The trouble with places like Toro is that once they establish a reputation, they're no longer inclined to provide the level of service that got them their rating. This is pretty much the status quo at Toro. They have lots of great reviews and whatever they did to merit your bad review doesn't matter... unless people who experience this lack of service begin to report it. Toro is good sushi, but not amazing sushi. Save yourself the headache and go spend your money somewhere that isn't so smug. read more

Lol, people who gives this place 5stars are really not knowing what good sushi is. Wait, I would say this mediocre quality and over prices American sushi joint is hustling well in the great little above average American community aka Lincoln park. Avocado roll? Ur kidding me. I just hate hearing ppl scream: oh my gawd, toro is the best sushi in chitown. Plz dont put the third largest American city into shame as a big closed minded Midwestern town. I think I bashed too much on other ppls opinions sometime, but ppl just need to know. From a food standpoint, the rice is just horrible, fish was mediocre. Rice is the soul of sushi! Fish is the appearance. Toro is one ugly chic. Oops read more

This place is absolutely phenomenal, and the only reason why I'm holding back on the last star is because the service is kind of slow. This place is very small and so there's limited seating. I love that it's BYOB, and our waitress even heated up our sake. We started off with some miso soup to warm ourselves up, and then I had the Oh My God Roll, which is exaclty what I said after having my first piece. I also ordered the Red Dragon, 3 Musketeers, and the first one I already forgot! The sushi is pretty fresh and delicious here. What they make lack in decor more than makes up for in the taste and flavor of the food. I loved it and would definitely come here again! read more

Tasty and cheap. Mitch is a fun guy to talk with. OMG roll is amazing. Tiger eye is great too My fiancee and I went there for my bday. We were mor than stuffed for less than $50 total read more

The first time I went to Toro was about a year and a half ago on a hot summer night. On that particularl night, the AC at Toro was broken and the only thing keeping the place semi-comfortable was a small oscillating fan on the host stand. Gross. Not exactly a desirable place to eat raw fish, so we walked out. But at the persuasion of a friend, I recently gave Toro another shot and it was like whoa, that is some good sushi! The overall quality is something you would expect from a much nicer restaurant; I almost forgot I was sitting in a cramped storefront on North Clark Street. The rolls are creative and tasty. The portions are generous and very reasonably priced. And its BYOB! Show up early, about an hour before you'd like to sit down, because you're going to have to wait for a table - the place is small and it gets packed. read more

Toro may not be the world's best but for what it is, a small sushi restaurant in yuppy Lincoln Park, it's pretty good. For me, the way to test its yumminess is if I have a lasting impression / craving a few days after I go. This usually happens for me w/ the sashimi or nigiri, and this place seems to specialize on rolls. I came away craving really only one roll (spicy tako maki.) We waited for Toro for 2 hours! We made a big mistake by not putting our names in earlier. We arrived and we were told that we'd have to wait 1.5 hours. We came back with 30 min to go, and then received a call that we'd have to wait 30 more min! By the time we started eating, it was 10pm. I was trying to be a good sport but those last 10 min were rough. Noting our edginess, the waitress came by with an order of agedashi tofu on the house. (Why are people in Chicago so nice?? They know how to treat their customers.) Here is what we ordered (among 3 people): AGEDASHI TOFU (on the house): 5 - I think this almost tops my list in terms of favorite dishes here. I love tofu, and I think this particular tofu was made fresh. The agedashi broth was soooo flavorful and the textures were perfect. MISO SOUP (with sushi order): 2 - nothing notable CHIRASHI: 3.5 yum, but a little disappointing. Everything was fresh, but things weren't quite right. (The documentary 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi' has ruined me and my idea of good sushi. Drool.) The red snapper was tough, the salmon a little too fatty (though that is tasty), and the tuna was sliced too thinly (maybe because of our overfishing and tuna shortage?) There were a few great pieces, including the pink one (can't remember the name!), which was really soft, and the tamago egg sushi, which had great texture. They were nice and made sure there were 3 pieces of each sashimi, one for each. As usual, we couldn't finish the sushi rice (very flavorful) so our friend took it home. then we ordered four rolls (no thanks to the cream cheese ones! what is that???) SPICY TAKO MAKI: 5. This was by far my favorite roll of the night. There were 6 pieces of sushi with an octopus salad on top -- great flavor and balance, and the octopus was so so yummy. I would go back just to eat this roll. SPICY TUNA CRUNCH ROLL: 4. I can't stay away from crunchy fried stuff. Guilty pleasure. We were surprised by how much we just really enjoyed it. KAMIKAZE: 3. It was a good idea, but flavors weren't that strong (could use more scallion, less of the sauce that was holding it together) and the amount of fish topping the roll was overwhelming. I can't remember the last one but it was spicy - something jalapeno?? 2. It was terrible - not sure why anyone would make a roll with a dipping sauce this spicy because it numbs your tongue to the flavors of the fish! I was not happy about this because I wanted to really taste everything, and I had to wait to wash out the spicy with rice and water. Not a fan of this one. We were able to finish everything. Again, I'd come back for the spicy tako maki. I'm continuing my search w/ the sashimi and nigiri. read more

