The express lunch deal is so good! You get to choose 3 items from a nice list of options for $21!…read moreIt's really nice if you want to try multiple things or are indecisive. I got the salmon bowl, the salmon avocado maki, and tuna crispy rice. The salmon bowl was definitely my favorite. The salmon was cooked very nicely so that it wasn't dry, and I loved the miso glaze that they put on top. It added a very nice sweetness to the salmon and created a very nice char. It was pretty small portion size though. The salmon avocado maki was solid too. It was the most filling! You get 5 pieces :) The tuna crispy rice was just alright. The rice part was good, but there was a bit too much mayo in the tuna. The miso soup that came complimentary with it was good too! I like how generous they were with the seaweed. Such a nice vibe inside! It's definitely a nicer spot, but still casual enough for lunch. I wanna come back for dinner! Service was quick and server was kind.

Kari's Rating 7.5/10…read more TDLR: -I was there a nice outdoor patio -Music is a little too loud for a normal conversation -Nothing's crazy special but the fish is fresh Came here with a friend at 5 PM on a Monday. The place wasn't that busy at this time but by the time we left around 6:30 it was pretty packed. Fish was decently fresh, not super creative combos out there like some places. I always get a salmon sashimi piece at the end to test the quality and it didn't disappoint. Everything else was fairly normal, probably not my favorite place in the city, but I got the job done.

Very fun little novel restaurant. The quality of the food is likely not why you're visiting here,…read moreso I'll just state that it's like standard buffet fare. Great for volume eating if you really make use of the AYCE

STR made for a great Friday night - we had to wait about half an hour, so it may be worth getting a…read morereservation on the weekend There is street parking and the restaurant is pretty big so weeknights should be pretty smooth The service is great - you'll be serving yourself and ordering through the tablet and taking from the conveyor belt so not much attention is required. The food comes out quickly with the sushi train and service robot The nigiris and sashimi themselves were fresh and delicious. The rice ratios were good and they had a standard selection of appetizers. My favorites are always the white tunas and hamachi collars Ive been 3 times in the past several months so STR is a top choice for me when im craving some ayce sushi

What to Get/Not to Get/Do: All the food is great. What my complaint would be the poor customer…read moreservice, unfortunately Customer Service: Worst possible experience. I have recently got a gift card at Printer's Row location for my birthday. It clearly is for all their locations. Unfortunately, here at Chinatown's location, when they attempted to scan the card, the staff said it does not work and only works at the Printer's Row location. I ended up calling the Printer's Row location and had the team talk to the manager at the Chinatown location, and the manager at the Chinatown location kept their stance that it does not work, stating Printer's Row location does not know why the gift card does not work at the Chinatown location, and will not make any exceptions to accepting the gift card. Thankfully at the Printer's Row location, they are stating it's due to their system being new as they are a new location, and reason why the gift card is not working at all the locations yet which they are now working on to fix so it does not happen to any other customer moving forward. I just wish the Chinatown location showed some compassion to address the issue and still accommodate the inconvenience instead of us having to go back to the Printer's Row location to use the gift card Price: Approximately $20, not including tip for 2 people. There are lunch specials! Ambience: Indoor Seating Overall: Worst experience, especially to follow up my birthday celebration

Selection on the rotary wasn't as extensive as other rotating sushi places (I'm spoiled in the…read moreBay). We ordered mainly from the screen, some items took longer - like the chicken- that I forgot my brother ordered it but he liked the chicken balls. Tea was great, I love a good hot tea. We came on a Sunday night so it wasn't too busy. Downtown was nice to walk around so its in a nice area.

This is my go to sushi spot. I am a sushi snob from Los Angeles and this place does it right…read more The chefs are all knowledgeable. I have brought multiple friends in and they all say the sushi is fresh and amazing. I normally do the salmon and tuna nigiri and the toro and yellowtail handroll. The scallops are phenomenal. 10/10 would recommend.

The best Japanese in Chicago. Not close. It's what Kaizen was in 2015. Quiet and excellent and…read morehumble. Flavors and fish are beyond. Best kept secret.

The food was great and and the waitress that attended me, Miki, was excellent. Definitely will come…read moreback!

Really good all you can eat, and the service is really fast and nice, especially Miki!read more

Miru is one of those places where the experience is just as memorable as the food. We went with…read morefamily for sushi, and everything we tried felt creative and unique without trying too hard. And the lychee martini? Easily the best I've ever had. The views are absolutely spectacular--some of the best I've seen anywhere and, in my opinion, probably the best restaurant views in Chicago. What really took it to another level was the hospitality. We had family visiting from out of town, and they were greeted and welcomed by name, which was such a thoughtful touch. Between the incredible sushi, cocktails, views, and service, Miru delivered a truly unique and unforgettable Chicago experience.

