The wife and I have been around the block on her sushi cravings, and Kai has been our favorite so far. The South Loop proximity doesn't hurt, but on the price-quality scale, Kai hits the spot. Like a bunch of other sushi joints in Chicago, Kai is BYOB. The overall price point comes in a little below average, and the quality of the fish has been amongst the best thus far. Service was above-average upon our visit, and the overall feel of their South Loop location is homey and cozy. In a diversification play effort, we haven't been back yet. But when the idea of sushi is bandied about, a return to Kai floats to the top of the list. read more

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Very delicious, very fresh and very unique sushi here! Very nice ambiance and the customer service is great!!! My brothers favorite of ALL time is the Chicago Fire- I liked it too but I also love the Volcano Roll and all the rest of the 10 we tried... AWESOMENESS. And yes it's a nice to have the option of BYOB! read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Tuna Tataki amazing - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The South Loop dining scene has been bombing lately, and one of the hidden gems is Kai. Located close to the EL and CTA stops, the location is ideal for those on public transit, there is street parking but if you're visiting at peak hours you may have to circle. As a vegetarian my favorite roll is the "Shiitake Special Roll", which at $10 is a steal, as per my dining companions the sashimi is fresh, and there are a variety of options so that everyone at your table will leave with a full tummy at a price that won't hurt your wallet. The fresh oranges they serve when you request your check is a nice touch. The service is as relaxed as the atmosphere, the servers are friendly and do not hesitate to bring you ice or drink ware as needed. This BYOB spot is an ideal place to chit chat with your pals after work and share the news of the week. read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Shiitake Special Roll bottom left. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It was a cold rainy night and we were looking for something hot to eat. We walked in and were immediately greeted by the host. Their menu looks small and limited to just sushi, but they also offer noodle soup dishes here. We asked about noodle dishes and they offered beef curry udon, tempura shrimp udon, and beef udon. We ordered the curry udon and the tempura shrimp udon and both of them tasted really good. For dessert, we ordered the tempura fried banana with green tea ice cream. So good! Service was fantastic. Our waiter was super nice and attentive and refilled our water and tea multiple times. We really enjoyed our visit here. I'm so happy its in my neighborhood. I will definitely be back! As a bonus, they were open Christmas Eve! FYI--they are closed Christmas day. read more

Cute little sushi place. We got the Texas roll, West Town and yellowtail roll. The sushi was nice, decently fresh. The service was fast and they were very attentive. Overall, nice little place. read more

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THE FISH IS SO FRESH HERE. OH MY WORD. so good LOVE all the rolls but ESPECIALLY THE CHICAGO FIRE. its got ALL the fishes :D to be honest, i didn't even care for just the fish/sashimi before here TOTALLY changed my mind love the atmosphere/music/the people here! oh and def check out the ocean roll too, its deelish my friend got it and loves it! ^^ read more

Ordered the special spicy tuna, Chicago fire, and dynamite. Some of the best sushi I've had in Chicago. The customer service was great as well. I think what will take this spot to the top if a variety of better drinks were offered. But overall the sushi is AMAZING! read more

I love coming here when the weather is nice out because it's walking distance from my sister's place, the fish is generous and fresh, and the service is nice and fast. The last time I was here, we ordered the daily special which was a tuna tartar - this was topped with a raw egg and scallions, on top of a pile of avocados, with wonton chips on the side to dip it in. Although it was delicious, the yolk made it a bit too rich for me personally and so I'd probably get an additional roll next time instead. I've also had the Chicago fire (which is awesome), the Hamachi roll (FISH FO DAYZ), spider roll (yum), shitake roll (nothing special...boo), salmon avocado roll (simple, but good), and dragon roll...and other rolls, but I was in a sushi coma at the time, so I can't recall the names. Kai Sushi is pretty casual in terms of atmosphere, and so while I probably wouldn't recommend this place for a fancy date, if you live in the South Loop, it's a solid choice to go for an easy and yummy lunch. P.S. Update as of 2/2015 - there is now a $3 corking fee per person if you BYOB! read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Service: 5 Food: 5 This is a nice, hole in the wall sushi place that you would probably skip on yelp. DON'T. I came here last year and had the most amazing spider roll. So when I came back this year, I had a pretty high expectation. For me to give a 5 star the second time I go to the same place is not only rare but near impossible haha. Anyways the spider roll was crunchy, fresh and meaty! Now for those of you who do not know what it is, it's deep fried soft- shell crabs in a sushi roll. And it's delish. It's better than a shrimp tempura. Period. After having a spider roll from Kai, all the other sushi places seem to be below average because the crab was not meaty and not crunchy since its not fresh. Ok, I just realized that I wrote an entire paragraph on their spider roll. Most of their specialty rolls (chicago, volcano, ocean) are good too, the sushi chef is pretty generous with the fish portions. Each piece of sushi was 90% fish~~~ Great service, nice decor and yummy sushi. That's how all sushi places should be. Now, keep in mind you will have high(er) expectations of sushi after eating here. read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Sushi as big as the menu logo, that's impressive - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's a nice urban sushi spot in the South Loop. The rice/fish/vegetable ratio is spot on. As someone who not only loves sushi but has been to Japan multiple times, they know what they are doing. Sushi pricing is incredibly fair and the fish is of excellent quality. Servers are attentive, friendly, and accommodating. I had the salmon avocado roll and the sunset roll for lunch. Both were just incredibly refreshing. The staff did a great job checking in with me in a timely manner, brought me my food with great timing. I was on my lunch break, which I think they assumed and in no way did I feel rushed, but they honored my time in making sure I wasn't waiting around long. I will absolutely be back and can see myself becoming a regular here. read more