Toro was the first sushi place in Chicago I tried, and it was outstanding. Every meal here is presented with the utmost care in aesthetics and taste. The rainbow roll was my favorite, but everything here is great. Make sure to bring your own wine! It can get a little loud here when it's packed, so I wouldn't recommend coming here for a date. But regardless, it's a fun, relatively standard spot for good sushi in Lincoln Park. Also of particular note: I REALLY appreciate the fact that Toro is closed on Sundays. Any sushi place that is open on a Sunday just makes me confused. (You don't receive deliveries on Sundays, so why would you serve day-old raw fish?) Anyway, thanks, Toro, for doing it right! read more

My FAVORITE sushi restaurant! Happy chefs and staff, great prices, always clean (and very busy!) is -this place is a Lincoln Park jem A+ We ordered the Crazy Horse, escolar, Spider roll and the california roll... read more

It's hard for terrible service to outshine wonderful food, but Toro really goes above and beyond. Before the ugly, let's linger on the good: I went on a Tuesday night and was very pleased. The rolls are just lovely: it is obvious the chef approaches his creations with a sense of fun and adventure. Our favorite was the Sun Roll, in which sunflower seeds make a surprisingly good addition to the usual maki suspects. Even better, the fish is melt-in-your-mouth fresh--we had perfect salmon, yellowfin, and ahi nigiri. I've had sushi this good in the neighborood, but not for such low prices. Little secrets like this rarely stay secret for long, and even under stellar management a tiny (and newly popular) space like this might struggle on a busy night . And if the management is less-than-stellar? Uh-oh. We went this Saturday, fully expecting a bit of a wait and a bit of chaos. What we got was a 20 minute stall--3 empty tables sitting before us--while the hostess discussed an upcoming dinner party with a man who'd walked in after us. Certainly this chat could have been rescheduled for, I don't know, ANY OTHER HOUR instead of the week's absolute busiest. Finally seated, we waited another 15 minutes and watched more and more guests stream in. The waitresses looked very young and very green, and were setting up tables assembly-line style: first the napkins, then the silverware, etc. This is of course the WORST approach to a dinner rush because everyone orders at once, effectively flooding the kitchen. This would screw over the most well-staffed kitchen, but a single sushi chef? A train wreck. Over a half an hour into the deal--and still not having received water much less ordered our dinner--we gave up and hoofed it to another restaurant. I'd rate Toro as one of the neighborhood's best weeknight sushi joints. Just avoid it like 3-day-old sushi on the weekends. read more

Unfortunately I can not rate the food because the restaurant is set up for 2 people dining. We (3 people) waited for 40 minutes on a Tuesday night just to get irritated enough to leave. There are multiple signs saying 1 bottle per 2 people and 2 for 3. I basically had a stare down with these jack a$$es (3) who were s...l...o..w..l..y working on the third bottle while we waited... and waited and waited. I typically hate when people review restaurants with out having eaten the food, but this says the wait staff doesn't care about those waiting for a table. read more

