On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Asian Fusion, French
Neighborhood: BucktownTue-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Loading...
FINALLY! someone brings REAL japanese food to chicago! japan is much much more than sushi. most people have no idea what that luscious country has to offer the world. and one beautiful thing is hand made noodles :-)
i went alone, sat at the bar & ordered the cold housemade soba-buckwheat noodles with nori, yuzu, wasabi soy-dashi dipping broth with a side of tempura. ahh...even in japan its rare to have the noodles prepared by the chef with his name on the door. i could see him in the tiny kitchen preparing them. what a treat!
my noodles were light, simple, tasty, perfect. not surprising. what was surprising was the tempura! i am not a fan of tempura, but since it was offered by the waitress, why not? it's my birthday. it was the best tempura i've ever eaten in my life. a couple generous size prawns, some sweet potatoes, a couple of long beans, some zucchini & hot green japanese chili peppers-what a thrill! those really caught me off guard. with a couple of hitachino nest white ales, i left satisfied & happy.
i will return weekly until i've eaten my way through the entire menu. thank you, takashi.
itadakimasu!
I would like to be clear right from the outset:
**** for the food.
* for the experience/service (it should be noted that the service was not the waitresses fault--more on that later).
We had 12:30 lunch reservations this Sunday for a table of four. We were running just a touch late getting there, but all four of us were seated by 12:35.
Takashi is a very nice space. We ate upstairs where the paint and the furniture are done in subdued grays and light-colored wood. Every table was full.
We ordered some appetizers and some entrees and settled in to wait. And wait we did. It took approximately twenty-five minutes to be served with the appetizers--the Asian pear salad, the pork belly snack, vegetable tempura and gyoza (pork dumplings). The salad looked beautiful and was served with generous hunks of Maytag bleu cheese. The pork belly snack and the vegetable tempura were really great. The pork belly was very flavorful and the bun was really great. It was served with some spicy mustard which was perfect. The tempura was delicately fried--not at all greasy or heavy. The pork dumplings were fine--a dining companion remarked that they weren't any better than something you would get from Big Bowl. This is probably true.
Now, I really, really, really want to like Takashi at this point. We see noodles coming out of the kitchen to the tables around us. They looked fabulous and the smell was remarkable. All four of us had ordered ramen noodles. But we waited. And waited. And waited.
Approximately an hour before we got our noodles. The server was apologetic. The bus boy was apologetic. The maitre d' was apologetic. The house manager was apologetic. But that still didn't have our noodles out to us less than an hour and a half after we sat down. Our waitress--who was clearly upset by this whole timing issue and was obviously getting grief from all of her tables about this--told us that they had about four times the number of turns than they usually do--which, honestly, should have been controlled in the front of the house.
We were waiting so long that my girlfriend ordered tea. We waited for the tea. After about ten minutes when a couple who just came in ordered tea and were promptly served, and when it became apparent that we were about to be served our noodles, she cancelled the order. Five minutes later (after we had gotten our noodles) the tea arrived.
Honestly, I hate to complain about this because I want to like this restaurant, but, seriously folks, that was today's experience.
Back to the food: I had the miso ramen. It was absolutely fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. The broth was flavorful and spicy and complicated and I thought it was wonderful. It is really on the back of this that I say that the food was four stars.
Monica had the shoyu ramen. To be fair: If I would have ordered this instead of the miso ramen, I would have a completely different review to present. I thought that this was bland and underseasoned. Though there was a fantastic barbecued egg served in it. I was simply not impressed with this, Monica was simply not impressed with this. I should note that another dining companion had the shoyu and remarked that those were the best noodles he had ever eaten in his life. I would've been more than a little cranky about an hour and forty-five minute wait for that meal, though.
Our other dining companion had the silky tofu mushroom ramen. I didn't taste it. She seemed to enjoy it.
We got our bill. We were comped one entree for our wait and we were not charged for the tea. I thought that was fair--though comping us for all of our entrees might have been more equitable given the length of the wait which was--for a casual Sunday lunch--absolutely unacceptable under any circumstances not due to some sort of force majeure.
We'll probably try Takashi again... Hopefully some of the problems will be fixed by then.
Despite our mediocre impressions of the Duck fat fried chicken we sampled early last week at the Food and Wine festival, we were very intrigued by the Takashi menu. I was very optimistic by the Yelp 4.5 star review, but was somewhat disappointed with the meal. I guess the first red flag should have been the ease at which I got reservations at 1:00 on a Saturday for that night. It wasn't all bad, there were some highlights.
Per the recommendation of others I started with the Ginger Lime Martini. I thought it was OK. It was a little sweet for my liking, but not bad. My fiance got a really good glass of chardonnay which I quickly switched to.
We started with 2 hot appetizers; the scallops and gnocchi and the pork belly with buns. As many others noted we were drawn here partly because of the Scallop dish that was just OK. The scallops had some sand in them which I got past, my fiance did not. The gnocchi was very bland and the mushrooms were kind of hard. The creamy froth was pretty bland too. You got 3 small scallops for $14, which seemed a little high for what it was. The porkbelly on the other hand was the absolute highlight of the meal. If I went back I might just order 6 of those appetizers ($14). This pork belly was very tender and had a lovely bbq glaze (this was $14 also). It came with a pickled salad and a hot fresh bun. The chef recommended an "open-faced sandwich"- we complied and it was fantastic! Literally one of the best dishes I've had in Chicago.
For our main plates I ordered the Fluke which is a white fish similar to halibut. My fiance got the Salmon (against the recommendations we read about it). As always, the fellow yelpers were correct. Her salmon was well cooked but very bland. I felt like you could have bought the salmon at your local Dominick's and thrown it in the oven with a little butter and wallahh. The accompaniments were not great either- dish seemed to lack flavor. My fluke was pretty good. Fish was cooked great, and was served over hot pickled carrots and cabbage. It also came with butternut squash ravioli that were tasty. Both entrees were around $26 each.
