Came to dinner for the first time yesterday for an 8pm reservation. Our table wasn’t ready but we only waited about 5 minutes before we were sat for our anniversary dinner. Was upset there were no other cocktails aside from wine, sake and beer, would’ve loved a lychee martini. Not crazy about sake so I settled with the $22 red wine. The sake was served in a champagne glass? And the wine was in a mini wine glass. They should have better glassware. We ordered the oyster shooters, smoked hamachi, mussels, Wagyu fried rice. The Wagyu fried was our absolute favorite!!! SO GOOD. Oyster shooters had a lot going on. What was upsetting was we weren’t done ordering and the server never asked if we wanted any additional dishes but instead brought us the dessert menu… we then ordered the spicy toro maki. Also a great choice! We were celebrating our anniversary and nothing really felt special with minimal effort from the server, the dinner felt very rushed. Probably won’t be back to dine but will definitely order carry out as the service was mid.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Vida T
Would say this is less of an omakase and more of a tasting kaiseki menu. Over half of the courses were cooked and 2/11 courses had nigiri. For 95$ per person, I was definitely expecting more fish. The service was great but the food did not satisfy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
G Craig Johnson
The omakasi is exceptional! Make a reservation in advance the restaurant is usually packed
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andy P
Amazing food and service. Right when we were leaving they started playing dance music which would have spoiled the more relaxed/adult ambience we had 95% of the time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Isabela Amorim
10/10 experience visiting out of town. Such unique flavoring, and high quality fish. Would absolutely come back!
pat corcoran
Extremely solid
Hema Malini Srinivasan
Best Sushi I’ve ever eaten in the US!!! All the kinds we tried just melts in the mouth. Would definitely visit here if I go to Chicago again.
Andrew S
Having eaten at Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo it took me a while to finally give Kai Zan a chance, which in itself is ridiculous, look at the reviews. I get now why there are so many great reviews. I dined solo and got the perfect spot to watch the kitchen do their magic. Went with the omakase and it was amazing and efficiently paced. Watching my dishes being prepared by the chefs and then delivered by the attentive and friendly staff was a treat. I was particularly impressed to watch chef Melvin craft a rose out of wasabi for someone's sashimi plate. Like many others, I can't wait to go back.
Liliya Ger
Excellent !!!
Gonzalo Duran
Without a doubt, this is the best sushi I have tried. Ended up doing the omakase experience and it was very well worth it. Every entree was beautifully presented, rich in multiple flavors that just melted in your mouth. The dining experience itself was lovely and wonderful staff. I am looking forward for my next outing.
This place definitely exceeded our expectations and we absolutely love it! The otoro sashimi was fatty and melting in your mouth! Very good quality. The spicy toro maki was delicious and flavorful.
We started by drinking two oyster shooter! It was bursting in flavor and the with little bit of citrus glaze.
Then we moved on to shishito peppers and maki rolls. We also definitely recommend the taro scallop hand roll! Creamy, heavy, and crunchy!
The yakisoba was perfect and not too salty at all! We loved squid sashimi with layers of flavors of perilla leaves. The scallop sashimi was soft and fatty!
Again cannot forget orange rush! Cute scallops and salmon seared and marinated in delicious sauce! Strongly recommend!
At the end, we got cold green tea ice cream and warm matcha cream brûlées. We loved this warm and cold combo! Both desserts were not sugary! Green tea has very strong tea fragrant and tastes and matcha bruelee was sweet not sugary! Strongly recommend!
Lol my friend literally said if she dies tmrw, she will die happy! That is how good it is!
Kirstin Rogers
I got takeout of a sushi roll sampler. The resto was packed and seemed a bit noisy or hectic. They have small rooms for private parties tho. Next time I'll order negiri or sashimi as the fish was really fresh - rolls were good but other flavors kind of overpowered the fish.
Adriana Castrillon
This place is a gem! The quality of the sushi is extraordinary, the staff are so kind, and the space is cozy. It’s the perfect balance of unpretentious/chill with a high standard for quality food. Highly recommend the Orange Rush btw!
Gregory Reyes
This is the best omakase course you can do in Chicago. The price is justified by not only the quality of the dishes but the size/quantity of the dishes. You won’t leave feeling hungry which I find to be a common issue with other omakase courses. The presentation of every dish was unique and really highlighted the item brought out. Highly recommend, can’t wait to go back.
