I think this place has a beautiful ambiance and overall isn't bad, but as a vegetarian it was really hard to get food as the staff wasn't very clear about what was vegetarian or not. I stopped by a while ago though and maybe things have changed, but it was really hard to explain vegetarianism to the staff when I last ate and I thought the service was slow. read more

We accidentally booked this spot for Valentine's Day thinking it was the other location on Rush. Waited for 15 minutes for a server. My fiancé was served a beer that expired 4 months prior with a dirty glass. My martini took 45 minutes. We were served the wrong appetizer. When we told the server, she took it back and served it to another table. Finally we received cold shishito peppers after ~40 minutes. It was a handful of peppers over a bed of arugula. We had to find our own soy sauce from another table. The crispy tuna rice was cold. Such a bizarre experience. Several tables walked out and were visibly agitated with the wait and lack of service, yet the staff didn't seem to care and no one was apologetic. We asked for the check and had to request for the food that we never received to be taken off. No one has a clue what's going on. read more

We went for restaurant week and the menu had a great selection with seven courses. However, the miso soup was lukewarm at best, the gyoza was not tasty, and they ran out of both desserts on their menu. The sushi was really good! The ambience was nice and we were checked on by multiple people. However, our order was not taken until over 30 minutes after we sat down. read more

We want to go to the other friends location but it was broken due to AC so we came here instead. The location is a bit unique as it shares a door with a hot pot place to the left. Once you are in it feels more like a martini bar then a sushi restaurant. Sun lights, trendy seating and LOUD! Started with a lychee martini which was great (highly recommend) For dinner we shared a salad, hamachi app, two rolls and fatty salmon. I would pass on the fatty salmon as it was lent very flavorful and for the price you can do better somewhere else. Both of the rolls were good. The duo was recommended by the waiter and it did not disappoint. Nice flavor. We did have jalapeños in some of the rolls and they were spicy as well as the Serano peppers which isn't always the case. So beware I would go back and try some different rolls. read more

See all

I came here on my own for a business trip a couple of years ago. I had to come Back and bring my son this time around. Enjoy a quiet dinner away from the crowds on N. Michigan and have a beer and a few rolls. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Beer - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was a cute little sushi place. I loved the vibe on the inside. It was pretty small inside, but we walked in on a Friday night and got seated right away. Our service was great as well. Our food was good, but not amazing. I did really like our gyoza, but the sushi was just alright. I thought that Whole Foods had a better spicy tuna roll, this one was just not super fresh tasting. The dragon roll was pretty good, but again, not super fresh. It was very affordable though, so this is a good spot for a sushi dinner on a budget or a more casual sushi meal. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Gyoza - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Appreciate the feedback to my review. I appreciate business addressing concerns. Best wishes on improvement! read more

While I didn't have high expectations of this place, it was pretty mid considering what you're paying for. The décor of this place is similar to their other sushi location - small/intimate, retro design with progressive music in the background. I ordered the sashimi supreme and hot sake. The hot sake was pretty standard but expensive at $20. The fish seemed to be fresh but piece were definitely on the smaller side. Also, I would have expected a higher quality selection at that price point. Really, you're going to give me two pieces of cooked shrimp? The miso soup was good though. I would set expectation pretty low here. Not anything special and would probably be more of a last resort than a top option. read more

Came here for dinner with some friends on a Sunday and it wasn't too busy. We ordered 5 rolls: tuna maki, salmon maki, rainbow maki, yuzu, and spicy crab maki topping. I was surprised at how big the pieces of fish were in the tuna and salmon maki, definitely more than an average roll. I also haven't found another place in Chicago with black rice sushi before, but I liked it! Overall, would recommend trying this place out. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Rainbow Maki, Salmon Maki, Tuna Maki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Friends Sushi on State is amazing! The food is flavorful, service is attentive, and it has a killer ambiance. This restaurant is actually connected to Friends Ramen and Friends Station-- so it's a third installment in the trio of friends restaurants. I got the sweet potato tempura roll and avocado roll, food reviews below! Sweet potato tempura roll 10/10 - Amazing! With the sweet sauce, truly a great roll. Perfect rice to potato ratio, and a crispy tempura crunch. Avocado roll 10/10 - It's hard to mess up an avocado roll, and they absolutely did not. Great avocado to rice ratio. Bravo! One unique quality of this sushi restaurant is that they only have black rice sushi rolls, with no sushi rice options (i'm pretty sure they can do jasmine rice, but it's not the same). If you're not a fan of black rice sushi, then go to Friends sushi on rush which is basically the same place but with white rice, only 5 minutes walk away. Overall recommend Friends Sushi on State for its great sushi and killer service! read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Avocado Maki Sweet Potato Tempura Maki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've been to the location on rush and was expecting something similar. However, this smaller location not only had less offerings but was super overpriced. 4 pieces of a generic maki roll is at least $10....insane. We also asked the server from the start for separate checks, which she agreed to- but at the end of the meal said she couldn't do it. My $12 spicy salmon four pieces and $8 house salad was definitely not worth the money. There are other sushi restaurants in the area that offer much more quality food for the price. read more

