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Category: Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhood: LakeviewBelmont (Purple Express, Brown, Red)
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I've just come back from dinner at Rollapalooza. That was, in all honesty, some of the most delicious sushi I've ever eaten. The portions are HUGE! I ordered 3B I believe, a combo plate of rainbow roll, Hawaiian roll, and crab roll. Now, you might think they'd give you a smaller sampling of each, but oh no! Three rolls, in their entirety, appeared before me, all for only $14. And boy were they good. Melt in your mouth fish happiness, I'd say. I'm pleasantly stuffed, as was my friend, who's new to the sushi experience, and ordered a $6 combo of salmon roll, tuna roll, and spicy tuna roll. There's something for everyone, from the sushi novice to the connoisseur.
The service was on point, and there's a really pleasant vibe, with orange walls and eye-catching artwork. It's not necessarily a place to linger, probably not a first date venue, but a great place to take a friend or three and have a pleasant time. If you're in the neighborhood, you should definitely stop by.
Update!
I used to love this place... I mean.. IN LOVE. Like I would marry it! (Birbigs reference) But they changed ownership and now they kinda suck.
Positive:
- The music is better
- More seats
- Rolls didn't take too much much of a downturn in the change
Negative:
- Terrible Sashimi
- Overbearing service
- Raised prices
- Charged for BYOB ($2 for Wine, $.50/bottle for beer)
- Charge for edamame
Great Sushi. Great atmosphere. Friendly waitstaff. Get the B1 and some Saba.
(all opinions are…
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Can I subtract stars from other reviews? I used to love this place - but the last time was terrible. Absolutely my worst experience in Chicago.
Rolapalooza normally serves it's purpose: cheap, decent sushi in a good BYOB atmosphere. It's nowhere on the scale of Nobu to Kamehachi, so how could it fall so short that it ends up topping my list of most regrettable evenings? Just listen.
I met a friend there last Sunday for a quick bite before a busy week.
For $7 a person, you can normally split a $12 combo of three good rolls (including the rainbow roll) edamame, and 2 miso soups. It's almost the Vienna Beef of sushi spots.
We walked in and sat at the counter for 5 minutes or so before the waiter stopped by to drop off napkins and chopsticks. Another 5 before we asked him for menus as well. There were only 2 other small tables in the place.
I opened the menu, and instead of the glorious A2 $12 combo, I found a giant picture of a shrimp taped over the "A" combos. Even if the recession hits you hard, you rise the price -not just dump a consistent combo meal.
Ok, strike one.
We decide on another combo, and order miso soup. I ask if edamame still comes free with the combos and learn that not only does it not, but they are out of edamame. Can't get it this evening.
Alight, strike two.
The waiter drops off two glasses for our BYOB wine with the miso and follow up 30 minutes later with the rolls. They aren't amazing, but almost worth the oddly long wait.
We get ready to leave, and when the check arrives, I notice an $8 charge for wine. Assuming it was an error (I didn't think they had their licence, nor did I remember ordering a glass) I showed him the bill and asked if there was a mistake.
Nope. The $4 per glass service charge was introduced recently he said. So recently that he wasn't even aware of it until I told him. The man making the rolls defended it as a new rule that week from his "boss" and apologized that it wasn't anywhere on the menu nor told to us when we were given glasses.
Whoa. Seems like we're getting taken as I count strike three.
I let them know that I probably won't be back for a long time, if ever, when we leave. It could have been worse, I think to myself as I get in bed.
I realize how much worse a little after midnight when I wake up running for the bathroom.
Food poisoning. Sweet. I spend my night without sleep, unable to keep anything down, wondering how I didn't see the combo we ordered on the menu:
3 rolls (Philadelphia, tempura, and spicy tuna) - $14
2 miso soup - $4
2 glasses - $8
longing for edamame
food poisoning - Free
I doubt I'll be seeing that deal on Groupon any time soon. Steer clear of Rollapalooza and head east to Wakamono for sushi if you're in East Lakeview.
