This wasn't just a dinner, but an experience. The restaurant is beautiful - even the bathroom had special design elements! The food was of course delicious, of which I had no doubts based on my experience at Juno. Service was good, although I'm not sure if there was a beverage pairing available or not - it seemed like our neighbors may have ordered one, but we were never offered a pairing. Overall, a pricy night but worth it for the quality of food. read more

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Food is good in general. The duck dish is a little too salty for me. Love the abalone and sea bass. Asian pear feels like a street food. Staff are very friendly! read more

Wow. How did a restaurant with food this bland and service that harsh get a Michelin? As a veteran of dozens of Michelin starred restaurants in Chicago and NYC, this is an embarrassment for this place to get that accolade. read more

Wow! What a great place. All of the courses were absolutely amazing. I fully agree with all of the other reviews you see here. This is one of the best omakase experiences you can you have. The reason for my 2 star review is how the evening ended. We had just finished the full omakase experience along with the full wine/drink flight. It was great. But, after a +$1000 meal for 3 we wanted to have a nice Japanese whiskey to finish off the meal. We were told that we didnt have time and should go somewhere else. Really?? I get that they are stacked up with people waiting for the next round...but to feel rushed and that their isn't time for a final drink doesn't make sense. There has to be a better way We left satisfied but disappointed, which I don't think is the right way we should have felt after the experience. Fortunately, we were able to go down the street for another cocktail and then finish the night off with the full Au Cheval experience so it turned out to be a great night. Maybe next time...but not sure I will give them another chance...too many other options... read more

I can say it is no doubt Mako is providing the high quality of sushi. Atmosphere is also very good. Also combination of sushi and "tsumami" is also very good. I wonder why there is no flounder and tuna akami among nigiri if they charge this price. Honestly nigiri is too small. Sushi neta(fish) and rice should be a bit bigger, at least sushi neta. If Mako is sushi restaurant, I don't want to see Polk Belly in the menu even some say that is creative. Green tea(Gyokuro) was $22. This is way too much because I buy 100g tea(gyokuro) for $20. read more

Pricey but worth it. We came here for our anniversary and the experience was delightful. The omakase was perfect and we did the wine/sake pairing - highly recommend. They did a great job with Covid and overall it felt more intimate because we were with a small group and could chat with the chef. Every bite was delish! read more

Stunning execution of inventive sushi - both embracing past tradition but unapologetic about breaking out of tradition as secondary & tertiary flavors get added to pieces of nigiri that on paper may seem to have no business being there. The décor and room are classy and modern. Service was totally fine - they were attentive, kind but at times felt a bit robotic and unwilling to engage in extra conversation. I would highly recommend sitting at the counter so you can enjoy watching master chefs at work - although they also were not interested in talking about product, technique or their dishes; which, as someone with limited experience in high end sushi and omakases, would have been really welcomed. Despite wishing I could have left not only satisfied in gastronomy but also with some new knowledge - I cannot hold this against them because the dinner and experience were genuinely wonderful! Every bite felt intentional, balanced and supremely delicious -- I see why Chef Park calls this his dream restaurant. He should be incredibly proud of what he has produced here and I would love to come back in the future. read more

Just went to Sushi Nakazawa (famous Michelin starred sushi spot in NYC) and felt compelled to come back here and write a review for Mako. Mako was just THAT much better. Hands down the best meal I've had in my life. Minus the apps and dessert (which weren't my cup of tea but still delicious), every bite was perfect and make up the majority of the best bites of food I've consumed in my life. Hands down deserves any praise and will strongly recommend my friends to go in the future :) read more

Took my husband here for his birthday. He had an amazing time. The food was fresh and delicious, and the presentation memorable. It's my first omakase experience and it certainly won't be my last after this experience. I will return here again with my sister and mother next! read more

Finally I got shut up happily about complaining about there's no good Japanese restaurant in Chicago. Freshness is not just the standard for Mako but the prerequisite. Fish are not only freshly flew overnight from Japan but they are like cream without fishy taste. Cuts are not all just thick or thin but will be decided by individual fish and their species. You can smell the aroma of every course. Normally I am a rush to eat person, cannot wait any second to put food in my mouth when I have them. But this is the first time, the smell of my food makes me slow down to enjoy the seconds before I eat them. Food gives me a feeling of gentle, soft, delicate combination of everything. The other thing I like it a lot was there's just a slight hint of soy sauce(Mako makes their own soy sauce and taste light and flavorful) on each course, which was also one of my complaining-- soy sauce can provide flavor, but food flavor itself should be the main role. Each course tastes perfectly of the combination of fish, rice, veggies, and spices. Also, every course looks like an art work, and the perfect size for your mouth. With Chef Park skillfully cooking in front you, food smell, presentation, taste and perfect Sake/wine pairing, I enjoy every detail at Mako. Chef Park presents food perfectly as in looks, smells, and flavors. read more

