Very good. BYOB! Had the anaconda roll, the rock shrimp, and the cherry blossom roll. I also tasted Uni for the first time! Place was small, but clean, and easy parking. Waitstaff were very friendly. All were fresh, and affordable ! We had a groupon but I will be back one day, full price or not. read more

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my absolute favorite restaurant. Kawa is the best sushi. I've been going to Kawa for years and tried almost everything on the menu. one of my favorites is the salmon lover boat. the salmon is buttery soft and melts in your mouth. the specialty rolls are so delicious, the black dragon, spicy crunchy tuna roll, fallen angel, cherry blossom, and the Mexican rolls are some of my favorites. they even have bone broth ramen that is so satisfying and yummy. we are never disappointed. the restaurant is small and intimate and the staff takes care of us like family. read more

I have only been here for lunch and that's because their lunch special is EXCELLENT! Three delicious rolls of sushi plus miso soup for $10. You can't beat that. The only thing I miss about my old job is that I'm no longer within a mile of this place during lunchtime. read more

Pretty good! Any of the rolls with sweet potato are delicious. The vegetable tempura seems a bit overpriced for how much you get, but the dipping sauce they come in is reeeaally good. read more

They are finally back after two months and it's still the same as before but it seems to only be the boss's own family now. Ordered the Chicago Fire and Spicy Crispy Tuna and it's very fresh. read more

This review is long overdue....  I am in love with South Kawa!  I have become a regular there, and it's my #1 favorite Bridgeport lunch spot.  Their lunch specials are awesome, in quality, tastiness and price.  The teriyaki salmon box is my favorite, the salmon is always cooked perfectly - a bit crispy on the outside and tender in the inside, with a perfectly sweet and balanced sauce...served with veggies, the best shrimp shu-mai I've had, and some cali roll...for $11.  It's not a big meal but satisfying. Their maki lunch special is great and the price is also what keeps me coming back - $8 for two rolls, $10 for three.  All served with a great salad or soup (if you dine in)....I will say that if you don't like your salad heavily dressed, then you should tell your server that, as the salads have a decent amount of dressing on them (I happen to like that). The only suggestions I would have to improve would be 1) change up the music, 2) offer a smaller version of some special rolls and add to the lunch special maki list. Highly, highly recommend South Kawa! read more

I came here twice in a week because the food was just that great. I ordered through GrubHub and my food is always ready for pickup when I arrive and I have no trouble finding a parking spot. The food is fresh and inexpensive, I will definitely be back. read more

This place is the best sushi rest in the city!!! I have gone to many over the years and not one is as delicious and fresh as this one. We've chosen this place to celebrate bdays, Mothers day, Father day and other traditions. We have our favorite rolls (of course), but everything is good. Try it, you won't regret it! read more

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To the people who left good reviews: Which restaurant did you go to? It definitely wasn't Kawa South. I expected a decent Japanese restaurant, but everything about this place was a little off. First of all, when we went last night it smelled weird, like strong cleaning products and air freshener--should have paid attention to that red flag. The service was awkward and slow. The waitress actually convinced my girlfriend not to order a salad because I was getting one, which confused the hell out of us and left us with only one salad. She ordered yakitori and a tempura shrimp roll, which were pretty good (yakitori was slightly dry though). I would recommend that you only trust the cooked items on the menu, because I made the mistake of ordering the sashimi (on the recommendation of another yelp review). The pieces of fish were haphazardly cut, and some of it was actually still frozen. The tuna was oddly gristly, and the salmon was slimy. I left most of it untouched because I was worried about the freshness of the fish after those first few bites. Too late though--I spent the rest of the evening in the bathroom, and my girlfriend had to call in sick to work today. read more

Came here for lunch with a couple of friends and we had a decent time. The food was average and the lunch deals are good deals. I had 3 rolls for $10 and it came with miso soup or salad. The service was average and its an okay place to make a quick stop for lunch. read more

