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Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Edgewater, AndersonvilleMon-Tue. 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Wed-Thu. 4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 4:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 4:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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Just the first steps inside the bustling restaurant, I couldn't help but notice a good vibe. It was packed with people and smiles. With so many sushi bars in Chicago filled with flash and modernity, there was a refreshing simplicity to Tanoshii. Fortunately, I made a reservation - otherwise I probably wouldn't have been seated.
The BYOB is obviously a huge plus. Its nice to enjoy your meal and not worry about running up a bar tab on the side. Just a bottle of white wine will do.
The food was moderate, borderline great. I recommend their Edamame to kick things off - nice and hot with the right amount of salt. Probably the best I've had in town. The sushi was good - but nothing that made you leave blown away. The big issue I had was the service. There really isn't a wait staff - just a roaming host. I wanted to order and additional sushi roll but he mentioned that I would have to wait 40 minutes for it. Obviously, not worth the wait.
I give Tanoshii three stars because of the sub-par service, great BYOB atmosphere and so-so food.
This is a decent place. Its quaint and quiet and probably the best sushi place in Andersonville, but thats like saying youre the smart guy in the dumb class. Service was a little spotty and slow...so wasnt too keen on that.
Andersonville is not a sushi mecca, so its all relative.
This IS a good place, so please attend and enjoy it.
I liked the
hamachi
unagi
spicy tuna
tempura appetizer
edamame
I was lukewarm on the:
shumai
gyoza
go enjoy as it is BYOB and I always like BYOB places.
Boo. This place was so bad it actually caused me to create a yelp account. Let's recap the evening... First we walk in, the room looks cool - cool sushi bar feel. Pretty standard for your low key neighborhood sushi joint. I liked it. Then we were seated, not in the cool low key sushi bar area, but rather, in this creepy back room with no lighting and sponged painted pink walls. It looked like a run down hospital nursery.
The service a was mediocre. Not very attentive. Also, a roach was climbing on the wall directly behind my wife. She had to move to the other side of the table. When we brought this to the attention of the waiter - he walked away and came back about 4 minutes later. Yes, that is right a ROACH was sitting at our table for almost five minuets. Gross.
Why we didn't just get up and leave is now beyond me. I heard so many good reviews on yelp, so we had to try it out.
Also, when we got the bill - no adjustment for the aforementioned roach. Not even a free drink. Very bad service indeed.
Don't bother going to sushi mike. Unless you like bad service and like roaches dining with you.
Sometimes there's nothing I like more than a night out at a BYOB restaurant where you can eat, drink, and generally linger in the back of a restaurant until the servers and hosts are giving you the stink eye to give up your 10 person table already. Tanoshii earned a three star review from me because at no point did our boisterous table of BYOdrunken fools receive anything but excellent service. We were able to hang out until our wine-soaked hearts' desired.
However! Part of the reason we were at dinner for so long was the wait for food was very long. Half of our party ordered the chef's maki special, which as other reviews have noted is basically telling the chef to make up a roll of his choosing. I was able to try each of the five "unique" rolls and they were ok, but each roll came out one at a time. It was so spread out that I was the last one served and the non-sushi eaters at the table had already received their dishes, eaten, and had their plates cleared before I had my first bite. Not cool.
Clearly the chef was busy with other people and took his time with the rolls, so thankfully the server was attentive. If I'm paying that much and waiting that long for a sushi roll it better be damn good.
Andersonville roll! Caterpillar roll! Dragon roll! = so good.
Steamed shu mai!
Tempura!
Green tea!
Oh my!
Good sushi AND right down the street from my house! What more can I ask for? I'll tell you what more...the Mike Special! I was hesitant at first when the server suggested this but I made the plunge. I told her what I liked (salmon, flounder, mackerel, SPICY) what I didn't like (octopus, eel, mayo, that weird egg thing) and she brought back a concoction that made my toes curl! Because of this, I'm hooked!
'Scuse me Govna, Id like some of your fancy "Fish 'N Chips". That Mike sounds like one chap that can make a good plate of "Fish 'N Chips" like I got over seas.
Waiting...........
Excuse me, this isnt "Fish 'N Chips", this is various articles of foody goodness on an actually crispy delicious....
Oh who cares, it was awesome! Mind blowingly awesome.. mouthwateringly awesome, tastebudsfallingoutofyourmouthcausetherewasaflavor explosion awesome...
I'm not even going to describe it. I will just say, if you like sushi, there is NO reason why you would even THINK about passing on this dish, get it, eat it, die happy.
