Omakase at Juno

There was no way I was leaving Chicago without a good sushi fix. There were a few choices when it came to sushi restaurants – a couple were Asian fusion and the others seemed to be more of a fixed menu. I just wanted a simple nigiri omakase. I came upon Juno. I called to make a reservation for Saturday night and asked if I could do a nigiri omakase instead of their usual omakase offering. They called back the following day and said the chef would gladly accommodate me. Nice!

The later omakase is offered at 8:30pm which was perfectly fine. I showed up, waited at the bar for a bit, and was shown to my seat at the sushi bar in the back.

The sushi bar was a decent size spanning across half the size of the dining room. Chef BK’s section is towards the front and it turns out that I was the only one enjoying the omakase that night. Just me and the chef? Awesome!

My waitress, Hyona, was so sweet. There was no need to go over the food menu since I was here for the sushi omakase. She went over any allergies and let the chef know. I asked for a sake suggestion and she went over the sake list with me.

She suggested the Sugei Tokubetsu Junmai from the 300ml bottle section. A type of sake only made from rice, koji (fermenting mold), and water. It was just right, not too sweet and not too dry. Perfect.

With a full glass of sake and everything in place, Chef BK got to work. He placed a small pile of fresh ginger on the countertop and began assembling the first piece of nigiri.

The live scallop from Maine was incredible. It was so soft and tender. What a great start to the omakase!

The following piece was fluke from Korea with a sprinkle of sea salt. It had that distinct truffle flavor, must have been truffle salt. It was yummy.

Chef BK managed to provide personable service while making other orders as well.

The next piece was golden eye snapper from Japan. A delicate bite with mild flavor.

I was in my happy place being face-to-face with the head sushi chef and having freshly made nigiri placed right in front of me one after the other.

Up next was amberjack from Japan. This is one of my faves. With a soft buttery texture, it practically melted in my mouth. So good!

The Scottish King Salmon was up next. I love salmon and this piece did not disappoint.

The salmon was followed by a nice bright piece of lean tuna topped with seaweed.

After a bit, a tasty piece of pike mackerel topped with scallions and ginger juice was placed in front of me. It had a hint of sweetness that complimented the full flavored mackerel.

One of my favorites was up next. The chutoro (medium fatty tuna) was delicious.

The salmon with yuzu was excellent. The sweet and sour flavors of the citrus fruit was perfect with the salmon.

I wasn’t sure how many pieces I was going to be served, and I didn’t care. I didn’t want it to end. Keep it coming!

You really can’t go wrong with otoro. Chutoro may be my favorite, but I truly savored the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of the fatty tuna.

Another type of mackerel was served with some ginger on top. Yum!

The ikura (salmon roe) was superb with those small orange pearls bursting with salty goodness.

A couple pieces of eel soon followed. The first one was seawater eel with yuzu juice. It was simple, but delectable.

The second type was a special housemade eel with sesame. It was very tasty.

Chef BK began making a handroll. This usually means the omakase is coming to an end.

The negitoro handroll was made with chopped fatty tuna and scallions. I was instructed to eat it right away. The seaweed was nice and crispy.

I wanted a few more pieces. I told the chef I would love another piece of chutoro and the rest was up to him. He smiled and nodded. More sushi meant I had to order more sake!

The Kiku-Masamune is a dry sake that was clean and smooth.

Chef BK delivered a couple excellent pieces to conclude my omakase. The first one was scallop topped with Santa Barbara uni. So good!

The last piece was amazing. A nice meaty piece of king crab topped with Kobe beef butter. Wow! It was so rich and tender. My omakase concluded and I was more than satisfied. The chef ended it with a sake shot! Cheers!

My dinner was wonderful. Chef BK’s omakase was delicious and I really enjoyed the special nigiri. The pace was just right. Service was excellent and Hyona was lovely. If you’re looking for great sushi in the Windy City, give Juno a try. A big thank you to Chef BK and the staff! I’ll be sure to come back the next time I’m in Chicago!

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Juno
2638 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 935-2000
Website