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    Sho

    4.9 (11 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 11:00 PM

    Sho Photos

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    Emil O.

    This is a great new spot in Old Town. Very interesting take on omakase. The service was on point. I never had to ask for my water glass to be refilled and the staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. The place is small, cozy but very comfortable. The menu is small and focused, which I like. I recommend getting a seat at the bar. My friends and I did the omakase and we were very impressed. My favorite is the trout belly - it's magical! We also had the additional uni dish - it was OK, I've had better. Overall the food was great and presented beautifully.

    Kamryn A.

    No words. That's all. Just kidding. My experience and meal at Sho were absolutely incredible. First, they take you to their chic bar and serve you a phenomenal welcome drink. You're then lead into the omakase bar for dinner and this did not disappoint! The interior is so cool and decorated with pop culture elements and records and the music selection throughout the whole night was chefs kiss! Now, the food. I have never been more wowed. Each dish was better than the next and the flavor combinations are incredible. We loved the custard with chorizo and octopus and the add on scallop was the best scallop I have ever had! We enjoyed the sake and wine pairings and the sommeliers were so knowledgeable. I also have to say I wish I could buy the sesame macaroons in bulk!! I will be coming back-- especially to try their spring menu!

    Chutoro
    Matthew B.

    Beautiful space, it's minimalist, it lets you focus on the food. The staff is lovely, and they might have the best sale selection in the city. The food is masterful. Beautiful ingredients with obsessive preparation and beautiful plating

    Chef Mari
    Jessica L.

    Just opened yesterday! Such a cool vibe and love the music theme/ decor. Inventive omakase with a modern twist. My favorites were the Japanese egg salad, bluefin tuna crudo (must eat with the leaf), chawanmushi with truffled dashi and caviar (umami bomb!), the handrolls (especially the wagyu with the egg pudding and cotton candy) and the udon noodles had a tonkatsu broth which had lots of depth in flavor! Service was excellent and Preston, the GM is so personable. Chef Mari and Adam should be proud. Check it out!

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    Gaijin

    Gaijin

    4.3
    (797 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    Gaijin may be a small restaurant, but it makes a big impression the second you walk in. The dining…read moreroom isn't huge, but it has this lively energy that makes it feel exciting instead of crowded. I even was able to watch the chefs cooking just a few feet away. I could hear the sizzling from the grill, smell the food cooking, and by that point I was more than ready to eat. Our server was really nice and gave us a bunch of recommendations. Everything sounded good, but I ended up going with the Pork Belly Yakisoba. This dish was packed with flavor. The noodles had that smoky, slightly charred taste, and they were coated in just enough sauce to make every bite rich. The sauce brought a nice balance of savory, a little sweetness, and plenty of umami that soaked into the noodles. The pork belly was easily the best part. It was incredibly tender and juicy, with just enough fat that it practically melted in your mouth. Every piece had those caramelized edges that added even more flavor. Then you get the crunch from the cabbage and bean sprouts, the freshness from the scallions, and the little nutty flavor from the sesame that tied everything together. Hahaha I'd definitely come back. This is one of those dishes that sticked with me long after I left.

    There are few places in general across the US that serve up okonomiyaki, so I was thrilled to find…read morethis spot near my office. Ultimately, the food was just ok. I got the pork okonomiyaki lunch set and added a fried egg to it. I like that the table has a built in grill to keep it warm (I'm a slow eater, so this is extra beneficial for me). The bacon was quite salty, compounded by the okonomi sauce. Hoping the kombu vegetables would offset this, I mixed them into each bite to no avail. The pandan coconut mochi donut holes I chose were probably the highlight. They were crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and there was ample sauce for dipping. I think some people would find the service top notch here--constantly checking in on me and keeping water refilled. I guess that came with a cost: 3% service charge automatically applied, and the server proactively brought over a digital payment system, so the 18% tip I selected calculated off the total leading to what was essentially a tip of 23%.

