Chio-Chio-San

Tucked into central Baku, Chio-Chio-San feels like an elegant, well-travelled friend — polished but unpretentious. The dining room is calm and stylish, the kind of place where suited locals come for celebratory dinners and couples linger over carefully plated sushi. The restaurant’s open teppan zone is the real show: steel, flames and a practiced chef turning technique into theatre while a modern bar spins citrus‑forward cocktails and house lemonades. Plates arrive balanced and neat — generous rolls, seafood salads with a local twist and large sharing sets for groups. Service is attentive without fuss; the staff move the room along with discreet precision. There are smoking and non-smoking sections, so the layout feels considered for varied crowds. It’s longstanding in the city’s scene, a bridge between classical Japanese technique and regional tastes, and it works both for a polished business meal and a loud birthday blowout at the teppan counter. Book ahead on weekend evenings; the best seats are beside the grill where the action lives.