Friends Sushi on Rush

Absolutely loved this place. My husband and I came here while traveling, and it's some of the best sushi we've had. Very fresh sushi. We even came back a second time. The staff was friendly, the atmosphere was romantic, and establishment clean. The two rolls we got the first time we went were the Rolling Dirty and Yakuza. They weren't drowned in sauces so you could really taste how delicious the fish were. Flavors were amazing.

10/10. The food is delicious. The Maki rolls are tasteful. The vibes are great. Our waitress and staff were extremely friendly. The miso soup and Gyoza: 10/10 The Lychee martini, volcano roll, and fried spicy tuna are 10/10! If you are planning to come here and unsure of which sushi spot to hit, just come here. You’ll be very happy.

Such a cute, cozy spot. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and the food absolutely delivered. The sushi rolls were fresh and well-made, and the miso soup was especially comforting. A really enjoyable experience overall and a place I’d happily return to.

Friends Sushi is such a gem! We stumbled upon it while shopping and I’m so glad we did! It’s super cozy and vibey inside, perfect for a relaxed date night! The sushi was super fresh and flavorful, everything we ordered hit. Service was amazing too! From the moment we walked in everyone was really friendly and attentive. Overall, an excellent experience from start to finish. Can’t wait to come back and bring friends next time! 🍣🍸

Unique in all good ways. Super friendly staff and the food was truly memorable. The “Can you handle it?” roll is not to be missed! The fried miso cauliflower appetizer was stupendous. Really cute place, too.

First time visiting. I’d recommend The service is very fast, there is nice calm music (nothing crazy) and the restaurant is like a little tucked away oasis for a bit of peace on a bustling street. Best way to describe it Only reason 4/5 on food is that the portions are small in my opinion

A cute and cozy place that serves delicious food with great hospitality. A perfect place to share with friends, family, or just yourself! Try it out :)

We had the pink and the Philly sushi with a soup. Everything was delicious! The place is prettier in the inside than what it looks outside. The servers are super kind. The food was delicious and fresh! 100% recommended

A small, narrow restaurant embodying a moody, classy-style sushi bar. Highly recommend getting a reservation, as restaurant has limited seating, and recommend for groups no greater than 6 people! Sushi rolls were delicious! Fish was FRESH, and the flavor combinations of the rolls we tried complimented each other so well! I was a huge fan of the Red Spider and Tiger Eyes Rolls! Definitely a sushi spot I would visit again.

Came here last night. The service started out a little slow, but the staff was super friendly when they waited on us and served our food! We got 3 rolls. Volcano, Yakuza and Spicy Maki with tuna. The rolls were pretty nice sized and that was really good. If you come here you're probably not gonna be disappointed! In Health and Happiness! Cheers

Tried Friends Sushi with high hopes, and while the experience started a bit rocky, the food made it all worthwhile! The space is cozy--smaller than we expected, and the service was notably slow, though with only one server managing the entire place, we understood the delay. Heads up: we waited about 15 minutes before being greeted, so definitely bring your patience, especially if you're coming in on an empty stomach like we did. Now, let's talk sushi--it's the real star here! We each started with one roll but quickly realized that wouldn't be enough. Every bite was a delight, and I was especially blown away by the Signature Friend Roll and the spicy scallop which is always my go to. It was so good, it's inspired me to come back and try every single roll on the menu! If you're willing to wait a bit, Friends Sushi is absolutely worth it for the sushi alone.

Overall: Tucked away but shouldn't be overlooked, a great sushi option downtown. The good: Cozy seating, low lighting, and low ceilings make you feel welcome and at home. The staff (and restaurant as a whole) were very accommodating for our 1 year old, who loved the atmosphere and friendly service. They also helped us store our stroller and baby supplies, even with the limited space. The sushi was good with some interesting options that you may not see at other spots. We also enjoy the flavorful mochi bites for dessert. The not-so-good: Not much! There may be higher quality sushi around town, but the prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is great. Food/drink: 8/10 Atmosphere: 8/10 Service: 9/10

We were hungry for a quick bite and this spot was on the way back toward our hotel. We were seated right away, they were not busy in the early afternoon at all. The hot wings sushi was meh, a slight fishy essence if you know good sushi, you know what I mean. The volcano roll was yummy - enjoyed having lobster in my rolls! Favorite was the seared salmon nigiri. I could have eaten 12 of these. Drinks were tasty and good serving for the cost. Try the Asian peartini (refreshing) and the lycheetini (sweeter)!