Uh, what am I missing. My fiancee and I eat a lot of sushi and have frequented many establishments in the city so we have high expectations. We've heard a lot about Toro and the Yelp reviews are consistently outstanding. We had a tasting set up at Molly's next door for our wedding so we stopped in for dinner before. We got a table on a Tuesday night right away and our sushi came out quickly. Suffice it to say, the sushi was some of the worst I've had and incredibly disappointing. The rolls were bland (we got the "O", Negi Hama, and the Rock and Roll), they fell apart right away (rice was not sticky at all) and each roll seemed watery. The fish did not taste very fresh as well. Despite being hungry we opted to get our check and pig out on the free tasting at Molly's (we booked Molly's for cupcakes for our wedding). I honestly can not figure out how this place has over 450 reviews and averaging 4.5 starts. Perhaps we came on an off night but the sushi really shouldn't be this bad on any night. The service was quick and pleasant and the sushi chef gave us a pound as we walked out. He seemed like a cool dude and I appreciated the music in the background (hip hop, reggae, etc) but if you want better sushi (and not something that tastes like you'd get as Sushi Para II), go across the street to Sushi Mon (or take ur ass to the far North Side and go to Tampopo!). read more

Ok ok, this place is good but I must be missing something... Every time I walk past this place they always have a line out the door, it doesn't matter what the weather is like outside, rain, sleet, snow... ALWAYS A LINE. I've ordered in and I've had take out and their sushi is good but I can't say it's better than any of the other sushi places I've had in the city for the same price. Someone please tell me what I'm missing about Toro because I just don't get the hype... sorry! But I have to say they have a wide variety of sushi and it all looks good, so I don't think you could go wrong. The place is small so don't come with a lot of people, maybe just go by yourself... then you'll miss the crowd! read more

Amazing, fresh sushi, long waits, cramped (but it can be fun in the "hey, that looks good, what is it?" kind of way), have I mentioned amazing? Make sure to try: Dynamite roll (especially if you like spicy rolls) Southern gals. It's fried and topped with BBQ sauce. Sounds like blasphemy? It is... and hell tastes AWESOME. Rock n roll The plain sushi/sashimi dinners: The other chefs do the rolls, but Mitch is solely responsible for the sushi and sashimi. Want to see his mastery? Choose one of the samples and throw Mitch a smile. He will make you see the God that you had offended when you ordered sushi covered in BBQ sauce. read more

Lots of other people have lots to say about this place, and I am not surprised. I embarrassed my date here on my first and only trip by asking everyone sitting around us what they had ordered- and I am glad I did. Our fellow diners claim to come to Toro once, sometimes twice a week, for a while now. While I am fairly confident most of the rolls here are delicious, I was happy to try other people's favourites (favorite with a "u", are you British or just a loser?). In any case, no one seemed to mind telling us about what they love here, so, if you want, don't be afraid on your first trip to ask your fellow diners what they are eating/what they really like, although like I said, I doubt you could go wrong... Because I think hundreds of reviews have already told you more than you need to know about the special rolls you will find at Toro and nowhere else, as well as the quality and freshness of the fish, let me just say this: At most sushi restaurants, I find myself soaking expensive rolls of sushi in wasabi and soy, and maybe even putting a ginger slice directly on top of the roll itself.- and in effect, making all of them taste almost the same. After one bite at Toro, I knew I would not be using any soy or wasabi. The taste of the sushi itself was that good. I found myself using the ginger as was intended- to clear your palate before trying another roll. Not cheap but not expensive either. The BYOB of course helps, although I wish I could get sake hear- I have no idea how to buy sake- anyone have any recommendations? I prefer warm... Best sushi I have ever eaten. No soy or wasabi necessary. Fives stars. read more

