Wow. Serious Sushi on a busy section of Irving Park. Who would have thunk it?? They are having their soft opening right now and Jack, the manager, has created an inspired, exciting and most importantly; DELICIOUS menu for all of us to enjoy. This not being your standard run of the mill sushi joint, Raisu has meticulously crafted marinades and sauces for their signature nigiri to bring a lot of excitement to dinner. Our favorites were the Unagi with Parmesan cheese and truffle oil, a special Japanese (huge) shrimp with honey and a spicy marinade, and a maguro bluefin tuna with grilled pineapple and garlic! FANTASTIC! Also, we LOVED the LIVE scallop appetizer that was as creamy, silky smooth as could be, with a light ponzu sauce brush that was phenomenal. Not sure if it will be a regular but we can only hope! Well done, Raisu. 10/10 will dine here again! read more

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Today was my first time doing omakase. We chose this restaurant based on write ups in Eater and the tribune. The dishes were so incredible. I tried several dishes i've never had before and it was so good! We will absolutely be back! (also an AA dining location which i appreciated!) read more

Best spot for sushi in the city. Highly underrated, the freshest fish I've tasted in Chicago. We love their signature nigiri and their uni is to diiiie for! We haven't found anything better than Raisu and we've been to a ton of spots (Nobu, Juno, Seadog, etc.) No place has been able to top it. The waitstaff is incredible as well. We enjoy our sushi each and every time we visit. read more

This place was amazing!! Went to dinner last night just my husband and I. We been having a taste for sushi. My husband came on Yelp and loved all the great reviews so of course he made a reservation with them. As soon as we walked in we were greeted so pleasantly. The atmosphere is such a great vibe. Our waiter was the best he was super nice and super helpful throughout the night. We started with the mix green salad that was so fresh and the punzo sauce was impeccable. We had the Ebi tempura , Spicy Cal , and the Raisu House special. All of them were really fresh and tasted amazing. The Raisu House was my Favorite. To finish off our great meal we had the strawberry mochi. It was so delicious and the way they served it was the absolute sweetest I will be returning soon. This will be my go to for Japanese fine dining! Can't wait to introduce it to all my friends and family. read more

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We were blown away by the freshness and quality of the fish here. You can't go wrong with any of the sashimi. Most of the prices are very reasonable. The bluefin special was a splurge but worth it. We enjoyed the miso soup, the scallops salad, and the sweet shrimp. The green tea was perfectly steeped. And the service was impeccable. Our glasses were never less than half full This is destination dining in our neighborhood. We will be back!! read more

I don't understand the good reviews. Picked up takeout last night. This was truly bad sushi, the salmon was tasteless, one of the Maki rolls had an odd flavor profile and the rice was wet. To make it worse I have been ill all day today. There are so many average sushi joints that look amazing in comparison to this place. To make it worse only one of the Chefs was wearing a mask. Everybody else was - but not the chef. I should have walked away - I am really paying the price now and seriously people, Gas Station Sushi would be better than this (probably!). read more

Shout out to fellow Yelpers for helping me find this sushi goldmine in Irving Park. By far the BEST miso soup, spicy tuna, and specialty tempura rolls I've ever had. Their seafood is flown in fresh and directly from Japan. You can taste the difference. The miso soup has a very rich broth and was outstanding. The spicy tuna and specialty tempura had just the right amount of kick and amazing flavor. And don't let the prices deter you. You get what you pay for. If you're looking for high-quality seafood via Japanese sashimi & sushi entrees look no further. Check this place out asap. I also brought along my 6-yr old son & 3-yr old niece for an early dinner at 5pm. My son adores sushi especially california rolls and exclaimed after eating a special creation of non-spicy Alaskan King Crab california roll: "This is the best sushi I've had in my life!!!!" Both kids really enjoyed the udon noodle soup, miso soup as well as the strawberry mochi ice cream & green tea cake for dessert. Our waiter, Hamlet, was amazing and helped with everything from menu suggestions for me to sushi modifications (e.g. not spicy) for the kids. He was attentive to our every need & answered several questions my inquisitive son had about the restaurant & food. Definitely family friendly which was reassuring given the high end look of the place. If dining with kids I would strongly recommend stopping in during lunch hours or around 5pm before dinner rush hits. I definitely plan to be back with adults only to enjoy the menu specials. Note: I haven't traveled to Japan but did live for several years in Michigan near Japanese auto industry firms/suppliers & the great sushi restaurants they patronized. Also tried top rated sushi joints from west coast to east coast during travels. This place is by far the best I've ever had!!! read more