Next, we ordered a MIKES SPECIAL - which consisted of my girlfriend and I rambling to the waitress about what we like and dont like.. then about 10 minutes later... like a karate kick to the face, more flavorful explosions were destroying my mouth - and I couldnt even tell you exactly what was in it! 'Cept some avocado, and I think Shrimp Tempura...
Anyway, the pricing isnt bad on their standard rolls, really decent actually - and none of the ones we tried were anything less then excellent. The "Mikes Special" runs a little higher in price, but is also a much larger roll then a standard roll and is well worth the money you will pay for it. Sushi here is a treat, so treat it as such...
..and the BYOB doesnt hurt either.
Came on a Monday night with some old friends for a reunion of sorts. Brought our want for sushi, our champagne and sake, and lots of fun with us. So glad that the waitstaff was on board for our fun, too.
As we were waiting for our fifth to join us we ordered some edamame and started in on the champagne. The poor waiter never knew what hit him as the bubbly hit us - my friend told him to watch out as I get grabby when I drink. Luckily her husband showed up so we could order and calm ourselves down. Four of us went with the Mike Special and one with salmon teriyaki. The teriyaki looked fresh and deliciously plated with veggies.
Things were taking a bit long with our sushi as it had picked up a bit since we originally got there so they brought us out another order of edamame. I thought that was a nice gesture; or maybe it was a survival technique as they saw I was still drinking! By this time we we had two waiters we were harassing.
Let me say that sushi was well worth the wait. The first round of four of the Mike Special was primarily super white tuna. One of which had Italian dressing?? Oh no, it worked; whatever that man did it was great. The second time we went for two more and one of them was a spicy crab that I thought we were all going to fight over.
For our particular group it was nice to sit at a table, even if service was slow, as we were able to have the corner area pretty much to ourselves. If you are looking for more of the sushi experience I can see how the counter would be better. But for us we were looking to find out what one another had been up to so it all worked out well.
#1 Make a reservation to sit at the bar if you have a small party. #2 There is a Jewel conveniently close in case you need to run back over and get some more to drink for the perfect BYOB at the place. I have never ordered off of the menu - I just ask Sushi Mike for the specials and he will ask you what kind of sushi you like & its amazing. I have always had good times here & miss it bunches.
My wife and I explored Tanoshii for the first time last night and became big fans. I can see how this place would get busy on the weekends as it was pretty packed on a Thursday. We had a little trouble getting served at first, but once the waiter actually took our order he was quite attentive.
We started with an appetizer course of the fried tofu and the soft shell crab. The tofu wasn't really to my liking...I found it mushy and kind of bland. However, the soft shell crab was delicious and I'd definitely order it again.
We then had the sashimi platter. Absolutely delicious fresh fish, and large pieces of it! Really filling for the both of us (we split one order). Even the octopus, which I'm never a fan of due to texture, was really nicely done.
I'd gladly come back with friends and recommend it to anyone!
My friend and I went to Tanoshii on Saturday and I was all too thrilled to go after reading some of the reviews. While I was expecting a different atmosphere, I enjoyed it nonetheless. It's BYOB so I took a bottle of riesling. (the corkage fee is $2 per person, but worth it!) The sushi was fantastical! We also had a Sushi Mike Special made with eel, avocado, spicy tuna, and a some other stuff I can't remember- but it was like a party in my mouth. I will most certainly go again, AND I'll take more friends! Who's with me?!
I am a bit torn with this place. I heard mixed reviews. The general consensus was that the Mike's Special is what should be ordered. But if you ordered the typical items, they are good as well.
The Special, which was custom (we were asked what we liked and disliked) turned out well. However, the typical items were not good. The Special came out first but was a but delayed (took 15 minutes). There weren't that many people in restaurant either. Then it took another 15-20 minutes to get our other orders. You would think the Soft Shell Crab, or the Dragon, or the Unagi would be delicious. But they weren't. Very bland.. Such a shame.
It appears he focuses on the Specials more than the more traditional/every day items.
Unfortunately, I will not be going back.
I love sushi and this was terrible. It gets 2 because I can't do 1.5. I don't know who this sushi mike guy is, but if he's so awesome, why can't he make a basic roll?
I went on a saturday evening. You should come expecting a local BYOB hangout, where a caucasian crowd gathers to be adventurous and chat over glasses of whatever wine they brought. It's very friendly. But I came for dinner, which was the worst sushi I've had made to order. Easily. We ordered an appetizer, and four rolls coming out to ~$50 for two.
