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Category: Sushi Bars [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Lincoln Park, DePaulArmitage (Purple Express, Brown)
Mon-Thu. 4:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 4:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 3:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"I went here here for the first time with regulars. This sushi was SO good-- fresh and of good quality. The spicy mayonnaise was a…" read more »
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Sai Cafe has reliably great sushi - especially the spicy white tuna crunch roll (my favorite). The prices and atmosphere make it a great choice for both date nights and casual spur of the moment meals during the week. It has a nice, simple decor that doesn't make you feel like you're in a trendy nightclub that also happens to serve sushi (like sushi samba, et al) Sai also has non-sushi dishes for those less adventurous eaters.
The restaurant has ample seating but on weekends, I would suggest making a reservation. On weekdays I've never had a wait for a table.
Cute space.
With so many sushi spots in Chicago, this place can't compete with the others. Forgettable food. Good location, though.
Ok, this second trip was not as successful as the first, so I have to downgrade it. I came in to try the spicy white tuna crunch roll, which I loved. I also got the Ten Don, which I hated. The sauce is wrong - places don't get that the suace is supposed to be liquidy and not sweet at all and you wind up with some disgusting teriyaki style goop flooding the food. Not a good time. The service is still fabulous and fast and the tea is yummy and refilled often, so I can't say I wouldn't give this another go - I may just stick with the sushi the next time around.
And, totally not their fault, but can people with obnoxious babies please realize that if your kid cannot stop shouting or banging silverware on the table or throwing his stuff on the ground, you shouldn't bring the child to a restaurant? At least remove him when he is so loud that he drowns out the waitress taking my order? And Sai, when you hav these people in the room for a while and YOU KNOW what is going on, don't seat couples trying to have a quiet dinner next to them!
I love you Sai Cafe - from taking my bags from me to store elesewhere when I came in loaded down… Read more »
One time my boyfriend took me here and when I jokingly asked if he knew of the place because he had taken an ex there, the answer was yes.
Well, she must have been quite the sushi lover I say, because Sai was pretty damn good.
After giving him the stink eye he deserved, we indulged in one too many rolls, which seems to be our M.O. when it comes to sushi.
Although it's not a stand out like some of the other places in the neighborhood, its a good go to joint that pleases current (amazing, beautiful, smart, wonderful) and past (whorey, I'd imagine) girlfriends alike.
my husband and i have been eating at sai cafe for over...i dont know, like 10 years. when they first opened, they were just one small room. in the past few years, they have expanded. however, they are still quite busy. despite being busy, jim, the owner, always seems to have time to greet his customers by name. this place is cozy, friendly, and consistently delicious. its our favorite sushi place in the city of chicago and we have been just about everywhere.
cant say enough. try it out and see for yourself.
One of my favorite spots. Very nice interior and equally good food.
Food is fresh and doesn't leave you feeling good even after a large meal.
Agadeshi tofu appetizer is awesome as well as the vegetable fried rice (not too heavy).
Sushi, great. Teriyaki chicken, excellent.
I used to frequent this place before I moved here. It's just really good, fresh, well-prepared food. The service is nothing special, not bad.
If you drive, be prepared to drive in circles for a spot. Otherwise, the el is right there. Probably a better bet.
The food and atmosphere are interestingly fun each time and Jim outdoes himself with people each visit. This staple sushi restaurant in Chicago is the go-to for all sushi lovers who don't just choose because it is trendy or has a cool name. This is the real thing! I enjoy Hachi's too which is also his restaurant.
Start with miso soup which is never dull and always tasty. We ususally have the same thing with an added flair from the staff who make suggestions and never let us leave without a fun dessert.
Menu:
Miso soup
Edamame
crunchy tuna rolls
Sushimi - four types add two or three new ones
Ask for surprise dish
Sake
I had this again and I am never disappointed and the flavor is absolutely the best. They do not cut up their sushimi for price size. The cooked meals are excellent and they let you know the flavors.
