I've driven by this sushi joint for years and have never thought to try it until a friend suggested it. Cute atmosphere, great service, yummy food.
The two of us shared the agedashi tofu, spicy salmon, spider roll, and the fall roll. I LOVED the agedashi tofu, although my friend thought the sauce was a bit salty. The spicy salmon was delicious - the spiciness starts off kind of subtle and it turns into quite the kick even after you're done with the piece! The fall roll has a spicy sauce with super white tuna and mushrooms with tiny rice cracker balls on the outside - it was quite interesting! We really enjoyed it. The spider roll was different from other places - we both couldn't really decide if we liked it or not; will have to give it another shot.
With such a variety of appetizers and rolls, I will definitely go back and try everything. I'm especially interested in try the omakase where we decide our own price point and let the chefs create a menu for us! Sounds very intriguing.
TIP: No charge on the valet parking except for tip! Although there is plenty of street parking (paybox).
best traditional japanese establishment in the city. Â unfortunately one knock on this place is that they definitely stratify their customers into "people we like" and "who the hell are you?". Â I went with a friend who is a regular, and the sashimi quality was unbelievable. I went back 2 days later and got the same thing and I got very run of the mill stuff. Â Do I have to spend 5k here over the next 4 months in order to get into the club?
Still the food is excellent:
Oden -- this is the only place i've seen in the city that has oden and its delightful on a cold winter evening
Sea bass nabe -- to die for
gomae -- with their home made sesame sauce, bundled up perfectly, am i in japan!??
the amazing salmon (sake) sashimi we had with JM -- AWESOME!
the average salmon (sake) sashimi we had when we went without JM -- WTF!
Still giving them a 5 because I know their capable of excellence, but there's a part of me that HATES that they just dont do this for everyone. Â However, judging on food, not philosophy or service.
Also, free valet parking, that's sort of cool.
Super awesome authentic Japanese sushi bar. I love their traditional roll choices and extensive hot menu featuring a lot of old school favorites. Everything I've had there has been delicious, and the service is very friendly and on point. So why not five stars? I have yet to try their teriyaki.
Note - This place does not have those "crazy" rolls that are so popular at most sushi places. I would not come here unless I was looking for some very simple but excellently prepared sushi.
My boyfriend and I frequently dine late night together because of our schedules. We decided to try Itto because they close at midnight, wow! First impression upon walking in - the staff greeted us very warmly, and the space is cute for a sushi restaurant. Unfortunately, I have more to say...
The menus and cups of water with ice were brought out. Exhausted from playing volleyball that night, I went for a taste, but it tasted... off. I looked at the water and found whitish bits floating in both of our glasses. Now, my imagination is going crazy because:
1) flecks like the ones I saw are NEVER a good thing and they're in both cups, not to mention the taste
2) I watch too much Restaurant Impossible and Robert says bacteria can come from the ice maker if it's not cleaned...
So I gave them the benefit of the doubt about the ice. After telling him about it, my b/f politely asked for a new glass of water without ice and the waitress took his glass away. She came back and I observed it - same flecks of whatever floating around! OK,not happy... but again, benefit of the doubt - what if it's just the tap water? Far fetched for me, but I didn't want to cause a ruckus over it before getting our food, so we ordered. However, I will admit that I did go to the bathroom and cupped my hands to see if there was anything in the tap out of there... and it ran clean. I ordered a hot green tea and it tasted fine, but the water really put me off.
The menu is typical Japanese fare, nothing stood out except for the pricing of chicken teriyaki ($14) versus the beef teriyaki ($21). The beef was $7 more? The first time we go to new places, we try to order some staple foods so that we can compare them more evenly across the board, so in Japanese places that's least some kind of teriyaki chicken/beef, and salmon (among other things, these are our most common choices). The chicken teriyaki entree above was very, very, *very* underwhelming all around - the chicken was pale and unseasoned and the teriyaki sauce was no aid because it was thin and not flavorful. I would have been pissed if I had ordered the beef and it tasted like that. Mind you that while I'm comparing this to something like Renga-Tei's teriyaki which is fairly thick, the sauce at Itto had no flavor. Just, so disappointed.
