Decent sushi
- BYOB.
- Slow service. Was pretty busy on a Friday night though. Took awhile for everything: water, wine opener, & check! Food came out in a timely manner though.
- Decent sushi. Snow White roll was ok, kind of plain. Not enough crunch as advertised. Strawberry roll was really good. So many flavors and the fruit gives it that nice edge. Salmon, white tuna, and eel sashimi were fresh but not the best.
- Cheap prices. BYOB helps but regardless, $50 date night isn't bad.
Cafe Sushi was setting for a welcome dinner that I hosted for a large (10) group of friends. Â I called one day in advance to reserve space for our party, and the staff member who helped me was very friendly and courteous.
Here's a quick rundown of our experience...
PROS:
1. BYOB (No corkage fee!)
2. Very casual service.
  I like this.  It allowed our group to get settled and enjoy some conversation between Â
  sips of our adult beverages
3. Location - CS is located on Wells St. in Old Town. Â It's within stumbling distance
  from some legit spots.
CONS:
1. Air Quality - Unfortunately, CS offers a few fried rolls on their menu. Â The smell of Â
  sesame/canola? oil permeates the space - it may bother those with sensitive senses
2. Billing - CS will only accept a maximum of 2 credit cards per group. Â
SUMMARY:
This is a great spot to catch some above average sushi - it won't change your life, but the staff is very chill and you will enjoy your company
Cafe sushi is one of my go-to byob sushi places. My girlfriends and I aren't the best at making reservations, so it's nice to go somewhere without a long wait. If they don't have any tables available, you can sit at the sushi bar & watch the chefs make sushi while you wait. The sushi here is always delicious, and the ginger salad is awesome too. They don't have a corkage fee for vino, and the prices are reasonable for a sushi place. Also, the servers are all very nice.
The best perk about cafe sushi is the location! It is on the same block as zanies comedy club & also not too far from second city. Byob sushi and a comedy show makes for an awesome night! If you are going to a show, make sure you get to dinner early, its not slow but it does take a while.
I BYOB-ed Sake and they heated it up for me...no attitude, just warmed that liq up! I appreciated this.Only thing unsettling about my experience was the man sitting in front of me at the next table was on his phone during his whole date (this was 100% a date, not his sister/mom/etc.) looking a pictures of other girls sans clothing. Sushi was so good I forgot about about it. But still. Weird. Eat your sushi, dude. Stop that.
Review Source:Have been to this place at least 5-10 times but this is my first review. Â With the amount of times I have been you know I must like it. Â Fish is ALWAYS fresh. Â for rolls I go with Viagra, Honey Bee, Snow White and Sahara. Â Nigiri pieces are always good sized and freash. Â Love their edemane as well. Â Service is OK. Â only thing keeping it from a 5* i would say. Â BYOB always a nice option and get here a little earlier as this place gets filled up fast especially on weekends. Â The decor is kind of boring and no music playing with stale lighting. Â I go for the sushi and price point is right on.
Review Source:Hot darn! :)
I tried Cafe Sushi for the first time last night and I loved the food, but the service not so much.
First, I tried the Mango Habanero with the shrimp substituted for Tuna it was extremely delicious. I also tried the Strawberry Kiwi roll, which was also in a class of it's own. The Mexican roll was pretty decent. I've ordered that one elsewhere and it was close enough to the good quality. I will say that the Mango Habanero and the Strawberry Kiwi rolls were so delicious that as much as I love sushi and eat it more then three times a week, I've never had any that taste as good as those two and partnered with my favorite Mexican roll and a few others our dinner was exquisite! I highly recommend this place based on the EXTREMELY high quality sushi.
They also have BYOB's so you can bring in a nice bottle of wine with your dinner without the mark up and they do not charge a service fee - corking fee for allowing you to use their glasses or etc.
On the other hand, I noticed that the waitstaff had to be summoned to our table when they were clearly not busy doing anything else. They mingled around the sushi prep station talking and etc yet, it took forever to get them to take our order, ask us if we needed anything else, and to bring the bill. Overall, the lack of urgency and care that the waitstaff has is bringing this business down. With such high quality food and BYOB's at no additional price you would think this place would be so packed that they had a waiting list.
I will try this place out again only, because the food is excellent. Goodness it was love affair good.
You can go a lot of places for a good California, dragon, or spicy tuna roll. Â What made Cafe Sushi standout to me were the totally unusual and unique rolls you can't find anywhere else! Â In addition to a couple standard rolls, we shared an orange roll that had orange, crab, avocado, and an awesome sweet habanero sauce on the top. Â It was by far the best roll we ordered! Â Can't wait to go back and try the kiwi strawberry roll.
There weren't many tables full at 7pm on a Saturday night, but my concerns were quickly squashed. Service was attentive but not overbearing, and it was QUIET. Â Great place to bring a date where you can actually talk, not to mention the fee-free BYOB.
Honorable mentions: Gomae (delicious homemade peanut sauce) and gyoza
BYOB with no corkage fee. YES, PLEASE.
The sushi is great! Our fave's were the Hawaiian maki, the honeybee maki, and the firecracker maki. I agree with the other reviews; waiter service is slow! You have to flag down a waiter to take your order or any other requests. Their price is affordable as well.
BYOB and reasonably priced amazing sushi?! What more could a girl want?!
The first time we came here (yup the FIRST time, we've been back several times) there was no seating outside so we decided to sit inside. Well that was dumb. Outdoor seating opened up literally 3 seconds later.
The waiter has been super attentive every time. They always see us bring in wine and immediately bring us wine glasses and water. The sushi comes on a wooden table thing, adorable.
Everything has tasted amazing. We have brought friends here and they've also come back, and they don't even live in the neighborhood! They make the trek from Avondale!
Highly recommended to dine in, haven't ordered delivery yet.
Adorable outdoor seating and BYOB. There was very few people there which I often find concerning when picking a restaurant. Â The sushi was ok, nothing to rave about but the service was fast, friendly and the price was right.
Its a great neighborhood place if you want to relax without waiting for table.
My first time here was really nice. Im a beginner on the sushi scene so i was kinda nervous about the place. I ordered the Hawaiian Rolls although, their menu is really original and fun. Ive never heard of 90% of the items so i just picked what i thought sounded good.
Establishment is very neat and clean and not crowded at all. Wait staff is very nice and fast. I like how you can watch the sushi chefs creat their masterpieces from behind the glass.
Id have to say the best feature of Cafe Sushi is the BYOB!!
I see nothing wrong with some awesome ass sushi. L was in town and she loves this place, made it the perfect reason to go there.
BYOB with no corkage fee. AWESOME
Some of my faves for the evening- the Hawaiian maki, the honeybee maki, the mexican maki (spicy), the firecracker maki
We got 7 rolls and the 4 of us were stuffed. And the best part? The bill was 25$ each. Can you say happy tummy sushi time?
The place itself seems like it could be a date place but isn't really because of it being neat and utilitarian as well. There is outdoor as well as bar seating for you finicky types
The waiter service is definitely slow but I think that was due to a lack of waiters. However you can order with any of them at any time and they are happy to help you. Just flag one down and be aggressive about it.
I will be back cafe sushi. You have intrigued me.
Its super dangerous that this place is right by my office.
I have ordered from here multiple times for lunch and will continue to do so.
So affordable, great lunch menu and FRESH fish!
Seriously I am tempted to call now.
The nice thing about their rolls, they are super cold, not like that " air temp warm roll that you have to question just when that fish was hooked type".
Try the Snow White, its a must!
I took a date here for an early dinner.
Pros:
+ Waitress was attentive without being intrusive, plus she was polite
+ Sushi rolls were excellent, especially the honey rolls
+ They have comfy benches with throw pillows which are fun to play with, can you say pillow fight?
Cons:
- Only one bathroom, and it was a bit dirty
Overall, for the price, this is a great place to grab sushi at a reasonable price in Old Town. Can't rate the sake, as I was trying to be on my best behavior for my date. :)
Met some friends for dinner here last weekend and was slightly reluctant about going to a place called Cafe Sushi.
Not much to look at inside and they gave us a puny table which was uncomfortable for the 7 of us. But the sushi was amazing. My favorites were the bumble bee, viagra, and firecracker maki.
Our waiter was sweet, friendly and very accommodating of all of our needs.
Bonus: BYOB. We brought in 2 six packs and 4 bottles of wine...zero corkage fee.
Will definitely be back again.
We arrived a bit early on a weekday evening to an empty restaurant which added one other family by the time we left. Â There were 2 sushi chefs and 3 waiters/waitresses huddled in the far corner of the restaurant chatting with each other and no-one seemed overly concerned with serving us. Â Since my waitress never came to see how we were doing, I had to periodically yell across the restaurant to get her attention when I needed something. Â
Bad service can be forgiven at the right price-point. Â But no, the prices for sushi were the same as you would find throughout the city, even if it may be cheaper than a high-end sushi restaurant which is almost next door. Â The sushi was good but I have to wonder if the rice balls are formed in a machine or by hand. Â They were just too perfect. Â Not a big deal to me, just an observation.
I think I'd rather pay a little more and go to the restaurant next door for better service and food.
PROS
Conveniently located
Great people watching
BYOB
Lots of selection of sushi, etc
CONS
Poor service
One bathroom (unisex)
Slightly overpriced...although this is offset by the BYOB
No ambiance
Small rolls
Overall Cafe Sushi is A-OK...pretty much sums it up perfectly. Â The sushi is good. Â A lot of people rave about the honey bee roll...we got it...it was just ok. Â Pretty standard unagi, spicy scallop, etc. Â The sushi was a decent quality. Â The service was very slow and unattentive. Â It was pretty bad,, although we werent in a hurry. Â I am sure I will be back for the summer time patio...like everyone else in Chicago...what we put up with to sit outside on a nice day :)
Okay -so this place seemed great! Â
Love the BYOB aspect + the sushi is always good. Â Love the honey bee roll. Â Service was a little slow...
However, your clothes & hair end up spelling pretty gross afterward (what you expect at Ron of Japan but not cafe sushi).  I had just got my winter coat cleaned - then went to Cafe Sushi, not thinking, and I left smelling like fried food.  I showered immediately and changed my clothes but didn't have time to dry clean my jacket again. 1/2 a can of  febreeze later - I think I am okay. Â
I had a flight the next morning - I put the jacket in the overhead bin and you could still smell it. Â I felt horrible for my fellow passengers but I needed my coat in NY.
I arrive in NY - stuffed the coat in my shoulder bag (embarrassed - hoping nobody notices). Â 1st thing my friend says to me -- you smell like fried food. Ughhhh - I can't handle it. Â Good food - but don't wear anything you can't throw in the wash when you get home.
I have a lot of heart for Cafe Sushi so I may be a bit biased on my review.
From first glance, it's your typical BYOB sushi spot. Â Pretty non-assuming with average lighting, a decent sized seating area, a sushi bar for your viewing pleasure and generally a good, bustling crowd.
Why do I tend to come here more often than most of my sushi joints? Â I always end up calling the "day of" when looking for a reservation and the staff is always so polite and as accommodating as can be to fit us in (generally with a party of 4-6). Â They greet you with a smile and walk right on over with a corkscrew and wine glasses for your 5 bottles of wine. Â I mean...2. Â
Get yourself started with some edamame and the dynamite (a spicy mayo covered dish with seafood, scallops, YUM!) and some good conversation and you are already having a great night! Â Add a few more rolls (I will definitely recommend the Hawaiian, the Las Vegas, The Miami, Snow White and Sahara). Â Reasonably priced and delicious sushi combos.
They are always patient with both the long diners and drinkers and serve your food with love (and sometimes on a wooden boat if you get enough! ha!) Â GREAT FOR GIRLS NIGHT OUT. Â Little birthday dessert for the birthday girl and always a "see ya next time" when you leave.
Until next time Cafe Sushi!
**Review for delivery only**
Service 5; Sushi 2.
Once again on my quest to find the best sashimi in Chicago. This definitely ain't it.
I mean, for the price, the sushi is passable. The non-specialty rolls are very reasonably priced. And since the sashimi/nigiri was pretty cheap, I decided to throw in a few as well.
The fish was just...bland. The maguro had little to no flavor. Even the salmon, a typically flavorful fish, fell flat. The rolls fared a bit better--the rainbow roll is decent, as is the Viagra roll (obviously, we ordered it solely for the name).
I had a great experience with them after placing my order on Seamless, however. I accidentally entered the wrong time for delivery (I was ordering ahead of time), and they gladly switched the time for me. And the food arrived on the dot. 8:30 on the nose. That's impressive.