I'v never had sushi before, but i wanted to impress a new boy-date of mine and someone told me sushi is an aphrosidiac, so of course i just HAD to try it on this little specimen ;) We were greeted very nicely and the place was super cute!! so i was happy, until we got our meal. turns out sushi is RAW fish! omg. but i tried it anyway and the boyman thought it was yummy too. turns out that aphrodiac thing is true....if you know what i mean. yay for rollapalooza!
UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP. I frequented Rolla for a long time before it was under its new management. Now, the menu and service appear the same, however the portions and charges have changed.
Many of the items are prices the same, BUT are served as HALF portions. For example, the selection I used to order was Sushi set A I, which was 3 maki rolls for $6. The current menu presents the same option, but they serve only three HALF orders, essentially DOUBLING the price. In addition to the food surcharges, Rolla now charges $8 PER BOTTLE of wine. As a frequent BYOB diner, this charge seems outrageous, especially considering the low-level service offered at Rolla.
I've stopped by Rolla a few times in the past few weeks and it has never been open during its posted… Read more »
I live at Roscoe and Halsted and It dawned on me not long ago that I have never visited Rollapalooza when it's nearly across the street in fact I hardly ever eat in the neighborhood. So a few nights ago I went to get some take out from them and check it out. The decor inside is adorable and very modern. The staff are incredible friendly. They have an adorable menu though they pretty much only sell sushi. They were offering Miso Soup while I was in picking up my sushi ,but it would not be something I would recommend from them It tasted really watered down. The sushi was fantastic. The best I've actually had in almost a year. I used to rant and rave about how great Lips is ,but Rollapalooza knocks them to the floor. I definitely will be returning more often.
I came here after moving some furniture with a bud and we were HUNGRY. The portions are large and the prices are good. I got the Rollapalooza Roll, a plethora of rolls, lettuce greens, sauce, and more sushi slices! My friend got the Philly roll, another winner. If this place offered a weekly special like some other places I know, then I'll definitely be back more often.
Max the Sushi chef does a great job. And the place is BYOB. I like.
I apologize in advance for a spotty Yelp review, but thats how I felt about Rollapalooza. Sushi is fine and prices are decent, but my thought is, do you really want to waste your time at a place like that?
Lets put it this way, it did not blow me out of the water (no Boystown pun intended), so I wont be going back. I recommend Sushi Mon (check Yelp review).
The decor at Rollapalooza is cute and the staff is super friendly. The food is cheap, the quality is what you'd expect, and that's all there is to it. I had an avocado roll and a veggie roll (here it's got apple, kanpyo, avocado, cucumber, and some kind of sprout in a soy wrapper). It was refreshing, which is nice on a warm day filled with thrifting. My girl had her usuals and enjoyed them.
I wouldn't go across town just for it, but if I'm in the 'hood and hungry, I see no problem with catch some cheap sushi that, if not of the best quality, definitely beats fast food versions. It isn't an upscale place, but the food was tasty and service was speedy. A good experience.
Rewind to two months ago: My boyfriend and I absolutely loved this place. We would go there at least once a week. The staff was wonderful and helpful, and they always threw in an extra roll or two, free of charge. The sushi was good and cheap, the sushi chefs were awesome, always rocking out to some old school Michael Jackson or Mariah Carey (who can beat that) and the best part, it was BYOB with no corkage fee.
Now to today: Rollapalooza had been closed for about a month. My boyfriend and I called oh about daily, to find out when and if it would open again. Well it opened last week and WHOA, what a change. No one from the old staff was there, there was no music, and no offense to our waiter, he was pleasant and nice enough, but he didn't seem to know the rolls or the menu. AND, there is now an $8 corkage fee...in addition to the cost of some of the rolls going up.
The sushi was fine, definitely not as good as before. The rollapalooza roll, our favorite, was a poor man's version of the previous one. Overall, it's not the Rollapalooza that you are used to going to. Now, I admit I am resistive towards change and I could just need to warm up to the new place...but this visit did not encourage us to come back any time soon.
Old Rollapalooza, where ever you are, come back!!!!!
I just moved back to the gayborhood and live right near here. There are a million sushi spots in Lakeview, but so close, I figured I'd try it.
I ordered hand rolls (which was probably not the best choice) and a simple avocado roll. I would label it ok.
The prices aren't bad at all. But I say go to Kanok for the same prices and better sushi.
The sushi rolls here: B+ all the time; predictably good and very reasonably priced with very generous portions. Tonight, it was more than enough food for several people.
But more than the food, tonight was about how so many of us blindly trust machines.
Philadepia roll and veggie roll: $6.00 each
Let,($6 + $6) = $12.
One multi-person, multi-fish, multi-spice, variety-laden special from the back of the menu: $35.
Let $12 + $35 = ...........ready, bet you'll never guess:
$75 plus tax = "gland total: $84," he said with a warm smile.
"No, no. $12 + $35 = $47."
"Machine say $75."
"Ah,....But machine can't change nature."
Confused look. Confounded.
I took out my abacus, and asked:
"You're kidding right?" (He's still fumbling with the cash register).
"Just forget the cash register. Think about how silly it is to ponder whether $35 + $12 equals = $75."
He looked up at me, and smiled.
Apologies. All is forgiven.
Great food. Watch the check.
Allow me to set the scene for you.
My girlfriend and I were strolling through Boystown on a search for some penis. NO, not what you are thinking! We were getting supplies for a Bachlorette party and were making a visit to Batteries Not Included just down the way.
We happened to walk past Rollapalooza along the way and our growling stomachs made note of what appeared to be a fast food looking sushi joint that we could hit up on our way back to the car. After being disappointed by the penis selection yet again (that's what she said) we ducked into this somewhat inconspicuous brick storefront for what we thought to be a mediocre sushi experience.
After browsing the menu, we both chose two rolls and ordered without much thought. They had a huge menu so I just went with the first two things that I saw that looked good without giving either much thought. Spicy Tuna ($5) and the Dynamite ($10). I chose the Dynamite because I saw something about spicy and something about scallops.
A few minutes after we ordered the waitress brought over a tiny bowl of steamin hot edemame on the house. It was a small portion but perfect to munch on while discussing the in's and out's of the male genitalia. A few minutes later, our rolls came to the table and I was kind of blown away. My Dynamite roll looked like something out of a magazine or something! It was a circle of rolls (not even really sure what was inside the roll), covered in a spicy salad of really fresh grilled scallops, shrimp, green onion and cabbage tossed in a delicious spicy sauce. It was warm which I was a little sketched out by at first but it turned out to be one of the most delightful rolls I have ever had the pleasure of eating! It was really saucy but the quality of the fish was outstanding and I am afraid I left it's spicy tuna counterpart out because I spent all my time with the Dynamite roll. I was beyond full and still had a few rolls on the table when I happily paid my meager bill.
Fat and happy! Leave it to food to lift a girls spirits after being let down by the penis.
What I say and write here is true and I will not be responsible for any of these. I only speak of truth. As I'm a former employee of this sushi place called Rollapalooza on Halsted, I've noticed a few things that I should share with ya'll freely, They have only little over 10 water glasses, and 20 seats !!! And no dishwasher or kitchen !!! When it's busy over weekends...Who do u think would wash the glasses and your soy sauce trays?!? Server only the server rinse them sometimes when it's busy, only when she's got time to run to the back. They have one sushi chef and one only one server which explains that they trying to cut the budget and salary expences. But I tell u they do have some good tasting and cheap sushis. Yes, indeed. But about sanitation, As i worked there and mentioned about this, I was let go, almost fired. But' Its ok... I can get another job, but I can't leave this alone that who ever eats there, will get sick and desease or that pig desease easy. I tried to call the health dept. but i was on hold for a while i hang up. Aslo, this new "ownered" Rollapalooza sushi chef gets drunk after 8pm and smokes in his kitchen after the store closes. These Dumb as Koreans making good hearted Asians look bad, Don't go there, trust me, i worked there for 1 day and was fired
I've been really digging this place lately. I've eaten here ... 4 times now. Its been a bit of a different experience each time, but all have been quite good. If I could give it 4.5 stars I would.
