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Gaijin Chicago Reviews
The egg pancake doesn't sit well after eating it.
Didn't realize it's pretty much street food until we sat down. Good atmosphere but so tight next to the El train. Good service, the whiskey was the best part.
Food is tasty and service is great! We tried the short rib
Food is tasty and service is great! We tried the short rib appetizer and the Hiroshima style okonomiyaki Their sesame yuzu shaved ice might be one of my favorite desserts in the city. The interior is well designed and there are options to either sit
Appreciated the friendly and efficient service.
My husband and I sat at the bar and ordered the okonomiyaki flight, marinated beef short ribs (not pictured) and the shaved ice. We came here more for snacks than a meal. The savory food was good, but quite overpriced for the small portion sizes. The
Visited for lunch paid $100 for sub standard quality food.
The yakisoba noodles weren't event fully detangled - one part came as a lump! The cabbage pancake no zero flavor - no salt - couldn't go beyond a couple bites. Only the stir fry bok choy was ok. The karrage chicken coating had a funny flav
Came here late in the evening to grab a snack and dessert.
Ordered the Beef Okonomiyaki, Pandan Donut, and 2 Kakigori. The okonomiyaki came out first. It had one texture throughout, which made it less satisfying. It was a bit saucy for us. The Pandan donut came out next, and I agree with those who had it
Came here on a Thursday evening right after work so it
Came here on a Thursday evening right after work so it wasn't too crowded when I got there, but it started to fill up while I was eating. I got the Gaijin Passport Experience ($45) and choose the Kombu marinated vegetables, chicken karaage, shri
First Japanese food we did not like: Food: 0.
What we ordered seemed to be food made for after-partying drinkers. Atmosphere: 1. Good Retro 60-70s music that seemed out of place. Empty when we went for lunch. Management/Service: 5 After admitting our mistake, nice manager comped one dish and
A delightful array of Japanese traditional Osaka and
A delightful array of Japanese traditional Osaka and Hiroshima food. I really enjoyed the yakisoba with pork belly, flavorful and balanced. There's plenty types of okinomiyaki so I suggest getting a couple to try if with a group. The short ribs
This is a casual restaurant by a Michelin star chef! I had
This is a casual restaurant by a Michelin star chef! I had the vegetarian okonomiyaki and it was fabulous! So much flavor and a great texture. The chef stopped by to greet our group and make sure we had anything we could possibly want. This was part
This place is a gem! Amazing and unusual food.
.. gluten free, delicious, and healthy! Servers were great, too. Casual environment.
Authentic okonomyaki restaurant located in Chicago.
I was pleasantly surprised by the taste and options available at Gaijin. They serve Osaka and Hiroshima style okonomyaki. I personally like the Hiroshima style due to the addition of noodles that adds a bit more structure and flavor to the pancake. D
Had a great experience here.
We walked in on a Friday without a reservation and were able to sit at the bar with a full menu. We got two drinks each and had a great time watching the bartenders make them and serve everyone, you can also see the kitchen which is always fun - espe
Great food! The pork yakisoba was tender and cooked
Great food! The pork yakisoba was tender and cooked amazingly and all the flavors complimented the dish. The lychee martini was fresh and fragrant. The ambiance was very modern and sitting at the kitchen bar was a fun experience.
Fun. Hip. Loud. The kitchen executes. All that being
Fun. Hip. Loud. The kitchen executes. All that being said, absolutely nothing delighted my mouth. It's just the palate. It's entirely "off" or at least different from anything I might like or ever want to eat or drink. Almost do
The food is delicious, the service very efficient and
The food is delicious, the service very efficient and professional at taking orders, filling waters and clearing plates often. The warm griddle in the middle of the table is s nice touch, you feel like you might be in Japan. The pricing seems okay
Went here for my bestie's birthday.
Excellent service (shoutout to Christian!!)...food (A++)...location (by the Morgan Green line stop)...happy hour deals...cool vibes!! The kakigori was something so different and can't stop thinking about it. Will be back!!
If you're in Chicago, this is a must try restaurant.
The okonomiyaki is DELICIOUS, and they have some many varieties which is super hard to find. We went during brunch, and everything we got was super delicious. We wrapped it up with dessert, and it was heavenly. Great service all around, and it was fu
The food was exceptional, atmosphere trendy and Christian
The food was exceptional, atmosphere trendy and Christian was a great waiter - informed, very helpful and accommodating.
