The warm and charming ambience Arami provides in its eatery is matched by the contemporary Japanese cuisine it serves. Tasty starter options include the sea urchin uni shooter with wasabi tobiko, the Bluefin tuna toro tartare bite with Asian pear and caviar and the spicy octopus spring roll. Arami crafts a popular selection of ramen noodles, of the shio and shoyu variety, as well as a vast selection of fresh sashimi and nigiri pieces so you may choose your own combination. Other popular entrees include the pork cutlet tonkatsu donburi in a soy balsamic sauce, seared hotate scallops with a ponzu brown butter and the Hamachi truffle yellowtail with mushrooms.
For a sweet and artful end to your meal, try Arami's mochi assortment, which comes with red velvet, green tea, blueberry and mint chocolate chip pieces.
Menu
Overall very good experience. I wasn’t expecting much, but this place showed me what they have to offer. The sushi was very good but the ramen was average. No flavor. The service and staff were all cool and ambience was chill.
was definitely on the pricey side! food was okay - nothing really extremely memorable
Arami has the best sushi in the city of Chicago, hands down!
Arami has the freshest fish, and tastiest preparations.
Arami's location and ambiance are a bit misleading, but don't let the lack of frills scare you away. The food is outstanding and service is incredible. It feels like a hidden gem.
the space is woody and worn, with uncomfortable chairs and little or no decor. there is so much noise in the room that conversation is difficult. the overpriced sushi/sashimi selection leant to heavily on salmon and was average in taste and cut. colin, our waiter, was scatterbrained and overworked. we were glad to be out of there in one hour and 230 dollars poorer
We went during the Valentine's Day special where they had a special tasting menu for all the couples that dined there that day. The choices were fantastic and all the courses were absolutely delicious. The chef's choice sashimi, grilled octopus, Arami ramen, and numerous other choices we had were all excellent. We liked everything we ordered, and we were proven wrong whenever we were skeptical. Arami is on the expensive side, so definitely consider it for a special date or occasion. Arami also has a wide selection of great sakes so if that is your thing, definitely give Arami a try.
$55 dollars per person for a valentines dinner was the biggest waste of money I've ever spent. The portions were tiny, and I left the restaurant hungry. Completely rip off. Kai Zan does an omakase for $60 dollars that's 10 course, and far more elegant. I won't be returning and am quite upset with how I was treated. I had a 8:30 reservation and wasn't seated until 9:30, simply because the hostess forgot about us. If you ask me Arami got away with robbery on Valentine's Day. Don't make the same mistake. Oh and not to mention they served a dessert that tasted like a sand cake.
Our second time visiting Arami was for Valentine's Day. The first experience at Arami was impressive: creative rolls, unique cocktails, attentive service, friendly staff, etc. I didn't think Arami could get any better but it has! The menu continues to evolve with offerings not seen at other sushi restaurants. We asked for recommendations to help guide us through the dynamic menu and each suggestion was full of flavor. Ask to be seated at one of Collin's tables. He makes Arami extra special and can provide an optimal experience because of his understanding of the menu.
The food is amazing! I love dining there and I always bring new people with me.
Sushi was UNREAL! Tons of vegetarian and vegan options which was great! Service was pretty slow and we were both shocked by small portions.
They must. Arami must have exclusive rights to its own ocean. There's no other explanation for why they serve the freshest fish I've ever tasted. The almost-endless selection would seemingly require its own ecosystem from which to harvest. Pair this fact with either the wonderful ambiance, or the supremely informed staff, or the elaborate list of cocktails, and one would make a note of coming back to dine again... but since they've got it all, one might say Arami is to sushi what Hatorri Hanzo was to steel.
I suppose I expected more from this place given the it's pricey offerings, but the sushi just was so-so and the ramen was not nearly up to par...way better ramen options available in the city. On top of that, they had incorrect restaurant week dates printed on the web for weekS, never bothered to correct it and did not honor it when we came for our reservation...that was the main reason we went. No reason to return.
Freshest fish we've tasted in Chicago.
Awesome vegan menu. Great service. Really good cocktails.
Good food overall but chef's assorted sashimi was very disappointing
We had the uni shooter to start (loved it), 2 different kinds of ramen (which were not the best I've had), and a few of their specialty rolls (good). My favorite was their dessert, sesame ice cream.
