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!

To be honest we had a friend invite us so this wasn't something we found on our own. It is…read moredefinitely the place to be! Japandy aesthetic with world class service. You can tell everyone here knows their stuff when it comes to all things drinks. I do really think the menu is extremely well thought out which extends to how each cocktail has been crafted. If you're just here to get drunk then maybe look elsewhere. It's definitely a place that respects ingredients and uses cocktails as a lens to show you. Sure, a little buzz is fun, but definitely not the main goal. The milk toast is a world class dish. Could be served at any 3 Michelin star restaurants. The matcha affogato was exactly what it sounds like and I feel like that dish could get reworked a little. Overall we all had a great time and highly recommend. Also, you pretty much need a reservation. We saw a few walk-ins that couldn't get bar seats because it was a full booking all night. We typically go to bed pretty early... but this place was such a good time the night flew by.

On Saturday, I visited Kumiko, a restaurant that was included in my itinerary for my solo trip to…read moreChicago. Fortunately, a reservation was canceled upon my arrival, and I was seated at the bar downstairs. There, I met the bartenders, Bridgett and Andrew. My knowledge of Japanese cuisine and spirits is limited, so I relied on Bridgett's recommendations. She was excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything she suggested. Andrew was also helpful when I inquired about a dish to order. The bartenders, service, and hospitality were exceptional. My cocktails and meals were also phenomenal. I hope to return to Kumiko in the future and share this experience with my loved ones.

Disclaimer: I'm a New Yorker who's moved to Chicagoland so maybe I'm a bit snooty but the regular…read moreYelpers in the Midwest should always be viewed with a star and a 1/2 less than what is expected normally. Any bar with Yamazaki 18 is good in my book. We had lunch at Chubby Cattle so couldn't eat that much .: no skewers. The Sushi taco was good, pretty impressive with the thin seaweed that had a great crunch; didn't feel greasy at all. The seafood udon was decent; just a tad bit too salty is all. If you're into kushiyaki and what's presented here, definitely give it a try.

Good food! Love the…read moreconcept and you can order on the same QR code two different phones at the same time. The food is fresh made and full of flavor. My favorite thing was the fish cake skewer and the squid. Service was great and people keep checking on you if you need more things. They were havung a karaoke night the saturday at 10pm, but we were packed for other activities after dinner so we missed that out. The only down side that we found, it is some of the plates used to serve, they are chipped or damaged, and that bother a little the presentation.

Definitely recommend making reservations which you can do pretty easily online. I came on a Sunday…read morearound 5:15pm and it was already packed. They said it was one hour wait by the time I got there but they were able to seat me right away due to my reservation. We got seated at the bar which was cool cuz u can see the people making the sushi. It was a pretty causal vibe where you can hang with friends and such. They also had a good amount of seating. Okay now the food... it was really good. Mako scallop 10/10 this was my fave dish of the night. Super super creamy!! It also had avocado inside which helped w the creaminess. If you're by yourself just get the 5 bc it's so rich you might get tired of it. But yes I rly liked this one. Togarashi Chicken Nuggets 7/10: the seasoning was so good but it could be a bit dry some parts. The sauce was okay, it was like a garlic aoili sauce? But def crispy. Crispy tuna rice 6/10: I didn't really like this dish bc it felt like it wasn't spicy? Enough. The rice was crispy yes but the tuna on top just tasted kinda bland. Matcha tiramisu 9/10: I thought it was gonna be on the heavy and sweet side but I thought wrong! It wasn't too sweet and it was pretty airy. However the strawberry sauce wasn't my vibe but the cake itself was really good. I recommend you tell the server you'll put the sauce on yourself in case you don't like it. Hand rolls: Salmon avo 6/10: nothing super special Toro: 8/10 yummy and rich Scallop 6/10: I usually like scallop but this one was kinda like smoked? Idk but I liked the scalllop taste on the maki more. tuna crunch 8/10: the crunch made it pretty good texture wise Overall it was such a great place to have dinner. Our server was also so helpful and gave us his recs and they didn't disappoint. I would def come back if I was in the area!

3.5 round to 4…read more Ordered A LOT for 2, pictures seemed a lot less. Would have been nice if staff made a comment, but also my fault for overordering. mr maguro set $50 megatron set $108 express lunch $21 Definitely could have gone without the express lunch (this would be a good option if it was just one person doing a quick meal). Overall, fish was fresh. Just couldn't fully enjoy the meal since we tried to stuff it all down.

Amazing sushi and fantastic service! 10/10!…read moreIf you find yourself in the south loop then you must give this restaurant a try!

Such a lovely South Loop gem! We came here for dinner and we asked to be seated outside. As the…read morehost was taking us to our seats he brought waters with him, which was great so we didn't have to wait. The patio was very cute with plants and lights. I got a chocolate martini and it was rimmed with chocolate sauce. It wasn't filled to the top (see pic) so it felt a bit pricy for the amount you get but it was very good. To start off, we got the spicy edamame and it was garlicky with a kick! I typically eat vegetarian foods, and there was a vegetarian section for sushi which was nice. I got the cucumber roll and added avocado along with the sweet potato tempura roll and added cream cheese. The rice was very soft and seasoned and tasted premium. The vegetables were fresh and delicious. Would love to come back for the ramen

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.

