Nice owners, impeccable food, and broad menu. This is a neighborhood gem, but also worth a trip from the suburbs or the city. The sushi is really next level. read more

I really enjoyed my dinner in Shinsen restaurant! It is cozy, very tasteful, food was amazing, service was really good! I liked tiny teacups, and sugar in the shape of a flower everything was perfect! I am very thankful for this pleasant experience! read more

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Amazing service and delicious food! I love their ramen and sushi. I've tried there fried rice and I honestly wasn't a big fan of it but every other dish I've tried, I have loved! The restaurant is also very peaceful and relaxing. Sometimes they play lofi in the background which just adds to the experience. Highly highly recommend. read more

The food is good, but the service is sloooooow. We had the Black Widow, which was perfectly crispy and fresh. We also had the pork belly, which was also perfectly balanced with just the right amount of softness and crispiness. That being said, we won't be back. The service took a long time, and the waitresses couldn't have cared less read more

After Sea Ranch, this place has the best sushi in Evanston. My girlfriend love to eat there. They also have pretty good soup (that was her favorite dish). read more

Great restaurant! The ambience is a little fancy-pantsy which may be your vibe. But fear not, I showed up in sweats and was given friendly service. Order the red curry mussels with the scallion buns (they're so cute and come rolled like a little croissant, but the bun is like a Chinese steamed bun). We tried the chicken thigh robata as well and it had nice flavor! Portion is two skewers so it's a nice appetizer. Lastly, order the creme brûlée. It's a thai tea brûlée with lychee ice cream. Not too sweet or overpowering and it works really nicely. Overall solid restaurant! read more

Excellent sushi and sashimi, presented stylishly and served with elegance and care. This establishment has no liquor license, but (as we discovered) one can BYOB. Highly recommended! read more

We're officially fans of Shinsen. Can't believe it took us so long to try this place -- it's not far and the food is great. We ordered the red curry mussels, skirt steak robata, Black dragon maki, and the house made mango sorbet. I'm a pretty experienced home chef so I get really jazzed when I see and experience attention to detail, like the generous amount of fresh herbs in the mussel broth and the finely chopped shallots and peppers on our sushi roll. That's a sign of LOVE and PRIDE from the kitchen. The mango sorbet was an absolute delight. I can't figure out how they make it so richly satisfying, so I guess I'll have to keep ordering until I do :) read more

Excellent service and food. Mango sticky rice desserts is the must. Tiger cry is very delicious. read more

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Went to Shinsen Evanston for mother's day with my family. It's a mixture of Japanese & Thai cuisine. We all Enjoyed the food eaten family style (we can taste more things). the server was wonderful and cheerful. Appetizers, we had: Papaya salad, Pork chips, Karaage Tamarind noodle, Black widow, Spicy octopus maki. Also ordered a bunch of Rabota (small plates liked tapas) -Dau Asia Robata, Pork Belly & Salmon. Desserts: had Cream puff & Cream brûlée. Soon also ordered Green tea (hot). It has very fresh bright green color and smells like macha except in shredded leaf form instead of powder. It's excellent although a bit pricy at $10 for small/personal coffee press container. Best of all... We got 10% discount for mom's day read more

I will be back! The service is friendly and attentive, the food is delicious, fresh, and lovely presentation. Pook the chef came to our table to introduce himself. So nice to have this upscale restaurant here. read more

Shinsen - Chirachi bowl. So fresh and delicious. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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Haven't been in the restaurant, ordered delivery: miso, 1 tofu curry and 1 chicken curry, all great.

I was very excited to try Shinsen but the place fell short of my expectations. The place was busy today and I have to say the staff is super nice, but the service was very slow and the food came out unevenly. We had friend rice with shrimp, which ended up being one of the best choices (the problem was eating it with chop sticks and no fork was offered). The robata shishito was so spicy I couldn't eat it. The black widow roll looked nice but taste wasn't great (and certainly not worth $17); it had a small pepper on top that I had to remove because my palate couldn't resist more spice... my husband's house salad was spicy as well!!! And the sushi he ordered was average. Overall, not a good experience and we won't come back. read more

I'm so amazed with all combinations! Very good food, great atmosphere, and super friendly staffs. Highly recommended!!! read more

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Food was delicious. Great service. Relaxed and quaint environment. Great location. BYOB.

