I CANT EVEN Was gonna go for Sepia but changed our mind last minute and was lucky enough to get reservation at 530 on a Saturday. I am sure Sepia is great and all but oh was this one of the best choices I have ever made in life. Definitely go with chefs choice. 10 courses meal for $60, you get to taste quite a few of the signature dishes on the Manu. It was very hard to pick my favorite but the pearls were impeccable. We ordered one tasting menu and a couple more dishes to share, we were both very full by the end of it. As a girl, I would have been overly stuffed if I ordered my own tasting course. Our server was great. Helpful and friendly but not overwhelming. Food comes out very fast, one after another so you don't need to worry about spending 3 hours there. Still an amazing amazing experience tho don't get me wrong. Everything is just perfect. The food is to die for and the service was just on point. I wouldn't have dreamed for a better anniversary dinner. Damn. read more

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Kai Zan is one of the better places in the Chicago area where you can eat fresh sashimi. This is my second time eating here and I enjoyed my experience thoroughly. The service here is very fast, probably because you only have a set amount of time to dine. For two people, I believe it is around ninety minutes to finish your meal before you have to leave. I ordered omakase both times I came here and noticed that a few menu items had changed. I was excited to see that this time, the orange rush was incorporated into the omakase menu. This was one of my favorite dishes that I had ordered a la carte the first time, but it added a hefty $10 to my bill. Overall, I thought the omakase menu allowed you to get a nice taste of many different items, however, not all of the dishes wowed me. My favorites were the escolar pearls and orange rush. Some misses for me were the oyster/scallop shooters (I'm not a fan of shooters) and char siu (which was a bit too tough for me to enjoy). I also ordered the uni hand-roll (not on the omakase menu) which looked spectacular, but for $28 I felt that it was a bit underwhelming. The uni was very fresh, however, and was a nice touch. Make sure you save room for dessert! I almost think that the house-made desserts are better than the fish...! The green tea ice cream had an extremely strong green tea flavor which I loved. It did not taste artificial at all like many other green tea ice creams. The chocolate lava cake was pretty good as well and was a nice contrast to the ice cream. If you just order omakase, the bill ends up being a bit over $80 per person which is certainly not cheap. I think it is a reasonable price for what you get and it is less expensive than what you would pay for a tasting menu at some other restaurants. Omakase was good, but some of the dishes were misses for me simply because I was not a fan of the ingredients. If I came back in the future, I would definitely order a la carte so that I can get foods that are more suited for my taste. read more

KAI ZAN - Uni hand roll-$28 - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We were certainly treated incredibly well here. There was a mixup with the timing of our reservation, but the restaurant handled it cheerfully and efficiently. The private booth was lovely and calming, our waiter was friendly, informative, and slightly ironic, and the pacing of our food was prompt without feeling rushed. Unfortunately, I just can't say I liked the food particularly. A couple of the early sushi/etc. dishes were tasty, vibrant, and flavorful. But most of the others I found indifferent, occasionally mildly pleasant, occasionally mildly unpleasant. And I am fully willing to concede that this may be a matter of taste (except for the occasional unbalanced dressings, and unripe avocado), but given Kai Zan's reputation I was quite surprised to be left with "ok." I would be inclined to bump up the rating given how nice they are and how superb the hospitality is, but I also have to think about price. There are a lot of places in Chicago where you can have a mind-blowing evening for this kind of money. I feel honor-bound to tell you that I do not think this is one of them. read more

Completely amazing experience. I rather enjoyed sitting at the sushi bar and watching the magicians at work as they were preparing each dish. read more

