I've been to a lot of sushi restaurants around the globe. What still surprises me is that one of the best sushi restaurants in the world is right in my backyard. Kai Zan has a humble outward appearance, but don't mistake that for how they deliver their end product. Carlo and Melvin consistently create an experience that you will remember. Each piece that they make is a carefully crafted work of art. If this is your first time, try the omakase menu. For a truly unforgettable meal, go for the chefs tasting. When you leave, I'm confident that Kai Zan will be the sushi gold standard for you as it is for many that have stepped through its doors. read more

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I've been here twice and immensely enjoyed both of these experiences. I love how great of a value this place is especially for $70 for 10 courses of omakase and amazing service. Definitely my go to in Chicago if I feel like treating myself and getting some good sushi. You definitely need to make reservations for this place at least 2 weeks in advance if you don't want an odd dinner time. I got the regular omakase both time I came here and I was so full by the end. You do have the option of getting omakase individually if the other people in your party just want to order off the menu. The servers were super attentive and explained each of the courses that we got in the omakase. I have sat both at the bar and in a closed booth, and the bar definitely feels more intimate since you get to see your food being made in front of you. My favorite courses: - Madai Carpaccio: just super fresh fish, amazing taste and the olive oil really stands out - Tuna dashi: I didn't expect soup to be incorporated but it's such a nice break from all the rice and raw fish. Makes you feel all nice and warm - Sashimi platter: So much fish wow just a great value - Occassionally the chefs will create something new and let you try it out, and we had this amazing kale and tuna(?) dish that was probably my favorite dish of the night. Will be back soon to try out the premium omakase! read more

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Where has this place been the whole time I've been living in Chicago??? Clearly I've been living under a rock. I got the omakase and it was an amazing deal for what it was - a combo of hot dishes and sashimi, as well as some fun shooters in between. With tea and dessert the bill came out to bed less than $100 which was insane. The service was amazing as well and the staff were so friendly. Will definitely be back! read more

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This is now my favorite sushi spot in Chicago -- bye Katsu :( Personally i prefer ordering off the menu vs the omakase but thats bc im allergic to raw shellfish. My favorites are the ouster shooters, maguro and escolar pearls. But everything is pretty amazing. Its hard to get a reservation, so definitely plan in advance. The service is always good and the servers are always knowledgeable and provide good recommendations. read more

We love to dine here whenever we visit our daughter in Chicago. It's been a couple of years since we came here for dinner and we were excited to revisit recently. We had a omakase and it's menu has not changed much other than uni shooters weren't available. However the scallop and oyster shooters were delicious. In addition we had shishito peppers and strawberry mochi ice cream for dessert. The taste and freshness of foods were consistently great. read more

KAI ZAN - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Always quality and solid sushi with good service and reasonably priced. Just wish they did take out too

We have been to Kai Zan twice already and it's always worth to go back to. We did tasting menu on both times and enjoyed each course served. The service is phenomenal and the ambiance is great! We were seated on both times in small private room. Their omakase is highly recommended and the price is reasonable compared to other omakase in the city. read more

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My awesome girlfriend made a reservation weeks in advance so we got sat right when we got there. We got the omakase which was quite good, keep in mind it is fusion style so the flavor profile for certain dishes can be more complex than traditional sushi. For those looking to try more dishes, two people can share a omakase for $15 extra. read more

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This is probably my new favorite sushi restaurant in Chicago with Mirai and Dokku being my other favorites. The omakase is an excellent value (I left full) and delicious. Cozy ambiance. Favorites - Pearls Angry crab Tako Yaki Mussels Polenta bites (ridiculously good) Orange rush Char siu read more

I would definitely give the omakase a try if this is your first time here. The two of us tried the chef's choice omakase $65 and the premium omakase $115 (both were 10 courses each). The menu didn't overlap at all and really gave us a well-rounded tour of what they had to offer. Next time, I would probably order a la carte now that we know what our favorites are! I'd say the best part of the premium omakase was the plate of fatty belly sashimi towards the end - omgosh fatty tuna belly, fatty salmon belly, fatty sea bass belly. SO BUTTERY. Also, the fatty imported Japanese wagyu nigiri. See photos - really top notch! The Madai carpaccio with basil was also solid. The chef's choice omakase was printed on a menu, so it was much easier to remember what was what. Anyways, here are some of my favorites from the chef choice omakase: Tuna and escolar pearls - the escolar pearls were better than the tuna ones Scallop shooters - very fresh scallops and bright tasting! Orange rush Fiesta Maki - lots of fresh fish crammed into the roll, very yummy What we would NOT get: Tako yaki - such a disappointment, the outside was not crispy and the inside was very chewy. Dynamite mussels - was ok but not great. Angry crab - bland, no taste, I couldn't even tell there was crab inside! Probably all of the skewers. The pork belly one was dry and meh. Overall, we'd come back and order just our favorites and the uni! They didn't have any the night we went, so we'd definitely order some uni shooters or handrolls. read more

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Such great service. Food is very well portioned and unique. The ambience of the restaurant is calm. Love to go back.

