Noriko Handroll Bar — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

[Opening Night Review]

As a former Los Angeles resident and lover of hand rolls, i am of the firm belief there are NEVER enough hand roll bars in the city of Chicago. Noriko is a lovely new addition to what is becoming the new wave of sushi restaurants in the city.

My friend and I were lucky enough to snag an opening night reservation. This little gem is tucked away in the basement of Perilla Korean BBQ. Walk through the dining room to the left and turn left down the stairs and you’ll see the purple neon sign welcoming you to come discover what’s down below. This place is SUPER intimate, with maybe no more than 30 covers on the full restaurant. The restaurant however feels vast thanks to a very well positioned mirror that makes the space seem much larger. I love sitting at the sushi bar and watching the masters at work. This is an interesting triangle shaped sushi bar that allows more surface area to watch your hand rolls being prepared. The cocktails were very tiny and extremely refreshing, my Lychee martini was extremely crushable but nothing too insane. We got the seaweed salad ($12) nori chips with edamame dip($9), spicy pea king salmon ($8), and bluefin tuna toro ($12) hand rolls. The chef also treated us to a last hand roll of Uni! I loved the crispy garlic crunch in the spicy salmon that added a surprising textural element. My favorite roll was of course the bluefin bc you can’t go wrong with fatty toro. Overall my favorite thing by far was the edamame dip, i could literally eat that forever and the rice paper + nori chip was lightly fried and made me wonder why doesn’t anyone sell this by the bag?

The one unfortunate aspect of the hand rolls was that the rice wasn’t warm, however that didn’t take away from the flavor, just was something that made the rolls fall a bit flat. In the same breath I say all of that, i will repeat that it was opening night. As a former waitress that opened a massive restaurant, i know that it can take some time to work out the kinks. Once the wait list dies down, I’ll be back to try a few more hand rolls and see if this review still holds true. Overall i would definitely say this spot is most certainly worth the reservation, it’s currently stacking up in my top 3 for hand rolls...

Wow what a lovely treat this place was! You have to walk through the dining room of Perilla, and there is a staircase into the basement where Noriko is.

We really enjoyed the lychee martinis, they are not too string and great subtle taste. One of my favorite dishes of the night was the hamachi poke. The fish was surrounded by this delicious savory jelly and we quite literally cleaned that plate. Could’ve eaten 20 of them!

For handrolls you can either custom select options (which they recommended about 5 at $9-24 a piece) or select a pre-set menu. We opted for custom and the server gave us some recommendations.

We tried two tuna handrolls, I particularly enjoyed the bluefin tuna toro because it had a delightful pickle wasabi on top. My favorite roll of the night was the uni handroll which had a generous serving of sweet light fresh uni on top.

We also enjoyed the crab handroll, the wagyu truffle roll we also tried which was a hit. The spicy octopus roll had was super fresh and not at all chewy.

We really enjoyed the food and atmosphere, the chefs would explain every roll to us as it was served. If I had to wish for something, it would probably be to have a slower pace! We were only at the counter for 45 minutes, for the price point I expected a lengthier experience. I’d be interested to see if they decreased the size of these rolls to a smaller bite so we could try more of the options and really savor the evening. And they don’t have a dessert menu just yet but I would love to try that in the future. All in all, delicious food and drinks! Attentive service and I found it easy to talk with my sister but not overhear others...

GLUTEN-FREE Review

Noriko not only lived up to the hype—it exceeded it. The atmosphere is sexy and intimate, with a sense of exclusivity that makes the whole experience feel special from the moment you walk in. And the food? Every single item I tried blew my mind.

For anyone who’s Celiac or has a wheat allergy, Noriko is a rare gem (I’ve listed safe menu items below). The staff was incredibly attentive—Chef Billy personally ensured my order was safe, and our server was impressively knowledgeable about gluten-free options. I felt completely taken care of.

To start, the nori and chips were light, crispy, and packed with umami, and the hamachi crudo was stunning—fresh, delicate, and beautifully balanced. I tried several hand rolls and loved every single one: the yellowtail, king salmon avocado, spicy bluefin tuna, bluefin tuna poke, and the decadent wagyu tataki.

The cocktails are also to die for. The Tokyo Story is a fantastic twist on an Old Fashioned—rich, smooth, and perfectly balanced. The Puncha Matcha is bold and unique, definitely worth trying (though one was enough for me).

Noriko hits every note: food, drinks, service, and vibe. Reservations are hard to come by though, so makes yours early if you’re planning a date or special night out.

CELIAC FRIENDLY MENU ITEMS

STARTERS Noriko Salad Nori Chips & Dip Pork Belly Hamachi Poke Crudo

HAND ROLLS Salmon Avocado Tuna Avocado Yellowtail Spicy Salmon (no garlic crunch, contains gluten) Spicy Tuna Spicy Octopus (no garlic crunch, contains gluten) Tuna Poke Cucumber Spicy Avocado Bay Scallop Dynamite Tuna Akami Sweet...