I'll be honest, when my husband suggested this place I was in a funk and nothing sounded good (it was me, not the menu - remember I said I was in a funk). So, I went the safe route. Shallot fried rice with shrimp. What I did not expect was the best fried rice I'd ever had. My husband was impressed with his meal as well - just don't ask me what it was. The food was good enough to have me remember this place for the future, for sure. That was Thursday. Guess what I had for lunch with my sister today. The care put into the packaging details for delivery really do put this place over the top in making an impression. Handwritten note. Treat. Napkin folded to hold fork and chopsticks in a little pocket. From the quality of the food (good portion of shrimp, cooked perfectly -- and not those teensy ones!) to the care put into sending it to our home this place is staying on our list and we will be eating here often. It's evident they care tremendously about making a great impression -- and that they did! read more

We ordered from here for the first time based on the strong reviews. Sushi was excellent. Packaged with care. Better than our favorite Evanston place Coast. Great selection including 4 kinds of tuna and sea urchin fresh from Japan. Service was excellent. Will order again. read more

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This restaurant is very nice in evanston. I really recommend this place. Everything about food very nice especially Robata. So I really like pork belly, Chicken thigh, Jang Ron Black Widow maki roll So dessert We ordered Chocolate cream puff, sweet sticky rice with mango sorbet. All food and desserts was so good. It's worth to try and see you again read more

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This place is the cutest. Grabbed some takeout for lunch and was so shocked by how fresh my sushi was and how it was so meticulously packaged! They even included a handwritten thank you. There's not a lot of fresh sushi in the burbs and I'm so happy to have finally found my go-to place! read more

The food and service is amazing!! All the sauces are made from scratch, sushi is proper temperature and very fresh, fried rice is like no other AMAZING! Your tea comes with a timer which help so you don't over steep the tea. They are open on Mondays which is unusual for a sushi restaurant but perfect for me. There is always a nice crowd and you can usually find parking out front. Friendly, kind and appreciative of your business. A MUST go to place! Ambiance is kid friendly and it's also BYOB. They provide chilled glasses for beer, ice chillers for your sake!! Ect. read more

This was our first date since our kiddo was born, as well as the first day of Phase 4 reopening and my goodness Shinsen did not disappoint. We went there for lunch with a reservation and I believe it was the owner that waited on us. The hospitality and attention to detail was fantastic. We took her recommendations and ordered off-menu for our appetizer - a hot stone new york strip. (It was called something else) The meat you cook yourself for three seconds on each side and it tasted amazing. We also ordered the Karaage, Black Dragon, Crispy Spicy Salmon, and two desserts (treat yo self) Japanese Yuzu Panna Cotta, and the Thai Tea Crème Brulee. We finished it all off with Moonlight Jasmin Blossom tea. I would order everything again in a heartbeat. The taste was excellent, everything cooked absolutely perfect. The presentation was beautiful. And even my husband was impressed, Shinsen is doing Asian Fusion WELL. We are only sad we didn't discover this Evanston jewel sooner. read more

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I ordered takeout from Shinsen last night for the first time and it was fantastic. We had the California rolls, edamame, pad see eiw, and shallot fried rice. Everything was delicious and tasted fresh. They even included a hand written note and butter cookies. Will definitely be adding this to our regular places to order from (and eventually visit)! read more

Wonderful service and food!! They accommodated nicely to our dietary restrictions regarding fish scales in the miso soup. The presentation was lovely and the interior was gorgeous. Regarding the food, it tasted amazing. I would personally recommend the pad see ew for those wanting to try a new dish for it is one of the best I've ever tasted. Everything about this restaurant is amazing and is worthy of 5 stars!! read more

Ordered last night for the first time and it will be the first of many orders to come. Such wonderful food!!! The papaya salad was ok, my least favorite but fine. The fried calamari was the shape of French fries and was tender and the dippIng sauce was great. The tamirand noodle is pad Thai but I liked it much better than usual as it wasn't as sweet as most pad Thai is which I appreciated. We had chicken thigh skewers. Not very flavorful. The crunchy spicy tuna roll and black widow were excellent. They tossed in sample desserts of their yummy pana cotta which we loved. The food was fresh, tasty, a little different than average. Well packaged and delivered on time. I want to try more menu items so will definitely order again. read more