I wish I could give like a 3 plus, but I can't, and it's not a 4, so.... I had good memories of this place from visits 2-3 years ago. Since then, I have been to several other good sushi places, and I often found myself comparing them to Toro, or, more accurately, the memory of Toro. I finally visited again a few days ago, and I was disappointed, because Toro didn't come near to meeting what my memory had built it up to be. First, the ambiance is basic, generic, plain. Neither adds nor detracts, except some of the tables are very close to each other. Second, the service was o.k. Took awhile to get seated in a two-thirds empty restaurant. Pleasant. No check-in after our food came. Third, and most importantly, the food just wasn't what it has been built up to be. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but it's above average at best. The menu is predominantly rolls, about half of which are contrived/trying to hard. A roll with blue cheese in it? I'm all for creative, but it still has to make a little bit of sense. The quality of the ingredients was solid but unspectacular. I really could not find a reason to come here instead of 10-15 other places. Toro isn't bad, but it's nowhere near to what it's been built up to be. Only way I can see myself going back would be if I just happened to be on that block when a hunger for sushi happened to strike me and I was just too lazy to go for something I really wanted. read more

Went to Toro on a Saturday night with a few friends. Showed up just before 7 with a half an hour wait. Went and grabbed a drink at hopcat just down the road to kill some time. We finally got seated and got ready for some yummy sushi since everyone absolutely RAVES about this place. Service: I didn't give this place 5 stars mostly for the service. It was slamming busy so I cut them a break but still... took about 15-20 mins just to get menus!! We had to ask to order, ask for our salad and soup starters because they never came (and our server paid no attention) and food took forever to come (that's just cause they were busy). Plus there was an empty coke can at our table when we sat and they NEVER cleared it! Food: we got 3 rolls for the 3 of us. Spicy scallop, Hiroshima, and a specialty tipsy trixie or something like that. The tipsy trixie was by far the best, but all of the sushi was super fresh, and light. It was absolutely delicious. This was a blow me out of the water sushi place like some more of the upscale, $$$ places where u can order set menus, but hey that's not what it's going for. I would definitely go back and keep trying rolls and more sashimi since they are known for the quality of their fish. For 3 rolls 2 soups and a salad the bill was 53. Not bad and we all left feeling satisfied and happy! read more

2.5 stars, very average sushi, no ambience. People swear by this place, maybe because it was so highly recommended and hyped up I expected better?? Sushi wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing and we ordered a pretty good assortment of the specialty and normal rolls. We left feeling underwhelmed and commenting that we won't be back. read more

Toro Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Finally made it to Toro..and without a wait! I finally got to see what the hubbub was about. For starters, the nigiri sushi is Grrrrrrrrrrreat. The nigiri pieces were sliced almost as large as Sushi Bistro (think, iPhone commercial) in SF, but I dare say they were tastier. They were served chilled, not at room temperature (critical on my list). And they were cheap...mostly $5 for two pieces (I think their menu pricing needs some updating) - I had the hamachi, salmon, and escolar. $6 for amaebi, but (again, critical) served with fried shrimp head. Not sure why unagi was priced a bit more though. Uni is reasonable at $8/2 pcs though I did not sample. Only complaint is that fish was not served with wasabi already on the rice, though the rice was nicely sized as well. The rolls menu was long (in alphabetical order!) and really offered something for everyone...from those odd people who like cream cheese with their fish, to lots of jalapeno (ew) options, tempura-based, and spicy options. We had the red dragon, kamikaze, super white crunch, and spicy scallop rolls. The spicy scallop was pretty underwhelming, but the rest were excellent. I particularly like the fine tempura flakes on the super white crunch, which were done delicately and not clumsy and huge. I must have mixed up too many spicy choices though b/c by the end my mouth was semi on fire and I wasn't getting the full flavor of fish. So all these good things, but why no 5 star? I think our waitress was busy on her iPhone at times and forgot to refill our tea after being asked. And when we finished, there was a sense of wanting to herd us out for the next customers in line....factory processing. "Would you like some dessert or just the check" doesn't really present an intimate environment to enjoy a meal. But, the sushi is good...though not so good and not nearly cheap enough that I'd want to wait an hour. read more

Rather than restate what countless others have already raved about Toro Sushi, I will offer some bullets based on my first visit. - Small place + popular = long wait times so plan accordingly - The sushi chef, Mitch, is extremely friendly and talented - Fish quality is stellar - Lots of interesting rolls to choose - BYO so come prepared - Good price point, especially considering the food caliber 4/5 stars, highly recommended read more

