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    Sushi By Bou - Lincoln Park

    4.6 (77 reviews)
    Closed • 5:00 pm - 11:00 PM

    Sushi By Bou - Lincoln Park Photos

    SUSHI BY BOU - LINCOLN PARK ATMOSPHERE

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    Unagi - BBQ Eel
    Crystal Z.

    Ambiance - super cute intimate spot for omakase, lights are slightly dimmed Service- exceptional, host was super attentive and our chef was friendly Food- super fast speedy omakase, fish was good quality, albacore was fully cooked :/ chef torched it for too long

    Hamachi
    Sharon T.

    If you're looking for an affordable but delicious omakase experience, Sushi by Bou is a must-try! Getting a reservation is super easy and convenient through their website where you're also able to choose your omakase course as well. My group and I chose the $60 omakase course which came with 12 pieces. The restaurant itself is on the second floor of the Lincoln Hotel. Once you enter the staff at the front desk will let you know where to go. We arrived around 15 minutes before our reservation and were seated in a lounge area near the hightop counter where the party before us was having their meal. While you wait, you can start off by ordering some drinks. I did feel like the wait staff was a little pushy with the drinks. They do try to be prompt with the reservation times so even the party ahead of us was delaying a bit, they did ask them to move to the lounge area so that they could prep the dining area for our meal. The meal was so delicious! Every piece was made with care and the fish was so tasty and flavorful! There really wasn't a single piece that I didn't care for, I thought they were all good, which isn't usually the case when I try omakase. The stand-outs for me were the Hokkaido Scallop, Ikura, and Wagyu Uni. The scallop was sooo flavorful I was surprised! And the salt that they topped it with really enhanced the flavor. The Ikura also had such a unique flavor to it as well which is why it was one of my favorites. The Wagyu Uni was so delicious - the uni was so creamy and sweet! The experience goes by rather quickly, but I personally didn't feel too rushed. The nigiri pieces are a bit on the smaller side compared to some other places I've been to, so the 12-piece course wasn't too filling. I was satiated, but some of our party needed additional food afterwards X) But the quality was not lacking by any means. I'd definitely be interested in coming back and trying the other courses!

    Si Siew T.

    Came here for omakase as I've seen advertisements about it all over social media. We did the 12 course for $60 deal, and it was absolutely amazing! They are located on the second floor of Lincoln Hotel, with a nice instaworthy stairway. Each piece of sushi is prep in front of you, and your server would also recommend sake that goes well with today's menu. The sushi chef also explains every dish to you and checks on your favorites to see if you want to order an additional serving of it. We got the yuzu honey bee cocktail and sake. I would say I personally prefer plum wine instead of sake. Regardless, it is definitely an amazing experience. The staff are super attentive, and the chef is amazing! Love the whole laid-back vibe. My personal favorites were: Akami, Muguro (that pickles radish on top made it amazing) and Sake!

    Ritti T.

    Came here for date night and it was such a lovely experience! We had a 6pm reservation and it's actually kind of nice that they check 10 mins prior to make sure you're on your way. This location was inside Hotel Lincoln so parking can be tough if you're driving. Service was great and welcoming. My husband and I did the $100 omakase for 17 courses. The 12 courses are prefixed so you know what you're getting. But the last 5 courses and the hand roll in my opinion was the best. The pieces were a little small and my husband was not a fan of the sushi rice. I thought it was okay. Our chef was absolutely amazing. This wasn't the best omakase I've ever had but it is up there.

    Siyu T.

    First omakase experience and it was splendid. It's an intimate dining experience where you get to see the chef preparing sushi in front of you. The menu is preset consisting of raw and cooked sushi. You are able to add on more sushi too at the end. I especially like the unagi and watching it get torched to smoky. The ambience is perfect for dare night.

    gindara
    Kelly L.

    a cute spot for a date night! the ambiance is slightly dim with lights highlighting the sushi bar area. it's quite small and can probably only host 20ish people. the hostess and chef were super nice and accomodating. came in for their bogo omakase promo and it was super tasty! had their 12 course option and our fav highlights were the hotate, miso cod, ikura, wagyu uni, and botane ebi. their pieces are on the smaller end, but good for one mouthful. overall, this option isn't too filling, but it was a great experience and an affordable option for an omakase experience!

    Pam C.

