Meh. That's all I can say about Tanoshii. The Mike's special can be good, but for the price, it's not worth it. I could get a "special roll" where I know what's in it for at least $5 less somewhere else and have it taste just as good. The regular rolls were alright but there wasn't much selection, compared to other places I've been. Our server was really friendly, though, and gave us an on-the-house edamame when ours took too long. So they gain a star back for that. Overall, it wasn't mindblowing, but if someone else wanted to go I wouldn't refuse. read more

The fish here is fresh, and the owner is an entertaining and friendly man. I've seen him on TV a few times, as he is an expert in his field. If you can stand the wait, the food is excellent. I waited for my food almost 2 hours while sitting at the bar on a Wednesday night. I had no idea it was going to take so long to get my food, but it was definitely good. I found out that if you're not picky, and you sit at the bar, just ask Mike (the owner) to just make you something, he'll come up with a tasty treat. Usually spicy, but very good. I'm not certain I will go back, unless it's for lunch on a weekday, just because it took way too long to get our food. I took off 1 star for the wait, because the food was so good. You decide if you want to do it. BYOB! read more

If someone had offered me a dish described as "a combination of sundried tomato, strawberry, and raw fish" I would probably have smacked them. But in the hands of "Mike" and "Chris" at Tanoshii, those three seemingly incompatible ingredients are amazing together in a roll. And it's not on the menu. At Tanoshii, I think it's the chefs' creativity and ability to balance flavors that make their creations unique. I haven't tried anything I haven't liked yet, but with the exception of their fun and flavorful "fish and chips", I also haven't tried anything on the official menu. I highly recommend sitting at the bar and turning your meal over to the very, very capable chefs. The ingredients are eclectic and the results are amazing. Bring your favorite people and your favorite wine - it's BYOB. You may be surprised, but you won't be disappointed! read more

Wednesday night freezing winter temperatrue. We were able to find pay street parking close to restaurant. clean simple pleasant decor and lighting. Could barely hear 80's music in background due to a loud party. Able to seat family of four. Crisp salad but needed more zest for kids. My kids are into ginger soy dressing. Server always pleasant, informative and attentive. She brought glasses for our Sapporo beer. She brought wine glasses, saw we brought Ozeki junmai sake and switched to sake cups. Sake later put on ice. Udon soup good. Vegetables in broth, good. Tempura, good. Udon noodles had the right chew. Not overcooked. No mushy noodles. Chef Mike made two special rolls. One had a slice of strawberry which gave a soft bouquet taste. Almost reminiscent of a sake with a floral note. A surprising roll perfectly sliced into one bite size. Second roll, kids wanted unagi and spice. The roll looked large but was an amazing one bite. Pleasant texture. Spice was made with mayo but reminded me of mild buffalo sauce. Incredibly good. Both rolls worked with sake. Yes, byob. Did not open beer. Ordered sashimi dinner. All slices fresh and good texture and taste. Escolar, large clam, mackerel, squid, scallop, shrimp, salmon, yellow tail, missing two other. Good uni Nigiri. All worked with sake. The server brought soy sauce with fresh wasabi. Next time, I'll request fresh wasabi on the side. Good green tea ice cream and mochi ice cream-coffee, green tea, red bean. If I can't make it to Katsu or Coast, this is my new goto for sushi sashimi and Mike's special rolls. Macku, I've had 3 visits which were all omakse courses with reserve sake but I won't set foot at your place. read more

