I've been checking the restaurant and menu long before coming to Chicago for a vacation week and yesterday I manage to get there on foot to try the dining environment.Placed my order accordingly and the look of it and the taste made worthwhile for me, it taste soooo goooood!!! I took my sweet time eating the Japanese way????.Anybody from out of town visiting Chicago for an R&R, look it up and visit the place for your self, as an Asian connoisseur l can tell what's good or what's what.
Firstly. I might have a new favorite Japanese restaurant In Chicago. I loved visiting Cocoro restaurant. There was moments I felt like I was back in Japan. My gf and I had hot sake, fried tofu with baby ? mushrooms on top. Then had a pan seared mackerel fish. Then some ? sushi. It was fresh and tasted just like I had in japan, excited to come back in the near future. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tuna, Fried, Mackerel, California Roll
Elyse L.
Great food and great service! The people working are so kind and try to get reservation and non-reservations seated as soon as they can! The food is delicious!!!
Patrick Daniel
Amazing food. I had the katsu curry and even to go it's the best I've ever had. The waitress with the beautiful hair was also very helpful and called to confirm my pick up time. Worth the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Katsu Curry
Vann V
Good friendly service BUT food wasn’t worth the price at all. It taste like a step up from the sushi you get at a Chinese buffet… udon was bland. the spicy scallop did taste fresh though. Green tea cheesecake was good. I regret not going to another sushi place ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Minyoung Kim
REAL うまい ????? deliciousA taste that makes you forget the priceA taste you want to keep eating even after you get home
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jinwoo Im
One of the best Japanese restaurants in Chicago
Dennis B.
Great food, the most efficient and friendly waitstaff. Centrally located and reasonably priced. Will surely be coming back!
Nicholas P
I’ve been here once with friends. I ordered a Japanese curry with katsu. It came with miso soup. Portion size was great and has generous amount of food. Quality was good. However, the price doesn’t sit well with me. It’s currently $26. After examining the other items on the menu, I’m not a fan of the price gouging. I suppose if you only lived in the city, with no car, and was virtually clueless, this would be okay with you. If you head out to the burbs like the Arlington Heights or Elk Grove area, you can find this exact dish for under $20. Tensuke Market has it for $11. The quality is exceptional. This is about a 3 for me since I know you can get great, authentic Japanese for less.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Nick P.
I've been here once with friends. I ordered a Japanese curry with katsu. It came with miso soup. Portion size was great and has generous amount of food. Quality was good. However, the price doesn't sit well with me. It's currently $26. After examining the other items on the menu, I'm not a fan of the price gouging. I suppose if you only lived in the city, with no car, and was virtually clueless, this would be okay with you. If you head out to the burbs like the Arlington Heights or Elk Grove area, you can find this exact dish for under $20. Tensuke Market has it for $11. The quality is exceptional. This is about a 3 for me since I know you can get great, authentic Japanese for less.
Went there on a Monday night that just so happened to be president's day. I don't know if that had anything to do with my experience which was great! The place was bustling and even though, the attendants found me a table that had just clear a coue of minutes ago - right away. Impressive start to my experience. I ordered hot sake and a bento box. The sake was very good and the bento box turned out to be a deluxe version. It was very large and delicious.Service was friendly and even though the waitress didn't come around very often, it was adequate for my meal. Also, the miso soup that was served with my meal was above average. Very delicious!Overall, a very nice experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jacob Tache
Great local spot for authentic Japanese cuisine. Service is super friendly & attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ashley H.
Cocoro goes far beyond sushi and ramen with an extensive list of Japanese dishes not as commonly found in Chicago. They advertise their products as authentic cuisine, so I was really looking forward to visiting. Unfortunately, this experience really missed the mark for me. The restaurant was pretty quiet at 6pm on a Saturday night, and after perusing the menu I opted for the Nabeyaki Udon which was advertised as a house special. The dish arrived with the broth still boiling. Although it was presented beautifully, my heart sank a bit as I saw the tempura batter on the shrimp and seaweed immediately fall off and turn to mush. I heftily blew on a small spoonful and burnt my lip after an unfortunate underestimation of the temperature. Most of the meal was spent icing it and waiting for the udon to cool down. By the time the dish had cooled enough to eat, the noodles were limp and chicken quite tough. I found the broth to be very bland, as if the dashi stock was hurriedly steeped. $33 and a blistered lip later, I left hungry and disappointed. I'd really hoped to find a new favorite in this restaurant and its interesting menu. Hopefully, some of these points will be addressed as I would love to see this local spot succeed.