    We came by to the Lincoln Park location for a weekend dinner. Although they were pretty booked there were still a couple of open spaces and we were able to nab a reservation pretty easily. The interior lacks a bit of presence. It feels like you're just walking into a hotel conference room from the outside, although they've done a nice job of getting the interior decorated. It feels a bit like a speakeasy but I'm not sure that's the look they were going for. I wouldn't say this is a great omakase experience but it is a reasonable value for the amount of sushi you get. Most of the options were pretty basic nigiri and fish combos although the deluxe upgrade had some more variety. The pieces are pre-cut although the chefs assemble them in front of you. However the hosts and staff were very lively and it overall came out really fun and laid back. There's a lot of sake and we received two shots of sake as part of the meal. Overall I think this is a great starter omakase experience especially if you're not looking for a ton of adventurous options.

    Meg S.

    You HAVE to come here and just believe me it's absolutely worth every penny you spend. My husband and I went here yesterday from recommendation from our concierge. This is nestled in the Claridge House, and they gave us 1 free sake drink per person. We had to wait until they were ready for us, but if you're not into intimate seating arrangements, this isn't for you. We started off doing the standard omakase, and ended up going for the bougie. It was SO worth it. The Chef was sufficient, seriously like watching art right in front of you. Not to mention that we ended up meeting the owners who treated us like family. I would come again not even just for the food, but for the welcoming experience and fun I had! It was such a great time I'd love to do it again.

    Holy Tshili Handroll
    Alyssa J.

    Such a great experience! We did a buy one get one free deal for the $65 12 course omakase, and I was blown away by the quality and portions despite I believe most of us redeeming this deal. It was fun sitting directly in front of the chef and he was so nice! Honestly all 12 courses were tasty and tender. The standouts for me were the wagyuni, toro (with truffle salt!), and miso cod. I also enjoyed the hamachi and liked the unagi more than I thought I would! My boyfriend also ordered a Big Mac (toro, scallop, wagyu, and uni) and loved it! I ordered the Holy Tshili hand roll and loved the umami and yuzu-y flavor so much! This location is inside the Lincoln Hotel and was a nice, dark, and intimate-feeling space. There is only sushi bar seating, but there is also a moody lounge area to enjoy a drink before the meal. One last thing I want to mention is it was a very fast-paced omakase (12 courses in 1 hour) which I personally liked. I generally don't love waiting long in between courses. However, if it had been a special occasion I may have felt a bit rushed!

    Logan B.

    Talk about an experience!! This was the first Omakase I have been to and it blew my expectations away. Firstly, you walk into a private dining area, which has a sushi bar that can sit up to 10-15 individuals. Around the sushi bar is a lounge that you may sit at before or after your reservation to chat and grab a few drinks. The whole venue is very warming and feels exclusive. Secondly, the staff was wonderful. The hosts (especially Emilio and Gonna) were very prompt with drink orders and kind with suggestions. The sushi chefs (we were fortunate to have Bank and Poom) were incredible! Shared all of their sushi knowledge while putting on a show. Needless to say, the sushi was incredibly fresh served in a very thoughtful order. I HIGHLY recommend you make a reservation if you are looking for the right mixture of a warming environment, great company, and flavor explosions. A good spot for a special occasion or a date night!

    Nick P.

    It used to be $50 but now it's $60. It's still a good bargain for omakase whether it's your first time or you're a seasoned veteran. It's located in a hotel, close to that Sushi Suite to be exact. It was a little difficult to find but we found it. Once inside it's very laid back. They serve you all of the pieces in 60 mins. Although I would have gone for that $100 option just to see what else they have. I noticed not too many people posted pictures of their experiences on here. I'll post some from my past experience just to give people an idea. Some of the pieces might be the same.

    Lan N.

    I want to give this a four star, but I feel like it's not quite there yet. We stopped by the west loop location for the basic omakase. I wasn't sure if I could do one boujee and one basic, since my fiancé wanted the regular. I made the rsvp online so I couldn't select both. Some of the piece were delicious, however nothing memorable. I liked the hamachi, akami, sake, unagi, and toro. The wagyuni sounded really nice, however, I was not a fan of the Santa Barbara uni. It was fishy and off putting. I thought oh maybe it was a bad one? So then I ordered another wagyuni after we had finished the omakase, and it was still the same. The guy next to me ordered an entire hand roll of uni and I wasn't sure if he got a different batch that his tasted better? Either way, I was not a fan. The chef was friendly and talkative when engaged. The other chef was more talkative and a bit louder so when my chef was talking, I couldn't really hear him. The wait staff were all friendly and attentive. The overall experience was a little bit different from the ones I've been to. I feel like this was more cut and dry? Fish was prepped and cut before we sat so we just watched him put it on the rice and dressed it. Based on how much traction it was getting on tiktok and IG, I still don't understand the hype. Maybe the other locations are better? But it's thw same menu hahah

    Nolan F.