The bottom line, the sushi is always very fresh and delicious. The menu is nothing but rolls, and they have a very large number of rolls to choose from. They also have some 'sets', which are a pre arranged set of rolls, for a very inexpensive price. Good stuff.
Now the thing you have to realize about this place is that the guys that run it are a little more interested in making sushi than service. In my opinion, if you go into it knowing that, you shouldn't be disappointed. If its at all busy, it can take a while for these guys to get to you to take your order and all. But I don't mind at all. Shouldn't we be spending a bit more time enjoying our meals anyway? Don't ge me wrong, the guys are VERY nice, but they are they chefs AND the service. So I cut them slack.
The best situation is when they have a bit of extra help. A couple of times I've been there and they have a woman helping them out. When that happens, you'll usually get treated to complementary edemame, and green tea. I really love little freebies like that, but you can't count on it happening every time.
Oh and the place is BYOB, which is always fantastic.
On the whole: Great food, great atmosphere, great variety, great prices, inconsistent service.
I've been meaning to come here for a long time, and yesterday I finally did. And it was nice.
My boyfriend and I ordered a three-roll combo for $14, and that was enough food for both of us! We also got the special, but definatly didn't need more food, and it was a little disapointing, it had warm lobster meat piled to the ceiling and it looked like cat food, but the roll itself was tasty.
The three rolls in the combo were amazing tho- the alaskan, spicy tuna and a shrimp tempura crunch roll. They were all fantastic and I loved them together, the first being extremly spicy and having fish on top, the second being more classic and simple, but great, and the third packed with crunch and sweetsalty!
There were a few bummers tho:
The service isn't the best, or fastest, but they are nice enough if you aren't in a hurry.
They didn't have miso soup on the menu, so we weren't sure if it came with the meal, and by the we were able to ask the waitress, out food was ready.
However the food was great, the price is right, especially if you get the right items, and they specialize in maki-my fav, so I will be back, and back and back...
but I do wish they would put a menu up online!!!!
I went here on a friday night around 7 pm with my boyfriend. We were lucky to sit down within 5 minutes, since there are only 3 tables for 2-4 people, 1 table for maybe 6 people, and the seats at the sushi bar.
We brought a bottle of white wine from Kafka. I was happy that they didn't charge a fee for us to open it. However, they did not provide any container with cold water or ice in it for the wine. The decor was cool.
While we were looking at the menus, one of the waitresses came to us 4 times asking if we were ready. Once we put the menus down, it took her 15 minutes for her to come to us again. When there are less than 10 parties and two waitresses...not good.
We ordered the tuna avacado roll, the rainbow roll and the kamikaze roll (I think). The fish was all very fresh and good. The Kamikaze was very, very onion-y.(after going home and using listerine, I still tasted it in my mouth. Not hot.) They brought the rolls out separately; I would have preferred them to have been brought out together. This was definitely enough food for two people. I was full and satisfied. They also brought some edamame before the meal, but it was soggy and a bit flavorless. No sign of the tea mentioned in earlier reviews; maybe you only get it if you don't bring wine.
So this is more of a 3.5 star review for the freshness of the fish, and the fact that the rolls were really good when we actually got them. The price was also decent, better than Wakamono down the street.
Service was bad. I don't cut slack for bad service; good restaurants have both, and in this economy...you've got to bring it or fail.
They also don't have a website, they would benefit from one of those since I will probably only go to them for take out in the future.