The food overall was decent, just not amazing (except the porkbelly). Be aware the dishes are very small- 2 apps and 2 main entrees left us both satisfied but not full. We therefore indulged and got the bread pudding dessert. This was very tasty, but staying in line with the entire meal very petite. We needed to order a couple of glasses of dessert wine to round it out!
The restaurant has a very cool atmosphere as it's 2 stories in an old house. It's definitely a great place for a date as they bring out 1 dish at a time and you can't get out of there in less than 2 hours. I will say they don't have tap water available and you are forced to pick sparkling or still and they graciously bill you $8 for this.
So... 2 apps, 2 entrees, 1 dessert, 1 ginger martini, 1 bottle of wine, 2 glasses of dessert wine was $205 including tax and tip.... and like I said we definitely were not full nor drunk. I wouldn't tell someone NOT to go to Takashi, but I'm unlikely to return as I think there are better meals available in our great city for $200.
This was a tough review to write because the food well outweighed the service at this place so I didn't know how many stars to give it. I'm going for 3 because the food was good but the service was definitely a 1 star. We went for noodle Sunday since I read we had to try it from YELP. My husband and I ordered the same noodle dish, just mine was vegetarian and his wasn't. His noodles came crispy and yellow and mine were soggy and white. I know noodles and what this meant was that mine were overcooked. How can this happen AT A NOODLE PLACE??? I told the waitress and she was so mad at the kitchen (actually blamed them several times), so she sent the manager on duty to talk with me. He said they'd redo the order and when I finally got my crispy yellow egg noodles, I very much enjoyed my soup. By the way, the noodles on Sunday are all in soup so if it's a hot day outside, I wouldn't recommend this place for Sunday brunch.
It took 1 hour to get our food after we were seated (maybe even a bit longer). At the end, they took off $12 for my meal, which I suppose was a nice gesture.
Overall, if you're deciding whether to try this place out here's what I say, noodles are great but all depends if you're in the mood to deal with bad service.
I went to Takashi Restaurant for noodles for the first time....I have been there for their dinner before, which was superb in every way.
The noodles were to die for!!!!!! I ordered udon noodles, and tempura (vegetables and shrimp). All of the noodles are home made and I have never had the pleasure of a more delicious lunch....the broth was excellent also, and the spring roll and duck fried chicken appetizers were unbelievably wonderful....I wish I could go there every day, but shall be a regular customer from now on....we had a really relaxed time there, and the service was excellent!!!!
Sunday, SUNday, SUN-DAY!!!
Sunday is now officially Takashi noodle day in our household. I've now been here more times for Sunday noodles than I would like to admit (every Sunday since my first review).
It's still the most comforting, warm, bowl of broth-y goodness I've experienced in a long time. And with the weather cooling off, there are few things that beat the chill as effortlessly as Chef Takashi's noodles.
The Chef has added a Japanese-style curry to the menu that is absolutely my new favorite thing on the menu. I'm a huge fan of southeast Asian-style curry, but this is so much different. Japanese-style curry isn't as heavy in flavor, instensity, or consistency as other curries. Instead, it's light and dances on the tongue with notes of sweetness, tanginess, and an overall earthiness that is just too wonderful for words!
If you haven't been... go... now... before there's a wait.... because every week it's more packed than the week before!
Nooooooodles! Noodles! Noodles!! Noodles!!! It's true!
Takashi is doing a Sunday lunch special of…
Read more »
Mmmm...Mmm..yummy in my tummy! So why the 4 stars??
First off, everything was excellent. My friend and I wanted to have the tasting menu for $68 but since one of the people at our table didn't want to partake, we weren't able to. The entire table has to be involved otherwise, they won't serve the tasting. So, we ordered a bunch of our own things including the summer roll, Big Eye tuna, Sweetbreads, seared Maine skatewing, chicken in clay pot, and the pork belly (which we had and loved, then ordered it AGAIN for dessert!).
Super delicious - the pork belly is as good as everyone says it is. But $15 is steep for 3 little pieces. Same with the sweetbreads. Summer roll portion was great! Loved the chicken in the clay pot.
Service was lacking. For that kind of money, I don't expect that our waitress would give us snark remarks about how she wants to know our drink order "now" so she doesn't have to go up and down the stairs. She was overall having a bad day and I didn't appreciate it.
Other than that, Takashi-san, great job. Love the restaurant. Will be back on a Sunday to try your noodles.
Takashi was just Ok to me. If you have a hearty appetite (like myself) this probably isn't the place for you. Portions are really small. This is also a great place to take a date. It's intimate and cozy.
The standouts were the Martinis and the pork belly. I had the Ginger lime Martini. I was buzzed half way though the first one. It was Yummy. There were 4 of us and we ordered mostly apps and a few main courses. I really liked the scallops and the halibut. The ceviche and the rolls were just ok. We ordered some type of chocolate raspberry thing for dessert that I could have totally skipped on.
All in all it was pretty good food but for that type of cash, I expect to be wowed.
I've been a big fan of Takashi since our vday dinner and was so excited to try out the brunch menu. I thought that with his Top Chef appearance, the restaurant would be packed. However, it wasn't too busy on Sunday afternoon.
The duck fat fried chicken was delicous! The boneless meat was so moist while the outside being crispy. We ordered the pork belly buns again and I was so disappointed that there were only 2. These are soooo good! I love how the bao buns are sliced thinly bc it gives a nice bread to meat ratio.
The shoyu ramen noodles were ok. Good, but not mind blowing. They are perfect to eat on a cold day. I think for the price, I'd rather go to Urban Belly. The fried rice was extremely disappointing. Come on, fried rice isn't hard to do. But the rice was bland and mushy. We ordered the shrimp fried rice, which essentially was just fried rice with 2 shrimps on top.
The smaller restaurants are always a nice alternative to the big, loud ones. Takashi is such an inviting and cozy place. Takashi himself, was there working the kitchen and talking to the diners. I love when chefs actually work at their restaurants!