Sushi freshness: was ok, but not absolute fresh or anything like that. Sashimi ok. Rolls? Only thing I remember was this crunch roll, but they used something that tasted like *cereal* crunchy bits instead of panko or whatever. Needless to say, it ruined the roll for both of us.
I like to say give places a second chance, but this experience wasn't the best and I don't foresee a second trip anytime soon. If by some chance I end up here again, you bet I'll be rolling my eyes the minute I see Itto.
Came here tonight after being told there was an hour+ wait at Toro.
We tried several different rolls, all of which were passably good. Â I didn't think anything really stood out, but nothing was terrible either. Â Drink prices are very reasonable, especially for unfiltered sake. Â
Probably wouldn't suggest coming here, but on the other hand, wouldn't decline if invited.
I really love Itto. It's totally old-school & it is full of Japanese patrons, servers & chefs, which is never a bad sign. Actually it's a great sign.
Their sushi is reasonable, and they have a lot of vegetarian rolls, options and specials for me. Make sure to ask for the black/brown rice if you're a fan of other rice on your rolls.
They are super friendly, they have kirin for cheap & tasty cold soba noodles (this may be the kind of thing you needed to grow up on to appreciate).
Also, we think it was originally an old arbys by the covered glass patio area which adds to the charm.
Well, this is probably a biased review...since i love itto! :)
As much as i love itto, i don't know about the omakase until a few of my friends went and raved about it!!! So i decided to check it out with some of them.
But since all my friends said how generous the portion they had, we decided to do a lower price point than they previously did.
We were still stuffed!
It wasn't as fancy/inventive as Macku's or Arami's, but the price is also very reasonable.
If you like the good old traditional japanese food, this omakase is for you. We had a good combination of the kitchen food and sushi/sashimi.
The best part was that i got to check out dessert that are on the regular dessert menu that yet i have never had. Well, we are usually stuffed after dinners, so we normally skipped dessert unless the combination came with icecream...but the omakase allows you to pick one from the dessert menu, so hey, i will worry about the calories later! :P
I love their coffee jello parfaits (and i am not a jello fans and i probably ate all the jellos!) and the mochi cake!
The mochi cakes was def. different from what i was expecting even after hearing my friends' description. Japanese def. knows how to do a better "sticky rice flour cake" than the Chinese does :P
It's like the japanese style of brownies :D
Food that touches your heart.
When I first had the miso radish, I smiled from the bottom of my heart. The food is executed so well that you wondered why you have not have been here earlier in your life.
Most authentic Japanese food I ever had in the States.
A place that I would come for a date, a gathering with friends and a close dinner with my family. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
P.S. It was my first time to see a koi fish decoration outside of Japan!
*to the moderator, there is a duplicate listing here (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/itto-sushi-chicago">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>) that should have its review moved to this page
I really like their business hours and how they're open late-night; I ordered two Maki rolls (Something-tuna and California-maki) but when I opened the box everything (except 2 rolls) fell out. These two rolls were delicious though, and forced me to go back and make a second order of Spicy Tuna and the Hot-Tuna Maki before they closed....for some reason the second order didn't taste as delicious and fresh as the first time
Regardless, this is a great sushi spot and I know I'll be back to dine very soon! (and as others mentioned, Google Maps has the incorrect location, so plug in the address directly - 2616 N Halsted)
Went here on a whim, and I was really hoping for something more. Â Authentic yes, fresh, not so much. Â It would have been amazing if the quality was slightly better. Â With that being said, the amount I payed far outweighed what I got.
Service and environment were fine - it's actually nice to have sushi at a non-hip-ish sushi restaurant!
First tip: DON'T TRUST GOOGLE MAPS FOR WHERE THIS THIS. On the map it told me it was on N. Sheffield but of course the address is Halstead..d'oh! However, this place was so good I ate here twice in the same DAY! I walked an hour for it and it was so worth it.
I kind of wish I didn't have the katsu curry for lunch because it ruined everything else that entered my mouth that day. In a good way! Their Japanese curry is the best I've ever had, anywhere! It was delicious. Must have for lunch or for dinner. I also had the daikon radish with miso. I thought it was going to be raw but it turned out to be cooked so the daikon just melted in your mouth and the miso on top was beyond amazing. Going to try to make that one at home.
