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Shiroi Hana Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
3242 N Clark St(between Aldine Ave & Belmont Ave)
Chicago, IL 60657
Neighborhood: Lakeview
(773) 477-1652
- Nearest Transit:
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Belmont (Brown Line, Purple Line, Red Line)
Wellington (Brown Line, Purple Line)
Addison-Red (Red Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 5 pm - 9:30 pm
Tue-Sat 12 pm - 2:30 pm
Fri 5 pm - 10 pm
Sat 2:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Sun 4:30 pm - 9 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
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$$
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
183 reviews for Shiroi Hana Restaurant
Review Highlights
"...which comes with delicious miso soup and order a drink for..."
(in 25 reviews)
"Excellent price with a large all you can eat menu."
(in 10 reviews)
"this indulgent little maki is so yummy."
(in 32 reviews)
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183 reviews in English
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Review from Danielle C.
Chicago, IL
1/27/2012
So we ambled in here before a show the other night, two hungry people and one extremely thirsty person in our party. We were pretty early for a Thursday night but there were at least 3 other tables seated and chowing down.
The boys immediately grabbed the menus and started deciding what they were going to consume- post haste. I delicately reached for my water and in a quite lady like manner managed to drink the entire glass in one breath. As I discretely palmed one of their glasses, they began to discuss going for the all you can eat sushi extravaganza. Since the whole table has to order all you can eat, and I really was in the mood for all you can drink (and water was fine for me), it took a bit of encouraging. However, we went for it and began to fill out our cards.
It was pretty amusing. Yes, there are limits on what you can order each round, but BELIEVE me, they are reasonable- 2 appetizers, 2 rolls, and 8 (I think?) pieces of sashimi. Now, really- that should be WAY more than enough for a meal! It was pretty hilarious. My friends were on a roll- no pun intended. They love sushi and can STUFF IT DOWN! One of them was really concerned when we could not fit one of his wants on our first round. AHEM.
I did not touch any apps. I did not want them. The super white tuna was as it is supposed to be. Buttery, soft, umm. yum. The Alaskan crispy roll was great, spicy tuna perfect, the spider roll was good, tropical roll- strangely good. The guys just kept going until it was obvious their eyes were bigger than their stomachs and they were sniffing and snorting like coke heads from the major doses of wasabi they require (yes, so attractive). They did wrap up some rolls to go for us. They charged us a buck a roll. No big deal.
We had one roll we did not like. I should say they did not like- because if they don't like it, I am not touching it.
All in all- not a bad place! Clean, pretty bright, good place for a quick bite or quick gorge in my friends case! -
Review from Barack O.
Rogers Park, Chicago, IL
1/19/2012
This place was great around 1999 but the quality of the food and service have had a steady decline since then. The reasons are numerous, but here're just a few:
- decreased quality of sushi/sashimi
- increased size of maki rolls to near-comical proportions (bigger is NOT better and NEVER a substitute for poorly executed food
- rudeness of managers
- inattentiveness of servers
This place is one of many pathetic Japanese-style restaurants that have implemented a sushi buffet as a last ditch attempt to stay afloat. Think for a moment what the quality of the ingredients must be if a restaurant is selling food en masse. Now factor in that the supposed main ingredient is raw fish. "Supposed" because the true main ingredient is rice for Shiroi Hana's nigiri/maki. If anyone wants rice so much, why not buy a damn rice cooker and gorge on the grain until you're a diabetic?
If anyone has recommended this restaurant to you, then this much is clear: that person has no knowledge of how true Japanese food should taste, especially sushi/sashi; they've never been to Japan nor have any knowledge of their culture; and they may have killed their taste buds at a young age when a bottle rocket exploded in their nose on a 4th of July accident.
There are too many great Japanese / sushi restaurants in this city for anyone to waste their money at this place. -
Review from Jaci Y.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 1/19/2012
Lunch was good! My friend and I had lunch their last Tuesday, and I thought the food was very good. The service was nice, the waitress was willing to make the bento box the I had ordered it, when had come out missing an item. We went around lunch time it's not very busy in there, and we enjoy the food and conversation.
I beileve Lunch at a Sushi Japanese restaurant is always a bit expensive. They offer lunch specials you might have to spend at least $12 or more on a lunch but you get filled up.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/18/2011
It was good the last time were dined there which was last Sunday. We had their Sushi Buffet, which… Read more »
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Review from Nektaria R.
Chicago, IL
12/16/2011
Not sure what's happened to this place. It was my favorite restaurant back in the day. This is where I fell in love with red bean ice cream and where I would enjoy sushi for 2 all by myself! It was phenomenal. The last time I had this, I wasn't happy at all. Not sure what it was, it was fresh but not "ahhh" fresh. Even when the service sucked, we'd still come here for fresh and tasty sushi.
Now, they do buffet. I'm not happy with that. If it works for them, great. I just prefer ordering off the regular menu, just miss the way it used to be. Oh well, some good things have to come to an end. -
Review from Svitlana P.
Buffalo Grove, IL
12/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not my best experience at a sushi buffet. My best friend, her fiance and I decided to try this place after our beloved House of Sushi and Noodles went sour. First of, everyone has to order the buffet (my friend's fiance does not eat sushi), which I guess was fine as there were things like fries and chicken on the all-you-can-eat menu. And he claimed the chicken and miso noodle soup were great.
Now to the sushi....There really is not much to say. There were no rolls that were tasty. Not even the spicy tuna rolls, which are usually really hard to mess up on. Another issue is that some sushi rolls did not contain ingredients, so it was my friend had to keep asking "what's in this one, what's in that one."
The service was good. The space is pretty small though, so it's not good for large groups. Another big downside is that you're only allowed 2 scoops of ice cream per person, and I love my green tea ice cream.... -
Review from MaSHa K.
Wheeling, IL
12/11/2011
Don't waste ur time and money.....The only good thing this place has going for it, that it's very clean, the food was not good at all, sushi rolls were NOT tasty, fish was not the best quality. Very dissapointed.
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Review from Eunice K.
Chicago, IL
11/12/2011
My favorite sushi place in Lakeview/Wrigleyville. LOVE the assorted tempura app & spicy scallop sushi (not maki). Amazing!!
Even though I live like 2 blocks away, I always place a delivery order on my way home from work (when I get that instant sushi craving). The order is always perfectly packaged and they never miss a thing.
OH and the all-you-can-eat is amazing. Most places limit the menu but the menu is as extensive as it gets. Totally worth it.
Only downside, $2 cork-fee for BYOB for all-you-can-eat. Regardless, I LOVE IT. :) -
Review from Psycha D.
Chicago, IL
10/21/2011
I have been at this place so many times it borders on obsession.
One word: Incredible.
I eat my ass off. I have been going since 1986!!!!
I am going again tonight ! -
Review from Amy Z.
Chicago, IL
8/14/2011
This is the worst sushi I've had in Chicago.
And that's saying a lot... I'm usually not that picky when it comes to sushi, but I actually came out of this restaurant embarrassed that I suggested my friends and I try it when they would have been perfectly happy going to House of Sushi and Noodles not too far away.
The sushi is not only packed with rice but they all taste the same. The green tea ice cream tastes like vanilla. Noodles (ramen and udon alike) are nothing special. The snow crabs were tasteless and disgusting.
Needless to say, the sushi buffet was not worth the $25 + tip + tax.
SIDE NOTE:
They charge a DOLLAR per piece of sushi leftover.
My suggestion:
Leave while you can and go someplace else. The waitresses chuckle and mock you when you can't finish your food. Seriously, how rude. -
Review from Aryn S.
Chicago, IL
Why have I not written a review of Shiroi Hana yet? I do not know, because I eat here at least once a week. I just can't get enough. And believe me, I am a sushi freak! I've tried all of the places in the neighborhood and eaten at many places across the country.
This place has the authentic and classic approach to sushi that I look for, along with a large list of contemporary sushi rolls for those people that like to stuff their face with overly topped rolls. I'm not hating, but what I appreciate most about sushi is fresh, clean, and simple.
The uni, tako, red tuna, and salmon are always so amazingly fresh and yummy. I'm sure there are other items that are well worth the trip, but those are the ones I typically order. Also the Mexican roll, the Philly roll, and the Hawaiian roll are my favorites here.
On most evenings the restaurant is packed with people, and a lot of them Japanese (which I consider a good sign that it's fresh and authentic). Wait I just remembered why I haven't reviewed this place yet.... I don't want to give away my special place. But it's bound to happen sooner or later, ha ha give it a try!! -
Review from Kara M.
11/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
after travelling from west town, to bucktown then to boystown in search of food...Shiroi was def a shining star in a dark sky...i had been here before and remembered that i really liked the food and that the prices were pretty good. I guess all the cross-city travelling had me as hungry as a hostage because i ordered a chicken teriyaki bento box and a spicy tuna roll on the side...i mean how do you eat so much sushi you get the itis?? LOL...Shiroi isn't fancy pants but you def get a good amount of good sushi that tastes fresh and is tasty to boot. Def try the red bean ice cream or the empura green tea ice cream...loved both of those.
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Review from Steve L.
Des Plaines, IL
12/2/2011
It is a good place for sushi beginners and the prices are good.
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Review from Victor G.
Chicago, IL
11/28/2011
The All-You-Can-Eat is unbeatable. 20 dollars and a wide variety to choose from.
Sometimes when it gets real busy the sushi takes a while to come out, but come on that's expected.
I come here whenever i'm really craving sushi -
Review from Susan F.
5/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Missed their AYCE by a few minutes last Sunday, but that was okay. Their menu was huge and I knew I'd find something more suitable that wouldn't leave me bloated.
The Green Dragon Roll and DYnamite Roll were fantastic. The sauce on both was amazing. They also brought us miso soup for a starter and it was miso soup I actually enjoyed and did not want to throw up.
The prices are pretty good, you can find anything you want here! It was very croweded at 6 on Sunday, but the bar was open.
They also have both low sodium and regular soy sauce :) -
Review from Angela H.
Plainfield, IL
6/7/2011
I've been here about 4 times now with a group of 4-8 people. My 4-star review is based on the food and the price, not the service. The food is good, the service is awful. But that's because this place gets busy, and when you've got several tables ordering all-you-can-eat sushi it gets hectic. For $20-25/person, they pack in the business.
Best gyoza I've had anywhere. And the yam (sweet potato) roll is a nice way to switch up all the fish, it's sweet and has some crunch to it. Lots of my friends love the Mexican roll, the cilantro adds a new flavor to it.
Most of the other rolls are typical. Nothing is overweighted with mayo like you see in some places, the sauces are done just right.
If you don't eat everything on your plate, they will charge you for uneaten food. So order slowly and carefully. However, ordering slowly (1 roll at a time) you will suffer, as items come out of the kitchen slowly. Order a few at at a time and share with others. We got here late and our friends were already on round 2. They were stuffed, and I was still wishing I had more when they were getting their checks. Not because I'm a hog, but because the kitchen is slow and the waitresses just don't care if they pick up your orders or not.
It's worth traveling from the suburbs, best if you're in a group. I wouldn't go here if it was just 2 people. Need people to clean plates if you over order ;) I wouldn't go here for regular sushi either, just the all you can eat. Way too many other options out there. -
Review from Celina H.
Portland, OR
9/25/2011
Went here once on a date and I'd go back again. The way they present their meals are beautiful, not too skimpy with the portions and the staff is very friendly. A bit pricey but worth it. Then afterwards walk to the Chicago Comics right near by and check out Wrigley Field too. A perfect day!
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Review from Eliza Z.
3/28/2011
I feel a little like I cheated on my usual favorite all-you-can-eat sushi place, Sea Ranch in Evanston, but since I live in Lakeview, I really needed to find a closer place with a good all-you-can-eat sushi deal.
This place more than met my expectations.
The price for the all-you-can-eat varies depending on the time you get there. 5-7pm it's $19.99, which is awesome, but after 7pm it's a still very reasonable $24.99.
They have a HUGE all-you-can-eat menu. Maki and nigiri, of course, but also a full list of appetizers and half bowls of udon and ramen. And the list of maki is pretty large. They have all the standard (what I call "small") rolls: spicy tuna, salman, variety of veggie things. But they also have at least 15 types of specialty rolls. We tried a whole bunch of things: Superman, Sayonara, Crispy Dragon, Crispy Spicy Tuna, Chicago Bulls (a tempura beef roll, which was like a tempura entree in roll format) and these are just the ones I remember. The only thing that was a little weird is that things that were billed as seared salmon looked and tasted more like smoked salmon, but it was still delicious.
Fish quality was pretty good. All the nigiri looked and tasted excellent. I also tried a couple of the things I've never seen at other sushi places like spicy scallop (which I really liked) and super white tuna (which I'm not the biggest fan of, didn't taste bad per se, but the taste just wasn't for me).
The appetizers we got (shrimp shumai and snow crab legs) were decent. The udon (we got the beef one) was pretty tasty, they put quite a bit of beef in it considering it was a half portion. But I would save your stomach space for more sushi!
Service was also good. We got there kind of late, at 8:30pm and they close at 9:30pm. We put in our final order at 9:15pm, and they were so nice, coming back to say they were closing soon and were we ABSOLUTELY sure we didn't want more food? Because they were totally willing to give us more food.
So if you live on the north side of the city and don't like to trek up to Evanston to go to Sea Ranch, Shiroi Hana has great quality fish and a huge menu for an awesome price. I will be coming back here very very soon.Listed in: Cheap and Delicious Asian
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Review from Hoang L.
All you can eat $25 during regular hours and $20 for early bird specials.
If you want something that will blow your mind, order the octopus balls [not the official name for it]. It looks like it's alive. I couldn't stop staring. I ate it and it was good.
I just ordered a bunch of nigiri and enjoyed all of them except for the squid. But it's not their fault because I forgot that I don't like fresh squid.
Conclusion: it's worth the money if you're into the whole all-you-can-eat thing. I'm just not a fan of having to pay for food you can't finish. -
Review from Ray M.
Elgin, IL
10/5/2011
Good price for Some good sushi! Salmon skin roll is good A hell.
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Review from Lena T.
Washington D.C., DC
8/6/2011
I used to be a regular at Shiroi Hana before they became an all you can eat place. I always found the quality to be high and the prices are great for sushi.
I recently went to Shiroi Hana for the all you can eat for the first time in years. I'm sad to say the quality has taken a serious hit. The sauces and things on a lot of the rolls are nice, but honestly, it's covering up the low quality fish. When I eat sushi I WANT THE FISH! That's the point! So yeah some of the rolls are fun and tasty, but I was seriously concerned about some of them, the salmon in particular was not even the color it should be.
Sorry Shiroi Hana, I used to love you, but you've broken my heart and I need to move on. -
Review from clare d.
Chicago, IL
3/7/2011
I used to live next door to this place and even with the tempura smells from dumpster in The Alley we shared wafting up my fire escape, I still ate there and loved every moment of it.
It's affordable, which is what gets it the 4 stars in my book. The quality is totally decent and you can get full of food for reasonable amounts of currency. Hurray for that. -
Review from Natali C.
Chicago, IL
6/5/2011
I've been to a few all-you-can-eat sushi places in the city, but this is honestly my favorite. The price for the buffet does seem kinda steep at first for the $25 regular hours, but you get a huge selection rolls as well as nigiri, appetizers (best miso soup I've had), and ice cream. If you can go there for the early bird special, it's a great deal.
The quality of the fish is really good for a buffet. I suggest trying the seared salmon nigiri which is topped with spicy mayo; it's delicious! This is the first sushi place I've been to where I can actually say the spicy mayo deserves to be called spicy. The Crispy Dragon and Green Dragon rolls are really good, and if you want a break from the fish, the Sweet Potato roll has a nice sweetness to it.
The service has always been very friendly here with a family feel to it. A couple of my friends and I even showed up for the buffet and stayed passed the lunch hours, and the staff were very nice about.
The only downside to this place is that your entire party has to order the buffet, so don't bring friends here for the buffet unless they are big eater. They also take reservations, so if you're afraid they won't have room, call ahead. -
Review from Courtney P.
Chicago, IL
11/24/2010
I've been here half a dozen times, and it's always been "okay" but last night was far from. I shared to chef's choice sampler, and half of it was inedible. The sashimi here is not high quality and far from fresh. The skin was left on some of the pieces, and maybe I'm being ignorant but I don't want to be eating pieces of raw fish skin. The texture of the fish was slimy and gooey.
Basically it was a sushi nightmare. If this had been my first experience with sushi it would have taken my a loooong time to try it again. Luckily it wasn't but it will be a looong time before I think about coming here again!
Maybe it was because it was the end of the night, but whatever the case, it was not good. -
Review from Clif P.
2/3/2011
Shiroi Hana has sushi that is affordable, and good quality for the price you pay.
They have very interesting names for their maki rolls (think: Baseball player names, names of teams, super heroes, mythical creatures, etc.)
The atmosphere is only okay, which probably prevents it from getting 4 stars in my book.
Also, parking tends to suck. -
Review from Kelvin L.
Chicago, IL
9/26/2011
If you love sushi and live in Chicago, you need to come to Shiroi Hana ! :D They have amazing sushi and staff. They are usually packed around night time because the place is really small. So try to get there when they open so you can get awesome tables. I always come here with my girlfriends or even with a group of family members. I Come here almost every year for my birthday and we always do the Unlimited Buffet Deal. I definitely would recommend this sushi restaurant to anyone ! :D
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Review from Lily S.
San Francisco, CA
9/27/2010
My never-ending quest to find good takoyaki (fried octopus balls) led me to Shiroi Hana where there is an unlimited all you eat menu with takoyaki on it!!
Imagine my excitement as my boyfriend and I entered this small little mom and pop shop... only to be disappointed by mediocre food and non-attentive service.
The all you can eat menu is pretty cool since it contains more than your average sushi menu but also contains udon, ramen, izakayas (japanese tapas), and dessert (ice cream!).
However, you get what you pay for, cause the subpar quality of the food def shows. For two people, we paid around $50 - 60 for two, all-you-can-eat, meals.
We ordered:
1. gyoza - it tasted like something they could have bought pre-made and frozen. Kinda tasted by mandu instead of gyoza. Nothing special and wasn't that crispy.
2. tonkatsu - fried pork cutlets - it was very dry. We couldn't even finish the whole dish.
3. takoyaki - mushy, and not much octopus in it. Didn't have much sauce either so it just bleh. Def had better at other chicago locations.
4. miso ramen - tasted more like soy sauce based ramen. IT ONLY HAD ONE PEICE OF MEAT.. for a whole big bowl of noodles and soup.
I couldn't even share a piece of meat with the bf cause there was only one. wow. Just because it's an all you eat ramen, you can spare more than a piece of pork in there.
5. tempura udon - the bf liked it. I tasted a bite and thought it was the better part of the entire meal.
6. green tea ice cream - surprisingly good. But that just means they bought the ice cream from a good distributor, etc. Doubt they churn their own ice cream back there.
Overall, very disappointing dinner, ok service, relatively easy street parking (maybe we were lucky), and good ice cream.
So if you don't care about the quality of your food but want lots of it, you try this place out. But don't say I didn't warn you... -
Review from Nikki G.
Chicago, IL
9/24/2010
i had a really really bad experience at shiroi hana. Went there couple weeks ago with my friends, the place was packed but there were only two servers working that night and one host. Service was slow but i understand the fact that they'd tried their best.
Talking about food, we ordered couple of hot appetizers, everything was salty...way too salty. we also tried sushi set, which came out so late about 45 minutes and tasted really bad. Rice was bland, tasteless. Fish was not fresh at all, it was thiny, tiny cut...hey..i was not ordering AYCE, why you gave me such a small portion!!???
We left the place felt gross and not happy at all. bye bye shiro hana...never ever again. -
Review from Elise C.
Chicago, IL
9/17/2010
The food is alright, not the best i tried but affordable for the all you can eat menu.
service is bad specially that fatlady. shes rude and ignorant. when you ask something she will be like what? no we dont have and you ask her again she will say oh ok. and she charged us $0.75 for lemon. it is pretty absurd. i feel bad for the other waiter the guy that doesnt speak too much english. he is pretty nice guy.
overrall i wouldnt go there again just because of her bad service. -
Review from Glenn R.
Streamwood, IL
12/27/2010 2 Check-ins Here
What can I say, this is one of my favorite Sushi restaurants in Chicago. Nothing fancy, but a good place for cheap eats, good sushi, and a good place to meet your friends for an informal sushi dinner. I've been coming here for several years now, and this is one of the place I miss most since moving to the suburbs. There is nothing spectacular about the décor, just your everyday run of the mill typical Japanese restaurants; although you can tell this restaurant has been here for a while from the deteriorating paint on the walls to the dirty chairs. But what make up for the décor is the food. This place has so many Japanese entrée selections at an affordable price.
