This place was okay for Chicago Sushi. Â I ordered a variety of nigiri and received acceptable and edible food. Â Is it worth a return trip? Â Simply no. Â Nothing wrong with this place but nothing right with it either. Â For a midwesterner, I'm a bit spoiled having had sushi all over the place but this place defined A-OK.
Review Source:I thought we accidentally walked into a salon when we first walked in. The decor is a bit fashionable, to the point where it isn't the most comfortable. But I give them props for trying something new.
I can't comment on the sushi, but the Sashimi salad was pretty good. The fish tasted fresh. I just wish there was more of it, especially for 18 bucks. The Yaki Soba was fairly good too, the broth especially. The tempura was just ok, a bit soggy for my taste.
Anyway, I'd go again, but I'd probably try another sushi place first.
I LOVE this place because they deliver! My friend and I came to Chicago for a conference. However, we came sick and ended staying in on our Sunday night. We found this place and were so happy they delivered! We ordered the Tempura Udon soup. The place is a little pricy and I've had tastier Udon soup, but because I'm sick, drinking hot soup tasted so gooooood! The delivery man even went up to the 9th floor of our hotel to give us the Udon Soup! I like this place!! =)
Review Source:This place is just meh. I'm never super impressed by the food I get but it doesn't totally suck either. You can find better, so it's worth looking for better sushi somewhere else. Â Service is really good though. Â Also, it's time to get rid of the 80's looking chairs. Â I kinda feel like Molly Ringwald is going to pop out of the back and ask me if I've seen Jake.
Review Source:I have not heard too many good things about Chicago sushi from native Californians like myself, but I have not had it two weeks so I gave it a shot!
Ambiance: 4 stars
Food: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
I heard this was the best place for sushi in Chicago, so I decided to try it. It has a very hip feel to it because of the furnishing. The wait was about 15 minutes even though not all the tables were filled. I found that a bit annoying, and I did not understand it because they were still empty when I sat down at the bar.
Anyway, I ordered the "large" chirashi, and my bf ordered the sashimi deluxe. I thought the prices were outrageous! $29 for a large chirashi? Seriously, Chicago? I was more outraged when I saw how small the "large" chirashi was! Much smaller than California, for sure. However, the fish quality was fresh, fresher than most sushi restaurants I have been to, except NYC and LA. I appreciated the amount of effort and attention the chefs paid to the dishes though. It was a great dish, but I was not full. ):
Our server was really nice. She took our order quickly and checked up on us occasionally. Although we sat at the bar, we never communicated with the chefs because they were just working. It doesn't give off a Japanese feel because it's not.
Anyway, not a bad place to eat or grab drinks. It kind of reminded me of Katsuya. I would come back here if I'm in Chicago.
Mediocre sushi - The type of sushi you would find at a buffet, or the type that you eat just because you can't find anything else close to home. I didn't have a roll/hand roll that was memorable enough to rave about. Not because it wasn't fresh, it was plain and cold (the fried rolls). What a sad sushi experience :(
Review Source:Would be around 3.5-4 stars I think, but it's definitely pretty good for what it is, I was here by myself for a quick lunch, had sashimi, quite fresh, got a lot of fish and rice on the side, and miso soup for $35, and left quite satisfied, so if you are looking for a quality neighborhood sushi place, but not a romantic dinner date, here it is.
Review Source:I want to be best friends with Friends Sushi! Â This place is great! Â We came here for a late lunch and to get cozy from being in the snow with some saki and miso. Â Their miso soup is about the best I've ever had - perfect creaminess. Â We also tried the Fujiyama Roll which is crab meat, kani kama, shrimp, spicy mayo, and masago topped with king crab, tempura crumb, and red tobiko. Â (See picture) Â The roll was delicious. Â The service was friendly and the low-key ambiance was just what we needed.
Review Source:This place... hmm, I don't think it really improved the last time I came here (which was like 7 years ago). I mean... the interior changed but didn't improve. The chairs were extremely uncomfortable. Also the tables were just... eh, it's not really "chic" if that's what they're going for.