Overall, brunch was enjoyable. I'm glad we tried it out, but I'd rather return to Takashi for dinner.
I am going to start off by saying that this review is for their lunch/brunch. I love love love their dinner. If I had enough money I would be obese by now off of their pork belly. Ya it is that good, I would be willing to ask for the seat belt extender when I fly.
This review is for the disaster of a lunch I had on Sunday. First off, when we arrived the place was not really that busy (which is surprising for Takashi). We sat down and both ordered ramen. I was really excited, given that I used to live in California and had some of the best ramen you can find in the US.
Then 1 hour passed, without a word from our waiter. I was beginning to think they had flown to Japan to get the soup for me when the hostess (not our water mind you) finally came and told us there had been some "issue" (I am assuming the flight to Japan was delayed) and it would be right up. As we were nearing the 1 and 1/2 hour mark the soup finally came out.....and it really wasn't that good. It was way way over salted and didn't really have much flavor to it. The thing that really grinds my gears is that I was retarded enough to wait for the bowl of crap to be served to me.
I guess I am going to have to find another restaurant to get obese off of because this experience, like the amount of salt in the soup left a really bad taste in my mouth. So much so that I am not really sure I am going to go back for their dinners either.
Takashi. You are killing me! You are so quaint yet modern, sleek yet accessible. You are the perfect spot for date night.
The food is insane (highly recommend the halibut, scallops and pork belly) and the service is top notch. I also love the outdoor patio in the summer.
Truthfully, I can't wait to return and try many more of their fantastic food options!
Simple and elegant with understated restraint in both menu and decor.
Excellent desserts, drinks, food, the list goes on and on.
First of all. It was my fault that I made the reservation on the same day that we wished to dine. I was lucky to get a 930PM reservation.
We arrived at the restaurant at 910 PM and were told that they were still honoring their 9 PM reservations. It would have been less annoying if the bar was bigger and we didnt have to hang out in the 3x3 space near the stairs. After almost 20 min of just standing there awkwardly with fellow diners staring at us, we were finally seated.
We ordered the yuzu ceviche, seared scallops and the grilled octopus as apps. Every single one was excellent. Only problem, it took them 20 min to bring out the first dish (Ceviche) and about 15 min in between the other 2 appetizers. By the time we were done with apps, it was already 1030...We shared the skate wing entree; and lucky for us, we shared. The skate was super tasty and cooked just right. Only problem, it was swimming in a deep pool of grease. We had to wipe the grease off on our own plates before eating it.
We didn't make plans to go out that night. We waited 20 min for the valet to come back. Which, at that point, we just paid the parking and took the keys.
All and all, the appetizers were a bigger hit than the entree we ordered. The drinks ($12 Martinis) were fairly priced and decent pours. Our bill was $150 with a 20% tip. After all, our waiter was very nice and I am sure that the delays weren't his fault. But for $150/2 people, I would have expected way more.
Delcious. Cozy. Relaxing atmosphere. Interesting food. Go here for dinner, you will not be disappointed. Great date place. My only complaint is that one of the times I dined here we had a server who was not too friendly. There is nothing worse than a stand-offish server.
For starters I understand when a place gets over-hyped people write bad reviews as it usually disappoints. So I decided I'm not gonna listen to the bad reviews. Bad move. We had 10 o'clock reservations, we got seated at around 11. The food was incredibly mediocre. I will say the pork belly was amazing....but when is pork belly not amazing? Waiter was suggesting us to order 4 more entrees (we had a party of 6) on top of the 8 small plates and 4 entrees we ordered. Needless to say if we had taken his advice we would have spent another $100 and wasted a lot of food. On top of that we got 3 of our entrees and he claims that we didn't order a fourth one, but all 6 of us clearly remember even confirming the order. And he was rude about it. If you want good french food just go next door to Le Bouchon. Takashi is not even close to worth the money. Missed the mark big time. And i've lost my faith in Zagat after eating here. A 29 for food?? Please...
I went to Takashi last night for the first time with my mom and brother, who were visiting from Michigan. It seemed like the perfect restaurant to use as an introduction to fine dining for my brother, who's a huge foodie but doesn't live in a city that accommodates much experimentation on the restaurant end. And yes, Takashi delivered! The portions are small, so you'll want to order at least one small plate and a main dish for each person.
SMALL PLATES:
- Pork belly: Wow. I ended up ordering another one of these these after the main course - it made a technically incorrect course order, but I was so happy with the first one that a second seemed necessary. The pork belly is sweet and tender, and it's served with steamed Taiwanese-style rice buns.
- Tuna, served three ways: Another wow. The fish was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented.
- Scallops and soba gnocchi in foam: The scallops were good - they were fresh and cooked to a perfect doneness - and the gnocchi was likewise good, but the dish didn't blow any of us away.
MAINS:
- Duck confit and breast: I've had this dish in a lot of restaurants - it's a French staple - and Takashi's is one of the better versions you'll find.
- Skate wing: This dish is another French staple, and it's solidly executed here. However, it's unlikely to make you crave a return trip.
The service is excellent - you'll never want for fresh silverware or dishes, and the waiter didn't balk at my odd more-pork-belly-after-the-main-course request.
The restaurant isn't as quiet as one might hope - the clean lines and brick walls allow sound to bounce. But it is beautifully decorated, and the loudness wasn't distracting.
Dinner (without alcohol) runs around $60 per person with tip. It's not cheap, but neither is it overpriced. I've had more expensive meals that were less impressive. Overall, I highly recommend a visit - you won't be disappointed.
An open letter to the Management of Takashi: (and all Yelp readers)
Last night my boyfriend and I dined at Takashi, expecting to be blown away. We've heard only spectacular things about the food, service and overall dining experience and we couldn't have been more DISAPPOINTED AND UPSET about our meal.
