Midori is the best complimentary appetizers! But thats the only reason I go there. I do not like the sushi because nothing has much flavor. I usually get the specials rolls and everything tastes the same after a few bites. My husband does like the tempura but I don't know how you could mess up deep frying food. Overall, the people who work there are very nice and the prices are reasonable.
Review Source:thanks for helping me cross off one of my "bucket list" items: ladies dressed in kimonis serving us sushi on a giant boat in a private tatami room!
we walked in with a party of 6 on a friday night, and were seated in one of the party rooms. oops, i wish i knew so i could've worn my "good socks" hahaha
everything was delicious, fresh, and satisfying.
service was excellent. (apparently my bf has been a patron of this place since childhood. i'm sure that played a roll in our A+++ service)
Chef Roberto even gave us a complimentary bottle of soju!
I'm not sure what kind of crack is in the "Roberto Special"... but it sure is addicting, make sure to order it!
The roberto's special is crunchy, saucy, delicious, goodness. I would recommend all to get it if you like that kinda stuff. It's more decorative than sushi tasting.
The sushi tastes of high quality and is served with a little salad and miso soup.
I also like the little rooms for larger parties. nice touch.
Midori looks unassuming from the outside and inside (the suhi chef's name is Roberto), yet delivers consistent good quality sushi with a nice bang for your buck. The ambiance definitely isn't intimate or upscale, but more of a casual setting. There are tatami rooms but I've never seen anyone occupying them.
Service is good - the Korean owner is always very gregarious. Water is refilled regularly, you get a warm towel to begin, fresh fruit to end your meal.
Food. Midori takes the Korean tradition of many small appetizer plates by offering a pickled cucumber plate as well as a green bean and mushroom plate that is drizzled with an incredible hot chili sauce. Also bucking common American Japanese restaurants where you can only pick one of either miso soup or salad, Midori gives you both. The age tofu as an appetizer is a must-have. The breading is not too thick and the sauce gives the perfect balance between sweet and savory.
For my main course, I ordered the chirarshi - Japanese style. The Korean version has the sashimi chopped instead. The fish is fresh, you get a wide variety, the size of the fish is generous, presentation is beautiful. My only complaint is the amount of rice -- I couldn't finish my rice given the amount of fish.
The rolls here are great as well. A wide selection of specialty rolls and good values. My one wish would be that they have different boat options. They offer sashimi plates and sushi plates, but no boat for (2,3,4,etc) that is commonly offered at other sushi restaurants. The option to create your own plate is rather daunting, especially if the everyday John doesn't know the names of certain fish and their respective prices.
My family has been coming to Midori for almost 20 years. On our most recent Mother's Day dinner, I ventured away from my regular order of Sushi A and tried a few new things.
+ Age Tofu - one of my favorite dishes, Midori does it well. The tofu is deep fried in panko, and then immersed in a sweet and savory broth.
+ Uni handroll - they are very generous with their uni servings.
+ Ika Uni - A salad of squid noodles in an uni sauce. You really have to LOVE sea urchin to enjoy this.
+ Beef Soba - Warning, it comes out hot. We were not pleased.
If they offer you the ride porridge at the end, go for it. It really helps your food settle.
Midori is one of those establishments with a dedicated following of over twenty years and more than a hundred Yelp reviews... yet still feels like a secret neighborhood gem.
Tucked into a heavily Korean-owned and -operated strip of Bryn Mawr between Kedzie and Kimball, Midori is warmly lit and decorated traditionally in light woods and rice paper. At the back is a large sushi bar and parties of six or more can dine in private rooms.
Meals, regardless of what you order, come with excellent bowls of miso soup and Korean banchan. Ours included a crispy, cool cucumber salad tossed in sesame oil and refreshingly light raw mushrooms and green beans in chile sauce. A member of our party also ordered the gyoza, prepared with a gingery beef filling and cooked to tender perfection.
Roberto, Midori's famed Mexican sushi chef, prepares stunningly beautiful, creative, and delicious maki. Our table sampled the Norway roll-- tempura shrimp topped with fresh salmon-- and Roberto's Special, a roll of shrimp tempura, luscious snow crab, and spicy mayo, topped with crispy tempura flakes and a sweet, salty, and slightly savory sauce. Out. Standing. My friend's ikura handroll-- her baseline for determining the quality of sushi establishments-- was outstandingly fresh and well-constructed.
