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Midōsuji is an intimate nouvelle omakase experience from Boka Restaurant Group, located on the second floor of the landmark Chicago Athletic Association. Inspired by the sister cities of Osaka and Chicago, the restaurant blends Japanese influence with the legacy of its Prohibition-era origins.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (312) 792-3514
Website: https://www.midosujichicago.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: opentable.com
Related Web Results
Midōsuji | Nouvelle Omakase | 12 S Michigan Ave
Midōsuji offers an intimate omakase experience blending Japanese tradition and French technique inside the Chicago Athletic Association.
Midōsuji | Omakase Experience – Chicago Athletic Association
An eight-seat nouvelle omakase experience that bridges Japanese tradition and modern technique, shaped by the shared spirit of Sister Cities, …
Midōsuji Menu | Omakase Dining in Chicago’s Downtown Loop
Experience Midōsuji’s omakase dining in Chicago, crafted by Chef Partner Brian Lockwood to showcase each season’s peak through Japanese and French artistry.
Reviews
Tom Liszka
Intimate, a little zen… yet joyous. The atmosphere. The staff. The food. The drink pairings. Midōsuji was
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Chawanmushi – caviar, cauliflower, buttermilk mussel sauce
Shitake tempura & tea – bonito cream, burnt allium
Hamachi – sunchoke, miyoga, yuzu
Jonah crab cake – horseradish, melon, miso egg yolk
Kampachi – sesame, preserved lemon
Tuna handroll – scallion, fermented jalepeño
Shrimp handroll – daikon kimchi, shiso
Parmesan risotto – black truffle, chestnut
Dry aged sansho pepper duck breast – ginger, huckleberry, citrus jus
❄️ Kakigori – apple, shiso
Gold chocolate – sobacha, honey
… more–
Chawanmushi – caviar, cauliflower, buttermilk mussel sauce
Shitake tempura & tea – bonito cream, burnt allium
Hamachi – sunchoke, miyoga, yuzu
Jonah crab cake – horseradish, melon, miso egg yolk
Kampachi – sesame, preserved lemon
Tuna handroll – scallion, fermented jalepeño
Shrimp handroll – daikon kimchi, shiso
Parmesan risotto – black truffle, chestnut
Dry aged sansho pepper duck breast – ginger, huckleberry, citrus jus
❄️ Kakigori – apple, shiso
Gold chocolate – sobacha, honey
Ashley Kendrick (AK Real Estate)
Every bite punched me in the face in a really good way. I loved the staff, the experience and the taste above all. It was worth every cent.
My death row meal would be that mushroom experience again.
… moreMy death row meal would be that mushroom experience again.
Liam O’Toole
The epitome of unreasonable hospitality they went above and beyond in every way from the food to their service. The first course had me grinning ear to ear. The courses that followed were nothing short of fantastic, and as full as I am I would happily stay seated for their next time slot. After the course ended Kayla one of the servers happily catered to me and gave me a pin. This is easily one of the best meals in chicago.
… moreEddie Villa
My wife and I have knocked out most of the restaurants on the Michelin list here in Chicago, and in our travels have been to many incredible restaurants.
Midōsuji, however, wins our award for best restaurant of 2025. Every dish was imaginative and innovative, and they hit every single course out of the park! The service, incredible. The venue, intimate.
Honestly, I can’t wait for them to get their star… they’re THAT good!
… moreMidōsuji, however, wins our award for best restaurant of 2025. Every dish was imaginative and innovative, and they hit every single course out of the park! The service, incredible. The venue, intimate.
Honestly, I can’t wait for them to get their star… they’re THAT good!
Elizabeth Leweling
The service was kind and personable, and the venue is unique and intimate. The food and cocktails just weren’t my jam – a little bland and derivative. BUT, it is early in the life of this restaurant, they may do some risk-tasking and recognize fortune favors the bold. There were some glimmers of talent with the rock shrimp handroll.
… moreMarc B
Midosuji – Disappointing Across the Board
Let’s start with the positives. The staff is friendly and clearly trying. The servers, however, still need polish. The duck was very good, and the final dessert, the gold chocolate dish, was also a hit.
Unfortunately, that is where the positives end.
This was a huge miss for us. My wife and I dine out frequently at Michelin-starred restaurants and tasting menus, and we love omakase experiences. We have been to all of them in Chicago and regularly visit Boka Restaurant Group spots. We have also been to Eleven Madison Park when Ryan Lockwood was chef de cuisine there, and it was phenomenal. This meal was far below the standard of what Boka usually delivers, and it feels like a concept that still needs more pride and refinement when a chef of Ryan Lockwood’s caliber puts his name on it. There is clearly potential here, but it does not yet reflect the level of care and execution we expect from that pedigree.
I understand now why there are so many glowing reviews. It is an eight-seat omakase and there were only six guests tonight. Four were tourists. My wife and I were the only locals. If this is your one big Chicago splurge and you do not venture beyond the hotel area, maybe this feels special. But if you have experienced real omakase or serious Japanese tasting menus in this city, this does not hold up.
Course by course
Chawanmushi with caviar, cauliflower, and buttermilk mussel sauce
The caviar tasted cheap and bland. The cauliflower was aggressively salty.
