On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Albany ParkMon-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Loading...
We order this platter of sushi from here every once in a while at my Friends tattoo shop. Its always really tasty although I never know what I'm eating.
The platter is pretty inexpensive and has more rolls than.......you were about to say Destry in your head. Weren't you? Get out of my review. We're through! Oh. Never mind. It has plenty of rolls though.
I wouldn't hesitate to get fish again from this place. It is always fresh and never has that fishy smell like some of the popular girls at my school.
Review over.
Noticed there are pics of the menu up (though I've been told they can make whatever you ask them to) so just had to finally try this place..
Phoned in my order and was told to pick it up in 40 minutes.. No problemo.. there's a nice 'theatre' on Lawrence and Pulaski I can hang out at if I arrive too early.. uhh.. j/k.. anyways... :P
Walked in as a guy walked out.. As I passed, he smiled really brightly and said soo-shaaaayy!! Totally reminded me of Newman in the Soup Nazi episode of Seinfeld.. Jambalaya!
Place doesn't look like it'd be any good being dingy and all, but I saw my circular platter of sushi and a tear started welling up.. When I was rung up and my order was barely over 30 bucks, I just couldn't stop smiling..
I had ordered 2 spider rolls, 1 spicy scallop, 2 spicy tuna, and 1 Philadelphia roll. For nigiri, I ordered 2 super white tuna, 2 saba, and 2 unagi..
The quality of the fish is good.. I'd say better than average.. maybe just shy of a 4 out of 5.. The spider rolls were a little sloppy and loose making them hard to keep together when picked up, but nothing to complain about.. Overall, quite the sushi find and totally more than worth the money (it's sooo cheap ^_^)..
Oh.. saw another person coming in as I was walking out so I smiled brightly at her and said, "soo-shaaaayy!"
Okay...okay...the secret is out....darnit!
People are finding out about THE best place for Sushi take-out.
I was hoping the misleading facade and ugly storefront would scare you folks away but....nooooooooooo...you had to go and find it.
Yes... sushi-to-go....not an eat-in place.
Fresh, cheap, good, yummy, generous and did I say...cheap.
This is definitely a contradiction of "you get what you pay for."
Husband and wife owned and managed...the nicest couple that ever could be!
They will make any sushi roll, sashimi platter, combo plate you can imagine. I posted some pictures of said yumminess.
I recommend that you call ahead and when you pick up your order...check for your chopsticks, ginger and wasabi.
They are getting quite popular and busy.
Tonight we ran into one of our favorite Yelpers picking up his order...but I cannot divulge his identity seeing as we are both members of S. A. (Sushi Anonymous.)
He knows his anonymity is safe with me.
I know what raw fish smells like, and that's what Lawrence Fish Market exudes. Someone is chopping fresh raw fish somewhere. That's actually a good thing. What Lawrence Fish Market lacks in ambience it completely makes up for in the taste and quality of the sushi. Walking in, I didnt expect it to actually look like a dirty storefront. Everything was there that people described. Boxes everywhere, car seat, ancient gumballs, paper menus, fishy smell. My sister ordered ahead of time and when I arrived it was ready, arranged beautifully on a tray. I rushed it to the suburbs, trying to keep my car cool.
We ordered california rolls, dragon rolls, and spicy tuna. The dragon rolls were excellent and huge. As for nigiri, we got a variety, and I have to say the white tuna is everything everyone said it was. It melted in my mouth. Not only were the pieces huge but they were cheap. Nigiri was only $1 each. I noted that at my regular place they average about $2.50. An entire tray of three rolls and 10 pieces of nigiri was only about $23. If I saw a picture of the tray and didn't know where it was from, I would have guessed more like $35. Having recently lost my job, I will definitely be back to pretend that I have a lot of money to spend on great sushi.
This is easily Chicago's worst "best kept secret."