The sushi... well let's see... the maki (rolls) weren't good - the rice was a bit dry and so were the fish inside the rice. Also the portion to price not so good.. I had the ramen and I knew that Japanese ramen was going to be a bit greasy b/c naturally, they don't add spiciness but this was just too greasy.
I don't know the whole history of Friends Sushi but it definitely cannot be an authentic Japanese restaurant.
A-OK sushi joint in the magnificent mile area. This place was not that much spectacular compared to other sushi places with the same price point. Like I said, it's in the priciest area in the city so you're gonna have to expect a little raise in prices.
Sushi list was not all that creative but the sushi was decent. Too many rolls with cream cheese...Sushi should NOT have cream cheese. Their salmon carpaccio was yum. Simple...I could make it but it was good. Thin salmon slices with a jalapeno slices and a ponzu-like sauce.
I just wouldn't pay so much for okay sushi...but we would hungry for a snack during shopping and didn't want fast food.
There's a reason why it's so dim and dark. The once place of sexy-mod-style has since become a reality of worn, scratched-up, shaky chairs. This time we sat at the bar and the seating was just.... awkward. Not to mention the smell of dirty rags the moment we entered.
We ended up ordering some sushi we got last time plus some new ones. They were all decent, but we just couldn't get over our surroundings. Definitely will be doing take-out next time I'm in the mood for sushi.
Huge fan of Friends Sushi. Â I would've given it a 5; but my date was not a fan of her French Martini. Â This place also needs a valet parking option due to the location. Â Other than that, the sushi was seriously legit (we had the Winter and Asparagus Beef rolls) and the ambiance is quite cozy. Â Perfect spot for a date; but not so sure about a group outing (even though the portions will fill up multiple people.)
This spot shall get my business again.
Have to go on a romantic date to a sushi spot, but don't know where to go? You cannot go anywhere else! Friends Sushi is romantic, delicious, and trendy. Â When you walk in, you may think you are in a left over set from Clockwork Orange, but have no fear the sushi is great! This place is pricier than other sushi places, but it's because there are at least 15 components to each dish. Â The service here is impeccable, I've never had a bad time. You should try anything on the Friends Signature Maki menu because every roll is unique and delicious. Â This sushi place is not BYOB and is not for a large group. Â It's tiny and the tables are even smaller, which is why this place is perfect for dates. Â
My favorite date includes a meal at Friends Sushi then a short walk to Pippin's Tavern for some after dinner cocktails.
We tried out this little sushi joint hidden away on a quiet section of Rush on the advice of some friends.I thought the totally white interior was striking although I agree the tables don't fit together well and the chairs are not comfortable at all, especially because you have to put your bag/coat on the floor. :(
I tried the Asian Pear martini (delicious) and the French (too sweet), the edamame (perfect), the Devil's Tuna roll (amazing), the Jimmai (good), the Summer (amazing). I do prefer a fresh tasting raw maki roll so this review will be biased. Our server highly recommended the Friends roll and the Winter so other's at the table got those but they were just crammed with a ton of ingredients all fighting each other in dominance and then topped with so many mayos, sauces and fried crumbs, you could barely tell they were maki rolls!! Whenever I see rolls like that I call them McRolls and thinking they would make a Japanese person cry. There was no possible way you could taste the fish in those rolls. So I would read all the descriptions carefully (it's very dark so use your phone to read the 8 point print on the menus) to make sure you don't end up with a McRoll on your plate. Overall, I would try this place again if I was in the area but doubt I would seek it out again.
This place is great for a girls night! I went here with a few gfs and we just ordered a few rolls, drinks, and went out after. It is the perfect location for a quick delicious dinner if you want to party after, because it is located right next to all the bars. The decor is also very modern, so if feels like something new.
