For all its culinary breadth, Chicago is rarely framed as a sake destination. Yet over the past decade, it’s developed a close-knit but serious sake scene — shaped by Chicago’s walkable neighborhoods and an openness that has allowed sake to be explored across cuisines and cultures.
Sake, the Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice, may still feel unfamiliar to many. Production-wise, it’s brewed like beer rather than distilled like a spirit. And despite a reputation for being high in alcohol, most sake sits around 15% ABV, in line with many modern Napa cabernets. With a freshness and delicacy closer to white wine, sake is often unexpectedly approachable, even for first-time drinkers.
Sake’s foothold in Chicago remains anchored in Japanese restaurants. But more telling, perhaps, is how sake has integrated into the broader fabric of the city’s food and beverage culture, embraced by an increasingly diverse group of beverage professionals and consumers alike.
“If anyone is the queen of sake in Chicago, it’s Dila,” says Jelena Prodan, partner and beverage director of SMG Restaurants, which operates S.K.Y., Apolonia and Valhalla.
Dila Lee, a director of national accounts for sake importer Komé Collective, is a Turkish American educated in Japanese schools in Turkey whose influence runs deep through most of Chicago’s best sake lists.
“Chicago hasn’t always had the landscape for sake that you’d see in San Francisco or New York, but now is definitely the moment,” Lee says. “There’s far more demand today and with new products and importers arriving, the growth we’re seeing is just crazy.”
For much of the past two decades, Lee has worked to cultivate a sake community in Chicago, but one that’s grounded in education, collaboration and inclusion.
“I’m deeply protective of Japan, of its food and sake and culture,” she says, describing herself as “a soldier on the streets,” focused on creating ambassadors for the category by demystifying bottles and making sake more approachable to both buyers and drinkers.
It’s this openness that defines Chicago’s sake culture, says Daniel Bennett, manager and sake sommelier at Sushi-san in the River North neighborhood.
“I love wine,” he says, “but there are facets of wine culture that can feel like gatekeeping … You don’t see that with sake, it’s very welcoming.”
The increasing density and walkability of serious sake destinations make Chicago unusually well-suited to the sake crawl — an afternoon or evening spent moving between sake establishments, sampling sake of different styles, origin and philosophy.
River North concentrates some of the city’s most stylish, high-profile sake programs. The West Loop, by contrast, skews more casual, with neighborhood izakaya where sake is poured seamlessly alongside burgers or yakitori. Beyond downtown, singular outposts in Logan Square, Lakeview, Wrigleyville or Lincoln Park function as sake destinations in their own right.
River North
Sushi-san
With a frequently changing list of sake — 16 available by the glass — Sushi-san is a foundational stop in Chicago’s sake landscape. Led by Bennett, it’s designed to introduce guests to small-production, handcrafted sake across a broad range of styles, including their own private label bottling, Sake-san, produced in collaboration with Daimon Brewery in Osaka, Japan. 63 W. Grand Ave., 312-828-0575, sushisanrestaurant.com
Jōtō
There’s no sake destination more uniquely intertwined with Chicago’s history than Jōtō, the sushi spot inside the CH Distillery, makers of Jeppson’s Malört. While best known for its omakase offerings, the restaurant’s industrial setting and late-night pulse give it an izakaya-like ease, making it a natural stop. 564 W. Randolph St., 312-707-8780, jotochicago.com
Sunda New Asian
Sake’s versatility lies in how it highlights rather than clashes with elements like sweetness, acidity, umami and spice. That dexterity is on full display at Sunda New Asian where pan-Asian influences from the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and beyond give sake plenty to play with. Make Sunda an early stop for their happy hour special including $6 bar bites and $8 glasses of sake. 110 W. Illinois St., 312-644-0500, sundachicago.com
Akiro Hand Roll Bar
