Itoko — Restaurant in Lake View Township

really enjoyed my happy hour meal at itoko. came to celebrate my birthday a little early since i work all week and on my bday so im celebrating on the day i have off :) i made a reservation for 4:30, like right when they open, walk in about a few minutes (2-3 min) after iirc and it is already full, patio is filling up, everyone is coming in thru the door, ppl are being quoted long waits as walkins have filled up atm. clearly a very busy restaurant, atl at happyhour (and rightfully so) . i was seated at the sushi counter and had a lovely and very speedy (in a great way :) i love efficient dining sometimes) and friendly service from staff. the place was incredibly busy and ppl were constantly moving and shuffling around by the counter and kitchen, but it was nowhere near bothersome and as i looked around, all the tables around me were quickly filling . i got a few items, tako jr handroll, xo scallop handroll, and ebi tom yum hand roll w a lychee martini to start loved the handrolls, my fave had to be the tako jr handroll as the two tuna and tako go so well together, with the condiments suiting it perfectly. ebi tom yum was also great, loved the lime it came with, but while i truly loved it, i wish there was some more crispy shallots or something to give it a lil more oomf. not a complaint, just a nitpick ig. as for the scallop handroll, i was fine with it but honestly would rather try to salmon looking back. i love scallops but tend to prefer them outside of sushi restaurants ive noticed. all overall very delish tho, would try all again excpt for the scallop, id just get another takotuna or try the salmon. lychee martini was good but shrug its fine? next i had ordered the shrimpa salada and nezake cocktail which both i really quite loved. i wish i could order a bigger shrimpa salada as it was so delish and i loved how it was all put together :) the tiny bay shrimp in the tofu sesame dressing is soooo cool and the parm crisps add the perfect crunch to the salad. nezake cocktail has to be one of my fave cocktails ive had ever. perfectly hits what i need in a tea cocktail. it is exactly as it says, smooth and complex. beautiful, im watering thinking about it. will deffo come back again :) mint was my server and she was quite lovely! im always a bit awkward and nervous but she worked to make me comfortable and enjoy my experience :) would dine again

edit 09/25: i come here all the time now came in again for early bird brunch always super kind attentive staff and amazing bites i never tire of itoko ! genuinely a staple if i know im wanting to have a nice sit down meal, shrimpa salad is a MUST ORDER , ube muffins at brunch r Great, maki rolls are delish as are the hand rolls, burger is good but the fries are unreaaaal :p so yummy. pls dont hesitate...

This restaurant is absolutely terrible! I've been to Momotaro and Boka, both of which offered satisfactory dining experiences. Naturally, I had high expectations when I decided to try Itoko. However, my experience was far from satisfactory.

First and foremost, let's talk about the sashimi. To my disbelief, they served an embarrassingly small portion of wasabi alongside a mere 12 pieces of sashimi. It felt as though they were scrimping on the ingredients, neglecting the traditional accompaniments that elevate the flavors of the dish. It was truly disappointing to see such a lack of attention to detail.

Furthermore, I must highlight the manager's (her name is Rachel) service attitude, or should I say, lack thereof. In an attempt to address the issue of unfresh uni, I approached the manager several times. To my dismay, her responses were laced with a mean-spirited attitude that made our interaction incredibly unpleasant. Rather than taking responsibility for their own quality instability, she conveniently shifted the blame onto the uni's quality, disregarding any accountability on their part. When my friend try again to tell the manager about the uni, she just want to explain the food quality not bad ?

Lastly, let's discuss the overall quality of the food. It was, without a doubt, ordinary at best. The flavors lacked complexity, and the presentation left much to be desired. Given the plethora of outstanding Japanese food shops in the area, I strongly urge you to explore other options that offer a more delightful culinary experience.

In conclusion, this restaurant's lackluster performance, coupled with the minimal wasabi portion and the manager's rude demeanor, left me thoroughly dissatisfied. I sincerely advise seeking out alternative Japanese dining establishments that can truly deliver on both taste and service. And when we checked out, we saw the additional benefit charges in the check, but they did not tell the consumers about it? They said: oh such as we provided consumers hand sanitizer 😂so we need charges benefit...

I'm truly surprised at all the 5 star reviews. Quality of ingredients was undeniable, I will credit them for that. However, to say this is better than or the best sushi in Chicago is so confusing to me. Most everything was fine. Not bad at all but "amazing"?? Personally I can't use that word to describe tonight's dinner, I can't even say great or very good. Our party of five ordered a good variety and we spent over $100/pp including tip. Out of all the temaki, robata, nigiri, maki rolls, chahan, donburi and dessert, the only dish I can recommend is the TCD tuna toro. From the cold selection, the scallop dish was strange in that it was extremely fishy but the texture was perfect. One of my most memorable dishes ever was Hokkaido scallops eaten in Hokkaido and this had the same amazing mouthfeel but taste wise so alarmingly different. The chanhan needs adjustment. It came in a stone bowl, just like Korean dolsot bap. The problem was(is), the bowl is absolutely too hot. The rice burns if left even for a minute. The friends I went with tonight are Korean, as am I. As soon as the dish arrived, we knew just from the sizzling sound, we would have burnt bits...and we were right. The doughnut dessert was the least favorite and utterly skippable. It was so tough to cut that I'm almost positive that that dough was overworked and didn't rest enough before being fried. I don't ever complain, and didn't tonight, but this was the closest I've ever been to asking to speak with someone from FOH. I don't say this lightly but if that's how all doughnut orders are served to their guests, no one should order it. I don't write many reviews, esp in this length, but after spending $600 and leaving so unsatisfied, I feel obligated to leave an honest review for future diners of this establishment. I think the value for your money will be better spent elsewhere until Itoko makes adjustments. The reason for the second star is our server was very pleasant and our plates were taken and replaced very quickly, which we all...