Kyoten Next Door

We went again last night for our second meal at Kyoten Next Door and it was just as excellent as our first visit.Its a beautiful space, the chefs are attentive (Jorge is great) and the food is sublime. Highly recommended for a special occasion.

The last course was a HUGE surprise This is the sister restaurant of Kyoten , that's $440/$490. Kyoten is known for their rice, one of 3 chefs in US using a unique imported Japanese rice. They are also known to use ONLY wild caught & imported fish (that's why it's so expensive )Kyoten Next, is much much more affordable at $159 for 17 courses (yes I counted). Sometimes they have 20ish courses depending on what's seasonal and freshThey opened in April 2023I remember moving here and trying to figure out why sushi was so expensive yet have such a small selection here. In Hong Kong, I can have a whole sushi meal for $20 Then I had to remember, we don't live next to the sea. So it's going to be harder no matter what. To fly fresh fish from the sea here!Highlights of Kyoten Next Only 2 seatings per night, not too rushed huge pieces of fish Fantastic for first-timers , they explained everything really really well Imported selections from New Zealand, Japan Intimate beautiful decor very affordable for Chicago at this quality Scored fish to maximize surface area for soy sauceWhole meal King salmon from new Zealand Smoked ocean trout from New Zealand Japanese red snapper with lemon Shima aji (between Amberjack or white trivoli) Young yellow tail dry aged for one week Fully mature yellowtail wild caught , leaner & more Umami . Dry age for 1.5 week and cold smoke Wild caught blue fin from Boston Akami Otoro (w/ red vinegar rice aged 5 years ) Aged a5 Miyazaki Wagyu Hokkaido scallop , shito dashi, lemon juice, yuzu kosho, Aji Uni from Hokkaido Gindara sable fish Futoomaki "High end kimbap" Sushi roll, yellow tail tuna avocado The best Tamago egg custard I've had in my life. If you like Flan or Japanese Egg Custard, you're going to be BLOWN AWAY by thisBook on ResyKyoten Next 2513 W ArmitageMore food @biteswithbessy on instagram

Wow! What a great omakase experience for the price! This was definitely the highlight of our recent trip to Chicago. I've been wanting to try Kyoten for a while but didn't want to spring for a $500 meal. Luckily we saw this abbreviated version open and were excited to try Kyoten Next Door. The omakase is $160 per person and consists of 15 courses. Our entire meal lasted about 90 min and each piece of of nirigi was served promptly. There's only 10 seats giving the restaurant an intimate feel but the interior is sleek and sophisticated. The nigiri consisted of traditional cuts paired with interesting flavor combinations or smoke. We had the staples of salmon, tuna (akami, chutoro, and otoro), mackerel, hamachi, and A5 wagyu but each one was unique in its own way. I loved the lemon paired with the mackerel and the otoro was of course amazing with a light torch. We were also served lightly smoked black cod which was the first time I've had cod served nirigi style. It was an interesting take in lieu of anago and absolutely delicious! Everything was perfectly paired and I loved some of the additions including a scallion ginger sauce that our chef brushed on a couple of pieces and the light smoke on the trout and hamachi. Our chef also showed us the wasabi root he was using and gave us a taste of the wasabi on its own. We ended the meal with a twist on tamago which was turned into a corn pudding.At the end we could add on an add pieces a la carte with most pieces being $7 (with the exception of the A5 wagyu and otoro). We were full but couldn't resist getting another piece of the black cod so we went for another round. Definitely worth the price to add on if you still have room left. The service through the meal was exceptional and our chef was friendly and chatted with us on the sushi and the unique rice they use which is mixed with an aged vinegar that you can really taste. I'd say it's probably one of the strongest vinegars I've tasted in sushi rice. After having tried many omakase restaurants in Chicago and elsewhere in the US, I'd say Kyoten Next Door is absolutely worth a visit! It's perfect for both sushi lovers and first time omakase diners alike and casual enough for a simple date night.

I heard a ton about Kyoten as well as Kyoten Next Door and thought Next Door would be a perfect place to celebrate an anniversary with my lovely wife. The location was beautiful in it's simplicity and limited seating, so that was a real plus starting the meal! Also Mugi was a great sushi chef, patiently explaining what we were about to eat as well as how they prepared ingredients, including their rice, and his favorite Korean restaurant in the city (it's Cho sun Ok)!I'll just list out what I remembered the menu consisted of and provide some accompanying pics before I give my overall thoughts. -New Zealand salmon-Madai. Red snapper-Golden eye snapper-Shimaji. Strip Jack Makeral-Hamachi-Buri. Mature hamachi-Alamo. Blue fin tuna. Cold smoked-Otoro: My piece was tendony-A5 wagyu. Chewy-Hotate. Scallop cured in salt-Aji. Makeral. So tender-Saba. Black cod-Fudomaki-Shirashi tamagi.-Tamago. Maple syrup. Corn. Extra:-UniOverall, I really enjoyed the meal, although the two things that prevent me from making it a 5 star experience are:1) would have loved to see more creativity with what could be done with the fish/sushi. I know the style of sushi at Kyoten focuses on the simplicity, but with this many pieces, I personally would have appreciated a few that took the fish to another level2) this is the bigger issue regarding the two sushi pieces that should have been the stars of the meal, the Otoro and the Wagyu. Instead of perfect pieces, mine's were marred by tendon in the fish and the less than buttery texture in the meat.Given this experience, I'm hesitant to shell out for the full Kyoten meal given its astronomical price, but I was happy this is meal, for the most part.

Kyoton Next Door is a true treasure for sushi lovers like me. Stepping inside feels like a quick trip to Japan with its simple yet elegant interior. Chefs Jorge and Muugii create a culinary experience that's simply divine. Each dish bursts with fresh flavors and meticulous craftsmanship. It's definitely worth every penny, making it a must-visit for anyone craving a memorable sushi adventure

UPDATE: Photos are from a separate occasion from the one that was mentioned in the previous review, taken by a friend. I won't write a new review for the pieces since I feel it's a pointless endeavor considering how seasonal the menu is.NOTE: The second menu listed "Aji", but we had Uni instead. The Aji was available as a substitute for those who did not like to consume Uni.

There are other better omakases in Chicago. Having formally studied in Japan, I prefer my sushi to be very traditional. The sushi was too wet with vinegar. The rice, which is such an important part of sushi, needed more care. However, each portion of fish was very generous in size. The most disappointing part to me was the service. The chef was not very hospitable or cordial. He would start talking about a dish without first drawing the party's attention to him. If you asked him to repeat something or for a clarification, he would respond in an annoyed tone, "As I stated before..." The service lacked the showmanship that you would typically receive with an omakase.

I'll be dreaming about this for a while tbh. What a great experience and perfect spot to celebrate something special. Everything was delicious, fresh, (and more importantly for me with omakase), super filling.

Over the weekend (in below freezing temps) we had the pleasure of dining downtown at Kyoten Next Door and enjoying the beauty and simplicity of Chef Otto Phan's 15-course Omakase. He not only walked us through each bite, but his knowledge and passion for his pure ingredients was evident. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and his personal anecdotes and conversations with us made the evening even more memorable. The flavors, presentation, and attention to detail make this $159/person culinary experience more than worth it (that's basically $10.60/course, not including our dessert bonus course)!

More of a 3.5 but certainly not a 4. The fish relationships of Kyoten was there, with quality and texture galore. But the experience misses Otto immensely, it is just a stiff presentation, while the technique is solid but not outstanding. I get this is a more traditional sushi experience but this omakase tries to stand on ingredient quality and nothing else. It's just boring. I wasn't surprised by anything, no unique flavors outside of the lemon juice scallop. I missed salt, surprises, and adjuncts. For the price of $225 per person, it's a rip-off of epic proportions. Especially after the meal you can buy pieces for $6 a piece, but in the meal they would average closer to $18 per.