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Koi
Categories: Chinese, Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
624 Davis St(between Chicago Ave & Orrington Ave)
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 866-6969
- Nearest Transit:
-
Davis (Purple, Evanston Express)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
91 reviews for Koi
Review Highlights
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I really like this place. I didn't want to have the creamy Crab meat Won Tons which I previously tried at Chen's so I decided to try the the chicken satay but you can pass on it, the chicken was a little tough to chew. I tried here the Chef's sushi platter which was pretty good. And tofu Pad Thai. Banana Tempura for desert that was heavenly.
KOI is very similar to Chen's. I have been to both places and they even have the same menu, cover to cover.
KOI is a good restaurant for the price that you are paying. Portions are generous which always makes me happy because I bring little something for lunch for the next day.
The service at KOI was great our waitress was so nice.
The only negative is that the back room where we set was little dim and I had hard time reading the menu. I actually had to take the candle from the table and hold it up to the menu.
Anyways, I had not have enough of Pad Thai yet so I will be back for more soon.
From now til Labor Day, Koi is offering $20 gift certificates for every entree ordered (one per person). After 3 years of indifference I finally made it in for lunch, tempted by this awesome deal. Sadly the certificates expire by the end of the month and there's a $30 minimum for it to be used. Spending $10 for 30 bucks' worth of sushi isn't bad, but the sushi failed to impress too.
Menu was reasonably priced, but annoying as hell. Instead of actually listing what's actually in each dish or how it's prepared, Koi decides to badly describe the flavors. Uhh, not helpful, or cute.
Aside from sushi, it's all typical American-Chinese entrees-- not in the "Asian fusion" way, but the "takeout container" way. In short, the food was VERY AVERAGE. Our waitress was new and got several things wrong throughout the meal, but she was very sweet.
We even got fortune cookies with the check. For a place that takes itself as seriously as Koi... can I say "tacky"?
Apparently they have half price bottle wines on Mondays and half price martinis on Tuesdays. Here's hoping dinner is a vast improvement over lunch.
My sister gave me a $20 coupon here, and I've been dying to try it forever, so I dragged my other sister here last night to test drive the sushi. I was told that the Chinese food was phenomenal, but I was craving sushi, and its a sushi place, so sushi was the way to go, and its exactly where we went.
We ordered a crab wonton appetizer to start which was actually wonderful - not too oily and creamy and you could actually taste some of the crab in there, which a lot of times you cant, so I give it a B+ for wontons :)
Then - on to the sushi - we ordered a Dragon Roll (I'm obsessed with eel, and its a must anytime i get sushi), a Spicy Tuna Tempura Roll, and some individual pieces of unagi, uni, yellowtail, salmon, and super white tuna. The individual pieces were actually very fresh - the yellowtail and the superwhite tuna were to die for...my sister is very picky about her uni, and she was impressed. However the actual maki rolls were so-so. The eel sauce, which usually makes a dragon roll soooo good, was too rich and sticky - did not add to the taste at all, and the Spicy Tuna Tempura Roll tasted a bit stale - which is a no-no when it comes to sushi.
All in all, i judge a place by their Dragon Roll, and the Dragon Roll did NOT pass my standards test, nor did their unagi, or other makis. As far as sushi goes, I've had MUCH better. But I might come back to try the Chinese - if i get another coupon. :)
Decided to eat out since I didn't feel like cooking dinner one night. Heard Koi had the Taste of China event for a week and decided to try them. For appetizer, we had the chef's special maki in a citrus and avocado type of sauce. It was good, could have been better, if I didn't have to flag down the server for some wasabi. It lacked the zing.
Also had the Red snapper entrée and the Egg tofu with Shrimp and Scallops. The red snapper was deep fried, very nice presentation except that the fish was swimming in too much sauce. The ponzu sauce tasted good, but I wish restaurants didn't soak fried stuff in so much sauce. On the other hand, the egg tofu was amazingly good. Soft and silky, creamy and eggy, coupled with huge shrimps and scallops, it was simply delish! Portions were huge for the price we paid. I was just disappointed since I found out the next night that they did not send us all the leftover from the fish we had. They only packed a small piece, though I remembered we had more than that. The sauce of the fish also became gelatinous. Other than that, it's an alternative Chinese/Sushi place to dine while in Evanston. Nice bar area, pleasant atmosphere, spacious and good food!
i gave this 3 starts because just slightly above average. I was there with 3 other people and we all had sushi so I cant speak for the Chinese part of the menu.
