I Had One Of The Best Meals Of My Life Last Night At "Sushi By Scratch" In Chicago

I don’t throw around phrases like “best meal of my life” lightly. I’ve had a lot of great meals in this town- steaks that could make a grown man cry, pasta dishes so good I’d consider getting a tattoo of it. But last night, I had something that genuinely made me reconsider every previous meal. Enter Sushi By Scratch- a tiny, underground omakase joint in the River West neighborhood of Chicago that feels like a speakeasy crossed with a secret society for sushi diehards.

Here’s the deal: You don’t just stroll in like it’s your buddy’s BBQ. 

First off, you have to make a reservation on Tock. (That's like OpenTable for fancy shmancy places, and a bunch of randoms)

Then, they email you directions on how to find them, because it's not easy. Hence, the "speakeasy" part. 

I found out about this place through my buddy Jake, who was adamant that I had to try it. He's not usually the pushy type when it comes to food so I took note and put it on my list for a night I had off and when I could actually get a reservation. That night was last night. 

I'll save you some time because I'm an idiot and didn't check my email so I found myself wandering around the NADC Burger building on Milwaukee (their listed address is 415 N Milwaukee) for like 10 minutes before I finally decided to call and ask where they were.

Turned out, in your confirmation email, you get a code to enter, like you’re breaking into a safe. You walk into NADC, turn to your right, and see a door that blends into the wall with a keypad on it. You punch in your code and make your way down a very cramped, narrow staircase, and the vibe hits you right away- dim lights, intimate space, and a kind of hush like everyone knows they’re about to witness something special.

You start upstairs with two amuse-bouche courses (fancy foodie talk for “little bites that make you realize your palate is a child”), and then you get escorted down to the main event: a 10-seat sushi bar where three chefs and a bartender take care of you like you’re the only guests they’ve ever had.

this isn’t your standard omakase. It’s like they took the rulebook, shredded it, and made bone marrow nigiri out of it. We’re talking olive oil on salmon, chimichurri on kampachi, and unagi topped with melted bone marrow. I mean, who the hell thinks of this stuff? More importantly, who has the balls to serve it? Chef Naomi and her crew, that’s who.

These folks aren’t just serving fish- they’re putting on a performance. They explain each bite like it’s a TED Talk for your taste buds, but without any of the pretentiousness.

Naomi and her sous-chefs (I think that's the correct term?) couldn't have been more hospitable and friendly. She walked us through each course, and answered every one of the zillion questions I fired at her. Including the "Scratch" origin story. The concept was started in LA by husband-and-wife chef duo Phillip Frankland Lee and Margarita Kallas-Lee, and quickly gained notoriety for its inventive dishes, sauces, and flavor combinations. They earned a Michelin star and began expanding. With an outpost in Austin, TX, they quickly became a favorite of Joe Rogan, who went on his show gushing about his experience at the tiny downtown restaurant and they soon found themselves with 25,000 reservations throughout the course of the next year and a half. Then called, "Sushi Bar", the couple had a falling out with the building owner/partner, and parted ways, heading to the outskirts of the city to Lost Pines Resort close to Bastrop. They are just as popular and have since expanded to Miami, Seattle, New York, and now Chicago. 

The chefs also told us a few ghost stories. See, the building is haunted. The space we were sitting in was part of the underground tunnel system the Chicago outfit used back in the prohibition era, Al Capone days. It tied into the sewer system so they were able to dump product quickly, underground, when they knew they were being raided. A few lost souls apparently still occupy the place. 

Chef Naomi explained each piece we were presented down to the very tiniest ingredient, and both the prep work by her sous', and the finishing touches applied by her, (she has an aresenal of jars with different oils, sauces, and paint brushes at her station) are all on full display. Right in front of our faces. 

You can opt to go ala carte on the drinks, or you can splurge for a Sushi pairing ($125), or a whiskey pairing (a little more I believe). I went with the sake pairing and couldn't have been more happy I did. They weren't small pours either. The first one is filled so high over the brim of the cup that they instruct you to stand up, bend at the waist like you're bowing, and slurp it so that you can drink the remaining sake like normal. It accomplished the objective and was a nice little icebreaker. From there, you're taken on a journey of different sake varieties- filtered, unfiltered, unpasteurized (has a bite like whiskey and was strong as hell), all over the place. They're all excellent and were the perfect compliments to the amazing sushi. 

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So let's talk about that sushi now. 

The true MVPs of the night were the nigiri courses. There were 16 of them, and not a single one missed. The fish was flown in fresh from Tokyo’s Toyosu Market, and it’s the kind of fresh that makes you wonder if you’ve ever actually had sushi before. They served up bluefin tuna that was aged to perfection, shima aji (a fish I had never heard of before) brushed with Fresno chili yuzu kosho (don’t worry, I don’t know what half of that means either, but it’s so fucking good). 

These guys are pushing boundaries, experimenting with flavors and textures in a way that's both daring and delicious. Imagine melt-in-your-mouth salmon drizzled with olive oil, the richness of the fish perfectly complemented by the subtle fruitiness of the oil.  Or how about a delicate piece of kampachi topped with vibrant chimichurri, the herbaceous notes adding a surprising zest.  

And then there's the bone marrow nigiri- a decadent creation that's both rich and savory, the marrow melting onto the warm rice like butter. Literally, like butter. It’s got that same exact texture but with the softest, most decadent flavor I don't know how else to describe it. It's like an umami bomb. I love bone marrow in general (El Che has the best), and was expecting it to taste how it always tastes, but was shocked how different it was. It was also such an unexpected item to see on an omakase menu, but this place isn’t about playing it safe- it’s about pushing boundaries.

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The standout piece that people rave about is their "Unagi Nigiri" topped with melted bone marrow drippings. This one is pure genius. It's a rich, buttery slice of eel, that gets a luxurious twist from the roasted bone marrow. It comes after the bone marrow course, and they use the remainder of the bone for it. Chef melts down the marrow, drizzles it over the unagi, and it just soaks into the rice.

It's one of those bites that makes you stop mid-chew because your brain is trying to process all the flavors at once. I thought of it as the ultimate surf-and-turf- Japanese style. It's indulgent, it’s bold, and it’s definitely one of the signature bites that sets Sushi By Scratch apart.

They put a nice bow on things with a heaping hand roll of Uni

and then a homemade green tea and lime concoction accompanied by a homemade ice cream bite that was out of this world.

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When service has wrapped, they actually offer a foie-gras off-menu special (that I declined), and your choice of any two items you enjoyed the most. A really awesome touch. 

This place was fucking incredible. 

The experience is top-tier from start to finish. It’s like a dinner party where you actually like everyone- chefs cracking jokes, explaining the dishes, and genuinely making you feel like you’re part of the show. The whole speakeasy aspect is a great touch, and it’s perfect if you’re trying to impress someone (pro tip: this is the spot for a birthday or anniversary). Just know that you’re dropping at least $165 a person, plus drinks, so this isn’t your Tuesday-night takeout. It’s a special-occasion territory, and it’s worth every penny.

p.s. - my ONLY regret about this experience was being so full at the end that I wasn't able to go upstairs and crush one of the burgers from NADC (Not A Damn Chance)… look at these things.

So I think my only advice that I will take next time, is leave some room for a smashburger.