The atmosphere at Indie Cafe is really very pleasant. It is usually never too crowded and even when it is technically at full capacity, it never feels uncomfortable. The decor is modern and sleek from its walls down to its tableware. Now, let's get this straight. The sushi is pretty good and on the creative side. The thai dishes are, in my opinion, somewhat better and usually what I go with. The Indie Signature Curry? If this dish were a song, it would totally be my jam! However, ladies and gentlemen, I must now clarify. I am giving this restaurant 5 stars instead of the 4 that it deserves SOLELY because of their one and only, their crab rangoon. It has been years since I had the pleasure of eating this for the first time and it still remains as one of the top ten things I have EVER eaten. So what is so spectacular about this Crack Rangoon? Oh, pardon me, Crab Rangoon? What isn't spectacular is more the question. Yes, there is crab. Yes, there is cream cheese. Yes, there are wonton wrappers, but there is so much more! There are, what I believe to be, grated carrots and celery added to the seasoned mixture that add a great texture and taste. Paired with one of the better sweet & sour sauces I've tried? Truly heavenly. read more

I loooooooooooooove Indie Cafe. I can't think of any sushi I've had there that I wouldn't order again. Also, the basil chicken. And the ginger chicken. And the crab rangoons. And the miso soup. This review is making me hungry! It's also reasonably priced, BYOB, and they have a great lunch special. Win! read more

You know, I've never actually been to this restaurant, but I've ordered from it for years. The food is always fresh, delicious and more than that ... it's dependable. They rarely make errors, which makes me very happy. They've always been completely gracious. It's a pleasure to give Indie Cafe a positive review! read more

Now that Tank Sushi had closed my wife and I were searching for a great replacement and we may have found it in Edgewater at Indie. We had the Almond Monkey, Godzilla, Santana, and Sweet Potato. All four were incredible. Service was great. Highly recommended. read more

Indie Cafe - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We gave the Indie Cafe a shot a while ago and rarely go anywhere else for sushi. The food is awesome. For those who do not want to spend a lot of money on sushi... you can easily order sushi AND thai for a great price. Their chicken fried rice is delicious. I also enjoy their Popeye sushi. Also, the wait staff is soooo friendly. For example, one night we were there after they closed with friends. They came up to us and said "would you mind if we vacuumed around you?". They didn't want us to leave, they saw we were having a great time. That was very sweet of them. We love you Indie Cafe! read more

Our favorite Sushi joint in Chicago. Great place to bring your friends that do not like Sushi because their Thai Food is amazing. Like EEL? I recommend their "Catapillar" and "Popeye". And they're incredibly friendly. One night while we were there with friends drinking. They asked to "Vacuum around us if that's okay?". Then we looked at our watches... they had been closed for an hour but they were still cool with us being there. So sweet! read more

I didn't really see the big deal about Indie Cafe. I had a pleasant lunch there on Friday, but it wasn't the amazing experience that I had been led to expect by the reviews here on Yelp. Instead, I had some solid Thai curry in a swankily decorated restaurant. I did appreciate the value of the $7 lunch special, though! I didn't find anything wrong here, just nothing too memorable. If I lived in the neighborhood, I'd probably come back due to the convenience factor, but for non-local residents, it doesn't seem worth a trip out of the way. read more

I have to admit that I've taken to judging Chinese/Thai restaurants by their Crab Rangoon... and I think I've just stumbled upon the ultimate Crab Rangoon, at Indie Cafe Thai & Sushi: paper-thin wrappers, and the touch of pepper in the filling makes them so delicious, I could've easily made a dinner from them alone. But the great tastes don't stop there. Indie Cafe is a hip, hole-in-the-wall joint: feng shui-spartan design consisting of a dozen tables and half a dozen seats at the sushi bar. The menu comes in a metal CD-case, consisting of small laminated pages outlining your menu choices and giving plenty of pictures to help you decide. Lots of variety in Japanese and Thai dishes, superb selection of sushi and sushi rolls. In addition to the most amazing Crab Rangoon *ever*, I had the spring rolls - which were more sushi than traditional-style spring roll - and a chili-hot seafood salad that was as beautiful as it was tasty. The staff was nice, the prices were reasonable (dishes run from $3-17, with most in the $4-8 range), and all the food was great. I couldn't believe I had not discovered this gem earlier! read more