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What a wonderful place two blocks from our condo. Beautiful decor, and gracious service. The Dragon Inferno roll tastes amazing and the presentation awesome! The fish is always fresh. They now have a little list of what is the freshest fish until they run out. Everything we have from soup to dessert is beautifully presented and delicious! The decor is lovely and the service excellent. A timely welcome first rate addition to the neighborhood! read more

Man oh man. What a great place to open up after all the other restaurants that were here formerly. The food is amazing, you can tell the quality and care of the fish that's served here. The chef's touch on their signature nigiri was artistic and executed with finesse and thought. We're over the AYCE sushi game and Raisu has become our go-to! Definitely give this place a try and keep it alive in our neighborhood! read more

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Searching Yelp for something new, Raisu came up and we found they had just opened recently. We made reservations and drove over to the restaurant. The location was artfully decorated and the chefs wore bright blue ties and vests, quite interesting to say the least. We had to wait about 10 minutes for our table, however given they just opened their business we felt it was to be expected. The wait staff was very friendly and brought our drinks out promptly. My green tea was absolutely amazing and my husband's Pinot noir was deep and delicious. We eat out at quite a few sushi restaurants and I have to say this was the first place that didn't automatically bring out wasabi and soy sauce with our sashimi and nigiri plates - the fish quality was outstanding. We seriously didn't need it, it was that good! I ordered the tuna sashimi and the salmon "rose" sashimi appetizer, just melted in my mouth. The tuna appetizer had a bit of a kick to it, and again we didn't need any wasabi. I also had the house miso soup which came out hot and flavorful. The waitstaff also brought us out some hot edamame because the food took a little longer to cook. Very impressed with the food presentations and the level of service. The place was very packed and I hope they continue to do well during their debut month! Would absolutely go back again. read more

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Calming interior just inside of Irving Park road. Signature sushi, not traditional. Chef-specific crafted flavors upend the expected raw flavor of sushi. Rare dishes like bluefin toro are available, per the specials of the day. Service is attentive. I feel like the chefs are overthinking every detail. If I was going to delegate the entirety of an onslaught of sushi to any chef, I don't think it would be this one. Salmon roe does not need marinating. Just leave it be. That said, someone is literally thinking about each flavor of each bite. It is a testament to the kitchen to serve this style of sushi and survive. They must be making certain palettes happy, but I prefer the purer, more primal form of sushi. read more

Excellent sushi in an up-scale setting. Some very creative maki rolls. One of our group had a shell fish allergy, and they were able to customize the specialty rolls to her liking. read more

3rd time in Raisu, fresh and tasty as always. What we ordered: Grenades (appetizer) Toro Ika Black cod Salmon belly Grouper Ebi Red snapper sashimi They normally has fresh fish coming in on Wednesday, and we were so lucky to try their toro, black cod and red snapper, light and sweet, they literally melt in mouth. read more

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Raisu is very solid. Went there with a buddy on a Thursday night for Omakaste. We did the 18-course option @ $150 and we brought our own wine (corkage really reasonable at $15 a bottle). Sat at the sushi counter watching them make the food, which was very cool. The meal started off with a delicious crab-type soup, which was kind of reminiscent of the crab bisque at Joe's -- but a much cooler presentation. The soup was followed by a tempura battered something (can't remember exactly), a bunch of Nigiri courses (talking unique and tasty fish, good presentation, great taste). Final course was Kobe beef served next to a hot stone, followed by some kind of gelatin dessert (not amazing, but a nice cap to the meal). I would definitely come back -- probably not for Omakaste next time -- but it was a first for me and definitely a cool experience. I think it's just a little too expensive for my taste and budget. Next time i'll do more traditional sushi rolls -- America Town!! read more

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Love the sushi but last time we picked up it was a bit thrown together. Still tasted good but my ocd self couldn't help but notice the uneven cuts and sloppiness. Again it still tasted great. read more

The highlight of the meal is definitely self grill wagyu beef. Overall the experience was amazing. The chefs, Simon and Dong, were very accommodating. The nigiri are freshly made in front of you. read more