Atmosphere was nice. we sat in the sushi bar area and it was good except you were to far away from the bar and having to lean over to eat pieces with dripping soy sauce was tough at times :)
the sushi pieces were good, fresh, and flavorful. The rolls on the other hand were just ok. I think some sushi places are trying to out do each other by making their rolls as big as possible so you cant fit them in your mouth. it's a little embarrasing to watch some people try to eat them in one bit. The sushi roll menu always wasnt very imaginitive and there wasnt alot that stood out to me that I wanted to have.
Wine list was solid and so was list of drinks to have. I dont know if i would go back because there are tons of other places in the city that i live by that i feel are better, but its still a decent choice if you live in Evanston and want to have dinner
Koi, you get 3 stars because your crab rangoon is just as kick-ass as Chen's (Koi's sister restaurant in Chicago). Koi has the great martini specials, a decent-sized menu, and a reminder: DELICIOUS crab rangoon. However, the service here can be a little lacking around lunch-time, and I personally like the chefs at Chen's better than the ones at Koi.
But do I keep going back? Of course I do. I have all of these $20 Koi/Chen's gift certificates burning a hole in my pocket.
We walked in tonight and loved the decor. Wish that I could have taken the large koi fish painting home with me but I'll settle for the leftovers that are in my fridge right now :)
Delicious half priced special drinks tonight! Not sure if it's a Tuesday night thing but if so please do go on a Tuesday as they had delicious martinis.
The food was pretty good and the portions were HUGE (something that I personally like). The highlight of the meal was the maki flight, a special during the month of August (hurry up, folks!), that had 8 sample rolls...each tastier than the last. Did I mention that the flight was only five bucks??
Along with out check was a post card of their specials and events for August... their other location, Chen's (Wrigleyville), is having a martini class a week from today. The class cost $10, includes dinner and drinks and also a @20 gift certificate for your next visit. Good deal...SEE YOU THERE!
Where do I start? The decor and atmosphere are 3 to 4 star, but the food... Sure, portions are large (which the waiter did not warn us about), but only half of what we ordered was edible. Our waiter was attentive and courteous, but didn't ask why some things were not eaten, which is always the sign of a good one.
Apps: ribs and spring rolls (with ground beef?!) were OK, though some of the ribs were not warm all the way through. The steamed veggie dumplings were not. Bright green (?!) wrapper around overcooked, bitter spinach (?!) and I think some kind of mushroom. Who the hell puts spinach of any kind in a spring roll without warning you on the menu? YUCK! Served with some sauces and a very watery hot mustard. The sweet and sour sauce for the spring rolls was actually quite good.
Pad Thai- this had good flavor, in fact, but not much of the veggies, tofu, etc. that makes it more than just a mess of slightly sweet pink noodles.
Sushi- one roll. something with salmon and lobster. My daughter had one piece and could not eat another bite- at $20.
Won ton soup- extremely watery broth flavored only by a little sesame oil, one measly noodle with about 1/2 teaspoon of filling that was not worth eating anyway. Several chunks of white chicken, bamboo shoots, mushrooms that didn't add any flavor.
Stir-fried veggies with chicken (light version)- copious amounts of flavorless sauce, funny shaped, spindly pieces of chicken with, no flavor. Decently cooked broccoli.
Mu shu pork- was standard except they served with thick flour TORTILLAS! Please! The pancakes can't be that hard to find!
Some fried duck appetizer thing $14- OK, this was truly gross! There was less 3 oz of dried out, nasty meat that I had to scrape off the bones, but nearly a pound of bone, skin and fat. All of it was from the back or odd areas of the poor bird. No breast or evan thigh meat. Just take it off the menu!
Oh, and thought the wine was good, but it comes in a 3 oz glass for 8 bucks. Jeez!
Not bad for an upscale Asian restaurant. Ambiance is nice. Decor is modern. Restaurant is clean. Though you will pay more for dishes here than you would at Panda Express, it's not a bad place to visit for special occasions since they have a Birthday Special. This is neat because if you visit the week of your birthday they will comp you 1 FREE entre, hassle-free!
