My new favorite sushi place!!! Since new management this place is simply amazing!!! The staff and owner are wonderful and so kind. Plus the food is drool worthy good!! There a tons of sushi restaurants in Wicker Park and most are so pricey for crappy sushi. Not Blue Fin!! Amazing rolls!! I hate when some places serve rolls with so much rice and a little piece of fish but this place really packs in the goodness!!
Review Source:The service was really good and attentive. It was kind of empty, but I get that it was also a Sunday night. I had the delta force roll and it was alright. I just think it could have been bigger for being $9. The sushi chef was really nice and they were really cool with decorating the sushi when it came out. The ambience is pretty chill too.
Review Source:We came on a rainy weekday and place was empty, but that's fine. I know it's packed on the weekends, so I have confidence that the produce is rotated frequently. Our server was really nice and made some awesome cocktails. I've trained about 50 bartenders and I'm telling you, our server was top-notch with his pours and presentation. Sushi and maki is presented equally as graciously, with the attention to detail replicated  in the thinly-sliced cucumbers. The rolls were not over-stuffed with white rice, which can be meddlesome, but this was avoided and thus the rolls were balanced and delicious.
Review Source:Atmosphere: Â Thought that this place was pretty big. Â There's the sushi bar when you walk in and then the rest of the restaurant behind that. Â They have two levels of seating. There's the main floor, and then another three tables that are up a step on more of a stage. Â We picked the "stage" seating--there was no one else up there so we got to be in our own little world.
Service: Â Sam was such a great waiter. Â We took our time ordering, consuming and then trying to decide on whether or not another roll was a good idea or not. Â Luckily for us, Sam brought over some edamame on the house which was the perfect finish to our meal. I love any waiter that is able to give us space but still checks in occasionally to make sure everything is all good. Â Sam did just this!
BONUS: on our way out the Sushi Chef called us order had had us take a sake shot with him and a few of his other staff. Â This was my first sake, and was pleasantly surprised. Â We were then directed to follow it with a piece of Salmon. ummm YUM. Â Such great hospitality and made us feel very special. ("did we just get MORE free food?!"-do we need to buy lotto ticket?!")
Food: Â After much research (I had to scope out the menu before and see which ones sounded good) we decided on the following rolls: Tsunami Roll, Ruby, Rainbow and Chicago Roll. I'm pretty boring when it comes to sushi (spicy salmon/tuna, no shrimp no crab) So i attempted to pick a few that had a little more pizazz. Â Lucky me, my date is a good sport and was down for the ones I had suggested/like. (bonus points for him). The Rainbow and Tsunami were my favorite rolls, followed by the Ruby and lastly the Chicago Roll. Â The Chicago Roll was my "crazy" roll...it had Eel in it which i had never had and thought I'd try it out. While it was really good...I liked the others better. Â
Overall Feedback: This place was not only quick to serve food, but their staffs friendliness and their extra attention made this dinner extra great. Â I would recommend this place to others as well.
I don't understand why this place only has 1.5 stars. I love their Ocean Drive and Bamboo rolls; their avocado maki is my comfort food, and their age dashi tofu is SO good. I think everything is fresh, the ambiance is fun and sleek, and the staff is incredibly friendly. I come here at least once a week and have no intention of stopping. Go to Blue Fin and keep good sushi alive!
Review Source:This place has a great variety of sushi rolls that are much better that Sushi Para or Nori. This sushi quality is very good, but in Wicker Park, Arami is king. I think this place seems a less full during dinner because it isn't the BYOB type like these other places. Instead, they have a full bar. If this place wants to become even better, I think they should ditch the liquor license and go full-out BYOB. This place would flourish as the sushi is already top 5 in the area.
Review Source:I got the Honeymoon course, which was DELICIOUS. and only 60 bucks.
Options of choosing any 4 of the regular maki or bluefin maki, 1 app, edamame, 2 soups and 2 salads. We choose 4 of the bluefin maki. All were very good. Â I thought the rolls were rolled well, rice was cooked properly and fish was a good amount placed in each roll. The wasabi could of had a lil more kick to it. Other than that, I was very satisfied. The service was friendly and the atmosphere was nice and intimate. :)
It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. Â I think bang-for-the-buck I like Nori and Tank Sushi better. Â
The rolls here had a very small amount of fish. Â I got full quickly b/c it had a lot of rice which is too bad b/c I would have ordered more rolls if they weren't so filling!