I heard so much hype about Toro from a co-worker and read great reviews on yelp so I finally decided that thursaday will be Toro night! My friend and I arrived there at around 7 and there was a 1 hour wait, so we gave them our info and waited them to call our phone for our table (which is an awesome idea btw). We finally got called and ended up being seated next to the door on a nice cold chicago day which made our experience extra nice. I liked the idea that it was byob but disliked the idea that you are limited to 1 bottle for 2 people (they were even nice enough to post the amount of ml's that it shouldn't exceed. We ended up ordering the O-M-G roll, volcano roll, sunny rolls, and the spicy salmon rolls. The volcano roll came out with a sparkler in the middle which made the presentation nice but unfortunately the rolls itself were ok, nothing special just ok. The sunny rolls sounded interesting but the seeds they used gave it a weird taste and the mango didn't compliment the salmon. The O-M-G rolls were opposite of what it was, again it was just O-K. I must say I did really enjoy the spicy salmon, it was creamy and delicious and the only thing I have no complaints about. Maybe we just didn't order the right thing, but considering the location, the wait and what I have eaten so far I don't think that I will be coming back. read more

What is up, Yelpers? This place and it's mushy sushi rice really surprised me. For the half hour wait on a Wednesday night, I expected more. Sure, they have some unique rolls with some bizarre names, but the amount of fish that actually shows up in the rolls is absurdly lacking as is the quality. We were quoted with a 30-45 minute expected wait time, and they called us about 25 minutes later to seat us. I liked that they took a cell phone number so we could grab a drink nearby instead of waiting in the extremely crowded space. Fine, it's Lincoln Park, so tables are going to be close, but I wasn't happy with my seat facing the bathrooms. Not exactly appetizing. Signage is a little preschool - handwritten sushi roll descriptions and strict magic marker BYOB signs surrounded us as we ate (limit 1 bottle of wine or 1 bottle of saki - repetitive since saki is wine - or 1 six pack per table). I would rather enjoy my drinks elsewhere, anyway. It was kind of like being in a kindergarten classroom where all the students are white and all the teachers are Asian. Maybe the lack of Japanese patrons should have tipped me off. Started with age dashi tofu, which came swimming in a large bowl of dark sauce and served with two soup bowls. I had to ask if it was a soup, and the server told us it was just a sauce, although some customers do drink it. The presentation is confusing - really way too much sauce for such a small portion of tofu. Instead of the soaking tub that just diminished the fried crispiness of the tofu, I would have preferred the sauce on the side to control the dips. The benito flakes were a cool aesthetic addition - they danced around on the top of the dish like the crazy balloon guy from Great America. It was mesmerizing, until you ate them and were brought back to a strange bland reality. Water was served in those yellow/brownish plastic cups from the 80's. I was really turned off by this, as presentation is a big deal for me. It was another flashback to kindergarten snack time...just missing the animal crackers. We tried three rolls: salmon crunch, super white crunch (tuna and mango were the main draws for this roll), and a deep fried unagi mess with a ridiculous name. I was so excited for this one, but the sushi rice and fried coating arrived mushy and overpowering. I hardly tasted anything but the rice in all three rolls. The tempura green tea mochi caught my eye before we ordered, but the fried choices we had during dinner made me want to get out of there as soon as possible. I should have stuck with my sushi go to - Tank, but I wanted to see what all the hype and long lines was about. I guess you have to try everything once. read more

Delicious....fresh.....innovative... what else can I say about this sushi at toro? The sushi here is hands down the best I've had in chicago, but the negatives about the place are that its a tiny restaurant so be prepared to wait for 45 minutes for a table for 2. But I honestly think its worth the wait. I would try the kamikaze, O, omg, and their super white sashimi. Go do it! read more