This is good sushi at a very reasonable price. It's BYOB so that helps keep the cost down. My friend and I went on a Sat. night at 8 PM and got a seat immediately. COMPLIMENTARY edamame! We ordered 4 rolls and were so stuffed we couldn't finish a half of one. Total bill at $43. I think we could have split 3 rolls and been fine. Overall a good experience if you want decent sushi (nothing fancy) at a reasonable price any day of the week.
I normally don't like sushi. But after going to Rollapalooza, I have grown to like it....even sometimes CRAVING IT! The chefs Sunny and Max are super nice and accommodating. Max will take time to listen to what you like or don't like and make suggestions based on what you told him. Everything he has made me is DELISH!! I especially love the dynamite roll.
Yes, sometimes service is slow. But this place is little and the chefs are the ones who are providing both meal and service. But for the quality and PRICE of the place. I don't really care. The sushi is very fresh and the people are very nice.
Another perk of this place is BYOB. There is no corkage fee, so feel free to bring whatever you'd like.
So for those who enjoy sushi or are new to it, give it a try! Feel free to ask the chefs for help, they are more than willing to help!
A local sushi place with good size portions and reasonable prices. This place is kinda Kkoky - which I like. Their hours seem to be at whim, not always posted. Friendly service and BYOB! :) Try their special, rollapalooza.
Personally, I always enjoy a -palooza of some kind. I was greeted with a pleasant "Long time, no see!" today when I walked into Rollapalooza. The two guys that are always working when I stop in are always super nice, but not hovery, which I appreciate. The rolls are big and in my opinion, really good! I almost always get a tempura crunch roll, and I like to think they've noticed me discreetly nibbling at the leftover bits of tempura and sauce on my plate, because today my roll was HEAPED with tempura crunchiness! I tried a Dynamite roll and liked that a lot as well. The space is modern and intimate, but bright and cute as well. I always go late afternoon or early evening so I'm not sure how busy it gets around dinnertime.
I took off a star but I'm slightly conflicted about it. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems they cut back daytime hours, which makes sense because it's a small business and I'm sure it's expensive to run in non-peak hours. However the new hours haven't been updated on the door. As of today, it's hours were _:00 - 11 or something like that. I also didn't get my usual comp edamame, which isn't a huge deal since I had PLENTLY of food, but made me a little :( .
Further affirming my love for Rolla -
I've finally dined in. My boyfriend & I sat in and ordered a plethora of sushi and loved every little bit of it. The service (as they know me by name) was astounding. I know that they might be a little slow, but to me - it is all about the quality.
Great rolls, great everything!!
I live a few doors down on Halsted from this place, and I've ordered it at least weekly for the past… Read more »
Rollapalooza, really? What an unfortunate name for this restaurant. Especially one that has pretty decent sushi. Some of their rolls are huge. We are talking monsterous in size!
It's a cute, cheap place in boystown and like I said the rolls are decent in size. I just left feeling like I needed something else or that I was missing something with the food. I didn't like the crab that was used in some of the rolls. It tasted more like crab salad and I wasn't there for crab salad. However, on that note everything else was stellar.
There was one man working the entire place...answering the phone, taking orders, making rolls, checking people out. He was a busy man and needless to say not super attentive. But again cheap, cheap food.
So umm yeah go here for cheap, huge sushi but stick the crab meat aka crab salad.
The epitome of a cute, cheap little neighborhood sushi joint. It's cafeteria-like with it's bright orange walls and stark furniture. It's pretty bright, with not much atmosphere - that's what makes it look cheap in addition to BEING cheap.
However, the sushi is great. It's all about the combos in the back of the menu - what a value! One combo for two = almost too much food.
Plus, it's BYOB, which I love. Proletariat champagne goes great with sushi. I'll be back to this place for sure.
Cheap. Delicious. Close. Byob. Friendly.