Food was great; fresh & original. Portions were tiny relative to price; don't come hungry.
The waitstaff was awesome as well that food was really good. It is a must go to.
Chitown has many good sushi restaurants but this one is my favorite. The food is amazing and the place is a gem. The service is perfect. Don't miss it, you won't regret.
Food was good, service slow and prices a bit steep.
So not worth the price....waitress was very helpful but waited forever between dishes. Ended up eating a second meal because we were still hungry after dropping $150!
I love this place, I wish I could go more often, I returned because of the gilt coupon which was a perfect anniversary gift for my boyfriend. There was plenty of food included and a lovely drink. I believe it is one of the best restaurants in Chicago, by far the fanciest sushi place.
I read several reviews and magazine articles regarding the sushi at Arami and I had to try it for myself. Compared to several other restaurants in it's class, I found that while the ingredients were fresh and some of the dishes were creative, overall the restaurant prices do not reflect the level of quality and craftsmanship that is found by many of the restaurants I would consider their peers. The restaurant atmosphere and the restaurants level of creativity doesn't match the prices on the menu. In particular, I would recommend Tanoshii or Momotaro if you are going to drop the kind of cash that you drop here.
Fantastic food and drink. Very unique. The design is gorgeous and the food is top notch.
We had a number of items, from the Spanish Octopus to Maki to Ramen. The ramen was great and the rest of the items were just okay. For the price point, I didn't think Arami was a standout. I really wanted to like it after hearing some friends' reviews but I don't think I'm in a rush to go back.
The service was good and our waiter very accomidating. I can't comment on the taste of the food, because I have nothing to compare it to. The waiter quickly translated the Manu for us, because I didn't understand the subheadings. I did like that the menu had descriptions of the food in English, but I didn't know what the items were because I haven't had sushi before. It was also very cold in the restaurant. They should turn the heat up at least in the dining room area. They should also offer silverware because some people haven't had the experience with chopsticks. I was able to use the chopsticks, but I made a mess. I understand that the crowd that the restaurant is trying to attract is a sushi experienced crowd, but it might be someone's first experience with sushi and they might not want to come back because they might feel inadequate.
Very good food, but pricey and portions are on the small size. Service was good and drinks from the bar were amazing.
In town from New York. One of the best sushi meals I've ever had. Food was incredible - simple and creative. Service was right on point. Beautifully designed space. Can't wait to return.
Fantastic quality sushi. They are great about gluten free and even gave a nice treat for a birthday celebration.
Amazing food. Steer clear of sashimi, its also great, but small portions and by far not the best tasting. First time trying sesame ice cream, and its good! Great place
The sashimi (chef's choice) was great! But it is pricey... The maki rolls were good, but nothing out of the ordinary. The cocktails were very tasty as well.
Best sushi place in Chicago! They have such a wonderful staff, that always offer fabulous suggestions (we had the waiter order for us last time). They also have wonderful wine selection. I love sitting up at the sushi bar - those guys work their butts off!! I cant wait to visit since their remodel.
The food here is outstanding - best sushi I've had by far in Chicago.
Everything is delicious and very unique. I try to get to Arami at least once a month. Delicious!
Everything was really expensive, and the pieces of fish on the sushi and sashimi were extremely small. Definitely not worth the money. There are many other sushi restaurants in Chicago where you can get equal or better quality of fish where the portions are larger and the prices are more affordable. The service was off to - they did not have the wine we wanted, and they would not offer the next similar wine for the same price. And I specifically asked for the fresh grated wasabi, and the food runner did not even know what that was.
We were so pleased with the number of vegetarian options (and a separate menu to make life easier) that we came back 2 weeks later, and will continue to return on a regular basis. We live in the South Loop, so it's a bit of a hike for us, but well worth it! Really well executed food and attentive service. Thank you to all the staff!
After just getting back from a year living in Japan, the sushi prepared at this restaurant definitely makes my list of top 5 sushi experiences!
The food is consistently amazing and fresh, the menu is ever changing, waiters are so knowledgeable and it has a wonderful sake selection.
Very fresh sushi! Was pleased all around