South Kawa - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Let me begin by saying I will be back. But I'm giving this place 3 stars because I'm sure other rolls are better than what I ordered. It's been a couple weeks since I was there and forgot to review right away but I'm pretty sure my two rolls were something to do with Halloween and the other was Chicago Fire roll, or something along those lines. The Halloween roll was sooooo sweet. The other roll, Chicago Fire, was good and spicy but still had sweetness. There presentation is nice but ease just in the sauces on the plate. Perhaps that is what over did the sweetness but I couldn't pin point what it was. It was completely empty and parking right on Halsted was easy. read more

South Kawa - Chicago spicy roll - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This place was okay. We came here with a livingsocial that I needed to use up before it expired. We didn't get the buffet since we normally don't eat too much, but we did order 5 rolls for 2 people. The sushi was okay. Nothing special about this place. I would put it as average. read more

South Kawa - Assortment of sushi rolls. Spicy yellowtail, salmon roll, sandwich roll, salmon nigiri, yellowtail nigiri..and something else - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What a charming little place with gracious service, a pleasant atmosphere, and delicious food. Who'd have thought such a place existed in Bridgeport, a place better known for eating establishments like Ricobene's and Fabulous Freddie's? I dined here with a friend and we shared gyoza (ohm nom nom), yellow tail jalapeño (spicy goodness), and chicken yaki udon (noodles from heaven). We also were fortunate enough to be here during maki lunch special hours. Two rolls for $10! Everything was fresh and tasty! The timing of the food was spot on, and the waitstaff was friendly and offered great suggestions. I will definitely be back if I'm in the area and am looking for good quality sushi, great service, and an environment that is relaxed and pleasant. All in all, a very good experience. read more

South Kawa - Gyoza! - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is horrible, do not eat there. They have terrible customer service and do not explain anything about what the menu entails. FOOD IS HORRIBLE read more

For limited options coming from further south side this place is in area with good parking even if it is street parking. It's clean, nice decor, ambiance is relaxing, don't feel rushed out so this contributes to the great customer service. I went with the free offer from yelp of the edamame, was yummy! I actually saw that offer after I ordered the roll but it was ok cuz I took them, the rest of roll home for a nice light lunch. The roll was fresh, fresh ginger it was good! The main thing I went there for was the Ramen, i got the chicken ramen the grilled chicken, dropped egg and noodles were good as well, I added hot sauce it needs heat for my taste. I think they have the potential to improve the ramen but it's good and filling none the less. There's nothing I could mention why they wouldn't get a 5 star from its customers. Sweet workers and tasty food. read more

South Kawa - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing little sushi place! We were having a mini-cation in Chicago and this place was a quick 5 minute drive from our Air BNB. It's somewhat small so we almost walked past it. The sushi was amazing and the staff was efficient and friendly. I don't think the price was too bad either. Sadly we live very far away from this place, but if you live close and consider eating here, I would!! read more

South Kawa - Dynamite (top), yakuza, and fallen angel (bottom) - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Sunday at 5pm. One other table. One waitress. The restaurant has a great setup and looks nice. I ordered gyoza as an appetizer, which came at the same time as my food. I also ordered a Avocado roll and a Crunch Philly roll (see photo) and a sweet potato roll (not pictured). The Philly roll came out of the kitchen without the crunch and I sent it back and that's when they dusted it with crunch. I also intended on ordering fried rice which they were all out of. I've never heard before but ok. read more

South Kawa - It's a simple avocado roll and supposedly a Philly "crunch" roll. - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

South Kawa is my FAVORITE sushi place. The food and prices are great and for the south side they are most definitely above par. We try new rolls every time and they never disappoint. The jalapeño poppers are an awesome spin on the traditional kind and the shrimp tempura is crunchy, light and delicious. We love this place so much that we always forget that there's coupons we could use. South Kawa is a must try! read more

South Kawa - Two of the rolls from South Kawa, one is the Fallen Angel the other one I forget the name of. Both delicious. - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fresh and good! We ordered the shrimp tempura, miso soup and salad combo along with Tiger and Volcano rolls. Hubby also had 4 pcs of Hamachi and it's pretty fresh & tasty! Will definitely come back again. read more

South Kawa - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Very good!! Very fast delivery through Beyond Menu (they offer more options than the other apps)!! Anaconda and Dynamite were my favorite rolls. Chicago and American Eagle were a close 2nd! The Jalapeño peppers were great too! read more

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My favorite is the cherry blossom roll! Also love the Halloween roll. So many good ones. I can never decide.