I went here for my birthday dinner and got a General Tso's dish valued at $15 comp. So thumbs up! Each month they also feature a dish from a province of China. July 09 is Canton and their Tofu Seafood dish was good. The only downside and one that should be easy to fix is that they should cook their rice to be more softer (it was dry and hard).
Shit, I love the sushi.
Great ambiance but the food is just average. I heard that there isn't much asian food in the area, so I dont think anyone has better alternatives. The plates are pretty large in portion and we were able to take some leftovers home. Yet, they weren't that appealing after reheating to eat.
I am not a big Chinese food fun (except dim sum) but I was starving to death and came in here, hoping to find something I like. We did not order any Japanese food but Chinese food this time. Actually, it was not bad at all. Probably I looked very irritable... (this is what happens when I am hungry), food was served really quickly even though it was sort of crowded :P
This is a casual place but unlike many other super casual places in Evanston, it has a very nice atmosphere.
Here the food comes.... first thing I thought. "WOW they are BIG!" Generous portion size!
"Shrimp Soong"
Wrap as much chopped veggie w/ shrimps as I like with crisp lettuce leaves. I do not like thick sauce or fatty sauce so I ordered it as "low fat" (optional) and the food was done well.
"Szechwan Chicken" could be a little hotter/spicier but it was still good. We ordered this as "low fat" as well and the food was not loaded w/ grease. Nice.
It was too dark in the restroom. I like a restroom w/ plenty of light.
The $4 half price Tuesday cocktails (particularly the Mai Tas) are amazing. Amazingly strong. And the bartender (I think his name is Rick?) is totally fun. If you stick to sitting at the bar (rather than potentially dealing with the meh waiters at a table), then you'll have a good time.
Make sure to get the dumplings too. I like the pan-fried beef ones the best.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Koi.
I would eat this food every day if I could. It's always amazing.
This review is for delivery only, as I haven't been inside the restaurant. I ordered delivery and tried a few appetizers and was very underwhelmed.
The chicken satay: way too salty and it was crispy/fried--different and not quite what I'm used to---the peanut sauce was also just meh.
Free spring rolls: NO flavor! Even with sweet and sour sauce I didn't finish them
Crab Rangoon- just ok; would have liked more filling...I also felt a little bit sick after eating these; they didn't settle very well
On the plus side: they do offer gift certificates now with your order, but unfortunately they are dine-in only and I mostly get delivery (working nights + schoolwork = no motivation to go out for dinner most of the time) For delivery, I would try the myriad of other chinese/thai restaurants in the area, at least when it comes to appetizer munchies
SO FREAKIN GOOD!
They really pulled it off....usually serving Chinese and Japanese = don't bother going here b/c we can't get either straight but no no no, Koi does both very well.
Chinese- full of flavor, not greasy, upscale versions of Chinese standards with unique twists thrown in (lychee!)
Japanese- fresh fish, awesome rolls ... not many creative ones, but the standards are there and they're delicious!
Portioned to share!
Awesome service!
Look for specials!
Normally, I have strong opinions about restaurants. Koi? Much harder to judge this one as evidenced by the broad and diametrically opposed opinions expressed by us Yelpers. Skip the sushi! Sushi to die for! Eat Chinese avoid sushi! It's not really Chinese, it's Asian fusion. Aaaarrrrghghghhhhg!
It's a split decision as far as I am concerned. I think the answer is simply that this is decent restaurant. Follow your gut instinct on what sounds good to you, and I am sure you'll have a good meal.
I wouldn't beat the door down getting here...but don't turn down an invite to eat here. OMG! Now I'm doing it too!!!!!!!!!!!!
I go here at least 10 times a year!! The sushi is great - they have very unique rolls with great combinations. I also love the Chinese food! So far the chicken broccoli and kung pao chicken have been my favorites.
Its a great place to go with big groups, for business meetings, or you can simply get great take out. They've always been extremely accommodating and can make special orders (like soy paper for sushi) if you have some dietary restrictions.
This is definitely the best place for sushi in Evanston!
I love Koi! The sushi is great, and it is the only place where I'd eat Chinese food. Mongolian Beef is out of this world! I also like Shrimp Soong (chopped vegetables and shrimp served on the bed of crispy noodles with lettuce wraps and plum sauce on the side). It is very light and absolutely delicious! They also have over 30 specialty martinis on their drink menu. My favorite one is Lychee martini. I tried it at Koi first and now make it at home as well. All my friends I've taken there were very impressed. In fact, I'm having my birthday party there tonight.