Shiitake tempura with tea
This could have been any fried fritter at any basic restaurant. The night before we had a zucchini fritter that tasted almost identical.
Hamachi
The best of the worst courses.
Jonah crab salad
Like eating a bowl of mayonnaise with the suggestion of crab somewhere in it.
Kampachi
Just fine. Completely forgettable. The nori on this and all of the hand rolls was toasted and crispy and was easily the best part of the kampachi, tuna, and rock shrimp rolls.
Tuna hand roll
Again, fine. Nothing memorable or special. As with the others, the toasted crispy nori was the highlight.
Tempura rock shrimp hand roll
Tasted like a cheap fried rock shrimp appetizer from P.F. Chang’s. The only redeeming quality was the toasted, crispy nori.
Parmesan risotto with black truffle
Somehow sickeningly sweet.
Duck breast
This was excellent. But everything else on the plate was unnecessary and distracting. The sauces were a complete mess. The duck should be left simple to showcase the skin and tenderness.
Palate cleanser
Overly sweet. The apple-shaving press was cute, but that is where the creativity ended.
Final dessert, gold chocolate
Tasted like a really nice tiramisu. The only other real win of the night.
Pairings
Some of the wine and sake selections were good, but the pours felt noticeably smaller than what you normally receive with this type of tasting menu, especially considering that their dishes are larger than normal tasting-menu course portions.
What really did not work, and actually frustrated us, were the cocktails. They were poorly matched and clashed with the food. This program should stick to wine and sake. The duck pairing was a bottle I can find at Binny’s and nothing about it was remarkable. It felt like no one actually tasted these pairings together. They just picked things that should go together on paper.
This place needs a lot of work. We really hope they make a lot of tweaks. We have a lot of faith in the chef from Eleven Madison Park and the Boka group. They need to get this right because there is potential here, but right now it is not working. We will not be back for a while until we know there have been major changes.
… moreLet’s start with the positives. The staff is friendly and clearly trying. The servers, however, still need polish. The duck was very good, and the final dessert, the gold chocolate dish, was also a hit.
Unfortunately, that is where the positives end.
This was a huge miss for us. My wife and I dine out frequently at Michelin-starred restaurants and tasting menus, and we love omakase experiences. We have been to all of them in Chicago and regularly visit Boka Restaurant Group spots. We have also been to Eleven Madison Park when Ryan Lockwood was chef de cuisine there, and it was phenomenal. This meal was far below the standard of what Boka usually delivers, and it feels like a concept that still needs more pride and refinement when a chef of Ryan Lockwood’s caliber puts his name on it. There is clearly potential here, but it does not yet reflect the level of care and execution we expect from that pedigree.
I understand now why there are so many glowing reviews. It is an eight-seat omakase and there were only six guests tonight. Four were tourists. My wife and I were the only locals. If this is your one big Chicago splurge and you do not venture beyond the hotel area, maybe this feels special. But if you have experienced real omakase or serious Japanese tasting menus in this city, this does not hold up.
Course by course
Chawanmushi with caviar, cauliflower, and buttermilk mussel sauce
The caviar tasted cheap and bland. The cauliflower was aggressively salty.
Shiitake tempura with tea
This could have been any fried fritter at any basic restaurant. The night before we had a zucchini fritter that tasted almost identical.
Hamachi
The best of the worst courses.
Jonah crab salad
Like eating a bowl of mayonnaise with the suggestion of crab somewhere in it.
Kampachi
Just fine. Completely forgettable. The nori on this and all of the hand rolls was toasted and crispy and was easily the best part of the kampachi, tuna, and rock shrimp rolls.
Tuna hand roll
Again, fine. Nothing memorable or special. As with the others, the toasted crispy nori was the highlight.
Tempura rock shrimp hand roll
Tasted like a cheap fried rock shrimp appetizer from P.F. Chang’s. The only redeeming quality was the toasted, crispy nori.
Parmesan risotto with black truffle
Somehow sickeningly sweet.
Duck breast
This was excellent. But everything else on the plate was unnecessary and distracting. The sauces were a complete mess. The duck should be left simple to showcase the skin and tenderness.
Palate cleanser
Overly sweet. The apple-shaving press was cute, but that is where the creativity ended.
Final dessert, gold chocolate
Tasted like a really nice tiramisu. The only other real win of the night.
Pairings
Some of the wine and sake selections were good, but the pours felt noticeably smaller than what you normally receive with this type of tasting menu, especially considering that their dishes are larger than normal tasting-menu course portions.
What really did not work, and actually frustrated us, were the cocktails. They were poorly matched and clashed with the food. This program should stick to wine and sake. The duck pairing was a bottle I can find at Binny’s and nothing about it was remarkable. It felt like no one actually tasted these pairings together. They just picked things that should go together on paper.
This place needs a lot of work. We really hope they make a lot of tweaks. We have a lot of faith in the chef from Eleven Madison Park and the Boka group. They need to get this right because there is potential here, but right now it is not working. We will not be back for a while until we know there have been major changes.
Charles Watson
An excellent experience. Chef’s are interactive, staff nice, knowledgeable and attentive. The combination of raw and cooked omakase experience we really love. Food and cocktails are excellent.
… moreAlyson Crutchfield
Best meal I’ve ever had. I would highly recommend!
… more