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Kamehachi River North Westin
Rating Details »
Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Near North Side320 N. Dearborn
(at Carroll Ave)
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 744-1900
- Nearest Transit:
-
Clark/Lake (Pink, Brown, Green, Blue, Purple Express, Orange)
Lake (Red)
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
7 reviews for Kamehachi River North Westin
Y'all ready for a blast from the past?
Ok, then. Here goes....
Once upon a time I went out with this lawyer boy/man. He wasn't too adventurous with the whole "food" thing, but when I said I was fond of sushi...he offered to not only try it, but pick a place.
Sweet offer, poor execution. Trekking all the way from the North Side to the frickin' Westin for sushi? Ugh. We have phenomenal (by Chicago standards) sushi right up in here....sigh. Sushi sigh.
Anyway, a $25 cab ride later I got to enter the Westin Hotel downtown for an evening of lobby sushi. Yeah, like in the lobby, complete with a bar full of out of towners screaming at a plasma about 12 feet away....
So, anyway. My date goes all crazy like and orders...a California roll. Ok, points for trying. He ate one piece and then left it. He wasn't a fan. He watched in horror as I devoured unagi, tako (octopus) and a hamachi roll. They were all "ok." Nothing out of this world. The Kamehachi in Old Town is one of my favorites....eating it in a hotel lobby is just not quite the ambience I dig. Blah.
Needless to say, it didn't' work out. :P Don't eat here if you live here, duh!
I stay at the Westin fairly often and finally ate at the sushi bar. First, I'm impressed that a hotel has a sushi bar and especially has it on the room service menu. (I ate at the bar.)
The prices are surprisingly low. Certainly not outrageous as you might expect from a hotel.
But the real point of eating is to enjoy some food, and I did not. I ordered Hamachi sashimi and some roll or other. I *love* Hamachi. Even when it's not good, I like it better that other nigiri/sashimi cuts. But this was just odd. It didn't have the amazing Hamachi taste that amazes me. Parts of it had a shall-we-say strange texture. It was a nicely large portion, but a good-size portion of yuck does not a value make.
The roll was fine, better than the sashimi, but c'mon... rolls are easy to make taste good.
My server was attentive, but she seemed to have a tiff with the chef, or at least some difficulty convincing him to make what she needed, and as this was playing out all of 2 feet in front of me, it -- like the fish -- added an odd texture to the evening.
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place.
The setting was a bit odd, an overly spacious, too well lit lobby. It could use a bit of a separation from the general lobby and some dimmer lights leading to a more cozy atmosphere.
They probably should have put an express after the well liked Kamehachi name given its good reputation. The sushi is pretty good though and they're aren't all that many options in the area for the genre so I'll be back even though the tab was fairly high for the small number maki ordered.
Conference goers with name tags would occasionally ask the sushi chef if all they serve is sushi and then when pointed to Ember (the more full service hotel restaurant) walk spritely off to their steak and potato ways.
Sometimes I think I am getting a deal because the prices are the same as Old Town Kamehachi but the atmosphere is more upscale. But generally I prefer the original location. I definitely agree with other reviewers that it's sort of cold and too open. 5 stars to the bathrooms with full length primping mirrors. They also have private room/booths that you can reserve for extra $ that look really fun.
Good sushi, but not so good service. My glass of wine was empty for quite some time before I was offered another. Any of their tempura rolls are delicious, as is the spicy tuna.
Decent sushi, but the original Kamehachi in Old Town serves better one. Service here was mediocre which was unexpected from a fancy hotel.
It was good but not great. The menu is limited compared to the other locations.