Space feels a little cramped, but everything else was
Space feels a little cramped, but everything else was wonderful! My brother and I split one each of the standard Okonomiyaki; serving size was just right and every component was flavorful. They were served onto the table which had a built-in warming
Good Kakigori
Last visited in 2020 amidst COVID precautions Paul Virant’s Gaijin remains the Windy City’s only real purveyor of Kakigori, and although Japanese Shaved Ice is not the Restaurant’s primary focus results are competent at a pricepoint unchanged f
Food is subjective, but Okonomiyaki is not for everyone
I feel bad going with the 3 stars. My wife and I tried Gaijin to taste the Okonomiyaki. Neither of us liked it. The crispy rice helped but the whole idea didn't work for us. It appears that Gaijin has mastered the dish but it's not for eve
Never a bad meal
Hadn’t been here in a while and a friend was scheduled to come into town so we made reservations. My friend cancelled on me so there was just 6 instead of 7. They took great care of us. David was our server and was outstanding. Interactive and funn
Highly recommend
Just did the tasting menu for $80 with the drink pairings and it was phenomenal. One of the best, most diverse meals I’ve had in Chicago. Awesome.
Superb Japanese food in the west loop
Gaijin, a super Japanese okonomiyako (savory cabbage pancake) restaurant. A flight of sake, salmon misoyaki (marinated in miso, mirin, sake and sugar), a chicken shawarma okonomiyaka and a mochi chocolate donut! An excellent dinner!
Great experience!
Awesome experience! Beef ribs appetizer were delicious and so were all the mains. Very reasonable priced and would go back!
Come for the Okonomiyaki, or just for dessert, and don’t skip the world-class pickled veggies.
Gaijin, located in the West Loop, below the Morgan Street CTA Station, specializes in Okonomiyaki - a savory Japanese pancake traditionally made on a hot metal cooking surface called a teppan. Okonomiyaki aren’t the only standouts on Gaijin’s m
Worth the trip from Toronto
Fantastic meal. We had never had okonomiyaki but having lived in Asia and loving the food we were excited to try it. WOW. It was fantastic. We shared a variety of dishes and were thrilled with them all. My only question was “when are you openi
Service not good enough
Customer service needs to be improved. The waiter didn't even bother asking if it was our first time and didn't recommended any food on the menu. To find what looked good, we checked Yelp.
Connect with users posting reservations for Gaijin Chicago
AppointmentTrader is a community-driven platform where users can exchange their reservations or leverage their personal relationships with Gaijin Chicago. Buyers can make informed decisions using automated seller ratings, which reflect past transactions and reliability.
Each posting on AppointmentTrader shows you which user submitted it and along with that provides a trackrecord of that user which indicates how much experience
the user has and how many percent of their transactions resulted in them issuing a refund.
If there is no user posting that fits your schedule, you can bid on your preferred time.
Let's say Peter has a great morning and decides to take his three friends to Gaijin Chicago at 6 PM the same day.
He checks the restaurant's website and sees that no reservations are available. He then looks at the Gaijin Chicago page on AppointmentTrader, but finds that there are no user postings either.
That's where the community-driven bid process comes in.
Peter can place a bid on AppointmentTrader, which serves as a reward for any community member who chooses to work on securing the reservation. AT then notifies experienced users who may be able to help.
Step-by-Step Process
1.) Setting a Reward (Bid)
* AppointmentTrader uses historical data to recommend a reasonable reward amount for securing a reservation - let's say $100.
* Peter really wants to go, so he increases the bid (or reward) to $200.
* At this stage, the reservation does not exist yet.
2.) A Community User Picks Up the Bid
* DistinguishedTree58, an experienced AT user, has a strong track record of successfully securing reservations and low refund requests, they receive a notification about Peter's $200 bid.
* DistinguishedTree58 picks up the bid, meaning they will now work on securing the reservation.
* Peter can now talk to DistinguishedTree58 for any questions Peter may have as DistinguishedTree58 user fills the bid.
3.) Finding the Reservation
* DistinguishedTree58 now uses their connections at Gaijin Chicago to secure the table.
* If they successfully get the 6 PM table for four, Peter receives a confirmation that the reservation has been secured.
* If DistinguishedTree58 fails to secure the reservation, the bid is returned to the pool so another user can try.
4.) Payment & Protection
* Once the reservation is secured, DistinguishedTree58 receives the $200 reward which is credited to DistinguishedTree58's AT balance, where users manage their own funds and can withdraw via available payout options such as bank transfer, PayPal, or Zelle.
* Peter can now enjoy the dinner with his friends at Gaijin Chicago!
* As with all transactions on AT, disputes and no-show fees are handled through the platform's community-driven resolution system. Users with a strong track record are incentivized to fulfill bids successfully, and community members can report issues to maintain trust in the marketplace.