    Photos
    Gaijin
    Pandan-Coconut Donut
    Pandan-Coconut Donut
    Old fashioned

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    Old fashioned
    SUSHI DOKKU Japanese Restaurant

    SUSHI DOKKU Japanese Restaurant

    4.2
    (696 reviews)
    1.9 mi
    $$

    If you're looking for some great nigiri combinations, Sushi Dokku is the place for you! Recently…read morecame back for their restaurant week menu, and it was great! I chose the Deviled Eggs, Tuna Truffle nigiri, Hamachi nigiri, Sake nigiri, Crispy Maguro roll, and mochi (we tried all the flavors - espresso, salted caramel, passion fruit, and strawberry). Every bite was amazing - but beware, the Crispy Maguro definitely packs on the heat. I also recommend the Snow Maiden sake if you like a sweeter sake. We dined in the Booze Box section and it was super vibey, but not too loud where we had to yell over the music or anything. The servers were attentive, will definitely keep going back (especially for Restaurant Week)!

    We decided to try a new spot while downtown last week. We've heard many good reviews for Sushi w…read moreand decided to give it a shot. We got: Tuna nigiri: 6.5/10 it was fine for the price I was expecting a much fattier tuna. Kaarage: 7.5/10 loved the salt and guchuyang but I wish it was boneless. Okinomiyaki: 6.5/10 would have been better if all the pieces had the sauce. Dragon roll: 6/10 very basic almost like grocery sushi roll Blue crab roll: 6.5/10 it was fine wish there was more portion wise Fuji fu: 7.5/10 it was good but he gave us forks which made it very difficult to eat. The service was fast and everyone was nice. The restaurant is small and good for couples since they have a lot of seating for 2. It is pretty dark and romantic but very noisy.

    Photos
    SUSHI DOKKU Japanese Restaurant
    Dumplings
    Dumplings
    SUSHI DOKKU Japanese Restaurant

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    High Five Ramen

    High Five Ramen

    4.0
    (1.1k reviews)
    2.0 mi
    $$

    First time here we were seated immediately! It was Thursday night around 10ish I'll say. The staff…read morewas super friendly and helpful! Very welcoming and attentive, but then again it's a hidden little ramen spot where everyone's huddled up at a bar pretty much lol The food was absolutely delicious! I got their signature ramen and the pork just melted in your mouth. Noodles were 10/10, broth even better.! Will be coming back for sure. Hopefully we have a similar experience with waiting and dining

    I never leave negative reviews, but this experience was unacceptable. On 7/18/2026 at approximately…read more9:30pm-9-45pm My friend and I were waiting for our ramen, we watched one of the kitchen staff check the noodles by reaching into the bowl with his bare fingers, pulling out some noodles, and putting them directly into his mouth to taste them. Then wiped his fingers on a dirty rag and proceeded to finish making the bowls. A short time later, we were served that same bowl of ramen. Watching an employee use their bare hands and mouth on food that was then served to a customer was extremely concerning and completely unacceptable from a food safety and hygiene standpoint. It ruined the experience and made us lose confidence in the restaurant's food handling practices. I hope management takes this seriously, retrains their staff on proper food safety procedures, and ensures this doesn't happen to anyone else.

    Photos
    Entrance into the restaurant, located in the basement
    Entrance into the restaurant, located in the basement
    Ramen
    Ramen
    Kirin ichiban

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    Kirin ichiban
    Tamu

    Tamu

    4.5
    (96 reviews)
    2.0 mi

    My friends and I came here for a lunch omakase on Friday. Our server was Max and he was really…read morefunny. He took really good care of us and told us a bunch of life stories about himself. We sat down with a menu labeling out all the pieces we were going to get for the lunch omakase. Each piece had the restaurant's special soy sauce on top that did not overpower anything. I loved that we had two pieces of salmon because I'm a salmon lover. My favorite piece is always the chutoro and it was amazing here. The piece was not stringy and melted in my mouth. I love how Max explained each piece to us as he served it. The scallop was so fresh in my mouth. He even took a shot with us which made the experience amazing! I have been to Tamu before for dinner omakase and I have to say, the chef can really make the whole experience better. I felt like I had a personal private lunch omakase with friends we had even though there were 3 strangers at the other end of the table. I enjoyed my time here and cannot wait to come back! The lunch omakase was $58 before tips/taxes. If you reserve online, you would have to pay a $25 deposit per person and pay the remainder of the bill in person after you finish the meal. Overall, I had a blast and cannot wait to tell my friends to come here for lunch!