The food here is always delicious! I come here at least every couple of weeks, it's one of my favorite places to bring friends too! It's BYOB as well! The steak skewers alone are a reason to stop in! read more

Every single time we're ordering take away or dinning at the restaurant, it's perfect. Service, food, knowledgeable about allergies, the food preparation great place! Highly recommend read more

This place is so delicious! The signature maki rolls were really good- I can't wait to come back and try more of their menu. Staff was very friendly and the restaurant was spacious and clean. We'll be coming back for sure! read more

Absolutely delicious! The mussels in particular were super yummy. Loved everything I tried except one dish which was not bad but not as tasty as all the others. I'll certainly be back. read more

Best sushi I've had in evanston !!!everything i ordered was delishhhhhh.. our waitress was also very friendly and helpful!

The food was very good! Presentation was beautiful and the service was super nice. It was a great experience even during COVID! Dining indoor was perfect for us around 8 pm, it wasn't too crowded. Definitely coming back! read more

Amazing and fresh food. Chef prepares everything on spot when you place an order. Amazing and tasty food. We loved his staff as well. Nice people and great service. His sushi rolls are our favorites. read more

This place is fantastic. I've been twice now and am so happy it's in Evanston! The menu has something for everyone...the skewers (especially the steak) and fried chicken are great and hearty, and the rolls are delish - especially the negihama, spicy tuna, and black widow. Their soy sauce is some of the best I've ever had (as long as you follow their advice to use less than usual, since it's more concentrated). I always love ending the meal with a tamago nigiri and it was fabulous. The people next to us had rice bowls that looked good too, I'd try those next time. I found the staff super nice as well. Definitely try this place! read more

Really delicious food, creatively presented even for take out. Love the added touch of the enclosed thank you note and the mini butter cookies for dessert. Will return often to keep them in business during Covid! read more

went for a late-ish lunch on a sunday and wasn't busy at all. in fact it was like super silent and they were definitely playing "lofi chill beats to study to" hahaha the waitress was really kind and knowledgeable about the menu. not sure if the rolls / special sets are worth the price but they were good! especially the roll with soft shell crab. read more

Shinsen - special set (? i dont remember what it was called haha) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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The food was very good. I took one star off for the high prices, in particular $10 for hot tea which we naively expected to be free. We'll know better if we go there again---we'll order tap water, which should be less than $5. read more

Shinsen is excellent all-around, and the Thai food is particularly good. The curries are some of the best we have had outside of Thailand and even the fried rice is super-interesting (served in a hot stone bowl that crisps the rice and fries the egg with crispy shallots). The shishito peppers aren't something I would typically order, but were excellent and smoky (from the bonito flakes). Service is friendly and thoughtful as well. read more

A new, trendy place to get sushi, great taste especially for Evanston (arguably much better than Todoroki for a similar price-range, and more classy than Sea Ranch which is in the same area). Went for a friend's birthday, and was treated in an amazing way by the restaurant staff. Highly recommend this place as a date/special occasion kind of dinner. read more

I came here for lunch with my boyfriend. We got the edamame, tuna tartare, shrimp, and set 2 of the sushi! It was AMAZING. Highly recommend and definitely coming back. Staff was super friendly and helpful. read more

Shinsen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Had a marvelous dinner here last night: hamachi, papaya salad, robata of head-on shrimp, then shishito peppers and skirt steak. All beautifully seasoned and perfectly cooked over binchotan charcoal. The Karaage chicken was as good as any I've had in Japan - highly recommended We also shared a bowl of shoyu ramen and shallot fried rice, both of which were spectacular! Service is also wonderful, everyone is warm, friendly and knowledgable. Shinsen is one of the best restaurants to open in Evanston in a long time! read more

super sweet staff and great dining experience. the resturaunt is cozy and great for a date or bite with friends. they're environmentally concious and use paper straws. their thai tea and skewers are super good as well. entrees range from $8-20. read more

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