Given the hype surrounding Midori, I was unsurprised by the incredible quality and creativity of the sushi. What was really surprising? Check their drink menu. In addition to the usual suspects of plum wine and sake (our hot sake, for the record, was delicious), they have a section of the menu that just reads: Cockails - Shot of Tequila. That's it. What they make with that tequila, though, is truly special.
That's right: Midori serves the best margarita I've ever had. And it's huge.
Service is attentive and friendly and the waitstaff isn't pushy-- our party lingered over drinks and dessert without any pressure to up 'n leave. Needless to say-- and the tequila helped-- we had a great time and a fantastic meal. Can't wait to go back.
omg how did i not already review midori??
I had a birthday party here once years ago. Great venue for a larger group!! Â Their party room is for karaoke with a huge assortment of songs. There's a mini stage and disco lights. Larger number of comfy seating and tables, and a bar in the back! I'd really recommend for a cool night out with friends.
Anyway, on to food. My staples: spicy tuna and roberto special. While the menu isn't super plentiful, Their freshness and flavors are on point. You are guaranteed to get stuffed! Sushi comes with a ginger dressing salad, miso soup, and some other sides of tofu and mushrooms with beans covered in a mildly spicy sauce.
In the dining area there's also an authentic sliding door room for larger groups. Check out the pics! Great ambience for larger groups and fun to sit in. Check out the huuuuge sushi boats they serve on! Look for my pics. And yes, they do mochi for dessert! Mmmm....
The owner is absolutely great and I'm surprised still remembers me! Such a great local spot....
My husband and I have been going to Midori for 16 years and it's my favorite sushi restaurant. The staff is friendly, quick, and they always remember my husband whenever we come in. The spicy tuna maki is the best. It's a piece of tuna with spicy sauce surrounding it instead of minced tuna mixed with sauce. I always order a spicy tuna maki. The Roberto Special is another favorite of mine.
If you have a large party and call ahead, you can get one of the rooms. It's a nice experience just make sure you have clean socks since you have to take off your shoes!
I have been coming here ever since I started working in the area. I had a colleague buy me dinner from here one night and I have been a fan ever since. The sushi and maki has always been fresh and tasty. I'm not much of the special fancy rolls. They have plenty of them but the basics, salmon, tuna, eel are all fantastic and taste like sushi should, the ocean. For their other Japanese fare the fish soups are a grand slam. Huge pot full of fish, clams, and squid. All in a spicy broth that will clear your sinuses. It is one of the best cures for a cold Chicago night. They have on par teriyaki and the noodles are tasty as well. Â They set you up with miso soup, pickled treats, mushrooms with chili paste, and tofu to start off any dinner.
They also throw a couple of curve-balls at you with drinks. They have the usual hot and cold sake and Japanese beer. But they have tequila and margaritas. Strange I know but well worth it. You will be surprised how well they go with Roberto's Roll. Once you taste you will see.
Now the service can be a bit icy at times. Which can be a bit annoying but the food and atmosphere make up for it. They also have private rooms which I have never been in and am always extremely jealous of those who are in one. Just cool.
Overall, this is a 4 star place decent prices for more upscale sushi. Try the fish soup, if you like fish, soup, and spice, get it!
Was just there last night, bf loves this place because of the Roberto roll, however it was smaller than we've ever seen before. But didnt want to cause a scene and have an expressionless waitress talk to us. I had the chicken teriyaki with tempura shrimp and veggies. There is this cabbage type of decor in between the chicken and veggies (prob to stop the teriyaki sauce from sliding over to the tempura). but whatever the case, just getting teriyaki chicken. I've had better tempura, actually got 2 shrimp and like 5 veggies. Teriyaki was very good though.
Reading Marlon V's review gave me a flashback from years back as well - yes had the same exact experience!! The waitress yelled at me and group for not giving 20% percent tip in front of customers, guess thats why i didnt want to cause a scene about the roberto roll.