I don't really see what all the fuss is about here. This is not the best sushi in Chicago. If you are a fried-foods lover this place is for you. I ordered one regular roll (yellow tail) and two specials (ninja and volcano). The regular roll was fine, but the specials were super gross. Waaayyyy too fried fried for me. I love me some tempura, but man, this was bad. Don't expect to get a table here, or to have anywhere to wait. They basically cram people waiting to be seated in a 2x2 breezeway in the middle of all the diners, very awkward. Torajiro sushi down the street is way better. The specials are actually special and I don't feel like I'm eating sushi out of the Saz's tent at the Wisconsin state fair (which was pretty much my experience at Toro). Also, why in the world do they have sesame seeds in like three of their rolls? This makes no sense. This place's saving grace is that it's BYOB. read more

I wouldn't have given it 5 stars the first time I came here. I think because my sister and I like very different rolls. She likes that fried kind with a lot of stuff on it. I like more fishy and fresh. I like nigiri too. So when I ordered what I wanted the next time I was very happy with the quality of fish and my roll. I also appreciated it when the Gulf oil spill happened and the owner put a notice on the window that they do use Gulf seafood for their customers to be aware. Very good and honest person. He recognizes my sister every time we go here because she can't stay away. Easily one of the best Sushi places in town. And I love hearing complaints about the people who don't know how popular this place is when they hear the wait time. Or that they can't handle anymore reservations for the night. Instead of thinking, "Hey this place must be really good," they say, "How dumb" and go to one of the nearby sushi places that only exist for Toro's spillover crowd. Little do they know they are dumb for going into those other places. I appreciate places that don't expand because the chef is passionate and caring and proud of their work. You know you get quality food then. read more

My wife and friends have raved about this place in Lincoln Park and I've always been jealous that I have never been. So I was really excited to go when I did. However, I left underwhelmed and was wondering what all the hype was about. In fairness, Sushi Toro is more of a 3.5 than a 3, but I rounded down partially because of the 4 star rating, and the fact I had some issues with the place. The main issue was that the rolls would fall apart. This is Sushi Making 101. You have to make the rolls tight enough so they aren't loose and fall apart. That's just fundamentals for a sushi chef. I was really hung up on the roll-making, and maybe I'm overly critical but having worked at a sushi restaurant and recognizing the art of sushi rolling, it was hard to say with a straight face that this is one of the city's best sushi restaurants when their rolls were falling apart. That being said, some of the rolls were tasty. The Sunny roll was the best, and the spider and caterpillar were ok. I can't recommend this place but I'm willing to try it again. Maybe it was just a bad night for the sushi chef, or there were new sushi chefs early in their career that night. Since so many of my friends like this place I'm sure I'll be back. Also, another fun random aspect of this restaurant -- all the celebrity photos hanging on their wall, like the one of Ben Harper. Awesome, and hilarious. read more

Well not only is this the best decently priced sushi in all of Chicago, it is also BYOB. After having sushi all over the west coast and in Florida I have been struggling to find a good sushi place in Chicago, not just an over the top fancy place like most. Toro is the spot and well worth the wait! read more

The reservation system at this place is awful. You put your name in (must be in person) then you have to leave. They will call you when there is a table. And, once they call you to tell you your table is ready, they will wait FOREVER for you. My boyfriend and I stood outside waiting for over double the time they quoted us. During this time, there were several tables open that they said they had reservations for. We could have eaten our entire meal and been out of there by the time the people arrived to eat at their table. Once we finally sat down to eat, they gave my boyfriend crap for bringing a tea in (even though it is a byob store) and even told us they thought we were ordering "too much" sushi. We will NEVER go back. Unless you like long waits, unfriendly service and overpriced food, stay away from Toro Sushi. read more

I love sushi. I might love Toro more. I went here for a first date based on a recommendation from a friend. The date went well and I dated the girl for several month and part of me thinks I have Toro to thank for the good start to what was later a roller coaster of a relationship. Sometimes i wonder what would have happened had I taken her to Toro one more time when things started to go down hill. I'll never know, but I can assure you this...I've taken every girl that eats sushi to this place as a first date ever since. What makes Toro so delightful? Well for one one, the rolls taste fresh and come in multiple varieties. There's no boredom to be had on the menu and if there is, it tastes delicious. Service is fast and on on point. Also, it's BYOB which is always great. Especially when they skip the corkage fee. The only negative thing I'd say about Toro is that it's VERY small and gets packed fast, so the wait times are ridiculous. I always try to get there at 6. If my date isn't available until later I still get there at 6 and get myself on the wait list and roam around that area until she shows up. Yes, I know that sounds nuts but it's worth it! read more