Talk about delivery...this is the place I compare all delivery to for sushi. We have tried many and have kept coming back over and over again. Best food flavor, best food taste, best freshness, best size, best packaging, best delivery person, best overall experience again and again. This is not a 'cheap' sushi place but not at all over prices for what you get. I believe in paying for the freshness and knowing it is quality versus cheap sushi.
Kids are welcome and this is my child's favorite sushi home!
OUTSTANDING food all the time, visit after visit, year after year! Keep up the good work Jim-san! And ask for Fon, she is the BEST!!!!
Awesome sushi. Love the hot towels they bring you when you sit down. Not sure what all the service complaints are in other reviews, but ours was great- very attentive from multiple people.
Highlight: Fashion Roll - tuna, avacado, mayo, crab, other goodness
Lowlight: Spicy White Tuna Crunch - I don't like when tuna is prepared this way in a roll (the consistency is mushy- yick!)
One word: YUMMMMMMMMM!!!
By far my favorite Chicago sushi stop, Sai always offered fresh sushi, friendly service and a comfortable decor. By far my favorite was the spicy tuna which was the closest I'd ever had to my all-time favorite sushi place in the world (yes, literally of all the places I've been in the world)-- Sushi Aki (now Yagumo Sushi, which, if you are in Van Nuys, CA, you MUST go to because its amazing, strip mall sushi at it's absolute BEST).
Worth a stop, especially after an afternoon of shopping on Armitage.
Yummy sushi! Fresh soft melting sushi.
Been coming here for several years and I enjoyed everytime.
Service is usually great, sometimes there is a wait.
Nice calm envirnment. Sushi is great!
There is street parking but hard to find, most of the time we valet.
I love Sai Cafe. Its one of my neighborhood sushi joints and its a great place to order out, dine in with friends or a date. They have some good roll options and I definitely enjoy some of their appetizers especially the Ahi Poki Tuna. I even really enjoy their miso soup with lots of tofu and scallions and their Chirashi option is also delish.
For rolls, favorites for me are Volcano and some of the basics like spicy tuna, salmon avocado and yellowtail are great. The place is reasonable priced for what you get and I like the atmosphere when dining in. The staff is also super friendly and I like the sushi chefs as well when you sit at the sushi bar! Overall, I've had some great dining experiences here and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good place in the area.
Great local spot tucked away from the hustle and bustle. The first time I went to Sai Cafe was on a date and he couldn't have picked a better place. I couldn't believe that I had lived in the neighborhood for so long and not known about Sai.
It's very small, but quite and intimate (just the way I like it). Even though we dined on a Friday night, it was busy but never overcrowded. We sat in the back dining room area away from the front door and the kitchen which was nice.
The service was nothing special, but I rarely find the servers in sushi restaurants to be friendly. Our waters were always filled but there were quite a few times when I was looking around for our waitress when I needed a glass of wine.
We started off with the Veggie Tempura which was very good. We tried a variety of rolls. The Crazy Maki, Unagi Maki, Fashion Maki, and Negi Hamachi Maki. Of course it was too much and we had to take some home but everything was fabulous and very fresh.
I give them an A for presentation, service was a C+ at best and the food is A+ for sure. I really loved the ambiance of this cute little spot and I can't wait to take my family, being as they are avid sushi lovers.
Bottom line. Nicki says check Sai Cafe out.
What a great little spot tucked away on the side! Went in and were immediately greeted and seated at the table we were eying. Even though the menu was not what I would call elaborate, what they did have was all very tasty looking on the menu and also imaginative rolls (for the price).
I had the rainbow and fashion rolls which were both melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Avacado was so fresh and ripe that the it literally was hard to tell from the texture of the tuna. Started off with the Unagi tempura, which was something I had never seen before. Very tasty! I liked the ambiance and walking in you can definitely tell that the fish is fresh from the smell (fresh sushi smell, not "sitting in a fridge for 2 days smell) and the interior both funky and inviting.