Service was lovely and ambiance was relaxed while being cozy and calm. Umi roll and crispy trio were a highlight, I would come back to try more!

As you can see the food was so delicious I wasn't able to snag a picture before we had devoured more than half the meal. The karaage was so crispy and chipotle dipping sauce was the perfect combo. The Can You Handle It was amazing, super fresh and full of flavor. Definitely one you need to share because it has 10 pieces. Service was great, seemed like they were trying to force us to order because they kept checking back a little too frequently and once we got the food, we didn't really seem them when we were ready to box up the leftovers and pay. Super cute interior, when it gets darker they turn down the lights and let candles light the place, so it can be a great place for a date night.

A quaint neat little contemporary place, the sushi here won't disappoint. The sushi - All the ingredients were very fresh; providing that nice clean burst of flavor. The sauces were crazy good. The spicy miso soup - this was a great soup!

So, I was in Chicago craving sushi outside of the loop. So, when I saw this near one of the tea shops I was visiting, I was elated! Food: 4/5 Firstly, the sushi is definitely fresh! So, no questions there, I just wish they had more maki options. The sashimi entree came with a bowl of rice and very tasty. If you just want fish, this is the entree for you. The miso wasn't bad either, very simple. For the price, it was a very nice meal. Service:5/5 The host and server here are so patient and kind. I was definitely jet lagged from my flight, so I was not the most immediate in the review of the menu. They also were super helpful at telling me what options fit into my dietary restrictions. They also suggested tea, which I made sure to enjoy!! All in all, I would definitely go back. The service here was amazing! The host was kind and the server was even better! I was happily surprised to find such good sushi in Chicago.

So, I decided I would take me out on a sushi date after a failed attempt at shopping ha! Anyway, Friends Sushi on Rush was a perfect find, especially since I was on foot! This spot is intimately small, cool music, jazzy... I like. It's a whole vibe! I tried to make up my mind, but the options made it hard! I initially ordered the fire wings, but switched at the last minute to 23rd St... My waitress was kind and helpful! She shared the most popular rolls, which did not include 23rd St., but it should! I do recommend -- and I'm grateful for a review I read online that put it on my radar! Ok, so the 23rd St roll arrives and it's like nothing I've ever seen before... topped with sautéed onion, I wasn't sure what to expect. The first bite was nothing short of amazing! Fabulous flavor and yumminess stunned my senses for a moment, this roll was like nothing I've ever tasted! With additional bites, I tried to pause and taste it all. One thought I had was that a small chunk of tuna should be used vs ground tuna, but overall, still delicious and enjoyable! I also ordered the 'ghost of tequila' drink. It's spicy and pretty tasty, more TAJIN please!! I usually eat the peppers in my drinks, but after casually popping a slice from my drink... OMG, my mouth was on FIRE and I was a little tipsy! The burn was intense, but settled down after several gulps of water! HA! So, then I decided I would order another roll. I went with the friends roll. It's pretty good; has a bit of l sweetness. To round it out some, I bit off a small bit of the jalapeño pepper slice from my drink and while it's intensely hot, it balances the sweetness. If you can tolerate spicy, this is a nice pairing! The rolls are definitely unique and tasty, I would go back to try others on the menu!

Great service, food was delicious and place looked beautiful The dragon mami was my favorite

Food 10/10. Special mention for creamy spicy tuna and fire dragon, will be coming back just for those rolls. Service was great! Waitstaff very nice, and even gave us complimentary mochi at the end! Atmosphere: cute and cozy. Definitely will be coming back!

Good service, and great cocktails. We also had the tuna tartare as well as come gyozas. The place is slightly small but it feels cozy. The food was fine, I expected more for the price. I cannot say this has been the freshest sushi I have ever had. First time in Chicago so I'll keep looking!

The sushi rolls were good and definitely had a kick. Sashimi was delicious and very fresh. It was my birthday and they gave me a piece of Matcha tiramisu cake which was light and scrumptious. The service was attentive and its a modern clean dining space. Thumbs up worth the visit.

I enjoyed my time at Friends Sushi and would recommend the place. I was traveling on business, and it is very close to the Omni Hotel. Friends was easy to get into for my solo dinner, and it checked all the boxes for food, service, and ambiance. The entrance is a little nondescript, and I had to make sure I was in the right place. Inside, the atmosphere is clean and bright. Service was good and fast. I had two rolls: black shrimp tempura and red spider. Both really good. Fresh and tasty. If you're in the neighborhood, you'll enjoy Friend's Sushi.