I noticed that a lot of people here rated this restaurant as overpriced, and so did some of my co-workers, but I would not want to pay less and get food of questionable quality. I've been going to Koi since they opened, and before that to Chen's, the other restaurant they have in Wrigleville, and never had any bad experience. And I'm very picky about the food I eat, buy only organic and never eat fast food. Of course, Koi is not a certified organic restaurant, but based on my many, many visits, I really trust them to have a consistently excellent dining experience.
One star for being pretty much the only place open on Christmas 2008 and one for the food, which tries pretty hard to be innovative and tasty, but just falls short. I think that this place pretty much falls in with most other Asian fusion places in that it can't perfect either cuisine, so it just does both and hopes that the variety will make up for the quality.
Nothing we had was bad, exactly... but we did order the two specials of the day and if your specials aren't good, you're pretty much screwed.
Normally for food like that I'd give three stars - edible, at least interesting, and relatively fresh - but the prices were crazy! Where does this place think it is? Chicago prides itself on its reasonable food prices, or it did last time I checked. Paying 60 dollars for two people to go out and eat mediocre food (without alcohol) is not okay.
Pros: fresh fish, good service
Cons: taste-free spring rolls, gummy rice, and a special of the day roll that gave me way less than I expected for the price.
I've only been back in the Chicago area for a few months and I can already name 3 or 4 sushi places better than this one. Life is too short for mediocre, overpriced sushi.
Koi means "goldfish" in Japanese -- which is odd because (a) this restaurant is predominantly Chinese, and (b) I can confirm that they have NO goldfish on the menu. The only goldfish I saw were swimming at the bottom of the urinals in the men's room.
That all said, I liked this place. Service was attentive -- our food came right away. I went with my boyfriend and my elderly Jewish parents. My parents are somewhat high-maintenance, and the waitress was QUITE patient -- she even wrapped our moo shu pancakes, even though this clearly was NOT her forte.
The food was generally pretty good and tasty. They have low-fat options, although the fried rice, which was a little greasy, is NOT among them. Spring rolls were kind of skimpy -- not the good peanut-buttery egg rolls that you find at other Chinese restaurants. Spare ribs were meaty and tasty. Moo shu pork was good. The shrimp was very good -- lightly fried and with a delicate garlic sauce. They have Japanese options on the back page of the menu, but we didn't try any.
All in all, this is a pleasant place, and a cut above the run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurant.
I love Koi. I have eaten here on numerous occasions.
The staff is always polite, friendly, attentive, and helpful. I remember when I ate here with my six-year-old daughter and a friend last year and the waitress was so nice, patient and kid-friendly! Recently I was at Koi for a business lunch. When we were seated I informed the waiter of our time constraints and he remained very mindful of the time the whole meal. He brought everything out so fast and the check was on the table promptly.
I love that I can order online and then either walk over and pick it up or have it delivered! I have never had a problem with any order mistakes which happen so often with take-out. Also, they offer brown rice instead of white rice (for a small extra charge) for us health-conscious eaters!
Can't wait to eat at Koi again soon!
I loved the Lemon Chicken! Just enough batter, perfectly fried and oh that tangy lemon sauce... The ambiance was great, staff was friendly and food came out fast. I wish there was a KOI here in Miami...
Food was good, service was excellent.
It started off kinda rough - the edamame was far from special. But the veggie egg rolls (with spicy mustard!) were yummy. Everyone enjoyed their dinner and had some left over - good thing I like leftovers!
Our waitress was well-timed, informative and helpful (she even chased us out of the restaurant after we left our credit card wrapped up in the receipt at the table!)
Great chinese food (American version of Chinese food but still very good - recommend the veggie lo mein, homestyle bean curds and the sesame chicken and shrimp). Great martini list as well. The sushi is TERRIBLE. Do not get the sushi.
All I can say about Koi is that I got really, really, really sick after eating there. I ended up throwing up all night and at one point got dizzy, passed out and woke up to my head banging against a wall as I fell. A few days later when I was finally feeling better I went in and asked to speak to the manager. I was treated incredibly rudely and wasn't even offered an apology. I can't really comment on the food since most of it was immediately rejected by my body but I am thinking that isn't exactly a good sign....