Spicy Tuna = Amazing
Negative - the menu can be overwhelming
Another Asian restaurant in Boystown. I really don't think we needed it but that being said Rollapalooza is still a welcome addition. I like the atmosphere and the menu is really nifty looking.
On to the food: I sampled a few different tasty things and some that was, well, just ok. The texture of the caterpillar roll was off but the flavor was good. The miso soup was a bit bland as well. Now that the bad has been covered... I am a huge fan of their "Ninja Turtle" roll. It's the perfect combination of eel, cucumber, shrimp, and avocado. They cover the outside of the roll in something (probably tempura) to make it crunchy. This is one of my favorite rolls (in this price range) anywhere.
Something else that makes me excited about Rollapalooza - free edamame before your meal. This was almost a standard for all the sushi houses that I would frequent when I lived in Las Vegas (either edamame or miso) and I was quite pleased when it showed up at our table just moments after arriving. Also nice: they finish your meal off with some green tea with sesame. I actually don't love sesame but if you do then it would be a wonderful little touch to end your stay.
The service was amazing. Everyone was so friendly. They checked up on us just enough to make sure we had what we needed without being annoying about it. It is always nice to drop in to a new restaurant and see that they have the service down.
I will definitely be returning to Rollapalooza because of the Ninja Turtle, edamame, and close proximity to my home.
Well the name says it all. It's all rolls all the time. The sashimi & sushi menus are really small. And they do have some inventive rolls.
I love sushi and luckily for me there are plenty of picks in the neighborhood for some great sushi places.
After one takeout meal from here I am crowning Rollapalooza my new go-to takeout sushi place. The place is pretty small and the atmosphere is lacking compared to some of the other places around but the food is worth the takeout.
The menu is pretty extensive but the categories make it easy to decide where to go with your meal. I ended up getting the a 3 roll combo and it was way more than expected. The rolls were beautifully put together, stayed together while I was eating them and they were HUGE.
Also they give the best carryout bags ever, almost like gift bags. Love it!!
My new local joint for a quick sushi fix. Good sushi for a very decent price. I did not try the nigiri or sashimi but I liked the rolls I got and the hand rolls are also a good value. It's definitely a place I would go back to for a quick meal or take-out dinner on the way home.
Rollapalooza? More like RollapaBOOOOza. Or Crapapalooza. I guess Rollapalooza does kinda describe our dinner... a meal which quickly rolled down hill.
This was far and away the worst sushi I have ever had. Now, you can't beat the $3 spicy tuna roll. It was a little sloppy, but quite delicious, and more than serviceable for three bucks. However, the maki quickly "rolled" down hill from there.
The rainbow maki we had was okay. The fish on top was good, but the crab salad (???) in the middle was sweet and kind of off-putting. That was followed by a tempura roll that was covered in tempura crisps that must have been fried several days prior. They were soggy, stale and disgusting, and the roll was borderline inedible.
At that point, somewhat inexplicably, our seaweed salad came out. I could have forgiven them for delivering this in the middle of our sushi progression if it wasn't the worst seaweed salad I have ever had. It was swimming in dressing, and said dressing was far too sweet.
With our last roll, we hoped for redemption. After all, the standard spicy tuna maki had been good; how could they screw up a Philly roll? I'll tell you how to screw up a Philly roll - use overcooked salmon instead of the smoked variety. As we sat at the bar and watched as the sushi chef made the roll, we discussed that it could not possibly be our Philly. No way would anyone mistakenly replace cooked salmon for the standard smoked in a Philadelphia roll. Well, we were incredibly wrong. We tried it, and for the record, it's a terrible substitution. The consistency and taste make it basically disgusting.
We walked out of this establishment, pockets $40 lighter, with our worst dinning experience in at least the last year. If I ever return, it will be for 3-4 orders of the spicy tuna roll. But I'll always call it Crapapalooza.
It is my firm belief that you must ignore the name to enjoy the experience....Rollapalooza? Seriously, yikes. However, I managed to get past it, and so can you...its what's on the inside that counts. (and yes, this is a sushi double entendre, deal with it!)