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We had the omakase at the bar which was something new I wanted my friend to try. Not my first experience with omakase. Overall the food tasted great. However service was subpar at best. I didn't see when reserving online that we had to list allergies, and we were basically scolded by the hostess, this older woman, that we should've done so online. Also there was no interaction between the sushi chefs and the guests. Usually if you sit at the sushi bar, you'd at least expect to be greater but we had nothing of the sort and I'm used to having a very personal experience with the sushi chefs at other omakases I've been to. One last thing that we felt was unsatisfactory was we had ordered the sake/wine pairing and we felt like we were rushed through that and the pours were not consistent. With each pour, especially towards the end, the quantity decreased each time. Safe to say I would not recommend doing the pairing. I would probably not go back again. read more

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Amazing! Ended up getting too full cant straighten my back. If u plan to reserve a seat, chose the ones by the bar. Watching the chef preparing meal is really satisfying. read more

Mako - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have read some of the initial reviews of this recently opened restaurant, and do not understand why such a restaurant would deserve anything less than 5-stars just because of their keen personal preferences - that's quite unfair. Not too much soy sauce and no soy sauce on some dishes? Pretty sure these chefs have considered their courses way ahead of their patrons (or how about ask for soy sauce?) Preferred a laid back atmosphere? That's to their fault for taking a star? Cmon. I had the opportunity to have my first Omakase at Chef B.K. Park's new restaurant, boy did it not disappoint. Ever since visiting Tokyo, my perception about Japanese food has never been the same - and Mako has given me new hope. This is by no means a traditional omakase. Purists will frown on such approaches, but this restaurant embraces it. The premium ingredients and the freshness of it just fully reflects on the the overall taste of the food. Obviously the price will be a big hurdle, but consider the intimacy of having food masterfully made in front for you, using the freshest and premium ingredients, with the insane number of courses, serving only a few dozen people a night, pampered by almost a dozen staff members, on the West Loop - this is an experience made for a definitively special occasion. Enjoy the experience, this is what omakase is for - I for one appreciate this food trend in this great city. read more

The food was excellent. Had the tasting drink menu and everything was perfectly paired. Highly recommend to people looking to splurge or celebrate! read more

Hands down the best Omakase in the city. Chef BK will blow your mind with the 23 courses he so perfectly assembled. The sexy and sleek decor make you not want to leave this hidden gem in the West Loop. From the decor to the service and of course the food , everything is exceptional and done at the highest level at Mako. Highly recommend for anyone looking for an unforgettable dining experience. read more