Don't get it twisted. Tanoshii is not an iizakaya or keiseki -style restaurant. On the 3 times I've dined at either the A'ville or Randolph St. establishments, I could count the number of Asians that were dining there ( would have to use both hands, but the number won't exceed my digits) ! Suffice it to say, if you have a taste for tempura, sukiyaki, agadashi tofu or yellowtail collar, Tanoshi is not the destination for you. Its the place to come for "fusion" style sushi & rolls. (Think Westernized sushi rolls garnished with pieces of strawberry or basil-like pesto). And don't ask Sushi Mike what type of fish are in the roll. He answers any diner who asks with the stock phrase " It's Fish". Believe all the other reviewers who commented on the service. Last week, our party of 3 reserved at the sushi bar. We didn't get ANY food for 55 minutes! Thank goodness its a BYO. You will be shit-faced before you get any food. OK, so the "Mike's Special" is really not "omikase" (chef's choice menu). It's the chef's selection of sushi rolls. No hot food. The sushi is expertly sliced and rolled. Presentation is flawless. A roll with mushrooms as one of the components was very tasty. Other combos were good, but not anything "mo' better " than any sushi joint. if what you are looking for is westernized sushi with influences of truffle oil, pesto, and fried tortillas, this place is for you. If you're Japanese or Korean ( or an American foodie who loves Japanese food) this ain't the place. read more

Well it's more like 3.5 *s due to the BYO & 80s music. I really really really wanted to LOVE Tanoshii because so many of my friends have recommended it as the place to go to. Servers were friendly. Seemed like a lively environment but it wasn't what I had hoped for. The first thing I saw on the menu was the "Mike Special" and like many others have explained, it's a way for the chef to get creative with all sorts of out-of-the-box rolls. I thought that it would be well worth the $20 for each roll if they're as good as I've heard. Server comes over and I tell him that it's my 1st time there so I'm going to go for the Mike special. Before I tell him what I usually like he tells me that it might be easier if I tell him what I don't like. Fair enough, I don't like squid and no fruit on one of the rolls. I wanted to give the chef complete creative control. Some time later I get a shrimp roll with strawberries and salsa like paste which was just fine. Nothing spectacular. What I just didn't understand is the 2nd roll that was salmon/shrimp from inside and super white tuna on the outside and drizzled with something overly oily. Really? I tell you I'll take about anything and you give me a salmon/tuna roll? sighs. I left the place underwhelmed and hungry. I might go there one more time if I happen to be close to it to see if I went on a bad night. read more

Is no stars an option? This place sucks! If you actually go to a restaurant to get served after you order in less than an hour and a half, I recommend you go someplace else. Three friends and myself had a terrible experience. We were sat at a table, ordered, and proceeded to wait, and wait, and watch tables sat after us get there food. No explanation, no apology. When we asked to talk to a manager or owner we were ignored. We were not rude or loud, we were very patient, but the service and food was non-exsistant. THE SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE! Would NOT recommend. read more

I love this place I've been going to this place since I was 2-5 months old or 1-2 years old too. I've also met his son once and he is very nice! Me and my sister call him Sushi Mike we've been calling that since I was 8 and she was 5. So please go here and tell your friends. Also I'm 13 so I've been going their for a long time now. read more

i brought a few friends here on the recommendation of a college friend who said that this is her FAVORITE place to get sushi. After trying this place, I can see exactly why. I will say, it is one of the most expensive sushi places I've been to, but their fish is very, very fresh. A special thing they do is something called Mike's Special Roll (I think). Genius! You just tell them what your favorite fishes and ingredients are, and he'll make you a custom roll. We had a Yellowtail custom roll and a white tuna w/mango, cilantro and more. For an appetizer we tried their fried calamari which was breaded in something lighter than the typical breading and came out soaked in a light soy/sour sauce. The table next to us had udon that I wanted to stick a spoon in, something that I definitely plan to try when I go there again. Between 4 girls we had 10 rolls. My favorites: Kamikaze, Dynamite, Red Caterpillar Ambiance - Very chic, without overdoing it. Food Quality - fresh fish, innovative rolls Service - a little slow to be honest, only 2 servers for the whole place, but its made up for in the food. Value - expensive. our bill was $160 for 4 people. read more

The ikura nigiri was the worst I've ever had. It honestly tasted like soap. I wanted to mention this to our server, but no one ever came back to check on us. The other rolls were fine, but some of the pieces contained very little fish. read more