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I like this place. I think it's arguably one of the few places in Chicago where you can get authentically fresh sashimi and sushi.  Although if you are looking for good specialty maki rolls, you may be disappointed, because the rolls I ordered there are either very bland or not what I'm used to. For example, one of their rolls had cooked spicy tuna as one of the ingredients, which was definitely a strange option. They do offer a delicious assortment of deserts, so make sure you save some room for them! Overall, I had a great experience at Raisu, and I would definitely go back for some more fresh sashimi! read more

Raisu - Sweet shrimp and amberjack - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This was a very disappointing meal. Saddest $140 I've ever spent. Went to check it out for restaurant week. We sat down for a reservation at 7pm and didn't walk out until 9:30. Not because we were enjoying our meal, but because it was so slow. Everything came out of order. The rolls were chewy, and not in a good way. The sashimi and nigiri were covered in so much stuff that there was no way to Taste the flavor of the fish. Im a purist when it comes to sushi. This place was not for me. read more

My wife and I had the ichiban omakase. Best sushi experience of our lives. Every bite was delicious, but the best part was talking to Chef Ismael and having him walk us through each course. Highly recommended. read more

I have to believe that those who gave Raisu five stars, and talk about it being the "best", haven't been to a whole lotta really good sushi restaurants. There really wasn't anything specifically "wrong" with the food... but there really wasn't anything "right" about it, either. And our server wasn't particularly helpful, either. We started with Japanese whiskey... it came with a giant ice-ball, and very little whiskey (I mean a very small pour). Nothing remarkable. We ordered some edemame, a number of maki rolls, and some signature sashimi. The unagi was, in fairness, really, really good, among the best I've had .... but everything else was unremarkable and petite. I've eaten at sushi restaurants all over Chicagoland, and these were the smallest Nigiri I've ever been served. The dining room is 'fine' ... not high on my list of "ambiance", but fine. The same with the service... not spectacular, but "okay". There are better sushi restaurants in Chicago to drop a couple hundred dollars. read more

When asked what to get for dinner, we often want sushi but it's hard to find quality sushi places in the city. After some help reviewing we decided to drive out here and were pleasantly surprised that some spots were open by the sushi bar where the owner and head sushi chef himself was serving up something awesome. We opted for an impromptu omakase and it was amazing!!! The fish was so clean and fresh, and several pieces came out classic, next to the same fish with a twist. Highly recommend this spot for solid clean classic Japanese food - we didn't try the rolls but I'm sure those would've been good too. Come check this spot out on your next date or girls night! Well worth it. read more

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One of the better sushi places I've tried in Chicago. I love the decor first of all. Very zen and comfortable. We ordered the Hi Jack maki which was delicious. I usually do NOT like cream cheese in my sushi, but they made it work so that it was a subtle part of the maki not overwhelming like most rolls with cream cheese. Their signature nigiri is where it's at though. MUST order the Jumbo Botan Emi (sweet shrimp). Loved the texture and it just tasted so buttery. The sake salmon was also very tasty and fresh. Topped with a piece of buttered apple what what?! A nice twist on what would've been a fresh but ordinary nigiri. All in all, it was a very great experience. Our waiter was very pleasant and attentive and we left happy and full. read more

Omakase? More like lazy-kase! Place is OK, but there's are much better values out there. It's not cheap for what you get and nothing is that original. Initially surprised by the quality of food, we came here one evening a while back to try the omakase menu. We decided to add about $20 to what the typical per person cost is, thinking maybe the chef would throw in something special. Instead we EACH got a standard salmon appetizer, with each equaling to about four salmon sashimi pieces. Salmon was once again served as part of the nigiri course (so six pieces of salmon!). The nigiri course was nothing special either, we each got one piece of unadorned nigiri and one that had some additional ingredients on it (tobiko, etc) of standard fish (tuna, salmon, fluke, hamachi). Fish was fresh, but not outstanding. Dishes were repetitive. When we got the bill, we realized that they just picked a la carte items from the menu to create the omakase. There was no difference if we had purchased these items individually themselves, and nothing original about presentation or ingredients. It seemed like we were just "entrusted" to the waitress to run down the menu. I've been here about four times and wouldn't go out of my way to come here again. That being said, if I just wanted a few bites of simple fresh fish, not a bad choice. But I don't think I'd do another whole meal here. read more