The best. We came here after my husband's coworker highly recommended it as the best sushi in Chicago. A casual Wednesday dinner we told ourselves. Hah. We didn't know much and decided we should try it tonight. When my husband tried to make reservations, he said open table didn't have much. I figured I could call later and try and see what we could get. Maybe it's more walk-in? First interaction with the restaurant was exceptional. I didn't catch her name but the young lady who spoke to me was polite, patient and so so so helpful. For some reason when a hostess is like this at a busy place, I'm happily surprised. But impressed. She informed me they were booked solid, but just in case someone cancelled she took down my name, number and time of choice. 30 minutes later she called me with a cancellation and offered me the spot. I took it. Then a torrential downpour hit and getting home from work was impossible, let alone to dinner. 50 minutes of driving later (river north to west loop to Kaizan) we rolled in a little wet and super hungry, 20 minutes late. Regardless of our delay, the same young lady checked in on us via phone while we parked and gently let us know they had reservations after us. We promised we would be out and completely understood. She was kind and patient with us as we walked in, slightly soaked. We were seated at the bar, and boy am I happy we were. This is no ordinary sushi spot. You are across from the action. Creative plates, focus, genius. I watched as twin chefs Melvin and Carlos plated each dish, more enticing than the next. It took all my will power to not sneakily chop stick pieces off the plates. Or steal some of Chef M's white bottled sake (shhhhh). We had an attentive, warm, nice server - Brian. So genuinely into the food. The service is top notch, unpretentious and wonderful. Chef Carlos even gave us this "polenta" dish that was taste bud heaven. I love the people who work here. What did we eat? Edamame, shishito peppers, our first uni experience - nigiri style, white tuna (requested raw) pearls, hamachi nigiri (raw), beef skewer, sashimi trio of toro, salmon belly, an in season fish I can't recall but delicious, "polenta" gift fish (omg), angry crab, and a bottle of hot sake to compliment. I may have missed something but I could've eaten more! Yum. I can't wait to go back. I'm doing the omakase and requesting bar seating. Raw fish perfection. There is a reason on a night like tonight (flooding, winds, darkness) this place was booked solid. It's beyond. Go spoil yourself. Wow. Thank you. read more

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THE BEST RESTAURANT IN CHICAGO. Period. We love sushi and this is the only place that has ever gotten us to not order it and instead only get the special things on the menu. THAT's how good it all is. The brothers have crafted the simplest, most delicious bites that it's a waste to order anything else. read more

Some of the best sushi I have had! Very inventive without being too saucy, fried etc. VERY fresh fish. BYOB!! Logistics: TS A VERY SMALL RESTURANT! Maybe 7 tables, but' they are expanding. They sat me, my brother and his wife at a 2 person table. well that wasnt going to work. They kindly let us sit in the new room which wasnt quite finished, but it was SO much better. Great service. Food: We opted for the $50 tasting menu. So much food for the price. It is a totally reasonable pre fixe. Favorites: angry crab, pearls, shooters, tempura jalepeno, mussels read more

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A sushi joynt with Billecart-Salmon rosé on the menu ... wow! The Omakase is the way to go. Everything was thoughtfully prepared and fresh. Definitely moves to the top of my fav sushi spots. Will definitely be back. read more

KAI ZAN - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing, delicious, belly-satisfying omakase meal that I am still dreaming about. Ever since the first course, I have been making a mental list of all the people I must bring and tell about Kai Zan. Not to mention, wondering when exactly is too-soon of a return for myself?! On this particular visit to Chicago, my boyfriend chose Kai Zan as our first kick-off meal (& bless his soul for finding it). The small, intimate setting of Kai Zan was the cherry on top. Not too loud, not too many people. We decided on the omakase 10-course meal and it was the best decision ever. Priced at $60/person, not only was it worth every penny but also a steal if you ask me. A few of my favorites were the Escolar Pearls (spicy seared escolar with soy & truffle oil) and the uni shooter (uni and scallop in ponzu sauce with raw quail egg). I also liked that they ended our meal with an assorted sashimi plate. It was a nice, clean way to end the 10-course meal. More toward the bottom of my list would be the Madai Carpaccio, only because I felt that the pesto overpowered the dish. But there wasn't a single item we had that I did not like. There are too many dishes to go through individually, but check out my pictures! Each dish was perfectly unique in it's own way. This is not your typical omakase meal and although I was nervous for the whole "fusion" thing, each dish left me in awe. It was interesting that they incorporated traditional items along with cooked items -- like our 7th dish which they called a main dish. Without doubt, I would highly recommend the omakase ... although I'm sure everything on the menu is worth trying. Counting down until we meet again, Kai Zan. read more

