Fresh, reasonably priced, and such a variety! Stopped by after a show and was pleasantly surprised! The atmosphere is modern and it's BYOB! There were three of us, and we ordered 6 rolls. They were all delicious! Would definitely recommend if you're in the area. read more

Love their sushi and spicy miso, it's also byob which is great when you want to have your own preferred wine. I love their cucumber salad, as well as their seaweed and seared tuna salads. I have tried a lot of their sushi and I always come back for their tequila roll, black monster, and Godzilla. I also really like raw fish and their sashimi flight is great for those out there like me! If you want good sushi for great price definitely go here! read more

Haven't been here in half a year because we moved away and the waitress still remembered us. After living in Chicago for 1.5 years, Rolla is still my favorite sushi place in Chicago. Donburi bowls still killing it read more

Rollapalooza - The best - Sushi Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's a small space, but efficiently organized. We tried several rolls. Tequila and Rollapalooza were delicious. The classic rolls were good too! Our waitress was friendly and attentive. Also keep in mind, it's BYOB. We really enjoyed this place for reasonable price. read more

It is my firm belief that you must ignore the name to enjoy the experience....Rollapalooza? Seriously, yikes. However, I managed to get past it, and so can you...its what's on the inside that counts. (and yes, this is a sushi double entendre, deal with it!) This is a great "starter" sushi place for people that may want some tutoring. Cute interior, funky vibe, really cheap rolls and pieces, so that you can sample quite a bit without busting your "emergencies only" credit card out! Service was a little lacking. Slow to bus the tables, didn't ask to chill our second bottle of white (Its BYOB!), no water given, etc etc. However, they are still new and my hope is that this will improve. It's a very small place. Probably seating for 20 max, def not good for large groups, but perfect for a nice dinner with a friend and some bottles of wine from Kafka. MMMM, Kafka. Sigh, I digress.... The menu is a bit confusing, yet ambitious. Lots of options, though I didn't see any appetizers/soups listed, but they did have the standard miso soup/edamame combo that I must consume prior to sushi. It's just like...a rule. I have no idea if there are other mystery apps, but perhaps there are...hmmm. Lots of rolls. Like hundreds. Huge list of maki, smaller list of (very cheap) sushi pieces (unagi was quite good). My friend and I split the Eel avocado, California, spicy tuna, and each had a piece of nigiri. The only one we didn't really care for was the shrimp tempura, a bit too chewy. The rest were really fresh and well presented. The bill gets it the 4th star. Great value...$36 for two stuffed people. BYOB. Really, can't be beat. Good place to check out for a quiet date, though they did start getting all rave scene on us towards the end of dinner, pumping jams into the tiny space like we were at Hydrate. Hmmm. Ok. Still some kinks to work out, but the kitsch factor with the name, and kittens chasing sushi rolls on the windows makes it pretty fun and laid back place to grab a few rolls and drink a few glasses of wine before heading out. It won't break the bank, but like I said...ignore the name ;) read more

Ok...maybe overflowing porta potties and teenagers tripping on acid aren't the most appetizing thoughts to have in your head as you sit down to sushi, but this place is so much better than the name would have you think. It's BYO, they take reservations, and it's super affordable. A great option to put something light in your stomach before a night of drinking in Boystown. Oh...and if your group is good with words you can come up with a Rollapalooza lineup with the likes of the Arcitc Mochis or The Tempura Trap. The food is definitely good for the price, but don't expect the best sushi in the city. Still I think Perry Farrell would be proud. read more

The sushi rolls here: B+ all the time; predictably good and very reasonably priced with very generous portions. Tonight, it was more than enough food for several people. But more than the food, tonight was about how so many of us blindly trust machines. Philadepia roll and veggie roll: $6.00 each Let,($6 + $6) = $12. One multi-person, multi-fish, multi-spice, variety-laden special from the back of the menu: $35. Let $12 + $35 = ...........ready, bet you'll never guess: $75 plus tax = "gland total: $84," he said with a warm smile. "No, no. $12 + $35 = $47." "Machine say $75." "Ah,....But machine can't change nature." Confused look. Confounded. I took out my abacus, and asked: "You're kidding right?" (He's still fumbling with the cash register). "Just forget the cash register. Think about how silly it is to ponder whether $35 + $12 equals = $75." He looked up at me, and smiled. Apologies. All is forgiven. Great food. Watch the check. read more