I was craving sushi late night while stressing over midterms but doing nothing.. So I looked up places that were delivering. Kawa unfortunately wasn't listed for delivery via Yelp but GrubHub has 'em. I ordered a spicy combo with salad and soup and a hot appetizer - crab tempura. LOVED IT! I visited the restaurant the next day with my big and had dynamite roll. WOW! words can't explain how amazing and dynamic (LOL) those rolls were. I am craving them while reviewing this right now. BRB, let me go order more. #midtermstress #sushitorescue #dynamic read more

This place has mediocre service and they try to sell salmon but it's fake crab and don't order take out, I live 6 minutes away and it took over two hours. I would rather go up north and drive 45 minutes than waste time at this restaurant less than a mile away. Terrible service, even the waitresses don't even know what's on the menu read more

The service was great. Lots of options for sushi rolls. This was my first visit so I didn't try a lot because I'm very picky about my sushi but I ended up getting the cherry blossom and added cream cheese. It cost 1.00 to add cream cheese which isn't terrible but at the same time it like literally a drop of cream cheese. I thought it tasted pretty fresh and clean. Not 5star sushi but definitely worth visiting again! Next time I will try spicy tuna and perhaps some dumplings, I heard that they were popular ! read more

I love this place. I have to admit, I've never had sushi before my husband adamantly insisted we change that and brought me to South Kawa. While I'm still wary of trying sashimi, I have to admit that sushi is quite delicious, and South Kawa has great lunch deals that let you eat for a great price! The staff is friendly, polite, and quick! They always seat us right away and bring out waters for us (their water is cucumber-infused! Very yummy!). We both usually get the miso soup, which is delicious, though I've tried the salad with their fruit dressing before. Their fruit dressing is delicious, but I think that too much is served with the salad. We very rarely ever have to wait very long for our food to come out -- everything is timed pretty well. The sushi comes out just as I'm finishing my soup usually, so it's a well-paced meal. This place is really great for their lunch specials, which is when my husband and I usually go. We usually order their standard sushi rolls (my favorites are the sweet potato and oshinko) that are part of a special, and then order one of their special rolls. So far, my favorite special roll has been the Mexican roll. I think you should save it for last, because it's has quite a bit of heat (the sauce they serve over it has jalapenos, lime, and cilantro), so it ruins your palate for trying your other rolls if you have it first, but as a jalapeno fan, I absolutely love it. The atmosphere of the restaurant itself is relaxing. It's fairly dark and usually pretty quiet. They have a TV that usually has news or something playing very quietly or on mute. read more

I'll never eat here again. Our server was so rude that she completely ruined our dinner experience. First off, this place is BYOB so my husband brought some quality German beer. Our server gave us a PLASTIC cup. Seated right next to us were rows and rows of nice wine glasses, and she gives us a plastic cup?! WTF? When he asked if he could have a wine glass instead, the server looked annoyed and said they're not supposed to give wine glasses to those who bring in beer. However, after we insisted on a wine glass, she begrudgingly let us have one and said she'd inform the manager. For those who don't know, SK has a $25 AYCE sushi special all day, everyday. Our server initially informed us that we have to eat every piece of fish or else they charge $1 for every piece of sushi not consumed. No problem, that's how it usually is in most AYCE sushi places. My husband and I can eat A LOT of sushi, and we were both starving. We initially ordered 6 rolls and a handful of nigiri. When the server came to get our order, she told us that 6 rolls was too much and she was crossing off two of them to start with. Um, okay... shouldn't that be for us to decide? Whatever. Anyways, we got our rolls and nigiri and finished EVERYTHING, except for some of the rice from the nigiri. I feel that many of the nigiri pieces we ordered had too much rice, so I pushed about a third of each piece aside. When the server came back, she explained that she should charge us for the rice we didn't finish, but she was going to let it slide this time. I stated she told us that they charge for each piece of FISH we didn't finish, NOT rice. She said that nigiri rice is special, and that if we ordered a second round, she would charge us for not finishing the rice as well. Again, WTF? Although we probably could have eaten another roll and a couple more nigiri, we were so turned off by service at that point that we just wanted to leave. In addition, the quality of sushi seems to have gone down since the last time I came here, or maybe I just didn't enjoy it as much because of the rude service. Anyways, sad to say, but I'm never coming back here. I'll just go to Hing Kee in Chinatown when I want my cheap sushi fix. read more