Another huge perk--they provide containers of soy sauce (not the little packets). Perfect size for dipping, and ample amounts in your delivery order.
So for quick, cheap sushi, go here. For fish quality, keep looking.
Cafe Sushi is our go-to outdoor sushi eating joint. We don't even live close to Old Town but we grab a bottle of wine and head up there pretty often.
Though my boyfriend and I have this bad streak of getting into some sort of argument while we're there (its a weird mojo we have going on...it doesn't happen anywhere else)...it has nothing to do with the food, service, or ambiance.
And, I mean, come on. HONEY BEE ROLL. I die.
Service is always very friendly. Sometimes on the slow side, but never terrible.
It's always busy and closer to the weekend I've seen a wait happen, so head there early.
I'll go back...and try my best to not pick a fight with my dude.
Pretty tasty sushi, although it's definitely not the freshest I've had. Â Dropped by a few days ago and shared eight rolls with a few friends. Â We ordered the honey bee roll based on the hype from the yelp reviews. Â It definitely didn't disappoint, but for me the Mexican roll stole the show. Â Including cilantro and avocado in one roll go a long way with me, especially when they don't skimp on the cilantro. Â Avoid the Viagra roll, it was packed with too much of too many different kinds of fish, and the texture of the something in there sticks out like a sore thumb. Â The other rolls were good, but not memorable as I cannot recall them even as I look at the menu.
The service was great - water levels were kept high and the waitstaff wasn't overly intrusive after we received our food. Â Great value for the price, but there are better options in Chicago.
I'm finding it difficult to get excited about Café Sushi. Â
The Roll Breakdown
*Mexican Maki filled with yellowtail, jalapeno, cilantro & avocado with spicy mayo - SPICY and well worth the $5 price tag
*Viagra Maki made with a plethora of fish including salmon, tuna, scallop, red snapper, squid, tako, shrimp, masago & avocado with spicy mayo - The name of the roll is ridiculous, but it's tasty
*Fire Dragon inside spicy tuna, outside unagi avocado - Umm... nothing that warrants being titled a Specialty Maki roll or a $12 price tag. Â Pass.
*Snow White inside avocado, shrimp tempura, outside super white tuna, red tobiko, scallion - Far better tasting than I expected. Â And my favorite of the night.
*Honey Bee white tuna, avocado, cucumber, honey sauce with tempura crunch outside - This roll popped up in a many reviews, but honestly, it's not for me. Â Honey and raw fish together are passable for this gal.
Service was okay. Â Slooooooow, so don't go expecting to be somewhere anytime soon. Â Our server was pleasant, but entirely unmemorable and absent through most of the meal.
BYOB - HUZZAH!  Being able to cart your own vino is probably Café Sushi's biggest selling point.
The parking situation is the pits. Â No valet. Â No lot. Â Not a chance in hell of getting a street spot on a Friday night. Â I had to finagle another restaurant into parking my car for me. Â Sigh. Â For the love of all that is holy: GET A VALET SERVICE. Â If you are a restaurant in Old Town, it's a must.
Passable, if uninspired rolls and no valet would normally make Café Sushi a skip in the future, but there is that BYOB factor keeping it afloat.  Go to knock back some relatively inexpensive sushi and get your buzz on.  Walk on by if you're a serious sushi connoisseur.
Pretty dang ok!
Came here on a date. It was nice because it's quiet here and we could actually talk. BYOB is nice but I had to resist because of a goal to be booze free for an entire month! Led to an awkward moment of my date pulling out a bottle of wine, the waiter noticing and bringing out glasses and a bottle opener, me refusing, the waiter taking the unused glasses. Hehe!
You *must* try the honey bee roll. Oh yes. You must.
Everything else we had was pretty standard. Some of the rolls were a bit small, but service was friendly and speedy!
I thought Cafe Sushi was OK. Â The interior is cute, and more roomy than lots of sushi places, which is nice. Â My overall verdict was that the specialty rolls are over priced for what you get. Â I'm used to paying $14 for them, but I expect to see hearty pieces of fish, cool displays, and big rolls. Â This was not that. Â The basic rolls, on the other had, were very well priced, and heartier than most places. Â Many are just $5, which is pretty good.
