Pretty good selection and helpful staff. Â Good place to start out at if you're just diving into the sushi realm. The staff can walk you through the various choices and combinations. Â Be careful of the do it yourself option if you have no experience in eating or making sushi, altogether a great experience and not too expensive.
Review Source:Duck Ramen.
I'm craving it right now. Â The broth mainly. Â Though, the duck breast- perfectly cooked, sliced and neatly placed just underneath the surface of unctuous, savory broth- is nothing less than great. Â Noodles are plentiful and the accompanying accouterments were a nice balance. Â Over all a winning dish for sure.
The maki ordered was nothing that I'd kill for to have again, but what caught my eye was the "make your own maki" option. Â I didn't trust myself, or rather- want to take the time to come up with something of my own, but with a bit of planning- I could see that being a wonderful "exercise" to partake in with a date.
My date, however, didn't enjoy her bowl of ramen quite as much as I did. Â Her vegetable ramen, particularly the broth, lacked that extra bit of flavor that mine had. Â No, it wasn't the meat that left the flavor missing, but the type of broth was perhaps a bit too subtle in flavoring for our taste.
Atmosphere is nice, and I loved the curved ceiling and lighting set up.
The hubs and I use lent as an excuse to get out a try new sushi places (this probably makes us terrible people) and last Friday we tried Enso. Â I absolutely LOVED the place itself .... dark and cozy with candles, pretty centerpieces and drinks served in Balls jars, what's not to love (according to my husband the random chunks of tree and owls, he didn't "get it" and I have to admit that part baffled me a bit as well but we're losing sight of the overall picture here). Â We made a reservation on Open Table (points please!) but probably wouldn't have needed one as the place was pretty quiet. Â Â While it's NOT a BYOB (sad face) the drinks were reasonably priced. Â The sushi was delish .... as in, on par with our favorite sushi joint up the street, Coast. Â Everything that promised to be spicy was (always a bonus for us) and everything else was very fresh and flavorful. Â My only gripe would be that the seaweed was a bit tough to get through ... not great for a gal who already tends to choke on her food far too often, but I got the hang of it (so did the hubby, and he agreed that it was probably a good and much needed exercise in slowing down and chewing thoroughly)! Â They had plenty to choose from and if you didn't find what you wanted you could always make your own maki. Â We did not, which was slightly disappointing because I had an awesome name already picked out .... but we'll be back!!! :)
Review Source:I stopped in today for lunch and had the Duck Ramen and some tuna nigiri. Both were great although there was a sweet element in the Ramen that seemed unnecessary to me. Other than that the duck was cooked great and the nigiri tasted perfect.
My girlfriend and I ate here a few months ago and everything we had was delicious, and the service has been great. My server today was Ashly (how it was spelled on the bill) and she was kind and thoughtful bringing me my check with the meal because I mentioned I was in a bit of a hurry.
I would suggest this restaurant to anyone who enjoys sushi, although I find it a bit pricey and probably will only go for dinners in the future. Also the acoustics in the restaurant are very strange because of it's shape. It can make a person's conversation from across the room sound like its right next to you, which made me a little self conscious of my table conversation when my girlfriend and I went. In spite of that the food and service make it worth a visit.
I only have one word that should make you run, not walk, to Enso - "MAKE YOUR OWN MAKI." Â Ok, a few more than one word. Â But, this is the only sushi joint I've been to in Chicago that allows you to choose what goes into and around your maki. Â AND, they ask you to name it, so if the chefs dig it, they put it on the menu! Â And, not to worry, the service staff will help to try to guide you so you won't make an odd combination, like peanut butter and tobiko (not available...but, would be horrible). Â I've made several delicious maki, as have all of my friends. Â It's a must try!
For those who are looking for traditional, delicious, fresh made sushi, maki and other Japanese culinary delights, Enso has a fantastic menu. Â The specialty maki is all delicious and creative. Â The fish is quite fresh. Oh oh, try the bao! Â DUCK ON BAO!!!! Â AND PORK BELLY!!! Â And, the bar has some great drink specialties that must be tried! Â Don't forget dessert...trust me. Â
I've been to Enso several times now, from the date they opened to just last week, and I will continue to make several more trips. Â It's now my go-to sushi joint in the city. Â I think you should make it yours as well.
The boy and I came here for dinner last Thursday. It was pretty empty with only a couple of tables before and after we left.
We ordered an assorted tempura, fresh eel, eel, pork belly ramen and akuma's head.
Assorted tempura - there was this weird fish wrapped in shiso leaf in tempura. I've never had that before, so it was interesting. A bit bland.
Fresh Eel nigiri - A bit too much eel sauce, but tasty
Pork belly ramen - nice assortment of ingredients with the noodles, but the broth wasn't as strong as I've had at other places
Total meal came around $55? I liked what we had, but there wasn't much left on the menu that I would want to order. The waitress was nice and patient, but she was confused and vague on some aspects of the menu.
I don't know if the owners meant to create a  "dark cave" so that customers would focus on the food, but it worked. There wasn't much decoration on the walls, just a little bit of decoration on the tables. Fine with me!
We ordered delivery from Enso last week, and were really pleasantly surprised. Not only was the fish very high quality and the rolls very good, but they were super attentive and helpful about my food allergy. I had noted in my order on GrubHub that I had a severe gluten allergy, and they called us right away to let me know there is a little gluten in the rice. At first, I was really disappointed, but then they suggested using cucumber in place of the rice in the roll...which I ended up LOVING even more than rice.
This place was great, and we will definitely be ordering from them again!
I was disappointed. The menu looked amazing and the presentation of the food was wonderful. However, there was not much flavor to the beauty. The food seemed hardly seasoned and I tend to be the one with a "delicate" palate.
Everything else was pretty great. The service was really friendly and the atmosphere was very hip. The music was a little crazy- but if the food was good I don't think I would have even noticed.
I took a good look and I probably won't be back.
I've been to Enso Sushi and Bar twice in the last month or so. Â I had a great experience both times. Â The first time, we were there at about 7 pm, and the place was pretty mellow. Â As the evening wore on, however, the atmosphere was more charged as there were more patrons there and due to the curvature of the walls, the resulting echo did become somewhat loud. Â
On to the food part: Â Being vegetarians, it is often hard for my family and me to find good sushi restaurants that offer a variety of plates. Â Enso did not disappoint! Â Not only did they have a couple of items on their menu, they also have a "Make-A-Maki" selection so that you can make your own sushi! Â With the many varied items available, finding something that satisfies your palate is definitely not difficult to do at Enso. Â
We had a variety of the basic vegetarian sushi rolls (avocado, shiitake mushroom, cucumber), but we also had the Veggie Dragon roll which was a special on the Enso Exclusive Maki menu. Â I had never had a sushi roll that tasted so well made. Â The flavors of that roll were simply amazing.
For the Make-A-Maki, we had chosen white rice, avocado, cilantro, and ponzu sauce. Â It was such a nice combo of flavor and the ponzu sauce added just the right bit of citrus. Â
Dessert was spectacular! Â Try the "I'll Have What She's Having". Â Especially if you love chocolate mousse.... Â and green tea whipped icing.
I will definitely be returning to Enso!
Came here on a cold, windy Sunday night for some ramen. We were too lazy to go get pho up north so we thought a nice bowl of ramen would be a nice substitute. We've always walked past this place, and today was a great time to try it.
It wasn't very busy around 7pm, and we ordered 2 pork belly ramen bowls, salmon skin maki, and a draft Sapporo. Dinner was $40 total, without tip. Not too bad for two people. The ramen was excellent - the noodles tasted house-made, and the flavors were spot-on. The presentation was good, too! The salmon skin maki was a bit salty, but the salmon skin was good and the flavors were all there.
The setup is pretty cute - lots of mason jars and candles everywhere. Pretty decent date spot. Waitresses were super nice on a slow day. Would definitely come back!
I had walked past this place many times, often noticing the advertisement of pork belly ramen on a sidewalk sign out front, but inexplicably never stopping in. Â I finally decided to check it out for dinner, and was pleasantly surprised. Â It was a Friday night and the place was only about a third full, so there was no problem getting a table for two right away. Â We split the rising sun roll for an appetizer. Â Presentation was very nice and hot damn, if you like spicy tuna, this roll is pretty fantastic. Â It left us pretty stoked to see how the rest of the meal would turn out, which turned out to be very well. Â I had the pork belly ramen; she had the citrus tofu; both were delightful.
I actually went back to get the ramen again as takeout two days later, the morning after a late night of drinking. Â Noodles and pork in a spicy miso broth, topped with a poached egg. Â Fantastic hangover food. Â Speaking of hangovers, I had a Manhattan while I was there the first time, and it was pretty solid if you like that type of thing.
A very welcome addition to the neighborhood. Â I'll definitely be back.
My fiancé and I went to Enso on a Saturday night (January 26th). We had been there before and enjoyed the trendy atmosphere. Oddly enough, the positive features of Enso the first time are the cause of our decision not to return after our second.
It's way way too loud in Enso. I love loud restaurants, but when my date and I are SCREAMING and still can't hear each other, that's a problem. There's an architectural flaw in Enso: the ceiling is arched. We were sitting next to the wall, so all the sounds from the other side of the room are magnified and echo on our table. We can hear every detail of their conversation as if we were sitting at their table. I'm sure it was the same for them and our screaming conversation. Perhaps if you want a very very loud clubby feel when you have sushi, you may have no problems here.
When we were there, the restaurant was full. Our waitress told us they were sorry it was so busy - the staff was surprised how busy they got! We went on opentable in the afternoon to make a reservation at 8pm. The earliest available reservation time was 830pm, so it couldn't have been THAT big of a shock! As a result, Enso was understaffed, by their own admission. Our waitress was overloaded and did not give us even remotely par service. Some highlights include: taking my fiance's order of two rolls and edamame and walking away (I had to flag her down to say "yes, in addition to her rolls I would like a roll and two pieces of sushi as well"), serving one roll at a time, every 20 minutes, because the kitchen was backed up, and questioning us when we said we still had one more roll coming (we just skipped another 20 minute wait and left early - she took the roll off the bill since we never received it anyway). Dinner was an hour and a half. I had two pieces of sushi and spent the rest of the time watching my date eat her dinner.
It's a shame too, because the food is incredible. The sushi was very fresh, and the two bites of my fiance's sushi that I had were different and flavorful. But that's not enough to bring us back - there are plenty of sushi places in Chicago with decent food and decent service/atmosphere, and that trumps incredible food with bad service/atmosphere all day long in my book. It really is a damn shame.
I've eaten here for dinner twice, and am going a third time tomorrow. I have had two terrific meals. I find their rolls creative, and not like every other place--which I really appreciate. The staff is very helpful AND knowledgeable, and I agree with all of the positive comments about the music selection too.
I'm thrilled that Enso is only a couple of blocks from my house. Mirai has been my go-to sushi place since I moved to Bucktown 18 months ago. I like everything about Enso more, including a much more inspired wine-by-the glass list. Bonus: while it's not cheap, the value at Enso is also far better, as is the food.
Welcome to the 'hood!
I was actually pleasantly surprised by this place. Thought it would be another frou-frou sushi place with spicy mayo on every roll. Fortunately, the menu is a little more interesting than that, and it's currently my go-to Japanese place in the Bucktown neighborhood.
When it's cold outside, all I want is a bowl of hot ramen. Enso doesn't offer set ramens like tonkatsu, shoyu, or miso. Instead for dinner they have a House Ramen that changes according to the chef. Â The night we went, we were served a spicy pork ramen. It had a kick without being overly spicy. Perfectly cooked egg. Nice toppings. House made noodles had good bite, but were almost more udon than ramen.
Duck breast sliders were good, and they make the steamed bun in house, which is commendable.
Bacon wrapped enoki was tasty, and I liked the crispy square of rice they serve on the side.
I was not expecting much from the sushi, but they do a good job. Â We just had simple nigiri and sashimi pieces like salmon and yellowtail, but cuts are generous and fresh.
The entire staff (particularly our server) was very friendly and welcoming, being in the service industry, this is usually the first thing I judge a place on. A+ for that. The atmosphere was nice, and I really appreciated the mix of 80s rock and 90s Hip Hop on the radio.
The wine pours were small, but the food was good. I don't believe the 2 maki rolls we had and wine was worth $75, but if you're trying to impress a date - this place has appeal.
This is my new go-to sushi joint. Â
My old one was Sushi Wabi, but sadly it closed. Â It was tough to find a replacement, and for a while, I was going to Coast. Â Then Enso opened up. Â It destroys Coast in every way (and even edges out the former-Wabi).
The fish quality is better, the portions (nigiri or sashimi) are larger, the appetizers are much more creative and deftly made. Â Granted, it is a sushi restaurant, so you know what you are going to get. Â But, here, you know you'll get very very fresh seafood in a pretty decent environment. Â This is not a place to get creative, off the wall, rolls.
The staff is incredibly nice and accommodating. Â I once ordered (for delivery) an item that they had run out of. Â I asked them to choose a replacement for me--to surprise me--and they sent me something much more expensive for the same price. Â I've dined about 6 times, and each time, I think to myself that they are more generous in terms of food quantity than other sushi places.
The tempura is really good - you get hunks of fish, asparagus, shishito peppers, sweet potatoes, shrimp, etc.
Delivery service is excellent, as well. Â On time, and courteous.
This place is currently very underrated (despite the 4.5 star marks). Â Definitely get out there and try it.
I've been here twice and think the food is creative and delicious. The menu is extensive - from sushi and steamed buns to skewers to ceviche, they have something for everyone. The decor is minimal yet cool; the space is cave-like with a rounded, black ceiling. Overall, it's a great experience, and I'm glad to have it so close to my house - Coast is overrated and the atmosphere at Blue Fin is bleak.
Review Source:I discovered this place when making last minute NYE dinner reservations and was pleasantly surprised by the outstanding service and great food. The space itself is unique, making you feel like you are underground in a tunnel. Our waitress was well versed with the menu and made some great sushi and saki recommendations. The menu is diverse for a sushi restaurant with lots of options. This will be my new go to sushi place!
Review Source:Love this place and I love it even more since it's so close to my house! I still have to try Coast and Takashi, which look pretty amazing too, but for the price this place is pretty legit.
I also have to say that the interior was really nice, very cool and minimalist with a crazy black ceiling that made you feel like you were in some kind of revamped tunnel. It had a nice little bar area and the back of the place had a kitchen with a glass panel so you can see folks working. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that loud either, maybe because of the crazy ceilings.
Our server was also suuuper nice. We checked in on yelp and got a discount on wine and she happily obliged and made some recommendations for us. She never left us hanging and our plates came out with good timing.
And wow, the food. The menu is a fresh take on your usual Japanese stuff. The tempura fried tomatoes were awesome, but the bun sandwiches were really great. And of course, the rolls were good too, my favorite being the tempura fried one (of course). I do really want to try their ramen and since they're so close, I have a feeling I'll be doing that soon!
The menu is a bit weird, but the Make-a-Maki is a good deal and the food is all delicious. Â Good cocktails, great (and really interesting) selection of beer, and a friendly wait staff with a great taste in music (Sam Cook? Yes please). Â Prices are reasonable, portions are large, and quality is great. Â Atmosphere is super cool and the whole place has a really swanky vibe. Â
Two complaints, though, and they should be addressed! Â
First - why is there an enormous projected football game playing above the kitchen wall? Â This isn't a sports bar! Â It was incredibly distracting (though it was video only) and totally out of place.
Second - Preparation of maki rolls must be improved, half of mine were falling apart. Â Â
Regardless, this is a great place and definitely worth a trip if you like "fun" sushi, a cool atmosphere, and Wicker Park.
Service: Hostess and staff were extremely nice throughout the entire experience, A++ for them on that part.
Atmosphere: Dark and mysterious with an arc ceiling throughout the restraunt, this place is an amazing spot for a date. The only problem is they might not have thought out the acoustics of that type of ceiling as you can hear echos of other people's conversations while you're eating.
Food: The food was delicious. The Seasonal Tempura was fantastic (but that's not usually hard to f* up). But what blew me out of the water was the Free Range Chicken. The next day, I was still talking about how delicious the ramen and squash puree that came with it was. The sushi was not too bad either, but it wasn't really remarkable.
Price: This is not a place where you're going to be able to save your cash. It may be slightly overpriced for the area and for what it is (especially the sushi), but it's not too far off the mark.
Novel/Highlights: They allow you to make your own sushi roll if you're not satisfied with what they have on the menu. Now that's smart thinking. We've got kind of a picky culture, so I think having that option is a brilliant idea.
I'd probably give this place a 4.5 if I could. It's definitely worth a try (and seriously, try the chicken dish, you'll be licking the plate clean).
I am thrilled to have fresh sushi in the neighborhood. Everyone I recommend the spot to hasn't noticed it because the sign isn't up outside, but is thrilled when they get to try it. It isn't flashy. When you step in, it feels like a well kept secret - I'd liken it to the shy and understated little sister of violet hour.
Reading other review was stunning. I'm a sushi snob and take the freshness and combinations very seriously. I'm not sure what "they don't serve real sushi" means and I take it personally because this place is great. I wonder if that fella isn't comfortable ordering sushi and was too proud to ask for help. It happens to the best of us.
I'd like to particularly mention Caleb (or Kaleb - not sure) who I usually look for. There is nothing nicer than being greeted with a warm smile and treated like a regular. He always makes me feel really welcome, suggests the perfect rolls (hello crazy8 and wokka wokka and blonde).
I love it. Fresh, delicious food service served by great people...thanks for moving to my neighborhood, Enso.
I really like the food at Enso!
I'v been there a few times and have tried a lot on the menu. I have yet to be disappointed with any of the maki rolls I have ordered and the entrees and appitizers I'v tried have been good. They take a different approach to sushi rolls, and Japanese fair, that makes them feel a bit more "refined" or something. All of the ingredients are fresh and tasty.
I recently went to Enso with my family from out of town and they agreed that Enso was the best sushi that have had in Chicago. I remember my mom remarking that it Enso was better then Japone. They also had a great vegan options for my sister!
The atmosphere is good and the staff is friendly. Attentive, but not constantly over your shoulder! Water is provided in a nice glass bottle so that the wait staff isn't interrupting the experience with unnecessary water refills, which is sort of a pet peeve.
I would recommend this restaurant for someone looking for a sushi experience that isn't your typical sushi restaurant. Things like the fresh ginger soda set Enso apart from the rest.
I'm not sure if the other reviewers actually know what good sushi is.
It amazes me that a "sushi restaurant" doesn't actually have sushi on the menu or even know what sushi is.
Our waiter was nice. However, he looked at me bewildered when I asked him if there was actual sushi.
They get 1 star for having a nice staff and a cool atmosphere. But I'll take my other 4 stars and go to Blue Fin.
This place is dynamite! I hope they stay around for a long time. I got some soy marinated salmon nigiri which was fresh and flavorful, as was everything else i ate. Â The bartender was super friendly and made some great beverage recommendations that paired well with my dishes. Â also they have a make your own maki menu. I made a roll with super white tuna, salmon roe, wasabi cream, shishito peppers, and eel sauce. Its called the motherboy (after arrested development), go order it.
    In addition to the high quality of the dishes, the staff is remarkably attentive and kind.
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