I've been to Rollapalooza a few times and ordered take out (through Grubhub.com) and not yet been disappointed. The name is misleading. I expected something more like sushi fast food, not a "normal" sushi restaurant. I don't remember what exactly I've ordered or tried, but it's all been good. I didn't notice it in the restaurant, but online you can substitute black rice in the sushi rolls. The black rice adds a nutty flavor that goes well with some of the rolls. Ok, maybe I lied, I remember two things, some kinda of tuna and salmon tartar on crisp somethings, those were really good. The pink lady roll is good too. The rest I can't put my finger on, it all blends together in a whole bunch of "mmmmm"s. The restaurant is BYOB, which is nice. I do love a good BYOB sushi joint, especially one close to my place. I had no idea I could order delivery on grubhub.com, now I'm afraid I won't leave my apartment again till spring. read more

We came here for the first time this past week for my birthday dinner. It was amazing! I am a self-proclaimed foodie, and really wanted to have a delightful experience for dinner, and this did not disappoint. All of the rolls we had were fresh and delicious. The service was also friendly, and the atmosphere warm and welcoming. I can't wait to go back! read more

Rollapalooza? More like RollapaBOOOOza. Or Crapapalooza. I guess Rollapalooza does kinda describe our dinner... a meal which quickly rolled down hill. This was far and away the worst sushi I have ever had. Now, you can't beat the $3 spicy tuna roll. It was a little sloppy, but quite delicious, and more than serviceable for three bucks. However, the maki quickly "rolled" down hill from there. The rainbow maki we had was okay. The fish on top was good, but the crab salad (???) in the middle was sweet and kind of off-putting. That was followed by a tempura roll that was covered in tempura crisps that must have been fried several days prior. They were soggy, stale and disgusting, and the roll was borderline inedible. At that point, somewhat inexplicably, our seaweed salad came out. I could have forgiven them for delivering this in the middle of our sushi progression if it wasn't the worst seaweed salad I have ever had. It was swimming in dressing, and said dressing was far too sweet. With our last roll, we hoped for redemption. After all, the standard spicy tuna maki had been good; how could they screw up a Philly roll? I'll tell you how to screw up a Philly roll - use overcooked salmon instead of the smoked variety. As we sat at the bar and watched as the sushi chef made the roll, we discussed that it could not possibly be our Philly. No way would anyone mistakenly replace cooked salmon for the standard smoked in a Philadelphia roll. Well, we were incredibly wrong. We tried it, and for the record, it's a terrible substitution. The consistency and taste make it basically disgusting. We walked out of this establishment, pockets $40 lighter, with our worst dinning experience in at least the last year. If I ever return, it will be for 3-4 orders of the spicy tuna roll. But I'll always call it Crapapalooza. read more

A friend brought me here and I didn't expect such an extravagant culinary creations from a neighborhood sushi restaurant... from plating to flavor WOW!!! Chef Eric puts his heart and soul into every roll. There are rolls for people of all taste preferences, we picked 4 items from "Advanced Rolls" page and dish was absolutely outstanding. The explosion of flavors surrounding incredibly fresh fish were presented with creativity and elegance. We ate until we just couldn't eat anymore... I recommend the White Tuna Tartar (mango paradise) , Martini Q (cucumber wrapped goodness dressed in mind blowing sauce and last but in my opinion also the best the warm roll Baked Roulade where the chef bakes heavenly prepared crab meat in paper-thin sliced salmon .. Yum!!!! It's a BYOB without any extra fees and the bill was so small, I thought they made a mistake! Our waiter Henry was extremely quick, attentive and accurate. We were so impressed with the food - we asked to meet the chef, to our surprise the most humble young man came to our table! What a great experience. Can't wait to bring my husband!!! read more

Being half Japanese, I expect a lot from sushi places these days. I'm going to give Rollapalooza a 3-star "A-OK" because while I did enjoy my delivery order for the first time, I did feel that there was too much cucumber in my rolls. That's a good indicator of how authentic a sushi place is usually, becuase real sushi should NOT have cucumber in them. Many Americanized sushi restaurants use cucumber and other "bells and whistles" as a filler so as not to go overboard with the rice etc. Basically there should not have been any cucumber in any of my rolls but there were. Although I will give them credit because my delivery order was timely, the delivery guy was nice and prompt, and at the end of the day my sushi was satisfying without breaking the bank. I will say the sashimi was very tasty and fresh! Definitely almost made me foeget ab the cucumber haha. Ordered unagi nigiri, salmon sashimi, spicy tuna roll, and one of their signature specialties the Spicy Tatazaki. Would give Rollapalooza another go at the actual location next time! read more

Always an excellent experience: both dining in & carrying out. The staff is friendly and efficient, the food is amazing and fresh, and the menu has some great creative dishes. I tend to go for vegetarian rolls over fish, and they have some unique ones (not usually the case when it comes to veggie rolls, the fishy ones always seem to have all the fun!). Highly recommend. read more

Rollapalooza is one of the better sushi restaurants I've been to. Prices are reasonable, the staff is friendly, and my fiance and I really enjoyed the Rollapalooza roll. The Rollapalooza roll is made up shrimp, crab mix, scallop, white fish, mayo, tobiko, cream cheese, and avocado baked together into one massive roll. This combination is simply excellent! Any time we visit Chicago, Rollapalooza will be on the short-list for quicker places to visit. read more

My friends and I came here simply because they have BYOB with no corkage fee and good ratings on Yelp. The food turned out to be really good and at a decent price for sushi. The service was great - when we came in it was quite busy, but the waitresses was still pretty accommodating. My recommendations: Tequila roll - Tuna, yellowtail, avocado, cilantro, jalapeno & house mayo wrapped in green soybean sheet. Then squeezed fresh lime & chilli oil The Rollapolooza - Oven baked mixture of shrimp, crab mix, scallop, avocado, & tobiko over cream cheese, avocado roll Spicy Tataki - Spicy tuna topped on shrimp tempura, avocado, cucumber crab stick. Then lightly seared spicy tuna & drizzle with crunchy read more

Another Asian restaurant in Boystown. I really don't think we needed it but that being said Rollapalooza is still a welcome addition. I like the atmosphere and the menu is really nifty looking. On to the food: I sampled a few different tasty things and some that was, well, just ok. The texture of the caterpillar roll was off but the flavor was good. The miso soup was a bit bland as well. Now that the bad has been covered... I am a huge fan of their "Ninja Turtle" roll. It's the perfect combination of eel, cucumber, shrimp, and avocado. They cover the outside of the roll in something (probably tempura) to make it crunchy. This is one of my favorite rolls (in this price range) anywhere. Something else that makes me excited about Rollapalooza - free edamame before your meal. This was almost a standard for all the sushi houses that I would frequent when I lived in Las Vegas (either edamame or miso) and I was quite pleased when it showed up at our table just moments after arriving. Also nice: they finish your meal off with some green tea with sesame. I actually don't love sesame but if you do then it would be a wonderful little touch to end your stay. The service was amazing. Everyone was so friendly. They checked up on us just enough to make sure we had what we needed without being annoying about it. It is always nice to drop in to a new restaurant and see that they have the service down. I will definitely be returning to Rollapalooza because of the Ninja Turtle, edamame, and close proximity to my home. read more

Fresh fish Nice sized servings at low prices. Plenty of extras that show their focus is on you. They just need some experience and it will all come together. I agree with Stevie B. but you have to excuse the low amount of customers.. they've only been open a month. They are very pleasant but need to remember it's their restaurant. I love sushi but am new to eating it in restaurants. I didn't know what to do with the edamame.... so I sat there munching on whole pods. They should have explained the what and how of the experience. I was a bit confused by the menu... as Stevie B says... it's the same stuff over and over. I just wanted a plate of different types of sushi... and it turns out it was on a crudely written specials list. It was an odd contrast to their slick yet confusing menus. They do need to realize what neighborhood they are in and cater to that. The funky windows make me think they can pull it off. Go with an open mind and help them out. read more

Ever find a one inch-long worm wrapped around an edamame bean? No? Weill I did at this restaurant. Yeckkk!!! Thank god I was feeding my son with them so I actually saw the thing before popping it into my mouth. I suppose there is no way to check for stowaways since the beans are served in-pod but that it definitely a first for me and definitely set me on edge for the rest of the food. The rolls were tasty but there seemed to be a great deal less fish in there than I am used to. Also, when you order a side of white rice, they just serve sushi rice complete with rice vinegar and sugar. Feeding my baby with that became an adventure with sticky sweet rice getting everywhere. Not my favorite sushi place. read more

I love sushi and luckily for me there are plenty of picks in the neighborhood for some great sushi places. After one takeout meal from here I am crowning Rollapalooza my new go-to takeout sushi place. The place is pretty small and the atmosphere is lacking compared to some of the other places around but the food is worth the takeout. The menu is pretty extensive but the categories make it easy to decide where to go with your meal. I ended up getting the a 3 roll combo and it was way more than expected. The rolls were beautifully put together, stayed together while I was eating them and they were HUGE. Also they give the best carryout bags ever, almost like gift bags. Love it!! read more

4 years later and this is still my go-to sushi spot. Amazing service and my husband and I crave it when we want good, healthy food. Consistently awesome. Adding to my favorites the Acapulco and the Tequila, but in all honesty you can't go wrong here. read more

Came here on a date night and was was so happy we took a chance and came in. I'm always wary of sushi places that I haven't heard about, but I am telling you now - GO. Space is pretty small - can maybe seat 30 people max. We were there on a Wednesday evening and was about half full. Server was very nice and service was quick. Food is AWESOME - we started with a spicy tuna roll for an app and it was just enough kick to make a presence, but not stay with you. For entree I had the Black Monster and the hubby had the Rollapalooza. Black Monster was great - I've never tried black rice before but it was delicious. The shrimp tempura inside was also good and portions are great for the price. The Rollapalooza may throw you off with the hot topping on the sushi, but it actually works! Seafood is really fresh and it comes out smelling fantastic. Overall atmosphere is nice - I can imagine that it can get pretty loud if it is packed. But overall great service and will definitely come back or order to go - so many more rolls to try! read more

First went here about a month ago on a Sunday evening for a friend's birthday. I have had sushi before, but nothing like this. I honestly cannot recall the names of what all I ordered, but it was all great. The ingredients were fresh and visually pleasing. Good, eat, enjoy! read more

Even though the majority of reviews are positive, I thought the sushi was just mediocre. The ginger salad dressing was good, thick like I like it, but none of the rolls are very memorable. Also, it smelled like a nail salon when we walked in - not a great start. Not too cheap, not too expensive, and the service was fine. It's nice that there's no corkage fee, but I think there are better BYOB sushi places in the city. I'd give it one more try. read more

Great place with insane amount of options. Took me forever to read the menu and I didn't even read it all. I choose the black monster but substituted white rice for black. I also had the rollapalooza roll. The most interesting roll I've ever had. So good! I couldn't finish it all but yum!!! There is no sake which means no sake bombs. Sad face but they do allow you to bring your own. Also, no fee where some places I've been have a fee for uncorking. Service was quick and food was good. I drink a whole bottle of red by myself and I feel accomplished. And that's all I have to say about that. Jackée read more

A friend and I came in and sat right at the bar to watch the magic. The chef was super cool and had us try 3 different rolls (free) and explained where he had learned his skills. Since then, I have made it a point to eat here once every 2 weeks (at least). I may be biased...since i love and adore mango, but the Meguan roll is soooo amazing. Also , be sure to try the Mafia roll (i substitute the eel sauce for spicy mayo)! that's out of weird jewish guilt, but tastes amazing regardless. The name? ehhh ...yeah The decor reminds me of what a sushi restaurant would look like in a saved by the bell episode. I don't really care because the food is delicious...and at any moment screech or Mr. Belding could walk right in. Service was/has been very good every time. I actually prefer the black rice over traditional white rice. Kill whitey! Indulge! Enjoy! read more

I really wish I could give 5 stars, but I am frustrated, so I can not. I eat here frequently, and have some very nice, and some not-so-nice things to say. Full disclosure: I do not eat fish and I have never liked sushi. I came here with my girlfriend because she loves sushi, and I begrudgingly went along. I got a few vegetarian rolls and LOVED them (I'm not a vegetarian). I go to Rollapalooza often and get the avocado roll and avocado/ asparagus/ cream cheese roll. I am hooked. I go every other day. My girlfriend loves their sushi, and as other people have complained about size, we do not think that is an issue. the rolls are smaller, but priced accordingly. That is the good. Here is the frustrating part. More than twice, they have screwed up a seamless delivery order. You might say its not a big deal for them to forget the avocado in a roll (which they've done twice), they also used the wrong kind of tuna on something my gf ordered. They did this once in the restaurant and once for a seamless delivery. Is it a HUGE deal? No. Does it piss me off that it keeps happening? Yes. Bottom line: I will not stop going, I love their vegetarian rolls. I t just seems like they are half-assing their work and its frustrating. If you know someone that doesn't like sushi, bring them here and get them an avocado roll. My complaint with other sushi places is that they taste "fishy" even if there is no fish. Not here. No fishy taste in the vege rolls. UPDATE: my recent experiences have been awesome so I udated the review from 3 to 4 stars. read more

This is pretty solid sushi and it's super convenient if you are a frequenter of Boystown. It is by no means, blow-my-mind-sushi, but it is always fresh. Honestly, it's more like 3.75 stars. They have a good choice of creative rolls. Although, a few too many with cream cheese in them for my tastes (cream cheese does not belong in sushi). The spicy ones are appropriately spicy. They have classic rolls, think California roll or spicy tuna, they have vegetarian rolls, they have specialty rolls like Smoky, Acapulco, and the Mafia, plus signature rolls like baby lobster, tequila, and the red dragon. All tasty. They always seem to be open and it's in the center of the action in Boystown. Nice for a pre-cocktail evening, or a post bar hopping snack. It's definitely on my list of consistently good sushi joints. And it's one of the more reasonably priced sushi spots. It's a keeper. read more

Amazing sushi! All the rolls are yummy! I've ordered many different ones and I'm never disappointed.

Rollapalooza, really? What an unfortunate name for this restaurant. Especially one that has pretty decent sushi. Some of their rolls are huge. We are talking monsterous in size! It's a cute, cheap place in boystown and like I said the rolls are decent in size. I just left feeling like I needed something else or that I was missing something with the food. I didn't like the crab that was used in some of the rolls. It tasted more like crab salad and I wasn't there for crab salad. However, on that note everything else was stellar. There was one man working the entire place...answering the phone, taking orders, making rolls, checking people out. He was a busy man and needless to say not super attentive. But again cheap, cheap food. So umm yeah go here for cheap, huge sushi but stick the crab meat aka crab salad. read more

I really liked the location, service, quality, and deals. I opted for the three rolls for $15 deal. Everything tasted good and was presented beautifully. read more

What a find!!! Amazing and inventive rolls and BYOB...... bliss. Huge selection of interesting specialty rolls that are actually reasonably priced! If you dine in, you have to get the spicy tataki roll just for the presentation alone (i won't ruin the surprise) :-) The restaurant's signature roll, the rollapalooza, is seriously crave-worthy. My friend ordered it for takeout 2 nights after we dined in b/c she loved it so much! Shrimp/scallop/crab atop an avocado/cream cheese roll..... put that way it sounds simple, but I assure you there is a LOT going on with this roll. It's layers of awesome. The meguan roll has some serious spicy kick to the end of it --- fire eaters, you will enjoy! Space itself is cute but small. Service was acceptable.... a little on the slow side but the server was nice and made helpful recommendations. Takes reservations on opentable! read more

so, being new to Chicago, my husband and I found it essential to find a great place for Sushi. After reading many Yelp reviews we decided to give Rollapalooza a try. Boy were we happy we did. It's BYOB and that is great. The shumai were amazing a light and fluffy and filled with delicious shrimp. A FANTASTIC way to start your meal, and one of our measuring sticks as to how we're going to like the restaurant. Then on to one of the best seaweed salads I've ever had. We ordered the king crab and super white tuna nigiri and the spicy scallop, pink flower and godzilla rolls, all of which were incredibly fresh and artfully done. We will absolutely be back, there was so much on the menu that we didn't have room to try! read more

Sushi was amazing!! So many options and the Mafia roll was amazing. The staff were very friendly. When my friend and I got there it was a little early for dinner and we were the only ones there. By the time we left around 7, every table was filled! There were also tons of to go orders going out the door. One thing I will say is that the restaurant had a weird smell... mixture of cleaning supplies & raw fIsh? This was my first time here so maybe that's not the norm but it did make me a little uneasy at first, but glad we decided to stay! read more

Amazing sushi!!! I started with the house salad, I usually prefer a normal ginger dressing but the peanut butter added a nice touch to the dressing. I got 2 rolls, the tropical and the crazy philly. The tropical was my favorite but the crazy philly was also amazing! I would definitely go back next time I'm in the area. read more

BYOB! And Eric is awesome. Get to know him and come in for average price rolls and tasty goodness. Friendly, quick, and cozy. All sushi... Wish i could see a couple teriyaki and udon dishes this winter. I'm definitely a regular. read more

This place was great, small cute but trendy. The only thing is they seem in a bit of a rush to get you out! We got there about 20 minutes early for our reservation, but our booth was waiting, we were also promptly greeted and seated. We ordered gyoza, edamame, soups and salads- all great. We got dragon rolls, another roll with octopus, the rollapalooza, and the black magic rolls. Everything was amazing, especially the black magic one. The spicy mayo and wasabi tasted fresh and spicy. $135 for 5 of us, not bad. We were definitely done in under an hour. Will come back, also great neighborhood. read more

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I had driven or walked by this place dozens of times (as I live in the area); however, the cheesy name made me assume it wasn't going to be legit. I finally gave it a try one Friday night and realized I was wrong. BYOB and a typical place on the inside. Service was fine but nothing notable. The thing that makes it 4 stars in my mind is that fact that they have a vast array of sushi that seem innovative and different than other similar establishments. I love their Advance and Low Carb sections, which take some of the guilt out of ordering a bunch of sushi rolls with white rice. Overall, Rollapalooza is bound to offer you something a little bit different than you've had before for a reasonable price in a nice neighborhood setting. My favorites include the Pink Flower, R&J, Meguan, and the Salmon Mania. Notable mentions include: -You can make reservations on open table and get those points! -Order delivery through GrubHub (which I do far too frequently). They always arrive faster than they indicate they will. -Ability to customize rolls by adding crunch, avocado, using black instead of white rice, etc. This is an easy option when placing a Grub Hub order. read more

I was a regular to Rolla back when they first opened. Came every week as a loyal sushi consumer. Once they closed that first for new management I hadn't been back since. I had heard too many bad things about the next batch of owners and didn't want to taint my previous notions and experiences at Rolla. I finally went back under the new owners and was pleasantly surprised. Back to the free edamame, no corkage fees, great rolls and they've added some new combinations since I had last been there. Delicious experience, although the prices have gone up some. I'd still go back. read more

I LOVE this place. I was a little leery because it never seemed really busy, had mixed reviews from past management and has a bit of a crazy name. I went my first time though and was sold right away. First it's BYOB - you can't beat that. Second the prices are actually pretty cheap. Third it's so easy to get to, especially if you're doing anything in Boystown. Fourth, and most important - the sushi and sashimi were AMAZING. I was expecting something "ok" when we ordered, but honestly this is some of the best tasting and fresh sushi I've had in the city. I just wasn't expecting it from somewhere so cheap, cozy and friendly. The food presentation was fun and clean, they have a huge variety and everything tasted fantastic. Love the seaweed salad, LOVED the sashimi. I go with my BF ever few weeks (whenever we can get the time) and we always order the large plate of sashimi and devour the entire thing. Highly recommend! The chefs and wait staff are extremely friendly and attentive as well. Don't usually give glowing reviews, but this place has a special spot in my heart. read more

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I've been here a couple of times and there's a lot to like (minus the name). I've only had their specialty rolls, but the sushi is very fresh and I like that they have a lot of interesting rolls that I've never seen before. The Meguan is terrific (tuna, mango, chili paste)-- mmm! It's very clean and bright inside, there's no wait for a table, and the service is friendly and helpful. Our waitress help narrow down our choices and we ended up with all excellent rolls. And it's BYOB! I know there's better sushi out there, but you get a lot of good options here for a really good price! read more