Sushi Tokoro in Lincoln Square

I just had lunch at the newly-opened Sushi Tokoro on Western. It's a very pretty place, and the staff was quite courteous. My friend and I each got the lunch special: $12.99 for 2 maki and 4 pieces of sushi (they let you choose between multiple options.) The fish was very fresh and buttery, and the presentation was lovely. The lunch also came with miso soup, tea, and an assortment of Japanese condiments / pickles. We both thought it was an exceptional value. They also offer all-you-can-eat options for a little more. I was skeptical to try any place that offers that, but they'd already gotten good reviews on Yelp. We will be back. There were only 2 tables full at lunchtime today, so I hope word will get out.

Sushi Tokoro
4750 N. Western
Chicago, IL 60625
773.654.3643

I agree, this a solid option and a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Very modern, fun interior space. Waitstaff is friendly, and the manager is quite funny and charming. Not BYOB, but wine list is well chosen and reasonably priced. Food is solid -- not overwhelmingly flavorful and unique like Ora (my personal favorite maki roll place), but fresh and well made. Pricing is fair. You can order off menu or get all you can eat deal. Some of the presentations are fun:

And unfortunately for the less enthusiastic point of view:

With this place about a two-minute walk from home, I knew I would have to give it at least one shot. And last night was the one shot it ended up having. I visited last night (a Saturday) with a friend and while I was in the mood for nigiri, I noticed that it made no sense for me to go the by-the-piece route when the all-you-can-eat featured almost all of the same pieces at about the same price (plus many other options, including salad, soup and hot appetizers). I was still skeptical of the quality of the fish at the price offered. While it is true that almost everyone gets their fish from the same places, that does not mean that all places get the same quality fish. Just like it is true that both high end and low end restaurants both use Sysco and the like.

Indeed, I found the nigiri to be of lesser quality than your average Chicago sushi spot -- some pieces of fish were too dry, some too wet, many poorly cut and some just didn't taste like the fish I thought I was eating. The rice was too sweet yet surprisingly not terribly clumpy. None of the pieces had any wasabi. You get the point -- I just wasn't pleased with the nigiri. We tried a couple of maki and they fared slightly better but not much.

I will admit that I'm a sucker for that ubiquitous Ameri-Japanese salad with the gingery dressing that I first tried years back at Ichiban and Ron of Japan in Northbrook. The salad at Tokoro is along the same lines, though perhaps cheaper. And since they rinsed but did not dry the lettuce, the dressing was unfortunately watered down considerably.

Service was also a major issue. If you wanted something that came out of the kitchen, service was prompt. If you wanted water, no problem. But with only two sushi chefs and a packed house, the wait for nigiri/maki was almost unbearable. We waited just over an hour for our nigiri and maki (for two persons). And from my observations, this appeared to be typical.

Now, not everything about my Tokoro experience was bad. I liked the decor just fine although the lighting was a bit bright for my tastes. And everyone there was quite friendly. More importantly, my favorite item of the night was the order (two orders in fact) of the fried sesame balls filled with red bean paste. While I highly doubt they make them in-house, they were not far off in terms of quality from the larger ones you'll find throughout Chinatown, just smaller and with the red bean paste perhaps a tad sweeter than my favorite versions. But even for $21.95, I was yearning for a better meal than simply tasty sesame balls with red bean paste.

Interesting, as I was only there for lunch when the place was empty. I did think the sushi was poorly cut, but I was more concerned that the fish was tender and fresh, which it was. I'd say the nigiri were very small, but the lunch special was such a good deal, it didn't matter - I had plenty to eat.

Sushi Tokoro is exactly what I hoped it to be when it opened, and it continues to deliver. Although I live a few blocks away, I gave it a number of months to get its sea legs, and respond to some of its criticisms. When I moved to Chicago in the 1990's, I first tried Sai Cafe, then Matsuya, and followed much of the flashier openings through the 2000's boom (Mirai, Blue Fin, Japonais, Bob San, etc). Although I enjoyed all of these spots, and introduced my now husband to sushi at Blue Fin (in 2001 it was considered bold to have raw fish first time out, rather than sticking to California rolls and unagi nigiri, and my crush was confirmed), it quickly became evident that it was difficult for two of us to have sushi for < $80. The exception was Matsuya, two blocks from our old apartment, and we became regulars to the extent that at the holidays we were gifted a bottle of cheap sake in wrapping paper and a bow. We were disappointed when it closed (yes, I know Matsuya reopened, but we have been unable to recapture the old magic at the new venue), as we have always considered sushi to be one of the healthiest restaurant meals we eat. Flash forward many years....We have had excellent service on multiple visits to Tokoro, and especially enjoy seats at the sushi bar. The banchan, blocks from some of Chicago's best Korean restaurants, is a bonus that always makes us smile, and the toasted skin-on peanuts are our highlight. It might not be the best sushi restaurant in town, but for a reasonably-priced, neighborhood, byob, friendly restaurant that serves increasingly well-prepared sushi, we are very pleased and will continue to visit.

I have glad to hear some positive reviews, maybe I'll give it another shot based on them. I would also like to hear if anyone has noticed a change in quality from when they opened to now. I visited early on, and had a view similar to BR regarding the quality. Some of the sushi was okay, some not okay at all. The Shumai appetizer was waterlogged frozen mush with a strong, bad fishy aroma. I didn't finish the order for fear of the smell, and didn't bother with any other appetizers. I am not a sushi purist. I love the good expensive stuff, but can also get down with the lower grade stuff when handled properly with good rice. Since I also live very close, I would love for a cheap sushi option in the hood but I'm still skeptical that this will become the one.