We had a decent experience at Gaijin. It's a casual spot and the pancakes were tasty, just more thick and fluffy than crispy. The drinks and desserts were definitely the highlight very different and memorable! The only thing that threw me off was the $3 charge for using a clean prep area for my shellfish allergy. It felt a little unfair. Other than that, worth a visit
Daniel
Great food as always. The service was attentive but relaxed. Great place to bring friends.
Marie
Gaijin has always been one of my favorite Chicago restaurants, since the beginning. The professional staff address all of your needs and serve the meal in a timely fashion. Also, the atmosphere at Gaijin is quite special, everyone is animated and full of lively conversation. A perfect evening out!
Joseph
Birthday celebration was awesome! Food was amazing, saki delightful, service extraordinary - thanks Christian!! Will be back soon!
Marc Mattson
The food was outstanding! And you gotta have the mocha coconut donut! Best games donut ever! Thanks for the suggestion, Abigail! (BTW, when you go there, and for Abigail! She's really good at what she does!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A Hurry
The waitress Abigale was awesome. Great suggestions and fabulous food!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dave Karwowski
Cool West side, neighborhood place. Food is good here. Service came out strong out of the gate, then we seemed to be ignored. Mochi Donuts...underwhelming not mind blowing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Jennifer Rodriguez
The tasting experience is definitely worth it! Our server was very kind and gave us great recommendations since it was our first time there, which was super helpful. You can easily share the tasting experience with another person, making it a great deal, and I'm glad the whole table doesn’t have to order it. Pairing it with a few appetizers was more than enough food. I highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time since this place gets very busy. Overall, it's a great spot for celebrations!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
gbo tani
The octopus okonomiyaki was amazing and was perfect with a glass of beer. Counter seating wasn’t too bad but would definitely recommend indoor table seating over the bar or the patio underneath the metro.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Bruno Cucco
The food was ok, but the service was most definitely disappointing… We came to celebrate my wife’s birthday there, and our server was clearly not in a good mood and was grunting and noise complaining for literally everything we asked, and the place was NOT even close to be crowded, it was just us and another couple. The dude complained even to bring a creamer, after serving an absolute terrible coffee that not a single person on the table was able to finish. We mentioned it was her birthday and we were quite literally ignored with an “Ok” followed by the server turning his back on us. After we started discussing about it out loud on the table, they decide to be do something about it and bring an ice cream scoop lmfao. Want to pass by for a quick food? Sure. Want to actually have a good time and celebrate? skip this place.
I thought I was in Japan when I enjoyed the dinner in this restaurant. It was not only because of the wonderful vibe but also the authenticity and the high quality of the food. I had been to Japan many times so I know how well they are doing. If you want to enjoy watching the chef to cook, don't forget to request to sit in the chef cooking bar. It was so entertaining to watch them cook. The owner is very friendly and chatted with us. I would highly recommend this restaurant to you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sam S
Came here to celebrate my recent job promotion with some okonomiyaki. Hiroshima style was delicious and absolutely hit the spot and our shaved ice desserts were also amazing and so refreshing. So good.
I love this place and okonomiyaki so much! I will never not go here 🫶🫶🫶
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ryan A
Had lunch here and it was pretty good overall. Most of the others I was with didn’t enjoy it as much as I did, so it’s a pretty niche spot I suspect. It’s unique and I can see why it’s on the Michelin guide, but I wish more of the apps were gluten free. Twice cooked garlic was good, but the bok choy was fairly bland without the fried scallions which weren’t gluten free. Should probably indicate that it’s lacking an essential ingredient or add an alternative. The okonomiyaki’s were good: crab and octopus. Mochi donuts were delicious. If I was local I’d probably go back eventually. 4.5/5.
We had a decent experience at Gaijin. It's a casual spot and the pancakes were tasty, just more thick and fluffy than crispy. The drinks and desserts were definitely the highlight very different and memorable! The only thing that threw me off was the $3 charge for using a clean prep area for my shellfish allergy. It felt a little unfair. Other than that, worth a visit
Great food as always. The service was attentive but relaxed. Great place to bring friends.
Gaijin has always been one of my favorite Chicago restaurants, since the beginning. The professional staff address all of your needs and serve the meal in a timely fashion. Also, the atmosphere at Gaijin is quite special, everyone is animated and full of lively conversation. A perfect evening out!
Birthday celebration was awesome! Food was amazing, saki delightful, service extraordinary - thanks Christian!! Will be back soon!
The food was outstanding! And you gotta have the mocha coconut donut! Best games donut ever! Thanks for the suggestion, Abigail! (BTW, when you go there, and for Abigail! She's really good at what she does!)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The waitress Abigale was awesome. Great suggestions and fabulous food!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cool West side, neighborhood place. Food is good here. Service came out strong out of the gate, then we seemed to be ignored. Mochi Donuts...underwhelming not mind blowing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
The tasting experience is definitely worth it! Our server was very kind and gave us great recommendations since it was our first time there, which was super helpful. You can easily share the tasting experience with another person, making it a great deal, and I'm glad the whole table doesn’t have to order it. Pairing it with a few appetizers was more than enough food. I highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time since this place gets very busy. Overall, it's a great spot for celebrations!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The octopus okonomiyaki was amazing and was perfect with a glass of beer. Counter seating wasn’t too bad but would definitely recommend indoor table seating over the bar or the patio underneath the metro.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
The food was ok, but the service was most definitely disappointing… We came to celebrate my wife’s birthday there, and our server was clearly not in a good mood and was grunting and noise complaining for literally everything we asked, and the place was NOT even close to be crowded, it was just us and another couple. The dude complained even to bring a creamer, after serving an absolute terrible coffee that not a single person on the table was able to finish. We mentioned it was her birthday and we were quite literally ignored with an “Ok” followed by the server turning his back on us. After we started discussing about it out loud on the table, they decide to be do something about it and bring an ice cream scoop lmfao. Want to pass by for a quick food? Sure. Want to actually have a good time and celebrate? skip this place.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
I thought I was in Japan when I enjoyed the dinner in this restaurant. It was not only because of the wonderful vibe but also the authenticity and the high quality of the food. I had been to Japan many times so I know how well they are doing. If you want to enjoy watching the chef to cook, don't forget to request to sit in the chef cooking bar. It was so entertaining to watch them cook. The owner is very friendly and chatted with us. I would highly recommend this restaurant to you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Came here to celebrate my recent job promotion with some okonomiyaki. Hiroshima style was delicious and absolutely hit the spot and our shaved ice desserts were also amazing and so refreshing. So good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Yuzu Sesame Shaved Ice, Hiroshima Style
Delicious. The donuts are phenomenal.
Recommended dishes: Mochi Donut Holes, Osaka Style Okonomiyaki Flight, Octopus, Hiroshima Style, Traditional, Osaka Style, Style Okonomiyaki, Traditional Hiroshima, Matcha Donut
I love this place and okonomiyaki so much! I will never not go here 🫶🫶🫶
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had lunch here and it was pretty good overall. Most of the others I was with didn’t enjoy it as much as I did, so it’s a pretty niche spot I suspect. It’s unique and I can see why it’s on the Michelin guide, but I wish more of the apps were gluten free. Twice cooked garlic was good, but the bok choy was fairly bland without the fried scallions which weren’t gluten free. Should probably indicate that it’s lacking an essential ingredient or add an alternative. The okonomiyaki’s were good: crab and octopus. Mochi donuts were delicious. If I was local I’d probably go back eventually. 4.5/5.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
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