Their card says it's "food for the senses". Here's what I sensed:
The agadashi tofu, which should be japanese custard tofu lightly fried, was a regular tofu of medium firmness not at all silky or custard-like and they didn't even manage to make it lightly crunchy. Apparently they tried to make up for this by drenching it in sauce, which was the right sauce and made it tasty, but not worth it. (If you want to try custard tofu, Ken Kee makes it with vegetables, not agadashi style, but it's probably healthier and it's super tastey.)
The rolls (alaskan, tempura roll and two other basic ones) were memorable only in their awkward skimpyness. The fish in the alaskan was thinner than my chopstick. Biting into the seaweed skin was a texture akin to biting into a soggy defrosted crab leg, it was rolled tightly and the way it poped and tore chewing was unpleasent. How can a sushi roll be tough? How?? With little filling aparently, I mean the fish to rice ratio was alright, but there was just so little of it. For the price, it was too little and too few (6 pieces the size of a knuckle).
Perhaps they put so little raw fish in for sake of their patrons who may not be used to eating raw? I didn't order the made to order special after seing the poor quality of the basic rolls.
The service was barely passable. I'm cutting them slack for being busy, and they did accomodate us when we requested a window seat. But the food took a while to come out, my tea was not refilled until I requested it when dinner was almost over and the waiter recommended one or two of the lackluster rolls.
You will have fun if you want to make friends and nice-nice with the chefs at the sushi bar and bring a bottle. Being drunk would definitely help with the exprience. I'm assuming that's how it got so many 5 stars because I have never been more dissapointed by the texture and quality of japanese food. Dominicks has done better and that is a sad sad thing.
There's one thing to remember.
Sushi Mike = The Man
Now, here's the deal for you guys. I've followed Sushi Mike for a few years through a few different restaurants (I'm something of a groupie) and I've watched his sushi get better and better. . .
He is a true artist. . .If Sushi making had a Jackson Pollack complete with bursts of creativity and mania. . .his name is Sushi Mike.
Gassho.
Just skip this place.
Had basically three bad experiences here in one visit with a friend of mine.
1) Ordered 2 appetizers, they were out of one of them - they subbed something else without asking for us and said "Sorry about that, we made this for you since you were inconvenienced," we were really thankful as this was a seemingly nice gesture - but then they proceeded to charge us for it.
2) Ordered 2 "base ingredients" for sushi each and one to split, where "sushi Mike" decides what he'll make you. We made it clear what we were ordering, and both wanted our own unagi dishes.
"Sushi Mike decided you already had unagi so he subbed this roll instead."
"But we both wanted unagi, can you please make another unagi roll?"
"No."
3) I ask the waitress to take off the roll we didn't order and the app we didn't order. She says no. I say ok, I feel really bad about this but I'm not leaving a tip (I've never left no tip before or since) because twice you didn't bring what we ordered... she says ok and takes the app and roll off... we leave the same amount, which at least gives her 15% or so - I mean I'm pretty sure it must be Sushi Mike who's the nutjob, not her so I would have felt bad stiffing her.
I understand the concept of letting sushi mike craft the ingredients, but be prepared to get whatever he decides, main ingredients included - your menu choices are not really respected at all. If it were presented in that manner or anyone communicated with us at all, that would have been 100x better.
The food wasn't even good, overuse of avacado in every one of our rolls - if you're gonna rep soup nazi style antics, your soup better back that $@#$ up!
The one good thing that I took away from this meal is that now when I eat with my friend and we order, one of us saying "Sushi Mike has decided that you do not want this, you want yellowtail" always gets a good laugh.
(Note: this review is from an experience about a year ago, but was too good not to share.)
This place is innovative and creative. You can tell the chef what you like and don't and they will create something to order. Great concept, a bit overpriced in my opinion. I went the standard sushi route (due to $$): spicy tuna roll, california roll, edamame and it was good, not great. Now this is where the story gets interesting...
I thought everything was a-ok until I got about 3 blocks down the road... let's just say I think they should rename this place Tanoshiit. Don't worry, I made it home. However, the same thing happened to another guest in our party and I'm not sure he was so lucky. The last one felt the wave in the morning. Out of a party of 4, 3 had a mudslide, and I'm not talking about the drink at TGI Friday's.
My review may not steer you away, and maybe it shouldn't. They have a cutting edge idea and a friendly staff. Just have a good book on hand.
go here. sit at the bar. let them make you whatever they want. deliciousness will ensue. tanoshii = sushi genius.
i am absolutely amazed by the negative reviews here on yelp. i wouldn't trust any three-star or lower reviews.