This is a great "starter" sushi place for people that may want some tutoring. Cute interior, funky vibe, really cheap rolls and pieces, so that you can sample quite a bit without busting your "emergencies only" credit card out!
Service was a little lacking. Slow to bus the tables, didn't ask to chill our second bottle of white (Its BYOB!), no water given, etc etc. However, they are still new and my hope is that this will improve.
It's a very small place. Probably seating for 20 max, def not good for large groups, but perfect for a nice dinner with a friend and some bottles of wine from Kafka. MMMM, Kafka. Sigh, I digress....
The menu is a bit confusing, yet ambitious. Lots of options, though I didn't see any appetizers/soups listed, but they did have the standard miso soup/edamame combo that I must consume prior to sushi. It's just like...a rule. I have no idea if there are other mystery apps, but perhaps there are...hmmm.
Lots of rolls. Like hundreds. Huge list of maki, smaller list of (very cheap) sushi pieces (unagi was quite good). My friend and I split the Eel avocado, California, spicy tuna, and each had a piece of nigiri. The only one we didn't really care for was the shrimp tempura, a bit too chewy. The rest were really fresh and well presented.
The bill gets it the 4th star. Great value...$36 for two stuffed people. BYOB. Really, can't be beat. Good place to check out for a quiet date, though they did start getting all rave scene on us towards the end of dinner, pumping jams into the tiny space like we were at Hydrate. Hmmm. Ok.
Still some kinks to work out, but the kitsch factor with the name, and kittens chasing sushi rolls on the windows makes it pretty fun and laid back place to grab a few rolls and drink a few glasses of wine before heading out. It won't break the bank, but like I said...ignore the name ;)
Rollapalooza features decent sushi in Boystown, and yes, it only serves sushi (nigiri, sashimi, chirashi, etc.). The chirashi is above par because they give you more fish and daikon than expected. If you're a gaijin who expects a vat of rice, that's your own problem - go find a Todai.
I expected Rollapalooza to have issues handling the crazy crowd of Market Days, but they did well...and they offered us free edamame and complimentary super white tuna nigiri to all 5 of us as a final piece, which was flattering and impressive.
If you don't eat a ton/don't have money to burn, Set A 1, 2 or 3 will put you away just fine for $6. it did for my friend.
From what I've heard, this place has only been open for a month or two, so take advantage while they're still new/cheap/fresh. I'm a HUGE fan right now. Plus, they're BYOB, which is convenient as all hell because Kafka is just right across the street.
This has to be the best sushi I've ever had in a big American city. The people are nice and will do pretty much anything for you to have a good experience. The fish is always fresh, and there are a ton of options. Plus, you can bring your own bottle of what ever you want. I usually bring a bottle of wine and two of us eat sushi at our own pace until the bottle is gone. It's a great place to go any day, and they're not too busy. I've tried a few other places in Chicago now, and I keep coming back to Rollapalooza.
So, I've tried to come back here multiple times. For some reason they are always closing an hour or two early, or they are not open during the middle of the week for some unknown reason. I really like the place, and they have great sushi. But, I am done getting a cab here and then having to walk a few blocks to another BYOB sushi restaurant. It's been 4 times now, so I think I'm going to have to pass from now on.
My husband and I had a great experience at Rollapalooza. I can't stress enough the massiveness of their rolls. They. Are. Huge. Luckily, they are delicious too. It would really suck to have a huge roll of grossness on your plate.
Be sure to try the yellowtail handroll. To die for. I hate cucumber and they were very accommodating about not including it in any of the rolls. And definitely take advantage of BYOB. There is a cute wine store across the street that has a really fantastic wine selection that is extremely affordable. I think we spent $15 on a bottle that I was very pleased with.
Seating is really limited (about 5 tables) but it makes for a nice and quiet dinner for two.
