef to make a roll for her and it turned out delish!!! The staff is super friendly and attentive. I think the owners are pretty young which means you don't get aweful asian service you might find somewhere else. If you eat asian food as much as I do I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. This is definitely a nice spot to take a date (ambiance is clean and very cozy), food is awesome, service is top notch, ohhh also it's BYOB with NO corkage fee. So grab some wine down the corner, drink and have some great sushi with your date or some friends after a long day at work! I live pretty far from the city but it's definitely worth my drive. I need to go back soon! read more

Ora - Scallop Volcano..looks good but taste even better!! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We are big fans of Ora! It's our go-to quick casual sushi spot near home. But make reservations because they're packed on Saturdays during prime dinner hours, even on cold days when we thought they didn't need reservations! And it's surprisingly busy during weeknights too, though part of that is cuz the place is pretty tiny. On weekends, our experience is quite a bit better. There's been special fish by the piece every weekend that we've gone, and servers are very warm and friendly, taking their time to explain the fish, taking time to check in with us at good intervals. We've gotten the sushi set (B or C, I forgot) with the "chef's choice" nigiri, and they've included some of the special fish that aren't just your run of the mill sushi menu pieces. And the fish on special have been incredibly fresh and unique in flavor, and we do spring for those; they're a bit more pricey but worth it. Weeknights... complete opposite. I would make reservations and go on a weekend. Food-wise, like I said, the sushi set. The spicy tuna that comes with it has got a definite kick to it. Very yummy! Oyster motoyaki - get it. It's a heavenly couple of bites. Chirashi roll is an explosion of umami and a generous fish portion, but the fish gets drowned a bit in sauce and might not be for the sashimi purist. Honestly... everything else, I can't remember if we've even gotten. Those are the most memorable go-tos. Their house salad dressing is particularly refreshing too. Definitely make this one of your sushi spots if you live in the area! read more

One word: Amazing! From the food to the staff Ora showed my friends and I a great time on a Thursday evening. We had a pretty large party of about 10 people but they were able to accommodate us greatly. Saying the Oyster Motoyaki is delicious is definitely an understatement! It's the perfect blend of sweet and salty and doesn't taste like seafood for those who have had bad experiences with oysters. The sushi we got was very tasteful too. We got the Surf and Turf, Snake Eye, and Dynamite. All of them tasted great but I would have to say the Dynamite was the best because of the Wasabi aioli and Tempura Bits to give it a nice crunch. Best part is that it is BYOB! Will definitely come again! read more

Ora - Dynamite Roll! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My friend surprised me for my birthday by taking me to dinner at Ora. This place is cozy and extremely small. It definitely gets busy fast, so think ahead and make reservations (which my friend did). I wished I had received the same service everyone else raved about. Our waitress was friendly but not quite attentive. We sat there for over 15-20 minutes without anyone coming by to take our order. Even after she took our order, she missed a nigiri and one of our rolls. When we asked about our missing sushi, she just told us that it was coming. Clearly, she forgot to put the order in. For food, we decided to order one kitchen item and a couple of nigiri and rolls: - Oyster Motoyaki: baked oysters topped off with chives, Japanese egg sauce, radish, flying fish roe, and a spicy garlic citrus soy sauce. The order comes with two decent size oysters. I enjoyed the creaminess of the oyster, the crunch from the chives and eggs, and the mixture of spiciness and tanginess of the sauce. Everything complimented each other well. - Mebachi Avocado Nigiri: big fin tuna and avocado topped with garlic chips and wasabi aioli. We originally wanted to try the stuffed salmon, but it was all sold out. The waitress recommended us to try this nigiri instead. This was a great recommendation because the garlic and wasabi gave it a nice flavor without overpowering the freshness of the fish. - Hamachi Toro Nigiri: yellow tail belly. Out of all the nigiri I tried, I enjoyed this the most. It was fresh and extremely buttery. The yellow tail just melts in your mouth. - Beni Toro Nigiri: seared Scottish salmon belly topped with ginger chives and citrus soy. I thought this nigiri was just ok. The flavors were good, but I was expecting another buttery fish. Searing the fish just took out that wonderful texture. - Shiro Maguro Nigiri: seared albacore tuna topped with tataki sauce. My friend ordered this nigiri. She said it was different, but still tasty. - Spicy Blue Crab: minced blue crab in a spicy sauce. This roll is nothing special; therefore it was under the "basic rolls." But it was good for what it was. - Dynamite: baked scallop, shrimp mix, asparagus, spicy tuna, fish cake, and cream cheese topped with tempura bits, wasabi aioli, and sweet soy reduction. I was a bit iffy about this roll because I don't tend to enjoy rolls with cream cheese in it. Most places always put a huge glob which overwhelms the whole roll. But to my surprise, it was delicious. All the different ingredients complimented each other well. - Crowned Ahi: yellow fin tuna, poke sauce, wakame crowned, asparagus, cucumber, and avocado. This description sounded too good to pass up. This roll definitely had the best presentation but it wasn't only good for its looks, it was also pretty tasty. Overall, this place offers fresh and delicious sushi. Everything from the presentation to the actual taste was spot on. The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the service. Our waitress even took a while to get our check when we were ready to leave. So, if you don't mind semi-bad service, then the food here is awesome. The prices are a tad bit on the expensive side, but it is totally worth. read more

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I came here while visiting family later in the evening on a Friday night. The place has a nice decor and fun atmosphere. It's small, so it can be a little loud, but I loved this place. We arrived shortly before 9:00pm and the three of us were seated immediately. The restaurant remained full the whole time we were there, but only one party actually had to wait for a table while we were there. I'm sure it's super packed closer to dinner time. I believe our server's name was Julio, and he was magnificent. My parents can be somewhat challenging at restaurants with their 500 questions or modifications, and he was so patient and kind with them the whole night. I ordered the salmon/hotate sushi, a salmon maki roll, and spicy scallop roll. The hotate was very good, and while the spicy scallop roll was tasty and I happily ate it all, I'd probably skip it next time for an additional salmon roll. It just kind of lost the scallop taste with everything else mixed in (I like plain, boring rolls/sushi). The salmon roll was outstanding! It's a roll every sushi place can make, but I think judging a place based on the basics really shows how good (or not) they are. These were amazing - the salmon was fresh, and the ratio of salmon to rice was perfect... not overloading rice to save the restaurant some cash. I could have just ordered three (or seven?) of those and been totally content. Everyone else with me was likewise satisfied with their food. Julio had very highly recommended the beef tataki appetizer to us when we first sat down. Nothing about it sounded great to me, and I'm not really a beef person... and I'm still not entirely sure what beef tataki is. BUT, we ordered it anyway, and it was amazing! I would have eaten the whole thing myself along with my seven salmon rolls. I'm so glad he recommended it as I would NEVER have tried it otherwise. I highly recommend Ora to anyone who has a moderate like for sushi!! read more

This place was a great find. I had a friend visiting from out of town so I wanted to pick a place w good food that was reasonably priced. Our table of four ordered the garlicy and salty edamame, since I hump both garlic and salt, I was all over this. Next we had miso which was pretty standard. Then we decided to go with two sashimi platters which were really good, we tried some stuff we never had and still dont know what it was. Only thing is that each came w 7 pieces and most were not doubles so it was hard to share, boo. We also ordered way too many rolls. We got the spicy salmon, soft shell crab, escolar jalapeno, the nooky and some eel roll. By the end we were all stuffed and still had some left over. The bill came and it was surprisingly only $25/person ($33 incl tax and tip). I will definitely be back, sooner than later. Oh and if you are going on a weekend, make a reservation. We tried coming another time wo one and it was a 45 min wait for the sushi bar! read more