This place is great, genuinely friendly service, fresh sushi, inviting atmosphere, great prices, BYOB and their version of (Thai) Panang ranks among the best in the city. This place is the Butterfly (Grand ave) equivalent of the North Side, given that they balance Pan-Asian Japanese/Thai equally well. Service is never something I care about, but the service here is consistently friendly in the most sincere way. The food, price and genuinely friendly service makes this one of the best in the city. BTW- Other Thai favorites: Spoon Thai (Western), Classic Thai Clark St. read more

My new favorite restaurant. Dear God, it's good. Their Crab Rangoon is unbelievable. Perfect every time!!!! The first few times I went here, I got their sushi. So fresh, So Good. I finally tried their Thai food only because my friend got their red chicken curry. And then I was at a loss for words. Basically, you can't go wrong here. It's all so good, it makes me want to weep. Weep madly and laugh wildly all at the same time. Too bad they don't serve crazy pills. read more

For some reason, I find myself craving Indie Cafe at least once a week, more so than any other restuarant. I LOOOVE the red and green curry, I can't get enough of it, and would eat either one everyday if I could. I've dined at the restaurant once (during lunch) and was pleased to find out about their lunch special including soup, appetizer, and entree for an affordable price. They deliever, which is perfect, but one time they ended up forgetting my sweet potato tempura maki and I had to call back to tell them. I expected something free or a coupon to use later but got nothing. I was a little disappointed but not enough to stop eating here. Try it! Everything I've had (miso soup, egg rolls, pad thai, various veggie makis, red curry, and green curry) has been amazing. read more

I have been going here since it first opened. In the beginning it was a dream! Great prices, attentive service, beautiful presentation, and wonderful flavors! After their expansion, the food & service went down while the prices went up. They put some ugly, "hip" (scary) art on the walls, redo the menus every now and then, serve liquor, and think they can bs everything else. Whhhhhhy?! It's like that innocent girl who went to Hollywood to be a star and now she's hookin' for $10. Will she ever get that innocence back? I still love you Indie Salad. read more

I miss this place. So. Much. Prior to being the Indie Cafe, there were several other restaurants in this location, none of which stayed open for long. I think all of Edgewater rejoiced when Indie opened its doors and we found really great food there. It's awesome that they're still open, and they've even expanded. Indie has proven time and again that good sushi doesn't have to be expensive (or pretentious). The Thai options are excellent as well. I am always amazed at the beautiful way they plate the food, because you feel like you're in a super swanky restaurant and should be paying way more than you are. To make it even better, it's BYOB. Great food, and great value for the money. Go here now. read more

Yay - Indie Cafe has become my new favorite Thai restaurant! I despaired last summer when I moved up to Edgewater from Wicker Park, thinking no restaurant could even approach my beloved Thai Village. Indie Cafe, however, is a horse of a different color. Where Thai Village was classic and kitschy, Indie Cafe is hip and modern -- but in a way that results in tasty food an an unassuming attitude. Here's a tip: If you dig curry, order the Indie Katsu. It's a special not usually listed on the menu, but they can always whip up a dish. It's got a generous helping of tempura chicken, along with carrots, broccoli and a bit of basil. The sauce is pleasantly spicy. read more

I've been here a few times and they've been consistently good. It's slightly more expensive than the usual Thai places in Lincoln Square but I like having the option of ordering some sushi rolls as well. Crab rangoons - Very good but not mind blowing as a lot of reviews seem to make it. It's mostly just cream cheese but has a nice thin wrapper unlike a lot of other places. Tasty though Soft shell crab appetizer - Just ok. They only give you one crab for the order. I prefer the ones from Silver Seafood instead. Chicken gyoza - Very tasty as well Spicy blue crab roll - Very good and made with real crab unlike the crab stick or imitation crab that a lot of places use. Cape Cod roll - Real crab with avocado and cucumber. Tasty but paled in comparison to the Spicy roll. Indie Signature curry - This is one of my fav dishes to order here. It's a yellow curry with potatoes and squash. Delish! Chicken broccoli/peapod - Very bland. Kind of a dissapointing dish. Not much flavor at all. Shrimp Pad See Ew - Also very tasty. Sometimes it has a little too much soy sauce though and is a bit salty. Thai custard - Also very good, but a bit small as far as portions go. Mochi w/ green tea ice cream - Tried once and didn't really care for the rice coating. The ice cream was good though. Will be back soon! read more

