Joto Sushi

I have tried a few fancy sushi spots in Chicago and Joto is a contender for one of the best. What sets them apart is their process of dry aging their fish right when it arrives. It reminds me of how a steakhouse ages their meat. And we know "dry" is not a word we would use to describe that. The fatty tuna is exceptional. The eel has amazing flavor. The small bite apps of tuna and crab is comfort food you will crave. And the Japanese style street meat off the grill brought me back to our time in Tokyo. Yum yum yum! The cocktails and sake go well with our selections. And cheesecake for dessert. Great service and recommendations.

Joto is a gem! We did the omakase experience and had the best time. We started with drinks while waiting for the party prior to finish. (I love their drink Baby Sharks. If you enjoy a little spice in your drink, try this.) Each piece of nigiri was beautifully crafted and absolutely delicious. Dance in your seat delicious. Our chef was not only incredibly skilled, but also personable and engaging. We enjoyed chatting with him throughout the meal, which made the experience even more fun. The staff were fantastic—attentive, friendly, and made sure everything flowed seamlessly. From start to finish, it was thoughtful and elevated. We’re already looking forward to coming back!

I really enjoyed the food and experience at Joto. Each dish was delicious, flavor and plating are all so good. And the Otoro = amazing! I was impressed by the service too, our group was taken well care of despite being a bigger group. The food, service and overall atmosphere/vibe combined make it a great spot for birthdays, a date, or just a fun night out with friends. Highly recommend!!

Sushi was very good, with plenty of options for both appetizers and mains. Dessert menu was limited, having only 3-4 options, but for a sushi restaurant that is pretty status quo. Server was friendly and checked in just enough, but in my opinion the “insight” given wasn’t more than what the menu could provide though we didn’t ask specific questions to better showcase her knowledge. I gave the atmosphere a 3 star rating only because the restaurant is just part of the CH distillery bar, which in my opinion doesn’t have anything special to separate it from the other bars in the area. The oysters were very good! Probably some of the best I’ve had, and the rolls we got were a perfect portion for us both The staff and food were amazing though so that definitely makes up for it, everyone was grabbing plates and refilling our water so we didn’t have to always wait for our server. Five stars for the important stuff.

Excellent drinks (even Bourbon Malort), terrific maki. Crab bites were amazing and don’t skip the edamame. Service was personable, knowledgeable and made sure we had a perfect evening. Easy access from the train stations, great spot!

Love love loveee the 19 course omakase! The courses are elevated and everything feels intentional and thoughtful. Every bite was melt in your mouth and had a story behind it. I looked forward to each one. Service was attentive and although we had 1 designated server, we had multiple people taking care of us throughout the night. I would recommend this place to everyone for a date night, business meeting, or special occasion. I’m excited to see what’s to come!

Decided to pop in and sit on the patio and try Joto after work! The ambience was on point, and the patio was such a good vibe for a warm summer night. I ended up trying a bit of everything Joto has to offer. Everything was excellent, from the maki to the robata skewers. However, the nigiri is truly where Joto shines. I’ve tried the nigiri from nearby restaurants, and Joto’s quality and freshness is unmatched. I especially recommend the scallop (hotate)! If you’re looking for a quality dining experience with superb bites, check out Joto!

Superb! Went last night- had omakase and Ala carte. Sake program is excellent too! Dry aged program sets it apart! Great service. Tamago in the end was fun! Great date night spot! @chicagopescetarian

Jōtō Sushi Bar is such a cozy gem--perfect for a chill drink and some seriously good bites. I stopped in for happy hour and was pleasantly surprised by how creative and flavorful everything was. I started with the watermelon punch--refreshing and fun--then grabbed a shrimp tempura hand roll that hit all the right notes: crispy, savory, and super fresh. From the binchotan grill, I tried the steak and salmon kama--both grilled to perfection with that signature smoky flavor. It's a great spot to unwind, try something new, and enjoy quality food in a relaxed setting. Definitely coming back for more!

Ordered a few items for delivery and my general consensus is that this place is overpriced for what you are getting. That said, everything was packed very nicely. I loved the tako tako roll. The crab bites were good, but not worth the price in my opinion so I wouldn't order it again.

If you're looking for affordable but high quality omakase with the added benefit of interesting cocktails and malort, this is the place for you! FOOD: We came here on a Monday night (the 2nd ever) to try their all day happy hour and omakase industry night prices. The fish was absolutely incredible... they dry age everything which makes things not only sustainable but also gets rid of the fishy taste that some people don't love about sushi. I personally really appreciate the "fishiness" but for those of you who have friends who don't like sushi because of that point then this is the place to bring them!! The table side omakase is 13 courses plus a dessert and I think the last 4 that came out (ootoro, chutoro, wagyu, etc) were the absolute most amazing of the bunch. DRINKS: We ordered a couple cocktails and one sake bottle through the course of our meal. The cocktails are quite interesting given that they use their own distilled spirits for a lot of them including Malort so it wasn't our favorite but they were all fun to try!! All in alll, if you're looking for an affordable yet high quality omakase to try this is the place for you! One caveat is that we tried their 14 course option on Sunday Tues Wed ($125pp) but their Fri Sat option is 19 courses ($195pp).