    Having tried most of the omakase bars in the city, a $50 omakase was a nice change of pace, especially for the wallet. Fish melted in your mouth but some of the pieces didn't quite have the unique, fresh flavor it should, like the scallop. I didn't like what they did with the miso cod, mashing it up with some tofu in a seaweed wrap. Nigiri were properly packed. I ordered Yuzu Honey Bee (maker's mark bourbon, honey syrup yuzu, pink peppercorn) and that was very good. There was an incident with the drink but service was good and I was properly compensated. The whole dining experience is only 30 min and then they bring in the next group. Too quick. But despite my criticisms, $50 is a good deal!

    Maguro

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    8 months ago

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    Gabriel G.

    Thank you for the 5-star review, Bou!

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    Gabriel G.

    Thank you for the 4-star review, Bou!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Sushi By Bou - Lincoln Park Reviews in Other Languages

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    4.3(800 reviews)
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    now *this* is great okonomiyaki…read more coming from seattle and very recently having a disastrous experience at the only okonomiyaki spot in our area (you can read my past reviews for that), my two friends, my partner, and i were looking forward to having great okonomiyaki. thankfully, gaijin delivered! we came by on a friday night, and it was fairly busy. we wouldn't have been surprised if we were turned away since we didn't have a reservation. they ended up making space for us thankfully and we didn't even have to wait long at all. the inside of the place isn't that big, but it's not so tiny that it's cramped. when you sit down, if you are in a large enough party, you sit down in front of a flat stovetop to keep your okonomiyaki warm when the waiter brings it out to you. we started with some drinks. they were all very good - next time i'm trying that espresso goma-tini! i did get a lychee martini though, and it was a little strong of a pour but i still really enjoyed it. onto the okonomiyaki. we all ordered different ones so we could try them. every single one of them were delicious. i got the tofu osaka-style, my partner got the beef osaka-style, one of my friends got the fried shrimp osaka-style, and my other friend got the traditional hiroshima-style. each okonomiyaki is prepared perfectly, not too thick and not overly saucy (so it doesn't get soggy). the flavours are quite rich but also really nicely umami. sometimes, too rich of a sauce kind of overwhelms me, but the ratios are well-balanced. overall, truly recommend this place. probably some of the best okonomiyaki i've had. next time i'm in chicago, i'd love to go again. there's so many options to choose from and i want to try them all!

    I've been wanting to try Okonomiyaki for a long time, so when I saw that they had it I had to stop…read moreby! It's really cool in here because you can watch them make the Okonomiyaki in front of you! They had like a set meal going on which included soup and okonomiyaki and dessert, which was mochi donuts. The soup was pretty good, standard. The Okonomiyaki was such a big portion. I loved the little tempura bits on top and they were generous with the amount of shrimp. It's like a yummy savory pancake. I will say I didn't really enjoy the mochi donuts but I was so full I couldn't eat them until later so it may have been because they weren't as fresh and got hard. If you've been wanting to try Okonomiyaki you should check this place out!

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    Tanoshii West Loop - Hamachi, Sake and Hon Maguro Nigiri Spicy Tuna Special Roll Negi Hamachi Makimono  Shishito Peppers

    Tanoshii West Loop

    4.2(378 reviews)
    2.2 mi•West Loop, Near West Side
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    I have had nothing but the best of times here. I am surprised it has taken me this long to write…read morethis wonderful review for the wonderful team here. It starts with the service, Michelle and her family do a phenomenal job in making sure they try to accommodate anyone and everyone and their preferences. They offer so much good advice on what to order based on what your likes and dislikes are. The ambience inside is subtle and has a nice dimmed lighting with greenery/plants galore. They have indoor and outdoor seating as well as boots that stretch into the back of the restaurant. It's a very nice date spot or family spot because they do have picnic tables outside as well. Now for the food, the quality of ingredients here is beyond exceptional. They use fresh ingredients and you can tell immediately. The fish is fresh and the combinations for the specialty rolls are out of this world. The rice is nice and soft and doesn't feel old like most places. The quality the fish is very fresh and does not smell. They have come up with great specialty role selections and pairings and even do customer specific rolls. They end each meal with a serving of mango, which is very unique and lovely to end your meal with as a pallet cleanser. This place is a hidden gem tucked away on the busy street of Randolph within West Loop. I need to say this more than once the food and quality of service here is beyond exceptional and everyone needs to make it out here to give them a shot. They also have a happy hour lunch that is worth checking out, which has Bento boxes. Love everything about this place and will definitely be coming back here for years to come

    I popped in for dinner. Was going to try omakase but it was pretty quiet so i decided to grab a…read morecouple snacks instead. The miso was good, a bit salty. The ginger house salad was delicious! Zesty and flavorful! This was the highlight of my visit. The squid nigiri was good. I would have preferred it not be torched but it was still good. I added the ponzu sashimi appetizer because the sauces sounded delectable. It wasnt quite as loaded with flavor and texture as Id hoped but it was still good. I would have loved a stronger essence of the accents of chili oil and sesame oils. My server Kaylie was a sweetheart, very warm and attentive. It was nice that they offer happy hour specials.

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    4.1(155 reviews)
    2.3 mi•West Loop, Near West Side

    The staff are nice, the interior is clean but uninteresting, and the food is disappointing. The…read moremenu is also formatted badly, the udon lunch set comes with a standard "plain udon" that isn't even on the menu as far as I can tell. The way it's written implies that you can choose an udon from the udon section, not the case. Minor gripe, but annoying nonetheless. The maki is fine, spicy tuna was bland but decent quality and the shrimp tempura maki was good but also lacking. Personally I prefer a spicy tuna with more tuna texture and this is basically puree, personal preference I guess. The udon is where my meal fell apart. For a lunch menu focusing on udon I expected a more flavorful broth and noodles that weren't overcooked. It's not like the underlying flavor is bad or anything, it's just barely there at all. The dashi is very weak and one dimensional, and the noodles taste like plain flour with a spongy overly soft bite. The toppings are extremely basic, I can't even comment on them because I'm not sure if I hallucinated them having any flavor or not. They might as well not exist. The shredded cabbage side salad is also mediocre. Dressing was weak and the cabbage could've been cut thinner. People I went with told me "maybe you just got the wrong things" but I don't think a chef should have losing items on their menu to begin with. Overall quite disappointed considering the name attached to this place.

    Visiting from out of town someone suggested this restaurant. The restaurant is nicely decorated for…read moreits style. There are plenty of offerings. However to me it's pricey for single skewer items and even the maki. I was not that impressed with the food the best item I ate was the gyoza.

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    Mako

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    4.4(197 reviews)
    2.2 mi•West Loop, Near West Side
    •$$$$

    We went for my birthday dinner this year and wow did it ever over impress! The restaurant is TINY…read moreand we were seating at the counter with 3 other couples. The ambiance is reserved but comfortable and people were dressed from casual nice to more formal. The chef in front of us chatted a bit and was very friendly, happy to answer questions while he was prepping our next course. We had the matched wine courses as well and every one of them was a perfect hit for the course served. The service and the food were simple amazing. I would suggest this to anybody looking for the best Omakase experience in Chicago!

    Masterclass in sushi, but the hospitality falls flat…read more I booked Mako for a special occasion, landing a rare 6:00 PM spot. The 23-course Omakase ($890 total for two, including two drinks) was culinary perfection,exquisitely crafted, beautifully presented, and fascinating to watch from the bar seating. The restaurant's interior is clean, moody, and Zen-like with dramatic lighting on the prep area. It starts off pin-drop silent, but as the night progresses, the room warms up into a pleasant communal energy. Unfortunately, the service did not match the quality of the food. The atmosphere among the staff was cold and stiff. Roles were confusing (asking for a oaper napkin resulted in odd glares), and when my guest unrolled their wet towel (oshibori), a staff member scolded them for not "pinching" it correctly. Furthermore, after calling ahead regarding a birthday, I was told they couldn't accommodate a candle or small dessert. Handing out a signed paper menu at the end of the night feels like a cheap substitute for real celebratory effort at a Michelin-level price tag. The chefs are brilliantly trained, but the awkward hospitality and rigid micro-aggressions meant we left without that warm, satisfied feeling you expect from fine dining. Great food, but the overall guest experience needs work.

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    Sushi By Bou - Lincoln Park - sushi - Updated September 2026

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