Kai is an unassuming, but overlooked and undervalued sushi spot in the neighborhood. I know there are other "Kai" Sushi places around Chicago... not sure if they're related, but this is a review for the Southport location. The service is fast and super friendly. The rolls are great - but please read all of the ingredients. These are typically "fusion" rolls, so some will have non-traditional ingredients like mango and creme cheese. If that's your bag, then go for it. I prefer simple maki and some nigiri. The nigiri, btw, comes with fresh wasabi, which is a nice touch. Reasonable prices and great service = "I'll be back!!" Thanks, Susie!! read more

Excellent sushi!!! 2 of us Postmated 6 fantastic rolls, & we demolished every bite. It was all packaged beautifully & securely, and arrived so fast: +Spicy Tuna Roll - excellent +Spicy Salmon Roll - excellent +Spider Roll - excellent +Rainbow Roll - excellent +Special Spicy Tuna Roll - my fave! Sweet potato & avocado topped with spicy tuna! +Citrus Salmon Roll - also a fave! Citrusy salmon chunks! Everything was super fresh & delicious! I would absolutely order from here or go there again. Highly recommend! read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Spicy Salmon, Special Spicy Tuna, & Rainbow rolls - fantastic! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Went to Kai by myself for dinner and had an excellent time! Delicious poke bowl, great service, and even gave me a cute cut up orange with my check. Definitely will be a new regular! read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It was OK. Not bad or great! It was takeout so maybe that's on me but my partner really liked it. I've had better sushi even for takeout read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This has been one of my favorite sushi spots for years. Last Friday I went there for lunch and they were closed. No sign indicating why, just closed. I called today and they said they were short staffed so the owner just told them to close for lunch. While I understand things happen at the very least they could've put a sign in the window and a message on the phone. read more

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Their nigiri was amazing! My friend had a sweet potato roll and some gyoza because she doesn't like seafood and she said it was all so delicious! read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First of all it's BYOB. Wish I had known, but I liked the green tea, and the specials. We got the Ocean roll; rainbow roll; Chicago fire roll; then three separate individual special. I also got the shumai (they were fried). I am more into the steamed shumai, personal preference. Overall I liked the rolls. And we ended with mochi (strawberry and chocolate). We came here at 5:30 pm without a reservation with 4 of us (including a kid) and we didn't have any trouble getting a table. The service was fine, the staff were polite, they gave us chop stick tools for our kiddo which was nice. read more

One of the reasons we chose to move to Southport was to have to luxury of walking my wife home from work and stop by the many eateries around the area. Kai is such a place. The sushi rolls were tasty. I want to go back to see the consistency of the rice. The staff showed great hospitality and we felt the warm welcome. The decor is modern/modest. Definitely worth a try! Next time I'll have to see partake in the drink menu. One more thing, the Dynamite roll has a hefty portion of seared scallops. I recommend it:) read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Dynamite Roll Spicy Hamachi Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My friend and I got takeout using Doordash to eat during our podcast episode. The food was pretty decent and arrived on time! She likes this spot because they have good veggie sushi. I would go back. read more

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Service was great, food was fresh and arrived quickly. Their miso soup was perfect on a cold day. Affordable prices, great lunch special options. Inside is small and cozy, not too crowded. Will be back! read more

The rolls were good. Not the best sashimi. It's a decent pick up spot for the neighborhood

Delicious, always fresh and so affordable! One of my favorite places to get take out in the city.

Great food. Great service. We over ordered, but that is on us. Will definitely stop back in before the next movie we see at The Music Box. read more

I've been coming to kai for the last five years and it's a great little neighborhood sushi spot. The wood details are gorgeous. The main chef of the restaurant goes between locations, but if you can catch him behind the sushi bar, highly recommends striking up a conversation with him. He's so kind, welcoming, knowledgeable. And an extra added perk is that it's BYOB! The bigger rolls with the spicy tuna are delicious. The sashimi platters are always a hit. The miso soup is delicious. The ramen isn't the best ramen I've ever had but it still gives you that warming feeling on your insides. read more

Had a super fantastic omakase experience here and we were even able to bring our infant. Super friendly staff and the food was spectacular. The chef was very knowledgeable with everything and we even got to chat about omakase in Chicago. It's been awhile since we were able to dine out after having a baby & I was pleased that we were able to bring her along. I'm already telling my husband we should go back. read more

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One of my favorite local spots when I visit my sister! I've been here a million times and never disappoints. My kid nieces love it as well! They have booster seats and chopstick trainers for them. Servers are so kind and remember us. Makes the time there even better. Ramen - must try. They top with a spicy oil that's so good and just adds the perfect kick. You can order without. And wow the pork is melt in your mouth. They have specials like a tuna flight that's really good and refreshing if you like sashimi. Can't go wrong with the rolls either. Ocean roll is one of my favorites. You can sit at the sushi bar, main area, or they have outdoor seating. read more

