Updated September 2026. A Thursday night dinner for two at the sushi bar at 63 W. Grand Avenue in River North. The bill is at the bottom.
It was a Thursday night in the city, I was out with a coworker, and we did not have a reservation. We just walked into Sushi-San on Grand Avenue and asked about the sushi bar. There were a couple of open seats, but not next to each other, so we asked one of the people sitting there if they would mind scooting down one spot. They did, no problem at all.
Here is the thing I keep coming back to. When you walk in, it just looks like a sushi restaurant. A busy, kind of hipster sushi restaurant. Then the fish shows up, and it is on a whole different level from what the room tells you to expect.
So if you are looking for an honest Sushi-San Chicago review, here is mine in one line. The sushi is top notch, the music is loud, and this is where I would go in River North when I want really good sushi, not just a quick bite.
Sushi-San looks casual, and it is a lot bigger than you think
The vibe is very hipster, from the moment you come inside to the staff. It is not little either. It is actually kind of big, with several seating areas: the long sushi bar where we sat, a main dining room full of wood tables and benches, and more rooms past the bar.
Behind the bar there is a wall of whisky bottles stacked almost to the ceiling, and from the dining room you can see right into the kitchen.
The music is the one thing I would warn you about
The music playing in the background is part of the vibe here, and it is loud enough to change what kind of night this is. If you are trying to have more of a business meeting, I don’t think this is a good place for it. I would not bring a large crowd from work here either.
So, sushi with a coworker? Sure, that is exactly what I did. A client dinner where you need to hear every word? I would probably pick somewhere quieter.
The D-Luxe Nigiri is twelve pieces, and we split every one
We ordered the D-Luxe Nigiri. It is a preset plate of twelve pieces, two each of six different fish, and the selection changes daily, so what you get will not be exactly what we got. When the plate came out, our server walked us through it. There was madai, which is red snapper, plus scallop and fatty tuna topped with chopped toro. My coworker and I just split it down the middle, one of each.
Every piece was fantastic. All of the fish was fantastic, and honestly the rice was too. This is definitely an elevated sushi experience, and you would never guess it from the front door.
Add the caviar, it was the best bite of the night
We added the black caviar, which is royal osetra on the menu, and it went on top of the fatty tuna pieces. That was the most decadent piece of the whole thing. If you are going for the D-Luxe anyway, that is the add I would make.
The best shrimp nigiri I have ever had
We also got two orders of the ebi, the shrimp nigiri, and split those too. These were the best shrimp pieces I have ever had.
It was not the traditional thin little shrimp you get at most sushi places. These were big, thick pieces of shrimp, and they were very tasty. Some of the pieces had oils on them, too.
Honestly, the whole eating experience was, to use a fancy word, exquisite.
An Asahi for me, an Old Fashioned for my coworker
I had the Asahi draft, and it came out ice cold. An Asahi is what I like with sushi anyway, because it is clean and crisp and it does not cover up the fish. My coworker went with the Old Fashioned, which the menu says is made with their own single barrel rice whisky.
Would I bring Vika and the kids to Sushi-San?
This is a family site, so here is the honest answer. Vika, absolutely. I would not call it a date night spot for us, but if we are out in the city and want some high quality sushi, more than a let’s grab something and get back home kind of dinner, I would absolutely bring her here.
As a dress up date night, though, it is just not our style. The place is cool, but it is not somewhere you sit down and dress up a little bit. It has that hipster vibe, and that is not really us. The food is top notch either way.
The kids, I honestly don’t know. There is a kids bento on the menu for $12, with choices like a cucumber roll, an avocado roll, chicken nuggets or mac and cheese, so they are clearly set up for kids. I just don’t know about bringing ours here.
My verdict on Sushi-San
Sushi-San is the River North sushi bar I would send you to when you want really high end sushi and you do not need a quiet room. The rice and the fish were fantastic, the caviar topped toro was the most decadent bite of the night, and the ebi was the best shrimp nigiri I have had anywhere.
It is not a quick Wednesday night bite, it is not a business meeting, and for us it is not a dress up date night. It is where I would go in the city when the sushi is the whole point.
What dinner for two at Sushi-San cost
The bill came to just over $150 for two. That was the D-Luxe Nigiri at $55, the caviar at $18, two orders of ebi at $32, a $9 Asahi draft and a $17 Old Fashioned. With a 3.5% restaurant surcharge of $4.58 the subtotal was $135.58, and with $16.27 in tax the total was $151.85.
One thing worth knowing: the receipt and the menu both say you can ask to have that 3.5% surcharge taken off your check.
And Sushi-San is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, so you can earn or use your Lettuce points here. The receipt even asks for your LettuceEats mobile code and whether you want to redeem Reward Dollars.
And full disclosure, my coworker is the one who paid for our dinner, but he let me take a quick picture of the receipt for the blog.
Sushi-San River North location, hours and reservations
Address. 63 W. Grand Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60654, in River North.
Phone. (312) 828-0575.
Hours. Monday through Thursday 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, Friday 11:00 am to 11:00 pm, Saturday noon to 11:00 pm, Sunday noon to 10:00 pm.
Happy hour. Monday through Thursday 4:00 to 6:00 pm, Friday through Sunday 3:00 to 5:00 pm.
Reservations. Through OpenTable. We walked in without one on a Thursday night and sat at the sushi bar.
Carryout. Online ordering through their website.
Rewards. A Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, so Frequent Diner Club points can be earned and used here.
The hours and happy hour times come from the restaurant’s own website.
Does Sushi-San take reservations?
Yes, through OpenTable. We did not have one and walked in on a Thursday night. There were open seats at the sushi bar, just not two together, so if you want to sit side by side a reservation is probably the safer bet.
Is Sushi-San good for a business dinner?
I went with a coworker and the sushi was fantastic, but for a real business meeting or a big group from work I don’t think it is a good fit, because of the music playing in the background.
Is Sushi-San kid friendly?
There is a $12 kids bento on the menu, so kids are clearly welcome. I honestly don’t know about bringing my own kids here, and I went without them, so I cannot tell you how it goes with a family.
How much is the D-Luxe Nigiri at Sushi-San?
It is $55 for twelve pieces, two each of six fish, and the selection rotates daily. Royal osetra caviar is an $18 add, and it was the best bite of our night.
Can you use Lettuce Entertain You points at Sushi-San?
Yes. Sushi-San is a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, so you can earn and use your points here through their Frequent Diner Club and the LettuceEats app. Lettuce says you get a point for every dollar you spend on dining, and every 150 points turns into $10 in Reward Dollars you can spend at their restaurants.
Is there a dress code at Sushi-San?
No need to dress up. It is a casual room with a hipster vibe, and it is not a place where you sit down and dress up a little bit.
Does Sushi-San have omakase?
The biggest sharing set on the menu is the Megatron at $108, with twelve nigiri, twelve sashimi and two maki. There is also a separate Omakase Room upstairs that you book ahead. We did not try either one, so I cannot tell you how they compare to the D-Luxe.
More sushi from around Chicago: Kaido in Arlington Heights, Black Pearl in Glenview and Furinkazan in Des Plaines. And if you are in River North for brunch instead, here is what we thought of Ambar.
This article is not sponsored. Nothing was comped by the restaurant, and I didn’t tell them I was going to write about them. Prices come from the itemized receipt on the night.
