Komorebi Sushi — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

I have been searching for great sushi places since moving to Chicago. This place is not only affordable, but it’s fantastic! Some of the freshest fish I’ve ever had! I’m very picky when it comes to fish. I’ve been fortunate enough to eat sushi at the fish markets in Japan and Australia- two of the largest in the world, so I believe I am qualified to say what tastes like fresh fish.

What we had:

Yellowtail jalapeño ($14) “yellowtail topped with jalapeño and cilantro, and shredded beets with ponzu.” It doesn’t say it in the description, but this is Sashimi. Spicy, sweet, refreshing. Probably my favorite- which is why I had one at the end of the meal as well. Overall: 10/10

Ocean vinaigrette ($15) “rolled up with yellowtail, scallion, and avocado, topped with tuna, salmon, micro green, and blueberry ponzu vinaigrette.” Very fresh. Nice sweetness from the blueberry; it’s complementary without being over powering. Overall: 8/10

Acapulco ($10) “yellowtail, super white tuna, and avocado, harmonizing with the pungent flavor of cilantro jalapeño and house Mayo.” Very mild. Fresh. Mostly creamy- somewhat from the mayo, but also from the white tuna and avocado. Not spicy at all. I didn’t taste the cilantro or the jalapeño. This would be amazing served with ponzu. I happened to have some leftover from my first dish, and it was so good. Overall: 7/10

Tequila ($16) “One of the greatest choices for fresh taste. Tuna, yellowtail, cilantro, avocado, jalapeño, and house mayo wrapped in green soybean sheet with generous drips of fresh lime and chili oil.” The description is accurate. This is very fresh. It is also very spicy due to the chili oil, so make sure you squirt the lime in it to add some depth of flavor. My boyfriend’s second favorite roll. I like it, but the chili oil is more forward than the lime. I feel that it’s slightly off balance because it needs more citrus. More limes perhaps? Or yuzu? Or ponzu. Overall: 8/10

Meguan ($12) “tasteful pleasure permeated with tropical vibes! Mango, tuna, and avocado, balanced top of mango and chili paste, drizzled with honey miso sauce and scallions.” My boyfriends favorite and my second favorite. The mango is very much the forward flavor, but that sweetness is balanced by the spiciness of the chili. Overall: 9/10

Rollapop ($11) “tuna, salmon, yellowtail, avocado, and jalapeño, wrapped in cucumber, and sprinkled with basil ponzu sauce.” Very light, basil forward. Not great after the mango. Would be better as an appetizer bc it’s refreshing. I know I sounds like a broken record, but in my opinion this would be better with a different sauce, perhaps ponzu or even a yuzu drizzle, or yuzu koshu. I feel like the basil is almost overpowering and out of place with the rest of the dishes. If this was shiso, rather than basil, that would be...

Totally digging this place!

The food Got the following:

Crispy tuna Couple next to me was not a fan of this but I really liked it. I love the crunch of the rice and the really good tuna. Also super easy to eat with your hands! Love it.

Smoky Hamachi Meh - Couple next to me recommended it and honestly it was more show than anything. Sure it's cool to see the smoke but seriously not worth it. I would not get this.

Spicy Tuna Roll #2 favorite. So everyone has a spicy tuna roll but something about this was just awesome! I am still thinking about this alone and will be the primary factor I will be coming back! Fantastic balance of flavors and textures.

Salmon Roll Why oh why do sushi places lately decided putting a lemon on a roll is a great idea? I hate it! I feel it takes away from the taste of the fish and way to overpowering. Not a huge fan of salmon either but I tried one piece and I was done.

Kurogoma If only this was served everywhere!! I love black sesame ice cream and this was fantastic!! The crunchy pieces combined with the rest of the dessert was simply fantastic! The highlight of the night!

The ambience A few large tables and really meant for group gatherings but you quickly make friends with people sitting next to you. Super romantic with the dark lighting and I believe it's a BYOB!

The service Super quick and friendly. Even made room for us at last minute on a Friday night. Will be coming...

I've been frequent guest at the Komorebi Sushi for years now and always had great experience. I love sushi and enjoyed it throughout the city of Chicago and anywhere I went on a pleasure or a business trip. It always came to comparing any other restaurant to Komorebi as their quality and freshness of food is unmatched for me at this point. They are the only one to my knowledge using black rice in some of their roles that makes HUGE difference in your sushi experience. I would definitely recommend Mafia, Tequila and German rolls if you like it spicy but the rest of them are equally tasty! On top of that, friendliness of the staff is unmatched and will make you feel at home not to mentioned they are BYOB with no corkage fee! Speaking of friendly staff and restaurant customer retain policy(not sure they have an official one but in my books they know how to keep customer coming back), they sent me a full meal free of charge as I wasn't able to go with my family to dinner due to my temporary illness. GREAT JOB KOMOREBI...