For dinner my Japanese friend and I had an assortment of their appetizers. We got grilled eggplant with ginger and soy sauce. So yummy. Spinach and miso. So yummy. Clam miso soup. So yummy. Miso the way it was intended. So yummy. The only thing missing was maybe another round of that daikon and miso.
Then we got assortment of nigiri. Some of the fish was amazing. The salmon was not very bright so I was a bit weary of it at first but it melted in my mouth. Some of the fish tasted like it had definitely been frozen and defrosted but for the most part, the fish was buttery and did not taste fishy or metallic at all.
Wish I had saved room for some dessert! One of the only places I know where it was run entirely by Japanese people. Yessss
So perhaps the deck was stacked against Itto to begin with -- we just came from seeing Jiro Dreams of Sushi -- but we were not impressed -- the nigiri was fine but not outstanding -- the sush wasn't as buttery as I would have wished, and the rolls were a bit bland. Oh, and they serve escolar, which is never a great sign.
We tried the winter roll -- it's whitefish, avo, cuc, and some torched miso sauce on top - it not only burned the eff out of my mouth, but it didn't really taste like a whole lot -- which was a pretty consistent with the tone of the entire meal.
Service is kind of spacey, but fine -- decor is as your would expect from a mediocre sush bar. Overall, not worth a trip.
Oh, and din was around $80 (with tip) for 2 starters, 3 roll, and 5 orders of nigiri (albacore, yellowtail, salmon, ikura, and whitefish).
I have been going to Itto for some time now and I think it is one of the best sushi places I have ever been.
The sushi is consistently fresh and really good. The makis are perfectly made and don't fall apart and the service is prompt and attentive.
After all, if this place has been around for like 30 years I bet there's a good reason for that!
Tired of all the flash trendy glitz sushi places, that basically offer you the same low quality creatively stagnant rolls?
Check out Itto, the owner Juko has been then since before Lincoln Park "changed", and has maintained the utmost quality throughout; dude is a legit "sushi chef".
If your into checking out "real" Japanese food, sashimi at the paramount of it's quality, well executed rolls, and supporting a locally owned institution, Itto hits the spot.
Plus they have parking, sumo on tv, and a solid liquor selection.
JAPANESE OWNED JAPANESE RESTAURANT.
(a rare combination in chicago)
my boyfriend ordered 7 things on the appetizer menu and at first i was thinking to myself, "is he crazy??" and i ordered my usual sushi.
we also had a large beer that came with some type of seaweed dish- i'm assuming it's like what peanuts are to Americans when drinking beer.
then he tells me AFTER the fact, that this restaurant is known for their appetizers. i felt tricked but he always does this to me!
everything but one item he ordered was just WOW.
we weren't too pleased with kushiyaki (beef skewers). the meat was too tough for us.
we ordered, chicken skewers, agedashi tofu with mushrooms, baked seafood, tatsuta age- they're like chicken wings, avocado tuna salad (hugggge salad), grilled scallop...
we had to cancel one of my rolls and we ended our meal with a roll (i forgot what i ordered) and some super white tuna.
the restaurant is cute and cozy but the service is kinda slow because the waitresses are all doing everything together.
i want to come back to this place soon!!
Short notice order at 11:00 A.M. for a catered 12:30 lunch for 10 people today at Wrigley and THEY CAME THROUGH!!
Incredible presentation, excellent service and perfect timing on the delivery. I do not eat Sushi, but I did have the Beef and Chicken Teriyaki and both were excellent. Everyone who eats Sushi LOVED IT!!
I give Itto Sushi a 10!!
Thank you Juko!
This review update is for the omakase alone. First let's get the definition out of the way: omakase is a traditional Japanese concept where instead of ordering food from the menu, the customer lets the chef surprise the customer with food that the chef thinks is best/fresh/good based on seasonal ingredients. Omakase is also a great way to reflect on how creative the chef is. Itto does not mention this on their menu but as you would expect from an authentic Japanese restaurant like this whose many customers are made up of Japanese businessmen and Japanese families, the chefs at Itto happily offer omakase to any customers who would like them.