The service is friendly and attentive.
It did have a strong fishy smell that I didn't notice when I first walked in but after a bit it was strong.
I love Blue Fin! My husband and I have ordered takeout/delivery sushi from here nearly every week for 2 years. The few times we tried to branch out and order from another local place, we were sorely disappointed. More than once, we have received an extra appetizer just as a thank you for being loyal customers.
I will agree with some reviewers who said the place is sometimes empty when they dined in. However, I feel this is in no way a reflection of the quality or taste of the food. We will continue to faithfully keep this little gem in business by enjoying their delicious sushi! Chicago, Hot Night, Blue Fin Fire, and Ruby Roll are my favs!
I've been meaning to write a review about this place for some time now. I live really close and decided to try it about a year ago.... I was definitely impressed and come back almost weekly.
I'm picky about sushi, but I've never had a roll here I didn't enjoy and everyone I've brought has always been impressed with the sushi rolls. The presentation is seriously awesome, and the taste matches the way it looks!
Their edamame and house salad is always a must for me too. Always fresh and delish! There's never a wait and sometimes it's actually rather empty, but don't let that deter you from coming here!
Really friendly staff, great food, and a chill atmosphere! Plus, $3 sake bombs! Good prices too.. Check this place out!
Cute moody decor but the music made me want to jam pencils in my ears. This was my second time eating real sushi (the first time was over 10 years ago and it was awful). This time I went with a friend who's a sushi fan and she showed me the ropes. The Miso soup was delish and my California Sunset roll was AWESOME! I tried my friend's Philadelphia and spicy Tuna roll and they were also awesome. I ordered the vegetable tempura appetizer and hated it. The manager was kind enough to take it off the check. The service was swift and friendly and the food was so good that I'm craving it even now ( almost 3 days later). I'll definitely go back.
Take public transportation because parking is wretched and the area is congested.
Great place for a date. Went here with a lady and we both were impressed. It has a modern feel and the sushi was pretty good. I got some sashimi, it was decent but slightly overpriced for the quality that I got. But the sushi rolls we got were fantastic.
The service is friendly and the ambiance is modern. It's not a classic sushi bar but it got the job done. Modern music, modern art, good sushi. No real complaints, other than that it was a little pricey.
Atmosphere: 8/10
Service: 10/10
Food: 7/10
Sushi is fine but the ramen is better - simple, but good. It's more the korean kind than the japanese kind in that the soupbase is lighter and spicier. I also didn't know at the time, but this place is BYOB. great service too! very polite and attentive. i will definitely return for the ramen!
minus one for playing inappropriately loud top 40s radio music....definitely a no-no for japanese restaurants. at least turn it down.
This place gets three stars from me...
The food was good, the beef and asparagus appetizers where like bite size meals in themselves and it came out rather quickly. I took my cousin here with his girlfriend who had never had sushi before and I think she enjoyed it, so that's saying something.
Drinks were also good too, I had a lycheetini and it was amazing. Service was pretty prompt.
The downfall?
This place was empty. Literally. We were the only people in it. It was incredibly awkward too. I also think the setup was weird and very very dark. It might be more of a winter spot, I'm not sure.
That being siad, I will come back, simply because it's close to me. But it's definitely not the best sushi in town.
Blue Fin Maki Bar is the appropriate name due to minimal sushi variety.
Pricing for martini is based on well vodka.  The passé Mango Tini is decent that is too sweet and bit bitter even though well vodka is upgraded (for a fee) to Grey Goose.  Isn't Grey Goose supposed to leave a clean taste?  Where is the light bitterness coming from?
Friendly service but uninformative. Â I got a soy sauce dish without soy sauce on the table. Â Nor did she asked the type of soy sauce.
Flee market decor.
Caution: Â Blue Fin likes their chili mayo sauce that left my mouth dry after the meal. Â Credit card not accepted for less than $10.