I'll only come here if BF chooses, but if up to me, i'd rather go elsewhere.
oh and a tip: if you want extra of anything and if you care about paying extra. ask first if it's an extra cost so you're not surprised with the bill.
The food is pretty good here as well. Â The lunch bento specials are always good. Â I always love the little small appetizers they bring out before the entrees are served. Â Roberto roll is pretty good but a little out of the ordinary but good.
The only thing that I didn't like about this place was a case years back when we came in for lunch I believe & they close a few hours between lunch and dinner and the waitress was rushing us to kick us out. Â They shouldn't have taken us in the first place OR reminded us that they will be closing soon in between lunch and dinner. Â Then as we went to pay, we put cash in the little receipt folder and gave it to her & she says "what, NO TIP?" Â we were still getting things together and were going to leave the tip on the table, but she was rushing us out of there, we figured to give the $ for the bill first. That left a bad taste in our mouths & some of the ppl I was there will haven't been back since. Â
If it were not for this case then I would have def. given them 4 stars.
This one star makes me the most generous person in Chicago. Â I've lived throughout Asia for quite awhile, and have had my fair share of delicious and terrible sushi. Â This ranks by far one of the worst.
The fish is not fresh. Â Room temperature sashimi cut in various sizes and with the grain instead of against. Â The soft shell crab in the spider roll tasted days old -- dry, unflavored, with the meat separated from the shell. Â Their beef dishes tasted like sugar; sweeter than Cambodian food. Â The sushi rice was dry, and even when delicately handled, the roll crumbled. Â The best part of this experience was probably the hot towel to clean my hands for the meal I had expected to be amazing (thanks yelpers).
For what we paid, $133 for 4 people, I would have rather gone to Kamehachi in Old Town. Â On top of that, a $25 corkage fee. Â Albany Park is Korea Town after all. Â I'll stick to their BBQ next time.
This was my grandpa's favorite sushi place. He grew up in Japan for a little bit when he was younger and I'm basically operate under the assumption that he knew Japanese food. The food here would cheer him up when my he was sick and my mom would bring take out from here. I haven't been there in a while since I've moved away from the area.
I came back recently when it was brought up as a dinner suggestion last week. The service I remember wasn't the same, it seems like I actually got lower service than the non-Koreans. No hot towel for any of us, and just kind of slow service overall. Nothing I can really say was terrible but just kind of sub-par. I wasn't in a sushi mood so I got the soba noodles which were just okay. The beef was almost absent and the broth was kind of plain. My friend got the Roberto roll which I had never seen before-because we always went towards the traditional stuff which looked okay but it just didn't appeal to me.
I'll keep a place for it since it was a staple of my childhood but it's just okay now.
I had the Tempura U-Don and the Popular roll.
1) U-Don: Â I was SO happy to find a restaurant near me that serves U-Don and it was delicious! Anytime I'm feeling a little under the weather I'm sure I'll be ordering some. The only issue I had was the tempura. It was just OK and there was only 1 piece of shrimp.
2) Popular Roll: This fish was fresh and in good portions.
3) Extras: I ordered a carry out meal. When I got home there was two more container than I expected. Turn's out they service a generous helping of extra's. There was a cup of Miso & a salad of green beans, mushrooms, pickled radish, cabbage & cucumbers. It has some kind of paste on it and it was all pretty tasty. Well, I can't speak for the Miso. I didn't eat it since I had the U-Don.
4) Atmosphere: While I was waiting for my dinner I sat at the sushi bar and took in the atmosphere. I sat down next to a nice couple who said the come here on a regular basis. They seemed to have a good rappor with the sushi chef which was a good sign to me. This is not a fancy restaurant but it is not fast food sushi either. They even have those little private rooms where you sit on the floor and eat.
5) Service: The service seemed a little slow but that may be because I was starving and waiting for take out. I have a feeling i I was sitting their with a friend or a date I would have been happily sipping on a drink and snacking on the little extras.
So why 4 starts and not 5? Only because I haven't experienced enough of  what Midori has to offer to give them 5. To given them that 5th star I will have to experience their dine in service & try the sashimi to see if the fish is really fresh. Â
FYI, I was a little concerned after reading some of the lower ratings made here but realized that most of them were made over a year ago. I have high hopes for Midori and will be back soon.