Review Source:Whoo! Â Found sushi in Chicago! Â I made a reservation here and we were seated immediately. Â The set up is a little awkward with the cutesy "yin/yang" shaped tables and the padded stools as chairs. Â The irritating thing is that there is no place to store a jacket or a purse. Â
Food-wise though, it's great. Â Got the Winter roll (crispy white fish tempura with shiso leaf, shrimp tempura, asian pear,cream cheese,black tobiko,spicy mayo topped with tempura crumb, creamy wasabi sauce, unagi glaze) with no cream cheese. Â Was delicious. Â Sometimes when there are lots of things in a roll I feel like it doesn't taste like anything or one flavor dominates, but this was not the case here. Â Yay! Â Also, for $14 it was well priced for the large portion they gave.
Service was a little inattentive. Â Needed to flag people down for water and the check, but, shrug, no bid deal when the food is very solid.
Friends Sushi is awesome. This was my first time there and would definitely go back. We ordered the following maki: Friends, can you handle it? (delicious), and Jimmai. We also started with edamame which was tasty although it's pretty tough to mess up. Our server was really attentive, answered any of our questions, and never rushed us as we wanted to enjoy the evening. Food came out quickly even though the place was busy. I recommend reservations.
Great place. You should go.
FRIENDS SUSHI
I never thought for the life of me that I would eat sushi in Chicago. When you're in the Windy City, one has to dine on the holy trinity of Chicago-style hot dogs, deep dish pizzas, and Italian beef sandwiches. After having done all that, it was refreshing to get something totally different and in complete contrast. Friends Sushi fit that bill. A very modernized Japanese fusion of sushi, the two sushi rolls we ordered were quite different and delicious.
1) Big Friends: soft shell crab tempura,spicy scallop,asian pear,avocado,masago,topped with unagi,shrimp,unagi glaze,and spicy mayo
2) Sasami: a multitude of different raw sashimi with a lemony twist
The decor is super trendy and modern, with soft cushiony seats and (somewhat) small tables. The staff is super friendly and kindly offered suggestions. There is also a full bar and drink menu here, so get your sushi and sake going!
I would like to have given this place a 3.5, but when forced to choose, I opted for the lower rating.
I actually really do enjoy Friends Sushi. Â I go there usually around once a week because I love sushi and it's very close to my apartment.
I will say that their fish is always fresh. Â However, it sometimes they majorly skimp on the fish in the sushi, so it's really more of a rice roll with a teeny tiny bit of topping.
I'm also not a huge fan of the interior set-up. Â It feels a little too cramped and the tables are very mod and funny shaped. Â That being said, the staff is lovely and the food is very tasty and fresh.
I have yet to find a better sushi restaurant in the area.
I won't lie: I came here for the cool decor. GUILTY.
Normally, I won't have sushi from anywhere else other than the two joints by my house..but I wanted CHICAGO SUSHI!
The location of this restaurant is quite empty, which scared me for a moment. A restaurant on a quiet street....seems fishy. Sunday night, this place was not crowded. The decor was absolutely adorable - it was like a kid's jungle! Even though it was like a Japanese kid's kind of restaurant, the place maintained a romantic-like atmosphere with the low-lit candle setting.
We had the Friends roll and the crunch & cream roll. Both were unbelievably creamy and crunchy, it was delicious! I don't think $14 for the Friends roll was exactly worth it  but good to know what it's like. Both rolls were loaded with tempura crumbs..yum!
Also had the red bean ice cream & banana tempura, which I don't think was worth it. The ice cream was average and even though I did like the 2 slices of banana tempura, it was not worth the price. The presentation was very plain and they could've used a whole banana.
The most annoying thing was the chair. There is literally a hole where your ass is, so ladies, have your bags on your lap or on the floor because it will drop.
I'm surprised this restaurant is 4 stars average.
I was visiting Chicago for a trip and decided to rely on yelp reviews to find a decent sushi place. It was nearby, so I thought i'd check it out.
I had the 'Can you handle it' roll, which was supposed to be a very spicy roll. I couldn't distinguish if it was a roll or just a plate of sauce. The sauce was waaay over powering to the point you cannot taste any of the ingredients. It wasn't too spicy, but very saucy, salty and too sweet at the same time.
