Japanese food has always been a favorite in our house, and with so many great omakase spots in Chicago, Omakase Yume was the one spot we couldn't wait to try. Chef SangTae Park runs Omakase Yume and the restaurant next door, TenGoku Aburiya, which I had gone to about 3 years ago and really liked. Omakase Yume is a very intimate 6-person omakase experience tucked away into a building in West Loop. The restaurant has 3 different seatings a night: 5pm, 7pm, and 9pm.
Their 16-course omakase experience is one you won't forget. The restaurant held a Michelin star from 2020-2023, but lost it in 2024. This seemingly didn't sit well with a lot of local foodies as the quality of Omakase Yume continues to be fantastic, the fish is incredibly fresh, and they add a lot of unique touches to each piece. The seating is $225 per person and there are additional wine pairings and extra pieces you are able to purchase.
It's no doubt a "save for a special occasion" dinner, but if you appreciate a unique omakase experience that still feels rooted in tradition, I highly recommend booking this experience.
Here's a quick look at our experience without giving too much of the experience away! The chuturo and the otoro might have been my favorite pieces. The otoro came with black salt that really balanced out the fatty flavor of the tuna. I'm usually not a fan of uni, but this was my favorite uni I've ever tried. We learned that this uni is sourced from Hokkaido, and it had a very fresh, non-fishy taste. The miso soup was phenomenal. The miso black cod was cooked incredibly well and was a filling portion after the nigiri. We ended the whole experience with a cup of tea and dessert which was a little dumpling shaped cake. The cake was made with a variety of flavors including a sake kasu mousse, salted caramel cremeux, and yuzu kosho ginger curd. We walked out of the restaurant pretty full which I was happy about. Highly recommend this spot for your next special occasion!
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