Mako is the hardest review for me to write regarding the recent crop of true omakases that (thankfully!) popped up around Chicago in 2019. We rate them the same "5-Star" that we assigned to Omakase Yume and Kyōten. However, we consider them a "distant" third place to the two aforementioned competitors. Mako is absolutely worth your time. Try it. Enjoy it. Tell me I am crazy. Not everybody has to have a "correct opinion". :) The primary reason for the subtle but important difference in Mako is its overall feel and approach. Omakase requires a certain degree of personal intimacy and reserved tradition that we feel was sort of lacking at Mako. Mako has more the feel of a modern, well-organized, futuristic "factory". Mako is slick. Mako is elegant. Mako is chic. Mako is the "pretty person" omakase, a place to go and be seen. In this regard it is more comparable to the very popular Momotaro, which is perhaps the most overrated restaurant in town to us. In short, Mako sort of feels like its peers for comparison should be the like of incomparables like Oriole, Smyth, perhaps even Alinea, not Yume, Kyōten, and Takeya. Mako approaches omakase from what appears to be a more "high-throughput" philosophy. There are multiple chefs, each (largely) individually assigned to specific subset of the seats, allowing more seats. I want to say that each chef in the line exclusively served 2-4 specific seats throughout the meal. There is certainly a degree of team work among the multiple chefs, as needed, but the philosophy at Mako is to provide you with individual chef service in the backdrop of a line of chefs. While our individual chef was clearly skilled in his knife work and preparation skills, he lacked the needed personality to deliver the intimate approach that should be part of omakase. He was very robotic, even impersonal, in his interaction style. Mako feels more like you are part of an "omakase machine". If I was selling the approach for them, I would argue that their counter argument is that you get a degree of personalized attention and efficiency not possible for the typical one chef for 6-8 patrons of a more traditional omakase. However, the approach sort of dilutes the critical feel of omakase Itamae at center stage: a single, unique artist in the lone spotlight. The quality of the key ingredients was as fresh and expertly sourced as the finest sushi establishments in town. Of course, this is mandatory for a restaurant seeking to be at the high end of the food chain like Mako. The fish was exemplary with no misses. The rice, however, is a bit of a source of "controversy" for Mako in our experience. It was fine, just not quite on par with Yume and Kyōten. Being historically an eater of more sashimi than nigiri, I am often not as sensitive to the rice quality. I did notice a difference at Mako: not bad, just not special. However, my constant companion immediately noticed and objected to the negative contribution made to overall flavor by the rice. She was quite adamant. This has been privately shared with us by other high end restauranteurs around town. The rice at Mako just does not quite cut it relative to the high standard of this sort of omakase. It does not do justice to the fish. Mako also came up a bit short while still succeeding in its beverage pairing. Let me explain this apparent contradiction. The Mako "pairing" is a mix of wines and sakes. We are extreme lovers of sake. If we get below 10 bottles in the house, panic begins to set into our psyche. It is time to head to Mitsuwa, contact Sake Social or another on-line vendor (now that IL again allows us to ship sake into the state!), or see if any of our favorite restauranteurs are willing to sell us a case or two of something unique that they offer. It is a beverage that we drink at least twice per week. So, when consuming sushi, sake is as important to our experience as is the quality of the fish, rice, and preparation. We were initially a bit disappointed when we learned that quite a few of the pairings at Mako were wine and not sake. HOWEVER...however...the Mako sommelier is clearly very talented. Each and every pairing, including the wine courses, were impeccably matched to the course and were satisfying. So, while our personal preference while eating sushi is to experience and, if possible, discover new sakes, Mako's mixed wine/sake approach actually worked quite nicely. Initial disappointment was converted to pleasant surprise and enjoyment by the end of the meal. This is not to say that we would not encourage an all sake pairing option but we do understand that this can provide some challenges. Overall, we did enjoy and would recommend Mako. We would certainly go back. That being said, in a hypothetical situation of concurrent options to choose among Mako, Yume or Kyōten, we would probably choose either of the latter every time over the former. read more

Went here for omakase and it was awesome. The service was superb and the dishes were so interesting. I especially loved the oyster with caviar and the cod with miso butter (they tell you drink the leftover miso butter out of the bowl - don't be shy because it is SO GOOD). I did the sake/wine pairing and it was very interesting and thoughtful. I would definitely recommend. read more

This is a true dining experience. Food is delicious and super fresh. Chefs are skilled and watching them create each beautiful course is fun and unique. We had a great time and will definitely be back! read more

Beautiful intimate ambiance, sit at the chef's counter and watch the magic happen! Every bite was delicious. Melt in your mouth, unbelievably fresh fish (esp in the Midwest!) and beautifully plated hot dishes. Great omakase experience! read more

Very lovely dinner celebrating our anniversary. Quiet and intimate atmosphere. Chef was very kind and cared about the dining experience. Everything we had was superb! read more

Im a fan of Juno， have been there several times and really enjoyed it，therefore Mako has been on my list for a long time，and it is probably the most anticipated restaurant for me in 2019. The space is larger compare to other omakase places in town，have 12 seats at the bar and several 4-seats tables as well. The menu offers a total of 21 courses，and wine paring which I would highly recommended. You will get all you can expect from a omakase place：crab meet，uni，sea snail，otoro，mackerel，hamachi，sea bass and even wagyu nigiri. And I really love the asian pear dessert，thats probably the most refresh and tasty dessert Ive had in a while. Overall，this is a place you should go and experience， its definitely worth the price and time. The only reason I took one star out is that personally， I prefer a cozy laid back type atmosphere for omakase dining，while Mako is too commercial and a little bit too loud for me. read more

Mako - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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"Omakase-to-go" was excellent! Especially, I am impressed with packaging. I would like to come back here for dinner someday!