Ramen Wasabi will always have me at a chokehold. Probably by far the best ramen spot in Chicago,…read moreand that is saying a lot since I've been to many different ramen restaurants in the city. Ramen Wasabi has no reservations. The wait times vary, but sometimes there are seats readily available. There are bar seats available and a large middle table that you share with other parties. Service has always been good for us, and we're known as regulars there now Karaage - Fried Chicken Nuggets: An absolute must for any craving. Plenty to share with friends and the togarashi mayo dip is super delicious with it. Juicy bites with crispy batter, making everything about this appetizer perfect. Signature Tonkotsu (with Spice Umami): the noodles are sooo bouncy. I love how rich the broth is and how easy it is to bite into the Char Siu. It is so filling and honestly reminds me of my time in Japan. Tokyo Classic Shoyu (with Spice Umami): lighter broth compared to the tonkotsu, but just as delicious. This is another must-try! Ramen Wasabi will always remain as my top ramen shop in Chicago. Never had a miss with this. I would love to try their other dishes (donburi) when I have the chance...but their ramen is too good to not order

Food was decent. I went for dinner and I was impressed with the salad, wings and ramen. Everything…read morehad some spice to it but it wasn't overpowering. Service was good. Waitress was attentive and definitely helped with good suggestions Ambiance is good. Very dimly lit but perfect for a good date night.

We've been wanting to try happy hour at Ikigai Sushi & Izakaya for a while. We started with a cold…read moreSapporo (no cocktails for happy hour), then went straight into the karaage (barely edible, the chicken used was so chewy and nasty, we couldn't finish it), sushi rolls (very fishy smell, not the best), and grilled kushiyaki skewers (these were my fav). Everything came out looking seriously tempting, but somewhat fell short.

So pleasantly surprised! Came in on a Friday night for a 6:30 reso and the place was empty BUT it…read morewas packed, seemingly by regulars, by the time we left. Service was a little slow at time but they got slammed very quickly and and we weren't in a rush. What we got: - chuturo nigiri - so buttery - hamachi nigiri - good flavor and cut - chili hotate - love the flavor - negi toro maki - good flavor - unakyu- fine a little on the sweeter side - Amai - not my favorite and I think the tuna had a strong fishy flavor Overall, good meal and pretty reasonable bill. Will definitely be coming back to check out the rest of the menu!

One of the best Omakase experience I've ever had. I booked last minute during a Chicago business…read moretrip and was able to get a seating for one: I came at my time and had a drink alone at the bar and had an awesome conversation with the bartender Brandon who shared some stories about Japan with me. I was seated at the sushi bar shortly and to my surprise I had the chefs table all to myself! It was very beautifully decorated and clean and got to meet Chef Shoji. I was well taken care of by both the staff and Chef Shoji and he meticulously explained every dish and we chatted about everything from his time in America, Japan, and even shared some of my life stories. All in all the dinner service was about 90 minutes with maybe 12-15 or so dishes? I was absolutely satisfied and more. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience having personalized service!

Great omakase!! Loved the cuts of fish especially the toro. I dream about going back every now and…read morethen. Service was spectacular as well.

Our anniversary dinner at Miru was truly special. We had the pleasure of celebrating with our son…read moreand his fiancée, which made the evening even more meaningful. From the moment we arrived, we felt genuinely welcomed and cared for. The service was exceptional--warm, friendly, and attentive without ever feeling rushed. Our server, Amala was incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and took the time to make thoughtful recommendations and answer all of our questions. The food was exceptional, with every dish beautifully prepared, thoughtfully presented, and full of flavor. The A5 Wagyu Nigiri was out of this world!!! We've been fortunate to dine in many wonderful restaurants around the world, and Miru is definitely one that will stay with us. It wasn't just a great meal; it was an experience that made us feel special and made a beautiful evening with our family even more memorable. Thank you, Miru, for helping make our 34th wedding anniversary so wonderful.

Rooftop dinner!! Sushi & lychee martini for the win :)…read more So this is my first time at Miru- Definitely make a reservation! This is at the Saint Regis hotel. I would definitely recommend the crispy rice. The Hamachi roll and the spicy tuna roll. The shrimp fried rice was not as tasty as I would hoped, but they have big shrimps in there, which I loved. The shrimp temporary I could've lived without it. It's just fried shrimp very flaky the sauce it comes with is actually really delicious. We kept it for the remainder of the meal. Get the lychee martini it is divine and super smooth, not like a kick in your face! The ambience here is upscale of course you must dress to impress. They have window seating since the weather wasn't permitting for us to sit on the rooftop. Our waiter was really sweet. He was kind of busy so he was forgetful a little bit but super sweet. And we celebrated my birthday there so he got me a little birthday treat for free. I would come here again for the sushi and lychee martini! The bar looks super cute to just sit out and drink and have a quick Hamachi roll. I'll be back! Separate restrooms of course it's kind of hidden in the back.