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Perfect restaurant for a special day such as an anniversary or birthday. We ordered the chef's omakase and it was exquisite. I highly recommend the seasonal omakase as all the ingredients are fresh, delicious, and not too oily. The staff was friendly and took care of any dietary restrictions by allowing us to substitute pork belly for salmon. Highly recommend this place. The only downside is that they do not serve cocktails, only wine and sake. But that is mostly a personal preference. read more

My dinner experience here has left me speechless. Everything was so amazing and it has definitely ruined sushi for me since Kai Zan is now my new standard. If you get the chance I HIGHLY recommend you make a reservation here and have dinner here at least once. Reservations fill up quick! My boyfriend and I ordered the Omakase. The regular Omakase is $65 for one person which is so affordable compared to omakases at other restaurants. One omakase is a lot of food! If you don't want to get 2 separate omakase, you can just order one and tell them that you want to share between 2 people for an extra $15 so that they can give you extra portions to share. This is what we did and this is what I'd recommend you do as well if it's your first time here! This gives you a chance to try out the omakase but also leave room to try out some other things on their menu if you want! I was a bit skeptical about the omakase because some of the items on the menu sounded a bit boring. But I was SO wrong. The flavors that they add to everything is amazing. My favorites was the ESCOLAR & MAGURO PEARLS. Both fish is lightly seared and the spicy mayo and truffle oil makes these so savory and so delicious. We also ordered some additional items: * WAGYU BEEF NIGIRI - my first time trying wagyu beef and this was really good. it was seared and had such a strong beefy flavor but it had such a soft texture that it melted in your mouth * SEARED FATTY TUNA - I forget what kind of tuna cut it was but it was very fatty and melts in your mouth like butter! AMAZING The waiters did a good job at timing the dinner. They cleared out our plates when we finished, and within a few minutes, a new plate would come out. For Dessert we tried: * LAVA CAKE w/ BLACK SESAME ICE CREAM - Like your typical lava cake but with black sesame ice cream. Great dessert but nothing out of the ordinary. * UBE MOCHI - get this!! This is not your typical mochi. They make this in house. The outer mochi shell has yuzu sauce infused into it to give this slighty tartiness to the ube ice cream. It is so good! read more

Quality, service and price, --- everything checks out at KAI ZAN. We ordered the Omakase and we received a great dining experience. We also added a few desserts and would not wanted to have missed those. Our service team was attentive, knowledgable and friendly. Every dish is prepared with amazing care for tase and optical appeal. Hard to resist making those Instagram pictures with every course of the meal. We paid a fair price and made already plans for the next visit. We drove 60 miles one way to eat at KAI ZAN and we will happily make the Trip again. Highly recommended for Sushi fans equally as for diners who want to experience Sushi the first time. read more

I have so many wonderful things to say about Kai Zan. The food is awesome. One of our favorite places for Japanese we've discovered in Chicago so far. Also, very good value. We had the chef's tasting menu for $60 and that was 10 really generous courses. We were stuffed by the end of it. The service was great. Overall just loved the vibe, the fit-out, the whole experience. We literally left dinner and the next day booked our next dinner here. read more

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I was a little hesitant about this place seeing as I don't trust sushi that is so far away from...well...an ocean. But this place is an excellent ode to refrigerated transport. The hubs and I opted for the omikase/chef's tasting menu based on a trusted foodie friend's rec. There is so much I can saw about how delicious and fresh every single course was, but I would end up writing a novel. As experiences go, this has the makings of Chicago Bucket List status. Our server was so in tuned with us, he was informative and helpful every step of the way. We sat at the sushi bar and I loved that the chefs were friendly and interactive. I would love to go back to Kai Zan and try some of their menu options the next time I am Chicago. read more

Beautiful food. Stunning presentation. Complex and thoughtful flavors. Make a reservation. Small space. Thoughtful staff. Legit vegetarian option. We WILL be back again. read more

I wish I had enough words to describe how amazing was the food! Me and my wife had the tasting menu and every single dish was great! It was much better than I accepted. I'll come back for sure. read more

Cute, hidden place that I could not find until I followed the building numbers. It's tiny! With very limited seating. Good idea to make reservations, I got lucky and they were able to seat us. Cool things: BYOB! With 5 dollar corkage fee. And every month they have a new list of chef specials. Yummy things: Yep go for the Escolar pearls like everyone mentions. The Angry Crab roll was probably the best of the night... but it only comes in 2 pieces. It left me wanting more. Skip the Green Monster Roll. It was very mushy and avocado-y. read more

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One of the best sushi spots in Chicago. We both got the Chef's Choice Omakase and every dish was amazing. Can't remember them all but it was a nice variety and they even brought out a few extra plates on-the-house. For the quality of sushi you get here, I think the Omakase was a great bargain at $65 pp plus you can add-on extras (we opted for some uni which I recommend everyone do here). Chef's Choice Omakase: 5/5 read more

I'm not a sushi lover and before Kai Zan, I could have gone the rest of my life and never eaten sushi again and I would have been A-okay with it. I will say now that I am a sushi lover and Kai Zan is drool worthy. Have I had sushi before? Plenty of times. I'm half Japanese, I've had it my whole life and it was always just whatever, it was good but I never cared if I had it and I certainly never craved it. Kai Zan makes me CRAVE sushi and their fish is out of this world, melt in your mouth delicious.....will I be back? Duh. I'm pretty sure I've tried almost everything on the menu and what I can say is that it's flavorful and you don't need soy or hot sauce. Everything is executed to perfection and the flavors are explosively delicious. Holy crap, I need a napkin to wipe the drool from the corner of my mouth just thinking about my several experiences there. Go, go, go to Kai Zan. Favorites? Angry crab, orange rush, escolar pearls, otoro, seguro, their specials are always on point, anything with scallops....the grill seared tuna....I mean, you could literally pick menu items blindly and not be disappointed with anything (Except uni. I hate uni) but if you love it, I'm sure theirs is the best you can get. If they can make me love everything else except uni, holy crap, job well done. This is the only place I will ever eat sushi from again as nothing else is comparable or even close. Bravo Kai Zan. Bravo. read more

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I waffled a bit on 3 or 4 stars. Why you ask? Oh you didn't? Well I'll tell you anyway. The food was good. CA caliber sushi? No, but getting closer. So Chi-town sushi-wise decidedly 4 stars. However, our experience was a little dampened because we felt rushed-- they told us we had to be done in an hour. Admittedly, this was our fault for being 20 minutes late for our reservation. Parking was a b*tch to find in the rain so keep that in mind. Luckily I yelped this gem before coming so I made sure to get the Uni Toro Special and the Escolar pearls. The Uni Toro was an inventive, delicious, and memorable offering. The added richness from the quail egg was superb. Escolar pearls were good, but didn't leave the same impression as the Uni Toro. My friend and I went a bit crazy with our ordering and they brought the food out so quickly that we ran out of counter space. Everything else was good, though nothing made quite as much of an impression as the Uni Toro. I'm partial to uni, so I appreciated the plethora of uni choices. Next time, I'll make sure to be on time, and I'll try the omakase. Almost forgot to mention BYOB!!! So bring it. Don't forget it in the car like we did. read more

KAI ZAN - Uni toro special - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Finally I got to try out this place for my birthday! Boy was it a treat! My suggestion is to ask what the chef's choice includes and if it floats your boat, go for it! That was exactly what I did. This way you are able to try out a little bit of everything on their menu. You won't regret the decision, I promise. There was so much food and it almost seemed endless. In addition to the tasting menu, we ordered the uni toro tartare and dessert in the end. One of my favorite dish of the night was the uni toro tartare! I love the DIY concept to this dish, and it almost seem endless. You just need to work for your food. Mix the tartare together really good and channel your inner sushi chef to make your own rolls. As much of a turn off the time limit is when you make the reservations, I did not feel at all pressured during the service. We did take a bit of time to make a decision, but our server was very patient with us. He walked us through the menu and elaborated on any questions I had along with making great suggestions. The pace was on point, however my ONLY critic is that from sitting at the bar and seeing how the kitchen flowed, what I noticed was the timing and preparation of the food. Some of the hot food was sitting there longer than I would have liked it because when I got my food expecting it to be hot, it was warm, if not almost cold. Of the hot food, only the soup and dynamite mussel were actually hot. Everything else minus the raw stuff were almost cold, which was a bit disappointing. The concept of clean and simple flavors is what I left with at this place. The tasting menu flowed from simple to variety and back to simple again. Nothing distracted your palette of the original flavors. As the tasting menu ends with a showcasing a selection of sashimi, I thought was genius because the menu took you on such an adventure, but made sure to remind you of the origin with the main ingredients of the night, fish. Just the concept of something as simple as fish can be created and paired with different things, but yet alone it can still be appreciated. To end this wonderful experience, we had a cup of green tea (FREE) and Cashew Panna Cotta. Not too sweet or heavy. Simple but yet so many textures and layers involved in just a little dessert. It was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday dinner! Cheers. read more

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Had one of my favorite meals ever at Kai Zan and what a deal it was at $60 a person! I'm someone who generally orders similar things over and over even though I want to be trying new things, so a tasting menu is ideal. Not one course in this 11-course tasting menu let me down. The sashimi was melt in your mouth good, the mussel was dreamy, the pearls were divine. Ooh my mouth is watering. See my picture for most of the courses and do yourself a favor and go here ASAP. read more

KAI ZAN - Tasting menu!! Amazing - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Dinner with my boyfriend for my 2_th birthday! He did lots of research on all types of restaurants all over Chicago, and finally landed on Kai Zan. I'm happy to report that his hard work paid off...this place was great! We got seated right away after checking in for our 7pm reservations, and knew what to order immediately. We each asked for the 10-course Omakase menu ($65) and added uni to select courses for an extra $5. 1. Madai Carpaccio: Loved how delicate and fragrant this dish was. The red snapper melts in your mouth! Great way to open the meal. 2. Escolar & Maguro Pearls: The sear and truffle oil were very good, but not super unique. Very well executed though. 3. Angry Crab: Uni makes its first appearance here, and it was SO buttery and delicious. 4. Shooters: 1 Oyster shooter (with Uni) and 1 Scallop shooter, each with a quail egg, and topped with tobiko. Yum! 5. Orange Rush: Again, great sear on the scallop. 6. Tuna Dashi: Okay. The tuna was a touch overdone, but due to being submerged in the hot dashi. 7. Main entree: My least favorite - did not care for the char siu or tako wasabi, but that's just my preference. 8. Fiesta Maki: Tasty, but not super unique. 9. Dynamite Mussels: Same as Fiesta Maki. 10. Sashimi: Beautiful, fresh cuts of fish. However, I was too full at this point to completely enjoy this, so I handed most of this off to my boyfriend. *11. Mochi - complimentary birthday treat! If you're looking for a fresh, well-executed approach to sushi (and a wonderful Omakase menu), Kai Zan is the place to be. I'll definitely be back! TL;DR: Stop what you're doing, make a reservation online, and order the Omakase menu as soon as you get seated. Don't forget to add on uni to select courses for an extra $5. You can't beat this deal for the amount of food and quality you receive! read more

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Kai Zan is what I love most about food in Chicago. You have an unassuming place off the beaten path with amazing food. We had the omakase (courses selected by the chef) which I highly recommend. With 10 courses, I was excited to see what the next course would be. Each dish was creative and thoughtful. I appreciate that they take the time to explain each dish as they serve it. Everything was exquisite! The service was also great which can be hard to find at sushi restaurants. This is hands down the best sushi I have had. read more

KAI ZAN - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We had fabulous time at Kai Zan. Wonderful food, excellent service, great decoration . Definitely a go place. read more

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One of my favorite restaurants ever. A "KA-POW" of flavors in every single bite. If you're a foodie, skip Alinea and go here instead. Almost never a thing with sushi, but you'll actually leave with a full belly when you order the omakase. The price point is beyond fair for what you get. Sitting at the bar is fun too. You get to watch the brothers in action making food art. A true delight. Oooof, so good! read more

Different but worth a try! Must make a reservation in advance or go in after 9pm. Sitting at the sushi bar available.

