Noriko Handroll Bar

“If you love fresh, high quality sushi, you’re going to absolutely fall in love with Noriko.”

If you love fresh, high quality sushi, you’re going to absolutely fall in love with Noriko. As a restaurant enthusiast, it’s quite hard to find a place with good food and good drinks, but Noriko has both! I had a lychee martini and my friend had the Tokyo Story. Drinks are strong, smooth and very unique. We had the nori chips and dip as an appetizer, which was to die for! As for food, my friend and I tried the tuna poke, scallop dynamite, baked crab roll, and the sweet shrimp roll. Every single one was phenomenal. The flavors don’t overpower the fish, but perfectly complement it. Also, the vibes/atmosphere are super chill for the start of girls night or a date night. Plus service is great, and the chefs are super kind and hospitable. I couldn’t recommend it enough!

Sarah A.

Dec 2025

“I love Handrolls so I was so excited to try this place.”

I love Handrolls so I was so excited to try this place! It’s such a vibe and the staff is great! It’s in the basement of Perilla which is another great restaurant. I got the Chef Set and I was not disappointed! I was hoping for a lobster handroll but I was still happy. The bay scallop is much different than I had at other places it is mixed with masago I believe but it was still very delicious! I have to go back and try a few other rolls! I also got the Hamachi Poke! Yum!

LaLa C

Dec 2025

“I have never sat at the counter before in a sushi restaurant, but I did here.”

I have never sat at the counter before in a sushi restaurant, but I did here. The sushi is really impressive, but it was also both fun and educational to be able to talk to the person who was making the sushi.

Kirstjen Lorenz

Dec 2025

“We really wanted to try this place, but couldn’t get a reservation, so we decided to stop by anyway.”

We really wanted to try this place, but couldn’t get a reservation, so we decided to stop by anyway. The host was so kind and let us dine between two reservations, we had an hour, and it was so worth it. Every minute. The service was excellent, the atmosphere was amazing, and the food was everything we expected (and more), absolutely delicious. I’d 100% recommend Noriko to anyone. Note: The restaurant is located in the basement of another restaurant, we got a bit lost trying to find it.

Carolina Cotta

Nov 2025

“This is a great sushi hand roll place downstairs from Perilla (Korean restaurant), also a great...”

This is a great sushi hand roll place downstairs from Perilla (Korean restaurant), also a great place listed in the Michelin guide. Ron, the chef owner was amazing! So friendly and humble. It was great to meet the creative and knowledgeable mastermind who dreamed up such tasty and palatable dishes. The nori hummus dish was sooo good even for someone who normally didn't like seaweed. But it was super savory. The crab motoyaki was real crab and very yummy, the bluefin tuna toro was very savory and buttery and tasted fresh and for someone who hates tuna I was really surprised to love this tuna, the king salmon and avocado roll was super delicious and just the right enough balance of avocado and rice and plenty of salmon with just a tad of sesame seeds on top, the oyster shooter was very good and was more an oyster on a half shell but excellent regardless bc of the flavor and presentation (on a bed of dry black beans vs ice or salt and I hate salt beds), the bluefin spicy tuna was buttery and melted in my mouth, and the California roll was wonderful bc it was real crab meat. The seaweed was a crispy premium seaweed. The ambience was cool and inviting. All the tables were filled up and the servers were very polite and hard working. The Tokyo story (cocktail) is like a Japanese old fashioned and sweet, buttery, smooth, and full of flavor, but light at the same time. Definitely a place to come often! Such thoughtful concoctions of food and drinks. We enjoyed every bite.

karina k

Sep 2025

“The best sushi I’ve had in Chicago in a long time.”

The best sushi I’ve had in Chicago in a long time. The chips and dip is sensational. All the rolls were fantastic but the standout was the octopus and crab

Adrian Knight

Sep 2025

“I came here for my birthday dinner.”

I came here for my birthday dinner. Two of my homies work here. Absolutely delicious! Everything to the food and drinks and overall the experience had my mind blown away! Keep up the good work Noriko staff 🖤✨

Karen Rodriguez

Aug 2025

“Amazing. One of the best meals of 2025. 20 seater so you have to make reservations. Amazing...”

Amazing. One of the best meals of 2025. 20 seater so you have to make reservations. Amazing experience. The tuna based rolls were so good. The crab was great. The waygu and uni rolls were good, but the price is greater than the taste. Overall a fun experience. Some of the best hand rolls you can find.

Rahsaan Taylor

Aug 2025

“This was an incredible experience.”

This was an incredible experience. Tucked away you are met with kind and attentive service. Our server guided us through the experience. The food was - taken your breath away - amazing. Chef Lisa was warm, skilled, and precise. Every bite was a work of art. If you can snag a reservation do so and enjoy all that Noriko has to offer!

Lauren Yutzey

Aug 2025

“Noriko is an absolute triumph from Chef Rhan Whang and Sous Chef Mikey.”

Noriko is an absolute triumph from Chef Rhan Whang and Sous Chef Mikey! This incredibly exclusive spot, seating only 20, delivers an intimate and exclusive dining experience unlike any other. We dove into their sensational roll menu, with the spicy bluefin tuna, bluefin tuna toro, bay scallop dynamite, crab motoyaki, and wagyu tataki being unforgettable highlights. Every dish showcased incredibly fresh, delicious ingredients. For a party of 2, I would recommend around 3-4 rolls each, along with 2 appetizers and drinks. The noro chips and dip and salmon lox crudo were also phenomenal, packed with flavor. It's no surprise they're booked solid for three months—we felt incredibly lucky to snag a reservation. Noriko is a must-try!

Nisha Jacob

Jun 2025

“Wow what a lovely treat this place was.”

Wow what a lovely treat this place was! You have to walk through the dining room of Perilla, and there is a staircase into the basement where Noriko is. We really enjoyed the lychee martinis, they are not too string and great subtle taste. One of my favorite dishes of the night was the hamachi poke. The fish was surrounded by this delicious savory jelly and we quite literally cleaned that plate. Could’ve eaten 20 of them! For handrolls you can either custom select options (which they recommended about 5 at $9-24 a piece) or select a pre-set menu. We opted for custom and the server gave us some recommendations. We tried two tuna handrolls, I particularly enjoyed the bluefin tuna toro because it had a delightful pickle wasabi on top. My favorite roll of the night was the uni handroll which had a generous serving of sweet light fresh uni on top. We also enjoyed the crab handroll, the wagyu truffle roll we also tried which was a hit. The spicy octopus roll had was super fresh and not at all chewy. We really enjoyed the food and atmosphere, the chefs would explain every roll to us as it was served. If I had to wish for something, it would probably be to have a slower pace! We were only at the counter for 45 minutes, for the price point I expected a lengthier experience. I’d be interested to see if they decreased the size of these rolls to a smaller bite so we could try more of the options and really savor the evening. And they don’t have a dessert menu just yet but I would love to try that in the future. All in all, delicious food and drinks! Attentive service and I found it easy to talk with my sister but not overhear others conversations.

Maggie Delaney

Jun 2025