Miru

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Where Japan Meets the Chicago Skyline

Miru — Japanese for "view" — earns its name twice over. Perched on the 11th floor of the St. Regis Chicago at 401 E. Wacker Drive, the restaurant looks out over the point where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan, with Navy Pier and the city's most iconic landmarks stretching across the horizon. In summer, fireworks light up the water every Wednesday and Saturday evening, visible from the dining rooms and open terraces. The setting is genuinely spectacular, and the Japanese cuisine is built to match it.

The Menu: Shareable, Precise, and Rooted in Japan

The kitchen organizes its dinner menu around the logic of sharing — a broad sweep of Japanese cooking that moves from crispy rice and tempura through a serious raw bar and on to robata skewers, rice, noodles, and substantial seafood and beef plates. Signature nigiri includes A5 Wagyu with wasabi and Miru soy ($49), and a Chutoro Gunkan layered with uni, daikon wrap, and soba dashi gelee ($39). Crispy rice comes topped with spicy bluefin tuna and serrano, or kani kama with gochujang aioli and wasabi tobiko. On the seafood side, black cod with white miso and king salmon with XO miso and umami vinaigrette anchor the larger plates, while Japanese A5 Wagyu New York Strip (5 oz, $140) represents the top of the beef selection.

For sushi purists, the Oke Mori platters offer chef's selections of nigiri, sashimi, and hosomaki in three sizes, and the nigiri list runs from lean akami bluefin tuna through otoro, Hokkaido scallop, sweet shrimp, and Hokkaido uni.

The Bluefin Tuna Experience

On Wednesday evenings, Miru offers a dedicated multi-course Bluefin Tuna Experience at the sushi bar — a structured tasting that moves from lean to fatty cuts, pairing each course with Japanese ingredients. The menu runs through a bluefin trio (nori cigar, shio dare tartlette, confit tuna sandwich), daikon-wrapped akami, otoro tartare with Hokkaido uni, a full nigiri progression of akami through kamatoro, maguro dashi soup, nakaochi service, and a caviar temaki with royal ossetra and otoro. It closes with the Miru-Ishi dessert — Okinawa black sugar cake, genmai cremeux, salted caramel. Optional pairings include a sommelier-curated sake and wine selection ($95) or a non-alcoholic alternative ($95 / $45). Priced at $150 per person before beverages, it is one of the more considered tasting formats in Chicago's Japanese dining scene.

Wine, Sake, and Recognition

The wine and sake list earned Miru a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024 — recognition that reflects the program's genuine range. By the glass, the list spans grower Champagne, Clare Valley Riesling, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, and a Koshu from Kazumi, the only American winery working with Japan's indigenous Koshu grape. Sake features throughout, from junmai ginjo pairings to seasonal namazake releases that highlight Japanese craft brewing.

The Full Picture

Miru operates across the full day — breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch, a lounge menu, and dinner — and accommodates private events from intimate dinners to full restaurant buyouts. The combination of a serious Japanese kitchen, an award-recognized drinks program, and one of the best views in Chicago makes it a reliable choice whether you're coming for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion on the terrace.