And on a side note, unless you enjoy eating copious amounts of raw cilantro, avoid the Mexican Roll.
When I lived in Michigan, we frequented a place called Cafe Sushi. It was a warm bath, a comfy fleece, elastic waist. . . just perfect and so god damn reliable.
My hubs stumbled upon this place whilst driving back from the Old Town School in Instructor Alan's car. I imagine it was a beat-up Rabbit or K-Car, probably blue, probably sputtering. He took Marc on a tour of some of Chicago's best kept secrets, and my beloved spotted this corner roost and thought, "I is gonna take my woman there some day."
Tonight was the night. We were celebrating my admission to grad school and, effectively, the dog-earring of a chapter in my life. BYO means Fin du Monde and some of his homebrewed stout. Reasonably priced sushi means the Honey Bee, Rainbow, Philly, Boston and Shrimp Tempura rolls, but everything looked good.
Old Town can be a little suffocating, but I'm already envisioning a perfect day to come. Browsing and fingering pages at the Newberry, mani/pedi at Arbre, sushi at the Cafe and a walk across the street to Old Town Pub for some reverie.
I put it this way. If I lived a block away, I would be living under the tables with the reviewers of yore. A Table City, glowing with blue underlighting and an odd assortment of knick knacks that surely move when the moon comes out.
I love this place!!
First of all, I thought the space was really cute and nice and def had plenty of seats. There are so many other Sushi places I have been to that had much less seating than Cafe Sushi. That being said, I'd like to get straight to the food!
This place is BYOB which is just always great.
We were seated right away, and it was nice and crowded, almost every table taken--shows ppl love it :)
Our waiter was very attentive, as we took our time deciding amongst the huge menu.
Presentation was great, and the food was even better.
I would suggest the following:
Caterpillar, Hawaiian, Crazy Shrimp Tempura and anything with tempura&cream cheese.
I will definitely come back here again!
I used to be a loyal customer.
My best friend and I would refer to them as "the sushi place" whenever we discussed grabbing a couple of rolls.
I never hesitated before highly recommending this place to everyone and their mother.
No more. Â Not after what happened tonight. Â Never have I encountered such rude people before.
My best friend and I wanted to make an order for us to pick up later, so I called them through relay (because I'm deaf). Â The first time, a woman answered and hung up. Â "No problem," I thought. Â "They're just not used to this type of call." Â So I redialed and explained to her that I was a deaf caller and that I was a loyal customer who wanted to make an order. Â She told me to call back in one hour and before I could say anything, she hung up. Â
So I patiently waited until 8:30 to call again. Â This time a man answered. Â I repeated myself about being a loyal customer who wanted to make an order and that I happened to be deaf. Â He told me that he didn't want to take my order, then he proceeded to yell at me about interrupting his time with another customer and he told me to never call them again. Â Then he hung up. Â
Okay, they have officially lost a customer -- me. Â It's a shame because I made it my business to bring them more customers. Â No more. Â From now on, I will make it a point to tell people that the water glasses here are dirty (and the water is funkier than tap, so I'm afraid to know where it actually came from). Â Oh, and I'll make sure to mention that Cafe Sushi has no tolerance for us people who lack a sense or two.
:::Sigh::: I lost Cafe Sushi in a breakup settlement agreement. Â What was ours is now his.
I love that it is BYOB, and such a cute little place. Â The honeybee and caterpillar rolls were my favorite! Â Very reasonably priced, and friendly service.
I miss Cafe Sushi, can't say the same about him.
If Howard Stern is the self-proclaimed King of all Media, then I am the self-proclaimed Queen of all Maki. Sushi is just ingrained in every bit of my being... it easily can be called on as the perfect affordable meal. Fish me (not feed me) any day of the week and I'm a happy little guppy. With such bold claims I'm often called upon for my sushi acumen... "who has the best...?", "who has the most interesting...?", who has the cheapest...?"
Errrrrrrr ::slams on brakes:: cheap and sushi aren't two words I like to throw around in the same sentence. That's like calling fashion trivial. Curse you! However, when I actually put my mind to some good use I came up with Café Sushi as a decent choice for the sushi connoisseur pinching pennies. The BYOB option of course makes this possible along with budget friendly maki and sashimi. Their premium roll, the 'Viagra Maki' - insert eye roll here - with 7 different types of fish, masago and avocado only sets you back $8. Not too shabby. My favs, the Sapporo Maki (shrimp, crab, scallion, spicy mayo) and the Mexican Maki (yellowtail, jalapeno, cilantro and avocado) both roll in around $5.