The staff and chefs were so kind and gracious when my two kids and I popped in for dinner. They let us sit at the counter and the sushi chefs got to chatting with the kids. We ordered 3 rolls and 3 orders of sashimi and they came out fast! My kids gobbled up so much food. And then the chefs treated them to green tea ice cream and a mochi ball. Going out to dinner with kids can be so exhausting, but it goes a long way when it's for food they love and the service is spectacular! PS -- it's BYOB. I'll have to remember that for next time. read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Sushi counter - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Kai sushi never disappoint. We mostly order delivery, but the atmosphere in the restaurant is welcoming. Our orders are always packaged perfectly and we really appreciate the extra care to ensure our order comes in one piece and just as good as if we ate there. Highly recommended. read more

(Disregard previous review which was for South Loop location) Omakase: 1. Caviar, Santa Barbara uni, ikura, fatty tuna on rice 2. Hokkaido scallops topped with Japanese uni and uni butter 3. Alaskan king crab, avocado puree, miso butter 4. Alaskan King Salmon, Wakame salad, ginger Yuzu vinagrette (ate one sashimi and forgot photo ) 5. Nigiri - Horse mackeral & King Madai The #1 sushi rice bowl was incredibly fresh and flavorful and nicely balanced with the rice underneath. The #2 scallops had excellent flavor from the miso butter and the blowtorch searing. The avocado puree made with Yuzu was so good. I sat at the bar and the whole customer experience got better and better because the omakase was not only excellent but also had fun conversations with the chefs and waitresses. I finished with Tofu Udon which was decent but I wouldn't have high expectations. On a previous visit, I've also tried a sashimi platter which was fresh and not expensive. In general, I would recommend Kai sushi for good sushi that won't break your wallet or is at least cheaper than the fancy places. read more

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After watching a movie at music box we ventured down the street and found Kai. Great atmosphere, excellent service, and seriously tasty sushi. Excellent salmon shashimi. read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Dining room - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Prime location, so expect a short wait if you go on a weekend night. Unique rolls and good service. BYOB. I will be back! read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Consistently fresh, delicious rolls. Service is always friendly & attentive. Our favorite rolls are: Green turtle Ocean Special spicy tuna Volcano read more

Three of us went to Kai Sushi on a Monday evening and had some super yummy rolls. We did the Chicago Cubs, Citrus Salmon, and one more that I can't remember and have no pictures because we ate it up so quickly! It wasn't quite a 5-star meal, but I will definitely give Kai Sushi another try! read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Amazing sushi. Rivals some of the best I've had in my life up there with NYC and Hawaii. We thought about getting the chef's nigiri platter, but ended up just picking out what we wanted. We also ordered the citrus salmon roll which was great and tasted exactly how you would expect. We had 3 of the specialty nigiri, all of which were phenomenal. We also had the scallop and salmon belly nigiri which I think are both a must order. The salmon belly came with salmon roe on top which I usually am not a fan of as I think it often tastes too fishy. This was a completely different story. The roe was fresh and bouncy. It was a flavor party. After all of that our waitesss who was great told us about an off menu nigiri they had. We ordered 2. It was bluefin tuna topped with uni topped with caviar and wasabi. It was delicious and is the only photo I got. Presentation was on point across all of the dishes. Can't wait to come back and try the platter as well as the lunch specials. read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Bluefin tuna nigiri topped with uni - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ramen and shrimp tempura roll were buy 1 get 1 free on UberEats so pretty good deal. However they both taste mediocre. Ramen's huge amount but very bland flavor, even after adding 2 bags of soysauce. Only thing I liked is the crispy crab roll. Good combination of texture of soft and crunchy. Flavor's good as well. Price is good after the deal but probably won't go back again read more

Solid sushi in a fun location. Service was a bit slow but I felt bad for the one lone waitress handling pretty much the whole place so I'll give it a pass. The signature salmon nigiri was honestly a bit too rich with the mix of flavors and the truffle but everything else was great. read more

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Wow! What a cute gem of place in Southport corridor. And I love BYOB spots with sushi! My fiancé and I were looking to check this place out for awhile and the service and food delivered 100%. We got sat right away and couldn't decide what to try. The menu offered the classics such as shumai, Gyoza, Miso soup, etc. so we had to get those. We also got Green turtle specialty sushi roll and volcano specialty sushi roll. My fiancé got the 10 piece sashimi which was presented beautifully and beef udon soup. Everything was 10/10 and loved all of the flavors! read more