Michelle G.
My friends and I went here for dinner and loved this place. One of my friends called it possibly his new favorite restaurant in Chicago. We already want to go back because their menu is so big and there are so many interesting things we want to try. It's also such a beautiful space - I can say it looks not like many of the other Chicago restaurants I've been in and something about being here felt like a portal transporting you to another space. For drinks, the table got the melonpico (beautiful green color) and the yuzu highball. For food, we got the smelt tempura, agedashi tofu, tuna tataki, 2 pieces of sashimi (mackerel and I'm blanking on the other one), nabeyaki udon, and the tonkatsu. My personal faves of what we got were the agedashi tofu, smelt tempura, black sesame pudding, and the sashimi. My friends really liked the tuna tataki and the staff also recommended it. The entrees we got were just okay, but I would def try more of their raw fish because what we got was fresh. I also want to get their shrimp tempura next time (one of the apps the staff recommended). I also think it's impressive that this place has been around for a while and seems to serve members of the Japanese community (other customers spoke Japanese with the staff which at least in my experience is a bit of a rarity in Chicago Japanese restaurants I've been in). TLDR: great place, we will definitely be back.
Aaron G.
Upon sitting down and cracking open the splintery, low quality chopsticks, I knew this was not going to be a good experience. We ordered a couple of what we thought would be good items from other reviews: shishito peppers, agadashi tofu, tonkotsu ramen, and katsu curry. The shishito peppers were lightly charred without any oil, and didnt taste fresh. Tofu didn't have much flavor. The ramen was one of the worst I have ever had. The broth tasted like it came out of a bag. Katsu curry was uninspiring, lacking flavor. Don't know how this place is still open and receiving crowds on the weekend when it is one of the priciest and worst Japanese restaurants I've had in the city!
I've been checking the restaurant and menu long before coming to Chicago for a vacation week and yesterday I manage to get there on foot to try the dining environment.Placed my order accordingly and the look of it and the taste made worthwhile for me, it taste soooo goooood!!! I took my sweet time eating the Japanese way????.Anybody from out of town visiting Chicago for an R&R, look it up and visit the place for your self, as an Asian connoisseur l can tell what's good or what's what.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tonkotsu-Ramen, Chirashi Sushi, Octopus
Firstly. I might have a new favorite Japanese restaurant In Chicago. I loved visiting Cocoro restaurant. There was moments I felt like I was back in Japan. My gf and I had hot sake, fried tofu with baby ? mushrooms on top. Then had a pan seared mackerel fish. Then some ? sushi. It was fresh and tasted just like I had in japan, excited to come back in the near future. ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tuna, Fried, Mackerel, California Roll
Great food and great service! The people working are so kind and try to get reservation and non-reservations seated as soon as they can! The food is delicious!!!
Amazing food. I had the katsu curry and even to go it's the best I've ever had. The waitress with the beautiful hair was also very helpful and called to confirm my pick up time. Worth the price.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Katsu Curry
Good friendly service BUT food wasn’t worth the price at all. It taste like a step up from the sushi you get at a Chinese buffet… udon was bland. the spicy scallop did taste fresh though. Green tea cheesecake was good. I regret not going to another sushi place ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
REAL うまい ????? deliciousA taste that makes you forget the priceA taste you want to keep eating even after you get home
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the best Japanese restaurants in Chicago
Great food, the most efficient and friendly waitstaff. Centrally located and reasonably priced. Will surely be coming back!