My entree, Chicken in a Clay Pot (which was recommended by our server) came out RAW (red, soft and fleshy) and it was absolutely disgusting. Being in the food service industry, I am sure you are entirely aware of how dangerous serving raw poultry is and hope you can agree that the sight of raw chicken on a dining table (at $25 no less) ruins the appetite. My boyfriend's entree got cold while we waited for something different to be prepared in place of the raw chicken dish.
BUT...my major frustration with our experience was how poorly YOU (the management) handled the situation. Mistakes happen, and I was prepared to move past the chefs misstep and enjoy the rest of my meal, but I firmly believe it's all about how the management chooses to deal with it. Your choice to do absolutely nothing was unbelievable. No small gesture to encourage a return visit. Please tell me, Mr. Manager of Takashi, what does it really cost a restaurant to comp a round of drinks, maybe comp the replacement dish (at a mere $14) or send out a dessert on the house??????? It CANNOT be worth more to you than how damaging a terrible review will be, and how quickly this kind of experience spreads via word of mouth. You run a fine dining establishment, charging upwards of $25 for a plate of food and surely your reputation matters a great deal, yet you were unwilling to accommodate us in any way. Frankly, you acted like that sort of thing happens all the time. We got a smug smile and "I'm sorry".
I would like to add that our waitress handled the situation as best she could, she was professional and apologetic, but we found her comment (as we were paying the bill) to be very disconcerting. She told us that she tried to take care of some items from our bill but the management and the owner wouldn't allow it. Isn't a restaurant supposed to run as a seamless team?? It seems that you ought to give your servers a bit more authority Mr. Manager, to do as they see fit in keeping customers happy. Aren't they the ones, after all, busting ass on the dining room floor while you stand at the hostess stand idly staring at the reservation book?!?!?
Even before dining at Takashi last night, we were expecting to put your restaurant on our list of Chicago favorites as a stand-out, and surely we expected that we would enjoy our meal enough to return. We will not be returning, and I don't have any intention of recommending this restaurant to anyone.
My most recent experience at Takashi has left me wondering what happened to the magical delights of my past experiences with his cuisine.
This past Sunday we decided to finally try the noodle brunch that we kept hearing about. We decided to begin with one of the appetizers, so after a little discussion we chose the "gyoza" which are essentially pot stickers. To our disappointment they came out with blackened bottoms and a cool almost raw looking center. Our server assured us that that was how the chef had chosen to prepare them, which to me sounded quite odd. After our disappointing appetizer we chose to just split one of the housemade ramen bowls. While I cannot complain about the enormous portion size, overall I felt the dish was sub-par at best. Unusual compared to the delights we have enjoyed in previous trips to Takashi. The broth was extremely salty and the noodles tasted as if they had come out of a small plastic package labeled "chicken flavor". I'm not sure who's house these were made at but I'm fairly certain it wasn't Takashi's. Overall the service was good despite lengthy wait times for our food to arrive.
Needless to say I don't think we'll be back for brunch anytime soon.
I have gone to so many restaurants where I rated them 5 stars and went back and it wasnt as good. Taskashi is one of the exceptions. I went here again this weekend and it was better than the firs time (if that is possible). This time we had the pork belly bun and it was one of the best dishes I have ever had! in my life! I had the steak for dinner, which was very good (although you can get this at other places as well) and for dessert had the chili chocolate mousse. This is my now favorite restaurant in Chicago.
This is my new fav restaurant in chicago. While everything was not perfect, the dishes that were… Read more »
My boyfriend and I had a delightful lunch experience here. The interior, service, and food was impeccable.
Our waiters were friendly and offered great suggestions without being overly attentive.
However, even if it were thrown at us from the back of a truck, the food makes this place.
We ordered the friend chicken appetizer, two different noodle bowls, and two desserts (I never want dessert but didn't want to leave and was thankful we got them).
The meal was outstanding. I can't wait to go back.
The food here is more french than japanese, so when you order omakase just be prepared for that. The tuna is delicious (though not divine). However, the pork belly IS divine. Honestly, it was worth coming here just for that course. Also, the pineapple polenta cake is pretty innovative.
I know they're not a traditional japanese restaurant, but they could definitely stand to improve their sake menu. They have a few good choices but I'd like to see more. That small complaint is nothing to keep me from coming back though.
With service back to its high level, Takashi remains at the top of our Chicago list.
It is hard to put into words just why Takashi is so great. I think I split fine dining into two categories: Traditional and Creative. (I backspaced through "inventive" and "explorative" to settle on "creative.")
Les Nomades in Chicago and Bouley in NY are as good it gets for traditional. And we love them. Some restaurants mix both. That's probably why we like Lahaina Grill in Maui so much. But dining at Takashi is simply what wonderful creative fine dining is all about. It's creative and unique, but still respects the natural tastes of the ingredients. I don't want 20 courses of two bites each. I want a real meal with dishes I can sit and enjoy bite after tasty bite. That's what Chef Takashi provides in his small townhouse restaurant.
My problem in ordering at Takashi is that there are getting to be too many dishes on his menu that I want to have on each visit. I forced myself to try one new item - the quail. Now that one is on my must have list too - it's a real Catch-22, expanding the list of wonderful foods I've had there.
We again started with the seared Washugyu beef carpaccio on cabbage with the dipping sauce, which was added to the menu earlier this year. I then went with two appetizers as my meal, trying for the first time the grilled quail, then having the appetizer portion of sweetbreads as my main course. My wife, after sharing the carpaccio, went with the pork belly starter (of which I got a sample) and the clay pot chicken. I've described the carpaccio, sweetbreads, and pork belly in prior reviews, so I won't repeat that. My comments remain the same - absolutely wonderful. Close your eyes and chew slowly wonderful. The quail was grilled Bob White quail with pancetta, with apricots and figs, polenta cake, and a vinegar and wine reduction. Wow, was that good. Each bite I could mix different combinations of what was on the plate to get different flavors and textures. It's really a creative and tasty dish, as wonderful as my other courses.