Definitely never coming back here. Insane prices for okay food and on top of that, they'll scam you. I am not sure why any standard sushi rolls like spicy tuna need to cost $15-20 or even 4 pieces of tuna bites. It all tasted like standard sushi restaurants items to me. The interior gives you more of a bar feeling with high tops instead of a formal dining experience. I am so glad I checked my statement a couple days later because the server apparently changed my tip amount. I caught it and called the restaurant and all she said was she'll refund the incorrect extra amount and "talk to the server." Unbelievable.

Located side CH Distillery, Jōtō Sushi is all about serving up dry-aged sushi and Japanese cocktails. The menu offers starters, dry-aged bluefin tuna (nigiri or sashimi), maki rolls, nigiri/sashimi, and and extensive beverage list. They also have an omakase experience as well as a tableside omakase. We wanted to focus on the nigiri, so we ordered: +the otoro nigiri +the chutoro truffle nigiri - with shaved white truffles +the otoro otoro caviar - topped with platinum osetra caviar +the Steak & Eggs nigiri - with A5 wagyu +the Kanpachi nigiri - dry-aged Japanese amberjack +and, the Hamachi nigiri - dry-aged Japanese yellowtail The space is dark and casual, with limited metered and garage parking available. Staff are friendly, and reservations were easy to make! +dry-aged nigiri +friendly service +reservations accepted +metered street and garage parking

Amazing Sushi Experience! Our server was Shigé, he was very friendly and personable. The omakase menu was worth it, and my wife and I eat a lot of Sushi. Chef Jamel came to our table and even recommended some of his personal favorites. We enjoyed everything and look forward to coming back!! One of the best Sushi spots in all of Chicago!

Decided to look for a swanky sushi spot nearby and stumbled upon CH Distillery | Jōtō Sushi. We sat in the back room and were met with wonderful service. We started with crispy tuna bites, crab bites, chicken karaage, edamame. All of which were delicious. We moved on to trying their dry aged nigiri, which they are known for. We got Otoro tuna, Hamachi nigiri, and a chili salmon roll which were flavorful and melt in your mouth good. I don't always drink malort. Almost never, but I was having Chicago handshakes the entire time as CH Distillery distills malort. Only $9 and our server was kind enough to throw in one on the house. The vibes in the back room are nice for a date night or dinner with friends. warm, clean, back room distillery vibes. I'll be coming back no doubt.

We popped in to Joto for some drinks and a snack - we will absolutely be back for a full dinner! The drinks were great BUT the food was 10/10. We ordered the carpaccio salad and the Katsuo Chutoro. The salad was a flavor bomb - the yuzu vinaigrette was to die for. The katsuo were a bit of home with the hint of Japanese curry. The team are great as always - kind and welcoming! The refresh with decor was also a pleasant surprise - it's so chill and lowkey (in the best way).

EDIT/UPDATE: Moved from 1 star to 2 stars, because management/ownership followed up after I reached out via their contact us link on their website. I appreciated the follow up since the hospitality in-restaurant was markedly absent. Seems like it was a rough night, and there may be some growing pains. Hope they can get it figured out, but don't really have an interest in going back. Was interested in trying the new sushi concept inside CH Distillery and booked a date night with an 8PM reservation through OpenTable. Upon arriving, we were told the table we reserved was not quite ready, and we could order cocktails at the table by the door while we waited. We decided just to wait, and after 10 minutes, we were told our table would not be ready for another 30-40 minutes. We decided not to stick around until 8:40 for an 8:00PM reservation. You're a new concept Joto team... I think you might want to get these kinds of logistics figured out... No apology from your staff. No acknowledgement of the eff-up. We weren't going to stick around for 30 minutes, but there was no effort to even attempt to reconcile. Pretty disrespectful experience. No plans to return. Good luck Joto.

This place is great! First it has a very cool vibe look in the back room! staff was great (I am so sorry I forgot the waiter's name. He had a lovely accent. He was awesome!). Also the general manager Choeun Park was great. The food was out of this world. The best sushi ever! Will definitely be back! Thanks we really enjoyed our experience

Great food with great drinks. The atmosphere is nice on both sides. Back side is intimate/speakeasy and the front is a bit more lively and lounge like.

This my favorite new sushi spot. They have amazing rolls and nigiri. They have great apps esp the crab bites and ebi balls. Their sushi is FRESH and you can tell they use high quality ingredients by trying their rainbow roll, where most places use low quality crab and they are clearly using very high quality. It's a new place and I honestly feel like it should be super busy every night! Easy street parking and for what you receive prices are very fair. Def try it if you're looking for a new sushi place or just love sushi.

Went here on Saturday to check out the rebrand. JOTO is in the back room of CH distillery which makes for a very cool vibe. My husband and I ordered the- crispy spicy tuna bites, crab bites, classic setto of nigiri, spicy bluefin tuna roll; and scallop roll. Would order them all again, the mix they use for the spicy tuna is our favorite we've ever had. Baby sharks drink has to be mentioned as it is a classic there. Our waitress was very attentive!