Wondering....I don't think Japanese dishes use red chili sauce. Â Wasabi is IT for spiciness. Â So....Blue Fin is Thai or Chinese?
I tried this place with my girlfriend because she had a Groupon that was expiring. We usually like to try out new places with Groupons to see if we like them or not. Blue Fin Sushi is not anywhere close to where I live and even if it was I probably would not go back.
If you order any type of tempura sushi they actually deep fry the entire roll. I was not aware of this when ordering and I was very disappointed when our food came. I came to a sushi place for fresh rolls, not some "dinner" for cheap deep fried food.
Sorry Blue Fin Sushi Bar but you were a bit of a disappointment.
Maybe I went on an off night or something, but the service was insanely slow (and it wasn't super busy, but based on the other reviews saying it's always empty here, maybe with the Groupon expiring they were slammed?) We got there at about 7:15 and ordered a few simple rolls and it took a good 40-50 minutes for them to come out.
The rolls were pretty tasty, but for $11-14 per roll, I would think there'd be more than 6 pieces with just a teensy bit of fish in them...
It was alright, but I've been to better places, and we sat around for a lonnnnnng time waiting for the check.
For some reason I never, ever noticed this place as I used to live in the area and still frequent this hood quite often. I had a groupon that was expiring soon and wanted to use it, but still did not realize where it was until I scampered over last Friday afternoon.
Walked in with my pal and we were greeted with smiles. They kept asking if I had a reservation and three times I told them yes...language barrier I guess.
This place is BYOB so we brought a bottle of wine for our dinner. They uncorked it for us but forgot to give us ice to keep it chilled :( Luckily we drink wine pretty fast...lol
We started out with an asparagus beef appetizer which was phenominal...I had more pieces than my friend...hope she didn't notice...lol
We decided on three rolls which were all good especially the rainbow roll...I dont remember what was in it except for some spicy tuna and it was delicious.
Just in case you are wondering, it is right next to 6 Corners near the MIlwaukee/Damen/north intersection...
Not even 2 hours ago, I got back from the most incredible dinner. Sushi that blew me away. A place called Blue Fin, located on North Ave in Chicago <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fbluefinsushichicago.com%2F&s=b167718931ec0c89f7e07bc6d582b65810b32e5d7ebd550778189fc1e4e9422a" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://bluefinsushichica…</a> My friend H and I walked in, and it was empty. I can't understand why because we were floored. The quality is superb, the flavors were unbelievable, and the prices were reasonable too. Why on earth was this place so empty? Obviously we stumbled onto a hidden gem of Chicago for sushi restaurants. I am pleased to be able to share this place with the world.
So here is what stood out for me. First of all, they have a great, unique menu. They had the traditional rolls but also some new and interesting items. Like, they have Vegetable tempura as one of their appetizers. H loves anything tempura, so we decided to try it. It was really yummy, not too over fried and tasted good. No complaints on either of our ends.
Onto the main dishes! Normally, out of the two of us, H is the unadventurous one, not a big fan of things that are spicy or too out there. No big deal, each to their own. So she orders the White Dragon roll, which was super white tuna, avocado, and shrimp tempura. Although we frequently go out and get sushi at different places, she's never really wowed. This roll, it wowed her! I have never seen her so content with sushi, out of all the different places and all the crazy kinds I've made her try. Let's just say she was in heaven. And I tried a piece, so I can tell you why: the flavors were phenomenal and married with expertise. Avocado paired with the super white tuna was perfect, because the super white tuna is fattier. They complemented each other in a beautiful way.
On my end, I ordered the Tornado roll. It was out of this world! A sushi roll that's deep fried with crab, spicy tuna and avocado, and then wrapped in a potato, and topped with a spicy sauce. I say out of this world because I have never found a roll this unique anywhere else. Blue Fin gets some serious points for basically creating a work of art in flavors and unusual tastes. Together, my mouth was happy and shocked all at once, for that first bite. It was quite spicy, but the roll was also slightly sweet, so it neutralized the spiciness as you were chewing. I mean, brilliance all around.