Tanoshii and Sushi Mike will give you an incredible experience. A friend took me here last night, we sat at the sushi bar and said please just order the Chef's Special - what does that mean you ask? That Sushi Mike will come by and ask you what you like and dislike then will create a tantilizing sushi experience. You don't know what will come next but trust me - you will love it and want more! Low key BYOB and reasonably priced - please visit Sushi Mike! read more

My sister took me to dinner here. They do "Omakase rolls" here which is a bit different than traditional omakase in that you let the chefs make special rolls for you. We ordered 3 Omakase rolls and a few pieces of sashimi. The rolls were interesting and pretty good but what made the experience awful was that we waited at least an hour after ordering for the first roll to arrive. The waiter should have set the expectation that the food would have taken so long to arrive. He did offer gyoza on the house but came back a few minutes later to inform us that they were all out and offered us edamame instead. While the "Omakase rolls" were an interesting concept I don't think it's worth a second visit. This place is also byob so if you don't bring your own alcohol there really isn't much to do while waiting for your food. read more

Well... my buddy is super stoked about this place, and believes in Mike- went last week and I was less than impressed. While I appreciate the creative inventions of the rolls- I wonder if it's really just an ideal way for them to sell the fish that hasn't sold that week. Well, we put the trust in Mike's hands for a few rolls and tried the "famous" fish n' chips. It was more like ceviche meets guacamole- wasn't bad, but just didn't dig on the presentation and wasn't wowed. This place is way outta my budget- granted, i'm used to throwing down some $ on sushi, but at $22 a roll, I'll pass. I also don't live in this neighborhood, so it's unlikely I'll return. Even with the BYOB aspect, it still comes out on the expensive side. Last rant: service wasn't very good either... read more

Left starving late one Saturday night...after waiting 45 minutes for a #22 bus that never came, we hopped in a cab in search of a sushi joint. After hollering STOP to the cab driver upon seeing an open restaurant, we entered Tanoshii... First impression? 80's music BLARING. It was so loud, we had to ask them to turn it down (yeah, we're old!) They did turn it down, sorta. We ordered 5 rolls...they were all flavorful and delicious (The fish was really fresh) but I thought they were pretty small. We did get offered the custom made rolls by Mike the Chef...but at $17 to $22 a pop, we couldn't do it. All in all, the sushi was good, but not really anything that I would rave about to my friends... If you go, try the Japanese Sprite...it's super-fun! read more

We stumbled upon this place after trying to go to Hama Matsu down the street and not finding parking. It was a Saturday night and we sat down without a wait. The place was rather packed though but we got a great table in the window. I love BYOB and we had a nice bottle of white wine to accompany the sushi. This was the most creative sushi place I've been to yet! I was hesitant to try the Sushi Mike special because I didn't know what to expect. You tell the server the kind of fish you like and Sushi Mike whips something up for you. He created an Italian roll that was topped with oregano seasoning. I know what you are thinking, that this sounds strange, but it was outstanding!! He also made us a white spicy tuna roll that was excellent as well. I think it is a unique offering that Tanoshi brings to the table and I would come back again to see what he could whip up next! Don't be afraid to try new things. read more

I cannot wait to go back to Tanoshii. We had one of Sushi Mike's special rolls and it was out of this world it was a perfect blend and balance of sweet and spicy tuna and whitefish, avocado and sweet egg. For an appetizer we had the fish and chips which was basically a homemade chip, which was pretty large and topped with Sushi Mike's own creation of chopped raw tuna in a lime, sesame oil infused spicy sauce with avocado which was scooped up and put into the chip for us my the waiter. Keep in mind this is BOYB and some amazing sushi. I will recommend this place to everyone I know. read more