This place came highly recommended from a good friend of mine that speaks quite highly of this place...he went on to say this was one of the best sushi restaurants he has been to in Chicago. I came in on a Tuesday night and there wasn't a lot of people there but once I sat down the place started getting pretty packed where there wasn't a seat available in the joint...glad I made a reservation. This place isn't that big so it can fill up pretty fast. Very nice space as the lighting is pretty low and has a pretty chill vibe going. The place is BYOB so I brought some sake to sip for this outing lol. Now on to the sushi.... I overheard someone say the yellowtail nigiri was pretty good and they were right. The tuna (recommended by Justine the server) was good as well. We also went with the octopus and the Shiro Seared Tuna nigiri and they were delicious! We had a couple of rolls...The Nooky and the Dynamite. Both were very good and had a bit of spice. The menu isn't as extensive as most places I have been to, but its pretty effective. read more

Been there twice. Had a great experience the first time! Food was excellent, service was great. We decided to try them out again, so we went last night. The food was horrible, sushi rice was undercook. Ordered Albacore Tatake roll, and honestly couldn't taste anything beside the sauce. read more

Good Lord! This low key sushi spot is amazing. If you've ever had really fresh sushi in Los Angeles, it's like that. How great is Ora? First of all, you won't even need soy sauce for any of the sushi (your waiter may tell you this). I pretty much stuck with ordering the nigiri (1 piece per order), but I'm sure the other items are just as great.The highlights; - Ebi Motoyaki (my 1st favorite) - shrimp with egg sauce and a citrus soy - Stuffed Salmon (my 2nd fav) - sweet soy sauce with a spicy scallop mix, lightly torched - Hamachi Toro - Hokkaido scallop - Unagi (eel)- perfectly grilled with a sweet soy sauce. - Escolar - a buttery white fish. There is a regular and a 7 spiced Escolar (the better of the two) - the spicy Octopus handroll (also my fav) if you're feeling adventurous, try the Uni (sea urchin). Not my fav, but quite tasty. I also tried the saturday night special: Blue fin akami, which was phenomenal oh, AND Ora is a byob establishment. Now go. read more

Ora - Unagi and stuffed smoked salmon is a must - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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My favorite sushi spot ever! I love the spicy tako roll and all the sashimi is excellent. I can't wait to go back.

I will admit that I am a sushi snob. Well, just a food snob generally. I usually tend to have high expectations with my food. Now with that being said... I love this place! It's definitely a small hole in the wall... with cute ambiance. Make sure to make reservations during the weekends, it really is a small place. I absolutely love the fact that it's BYOB. My boyfriend and I came here for an early birthday dinner from me to him. He's also a big food critic and he loved it. Fresh sushi with decent prices. Who doesn't love that? I was surprised to only have spent around $70 for all the food we ordered. I, like every other yelper on here, have to recommend the Dynemite roll! Definitely my favorite. Update (after multiple MULTIPLE times eating here... yes it's THAT good): The sushi sashimi platter is AMAZING! I recommend EVERYONE trying it! It's $27 for about 15 dif. varieties of sashimi and it's super fresh. Blue fin tuna, escolar, beni toro, and zuke sake are my faves!! To this day, Ora is my favorite sushi spot in Chicago. read more

Extremely excellent quality of fish. I'm surprised this isn't 3x as expensive. I'm an avid sushi eater and this is my #1 place. The Sea Urchin and Fatty Tuna are a must. If you understand anything about quality of sushi you will love this place. Service is excellent, just be prepared for a significant wait if you do not have reservations. I wish the place was a little bit larger to accommodate more people / provide seating for those waiting read more

BYOB - 5 stars Parking - 4 stars Reservations - 5 stars Nigiri - 5 stars for freshness, 3.5 stars for cut Rolls - 3 stars for balance of ingredients and cuts Value - 3 stars I tried to be objective with my assessment and above rating. Fish is top notch. If I went back here, I would only order Nigiri and Sashimi since the rolls didn't quite come together. read more

