Midori Japanese Restaurant
Connie Belesiotis · 218 Google reviewsMidori Japanese Restaurant — reliable japanese in Albany Park. Order the beef sukiyaki. Casual, established, and unapologetic about it. Elijah Rodriguez: "The fish was incredibly fresh, the drinks were amazing, and the quality of everything was top-notch" [$$]
What 486 diners keep saying
What 486 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“North side institution for many years, Chef Roberto’s place has produced consistently solid dishes. While many would go for sushi or maki, their entrees are also quite good. Offering sake, beer as well as margaritas is a nice added bonus.”
“I had an incredible meal here for Father's day with my family. The chicken donburi was so comforting. Great miso and teriyaki. Definitely check out one of the private tatami tables for a super cool experience. Edited: we love midori. I was super concerned about some reviews stating they were charging fees etc. Today myself with a total party of five dined in. We were NOT charged a gratuity fee. Our receipt was straight forward. Our fees matched the menu. There was no trace of deceptive billing. Midori is and always has been our favorite Japanese spot.”
“There’s a reason for not going to these hip new sushi restaurants now and it’s simple quality. I’ve been to many sushi restaurants in Chicago and this place is the foundation. I’ve been coming here for 18 years and it’s always the best. The best of class in fresh/ best cuts of sushi. They don’t serve subpar sushi. Everything is perfect big cuts and beautiful. Love this place and even the udon soup dishes and Katsu as well as everything is awesome. You can tell a great restaurant by the sides as well. They are excellently executed. The miso soup and salad and ginger green beans are all great! This is my go to place for sushi and more. They don’t hide their quality with eel sauce and mayos even know they do use them. Love this place and their service and chef!”
“Absolutely loved my experience at Midori! The fish was incredibly fresh, the drinks were amazing, and the quality of everything was top-notch. Huge shout-out to Chef Robert for his excellent service — he really made the night special!”
“Great tempura, sushi, and tonkatsu in a bright, clean space, with friendly motherly service. This is a wonderful hidden gem.”
“Everything was sooo good. I especially love hand rolls so the tuna one was my favorite thing we got. Not sure where else u can get sukiyaki and it was v comforting on a cold night. Another favorite was the tempura. Also got Roberto special roll, negihamachi roll, along w house salad, soup, and vegetables. And the margaritas, obviously.”
“The restaurant staff especially Bonnie went above and beyond for us by wishing my wife a happy birthday. I only just mentioned that it was her birthday. The food is always on point. I had the Sukiyaki that night. I had the Bang bang shrimp was the first time there and it definitely melts in your mouth with a little kick. We will be back. Maybe for my birthday coming up, but we will bring family. They have authentic family rooms (where you have to take your shoes off) for dinner. Make a reservation for that option. They are usually busy, but getting a seat never really has taken too long. Thanks Midori!”
“This place has some of the best sushi in the city. Great service. If there is a seat at the sushi bar sit to get the best of what the sushi chef Robert has to offer.”
“I’ve never written a review before, but after what happened, I had to. Four of us went to this restaurant for dinner. The older server was kind, the food was great, and everything started off well. But the moment we paid, everything changed. A younger waitress with a terrible attitude came over with the card machine. When I asked for the receipt first, she told me to scan my card before she could show it. After I paid, I saw they had added a 22% tip automatically. We questioned why it was so high when we only had four people. They claimed they charge tip automatically for parties of four or more. But the receipt clearly said “5 or more.” That means they lied to us. When I confronted them with the receipt, they stayed quiet because they knew they were wrong. A man offered to return the money, and the young waitress angrily asked, “Then how much do you want back?” I was shaking—not because of the money—but because of how dishonest and disrespectful it felt. This was my first time here, and it will be my last. Please check your bill carefully so you don’t get tricked the way we did. Lena doesn’t know how to serve customers properly. She brings out the food and tries to clean up right away, even when people haven’t finished eating. She looks like she’s rushing everyone to eat faster, but the moment she hears someone say they’re ready to pay, she comes running. A server like that shouldn’t be in customer service—yet she still expects to get a big tip.”
“This restaurant engaged in fraudulent and deceptive billing practices.” This is not just a bad dining experience — this is a serious billing issue that borders on fraud. Customers deserve to know exactly what this restaurant is doing. Here are the facts: 1. They refused to give us the itemized bill before payment. They required us to pay first and only then printed the receipt. This is a huge red flag and NOT standard practice in the U.S. 2. Once the receipt printed, they had already charged my card and added a 22% gratuity automatically. 3. Their OWN printed policy on the receipt clearly states: “For parties of 5 or larger, a 22% gratuity is applied automatically.” 4. We had 4 people. Not 5. This fee was added illegally and deceptively. There is no gray area here. They violated their own policy. When confronted: • The server and manager were dismissive • They refused to remove the incorrect charge • They offered no explanation • They gave no apology • They acted like this is completely normal Let me be extremely clear: Charging fees that do not apply, refusing to show the bill beforehand, and refusing to correct it afterward is fraudulent behavior. This is not a misunderstanding. This is not a simple mistake. This is intentional overcharging. This restaurant’s billing practices are deceptive and unacceptable. If you choose to eat here, check every line on your receipt, because they clearly rely on customers not noticing the extra charges. I will be reporting this incident to: • Google/Yelp reviewers, • my bank, and • the appropriate local authorities if necessary, because this type of conduct should not be ignored. Avoid this place if you value honest business practices.”
“I normally don’t write reviews, but what happened here was so dishonest that people need to know. The food was fine, but the billing process is absolutely shady and feels like the restaurant is trying to trick customers who aren’t paying attention. Here’s exactly what they did: 1. They refused to show us the bill before payment. They insisted we had to pay first and then they would print the receipt. This is NOT how any legitimate restaurant in the U.S. operates. 2. After they charged my card, the printed receipt showed a 22% gratuity added automatically. 3. On the same receipt, it clearly states: “For parties of 5 or larger, a 22% gratuity is applied automatically.” 4. We only had 4 people. No confusion. No misunderstanding. They charged the fee even though we did NOT meet the requirement. This is not a mistake — it’s a deliberate overcharge. When we brought it up to the server AND the manager: • They were dismissive • They made excuses • They refused to fix it • They didn’t apologize • They acted like it was “no big deal” This kind of behavior is dishonest, unprofessional, and feels like a deliberate scam. A restaurant that: • hides the bill, • charges first, • then adds fees that don’t apply, • and refuses to correct them… …is a restaurant you simply CANNOT trust. No matter how decent the food is, I will never come back, and I strongly warn anyone eating here to check your receipts carefully because this place clearly counts on people not noticing. This is shady. This is unacceptable. And people should know. 👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿👎🏿”
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