Chicago. This is the sushi you need, not the sushi deserve. If you want the spicy, deep fried, creamy cheesy, mayo-laden, flippity dippity roll then this is probably not your place. This is not an Omakase predicated on a tiny space with sub par ingredients. It is not an Omakase that needlessly Man-Splains why what you are eating should be good. As soon as you enter the restaurant, the decor takes you. It is not overly dim or sterile, as many Omakase. Instead, the decor is engaging and intriguing. A foreshadowing of the meal to come. The meal service is extraordinary. The 2.5 hour session is a journey through cooked food and various fish preparations with intentional elevation of flavors. Where to start with the Sushi? Fresh, delicate, and exquisite. Chef BK and compatriots do an incredible job balancing the true flavors of each course. From milder fish such as Fluke, Golden Eye Snapper, and Scallop to the more rich species of Ora Salmon, Mackeral, and Blue Fin Tuna, Mako delivers on every level. What seems to evade most Chicago Sushi is the relentless pursuit of consistency and attention to detail. Mako's sushi hits this in spades - from rice seasoning (which allusively changes halfway through the meal), to quantity of soy sauce, to the use of pickled garlic or green onions, or fish thickness which varies based on species. It is worth visiting Mako just for the Sushi, however, it is the cooked food that pushes it well beyond any other Chicago offering. No. One. Else. Comes. Close. Rich and umami laden chawanmushi custard, sea bass with a charred frissee, and perfectly cooked duck breast with a bomb duck broth. To top it all off, the meal finished with real dessert. First a 'palate cleanser' of marinated asian pear, kumquat, shiso, and passion fruit pearls and followed by a wonderful sweet potato in a whisky, miso caramel. The one negative I have is that it lacks the intimate feel of a traditional Omakase. I think with some additional fixtures to dampen noise and a few touches, this can easily be improved. In the end I truly believe Mako stands at the top of Chicago Japanese cuisine and encourage everyone visit. Any bar that recent Omakase restaurants have set (including Kyoten) has been blown away by Mako. read more

Amazing all around! If Chicago never got another omakase restaurant that would be totally fine because given what I experienced at Mako, any other current or future attempt at omakase in this city should be considered a pitiful and unnecessary waste of precious resources. The fish was spectacular and the room itself was cool but the hip hop soundtrack in the background was an especially enjoyable surprise. Long live Mako! read more

Our family had an amazing evening - the warm service, decor, creativity, and of course the amazing food was the best. Our family will definitely be coming back! read more

Mako was one of the best meals I've ever had, by far the best sushi experience. B.K. Park is a master of the art, and perfectly balanced the 20+ courses with mostly nigiri and then some amazing dishes. Well worth it read more

This makes me sad. Extremely nice and hard working people. But they are just not good enough. Forget city wide, there are better options a block away at Omakase Yume. I wish everyone in their next endeavor since this one is doomed for failure. read more

Simply amazing. The fish speaks for itself. Just an amazing dining experience. This restaurant takes sushi /nigiri to the next level. Great vibe and a perfect night out read more

The quality of food, preparation, and service was excellent. It's an intimate restaurant, and it was amazing to be seated in front of the chef, watching them prepare exquisite bites. It's certainly the best meal we've had in Chicago (including Alinea, though that was during covid so that's an asterisk). The main caveat for me was what others have mentioned: it was definitely rushed. The pacing of the plates was ok, particularly because several of the nigiri were one at a time. My issue was mainly with the speed at which they took away the plates and wine glasses, as well as how quickly they brought the check and ushered us out. You barely finish a bite and the plate is gone. I had wine glasses taken away before we were finished. The check was on the table before the last dish was gone. Overall about 2 hours total, which is a long time, but I've had a lot longer dinners that cost a lot less. The service was excellent and everyone was very polite, but I definitely left feeling like the whole first seating was rushed out to prepare for the second seating. read more

Fantastic omakase and well deserving of it's Michelin star. Chef Park has some of the most stunning sushi presentation I have ever seen.

Amazing experience. Great fish, get the wine pairing. Not a bad bite and many unusual courses.

Mako was our first omakase experience and it was everything we had hoped it would be. We made a special trip into Chicago for a relative's graduation and were lucky to get dinner reservations at Alinea on Friday and off the waitlist here for Saturday night. While Alinea had all the bells and whistles you could hope for, I actually enjoyed the experience and food at Mako even more. We all agreed that if we could go back to just one, Mako would be our first choice. Every bite was delicious, although the king crab and fatty tuna nigiri particularly stood out. At the end we all felt satiated, but not uncomfortably stuffed. The service was friendly, pleasant and helpful. They particularly were great with helping us choose sake based on our individual tastes and gave us a few tastings to guide our final selection. The quality of the fish, sake, desserts, etc were all superb. The chef and his assistants were skilled in their preparation and presentation was delightful and varied. A finely curated omakase experience in all and we were very happy we got called off the waitlist! Thank you Mako for making a special weekend even more special. read more