1
Google
Japanese•Chicago•value
Ramen-San Lincoln Park
There's an honesty to a place that calls itself a neighborhood noodle joint and then actually behaves like one.
noodlesdinnerjapanese
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9.8
Based on 3926 reviews
Best Japanese Restaurants in Chicago: 37 Picks for 2026
The best Japanese restaurants in Chicago, sorted by rating and curated by TastyPals editors.
37 restaurantsAvg rating 9.4$$$$ – valueUpdated July 2026
Google
Top Japanese picks in Chicago
Fast answers for diners comparing japanese restaurants in Chicago. These first picks are sorted from live restaurant data and editorial fit.
2
Japanese•Chicago•moderate
Joto Sushi
Joto Sushi is doing something specific, and it's worth understanding what that is before you arrive expecting conveyor belts or omakase theater.
sushidinnerdate night
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9.8
Based on 265 reviews
3
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
Omakase Box
Omakase Box occupies a specific lane in Chicago's Japanese dining scene: an approachable premium concept built around the logic of the omakase format without the full ceremony — or the full commitment — of a traditional counter.
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.8
Based on 148 reviews
4
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
Omakase by Kanemaru
Omakase by Kanemaru suits a night out when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.8
Based on 139 reviews
5
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
Kyoten Next Door
Kyoten Next Door suits a night out when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.8
Based on 119 reviews
6
Google
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
Omakase on me
Omakase on me suits a night out when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.8
Based on 44 reviews
7
Google
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
Sushi-san
Sushi-san is Lettuce Entertain You's case that a high-energy, hip-hop-soundtracked sushi room and serious fish-forward cooking are not mutually exclusive — and by most accounts, it makes the argument persuasively.
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.6
Based on 10560 reviews
8
Google
Japanese•Chicago•value
RAMEN-SAN Deluxe
RAMEN-SAN Deluxe is one of the better-known japanese spots in Chicago, which makes it a practical place to start.
noodlesdinnerjapanese
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9.6
Based on 7823 reviews
9
Google
Japanese•Chicago•value
RAMEN-SAN Whisky Bar
RAMEN-SAN Whisky Bar is a dependable japanese option that a lot of diners already know and return to.
noodlesdinnerjapanese
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9.6
Based on 7031 reviews
10
Google
Japanese•South Loop•value
Wagyu House Chicago
Wagyu House Chicago is one of the better-known japanese spots in South Loop in Chicago, which makes it a practical place to start.
dinner
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9.6
Based on 5868 reviews
11
Google
Japanese•Chicago•moderate
Sushi Taku Rotary STR
Sushi Taku Rotary STR brings the conveyor-belt format to Lincoln Park with enough structural conviction to make the gimmick question irrelevant.
sushidinnerdate night
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9.6
Based on 2146 reviews
12
Google
Japanese•Chicago•moderate
Itoko
Itoko suits a night out when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
sushidinnerdate night
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9.6
Based on 1853 reviews
13
Google
Japanese•Chicago•value
Birdman Ramen
Birdman Ramen has built a quiet but firm identity around a single conviction: Chicago's ramen scene doesn't need to revolve around pork.
noodlesdinnerjapanese
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9.6
Based on 1510 reviews
14
Japanese•West Loop•moderate
The Izakaya
Underground Chicago has a specific kind of pull, and The Izakaya at Momotaro has built a reputation on delivering exactly that.
West Loop dinnerdate nightgroup dinner
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9.6
Based on 1075 reviews
15
Japanese•Chicago•moderate
Blue Sushi Sake Grill
Blue Sushi Sake Grill plays a specific game, and it plays it honestly: this is Japanese-American dining calibrated for people who want a lively, accessible night out without sacrificing real craft.
sushidinnerdate night
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9.6
Based on 835 reviews
16
Japanese•Chicago•value
Rudy's Ramen
Rudy's Ramen on Milwaukee Avenue is a Wicker Park counter built on a single, serious idea: tonkotsu done right by someone who quit his auditing career to pursue it.
noodlesdinnerjapanese
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9.6
Based on 650 reviews
17
Google
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
AJI
AJI operates with a clarity of purpose that most omakase rooms never quite achieve: ten seats, fifteen courses, and a chefs' counter where Kristian Cho and Arnold Lee — between them carrying over three decades of experience in Chicago's…
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.6
Based on 330 reviews
18
Japanese•Chicago•moderate
Noriko Handroll Bar
Noriko Handroll Bar operates on a premise that sounds almost defiantly simple: two Korean American chefs, Billy Lim and Rhan Whang, took the memory of their mothers wrapping seasoned nori around a pinch of fresh rice and built a 20-seat…
sushidinnerdate night
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9.6
Based on 204 reviews
19
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
Sushi by Scratch Restaurants: Chicago
Sushi by Scratch in Chicago is not attempting to replicate the austere reverence of traditional Edomae omakase — and it doesn't pretend otherwise.