Tanoshii and Sushi Mike will give you an incredible experience. A friend took me here last night, we sat at the sushi bar and said please just order the Chef's Special - what does that mean you ask?
That Sushi Mike will come by and ask you what you like and dislike then will create a tantilizing sushi experience. You don't know what will come next but trust me - you will love it and want more!
Low key BYOB and reasonably priced - please visit Sushi Mike!
Since I was recently named both "Maki Princess" and also "Sushi Loving Loud Mouth" I figured I might as well live up to the titles and so here is yet another review from this Maki Princess - Sushi Loving Loud Mouth!
After leaving Tanoshii tonight I can say without a doubt I have no idea what all the hype is about. I left with a very so so feeling of this place and that's really sad because I really love my sushi.
Here's the reasons I wouldn't travel to Andersonville again to eat at Tanoshii.
1. The service is really slow. They move at a snails pace here. Our server Paul was super nice about everything and believe me my dining companion and I threw a lot at him. So props to Paul but really when a table orders an appetizer it should come before the actual meal.
2. We did get our appetizer finally (see above) but it was not as the menu described and was not very good. Note to self do not order the gyoza here. Just don't do it. I felt bad about sending it back since they forgot about at the beginning of our meal but bad food is bad food.
3. The rolls are pretty good. But they are filled with a lot of rice. I like my fish thick (see my review of Bentonara) and I like my fillings full and not just full of rice. Also the rolls or sorta sloppy. They easily fall apart and unroll.
4. I will not pay $8.00 for a California roll when it's made with Krab not crab. Sorry try again.
5. Speaking of pricing. The pricing here is decent but some rolls are a lot more expensive than others. Again $13 for a roll with Krab stick and salmon only isn't going to cut it.
So there you have it the low down on Tanoshii from the Maki Princess - Sushi Loving Loud Mouth! Stay tuned my friends.
Here's the deal: Sushi Mike knows his stuff. He's decided to take a creative, nontraditional approach to sushi, and it may well be the most delicious food I've ever eaten. If you are looking for a purist sushi experience, go somewhere else. Experimentation is the name of the game at Tanoshii. That's the whole concept.
Get the Mike's Specials. I don't even know why Tanoshii has a menu.
My favorite of Sushi Mike's special rolls is the "Italian." He actually doesn't name any of his creations, but regular customers have developed their own names for their faves. The must-have appetizer has been dubbed "fish and chips."
When you order, just tell them if you have any strong preferences and let Mike run wild. You will not be disappointed.
This place is amazing! The rolls are so inventive (the italian roll with the white fish, olive oil and spices is to die for) and the "fish and chips" is enough to keep me coming back. I went with a friend who knows "Sushi Mike" so we sat at the sushi bar, and all the other patrons were regulars, and we had a really fun time and of course amazing sushi. I have heard table service is extremely slow. I admit I haven't had a table seat but I promise it's worth the wait--make sure to ask for Mike's special that night and you are sure to be blown away. This is also the only sushi restaurant I've been to where you don't need soy sauce--in fact it might ruin it. Plus there's a Jewel right across the street to grab a bottle of wine as it's BYOB.
Started going here because it was BYOB but this place really is so much more. This is a great place to check out if you're adventurous and don't mind letting the chef choose what you eat. You must request the fish & chips though...they are to die for!
I've been to several sushi bars throughout Chicago and Tanoshii is the only place at which I've had a bad experience.
I made reservations for 9pm and was not seated until 9.45pm. In addition, menus weren't distributed for another half-hour, which meant that we were being served during their closing hours. Also, the sushi chef's would not allow ANY alterations to rolls without labeling your order "Mike's Special" and charging $18 per roll (even for something as simple as requesting a cucumber roll served without avocado). Finally, when we attempted to dispute some charges on our bill, we were told to pay the bill in its entirety or he would CALL THE POLICE. I thought the owner exercised poor discretion in handling the situation as we politely attempted to discuss the charges with our server.
Irrespective of the terrible service, the food was okay at best. For better sushi and a similar atmosphere, I recommend Indie Cafe. They have much better service, a greater menu selection, and more substantial rolls.
First of all, I love yelp because I use it ALL THE TIME NOW.
So, I went to tanoshii on a first-time date. My date was raving about sushi Mike, and when we arrived, apparently sushi mike had already went home (it was a tues night). So, the waitress called Mike to ask him to come back. He did. And... it was worth it!