The best sushi in Chicago. Love the taste, quality and price point. Definitely a neighborhood gem.

Chicago's hidden treasure. We sat in a private booth, and our server Brian was very nice and accommodating. Highly recommend pursuing Omakase route, you will not regret it. It's 10 courses of freshness, vibrant flavors, and creativity. Every dish, with ingredient listed, you can taste each individual contribution that the ingredient has in the dish, no flavors masked. Along with Omakase, we also ordered the two specials, which were so flavorful, well cooked, with many textures. The uni/tuna tartare and the wagyu lobster fried rice were sooooo good. I can't emphasize how amazing these dishes were. I'm visiting the city for the weekend and thoroughly disappointed that I don't have access to this restaurant whenever I want it. Ambiance: A Food: A+++ Service: A Drinks: A (byob, corking fee) Cost: A read more

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Hidden in Ukrainian Village is a nifty little Japanese spot. Atmosphere was great but hard to maneuver between tables, it's a little cramped. Service was great, FOH was very helpful at explaining each dish. Everything that was served tasted good, but the char siu really stood out. It was nicely season and and just extremely tender. If it was served right away, it would have melted as I bit into it. Orange rush was also impressive, it was light and fresh, a classic seafood citrus combo. The soups had a nice touch with the addition of shitake mushroom but besides that it was just a basic miso soup. Hamachi Kama was bigger than what you get at other restaurants but I wish it was served to me hot, as mine was not at the temperature I prefer. Flavor wise, it was good and very meaty. read more

KAI ZAN - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

If you're interested in an affordable Omakase dinner that will leave your stomach full and your heart happy look no further than Kai Zan! They offer a 10 course meal for $69 a person. Each dish was delicately created and intricately designed. No surprise that they gained a Michelin star in previous years. Courses were made fresh in front of us as at the bar seats. Every dish contained fish so arrive with a sea appetite! Wait staff were incredibly attentive. One of my chopsticks slipped off the table onto the floor and it was replaced within seconds. I recommend reserving asap if you're looking to dine in soon. We made a reservation three weeks prior for a Thursday evening. read more

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I have been there three times for Omakase. Each time the experience and the food were so good. Also, they charge lower than $100 for such good experience. Highly recommend read more

Great tasting sushi, great service! What more can you ask for? Those Pearls are the best. read more

KAI ZAN - Escolar Pearls, Maguro Pearls - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great food but make sure to tell them that you know 2 omakasis should be $105 instead of charging $80 each. Apparently you have to say this to the waiter before you order. I took a group of 6 people here (3 couples) and they would not honor the price. Sad read more

WOW!!! The food here was phenomenal. Pictures do not capture their beauty and any words I put here cannot describe how delicious and fresh all the food was. The wait-staff was so kind, they asked for vaccine cards and the entire vibe was ON POINT. Perfect date night - be it friends or more. read more

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We visited here for my birthday and chose the omakase set. For $85 the omakase is well worth what you get to try! My favorite courses were the sushi pieces, mussels and yellow tail carpaccio. The fresh sashimi to finish things off was also fantastic. They also had beer selections from Japan that were light and fun to try. Definitely recommend this place for a treat yourself or special night! read more

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Consistently great for years. Perfect for a party of 4-6 if you get a booth. Don't be afraid of the "shooter."

I've been meaning to try the Omakase for sometime now and I'm so glad I did. I made a reservation a week in advance for a table of 4 at 5pm (not many times were available a week in advance). It's a 2 hour time limit for a table of 4. The restaurant is pretty small but has an intimate ambiance. My group was seated in a very cozy private booth. We started the night with 2 bottles of our own sake. Their BYOB policy is a 2 bottle limit and a $15 corkage fee. We all ordered the standard Omakase $65 and upgraded with a $5 uni topper. Madai Carpaccio: This carpaccio melted in your mouth and had so much flavor. Don't ignore the micro greens, they add a unique but fresh flavor. Escolar & Magura Pearls: The escolar beat the tuna in this dish. Angry Crab: The Angry Crab was our first dish with the additional uni. The uni was so sweet, I wish we had more! Shooters: 2nd dish with the uni topper. The shooters were my favorite! Full of texture. Orange Rush: Honestly, can't remember much about this dish? I guess it wasn't memorable. Tuna Dashi: Soup break! Main: My favorite cooked dish was the shrimp and the mushroom. The mushroom was plump and had a plesant grill taste. Fiesta Maki: The fiesta maki was overpowered by clinatro. The chefs were nice enough to include an additional roll, the Flaming Tuna. I liked it a lot more than the Fiesta Maki. Dynamite Mussels: Nothing too special about the mussel but they were damn good. The scallion mayo really brought it together. Sashimi: I was struggling at this point, so much food! The very final dish -- Matcha Creme Brulee (not included) Overall this was a fun and enjoyable experience. The staff was super quick and knowledgeable. We will definitely come back for the Premium Omakase! read more

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Incredible Sushi. The only question is how long before I can get back here. Is once every 3 months too often?

This establishment has been around for about 6 years, recently expanded the property by occupying the space next door. It is has a very fun and intimate setting. A bar that sits about 6-8 guest comfortably, a few tables, and on the other side, private intimate tables that sit about 6 guests comfortably, probably up to 8 if necessary. The food here is good, but I'd like to say that the experience I had here, was much more like a Kaiseki meal rather than omakase sushi, in which they choose to call it. Kaiseki is traditional multi-course Japanese dinner, and this is more like that than sushi. A variety of appetizers and fish dishes. They did offer soy sauce, which we declined. There are two levels of the meal, although we originally booked for the higher one, after seeing the menu, we determined it was way too much food for us to consume. First Dish: Madai Carpaccio - Japanese red snapper with toro, tobiko, dressed with olive oil and basil. Very delicious, I almost asked for extra, but I needed to be patient respectful of our meal. Second Dish: Escolar Maguro Pearls -Seared tuna and escolar dressed with scallions, truffle oil, and spicy mayo. Cute bite, alot of rich flavors going on Third Dish: Angry Crab - Spicy crab rapped in tuna, topped with tuna and spicy mayo. I wasn't a big fan of this one, I wanted to see fresh crab meat Fourth Dish: Shooters - two shooters with oysters, scallpops quail egg and tobiko. Cold and refreshing. Fiance loved, and he usually does not like shooters Fifth Dish: Orange Rush - Seared scallop, seared salmon with a dressing (orange?). This was delightful. The scallop was sweet and yummy. Sixth Dish: Tuna Dashi - Warm dashi broth with tuna, shiitake mushroom, little neck clams. Warm and delightful Seventh Dish: Main one! - Shrimp, Char Sui(like pork belly), Tako Yaki, Tako Wasabi. I did not like tako wasabi at all, but my fiance loved it, so we traded aha, the other dishes were unique 8th Dish: Fiesta Maki -Salmon tuna avocado chili oil. This was like... a sushi roll. wasn't expecting that ... 9th Dish: Dynamite mussel - your usual (single) grilled dynamite mussel with masago and spicy mayo 10th Dish: Sashimi - Assorted fishes, Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Nothing japanese imported or that exquisite. He tossed in a few extra dishes on the house, but nothing highlighted to me. It was a decent dinner, quite full, but wouldn't return. I would say it is a wonderful establishment, great pricing, and good to try. But I have traveled and always seek for omakase OR Kaiseki. I think they should reconsider that they are implying if they are going to say that they are serving Omakase, I understand omakase means leave it up to the chef, but this menu was pretty pre-set. Omakase shouldn't be pulled from the menu or preset, should always be seasonal. Now this place is good, indeed. But when it comes to omakase, I would like the food to seem exceptional. read more

Best sushi I've ever had in Chicago. Also great service. Can't wait to come back. The vegetable ngiri selection was the best I've ever had. Anywhere. read more

Went here for an early evening dinner. We got there 30 minutes before our reservation and they don't open the doors until 5pm on the dot. As we were seated, our waiter got us our refreshments and went to explain the omakase menu. He also asked us any dietary restriction, which I'm glad because I usually forget to tell them (no pork, no alcohol). With every meal, the waiters would come and explain the dish and how they suggest eating it. At first, we thought that we would not be full by the end of the 10 course meal, but it was very filling. The ambiance, service and food were all amazing and would highly recommend going there! read more

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This was high quality sushi and other Japanese dishes. The chefs are all-star and the prices were decent! Highly recommend