Everybody knows about this place and I fucking hate that. I wake up with a start nearly every night, fearful of the day that this place changes. Maybe the owners decide they want waitron and fish tanks and weird Japanese music (What? Do YOU have any Japanese CDs at home? No, I didn't think so. Who the hell were you trying to impress just now?). Maybe they jack up the prices and make you brave the sojourn to Albany Park anyway.
Or maybe--GASP!--maybe GQ's Alan Richman writes an article declaring Lawrence Fish Market the best sushi place in the country!!! *shudder*
Before I get to the quality of the sushi, I should say this: I eat sushi like I'm trying to win a competitive-eating belt or a free t-shirt and a hat for cleaning my plate. When the Future Mrs. and I eat sushi at a restaurant, the server always looks at me with a look that starts with awe, dissolves into dismay, and settles into embarrassed disgust.
And I don't care. God blessed me with the ability to eat 36 pieces of raw fish in one sitting and that's what I'm going to do. As you no doubt know by now, LFM offers good--if not always great--sushi for dirt-cheap. This is the type of co-dependent relationship I should only be so lucky to have with all the restaurants I patronize.
Yes, as some of the other reviews discuss, the quality can be a little inconsistent, but nothing I've ever had here has been disastrously bad. Not even close. These guys do a mean sashimi platter, decent-to-fantastic rolls, and some of THE BEST hand rolls I've ever had, period.
Yeah, the place is kind of a dump, but these folks will do anything you ask them to do for half the price of any other place. Grab your sushi and take it home. Serve it to your friends and family, eat it in front of the tube, or, hell, get nekkers and do that human sushi platter thing everyone tried to convince you was cool a couple years ago!
Eh, not that I did that last one.
Jean C is absolutely right. This place looks disgusting. It smells disgusting. And you know if something looks and smells like $*@t...well, that's where that line stops.
Fish is great! Though I think they should take a page out of Joy Yee's book - the one where they have the drive-thru style window where you order your drinks...can see just a little inside, and that's it. Thanks to Erika V for the picture of the nice printed menu. On my way to drop someone off at O'Hare I noticed that the city-bound side looked like a parking lot (when does it not?), so I ordered my sushi on the way back and got off at Lawrence. My order:
4 x super white tuna (little disapointing after "the best" claims in the review highlights)
4 x salmon
2 x scallop (awesome and huge)
2 x unagi
2 x hirame (not really good)
1 x spicy tuna roll (not the best)
Personally, I'd say stick to the nigiri, they just don't fancy it up as well here on the rolls as they would in a real restaurant. But awesome value, $17.33 for 20 pieces :)
Great for sushi-to-go. Big helpings and small prices make this place a top spot for me now.
It isn't the nicest looking place, but the food is great, and the staff is friendly.
It started off as a joke. My brother was headed out my way and he doesn't live too far from here so I asked him to pick up some sushi from LFM for lunch. Oh my goodness. I will order sushi from here again in a heartbeat. I bet I'll eat some nigiri or pick at the rolls in the car on the drive home. Heck, I'll just open the platter and sit on the curb outside the store and have a couple pieces before I drive home. It was that good.
I can only comment on the sushi since my brother was the one that picked it up. I asked him if it was as bad inside (like what others had mentioned) and all he said was "It's a fish store". Our parents made us tag along as kids to tons of fish stores in Chicago and in Asia so I don't think the store "ambiance" would have bothered me. If it smelled like Durian--well that would be a different story.
Anyway...Brothers, Sisters, Friends, Colleagues, this was awesome sushi. I called in the order and was greeted in Korean--Oh, I forgot it! Wish I remembered more Korean phrases...oh well. We ordered Spicy tuna roll, California Roll, Dragon Roll and 2 pieces of Ebi, Unagi, SW Tuna, Salmon and Hamachi. All for the grand total of $23.