Awesome food and great atmosphere! We went to celebrate a birthday and the staff were attentive and brought out a special dessert at the end of our meal. All four of us loved what we ordered. read more

See all

Had the best time trying their sushi set , eating uni, salmon roe , and wagyu roll! @midwestmunching on Instagram if you'd like to follow You can clearly see the quality of their fish and how fresh it is. I remember eyeing the uni like no other, it's topped to the max on the sushi rice . Making that one bite even more amazing! Topping nigiri sushi set for $36 includes 7 nigiris & a miso soup: Tuna with caviar Hamachi with truffle Salmon with marinated lemon Madai with kizami wasabi Albacore with crunchy garlic chili oil & scallion Seared salmon with marinated lemon ,. Pickle scallion mixed with kizami, & yuzu paste Each nigiri has a topping and unique take to it, My favorite was the tuna and salmon, super fatty , fresh, yet simple & tasty. The wagyu roll was a definitely a surprise. Comes with spicy crab , asparagus, cucumber, topped with a seared wagyu,. Truffle, pickles scallions with kizami,. Yuzu paste, chives & unagi sauce. Sometimes I wish I can find wagyu everywhere and have it everyday Overall this came to $100 which was awesome! And got the green tea and chocolate mochi ice cream as well in the end read more

See all

All of our food was fresh and very tasty! The miso soup had lots of flavour, edamame beans were very salty but we still enjoyed them and our dragon, rainbow and crispy spicy maki rolls were all so fresh and delicious. Service was good, restaurant was clean but needed an furniture renovation read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Edamame beans - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Now this place is delicious!!!!!! Honestly my favorite place to get sushi in the city. The service is always great and the specialty rolls are always so flavorful. My absolute favorite was the suke sake which is marinated salmon and I could eat a million pieces of this. The spicy scallop roll was baked and sooooo good! The rainbow roll and spicy tuna roll were pretty basic which is normal for original rolls. I highly recommend if you're in the area! read more

See all

Awesome food and presentation. Delicious too. Would definitely recommend again. Bring the family next time. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Sashimi supreme - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Service was prompt but the restaurant was completely empty when we walked in. No one was behind the bar or host stand. Rolls were great though and well priced. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Red Spider and Dragon Maki across the table. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

overpriced for the quality imo-- i ordered the maki duo roll which was fine but nothing special and not worth $22. 3 stars given for the good vibes and ambience read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Duo - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's ok. Not the best I've had. It's a much older restaurant than the photos show.. service was good read more

Delicious sushi and retro vibes. Friends sushi is a cute restaurant that has two dining options to choose from: Hot pot and sushi! We opted for sushi and were seated immediately on a Tuesday night. First off, I have to mention the sushi side of the restaurant is very cute, mostly all white with fun neon lights and decor. The vibes were right so I was excited to try the food. We ordered two drinks (I failed to get the names) The drink pictured below was tasty but a little sweet for me. My fiancé really enjoyed his drink with mezcal. We also ordered a crispy rice trio appetizer, rainbow maki, and friends maki. The sushi was fresh and I liked that the pieces were small enough to eat in one bite. You know as opposed to some sushi rolls that require you to unhinge your jaw to eat it. Anyway, I loved that they used black rice in the maki and appetizer! Gives it a great flavor and texture in comparison to white rice. The friends maki was my favorite out of the two. All in all a great restaurant to check out for atmosphere, food, and great service as well! read more

