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    Sai Cafe

    4.1 (403 reviews)
    Open 4:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    SAI CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Classy
    Casual
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Sai Cafe

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    Choir
    Dorothy S.

    Came by for a lovely weeknight dinner on a cold night. I'd never been to their og location, they moved into where Dee's used to be and their new location is just lovely. We didn't need a reservation on a random weeknight, were sat quickly and we started w a hamachi jalapeño app and it was so good! Very fresh hamachi, really delicious. I had a fresh salmon don, my friend had a rainbow roll and chirashi. The fish was so fresh and tasty. Service was great and quick. I would definitely come back here for their quality of fish, I'd also do take away for sure. The menu isn't super creative or new, it's got a lot of pretty standard sushi restaurant items. They do standard items really well, which is dope. My only problem is how expensive it ended up being, but with what's goin on in the world and economy today, this wasn't that surprising. I'll definitely be back! We got parking on the street right out front, pay to park.

    The claw!
    Mancow M.

    Our families favorite sushi restaurant in Lincoln Park for over 20 years. The newlocation is spectacular. The staff never changes so they must be very happy. I mean it's literally the same people for 20 years. And that is saying something yo! We go quite often. Details: our personal favorites are the ginger salad and the volcano roll.

    Volcano Maki
    Minh P.

    Updating my review to give Sai a well-deserved 5 stars. What ultimately changed my mind was this: Sai provides excellent food for a fair price with stellar service and a lovely ambiance. I enjoy myself every time I come to Sai, and am so so glad I ever gave it a try. Every menu item I have tried ranges from good to great, and that includes sushi, hot appetizers, cold appetizers, etc. The staff is very attentive, fast, and kind. I do not think I could ask more out of a dining experience. Would recommend! If you check out the menu and this is within your price range for sushi, give it a shot! You will not be disappointed. My favorites: - Creamy Scallop Maki - Agedashi tofu - Grilled black cod - Soft shell crab

    Gyoza!
    Rebecca C.

    My friends and I were craving sushi so we naturally took to Tik Tok to see what places we could try. Sai Cafe came up a few times and to our surprise, there was a table at 6:30 on a Saturday night! We booked it. We started with the miso soup and the gyoza. Both were very good! I will say- the online menu has the miso soup listed for $2, when the in person menu has it listed for $3 so that was interesting. The gyoza was crispy and well flavored with a wonderful dipping sauce. We shared an order of the veggie yakisoba, which was great. We all ordered some modified rolls and our waiter made sure the rolls were made perfectly. The salmon avocado was delicious, as well as the shrimp tempura roll. I noticed they had an Omikase experience which I would be interested to try next time. Overall- we ordered 6 rolls, 2 miso soups, 1 gyoza and 1 yakisoba and our total was $100 for 3 of us. I felt this place was reasonably priced and offered wonderfully fresh fish and delicious food!

    Dragon Maki, Unagi Maki
    Mariya S.

    A very solid 3 star in my humble opinion. I've decided to give my personal rating to places based on a few criteria's: Location: not a busy street, we were able to find paid street parking easily, not far from downtown. 4/5 Menu: food variety vas great, variety of appetizers was nice, though my friend was unable to find non-alcoholic beverages. I'm 3/5 Flavors: it was good, but nothing special, I was expecting more, the maki rolls were too big with a thick layer of rice. 3/5 Interior: very cute place, not overwhelmed with furniture and other decorations, felt cozy. 4/5 Price: I would say, that comparing price and quality, this place is slightly overpriced, though I didn't mind paying this much if I liked the food. 2/5 Service: the servants were good, no special treatment, but we didn't expect any. I also wanted to say thank you for being open on Christmas Eve, overall I think it was a nice experience, maybe I will come back again if I will be in the area.

    Courtney R.

    After living so close to this spot for the past year, my partner and I decided to stop by and give it a shot! Atmosphere: 5/5 - upon walking in, you're welcomed right away by not only the server staff, but also the chefs and owner! They were all so amazing, gave great recommendations, and overall fantastic Food: 5/5 - we tried a few different things while we were here. To name some of my favorites is the Nigiri (very fresh), the Gyoza (even my boyfriend liked it and he's picky), the Udon (had plenty of meat and the flavor was amazing) and the Flaming Salmon was to DIE FOR! Those are some of the best things to get in my opinion, plus having it paired with some warm Sake is even better! Overall, this place will now be my go to Sushi spot close to home. Since it's literally a crossed the street from me, I'm sure they will see me quite a bit :)

    Halloween Maki And Spicy White Tuna Crunch
    Nick B.

    Sai cafe is just fantastic. Our whole family loves to come here. Everything is just absolutely amazing. The sushi is phenomenal. Gorgeous ambience inside and Sai is just the nicest, almost always in the house walking around and making sure everything is fantastic.

    We had our first date here in 2007 and today is our 12 year anniversary. Great cocktails, great service, great food. You guys are amazing!
    Angeline V.

    Jim and the staff are impeccable. Had our 1st date here in 2007. Today we celebrate 12 years married.

    Sashimi Entree
    Kate L.

    Yes! It's delicious and Yes! It's also fun. Meandered through the sushi and sashimi offers, following the suggestions of the chefs at the bar where we landed. And Yes! Would go here again in a heartbeat. Good value for money and the atmosphere and neighborhood are terrific.

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Ordered omakase and was truly amazed! Wonderful experience. Our go-to place for sushi downtown.

