now *this* is great okonomiyaki…read more coming from seattle and very recently having a disastrous experience at the only okonomiyaki spot in our area (you can read my past reviews for that), my two friends, my partner, and i were looking forward to having great okonomiyaki. thankfully, gaijin delivered! we came by on a friday night, and it was fairly busy. we wouldn't have been surprised if we were turned away since we didn't have a reservation. they ended up making space for us thankfully and we didn't even have to wait long at all. the inside of the place isn't that big, but it's not so tiny that it's cramped. when you sit down, if you are in a large enough party, you sit down in front of a flat stovetop to keep your okonomiyaki warm when the waiter brings it out to you. we started with some drinks. they were all very good - next time i'm trying that espresso goma-tini! i did get a lychee martini though, and it was a little strong of a pour but i still really enjoyed it. onto the okonomiyaki. we all ordered different ones so we could try them. every single one of them were delicious. i got the tofu osaka-style, my partner got the beef osaka-style, one of my friends got the fried shrimp osaka-style, and my other friend got the traditional hiroshima-style. each okonomiyaki is prepared perfectly, not too thick and not overly saucy (so it doesn't get soggy). the flavours are quite rich but also really nicely umami. sometimes, too rich of a sauce kind of overwhelms me, but the ratios are well-balanced. overall, truly recommend this place. probably some of the best okonomiyaki i've had. next time i'm in chicago, i'd love to go again. there's so many options to choose from and i want to try them all!

I've been wanting to try Okonomiyaki for a long time, so when I saw that they had it I had to stop…read moreby! It's really cool in here because you can watch them make the Okonomiyaki in front of you! They had like a set meal going on which included soup and okonomiyaki and dessert, which was mochi donuts. The soup was pretty good, standard. The Okonomiyaki was such a big portion. I loved the little tempura bits on top and they were generous with the amount of shrimp. It's like a yummy savory pancake. I will say I didn't really enjoy the mochi donuts but I was so full I couldn't eat them until later so it may have been because they weren't as fresh and got hard. If you've been wanting to try Okonomiyaki you should check this place out!

Pricey. No duck in the duck fried rice. Disappointing. Service was slow. Very tight tablesread more

Duck fried rice, every time…read more How have I not raved about Chef's Asian masterpiece? First off this place is super cool. The decor is interesting and brightly colored and each room has a bit of a different vibe. There's also a neat bar in the middle. For food we love the aforementioned fried rice with the runny duck egg, moo shu, bbq pork baos, chongqing chicken, Dan Dan slap noodles (natch) and those delicious green beans! We usually end up ordering a bunch since we've lived in the neighborhood for decades. Easy West Loop walk home leftovers for the win. Yes chef!

Came by for drinks after work and had an amazing time. Great hospitality from Lee definitely plan…read moreto come dine with him again.

This was my second time at Sunda New Asian in River North, and once again, it did not disappoint! I…read moredon't remember exactly what I had the first time, but I do remember leaving really impressed FOOD: We started with the crispy Brussels sprouts, and I absolutely loved the vinaigrette they used. So flavorful and delicious! We also ordered the oxtail potstickers and lemongrass beef lollipops, and both were excellent. Honestly, I could have eaten 10 more of each. For our mains, we ordered the pork belly sinigang and chap chae. The pork belly was incredibly tender and flavorful, and the chap chae tasted really fresh with all the vegetables. I also loved that the tofu was on the firmer side. We also tried the Sake to Me sushi roll. It was good, but compared to everything else we ordered, it wasn't anything particularly memorable. For dessert, we ordered the ginger carrot cake, and the restaurant was kind enough to give us a complimentary dessert, which was such a nice touch! The complimentary dessert was an ube-style dessert, and it was fantastic. Honestly, both desserts were delicious. DRINKS: I ordered the Lychee Simoy cocktail, which was really good. We also shared the espresso martini flight, which came with three flavors: traditional, ube, and chocolate chili. Surprisingly, the chocolate chili was my favorite, while the ube was my least favorite. That said, I enjoyed all three and thought the flight was a fun way to try different flavors. SERVICE: Our waiter was great! He was attentive and gave us great recommendations. It was also so kind of him to give us a complimentary dessert. Overall, I had another great experience at Sunda and will definitely be back! I really enjoy how their food feels unique and creative while still maintaining those familiar Asian flavors.

This is an amazing Asian fusion restaurant. Very classy without being unapproachable…read more Service was impeccable - knowledgeable and friendly without being overbearing.