They were very flexible in their omakase concept and basically it was up to us how much we wanted to spend per person and based on our wanted price (we decided on $50/pp), they will prepare the food items for us which consisted of the categories of sashimi, sushi, and kitchen food. We loved the surprise element of omakase where every course presented to us was, yes, a surprise and decided by the culinary creativity of the chef. It also helps that we aren't picky eaters and will eat anything like a true foodie :) Many of the items we got were not on their regular menu as well:
1. Tako (octopus) and ika (squid) with seaweed and cucumber in vinaigrette
2. Tasting portion of salmon cake, chilled pork slice, and braised pork
3. Sashimi: absolutely generous amount per person with many different varieties
4. Nimono: taro ball, mushroom, lotus root, fishcake, sweet potato
5. Grilled rolled chicken stuffed with enoki mushroom
6. Sushi: battera (square sushi in which the rice is compressed into a mold; originated from Osaka), grey snapper, maguro, super white tuna
7. Dessert: green tea pudding and coffee jello parfait
The husband and I were absolutely x2 stuff from the omakase dinner. It showcased a good variety of kitchen food that so many people tend to forget about what Japanese food is all about as a whole. Yes, there is more to Japanese food than maki rolls.
I really wish I was a big sushi person, but I'm really just starting out on my venture into raw fish. I've been to a few sushi restaurants, but wanted to try something new for New Year's Eve. After researching my fellow yelpers reviews, the three of us headed to Itto Sushi. Easy to find, check. Free valet parking (plus tip), check. Friendly staff, check. Great ambiance, er,...um,...so this is where the restaurant could use some work. It is way too quiet in this place.
I mean, if I was the ultimate eavesdropper, this would be heaven. However, I'm a loud talker and don't necessarily want my table neighbors hearing all my inside jokes (they may steal my material, after all). Also, we were seated in the corner of the far dining room, which seemed to be "baby land" AKA the place where all the families with babies were seated. Fine, but it just added to the whole "I can hear everything you are talking about" vibe. Music would have been nice.
Second, with prices for combos being in the mid to high $20's, I expected some cloth napkins. That's just me. This place keeps itself in the paper napkin category, but I think it deserves to be more.
With that, I continue my list:
Clean bathrooms, check. Fresh sushi, check.
For being one of my first sushi places, I was impressed. There were definitely those "things" that avid sushi lovers eat (I imagine), such as squid and clams, etc. But there were sweet potato rolls, tempura rolls, and edamame for all those dabbling sushi-hearter wannabes.
Three people, one pitcher of beer, and a soda later, our bill came to about $100 with tip. Not bad considering this was our New Year's Eve "celebration." I was actually glad to spend it being adventurous and trying some very new things.
My boyfriend and I are in Chicago for the weekend and we were in search of some hot udon soup on this rainy night in Lincoln Park. We found this place on yelp and were pleased that they had exactly what we wanted.
We both got some traditional udon noodles with veggies/fishcakes. Delicious!!!!! The broth was flavorful, the noodles were perfect and the veggies were great. It felt good to have this warm us up on a chilly night.
We also had a spicy tuna roll just to try the sushi (hey it's a sushi bar!). It was a really nice roll, with an actual piece of tuna with spicy sauce unlike the more common chopped up spicy tuna (at least it's more common in SD). The fish was good and the spice was great!
The service was very friendly and attentive. Complete with a hot towel when you arrive and yummy oranges when you leave.
If you want some traditional udon or soba noodles in the area, this is the place!
Thank you, Mike to the K, this was probably the best sushi I've had since the stuff I had in Malibu, California. In 2005. Or maybe Mirai (RIP). No joke, sir. Amazing.
The rolls (specifically the spicy tuna - two kinds and the salmon skin) not to mention the pieces themselves. Fresh, perfectly sized, quickly delivered.
Tea and an unsolicited refill on tea when it was clear that we were in no rush to leave after paying, smiles all around to boot.
The most delicious stuff. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
When I need comfort food and my grandmother doesn't want me over to her house because my grandfather is all medicated up and ranting about being in the war...
I go to Itto's.
