The Omakase Room at Sushi-San — Restaurant in Chicago

I have to say, our experience at The Omakase Room at Sushi-San was VERY hit or miss.

The ambiance and interiors were stunning. From the initial lounge to the dining space to the bathrooms, it's all beautifully done. I'm still thinking about their marble countertops.

The service was excellent and allowed for personal conversations as well as interactions with the chef.

The non-alcoholic drink package was an unexpected highlight of the night; we really enjoyed all but one of the beverages.

Some of the dishes were excellent; the Otoro Tartare was one of my favorite Omakase bites to date. However, we had several courses that not only fell flat, but were truly unappetizing.

The chef explained at the end of the meal that, as a newer Omakase restaurant, their strategy is to buy the most expensive products from the fish markets and incorporate those into their menu. Caviar, uni, and truffle were all featured in several of the dishes, and while that's appreciated in a higher ticket meal like this one, the way that they were incorporated did not seem well thought out. My husband, brother, and I have all been to several Michelin star restaurants as well as a few other Omakases (Sushi by Scratch, Kyoten Next Door, Jinsei Motto, etc.) and are familiar with the intense flavors that are featured in restaurants of this caliber, but the combinations here just didn't taste good, plain and simple.

By the end of the meal, we were all nauseous and incredibly full. One might say that it's great that they serve bigger portions, but in an Omakase experience, being too full seems to be a reflection of poor planning. They end the meal with a scoop of savory uni ice cream, which is exactly what we didn't want after many savory uni heavy dishes. We were hoping for something lighter and sweet to end the night.

Overall, for almost $1,300 for three people with the non-alcoholic drink package, we were...

Absolutely outstanding, and I cannot say enough good things about it. The food was amazing - my least favorite course was still the best piece I'd ever had previously in my life. I appreciated the seating next to the chef so we could watch all the preparation, and his discussion of the origin of the food as well as how to properly eat it.

The rest of the staff was attentive and on top of their game. We wanted for nothing as they anticipated all needs promptly, including serving of the drink pairings with associated description of what it was and its origin.

Since my wife and I avoid alcohol, we paired with the non-spirits set and it was excellent. The drinks, at a minimum, paired nicely with the course, and at best enhanced the food in a way that I didn't realize was possible. Additionally, when calling to confirm the reservation, they confirmed that the meal starts with a sake toast and asked if we would prefer a non-alcohol option for that as well. I appreciated them being attentive to our needs so as to avoid any awkwardness at the time of the toast.

The room itself is quite the contrast to the restaurant downstairs. Inside, it's just silent and pleasant and a wonderful experience and it was somewhat disorienting when we left downstairs through the loud and bustling main restaurant. I had no idea it was so crowded or loud just downstairs from where we were.

This is an expensive meal, so one must ensure that it fits your budget. But it is completely worth it in every way and I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant - the food, staff, and ambiance were all excellent. Highly...

Truly one of the best meals of our lives. We celebrate our anniversary at a top Chicago restaurant every year … from L2O to Alinea to Smyth to Schwa. This year we chose the Omakase Room to bring us back to a Japan trip from last year. Until now, I had been hesitant to splurge on omakase in Chicago. We did one once and it just was the same stuff on the restaurant’s menu. Here, though, you have a restaurant purpose built for the show, and the dedication and creativity to make it happen. The intimacy of only ten diners, all enjoying the same thing at the same time, was very unique. The space is inviting, the staff extremely attentive and knowledgeable. And of 17 courses, we loved 16. That’s a pretty amazing hit rate. We also liked all the paired sake, and wish we knew more about Japanese whisky with such an amazing list of hundreds of bottles. We especially enjoyed the tuna tartare with osetria caviar, the bonito, Chutoro, all three sashimi fish, and of course the waygu. Chef Kaze explains it all including how to best eat it, and steps back to allow diners to...