This must be the only authentic Japanese restaurant that I found in downtown so far! All Japanese workers, and got to speak w the owner, very nice and sweet lady. Cant wait to come back already!!! read more

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Sigh. I expected more. Maybe sushi isn't Cocoro's forte, but with such an extensive menu, you better make it good. And the rainbow roll was not good. I spent over $20 on dinner, when I would have been happier with a salad from McDonald's. I've never had edamame warm before, but I guess it isn't objectionable, except it made it mushy. Service was attentive. The saving grace: good company. read more

Cocoro Japanese - rainbow sushi roll - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really wanted to like this place. Service was slow because I think the entire restaurant only had 1 server and 1 person in the kitchen. I can excuse the service somewhat given the times, but the udon was just awful. The noodles were so overcooked that they were mushy and the egg was actually hard. The broth lacked flavor and was quite watery. The only positive I can say is that it was hot and the portion was large. We also tried the katsu curry which was forgettable. Under seasoned and bland. I asked the server about the udon and she took it to the chef who explained that's how it's supposed to taste. I've traveled to Japan on numerous occasions and i can be certain that udon is not supposed to taste this way. He didn't even offer to remake, or offer something else on the menu. So disappointing. read more

Cocoro Japanese - Bland Katsu Curry - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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While the city is packed with sushi/Japanese options, it is truly rare to come across a restaurant that offers such a wide range of authentic Japanese food, and that is actually owned/run/operated by Japanese people. Honestly, Thai/Korean/Chinese-owned sushi places just cannot compare if you've had real Japanese food and are looking for the real deal. Cocoro offers everything from fresh sashimi/nigiri to izakaya, ramen, soba, curry, and sukiyaki/shabu shabu. We've become regulars here and have tried almost everything on the menu. The otoro is well-priced and SO super fresh. The takoyaki rivals anything you can find at Mitsuwa - it is well made, seasoned, and stuffed with chunks of octopus, consistently delicious every time we've ordered it (maybe ten times?!). Katsu curry is served with thick slices of breaded pork and the curry also has ground pork in it. Salmon bento box is beautifully presented with a rotating selection of dishes. Sukiyaki comes with a generous (possibly over a pound) of beef - the only knock is the recent price increase on this dish which I guess lots of places have had to do in Covid times. The only reason it's 4 stars for me is that while the izakaya/ramen are good, they are not stand-out (some izakaya items are either under/over seasoned, the ramen doesn't trump other ramen spots in Chicago) Still, this place is reliable and authentic. Plus, as busy as the staff are they are always responsive and polite, and even offer to bring kids' utensils/bowls for your little ones. Love this place and we'll continue to be weekly regulars here as long as we can! read more

Cocoro Japanese - SUKIYAKI / KAREI KARA AGE - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Lived in Japan and this food reminds me of home. Ramen (shoyu), sushi (ume pickle and shiso leaf), gyoza, takoyaki are delicious. I can't wait to dine in and try their shabu shabu! read more

Great food, the most efficient and friendly waitstaff. Centrally located and reasonably priced. Will surely be coming back!

One of the best neighborhood sushi places. Delightful staff. Wait times for dining in and takeout are a bit long, but worth the wait read more

Hidden jem. Everything on the menu is incredible, the staff is wonderful. I love Cocoro!!!!!! Also, I absolutely despise scallops, but my husband forced me to try the Hokkaido sashimi, and it has changed my mind forever. So tender and juicy (not chewy like every other scallop on the planet). read more

Upon sitting down and cracking open the splintery, low quality chopsticks, I knew this was not going to be a good experience. We ordered a couple of what we thought would be good items from other reviews: shishito peppers, agadashi tofu, tonkotsu ramen, and katsu curry. The shishito peppers were lightly charred without any oil, and didnt taste fresh. Tofu didn't have much flavor. The ramen was one of the worst I have ever had. The broth tasted like it came out of a bag. Katsu curry was uninspiring, lacking flavor. Don't know how this place is still open and receiving crowds on the weekend when it is one of the priciest and worst Japanese restaurants I've had in the city! read more

I absolutely love Cocoro! The food is delicious, fresh and so tasty. The people are so kind and friendly as well.