Good miso soup taste with tiny friendly tofu cube and some seaweed. Thick slightly dusty crust, light bonito flakes, not too salty broth, a bit of a sour edge on the fried tofu. Had the sashimi plate-Truffle on tuna is fascinating, haven't had that with fish before. The scallop, was perfectly fresh. Fascinating shorter grain rice with a light crunch and sweetness. They done good here

An intimate, higher quality sushi restaurant in the heart of chicago. I was craving sushi this day and my meets were met at friends sushi. I got the volcano roll and I am glad that I did. Not only was the presentation beautiful, but the sushi was exceptionally delicious. The restaurant is more fit for 2-5 people as the sections are small. It would be very intimate for a first date! The service was okay, nothing outstanding, but we were seated very shortly which was a plus.

Great sushi! Got some sashimi and a few rolls and the fish to rice ratio was perfect. The plating was really nice for the combos and it's a great location to go in the city. Would go again!

I recently ordered takeout from this restaurant, choosing a spicy salmon roll and a California roll. Unfortunately, despite being basic rolls, neither tasted very fresh. I love when my rice is still soft on my sushi and this wasn't like it. I picked it up right when it was ready and ate it right when I got home (about 10 min walk). On a positive note, the restaurant itself looked nice and cute inside. If you're looking for just a quick bite I'd still come here but not anything special with so many restaurants around

It's sooooo cute in there! Clean, cool, the service was attentive and caring! Miso soup were sips from heaven especially after walking the Arctic streets chicago. Maki rolls hit the spot!

I've been coming to Friends Sushi for almost 20 years and recently having moved away from Chicago and not being back in the city in some time, I was pleasantly surprised in the last two years that nothing has fallen for this wonderful establishment! If you're looking for consistently, well done and well executed, fresh sushi, look no further than Friends Sushi in the Gold Coast behind what used to be Saks Fifth Avenue in the Chicago Place shopping center. So wonderful. Yum - the food, atmosphere and staff are always first rate!

OG sushi spot in Chicago downtown before everyone opened. Had the best time eating off of this 1000 pound tuna fresh delivered from Japan Highly recommend the nigiris here. Really beautiful cuts and the crispy dragon roll or soft shell crab rolls Service is incredible and ambience is great. Dimly lit, perfect for date nights

The best spicy tuna roll in Chicago - in my opinion :) honorable mentions: crispy spicy trio, miso soup (spicy or regular), and sake salmon nigiri

My husband and I were walking by and decided to stop and check the sushi out, we didn't have a reservation but the hostess offered bar or outdoor seating since it was a bit improvised and they were booked. We are fans of seating at the bar and specially when we get to see how all the sushi is prepared. Amazing. We order the UMI, Fire Dragon, Nigiri and Volcano, we were shocked with how great everything tasted. Could not get enough (we order 2 volcanos to go because it was our favorite!) we also tried the mosco mule and bee's knees, which were delicious. We had two rounds of each and finished off with some sake which one of the staff members helped us choose since we had not tried it before. We obviously fell in love with this hidden gem, loved the spot, the music, the food, the staff and overall felt super glad we found it. For sure will be returning and letting all of our friends know.

We were craving for sushi and found this place on Yelp through the highly reviews. Came by on a Friday lunch and we were the only party there. Restaurant has nice decors, clean, and has lots of seating. Feels very modern with the white furniture. Service was fast and staff was nice. Can you handle roll: 4/5, creamy roll with salmon and avocado, unagi on top Unagi Nigiri: 3.5/5, heavily drenched in sauce, too salty Spicy salmon roll: 3.5/5, solid salmon Although the food was solid, I don't think it's worth it for the price point and how much food we got. $20 for the basic roll that has 8 pieces. Worth a try but would not come back.

Had a wonderful experience. Staff was great and attentive. The food itself was prepared excellently. The restaurant had an amazing feel to it, lighting was perfect, atmosphere was lovely.

Good sushi!! The interior is an interesting vibe, but a cute place to meet a friend for dinner! They have a lot of fun roll options too. The creamy spicy tuna was delicious, just which it had more of the crunchy stuff on top. Would go back!

This place was nothing short of amazing! All the workers were extremely friendly and delivered great service. The ambiance is cool and futuristic. I really appreciated Friends playing a bunch of electronic music! It's fun to go to a restaurant that plays my favorite music--it felt like a cross between sitting down to eat and being at the club haha. The food was delicious. I got the spicy miso soup and a fire dragon roll. The addition of spice (I think it was chili oil) to the miso soup was very nice and different. More places should do this! The roll was great too. It was pretty big and the ingredients seemed fresh. Overall, this is a cool place to go for sushi!

