Isabella Giordanelli

I sat at the bar and met the kindest waiter/bartender, Tim. Shoutout Tim for the great conversation! Food here is great as usual, I find myself craving their uramaki rolls when out of town. The restaurant is a little dark in mood lighting but nice ambiance otherwise. P.S. Bring back the Mello Yellow roll!

Mark Broughman

Was there for dinner last night. Service was fantastic and food was AMAZING! We sat at the bar and the bartender deserved high praise. Thanks again!

Paul Bazan

First time here was impressed with the service food and price. Our server gave great recommendations. Made sure we ordered enough and not to much with his recommendations. The selections we made had great flavor enough spice and were perfect bite size portions.

Stefanuca Antonio

I had a great experience! Tokyo ramen and mango sushi were delicious, the staff was friendly, and the location was beautiful. I highly recommend this place for an authentic Japanese dining experience in Chicago! 🍜🍣🇯🇵

+3

Ria Romu

This place is amazing. It's one of my favorites, even the cheaper sushi is SO GOOD! I've been here a few times and never had a problem with anything. The service is amazing, the food is amazing and the atmosphere is amazing. I recommend the una roll it's so amazing! Only bad thing is that there was a fussy baby that wouldn't be quiet but to be fair we were there for lunch. People dont usually have dates around lunch time. That has only happened to me once though! Apart from that all my experiences have been extremely positive! It has a very romantic and cozy atmosphere very date like and I belive this is a Michelin star restaurant so the food is bound to be good.

Keyur Doshi

Absolutely loved my experience at NIU Japanese Lounge! As a vegetarian, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of options on the menu. The food was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented—I even ended up taking a dish to go because I couldn’t get enough! Big shoutout to the server who was incredibly courteous and took the time to walk me through the best vegetarian picks with great patience. The ambience is elegant yet relaxed, with high ceilings that give it a spacious, upscale feel. All in all, a top-notch experience. NIU is an excellent establishment—I’ll definitely be back! 🌸🍣🌿

Black High Priestess

My favorite Asian fusion restaurant before a movie or after running errands, and a fun happy hour menu. The coconut lobster soup and taro root fries are my go too and the specialty rolls are superb. One of the best lychee martinis around town 👌🏿

+1

Emer A.

This place is very classy, the food we ordered was all mouth watering, the service we received was great, Jerry is great server. The staff are all friendly even the bartender was nice and thanked us when we are leaving. This place is just amazing. It closes at 10:00pm and it was beside the AMC Movie Theater. (The only thing that ruined our dining experienced around 9:30pm for the last 30 minutes that we were there was the smell of the dirty water in a yellow pale with a mop that was placed near us in the next cubicle by the cleaner. I think he was ready to clean the place since it was 30 minutes before closing time. I didn't get to enjoy our last bites of sushi because of the smell. It really ruined our appetites). I hope we wouldn't experienced that anymore the next time we come back. We really like this place.

+1

Nita

My boyfriend loves this place. Their fried rice is superb! I recently just got into sushi because I don't like the thought of eating raw fish. However, I ordered the pan-seared salmon sushi…great choice! I also ordered a lemon drip martini and I was not disappointed. I will be visiting again!

Quincy M.

The restaurant had a nice ambience, though it was a bit too dim for my liking—I could barely see the menu. However I do think it went with the vibe. We arrived around 9 PM, and with only a few tables seated, the food came out quickly, within 5-10 minutes. The service was excellent, and our waitress was very kind. Keep in mind, you’re downtown, so the prices reflect that, but the portions were generous, and the food quality was well worth it. We had 3 rolls, 1 cocktail and the total was $90 including tip.

Bruna Oliveira

Amazing dishes and options and I think that you pay for the quality of it. Great seasoning and high quality ingredients is what it makes it very special to come her. Not to mention that the portions are very well served, I had to bring a lot back home since they can be huge! I ordered the edamame and honestly I was expecting a little more favor, but it was fair. I had the salmon and avocado roll and they were TOP NOTCH. No defects! Fresh fish and amazing well cooked rice. The fried rice was incredibly cooked and tasteful. Will definitely come back for that. The staff though… not much. I will say I felt a little judged since I was wearing jeans and a t shirt, but well, I had good lunch so this is what matters!

Michelle Maleski

We sat near the front and really enjoyed the décor and ambiance. The chandelier above our table had an unusual quirk where the light intensity would shift every 10-20 minutes - not quite flickering, but noticeably dimming or brightening. Unexpected, but it added a bit of intrigue to the experience. We ordered ramen and nigiri; the nigiri was high quality, though my friend felt there was room to elevate the flavors with more creative sauces or specialty touches to give the dishes extra pizzazz.

Sanga Agrawal

The atmosphere and service was excellent! The ramen portions are smaller than most places and lacked flavor. But the sushi cuts were pretty good, not omakase level but better than most restaurants. The cocktail was average (passionfruit mojito) Service was very attentive and polite.

Erin Kelley

The food we had was very fresh and tasty, even though we only tried a couple of items and the lunch pricing was a good deal. The vibe in the bar area was especially cool. Service was decent, but not spectacular.

+7

Environment This space is gorgeous. Earthy, airy, layered with warm woods and textures that feel intentional without being try-hard. It’s the kind of room where you could whisper a dramatic secret and no one at the next table would ever know. The sushi bar is understated in a confident way—she doesn’t need to shout. Service Booking was easy and I was seated early, which I always appreciate. Drinks were solid (a smooth raspberry-forward cocktail (a mule) that finished tart and clean), and the cucumber water was a nice, refreshing touch. Service started attentive but noticeably faded as the night went on. I get that it was a slow Monday, but hospitality should still go the distance. The back lights coming on at 9:37pm definitely sent a “wrap it up, folks” signal. Food Calamari was light and citrusy with a pleasant heat from jalapeño, though some pieces leaned a bit chewy. The wonton soup had beautifully made wontons—soft wrappers, tender filling—but the broth itself was surprisingly flat, especially since it came recommended. And then there was the miso black cod. Absolute star behavior. Perfectly cooked, incredibly tender, rich without being heavy, and easily the best dish of the night. I ignored the rice completely and had zero regrets. Overall, a restaurant with a lovely atmosphere and one truly standout dish, but some inconsistency in both food and service. Serving: 3/5 — Serving Competently (Carried confidently by that black cod.)

E R

Food looks much better than it tastes. Not very flavorful. Service was not great, unfortunately either.

Food is great but service is terrible. Passive aggressive wait staff, management that is taking their stress from a busy night out on customers. Understandable it’s Valentine’s Day weekend and busy but I don’t feel we as customers should have to face and deal with a snarky attitude, short and rude comments, wait staff deciding half way through serving you that they’re no longer coming to your table and sending someone else just because you asked for a modification to your meal. I did not feel a sense of good customer service or care to my dining experience. I truly wish I had stayed home and ordered in. My waiter was very rude and did not even introduce himself so I wouldn’t be able to tell you all who he was. I’m honestly just shocked by the negative energy in this place.