Is it just me or have the sizes of the rolls in some sushi places gotten smaller? Well, these rolls seemed pretty big. And the slices of fish on the nigiri seemed kind of generous too. I LOVED everything. This was the first time I had SW Tuna--I'm a fan for life now--really yummy. Unagi and Hamachi are my usuals and I was not disappointed here. The Spicy tuna wasn't as spicy as I'd liked but it was still very nice. Everything was very fresh and presented so nicely on the platter. My brother said that when we have a family party we should order from here. You bet, let's have a party this weekend then!
unbelievably fresh sushi at ridiculously low prices! My fiance and i had a huge platter of sushi for $32...and we arent talking about just skimpy little plain rolls... we had a good assortment of fishbased rolls, veggie based rolls, and sushi-on-rice pieces. Someone kindly scanned a copy of their takeout menu and its in the picture section of the review-i strongly suggest taking a look at their prices. Yes, they are take out only and yes they only take cash, but if u are a fan of sushi, this place is a must visit.
After reading and looking at the pictures of Lawrence Fish Market, I told my husband that we were getting sushi tonight. I looked at the menu from the pictures (thanks to the Yelpers who added that!) and called in my order. I took the trek during rush hour to pick up my sushi. I ordered two orders of spicy tuna roll, one spider roll, one shrimp tempura roll, two salmon, two shrimp and six tuna. Total was $25.41. Holla! All that and for that little?! When we ate the sushi, it was bliss. The fish was fresh and the sushi was well prepared. And we ordered too much. Lunch for tomorrow!
I can see how the inside of this place can turn people off. It needs a major make over. But, the sushi speaks for itself. You will not be disappointed. Thanks to all the raving reviews from fellow Yelpers. You turned me onto this place!
This place may have gotten 3 stars, but in the state of the economy it deserves the attention of a 4 star rating. My boyfriend and I finally went on a Sunday night, and discovered that yes, the place is scary, but I waited for about 15 mintues and spent 5 ademently checking the floors for crawly creatures and fortunately only saw dust balls.
The kitchen from what I could see from the counter looked tidy and all food is prepared in eye sight which is comforting in place of the decor.
As for the food, we got 3 rolls (spider and two dragon) and 6 pieces of sushi ($1 each, whaaat!?) and my fave, a big fat piece Ikura, and the total was $28.
I added it up to two other places we dine at often and figured for the same menu selections the tab would have been 40% - 50% more.
Quality of the rolls were comparable to casual sit down sushi places, I may have had some bottom of the barrel tuna, the salmon was great as was the unagi. My Ikura had a different taste and I was psyching myself that it was a more authentic flavor rather than a "this is from a hole in the wall place" type flavor. The size of the sushi were a tad smaller than what I get at Tokyo Marino or Matsuya, my two other sushi spots with good (but not as great as here) prices.
Bottom line, if I want take out sushi and I wanna save 15 bucks, I'll go here again.
Oh, and the people are nicer than yelpers give credit, answering all questions about the menu and even giving recommendations.
AND CASH ONLY HERE!
yeah.... took the sushi home.. set it all up... looked at my girlfriend wondering who should try it first. But having read the reviews here, figured it can't be that bad. I am not a big sushi person, but this place rocked! sushi was really good, and unbeatable prices..
Granted it looks a bit shady from the outside, and not the greatest decor on the inside, but it was a great experience.
Damn, I must admit that all of the Yelpers raving about this place are indeed correct. I've wanted to try this place for quite sometime, but finally got the nerve to venture into El Barrio this evening, and am glad that I did. Have I had better sushi? Of course. But, this is pretty damn good, and the prices here are mid-90's sushi pricing:)
Here's the deal: We had 5 pieces of Nigiri, and 4 rolls for only $19. Seriously, where the hell can you get this much sushi for $19?
In addition to the low rent pricing & tasty sushi, the staff (owners) were super friendly as well. I will definitely return! Unfortunately, the secret is out...
We're in a recession, people!!! And you know the first thing that gets the axe, right? Sushi night. WRONG. Lawrence Fish Market: apparently someone forgot to tell these lovely people that sushi is supposed to be expensive and pretentious!
Don't get me wrong, kids...this is strictly, 100%, a take-out place. In fact, the less time you linger inside, the less likely you are to question your decision to consume raw fish from a place that opted for that recycled mini-van bench seat over a couple folding chairs.