Mind you, itt's been years since I went here. Â The only reason why I went here was becasue someone mentioned they liked this place better than Matsuya in Wrigleyville. Â I couldn't belive they could utter such blasphemy--I had to check it out for myself!
Parking wasn't a struggle as it always was at Mastuya. Â When I went there I could see how this place could be compared to Matsuya. Â The prices were similar, portions were good. Â They served Miso soup, but they don't treat you at the end of the meal with Green Tea ice cream :(
I was only at this place once and never had the desire to return only because I had Matsuya--I remained faithful! Â But now I know I will soon reutrn when my teriyaki chicken and beef combo craving surfaces, this will probably be my Matusya alternative now that it's gone. Â
Midori could  be a good substitute too, but I will miss everything about Matsuya.  Eventho parking was always a struggle, it was always worth the fun challenge to visit the Wrigleville neighborhood and enjoy a great Japanese meal.
One of the best underrated off the main grid sushi joints in Chicago. Consistently good fresh beautiful rolls, sashimi- all with special little 'perks' like oshinko (japanese pickles), a kimchi-like cabbage salad, and other tidbits to delight you taste buds.
I've gone there when there were folks on a 5 hour layover-(they got a cab from O Hare just to partake in Roberto's sushi artistry). Midori is a treat- excellent bang for the buck, hot sake, great service and there's always parking on the street in front. Yum-mee.
Met up with some friends for dinner here. Â It was delicious! Â The sushi is fresh and the piece are big! Â The small appetizers that they give you are yummy and perfectly portioned. Â The tempura shrimp and veggies came out on a giant plate along with soup and salad as well. Â
The waitress was super nice and attentive w/o being overly intrusive. Â The quality of the food and service would make you think it'd be much more expensive, but it's not. Â Excellent sushi restaurant for those who wants to venture outside the downtown area! Â And plenty of street parking too.
While I compare all other Japanese restaurants to my favorite in the world, Sunshine Cafe, this one gets my number two spot.
I've only been here with large parties (6-8) so have been able to sit in the private dining rooms which are amazing. You sit Japanese style (on the floor) in private rooms with screen doors. You have to take off your shoes before entering the private rooms, so be sure to wear clean socks and don't forget to use your Odor Eaters.
The service is great, and the portions leave you grasping for your pants button. I order the combination dinners where you can get shrimp tempura, teriyaki chicken or beef and an order of sashimi. All meals include a small appetizer and miso soup.
While the food is pretty great, only come with parties larger than 6 so you can call ahead and reserve one of the private rooms.
I absolutely love this place. Came across it one day by doing a yelp search on my phone while on the north side and stopped by. The food was AMAZING & very reasonably priced.
I had the Maki special (forgot which one) but it was to DIE FOR. Before getting out entrees we had salad w/ their in house dressing and it was KILLER, then we had soup which was AIGHT, not bad but not GREAT (still no complaints).
The service was a bit slow and there were hardly any people in the restaurant but it still wasnt bad. They have private rooms for private or large parties and the rooms looked so cool. You pretty much sit on the floor leaving ur shoes at the door as well and it looked ideal for a perfect for a group dinner.
I will MOS DEF return...it was well worth the drive and semi wait!
Midori is ruined for me. I will never go back there.
First: The tuto maki, which says "suitable for vegetarians" in the menu, contains fish.
Second: They do not treat their workers well and I cannot abide this.
The story: I ordered a couple of futo maki rolls and they had imitation crab meat in them, which is made of fish. The menu says that futo maki are "suitable for vegetarians" and does not mention the imitation crab meat. I was ordering specifically vegetarian food so I called about this and they agreed to give me a credit.
I went last week, 12/4/09, to have a quick dinner with a friend and asked about redeeming my credit when I came in, which they said I could do. When the bill came, they would not let me use my credit. I discussed this at length with Roberto and he said I either had to get more futo maki or a gift certificate, but that I could not do either during this visit. I debated about this with him and he said he would call the owner to see what could be done. They came to tell me that it was taken care of, and we paid the balance.