My friend had the tempura udon, which was just ok. The tempura was a little bit over cooked. You can tell from the dark color, the broth was ok with a bit of mushroom making it a bit of a pleasant surprise.
All in all, disappointing. I would not recommend this place.
Was out in Chicago on a business trip and figured I'll grab sushi for dinner. Was greeted by a friendly waitress and decided to sit at the sushi bar since I was by myself. What I found interesting was that I wasn't greeted or even acknowledged by the sushi chefs and even though I sat at the sushi bar, the waitress still took my order instead of me ordering directly from the sushi chef. Also when the sushi chef made my food, he didnt place it in front of me. Instead, the waitress take the food he prepared which was basically 1 foot away and then place it in front of me. Anyways, I ordered a bunch of stuff.
Miso soup - good and hot
Hamachi sushi - decent
Spicy tuna handroll - this was pretty good
Unagi roll with avocado - i thought this was average
Yakuza roll - this was pretty good, similar to a spider roll
Ama ebi sushi - i dont think the shrimp they used here was live. They fried the shrimp heads and give that to you separately. As for the sushi, they left the tail's shell on the sushi. When I bit into the sushi, there were like spikes on the tail or something so that wasn't very pleasant. I would pass on this.
Super white tuna sushi - this was pretty good. Texture was almost melt-in-your-mouth style
Banana tempura w/red bean ice cream dessert - I think the best part of this was the red bean ice cream. Didn't care much for the tempura banana. A bit soggy actually.
Total damage was close to $70. The waitresses and some of the sushi chefs were Thai. The head sushi chef is Mongolian. I don't think there was a Japanese worker there if that matters to some of you. The music they played was pretty cool, kind of like ambience/lounge style music. The bathroom was clean, had some nice freshner in there and a TV.
Oh, I saw the sushi chef that made my food start playing with his smart phone when there wasn't any orders in. I just hoped he washed his hands afterwards.
I was a little scared by the stark whiteness of the restaurant; walls, tables, chairs, plates, etc. Â I seriously was afraid I'd spill something and stain it. Â
I started with a pricey Lyeche martini (about $12). Â It is so fragrant your neighbors will be jealous. Â It's lightly sweet and a little floral and SO good. Â I ordered a sweet and spicy sushi roll (about $15). Â Others ordered everything from sashimi salad to the "can you handle it?" roll. Â The food came out pretty quick. Â Every entree popped against the white plates, making them look all the more appetizing. Â My roll was okay, just not memorable. Â It was a good girls night out spot.
Meh. If you've had good sushi in Cali or even some places in Texas, the sushi here is nothing special, nothing to write home about. We started with the Fire Cracker and that was a very interesting and good way to start the meal. Then we ordered a few rolls, super white tuna, sunrise, and a few other ones. Fish was fresh. Rice to fish ratio was off with there being more rice than fish.
If you're in the area and hungry, go for it. If you're looking for real sushi, go somewhere else.
Crispy Creamy
Umi
Alaskan
Yeah... awesome sushi find in Chicago! Loved the rolls, service was spot on, and liked the simple, white decor.
They had a few outside tables on this nice summer evening, but we dined inside. Showed up around 7:30pm and didn't have much of a wait at all. Nice...
Favorite roll was the Crispy Creamy - - OMG, so awesome!
Adequate wine list.. I would definitely come back here.
FFL Â :)
Outdoor seating was pleasant and helped us avoid a longer wait time. Â The other option was eating at the downstairs bar, but that didn't seem ideal for a date.
Service was friendly and efficient
Drinks were good. Â I enjoyed my plum wine spritzer and would recommend it to others.