See all

Small, trendy sushi restaurant that plays Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus along with similar genres and singers. We came here because they have toro (fatty tuna) and although it was $15 for two pieces, it was melt in your mouth, buttery goodness. Although we came just for the toro (we had dinner somewhere else before getting sushi), I'm definitely going to come back to try out other selections next time. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Toro (fatty tuna) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The menu was very very simple. However, the sushi was pretty decent. Unique use of black rice but the texture of the rolls was everything. It was a bit more pricey but I'm guessing it's due to the location. While I wouldn't come back overall, it's definitely worth a try if you're in the area. The vibes at this place was pretty cool for pics. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I stopped in this afternoon around 1:30. It was a bit of a challenge to get in because of the construction projects. The place is divided into 2 restaurants, one Hot Pot and the other Sushi. The decor is funky upbeat. Alex , who took care of me was very polite. They were not busy. I wish the tables were not so close together, nothing to do with Covid. Even the slimmest person would have difficulty manuvering between tables during non busy times. They offer a lunch menu that statrs at $22. I did not want any the combination offerings, so I asked for the ala carte menu. Happy I did. Sometimes at other places the lunch special rolls are pre-made sitting in the kitchen in the fridge. I ordered chicken egg drop soup for the first time and was happily surprised. It had a great balance of flavor. Not super salty. Would order it again, and I took half of it home. I also ordered the Spider Maki. Sorry to say, it was a bit of a disappointment, more show than taste. I could not taste any of the crab. Although the ingredients were fresh, I have tasted similar maki at other places with similar quality that had cleaner flavor. Think I will continue going to my favorite place in Lincoln Park ( see my other reviews). The place was clean and the people were nice. You might want to give it a try, maybe you won' t be dusappointed? read more

See all

Will not be back. Sushi rolls had not taste and were cut in slices the size of my head. The service was poor although gyoza was yummy read more

Yum! Fun little spot cranking great tunes with an upbeat vibe. I had the Rising Sun roll without cream cheese and it was delish! I also checked in for free edamame and the portion size was huge. To drink, I got a split of bubbles that was ok, but wouldn't order again. Service was fast, friendly, and attentive. I sat at the sushi bar which was a squiggly curve that ran right down the left side of the restaurant. It wasn't busy at all around 7pm on a Thursday evening and I had such a great experience! read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Rising Sun Roll without cream cheese - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Good: atmosphere is really cool! You feel like you're in a spaceship or a 1960s mod cocktail lounge. Desserts are inventive (some sort of tiramisu but instead of mascarpone and coffee it was matcha ice cream? Very neat!) Sushi is good. It was cool that they used black rice in their sushi, I'd never seen that before! Bad: service is really not great. Had a reservation, was told to "wait just a moment" another girl walked in with a similar reservation, she was also told to "wait just a moment" and the waiter/host was gone for 10+ minutes with no explanation because neither of our tables were ready. It's a small place, I don't think they have much staff. Sushi is very expensive. Menu is limited. Non sushi items (like chicken and beef teriyaki) are very small plates, not very high quality meat, and don't come with rice (you need to pay separately for that.) which seems kind of cheap to me. read more

My girlfriend and I came here for a last minute weekend date night and was surprised to see it so empty. We started with the seared tuna as an appetizer and it came out with 4 razor thin pieces of tuna for $15. The sushi we got came out with purple rice that looked cool, but did not taste like proper sushi rice and ruined the consistency of the roll. Their California rolls are $10 and come with imitation crab, which is quite disappointing. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - California Maki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've found my favorite sushi place in Chicago, and perhaps one of my favorites outside of Japan. The quality of the food was excellent. The sashimi was cut to the proper thickness. Too many western sushi restaurants cut their sashimi way too thick in an attempt to meet the American perception that bigger is better, but that couldn't be more wrong with sashimi. The sake was the perfect accompaniment, and the atmosphere was great. As I've been fortunate enough to travel extensively through Asia, I've noticed many hotels and restaurants play the same style of ambient music. They played the same music here. My wife and I were talking about how the music is uplifting and the perfect way to enjoy great sushi. The whole experience felt a little like a brief trip to Japan. read more

See all

I was not impressed, especially for the price point. The sushi rice had no flavor and there wasn't much fish in each roll. My friend had the tuna avocado roll and only ate two pieces...I tried one and could see why. It was mostly bland rice. As for my meal, the spicy salmon roll was good but definitely not worth the $18 for 8 pcs. I also had the hamachi roll, which was just okay. I am a huge fan of authentic sushi with not a lot of frills...so I was really looking forward to this experience but, sadly, walked away very disappointed (and out $43 for only 2 rolls). Additionally, the service was painfully slow. We got there at 6:30, ordered at 7, and did not get our food until 8. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Left: Spicy Salmon Right: Hamachi (yellowtail) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Yuzu Maki is one of the best rolls I have ever had. Super fresh and tasty. We also got the can you handle it maki.