I can definitely survive without the artistic platter presentation of maki rolls and sushi if it means getting change back from a twenty and happy belly full of the thickest rolls I've seen anywhere!
Lawrence Fish Market. Me likey.
Oh good God...this place must stay a secret. Please.
The one thing I would hate is for this place to get sold out, raise their prices, and not become a gem of our neighborhood.
My husband and I pride ourselves in finding those great sushi restaurants that don't cost an arm and a leg but are still tasty. We've seen the best and the worst of places: but please don't judge this book by it's cover.
Yes...there is the infamous "van seat" propped up in front of the TV and gumball machine that probably hasn't been stocked since 1988...but the sushi is CHEAP and DELICIOUS. We got this HUGE platter of food less than $20...it was amazing. We even had money left over to get a Red Box movie... :) Score.
I love this place because it has character. The taped up menu to the cash register, the table covered in papers that belongs in someones kitchen, the van seat, I could go on.
One thing that I try to shove in the back of my mind so I don't think about them though:
When I went to go pick up my sushi..it was sitting on TOP of the cooler...not in the cooler. Who knows how long it had been sitting there, but it made me question just a tiny bit inside.
Also: they close pretty early, 8pm. Get your phone orders in by 7:30pm.
it still is pretty good eatins herr, but it appears consistency may be not so consistent with all of this new attention which has led them to even take the time to add prices to their menu selections.
For the price and quality it is a 5 star find, but seeing its not a big shop(you can see the prep kitchen from the front counter) my orders on busy days and moments haven't been as well prepared as other orders during slower times. The flavoring was maybe a little off on the rice, the rolls a little loose, too much sauce over here, not putting my order in the cooler as it waits for my arrival...
It makes sense, but now that I know my expectations are set accordingly.
Also check your bag(and change) for the extras (chopsticks, soy sauce, etc) if you need them as they sometimes forget during the rush hours.
Still the nicest people and a better choice than your typical grocery store selections.
Great Sushi!!!
Cheap prices!!!
Take-out ONLY.
Cash ONLY.
The best sushi for the price in Chicago.
We order from here at least once a week.
Phone your order in ahead of time.
They now have a menu!!!
Scanned the menu into the photo section.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Support this local fish market.
Enjoy!!!
Man, I used to always walk by this place when I was younger and my parents would take the family out to Koreatown for some Ja Jang Myun or something. Things have certainly changed since then. Koreans hating gritty areas eventually led them to move out to the burbs toward areas like Morton Grove, Skokie, etc. And many more Mexican-Americans moved into the neighborhood. So many cool looking Mexican eateries around! But I digress...
I'm still on my Japan high and was wondering what the midwest had to offer. After being kinda dissapointed at my favorite Japanese Izakaya; I was very eager to try the sushi at Lawrence Fish Market. IT WAS GOOD. And that is saying alot. It was only a little over a week ago that I ate sushi straight from the horse's mouth at the world's largest fish market. Furthermore the sushi I was eating was Otoro and Chuotoro; which are two of the more expensive cuts of sushi. With all things concerned, my expectations were set very high for this place. It did not dissapoint
I got a platter of 20 pieces of sushi for 20 dollars. Unheard of! I was pretty full off of only sushi for only $20 dollars; I was very impressed. Also, the cuts of fish are more generous than your typical sushi joint, so the value here is double fold. I mean otoro for only $4 dollars a piece? Unheard of!
Keep in mind this place is Korea owned. Koreans are very impatient and they seem to be very busy all the time. We tried to call ahead and ask what they had available; they told us to simply come in. They didn't want to deal with us hahah. Don't take the poor service personally; it's just Asian service. It's really weird, because the service in Asia (namely Japan and Korea) is top notch. I dunno what makes it so surly when it becomes implanted to the states.
If you really want you can eat inside, and hahah; yes it's kinda messy inside. But I'm Korean, so it wasn't so awkward. But then again, a buncha people were looking at me and my friend eat in squalor. I guess that was a little awkward.
