I had no idea this place existed, now I'm a huge fan! Great inventive and delicious fresh rolls. The fish tasted liked it was just flown in. Wonderful service and reasonable prices. A neighborhood find!! read more

The sushi was delicious! I am glad that we found a good restaurant near my place. This time we ordered food but we will be there soon! Thank you! read more

This is probably my favorite sushi place around Chicago. The drinks and sushi are top quality. Definitely would come again. read more

Raisu - It's really nice to be here. Love it. Definitely would come often. Stuffs are friendly! - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wonderful I've dined at numerous sushi bar / restaurants this one is different. Miso soup with clams excellent. Fatty tuna so tender. Melts in your mouth yellow tail also excellent and house sake hot was the smoothest I've ever had without asking for something special had Kobe beef also just ok as Kobe beef goes. My wife's choice Fred s read more

This is one of the best sushi restaurants in the city that you have never heard of. The staff is friendly and is very, very knowledgeable. The presentation is Michelin Star level. The fish is flown in directly from Japan and is incredibly delicious and fresh. You could forego the soy sauce and just enjoy the amazing flavor. The bluefin tuna was a standout and was suburb. This will be my neighborhood sushi joint now. I hope they thrive and attract visitors from other parts of the city. They are a great addition to this up and coming neighborhood. Can't wait to see how they expand and hope they will consider adding a traditional Japanese house salad with ginger dressing. I always love them and that was the only thing missing from the menu. read more

Enjoyed the Omakase last night so much! Was a tad skeptical, but the fish is as fresh as everyone else said. And beautiful presentations. read more

Raisu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here for dinner based on reviews from Check Please. We were seated quickly. Menu was explained to us. We had two appetizers, bowl of udon soup, nigiri and a maki roll. Wakame salad was good but small portion as well as the udon soup. Maki roll was good but only 5 pieces. Nigiri was okay. A5 wagyu was excellent but $10 a piece. Dinner for 2 without drinks came to $95 plus tax and tip. So I don't understand how Check please said it is reasonable. Service was good read more

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One of my favorite Sushi places in Chicago so far. Loved the 21 years Nikka pure malt Japanese whiskey. Very smooth taste. Avocado spicy crab sushi ball were great and the samishi were extremely fresh. Staff are friendly. Will come back again to try other rolls. read more

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Here has best and fresh fish in town. Great quality sushi and sashimi ! highly recommended !! And yea, must try their Ikura ( salmon roe ) sooooo yummy read more

Raisu - Ikura ( salmon roe ) - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

3Rd time here. This is for my birthday. Got rarely found Otoro as the 1st dish of Omakase. OMG, blowed my mind! If you are lucky enough to order bluefin tuna here, make sure to pair it with Dassai 50 as your drink! First feeling the otoro melting in your mouth like floating in heaven, then have the apple slices on side( it is not just for garnishing) now have your drink, you will literally got the taste of The Garden of Eden! The sweet shrimp nigiri is my must have every time. Wrapping up the day with some Japanese whisky is a plus plus! Best birthday ever! read more

Having travelled to Japan, and had my fair share of good sushi, I wasn't necessarily holding my breath for this new spot in my neighborhood, but having heard good things about it and looked at their menu, wow, was I pleasantly surprised. The sushi at Raisu is probably one of the best in the city, it is not everywhere in the city that you can find this deep of a selection of fresh Japanese seafood. They have everything from Uni, to Toro and Hokkaido Scallops, if you're familiar with Japanese food, you know some of these ingredients are hard to come by, here in Chicago. On top of that, the service is personal, and attentive, the server took her time to explain every item in the menu, and made some very poignant suggestions. We ended up having a couple of makis, and I just couldn't pass on the Toro flight, and Uni nigiri, both of which were superb. The rice was spot on, and the seafood was phenomenal. This is not just a neighborhood joint, this is high level japanese food, that warrants a trip if you're anywhere in the city. Fantastic job! read more