Great little sushi spot in the heart of Chicago a few blocks from the Miracle Mile...Everything was fresh and beautifully presented aka I could eat sushi all day long here. read more

Great place to dine and grab some unique sushi options. Made with black rice we went with a group of people and we each ordered a roll and got the chefs pick for nigiri. Each choice was great and yummy! Smaller space didn't have crowds and we were able to get a reservation for 5 on a holiday weekend. Server was super sweet! read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Disappointed! I visit here often and tried to visit the website to send feedback verse here but the website is down. I always order the same thing and enjoy it so much. Was once a delightful getaway with great food and people, was rushed and sub-par. Pepper shrimp-over cooked and not deveined. Wagu a5-chuncky piece of undercooked fat. It had no chew and clearly scraps. I've had this many times here and have never received a piece of fat. I am very familiar with the heavy marble and butter texture but this was unacceptable. I returned it and asked for another one with the fatty feedback and recieved only 1 of the 2 I originally ordered. I recieved the same type of pure, white, fat and gave up. I am reluctant to return. To pay $100+ and leave still hungry is very deterring. I ordered 4 dishes and they hit the table at the same time. As a diner of 1, the server should course out somewhat. I was the only table in there. read more

I had to try this place. I have ordered it through Grubhub and loved it! I couldn't imagine how great it would be if we dined in. It was a group of 4 w two kids. Service was great they even catered to the kids. We all did the lunch special with was such a deal soup, salad, 2 maki rolls for $15. Can't beat that in Chicago. Location was very clean and modern as well! Thanks for taking care of us read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

The restaurant is a sister of Friends Sushi a few blocks away, so when we were waiting at the other restaurant and found no wait at this location... we made a beeline for it. Walking in... the thoughts that popped into our minds: The Jetsons meets a cruise ship meets random adorable chibi decor. The clientele was a mix of Asian families, young couples, older couples, small parties of young adults. There's sort of an odd dissonance to it that is charming. The menu has some inspirations of Italian, Peruvian, Hawaiian, Nordic. (I think this is what separates them from the main location is the addition of these different dishes?) We ordered a couple of appetizers because we were starving. It was all great. Edamame, shishito peppers, canchas corn (whaaat so addicting!). I thoroughly enjoyed the sushi I had. Spicy tuna volcano (wow, so good) and black shrimp roll (perfect). Hope to visit again soon! read more

See all

Glad to be writing my 600th review on Yelp for this restaurant .Awesome sushi, excellent ambiance . We absolutely loved everything we ordered there was not a bad item on the menu . will certainly revisit!! read more

See all

So happy to find this cute clean sushi restaurant right around my apartment! My favorites were the fire dragon maki and tempura udon. The tempura batter wasn't as light and airy as I'm used to but it still hit the spot. My boyfriend tried the Nest Red Rice Ale which we've never had before. Very light and fruity beer that goes well with sushi. Our food came out really fast and our server was sweet and attentive, refilling our water every so often. The bill came out to be about $120 with tip. read more

See all

Meets the cravings, but the sushi here is more Americanized vs authentic. Would recommend for River North if you wanted a quick fix.

My friend and I planned on going to a casual Italian place in the same area, but when we walked past this sushi place the weird name of the restaurant made us giggle. "Friends Sushi" sounded like a bad Japanese translation. When we looked inside we were like..."wait what this looks cool" really futuristic/space type interior but it manages to still be cool, not tacky! So we were like scratch the Italian let's go here. He ordered the lychee cocktail which was suuuper lychee-ee but really good! I ordered glass of Pinot grigio, yum. We got shishito peppers (faave) and I think I managed to get every spicy one in the batch. And then we ordered the small combo plate that came with a California roll and some nigiri. It was so good! I would've eaten like ten more nigiri but we were saving room for a long night of drinking ahead of us. I really want to go back here on a night when I can go all out because it was affordable as well! read more

Love that this place is in walking distance for pickup at lunchtime. Healthy and delicious. Fresh fish, innovative rolls, Peruvian influenced dishes. Beautifully complimented ingredients and not overdone where there is too much going on. Great ambiance if you can eat in. And care to presentation when dining in. Friendly staff. Everything I've had has been wonderful. Working my way thru the menu. The location isn't the greatest. I imagine they don't get much traffic after business hours. State Street on this strip is just banks, la church, Loyola business school, a McDonald's and starbucks. read more

Friends Sushi Izakaya - Konburi Maki (salmon, mani mama, ebi, ika, avocado, wasabi mayo). One of their most popular. Delicious! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all