Sushi Mike is no joke: he will take care of you. Now, I can see someone getting upset to pay $16 for a roll, but then again, Sushi Mike is an experience. If you are just hungry, go find a $20 per person dinner that is so-so. But, with sushi Mike, $40 per person and you will have the best sushi experience on the northside.
F.Y.I., This place is BYOB and Mike doesn't refuse a drink. He likes bourbon....
shout out sushi mike! i trust you at all times. my friend and i argue over who gets the seat facing you. this is pathetic but true.
the service isn't very great here but that is never really an issue for the people i eat with. i've somehow never had to wait for a table. the music is horrible. that is the only negative i can think of, but then again i like listening to renditions of beatles songs played exclusively with bells when i eat sushi.
like said before, a lot of white people drinking wine and having the most boringboring annoying conversations possible. you might want to bring a bottle of wine for yourself so when you hear their yak-yaking it makes you laugh and not cry.
Went here for a post v-day double date, the food was great, the servers attentive, and Sushi Mike, what a guy! I said I liked "spicy", never ever tell that to a Japanese Chef, I got a soft shell crab/scallop roll that oh man was so good, and SO HOT. Well worth the pain :)
ehh. The rolls were unimpressive and I HATE when sushi joints say they have crabmeat when they really use a CRABSTICK. That already lost two stars already. The Mike Special roll was interesting but it wasn't amazing like everyone said so that lost another star. The service was great and it's BYOB so I'm settling on 2 stars.
Side note. Everyone speaks Korean. My boyfriend overheard (very easily as they were yelling it across the tiny restaurant) that they were ordered a summons that day and that the owner was an ass to one of his employees. Maybe they should realize some people speak the same language as the staff and try to act professional in all languages in front of guests.
Katsu, my ass!
That place was so rude, we left and went to Tanoshii instead.
I don't eat sushi. Well, the raw stuff...makes me wanna puke in my mouth a little. But I have a new found love for veggie rolls. I love avocado, cucumber, cream cheese rolls. There was not a roll like that on the menu but I asked Mike, head "chef", to see what he could do and he said "no problem." What ended up on my plate was a delicious, super-creative, avocado, cucumber, cream cheese roll lightly topped with a peanut-y sauce in the shape of catepillar! It even had eyes! It looked just like the kind of catepillar Brittany Bechtold put in my hair when I was 7...except, this one, I wanted to eat it, not scream...
It's BYOB and they played the strangest, most awesome music ever...song list included, but was not limited to "Billie Jean," "Rock me, Amedeus," and "Rock Me Like a Hurricane."
Tanoshii definitely rocked me without rocking my wallet like Katsu would've...
Ah! A catepillar!
I mean, mmm...a catepillar!
sushi mike's custom maki is the greatest invention on earth.
hyperbole is my thing, i admit. but the fact that mike will make you a giant maki to your specifications (or, if you're feeling really adventurous, just order it and see what comes up) is pretty fantastic. tell him how spicey, what kind of fish you like, if you want fruit ... he will do it all.
the nigiri is great too -- always tastes fresh. i recommend popping into In Fine Spirits to grab a bottle of something before heading in here, then take your time enjoying something creative a la mike.
Hands down best sushi place in town!!! I never order off the menu, leave everything up to Chef Mike and you can't go wrong!! The rolls are so good you keep ordering and ordering and the bill can be a little high if your not careful but well worth it!
The custom sushi thing is really cool and all the custom rolls I've had were pretty good. I'd recommend going with a group so you can try a variety of flavors. The price can add up pretty quickly though as you ask for more and more rolls so be mentally prepared for that.
My absolute favorite sushi. The best is not to order off the menu-- instead let the chef know you want his specials (Sushi Mike as they call him). The "fish and chips" are amazing and their sushi is out of this world.
And its BYOB, so you can't go wrong.
what a disappointment! service can make or break a dining experience for me; the food was good, but not good enough to overshadow terrible 80's music playing from a broken radio and atrocious service.
we entered at 8pm on a saturday night and were seated promptly. they were busy, but not at full capacity. the focus of the food here is chef's choice, so we decided to start w/ 8 pieces of nigiri (chef's choice) and an order of edamame. the edamame was on the table within 5 minutes, dropped by a food runner. 50 minutes later, our glasses empty and our table strewn with empty edamame pods, we STILL have no nigiri. you don't even need to COOK it!! our server approaches our table and asks if we'd like to put in an order for some maki. excuse me?? we still haven't gotten our first round of sushi!?! but, judging by the current pace of our meal, we decided to go ahead and throw the order in. 10 minutes later, still no nigiri. we ask the waiter if our food is still coming, figuring we had been forgotten, he quickly brushes us off and assures us that the nigiri is on the way. no apologies, no refills, nothing.
the people sitting at the sushi bar seemed to be getting much more attentive and prompt service, so maybe sidling up to the chefs is the way to go. the sushi was good, but not mindblowing, and with such poor service, i'm pretty sure i won't return.