I mean overall, this is the place to beat. Sushi is a very simple food; I mean it's raw for goodness sake. It should be consumed in a simple manner. I don't understand all the pomp and pretentious behind sushi in the states. But this place makes sense to me; granted it's no omakase. Fresh ingredients, good simple food. And it's cheap somehow...MUST TRY
I don't know what more I can add to what has been said about this place, except I LOVE it. I got so much good sushi for so little money.
This is the last place I would imagine selling sushi and to be honest, without all the great yelp reviews it never would have occurred to me to walk in the front door, but I am so glad I did. This will be my new go to place for sushi from now on.
For sushi junkies, this is the place to get a major fix!!
While the store itself is a bit frightening...I suggest putting blinders on when you go, but the sushi is fresh and, dare I say it, AFFORDABLE.
My fiance has a hollow leg and I can eat my share as well. For $27 we can get enough maki and nigiri to give us both the itis.
I am a self proclaimed sushi snob, usually eating at Bob San or Sai Cafe...but this place has fresh fish and solid technique at fast food pricing.
With the present state of my personal economy and Lawrence Fish Market, I don't miss the hot towel treatment.
As much as I love me some Yelp, I am also very leery when certain places by fawned over by Yelpers. When I read the gushy reviews, I always get the feeling like people 5-star the place because they don't want to come across as uncool by not giving the place 5 stars. Large grain of salt, anyone?
However, sometimes you come across a place that truly lives up to the billing. Such was the case with Lawrence Fish Market. Now if you didn't already know, the place has become all the rage for one reason: cheap ass sushi that's actually quite fresh. Here's the spread we picked up for a Thursday night dinner:
- 1 Rainbow maki
- 1 Dragon maki
- 1 Spider maki
- 1 Spicy Tuna maki
- 2 unagi nigiri
- 2 pieces of red snapper sashimi
- 2 pieces of salmon sashimi
- 2 pieces of tuna sashimi
Grand Total: $27.50
The sushi was as fresh as any of the "high end" sushi joints in Chicago. Portions are big so be sure to stretch the jaw a bit if you plan on scarfing down each piece in one bite. Service was friendly and efficient -- we walked in, placed our order and walked out with our sushi all in under 15 minutes. Yes, the people who work there don't speak a ton of English but they know more than enough to take your order. Note that this place is strictly for carryout, as there is nowhere to sit, and they only accept cash so be sure to hit an ATM beforehand if necessary.
Seriously, if you like sushi, you will love Lawrence Fish Market. The five stars are well deserved -- can't wait to go back!
Wow! This placed is AMAZING! Yes it is dingy, but the staff is super friendly and you can tell this place is serious about its fish. I was eying some beautiful red snapper in their case as I watched them prepare my tray of sushi goodies. I will never get take out sushi from anywhere else again!
Pricing is a little tricky here since they don't have a menu and when you call they won't give you a price for your take out order. I gathered from watching them ring me up that the simple rolls were 2.99 each, dragon roll was 7.99, and my gigantic Godzilla roll was 10.99. Overall, I got over $100 of sushi for $60:
2 Spicy tuna rolls
1 Spicy salmon roll
1 Eel avocado
2 Yellowtail scallion
1 Spider roll
1 Godzilla roll
1 Dragon roll
1/4 lb of white tuna sashimi
1/4 lb of salmon sashimi
1/4 lb of yellowtail sashimi
All of this fresh and amazingly cheap sushi was prepared beautifully on a tray!
I also really love that there is a substantial piece of fish in each piece of maki. So often you go to a sushi restaurant and order a spicy tuna roll and you get that ground up nasty fish mixed with spicy sauce. Nothing is more unappealing to me. The rolls here were all amazing quality and the sashimi the freshest you could imagine.
A note of which I was concerned about the first time I ordered: don't worry, they provide chop sticks, soy sauce, ginger, and wasabi just like any other sushi restaurant.
The sushi is EXCELLENT and you can't beat the price.
