West Loop
25-course | $175 | 22-seat
Review based off of our second visit: June 18th, 2021
Mako owner and head chef B.K. Park is one of the most well known sushi gurus in the city, with a resume including Mirai, Arami, and Juno. Chef B.K. Park finally opened what he calls his "dream restaurant", Mako, named after a species of shark, back in 2019. As our second trip to Mako, we were very excited to see how it has grown since receiving one Michelin star in 2020.
One of our favorite things about the Mako omakase experience is the ambiance. Everything screams fancy, which is something we appreciate when spending upwards of $150 on a meal. Attention to detail can be seen everywhere, from the way the staff greats and interacts with you all the way down to the beautiful bathroom and it's contents. There is truly something to be said for the service at Mako.
The tasting started out with three mini dishes, akami, snow crab, and bonito. Each of these bites were full of flavor and umami and set the tone for the night. Next up was the sashimi course. The presentation along with the side of fresh wasabi was a big hit for us. We generally prefer nigiri to sashimi, but such fresh pieces were a welcome change. One interesting thing we found was the side of soy sauce the staff provided with the sashimi course. Traditional omakases never provide diners with soy sauce, but instead have flavor coming from different edome practices such as curing or marinating, or dressing the fish with a light soy drizzle before serving. It seems Mako has accepted the very American tendency to add soy sauce to most sushi and taken the route of accommodation over tradition. We can definitely applaud Mako for making some bold decisions such as this, based on customer preference.
The rest of the meal alternated between sets of nigiri and additional small bites. Each piece of the night was amazing, however, very small. From thin fish on the nigiri, to miniature bites with the small plates, we were left craving more.
On a super positive note, we always love when we come across a new fish or bite and were excited to try the Mirugai, or geoduck clam offered for the night. In contrast to our last visit to Mako, it was great to see a host of unique and rare seasonal fish this time around.
We ended the night with multiple sweet treats including eel, tamago, japanese souffle, and a delicious yuzu granita shot.
Overall, we had a wonderful experience at Mako. With delicious bites bursting with flavor, you truly get a unique and delicious tasting of Japan. Our main critiques would be on making both the small bite portions and the cuts of nigiri larger. Additionally, we would hope to see a warmer rice at such a high price point and with such an experienced chef behind the bar.
Mako Omakase at a glance
Rice: Sadly the rice was not warm and a little dry.
Fish: Very fresh and very delicious. We were pleasantly surprised to see some rare pieces during the nigiri portion. One critique is definitely the size of the fish. Pieces are cut very small.
Vibe: A very beautiful and fancy affair. For such a hefty price tag, diners will definitely feel as if they are being treated to a special occasion.
Experience: While service is impeccable, the interaction and actual experience of the omakase is a little minimal.
Value: While the food and service was absolutely amazing, the sizes and portions are just too small for the $175 price tag to make sense for us. This is the first omakase we have left not feeling full.
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