I enjoyed a wonderful meal with my family. The servers were amazing and kept my kids happy and occupied. They had the tables safely distanced and all cleaning protocol was adhered to. Recommended on everything! The miso ramen was the best I've ever tasted! read more

LOOOVE THIS PLACE! In a city where there is a sea of typical japanese sushi and ramen places, I truly appreciate when I'm able to find a gem that serves truly authentic and home style japanese entrees - only a few exist and come to mind around here. And the commonality among those are that they actually have japanese people owning or working there. The restaurant has a wide selection of food, which usually causes me to over-order by the masses because they all sound so good! I've had the tamago pancake, natto with squid, takoyaki, curry katsu, soba noodles with tempura, pressed sake sushi, and so much more. It's a low key place with high key food I've been pleased with all of it! Can't wait to come back once they're done renovating! read more

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The food was ok, it's not too memorable. I waited a while before writing this review, just in case I decided to go back again. Have not yet. The service is decent, one of the servers was super patient with the table next to us. They had shabu shabu and were complaining about the AC making it hard for their pot to boil. They wanted the server to turn down the AC (early September) so that their pot would boil. If they had turned down the AC, it would've been uncomfortably hot. The server calmly explained that he couldn't, it's central air. I mean I felt for both the table and the server but one demand was a bit of a reach. So yeah...that was the most memorable part of our visit... read more

Came here during lunch close to the closing between lunch and dinner (I got a bit lost since Google maps brings you to the building space next door that's empty and I had a mini heart attack that Cocoro was closed). The staff still gave me great and quick service. I got the cold ramen which is a menu item that's uncommon in other Chicago Japanese restaurants. Apparently this restaurant specializes in Japanese home cooking. The cold ramen had very good flavors and I enjoyed the horse radish/ wasabi that was on the side and mixed a bit in. It was very refreshing for a very hot day in Chicago. There however was pickled ginger or something that was very poignant in it that I did not like. (just a personal preference!) I would get the cold ramen without that next time. They have a lot of other menu items that are uncommon on Chicago Japanese restaurants that I would come back to try. However, my only question is why Cocoro comes up first when you search Omurice in Chicago, IL on Yelp. They don't have omurice.... :( read more

- takoyaki: good flavor and reasonably priced - teriyaki chicken entree: fine flavor, the salad was a bit acidic - spicy miso ramen: bland, the broth seemed to be very watered down, the ingredients in the soup were flavorful - TATSUTA AGE: good subtle flavors, would have been nice to have a sauce for dipping (not a fan of putting lemon juice on things) -Staff: All seemed nice and helpful, I let them know my issues with the ramen and was told two different explanations for why it was wasn't flavorful (got too watered down/ I needed to ask for it to have more flavor) Notes: - If a person needs to request more flavor then it needs to be advertised on the menu as - only have one wait staff provide an excuse as to the reason for low flavor or stories will get mixed We were offered a green tea ice cream which was good and I appreciate the attempt to make me feel better about having to pay $14 for a bland ramen that I ate 10% of Over all I will be going elsewhere for Ramen (Oii Star or Misoya) read more

Good place to go for homestyle Japanese food. It's been around forever, and might be the last old-school Japanese owned place in the city (RIP Itto's and Sunshine Cafe!) I love the salmon seiro here - flaked salmon with little fishies over rice and shredded egg served in a bamboo steamer. Super simple and tasty. Comes with soup, salad, and Japanese pickles. It's a small restaurant and can randomly be super busy, especially when the Japanese business men are in town, so make reservations! We've usually never had an issue making them day-of. Closed on Sundays. read more

Cocoro Japanese - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Traditional and authentic Japanese cuisine and exceptional service. Fried Oysters are one of my favorite Japanese appetizers and Cocoros were prefection! Sushi and Sashimi were excellent as well. One of my favorites when in Chicago. read more

Low key spot with incredible udon, takoyaki, and shabu shabu. Some things to remember: 1. Don't come here if your name is Janet and you have the, "I want to speak to the manager," short haircut. The service will be too slow for your royalty and you probably will be confused why no one else is ordering teriyaki chicken. 2. In general, don't come here if you're in a rush. This is where you go if you want to relax and warm up with some udon when it's like -10 outside and you're wondering why you effing live here. 3. If your name is Janet and you're actually an open minded, patient person who has never asked for the manager in your life, I'm sorry. read more