For the food alone, I would have given it five stars. But alas, Chef Mike has a chip on his shoulder the size of Mt. Fuji. A friend and I decided to spend Friday night at Tanoshii, with the idea of ordering omakase. So we arrived at our appointed reservation time, sat at the bar and told the waiter that we will have whatever Mike is serving. Too much time went by before the "special" appetizer came by. The fish & chips lacked balance and was too sour. Much like the rest of our experience there... As the next roll was handed to us, we inquired to Mike what was in the roll. "Fish" was his response. We thought it a bit crude, but funny nonetheless. The roll was good, not great. Something with escolar on top, we presumed. The next roll comes out. Once again, we ask what it is. "Fish". Thanks, jagbag. It was some sort of spicy tuna roll. I wanted to close the bill right then and there, but we decided to stay for one more roll since this one was so good. A softshell crab roll followed. I didn't want to like it, but it was really good. We closed the tab and left for a real dinner in Chinatown at Go4Food (geoduck, salted egg yolk shrimp, whole steamed bass, crispy chicken). The bill was $60. If we were sitting anywhere but the sushi bar, we probably would have spent another $200. Unfortunately though, Mike has the personality of a grocery store California Roll. On our experience alone, I'd give this place 2.5 stars if that was possible. Don't sit at the sushi bar. read more

Melts in your mouth........ fresh, clean and super friendly staff! This place knows what its doing. Sushi chef Chris made an outstanding dinner per his own recommendations and it surely did not disappoint. As mentioned by other reviewers, the glory behind this place is completely trusting the chef by telling him your preferences. I told them spicy salmon and spicy tuna and before you know it i had amazing creations that included honey&truffle(WTF??), fresh grated wasabi and a spicy concoction that i could not get enough of. Anyway, BYOB is a major plus and their hot sake is great. :) TOTALLY my new fave sushi spot! read more

SERVICE WAS TERRIBLE, WAITRESSES WERE SO BAD!! The servers were constantly looking at us, giving us stares and kept on asking us if we wanted water. They cleaned up right in front of us and in general I didn't like the service and the people working there. The food was not that good, DEFINITELY does not deserve more than 1 star. They gave us very small portions of food for a very expensive amount of money, and the sushi was not the best. I would not come back here again, totally did not meet my expectations at all. Would not recommend coming here. WHAT A WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!!! read more

Sushi Mike is the real deal, bringing creative inspiration to his food and impressing your taste buds with flavors you don't expect. Granted, letting him handle the menu can be expensive, but I suggest going in a large group. It'll let you try more Sushi Mike for about the same price (and you know you want to try at least 7 different rolls). BYOB at this place is great, but there are a few things to keep in mind. 1. There might not be enough clean glasses in the restaurant for you. No worries. Run across the street to Dominick's and get some plastic Solo cups. It's just like being back in college, only with better food. 2. The service can be spotty. Take it as a sacrifice for the food. Oh... and leave a beer for Mike. He gets thirsty. read more

Tanoshii is hands down my favorite sushi in the city. We went here a few weeks ago for my birthday, and not only did all in attendance like me considerably more after than before, but one person who came with was converted from a sushi naysayer to an addict. Feel free to order off the menu, but bear in mind that it is pointless. You want to order fish and chips, and 1 sushi mike special per person. Then desert. Then maybe another special to fill in the corners. And try to get the one with the seasoned olive oil drizzled on top, sweet Christ is it good. read more

I was a very nice experience ordering the chef creators rolls. It is pretty experience but will fill your apatite up. I had this devious mushroom roll and I would give that its self 5 stars. Same with the tuna tower as a appetizer. One thing that was horrid was the service, although the food is good it took over an hour to get food. If I was the owner of that restaurant I would have a basket of chips or bread. You should definitely go read more