I gave Raisu two tries. The sashimi is excellent, not perfect in presentation as many high-end sushi restaurants aspire to, but the quality of the seafood is exceptional. That was a treat. But a miss in simple presentation would make me wary in having the omakase dining experience here and spending all that money. Two suggestions. Tea is an important part of the Japanese dining experience, not always alcohol. Green tea came served luke-warm and over-steeped. Since you are providing high quality sushi, I was surprised by the inattentiveness to the tea that was served with it. Secondly, the music in whatever sound system you have is not providing the right ambiance to an exceptional sushi restaurant. It sounds tinny because of all the hard surfaces and xylophone modern music was annoying and not warm and relaxing. I really think these suggestions would elevate your ratings, and you have made it a very nice place! Good luck!! read more

Fantastic local sushi spot, best in the neighborhood by far. Fresh fish, inventive rolls and wonderful service.

We had the Omakase and it was amazing! A very nice variety of flavors, so many were refreshing and unexpected. They used fresh herbs and flowers which was a very elegant touch. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable. read more

We walked into this place starving, and although we didn't get reservations for a barbecue table, we ordered the family barbecue special. Within minutes we were presented with incredible salad, miso soup, Korean pickled vegetables and some delicious chicken dumplings. The meat dishes arrived, and we were in sheer heaven--not just because of the quality, but the portions were fantastic. We will definitely be back! read more

Great new sushi restaurant in the hood. Came here during the lunch time block and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't crowded (u need reservations in the evenings usually). Appetizers were amazing. Their signature Raisu roll and others that we tried were all amazing. My friend eats sashimi and said it was some of the freshest she has ever eaten. Had some mochi balls for dessert too. The presentation of our food was over the top amazing. Made us feel like we were dining at a very high end restaurant. Service was personable,attentive and knowledgable. Would come here again...over and over. read more

Inferno roll was amazing! Carlos best waiter w excellent recommendations! Saki was off the charts! Perfect 4 date night, will b back!!

The sushi was awesome, one of the best sushi I had. However, if you order omakase make sure you are aware of what your your doing and eating...it can get really expensive really fast :). But food was great. read more

Raisu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The calamari appetizer was amazing; possibly the best battered calamari I've ever had. The sweet shrimp signature ngiri was excellent, but I think the truffles on the unagi signature maki overpower the unagi. The inferno dragon is good but only mildly spicy, if that's what you're looking for. The salmon skin temaki was really good; I've never had temaki before but now I can't wait to try more types. This place is beautiful and the service is excellent but this place is not meant for children and is does not well accommodate them read more

Excellent regular sushi spot if you live in the area. It wasn't my favorite sushi spot in the city but if I lived in IRVING, I would definitely go all the time. The avocado bomb is the bomb! It has spicy crab mix inside! All the rolls were also very good. We had the sixth samurai and inferno rolls. We also scarfed down some melt-in-your mouth sashimi! Yum! Go! read more

Great sushi. Think this is the best in the city for a place that doesn't go over the top in terms of production or price. You'll pay a bit more than your typical spot, but worth it in terms of quality. read more

Really don't understand the high rating and good reviews. The nigiri was very unfresh and the rolls we got had a stale taste. With everything we ordered there was a strange cardboard-like aftertaste. I suppose if you live in IP and want Japanese, it's an option for you but at the price, there are so many better and much higher quality places than this. My sister-in-law has since become sick and vomited three times due to indigestion. read more