Giving this place two starts because of the poor service and terrible seating. Lavk of staff and proper considerations. I know I didn't have a reservation but do I have to spend an hour waiting for my food? And not only that our table was right beside the door when clearly there are two open tables that sits for two. So why do I have to sit beside the cold? Because I don't have a reservation? Well how rude. Also I know this is noy the most expensive sushi place I have been to but. I have had better sushi for a more reasonable price. And to pay $6 for one yellowtail sushi that is soaked in sauce and over pasted of wasabi, not worth it. I say this place has beeb overrated by most people. read more

Ora - Scallop Volcano - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I don't make it out to Andersonville that much and am close to some really good sushi places in my neck of the woods. But I wanted to try Ora as I heard it was really delicious and I like that it's BYOB. The food here was absolutely delicious and high-quality. The service here though is a 2.5 stars. They don't seem to have their act quite together. It was a busy Saturday night. I made reservations ahead of time and we got there right in time for our reservations. We had to wait there for 30 minutes because they didn't have anything ready and two of their servers/staff members were kind of snippy telling us to wait in a corner and telling my friend to wait in a separate part of the room in an abrupt way. I understand the place is small, but this is a restaurant so they need to be nice to people who are already pissed off about having to wait when they made reservations. It's also too cold to wait outside when its 38 degrees. One of the servers was very nice though and was a stark contrast to most of the other servers we interacted with there. He was our primary server and kept apologizing for the wait. The wine glasses took forever to come out and he just brought one of them out after we waited abut 15 minutes already because he said the other glasses were still drying. They need to order more wine glasses then because it was a long wait to just have glasses served. Our server just seemed completely overwhelmed and it took him awhile to come back with things. The guy who was taking our plates was kind of rude though and we asked him nicely for a cork to open our wine bottle and he never brought it, he was basically rushing us and taking plates away without asking whether they were ready. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine since I am a slow eater. The food on the other hand was excellent. We ordered the highly recommended Oyster Motoyaki. It was basically oysters soaked in an egg custard with garlic flakes, ponzu and green onion sprinkled on top with a soy vinaigrette. It was baked and oozing with flavor. This dish definitely lived up to the hype and is an extremely unique dish conceptually. We decided to share some Maki and ordered the: Scallop Volcano roll, Smoke Eye roll, and Dynamite roll. All of these rolls had remarkable flavors with a multiplicity of textures. The Scallop Volcano roll was my favorite as it had smoked salmon, shrimp tempura, grilled scallions, a soy reduction, and spicy scallops on top. All of the flavors balanced out very well into an extremely satisfying large bite of food. The Smoke Eye roll was unique and mouthwateringly delicious as well. My favorite part of it was the seared eel as adds a nice salty flavor to the shiitake, tiger prawn, wasabi aioli, and fish stick bits. There was a lot of umami in this roll. It is also finished up nicely with a soy reduction. The Dynamite roll had that perfect crunchy texture complementing the soft baked scallops on top. It came with asparagus, tuna, and cream cheese. Fortunately, the cream cheese did not dominate the flavors as it does sometimes at other sushi restaurants. It tasted fresh and I enjoyed all of the tempura flakes. I am a firm believer in trying a sushi restaurant's nigiri or sashimi because that is the purest way to really assess the quality of their fish and rice. I ordered the smoked mackerel nigiri. I thought the rice was nicely sticky (I am not an expert on sushi rice though). The smoked mackerel was light, delicate, and subtly smoked. Since we had to wait awhile for everything and the service was a bit rough, our server was kind of enough to serve us a spicy tuna maki on the house, which was very appreciated. It had a completely different set of flavors from the maki we previous tried and I really enjoyed the spice of the tuna. It was a very satisfying roll. I do think the sushi here is really spectacular and it is affordable for a high quality sushi place, especially since it's BYOB. Their service needs to improve though because 2/3 people that we interacted with were not very nice and the slowness of everything really took away from the experience. I probably won't come here on a weekend night again if I do come all the way up to Andersonville for sushi. read more