Just went here on Friday night, came with two bottles of Champagne and it was a great time. Service is a little slow but the great tasting sushi made up for that. We went for the Mike's Special. Warning: if there is a certain ingredient you don't like, let them know. I hate cilantro and I didn't bother saying anything, but it was in 2 of our rolls. kind of a bummer, but my own fault. I really liked the atmosphere, in this smaller space you get a homier feeling, neighborhood-like. Sushi Mike makes the place pretty fun too cause you can tell he's having a great time. inside scoop: sushi mike LOVES blue moon, so if you bring some for him, he will treat you extra special! read more

+ Good quality fish and friendly good service on a Friday night. - Weirdly huge amounts of wasabi smashed between fish and rice in nigiri. Like, tons of wasabi. Like the chef thought he needed wasabi adhesive to connect fish and rice (no dude, it doesn't work that way). Like, distracting from the taste of the fish I'm paying "$$$" to luxuriate in. When I asked for my next round of nigiri to have no wasabi, my nigiri came... smothered in wasabi. OK, that's just frustrating. Not coming back. read more

I frequently visit the establishment offer the last 5 years. Mike Kim is awesome. Always an amazing experience! Always very fresh and recommendations are spot on! read more

Very awesome sushi, and I don't go for sushi very often. But Mike's special is very good, a little pricey though so bring friends. The only other thing I noticed was I went twice, and thinking the Mike's special would be different, was very excited. But as the plates started arriving they were the same dishes as the first time I went. Still really good, and very creative, but would be nice to have something different each time. The place is also great because it's BYOB, and of course I love that! Also they take reservations, which is great, even if you think you won't need them, it's always nice to have. read more

For the real thing with a twist that actually works order the Mike special unbelievably good . This place never disappoints, with service to boot.One couldn't ask for more read more

Tanoshi - Special Tako must try! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's not bad for a place out in Andersonville. My friend and I came here to celebrate, and it was a very chill place. We didn't sit up at the bar where the chefs are pretty personable, and opted for a more private conversation. We did try one of Chef Mike's creative rolls amongst many others. They were pretty tasty, but not as mouth watering as some of the other sushi I've had at other places. The prices are pretty competitive to other sushi joints, and our waiter was okay. I do wish that I brought some wine since it's BYOB, but maybe next time. It's good to know of another place where I can do sushi take-out. read more

I'm glad there is good sushi near by when I am having a craving. It is not cheap but the funny part is you never get the same experience. Everyone comes here for the Mike's special, you either tell them what you like or what you dislike and he is make you a roll especially for you. I got a spicy scallop hand roll but his version a lettuce wrap full of scallops, spicy, with a touch of sesame oil. The other roll had white tuna, strawberry, and used a soy wrapper. It was pretty pricey but worth trying. read more

Amazing! I know of Chef Mike and Tanoshii for a decade at least and have no clue why I never visited the restaurant until last night. And then...drumroll...pure amazingness! Three chef choice plates that were to die for-subtle, elegant and at a perfect temperature so you can actually taste the wonderful fish. Going again for sure! read more

Been coming to Tanoshii for a few years now. There's not much I can add. I would readily agree that it is some of the best sushi in the city. It's a touch on the pricey side for a neighborhood joint. However, the first taste will tell you that it's money well spent. Get a nice bottle of white wine and toss the menu aside. Let Sushi Mike take you on a ride. You won't regret it. read more

It took me a while to realize that this place wasn't a tapas restaurant (hey, their awning is the same colors as a Spanish flag!) Glad I stopped in. Definitely let Sushi Mike make dinner for you; the rolls were really clever and not what you would normally expect. One star off for blasting the 80s radio station. Van Halen was funny for about the first 5 minutes, then it got really old. read more

It's rare I travel outside of a mile radius for food, but I must make an exception for Tanoshii. I've only been twice, but I promise I will go many more times. You need to eat at the sushi bar, and if you want it to be quick you need to go early. I totally agree with Leslee H., the music is bizarre, but awesome:) Have Sushi Mike make you whatever he feels like, no need to look at a menu. One last thing, this is a great place to take rookie sushi eaters, but it won't disappoint seasoned pros. EDIT: Ok, now I have gone back many more times and still love it. Even moreso now. I love you Tanoshii. read more

