I’ve eaten a lot of incredible meals around the world, from Michelin-rated and Best Restaurant Lists to everything in between. And I’m convinced that the 18-course omakase at The Omakase Room in Chicago stands out among the best of them. (And I’ve eaten there three times to confirm it!)
The Omakase Room sits above its sister restaurant Sushi-san in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. (Sushi-san has long been my go-to for the best sushi in the city.) Both restaurants receive fresh fish flown in from Japan daily, and that freshness is apparent in the quality of their sushi.
“Omakase” is essentially a Japanese tasting menu. Translated as “I’ll leave it up to you,” omakase is a series of small dishes chosen by the chef. At The Omakase Room, the meal consists of 18 small courses, largely focusing on sushi.
So what makes the omakase at The Omakase Room such an outstanding meal? Let me explain.
The Omakase Room in Chicago
It’s not just a meal, it’s an experience.
I arrived at Sushi-san for the omakase and was escorted through the buzzy, hip-hop bumping restaurant up a back staircase to a lounge. The lounge was dark, with quiet music playing — an instant contrast to the restaurant downstairs. My friend Brittany was waiting for me on the couch, sipping a small matcha drink.
We relaxed on the couch for maybe 15 minutes. Later I realized how crucial this was to the rest of the meal. It allowed us to completely decompress, acting as a buffer between my stressful day and the meal. By the time we sat down for dinner, I was relaxed and no longer distracted by anything in the outside world.
Once it was time for dinner, the curtains on one side of the lounge were drawn back to reveal a beautiful, bright dining room. The 10-seat counter wraps around a small space for the chefs to work, almost like a stage. And the meal felt much like that: part entertainment, watching the chefs meticulously craft dishes; part interactive experience, talking with the chefs and asking questions; part meal, enjoying exquisite food.
The atmosphere is intimate and upscale, but not stuffy.
The Omakase Room’s atmosphere delicately balances upscale with a welcoming, relaxing tone. It’s very much a fancy place: cleanly decorated, perfectly lit, multiple servers anticipating guests’ every need. But the underlying tone is also relaxed and casual. The chefs start the meal by sharing sake with the guests, immediately breaking what could be an imaginary barrier between chef and diner, creating a vibe that invites conversation with them and among the other guests.
There’s something about breaking the division between chef and guest that I’ve always enjoyed. Food is a work of art, especially at The Omakase Room, and seeing the chefs as they expertly craft it, is both exciting and almost meditative. But on top of that, being able to ask questions and hear them talk about each element makes it that much more intimate.
The food at The Omakase Room is incredible.
The omakase at The Omakase Room consists of 18 small courses. They change based on what ingredients are freshest and inspiring to the chefs. I’ve experienced dinner at The Omakase Room three times now: in late spring, summer, and early winter. Obviously what’s freshest or in season was different, so there were some repeats, some reiterations, and some new dishes each time.
Yes, the omakase consists of a lot of sushi. But this is not your regular sashimi. This is sashimi with an incredible attention to detail, little barely-there additions that add a lot of flavor. Like a heap of caviar atop otoro (fatty bluefin tuna). Or a sprinkle of banana pepper on hamachi toro (yellowtail belly). And akami (lean bluefin tuna) nestled next to shiitake mushrooms.
The sake and wine pairings are spot-on.
The first time I experienced the omakase at The Omakase Room in Chicago was a special whisky-pairing dinner with Women Who Whiskey. We paired the 18 dishes with 10 Japanese whiskies and several cocktails. (Yes, it was a lot!) While The Omakase Room and Sushi-san both have incredible selections of whisky, there’s not an official whisky pairing on the menu for the omakase.
But there is a sake pairing, a wine pairing, and a sake and wine pairing. I’ve done the sake and wine combination pairing twice, and it was such a great addition to the meal. Alternating between wine and sake, several dishes were paired with glasses I never would have expected for sushi! Like a Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir (2019) paired with bluefin tuna. Or the tamago (Japanese Omelette) with unagi (eel) paired with Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes (2007). But don’t get me wrong: all of the pairings were fantastic!
And like the omakase dishes themselves, the wine and sake pairings change with the seasons along with the courses.
The Omakase Room in Chicago has thought of every detail.
At the end of the meal, no doubt still on a high from the great food (and maybe a little buzzed from the pairings!), we returned to the lounge. There we could decompress and even order another drink if we wanted. But most importantly, it created another space to transition from an incredible dinner back to the outside world.
Before leaving, they gave me a beautiful copy of the menu. It looked like an exquisite wedding invitation, sealed with velcro, signed by both chefs. It was a great souvenir to remember the meal.
Not only is the stationery impressive, it was yet another element where The Omakase Room has thought of every detail. The lounge to decompress before and after the meal. The lights directly above each dinner to illuminate the dish but not feel like you’re in an operating room. The stage-like plate that spins so the chefs can present each dish. The miniature table placed near my chair specifically for my purse.
The details are subtle, but add up to complete a very deliberate atmosphere — and a very exquisite experience.
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The Omakase Room in Chicago is quite the experience. It’s pricey, so naturally it’s a special occasion type of place. But it’s definitely worth it, making any occasion the perfect excuse to go.
Related :: The Ultimate Guide to Whisky in Chicago, Where to Eat in Chicag’s Logan Square, Iconic Chicago Dishes & Where to Eat Them