I’ve been here once with friends. I ordered a Japanese curry with katsu. It came with miso soup. Portion size was great and has generous amount of food. Quality was good. However, the price doesn’t sit well with me. It’s currently $26. After examining the other items on the menu, I’m not a fan of the price gouging. I suppose if you only lived in the city, with no car, and was virtually clueless, this would be okay with you. If you head out to the burbs like the Arlington Heights or Elk Grove area, you can find this exact dish for under $20. Tensuke Market has it for $11. The quality is exceptional. This is about a 3 for me since I know you can get great, authentic Japanese for less.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
I've been here once with friends. I ordered a Japanese curry with katsu. It came with miso soup. Portion size was great and has generous amount of food. Quality was good. However, the price doesn't sit well with me. It's currently $26. After examining the other items on the menu, I'm not a fan of the price gouging. I suppose if you only lived in the city, with no car, and was virtually clueless, this would be okay with you. If you head out to the burbs like the Arlington Heights or Elk Grove area, you can find this exact dish for under $20. Tensuke Market has it for $11. The quality is exceptional. This is about a 3 for me since I know you can get great, authentic Japanese for less.
Restaurantji Recommends
Went there on a Monday night that just so happened to be president's day. I don't know if that had anything to do with my experience which was great! The place was bustling and even though, the attendants found me a table that had just clear a coue of minutes ago - right away. Impressive start to my experience. I ordered hot sake and a bento box. The sake was very good and the bento box turned out to be a deluxe version. It was very large and delicious.Service was friendly and even though the waitress didn't come around very often, it was adequate for my meal. Also, the miso soup that was served with my meal was above average. Very delicious!Overall, a very nice experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great local spot for authentic Japanese cuisine. Service is super friendly & attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cocoro goes far beyond sushi and ramen with an extensive list of Japanese dishes not as commonly found in Chicago. They advertise their products as authentic cuisine, so I was really looking forward to visiting. Unfortunately, this experience really missed the mark for me. The restaurant was pretty quiet at 6pm on a Saturday night, and after perusing the menu I opted for the Nabeyaki Udon which was advertised as a house special. The dish arrived with the broth still boiling. Although it was presented beautifully, my heart sank a bit as I saw the tempura batter on the shrimp and seaweed immediately fall off and turn to mush. I heftily blew on a small spoonful and burnt my lip after an unfortunate underestimation of the temperature. Most of the meal was spent icing it and waiting for the udon to cool down. By the time the dish had cooled enough to eat, the noodles were limp and chicken quite tough. I found the broth to be very bland, as if the dashi stock was hurriedly steeped. $33 and a blistered lip later, I left hungry and disappointed. I'd really hoped to find a new favorite in this restaurant and its interesting menu. Hopefully, some of these points will be addressed as I would love to see this local spot succeed.
My friends and I went here for dinner and loved this place. One of my friends called it possibly his new favorite restaurant in Chicago. We already want to go back because their menu is so big and there are so many interesting things we want to try. It's also such a beautiful space - I can say it looks not like many of the other Chicago restaurants I've been in and something about being here felt like a portal transporting you to another space. For drinks, the table got the melonpico (beautiful green color) and the yuzu highball. For food, we got the smelt tempura, agedashi tofu, tuna tataki, 2 pieces of sashimi (mackerel and I'm blanking on the other one), nabeyaki udon, and the tonkatsu. My personal faves of what we got were the agedashi tofu, smelt tempura, black sesame pudding, and the sashimi. My friends really liked the tuna tataki and the staff also recommended it. The entrees we got were just okay, but I would def try more of their raw fish because what we got was fresh. I also want to get their shrimp tempura next time (one of the apps the staff recommended). I also think it's impressive that this place has been around for a while and seems to serve members of the Japanese community (other customers spoke Japanese with the staff which at least in my experience is a bit of a rarity in Chicago Japanese restaurants I've been in). TLDR: great place, we will definitely be back.
Upon sitting down and cracking open the splintery, low quality chopsticks, I knew this was not going to be a good experience. We ordered a couple of what we thought would be good items from other reviews: shishito peppers, agadashi tofu, tonkotsu ramen, and katsu curry. The shishito peppers were lightly charred without any oil, and didnt taste fresh. Tofu didn't have much flavor. The ramen was one of the worst I have ever had. The broth tasted like it came out of a bag. Katsu curry was uninspiring, lacking flavor. Don't know how this place is still open and receiving crowds on the weekend when it is one of the priciest and worst Japanese restaurants I've had in the city!