I went to Union sushi after a long time. It remember the last time I was here - the food was so good. That was NOT THE CASE this time. Sushi roles were not great - falling apart, didn't seem fresh, soggy. The Robata grill - lamb chops and steak skewers were too rare (not cooked enough), flavorless and gave me a horrible reaction the next day. Overall, I really hated the experience and would never go back. Please don't go there if you want to good didn't experience read more

Union - Lam chop skewer - super undercooked - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went here for a birthday dinner date. Good first impression - cool interior, outdoor seating was nothing special. Service was okay. Sake flight: 4/5 good variety with descriptions in the menu Truffled Tuna: 5/5 so good, and the wonton chips were the cherry on top. Note: they charge extra for more chips:/ Short Rib Skewers: 2/5 good flavor but the texture was chewy and not great Emerald Reef roll: 3/5 this was a special. Not much flavor other than spicy. Was not worth the $28 (we did not expect it to be so expensive) Truffled Sake roll: 5/5 delicious, worth every penny. read more

Union - Truffled Sake - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

SUSHI MIKE IS BACK! Run, don't walk :) all you have to do is google sushi mike. If you haven't heard of him, you're not from Chicago! We had a lovely meal -- highly recommend sitting at the chef's sushi bar for the full sushi mike experience read more

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A friend suggested Union Sushi for the happy hour so I figured I should try. I have a Spicy Tuna and Salmon Avocado rolls. Both were great and fresh! The service was top tier, the staff is very attentive and we're constantly clearly the table which I liked. Most of the dishes are small plates so it could definitely accumulate on the table fast. The space is a little tight, the table set up. I wish there was more room between the tables. It's a cute set up very lively. The cooked food lacked seasoning and even some of the sauces used were just okay. I definitely will be back for sushi. read more

Union - Spicy Tuna Salmon and Avocado - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was a vibrant and trendy spot featuring unique inspired Japanese dishes. There was also a BBQ portion of the menu as well. There were 2 floors and on the first floor, patrons could sit at the sushi bar or right in front of the BBQ grill. The service was appreciated as the food came out in a timely matter. For starters, the Hokkaido hotate ($21), chicken thigh ($9), and lamb chops ($15) were ordered. The chicken and lamb came from the BBQ portion of the menu. The Hokkaido hotate consisted of seared scallops, shitake mushrooms, pomegranate balsamic vinegar and a white peach sauce. The pomegranate balsamic vinegar really brought the flavor out in the scallops and mushrooms. It was a great combination. I would have preferred the scallops to be a little more seared, but regardless, very good. The chicken thigh was seasoned with salt, pepper, soy butter, scallion, and a tagarashi lime. This was alright. There was not too much flavor to the chicken except the skin. The skin was crisp, and more flavor was tasted from the simple marinade. There were 2 lamp chops present and they were simply marinated with a garlic soy with a side of mint yogurt sauce. These were solid. The piece of lamb I had was somewhat tough, but the marinade and yogurt sauce helped with that. Our sushi order consisted of the spicy mango maguro ($21) and truffled sake ($21) special rolls. There were 10 pieces to each, and they were cut on the smaller side. The maguro consisted of bluefin tuna, crab tempura, avocado, cucumber, mango balsamic, and tagarashi chili sauce. This was very good. The tuna appeared to be of good quality as it went down like butter. The chili sauce also provided a little bit of heat while the tempura gave off a slight crunch. The sake consisted of salmon, avocado, cucumber, white peach balsamic, sesame chili and truffle honey. Again, the salmon appeared fresh and the 3 'sauces' really complimented one another nicely with the sweet and spicy factor. Will I go back? Yes. read more

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I absolutely love this place. Whenever I'm craving sushi or a lychee martini, this is my go-to place. The service is phenomenal and the music is always a vibe. read more

Union - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place was sooooo good!! The lamb chops were the star of the show! Definitely plan to come back and get drunk off the sake. The zakuro drink was tasty, if you like Moscow mules and tequila, definitely recommend! Can't wait to come back and eat the lamb chops again. 10/10 recommend!! read more

Union - Zakuro - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Happy hour is from 4:30-6! I stopped by here while getting my bike fixed at Kozys (which was also a 5/5 experience!!) and stopped by here minutes before happy hour!! Right on the NE corner of Erie and Franklin (very walkable if you're in the River North or Streeterville area!) The happy hour menu is quite limited (2 drinks, a rib dish, chicken dish, and 3 rolls) BUT that's way less intimating than a huge menu in my opinion . We got the sake, Zakuro (Which is a tequila mule with hibiscus tea syrup which was PHENOMENAL!!!), the spicy tuna roll which came out very quickly, and Pork ribs. PORK RIBS WERE A MUST, the sauce was thick and sweet with a nice twang to it!! I will have to plan on coming back here in the future for dinner since I was in a rush due to going back to the bike shop after. read more

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Just a fabulous place, soooo worth a 15 min walk from Michigan Ave, in cold 31* weather!! Yui was our server was a superstar! and it felt like she has the most warm smile and kitchen had amazing efficiency! The food kept flowing and plates kept coming and going, it was a marvellous dinner! Great food, super efficient and friendly service and scrumptious meal! We came with family and my 8 and 10 yr old daughters loves their food and barbecue. read more

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I'm normally not into fusion places but I was impressed with both food options at this place. This place is on a corner right by the train station so if you don't mind having to yell over the train I would recommend sitting outside of if the weather is nice. We ordered the flight of tuna special, for $45 you get fatty tuna, bigeye and blue fin tuna. We also ordered the truffle tuna, scallops, seaweed salad, skirt steak and white miso soup. The portions are pretty small but everything was fresh and very tasty. If you're a fan of tuna tartare I would recommend the truffle tuna, this was probably my favorite dish. The service was friendly and attentive. read more

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This place has completely gone downhill. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Under the old owners, it was welcoming and felt like home.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Now? The new ownership is rude, unfriendly, and clearly doesn't care about their customers. It's run by people with zero customer service. It's sad to see such a great spot ruined. read more

We came here for Chicago restaurant week and we loved everything that we tried! The ambiance is very modern and it is the perfect place for people who love good sushi and bbq. Our waitress was super sweet and the service was very quick. We will definitely be making another reservation soon! :) read more

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We loved all the food and drinks we ordered. The staff were very helpful in assisting with food recommendations. We ordered the Godzilla, tempura sake, and one other roll that had yellow tail. Great sushi. read more

Executive Chef Sushi Mike "just got here" and is about to do Amazing things with this place. I loved the entire experience and will definitely go back. Sushi Mike is extremely passionate about his dishes and presentations. read more

Union - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great restaurant with amazing food and a fun vibe! My husband and I love coming here when we are in Chicago. We ordered the the crispy calamari as an appetizer and split the creamy scallops and black rice Godzilla roll for our dinner. Crispy calamari was incredible! Great texture, portion, and sauce! The black rice Godzilla roll was tasty too. We ordered it without the creamy mayo and cream cheese. Would get both the calamari and Godzilla roll again. We were disappointed by the scallops. Small portion (especially for the price) and the sauce on top was too much. Would have been better without. We would not order that again. PROS: -Can make reservations on OpenTable. -Fun atmosphere. -Great food. -Speedy service. -Clean bathrooms. -Gave me a birthday dessert upon request from my husband! CONS: -Small menu. -Were disappointed with the creamy scallops. read more

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I thought the sushi was pretty good but I was hoping for the shrimp tempura to be warm. I'm not used to eating fried shrimp cold. Drinks were cute but definitely not strong. The place itself is extremely aesthetically pleasing. The best thing about my visit was the music. Fyi - parking is scarce and you run the risk of being ticketed. read more

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I ended up coming here for lunch the other day as my coworker had recommended it! Let me tell you, the lamb chops are DELICIOUS! A baby arugula salad comes with the lamb chops and it was simply delicious. It is a small plate, so if you are really hungry you would want to get something else to go with it. The ambiance and service was great! I am looking forward to coming back here and trying some of the other dishes. Check it out and let me know what you think! read more

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Five stars for the sushi; three stars for the service. Really, really good food. We enjoy the seared hotate with the pomegranate balsamic. That was excellent! Also worth noting were the madai chili roll and rainbow roll. Fresh, lots of flavor. Will definitely go back. The service ok. Somewhat inattentive and slow, but the food more than made up for it. read more