A few warnings worth mentioning: Anything served with crab is really 'crab stick' but I think with prices like this it's to be expected. Also the service is unnecessarily slow. No really, Liz Taylor moves faster than these chippies. Bring copious booze.
So there you have it... advice from the Queen. Heh. Now tell Ba Ba Booey to get the hell over here with my Ichiban.
I just moved to the area and was really excited to see a BYOB so close to my new place....however this place left sooooo much to be desired. Â
My roommate and I had edamame to start. Â Decent portion. Â We then split the Rock and Roll Maki, Mexican maki and Honey Bee Roll. Â I can sum this place up in one word, "ehhhh" (shrugs shoulders). Â The Rock and Roll had potential but was missing flavor. Â The Mexican was just really spicy (and I love spicy food). Â It just tasted like jalenpeno...nothing else. Â The Honey Bee was so bland. Â I was really hoping that it would be tasty because it looked pretty but nah, never order it again. Â
The service was mediocre. Â The ambiance...well it was cozy place minus the millions of fruit flies everywhere. Â The prices were good...and reasonable but I have had much better sushi (and I don't mean at expensive places...I mean other good BYOB places). Â Good news, if you have a sushi fix and want it delivered, it might serve that purpose but I dont think I'll ever go back...maybe delivery if I am craving cheaper sushi.
This is a 3-star kind of place with 4 stars for their prices. I've only ever had Sushi Cafe for lunch and each time it has satisfied my sushi craving but has never been anything special.
Service is average, decor is average, and rolls are average. There's definitely better, but there's definitely worse. If you're on a budget but craving quality, it's worth a try.
I love this place,
I am big fan of the spicy sushi and I think they make the best I have ever had.l am here about once a month and never been disappointed.
10 reasons why I would recommend this place
1. Hawaiian Maki (Smoked salmon, masago, shrimp, crab, avocado with wasabi, unagi sauce, cream cheese, I have it without cream cheese and this truly is my very favorite)
2. Mexican Maki, Â (Yellow tail, jalapeno, cilantro & avocado with spicy mayo.)
3. Dragon, (Shrimp tempura, cucumber, Unagi, avocado.) Â
4. Fire Dragon, (Spicy tuna,Unagi, avocado.) Â
5. Black Dragon, (Spicy scallop,Unagi, avocado, black tobiko. )
6. Great Vegetarian and non sushi ( Katsu, Teriyaki etc) choices, and they will accommodate your requests as well
7. Under 15.00 Â tab for a budget date, dinner with friends or a quick lunch
8. Always friendly and attentive servers and cooks
9. Very casual cafe setting, Â always conversation friendly, love the outdoor seating during warm weather
10. BYOB
Here's the low down on Cafe Sushi
Rolls to definitely try:
Hawaiian
Sapporo
Honey Bee
Black Dragon
Snow White
Spicy Salmon (the simplest roll up here, but it's all in the sauce!).
The lo-down:
All the guys that work there seem to be cool, being attentive and willing to chat if they're not too busy. The female wait staff however seem to be lost and in a daze.
If you're going to go in a big group, on ANY day.. make a reservation. It's not a big restaurant and if you're going with 4 or more.. call!
Since they don't have a corkage fee, be grateful for that. It's one ice bucket per table so open and drink while putting the other bottles in the bucket.
Go here for cheap tasty sushi.
I used to live a couple blocks from here so I was at Cafe Sushi often. Â I like this place because it's simple and pretty cheap. Â
This is not a fancy restaurant, I would say this is one of the most casual sushi restaurants in Chicago. Â It is a small place but they do have outdoor seating. Â
I usually stick to the simple rolls- tuna and salmon. Â The fish are pretty fresh and rolls are ~$4-6 dollars. Â The menu is not huge but you can find pretty much the typical simple and fancy rolls. Â
It is BYOB which is an added plus! Â
The servers are fine and I've never had a bad experience dining here. Â It is a very relaxed environment and a good place to get sushi fast.
Also, the street it's on (Wells) has cute boutiques and is a nice place to shop after lunch!