I've been wanting to try this place for a long time. Seeing all the rave reviews. So, I placed an order over the phone Sunday and had to sit through traffic to go get it and traffic coming back home. It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be for decor. It is a small fish market, but I was assuming the worst. It's not so bad!
We ordered:
2 Spider Rolls
1 Godzilla Roll
1 Dragon Roll
1 Rainbow Roll
1 Unagi Roll
1 Spicy Tuna Roll
1 Spicy Scallop Roll
1 Shrimp Tempura Roll
2 pc Toro
2 pc Masago
4 pc Unagi
2 pc Super White Tuna
1 Spicy Tuna Hand Roll
1 Spicy Sauce
Total was about $70. It's not too bad......5 us finished everything off. I wouldn't say it was great, but it was good. It wasn't blow me away good.....just a step up from some sushi restaurants.
I would definitely go back again and try other items as it was hard to order without a menu. After I placed the order I realized everything was tuna....I didn't even order any salmon. DUH!
This will be one of those once in awhile places I'll go too as it's a bit of a drive from where I live. I'll update again when I try it again!
The best find in 2009. Yes, it's a drive, but well worth it. I will tell you why.
6 pieces of hamachi sushi
6 pieces of super white tuna sushi
2 spicy scallop handroll
1 rainbow roll
1 dragon roll
Total: $35. That's why.
Fabulous Sushi! Yes, like others have said, the place is a little dingy. We actually had to crawl over a bunch of boxes on the floor. But every step was worth it. We got a HUGE tray of sushi
4 Giant Spider Rolls, 2 Dragon Rolls, 2 Spicy Tuna Rolls, 2 California Rolls, 2 Philadelphia Rolls along with a mountain of ginger, wasabi, soy sauce and extra chopsticks.
ALL FOR $44.00!! WOWZA!
It took less than 40 minutes and it was worth the wait in the Starbucks down the street.
Highly recommend this super fresh sushi.
Cheapest fresh sushi in Chicago, and freshness which is very surprising. Note: Do not judge Lawrence Fish Market based on their exterior/interior. There is no menu to order... simply tell the kind staff what kind of sushi you desire and they'll make it on the spot in about 10-15 minutes.
We ordered Godzilla roll (avocado, eel, tempura shrimp, fisheggs, and cucumber), 2 hand rolls, and two pieces of salmon sushi all for under $20. Tell me where else in Chicago can you get THAT much fresh sushi for less than $20. At a restaurant, this would easily add to about $50.
The roll was amazing. The hand rolls were chock-full of fresh salmon and tuna. Mmm Mmm. I highly recommend to all sushi-lovers on the Northside of Chicago.
I took a sick day from work because I was having "stomach issues". I had read through the zillion reviews about this place the night before. So around 1pm I finally caved in and placed my order over the phone.
1 Godzilla roll
1 Philly roll
1 Rainbow roll
1 Dragon roll
2 Spider rolls
1 Yellowtail nigiri
2 Unagi nigiri
1 Salmon nigiri
All of this for $36!! Btw, the "decor" of the place isn't as bad as some reviewers have made it out to be. Trust me, there are much worst storefronts along that long strip of Lawrence Ave. However I must admit I did brace myself for the worst before opening the door. When I opened the door, I was rather surprised to see a woman lying down on the oft described couch/car seat watching TV. But she quickly jumped and provided really excellent service. However, I am nervous about the fact that this little fish market could end up with significant portions of all my future paychecks. :)
thank you yelp!
never would i have even considered ordering sushi from a place that has the discarded bench seat from the back of a mini van as their wait room seating and a menu taped to the register that looks as if it was scrawled by a demented child. Thankfully, my fellow yelpers assuaged my fears.
so the storefront is pretty run down and its on the same block as the titty bar, but man... this place puts out some pretty good sushi for CHEAP! we've gone twice now and tried a variety of rolls (fish and veggie) and sashimi. the rolls are fairly basic but well executed. the spicy tuna is made with whole pieces of fish rather than that diced junk and the caterpillar roll is the size of a baby's thigh! fer real!
i once got a big ass bone in a piece of hamachi which is the only reason for 4 stars instead of five. the sushi here is not going to revolutionize your world, but the quality of fish you get for the price will blow your mind.