For desserts I had soy coconut panna cotta with berries, and we shared a chocolate cremeux. We'd already enjoyed champagne before dinner, to celebrate the birth the day before of grandson #3. So we had a nice bottle of Triennes Viognier with our meal.
When we returned home, I still felt the satisfying feeling of a great meal. So I had to go up to the roof for a cognac and a cigar to give the meal its perfect finish.
Once again, Takashi successfully defends it throne on top of Chicago's foodie world.
Chef Takashi…
Read more »
Zagat survey gave 29 out of 30 points for this place - they must have been mistaken. I'm very critical when I eat at places that gets rave reviews so I judged each dish like I'm on Iron Chef.
I got a few small plates to enjoy rather just doing an entree. Each were tapas size portions that was great for taste testing.
Sashimi platter - The only thing good on this plate was the scallops. The tuna was sub par and the shrimp with kimchee was mediocre. I'm not sure if they used fresh shrimp at all since the shrimp tasted a bit gummy.
Beef Carpaccio platter - First off, the beef carpaccio was seared rather than fully raw. The only thing that made this dish great was the dipping sauce. Other than that, it was nothing special.
Steam bun with pork belly - I'm glad they ended with this dish because it was definitely delicious. It was actually better tasting than Momofuku Siam Bar in NYC. The salad that accompanied the pork belly was great as well with its rice wine vinegar dressing.
Blood Orange Martini - I'm very picky with my drinks and this one kinda tasted like cough medicine. I had to clear my mind to think that it was in order for me to finish it.
Table service for about 10 people was slow - the waiters did not bring out all the dishes at once so half of us had to wait until everyone's dishes came out. I don't know why they split tab in half with 2 waiters...I never seen that happened in NY.
I don't think I would go back here again. The menu was very small and not enough variety for me to choose from.
This restaurant was amazing. We went for my step-father's birthday and were so pleased. The scallops were delicious- I don't usually eat meat but tried the pork belly and was instantly in love. I ordered the skate as an entree and have rarely had a better fish- and I forgot to mention the delicious ginger lime martini! We finished with the dark chocolate mouse and then were bid farewell by Takashi himself. I highly recommend this restaurant!
This place is worth the star rating that yelpers have given it. We went there last night for my bday and the place is small, it has 2 stories and we were seated upstairs. The decor is modern and relaxing. We ordered the following
Something roll - not sure if its summer roll or fresh roll but it was served sushi style rolls but without the rice. This was very fresh and light
Scallops with gnocchi in some foamy broth - yummo
Some seafood ceviche - sorry this is my least favorite
Smoked Salmon with Caviar - this is good but in retrospect, I would or should have tried something different coz you will find this in a lot of other places.
Skate Wing fish, what the hell is that but we wanted to be adventurous and it turned out to be one of my favorites
Pork Belly - I dont eat pork or beef or at least I try to avoid them but this just sounded too good and the moment I tried it, I just was in gastronomical heaven. The pork belly just melts in your mouth and then in your belly :)
I really have nothing to complain about this place, if it werent for the ceviche I wuold have given this 5 stars.
This place reminds me of the dishes served in Trotters, Tru... very innovative, inventive, experimental, creative and it draws away from traditional techniques but yet achieves a successful result. Thats what I call a FIERCE!!!!
Well I finally got a response but it did not make me want to increase the number of stars assigned to this visit, but you be the judge:
Dear Sandy,
I apogolize for the delay in my response, we have had an emergency of
sorts this week, and have not been able to access our email.
I am Kathy, the chef's wife, and owner of Takashi. I was at the door
on Sunday, when I believe you dined with us.
I am very sorry for the service issues you experienced that night. I wish
you had mentioned them on your way out, as I always ask guests how they enjoyed their evening (if this was not the case, please let me know).
We want our guests' dining experience to be superb in service as well as food, and the issues you brought up will be addressed with the staff, and in particular, your server. I will not make excuses, I will just try to make sure the missteps do not happen in the future.
Most importantly, it is our hope that you come back to our restaurant. I would like to buy your dessert, and prove that this was an isolated incident, and that we do not take it lightly. I sincerely apologize that it happened to your family, on a night you were celebrating a special occasion.
Thank you, and I hope to hear from you soon.
Kathy Yagihashi
I waited three days to write this review because I sent an email to Takashi outlining my concerns… Read more »
Outstanding food, reasonable prices and friendly service. Takashi delivered on all three counts. Highlights from our meal was the deconstructed pork belly buns, octopus salad and roasted halibut. The service was casual but spot on throughout the night. A perfect place to share a bunch of dishes.
This place is YUMMY! Went to dinner on a Sunday night, the atmostphere is very pleasant, warm and inviting, and not pretentious at all. The tuna and scallop appetizers were amazing, and the Halibut main course is so great. Perfect on a cold day. I haven't tried the Sunday noodles for lunch, but from what I hear, it sounds like a must! The servers are attentive. Don't expect things to come out right away, but I think this is done intentional, there is a more purposeful slowness to the restaurant, seems like they really want you to enjoy your dining experience, not be rushed.
What a wonderful dinner. Two of us shared
1) Tofu: wonderful garnishes; firm and not too soft
2) Trio of pate: the chicken liver mousse was very smooth. Quality is alright but the presentation was very beautiful
3) Scallop w/ soba gnocchi. We came for this dish and were not disappointed!
4) Pork belly w/ buns. Tender. If you like BBQ sauce, you'll love it.
5) Beef short ribs. Most disappointing dish. Very fatty and nothing special. I was ready to give them 4 stars.
But then... we had the lemon curd dessert and they surprised us with 2 additional small desserts for our anniversary and birthday celebration. Espresso served with real sugar cubes (not packets). Waitress and busboy were very friendly. They didn't rush us at all.
My brother is a chef and a major foodie and he usually coerces us to go to places we can't afford for food that is fancier than us. Takashi was no exception but it was honestly some of the best food I've ever had.
We actually ordered all the appetizers because they looked better than the entrees and everything we tried was amazing. The only bad experience with the food was a cheesecake that used Yuzo lemon which is incredibly sour. It was pretty inedible and no one at the table finished it.
The food is pricey so expect to pay about $20 and up for each person. But otherwise the service was great, the ambiance was nice and I would like to go back there when I have more money.
My husband and I went here for our 1 year anniversary on a Friday night...after reading all the wonderful reviews on YELP, I was convinced this was going to be one of the better meals we had - I already knew what I wanted to order when we got there!!
Anyways, when we got there, we were seated upstairs - ambiance of the restaurant is very nice.
We started off with a cocktail - I had the ginger martini and my husband had a different one that was recommended by the server - both of them were delicious!
Takashi has a tasting menu I believe from Sunday - Thurs, so since we were there on a Friday we thought they wouldn't do it BUT we asked and they were able to accomodate. This is definitley a plus to the restaurant b/c they gave us the tasting menu ($66) on a Friday night. We also decided to do the wine pairing as well ($38). Both prices for each portion were decent considering it was an 8 course tasting menu with wine.
The food started coming out and honestly out of the 8 courses, I really liked only 3. I wish I liked more b/c I was looking forward to it BUT my favorite were: pork belly, skatewing (everything on that plate was delicious) and the duck confit. OH, and the vanilla bean ice cream is awesome. But the rest of the dishes were just so-so. I felt that quite a few of them were bland, could have used more seasoning and maybe it was b/c we were there on a night the tasting menu wasn't officially being served? never know, but I was hoping for more.
Overall I give it a 3 star - would have gone higher if I liked more of the dishes, but the service was great and I am glad that we went.
Yum! Not to sound like a total snoot but I'm generally a little underwhelmed with restaurants in Chicago. There are few delicious *wow factor* places that you don't have to spend your entire paycheck on. Those with more affordable prices are places where to me, once is enough. That is until...Takashi! The dishes are fresh, light, and flavors are spot on. You can tell that the utmost thought and care went into the creation of the dishes. We shared 7 dishes: 2 tiny bites, 2 cold and 2 hot apps, and 1 entree. You must get the duck confit small bite...it was so so so delicious and an absolute steal at $5 (what the?) The sashimi was tasty as well...especially the scallops....the deconstructed pork bun was fab-u-lous. I will be returning to have these dishes again and try some new ones. Yay to a fantastically creative scrumptious dining experience!
P.S.
Service was great.
I went here for lunch one Sunday b/c I wanted to try the noodles. Big fan of Japanese noodles and always like the fancy ones better than my home-cooked ramen or udon. I tried the pork belly appetizer. It was pretty tasted but a tad salty. For my entree, I had the shoyu ramen that also had pork belly. The noodles were really good but I though the broth and the pork belly, again, was really salty. I don't know if it was off that day or if my taste buds were extra sensitive to salt or what... but I really would have to say that the food was mediocre. I think it is a similar concept to Urban Belly and I thought that it just wasn't as good. I probably wouldn't go back for lunch but would still love to try the dinner menu as I have heard it is wonderful.
One of the best meals I've had in Chicago. We started with the sweat breads - a tough dish. They were the best I've ever had. My mom had the soft shell crab - fried to perfection - another tough dish that often arrives a greasy mess. My dad had sashimi, and he never shares. I had the scallops and gnocchi. Amazingly good, though I would order it without foam next time. Foam grosses me out, mostly on sea food. My companion had the soup, it was okay - the weakest of our five appetizers.
We were fearful of the entrees. How could they possibly compare to our amazing appetizers? Well, they did. I had skate. It was superbly prepared - its one of the toughest dishes and can be pretty slimy without an experienced hand. My girlfriend had the salmon. I thought it was good, but a little too per fumy for my taste. My dad had duck, but he doesn't share. The highlight of the meal was the hot pot chicken, which was simply the best chicken I have ever had at a restaurant.
The dessert menu was too choc late based - so we passed. When you go here, split the appetizers and order a few extra because they are amazing. A great place and Chef Takashi is a wonderful cook.
Takashi rounded out the perfect one-two punch of birthday dinners for my boyfriend and I after trying Spring a few months ago.
A friend recommended Takashi and since we tend to love Asian-influenced restaurants, I was all in. We made reservations for Sunday night (boyfriend's bday is on Monday, when Takashi is closed). I'd been told by a friend to ask for Jason as a server and was so happy we did.
We got there 15 minutes early and were seated with no problems downstairs right by the window (very nice since it was pretty warm outside and by the end of the night, upstairs felt a little humid). Jason walked us through the menu with recommendations. After ordering the ginger lime martini (with homemade ginger syrup with a secret ingredient of lemongrass-so refreshing and yummy!) and the mayfair cocktail (gin, lime and cucumber, also refreshing and good, but that Ginger lime, vodka was hard to beat!), we pretty much let Jason make our menu.
We started with one of their $5-$6 small plates which are only available Sunday-Wednesday or something, I think. The pricing seemed almost criminal for the quality you recieved. We were able to split everything without a problem, and most everything was large enough to share between 2 people.
Ist course: Duck Confit with pea custard topped with fresh peas, microgreens and a delicious vinaigrette--This was amazingly fresh and delicious. The duck was rich with crispy skin, complementing the freshness of the peas and the crunchy, fresh peas and greens. Great start, especially for only $5!
2nd course: Sashimi plate. 2 monster scallops, 3 large pieces of big eye tuna and shrimp. This was a very generous plate. The scallops melted in your mouth and the tuna had this "Umami-soy" that was incredible. The shrimp was good, but couldn't match up to the other two.
At this point, Jason offered to split glasses of wine to pair with each of the remaining courses. This was some of the best service I've ever received. We basically got a wine pairing with every course without worrying about drinking 5 full glasses of wine or facing a huge alcohol bill at the end of the meal. Before every course, he'd bring over his recommendation, have us try it and explain why he chose it for that course. It was the best, most thoughtful service I've ever had.
3rd course: Scallops with soba gnocchi and parmesan-celery root foam. This one changed my life. I loved it so much that I immediately wanted to order another, and another, and another. We were scraping up the cream sauce after the mushrooms, scallops and gnocchi were finished.
4th course: Skate wing with asparagus/leek/pea risotto. this was the biggest, most beautiful piece of fish I've ever seen It was perfectly cooked, crisp, but moist and flaky on top of creamy, flavoful risotto. There were also roasted parsnips and fried squash on top. Delicious.
5th course: Pork belly buns: The buns are like the softest white bread, but denser while the caramelized meat completely changed my mind about pork belly. Even the salad was the perfect, vinegary acid for the rich meat. We used the mustard sparingly since it was pretty intense, but it added an incredible zing to each bite.
6th course: Chicken in a Clay Pot: Maybe my least favorite dish, but still extremely good. It comes sizzling in a citrusy yuzu broth with mushrooms, green beans and eggplant with the most amazing miso mustard on top. I was getting pretty full at this point.
7th course: Sparkling wine and coconut and grapefruit sorbets. Great palate cleanser.
8th course: Yuzu pudding cake (with kiwi, pineapple and coconut sorbet) and a special, 5 spice chocolate mousse birthday dessert. Both were good, but I was so full and happy with the meal already that neither blew me out of the water.
An excellent meal that was a great value, too. We definitely got some of the best food we'd ever eaten for a reasonable price.
I'd definitely go back for the food, but the service was outstanding. As a younger couple (27), I sometimes feel like my boyfriend and I are immediately overlooked when we go to nicer restaurants. The service is good, but they know our check won't be the highest they'll see all night, so we get the standard service. Jason definitely went out of his way for us, even asking Chef Takashi to come talk to us after the meal (which he did and was so gracious and nice). We felt so comfortable and completely taken care of the entire night.
It was truly an experience that I'll remember and plan to repeat soon. If you'd like to see pictures of every course, and read more in depth about our dinner, go here:
http://kristinsutter.b...
Go to Takashi as soon as possible. It's an amazing meal with fantastic service!
Not knowing what was in store for us, I called my buddy up and said "I guess this place is supposed to be good, lets grab a bite." We show up, dressed somewhat casual. Definitely not up to the average diner's level at Takashi. However, this didn't seem to be an issue. The staff was wonderful, lots of fun and laid back throughout the entire unexpected gastronomical experience.
We started with a few small bites, which included scallops with soba gnocchi and a sweet pea foam. I couldn't believe the layers of flavor which erupted from such simple ingredients. On the other end, we had the kobe tartar and blue prawns, which is just always going to be enjoyed. For the larger plates, I had the skate wing, a simple buttery white fish, which is too bad that the menu is constantly changing, I would go back just to order that dish again.
Friday night, 8:00pm, 7:30pm reservation for my 30th birthday. They sat us upstairs within 15 minutes, despite being packed and us being 30 minutes late.
Decor is plain but nice. Fresh flowers, funky acoustic panels, happy vibes.
Service was helpful, perfectly paced and friendly.
Wine list is compact, with a nice variety of wines below $40. Our bottle of Spanish red was $34.
Mmmmmm:
- Pork Belly Buns
- Scallops with Gnocchi
- Beef Carpaccio
- Skate Wing
Meh:
- Salmon
- Dessert
Bottom Line: I'll be back to Takashi. Wish they bottled their wasabi mustard.
So this was my first visit to Chicago. And aside from the runaway corruption riddling the town like systemic herpes and the wallet-disintegrating sales tax (which I didn't mind since, you know, I'm a Stalinist who thinks everything should be owned by the state), CHICAGO IS ONE BITCHIN' CITY.
Granted, I think SF is better. Then again, I'm biased -- and frankly SF is filled with whores, dickheads, and obnoxious homos who write profane, pointless reviews of restaurants when they should be doing their motherfucking job OH HI THANKS FOR READING!
But I gotta say: Maybe my expectations were skewed since our beautiful bi-racial President cut his teeth in your confines, but, dude, I've never been surrounded by SO MANY WHITE PEOPLE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE! I mean, fuck, the last time this many white folks got up in my grill, I was the keynote speaker at the Klan Convention. It was so bad that I thought I was shadowed through the city by the SAME BLOND WOMAN. Okay, so maybe it was a different woman each time. Okay, so maybe I was on the north side too much. I'm sorry, I'm an asshole. I dunno, fuck, all you white people look alike. And I mean alike in that ASIAN way.
Ohhhh calm the fuck down, Nancy. Just because I make your insults better and cheaper through child labor doesn't give you license to hate, round eye! So go bang Miley Cyrus' twangy gong and piss off.
Anyway, if you told me there was an adorable two-floored cottage cum restaurant in Chicago with gray exposed brick, plush cream seating, and tasteful Euro-Japo minimalist art (the shoji screen was a nice touch) -- one that incorporated the best of the French and Japanese traditions -- I in turn would have told you to go fuck yourself.
Well, imagine my shock. Who knew culinary diversity could be so skillfully represented on the plate yet not on the faces of the patrons? I'm thinking, for example, of the small plate of caramelized pork belly festooned with daikon slivers that my dining companion and I wrapped in steamed bao. Granted, it was more Chinese than Japanese, but when the belly fat melted in my mouth like a languorous french kiss and the gingery sauce stood my neck hairs on end did I REALLY give a shit about authenticity? Shit no, I silently wept for joy inside and wanted to break into a few bars from Madame Butterfly. Then I glanced over at the stone-faced hetero couple sitting next to us and wanted to stuff pork belly bao in their mouths in a bid to improve what looked like a fractious evening out that would end in adultery. Hey, I wanted to help.
I ordered the Roasted Indiana duck breast and confit as my large plate. Our sprightly server smirked and nodded in approval. She was both accommodating and distant, and displayed the kind of professionalism and savoir faire that came across as nonchalance. Did I spell that right? "As"? The breast slices were juicy, substantial, and perfectly prepared, with a slightly gamey taste (to my liking) appropriately offset by the orange glaze and kumquat marmalade. And the confit? Well, let's just say anything left to stew in it's own juices with salt and garlic then slow cooked in an oven will be unquestionably delicious. Like my penis.
It's no small compliment to say that I hope Chef Yagihashi opens a restaurant in SF. We've seen Asian/French fusion before -- have we ever! -- but rarely executed at this level.
Finally, let me give a shout out to the great guy who chose Takashi and picked up the tab. HOLLA! Had it not been for him, I would have never discovered the charms of Takashi, and would have blindly assumed cuisine in Chicago was about steak-umms, dolla dolla billz, and oppression.
And that would have been blindness, indeed.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to open my campaign office. I hear you bitches need a Governor. And, apparently, a U.S. Senator too.
After months of anticipation, I finally had dinner at Takashi.
The restaurant itself is terribly charming. The townhouse clearly stands out compared to the rest of the street, and I felt like I was being welcomed into somebody's home. Definitely request a table on the second level, it is more spacious, yet intimate at the same time. The decor is Japanese minimalist, with clean lines and cool tones of blue and grey. I thought the accent pillows on the benches were a nice touch. The tables were a little too close together, but still allowed for intimacy. The music was... sexy time music, a soft downtempo that gets you in the mood to open up your taste buds and savor various flavors with fine company.
As we evaluated the menu, it was difficult to decide what to get. It is well varied and everything sounds delicious. After a few rundowns and discussion, we finally decided on one cold dish, three small plates, one main dish and two desserts.
- Pear Salad with Bleu Cheese. Ringlets of pear are filled with creamy bleu cheese, and are served with a bed of greens. Have the candied pear last for a nice finish.
- Maine Diver Scallops with Soba Gnocchi and Celery Root Parmesan Foam. Confession: the broth was so good, I used all of my bread to soak it up.
- Soy-Ginger Pork Belly. I don't eat pork very often, but this dish was my favorite. The buns were hot, super soft and the tender and flavorful meat just fell apart in my mouth. Add a tiny smear of the hot mustard for an orgasmic zing, similar to wasabi.
- Crispy Veal Sweetbreads. If you like sweetbreads, I suggest you try this dish. It was probably my least favorite.
- Roasted Duck Breast and Confit. If I wasn't so full, I really could have enjoyed this dish by itself. The meat was incredibly tender, and was glazed in a slightly sweet sauce. There was a candied root vegetable that was an excellent compliment to the duck.
- Miso glazed pineapple with caramel fondue - This is a dessert made for two. I was confused when I bit into the crispy miso glaze, but then tasted the warm and sweet meat of the pineapple. You can feed the rest of the caramel pool to your dining companion.
- Vanilla Bean Cremieux with Blood Orange Sorbet. I should have gotten this. It tastes like a creamsicle with candied almonds!
I'd say the winners of the night were the pear salad, scallops (the foam and broth were amazing), pork belly (You MUST try this) and the duck. The portion sizes were far more generous than I thought they were going to be - each dish can easily be shared by two people.
The wine list had a good variety, but I forgot to look at the sake list! I guess that will be for next time!
We received very friendly service, and our server was very knowledgeable on every menu item and how they were prepared.
Husband: Guess what?
Me: What?
Husband: I made valentine's day reservations at that restaurant you've been wanting to try...Takashi.
Me: Oh, thanks!
Husband: Yep, we're all set for Valentine's Day on February 13th!
Me: Um, Vday is February 14th.
Husband: No, I'm pretty sure it's the 13th.
Me: And I'm 100% sure it's the 14th
Husband: Oh shoot, can you change the reservations
Me: in my head (sigh...what would he do without me).
Ring, ring, ring...
Hostess at Takashi: Hello
Me: Hi. My husband got the date of valentine's day wrong and booked reservations for the 13th instead of the 14th. Can I switch it?
Hostess: Sorry, we're completely booked for the 14th
Me: Well, I guess we're celebrating on the 13th!
So that's how we ended up here for dinner on the eve of Valentine's Day. Takashi is located in a beautiful mansion in Wicker Park. It's very intimate...especially cause there's only a few tables downstairs and they have seating for approximately 30 peeps upstairs. We scored a table downstairs...right by the hostess, who probably wanted to see what a guy looked like who thinks vday is on the 13th.
Our waiter (Josh?) was excellent and helped us pick from a menu where everything sounded delicious. We started with drinks...a sake cosmo (mmm) for me and some substitute for jack on the rocks for my husband...since they don't carry jack. And after my husband made funny faces after each sip of the jack substitute he had a glass of sauvignon blanc instead...and being the lush I am I drank all his wine.
All the food was delicious:
Summer Roll appetizer
Scallop gcnocci small plate dish
walleye for me
barunundi (my spelling is off, but it's a fish) for my husband
vanilla bean dessert
It was the perfect amount of food- we left full, but not stuffed to the point where you feel the need to unbutton your pants. A very nice meal without all the hustle and bustle of February 14th. Hmmm...maybe my husband is on to something?
$28.50 Prix Fixe and 1/2 Price…
Neighborhood: Streeterville
PreFixe Sun and Tues 3 courses…
Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: University Village
Category: French
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Bucktown
Category: French
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Category: Seafood
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
This list is mostly for myself--so that I remember…
Finally completed!! We are going from A-Z in…
These are the 10 places in the U.S. that we love…
Best place to go on a date, whether it's a first…
Because nothing is better than some amazing fish…
Because sometimes you just feel like blowing your…
Chicago is famous for being a vertiable melting…