Raisu Japanese Fine Dining gets my highest accolades as a (the?) spot for high end sushi. It is easily top five for us, maybe even vying for best. What a great stroke of unexpected destiny the decision to eat at Raisu was! We were enjoying a rare, lazy Saturday, laying around having our food cravings rotate with each passing episode of "Worth It". It was the sushi craving that survived, partially because the Seattle food truck with the expensive burger seemed like a bit of a stretch, it having gotten a bit late in the day to get there from Joliet, IL in time for even a late dinner. It got later. We got hungrier. We researched. We considered normal spots. We contemplated other options. We considered the pain of driving into the city from Joliet since Metra/CTA would not be practical at that point in the day. We opted to be environmentally & socially selfish and drive into the city explicitly to dine at Raisu. It is not that we had not previously heard of Raisu. If you monitor "Best of Sushi" lists, Raisu will be somewhere on almost any. They did not disappoint! They delighted. They excelled. They soared! They satisfied a craving that was a day long in the making. We did omakase, full blown, high-end. They politely provided the price/course number for the high end and we asked that they just keep bringing us courses until we tapped out. They agreed to undertake the work of the tasting despite it being Saturday because our reservations were a bit later and they were not that busy. Concerning to us! GO TO RAISU! NOW! We want them in business for a LONG time! The omakase was absolutely amazing and organized in a really smart, perhaps "daring" way. Chef Liew offers both standard nigiri/sashimi as well as his own, special preparations that are optimized to each cut. He served us both preparations, side-by-side so that we could put his skill and interpretation to the test against the artistry of the natural flavors of good quality fish. To give the previous paragraph reference, we are fish snobs (asses?). While we have been known to hit the occasional all you can eat sushi spot, we go to those only because they have the most acceptable fish quality in a culinary desert that is at least an hour away from EVERYWHERE! We never order more than one plate. So it's more about just wanting (NEEDING) fish when we don't feel like driving an hour or more! (I know, "Sure, Rick, all you can eat for quality, not quantity...s-u-r-e"). So, given the option, we gravitate to sashimi over nigiri, save for a few cuts, because we feel that each fish has a recognizably unique flavor. We don't care what Jiro says about the importance of rice and relative unimportance of fish flavors in sushi! Easy to say when you live on a coast! Plus, what does the foremost sushi master in the history of the world really know about it anyway?! It also lets us eat more! (HOGS! :) And, with the story train finally arriving in the station, this means that we are also, generally, not fans of chef preparations...for the same reason...they "taint" the unique flavors of all the various fish. So...screw you, Jiro! (Not really...PLEASE let me dine with you if I get back to Japan before you die!...'cause...you know...he'll be reading this). Chef Liew's preparation won the head to head in almost every case. He is a master craftsman. He has the skill of Itamae! I want to say that we only (mildly) objected with the fatty tuna. We felt that his prep slightly overpowered the tastebudliery-orgasmic flavor of the amazing fish that he selects! Everything that we ate that night was exceptional. However, my "professional training" demands citation of some specifics, lest my opinion be totally invalidated. The top of the list was Chef's scallop (hotate) preparation. We LOVE raw scallops. They have the full blown, tasting-the-ocean-itself, creamy sweetness that partially survives even cooking. Chef's preparation and presentation amounted to THE BEST that we have had anywhere, even Japan. We got a second serving of them. His Hokkaido select uni is among the best we have had. I already mentioned the exceptional quality of the fatty tuna that is not even part of the online menu because, like for any great sushi chef, he is not serving it if it is not of the quality that any premiere ingredient must have in order to be served. He knows what he is doing in selection, preparation, and presentation. I would be remiss if I did not mention the sake list. In a word, awesome. Raisu offers a nice selection and more than one very good, high end bottle. They even have one junmai daiginjo that we have never seen...and we will be drinking it (with the staff) next time we go! Finally, the staff is friendly and articulate. They chatted with us for almost an hour after the meal on every topic from the food to politics even though they still had to do the work to close up for the night. We really enjoyed them. Raisu provides an exceptional experience! read more

Took over 45 minutes to get our sushi order - unacceptable. They were busy with pickup orders, but they should prioritize and set expectations more appropriately. The pricing and portion size was out of whack - way to pricey for the portion size for the rolls we got. Nothing special with flavors or quality. read more

One of the best Japanese restaurant I've tried. Definitely recommend it!!! The dishes are not only delicious but also very subtle. Just as I expect for Japanese food. read more

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My husband and I went to Raisu for the first time tonight and had a wonderful experience. The food was incredible and the service was perfect. I had the Omakase and I enjoyed every bite. I appreciated the presentation, flavors, quality and thoughtfulness of every dish. My husband had a few rolls and nigiri, and we both agreed that this was the best sushi dinner we have ever had. Shawn was so knowledgeable about the menu and drinks, and he really helped make our experience an excellent one. We can't wait to treat ourselves to another date night at Raisu! read more

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I'm so so disappointed. The Toro flight was good because of the quality of the tuna... But all their sushi rice was so disgusting and mushy. It felt like eating a mushy ball of rice that took away from the taste of the sushi. I never knew you could mess up the quality of rice at a sushi restaurant. Definitely not authentic to serve mushy rice! read more

Raisu - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I had no idea this place existed, now I'm a huge fan! Great inventive and delicious fresh rolls. The fish tasted liked it was just flown in. Wonderful service and reasonable prices. A neighborhood find!! read more