The three of us celebrated our daughter's birthday at Miru, the modern Japanese restaurant on the…read more11th floor of the St. Regis Chicago, which has a charming terrace overlooking the Chicago River, Navy Pier, and Lake Michigan. It was the views that attracted us to this venue. It turned out to be a perfect evening with beautiful weather for dining al fresco. Since it was a Monday evening, the large modern dining room was not too busy. As expected, the outdoor terrace was bustling. The terrace is basically divided into 3 sections. We were seated in the first section closest to Navy Pier and Lake Michigan, and this area filled up fast shortly after 6:00 pm. Service was friendly and professional throughout the evening. Our server Justin was very knowledgeable of the menu. Both the hostess and Justin wished our daughter a happy birthday several times. A birthday dessert with a lit candle on the side was presented to her at the end of the dinner, making it a special meal to her. Our daughter ordered a cocktail called Happy Days ($23) that came in a Japanese cat shaped jar/glass. My husband had a glass of Chablis ($21), and I had a mocktail Setting Sun ($14), which has fresh yuzu, Valencia orange, lychee, Soda. However, I could only taste the soda, I wished I could taste the lychee. For dinner, we ordered the following to share: Kani Kani Crispy Rice ($34) -- Justin recommended this dish. I really enjoyed the crispy rice and the minced crab meat topping, which was flavorful and not too spicy. However, my husband did not feel that was a crab flavor. Tempura Rock Shrimp ($19) -- a nice quantity for sharing, shrimp was fresh, but nothing too special. Crispy Spring Rolls ($28) -- 6 very small spring rolls were filled with Maine lobster, pork, with Thai orange sauce. They were delicious but we couldn't really distinguish the lobster or pork in the minced filling. (For the nigiri and sashimi, each order came with 2 pieces. Everything we tried was fresh.) Unagi +1 piece ($14 + $7) -- BBQ Fresh Water Eel Seared Salmon Belly Nigiri +1 piece ($23 + $11.50) Kinmedai ($18) -- Golden Snapper Chutoro ($21) -- Medium Fatty Tuna A5 Wagyu Nigiri ($49) - This was a surprise disappointment. All 4 pieces of Wagyu were tough and had gristle in them, so chewy that we had to spit them out. It's definitely not the melt-in-your-mouth A5 Wagyu experience that I was looking for. Duck Yakisoba ($28) - This dish was mixed on our table by a server, that added more fun to a dish that had egg noodles, duck confit, and ginger. It was flavorful with a good amount of duck. Black Cod ($44) - It was nicely seared and prepared. However, my first bite had a very slight fishy smell in it. Otherwise, it was a good dish. Black Sesame Mochi ($18) -- Charcoal-Vanilla ice cream, black sesame praline, and mochi sponge. Surprisingly, this was the highlight of the night! The flavors and all the different textures worked very well together. I could easily eat a couple of these myself! I am still craving for the aromatic crispy black sesame praline and creamy charcoal-vanilla ice cream a week later! With a 3.5% restaurant surcharge, our total bill came to $431.80 before tip. Valet parking was originally $50, but with restaurant validation, it was brought down to $35. All in all, we had a wonderful birthday dinner for our daughter. The stunning views and ambiance with excellent service made it a memorable evening, while the food was very good overall, there were a couple of disappointments. For us, Miru is a 4-star experience overall, with 5-star ambiance and service.

Came here for the lunch omakase, which features dry-aged fish. Overall, the fish was fresh and…read morewell-prepared--nothing particularly mind-blowing, but definitely good quality, especially for a more affordable omakase option. My only critique is the pacing. Since the chef already had the fish sliced and prepped, I expected a smoother flow, but the meal took about an hour and a half for 14 pieces of sushi. It felt a bit slow, especially for a lunch service. That said, if you're looking for a reasonably priced omakase with quality fish, this is a solid choice.

Went for restaurant week with friends. Got there early after work and was able to hit the happy…read morehour which is a decent deal. Got the snow maiden sake and the spicy scallop hand roll. Both were great. Our bartenders were lovely and very friendly. Found out this is a Malort tasting room and we were able to sample some different Malorts (the cocoa one was good!). Then we were taken back to our table for dinner. Our server was super friendly as well. Started with the miso soup and crispy tuna bites which were probably my favorite dishes. The taki yoki fritters weren't bad either. We saw people getting omakase, so we ordered a yummy looking piece they were receiving. It was just okay (chutoro truffle). The nigiri was also okay. The tuna piece was the only I really loved. The fish quality wasn't as high as I was expecting. The sushi was decent. A little too much truffle in the spicy blue fin tuna and a little too vegetable forward in the hamachi serrano. All in all, the atmosphere and amazing service pushed this up to a 4 for me.