I review restaurants for what they are. This is a sketchy looking place in a working-class neighborhood that puts together very good sushi. You don't get great ambiance but you don't pay for it either. I paid about $30 for a rainbow roll, spicy tuna roll, 10 salmon nigiri and 5 tuna nigiri--enough to feed three people. The takeout platter was nice-looking and the sushi was well-plated on it. The sushi was fresh and well-made. This is the best sushi I have had that wasn't near the ocean and it cost the same as sketchy grocery-store sushi. Plus, the staff was very friendly and quick. We walked in around lunchtime and ordered and had our sushi in about 18 minutes.
Note - there is no menu. If you can order it and they have it, they can make it.
I've read all these review thinking, how good can this place possibly be?
Well....
I just came back from sushi heaven.
Since everyone here list what they had and for how much, here's mine
2 Salmon Nigiri
2 Tuna Nigiri
2 Yellowtail Nigiri
1 Dragon Roll
1 Spicy Tuna Roll
1/4 lbs White Tuna Sashimi
$19.84
Not just the price that I find myself say "Holy S**t", as soon as that White Tuna hit my mouth, it's gone, just melted away. So, you're not sacrificing the quality because it's cheap.
Everything else is as good as I would expect a 5 stars place that all these Yelpers are speak of
And Yes, these were made by Koreans.
SO...
Never mind that this is a hole in the wall place, although, I might just sit down and eat at that dingy car seat.
Never mind that there is no menu, you have to know what you want before you come in.
Never mind that they take only cash
And just ignore the fact that they're also happened to be very nice.
Just come in, order your sushi, shut up and eat.
You too, will go to that Sushi Heaven
Oh. My. God. This place is flat out amazing, delicious and awesomely cheap. I go here for lunch at least one day a week and have been known to bike, take the bus or pretty much do whatever it takes to get to this place and their melt in your mouth sushi. Their prices are not set but 4 rolls usually costs between $12-$14 dollar which is pretty darn cheap.
As has been stated in previous reviews of Lawrence Fish Market, do not go here expecting a nice sushi restaurant. Do not even go in here expecting a not so nice sushi restaurant. But once you manuever your way past the styrofoam cartons, and the old abandoned carseat to pick up your sushi, you will not be sorry. This place is definitely worth the trip.
Really tasty sushi for a great price! I ordered a Spider roll, a Shrimp Tempura roll, a Caterpillar roll, and 3 pieces of unagi for like $22 w/ tax. Very reasonable!
This place is a steal for the great sushi that you get at a good price. I was a little nervous about ordering from a place without a menu. But it was so easy and the lady said they could make everything. It took about 45 minutes for them to make our food which was not great but we had to drive and pick it up anyway so it wasn't so bad.
We ordered 2 california rolls, dragon roll, godzilla roll, spider roll
and a spicy tuna roll. It came out to $30 which is most likely from the godzilla roll which was humongous. (Last time I ordered sushi takeout we had 1/2 as much food and it cost $65.)
The cali and spicy tuna rolls were standard size. However, the other rolls were so big that I couldn't fit into my mouth in one bite. My fiance and I have never had so much sushi left over after takeout! We definitely could not finish anything.
P.S. Yes, the place isn't the best looking and definitely smells like a fish house. But the people were nice and the prices were so good. Only thing missing was edamame which I wasn't sure if they had. Next time...
Based on Yelp's rave reviews, I had to try this place out... so the next time my friend's wanted to have a sushi get together for dinner, I suggested the place and we planned our menu and pick up.
Here's the order:
2x California roll
2x Spicy tuna roll
1x Rainbow roll
1x Tempura roll
1x Alaska roll
1x Hamachi Nigiri
1x Super White Tuna Nigiri
2x Sake Nigiri
2x Unagi Nigiri
1x Toro Nigiri
And the grand total???? $36. Yes, all that sushi, for $36.