The next time we go, we'll probably try the combos on the back of the menu. Very affordable and lots of good stuff. We will definitely be regulars.
I ate here for the first time on Friday and I went back on Saturday. Overall, the sushi is good, not Wakamono and the owners are very friendly and nice.
The one nice thing about this restaurant is the price. You get a lot of sushi for the price. You can stick with the combo's on the back menu for sure and eat for two for under $20 with tip.
BYOB is great too! I think this resturant is a great place for take out too.
What a gem of a place! Been meaning to get there & had a feeling... just a hunch... it would be fantastic! To my surprise it was! The decor alone uprooted my mood & took me into LA mode! Totally hip! Get ready for color! Orange, yellowish wall color + oriental trendy art pieces combines with spacious table tops & numerous bar seating that give you a feeling of seaside seafood decadence! Intimate seating awaits your arrival & group seating options provide for flexibility! Staff is super friendly and ridiculously accomodating! My order to my surprise gave me that grin to grin smile that is making me go back for dinner tonight! Total win.. a must check out!
Fresh fish
Nice sized servings at low prices.
Plenty of extras that show their focus is on you.
They just need some experience and it will all come together.
I agree with Stevie B. but you have to excuse the low amount of customers.. they've only been open a month.
They are very pleasant but need to remember it's their restaurant. I love sushi but am new to eating it in restaurants. I didn't know what to do with the edamame.... so I sat there munching on whole pods. They should have explained the what and how of the experience.
I was a bit confused by the menu... as Stevie B says... it's the same stuff over and over. I just wanted a plate of different types of sushi... and it turns out it was on a crudely written specials list. It was an odd contrast to their slick yet confusing menus.
They do need to realize what neighborhood they are in and cater to that. The funky windows make me think they can pull it off.
Go with an open mind and help them out.
BYOB is a plus. The service needs to improve quite a bit. A two man team is not enough to cook, greet customers as they come in, ring customers up, and check on whether customers want anything more, etc. The owner was cool and the price is reasonable relative to other sushi places.
I know times are tough, but hiring an extra person will be worth it when it comes to customer service :-)
Okay, I really wanted to like this place. The owner greeted us at the door and was as sweet as can be, and it's got some things going in its favor: great location, cheap food, funky fun decor, and great service.
But it was empty when we were there on a Friday night (granted, it was pretty late) and I can see why. There's a couple things it really needs to change if it's gonna survive.
1. The music. Oh god, the music. Nobody at 10PM on a Friday night wants to hear "You Light Up My Life" and a Lionel Richie medley. You're in Boystown, for God's sake, take off the easy listening and take a cue form Ping Pong and at least put on something loungey. You will drive the gay boys away in droves.
2. Selection. This place has sushi and...let's see here, more sushi,and...oh yeah, sushi. That's it. Sure, I like sushi, but occasionally I would like SOMETHING else as well--dumplings, salad, anything? No. In fact the best thing we ate here were some special cooked shrimp with a slightly spicy sauce (not from the menu) that the chef made for us (complimentary as well as delicious) -- C'mon, add it to the menu already!
3. The sushi itself. This has one of the most boring sushi menus I have ever seen. And it's an enormous menu, but it's basically variations on the same fifteen ingredients. I can think of so many other sushi restaurants (Sushi X, Sushi Wabi, Sushi Luxe, Tanoshii, MIrai, to name a few) which are WAY more creative. C'mon, spice up this menu a little.
I'll still probably give it another try in a few weeks. It got an extra star for the service and the shrimp.
It is inexpensive, but you are paying for what you get. When i first saw the price I was amazed, and immediately ordered 3 different rolls for myself. However, I soon realize why they were so cheap and immediately regretted my decision. However, my friends' orders were pretty decent, I guess you just have to find what their strong/special dishes are, or else you will be slightly disappointed but you won't be as broke :)
15% off anytime for students
Neighborhood: University Village
Shiso Specials
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Category: Thai
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