Took one of my friends here for her birthday & it was really an enjoyable experience! It's a nice…read morelocation as well. We decided to do the chef's table for dinner. It was a quiet night, but we were not rushed at all. The staff were really nice & attentive. The menu for chef's table was a Vietnamese fusion inspired menu. You can tell that each dish was carefully thought out & creative. There were dishes were created with a little twist to it. Some of the dishes, however, we thought were more on the saltier side. I would want to come back again and try some items on the regular menu. A lot of things sounded delicious & would be enjoyable.

I've been to Three Dots multiple times so I figured I should probably leave a review…read more The place is dark and intimate and fun to hang out in. The wall of rums dominates the back of the bar, and it's super fun to watch the bartenders mix drinks. But you need to talk to them. They will give you recommendations and adjust drinks to your liking, or make you something that is not on the menu. The food is also quite good. Mostly smaller plates, appetizer style, but sometimes larger items too. The place is not cheap, but you're getting good drinks and great ambiance. If you can find the entrance in the alley, you need to check the place out. Wear a nice Hawaiian shirt!

This was another fortunate find randomly while walking around downtown Chicago. Seems to be a super…read morepopular place based on the number of reviews this place has. It was hard to find, but we discovered the entrance is in a back alley and bar is located downstairs. We loved the Tikki Bar theme. Drinks were good but a little watered down which was disappointing. Overall, it was a unique experience in the city.

This was our first time dining at Nobu, and unfortunately, the service really disappointed us. The…read morefood was good and the drinks were good, but we waited about 40 minutes for our drinks. When I politely asked our server, Savannah, to put in our food order once the drinks arrived, she rolled her eyes as she walked away, which my friend noticed. She then came back and asked, "Are we on a time crunch?" in a very passive-aggressive and disrespectful manner. I completely understand that restaurants can get busy, and I'm very patient when it comes to waiting. What bothered me was the attitude and lack of professionalism when I addressed the delay politely. It was my friend's birthday, so I chose not to make an issue of it at the time. The food and drinks were enjoyable, but unfortunately, the service left a very poor first impression of Nobu.

Come here for the raw bar! We lucked out and got to enjoy the brunch buffet that is available only…read moreon weekends for $80. We made reservations online and were able to enjoy our feast. We had to try a lychee martini which was so smooth with that delicious sweetness from the lychees. Be sure to chase it down with a crispy tuna bite! The tuna is $11 on the regular menu, but here you can fill up your plate. I wouldn't say the rice to fish ratio is a bit much, there quite a bit of rice. The fish quality seemed just okay to me, however this is a buffet. The stars of the show were the miso cod in the hot bar, the yellowtail nigiri, the cocktail shrimps and the oysters! The shrimps were large and succulent while the oysters weren't too briny. We felt well attended to and enjoyed our meal. We were particularly excited for the beignets at the dessert bar but they never refilled . All good, leaves more to try next time!

It is definitely a cool spot. It's in the basement and has limited seats. We tried:…read more- Tonkatsu 1/2 spice - Shio 1/4 spice - Coconut Painkiller Slushy I think the tonkatsu was the best, but definitely go low spice. Not because of the heat, but after a few minutes it definitely takes over the bowl and you lose the original flavor. The drink was great, but a bit small.

High 5 Ramen has a lot going for it on the surface. The basement speakeasy vibe is great, the…read moreservice is on point, and those frozen slushy drinks are always a win. Unfortunately, the ramen itself just doesn't hit anymore. ​It's not terrible, but it's definitely not crave-worthy. The broth lacks the deep, complex umami you want in a great bowl of ramen, ending up feeling pretty one-note instead. I was hoping my first underwhelming bowl was just an off night, but after two or three visits with the same mid result, it seems like the quality has genuinely slipped. It's a fun spot to hang out, but the food just isn't hitting the mark like it used to. 3.49 stars.

Absolutely marvelous. Recommend the Godzilla, King Kong,…read moreand Idaho sushi rolls. The Panang Curry with shrimp is the best I've ever had. Try the Iced Green Tea.

Sooo delicious, everything was perfect. My server was so sweet and polite and very attentive. Will…read moredefinitely come back!

The service was great, super attentive. Kind gesture with a signed birthday menu…read more Sushi was fresh, with simple but great flavors. Didn't love the wagyu bao buns since it was more of a ground meat, similar to a kabob. But overall the food was good, atmosphere was perfect date night/special occasion, and we will definitely be back.