My waiter, Trip, was excellent - attentive, charming, and quick- the food is good too as long as you know what to order. Don't go for the pad Thai, it's awful. The Thai summer rolls are delicious and any dish can be given a little kick if you ask them to make it extra spicy.
All in all, I'd say Koi is a pretty decent establishment, they have some good deals throughout the week like half price wine and martini nights. They also give out twenty dollar gift certificates with no minimum purchase quite frequently so be sure to ask your server.
I went to Koi when it first opened in 2005, and was dazzled by the decor, the lighting, the sleekness of it all. My date and I were packed into a banquette, it was a little loud, the sushi was just ok, but the eggplant dish (I have a thing for szechuan eggplant-esque dishes) was stellar. The service was great.
Subsequent visits have taken a sharp turn down the hill. Things seem dirty, scratched, broken. A three-year old restaurant is bound to show some wear and tear, but if you go for that clean, sleek look , you gotta maintain it. It just looks wanna-be and rather sloppy now.
The service and food also took a tumble. The front dining area seems more crowded and louder than before (or maybe I'm just an old fart). The last time I went and ordered my beloved eggplant dish, oh my! What happened to it?? Bland and lacking in everything I had remembered and was craving. So so sad.
This place seems to have become an after--work hang/place to be seen type of place. Maybe for the college crowd and people who want to shout/yell at each other to be heard and don't mind too much about the quality of the food and service. Sadly (oh who am I kidding? I am not sad at all) I won't be returning.
Came here for lunch after going on a campus tour with my friend.
Definitely hit the spot and I hope tomorrow my leftovers preserve well for lunch. I had the szechuan plate--slightly spicy but still excellent. I'm glad to know that they have a sister restaurant near me because during certain times of the month I like me some chinese food.
And the prices were right! The dessert menu also looked great. Decor was wonderful and great outdoor seating. Hopefully I'll have other occasions to come back up to Evanston soon.
The sushi we ordered came out within a reasonable amount of time and tasted pretty good-nothing spectacular. The atmosphere is lacking. Its trying to be something is just can't pull off. In addition, the last time we were there our large group was sat in the corner next to the kitchen and it seems as though we were 'out of sight, out of mind,' because they didn't come to the table after the hostess had seated us for over twenty minutes. This place was fine, but nothing compared to smaller sushi spots close by.
My fantasy baseball draft was a complete bust. Everyone I had slotted to draft was swiped out from under me just as I was about to snatch 'em. I ended up with a bunch of players I've never heard of, and the starting line-up for the Cubs.
Oh, such pressure! Towards the end of the draft, I found myself looking at a wilted team, having to select between a starting pitcher who was rumored to be joining the team in May and an aged outfielder who probably should have retired four years ago.
It would have been fine consolation if, after the draft, I could have microwaved leftovers from last night's Koi. Unfortunately, their to-go portions are perfectly sized for one meal, yet priced for two. When I order Chinese, I expect to eat twice. It's a shame, too, because their Mongolian beef is fantastic.
Next time, I'm ordering Pine Yard. I know it means I'll have to drive out and pick up my food, but at least I know I'll have some comfort food when my pick for third base puts in a week of oh-fers.
After a long day of travel, I was hungry for Chinese... specifically something warm and healthy to go along with the company of my friend and sister late last Thursday night.
My friend Alison picked me up from O'Hare and we agreed that my sister would meet us for a late dinner in Evanston. It was after 9:00, so there were not too many open restaurants to choose from. So, when we walked into Koi, I was happy to see that it was fairly crowded, it was warm, and even a fun atmosphere!
We ordered hot soup (I had the vegetable tofu and my sister had the hot and sour) to start... both were delicious! We also tasted the steamed vegetable dumplings, a green salad with ginger dressing, vegetable lomein, and some sushi. We were happy with everything we ordered - service was good, and company was fantastic.
The only negative feedback I have is that there was a draft by the fireplace and every time the front door opened we felt a gust of wind. Also, the dressing that came on the side of the salad was a very small serving size. Other than that, all was wonderful and I would definitely return!
Overpriced chinese food - just go to Joy Yee's for better.
Sushi was good - although a little expensive for the maki rolls.