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Each time we come to Chicago we like to try at least one new sushi restaurant since there are so many. This time we came here for lunch after a Yelp search. It was about 20 minutes walk from our daughter's place. We shared tempura and edamame for appetizers. My daughter had Chicago Cubs roll and a piece of uni sushi. I had lunch special, spicy tuna roll and spicy salmon roll, which came with a salad. My husband had sashimi lunch with a cup of miso soup. We all enjoyed the food. The service was excellent. Good green tea. read more

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Really good, really fresh sushi! Favorites were the volcano and spicy hamachi, but all were top notch. Super friendly service, too! read more

I tell EVERYONE about Kai. My favorite sushi in Chicago!!!!! We order for takeout frequently and dine in and it HITS every single time. Best spicy tuna roll I've ever had in my life. I dream about the Ocean roll + Super Crunch roll. Amazing BYOB spot too!! read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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A really nice sushi place a few blocks from Wrigley doing some high level rolls. I really enjoyed the Chicago Cubs roll, as well as the Green Turtle. The Cubs, in particular, was unique and loaded with a bunch of great, complementary flavors. The dipping sauce included (in a lovely design), only elevated the dish. I do wish there was a little more variety in the specialty rolls (almost all had avocado), but all in all a nice spot for sushi. read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hi this place has an incredible atmosphere and great food. BYOB, please keep in mind. Loved the service. They were very nice.

They have such a good lunch deal! Two regular rolls for $15! Service was good as well. I will be happy to come back and try out some of the speciality rolls read more

Finally get a chance to try Kai Sushi. I have Nigiri 15 pc by UberEat delivery. Generally, the ingredient is fresh. However, it's a pity that they didn't take care of the fish carefully. I saw some blood and melted water in the box and there are few fish didn't be defrosted well. The salmon even has red color on it, which made me extremely confused. The ginger is wet, too. I was wondering if the difference is due to delivery vs in-store dining and felt disappointed on the meal. I believe there are still some room for them to improve in delivery and quality control and look forward to their improvement. read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Nigiri 15 pc - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Excellent Avocado rolls, California rolls, and other vegetarian rolls. Edamame yes. The best part about this place is that the young ladies who wait on you dine in or pickup are extremely pleasant and remember your name. Great to have them in the neighborhood. read more

The very best poke bowl I have ever, I mean ever had. My daughters had sushi from here and she said it was the best she ever had also. Customer service is top notch. If you even just kind of like sushi you will want to come here. read more

Stopped by to get carry-out. Super cute space with a nice outdoor dining area. Ordered the super crunch and the dragon roll. Both were delicious! Super friendly service. Will definitely be back again! read more

Takeout review Overall: Great opportunity for those who live by Southport, which is seemingly sparse when it comes to any sushi options. The good: Great tasting sushi, each roll had it's own unique flavor and presentation. The citrus salmon, green turtle, and special spicy tuna were all great in their own way, and the presentation (even for takeout) was impressive. The fish is fresh and flavorful and the "portion" sizes of the rolls were perfect. The not-so-good: A little too expensive. Also a tad slow, we walked in and ordered and it took probably 15 minutes to make 3 rolls, even though there was only one other two-top there. Atmosphere: 8/10 Service: 7.5/10 Food: 8/10 read more

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Kai is an absolute dream of a restaurant. The sushi is UNBELIEVABLE & it's BYOB (no corkage fee). The service is amazing & they are so quick & kind. The ambiance is quaint & calm during the winter, but the patio is even better during the summer!! 50% of specialty rolls M-W???? YES PLEASE. The dynamite roll is the absolute best thing I've ever eaten & the ocean roll is a close second. I would go here every single night if I could. Kai is my happy place & I'm so grateful to get to experience it so often. read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Dine in sushi. Dynamite roll (THE BEST), ocean roll, caterpillar roll, and volcano roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Solid sushi in the lake view area! Came here for dinner on a Tuesday night at about 8, and it wasn't too busy or crowded. We ordered the dynamite, salmon citrus and caterpillar rolls. The dynamite was v good and our favorite esp with the scallop (as pictured). The caterpillar was quite tasty as well, and despite it including avocado and unagi, it wasn't too heavy at all. The salmon citrus was ok; you can really taste the lemon in it, but it seemed fresh. All of them had the perfect amount of rice (not too much), and I liked how the rolls weren't too saucy or fried. "Special rolls" on Monday and Tuesday are 50%, so each roll is about 7-10 bucks(which I'd say is a good deal for decent good quality sushi). Overall I recommend this place ~~ read more

Kai Sushi - Lakeview - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois