I placed a takeout order for miso soup, a salad, and the Shrimp Curry. The Shrimp Curry was…read moreamazing! It had four large fried shrimp over rice and a small container of Japanese potato/carrot curry that you pour over the shrimp and rice. I also ordered an extra egg, which is three halves of hard boiled egg. Everything was quite delicious.

I was on a work trip and remembered going to this Japanese restaurant pre-covid. I'm not sure if it…read morewas called Taste of Japan before, but the store was a lot different! To me, this is a fast, casual place. You take your order either at the kiosk or scanning a QR code. The sushi was good and everything came out pretty quickly. It wasn't quite the experience I remembered from years ago, but it was still a good option for a quick and easy sushi meal.

Miru is one of those places where the experience is just as memorable as the food. We went with…read morefamily for sushi, and everything we tried felt creative and unique without trying too hard. And the lychee martini? Easily the best I've ever had. The views are absolutely spectacular--some of the best I've seen anywhere and, in my opinion, probably the best restaurant views in Chicago. What really took it to another level was the hospitality. We had family visiting from out of town, and they were greeted and welcomed by name, which was such a thoughtful touch. Between the incredible sushi, cocktails, views, and service, Miru delivered a truly unique and unforgettable Chicago experience.

The three of us celebrated our daughter's birthday at Miru, the modern Japanese restaurant on the…read more11th floor of the St. Regis Chicago, which has a charming terrace overlooking the Chicago River, Navy Pier, and Lake Michigan. It was the views that attracted us to this venue. It turned out to be a perfect evening with beautiful weather for dining al fresco. Since it was a Monday evening, the large modern dining room was not too busy. As expected, the outdoor terrace was bustling. The terrace is basically divided into 3 sections. We were seated in the first section closest to Navy Pier and Lake Michigan, and this area filled up fast shortly after 6:00 pm. Service was friendly and professional throughout the evening. Our server Justin was very knowledgeable of the menu. Both the hostess and Justin wished our daughter a happy birthday several times. A birthday dessert with a lit candle on the side was presented to her at the end of the dinner, making it a special meal to her. Our daughter ordered a cocktail called Happy Days ($23) that came in a Japanese cat shaped jar/glass. My husband had a glass of Chablis ($21), and I had a mocktail Setting Sun ($14), which has fresh yuzu, Valencia orange, lychee, Soda. However, I could only taste the soda, I wished I could taste the lychee. For dinner, we ordered the following to share: Kani Kani Crispy Rice ($34) -- Justin recommended this dish. I really enjoyed the crispy rice and the minced crab meat topping, which was flavorful and not too spicy. However, my husband did not feel that was a crab flavor. Tempura Rock Shrimp ($19) -- a nice quantity for sharing, shrimp was fresh, but nothing too special. Crispy Spring Rolls ($28) -- 6 very small spring rolls were filled with Maine lobster, pork, with Thai orange sauce. They were delicious but we couldn't really distinguish the lobster or pork in the minced filling. (For the nigiri and sashimi, each order came with 2 pieces. Everything we tried was fresh.) Unagi +1 piece ($14 + $7) -- BBQ Fresh Water Eel Seared Salmon Belly Nigiri +1 piece ($23 + $11.50) Kinmedai ($18) -- Golden Snapper Chutoro ($21) -- Medium Fatty Tuna A5 Wagyu Nigiri ($49) - This was a surprise disappointment. All 4 pieces of Wagyu were tough and had gristle in them, so chewy that we had to spit them out. It's definitely not the melt-in-your-mouth A5 Wagyu experience that I was looking for. Duck Yakisoba ($28) - This dish was mixed on our table by a server, that added more fun to a dish that had egg noodles, duck confit, and ginger. It was flavorful with a good amount of duck. Black Cod ($44) - It was nicely seared and prepared. However, my first bite had a very slight fishy smell in it. Otherwise, it was a good dish. Black Sesame Mochi ($18) -- Charcoal-Vanilla ice cream, black sesame praline, and mochi sponge. Surprisingly, this was the highlight of the night! The flavors and all the different textures worked very well together. I could easily eat a couple of these myself! I am still craving for the aromatic crispy black sesame praline and creamy charcoal-vanilla ice cream a week later! With a 3.5% restaurant surcharge, our total bill came to $431.80 before tip. Valet parking was originally $50, but with restaurant validation, it was brought down to $35. All in all, we had a wonderful birthday dinner for our daughter. The stunning views and ambiance with excellent service made it a memorable evening, while the food was very good overall, there were a couple of disappointments. For us, Miru is a 4-star experience overall, with 5-star ambiance and service.

Gaijin may be a small restaurant, but it makes a big impression the second you walk in. The dining…read moreroom isn't huge, but it has this lively energy that makes it feel exciting instead of crowded. I even was able to watch the chefs cooking just a few feet away. I could hear the sizzling from the grill, smell the food cooking, and by that point I was more than ready to eat. Our server was really nice and gave us a bunch of recommendations. Everything sounded good, but I ended up going with the Pork Belly Yakisoba. This dish was packed with flavor. The noodles had that smoky, slightly charred taste, and they were coated in just enough sauce to make every bite rich. The sauce brought a nice balance of savory, a little sweetness, and plenty of umami that soaked into the noodles. The pork belly was easily the best part. It was incredibly tender and juicy, with just enough fat that it practically melted in your mouth. Every piece had those caramelized edges that added even more flavor. Then you get the crunch from the cabbage and bean sprouts, the freshness from the scallions, and the little nutty flavor from the sesame that tied everything together. Hahaha I'd definitely come back. This is one of those dishes that sticked with me long after I left.

There are few places in general across the US that serve up okonomiyaki, so I was thrilled to find…read morethis spot near my office. Ultimately, the food was just ok. I got the pork okonomiyaki lunch set and added a fried egg to it. I like that the table has a built in grill to keep it warm (I'm a slow eater, so this is extra beneficial for me). The bacon was quite salty, compounded by the okonomi sauce. Hoping the kombu vegetables would offset this, I mixed them into each bite to no avail. The pandan coconut mochi donut holes I chose were probably the highlight. They were crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and there was ample sauce for dipping. I think some people would find the service top notch here--constantly checking in on me and keeping water refilled. I guess that came with a cost: 3% service charge automatically applied, and the server proactively brought over a digital payment system, so the 18% tip I selected calculated off the total leading to what was essentially a tip of 23%.

I've been coming here for years and I can't believe I've never written a review! This place, is…read moreprobably the best Japanese food in the Chicago area. The food they prepare uses fresh ingredients. The uni they serve is huge, creamy and sweet. I always order their uni toro tartare because it's the best! The food is innovative yet stay grounded in flavors. Hospitality is top notch and the decor is warm and inviting. I've never had a bad dish there! Highly recommend for date nights or small group gatherings!

Had a great experience at Kai Zan, was looking for my first omakase and came across them, very…read morehappy with the choice. The service is dedicated to each party inside, small but functional space where you genuinely feel taken care of throughout. Each course was explained in detail before every bite which I appreciated, and the craftsmanship behind each piece showed in their open kitchen. The kind of flavors you reminisce on shortly after finishing, wishing for more. The yellowtail stood out the most had me order an extra piece after the omakase wrapped up, highly recommend. No old fashioned on the menu but the beer I had alongside served as a solid palate cleanser between bites. Finished the night with the lava cake warm, fluffy, paired with ice cream and just enough to top it all off. -Mr.

Momotaro was an amazing experience from start to finish. The food is incredibly high quality--you…read morecan tell there's a lot of attention to detail in everything from the ingredients to the presentation. Everything we tried tasted fresh and elevated. I cannot recommend enough the 10day dry aged nigiri. My favorite The atmosphere is lively and energetic with a great buzz throughout the restaurant, but still manages to feel polished, upscale, and intimate. It has that perfect balance where you feel like you're somewhere special and high-end without it feeling overly formal or stuffy. Between the incredible food and service, Momotaro is easily one of the best dining experiences in West Loop / Fulton Market. Definitely a place I'd recommend for a date night or special occasion!

food: my favs were the tsukune dango and tsukune sliders. all the food that came out was yummy but…read morenothing blew me away and for the price i'd have hoped for a dish that made me want to come back but I didn't get that service: the staff was very nice and let us switch tables because it was hard to hear ambiance: really nice vibe especially when the dim the lights later into the night. gets really loud and was so hard to hear my partner across the table

Disclaimer: I'm a New Yorker who's moved to Chicagoland so maybe I'm a bit snooty but the regular…read moreYelpers in the Midwest should always be viewed with a star and a 1/2 less than what is expected normally. Any bar with Yamazaki 18 is good in my book. We had lunch at Chubby Cattle so couldn't eat that much .: no skewers. The Sushi taco was good, pretty impressive with the thin seaweed that had a great crunch; didn't feel greasy at all. The seafood udon was decent; just a tad bit too salty is all. If you're into kushiyaki and what's presented here, definitely give it a try.

Good food! Love the…read moreconcept and you can order on the same QR code two different phones at the same time. The food is fresh made and full of flavor. My favorite thing was the fish cake skewer and the squid. Service was great and people keep checking on you if you need more things. They were havung a karaoke night the saturday at 10pm, but we were packed for other activities after dinner so we missed that out. The only down side that we found, it is some of the plates used to serve, they are chipped or damaged, and that bother a little the presentation.

The express lunch deal is so good! You get to choose 3 items from a nice list of options for $21!…read moreIt's really nice if you want to try multiple things or are indecisive. I got the salmon bowl, the salmon avocado maki, and tuna crispy rice. The salmon bowl was definitely my favorite. The salmon was cooked very nicely so that it wasn't dry, and I loved the miso glaze that they put on top. It added a very nice sweetness to the salmon and created a very nice char. It was pretty small portion size though. The salmon avocado maki was solid too. It was the most filling! You get 5 pieces :) The tuna crispy rice was just alright. The rice part was good, but there was a bit too much mayo in the tuna. The miso soup that came complimentary with it was good too! I like how generous they were with the seaweed. Such a nice vibe inside! It's definitely a nicer spot, but still casual enough for lunch. I wanna come back for dinner! Service was quick and server was kind.

Kari's Rating 7.5/10…read more TDLR: -I was there a nice outdoor patio -Music is a little too loud for a normal conversation -Nothing's crazy special but the fish is fresh Came here with a friend at 5 PM on a Monday. The place wasn't that busy at this time but by the time we left around 6:30 it was pretty packed. Fish was decently fresh, not super creative combos out there like some places. I always get a salmon sashimi piece at the end to test the quality and it didn't disappoint. Everything else was fairly normal, probably not my favorite place in the city, but I got the job done.

It's the kind of place where you can actually relax, enjoy good conversation, and take your time…read more The biggest reason this visit stood out, though, was our server, Denise. She was phenomenal. She kept our water glasses full the entire meal, checked on us at all the right times without hovering, and helped us decide what to order when we couldn't make up our minds. Her recommendations were spot-on, and everything she suggested was delicious. She also handled the kitchen closing perfectly. Instead of making us feel rushed, she gave us a heads-up and helped us get our last few orders in so we didn't miss out on anything we wanted to try. That level of communication and hospitality is rare. The food was excellent, and the all-you-can-eat menu is absolutely worth it if you're coming with a friend. You get to try a wide variety of meats and sides, making it a fun experience from beginning to end. I can't speak for every server here, but Denise represents what great hospitality should look like. She made us feel welcomed, appreciated, and well taken care of throughout the entire meal. Honestly, she has the professionalism and leadership qualities to be a manager. After the rough food experiences I've had elsewhere in Chicago, this restaurant completely restored my faith in the city's dining scene. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in town, and I'll happily spend my money here again.

First time having Japanese BBQ! We have a few of these at home (Nor Cal) but I had never been. One…read moreof my friends wanted to try this out here. I'm glad this is where we stopped by. You can do the all you can eat option or just ordering Al a carte. We decided it was more worth it for the all you can eat option. There's a ton of meats to choose from but my favorite was the toro beef and the ribeye steak. The cucumbers are also to die for, we got like 10 orders total. The quality of the meats were so good, you didn't feel so greasy and bloated afterwards. Our server was pretty nice and explained to us how the menu worked and the time limit that we had to order. He came around a few times to check in on how we were doing. It was pretty good. Inside felt a little cramped, I don't think there were huge amounts of space in the isles but it was fine since we were all sitting down. The best part of dessert is they have s'mores here! You never see that anywhere at any restaurant. I would highly recommend coming here.

I live in LA and have eaten at 20+ omakase restaurants, so I was curious what Chicago's scene had…read moreto offer. Omakase Shoji more than answered that question. The restaurant houses both an omakase counter and an izakaya, but in completely separate spaces. The omakase side is an intimate, beautifully designed counter with around 10 seats. We were the only guests that evening, so the whole experience felt wonderfully private -- just us, Chef Shoji, and the fish. Chef Shoji opens the meal by presenting the actual fish you'll be eating, all flown in twice a week from Japan or Spain. It immediately signals what kind of meal you're in for. The 20 courses were well-paced and the quality was consistent throughout. Nigiri and sashimi were pristine, but the hot dishes were equally impressive, which surprised me. Both sides of the menu showed real craft and attention to detail. Service was fantastic -- warm, attentive, and never stuffy. At $210 per person, it's a special occasion meal, but one that genuinely delivers on the price. As someone who eats a lot of omakase back home in LA, I wasn't sure what to expect. I left genuinely impressed. Highly recommend if you're looking for a serious sushi experience in Chicago!!!

Professional chefs. Comfortable space. Fresh seafoods. Delicious Omakase. Reasonable prices. Plenty…read moreof seats. What is imperfect here?

Best Ramen ever. And the service is second to none. I like the ambience and the quality of foodread more

Amazing sushi and fantastic service! 10/10!…read moreIf you find yourself in the south loop then you must give this restaurant a try!