Considering it is in the city, im surprised that they could even afford these types of prices; I guess that explains why the paint is chipping off the wall. This is the only place where I can actually feel full after eating sushi. Most sushi places, I still feel a bit hungry after eating sushi cause I don't want to spend my mortgage money ordering more sushi. Also, they have an "All you can Eat" special for $20 (on certain times of the days, during lunch time and 5 to 8pm weekdays and all day Saturday) and you can order off most of the items in their menu. After hours, its $25 for "All you can eat" . This Is really a great deal for sushi !!! I've ordered off the "All you can Eat" menu as most of my favorite entrees are on the list. You just have to finish any leftovers else they will charge for any remaining food.
This place is always packed on the weekends, especially Friday night where you can expect to wait at least an hour during evening times, but it really is worth the wait. Also, the parking is a bit on the difficult side on the weekend, so plan your time wisely. -
Review from Charlotte O.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 5/29/2010
So Aaron and I made it back here recently and well a few small but awesome changes happened since we had last been in.
Now when you order the AYCE option they hand you a plastic sheet that includes descriptions of the rolls and some have pictures as well. Way cool in my book, it took away the "Um I don't know what is in this" jitters.
We also tried the Miso Ramen oh man, it really hit the spot. I have a funny feeling that if I ever went by myself I'd wind up ordering one and being way too full for any rolls or appetizers.
We had a great time and the food was really tasty.Listed in: All You Can Eat
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/5/2009
Aaron S. and I ventured here for dinner tonight because after looking up the online menu, and… Read more »
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Review from Amber G.
Evanston, IL
10/10/2010 8 photos
Came here for an all-you-can-eat sushi deal tonight with a bunch of friends. It's a great deal, $19.95 if you catch the early bird special.
However, the sushi just wasn't really all that great.
Started with several appetizers, and while the tempura vegetables were pretty good (esp. the sweet potato), the gyoza (pot stickers) weren't anything special and the spinach used in the goma ae was quite tough.
The Hawaiian Roll (tuna, avocado, mango, masago and spicy sauce) and Tropical rolls (shrimp tempura, avocado, mango, masago and spicy sauce) were my favorites of the night. The Green Dragon roll and Mexican roll were pretty good too but everything else was rather bland.
Of the nigiri, only the unagi was passable, and that was cooked and doused with sauce. The freshness of the fish just was not there, but with a sushi buffet, I can't really complain.
We had a grand old time and stuffed ourselves, and still had to try the ice cream. I had the green tea ice cream, which was far too sweet and lacking in green tea flavor. But a friend who tried the mango (which was a strange orange color) said it tasted like Herbal Essences shampoo....
If you haven't eaten all day and want sushi, it's definitely worth trying. I would stick to their specialty rolls though, and the tempura, because the simple fresh fish selection isn't top notch. -
Review from Francesca L.
Chicago, IL
2/18/2011
This might be one of the sushi restaurants in Chicago that I feel most comfortable. I wouldn't say that they have the best food; however, I like to eat here for some reasons.
Affordable prices, comfortable atmosphere, and great service. They also have all you can eat menus, but I haven't tried those. I have tried some sushi and bento boxes. I don't know if the quality of the food is awesome and upscale, but it tastes ok and eatable.
Don't miss the hot towels they give you when you sit down. I might go back some time this week again even though I know the food is not the best quality. So funny that I keep going there.
Give it a shot. You will know what I'm talking about. -
Review from Lidia L.
Los Angeles, CA
1/16/2011
Great fresh sushi. I tried the all you can eat sushi for $20. Everyone at the table has to do it though so no one person can sit out. There's a select menu for the all you can eat selection but the selection is not bad.
Things we liked:
- cubs roll
- yellowtail roll
- spicy tofu
- unagi
- amongst others I can't remember
Oh, and it comes with dessert too! Green Tea ice cream for me! -
Review from Dana M.
Chicago, IL
10/17/2010
All-you-can-eat sushi for $24.95 if you don't make it for the $19.95 early bird special! The catch is everyone at the table has to get all-you-can-eat and you have to finish everything, otherwise you will get charged... meaning eat all your rice! Already feeling lucky to find parking just outside the restaurant, I was expecting a long wait on a Saturday night but there was no line! There were a couple empty tables and I was slightly annoyed that they wouldn't seat us before the rest of our party got there. We finally convinced them to seat us because we said we were going to order right away-- we were starving! After we sat down, the table next to us opened up and no was was seated there the rest of the night.
We ordered Asahi beer and filled out our orders right away, some appetizers, maki rolls, nigiri rolls, specialty maki rolls, etc. There's a limit of how many of each you can order at a time which was no problem with 4 people.
Appetizers: Nothing really special. Gyozas are good but could be less greasy. Assorted Tempura is good but wish you can just get shrimp without an extra charge... I love veggies, just not tempura beans and onions. I do love sweet potato and pumpkin! I don't like Shumai-- they were these tiny balls stuffed with something fishy, turns out it was shrimp but tasted like a paste to me. Shrimp Golden Bags were kind of cute looking-- just what it is called: "deep fried bag of shrimp". I didn't try it but heard the skin was super hard.
Maki Rolls: My favorites are the Spicy Shrimp Tempura Roll and the Crispy Dragon Roll. We also had the Tropical and Hawaiian Rolls which were pretty similar with the Tropical having shrimp tempura in it and the Hawaiian with tuna. Weird combo... masago with mango and tuna! Both were wrapped in soy paper but still had seaweed on the inside. Spiderman was another special roll we got. Every maki roll we ordered seemed to have something deep-fried in it.
Nigiri Rolls: I also had a few pieces of sake and the unagi. Both were good but for all-you-can-eat, I was stuffed from the rice.
Dessert: Go for green tea ice cream!
Service was quick and our server was great. No complaints.
My only regret was that we didn't eat enough. But now that I have an idea of what I love and what I don't like, we have a plan of attack at our next meal! And, we will be back... no more trying out any dishes! Overall, the food was just ok for all-you-can-eat. -
Review from Jessica B.
Chicago, IL
5/17/2010
I ate so much sushi here, I had flashbacks to that time in 11th grade when I threw up in a McDonald's bathroom. But I rallied and ate some more (and got that feeling again). All you can eat sushi is a yes. Shiroi Hana is a yes.
P.S. The Mexican Roll is strange and horrifying and wonderful and fascinating all at once. Have one. -
Review from Euripides X.
ASTORIA, NY
1/25/2011
Good sushi for a fair price.
Atmosphere is pretty laid back and low key. Probably Chicago's best offering for sushi fans on a budget. -
Review from Jen M.
Chicago, IL
7/13/2011
I'm a fan of Shiroi Hana - when our old favorite, Nohana, closed, we went to the sister restaurant on Clark. The sushi is consistently good, the prices are really fair, and the restaurant is nice-looking inside. This isn't a trendy sushi place with super expensive rolls (hooray!), and they even have happy hour. One of our favorite servers from the old restaurant now works here, which is a nice bonus. Straight-forward sushi and good prices. Happy!
-
Review from Aaron S.
7/5/2009
Well, as it says on my All-You-Can-Eat Sushi List description: "If there's an AYCE sushi place not on my list, TELL ME!"
Well, A L. told me that Shiroi Hana offers an AYCE special, so off to Shiroi Hana we headed this weekend. I'd passed by this place back in the day when I would stop at Chicago Comics right next door, but back then they didn't have this (or rather they didn't advertise) deal. So a few years had passed, and there's a new sign outside and a new AYCE deal awaiting me!
If there's one thing that hinders this place from a 5-star rating, it would be the communication. When we were seated, our hostess did some low mumbling while gesturing at a few items. I'm pretty sure that she was giving the warning about charging for leftovers. Aside from that, we were on our own. So we glanced at the piece of paper with the boxes where we could choose our food and began checking things off.
When I talk about a lack of communication, it's mostly about the fact that you are given a list of items and almost no hints about their ingredients from the AYCE menu. I later discovered on my way home that their takeout menu provides ingredients for the special rolls, which would have been good information as we guessed our way through several bounties of sushi.
The gyoza were divine. The takoyaki were quite interesting (I'd been dying to try some). Their miso soup was average, and the panko fried shrimp were served with a delicious chili sauce, though the shrimp were mouth-burningly hot for several minutes after served to us. The shumai were also average, but lackluster Chinese pork dumplings on a sushi run is an acceptable sacrifice. And the nigiri sushi was quite good, though some items were a little salty or a weird temperature compared to the other pieces.