The food was alright. We started with the Unagi Egg Rolls which was okay. Â For $6.00 we got 2 tiny egg rolls that came with a creamy wasabi mayo. Â I couldn't really taste the eel in my serving, which was a major bummer because I love eel. Â For our meal we ordered the Red Dragon, Caterpillar Roll, and Spicy Crispy Tuna Roll. They were pretty average. Â Aside from the Spicy Crispy Tuna Roll (which was completely covered in tempura batter on the outside), the other rolls were poorly wrapped and crumbled when we picked it up! It made for an awkward eating experience as we were constantly picking up the pieces of the sushi. The redeeming item on the menu was the banana tempura for dessert. Â The banana tempura paired with sweet red bean ice cream was so addicting! I would go back just for the banana tempura.
Friends Sushi is my favorite sushi restaurant in Chicago and totally worth the price.
My favorite roll is the Crispy Creamy and the service is always good. I do recommend having a reservation if you go for dinner or it might be a wait, but the wait has always been worth it.
The fish is always very fresh and so delicious that when I'm full and there is sushi left over, I feel guilty.
Just when I thought it was impossible to make a valid Saved By The Bell reference in a sushi review this little Zack Attack hits me and I'm sure we'll be Friiiiiieeeeends foreva! <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailymotion.com%2Fvideo%2Fxa5av1_zack-attack-friends-forever_shortfilms&s=5a727141bf4900a5ac569938e2498077980593395b1b57ed59e0822de76c52c2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.dailymotion.c…</a> I'm no Casey Kasem, but they definitely crack my Top 40.
It's the most affordable spot I've been to in Chicago that doesn't totally suck. In this city you're either spending stacks for the good stuff or totally sacrificing quality to save a few bucks. Not at Friends. It's fresh, has a fun atmosphere, and if you have to pay it won't make you resent your guest for spending an arm and a leg on them.
My advice? Reservations. The dining area and the bar are kind of small so it can get a little backed up. Also order the Fire Wing or the Can You Handle It makis. Both favorites. Wash down with a few Sapporros, sakes, or plum wines, and I'm sure you'll be Friends Foreva to!
Many of my friends raved about Friends Sushi, so I decided to give it a try.
Frankly speaking, I was quite disappointed. Neither the seaweed salad nor the tamago sashimi (egg cooked with sugar) tasted fresh to me.
The vegetable dumplings, however, are quite crunchy.
I probably won't come back again, unless my friends drag me here.
Food: 2
Decor: 3
Service: 2
Can we best friends please? That how much I love you! Besties!!
The staff is very attentive especially coming in as a singleton for a light dinner. For such a hidden little place in downtown Chicago it doesn't down play its trendy decor and ambiance even when it's busy.
I always was able to have on hand a refilled cup of water/tea and went in on some light appetizers. Most of the food here is generally Asian fusion but very well done with high quality cuts.
Best picks for appetizers:
I ordered two plates of the the Firecracker, a very savory mix of tuna poke and row served on giant crispy rice crackers that gave a great crispy pop in my mouth.
Second plate was a salmon carpaccio that came lightly soaked in soy sauce and jalapeños that just added the right amount heat without taking away from the cut of salmon itself.
The bathrooms here are pretty ultra snazzy as well, there's a tv perfectly positioned for your viewing while your doing so to say.
Outstanding service, grade of sushi, and creativity in its fusion for the Chicago sushi yuppie.
Friends Sushi's Spicy Miso Ramen was the perfect cure for two girls who were miserably hungover. We weren't planning on doing any Asian cuisine during our trip but desperate times called for desperate measures. We needed some broth, some soup, something to soothe our stomachs.
Since we were heading to the North Side anyway, Friends Sushi fit our needs in terms of location, ratings, and noodle soup. This sushi joint is a tad bit small and looks like a lounge on a spaceship to Planet X. It had a modern and futuristic feel to it which I'm not sure I've ever experienced before at a sushi restaurant. The Spicy Miso Ramen wasn't by any means authentic, but it did the trick. If I had to explain it, it seems like a mix of miso soup + pho. It came with fish cakes and tofu which I thought were delicious.
Unfortunately we didn't try any sushi, but thankfully they had ramen. I don't know if we would've survived without it. From the looks of what other people had on their table, the sushi did look good though. Thank you Friends Sushi for curing our hangovers!
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