Mirai Sushi

Description:

• Blending a serious devotion to sushi and sake with a decidedly youthful, funky-chic ambience, Mirai is a hot destination for cold raw fish (though it serves other Japanese fare as well). Located on the southwestern fringe of Wicker Park, Mirai was one of the first restaurants to open along West Division Street, which has since become a hotspot for independent clothing boutiques and other trendy shops. The futuristic second-floor sake lounge is the hippest place in town to slurp down sushi, chilled sakes, and "red ones," the house cocktail of vodka with passion fruit, lime, and cranberry juices. The bright main-floor dining room offers a comparatively traditional environment.

  Fish is flown in daily for the sushi bar, where several chefs are hard at work master-crafting a lovely list of offerings -- from the beginner sushi standards such as California rolls and ebi (boiled shrimp) to escalating classifications of tuna, three additional shrimp varieties, five types of salmon, a half-dozen varieties of fresh oysters, and a tantalizing list of four caviars (in addition to the four roes offered). The informative sake menu of about a dozen selections opens up a new world to diners accustomed to the generic carafe of heated sake.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Chicago Magazine

•  Best Dish 2007

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010