I had a taste for sushi and was tired of the same old places, so I hunted Chicago Reader for establishments around work and found Tanoshi. Quaint little place; sushi bar or table seating. But what a surprise! Just tell the friendly waitress what kind of fish you generally like---it you like spicy or not so much---and they bring you a roll custom made for you. I was by myself but ordered two different rolls and they were both fabulous. The second one even had fatty tuna included in it and I walked out of there with a beverage and miso shiru for $40. I enthusiastically recommend Tanoshi!
We went to Tanoshii for the first time last night after hearing about this place and "Sushi Mike" from some friends. We live just down the street but never even knew of this place and how great it was! All I can say is that we have been to a vast amount of sushi bars in many cities and this was one of the best sushi experiences we have ever had!
Needless to say we are hooked and the "Sushi Mike experience" and it was something that you should experience! All I can say is trust me ---- GO NOW. And put your trust in Sushi Mike! He is amazing we will be back for years to come. I have no idea of any names of what he made just try anything he does, its amazing!
i brought a few friends here on the recommendation of a college friend who said that this is her FAVORITE place to get sushi. After trying this place, I can see exactly why.
I will say, it is one of the most expensive sushi places I've been to, but their fish is very, very fresh. A special thing they do is something called Mike's Special Roll (I think). Genius! You just tell them what your favorite fishes and ingredients are, and he'll make you a custom roll. We had a Yellowtail custom roll and a white tuna w/mango, cilantro and more.
For an appetizer we tried their fried calamari which was breaded in something lighter than the typical breading and came out soaked in a light soy/sour sauce. The table next to us had udon that I wanted to stick a spoon in, something that I definitely plan to try when I go there again.
Between 4 girls we had 10 rolls. My favorites: Kamikaze, Dynamite, Red Caterpillar
Ambiance - Very chic, without overdoing it.
Food Quality - fresh fish, innovative rolls
Service - a little slow to be honest, only 2 servers for the whole place, but its made up for in the food.
Value - expensive. our bill was $160 for 4 people.
Great quality for a neighborhood sushi place. I usually sit at the bar and let Mike make whatever he feels like, and it's always great. It can get expensive though if you order off the menu. It's also good for groups. Definitely one of my favorites for sushi in Chicago.
SO I now have a new favourite restaurant....sorry Las Tablas!! :)
Tanoshii aka 'Sushi Mike' is in good ol' Andersonville, right across from the Jewel, which is nice considering this place is BYOB.
We went to celeberate my roommate's b'day on a Monday evening. Although, there is a regular menu, we ended up getting the chef special rolls which Mike creates based on ingredients you specify.
We ended up getting several special rolls including Spicy Tuna, White Tuna, Sea Bass & one with Mango & Unagi. They were all so good that I couldn't tell which I liked better. ;) We also got some sashimi and the fish was all so fresh!
Other than the awesome food & the BYOB, Sushi Mike himself is very personable. He created a special b'day roll for my roommate and inturn we offered him some sake.
Oh, and if you go on a weekday, say hello to Marc, referred to some as the 'Knob Creek' guy.
The only con of this place....not the cheapest Sushi in town. We spent $125 on the 3 of us (tax, tip included).
Mike's special here is great. I have never had a bad special, but that's all I order here, so not sure what the other menu items are like.
To enhance the experience definitely make a reservation at the bar to see Chef Mike in action, and BYOB!
I made a reservation here for my 23rd Birthday dinner, mainly because it was sushi...which I love, BYOB...which I also love, and they were able to accomodate 12 people easily.
They gave us a private room with a big table. I'm sure ordering for so many people was kind of annoying, but the staff didn't seem to mind. In addition to the numerous bottles of wine and champagne we had, my friend walked in and plunked down a mini-keg on the table. They didn't seem to mind that either!
Great sushi, great atmosphere, great staff. I highly recommend!
Best Uni of Chicago
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Chicago, IL
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Category: Japanese
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Category: Japanese
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Category: Sushi Bars
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