Made last minute reservations on a Saturday night. Was quickly seated at the sushi bar. Very friendly and welcoming chefs. Ambience was calm and inviting. Ordered edamame with sour cream salt as a starter. The sour cream start was a first and it did not disappoint! Super tasty addition to a simple starter. Old fashioned drink was strong! Seafood tempura as a main dish, flaky and well battered. Spicy mango maguro with black rice- extremely fresh and great flavors with a mix of sweet and spicy. Finished dinner with matcha shortcake. Had no expectations but was so light and satisfying without being over bearing with sweetness. Overall, a great place for a date night! read more

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I decided to check out Union Sushi at the suggestion of a friend, and was pleasantly surprised to learn this was another Sushi Mike joint (for those familiar with Tanoshii). The menu offers a mix of sushi and grilled robata items (think short rib skewers) with subtle, yet bold twists off the traditional preparation. The eclectic menu is paired with industrial digs, a great hip hop soundtrack, and drinks that will suddenly hit you like Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball. The food is best described with an example - the black godzilla roll. Starting from the base of a traditional shrimp tempura roll, the chef mixes things up with a hint of fleeting spice, black rice, and a slight amount of warm cream cheese (not usually a fan of this, but it works surprisingly well here). The roll is topped off with a noticeable amount of tempura flakes which add a nice crunch. As you can see, there's a lot going on with these rolls - which is why I'm stopping my review one star short of five. I truly appreciate the adventurous take on classical rolls, but at times the wealth of textures and flavors can sometimes compete with each other. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this spot if you're looking for unique Japanese cuisine. read more

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This place was amazing. Honestly some of the freshest sushi we've ever had. The ambiance is very unique and artistic. Service was great and the staff made our family feel very welcomed. We will be back for sure! Thank you. read more

Union - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Interesting combo with the barbecue and sushi but overall a good experience! We enjoyed the food and got a little bit of everything, but it was just good not great. Good ambiance and friendly staff. read more

Let me start by saying, I am extremely excited that Union Sushi is back open! I've been coming here for years and was so sad to see they didn't re-open with other restaurants earlier this year. To my surprise, they brought on a new chef that brought on a lot of new and great items to the menu. I absolutely love everything about Union. The food and drinks are absolutely delicious. The food is also fresh and very flavorful. This was the first time I've ordered the lamb chops and the chicken thighs and they did not disappoint. I would absolutely order again. The rolls are a crowd favorite and you really can't go wrong with anything you order. Union is perfect for any occasion; lunch with co-workers, dinner with friends or a date! Parking is pretty okay and there's quite a bit of paid street parking. read more

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the long awaited return of Union is finally here and it was worth the wait! fully remodeled interior, and an incredible menu featuring a 900° open flame robata grill. we tried everything we could, and have no complaints! one of my favorites was the truffled sake roll. enjoy it as the chef intended - no soy sauce dipping here! we also loved the wagyu short rib, beautifully presented raw table side prior to being thrown on the grill. it's worth noting that unlike green dyed horseradish paste you'll find in most restaurants and supermarkets. whether you're visiting union or their sister restaurant next door (the franklin room), make sure you take a seat by the bar and enjoy the company of Ugna, whose hospitality and company are unmatched. Thanks again, Ugna! read more

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Enjoyed dinner with friends tonight. The staff is so wonderful- friendly, attentive and very knowledgeable! Someone even came over to show us the waygu beef before they cooked it and explain the marbling in the beef. I ate here in the past before they got sushi chef mike and it feels like it got a fresh menu revamp and is a little bit more evelated food. We enjoyed a few apps and sushi rolls. Would definitely come back! read more

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Had dinner with my family as part of a Father's Day/Anniversary/Vacation trip to Chicago and the Midwest. Not being a local, we found the location on Yelp and glad that we did. We had great sushi (not so much BBQ), and was pleased with the service and location (not far from a train stop). read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]This place has a lively and modern vibe, great for sushi and barbecue lovers.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The setting is stylish and comfortable, perfect for a fun outing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The staff is friendly and makes sure you have a good time. read more

The food, service, and music is always amazing! The wings and drinks are the best! Great place for happy hour!