I love this spot. Its a great Bridgeport gem! Its about time we got a sushi spot in the neighborhood and now that we do I'm a regular. Everything they serve here is great! I know I have ordered one or two things that they were out of, I was not disappointed because I can taste their dedication to good, fresh quality food. The All American Roll is one of my favorite dishes there. They give you a good portion of tuna. It's fresh and spicy. The unfortunate thing is that it doesn't get that busy which is great for immediate seating but no so great for my hopes of seeing this place stick around a while. I hope more people catch on to this hidden gem so that me and my new found love can continue to get to know each other better. Come on people - go eat sushi at South Kawa!! read more

Don't get me wrong, I love sushi and I LOVE my neighborhood. I just don't really consider Bridgeport to be a sushi destination in Chicago. When this place popped up I had very mixed emotions. I was excited to see a sushi place I could walk to but also extremely nervous about the quality and execution. Well I finally tried South Kawa last night and I can say that it blew my expectations out of the water and made me drunk with pure bliss. I had the spicy tuna roll, spicy scallop roll and fallen angel. Each of them was fantastic. Not only were they fresh and flavorful but as another reviewer mentioned they definitely come heavy on the fish and light on the rice which is the opposite of just about every other sushi experience I've had. The fallen angel roll made me giddy to try the rest of the specialty rolls on the menu. And try them I will! I will definitely be a repeat customer (and repeat, and repeat, and repeat ...). I also got the spicy udon which was just ok. I probably would not get it again. The noodle itself was excellent but the dish consisted mainly of peppers and onion and was pretty one dimensional as far as flavor goes. Last night I carried out but I'm excited to dine in with friends now that I know it's BYOB. I like to drink sake. It can get expensive. BYOB sushi joints are where it's at people! The prices were great as well. I'm not sure what one of the reviewers was talking about when they said the prices were too high. All of the regular rolls range from $4-$6 each, the specialty rolls go from $9-$15, and both are a total steal for the amount of fish you get in them. Now that I've been to South Kawa I still have mixed emotions. I couldn't be happier to have a quality sushi spot in Bridgeport with the BYOB and price point bonuses but I'm also severely depressed by the potential damage this could do to my waist line. read more

Sigh.. I hate writing bad reviews for small business but hopefully this will help some people save their money. I decided to try this place based on yelp reviews and came to a conclusion that these reviewers don't know sushi. Their sushi is mediocre at best. I ordered the spicy scallop (almost no scallop) and they were tiny specs of scallop, a couple pieces of salmon nigiri (tasted like it was frozen before and tough), yellowtail/scallion roll (decent), tuna apple salad (the best thing I had there), and chicken teriyaki (horrible), overcooked chicken and bland sauce. Try it out yourself. read more

My boyfriend and I had a serious sushi craving and decided to come here after reading the Yelp reviews. First of all, I'd like to clarify that this is NOT an all-you-can-eat place. We thought it would be after reading some of the reviews, but I'm guessing they took that option off the menu after those reviews were posted. The sushi itself is okay. We ordered a sweet sixteen roll, which was good, and the sushi and sashimi combo, which was fairly disappointing. I'm not a big fan of places where "chef's selection" means they just give you a lot of the cheap/more common fish (a bunch of salmon, tuna, etc.). Some of the pieces of fish were cold, while others were room temperature or lukewarm, which was a bit weird. It came with an eel avocado roll, which was good but nothing special. We also ordered a spicy tuna hand roll, which I think was the highlight of the meal. The seaweed was crunchy, and the fish and rice had just the right amount of flavor. Overall, we ended up paying $60 for subpar sushi. I wouldn't come again, and I wouldn't recommend it to people looking for sushi worth its price. read more