Quality was likely a 4.2 out of 5, so while not the best, still fresh and high quality.
Don't be put off by when you walk in. It definitely looked like a dingy little shop that was run down, but they had our sushi order ready to go immediately. This place serves some good sushi at LOW LOW prices!
(I feel like I'm trying to sell you something now...)
Better yet, don't go. Let the rest of enjoy this hidden gem so the prices don't elevate.
Verdict: The sushi quality is definitely good, but this makes the five staf cut because you just can't get any cheaper mid-high quality sushi in Chicago.
The area and the interior left much, I mean MUCH, to be desired. The sushi was very solid and very affordable, however. I hate when I have to weigh whether or not I think a place might have roaches against the taste and price, since the latter usually win..... Spicy tuna rolls were really good, very fresh and I liked that they did not dice the tuna, it left a nice tuna flavor. Carry out only. Very nice staff
Sushi lovers get your butt's here now! The reviews are true: super delicious, fresh sushi at a ridiculously low price! My order consisted of:
-1 roll spicy tuna
-2 pieces salmon sashimi
-1 piece tuna sashimi
-2 pieces super white tuna sashimi
Now guess my total y'all....... $ 8 ! Crazy right?
$1 pieces of sashimi-too good to be true.
My prayers have been answered: for a poor man to be able to afford sushi on a regular basis! Ha. I always knew I was to poor to have a sushi addiction, and thanks to this place I can now afford one!
I needed to forget the last experience but lunch was ordered from here unknown to me. I ordered mass amounts of toro, salmon, yellowtail and 2 handrolls.
The torro was excellent. Could it be their delivery is Monday?
Here I am 3 hours later and happy tummy later that I find out we ordered from Lawrence Fish Market.
You won me back, ( just not ordering uni for a while. )
I hate when i don't get fresh sushi.
You can mask non fresh sushi in rolls. But the pieces of sashmi,…
Read more »
hole in the wall that is a really hole in one for value for money!
rolls as low as 2.50 for the basic rolls. I usually spend 20 bucks and it is more than enough for 2 very HUNGRY people.
the cheapest sushi that you can get in chicago! no seats available, strictly a take out place.
Coming from California, I've had the pleasure of having the best sushi arguably anywhere outside of Japan. Needless to say, the Midwest has been a little bit of a disappointment in the raw fish arena. I've pretty much tried all of Chicago's well-known sushi establishments from Mirai to Blue Coral to Coast, etc, etc. But none compared to this little dirt hole in the middle of god knows where.
This place was BY FAR the best and freshest sushi in the city...and the CHEAPEST! Nevertheless, if you are looking for an elegant sit-down place, this is not where you want to go. When you walk in, the place literally looks like old seafood store that has not been inspected since Nixon was president. Menu? Nah. There was some dude sleeping on the only bench available and the place smelled like an old fisherman's wharf. Needless to say, I had my reservations. Moreover, they take sashimi orders by the pound, as thought you were ordering boar's head turkey at Dominick's. Quarter pound of super white tuna sashimi? $5. That's cheaper than peanut butter and jelly.
We ordered the following items:
-1/4 pound of White Tuna Sashimi
-1/4 pound Salmon Sashimi
-2 hamachi nigiri
-2 octopus nigiri
-Dragon Roll
-Spicy tuna roll
COST: $18.45
The fish, as I said, was out of this world. So fresh. So delicious. I think I'm going to go back tonight.
Neighborhood: Albany Park
Category: Seafood Markets
Neighborhood: Portage Park
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: DePaul
Category: Seafood Markets
Neighborhood: Albany Park
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Uptown
Category: Seafood Markets
Tuesdays, my friend Ben C. and I explore a…
I wonder where...... to get really good fish in…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
I know the title is stupid, but it's better than…
When I get a hankering for raw fish and wasabi,…
I consider myself a fair aficiando of sushi, and…