I live in LA and have eaten at 20+ omakase restaurants, so I was curious what Chicago's scene had…read moreto offer. Omakase Shoji more than answered that question. The restaurant houses both an omakase counter and an izakaya, but in completely separate spaces. The omakase side is an intimate, beautifully designed counter with around 10 seats. We were the only guests that evening, so the whole experience felt wonderfully private -- just us, Chef Shoji, and the fish. Chef Shoji opens the meal by presenting the actual fish you'll be eating, all flown in twice a week from Japan or Spain. It immediately signals what kind of meal you're in for. The 20 courses were well-paced and the quality was consistent throughout. Nigiri and sashimi were pristine, but the hot dishes were equally impressive, which surprised me. Both sides of the menu showed real craft and attention to detail. Service was fantastic -- warm, attentive, and never stuffy. At $210 per person, it's a special occasion meal, but one that genuinely delivers on the price. As someone who eats a lot of omakase back home in LA, I wasn't sure what to expect. I left genuinely impressed. Highly recommend if you're looking for a serious sushi experience in Chicago!!!

Professional chefs. Comfortable space. Fresh seafoods. Delicious Omakase. Reasonable prices. Plenty…read moreof seats. What is imperfect here?

This was an amazing experience, I cannot wait to attend one of their limited seatings when I get…read moreback to Manhattan. 12 course omakase tasting menu and they played old school hiphop and rap from the 80s and 90s all night! My personal fav. Grafitti all over the walls and plush velvet furnishings. 1. Yellowtail 2. bluefin tuna 3. Salmon roe 4. Albacore tuna 5. Chopped toro 6. Scallops 7. Miso cod 8. Fluke 19. Uni 10. Otoro 11. Wagyu with uni 12. Tuna Hand Roll Sushi by BOU Fulton Market was perfectly intimate sexy and cool. The fish was fresh and delicious, and the chefs are so fast, and knowledgable! I love sitting at sushi counters and getting to see them work, I love the stimulation. Service was outstanding the chefs made wonderful reccomendations including their secret menu item ' The BIG MAC' Ambiance was killer and its a small space with limited seatings every night. Perfect for a sexy date night experience and great for talking !!

This rating is SOLELY on how I perceive the dollar value of the experience. There's too many…read moreamazing omakase options in this city to where this one I'm still left a little hungry, a little wanting for more unique flavors rather than just nigiri, and a little more broke!! I've been here 2-3 times and each time it's just because I've gotten such a strong omakase craving and my other go-to spots are full for the night but this one just doesn't do it for me. There's other less expensive, more innovative omakase places in Chicago, I promise Upside: Chefs are absolute gems. The vibes are chic, cool and intimate, so my boyfriend and I have gone as a date spot. We got the upgraded "bougie" package and a few additional rolls cause again, basic menu doesn't hit the spot. Taken a friend there before too also opting for "bougie" because we wanted more rolls, but we split some dumplings on the way home if you catch my drift lol. For a slimmer 5'4" gal (my friend being literally a 4'10" gal) with a pretty decent appetite but nothing crazy, that shouldn't be happening consistently!

So pleasantly surprised! Came in on a Friday night for a 6:30 reso and the place was empty BUT it…read morewas packed, seemingly by regulars, by the time we left. Service was a little slow at time but they got slammed very quickly and and we weren't in a rush. What we got: - chuturo nigiri - so buttery - hamachi nigiri - good flavor and cut - chili hotate - love the flavor - negi toro maki - good flavor - unakyu- fine a little on the sweeter side - Amai - not my favorite and I think the tuna had a strong fishy flavor Overall, good meal and pretty reasonable bill. Will definitely be coming back to check out the rest of the menu!

Such a wonderful spot! Fantastic happy hour. Everything was made fresh and tasted delicious…read more Service was super friendly, and they even brought out a free birthday mochi for my friend. We got the karage, three of the skewers , and the spicy salmon and tuna rolls. This place, along with the entrance is a bit hidden, so would love to see them market themselves more as I think it's a spot people would really love, especially for more affordable sushi in the River North area. Quiet and cozy ambiance for casual outings but also cute enough to be a date spot. Got seated immediately. Service was a bit slow, but that's only because they seemed to have one host/server working at the time, who was working super hard and kept a super pleasant and attentive vibe. I will definitely be back!