If you have a small group, I would recommend trying to get the front booths - they looked super fun!
No wait on a Saturday night...good service, tasty sushi. There were lots of options and everything I tasted was good. The restaurant seemed huge and the tables were nicely spaced. I'm a huge fan of having lots of space and room to talk at a restaurant. Hearing other conversations (unless they are really juicy, and even that has its limits) is one of my main irritants.
I don't know if I would go rushing back as I'd go broke pretty quickly.
It started with soggy edamame and went downhill from there. The rolls were all kinda... well, icky. Nothing was really that great.
It was a snowy night in December and I was on vacation. That alone put me in a great mood! (Not that Sai doesn't deserve 4 stars on it's own, but I'm just saying that it probably helped.)
My sister, cousin and I went for dinner, and it was awesome! We ordered some Kani Su, Edamame, Dragon Rolls, and some other rolls that aren't coming to mind. The sushi was fresh and delish. The Kani came in a very light dressing w/ shaved cucumbers, and was a great way to start off the meal. Add to the excellent food some sake, large Sapporos, and a super friendly waitress, and you've got an excellent reason for me to go back!
Being Japanese I was a bit skeptical about Sai, but if they have been in business for 22 years and some chicago chefs frequent Sai, then they must be doing something right.
One thing I like about the menu is they have some conventional items as well some nontraditional items that the chef has made his own. I decided to partake in his signature dishes such as the ahi poke, toro tartare, and tora no me (baked salmon wrapped in squid). Although interesting and exciting in concept, none of these dishes really pulled me in. I have had better poke in Hawaii. The toro tartare was the standout, but I still prefer the texture of biting into a slab of toro sashimi. The "tiger eyes" was great in concept but a bit bland. I also ordered a salmon avocado maki to test out the sushi, and no doubt, it was fresh and recommendable.
Service is mixed for me. The hostess was sweet and friendly. The chef made his rounds through the dining room. The sushi chefs thanked us in unison on the way out. However, I didn't particularly care for our waitress. Her service was leaning more towards Chinatown service which was rushed with plates clanking the table. One thing she has to understand about Japanese restaurants is there is a certain delicacy, warmth, and cheerfullness. I'm not sure if Sai wants to be regarded as culturally authentic Japanese, but if they do, the waitress has to adopt certain mentality and idiocyncrasies.
The hostess gave me a 20% off appreciation card, so next time I will probably stick to the sashimi and sushi. I give 3 stars for the appetizers and 4 stars for the sushi.
My roommate and I decided on this place for dinner solely off of Yelp reviews, and we weren't disappointed...by the end of the meal. At first we were a bit worried because our 10-15 minute wait started creeping toward 20+, but then the hostess asked if we would accept (what she considered) the worst table in the house. It was small and right by the entrance, but it wasn't that bad...we managed to fit our food and the bottle of wine we brought ($10 corking fee, FYI).
We had the edamame, miso, and three rolls: Ebi Tempura Maki, Volcano Maki and the Spicy Tuna Maki. The spicy tuna was about what you'd expect, but the other two rolls were standout. The Ebi Tempura was a giant sized roll cut into four, which are always fun to enjoy. The Volcano Maki was very tasty and covered in tempura bits, but it was a bit hard to split because the pieces came piled on each other.
Overall, the service and food were good, and the prices were much more reasonable than I expected. But a word of caution: they don't really give enough wasabi. I for one love the rush of realizing I had just put a bit too much on a piece of sushi...and the ensuing nasal explosion.
I will definitely not be back any time soon. Although, the food was good, the rude waitress and the uninterested hostess made the entire experience very painful. I will be spending my time and money at a place that actually want me to be there. I'll stick with Itto Sushi!
The waitress did not want to get us saucers for our soy sauce and started arguing with us when we asked for bowls and spoons to eat our agedashi tofu. I would think that a place like this would know how to serve their food.