There are two Japanese restaurants on this block of River North and I love that they are both very good and so very different. One is newer and flashier providing sushi and robata to hipper clientele. The other, Cocoro, is less swank and excels in traditional Japanese dishes. They have a delectable Katsu curry (called Japanese curry on the menu) with a breaded pork cutlet doused in curry sauce and served over rice; a miso ramen with chunks of pork belly; and an available-only-in-the-summer Hiyashi Chukka, a cold noodle dish which makes a refreshing meal on a hot day. Cocoro also offers $5 happy hour cocktails that include the potent Sake to Me. I don't consider myself a lightweight but just one of those drinks gave me a healthy buzz. When I mentioned that it is less swank than the other Japanese restaurant on the block, I should clarify that Cocoro is not at all swank. The interior feels very dated with some odd décor choices. Also, the booth seats are quite uncomfortable. However, the physical discomfort is worth enduring for their tasty, authentic Japanese cuisine. read more

Authentic Japanese food and extremely reasonably priced. We had the katsu curry and katsu don. Great flavors and generous portion sizes. Also probably the best gyoza I've had in Chicago. Crisp like it should be on one side. The dessert menu is more extensive than other Japanese restaurants. It's not just ice cream. I'd recommend the green tea cheesecake. It's not overpowering, so even if you don't like matcha, I'd recommend it. Overall great experience. We will definitely be back for dinner because this is the only place in Chicago I know that offers real Japanese SHABU SHABU and SUKIYAKI. read more

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There's not too many authentic, no-frills Japanese restaurants in the River North area, so I've been wanting to try this one out as it's been around for a while. We were easily able to walk in on a Friday night, but upon arriving had to wait 30 minutes for the staff to actually clean a table...All the tables that were empty still had the remaining leftover dishes from the previous diners. Finally, once we were seated, we were attended to right away. I got a house salad, which was actually a really nice fresh portion with a tasty ginger dressing. The sushi rolls I got though were not that great, especially for the price. The fashion roll was mostly rice and priced at $18...not worth it. The spicy tuna roll was also mostly rice and barely had pieces of fish. The glass of wine I got was a nice heavy pour at least. I would definitely not be back for the overpriced sushi rolls that were mainly rice, but maybe would consider trying out the Japanese hotpot. read more

Love this place! probably my favorite japanese restaurant in chicago(that isn't crazy expensive). feels very homemade and reminds me a lot of japan read more

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Amazing food and very authentic. The takayoki and the nabayaki udon are must try. Excellent spot for a casual date night.

There is not much Japanese restaurant where you can eat Sukiyaki. Cocoro is few place you can eat Sukiyaki ! Here is what Sukiyaki is about. You grill shaved beef on the pot, then pour sukiyaki sauce made from sugar and soy source, and add vegetables. And you'll dip beef and vegetable into mixed raw egg. It's soooo nice ! read more

Was recommended this restaurant as a place for high quality, authentic Japanese food. Not sure if we just ordered the wrong things, but everything just tasted.... okay. None of it was particularly authentic. But, I would say that things were pretty reasonably priced. We ordered: - Takoyaki: A typical Japanese street food, little balls filled with octopus. The octopus was cooked the right amount but the breading was more cakey than it should have been, and the dish was missing bonito flakes. - Tatsuga-age: Supposed to be Japanese-style fried chicken. Tasted kind of meh, the skin was not very crispy. - Katsu-ju: Their take on katsu-don, a rice bowl with breaded and fried pork. The pork was thick and kind of tough, and the breading not very crispy. The rice and the onions were fine. - Nabeyaki udon: A noodle soup with shrimp tempura. The tempura shrimp was limp and disappointing, the batter was not done correctly. The rest of the soup was decent enough, though I did wish there were more ingredients. read more

Very nice beef and steamed egg. Overall seasoning is just right and not too sweet or too salty. Would recommend read more

Cocoro Japanese - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Not Practicing Social Distancing!!! Do not value its customers! DO NOT go to this restaurant, booked a table for 4 at 7:30pm, restaurant manager failed to fulfill our reservation. Let people have reservations at a later time to set our table. Leave us a table that is on the walkway which is within 3 feet of other tables. Left restaurant disappointed. No apology was given by any of the staff. read more