Tonight, we were in the West Loop and decided to try an establishment new to us. We chose…read moreMomotaro, since we love Japanese and Japanese influenced cuisine. We had to make a late reservation since nothing was available earlier. We tried walking in earlier and there was a 1 hour and 45 min wait. So we kept our reservation for 9:30. Upon entering, the manager and the host were very friendly and promptly sat us about 15 min early. The ambiance is really nice, but the music... is way to loud. You have to yell across a standard 4-seat tabletop to communicate. Since everyone has to yell, the crowd noise then amplifies this issue. I've never understood restaurants that try to be a nightclub. You can have music at normal levels to keep the energy without causing your patrons to yell. Once we were seated, the waitress came over within 5 minutes. She was friendly, but slow. After she offered us water, she was didn't return to the table for 20 minutes to take drink orders. After we ordered drinks, it was another 15-20 to help with the menus. We asked about portion sizes (shareable vs not shareable). We were told each plate was good for 2-4 people. I'm not sure what portion sizes she classified suitable for sharing... but no way were a majority of our dishes enough to share. We ordered edamame, which we were able to share. We really liked how they salted it, sometimes you get edamame and it's bland. We also ordered spicy tuna sushi (6 pieces), Komodo sushi rolls, pork chops (comes with 2 pieces), 2 orders of wagyu sliders (only 2 per order), hotate batayaki (3 scallops), shishito peppers (8 grilled peppers), and yakatori don (chicken bowl with rice and a soft egg). I have tried many Japanese restaurants and have been to Japan as well. Loved the food. To start with the good, we really liked the pork chops. They were on the rarer cooked side but delicious. The sliders were really good as well. Tons of flavor and each one was a decent size. These 2 items we felt were slightly over priced but felt we got a great food experience for the money. The shishito peppers were barely grilled and bland. They literally were no better than what my teenagers can do on the grill. Absolutely not worth $12 for peppers. Each sushi roll was decent but very small very overpriced for what you get. There is nothing special about either roll. I have gotten better spicy tuna in the city, that comes with 8 rolls for half of momotaro's price. The scallops were very fishy. I love scallops, and I wouldn't order these again... no way! $22 for such. Small serving that was too fishy compared to other establishments. My chicken bowl yakatori don) had a great presentation. That's where the dish ends. The toppings overpowered the chicken. The chicken tasted like plain boiled chicken that was so bland, literally no flavor to it. After we were done, the waitress came over about 15 min later, asking if we were interested in dessert. We told her no, we were full and ready for the check. We sat around for over 20 minutes waiting. I'm watching our server talking in the corner with 4 other servers. Laughing, on their phones, etc. after watching them for over 10 minutes I walked up to the front host and asked for a manager. The girl, was prompt, and very friendly. I discussed my dissatisfaction with the service. It was slow, terrible for the price point of the restaurant. The manager brought the check to me fairly quickly and apologized. She didn't ask what they could do to make it right, nothing. Not until after the bill was paid she conveniently asked what they could do. Little late at that point. Overall, we have been to many low and high end restaurants in Chicago... River North, West Loop,, Manhattan, Munich, etc... and this was about as bad of service as you can get. With all the options in the city, I don't recommend this one.

Mott St has been on my list of places to try for a while, and I finally made it! The restaurant is…read morebeautifully decorated and feels really warm and homey inside. There are lots of options on the menu, and most of the dishes are perfect for sharing. Everything Wings - 5/5: The wings were perfectly crispy on the outside while still tender and juicy inside! The sweet and spicy sauce is delicious and elevates the already great wings. Definitely some of the best wings I've had! Highly recommend getting these!! Papaya Salad - 4/5: a classic papaya salad, refreshing and flavorful, but nothing particularly unique or different. It was a nice bite/break in between the savory dishes. Everything Noodles with Shrimp - 5/5: the sauce on these noodles tasted similar to the one on the wings, which was great. The noodles and shrimp were both cooked well. Short Rib - 3/5: This was my least favorite dish of the night. The short rib was cooked well, but it didn't have as much flavor in comparison to the other dishes. Overall, highly recommend giving Mott St a try!

Mott Street was an unexpected surprise for me. Their Central Asian-inspired fusion cuisine…read moreimmediately impressed me with its bold flavors, attention to detail, and overall quality. I started with the "Everything Wings," which were cooked to perfection--crispy on the outside while remaining incredibly juicy inside. Every bite delivered an impressive depth of flavor, with soy, jaggery, and dried chili playing a major role. The accompanying tzatziki was a great touch, adding a cool, creamy contrast to the wings. The garlic was simple but effective, allowing the other flavors to shine. The garlic fried rice was easily one of the highlights of the meal and some of the best I've had in quite some time. The roasted garlic bulbs elevated the dish, adding a deep, rich flavor that made it especially memorable. The Mentaiko Kimchi Udon was savory with a subtle kick of spice. I enjoyed the flavor profile, although I would have liked the heat to come through more consistently with each bite. Overall, Mott Street delivered an experience that genuinely caught me off guard--in the best way. Thoughtful dishes, bold flavors, and impressive execution made this a meal I'll remember.