Unnoticeable at first sight, but bars should be like that. It's cosy chic, music was playing at a great level; not too loud where you have to shout across the table and not too a awkwardly quiet. Heard some Black Keys and Alt-J prior to having a glass of sake. Speaking of sake, how come it came in glass flutes instead of the sake cups? (sake was delicious nonetheless) Loved the angry crab, maguro pearls, and I think I had the flaming tuna. Everything was fresh and the presentation: simplistic and beautiful. I'll definitely go back to try the rest of the menu and then some. Omakase! read more

KAI ZAN - Takoyaki, angry crab, flaming tuna, green monster - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Top notch and just flat out fantastic! I have been here multiple times and tried just about everything on the menu. You can not go wrong with anything. Every bite is a burst of flavor no matter what you order! Only downside is how quickly the reservations fill up once they open the books, so book quickly! read more

I don't want to gush here but....oooommmmgggg. This place was So. Damn. Good. We tried the Omakase Menu which consisted of 10 chef selected courses. My experience at Kai Zan was a stellar mix of high quality ingredients, and the creativity of the outstanding chefs. Each course was unique, inventive and surprising. Between courses I found myself getting excited to see what was coming next. I honestly loved everything that I tried, but some of the standouts for me were the oyster and uni shooters with raw quail egg, the dynamite muscles and the extremely high quality sashimi. No question this is the best sushi experience I have had in Chicago. I will say that this experience is probably not for sushi beginners. But if you already have sushi in your heart, run don't walk to Kai Zan and order the Omakase Menu. read more

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You know that a restaurant is good when you book a table almost as soon as you get home. Like a lot of people, we got the "regular" omakase, which is the $65 standard. (The premium is market priced, I believe.) Unlike a lot of tasting menus, which can be hit or miss depending on when you go, they brought out their greatest hits for theirs. The Maguro Pearl might be one of my favorite bites I've ever had in a Chicago restaurant, and I loved how much variety you got. I was afraid that I was going to be a little hungry, but the boyfriend and I were both STUFFED after the meal. We can't wait to come back and order off the regular menu, now that we've gotten a little taste of everything. All in all, this is one of the best deals I've seen. Run, don't walk, to Kai Zan! read more

We all had omakase and for $50, i think it's a really good value! We got to taste almost everything from the March special menu and the couple daily special that the waiter mentioned when we first sat down...we were stuffed at the end of the tasting but we still managed to check out the dessert menu. They are all really good but we like the mango mousse the best The food and the quality of the ingredients were good and creative for $50...though we all thought the agedashi tofu wasn't that great. it was pretty firm, chewy and not crunchy at all. I wonder why they use the firm tofu vs the soft tofu like everywhere else... the place is really small...they literally only have a table each for 4 and "6" people..but to be honest, we were seated at the "6-ppl" table coz we have a group of 5, but i honestly don't know how that table can comfortably fit 6 people?! we had 3 people sit on one side and 2 people sat on the other. one of my friends on the 3-people side were "half out" of the table.. =/ i want to go back to order the nigiris because our neighbours' looked pretty good and i was hoping one of the omakase courses would have the nigiris since i am not at all into rolls, fried stuff and mayo/cream cheese-in-everything...lol....i don't think rolls and these condiments were japanese invention.... read more

Such a unique experience. Definitely recommend doing the omakase. It's $60 and we added uni for $5 more (worth it). Make sure you make a reservation. I did feel like some of the courses came out too fast, would've liked a slower pace but overall deliciousness makes it worth it. $15 corkage fee is a nice too. We ordered a separate dessert. It was the charred squash or deconstructed pumpkin pie as they called it. It was the only thing that night that didn't knock our socks off. Would probably opt for dessert elsewhere after trying it. Overall some of the highest quality sushi available in Chicago and a fun dining experience if you're looking for a pri fixe dining option. read more

KAI ZAN - The last course of the omakase - Asian Fusion Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place is simply amazing. The service is top notch and the food is amazing. We did the 12 course omakase and already want to come back and get the upgraded omakase. This is a must try for any foodie. read more

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The premium omakase at Kai zan is one of the best sushi meals I've ever had. Very comparable to omakase yume and omakase kumiko. The dishes were very creative, especially compared to other high end sushi. They did a lot of dishes that were "Japanese takes on Other classics" so it was like a sushi version of steak and potatoes or Italian food. The plates were also all very cool, and the service was great. Would love to go back! read more

The food was terrific. However their slouchy long-haired waiter rubbed our entire party wrong with the lax attitude rubbed us entirely the wrong way. He had no opinion on any of the dishes, made us feel stupid for not knowing the portion sizes, and made no efforts to make first time visitors feel welcome. Also, their wait staff picked up two dishes which weren't even completely finished. Hey! We still have ginger on the plate asshole! Michelin rated for the food, not the service. This food was AMAZING but find some new employees read more

I don't know where to start. The best sushi I've had to this day. I was at a Michelin star sushi restaurant couple months before, but Kai Zan truly blew me away. Our server, Arlene, was phenomenal. Wonderful personality, knowledgeable and make great recommendations. We sat at the bar so that my husband could go with the omakase option. My husband cannot stop talking about the following: oxtail soup, wagyu beef wrapped scallop, quail egg/scallop shooter and the quality/grade of the sushi in general. He said it was the best uni and mackeral he's ever had. They also had a wonderful selection of craft beers from Japan. We had THREE dessert dishes if you can believe it. Pumpkin ice cream crumble, Mochi ice cream and the refreshing green tea matcha ice cream. Please be sure to make a reservation and be on time so you have the full 90 minutes to enjoy your meal. Thank you for such a great experience and meal. We can't wait to return!!! read more

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Went there with my dad for the Omakase (Chef's choice 10-course meal): $65 each. Considering this is in Chicago, what a great deal for the amount of food and quality you receive! Reservations were easy to place online (open table) and we had a private dining nook that looked like it could fit up to 6 people! We also got the wagyu beef which was partially seared with heart leaf, scallions, wasabi, spicy ponzu, black tobiko and jalapeño. This was by far my favorite. The 10-course meal definitely fills you up! Trust me, I'm a girl who can EAT! The only thing I wish I suggested, was for the sashimi to come out first. By the end of the meal, the beautifully cut pieces of fish were served like an afterthought and my palate was saturated in all the other flavors by then. As a small restaurant in Chicago's Ukrainian Village, this is definitely somewhere that you need to try. I'm definitely returning when I get the chance! read more

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Came back here yesterday and this place is my hands down favorite restaurant in the city but please don't share with too many people! I ordered their new omakase menu (12 course for $90) and it was amazing. They still are offering the old one as well because people love it. I will only share a few of my favorites dishes but one was the Eskimo cloud, the seared lobster and scallop nigiri, and the salmon skin (think of a chicharone) topped with toro tartar. I hope this review doesn't encourage anyone to go because I still want to be able to get a rezzy. read more

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We ended up coming to Kai Zan sort of on a whim--we were downtown, had time to kill, and we were craving fresh food. Not only did we get fresh, we got straight up raw. Kai Zan was exactly how a Japanese restaurant should be, absent of cream cheese and creamy sauces and with a focus on delicious simplicity. Best Japanese restaurant I've been to to date. Definitely get: The uni shooter The red snapper collar If they have it (it was a special on the night we went) the uni tartar which came topped with quail egg, rice, and more as well as little seaweed strips so you can make DIY sushi. Sake, per your waiter's recommendations Make sure to ask for the specials if your waiter doesn't offer the information. And, if you don't think you're into the whole raw egg thing, keep an open mind!! read more

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