One simple thing blew my mind completely: besides the unique menu and the tasty rolls, there were palette cleansers on hand with the sushi. Our food comes out and it's on this giant plate, with a presentation of cucumber and apple slices, along with the wasabi and ginger that's standard. It
was just so unusual, but it really made sense. Apple slices and cucumber slices to cleanse your palette  in between all the different kinds of rolls. I really liked that they did that.
Overall, Blue Fin is a great restaurant for sushi. Truly a hidden gem that the world needs to unearth, because I want to go back, and fully intend to. The service is great, my waitress was amazing, the food is fantastic, I can't complain. If you're in the area, check it out. I can guarantee you will not regret it!
This is a late review since me and my bf came to this place months back. Just have to say this place is great! We bought a Groupon for it but the service was awesome. The rolls are on the pricier side but the fish is really fresh so it was all good. Ambiance of the resto is really hip, since it's on Wicker Park. It's super convenient, there's the blue line, and tons of buses in that area. Forgot the names of the rolls we ordered but they were all good!
Will definitely be coming to place again!
We came here with some friends on a Friday night. Â I was happily surprised how quick and efficient the service was. Â The chefs assemble the rolls very fast, probably the fastest that I've seen. Â Not that I like to be rushed out the door, but there are places where I've forgotten what I ordered due to the long wait.
This was not the case here.
As to the food, everything was incredibly tasty and fresh. Â I love a really nice crispy cucumber in my sushi. Â I like it when I hear it crunch. Â Blue Fin made their cucumber crunch.
I don't remember when we had: The Chicago, Delta Force, Spicy Shrimp, and I forget what the last roll was called. Â Miso and edamamde were tasty. Both brought out quickly. Â
The fish is fresh, the presentation is good. The drinks are great! Â I loved The White Lady. Â
Will go back.
Fresh melt-in-your-mouth sashimi. Simple as that. Very high quality fresh fish. This place is under a new manager and he or she has done a bang up job. My husband and I (foodies by nature) have heard some sketchy things about this place. I bought the Groupon thinking we would order sashimi for appetizers and if it sucked we would simply leave. We did just that and stayed for our main course. It was fabulous. Uni was terrific, super white tuna was fabulous as was the hamachi. So good, so fresh.
We also ordered a roll and it was fantastic (rainbow dragon). They have a nice selection of sake, wine, beer, and mixed drinks. They are also BYOB. My husband and I were Sea Dog lovers and have now switched over to Blue Fin. They are 5 min from our house and their food is just as good.
Ok, I'm a person who believes when you go out to eat, it should ALWAYS be a great experience -- food, service, ambiance, etc. Well, at least give me good food & good service ;)
The food was good (not great) & the service was HORRIBLE!
It was a Tuesday night, and I understand if it's not a "typical busy day," but there was only 1 server who was flying around the restaurant (poor guy). My boyfriend & I were very understanding of this fact, but waiting over an hour for our edamame (which takes like 2-3 minutes to boil & sprinkle salt over) was a little too much.
Our waiter also came back 20 minutes later asking us exactly what we ordered .... are you kidding me? Basically, we were there for around 2 hours watching everyone else eating & all we ordered was edamame, hot night roll, & 2 bento boxes (chicken & beef).
So, food was good but the service was bad. Thank god we used a groupon ;)
We shook things up from our usual sushi digs and checked out Blue Fin for a friends birthday.
Despite some of the negative reviews I'm reading, Â I thought the food was tasty and they did well handling our large party Try the heart attack app, it's a deep fried jalapeno w/ cream cheese & salmon. Almost like a spicier version of your fav Philly role.
Our table split a few different roles, the ones that stood out were the Kamikaze, Dragon, & Chicago rolls.
They offer BYOB but they also offer sake should your hearts desire a night on the wild side. I would come back if I was back in the Wicker Park area.
I'm tempted to give it one star based on my experience tonight. Â I've been to Blue Fin 4 or 5 times over the past 8 years or so. Â Most of meals have been good to great and I enjoy the casual atmosphere, so they have continued to get my business. Â
The first red flag was when the server took the order of the table that was seated after we were. Â I know this isn't a huge deal, but it really bugs me for some reason.
We ordered and ate our sushi and everything was above average. Â We had to ask the server to come and refill our water and tea a few times, so she wasn't spectacular. Â Then the shit started to hit the fan. Â The couple seated after us paid their bill and left. Â We roughly finished eating at the same time. Â So I look at our server and she walks away. Â She's on the phone messing around on the computer. Â I assumed they were having technical issues with the POS system, but the other tables checked out just fine only minutes before we were ready for our bill. Â
We ended up sitting at our table, the only patrons in the restaurant, for TWENTY MINUTES without any contact from our waitress or anyone else at the restaurant even though there 5 people working. Â I couldn't believe it. Â I have no clue what these people are thinking, but I'm never ever going back after my experience tonight. Â Sorry, you just don't leave the only people in the restaurant sitting there. Â Ridiculous.
Also, the music was very loud and it was some top-40, pseudo-electronica mashup crap. Â Horrible.
Too many other sushi joints to choose before ever coming back here.
Last night I walked to Blue Fin, excited for my meal with a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> coupon in hand. Luckily my boyfriend stopped me in my tracks and pointed out a sign on their door, saying they no longer accept <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> coupons. My coupon, by the way, indicates it never expires.
As of this writing, there is STILL a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> link in this very Yelp page to receive a deal at this restaurant.
It is completely unacceptable and a straight-up SCAM that they refuse to accept the coupons. I didn't clip it out of a newspaper, I paid for it!
I will never go to this shady restaurant again.
PROS:
- Great sushi, reasonably priced
- Chill, friendly, authentic feel
- Delicious, delicious, delicious food
PRO/CONS:
- Sexy lighting (Can't see your date)
CONS:
- Somewhat pricey, though nothing ridiculous. (Note: I am a cheap bastard)
- Too many families and children, despite the young adult setting
- Oddly erotic music
The place many also be a little hard to find because of its hidden signage and understated front window. Â Totally worth it though! (Try the Shiitake Mushroom Maki!)
My friends and I have dined at Blue Fin several times. Last night, we went in with our <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> certificate and they made a big deal about accepting it. I insisted the waiter call his manager and they ended up accepting the gift certificate because I bought it only 4 days before. We really appreciated it, but after all of that, the waiter basically ignored us and was rude for the rest of the night. I'm not sure why he was so upset... He was getting tipped on the $50 we were required to spend as opposed to the $33 we would normally spend.
I will not be going back to Blue Fin after this experience. I'd rather patronize one of the other thousand sushi joints in Chicago and instead of dealing with bad service - the food is not that good.
I have stopped by here several times when hunger hits me in Wicker Park. Â Every time I come here I am seated immediately and greeted quickly with a delicious fresh sushi meal!
I always start off with miso soup and order a couple of rolls. Â My favorites? Â Well... they all are. Â I have never had a bad roll here! Â They have a vast assortment of rolls that are all reasonably price.
I have also tried the martinis here which were good... as other reviewers stated.. you can actually taste the booze in them!
I was in Wicker Park, craving some sushi and just happened to stumble upon this place. The place is quiet and clean. Nice decor and calming atmosphere. Our server was this really nice Japanese man. He offered great service.
The food is delicious! I ordered the Dragon Roll and it was sooo good! I seriously kept thinking about how tasty it was for days. I will definitely visit again.
I have to start out talking about the...H.E.A.R.T A.T.T.A.C.K Appetizer which is essentially a cross between Fergie and Jesus (pretty incredible). Â I am a HUGE jalenpeno popper fan and their take on this was awesome. Â I seriously could make a meal out of a couple of orders of this. Â
All 4 of the rolls we got were delicious. Â My personal favorite was the white dragon. Â I am not a sushi expert and am not always sure what I am eating, I prefer it that way, and this roll was awesome. Â All in all the rolls we got were all delicious and all super fresh. Â
After dinner we ordered drinks. Â Not only were the drinks good, but you could actually taste the booze. Â YES! Â I love when places serve me a drink and arent stingy with the alchohol. Â With our drinks, they brought out a free serving of edamame so that we could snack while we sipped. Â Generous booze and a free snack would be reason alone for me to give a place 4-5 stars but the whole experience was great.
I cannot wait to go back to get my next sushi fix!
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