Sushi spots have been popping all over the place over the last 5 years in Chicago and Sai Cafe has definitely held its own with the competition. The sushi is fresh and the sushi chef's recommendations definitely make my mouth water. There is one thing you have to get . . . its the orgasmic Oyster Shooters. Its soooo good. I usually get two orders and just pound them as quick as they come
I can't believe I haven't been here before!!! After walking in I immediately noticed the quaint, comfortable, and intimate setting inside, such a nice contrast to the mega sushi joints that seem to be everywhere in Chicago!!
For my meal I started w/ miso soup (which btw was a bit too salty... is it really that hard to mess up miso soup!???) and threw in some maki rolls for fun, the Unagi (fresh water eel w/ cucumber), Soft shell crab (crab, avocado, mayo, fish egg, and cucumber), and the Rainbow (tuna, yellowtail, fresh salmon & avocado), with the entire meal topped off w/ a large bottle of Kirin. The food was spectacular and fish incredibly fresh! The rolls were also pretty substantial in size, I could barely finish my meal!!
One of my friends had the chillean sea bass which looked flaky and delicious. Next time I go back I definitely want to try some of the hot and cold appetizers, as well as the udon and hot entrees! As you can tell, I'll be back here in a hearbeat!
I can't believe this was the first time I had been to Sai Cafe but it probably won't be my last. This is one cute little sushi restaurant that really seems to pull in it's regulars. I could tell that the staff had a good rapport with alot of the customers that night. One table was even discussing with one of the staff about having their child's first birthday there in a few weeks. Umm...not exactly the type of place I would expect for a kids first birthday but..what do I know?
I ordered the Teriyaki Salmon which came along with a salad and Miso soup. I thought it might have been a little too hot outside to be drinking such a warm soup but mm it was good. Salty with just the perfect texture and size of tofu..yum. The Salmon was cooked perfectly and was accompanied by a bowl of white rice. As the appetizer we ordered the Hamachi Jalapeno which was the belly part of the yellowtail with a slice of jalapeno and served with soy sauce. the fish practically melted in my mouth it was so light and fresh.
I'll definitely go back but next time I might request sitting in the second room. The first room seemed to be filled with kids and on a nice Friday night out I am so not into that....okay...I'm never into that kind of scene but especially on a Friday night!
This is a very solid Japanese restaurant serving good quality fish. If you are into fancy rolls, you have plenty to choose from. Personally, I think their nigiris are not always so consistent: we had quite a few instances of "fallen fish" when the plates arrived.
They do have a fantastic selection of sashimi; top notch. I noticed they do not have as many variety of raw fish selection as Mirai, but they certainly suffice.
Get to know your sushi chef and sit at the sushi bar. order some sake and send it back to the kitchen to make some friends.
It's all about the spicy tuna crunch - for $7! Awhile ago my friend and I each ordered 2 rolls of the spicy white tuna crunch - psycho I know.
(Spicy White Tuna Crunch - white tuna mixed with flying fish egg, scallion, avocado, spicy sesame oil & tempura crunch)
This is honestly one of my favorite "go to" sushi spots. The sushi is fresh, tastes great, and is so reasonably priced! The service is fast and friendly. The ambiance is contemporary Asian - not old and dingy.
For the record, yes, I have had other rolls; Dragon and Rainbow Makis are also delicious.
Love this place.
If you're looking for a "scene", techno-music pumping in the background, or hip, young, model-like disaffected servers dressed in all black - try one of the other many places in the city. Sai won't be the place for you.
But if you want quality sushi at reasonable prices and the ability to have a conversation with your dining partners without shouting - Sai is it.
Sai was the first sushi restaurant I went to when I moved to Chicago almost a decade ago. I no longer live close by and I still go there - even for take out. I've eaten at all different kinds of sushi places all over this city and hands down - Sai's sushi is still the best quality by far.
This might be the best Japanese restaurant in Chicagoland.
(Beats Japonais, and oh, definitely Kaze, hands down)
I stumbled upon it walking in our new neighborhood and walked right into the freshest sushi that could possibly be found in these parts of America.