****After thanking them, they told me that they made the waitress pay for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!***** Â We tried to reconcile this. I asked for them to just give me the gift certificate instead. They would not do it. They told me "JUST GO" because we were upset and they didn't want the other customers to get upset. I asked for the owner's name and they wouldn't tell me. We eventually left, feeling absolutely horrible about the whole thing.
Why would they make the waitress pay for the futo maki credit when it is the fault of the menu for saying it is ok for vegetarians and yet it is not?!
Since then I have tried to find information about the business on the BBB website and other outlets online so that I could try to file a complaint and then write a letter to the owner. I cannot find anything. If anyone has any suggestions, please send me a private message. Thanks.
I used to eat here when the place first opened many years ago, and then it sort of fell off my radar screen for some reason. Stopped for a quick lunch today while out running errands and was pleasantly surprised. All in all , it was pretty darn yum!
I had the Roberto's Special Maki. I have never really had sushi served warm before, but the flavor was really good even if it wasn't the prettiest maki roll I have ever seen. I had a side order of gomae with it. Between the one roll and the gomae and the soup and sides, I ended up taking more than half my food home.
What was really cool was the table of cops eating lunch there. So neat to see them eating sushi and using chopsticks. It is a far cry from the old cops and donuts stereotype.
This is a nice little place to get a good sushi fix.
So I had to go back and try the Roberto roll. It's shrimp tempura, snow crab, and a spicy sauce (no need for soy sauce). It was good, but not one of my favorites. My brother ordered Combo A which is Chicken Teriyaki with Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura. I think it was a generous portion and the chicken was really good. Again we had all those appetizers, but this time I knew not to fill up on that.
For appetizers you get a salad with a ginger dressing/sauce, some tofu, green beans, mushrooms, cucumber, crudites, and miso soup. This time I also got a complimentary maki; don't know what it's called but it had green beans and crab and had the unagi sauce on it (i think???). And at the end of the meal you get some fresh fruit with a nice little umbrella. =)
I did notice a new sign saying you need to have proper attire (no tank tops or shorts). My brother was wearing shorts, but I asked if it was okay, so I'm sure they're pretty lax about it. Will be back to try other things on the menu that aren't sushi or maki (not that there is anything wrong with them though)
I found street parking without meters!
East of restaurant = no meters
West of restaurant = meters boooooo.
I have been going to Midori for over 20 years! Â The quality of the food and the fresh sushi are always consistent. Â Some of my favorites are the O Bento Box with Saba (lightly salted broiled makeral), the Greenline Maki roll, dynamite shrimp and Roberto's special roll dripping with the spicy sauce.... Â YUMMY! Â Â It makes me hungry just writing this review. Â
Simple decor and relaxed atmosphere.... A definate MUST try!!! Â you won't regret it!
I am coming back for sure.
My 3 favorite things:
The Roberto special with the spicy sauce. My mouth is drooling thinking about it right now.
The Dancing eel roll? So flavorful and fresh.
The little dishes that come before the sushi. The salad dressing is amazing.
Forget Tank, Kaze and Sushi Samba. Those places are overrated. Try Midori!
When you want to go to a sushi place that isn't like a club go to midori! The set up is old school and the sushi is very good. The sushi chef
Roberto is awesome and creative. I think it is korean owned so you know that they hook it up with  panchan in the begining (more than just miso).. a salad kimchi and some other veggies yum!! I love this place and it's my grandma's favorite sushi place :)
Really wanted inexpensive sushi last night, so my bf and I headed to Midori. Â I got the mixed Chirash bowl (mixed fish on top of bed of lettuce and rice, mixed with Cochichang - red pepper paste). Â My bf got the Norway rolls and spicy tuna hand roll. Â Total was $37, with tip $43. Â
Before we even got the food we ordered we got a small salad, miso soup, tofu, cucumber salad, cabbage, and mushroom/green bean dish. Â Man, that was alot of freebies already!!! Â Our orders were also really big, that I don't think we should have gotten the hand roll, because we were so full by the end of the meal. Â Def. VALUE for sushi, but the only downside is that is tastes more like Korean-Sushi vs. true sushi.