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3.5 stars. Solid vegetarian sushi with lots of options! My companion got the fish sushi and pronounced it "pretty good but not amazing." On the veggie side, I got a shiitake roll, oshinko roll, and a umeboshi roll. The shiitake roll was good, exactly what you'd expect (umami! Yum!). The oshinko was good but I wish they'd cut it into stick rather than doing whole chunks. The umeboshi was funky and different (I liked it but no one else did). Overall, a great place for vegetarians and vegans who want good options along with their fish-eating friends. read more

Kai Sushi is my go-to place for fresh sushi! I order from them often. My favorites are the Salmon don, Salmon Sashimi, Super Crunchy and the Ocean Roll. The staff is really nice and I am always happy with my order. As long as Kia is serving food, I will be a customer! read more

After a terrible experience at sushi sai a month or so ago, it came time again where I had a hankering for sushi on a week night after work meaning not energy, desire or time to travel too far north. I picked like 3 places for my girlfriend to meet me at and since she forced me to choose I picked a location closest to me commuting home. Lucky for me it was a great choice!!! I loved that this place is BYOB with no fee for parties w/less than 5 ppl. The sushi really is prepared with fresh ingredients! You can tell the fish is not days old. Because of this it doesn't come to your table right away, but it is worth the wait!! I think it's a good place to come for a super casual dinner in a small group or catching up with a friend. This place isn't for frills, however the seating is quaint and the lighting is DIM. They are definitely reasonable for their price and I'll be back! Everything I had was yummy! 1 star taken away because of the tight ass of seating & lightening that felt accidentally dim and not romantic like I'm assuming the goal is. I'll be back! I told all my co workers about this place, my boyfriend, and even my friends that live out of a state. Good causal sushi spot! read more

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This is our 7th or 8th visit in the last year and even though they were super busy we had a great experience. Our server, Zero (that's her name) who is barely 2 weeks into her job here was excellent! The rolls did not disappoint and it was a great meal. read more

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Delicious sushi and appetizers at this tiny south loop gem. The menu is simple with a handful of unique rolls that have all been delicious. The Chicago Fire seems to be everyone's favorite, but the sushi appetizer and shrimp shumai are also delicious. Inside is tiny, seating only 30 plus 4 seats at the sushi counter. It's BYOB and has amble sidewalk seating in the summer. Dog friendly too! read more

I've never been to a BYOB restaurant before. I so want to go back. The sushi rolls were absolutely amazing. So flavorful and delicious. Beautifully constructed. The waitress even brought wine glasses and opened the bottle of wine. We had the super crunchy roll, dynamite roll and a special roll with salmon belly. I really liked the dynamite roll. Personal favorite of the three but the super crunchy roll had a nice slow heat to it from the jalapeño. That was really good. The cucumber salad was very good and the orange for dessert was a perfect ending. Looking forward to coming back. We were in town for a concert and stumbled across this place. What a gem. read more

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When its warm outside I sat on the side walk and ate also brought my dog!! very few places that lets customers do that!! very nice service, and clean place. food was good and also just a nice place to sit and chill and hang out with friends! food was pretty good too!! they have sea urchins too!! read more

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My girlfriend and me were looking for a reasonably priced sushi restaurant in Chicago. The reviews looked promising so we gave it a try. The service was very friendly and took good care of us. The sushi was absolutely delicious. Very fresh fish and ingredients for a good price value. The food was beautifully presented, although we had to wait a while. Our favorite roll is the GREEN TURTLE (salmon with avocado and mango). We can highly recommend this place! read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Left: Green Turtle (best); right: Spicy Tuna and Avocado Tuna (fresh) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Awesome little find close to the South Side with quality fish at a fair price. Surprised I overlooked this place in the past on my travels to Chicago. The uni was super fresh which is always key! Kai I will be back! read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Walked in a early Saturday afternoon for our "dinner". This has been on my list of places to check out since i saw good star ratings. Star ratings sell me along with pictures lol. As we walked in it was fairly empty which is cool with me, im assuming it was early and hot. We were greeted quickly and polite. They told us we could pick our seat. We were greeted with water & i believe a pretty small but very tasty cucumber salad. FOOD - Menu selection isn't huge but just enough to make selections. Our 2 appetizers and sushi that we ordered tasted amazing! DECOR/ATMOSPHERE - It is sort of small, i expected a little bigger but overall clean and decent light because of the large windows. I don't think they even had any lights on, on our visit. $$$ - Prices seemed average for sushi/asian STAFF/SERVICE - Our visit was great service from the staff. Overall pleasant experience all around. read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I went on a Sunday night-probably around an hour before close. I ordered a chirashi and a dynamite roll. The food was actually very good. Great rice to fish ratio. However the service left much to be desired. I will give them a pass however because the guy said it was his first day The food: 11 big slices of fish over a generous portion of rice. The dynamite roll was good too. The sauces were also nice. I asked for eel sauce and spicy mayo. These were given free of charge-unlike some places that charge 1.00 per 2 tbsp of the sauces. I'll definitely be returning sometime. The place isn't big, but it offers outdoor seating for when the weather is nice. Location is not in the heart of the loop, so traffic isn't as hectic. Overall 4/5. read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Dynamite roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I think this place is alright. Don't expect to be blown away or anything, but if you need an ok sushi fix then go for it. I would come back but I wouldn't immediately think of this place. I went with three people and we ordered 3 rolls, 5 orders of nigiri sushi, and 2 orders of sashimi. Total came to about $36 per person, which is decent. I wasn't full by the end of it though. To begin with the rolls are very eh. They're not bad but there was nothing about them that made me think "OMG this is the greatest place ever and I have to keep coming back." The sashimi and nigiri were both good. I'm obsessed with yellowtail, and if you are too, they have reasonable rates for nigiri and sashimi so I recommend that you come here for this and not the rolls. The fish used tasted quite fresh and didn't have too much of the "fishy" taste finicky sushi eaters hate. read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Yellowtail Sushi, highly recommend - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great service. Small and quaint location. I enjoyed the VIP and the OCEAN. I'll be back to try more of the menu. It was great for a night without cooking. Lots of locals came in, there was GrubHub and even a group from out of town. I enjoyed watching them make every thing fresh with genuine care for their craft. I highly recommend you check them out. It's worth giving them a shot. read more

Stopped here on the way to Midway because of its convenient location. Overall, I thought it was a nice spot for quick bite of solid sushi at a very reasonable price. Ordered the edamame and the Sushi Platter which was a perfect amount of food for a semi hungry individual. The rolls were all super tasty with good quality fish across the board. Would revisit again and hopefully enjoy the outdoor seating next time. read more

This is my absolute favorite sushi restaurant in all of Chicago. The Chicago fire, ocean roll and miso soup are my three must haves. The staff is fantastic and always remembers our order and will deliver in less than an hour just after a simple text message. Highly recommend read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Favorite sushi place in Chicago. We've ordered a few times from here and even though it was take out, or was phenomenal. All of the sushi was very fresh and solo delicious. Honestly we've ordered about 10-12 rolls and they are all solid. Try them out asap. read more

Very good fresh sushi. Wonderful peaceful outdoor patio. Great weather, not that they controlled it. BYOB. A perfect evening, I would definitely return. read more

Dragon, Flaming VIP, dynamite This is our favorite little SLoop casual spot. Nothing fancy, decent sushi, BYOB (no corking fee), nice patio in the summer. It's a great casual date night spot read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is a hidden gem inside a condo high rise in the South Loop area. Good thing my brother told me about this place. Pretty fresh fish I must say. Sushi pieces were large cut, draping over the rice. Small intimate dining with al fresco seating as well. Service was also accommodating. The manager stopped by us and a few others checking if everything was good. It's a BYOB! read more

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Just moved to the neighborhood and had to try out the closest sushi. This place has great service and very fresh fish. Great prices and can't wait to try more rolls. read more

I've never been disappointed here! The rolls are always fresh and the servers are friendly

Good little run-of-the-mill sushi place. Not terribly imaginative, but the rolls that I had were very fresh and tasty. The jalapeño sauce that was on one of them was a neat little addition. They had a dessert special when I went was banana tempura with green tea ice cream and it was pretty awesome. Waitress was really friendly. It's a very low-key place, casual, BYOB. read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Banana tempura with green tea ice cream-yum! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I've never had anything bad here, but I do have a few favorites: the chicago fire roll has four types of fish and is fantastic. their green turtle roll has mango - it adds some sweetness to the roll that you didn't expect to be as welcome. They do take a little long to serve everything, which isn't necessarily bad seeing that I'd assume it's because things are fresh and made to order. The place is fairly small, so not the best place to go during the winter when the patio is closed. It is BYOB, so take advantage of that. Super convenient spot in the south loop. read more

Delicious sushi!!! I've become a regular patron at the $20-25 all you can eat/buffet sushi restaurants in the Chicagoland area. As I result, I think my taste buds have become accustomed to less expensive/fresh sushi. I forgot how great really fresh sushi can taste. I got a Volcano and Chicago roll. They were both delicious! I may have to take a break on buffet spots and visit here more often. When my friend and I arrived, the place was completely empty, which I would usually perceive as a red flag, but I already looked at the Yelp reviews so I expected it to be pretty tasty. I'm happy we didn't leave! Even though we were the only people dining at the restaurant, the service was kinda slow luckily I wasn't in a hurry. I'll definitely be back! read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - A quiet Thursday afternoon lunch. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Very friendly & fast service. The lobster mania & the rainbow roll were very tasty. You could actually taste the lobster in the lobster mania. The size of the rolls were just about right without adding too much rice which I consider to be a plus. We also ordered shrimp shumai that was also tasty as well as the sashimi octopus. Price is reasonable! Without being a restaurant for special occasions I think you wont be disappointed for a regular lunch. read more

Great quality fish! One of our favorites since discovering it during quarantine. We usually get the salmon don or tuna don. It comes with your choice of salad or miso soup. Good amount of food and the tamago on top is a nice touch. When my husband and I can't agree on a place for dinner, Kai sushi saves the day! We can always agree on delicious sashimi! read more

I needed to do some studying and I was hungry for sushi, I stopped by Kai to try it out and was not disappointed. The kind waitress recommended me the Hamachi Special because I love spicy seafood and it was So good! I also got the Lobster Mania and it was tasty as well. I will be back. read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Sushi done right! Presentation is first class and everything tastes fresh. Atmosphere is too casual for these prices. We had a bad waitress near the end of the day but that's no excuse for poor service. read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Sunset Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We were starving. Seated right away. It was really busy and really hot in that restaurant. It took a long time for the waiter to take our order and for the food to come. When they get slammed both inside and outside (on the patio) and there are only 2 waiters/tresses, then it gets hard to manage. We had the tartare, Toro, salmon roll, and sashimi. The sushi was good, very fresh! It was beautifully done. The tartare sauce had so much flavor. I'm not sure I'm a fan of it being served on chips.. But every restaurant does chips so that's okay. The Toro was fatty and I loved it! Overall, I wish the experience of waiting and being boiled inside didn't ruin our dining there. Not sure if I should give them another try. read more

I am so surprised that this place does not have more reviews. ... Easily one of the best sushi places I have been to. While their menu seems smaller than what you would expect at a sushi resturant, each of of rolls was well prepared. And so so so fresh....You could see that even with the first mouthful. To give you a clue on how good it was. .... my husband actually started singing after his first mouthful. And my sister who does not usually like traditional raw sushi actually enjoyed the whole meal. They don't have tempura listed on their menu but can make some if requested. No ramen. The focus is mostly on maki rolls, speciality rolls and sashimi. I loved their tuna tartare.... yummy read more

Kai Sushi - South Loop - Tuna tartar with quail egg abd spicy chips - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois