Translating to “I leave it to you,” the omakase menu has been sweeping Chicago’s dining scene in recent years. But its origins — aspects of which date back centuries in Japan — are far from new.
These are the traditions that Takashi Iida and Shoji Takahashi are tapping into at Omakase Shoji, where a menu features kaiseki, intricate dishes reflective of the season: grilled Chilean sea bass or house-made chawanmushi, steamed egg custard that they top with truffle and black caviar. And then comes the sushi — pristine cuts of fish the chefs receive throughout the week, thanks to long-standing relationships with purveyors in Japan.
“Omakase is about the diner coming to the chef and asking what their very best is that day,” Iida says. “The chef then builds a menu around this — there is no need to order anything; you’re placing your trust in them.”
That ease of experience — the chance to kick back and let the chef do their thing — is part of what drew chef Norman Fenton to the nature of omakase, and what inspired him to offer their own at Cariño. Diners now scope out bookings for the restaurant’s Latin-inspired tasting menus, or for the late-night taco omakase, an 8-course menu happening Wednesdays through Saturdays at 10 p.m.
“When you leave things in the hands of the chef, it creates a lot of room for surprises — and a chance for us to exceed expectations,” says Fenton, who notes the frequency at which their omakase menus change — with the seasons, or the night of, or right on the spot. “Sometimes we have a new dish we want to try out right then and there, and we can — it’s an exciting, fast-paced experience.”
The chance to be in front of the chefs, taking in everything in real time, is part of the fun. At Cariño, that might mean seeing Fenton and team roast tomatoes for the molcajete salsa that accompanies a taco featuring A5 wagyu from Japan, or watching them maneuver their in-house masa program, yielding fresh tortillas from heirloom Mexican corn.
For chef Ismael Lucero López of Pilsen’s Casa Madai, the chef-guest interactions have been an ongoing motivation for the care fueling their omakase menu — and the showmanship. Several courses spotlight eye-catching finishing touches to the dynamic flavor combinations for which Lucero López and team have become best known, like Japanese sweet shrimp brushed with soy and Japanese plum, topped with a house-roasted garlic and rosemary aioli (then broiled with a hand-held torch); or Scottish salmon topped with caramelized miso, over which Lucero López grinds fresh sesame to order.
And then there are the courses that spotlight Lucero López’s Mexican heritage, such as the scallop — nori-wrapped and topped with salsa macha, black salt and lemon zest. A native of Chicago’s Cicero neighborhood, Lucero López thought he would one day open a restaurant featuring Mexican cooking — but with decades of training in sushi, he imagined the ways the cuisines could complement one another. “I remember thinking, ‘Why not Japanese and Mexican together?’” he says.
At Omakase Yume, chef Sangtae Park offers glimpses of his Korean heritage in his 16-course menu, served in an intimate room of just six seats. Take, for example, the first bite — kanpachi and squid with oishii wasabi chogochujang, a colorful prelude to the series of nigiri pieces to come (red snapper with konbu salt and yuzu; red tuna with minced green onion). Park’s Korean influences are even more prominent next door at the recently opened Bonyeon, where items like marinated galbi, wagyu sukiyaki, and bibimbap make up the menu. It’s the team’s second omakase restaurant — this time, focusing on steak.
“Today, we’re seeing how you can take omakase in many different directions, across many different cuisines — it’s an exciting time,” says co-owner Kate Park.
The Parks’ decision to open Bonyeon is directly in line with the demand the city is seeing now for omakase experiences — as evidenced by several omakase-dedicated debuts in the past few years, from The Omakase Room at Sushi-San and Sushi by Scratch to Kyoten and Kyoten Next Door to Sushi | Bar and Sushi by Bou. The team behind the latter has opened five locations within four years. While the venues share some of the overall philosophies around sourcing and craft, each one reflects its own distinct menus and nuances. Take, for example, their first spot Sushi Suite 202, where a 17-course menu features showstoppers like tuna nigiri with Burgundy truffle and seared bonito sashimi smoked with cherry wood.
“We’ve been seeing these kinds of menus gain momentum, and I think the interest is going to keep growing,” Fenton says. “Especially because of how each experience is so different from the next, based on the chef’s background and training.”
Though that background and training may vary, one commonality is for sure — a passion for the pursuit.
When Lucero López joined the opening team at Mirai Sushi in 1999 and had the chance to simultaneously attend culinary school, he remembers his response on day one. “I was paging through the book and saw there was no sushi anywhere — so when the instructor confirmed it was not part of the curriculum, I thanked him, and I left,” he says. “I wanted to learn about sushi.” Eventually, Lucero López would return to the school to help them teach such a course. “I was excited to help the students learn about it — the rice, the fish, all of it,” he says, noting a similar joy he finds when diners are in front of him at his restaurant, asking questions. “It’s a chance to open doors and help expose guests to new ingredients and flavors, and as chefs, we get to see their reactions — it’s part of what I love most.”
That opportunity to be with guests throughout the night, sparking curiosity and discovery, is one of the unique facets of the omakase menu — and just one reason Park has seen Chicagoans so ready to embrace the ancient and updated experience. “Omakase is intimate — unlike dining with table service or a back kitchen, guests are right in front of the chef, watching them work and create in the moment,” she says. “It’s a chance for personal touch and connection that we are all seeking now.”
Bonyeon; 651 W. Washington Blvd.; 872-318-2194; bonyeonchicago.com
Cariño; 4662 N. Broadway; 312-722-6838; carinochicago.com
Casa Madai; 2023 S. Racine Ave.; 872-342-2105; casamadai.com
Omakase Shoji; 1641 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-579-4472; omakaseshoji.com
Omakase Yume; 651 W. Washington Blvd., Suite 101; 312-265-1610; omakaseyume.com
Sushi Suite 202; 1816 N. Clark St.; 888-670-5996; sushibybou.com
Nicole Schnitzler is a freelance writer.