And then we come to those sushi rolls. The first special one we tried because there was a poster of it at the table as their new specialty and it listed the ingredients. Unfortunately, one of those ingredients was "cheese". While we've handled our fair share of strange ingredients in sushi thanks to HoSaN (jalepeño, potato croquettes, pineapple), we were dismayed and bewildered at what we were served. Stretched across the top of our sushi was strips of American Cheese - the kind that come as individually-wrapped slices - with some scorch marks from a blowtorch, which didn't manage to melt the cheese any, leaving us to cut through it to separate the sushi pieces. While the gastronomic event of eating it wasn't too horrible, it may have been the first factor that did us in.
We later wound up with the Crispy Dragon Roll, the Crunchy Spider Roll, and the Philadelphia Roll. On top of this, there were several orders of shrimp tempura rolls and eel rolls that slowly but surely did us in. It was our third round and we realized we could EACH fill out a card, not put both our orders on one card (which has limits per card on each section). This was our downfall, as the time it took us to fill out those cards was just enough time for our rice-laden rolls to begin expanding in our stomachs, sealing our dooms.
After the large round of final appetizers, it was really hitting us. I was able to take down my special roll, which was brought out before all the nigiri and maki rolls I ordered, but the damage was done.
I am ashamed to say that I have now officially fallen victim to the "you will be charged for leftovers" rule. The place is too small to effectively shift things to a napkin and out of sight - something I should have noticed upon entering. I failed, and they knew it. I asked for the check, and when they commented on the leftovers, I agreed that I understood we would have to pay for them, but we would like a box to take them home (as long as we'd have to pay for them, right?)
Luckily, the staff was nicer than I expected when it came to charging for the leftovers. They effectively charged us for two regular rolls (we had definitely more than that left on our plates), which came out to $10. When I considered that we had just made it for the Early Bird price of $20 each instead of the regular $25 each, I was definitely willing to call it squares and give Shiroi Hana the point on that one. Yes, they are the first to use their rule against me and charge for leftovers, but all that did was negate our early-bird price discount, so I was rather pleased - and they got a nice tip because of it (plus due to sushi-laden guilt).
Because of the lack of communication, I wasn't comfortable ordering several things from the menu. Had I known that Tatsuta Age was "marinated chicken, coated and fried" - I would have tried that. However, I'm glad I didn't try the Goma Ae, which is "boiled spinach with sesame paste sauce". Apparently the "Cubs Roll" I had heard about is now the "Crunchy Dragon Roll", which came out in a 'C' with 'ubs' written in sauce. And I wish I knew that the Chicago Bulls Roll had tempura beef!
It was worth the trip. We may be back! -
Review from Helen C.
12/23/2009
It seems rather unfair that I should discover this place literally the night before I leave Chicago for good!
We didn't go for the all-you-can-eat special, though we probably should have done since most of the things we ordered were on that menu too. It seems generous, and it's only $20 before 8pm Monday to Friday. We had gyoza, 3 rolls including the rainbow, and edamame. The rainbow roll had much fresher fish than our usual sushi place, and was generous on the sashimi and skimpy on the mayo - my favoured sushi balance. The asparagus tempura was incredible, and the edamame were also the best I've had in Chicago. Yes, they're only soy beans, but even beans can be great! Treat them with respect. Gyoza were tasty.
Anyway, all the food was delicious - the tempura ice cream is a novelty, I'd have settled for just excavating the delicious green tea ice cream from the batter but what they hey, it was my last night here so I ate all the deep fried goodness too.
The staff were lovely, it's BYO for wine (though there's a $2 corkage), the décor's great and we whiled away 3 hours here and never felt hurried. So very sad to not get the chance to go back here as I'm sure it would become my favourite sushi place.
Oh - and they sell Calpico soda - Calpis in Japan - which I have never seen outside Japan and was terribly exciting. Try it if you go. it's, erm, unique. In a good way! -
Review from Kelly H.
Chicago, IL
7/7/2011
My favorite sushi place in the city. Is it the best sushi I've ever had? No, but it's definitely the best value. $20-25 all you can eat (including appetizers and ice cream!), BYOB, friendly service, creative rolls, fresh fish... seriously, there's not much to complain about. The BF and I have a standing Friday night date here, and while it can get a little slow during peak hours, that just gives you more time to digest so you can cram in more sushi. You can't go wrong with Shiroi Hana.