Really, really good sushi and chinese menus!
I thought the hot and sour soup was average (frozen veggies - why in a place trying to be upscale?) but the Veggie Maki, Shrimp Tempura Maki, Philly Maki were all divine!
My birthday party of 5 plus me all had a great time - love the sake! Great service!
Koi was a generally pleasant experience - we stumbled in to dinner there on Friday night.
We started out with a bottle of really good wine - most of the wines were under $30, which isn't a bad mark-up when you're out for a meal.
I had the sushi. While most everyone else was eating off the chinese food menu, I found the sushi to be of really good quality. We also had the Chicken Soong - which was a wonderful mix of crunchy textures that come with lettuce wraps. Yum and yum.
The price was right, the service was quick and attentive. I'm deducting a star because our waiter was chewing gum and every time he stopped at our table it's all I could see - not appetizing. So, re-train the staff on ettiquette and we're good.
I waver between 3 and 3.5 stars. If you're looking for authentic Chinese or Japanese food, this just isn't it. Sushi is decent, but not the best that I've had. Expect Asian fusion when you come here...
Their green tea comes in its own container that they refill for you and is really fresh and delicious. Service is friendly enough and attentive. I prefer the Chinese dishes over the sushi and they have great lunch options with very generous portions. Last time I was here, the General Tao's (Tso? but they spelled it Tao here) beef which was decent and my vegetarian friend was able to get tofu with the General Tao seasoning/sauce. A bit pricey but you get generous portions.
Overall, a nice place to go for Asian fusion if you're craving it. I'd definitely go here over Dozika.
Thanks but, no thanks.
I'm writing this review solely on the service we received. The food wasn't bad but the customer service was what sealed the deal. We came in with a group of 10+ people and excited to eat. I understand that it's very hard to keep track of a 10+ party, so I knew this would not be flawless service. The waitress got two people's orders mixed up, thinking they ordered maki's instead of a hot plate. So, the maki's came out and served to two confused guys, who then tell the waitress it wasn't the right order. She then proceeds to start arguing with them. She should of sucked it up, sent it back, and politely apologized. Then a couple minutes later she has a conversation about the mix up with the manager, earshot where I was sitting. The worst part, the waitress and mgr were shit talking about two wrong orders, one of them happens to be my boyfriend! I didn't talk to mgmt to voice my frustration seeing that it was one of the mgrs that was involved already.
If you are going to bad mouth customer, at least do it behind close doors OR when they leave! Both the bf and I work in customer service (retail and hotel for 10+ years), and know the diff btwn bad and good service.
Very good restaurant. Their menu is extensive - I cannot wait to get back and try more. Delicious sushi, really excellent Reisling, very nice waitstaff. The lounge area is cute too - fun for grabbing a drink before dinner, or even eating dinner there!
Oh, also, they put the chopsticks on little stones and my friend took them. She is a rebel. I suggest you do the same.
Finally, they have Hersey Kisses at the front door and that is fabulous. Hooray for Koi!
Update 5/14: good take-out too!
My rating is an average-I'd give Koi 5 stars for take out/delivery, but only 3 for the restaurant. This seems the opposite of most restaurants, so allow me to explain...
The food at Koi is great, though slightly overpriced. I have had better luck with the Chinese side of the menu-great mu shu and I appreciate the fact that you can order lower fat versions of a lot of these entrees (stir fried with less oil instead of deep fried). The sushi's good, if not fantastic (even by Chicago standards) and the combination of the Chinese and Japanese lets me have my stir fry AND my seaweed salad and miso soup, which makes me a very happy and very stuffed girl.
What makes this food such great take out though is the fact that it's the best packaging of any take out food I've ever seen. And as a bit of a take out master, I find this quite exciting. Bags WITH HANDLES! Mu shu wraps contained seperately in foil to keep them warm! Chopsticks and fortune cookies in their own little plastic baggies in case the kickass tupperware style containers somehow miraculously spill! It's pretty swell. And considering the restaurant's got such a wannabe-cool ambiance, I relish the opportunity to have their tasty food outside of the actual restaurant. Koi is like downtown Evanston's attempt at being downtown Chicago...the part of downtown Chicago that's attempting to be New York. It's not a bad place to have a meal by any means, I'd just rather have it on my couch in front of "Gilmore Girls" in my pjs!