This place is great, the food is very authentic, and is focused on home-style Japanese cuisine. I highly recommend checking this place out and having some of the home-style dishes such as the katsu curry. Most of the reviews that are not 5 or 4 stars relate to dishes that are outside of Cocoro's specialty such as the sushi or ramen Japanese cuisine is extensive and complex restaurants will have their specialties and should be judged on those. You would not go to a Nashville barbecue restaurant and asses them on the quality of their avocado toast. That said, this place can absolutely stand on the merits of its food and you need to check it out yourself. read more

PRAISE THE SHINTO GODS. Not only does Cocoro serve a great katsu curry, delicious and enormous bowls of ramen, the only pressed sushi I have come across in the city, AND a ridiculous Japanese potato salad featuring Kewpie mayo, of course. Now, on their updated summer menu, they have HIYASHI CHUKA! This alone deserves many many more exclamation points. Hiyashi chuka, also known as Japanese cold noodle salad, is exactly what it sounds like - a mound of chilled noodles, topped with finely julienned cucumber, ham, egg, crabstick, tomato, and dressed with a rice wine vinegar/sesame concoction. This is hands down, the most refreshing, yet filling dish, you will come across. I lived off of this dish when I went to a very hot Tokyo one summer, and haven't seen it on a menu in the US, ever. I had to subsist off instant hiyashi chuka noodle packets from Mitsuwa and make it for myself at home. I love this dish SO much, that even though I went in to Cocoro all set on having ebi curry on a cold-but-supposed-to-be-warm Chicago day, I ordered cold noodle salad, and made up for it with copious amounts of hot green tea. Their daily specials menu (where the potato salad hides) is worth a look at. There's a reason lots of Japanese people come to eat here. Salted squid guts, anyone? Oh, and the STRONG $5 cocktails don't hurt either. YATTA! read more

Cocoro Japanese - Kabocha squash pudding dessert - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The booth I sat in was about as awkward as sleeping next to someone with a CPAP machine so if you have back problems you might want to opt for the chair side. Other than that though this is probably the best lunch option for sushi in the area. They've got good specials, the sushi is fresh, and there's plenty of noodle options so if anyone in your group is against raw fish they'll still have something they can order. They also do a $5 cocktail special so if you get out of work early it's not a bad place to pop in for a pretty affordable happy hour. Definitely worth a try just make sure you bring a back pillow if you have to sit on the far side. read more

Cocoro Japanese - Cool piece of art on the wall - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ended up in this restaurant by chance. In this cute hidden gem restaurant I was greeted by the nicest people. Always with a smile on their faces. Very helpful and attentive. The food was made with care and of course delicious!. You could tell with the small details. The way they put it all together. I live close by and it will sure be my to go to Japanese restaurant. read more

Decent, comfortable, authentic japanese place. I heard they have a lot of japanese customers but I personally don't see that many that lol. The ambiance is quiet and comforting. We got Takoyaki as starter. Not the best I can get but they are okay. I got the eel seiro! It's so tasty and pretty cheap ($15) considering that the set also includes miso soup and salads. The eel itself is tasty too! Also I can't get it any where else in Chicago haha. Overall the food is not on par of japanese local restaurants, but the ambiance is very japanese and very casual. Family style and good to grab casual lunch or dinner. Would like to try their sukiyaki next time haha. read more

Cocoro Japanese - Seiro set. - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Loved this place! Our friends took us for the first time and we highly recommend it! We got the sukiyaki, katsu curry, and una ju and we shared it all. It was the perfect amount of food for 4 and all of it was so good! The katsu curry just fills you with warmth and happiness. The eel is very different but it was the best eel I've had. The sukiyaki was perfection. It was one of those meals where everything is enjoyable and afterward you want to take a nap. It's a tad expensive but I think it's definitely worth it. We made a reservation but when we got there at just after 6 I think, there were plenty of tables. However while we were eating it got way more busy and kind of loud. We didn't have any trouble finding parking but we did park 2 blocks away. It was a nice walk after all the food. read more

