Tamu

I came in Friday afternoon for the $48 lunchtime omakase as a party of two without a reservation. We were seated right away. The omakase section of the restaurant has everyone sitting right in front of the chefs. This has to be the BEST value omakase in Chicago :) 13 courses total - soup, salad, mostly nigiri, handroll and a dessert. Every piece was delicious! You have the option to eat the nigiri with your chopsticks or fingers. The servers will have a wet towel in a bowl for you to wipe your fingers after each bite. No soy sauce or wasabi unless you request it but I prefer to eat the nigiri how the chef prepared it. Overall, super clean and calm environment! The chef and servers were very friendly. Parking is always hard in the West Loop so prepare to circle around a bit. I'll definitely be coming back to try the handroll menu and their dinner omakase once it starts!

1. Chili Ebi - spicy prawn, sweet gochujang, slaw2. Toro Taku - fatty tuna, oshinko, inari, chive3. Salmon Skin - house smoked salmon skin, masago, cucumber, kaiware4. Spicy Hotate - spicy scallop, yuzu kewpie, masagoThey started us off with the regular rolls then premium rolls. The fish portion is smaller in the regular rolls and better in premium. Fish skin flavor was distinct but in the other rolls, the sauces were too much in amount and distracting flavor. I didn't like that they completely mashed up the scallops and drowned it in mayo. Although I was curious to try chili ebi, the gochujang and slaw were also overwhelming and too wild a combination. Very American style similar to ayce & rotary sushi spots which is (not my cup of tea but) good if that's what you like.No issues with service. The waitress was friendly and I like the interior design. I did a la carte which was pretty pricey per roll but there is a good chefs set deal. I'm not grading lower than 3 stars because they also do a chirashi bowl and omakase nigiri that look cleaner which I may try if I decide to come back.

If you're on the hunt for an omakase experience that won't break the bank, look no further than Tamu in Chicago. At just $48 for a 13-course meal, this place is a bang for your buck!Walking into the cozy omakase room, you're greeted by an intimate setting perfect for a personal dining experience. The room is smaller and the chef is very friendly. The highlight of my meal was the chutoro, which melted in my mouth. I also treated myself to an add-on of uni and do think it was worth it! The briny sweetness of the uni was delicious. Overall, the fish was good - fresh and satisfying, though not particularly extraordinary. I felt like something was missing from the fish. But for the price, I didn't really have any complaints. If you're looking to enjoy a more affordable omakase meal, Tamu is definitely worth a visit!

Came in on a weekday evening with a party of 4. Bar seating was full, so we ended up sitting at a table. Staff explained that the full hand roll menu was only available at the bar because they don't transfer well to the table. However, the chef selection hand roll set was still available to order at the table. I thought the quality of the hand rolls from chef selection were worth and pricing was fair. Miso soup was served lukewarm. Two of my group's cocktails came with an ice cube that took up 80% of the glass which made it feel like a ripoff. Staff was friendly and restaurant was nicely decorated. Would definitely go back for the hand rolls. Be prepared to wait during busy hours as they don't take reservations.

I love the concept of this place. There is the handroll bar, the a la carte middle seating section, and the omakase in the back room. The service and staff were great but the food was unfortunately underwhelming. The hand rolls are so tiny, they're not fully wrapped like typical hand rolls, and they aren't "melt in your mouth" quality. The drinks were okay but not memorable.

What an incredible omakase experience! This beautiful new sushi spot opened only 3 months ago but is already making a big name for itself with its incredible delicious and traditional omakase experience. No need for over the top garnishes, this is quality fish at its finest. The staff is fun, knowledgeable, and incredible helpful. Special shout out to our anime loving chef Max who did an amazing job breaking down each piece and teaching us all about sushi while we enjoyed his edible artwork. The rest of the staff was incredible and helped us find the perfect sake to bring the entire night together. Even if you aren't doing the omakase, the hand rolls are beautiful and no doubt delicious. You'll truly enjoy yourself in this super cute new spot. Enjoy the anime themes playing overhead and throw back some sake. Kanpai!

Stopped by Tamu after they recently opened. The interior is nicely decorated with good lighting. There are about 8 seats at the hand roll bar. The chefs were incredibly kind. We had the tuna on crispy rice, tuna hand roll, unagi hand roll, and beef hand roll. The fish was good and fresh. Although we did not opt for this, I think the chef's set (5 hand rolls + soup) is a pretty good deal!I would come back to try their lunch omakase. Excited to have this new addition in West Loop!

*Lunch omakase review*Food came out right away during service and everything was delicious. Good value for lunch omakase since total came out to be $60+ if you're looking for a 30-45 minute lunch then come here.

Tamu is genuinely an under the radar omakase spot. I will say the ambiance is amazing. The service and the quality of the food is the best I have had. I will say that the omakase really is worth every penny. And the interaction with the sushi chef made it even better! The quality of the sushi will keep making you want more!

A great bang for your buck sushi handroll spot! Easily walked in a sat at the chef's counter / bar. I do think the classic temaki could use a little more fish in each roll but overall quality was good. My favorites were the toro taku and crispy spicy akami.