Toro was the host for a cold-evening dinner with a fellow yelper. I'm not a sushi savant so I relied on her to make the suggestions. We dined on edamame to start, which was pretty yummy. For the rolls, we (she) chose the crunchy salmon, crazy horse, and the Siberian tiger...all were very delicious and presented beautifully. The freshness of the fish really stood out to me. Like I said, I'm no sushi expert, but as far as my experiences go, this place was the best I've been to and I will certainly be back. It is small and from what I hear, the wait times can be quite long. But, get there early so that you can sit and chat before it gets busy and loud. read more

This is some of the best sushi I had ever had, and I have tried some pretty darn good sushi (Seriously -- I'm from CA). The nigiri is fresh and excellent, but I would save your money for the specialty rolls which are phenomenal. Went for a friend's birthday and we tried maybe 8 of them (oh my god, rainbow, O, toro, kamikaze...) -- we loved every one! It's definitely going to be a wait, so don't show up too hungry or you'll just be irritated. They take your cell number, you leave and hang out somewhere else, and you come back when they call you and your table is ready. Note: This also means you should be respectful and LEAVE after you're done eating since there are going to be other people drooling over your table. Seriously -- don't be lame. It's pricey -- the kind of place you save up for -- but worth it in quality. Plus, Mitch (the owner, always behind the sushi bar) is so cute and will give all the guys a fist bump and the girls a spirit fingers thing on your way out if you stop by to say "thanks." Great place as long as you expect to wait, know it's not cheap, and are ready for some amazing sushi! Edit 3/27/10: Went here again last night and the food was as great as I remember (especially the Sunny roll... Yummmmm...), but the wait was 2 HOURS. I'm going to leave it at 5 stars b/c of the quality of their sushi, but again, REALLY be prepared to kill time after you put your name in! I would also say pass on the tempura ice cream. It would have been better to just have another roll for dessert. ;] read more

Good, but I'm not sure it's worth all of the hype...and the hour and a half wait. But after we got done waiting for a table at this lovely BYOB establishment... Agedashi Tofu - Simply delicious. I love that it was prepared in much smaller cubes than normal so you got more surface area covered in delicious deep fried batter, and the sauce was good as always Vegetable Tempura - basic, nothing to write home about Dragon Roll - Absolutely yum yum, just wish there had been a little less eel and a little more avocado on top. We polished this one off in about 30 seconds flat Spider Roll - Melt in your mouth good, though I always have trouble fitting those end pieces in my mouth. Crunchy and so good Tamago - A super generous double-portion, the perfect slightly sweet finish to a salty Japanese meal The food was really outstanding - but I love Japanese food and have had great Japanese elsewhere in Chicago. The wait here just kills me. read more

This place left me with few words to describe it. The fish: fresh and flavorful. The portions: big and well cut. The rolls: out of this world (I'm not even a huge roll fan but I appreciated what Mitch did with the rolls.) The service: outstanding. Mitch: the Man. The cons are obvious...no reservations and long waits. But at least now I don't wonder every time I walk by why people are always waiting...sometimes you have to endure pain for truly beautiful things. read more

Tucked away in the hustle of Clark street, lies one of the best sushi gems in the city. Like most sushi places, it's BYOB and the staff is eager to accommodate your $8 Walgreens wine special. Side note: There's a nearby liquor store and a 7-11 for your last minute BYOB needs Keep in mind, since it is a smaller location, there could be a wait for parties larger than 4. In the past, Toro has been an excellent spot for dates and smaller groups. It's a intimate place sans obnoxious music and ideal for people watching. There's no table without a good view of the sushi bar and the chefs working their sushi magic. Their menu is pretty expansive, but I have yet to be disappointed by any of their little creations. Typically, we start with the edamame and dumplings and continue on with their specialty roles. Previously, I've had the Red Dragon roll, Oh My God roll, and Big 10 roll to name a few. In short, it's a sushi adventure you won't regret and every time keeps me coming back for more! read more