Owners are Taiwanese-Korean who have a loyal set of customers they know by name, and have been running Sai FOR 22 YEARS.
The fact that people keep coming back says a whole lot about this place.
Me? I'm at my 3rd time, and counting.
Best bets are:
1. Toro Tartar (orgasmic!)
2. Salmon & Hamachi sashimi (if you are adventurous, ask what they have really fresh)
3. Sukiyaki (The only place in Chicago I've found that serves this- a sweet Japanese beef noodle soup that hits the spot in winter)
Tip: Sit by the sushi bar if its your first time and you just might get unexpected treats (freshly grated wasabi, anyone?)
With service this good I'll leave my home for a cup of Miso just to say hi to the friendly, professional, kind people who work at Sai. Even when it's zero degrees outside.
The inside was recently redone to be much more accomodating to people who like to go alone, the food is great, always fresh, even on Mondays and Tuesdays when other sushi places give you the weekend leftovers.
I highly recommend Sai Cafe! Enjoy!
I really thought this place was quite excellent. It's tucked away on Sheffield near Armitage and I had lived nearby before I found out there was a restaurant there, to my pleasant surprise.
Pros: Generous service, with a knowledgeable staff. They have a lot of selection and really good menu for those who don't like sushi (Like myself) and have a nice Sake selection, I just went with the house Sake which I enjoyed thoroughly.
Cons: There aren't too many, but it's kind of dark in the restaurant which is such a minor detail, but I like to see things and not just go by candlelight.
Overall, I enjoyed the experience and thought positively of the restaurant and all that comes with it, and recommend it to those looking for some good japanese restaurant.
I have been eating at Sai Cafe for the past 15 years (possibly more) and I am pleased to say it is still one of the best sushi restaurants in the city. They don't play hip music, and the decor hasn't changed much, but the fish is fresh and the rolls are excellent without getting too crazy. I like several of the new sushi restaurants in Chicago like Sushi Wabi, Mirai and Coast, but sometimes i think they are selling th3e scene as much as the food. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you just want good sushi and a place you don't have to make reservation a week in advance to get a table, go to Sai Cafe. You won't be disappointed.
Wow. How did it take me so long to get here? I was blown away by how fantastic the soft shell crab maki was -- insane! I can't wait to go back and try out more of their menu. I was a big fan of their Halloween specialty maki as well. A great place to take a date or small group of friends.
The presentation and service was stellar on top of everything else.
I think I can.... I think I can... I think I can.... (keep a review short and sweet that is). Let's see shall we?** ***
So Sai Cafe was one of the first sushi joints I ever tried in Chicago. I lived down the street, it was convenient and the sushi was surprisingly good. You'd never know it from the interior since it hasn't been updated since the early 90's. But the Halloween maki rocks, the Baby Salmon Sashimi is melt-in-your-mouth good and the Kani-su with huge real alaskan king crab is ahhmazing!
Confucius Say: good fresh sushi in ugly surroundings much better than bad sushi on fancy lucite stool.
**Ok, so I would have left my review at that and amply succeeded with my goal but a quick peek at their website has left me thinking they may have undergone a renovation recently since it doesn't look the same old Sai Cafe. Pretty back-lighting and geometric ceiling decor. Huh?? They are also touting a new location in Logan Square called Hachi's Kitchen which must have shiny new interiors since its, well, new. So maybe those are the pics I saw. I will research and update, but in the meantime you still won't go wrong with their sushi offerings so give it a try.
***I'm a complete failure.
This is one of the few places that I've been many, many times. So many, it was in my cell phone phone book. Key word here - WAS.
Sai Cafe serves fancy-pants Japanese food at a reasonable price.
My son lived in Japan and has enjoyed going here but I agree with him that a better place is Katsu where his former Japanese girlfriend used to work. I wish I could give a higher star rating but it gets an averaged-out 3 stars - 1 star for service and 4.5 for food. I have to say, it gets 5 stars for cleanliness/freshness/outstanding prep - the fact is this place has never made me physically ill - as in food borne illness - which is always my greatest concern with sushi.
In fact Sai is so inconsistent that I have not been back in about a year or more.
I did enjoy the dragon roll and the tempura over rice. I had a dish with a caviar sauce that was memorable. Everything is always flavorful and prepared nicely but the portions are tiny and they never seem to have the wine in stock that I want and that's a HUGE part of enjoying this place for me.
I've had great service (when they sat us in the "main" dining area in front of the sushi counter) and I have had terrible service (when they sat us everywhere else in this place - so ASK to be seated in the front room near the sushi chefs or in the front window near the front door). Service is crucial to my dining experience - on that part of it, the service part, Sai could do WORLDS better. In fact, we have never had the same server twice or even recognized servers as being someone we had seen on a previous visit which really struck me as odd...until...I realized something about the woman in charge (Manager? Owner?).
There is a woman there who Nazi's around scowling and she makes me very uncomfortable. I once saw her admonish our server, who by the way was darling and genuine and doing a great job. She had seen something she apparently did not like while uncomfortably and anxiously "observing" the server attend to our table (another way to say it is "rudely staring at our server while she was trying to do her job"). It was bad enough she was scowling in our general direction but the inevitable chewing out of our darling server seemed completely unwarranted, unfair and just plain mean and it was all I could do to keep from rising to my feet to help the poor girl out against the attack. I have been in the food business 25 years and didn't see anything wrong with the way our server addressed our table. Our whole service changed from delightful to guarded and awkward thereafter with the Nurse Ratchet person still standing guard over in the corner the entire time. This whole awkward scenario of this manager lording over our tiny dining room and scowling like a prison guard happened a few other times as well on other visits. Didn't need to be and the restaurant is too small not to notice such obvious and annoying tension.
In other words, there is always some major disappointment that keeps me from loving this place but the food is not one of the things.
We resorted to takeout after this last time and were actually alarmed at the puny portion sizes when we got it home and onto normal sized plates. So...have not been back for a while.
I would highly recommend a FEW drinks at the little bar in the front or at home with starters before the taxi ride there before venturing back into one of the "rooms" they have you sit in in order to make the tension go down a little easier - or better yet, demand on being seated in the front window (in the bar), or in front of the sushi chefs.OR just bring someone you like SO much you won't notice the Nazi-Ratchet-Prison guard person abusing the hell out of your server.
Too bad, too. It's such a cute spot in a quaint neighborhood with great food.
ok, ok, ok, this wont be popular, BUT this place is OK. Its a solid place with decent sushi. I cant say its authentic, because its not, but its good. This is for the lincoln park crowd, and I think its a great local joint. Its a fab local spot and great for locals. I wouldnt go out of my way to eat here, and hence I cant give it 4 stars. Its not jap owned, and that does play a part in my review and sushi is truly an art. I was born and raised in the city and have had sushi all over, and this place is ok..I have had better sushi in scottsdale. If you want authentic but wont have the same atmosphere, go to Katsu.
I have been in this place several times. What can I say? The food is fresh and tasty, and every dish has a beautiful appereance. The environment is really nice, the glass doors and the bar look classy, and if is packed (this place gets crowded every single day of the week), you can always eat and drink at the bar.
It is a little expensive but you cannot expect anything different. Ask for the "escolar" and you will feel that sushi melting in your mouth. The anagi is superb, and although the service is not the best of the world, hey I always come back for the food!
The fish here is fresh. But Sai probably should be relegated to local sushi shop status rather than a destination.
The menu, as many have mentioned is pretty old-school, nothing particularly fancy - although the dynamite and the tora nome (tiger eyes) definitely caught my eye on the hot appetizer list, but the one appetizer ordered, the seaweed salad was no good.
I brought out the usual measuring stick - chirashi. Fish was large and juicy, but the sushi rice...couldn't quite put my finger on it, it wasn't particularly mushy or hard or too vinegary, but something wasn't quite right.