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.6
Based on 188 reviews
20
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
Omakase Shoji & Izakaya
Omakase Shoji & Izakaya operates in a format that demands commitment from the diner: twenty courses of kaiseki-influenced edomae omakase at $210 per person, at a ten-seat counter on West Town's Chicago Avenue, where the kitchen dictates…
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.6
Based on 166 reviews
21
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
SHŌ Omakase
SHŌ Omakase suits a night out when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.6
Based on 63 reviews
22
Google
Japanese•Old Town•moderate
RAMEN-SAN
RAMEN-SAN suits a night out in Old Town when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
classicdinnerdate night
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9.4
Based on 16141 reviews
23
Google
Japanese•Fulton Market•splurge
Momotaro
Momotaro is the kind of japanese room in Fulton Market you reach for when the evening is meant to matter a little more.
Fulton Marketdate nightbusiness dinner
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9.4
Based on 3874 reviews
24
Google
Japanese•Chicago•$$$
KAI ZAN CHICAGO
Kai Zan operates on a premise that sounds simple until you watch it unfold: identical twin chefs Melvin and Carlo Vizconde — the Sushi Twins, as Chicago's dining scene has come to call them — run a room on West Chicago Avenue where omaka…
date night
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9.4
Based on 849 reviews
25
Japanese•Chicago•splurge
The Omakase Room at Sushi-San
The Omakase Room at Sushi-San suits a night out when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
Sushidate nightspecial occasion
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9.4
Based on 78 reviews
26
Google
Japanese•Chicago•value
Ramen Wasabi - Logan Square
Logan Square has a particular metabolism — it moves fast, stays unpretentious, and has a low tolerance for restaurants that perform authenticity without delivering it.
noodlesdinnerjapanese
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9.2
Based on 3609 reviews
27
Google
Japanese•Chicago•moderate
Roka Akor
Roka Akor is the kind of japanese room you reach for when the evening is meant to matter a little more.
sushidinnerdate night
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9.2
Based on 2225 reviews
28
Google
Japanese•Chicago•value
CHICAGO RAMEN
CHICAGO RAMEN is a japanese restaurant in Chicago that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
noodlesdinnerjapanese
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9.2
Based on 1867 reviews
29
Japanese•Chicago•$$
Gaijin
Gaijin suits a night out when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
date night
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9.2
Based on 1327 reviews
30
Japanese•Chicago•$$
SUSHI DOKKU Japanese Restaurant
SUSHI DOKKU Japanese Restaurant suits a night out when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
date night
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9.2
Based on 1318 reviews
31
Google
Japanese•Chicago•$$$
Benihana - Chicago (John Hancock)
Benihana - Chicago (John Hancock) suits a night out when you want japanese that feels grown-up without getting stiff.
date night
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9.0
Based on 6472 reviews
32
Google
Japanese•Chicago•$$
Umai
Umai is the kind of japanese room you reach for when the evening is meant to matter a little more.
date night
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9.0
Based on 1721 reviews
33
Japanese•Chicago•value
High Five Ramen
High Five Ramen is a japanese restaurant in Chicago that is worth opening when you want a clearer read on the menu and the room.
noodlesdinnerjapanese
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9.0
Based on 1377 reviews
34
Japanese•Chicago•$$
MIKAMI IZAKAYA & RAMEN
MIKAMI IZAKAYA & RAMEN is a japanese pick in Chicago when you want dinner to feel a little more planned.
cocktailhidden gemdate night
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9.0
Based on 323 reviews
35
Google
Japanese•Chicago•$$
Niu Japanese Fusion Lounge
Niu Japanese Fusion Lounge is a sensible japanese call in Chicago when you want something that usually lands well.
cocktail
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8.8
Based on 1938 reviews
36
Google
Japanese•Chicago•value
Kyuramen x TBaar - Downtown Chicago
Kyuramen x TBaar - Downtown Chicago is an easy japanese option in Chicago to suggest without needing a long explanation.
noodlesdinnerjapanese
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8.8
Based on 1483 reviews
37
Japanese•Chicago•$$$$
Miru
Miru is a japanese pick in Chicago when you want dinner to feel a little more planned.
date night
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8.6
Based on 618 reviews
Common questions about Japanese in Chicago
What are the best Japanese restaurants in Chicago?
The top Japanese restaurants in Chicago include Ramen-San Lincoln Park, Joto Sushi, Omakase Box. TastyPals curates these picks based on Google ratings, review volume, and editorial judgment.
What is the highest-rated Japanese restaurant in Chicago?
Ramen-San Lincoln Park is among the highest-rated Japanese restaurants in Chicago, with a 9.8 Google rating across 3,926 reviews.
How much does Japanese food cost in Chicago?
Japanese restaurants in Chicago range from $$$$ to value. Most mid-range options fall in the splurge range.
TastyPals curates picks based on Google ratings, community reviews, and editorial judgment. Learn how we choose →
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