Maru Sushi & Poke Bowl — Restaurant in Northfield Township

We are always on the prowl for new sushi places. We have a tight list of great sushi places on the NW side of chicago and are always looking to add more. We went to Maru for the first time today right as they opened up. On a first time trial run, we typically go straight for the basic rolls (salmon/avocado), a common roll among all places (like spider or something), and a few experimental/signature rolls.

We put this place up near the top at 3rd place, which was a pleasant surprise. In terms of rice, they know how to make good rice. Its not too sweet and it was cooked well but, they didnt use as much as some places. Id call it average rice amount. The next and easily the easiest metric for most people to relate too is the ease of eating (basically how easy is the nori to deal with). This is the main reason why Maru hit up so high on our list. There arent too many places that know how to get that nori to be indistinguishable from the rest of the roll. Its easy to eat and you dont have to separately eat the nori. These two things make or break a place in our eyes. So, If a place cant do the basics well, its not worth going too.

The rolls we enjoyed the most were the sunrise and angry boss. Those two rolls were our first experience with rolls that completely melted in your mouth. Those rolls alone are well worth another trip to this place. The staff was super nice too. Its the first time weve been approached by the sushi chef (presumably the owner) and had a conversation. We have a loud 7 month old and they were baby friendly (mama had to breast feed...no issues with the staff on that). It was funny, the cheff was happy to see we were teaching the next sushi generation.

Wonderful little sushi stop. We will definitely be...

5 stars all around! Everything was just chefs kiss! If you are looking for a small, clean, and not so crowded, this is the place to go. From the appetizers to the sushi I was in heaven! My whole life I always have problems with hair in food or not made good or quality is bad. Finally felt amazing and happy that it all went 100% perfect at Maru sushi 🥰 ive had sushi for 20 years now and have gone to different sushi restaurants in illinois and out of state and this is the FIRST sushi restaurant that I’ve seen use SUSHI RICE! Ive has shrimp tempura so many times different places and this was the first time that it tasted like I was in Japan or something. I’m just still amazed at how amazing these ingredients they use here and my goodness the poke bowls are to die for. Greatly appreciate the service all around our spot for sushi now. NO WHERE ELSE ☺️ Also easy to order on your phone and pay with your card through your phone or pay cash up at...

I got the lunch deal, which is around 19.99 for a poke bowl, miso soup, and a roll. All in all, I'd say it was worth, though I was surprised by a couple of things. They let you choose a hefty amount of toppings for the poke bowl, so that was appreciated. It might have been because I got to go, but the sauce containers were separate, so that was different. They let you choose 3 proteins, so it was very filling! The miso soup container was pretty small. It was just enough to wash down the rest of my food. The sushi roll looked very handmade, in the sense that the seaweed was a bit translucent and very simple. I got the spicy salmon roll and I'm not a fan of when the chunks are super small, almost minced. Luckily, the salmon bits weren't too small, so it was alright. Overall, I would say the price was a bit much because with taxes it came out to be 23 dollars. A bit much for what I got, but I'm not...