Recommended: Happy Hour menu, Old City Market maki, seafood ramen, unique robata skewers and crab legs, ice cream flight with brittle. With its flashy red neon sign, Union is difficult to miss heading down Franklin road. Metered parking even along the borders of downtown is not recommended. Taking the brown line in is probably the better option. Union with its quirky colorful modern designs. Highly recommend stopping by Unique, adventurous ramen choices. After hearing everyone ordering a different bowl of ramen, the server spoke out and recommended that we try the spicy pigtail or seafood ramen instead of the beef cheek as they are the most popular bowls in house. Thanks for looking out for us! The uni alfredo soba is much smaller than the rest of the ramen bowls. The uni and suck sobas are dry while the other ramen counterparts are soup based. Union surely has you covered with the full Japanese cuisine experience. Ranging from ramen, sushi, salads, full appetizers, robata grill, there's surely something for everyone! I'll surely go back to try the rest of their menu. To be continued. read more

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Stopped here for dessert and a drink after an event. I got to sit at the cocktail bar, which was nice. They had the Cubs game on. I ordered the the pumpkin mochi cake, which tasted like heaven!! Think of a warm, rich butter cake (that was still gooey in places) topped with whipped cream, light home made vanilla gelato, roasted nut pieces, and caramel drizzle. To drink: I had the "it takes two to mango." It was a nice, tropical drink that had habinero salt/spice on the side if the glass. The salt/spice brought an extra layer of complexity to the drink and made my lips/tongue tingle. Overall, I loved it!! The bartender and host were super nice. A perfect way to end the night! I will definitely be back to try the test of the food (it smelled so good!) read more

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Although many of the recent Yelp reviews for Union have been favorable, my guess is that the reviewers don't know how good this place USED to be. Apparently the new owners have a different vision for the restaurant, but in my opinion they are fixing a problem that wasn't broken. We dined here yesterday after a long hiatus, and the first thing we noticed was that [[HIGHLIGHT]]the urban art that used to be on the walls has been replaced with plain white paint.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The hip hop that once played throughout the restaurant has been replaced with elevator music.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The menu has been toned down, and the prices have went way up. We chatted with the bartender and he told us that the new owners were going for a more "upscale/traditional" ambiance (as if we don't have enough of those places in Chicago already). The aforementioned things were what made Union unique. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Now it's just a regular sushi restaurant with bland food and an underwhelming vibe.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] This place used to be great, but I'll likely never be back. read more

They have the best cocktails! Last winter we stopped by Union for a couple of drinks because we were a bit early to our reservation at The Franklin Room next door. My husband swears the old fashioned he had here was the best he's ever had. I also had the best Lychee martini. So we went back last weekend and they were still the best! Good service, amazing food. But ohhh my gosh those drinks were good, and strong! read more

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I've been here over 7 times & the food quality and service has always been superb!! It never disappoints! Some of my favorite items are the mentaiko scallops & the truffled sake roll! Those are definitely must get items! read more

Came for the $5 happy hour moscow mules, stayed for the delicious black rice bay street cali rolls. Union was a great recommendation from a local friend who works in the area. My 3 pals and I came here before a concert and luckily were able to sneak in at 6pm, with 30 minutes left to spare for happy hour. We ordered a round of moscow mules for the table. They have a few different varieties - one of my pals go the tequila variation, while I got the gin, and our two other friends got the original. Yum, yum, yum! Since happy hour was almost over, we got a few of these at once. My one friend and I split the happy hour oysters ($1.50/each HH price) and as a table we split two orders of the spicy shrimp rolls ($6 HH price). I loved both, but especially the spicy shrimp rolls. For my main entree, I got the black rice bay street cali roll. Different than most cali rolls, I've had in the past, one of the main reasons being because of the black rice (subbed it for the supposed health benefits), and the other reason being because it had more flavor than other cali rolls. I'd say this was the highlight of my dinner! Service for the most part was great! He did forget to bring our spicy mayo, but other than that, he was always on top of our drink and food orders. Union is dark, romantic, and modern. Perfect for any occasion, birthday, date night, or even a weekday dinner. I'd love to come back again to try more of their menu! read more