Cocoro Japanese - Katsu Curry - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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So, here's a secret: Did you know that there's a Japanese restaurant hidden along Wells?? Yup, I didn't! Thanks to GrubWithUs.com, my friend and I were treated to a family-style, three course dinner here (at this hidden gem, seriously). Not only did we indulge in great food, but we also had great conversation with complete strangers! (Great concept if you're new to Chicago or looking for new peeps to hang with, btw!) Food was fantastic! We got to sample the shrimp tempura rolls, croquettes, grilled chicken skewers as apps! Very tasty! For the main course, they brought out yakisoba (noodles and veggies), tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlets) and curry (which you can dip the pork in). And, for dessert, most of us settled on green tea mochi, but they also have different flavors of mochi as well as ice cream. All delicious! The service here is A+! Very sweet, friendly, attentive! I'd def come back to sample more of the great things on the menu, especially their Ramen! Yum! read more

Cocoro Japanese - tonkatsu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Nabeyaki Udon and Takoyaki I picked up by call ordering were so tasty, and I believe that their taste and ingredients are more likely to authentic japanese food. Also, I am glad to find a Japanese place to open at brunch time, 11:30am. This would be my go-to place in Downtown. read more

This is one of the few if not the only place in the city center that serves home cooked Japanese food. No, I do not come here for sushi (sushi is not a Japanese home dish). I come here for rice with pickled radish and seaweed, plus usually a fish dish of some sort. I enjoy coming here - atmosphere is comfortable, relaxed. You will see many Asians eating here, for a good reason. Most so-called Japanese restaurants in U.S. are really created for American consumers and not what Japanese actually eat. Overall I would rate it 4 stars, but I bumped it up one extra star since no other similar restaurants in Chicago, and it's one of my favorite cuisines. If I am wrong and there are other places like this in Chicago, please let me know!! read more

Cocoro Japanese - Eel seiro - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

You know a place is legit when you're surrounded by Japanese businessmen! My dining partner and I came here for our first Shabu Shabu experience. We showed up early for our 8pm reservation, only to witness the waiter accidentally give our table away! We were disgruntled at first, but they gave us a four top, so we ended up with more room for food! The Japanese appetizer menu is hardcore! Salted squid guts, deep fried sea urchin, pork heart....I've never seen these kinds of dishes before. The squid guts intrigued me, but I played it semi-safe and had the marinated jellyfish, which is one sea creature I haven't devoured yet. I can't quite put my finger on what it tasted like, but it was good! After the water began to boil, our waiter came over to give us a demo on how to cook and eat our meal. The amount of beef and vegetables was plentiful, and we had rice, noodles and dipping sauces to go along with it. It was a fun, albeit messy experience! For dessert we had green tea and red bean ice cream. I forget which bottle of sake we ordered, but I loved it. I've already got my eye on what I'd like to try next, including the squid guts! read more

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Never disappointed at this place. This is like my spot to go at least one time in summer for that COLD RAMEN and Takoyaki. I wait for summer to come just for this. Other than these two items on the menu try out any dish , it will be fresh and good. I recommend the sushi and sashimi as it's really fresh ingredients read more

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This happens to be one of the more affordable options for Japanese food in the River North area, though I've been here primarily for lunch though. The servers are friendly and helpful, and take out is relatively quick. You will get a significant amount of rice and food when you have any of their -don (rice bowls). I particularly favor the katsudon (pork cutlet) or the tekkadon (tuna sashimi) bowls. If you are a fan of the bento box, they have some decent options as well. Don't forget to ask what the lunch special is. A recent surprise I had was that they had Japanese curry for lunch! The only places I've had Japanese curry is at Mitsuwa's food court and at home. It was a katsu-curry in a large amount, but I left no leftovers. read more

I give this restaurant an overall 3.5 rating. Food: 4 stars Price: 3 stars We started off with the soft shelled crab for appetizers. We got about three pieces and they were very good. For entrees we had the miso soup and the tempura dish which comes with miso soup and rice. Both were delicious! I really liked the ramen noodles (not the typical packaged ramen noodles). For dessert we had the mochi. Each flavor comes with two pieces. We wanted to try multiple flavors, so our waitress allowed us to get one piece of each flavor. We tried the green tea and the strawberry. Our waitress cut each in half so we were able to share. Both were delicious! Our total bill was about $60, including tip. Not really worth the price for the amount of food we had. But the dining atmosphere was nice and our waitress was very friendly and courteous. Plenty of open seating here. read more