This is about as perfect of a environment for dining as I've come across. There's something so satisfying about curling up in a corner table out front and watching the world lazily go by while enjoying a bowl of miso. The katsudon is wonderful, as is the wakasagi kaaragi and hot (not spicy) tuna maki. Heck, everything on the menu is just about flawless. Five stars easily. Four stars if they've got a Cubs game on the TV behind the bar. Seriously, Shingo Takatsu ate here. Maybe if Fukudome did, we can discuss.
Hi, my name is Aurore and I am addicted to katsudon.
What is worse is that I developed this addiction while being on the hunt for another one - udon. So this is a damn vicious circle, I am f*$&@&ed and I will never get out of this alive.
Or slim.
Seriously peeps if you never tried katsudon you just HAVE to. This is probably one of the most comforting of the Japanese comfort food....like mac n'cheese, mashed potatoes or chicken pot pie. Or a mix of the three. Breaded deep-fried pork, onions, sticky rice, egg and condiments that create a wonderful saltiness I keep craving.....
It's INSANELY good.
And is supposed to bring you good luck for exams eaten the night before. Got that?!?!?
But their udon is quite decent too. There are 6 varieties, including my favorite - nabayaki (fish cake, tempura shrimp and a poached egg - YUM!!) and really, this is where this place clearly wins: traditional food. Drop your raw fish rolls and give it a try.
Itto is cute and intimate. It really feels like a little (deluxe) shack tucked in a quiet Kyoto neighborhood. A teishoku-ya. Or so I dream. I have never been. But if this love story goes on for a while I would have no choice....
Itto is one of the few Japanese-owned and -operated sushi parlors in the city--I say this not to wade into the identity politics swamp but to suggest its influence on the focus and expansiveness of the menu, the kinds of fish offered, the cutting, et al. This is not a rolls-and-saketini temple (don't get me started on how bad these places are); there's no DJ. We're not in Lincoln Park anymore, Toto.
Put another way, this is where I first tried natto.
So I sit at the sushi counter; I check the specials board for what fish are in (and they go global on that; I think they're one of the few places not served by Rev. Moon's sushi-in-a-van empire); I scan the specials menu for cooked guidance. I'll order some nigiri--remember, you came here for the fish, not some mayo and fried shit stuffed together--I'll order something with eggplant, as they do lovely t'ngs with it. They are golden with the fryer and grill, as traditional Japanese restaurants are apt to be; some fatty seabass or yellowtail collar, grilled and choked with lemon, will do nicely, as will tonkatsu.
But let me tell you about my favorite dish here: tilefish jerky. I ate some lovely things in '08--duck at Sun Wah, tacos at Asadero, among others--but this was favorite last bite of the year: a little smoky, a little sweet, a little briny--and served with Kewpie, no less! Just awesome.
Itto is one of the few old skool, long standing, authentic Japanese restaurants in the city. Â The price point is just slightly above Matsuya, but I think the flavors and experience are closer to Japan. Â At the same time, it can compete with many of the $$$ restaurants in city. Â So Itto serves as my middle ground when I want some traditional fixins without sacrificing much.
I tried chicken yakitori, scallop maki, and the daily special of deep fried skate wing. Â The skate dish was a huge thick meaty piece. I just wished they filleted and salted both sides because it was little tasteless even with the ponzu sauce. Â I've only had the scallop maki, but my gut feeling tells me Itto is probably not going to be my destination for pure sushi experience.
I guess my strategy for Itto is to stick to the appetizers, chalkboard specials, and maybe one maki.
I've had sushi on the brain the last few days and it's all Michael G's fault!
I heard good things about Itto and have been wanting to try it for a while now since I prefer simple, traditional rolls. I ordered 3 maki: spicy tuna, sake kyu, and negimaguro, which I got for just under $15.
The spicy tuna was my favorite of my 3 rolls. Generous portions of fish and whole pieces; it was definitely the most flavorful of the 3 rolls I got. My least favorite roll was the sake kyu (salmon and cucumber), compared to my other 2 rolls it was light on the fish, heavy on the rice. The sake kyu wasn't bad, just not as good as the others and salmon rolls are usually my favorite.
