Chicago’s Hidden Sushi ‘Speakeasy’ Reopens With New Take on Intimate Dining

Intimate takes on a whole meaning as Chicagoans look for new dining experiences in the midst of a global pandemic, and the sushi "speakeasy" known as the Sushi Suite in Chicago is reopening with that in mind.

Tucked inside a suite at the Hotel Lincoln in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood Sushi Suite 202 brings a new kind of sushi dining to the city's foodie scene. And it’s the first of its kind in Chicago.

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Named for the room it sits inside, the restaurant is the first sushi eatery to open inside a hotel in the city.

Sushi Suite

Tucked inside a suite at the Hotel Lincoln in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood sits a new kind of sushi restaurant. And it’s the first of its kind in Chicago.

Sushi Suite

Sushi Suite 202, named for the room it sits inside, is an intimate “sushi speakeasy,” the first sushi restaurant to open inside a hotel in the city.

Sushi Suite

Within 500 square feet of space, a six-seat cocktail bar greets guests, followed by a small lounge area and a six-seat sushi bar, serving up a 17-course, 60-minute omakase dining experience for $125.

The restaurant officially opened on Valentine’s day and plans to seat up to 30 seatings Sunday through Thursday and 36 seatings Friday and Saturday.

“You will feel as if Executive Chef Kin Wangchuk is your own personal chef as he creates 17 delectable pieces of nigiri sushi ranging from succulent botan ebi to prized Hokkaido uni all made from sustainable fish sourced from all over the world,” the restaurant said in a release.

And while small-scale dining has been its specialty since before coronavirus, the restaurant hopes its unique set-up will help diners feel even more comfortable as the city begins reopening during the coronavirus pandemic.

"It just meant that every guest that came in got a little more love," Executive Chef Jordan Dominguez told Chicago Today.

Within 500 square feet of space, a six-seat cocktail bar greets guests, followed by a small lounge area and a six-seat sushi bar, serving up a 17-course, 60-minute omakase dining experience for $125.