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    Page 3 of 11

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    SUSHI-SAN - Truffle Shiitake Maki

    SUSHI-SAN

    4.3(1.3k reviews)
    2.3 miNear North Side
    $$$

    This is an excellent sushi place - great vibe, young crowd, and terrific food…read more We started with the roasted edamame and the tempura shrimp, followed that with three rolls, and finished with sashimi - it was all excellent, the beers were very cold, and the service was solid (not excellent but very good for the price point) Prices are not cheap but not as crazy as some other places (Juno is better, but it can get really pricey). Sushi-San is Defintely on our regular list

    I came here on a weekday for lunch and highly recommend it. It was not too crowded and food came…read moreout pretty quickly after ordering. I like the modern vibes of this location. Seating was comfortable. I tried their express lunch menu, which is a great option if you're here during lunch time. You get to pick 3 items from the list and I chose tako taco (a little spicy but highly recommend- one of my favorite things that day), salmon avocado (I'm not a personal fan of the Meyer lemon sauce), and tuna avocado rice bowl. Each item is smaller portioned but all together it's a substantial lunch set. I also tried the express sushi and sashimi lunch set, which comes with a delicious seaweed salad which I would order on its own as an appetizer. The lunch set comes with their "oh-my-kaze." This includes salmon, hamachi and tuna. One piece of tuna was substandard and had a big piece of sinew in it. Our server quickly switched it for another piece. The only dish I would skip is the Peking duck sizzling rice. The taste was fine- a little on the sweeter side with the hoisin sauce but the portion was more of an appetizer size. It's also not a true Peking duck, which focuses on a crispy duck skin and this dish just featured duck meat.

    Photos
    SUSHI-SAN - Seating

    Seating

    SUSHI-SAN - Togarashi Chicken Nuggets

    Togarashi Chicken Nuggets

    SUSHI-SAN - Happy Hour! Spicy Tuna and Avocado Crunch - very simple and perfectly refreshing. 5/5

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    Happy Hour! Spicy Tuna and Avocado Crunch - very simple and perfectly refreshing. 5/5

    Miru

    Miru

    4.3(312 reviews)
    2.9 miThe Loop
    $$$

    Ive been here more times than I can count and its easily one of my favorite sushi spots in the city…read moreI was just there last Friday with a friend and once again everything was perfect from the attentive seamless service to how beautifully each dish was presented Every bite was delicious I also love the modern design of the restaurant and the incredible views of Chicago it really adds to the whole experience The space has an intimate relaxed vibe that keeps me coming back Definitely one of those places I will be visiting again very soon

    3 of us back for a marvelous dinner with great views, beautiful decor, great service, and of course…read moregreat food. The quality of the food is very noticeable. We wanted to have some sake and asked for help. Their sommelier was very helpful and recommended the Snow Tiger Yuki Tora which is unfiltered and looks like milk, but it went beautifully with our food. We started with Edamame which had a perfect char. The grilled Avocado was a pleasant surprise with the char flavor and great spicy sauce. You get a spoon to scoop out the avocado and it's sliced so it works with chop sticks. By the way everything is great for sharing which gives everyone a chance to try the wonderful menu. Then we attacked the main menu. The Wagyu Nigiri, the must have Bluefin Tuna Crispy Rice, Crispy Spring Rolls and I drank the juice with the Hamachi and Lemon. Now it's time to figure what's next! spicy Tuna roll, triple tuna roll, the incredible Wild Mushroom sizzling rice bowl and it is sizzling! We're nearing the end! The Unagi and the Black Cod couldn't have been any better. It melted in our mouths. Think we're finished, we saved room for dessert! The Miru-Ishi and Black Sesame Mochi. We're finished! Maria was a great server and was very attentive!

    Photos
    Miru - Inside

    Inside

    Miru - Tempura Rock Shrimp

    Tempura Rock Shrimp

    Miru - Cherry Blossom G&T

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    Cherry Blossom G&T

    Jinsei Motto

    Jinsei Motto

    4.6(150 reviews)
    2.4 miWest Loop, Near West Side

    Came here for the lunch omakase, which features dry-aged fish. Overall, the fish was fresh and…read morewell-prepared--nothing particularly mind-blowing, but definitely good quality, especially for a more affordable omakase option. My only critique is the pacing. Since the chef already had the fish sliced and prepped, I expected a smoother flow, but the meal took about an hour and a half for 14 pieces of sushi. It felt a bit slow, especially for a lunch service. That said, if you're looking for a reasonably priced omakase with quality fish, this is a solid choice.

    Went for restaurant week with friends. Got there early after work and was able to hit the happy…read morehour which is a decent deal. Got the snow maiden sake and the spicy scallop hand roll. Both were great. Our bartenders were lovely and very friendly. Found out this is a Malort tasting room and we were able to sample some different Malorts (the cocoa one was good!). Then we were taken back to our table for dinner. Our server was super friendly as well. Started with the miso soup and crispy tuna bites which were probably my favorite dishes. The taki yoki fritters weren't bad either. We saw people getting omakase, so we ordered a yummy looking piece they were receiving. It was just okay (chutoro truffle). The nigiri was also okay. The tuna piece was the only I really loved. The fish quality wasn't as high as I was expecting. The sushi was decent. A little too much truffle in the spicy blue fin tuna and a little too vegetable forward in the hamachi serrano. All in all, the atmosphere and amazing service pushed this up to a 4 for me.

    Photos
    Jinsei Motto - Madai

    Madai

    Jinsei Motto - O toro

    O toro

    Jinsei Motto - Akami

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    Akami

    Sai Cafe - sushi - Updated May 2026

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