This place is phenomenal! Better than any other sushi restaurant I've experienced in downtown, River North, West Loop, etc. We had the Chef's choice and a couple of additional sushi rolls. Please help keep this local restaurant alive! Wonderful addition to Irving Park! read more

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A fake Japanese restaurant ! If you know what is real Japanese omakase, don't pay 100 dollars here like me !! They do not even know the order of sushi, color of fish is light to dark, or they don't even care. The dessert is a mochi come from asian supermarket with ice cream ??! ! Only Chinese food make believe Japanese food read more

I made a reservation online on Saturday evening without problems. I was glad that they accommodated a handicap elder in the group who needed a low table. There were a few slopes on the way to the washroom in the restaurant, but nothing challenging for her to navigate. I strongly suggest ordering altogether or in waves. I highly recommend the calamari, tempura combo, seafood soup, snow white maki, dragon inferno roll (it's on fire!), green tea, mochi ice cream. Presentation is exquisite and service is friendly. My family also enjoyed the chirashi bowl. We waited for 15-20 minutes for some appetizers and rolls, but we didn't mind. The table was cozy for our group of five, so we took our time enjoying each dish before moving on to the next served. Perfection takes time. Fresh fish. We will bring more family and friends to this neighborhood gem. read more

Discovered this place yesterday and decided to try it out immediately. Everything in this place is amazing -- the food, the interior, the ambiance and the people. Their service is excellent! Their seafood are very fresh and are imported straight from Japan once every week. The Uni is a must try!! We've tried a lot of japanese resto's around chicago but I think this will be our fave japanese place to get our sushi fix in Chicago... Will definitely try their omakase on our next visit. Really had an amazing experience!!! read more

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Wonderful sushi place! We ordered an assortment of maki rolls and they were all excellent. The highlight for us was the Hi Jack roll, which was delicious. The sushi was thoughtfully designed with creativity and bold flavors in mind. The restaurant itself had a charming ambiance and the staff were pleasant. I plan on returning read more

We loved it all! The sushi was great, and the grenades were a delicious new twist on what Japanese restaurant appetizers can be. We will be coming back for sure! read more

Wow! This place was amazing. I get sushi all the time and this place is my new favorite! The atmosphere is outstanding. Our waitress was super attentive, I don't think my water glass was ever half empty. She recommended a lobster roll special which was divine. We also had a few other rolls which were great. My husband and I will definitely be back soon! read more

Raisu - Lobster roll special, it was so good that I forgot to take a photo until we were halfway done with it - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is my favorite top list for Japanese food in the city. Super decent quality of food and fresh sashimi. I am crazy about the bluefin tuna. The seasonal fish and scallops are amazing. Nice place for the date or friends hang out. Definitely will come back again read more

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We had high expectations for Raisu given their high ratings and some recommendations we found online, however unfortunately our trip left us pretty disappointed. First of all, the good: the food had decent flavor, and nigiri was tasty. The staff were friendly, and made us feel quite welcome. Our server did a 5/5 job for sure. Onto the bad: -erratic service -overpriced food -lacking in finesse -somewhat disappointing cleanliness (Erratic service) we tried the winter special, which had 6 courses served over 2 hours. There were times when we waited 30 minutes for one course, and times when we were served multiple courses at once. Some food (our cod for example) came out cold. We received tissues for sushi 15 minutes before the sushi arrived, and when the sushi arrived we got the stew before we finished our second piece of sushi. Not a very well thought out omakase. This is no fault of staff but I think the problem was that normal omakase spots either have more chefs or less seats. Raisu attempts to seat (at most) 50 people with maybe 3-4 sushi chefs. Their skill is high but become overworked, leading to bad food (Overpriced food) this is less of a problem, but you can easily get more food/better tasting experiences at other restaurants such as Kai Zan or for more price other loop area omakase joints. But having the agedashi tofu (somewhat uninspiring) be one of the 6 spots on your omakase is slightly disappointing. (Lacking in finesse) a few examples: there were crab shells in the crab in the seafood stew, the toppings on the nigiri had fallen off when they reached my plate, and the creme brulee raspberry and cream had fallen over when I was served them. All of these hurt the presentation and the shells are pretty undesirable. (Somewhat disappointing cleanliness) referring to both the crab shells and also the general environment (I.e. mysterious liquid in the men's bathroom floor). Overall, I was very excited for Raisu but will not be coming back read more

We stopped in for the first time Wed night and had a wonderful experience! Our server was thorough as she went over the menu and told us that Wednesday was the day that fresh fish was flown in from Japan. You could taste the difference immediately! The Toro flight was amazing and we did the Amberjack plate which was fresh and tasty! Everything was beautifully presented and staff was very friendly. We brought our 1 year old and felt very comfortable having him with us. Definitely check this neighborhood gem out, especially on Wed for freshest fish. As a note, this place is for those who truly enjoy sushi and look for fresh ingredients. The flavors are best as prepared with very little soy (if any). Kudos to the chef! read more

Raisu - Amberjack Plate- tasted extremely fresh with clean flavors! - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We decided to try out this new Japenese resturant in our neighborhood today. Wow! We are so glad that we decided to check this place out! We sat at the bar in front of the head sushi chef Simon. He was extremely informative and sociable. He even gave each of us complementary salad. It was cucumber salad taken up 100 notches, as was everything else served to us during this visit. The nigiri is to die for, the fish melts in your mouth. This place has literally jaded me. I have never tasted fish this fresh. I almost feel disgusted about some of the other sushi I have eaten. If you are a sushi lover check this place out and if you are not a sushi lover check this place out, you will become a sushi lover here. read more

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Oh my God, Raisu Japanese Fine Dining was actually remarkable. Excellent mood, and service is quick. I got Ikura, which was terrific. It was so flavorful and tasty. I became very good friends with the staff, who are all amazing and super friendly. Would certainly recommend Raisu Japanese Fine Dining to everyone. read more

Fish is flown in fresh from Japan and has a noticeable quality difference than your average Sushi spot. I sat at the Sushi bar and things are done more traditionally where it is best if you consume the Nigiri as soon as it is served with your hands. I had an off menu special Uni which was probably the best I've had. Some little details that you typically don't see: The nori is lightly smoked The sushi rice was near body temperature providing an excellent platform for the fish The wide selection of Japanese whiskey's was a nice touch. All in all, if you've watched a documentary like Jiro dreams of sushi, this is probably as close as you'll get to that in Irving Park. read more

Was very disappointed in this place even understanding it is fairly new, I would have left 2 stars aside from the fact they are new. They had three beers and the only one I liked they didn't have at first, then they found the last one! The server was very nice. We ordered the edamame which was very good but took a long time to come out, the chefs special yellowtail was so fresh and tasty but also took a long time to come out. We waited forever for our main sushi order but in the end we left as I had waited long enough, and couldn't order another beer while I waited. I felt sorry for the server as he was embarrassed and didn't want to come back to our table to apologize further . To their credit they offered a discount if we waited a few minutes longer or would comp what we had already but in my mind the food would have been tainted by the experience. Left a tip for the server as not his fault and he was good at his job. I plan to go back in about a month and try it again as the food was very good ( what I had anyway) hopefully they will be a bit more organized and I can change this review. G read more

Raisu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here on a Sunday afternoon after exploring local eats on yelp. Immediately had a positive vibe from entering the restaurant. Simon our server did a fantastic job of introducing items on the menu. After deciding on a couple of items I was blown away by the taste. Spider Appetizer to start, Raisu's House U-Don Noodles for me, Sake (Salmon) and Hon Maguro (Bluefin Tuna) for him. All were flavored well and balanced with there own twists such as fruit, pepper, savory and sweet. Highly recommend to anyone! read more

Really enjoyed the beautiful courses! The sushi is very fresh and authentic! The toppings and the sea food compliment each other very well. Love the Ikura and the uni! Very healthy yet very yummy! Chef is great and the server was very attentive. Amazing gem! Wonderful experiences! read more

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Amazing traditional sushi. Everything was excellent - everything! The scallop, salmon belly, madai, squid, amber jack, and tuna flight in particular were great and the chef's signature sushi was also amazing - adding wonderful surprises to already amazing dishes. We sat at the sushi bar and the owners chatted with us all night, gave us complementary sushi and created wonderful things for us. And we got to see them make insanely creative dishes. This made for a fantastic date night. Will definitely be back! read more

Raisu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

You know that episode of the Simpsons where Marge admits that after a sushi dinner, Homer had to go fishing to get his fill? That was basically us after the omakase we had this evening. $75 per person and we had to then order ala carte to leave satisfied. We have done omakase in Tokyo, NYC, and pretty much when available and lack of food has never been an issue. The sushi itself was good and above the subpar options available in Chicago, but it doesn't exactly live up to the hype and definitely not worth the price. read more

Raisu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazingly fresh fish in innovative and well executed nigiri, sashimi, and maki. We particularly loved the striped bass signature sashimi. The staff was super friendly and helpful. One of the best dinners we have had in a while. Worth the trek!!!! read more

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Great experience, very fresh fish and creative takes on nigiri. Enjoyed seafood soup, miso soup, udon, blue fin tuna flight, scallops (would be just fine without the garlic on top), and salmon roe nigiri. Special request to the chef: Ochazuke would be a great addition to the winter menu! read more

I've been loving sushi all my life I've been to many sushi restaurants in California and Chicago ... last night I went here for the 1 st time. It's without a doubt the BEST SUSHI THE BEST SERVICE I've ever experienced... wait staff extremely informative , the fish is FRESH I will most definitely be returning very soon. It's 5 min from my home. Ohhhhh the COLD SAKE IS FABULOUS....this is a must go to sushi In Chicago.... I made reservations thru their web site ... I felt so comfortable w our server I asked her to call me by my family / name " SISSY" I normally don't but our server was impressive !!!! I think spelling of her name is like Anoial .... I can't wait to go back I went back last night 4-10-18 had a great experience I could eat the SASHIMI SCALLOPS all day long !! Now I know it wasn't a one time thing. This place is the real deal !!!! Really even if you only gave a short time go here and make sure you get the sashimi scallops!!!!!! read more

Raisu - Fresh Bluefin Tuna Oh My God !!!!! - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'd been avoiding this place because it's in a space that has had a series of mediocre and terribly-named restaurants ("Burgers N' Barley Pop". Really.) since the building was completed 7-8 years ago. I thought it was just another effort by the same owner to re-brand. If it is, he's finally hit on something! I got carry out, and I was surprised at how much work has been done to the interior. It's warm and inviting, and as someone concerned with local business -- there were actual people there! The staff were friendly, and best of all, my sushi was really good. Fresh and presented well - not easy for carry out - skillfully made and delicious. So happy this place moved into my neighborhood, and I hope they have a lot of success! read more

We ordered delivery through Grubhub around 7:40. Got the "your order is on the way" notice at 8:16 and started watching the delivery driver's location on the Grubhub tracking map. And watched. And watched. The driver sat at the restaurant for at least 45 minutes after we got the delivery notice. When he finally arrived, he was very upset and said he had been there for 2 hours waiting on our 1 order because the restaurant said they "weren't prepared for the crowd." It's a Saturday night during prime dinner time...how are you not prepared?! He essentially missed out on tips from so many other deliveries--I felt terrible for him. To top it off, the sushi wasn't even that good; my husband said it's on par with what you get prepackaged at Mariano's...and I think that's even better than what we recieved. All the rolls were very small in size and tasted the same--there were no real distinguishing flavors, even though all the fish and ingredients were different. The one special roll we ordered, Black Widow which was $17!!, wasn't even close to being worth that much--the tempura shrimp wasn't crisp and you couldn't even tell there was avocado or unagi on top. You can find MUCH better sushi for much less, without the hassle. We will not be ordering from Raisu again. read more