After living in Chicago for nearly 10 years, I think I have finally found my sushi restaurant.
Midori isn't in a swank neighborhood, which may explain why you get a little more bang for your buck here. Â After you place your order, you get miso soup and an array of pickled vegetables and marinades as appetizers, free of charge.
The menu includes Japanese noodle dishes and dinners as well as your typical sushi fare. Â The chef has a few specialty roles which are huge. Â If you go with a group, huge combination platters are available (and arrive on a wooden boat) for under $60. Â (And you still get all the delicious appetizers on the house.)
Decent beer selection and private rooms, too.
It's cheap and fresh and good. Â It is too bright- I think the private rooms look like fun. Â I usually stick to the Maki, and it's really good there, but they have other dinners available- the tempura is also delicious (and again, reasonably priced.)
 You get a lot of appetizers, the waitresses look seriously concerned if you don't eat them all. Â
 The waitstaff is pretty curt and I've had more than one experience where I thought maybe they were purposely avoiding me- but they are always busy, so that may be it.
Midori has some of the best sushi in town. Â It's great to know that all of the best restaurants do not have to be located in the more congested parts of Chicago. Â Midori is the best kept secret on the Northside. Â
Not only is their sushi affordable, it is tasty too. Â The service is great, all of the servers are extremely helpful and pleasant. Â If you have a large group, I would recommend dining in their private rice paper rooms. Â
Also for private party ideas, I would recommend hosting an event at their karoake bar next door. Â It's a good time and you have the entire bar closed off to you and your friends.
First time we were there was with a group in the private room for a friend's birthday. Â We had a blast, and considering how much food we got--and even the extra Korean appetizers--it was a steal and sooo good. Â I have been there a few other times with the husband and always enjoy the fresh nigiri & maki, and while I had never really thought of a margarita with my sushi, I have since changed my tune. Â I can't ever resist when I'm there cuz those 'ritas rock my world. Â We always end up sufficiently full and very satisfied. Â I think their sushi is really good.
But I read the review about someone finding a dead roach in their sake, and it reminded me of the second time we were in the private room with a large group (same friend's birthday but a few years later). Â There was a renegade bug--we tried to believe it was another type of beetle, not a cucharacha--crawling around the seat cushions. Â The busboy came around and killed him (while we were shrieking like school girls), but it was hard for a group of girls to sit in that room with our shoes off for the rest of the night....I've been back since and I will go there again, but I'll certainly be more watchful of extra tenants.....Yuck.
Gotta give them props for accomodating our group of 24 in their tatami room(s)! They must have taken down the separator walls because we had a gigantically long table to seat us. This place is apparently owned by koreans, so there is a korean flavor to the experience. For example you get some nice free korean style appetizers including what was a not-quite-kimchi (more like a sourkraut).
The sushi fish was of good quality but the selection in this place is pretty basic. About ten rolls, and not really anything that stood out. Nonetheless it was a good satisfying meal. The price is a little high for the lack of inventiveness in the sushi, but forgiveable given that the fish tasted very fresh and good. There is also a large variety of non-sushi dishes, but I didn't try them. The 'popular maki' was very good, recommended.
"Oh what a truly wonderful little gem on the north side! Â Robert has been the sushi chef for I believe over 15 years. Â His sushi, dynamite shrimp, special rolls (he invented this scrumptious sauce that he should patent and bottle!!!), margaritas (i know it doesn't seem to fit but they're amazing believe it or not, fresh lime juice and good top shelf tequila) and everything else he slices up are excellent!!! Â You won't be disappointed!"
They also have awesome private rooms for parties of 5 or more where you can sit Japanese style (or don't have to since they have an opening under the table to place your legs)! Â ; )
Reservations recommended during busy lunch/dinner hours.
Live in the neighborhood and order take out from Midori very frequently. Â Glad to say that consistency has been good.
Food: Â large portion size, tasty sushi (try them all), good beef, great kimchee
Ambiance: Â smaller restaurant with sushi bar, tables, and one wall flanked by shoji rooms, karaoke bar next door
Service: Â waitstaff wear kimonos, bus persons hustle
Wish: Â waitstaff improve service & communication, if you are not a regular, waitstaff may be brusque
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