Akiro offers a relaxed counterpoint to Chicago’s increasingly elevated omakase scene, pairing imaginative yet precise Nikkei, or Japanese-Peruvian sushi and handrolls, with a flexibility and affordability that make it an easy stop. It’s a polished, design-forward space where you can still drop in for a few handrolls and a glass of sake without spending a fortune. 546 N. Wells St., 312-754-0076, akironikkei.com
Roka Akor
Despite Roka Akor’s sleek, corporate feel, it’s a lively, spacious spot to settle in at the bar and explore sake’s bolder side — richer, more structured styles with weight and umami to stand up to the fat and smoke of chargrilled wagyu or American ribeye. Their happy hour is particularly suited for a sake crawl with $25 carafes of sake and a solid menu of bar bites at $10 and below. 456 N. Clark St., 312-477-7652, rokaakor.com/chicago
West Loop
Momotaro and Izakaya at Momotaro
Whether upstairs at Momotaro, with its elevated mix of sushi and robata-yaki, or downstairs at its subterranean sibling Izakaya at Momotaro, sake is central to the experience here. The Izakaya, particularly, makes an ideal stop with a dark, moody interior that channels the feel of a Japanese alleyway bar. Sample flights of sake to pair with their Momo Royale, a double-patty burger on a steamed bao bun, or their confit-duck ramen in a rich miso broth. Momotaro, 820 W. Lake St., 312-733-4818, momotarochicago.com, and Izakaya at Momotaro, momotarochicago.com/izakaya
Sushi Dokku and Yokocho Handrolls & Omakase Bar
Sushi Dokku is a West Loop staple for affordable modern Japanese food, from tempura and okonomiyaki to soba and sushi rolls, making it an easy, low-commitment stop. Just steps away, its sibling restaurant Yokocho offers a more focused omakase experience but its reasonably priced happy hour keeps it crawl-friendly too. The restaurants share a small but thoughtful sake list. Sushi Dokku, 823 W. Randolph St., 312-455-8238, sushidokku.com, and Yokocho Handrolls & Omakase Bar, 167 N. Green St., 312-890-1119, yokochochicago.com
TenGoku Aburiya
A casual izakaya concept from the team behind Omakase Yume and Bonyeon, TenGoku Aburiya specializes in kushiyaki, binchotan-grilled skewers of meats and vegetables, along with a robust sake list that spans a wide range of regions and styles. Their happy hour, featuring $5 handrolls and $9 small plates, makes it another affordable destination. 651 W. Washington Blvd., 312-846-6633, tengokuaburiya.com
Outliers & Destination Stops
Konbini & Kanpai
Konbini & Kanpai operates what’s likely Chicago’s most expansive sake program, with more than 180 selections at its Lakeview location. Founded by husband-and-wife team Jun-Jun Vichaikul and Naomi Hattori, it functions as part bottle shop, part sipping lounge and part Japanese convenience store — an ideal place in the middle of a sake crawl to stock up on Japanese snacks or to enjoy an egg-salad sando. The sake list is organized by taste profile rather than technical classification, reinforcing its mission to make sake approachable for both newcomers and longtime drinkers. Lakeview (1433 W. Belmont Ave., 312-884-9780) and Wrigleyville (3443 N. Sheffield Ave., 312-884-1106), konbiniandkanpai.com
S.K.Y.
The wine program is vast and full of treasures at S.K.Y Restaurant, the contemporary American restaurant influenced by chef Stephen Gillanders’ travels around the world, but the menu kicks off with a thoughtfully chosen selection of sake. “Sake is a beverage that’s so deeply rooted in the idea of umami in food,” says Jelena Prodan, “Our food is often quite complex and often hard to pair with wines, you find that sake just makes so much sense, it just plays so beautifully with food.” 2300 N. Lincoln Park W, 312-846-1077, skyrestaurantchicago.com
Akahoshi Ramen
In the U.S., where ramen mania has largely centered on the richer, fattier tonkotsu style, Akahoshi Ramen distinguishes itself with a broader spectrum of styles from shoyu and miso to soupless bowls like tantanmen and aburasoba, all made in house. The sake list is compact but fun, and it’s a tough reservation to score, but many of the tables are held for walk-in guests making Akahoshi an excellent stop, offering a casual, noodle-driven contrast to Chicago’s more sushi-centric sake programs. 2340 N. California Ave. Ste. B, akahoshiramen.com
Anna Lee Iijima is a freelance writer.
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