Best sushi in all of Chicago. Be prepared for a wait on the weekends but it's totally worth it!

I've been going to Toro for over 9 years, even though I haven't lived in Lincoln Park for 7. It's my favorite restaurant in Chicago - not favorite sushi restaurant but favorite restaurant (period). The kamikaze roll and the ahi tuna salad are my "go to's" as well as super white tuna nigiri. Mitch, the owner/chef, is great and I've been hoping for years that he'd expand because it's not very big and there's almost always a wait (they don't take reservations). read more

I wish I could say better things but this place was just very average. I don't know why people line up and wait for half an hour. When we finally got seated for dinner at 7.30 on November Saturday night, we soon realized that the restaurant does not heat at all, it was pretty cold inside. We ordered and sushi arrived quite quickly but all fish we had tasted frozen. Yellow tale tasted strangely bitter. Never had such weird taste of this fish before. So that was big disappointment. Besides that all, one of the waitresses was coughing badly the whole time during our visit in the back of the kitchen. Not very appetizing either. Finally, when getting the bill, we noticed they overcharged us. We left freezing, with funny feeling in the stomach ready for hot drink and something good to change our bad taste. Not relaxing, not enjoyable, not really worth it. read more

Sushi has long departed its status as an exotic excursion in major US cities where people venture to sample the highly sophisticated, yet wild food. Most customers of Toro Sushi, I presume, are not first-time sushi eaters and the restaurant provides an excellent means of endorsing their tastes. The selection of Maki and Nigiri/Shashimi is diverse and certainly interesting. The quality of fish is one of the best in the city for mid-level prices. The two-stars given to Toro at present has nothing to do with their food, for it is fantastic. However, the abysmal service and bland presentation fails to elevate this restaurant into the upper echelons of Chicago offerings that are able to provide a unique, defining experience despite the (at times mundane) prevalence of their cuisine. There is no hostess, which given the small nature of the place, is understandable. However, the waitresses who serve intermittently as hostesses inconsistently follow reservations and give very poor estimates on availability; it is not uncommon to be told there are no tables for at least an hour and observe a party get seated while you waited outside talking with your friends (the party did not have a reservation, this was verified between both waitresses). Given its prestige, expecting some difficulty getting a table could be pardoned if it wasn't for the poor service. Either from being allotted too many responsibilities, underpay, or bad selection of service employees, the waitresses were absent for most of each meal. Each waitress has an unpolished disposition that would be expected of a mid-90s Chinese take-out restaurant with two tables for the occasional customer choosing to dine in. The logistics of take-out and dine-in have not been properly established and it is common to see the best of Toro's sushi chefs working laboriously on take-out orders while multiple in-house orders are pending, leaving many patrons to wait extensively for their food. As a consequence, an ama-ebi sushi order was presented cold, when the head should be expected to be slightly warm. Also, the lack of efficient order management resulted in a hamachi being served "ice-cold". The fish was so cold that it contained ice-crystals in the center of the meat. Given the cold environment of the restaurant, the hamachi did not warm up to a palatable temperature even by the end of the meal; I am sure Mitch himself would never have served such a plate, but it was observed that he did not personally prepare this or assess the quality of his assistant's work. Appreciating the Inuit culture should not be an aspect of Chicago cuisine unless stated so on the menu. Sacrificing quality can be undesirable in any case, but valuing the quality of take-out over the dine-in experience seems flawed. On the nature of the restaurant itself, it is evident immediately that little to no money has been invested in renovating the design or environment. The restaurant is poorly insulated, leaving most patrons to retain their frigid cold weather attire and it allows a most obvious and penetrating smell of pizza from the neighboring slice shop. The design, although distinct, is homely and unpolished. The plates and cups are all plastic and monotonic in design and color. Perhaps, the lack of quality in aesthetics allows for a casual appreciation of the quality fish, but the lack of environmental controls prevents even this from being accomplished. Good people work here who care for their cuisine. Some reinvestment of money should be made in controlling the environment and improving service and logistics. The aesthetics of Toro Sushi could work for them and provide a high quality, casual sushi experience. However, as it stands, it serves as a poor understatement of Mitch's capacity and good nature. read more

Best Sushi in town. We try to go to Toro every other week. I crave for it if we don't visit the restaurant for a month!