Raisu was an amazing culinary experience. After seeing this restaurant on Check Please, I knew we had to make reservations. We arrived early and were greeted at the door by Chef Simon. With our reservations we were quickly seated at the bar. My girlfriend and I ordered the Valentines Day Omakase special. The first course, the tofu soup was unbelievable. The presentation of of everything we received was simply beautiful and it was the best experience watching the chef put thought into each piece that was created. The quality of fish was the best I've ever had. Also, our server Alex provided excellent service to us during our meal. Not one complaint comes to mind- Raisu is the best, and so is Chef Simon and his staff. read more

Omakase. The bomb. Hokkaido scallops, can't beat it. Definitely going back. New place to go other than Kaizen and Momotaro. read more

Raisu - Too full to finish the desert. - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My boyfriend and I went back to Raisu this past weekend and did indeed ask for Jack. We were offered 50% omakase (chef's choice) and 30% off regular menu items. This was exceedingly generous and I'm grateful for that. We both decided to get the omakase. The first dish had gorgeous presentation coupled with delicious fish. It was a local fish from a small village in Japan from what we were told. The fish's head was on one side and there was a bed of ice in the middle where the sushi was and a tail coming out of the other side. Truly fantastic presentation and the fish was super fresh and delicious. We were expecting superior presentation after this first dish, but all of the others were unextraordinary. They were not bad, per se, but expectations were so high after the first dish came out. We had the following fish for our other courses: 2x hamachi (the waitress asked me what fish I liked and I told her this one and the chef was kind enough to give me this fish prepared 2 separate ways), black cod, salmon roe. The first hamachi dish was surprisingly delicious and had grapefruit paired with the fish. I'm not usually a fan of grapefruit, but the amount of bitterness was just right without being overpowering. My one gripe was that the fish needed to just be a bit colder to strengthen the already refreshing taste. Next came the salmon roe. I was a bit intimidated by this since I'm not a fan of roe in general. However, this roe was prepared differently and marinated over night in a sauce that removes more of the fishy aftertaste. It was a nice play on roe, but still a miss for me since I still had that unpleasant fishy aftertaste. Boyfriend liked it though. Then came the black cod. This was the most disappointing course of the night. The black cod was paired with figs and the figs completely overpowered the cod. Interesting pairing, but just way too sweet. We informed the waitress - who was very attentive and sweet - that this was a bit of a miss for us, but that we loved the hamachi. More hamachi came out and this had a nice spicy sauce. It was good, but not as inventive as the hamachi/grapefruit pairing from earlier. I also got a miso soup (which was fantastic) and my boyfriend got a fish soup which he also loved. The omakase was $50/person normally and I honestly wouldn't want to pay that much for what we got. It just wasn't enough food to justify paying 50 bucks for it. Overall, I was impressed by some, but not all, of the sushi pairings. The fish was reasonably fresh, but Naoki is much better. I will probably come back to try some of their cheaper alternatives and they are a nice addition to the neighborhood, although they may have trouble surviving here. read more

This is probably my husband favorite sushi restaurant in Chicago. He is a big fan of sashimi and he always complains about the quality of sashimi in Chicago as compared to San Francisco. He always eat sushi in SF when he goes for a business trip once a month. After he tried Raisu and he was happy to say that he finally found a place where he will come back for Sushi often in Chicago. Raisu is a new restaurant and its food quality is really out of our expectations. All fish are very fresh and dish decoration is so creative and unique. Of course the service is excellent. read more

Raisu - I rarely eat sashimi, but this restaurant's sashimi is fresh enough to try. Very fresh and yummy. - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Check out the signature sashimi Service is top notch Food amazing Best place in the hood!!! Try it for sure read more

If you are looking for Sushi that is artistically and culinarily a cut above, this is the place. We enjoyed the special Hokkaido scallops (pictured), Sixth Samurai Maki, Wakame...an aesthetic banana and seaweed salad masterpiece and Snow White Maki. We will be back! read more

Raisu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois