AJI

Wow!!! An amazing omakase place! Fresh fish and a great presentation of all the nigiri sushi!I loved how the chef walked through each course before we ate it. Everyone was so friendly and attentive! The lighting and layout of the restaurant felt so intimate and modern with the wood finishing. The service, food, and ambiance were top notch! Worth every penny!!

AJI is a Korean-owned omakase restaurant, located in the Lakeview 'hood - they offer 3 seatings on the weekends, and 2 seatings throughout the week.The omakase includes 15 courses, which, as other omakases, include nigiri and a homemade dessert. Our set included Hotate scallops, Hirame, Kanpachi, Ika, Madai, Hon Suzuki, Sake Toro, Hon Maguro, Unagi, Saba, Kinki, Ama Ebi, a Toro Temaki handroll, and A5 Japanese Wagyu, finishing up with vanilla ice cream.We felt that the sushi could have been more fresh, as there were some pieces that had a slight 'fishy' taste to them.Service was kind and friendly, and the place definitely seems to be a favorite for date night.+make advance reservations for omakase seating+friendly service

This is a very easy 5-star to give. My husband & I eat nigiri on a very regular basis but have never had a full omakase experience. The space is unassuming from the outside for sure but inside it's intimate & thoughtful. The chefs were friendly, engaging and helpful. Even knowing this was our first time, one of the chefs (could be the owner), really helped guide our journey. We gained so much knowledge from him while we were there. The courses start on the lighter side and they work up to the more rich offerings. It was such a treat to watch these guys at work, the talent is apparent right away. Such a lovely experience. Everything we ate, we enjoyed.Even their cocktails were great, as well as the raspberry mule (non alcoholic) was delicious. Loved the changing menu board to explain each course.

Tucked away in an unassuming alley is Aji, a great omakase place. It's a small establishment without many seats, but it serves fresh fish presented well. That being said, Aji did not blow me away as far as the food was concerned. Every dish was well-crafted and full of flavor but I wouldn't consider it a "must-go." The staff were extremely friendly and informative, though. It's also pretty low-key as far as omakases go, if that's your vibe.

15-course omakase to try! The outside is unassuming but the ambience and decor is really sleek with the natural wood paneling, sliding door, and playing some r&b and other old school jams. I was loving the vestaboard in the back that changed with each course so you knew what fish you were having and all the complimenting add-ons to it. Made it engaging to see the board change and saves paper not paper menus (we love clever sustainability options)Each course was really balanced and creative with something savory like hibiscus salt, to citrusy/sour like yuzu aioli or pickled garlic, and even sweet like honey pearls and grape mustard and all the seared gives the slight smokiness and the flame entertainment. Pieces change based on what's in season and what they get flown in! The pieces we received were: 1. Hotate scallops2. Hirame (Fluke)3. Kanpachi (Amberjack)4. Ika (Squid)5. Madai (Japanese Sea Bream)6. Hon Suzuki (Striped Bass)7. Sake Toro (Salmon Belly) - one of our favorite bites!8. Hon Maguro (Blue Fin Tuna)9. Unagi (Fresh Water Eel)10. Saba (Blue Mackerel)11. Kinki (Shortspine Thornhead) - another favorite piece and my first time trying this type of fish!12. Ama Ebi (Sweet Shrimp) - I really liked the addition of sea grapes on here13. Toro Temaki Handroll (Tuna Belly) topped with Uni -of course delicious14. A5 Japanese Wagyu (from Hokkaido)15. Vanilla Ice Cream - some of the best vanilla ice cream I've ever had! Also topped with a wakamomo peach which was another first for me too!Definitely recommend!

The only omakase in Lakeview! With only 10 counter seats, the dinner feels intimate and the team puts a lot of effort to guarantee a satisfactory experience. Service is friendly without being excessive and thats what gives Aji their good rating The sushi itself tastes fine, but nothing extraordinary. I thought their shari temperature was a bit warm in the beginning but cools down eventually. Their neta was kinda bland and too soft but that's just my personal preference ‍ I think Chicago sushi has a loooong way to go and from the spots I've tried, Aji had the fairest price-to-quality! Omakase $150 적당한 가격대의 미들급 스시야. 시카고 스시는 갈길이 멀다 스알못인 나도 느낄수있는 아쉬운 퀄리티. 여긴 그나마 가격대가 괜찮은 편이다. Yume랑 비교해도 가격 차이 만큼의 다름을 못 느낌. 구글리뷰가 진짜 좋은데 아마 백인 동네라서 그런듯...? 굳이 찾아갈 필요는 없음.

$150 omakase with : Toro, Wagyu, Truffle, Caviar & Gold Flakes? Thank you Kristian & Arnold for an incredible evening, celebrated my boyfriend' s birthday with the most unique , approachable, & intimate omakase I've seen so far Super intimate: - 2 seatings per weekday (6/8pm)- 3 on weekends (5/7/9pm) Very cozy & chill, each seating is 2 hours HUGE bites no skimping! Rare & unique fish + meat + pairings imported from Japan, Korea like Shortspine Thornhead, Okinawa Sea Grape, Yuzu Pearls Nice menu on the wall that switches each dish, so you know what you're eating Perfect for celebrations: We celebrated 3 birthdays!Lychee Martini $15 (most popular)Smoking Fresh $14 - mezcal, watermelon, + lime (exec chef's favorite)15 courses:Hirame fluke - ingawa , sea salt & lime zest brushed with Ika squid - flew seared with light soy and grape mustard Kampachi - amberjack, soy, yuzu pearls, hibiscus salt Madai - sea bream, soy, lemon zest, kombu salt Hon suzuki - striped bass - soy, umeboshi (plum), dried Shiso Kin media - Golden eye snapper, soy & honey pearls Unagi - fresh water eel - flame seared with shiso butter Horse Mackerel - smoked soy, grated ginger, chives Hotate scallops from Hokkaido - soy, smoked trout roe, yuzu aiolo Kinki - Short spine thornhead , soy, and poached garlic (seasonal, hard to find)Ama Ebi - sweet shrimp with soy, lemon, Okinawa sea grape Escolar - white tuna- lemon, truffle butter, kombu salt, soy . Sashimi course with 4 pieces + (just brought it back) Toro uni gunkan - blue fin tuna belly, soy, Santa Barbara sea urchin , golden Kaluga caviar , compressed caviar shaved (Bessy best piece)A5 Japanese Wagyu - soy, golden Kaluga caviar, sea salt, black truffle Vanilla ice cream - bubu arare, black sesame, freeze dried raspberry, mandarin orange, & wakamomo peachesFollow @biteswithbessy for more

I've ate at Aji a few times already and everytime it has not disappoint! From their ambiance, drinks, sushi, and service, everything was so thoughtful so delicious and chefs are amazing~ Thank you Arnold and Kristian for always making our experience so wonderful. Highly recommend to try this place out !Oh and their lychee martini is highly recommended as well!!

Omakase. Chef's Choice. Two chefs. Arnold + Christian. Ingredients great. Experience fantastic. Uni scooped. Wagyu seared. Truffles shaved. Sake chilled. Stomach full. Palates satisfied. Make res. Go now.Horse mackerel.

Wow, what an amazing perfectly curated experience. I went there this weekend for a friends birthday dinner and we try to do a high-end experience anytime we have a celebration and this exceeded all expectations. The sushi was super fresh and as mentioned in other comments went from slightly lighter creations to more rich flavors. My favorites were probably the first and last bite! Don't want to spoil for anyone but definitely something to try! Cocktails were tasty, and perfectly balanced the meal. Service and attention was fantastic as well! We were the first reservation of the night and with the limited seats, it felt very intimate almost like a private chef experience. Will definitely be back!