food

Last updated: April 2025

Certified Japanese Restaurants in the Chicago Area

With all the SNS marketing and sketchy Google reviews, it’s getting harder and harder to find good restaurants–and even tougher if you’re looking for good Japanese food around Chicago.

If you’re sick of googling “best ramen near me,” you’re in the right place.

Ramen

Chicago actually has a lot of good ramen places.

• Ramen Wasabi (Hakata Classic)
• Akahoshi Ramen (Soupless Tantanmen)
• Menya Goku (Goku Tan Tan Men)
• Chicago Ramen (Red Miso Ramen)
• RAKKAN Ramen (Pearl)

Japanese Food (Overall)

Finding good non-ramen Japanese food is a bit trickier, but there are some solid options:

• Kuni’s in Evanston – try their kakisu (vinegared oysters)
• Tenjin
• Cocoro
• Torizen
• Kurumaya

Sushi

If you’re hoping for top-tier sushi (i.e., omakase) in Chicago, my advice is: don’t bother.

Sushi here tends to be way overpriced for what you get.

If your marginal value of money is close to zero–or your marginal value of sushi is infinite– Yume or Shoji would be my pick.

For good sushi at reasonable prices, check out Sea Ranch Sushi in Evanston. They also sell a wide range of ingredients for Japanese cooking. I’ve also heard good things about Lawrance Fish Market, which is known for its strong price-to-quality ratio.

Yakiniku (Japanese BBQ)

• Chicago Kalbi – try their kakitama appetizer. You might see some famous Japanese baseball players if you go there after a Cubs game.