Another barometer I like to use is the ubiquitous California roll - I'll never order it but if it's incidental to someone's order I'll try it. Granted, it's not really Japanese, but you figure if they don't make that right, well, it's not a good sign! They used fake crab, and they put way too many cucumbers in there, was not good.
The volcano roll was a nice concept and well presented, but it was a tad too creamy. Likewise, the spicy white tuna crunch also looked nice, and as Bethany L mentioned, the tempura flakes were a nice touch, but the tuna itself was weird (def not on par w/the white tuna sashimi in my chirashi) and not spicy enough.
Service was pretty good, water was refilled multiple times, and while doing my usual ritual of trying to remember all my nihongo for the various fish, the manager/hostess noticed and came over and pointed out what was what, so that was nice.
Overall, solid place for fish. If it's rolls you want, head over to Sushi Wabi.
The key to this 3-star review is that I went in with a taste for a noodle-based dish, and with a friend who doesn't eat sushi. As soon as I glanced at the menu, I could see we made a poor decision on restaurants. They only have about 5 dishes that aren't sushi or fish related. We ordered the Japanese Style Fried Rice and the Yaki Soba. We shared both dishes. They were by no means disappointing, it was just a bummer that they were literally the only two things that we considered ordering on the whole menu. Also, portions weren't huge - we were full when we left, but we definitely finished everything with out a leftover scrap.
On a side note, the atmosphere was fairly up-scale. Very dark and not too many tables. It would make a good date place.
Bottom line, only go to Sai Cafe if everyone in your dining party likes and wants sushi.
Sai Cafe is odd. We have a friend in from out of town who originally wanted deep dish pizza, but we managed to talk her into some good sushi, instead. Sai Cafe is right around the corner and I'd never tried it, and after seeing the reviews here we figured it was worth a shot.
We got there right after they opened for dinner (about 4:45), so the place was totally empty. While generally I would think was a good thing, allowing my friends & I to catch up in peace, it turned out to be a little strange. I guess because the place was empty, we had about 5 different waitresses sicked on us. They would show up about every 2 minutes to ask if everything was okay. They would constantly refill waters even after we said that we didn't want anymore. When my roommate joined us, they immediately brought her a hot towel. She took a few minutes to take off her coat and hug our visiting friend - and the waitress showed up, rather impatiently, to push the hot towel toward her and make her wash her hands.
Perhaps the most bizarre thing was that toward the end of the meal, as my roommate was wiping her face with her napkin, one of our many waitresses came over and pulled the napkin OUT OF HER HANDS, then folded it onto the table and walked away. It was so damn weird.
The sushi was pretty decent. The bagel roll was better than I thought it would be, with a good ratio of cream cheese and salmon, but the salmon was a little tough. I also got the spicy white tuna crunch rolls, and the tempura flakes were a lot better than what most places stick on their sushi, but the tuna was very mushy and the spicy sauce not extremely flavorful. My roommate was unimpressed with her tempura; she said it was too oily and soggy. Gyoza was really great, though.
I think I would stick to ordering takeout from Sai if I did business with them again. My friend and roommate literally ran out of there exclaiming "Get me out of crazy town!" It was a bizarre experience.
The sushi rolls aren't the best I've had in the city but they sure hit the spot. My favorites---spicy white tuna crunch, dragon and volcano. The fresh pieces of salmon (nama sake) and eel (unagi) BLOW MY MIND. Sai has the BEST fresh sushi pieces in Chicago--imported from all over the world (ex. nama sake comes from our friends in Alaska.) I also love the Mochi ice cream for a tasty happy ending. The red bean flavor really gets me there. :)
The staff is always so so friendly and extremely helpful! The decor could use a little umm feng shui. It's not your usual trendy sushi bar. Lastly, if the dessert doesn't get you the happy ending--the bartender is dreamy and easy on the eyes. It'll get you started. Ha ;)
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Category: Sushi Bars
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