Nice feel, very friendly staff. This was the best surprise since we've been in Chicago, intimate setting and very dim lighting (light on phone helps). On to the food, starting with the appetizer which was the Scallops, big portion that was seared to perfection, melts in your mouth, definitely our top 2 appetizer. Red spider roll was awesome, but the Volcano roll was over the top, the lobster was fresh and warm with a kick of spice, just delicious. What a find, and the value was amazing.

Stopped in because my wife and I were craving sushi. The atmosphere and ambience were perfect. The music was right and the vibe was perfect. The service was very timely even during St. Patrick's Day weekend. The Drinks were DRINKIN, if you know you know!

I had never been here but I am a big fan of their menu for the most part. Such a huge variety of nigiri I've never seen before. I was excited to try these new dishes like the hamachi and the seared fatty tuna. The interior is a bit basic and plain but it's not bad, and I like the little flower thing they have in the ceiling. It's dim and small. It does smell a bit because the kitchen is in the same area as the dining area. Plus it's a small restaurant, but it's bearable. Soy sauce bottle is very fancy, most of the ones I see are the kikkoman ones. Service was good and they are very quick and polite. Nothing much else to say besides the fact they are handsome! The sushi was pretty good, very soft and warm rice. Other places I go to the rice is usually cold, so it being warm was nice for a change. The seared fatty salmon was amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone since it's cooked. Overall this place is pretty good, and I would come back once and a while.

The worst sushi place I ever tried. Probably Chicago is not about sushi but look their Philly were literally three times smaller comparing any places in LA. The rest: Alaskan, creamy spicy tuna and devil tuna have literally no fish at all..... We paid over $100 for white rice. Amazing.

Great sushi spot at a modest price. Has a few outdoor spots and a nice quaint indoor seating. Service was attentive. The seared fatty salmon (sashimi) was a unique standout. 3.9/5.

Found this place near the hotel. I'm always disappointed with new sushi spots, but this spot was a surprised. Great flavors in the miso soup, great size roll, with unique flavors and yummy taste, the skewer Hawaiian was beautiful done, nice size pieces of shrimp chicken and pineapple, and then the gyoza dumplings, beautiful seared and light bite, great flavors, the sauce is a little big for the 4 dumplings but it's a nice sweet flavor teryaki style dipping sauce. Service was great, very kind friendly engaging staff. I would definitely return to try other options on the menu and enjoy the spicy miso soup again, sushi and affordable prices. The to go packaging and container are very nice and suitable for the sushi rolls and other items, a big pet peeve is going to a place and having the to go items be put into a wrong container that doesn't work with the to go item. Another pet peeve is not having the right sauces and utensils and this place was perfect and intentional about their to go packaging and providing what I needed. Great job. Small restaurant, beautiful decor and a definitely place to try out for good quality menu items. I will return next time I'm visiting Chicago

Everything was really good, prices were steep but worth it for the quality, some really interesting takes on the rolls. I can't say I've ever had garlic in a roll as an example. Doesn't look like much from the outside, and inside felt "modern" but in a little bit of a dated way, but I feel like it kind of worked and made it feel like somewhere hidden and special. My only criticisms are the table being quite small and chairs low so it felt a little difficult to eat as if was a weird angle for using chopsticks and required co start moving around of cups and plates to make room. And in general I would normally say that photos on menus cheapen a restaurant, however my exception to that is sushi. Sometimes it's hard to envision what you're ordering or compare photos from reviews to menu descriptions. I feel that a well done menu with at least some photos on signature rolls would help. Otherwise worth the try.

This is my new go-to neighborhood sushi spot. The sushi is consistently good, with some inventive specialty rolls. I've dined in and gotten take out, and service is great either way; my to go order is always ready when I arrive, and table service is friendly and helpful. The staff doesn't fail to greet customers and say goodbye. The space itself is small, decorated in a fun way and super cozy. Great date night spot for my husband and I.

Yelp usually doesn't do me wrong but we must've picked the wrong things. We walked in and my partner mentioned a foul odor that turned him off. My nose was stuffy so I couldn't smell anything. Even though restaurant was half empty, they squished us in a corner right next to this other 2 person table. Ordered the fatty tuna as a gage. Came with canned truffle and gold leaf but I tend to think when you do that (put extras) with sashimi, you're trying to mask something. The tuna wasn't fantastic but it wasn't bad and it was a decent sized slice ... but it was 2 pieces for $25. The Alaskan maki is supposed to have lobster and salmon. You could barely taste (or find) the lobster. The rice itself had no taste and texture was bloated/overcooked. The Umi roll was smothered in mayo and fried stuff and I think it's what made me feel sickly/ nauseous. The amount of shrimp tempura was very weak and I think even the green onion was old because it had no flavor. The wasabi was spicy and okay but I didn't like the ginger too much- sickly sweet and not very crunchy. Overall... service was fine and food was fine too. But you can get better sushi in the city elsewhere.

I ordered for takeout in-person at 5pm on a Thursday. I originally tried to place my order over the phone, but they only accept pick up orders online or through third party apps (Uber eats, etc). Once placed, the order took about 15 minutes to prepare. For 4 people we ordered gyoza, spicy tuna, spicy salmon, rainbow roll, and the sake maki. The portion sizes were extremely small and the fish was okay quality. We were all a little disappointed especially for the price.

My boyfriend and I went here for the first time last night. What an amazing find! Ambiance = nailed. Not sure you'll find a better date night setting Drinks = nailed. We loved the "Unfriended" bourbon cocktail. Food= great sushi with some interesting flavors. We really liked the crispy spicy sushi starter. Service= was good. A little slow to start but that's ok and to be expected at a busy place We look forward to coming back!

Highly recommend this little gem The setting is such a vibe for friends or even intimate date. Place is small but the decor is beautiful ! Stumbled upon this place by recent yelp reviews and I had to try it. The sushi rolls are fairly priced, but the flavor of the sushi is on point! Huge shoutout to the chefs making the sushi super sweet and friendly. One tip make a reservation because they are busy, we got lucky to have seats at the bar. Definitely try this place and try the dragon roll! You guys got yourself a new regular !

Solid sushi spot with a very unique interior. It's very white and like curvy is the best I can put it. If you're taking a date here, I'd suggest trying to see if you can sit in the back end of the restaurant along the wall for a little more privacy. We were sat in the front (3 of us) and it felt a little cramped with other people sitting by, but just a a little warning in case this is a deal breaker for you. I found the sushi here to be excellent honestly. You do pay for it. It's a bit on the higher end, which makes sense considering you're in River North. I'd definitely come back here and also really excited to know that Friends also opened a Hot Pot location right next door! Can't wait!

Service: was so good! The bartender was great and gave great suggestions Drinks: I ordered the cloudy sake and it was amazing, sweet and kinda tasted like coconut Food: we ordered the spider roll, tempura tuna, spicy salmon, dragon roll. The spicy salmon roll was my favorite! It has lemon and it made it so tasty Ambiance: cool place and like the decor

Also has udon tempura, which was my favorite part and I ate before getting a photo. Overall nice sushi, lovely staff and a decent space. Good option for sushi in the area!

The sushi was good, but the wait time was poor. Either they need another sushi chef or tell the customers there will be a long wait.

Small yet inviting and chic inside. Started with a Dragon Dance cocktail...yum! Must get! Pass on the Oyako soup, but the gyoza was good. We had the Fire Wing, Friends, Can you Handle and Black Shrimp. Friends roll was the tables favorite. Fire Wing was a close second. My kids 16&14 were most fascinated by the little touch lamps on the table which change colors at a touch. Solid choice for sushi!

came by with my friend for a post work dinner!!! i got the summer maki which was rlly refreshing!! don't be intimidated by the jalapeño- it's not spicy at all. the interior of the space was rlly unique and made the experience feel a little different, kind of more cozy and intimate. the prices were too be expected in this area of the city. also our waiter was very attentive! i would definitely come back to satisfy any sushi cravings!

i love this place, i've been multiple times and it never disappoints! everyone is so nice and the place is really cozy and intimate.

One of my favorite sushi places I have been to downtown!!! Every roll I got was delicious. Amazing espresso martinis, honestly probably one of the most smooth I have ever had. The service was excellent. I love the vibe, super dark inside. We spent over 2 hours here and just chatted. It was the restaurant's anniversary so at the end of our meal a little girl gave us slices of cake. Super cute. Don't miss out on this place!!!

100% yes!! I ordered to-go and was floored by how good it was. The wait for a table was over an hour and understandable. The quality of the food was that of a $$$$ restaurant. I did go into the place to pick it up and it ambience was quaint be great. Sorry it was so good I started eating then remembered to take a picture.