I've been the Kai Zan twice and highly recommend it. This was my first omakase experience. We selected the chef's choice which was $65/person and opted for the uni upgrade for an additional $5/person. We also ordered the toro and uni appetizer $28 which was my favorite. The service was great. They gave us hot towels to wipe our hands before our meal. The waiter/waistress explain each dish as they serve them and it came pretty fast. I was a bit hesitant on whether we'll get full off of the 10 course meal but surprisingly we were. We even had leftovers to bring home because we couldn't finish it all. The food and presentation were top notch. I enjoyed every course except for the fiesta maki roll. Each course was very different. My top favorites were the madai carpaccio and escolar & maguro pearls. read more

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My favorite sushi spot in Chicago! Great service and fantastic quality of fish. Some of the best nigiri bites and specialty dishes I've had anywhere. read more

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Went for the omakase! It was amazing omakase and the price was unbeatable. The service was excellent as the next dish was ready when we were finished. The ambiance was okay, the place is somewhat small, but the table was nicely placed. read more

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By far, one of the best Japanese restaurants in the city. Reservation isn't easy to get here, you should plan ahead. Parking can be tricky but not any worse than other popular locations. I suggest finding a spot on Chicago ave. Food is to die for and service.. just average. Our waiter was more interested in jacking up the bill than taking care of us. For a restaurant like this, that's just too bad. Omakase is a great option, it includes a lot of their popular items. I suggest you try it at least once. For me, I didn't care for oyster/scallop shooter, tuna dashi, and sashimi. Here's what we absolutely loved and will repeat. Hamachi kama Spicy toro maki Nigiri-Wagyu, Sea urchin, sweet shrimp, bbq eel Chicken Karaage Charchu Angry crab* Madai carpaccio* Escolar and maguro pearls* Fiesta maki* *=omakase item read more

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An amazing meal. Do the tasting menu. Did not disappoint. A great variety of flavors and textures. My only complaint was that they rushed us out quickly but i guess it was closing time. read more

Wonderful food at KaiZan! We ordered omakae and it was such a delightful experience! We liked everything and we were very satisfied and full at the end. Strongly recommend Madai Carparccio, Escolar & Maguro Pearls, Angry Crab, and Shooters. read more

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I'll sum it up as quickly as I can . Everything felt pretentious and the waiter was condescending. He automatically pushed the Omikase which is the most expensive item on the menu. My guests ordered it and what arrived was a "mish-mosh" of small plate items some of which was liked and some abhorred. I ordered the teriyaki and it was over- cooked. The last word the waiter said to us was " now that you're approaching the end of your reservation, what else wiuld you like to order". My guests instructed me that this authentic Japanese style to limit your reservation to a certain time range. This is not for me as I dont want to be rushed when I eat. Buyer beware. Overpriced and underwhelming. read more

The food is really good and service is as well. This is the my favorite spot for japanese food. I always go here for japanese food.

The omakase price is affordable and the dishes are very fresh. A wonderful experience.

Hands down the best sushi restaurant. Incredibly fresh, inventive flavorful dishes. The Omakase is always a great choice if your hungry and want a great experience. Small amount of seats so def make reservations. You wont regret it. read more

Amazing time there. Ambiance was really classy and cozy. Service was stellar. You have to make a reservation beforehand because they are always very busy. Even at 8:45PM on a Wednesday. Which is the time that we came at. We got the Chef's Omakase that was priced at $65 per person, but for a small increase, I believe around $15-$20, they increase the portions a little so that it's a sharing size for you and your friend/partner. This was more than enough for the two of us but you may choose to add side dishes if you need something to fill up. The place is BYOB but there is a corkage fee of $15. But it also seemed like they were serving in house drinks. The omakase was very tasty and the taro mochi ice cream ($5) was very authentic and aromatic. I will definitely be back to try out other menu items. read more

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Kai Zan is absolutely delicious; if this is your first time going, I highly suggest getting the omakase. It is a perfect spot for special occasions and celebrations! read more

Oh my goodness. This is the second time I've been here and this is hands down the best sushi I've experienced in Chicago. Even though I don't live in Chi-town anymore, I did for 6 years and I eat sushi like a fiend. It is not cheap here but you have to pay to play and the raw fish will dance with you like you've never danced before. This combines the best of extremely fresh, elegant fish, with amazingly skilled chefs and creative fusion concepts. Live a little and go for the New Omakase. Trust me you won't regret it! Protip: even though they serve liquor they are still BYO and at a $15 corkage for 2 bottles it is very reasonable for the caliber of the place. The liquor store across the street carries craft large bottle beers (e.g. Delirium or Unibroue) and a chilled sparkling Hitachino sake. That makes an awesome compliment for the awesome food. read more