The food was good .. the food presentation was amazing. . Thou the service was not satisfying at all ! I felt like an intruder more than a guest/customer. The servers never smile, and ignore you when you call them .. I loved the food but I wasn't happy with the service. . The restaurant deserve more than 3 stars , but with this unsatisfying service.. 3 stars is the perfect rating... read more

Food was great! Waitresses were nice! Sashimi was very fresh and huge! The crocodile roll was very cute and unique! Also very tasty :) Highly recommend this place! read more

Indie Cafe - Crocodile roll! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The best Thai restaurant in Chicago very delicious, thai food is amazing test like Thai real test recommended "pad see eaw" read more

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This place is great. I found it thanks to yelp, so here I am, giving back. I've ordered both for delivery and dined in. Delivery was the best I've had, but not wonderful. I guess you just can't expect delivered sushi to be excellent. The sit down experience, however, was wonderful. The place is beautiful inside.. So unexpected. It's got a great vibe, and for me, that's half the experience. The food is the best thai I've found in Chicago. I had the Pad Thai, my partner had the Pad See Ew (we were feeling unadventurous). They were both quite good. Good quality beef, which is important when it's in a dish like those. I'm pregnant, so I can't eat beansprouts and I told the server that.. and of course, it came out with beansprouts mixed into it. I told them and they made me a fresh batch quickly. But every thai restaurant I've been to since being pregnant has made that mistake. Service was just okay even besides that incident... It seemed like we had 3 servers throughout the night. But again, I haven't been to a Thai place with good service, so I'll let it slide. Overall, it was a great experience. The crab rangoons were amazing. As was the seaweed salad. And the vibe was wonderful. We were on our way to go back again a few weeks ago and stopped at another place along the way instead. Bad decision. Indie cafe is 10x what that place was. read more

One of the best places for Thai food. The presentation of the sushi is probably one of the best places in the city and the service is top self. Always a great experience read more

Sorry, Indie. I love your sushi, but you lose a star for the marked decrease in service. It used to be, when this was a once-a-week place for me and the gf, the service was fine. Cheerful, pleasant waitresses. Water always full. Fresh wasabi and ginger. Not so much anymore... the straw that broke the camel's back was the guy who repeated our order, still missed a roll, never spoke to us again, had to be flagged down for anything, and not even entering our subsequent orders into the system. Maybe this is retribution for forgoing our monogamous relationship. I don't know. But what was once a standard has become just another place, albeit with top-notch sushi, in our sushi rotation. read more

Indie Cafe had solid 4-star potential, but gets bumped for a few reasons. First and foremost, this restaurant is NO LONGER BYOB. They do have an alcohol menu and will charge $5 for corkage. That's not really a star-subtractor, just a note. They do lose a star for the hourlong wait for sushi. Both the waitress and manager apologized to us for the delay, which was good-- but neither offered something to tide us over until the sushi eventually came, as they should have. The fish was solid if unspectacular, suffering the oversauced fate of so much Chicago sushi. Best was the eponymous crocodile roll, with an excellently heated piece of fresh eel. Other offerings were good, but inessential. I also have to ding Indie for undercooked edamame. On the whole however, I think this restaurant deserves its solid reputation and large crowds on a Friday night. If I lived in the neighborhood I would certainly come back. read more

A friend & I were looking for a nice place to meet up & talk on a Friday night. We were looking for something smaller & not too loud, not too quiet. We were recommended this restaurant by a Loyola student who swears by it. It was just right! It does not have a sign or any kind of advertising on the outside so an average passerby-er would not think to stop in, making this a hidden gem. (EDIT: It does have a sign! I swear I didn't see it the first time.) I didn't get to try much of the menu, as the Almond Monkey maki roll was enough to fill me up, but I definitely will be coming back to explore some more. Speaking of the Almond Monkey, I loved it so much I ordered another to go! It was a bunch of my favorite things rolled together (fried shrimp, bbq sauce, cucumber, avocado, almond & coconut) and it was delicious. Service was at the perfect level of attentiveness for us since we were doing a lot of talking & not too much ordering, but I could see how it would be considered a little slow if you were in a hurry to get out. It is BYOB but their selection of wine by the glass was just fine for me. Only issue I saw was how close the tables were to each other. I was hearing the guests at the table next to ours better than my friend across the table from me. It's difficult to walk in between tables because they're so close to each other! Since I live two blocks away, I am definitely making this place a go to for the fall! read more

Wonderful Thai food and excellent sushi. This place has the VERY BEST crab rangoon I have ever had. Those little crunchy purses of crab and cream cheese (amongst a few other ingredients) are something that I have come to crave! I have had countless dishes on the menu and tried oh so many sushi rolls and they are continually very good. Some mild to moderate flaws here or there however. One bad Blue Crab sushi roll experience, vegetables undercooked more regularly than I'm happy with, and delivery times that can exceed 85 minutes for relatively simple orders to a location only a mile or so away. But overall they have earned my repeated business for what they do right. Friendly service, nice atmosphere, BYOB, OUT OF THIS WORLD MANGO in the mango sticky rice desert at times when mangoes are out of season (how do they do it?!? Its sweeter than sugar!!), and all-in-all consistently good food. This place is doing sooooo many things right that it warrants a place on my "Favorites in Chicago" list. A must try!!! read more

This is an interesting place. I believe it's BYOB - and - they also serve. I had an excellent saki flight - wow. The food is good, and I ordered more than I needed, (as usual), out of sheer curiosity. The service was great. The art is wonderful, the atmosphere is very pleasant. Don't bring your kids, they'll be bored. Do, however, go next door and purchase some amazing wine for your meal. read more

Indie Cafe - Crispy Chili Heaven Tilapia crispy filleted fish and red and green bell peppers in smoked red chili paste sauce. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It used to be a good go to neighborhood place. Now it is a wanna be hipster joint with bad snotty service and over priced food. Their music selection also sucks. The waitstaff talk only to each other and ignore you. The walk to the ladies room is uneven and with no warning signs. For those who are disabled look out!. Warning to owner correct this! Good: they have a rally yummy sake selection. The seaweed salad is exceptional. read more

Amazing ambient & always delicious food. Been in this neighborhood for the part 6 years and service here never failed, be that walk-in or delivery. read more

I am a certified Indie Cafe fan. If I am craving healthy and delicious Thai food. I admittedly never dine in, even though I live 3 blocks away. Their delivery is always fast and hot, so it keeps me coming back. It is somewhat pricey, but it's worth it. Their Tom Yum Soup is insanely delicious. All of their curries are amazing as well, and come with just enough rice. Can't go wrong with their sushi options either, all very fresh. Their Smoked Chili Combo and Red Hot Chili Seafood are both amazing. I've never found something on the menu I've disliked I was 100% ready to give this a 5 star rating, but they stopped taking credit card over grub hub. That has to be the biggest con since I never have cash on me. read more

Crab rangoons!!! - YES! YES! YES!!! (Little pockets of cream filled love!) ...pad thai? NO, definitely not. Never again. BYOB... but they charge for a glass. That adds up to 3 stars, for me. read more

Once again, a BYOB ethnic restaurant wins me over! I've been going to Indie Cafe for 2 years now and it's never disappointing. They just remodeled and expanded the restaurant so it's even better! They have fast delivery too. The food combination of Thai and Sushi is a great twist and accommodates everyone. I take all of my guests here and they're thrilled with it too. Be sure to bring your favorite beverage to enjoy the fabulous food! read more

So far, 4 stars. I have only been there once but will definitely go back again. The Caterpillar was probably the best roll of sushi I have ever eaten. We only got 4 servings of Sushi; one was great, one was really good and spicy, one was good (crab) but I probably wont order the Metallica again. It's definitely worth trying and I will definitely go back again. It is BYOB so bring something to drink. read more

I have been here twice now. My freind Joe took me here for the bday and I really enjoyed it, the aroma when you walk in is so amazing and not the overwhelming smell some places have. The second time was a bit manic. The credit card machine went down. uh oh.....yes they were slow about it and no explanation to what was going on, we went for our check and found out I had been double billed and they had already voided the second charge. The food was just as good as the first time around. I checked my account the next day and could see they charged me again. I called straight away and they had already voided it and had a receipt to fax me! fantastic. They profusely apologized and offered to work with my bank if needed. Who does that these days? When I had received my fax not even two min. later its the restaurant calling to ensure I received my fax and apologized again. Things happen. tis life, but you cannot miss the food here. It is soooo yummy. I love the selection and that it is a BYOB. I also enjoy the crowd as well. Very very alternative. read more

I ordered for my roommate and I. Her Panang Curry was decent but my Pad Thai...one of the worst I've ever had in my life. The eggs in the dish were burnt! I mean they actually had char on them! Maybe it was an off night but wow, what a disappointment. This feels like utterly no quality control. I choked​ down what I could because I was really hungry. I've had their Japanese food which was quite good. Never will I order Thai from this place again. Indie...come on!! read more

I have never eaten in at Indie Cafe, but when I'm home I order in from them a lot. Their sushi is awesome, even delivered. The spicy tuna rolls are always perfect and they include a ton of extras in the bag every time I get them delivered-- lots of extra soy sauce, wasabi, and chopsticks-- which is a huge plus since i usually order a ton of stuff and graze over it for a day or so. As with many Chicago joints, I hope to make it over there to eat someday, but the delivery is always fast and good... read more

I could honestly live off of Indie Cafe's delivery service. Eating there is really nice as well, though I could imagine it being very cramped on a busy night. The service is extremely friendly, and the portions are enough so you get plenty of leftovers (a must for Thai). The Crazy Basil Fried Rice is one of the most lovely dishes to ever grace my palate. Someday, I swear I will get something different. I've been telling myself that for the last year, but it hasn't happened. Oh well. read more

I ordered the calamari and crab ragoons as an appetizer. Was a bit disappointed with the the calamari because it was too oily. The grab ragoons were delicious. For the main dish, I ordered the basil chicken with brown rice. I tell ya all, the basil chicken is delicious. The wine is also reasonably priced. Ordered a Riesling for $4 a glass or there is a choice of $12 per bottle. The service is also great. Will be back..... read more

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I concur----BEST crab rangoon I've ever had! This is my new favorite sushi joint. The nigiri was fresh, and the maki rolls were absolutely amazing! Four maki rolls, nigiri & crab rangoon for only $55.00. VERY reasonable prices, unbelievable sushi, excellent service, and it's BYOB. *My recommendation: Las Vegas & Spicy Blue Crab rolls Can't wait to go back & try their thai food----HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

I've eaten in a few times and my ranking stands for Indie. I'm happy to report the soggy edamame issue appears to be a take-out only problem. The sushi, sashimi, and maki continue to be impressively fresh and tasty. Both Japanese and Thai appetizers have been delicious. Less delicious -- the Thai dishes. Oily noodles, flavorless rice, scarce vegetables. Stick to the sushi. The interior is dark and artsy, but in a cute way. Good for either a date or friends. The service varies between very good and spacey. read more

Had a game changer for our pre-Valentine's Day dinner and had to be lunch instead due to my husband being called into work for dinnertime. Was originally planning to go to Vines on Clark but instead sticked around our hood instead. As we trudged our way to Broadway Cellars we came upon Indie Cafe and quickly changed our minds and stopped our trek here. I really wanted Pad Thai so we had it with the chicken-yum! The portion was actually huge which I didn't expect. Plans didn't go as they were supposed to but thank God my neighborhood also has options as well. Go Edgewater! read more

I only had sushi/maki. The basic fish quality seemed very good. However, the rice was cool, and falling apart, and seemed to be missing something (vinegar?). I can shovel all kinds of things into my mouth. It's actually perhaps my most graceful, proficient move. The sushi was difficult. It really has to work together at a basic level, and the rice being off threw it. We ordered many of all the individual pieces on the menu as things went on. We tried several of the more interesting rolls - I will give them some credit for trying, but I didn't feel like they came together very well. Maybe I caught them on an off night....? read more