FANTASTIC sushi!!!! This place is always packed, and you always have a wait (i just go sit at Mollys next door and have some coffee while i wait). Cretative rolls, beautiful presented, and everything is always fresh. I also love the staff. I only wish the place was a little bit bigger. Last time i was in town for a week i went here at least 3 times. Fantastic. read more

I had to pick one star because there is no support for zero stars. Well, lets just say that the name fits the joint. We came here and were kicked out like a Toro tosses a Matador out of the ring. I noticed that a lot of the reviews rate the food as being great, but we never had a chance to get to the point of trying out the food. We got there at 8PM and the place was packed. When I asked if we could be put on the list, the lady that worked there said that they already had taken their last customer on the list and although they close at 10PM, they were not accepting any more customers. I highly doubt she is the manager or the owner. Anyway, an owner would never do something like that and if he/she did, he/she would offer an apology and do something to make sure that the potential client would come back some other day. read more

This is a very good sushi place and from what I understand is an extremely popular one. Luckily we chose to go on a day when it was slightly easier to get in. Still had a 30-45 minute wait but you just go down the street to somewhere else and they call you when table is ready. I would definitely consider this in the class of quality sushi restaurants, and it has a large number of unique rolls that can definitely have you coming back several times to try different ones. Only criticism is that some of the pieces they give you are a bit on the small side. Occasionally felt like they were skirting a little bit. But all in all it is definitely a place worth checking out. read more

"Dear Mitch, Thank you for being in Chicago. My sushi meals are now in your hands and your hands only. Love always, Amy" Seriously, though, we had wonderful sushi and Mitch was such a gracious host. I had the ikura, the amaebi, the super white tuna and the hamachi nigiri. I also ordered the kami kazi which was so good I got a little dizzy. Everything was fresh and perfectly prepared. Mitch was so sweet, he gave me a free salmon sashimi 'dessert'. I usually have nigiri but after seeing Mitch's wonderful maki creations, I will probably try more maki. This place is BYOB!!!! Please note that the wait will be horredous and take out will be 1 to 1.5 hours but it will be well worth it! read more

If you like your sushi covered in mayonaise and other crazy sauces then this is the place for you. Never in my life have I seen a sushi place use this much mayo. We ordered 4 rolls that did not have mayo listed as an ingredient on the menu and yet when they came out every single one was COVERED in mayonaise. One of them basically had "seafood salad" from subway (imitation crabmeat and mayo) dumped on top of one of the rolls. Disgusting. I understand some people actually like these culinary abominations, but my big gripe is they didn't accurately describe the rolls on the menu. You got mayo no matter what. read more

I've heard all the hype about this place and decided to take a chance on the little, unassuming storefront sushi place on Clark.... We were SO sold on this place! The portions are beyond generous and filled with FRESH and tasty ingredients. My date had the Oh roll, and I had the Philadelphia. Mitch also gave us free slices of bluefin with queso fresco on top....fantastic! We were super lucky because we got there RIGHT before the crowd started lining up outside. The service, despite the crush, was still friendly and chill. The vibe is very casual. It can get a little loud in there (side effect of BYOB in Lincoln Park, for sure), but who cares? With fish this good, it's a tiny price to pay. read more

Ugh. Yum. So freaking delish. Too bad I live 2,000 miles away... :( Worth the wait, if you have the time... esp. considering the wealth of nearby options to have a drink. Although the 1-hr quoted waited turned out to be more like 1hr30min, we weren't too concerned as we passed the time at nearby DOC (for wine) and a corner store (purchasing our wine for din). :) We tried five rolls. The "Oh My God" was our fav. Atmosphere is young and lively. I didn't see a table in there that hadn't brought their own wine (though saw a surprising number of people drinking red... w/ sushi[??]). And the wine was most certainly kicking in at most tables... If there wasn't a guaranteed wait and we hadn't been less-than-blown-away by our final roll selection (the Big 10), I'd give it five stars. Regardless, I love it and recommend it and would go back if I lived in the CHI. And finally, BYOB + No Corkage = Amazing. read more