Union - Happy Hour Oysters - $1.50 each - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Upbeat and trendy decor. Great place to meet up friends and have some drinks after a stressful day at the office. The food was plated well and the flavors were good. However, if you are a big eater "cough", the portions are small for the price you are paying. Yeah yeah fat boy problems I guess. read more

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Ok so I would of have them 4 stars and reason why not because of the portion of food for the prize but don't get me wrong the food was really good though. Drinks also good service was really good to be honest at least with our waiter. They sat us down with out a reservation so that was also a plus it was out side but we didn't mind. That being said I would eat there again. But won't order as much. Not that I'm cheap because I'm not just didn't think the portions for the prize was it that's all. But you guys go ahead and try it. read more

Happy hour, happy hour, where do we go!? I was meeting a friend after work to catch up over happy hour and was craving the bay street cali roll so we had to come here. Not to mention the amazing happy hour that they have from 5-6:30PM daily and we made it by 5:30 so we were IN in to WIN it. Their Happy Hour Menu is: $1.50 Oysters $3 Beef Filet Skewers $6 Spicy Shrimp Sushi Rolls $10 Truffled Tuna $5 Glasses of Rose $5 Moscow Mules Half Price Sake I got the Moscow mule and my friend got the Rose and we both loved our drinks. The complimentary edamame is also a nice touch once you sit down. The bay street cali roll was as amazing as ever. The homemade crab cake literally melts in your mouth and I got an extra side of the spicy mayo because, obviously. I also tried something new. They have black rice! I was hesitant at first but it's healthier and was recommended, so why not? I liked it and has a bit sweeter taste. I also ordered the chicken ramen. This bowl is HUGE. I took half it home because it was so big. I enjoyed the red pepper flake garlic oil and I'll know next time if I order this it is fully sufficient for an entire meal. Our server was Xavier and we found out he was very new to the job. He was friendly and very attentive. ALL of the staff were friendly and attentive. I don't think my water glass ever went below the halfway mark. Everyone was wearing a big smile and I love seeing that. Makes the whole experience that much more memorable :) Anyhoo, I had to write about this spot again because it's so good and you need to check it out if you are in the area! read more

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This should've been a 5 star review :( But unfortunately the service was sub par. The atmosphere is bright and upbeat. I loved that they played old R&B hits. It's not your typical sushi spot. The food was great! Full of flavor and they offer "black" rice which I've never heard of before! But apparently it's the healthiest rice known to man and really good! However, we waited over an hour for our food to be served and 30 minutes for every round of drinks we ordered. We started off buying sake by the bottle ..our waitress informed us that there were only two bottles of the Sake we were drinking. We told her we'd take both but wanted the second bottle to be served after the first bottle. When it was time for the second bottle our waitress disappeared or 45 minutes only to return and inform us that she couldn't find it. *eye roll* So we ended up switching to tequila but again had to wait 30 minutes just to receive our drinks. Overall, great food. Shit service. Enter at your own risk :) read more

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I was excited to try this place after passing it several times and had a good experience overall. The outdoor seating is nice, except for the noise of the El right above. We started with the lychee martinis, which were strong and delicious. I loved the two fresh lychees, although they were not as sweet and ripe as I would have liked. The highlight of the black sushi sampler was definitely the scallop sushi. It was beautiful and delicious. It also included some of the best sweet potato tempura sushi I've had. The tuna sushi was good, but could have used some crunch or another element. We also got the BBQ chicken. I was surprised to find that it was very reminiscent of an Indian curry, rather than the Japanese BBQ I was expecting. It was good, although maybe not the first thing I would order again. Overall, this was a good experience. The service is friendly and I really enjoyed changing it up with the black rice sushi. I might not be back right away, especially considering the higher price, but I would definitely consider coming back again. read more

Union - Lychee Martinis and Black Rice Sushi Roll Sampler - Japanese Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Enjoyed 2 delightful cocktails, shisito appetizer, creamy scallop and two specialty rolls. Our waitress was helpful with suggestions when we asked. Everything was fresh, portions were generous for the price point. My friend and I split the bill and after tip it was just shy of $100 which I found reasonable for a Saturday night in the city and for the amount and quality of both food and service. read more