Omakase Takeya

We went here about 1 1/2 years ago and it was a great experience. The sushi was the best we've had. So fresh and prepared with care. If you like authentic sushi. You can't beat this.

I have been here twice and have to say that quality-wise, this is one of the best Omakase experiences available in Chicago. The sushi is made with a no frills, simple, and flavorful approach. They are temporarily closed now for renovation but I cannot wait to come back on its reopening!

Tucked away downstairs in the basement of a ramen shop is Omakase Takeya. Step into the small room, and you'll find yourself in a clean, well-lit, traditional-looking Japanese sushi bar - which is a very different vibe compared to the upstairs. Seating is extremely limited, maybe fewer than 10 seats, making this a very intimate experience. It's just you, a small party of diners, the sushi chef, and one other worker to guide you through your entire meal.The courses were absolutely delicious, and the experience was entertaining and interesting. It left me wanting more, but thankfully, at the very end, they let you order your favorites à la carte! I'm a sucker for otoro, so obviously, my order included more of that.This might very well be my most favorite dining experience I've ever had. An easy 10/10.

There's been a few omakase in Chicago that I've been wanting to try and this was the first on my list. Check-in is at the front of the ramen shop and the host will tell you so sit by the back to wait for another hostess. Out hostess greeted us and told us head down stairs to be seated. The omakase part of the restaurant is small and I believe there are only 6 seats. This omakase is definitely on the cheaper side at $99 per person for 15 course chef's omakase. The sushi itself was really good and I ordered an additional otoro nigiri. However, like the other comments, the omakase experience ended pretty quickly because the chef served the sushi pieces really fast. This is not the place for you if you want to dine and chat for 1.5 + hours.

Quiet and immersive experience. The chef does not speak English but you can tell he is very experienced. This was my first Omakase couple of years ago, and my wife and I go once a year or so. The quality and menu is consistent and on the higher end. The reduction of experience to 1 hr made me rush a bit but quality is still the same now vs. 2018.

Favorite sushi experience in Chicago to date. Very intimate setting and every bite was fresher and more flavorful than the last. Actually a great deal for the quality of fish.

I knew I wanted to surprise my husband with omakase for his birthday, so I spent a while reading the reviews of a couple different places in the city. I'm really glad I picked Omakase Takeya! It was our first time trying something like this.It was fun to be led to the basement for the experience; we felt like we were part of a secret club. It was a very intimate experience and all six guests kept their voices low so the atmosphere was perfect. My husband said he felt like he was in church (in a good way.) The omakase took about 45-50 minutes and every piece was delicious. Go in expecting it to be that length, as I believe the last 25 minutes in the 75 minute reservation are optional if you would like to order more pieces.We debated a bit about our favorites, but I think I'm going to say my favorite was the king salmon with pickled garlic, followed by the fatty tuna. I've had some sushi with flavors that I have never experienced before. It was so cool to watch a master sushi chef at work!Our server was very attentive and detailed all of the sushi we were trying. From beginning to end, it was a perfect experience and something we'll remember for a long time.

I took out a friend here for his birthday! This would be my second middle cost omakase and I was not disappointed! My friend who has gone to a few more did agree this was one he didn't expect to like as much as he did! My highlights of the meal would be the salmon, scallop, and otoro. The salmon nigiri is one of the best I had! I love salmon so this was easy to enjoy. 9.5/10The scallop is slowly becoming one of my favorite pieces for nigiri and takeya only continues to make it so! The piece was huge! Sadly there was too much wasabi so that overwhelmed it for me, but the quality and taste was still amazing. 9.1/10Otoro was so good we ended up getting it again at the for about $14(?) and did not regret it! A huge fan of the texture of otoro so having it here as a quality piece made the end of the night. 9.6/10

My first omakase experience & Definitely not my last!My husband & our friend's surprised me with this experience as part of my early birthday celebration. It is located in the same building as a Ramen spot, but it is downstairs. Very intimate setting & unique dining experience. I wish I remembered each course we had, but I did take a picture of each one. It was a 15 course & each one was delicious! Everytime I ate one, I said it was my favorite so far, then as I ate another, it was my next favorite. Our server/host was very knowledgeable in each roll given to us & engaged in our experience to make it even better as she answered a lot of our questions. The sushi chef didn't say much to us throughout the course besides the end of our experience, but he definitely enjoyed making them for us. You can taste how fresh each fish was & it just literally melts in your mouth. Not much rice given either, which is what I prefer, so you can taste each roll better. If these were more affordable, I'd go to these more often, if I could.

We were escorted downstairs into the dark abyss of the restaurant's basement. Once we were there, our waitress opened the secret door. Taking a step inside instantly transported me to Japan. The beautiful Japanese interior and wooden decor create an extremely intimate experience. The nigiri: each piece was perfectly balanced with umami and wasabi. Chef Sasaki brushes each nigiri with soy sauce and usually sandwiches a dollop of fresh homemade wasabi between the fish and the fluffy rice. The fish tasted incredible. A few favorites were the ebi shrimp, ora king salmon, and fatty bluefin tuna. I would have ordered another piece of the ebi if I wasn't so stuffed. Each nigiri was often complemented with a little dash of flavor like yuzu tobiko caviar. From start to finish, the omakase experience must have lasted around 50 minutes to an hour. I wish that we could have taken our time between each nigiri to savor the experience. Also, the service is incredible. Our waitress gave us the VIP treatment and explained each nigiri to us in detail and refilled our water constantly.This was a mind-blowing experience for a first-time omakase eater. I would return here every week if I could.