CHIReview
Included In
Three restaurants are on the corner where Lakeview staple Southport Lanes used to be: Itoko, GG’s Chicken Shop, and Little Goat Diner. They're all spinoffs from the same restaurant group, and of the Boka Compound residents, Itoko is the best.
It’s open 7 days a week. Reservations are fairly easy to book. The sushi is consistently good. When a neighborhood couple snags a last-minute babysitter, or when someone has to figure out where the hell to host a Monday night birthday dinner, Itoko is there.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Itoko is the cousin of West Loop’s Momotaro, another Japanese spot with pricey sushi and small plates. It has two elegantly designed floors, and while the second level is great for a quiet dinner, the party is on the first. The front bar is buzzing, and in the back of the dining room (past the ubiquitous basket lights), busy sushi chefs are slicing raw fish and neatly rolling maki. Waitstaff weave like Olympic skiers between tables of kids playing with cartoony bento boxes because the aforementioned babysitter canceled. A lot is going on, but it’s fun versus a sh*tshow.
Sushi makes up most of Itoko’s menu, and it’s what they do best. Single pieces of nigiri like fatty otoro or aburi otoro with yuzu and ponzu are buttery and worth the $12-$14 price. The XO scallop handroll is an exciting mix of crispy nori, puffed soba, and scallops. And for DIY hobbyists, the $35 TCD tuna toro with pickled onion and caviar is a fun build-your-own handroll situation.
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Aside from a tiny selection of tasty robata skewers, most of the cooked dishes are skippable—ranging from bland wagyu fried rice to cakey fried chicken. Plus, the shake-to-season paper bag full of wings and spices is like having a Shake Weight at dinner, and isn’t effective.
Itoko is like that friend who’s the “Emergency Call” when a date ends up being the equivalent of Alexa giving weather updates. It has your back. Just consider coming up with a sushi-focused budget beforehand to prevent sticker shock. Plan for a dessert, too—in fact, we’d come here just to hang out and eat handrolls and kakigori at the bar.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Nigiri and Sashimi
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
Momomaki
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
XO Scallop Handroll
photo credit: Kim Kovacik
TCD Tuna Toro
photo credit: Kim Kovacik