Beautiful Evanston restaurant with fun vibe. There is indoor and outdoor seating depending on the…read moreweather. Although we started to sit outside, servers were super accommodating when we asked to move inside. We opted for a few simple rolls which we elegantly plated! Also, had to try the salmon teriyaki skewer which was AMAZING!!! Fresh sushi and other options... we will be back!

Based on the reviews, we decided to try Shinsen for the first time and order takeout. We ordered 8…read moreitems totaling over $130 with tip. The food was absolutely awful. The shallot rice with vegetables had no vegetables at all and tasted as if it was premade and warmed up again in the microwave. The shallot rice with beef was the same and contained tiny bits of burned beef. The sushi was not fresh and the crispy spring rolls were akin to dog treat sticks. The food is expensive and some of the worse food I've ever had. While I appreciate the business owners detailed response, there are contradictions. When ordering the shallot fried rice from the restaurants website on July 2, vegetables were included as an option. Today vegetables have been replaced with herbs. Nevertheless we chose the available vegetable option therefore vegetables were requested. The restaurant received our vegetables request as indicated on the pictured receipt and packaging. We received herbs and rice but no vegetables. We did not order through a third party delivery service. We placed the order through the restaurant website and I arrived early to pick up the food. I hope that the owner is able to receive my feedback constructively and take accountability for the issues my family encountered with the restaurant.

I visited around 5 PM on a Thursday evening, and there was one other customer in the restaurant…read more The waitstaff and what appeared to be a manager were standing off to the side for most of the time, and overall the atmosphere felt unwelcoming. I ordered egg rolls, dumplings, and pad Thai. The pad Thai did not resemble a traditional version. It had noodles, but the sauce tasted more like a chili sauce rather than a peanut-based sauce. The dumplings were average. I was dining with my two sons, both under 10, and the experience did not feel particularly family-friendly. Service overall was limited. I had to wave the server down a couple times. While the server was more attentive to a takeout customer, our table did not receive the same level of service. Overall, the experience felt underwhelming and uncomfortable. I was nauseous after eating their food. I will not be returning and do not recommend it for families.

The online pick-up ordering is hit/miss. I never got a confirmation so I showed up and no order…read more They had a new order ready in 15 minutes, the Thai Basil was very good, but the fried rice was the worst I ever had, no flavor and lumpy texture. The waitstaff did not know how to smile nor were they empathetic to my situation. That said, I hope they read these reviews and improve because they have potential, (tho I would never eat in as the atmosphere is weak) and we need good Asian food in the area.

This place is incredibly cute if you're looking for a nice ambiance. It was my first time trying it…read moreout and I loved the small attention to details. There was a live saxophone player and I loved the live flowers they had. Our waiter was extremely nice and took the time to explain the menu as well as their customer favorites. I order a Thai iced tea which wasn't bad but I prefer mine a little thicker and sweeter. It came in a thin tall glass which in theory was not a lot of drink. To start we order the chicken appetizer and fried beef on rice to share and unfortunately I did not snap a pic but these were listed under apps or shareables but the portions were extremely small. As our mains came I noticed that they were also small and each were around $20-$30 per plate. Not a bad thing if you don't eat much but I'm a big bang for buck type of gal. My family came to share and this place is a more fine dining thai restaurant which could explain the smaller portions. We ordered the pad Thai which was alright in my opinion I expected a little more flavor, the aubergine which was tossed vegetables as recommended by our waiter which was also ok not much flavor but beautiful plating though, and the coconut curry which was by far my favorite. If I were to come back here I would order that again, it was a nice light yet complex flavor profile which made me savor every bite. Overall good place for an upbeat fancier meal and I highly recommend the coconut curry braised chicken if you visit. Little pricey but that's just my opinion let me know what you guys think if you visit! Oh and they also give your receipt in a boat which they spin and leave a thank you card once you paid which was really cute.

An absolute gem. Delicious food, cocktails & a masterclass in hospitality in such a lively yet…read morecomforting setting. All the way from Milwaukee, we will return!

Really nice ramen place! The broth was delicious without being too salty, and the fried squid was…read morealso delicious too. The interior sort of looks like the ramen places you'd find in Japan. Fairly modest, but classy as well. Recommended!

Now I'm not manifesting it, but I'm just saying imagine: a cold winter day in Evanston, snow. This…read moreis the perfect spot downtown to hide away and enjoy a bowl of Udon. The smaller, cozy interior, the friendly staff, watching the cooks in the kitchen make your meal, and the Japanese City Pop playing gives the perfect vibe for the chill outside. I've been here a few times now, and as much as I'd love to try the menu, the Signature udon calls me back every time. This will definitely be my winter downtown Evanston stop.

We go out of our way to eat here when we're in the area. Great friendly service, huge portions for…read moregood prices and most importantly AMAZING food that tastes just like the islands. Lives up to all the hype. It's casual inside and you'll often see active duty military eating here - consider buying them lunch to thank them. We will be back over and over again!

I had really high hopes for Da Local Boy. I've been excited to try this place for a long time given…read moreall the high reviews but unfortunately, it was pretty disappointing. We ordered the Aloha Plate and chicken lumpia. The lumpia was soggy, super tiny and just wasn't good. The Aloha Plate was also much too sweet for my taste, and the meat felt pretty standard--similar to what I'd expect from a typical Korean BBQ meal. I usually love mac salad, so i was especially looking forward to that, but unfortunately, it was pretty underwhelming as well. The most disappointing was the service. Service was incredibly slow and not attentive at all.

Now for the update. For years I considered this modest restaurant a highlight. The staff was cool…read moreand efficient. Ordering was a breeze and the guys were always open to a conversation or giving suggestions. The restaurant was clean and the meal was always tasty. Just a note but the further away you move from any major city the fewer and harder it is to find great Asian food. The suburb is lucky to have them. The pandemic brought new staffing. Some were pleasant with customers though one lady, a supervisor had the wrong ideas of what customer service and proper etiquette is. Just the basics of my final visit. I took my family for lunch. We ordered lunch specials and a couple extra must-try plates. Two specials hit the table and the third was left waiting for her meal. Unbeknownst to us in the moment, her food was handed to a single patron there for his lunch. The place was filling up with a lunch rush but not so many that had complicated orders. Many were ordering similar lunch specials. Kung pao lunch special was popular. When her order finally arrived the supervisor realized she had given the wrong plate to the customer sitting some tables behind us. Mind you ten minutes had already passed. She quickly went over to him and asked what he had ordered. She then took the plate he was eating from and handed him the fresh plate. He was still holding a half eaten egg roll in his hand. Then she brought the quarter eaten plate and placed it in front of my mother. Before she could leave I stopped her and asked her what she was doing. She simply stated that was her lunch order. I told her she handed my mother someone else's food that they were eating and I watched the whole thing. Why didn't you take that to the back and make a completely new plate of food?! I paid the bill and got the F**k out. That's gross. Also, you gave the other patron new food but cannot do the same for our table?? This place is dead to me. If she could do that, it beckons the question of what else is happening behind the scenes.

Liked the place last time, a little more this time. Service was excellent. We asked a lot of…read morequestions about the ingredients and they were happy to answer them. Like the texture to the spring rolls and the dipping sauce. Would have liked for the rolls to have tofu in them but they were still very good. The kung pao tofu was a large portion and very tasty over the sticky white rice. Not sure why the place isn't busier. Prices are good, food is very tasty and service was also great.

Had the Katsu bowl! So good!! I came in wanting the tofu bowl but the cook convinced me on the…read moreKatsu bowl and he wasn't wrong! The cooks are super busy but they will stop and help you if you have a question. The only thing I would want different next time is less rice and more salad! It was excellent overall!

Got our order to go and we all went with the rice bowls: the Katsu Bowl, Korean BBQ Chicken Bowl,…read moreand Fire Chicken Bowl. Out of the three, the Katsu Bowl was my favorite. Super flavorful. The Fire Chicken Bowl definitely has a bit of a kick; I'm not big on spicy food, but my mom enjoyed it. The Korean BBQ Chicken Bowl had sauce that soaked nicely into the rice and tasted great, though the chicken itself was a bit bland. I recommend getting an extra side of Garlic Parmesan Aioli to dip the chicken in. It made a big difference. Overall, the bowls were pretty filling, and we enjoyed them.

If I could give them 3.5 stars I would. Went there for lunch with colleagues. No wait, service was…read moreprompt and we were in a comfortable booth. Our server was lovely. Order via QR code menu with food options from Asian, american, and Mexican foods. I had the chicken bento box lunch special. Each thing was fine and serviceable. Would've liked the chicken to be hotter and more tender vs. tough. Especially since the bulk of the items were cold. Ginger salad was also fine as was the beef bulgogi. They brought out chips wish were fresh and tasty with two salsa options - and our orders came out very quickly. if you have a group with different tastes, this would be a great option for you.

A bit confusing setup, but options are always nice. You can sit in the blue horse or taco diablo…read moreand order any menu items. We were after LuLus Asian cuisine, which didn't go very well with the chips and salsa provided. However, we ended up enjoying the egg rolls and spicy dragon noodles. Staff was extremely friendly and prompt throughout our entire meal. I loved the ambience and dim lighting.

This was my second time at Sunda New Asian in River North, and once again, it did not disappoint! I…read moredon't remember exactly what I had the first time, but I do remember leaving really impressed FOOD: We started with the crispy Brussels sprouts, and I absolutely loved the vinaigrette they used. So flavorful and delicious! We also ordered the oxtail potstickers and lemongrass beef lollipops, and both were excellent. Honestly, I could have eaten 10 more of each. For our mains, we ordered the pork belly sinigang and chap chae. The pork belly was incredibly tender and flavorful, and the chap chae tasted really fresh with all the vegetables. I also loved that the tofu was on the firmer side. We also tried the Sake to Me sushi roll. It was good, but compared to everything else we ordered, it wasn't anything particularly memorable. For dessert, we ordered the ginger carrot cake, and the restaurant was kind enough to give us a complimentary dessert, which was such a nice touch! The complimentary dessert was an ube-style dessert, and it was fantastic. Honestly, both desserts were delicious. DRINKS: I ordered the Lychee Simoy cocktail, which was really good. We also shared the espresso martini flight, which came with three flavors: traditional, ube, and chocolate chili. Surprisingly, the chocolate chili was my favorite, while the ube was my least favorite. That said, I enjoyed all three and thought the flight was a fun way to try different flavors. SERVICE: Our waiter was great! He was attentive and gave us great recommendations. It was also so kind of him to give us a complimentary dessert. Overall, I had another great experience at Sunda and will definitely be back! I really enjoy how their food feels unique and creative while still maintaining those familiar Asian flavors.

Sunda in Chicago was a fantastic dinner. The Asian fusion menu is creative without trying too hard…read moreand every dish felt thoughtfully put together, from the sushi rolls to the wok-fired entrees. The presentation alone makes it worth a visit, but the flavors backed it up completely. The vibe is upscale but not stuffy, great for a date night or a night out with friends. Service was attentive and the cocktail menu paired perfectly with the food. Portions are meant for sharing, so it's a great spot to go with a group and try a bit of everything.

We have been regular customers at Kansaku. But our most recent experience was very unpleasant. The…read moreyoung waitress took our appetizer order and didn't return to our table until 8:29PM. By that time, we had finished eating our appetizers, and she proceeded to inform us that the kitchen ran out of salmon and tuna, and it was closing in 1 minute. We had to make a decision to change our original entree selection containing the two main ingredients that were no longer available. While we asked the staff to wait a couple of minutes so that we could make a new selection, the sushi chef said loudly across the dining room "they have to order NOW!" Needless to say, due to the lack of training of the waitress, and the rudeness of the sushi chef that night, it soured our dining experience. Plus the food was really mediocre. We won't be returning to Kansaku any time soon and we will also inform our friends about our experiences.

Ordered lunch at the office. Food was good. Decent portion…read more Would definitely try more