A groupon brought us here & I had a weird "this is not going to be good" vibe walking in. Well my vibe was off because we ended up having a very decent meal. We tried many different rolls & all were good. I look forward to our next visit. read more

We got the Sushi Buffet for $24.88. If you're like me, there are sporadic days throughout the year when sushi feels like a necessity. It was time to knock off this new AYCE to the city. The fish was bland (the salmon was not glossy/fatty, the squid was flavorless, and the white tuna/escolar was watered down - pretty standard blocks of meat that had been thawed/frozen/thawed/refrozen). At least they could cover up the shortcomings of their fish in some good old American makis? Nope, they didn't do too well in that front either. Everything was doused in mayo. They actually used four different colors of mayo to draw a big mayo grid on top of half of their rolls. I recall a deep-fried roll that should be aptly named "The Mozz Stick Roll." It's a mozz stick crust holding back a few grains of rice and a lot more cream cheese. Yes, it sounds like it's taxing your arteries enough to taste good - but it ended up just making us queasy. Also, the tempura batter on everything (the vegetables, the "rock shrimps") was heavy, a sad shortcut for the more expensive, but lighter batter. Finally, the rice was the worst part. It's hard, salty, and lacked vinegar. Our waitresses were actually very attentive and the ambiance was decent (you could probably guess that means the food must have been pretty bad). Well, back to the ho-hum status quo: Sushi Para and House of Sushi - at least the rolls taste like sushi. read more

This is one of those good news/bad news places. Since I'm a little bit of an ass, we'll start with the negative. The sushi is not very good. It's what I consider sushi buffet quality. There is nothing inherently wrong with that; there are days when I want to just pig out and have some all-you-can-eat sushi, but when you're ordering rolls by the roll (and paying for them by the roll), it really does not make a satisfied customer of me. If you'd like me to nitpick further, well here goes: the fish didn't seem all that fresh, the rice was cooked all that well, and the rolls themselves were quite small. I ordered a staple of any sushi place: the salmon skin roll, and I was very disappointed. Usually, the fried salmon skin provides a nice crunchy contrast to the bed of fluffy rice around it; here, the salmon meat was not filleted off of the skin enough and so you ended up with a somewhat awkward bite. Crunchy, yes, but also quite tough to chew through. Color me disappointed. Another negative was the special dessert offered on Valentine's Day. Though given to us for free, it really wasn't very good. Matcha frosting and filling on a yellow-cake cupcake? No, that's okay, but thank you anyway. And now on to the good news: Tonkotsu Ramen. 'Nuff said. Delectable pieces of marinated pork belly swimming in a pork broth with handmade ramen. Fantastic! Truly the star of yesterday's meal. Friends and all raved on and on about that fantastic bowl of noodles. If I were running Kawa, I'd make the ramen the star of the show; hey! it's popular now, anyway. But that's just me, and my four friends, and an acquaintance who recommended your restaurant to us. Also, Olivia. Great job, lady. You're a great server, and truly a valuable asset to the Kawa team. Well, that's that. Go for the ramen, eat sushi if you want to, skip dessert. Once again: TONKOTSU RAMEN. That is all. read more

I was in the neighborhood, I saw this place and I decided to give it a try. It's a nice little place, modern and clean. The soft shell crab was ok but the rolls were awesome. As modern as this place is, I don't understand why they just put plastic straws in all their drinks even the water. Not only do they not ask but they also use single use plastic cups and lids. read more