    Came here for a date night and overall had a nice experience. The ambiance is great, very clean,…read moreintimate, and perfect for a night out. Service was solid, and our waiter gave thoughtful recommendations that helped us decide what to order. We ordered the sashimi sampler and the ninniku crudo to start. My husband got 6 handrolls and I had 4. We both had the otoro handroll for the premium temaki options. The handrolls came out at a really good pace, which we appreciated since it let us enjoy each one fresh. The fish itself was definitely fresh and everything was well prepared. My favorite handroll was the spicy hotate. The otoro temaki was good, but we have had better otoro elsewhere. My husband also got the sake temaki and mentioned that the salmon was a bit chewy. Overall, nothing really stood out as particularly memorable. Our bill ended up being close to $200, and while the food was good, it was not quite mind blowing for that price point. Overall, a solid spot with nice ambiance and fresh fish, just not necessarily a standout for us.

    Photos
    Omakase Bar
    Omakase Bar
    Crunch Spicy Akami
    Crunch Spicy Akami
    Tamu Hand Roll Bar

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    Tamu Hand Roll Bar
    TenGoku Aburiya

    TenGoku Aburiya

    4.1
    (153 reviews)
    2.0 mi

    I love this spot! I will say ive only been for brunch, but I went back to back weekends I had such…read morea great time! High quality sushi and great service. Its a cute spot and very nice and clean!

    The staff are nice, the interior is clean but uninteresting, and the food is disappointing. The…read moremenu is also formatted badly, the udon lunch set comes with a standard "plain udon" that isn't even on the menu as far as I can tell. The way it's written implies that you can choose an udon from the udon section, not the case. Minor gripe, but annoying nonetheless. The maki is fine, spicy tuna was bland but decent quality and the shrimp tempura maki was good but also lacking. Personally I prefer a spicy tuna with more tuna texture and this is basically puree, personal preference I guess. The udon is where my meal fell apart. For a lunch menu focusing on udon I expected a more flavorful broth and noodles that weren't overcooked. It's not like the underlying flavor is bad or anything, it's just barely there at all. The dashi is very weak and one dimensional, and the noodles taste like plain flour with a spongy overly soft bite. The toppings are extremely basic, I can't even comment on them because I'm not sure if I hallucinated them having any flavor or not. They might as well not exist. The shredded cabbage side salad is also mediocre. Dressing was weak and the cabbage could've been cut thinner. People I went with told me "maybe you just got the wrong things" but I don't think a chef should have losing items on their menu to begin with. Overall quite disappointed considering the name attached to this place.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Green Tea Sesame Pudding
 OR
 Ice Cream w/ Senbei
    Green Tea Sesame Pudding OR Ice Cream w/ Senbei
    Lollipop wings

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    Lollipop wings
    Mako

    Mako

    4.4
    (196 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$$$

    We went for my birthday dinner this year and wow did it ever over impress! The restaurant is TINY…read moreand we were seating at the counter with 3 other couples. The ambiance is reserved but comfortable and people were dressed from casual nice to more formal. The chef in front of us chatted a bit and was very friendly, happy to answer questions while he was prepping our next course. We had the matched wine courses as well and every one of them was a perfect hit for the course served. The service and the food were simple amazing. I would suggest this to anybody looking for the best Omakase experience in Chicago!

    Masterclass in sushi, but the hospitality falls flat…read more I booked Mako for a special occasion, landing a rare 6:00 PM spot. The 23-course Omakase ($890 total for two, including two drinks) was culinary perfection,exquisitely crafted, beautifully presented, and fascinating to watch from the bar seating. The restaurant's interior is clean, moody, and Zen-like with dramatic lighting on the prep area. It starts off pin-drop silent, but as the night progresses, the room warms up into a pleasant communal energy. Unfortunately, the service did not match the quality of the food. The atmosphere among the staff was cold and stiff. Roles were confusing (asking for a oaper napkin resulted in odd glares), and when my guest unrolled their wet towel (oshibori), a staff member scolded them for not "pinching" it correctly. Furthermore, after calling ahead regarding a birthday, I was told they couldn't accommodate a candle or small dessert. Handing out a signed paper menu at the end of the night feels like a cheap substitute for real celebratory effort at a Michelin-level price tag. The chefs are brilliantly trained, but the awkward hospitality and rigid micro-aggressions meant we left without that warm, satisfied feeling you expect from fine dining. Great food, but the overall guest experience needs work.

    Photos
    Wall behind the chef area
    Wall behind the chef area
    The very first appetizer, not on the final food list
    The very first appetizer, not on the final food list
    Sakuramasu (cherry salmon)

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    Sakuramasu (cherry salmon)

    Sho - japanese - Updated August 2026

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