I love ginger with my maki and asked for extra since I rarely have enough for my meal, but the ginger I got with my rolls was *raggedy* looking. It hadn't gone bad, there were just a lot of small slivers of ginger rather than the nice sized pieces you usually get; the slivers ended up sinking to the bottom of my soy sauce because they wouldn't stay on the roll.
Even though I carried out, service was very friendly and no one made me feel like a cow for the amount of sushi I ordered. I know I have a bit of a sushi problem, but backhanded compliments like *wow, that's a lot of sushi for just one person* or *that's enough to feed two people* are never appreciated. So kudos to Itto for that!
Bottom line: 3.5 stars. The fish was fresh, the rolls were good, I would definitely give it another shot.
TIP: Here's a tip so you don't look foolish like I did, you can thank me later. When you get to the entrance you will see a stairwell going up and a wood, windowless door next to it. That windowless door looks like it would lead to someone's apartment, but it does not, it leads you right into Itto. Now you won't have to stand there confused, drawing odd stares from people enjoying their meal on the other side of the window.
If you're looking for maki rolls with sparklers and mango in them, walk away now. Itto is a classic, authentic Japanese restaurant. It's refreshing to hear a 'irasshaimase!' when walking into a sushi restaurant in Chicago, since the majority of Chicago sushi places aren't run by Japanese.
They have a separate menu in Japanese, which should tell you something. I only wish my Japanese reading skills were better so that I could feel confident ordering from it (someday soon!)
Delivery is also excellent. They pack their sushi in a separate bag from hot food (unlike places like Kamehachi), and the people on the phone and the delivery drivers are very pleasant.
Sushi is good and reasonably priced. The rice has the perfect consistency, the fish tastes fresh, and they give you plenty of gari and wasabi (it was freshly made and super hot- not out of a tube, but not hon wasabi- which I will ask about the next time I'm in). I have not tried their uni yet, but will report back when I do- since it's a favorite of mine.
We also ordered tempura udon and beef soba (for the boyfriend). They arrived well-packaged (the tempura separate) and piping hot. The tempura veggies were delicious and perfectly battered. Boyfriend liked his beef soba a lot, and he's not too accustomed to Japanese cuisine (yet).
Whoever described this as Japanese comfort food was totally right. Itto is the place to order from when you're craving real, classic and unfussy Japanese food. The Japanese clientele, the food, and the atmosphere almost make you feel like you're in Japan. This place is going to be a favorite of mine for as long as I live in Chicago.
Itto is now my favorite sushi place! Â Why? Â Well for one, they create some of the freshest sushi I've tasted and it is priced VERY affordable. Â Most Maki is $4.50.....I cannot remember any sushi place I've tried that has come close to that price.
The service is great and the servers are very nice. Â They even bring you a warm towel to start off your meal. Â Sitting at the sushi bar on the right side near the corner affords you a view of them creating your rolls right there in front of you. Â
The place doesn't have hip decor, nor is it very sexy place, but there were a lot of Japanese eating there which I find is a good sign if the ethic food being served is also being consumed by that same group.
You even get sliced oranges at the end of your meal which I find is a nice touch.
A great inexpensive sushi place you should try.
Hokay, so in general, I love sushi. Â I love sushi so much, that me and my friends have become sushi elitists... and are used to dishing out excessive amounts of cash for it, and are ok with that. Â We embrace it.
That said, at the recommendation of many fellow yelpers, we decided to branch out from our usual sushi destinations and try Itto. Â We walked up to what looks like a JaponArby and I looked at my friend said ok, we can do this... On the menu it says they are celebrating 26 years of being in business, well congrats.
We had a dinner of edamame, sashimi, and 3 special maki rolls... our bill came, $65... I felt like we had been teased with the promise of good sushi, only to be left with sushi blue balls and a high bill to pay for not being satisfied. Â Bah. Â Never again. Â
To sum it up, decent, over-priced sushi served in an arby-esque setting. Â You can have better people, much much better, for the same prices elsewhere.
I got to enjoy a birthday dinner at this Japanese restaurant that my Japanese friends claimed to be "pretty darn authentic." When we walked in, I did feel like I was in a restaurant in Japan.