Came to dinner for the first time yesterday for an 8pm reservation. Our table wasn’t ready but we only waited about 5 minutes before we were sat for our anniversary dinner. Was upset there were no other cocktails aside from wine, sake and beer, would’ve loved a lychee martini. Not crazy about sake so I settled with the $22 red wine. The sake was served in a champagne glass? And the wine was in a mini wine glass. They should have better glassware. We ordered the oyster shooters, smoked hamachi, mussels, Wagyu fried rice. The Wagyu fried was our absolute favorite!!! SO GOOD. Oyster shooters had a lot going on. What was upsetting was we weren’t done ordering and the server never asked if we wanted any additional dishes but instead brought us the dessert menu… we then ordered the spicy toro maki. Also a great choice! We were celebrating our anniversary and nothing really felt special with minimal effort from the server, the dinner felt very rushed.
Probably won’t be back to dine but will definitely order carry out as the service was mid.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Would say this is less of an omakase and more of a tasting kaiseki menu. Over half of the courses were cooked and 2/11 courses had nigiri. For 95$ per person, I was definitely expecting more fish. The service was great but the food did not satisfy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
The omakasi is exceptional! Make a reservation in advance the restaurant is usually packed
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing food and service. Right when we were leaving they started playing dance music which would have spoiled the more relaxed/adult ambience we had 95% of the time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
10/10 experience visiting out of town. Such unique flavoring, and high quality fish. Would absolutely come back!
Extremely solid
Best Sushi I’ve ever eaten in the US!!! All the kinds we tried just melts in the mouth. Would definitely visit here if I go to Chicago again.
Having eaten at Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo it took me a while to finally give Kai Zan a chance, which in itself is ridiculous, look at the reviews. I get now why there are so many great reviews. I dined solo and got the perfect spot to watch the kitchen do their magic. Went with the omakase and it was amazing and efficiently paced. Watching my dishes being prepared by the chefs and then delivered by the attentive and friendly staff was a treat. I was particularly impressed to watch chef Melvin craft a rose out of wasabi for someone's sashimi plate. Like many others, I can't wait to go back.
Excellent !!!
Without a doubt, this is the best sushi I have tried. Ended up doing the omakase experience and it was very well worth it. Every entree was beautifully presented, rich in multiple flavors that just melted in your mouth. The dining experience itself was lovely and wonderful staff. I am looking forward for my next outing.
Restaurantji Recommends
Food and service always to notch!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Taro Tuna- Scallop Handroll, Premium Omakase, Pearls, Chef's Choice
This place definitely exceeded our expectations and we absolutely love it!
The otoro sashimi was fatty and melting in your mouth! Very good quality.
The spicy toro maki was delicious and flavorful.
We started by drinking two oyster shooter! It was bursting in flavor and the with little bit of citrus glaze.
Then we moved on to shishito peppers and maki rolls.
We also definitely recommend the taro scallop hand roll! Creamy, heavy, and crunchy!
The yakisoba was perfect and not too salty at all!
We loved squid sashimi with layers of flavors of perilla leaves.
The scallop sashimi was soft and fatty!
Again cannot forget orange rush! Cute scallops and salmon seared and marinated in delicious sauce! Strongly recommend!
At the end, we got cold green tea ice cream and warm matcha cream brûlées. We loved this warm and cold combo! Both desserts were not sugary! Green tea has very strong tea fragrant and tastes and matcha bruelee was sweet not sugary! Strongly recommend!
Lol my friend literally said if she dies tmrw, she will die happy! That is how good it is!
I got takeout of a sushi roll sampler. The resto was packed and seemed a bit noisy or hectic. They have small rooms for private parties tho. Next time I'll order negiri or sashimi as the fish was really fresh - rolls were good but other flavors kind of overpowered the fish.
This place is a gem! The quality of the sushi is extraordinary, the staff are so kind, and the space is cozy. It’s the perfect balance of unpretentious/chill with a high standard for quality food. Highly recommend the Orange Rush btw!
This is the best omakase course you can do in Chicago. The price is justified by not only the quality of the dishes but the size/quantity of the dishes. You won’t leave feeling hungry which I find to be a common issue with other omakase courses. The presentation of every dish was unique and really highlighted the item brought out. Highly recommend, can’t wait to go back.
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