I love this place. I have ordered sushi from almost every place in Lakeview and no one come close. Dining in is always crowded so go early. Sashimi, Maki, hand rolls...Super fresh. I just wish you delivered. read more

Extremely disappointed in the service at toro. Went there tonight to celebrate a friends birthday and had to wait 10-15 minutes just to order. Ordered a ton of food throughout the night and then when given the check, we were asked if we paid 2 seconds after it was dropped off. We were enjoying catching up and finishing our wine when we were asked to leave because they wanted the table. Simply not how you treat paying customers. read more

We went to Toro for our first real sushi experience based on recommendations and were we amazed. Everything fresh, quick service, and although it's tiny there, we were able to eat comfortably with no problems at all. Tonight we're going back with our 9 1/2 year old son for HIS first taste of the real-deal. Hopefully we'll be able to get seats at the sushi bar so Will can see it all get made.. read more

Well ,we went there over the weekend since we were staying at a hotel on Michigan avenue. The sushi is some of the best I have ever had. Believe me ,I have been at many sushi restaurants. Service is great and everything was presented so nicely. Put this place as a MUST GO TO. read more

Not as good as the hype, but it's affordable and byob is always a nice. I'll definitely be back for seconds. The green tea tempura ice cream is the best!! =] read more

Mitch is the man! Kamikaze and Oh MY God roll are the best. They might need a few more tables, but otherwise it's a can't miss.

I love toro sushi! I live 3 blocks away from there and it's a great place. The other things in the menu taste awsome too , mmmmmm

Flat out the best sushi I have ever had in my life. It is impossible to eat here and not love it. Not to expensive and one of my favorite places to eat at, especially good for people who are trying sushi for the first time. Mitch the owner is cool and knows how to treat his customers. read more

This is my favorite sushi place in the city! The only reason that I am giving it 4 instead of 5 stars is that the service isn't the best. The food is always fantastic and I always wish I could eat more. However, the wait to be seated, to get your food, or to pay is always very long. The good rolls keep me coming back though. read more

BEST SUSHI IN CHICAGO. THE best. I am a former food critic moving here from New York City. Searched all over for the Windy City's answer to my Japanese seafood flavor craving. This is it! 'Nuff said. Enjoy! read more

Mitch is awesome. The sushi is fresh. Rolls are tasty. Value is great. My one criticism is not to the restaurant, but to the CUSTOMERS. When you see a huge line extending outside of the restaurant, for the consideration of others... don't pay your bill and stay there for an extra half hour not ordering anything, not talking to each other in your party, only texting on your phones. Yeah- you know who I'm talking to- the 3 ditzy chicks (who took up a table of 4). But everything happens for a reason. Had we not waited longer than we had to, we would have never been given the option to sit at the bar, and we would have never been able to meet and talk to Mitch personally, who quite frankly, makes Toro Sushi... as he should, since he owns it. If I never met Mitch, I might not have decided to make Toro my go to sushi place in Chicago. So thanks, ditzy chicks. Crazy Horse Roll Rocks! read more

I really like this place. The sushi, the creativity and most of all the owner. He always wants to touch knuckles with all of his customers. He is so pleasant and really cares about his customer's experience. His assistant (less taller) gentleman can be more pleasant. He is probably the only "out of place" thing in the restaurant that needs more customer service skills. Outside of this - cant wait to come back for lunch this Friday! read more

One of the best sushi places I've tried. in the Chicago area. The fish is super fresh and the Staff is very friendly.

Love love love their sushi. The oh my god roll is amazing... I get it every time I come here. They don't take reservations, so you might have to wait for a seat if it's crowded. The service is always great - we never have had an issue. The super white tuna is also on point and always fresh. read more

They do not respect allergies. Great sushi but atrocious service. I have a shellfish allergy and they refused to leave off the imitation crab meat in the California roll, nor exclude shrimp from the "chef's selection" of nigiri because the chef didn't feel like it. Probably one of the better sushi spots, but after 10+ visits I won't be back due to rude and slow service. read more

Best Sushi place in Chicago and a great great value. Expect to wait as the place is very small. The one knock against Toro is that they do not like you ordering take out. They will wait 2-3hours before completing a take out order. read more

