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Red Bambuu Sushi & Seafood
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
2542 N Clark
(between Deming Pl & Wrightwood Ave)
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 975-5876
2542 N Clark
(between Deming Pl & Wrightwood Ave)
Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 975-5876
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
7 reviews for Red Bambuu Sushi & Seafood
I've gone where no Yelper has gone before.... Actually, I went to a sushi joint on Clark Street, but just not to Ponzu, Kabuki, Toro Sushi or Sushimon. Red Bambuu is the newest sushi eatery situated on Clark between Fullerton and Wrightwood, a section of Clark I have now deemed to be "Sushi Row."
I was skeptical, I figured that they opened just to try to pick up some people who weren't patient enough to wait for a table at Toro, which they are located directly next door to...But my non-skeptic half told me that their sushi has to be ok to stay in business on Sushi Row. So I threw my apprehensions out the window and got a Tropical Volcano Maki and a basic Shrimp Tempura for carry-out.
The Tropical Volcano Maki was awesome! The whole roll was covered in tempura and fried on the outside, the inside was cream cheese, mango, lobster salad and unagi. It was a really great flavor combo, and it was fried, how could I not be a fan of that?! I got the Shrimp Tempura to see how their basic rolls were. It was pretty much what you'd expect, but tasted nice and fresh.
One thing I especially like is that you can get a full or half order on any of their rolls. That's great news if you aren't super hungry or if you want to try a few different rolls. The employees were super friendly, plus it looked like they had a few more tables in there than Toro! I'll definitely be back next time I get that sushi craving, which knowing me will probably be in a few days.
So...I rarely give one star to any restaurant.. but as I'm typing my review, my stomach hurts from the awful sushi I was served at Red Bambuu.
My boyfriend and I wanted to go to Toro, but it was closed so we decided we'd give the sushi next door a shot. (I really should have known better.)
We started off with the dumplings. They were dry and just meh. The filling came out of it as soon as I bit into them. Not quite sure if that is supposed to happen.
I ordered the shrimp tempera roll as a "safety" roll. Not so safe. The shrimp was sooo over cooked! My boyfriend and I were laughing so hard while eating it because we looked like three year olds trying to chew our food. It was a workout. How do you mess up a shrimp tempura roll, really... c'mon.
I forget the other roll I ordered (I think I blacked out from the awfulness) but it was the last roll on the menu. Gross. Avocado was mushy and just not tasty and the tuna was sour.
I've learned my lesson: If Toro is closed, go to Five Guys and pick up a burger.
I feel like 2 stars is kind of low - but the description of 'Meh. I've experienced better' kind of matches what I felt like afterward.
For starters - it's next to Toro, which gets really good reviews (although I didn't have the best experience there either due to an order mix up). So you'd think they would know they have to step it up. They give you the option of a whole roll or half roll where you can match. Kind of unique.
So we got there around 7:30 on a Tuesday - one or two other tables of 2 were in there. I ordered an Ebi-Q roll and some kani nigiri. My friend got some special rolls and what not. They took FOREVER to get our food to us - especially considering the place was pretty empty. We watched the one sushi chef make a ton of to-go orders before our order. The waitstaff even knew they were taking forever because without us even saying anything, they told us they were sorry about the wait and would give us free edamame.
Then when the food finally came (minus one of my friend's rolls that took probably another 15 minutes to get to us) it wasn't fresh - it was pretty dried out. Ick - if you are a sushi place, you need to have fresh seafood! Even the cucumber in my roll was dry, and the rice seemed kind of old.
So sad because I was really hoping it was going to be good! My roll was pretty cheap (although the other rolls were about medium priced) - and maybe they were having an off night, but if I'm looking for cheap fresh sushi I'm going to stick to my favorite spot, Greentea that is just a bit further down Clark...
Toro was closed, we went next door and I have only one word to describe the sushi there.........yuck!
Dropped in on a Sunday afternoon. Great service very fresh, sashimi great portions, unagi nigiri best I've had for a while. Spider roll so-so.
Anyway, this beats the sushi places north on Broadway, including Sushi Blossom, pre-sliced fish in the cooler-yikes, and New Tokyo-mediocre and overpriced. Although Toro remains my favorite, congratulations Red Bambuu, you're my second favorite!
I was pleasantly surprised by Red Bambuu. Being so close to Toro, one might wonder how the heck it could compete. Well let's see. There are tables available, where as Toro there rarely is (unless you plan to wait at least an hour). Dont get me wrong, Toro is definitely worth the wait, but sometimes you just want it now! We ordered delivery and the sushi was fresh and tasty. I think that this place should do pretty well once people start to catch on that it's a good option for when they show up to Toro and could run a half marathon before their table would be ready.
Came here the day of the marathon...it was a Sunday. It was about 1PM and I really wanted sushi...unfortunately they told us that they would not be serving sushi until 2PM but it was kind of cold outside so I decided to stay and have thai or whatever it was...asian-ish... The funny thing was that there was about 4 different groups that came in after me looking for sushi and all left because they werent serving it. Supposedly the lady said that it was only that day and that normally they serve it at 12. So I ordered the veggie spring rolls and some soup...I cant remember the name but it was spicy veggie soup with noodles. It was great. Perfect for a cold day. The waitress was always checking on us and seeing if needed anything. I will go back to try out the sushi sometime. Its crazy cheap too!