Sushi and Bridgeport do not belong together in the same sentence but the owners of South Kawa take a rusty tire iron and smash it right in there. Understand why most of you hear crickets when you enter this establishment: I'm from the neighborhood but after being here and reading the reviews, I can absolutely tell you the barnacles of welfare (can't afford it) and hipsters (too cheap to afford it) we have here won't give the proper business this place deserves. Thus, the emptiness you encounter when you arrive. But I digress. The RICE: Decently great. Not overcooked and had an almost flawless amount of salt and vinegar. FISH: Pretty good. If it was frozen, I couldn't detect it. I occasionally dabble "my meat" (double entendre fun!) in soy sauce/fresh wasabi, it was not necessary here. I forgot to ask the chef where he buys his stock - I will be updating this review after I go again. BYOB: Oh yeah, we brought a bottle of Pinot noir - but I didn't use a glass. No cork fee, either - because I used my teeth. ATMOSPHERE: Clean, simple, nice. Where is everyone? Read my first paragraph. SERVICE: Couldn't be happier with our waitress. She was very helpful and even threw in a free side dish. I generally tip well, but this time I tipped wellx2. PRICE: Expensive? A little, but this is good sushi. Some places near Wicker Park have more expensive items for less the amount (and quality, for that matter) but still manage to get by. If their sushi wasn't at least "good" I'd be on board with the too expensive train. People bash this place because it's in Bridgeport and they expect cheap prices. In short, I'm so happy we finally obtained a good sushi restaurant in Bridgeport but I'm sad that it may not last. read more

I decided to try this place out and I ordered the UIC, Cherry Blossom, Hawaiian Roll and the Sushi Lunch Special that comes with a California Roll, 5 pc of Nigri and Miso Soup. Overall, the sushi was ok. The rice from the Cherry Blossom falls apart right away. California roll was tasteless. I guess you cant really expect much from that. I did not really like the UIC roll that much. I used to like sushi with mango on it, but not anymore after this one. I will stick to eating sushi at my favorite resturant up in Niles. 1/26/18 I've decided to give this place a try again and nope. never again. This time I ordered Fuji, Dynamite and Halloween. The rolls weren't bad, but for the price I paid, I rather go to Izakaya Yume in Niles. There sushi is 100× much better. The sushi are tasteless. the only flavor there is are the spicy mayo and soy sauce. For some reason my stomach always feel uncocomfortable both times eating sushi from here. Never again! read more

I have lived in Bridgeport now for over 2 years, but when I moved here, one of my first concerns was: where am I going to get my sushi from now??? South Kawa; you have been a dream. I have tried almost all of their sushi rolls and I absolutely love them! I order delivery and for take out, mainly delivery, and they almost always arrive within 30 min of my order and never once has my order been incorrect (I order about once a week). When I come in to pick up food, they are always friendly and kind and seem speedy in trying to get me my order so I can go home and enjoy my delicious sushi!! Some of my favorites include: Spicy Tuna, Halloween roll, Cherry Blossom roll, Sweet 16 roll, Sexy Mama roll, Sandwich roll, Mexican roll, Dynamite roll, Spicy Crab Cucumber roll, and Boston roll. The veggie tempura is also delicious, you get quite a few pieces for only $5 bucks. This is my favorite place to order from and I'm so glad my neighborhood sushi joint is this amazing; thanks South Kawa!! .... now I'm off to review the menu for the 200th time to order something new!!! Happy sushi eating!!! :) read more

Really great sushi, BYOB, cute decor and I've always experienced great service. They have daily specials posted in the foyer. I typically order the gyoza, calamari, edamame, anaconda roll, fallen angel roll, or grayslake roll. (Not all at once!) I've never been disappointed by any of these options. Thanks, Kawa! read more

Really, really great service here and excellent, fresh sushi. We had edamame, Fallen Angel, Salmon Skin, Spicy Yellow Tail, and Dragon rolls. All were delicious and reasonably priced. I will for sure be back. Plus, I heard the server tell the table next to us that they are byo. Booyah. read more

Terrible waitress with an attitude! Asian lady who does not know what customer service is. The service doesn't warrant my time to write in review...food was good 4 stars, but she ruined our dining experience! read more