Really good sushi in Lincoln Park. It's tough to get into, but if you do, you'll enjoy this BYOB joint.

after failed attempts at coming here on several weekend nights (the line is always too long and they dont take reservations), i decided to come during the week to see if it lives up to its 4.5 avg rating... and it does. we sat at the sushi bar, the chefs were very friendly, service was good, but the food was excellent. some of the freshest fish i've had in chicago. i cant wait to go back! read more

I really want to give it 3.5 stars. My husband and I decided to carryout from Toro for New Year's eve. Since the restaurant typically is very busy on weekends and does not take reservations, we didn't feel like we would ever dine-in there. Ordered very early, 6pm, and it was an hour wait for our food. Because we knew this ahead of time, it wasn't a big deal. But when it got to be close to an hour, my husband went in and it seemed like our order kind of slipped through the cracks - it became a hurry up to get it to us. My husband, who is a much more adventurous sushi eater than I am, ordered several of the special rolls, which he said were wonderfully creative and delicious. I don't really love sushi and ordered more standard fare, such as the spicy tuna roll - which was disappointing. It was a tiny roll with very little tuna. Another difficulty for patrons who want to do carryout: the restaurant does not post their special roll selections online or on the carryout menu. So if you are a newbie and don't know what to order, you have to go in and look at the menu. Since my husband really liked his meal, I would say we would order again for his birthday - but otherwise, it won't be on our regular rotation. read more

amazing little sushi joint with great service. really fresh sashimi and a large selection of special rolls. the pig in the sea, trixie, and kamikaze rolls were perfection! read more

GREAT FOR GLUTEN FREE DINERS!!! After reading the Yelp reviews my husband and I went to Toro for my birthday dinner and we were not disappointed! We did head over there on the earlier side, around 6-7 on a weekday night, to avoid a long wait and got a table right away. The dining area is on the smaller side so you're close to your neighboring table but that didn't bother us. The servers were extremely friendly and we could tell who some of the regulars were as they sat at the sushi bar and talked with the head chef while he put together their rolls. I was even more impressed when ordering because I have a gluten allergy and the servers as well as the chef are VERY familiar and knew exactly what changes needed to be made to certain rolls in order for me to have them. I was able to have more unique rolls than I could at other sushi restaurants and I didn't worry about language barriers or misunderstandings about what I could and couldn't eat. Since that first visit we have been back a couple of times, I've gone with friends, and I have recommended it to others who have also loved it! Enjoy... read more

yummy sushi!! the place is no too big so try to go not at peak times so you can get seated faster.. but everything was great and I can't wait to go back! read more

I have heard soooo much hype about this place. Every time we tried to go we could never get in. They do not take reservations so it was killing me to always go and then be turned away because the wait was 2 hours and they usually close at 9 on the week days. So I finally get the chance to go and I was so upset by the whole thing. The great thing is you can go walk around, go to another bar, shop, and they will call you if you're not back when your table is finally ready. This place is also BYOB so that's great and there is a liquor store right across the street. We ordered a ton of stuff since we had heard this was the best place in Chicago....I strongly disagree. The service is horrible, they cram you in a table the size of pizza box and it's just so packed. The sushi and rolls were awful and smelled old. I eat sushi all the time and had a bite form each roll and then passed. The price is normal to any other sushi place but I just didn't feel this place. read more

If you want to feel unwelcome and a burden, then this is the place. I was so excited to take my friend from out of town here because it's had such great reviews and it's a local establishment, yet when we got there, we felt rushed the minute we sat down! Agreeing with the comment below, you are only allowed one bottle of wine per two people and for a byob, you want to be able to sit down and relax and socialize a while with your table, yet you are rushed through your entire time there; and rather bluntly! Working in the customer service industry for many years, I have come to understand that making people feel like welcomed guests is obviously the best way to run a business because everyone wins. Apparently that's not how they feel and it's very unfortunate because it IS good sushi; but horrible customer service. Because of that, I will not be returning nor recommending this to any out of town visitors. There are MANY other great local spots where you can get great sushi, great service and maybe even an enjoyable evening with your family or friends. read more