The key was to go with Japanese people, I think, so then they just talk in Japanese and figure out what to order. My friends ordered SO much food... and a lot of it was not the typical "American" Japanese like sushi rolls and sashimi, but instead was other traditional foods like fried smelt, raw squid, something that tasted like pate, filefish, etc. Yes, we ate a lot and a lot of the stuff even I have never tried!
The people were so nice, at least I think they were nice, as I don't understand Japanese and they were basically talking to my Japanese friends the whole night. The seafood was really, really fresh and my first time eating raw squid was great! It melted in my mouth. Yum! One of my other favorite things were the mochi ice creams. They are different than the ones you can buy at Mitsuwa and they were so delicious! I tried the coffee and mango... again, melts-in-your-mouth good!
Another sign of a good restaurant is their repeat clientele. I saw people walking out and saying goodbye to the owners like they were friends. AND, they even have a thing where you can buy your own chopsticks and keep them in chopstick cases there. That way, for a frequent diner, you can conserve on those disposable chopsticks and also feel like a VIP with your own special chopsticks!
Overall, great, authentic food!
Solid, but doesn't live up to the hype on Yelp.
As a Japanese restaurant, serving home-style Japanese cuisine, Itto is pretty good (for Chicago). Â These comprise dishes beyond the familiar trio (sushi, udon and teriyaki), and they tend to be less salty, sweet or provocative; traditional Japanese is rather simple and 'bland' to the taste buds used to the sickly sweet teriyaki sauces and the sharp wasabi stings. Â I personally don't prefer the authentic Japanese cuisine, but I think that Itto does them well -- if you crave home-style cooking, Itto should be among the top in your list.
On the other hand, if you're craving sushi, Itto doesn't really stand out among its peers. Â Fish is fresh, but so are other four-Yelp-stars establishment. Â The sushi and rolls are consistenly well made with the right proportions, but others do the same. Â Itto starts to fall behind in the 'innovation' department, because it sticks with the traditional, perhaps dabbling with an asparagus in a roll here and there, while others are churning out some spectacular hits (and misses). Â To me, Itto sushi is good, but boring; it is not my destination for sushi.
Service is no-nonsense and friendly, and they'll be happy to accomodate your questions and requests; chum up to them, and they will do the same. Â It's fairly down-to-earth and casual, but still Japanese in its manners -- i's a good thing. Â Atmosphere wise, it has the usual Japanese restaurant decor, with frayed edges and age obviously showing.
This is not a place I'll bring my out-of-town friends to wow them with sushi; it's more of a place where I'll go with a buddy or two, order a few appetizers and enjoy an evening of conversation and sake.
Great atmosphere, good food. Â It's comforting to actually see a Japanese crowd running a Japanese restaurant. Â Prices are reasonable but, hey, it's sushi.
Edit: I'm in the middle of telling the guy my order for delivery and he says, (in a Japanesey way) "Aw shit. Â What's wrong with this fuckin' computer." He said it so casually.
I counsel high-school kids, and on a whim while we were exploring Lincoln Park, we decided to nab some sushi. None of the staff balked at the fact that 4 adults were dragging about 13 kids. They seated as quickly as could be expected and we were all WOWED by how delicious the food was! Everything was prepared expertly and arranged prettily.  No one seemed impatient when taking our large party order. And surprisingly, our party didn't disturb anyone else because they stuck us in the perfect spot! I've been back many times since, whether to share a quick  roll after work or to gorge on a full meal during the weekends.
Mmm and it's a terrific place to take your sushi-virigin friends. My mother loved it and the waiter was able to help us decide the best "starter" rolls.
My real rating is 4.33 repeating. Lets just pretend that 1/3 of that last star was colored in or something.
Anyways..
Traditional Sushi Restaurant!
This place is filled with giggly Asian waitresses, that automatically gave it  3 stars. But wait! The sushi is just so damn good! Very friendly calm service... The atmosphere was wonderful except some whitey at the bar who had too much to drink and was being loud, I believe he though he had a chance with one of the waitresses. I ordered Chicken and it happened to be too crunchy but no matter because the sushi made up for it completely! Raising my score from 3 to 4 stars..
As we left every single staff member in Itto's said goodbye, including the bar workers. "That my friend raised my rating from 4 to 4.33 repeating!"
-Nice ,Relaxing ,Great Sushi... Try it!
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