Ok it just get's better. Tanoshii just opened an 2nd location on Randolph in restaurant row. Place is big, bit more modern, but same great sushi. Mike was here when we went on Sunday. Brought a couple with us that also love sushi and we introduced them to "Mike's" rolls. Basically you go in and ask for Mikes rolls and he makes this incredible selection of maki that are unlike most you have had at normal sushi places. One roll in particular everyone loves is the shitake mushroom roll. Man that's a good one that I highly recommend you try. Home made gyoza and a solid selection of sakes. I do like that the original location was byob but it's great that there is now a south side location as the original one is up in Andersonville. If you like sushi this is the place to hit in Chicago. read more

There is nothing you can say about Sushi Mike and his quality ingredients and flawless technique other than...HANDS DOWN BEST SUSHI IN CHICAGO read more

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My friend had talked about Sushi Mike for weeks, maybe months. I thought, "Seriously, how good can this place be? Sheesh." Well, it is that good. Indeed it is. Went there last night as kind of a spur of the moment thing (Him: Want sushi? Me: Yup.) It was, as some say, amazeballs. Started off with the fish and chips, which is really a nice mix of fish with spices on a tortilla-like chip. It was kind of impossible to not eat without slopping, but whatever. As others said before, it is not on the menu, but ask for it. Then we had several pieces of nigiri before moving on to three of Sushi Mike's specialty rolls. All I can say is that these rolls put other sushi joints to shame. SHAME! The mix of flavors just melt in your mouth - refreshing, then a kick of spice, then just delish. Mmmmmm. Towards the end my stomach started saying no more, and I finally had to give in, lest I felt sick and regret eating there. I couldn't let that happen. Without a doubt I plan on coming back, with or without my friend (sorry dude). The quality of the fish, the creativity in the rolls, the friendliness of Sushi Mike, and the overall atmosphere was outstanding. Oh yeah, and they play AWESOME music. Lots of great 80s tunes. I was in heaven. read more

Decent sushi, albeit American style which translates into way too much sauce and rolled with a lot of rice so it can only be fit in the typical American's mouth. Over priced, which is again standard for the clientele in the city. Friendly staff and clean establishment. I am still in search of a nice reasonally priced place in area. read more

Some of the best sushi in the neighborhood. The Andersonville roll is a must--delicious! And for those who can't decide what to order, the teriyaki bento boxes (served with chicken/beef/or salmon teriyaki AND sashimi AND gyoza AND shrimp tempura are just perfect. Good stuff. All the sushi on the menu is divine. That being said, be prepared for mediocre service if you're not sitting at the sushi bar. All in all, a good place to go if you have some time on your hands and a hankering for top-notch sushi. read more

Best darn kitty food (see, I am a puppy) I have had in a very long time. Simple, quaint and the perfect spot not to be seen, but gotta love the food. Freshest fish i have had this far from the water. Service is always impeccable, fast and courteous.place is clean and a great atmosphere. It is BYOB so come prepared. FOUR PAWS read more

We have been going here for almost 15 years. The visits reduced after we moved to the burbs and we missed Tanoshi a lot. We were very excited to eat here after a few years and more excited when we saw Chef Mike there. Unfortunately it was a subpar experience. We ordered the omakase. Despite saying my wife was vegetarian, we got a salad with with seared tuna in it. And despite showing the waiter a picture of a vegetarian sushi we used to get before, they made something for us that was way different and with no sauce (the amazing sushi's from the past would have flavor and sauce) We asked if he could get us ANY sauce even the one from the previous course and he got us spicy Mayo and said the sauce was needed for other patrons and for the rest of weekend so they could not spare any. It's sad but we will be coming here ever again. Disappointing to have some good memories destroyed. hope they get better. read more