I went here on a Saturday afternoon with my boyfriend and we had the whole restaurant to ourselves almost the whole time we were there (I suspect they do a lot of carry out). We ordered fried calamari as an appetizer and were pleasantly surprised by the large quantity and the accompanying sweet chile sauce. My boyfriend loved his "no mercy" seafood mix and I enjoyed my chicken and noodle stir-fry, which was pretty much the same as at any Thai place. This area of the city does not have many Thai places and Hands On is a welcome addition to the area.
Review Source:This review is a two parter- Â the thai part and the sushi part.
My husband and I went here on Sat night, 7:00. Â There were only two other tables occupied besides ours. Â We were a little surprized, especially based on the reviews we read. Â We love thai and sushi and were overjoyed at the thought of having both in one meal near our house. Â We were taken aback by the lack of customers.
First, we ordered the spider roll. Â Fantastic! Â We loved it. Â We could have eaten more, but we wanted to try some of the thai dishes as well. Â If we were just rating this place based on the sushi, it would have easily been 5 stars.
We then got our chicken pad thai and chicken panang curry. Â The pad thai was nothing special. Â In fact, my husband hated it. Â It was in a very thick, overly sweet sauce that took over the entire dish. Â You did not taste anything else. Â I was not impressed either. Â We took a couple of bites and left the rest to take home for our daughter. Â It was bland enough and sweet enough for her to eat without a problem. Â I do have to say that it was a large bowl with a large portion of food. Â Saying that, I was SHOCKED when the waitress came back with a small, one cup size take out container with the leftover pad thai in it. Â I wanted to question her about it. Â How can all that food fit in this container? Â I was not happy. Â My husband scooted me out and said it wasnt worth the argument. Â He is right, because we are not going back anyway.
My curry dish was good. Â Funny enough, this panang curry lacked some of the sweetness that it should have. Â I would have probably eaten it again. Â But I like said, we are not going back. Â I feel like I was ripped off. Â
Throughout our meal, one other group came in. Â Again, I felt this was strange for a Saturday night ...and it was also Valentines Day weekend. Â
There is a new sushi bar that opened nearby that we are going to check out as well. Â I cant wait to see what that holds. Â As for thai, Thai Pastery at Lawrence and Harlem is by far the best.
I should have ordered the pad Thai, it looked amazing. The place is in the middle of a bunch of neighborhoods but it looks nice.
Ordered edamame, calamari, Tom yum soup, and the sashimi assortment A. I was disappointed with the sashimi, didn't taste fresh to me and the "chirashi" was no different than regular so save your 2 bucks. Calamari was hard as a rock but had a good taste. Tom yum soup was sweet..?
I didn't have a good experience here but maybe I ordered the wrong food. My coworkers seemed to enjoy their food for the most part.
I am so happy to finally have a sushi and thai place near the house. My husband and I love this place! Our main dishes are the chicken pad see ew for the hubby and chicken pad thai for me. My husband absolutely loves this dish and said this is the best one he's had by far. My pad thai is amazing! The sauce is delish and the noodles are nice ansld thin. The portions they give you is so much, I have leftovers for 2 days! Their prices are also very reasonable. Â Its not everyday you can pay $14 for 2 meals that last for 2 days! We've also tried the california rolls and spider rolls which were also very tasty. Â I highly recommend this place to either order out or dine in. One perk on dining in is that it's BYOB and no corkage fee. The staff is also super friendly and polite. They already know me by name since I've been there so many times. I will definitely be going back as much as I can.
Review Source:First off thanks to all the fellow Yelpers for taking the time to care about little gems like this. Went there on Saturday night and it was pretty busy but we were greeted with a smile and seated right away. Ordered "the best" wonton soup I/we have ever had, nice little dumplings full of flavor, the broth had a lot of great flavor and there was also spinach and carrots in the soup. Dragon maki roll was tasty and well made. We also had an incredible mixed seafood entree with a sweet/spicy sauce. This place hits all the right points, its in my neighborhood, delicious food, nice decor, clean, good service, and BYOB. Â We will definitely be back to try the rest of the varied menu.
Review Source:We were a little nervous about trying this place with it being in our neighborhood. Just a weird but nice location. Just worried that the sushi would not be fresh enough. Boy we were wrong ! We have been there twice now and it is soooo yummy! My favorite is the "Hands on salad" with seared tuna! It is amazing . The pad Thai and miso soup is great too! Â As for the sushi , they were all really,really good! We will defiantly be back again !
Review Source:Wow. Â I wasn't expecting much from a sushi place within walking distance of my house, but it was my birthday so I got to drag my non-sushi loving hubby here. Â We came on a weekday, probably 3-ish for a very late lunch/very early dinner, and were the only people there. Â They had traditional rolls, and their own style rolls. Â I'm still fairly non-adventurous with sushi so I stuck with the traditional (spicy tuna)...hubby got some cooked chicken curry thing - and their lunch special couldn't be beat - it was like $10 for each of us and we both left very full. Â The server was cute, friendly and looked like a anime doll. Â And although the place is tiny, I loved the set up...and the decor. Â It didn't feel like somewhere in my neighborhood....hopefully this place will stay around for awhile - it only took me a year to get here in the first place!
Review Source:Have passed by this place so many times and finally stopped in this evening. Â Delicious, flavorful food! Â Finding a place like this so close to home is unusual. Â Could have been a restaurant in Lincoln Square or Wicker Park. Â
Crab rangoon was amazing. Â Not usually a fan, but our daughter loves them. Â Now I do too!
Tom Yum....super yummy!
Maki rolls were fresh, tasty and beautifully presented.
Ordered a curry dish to see if we could find something we didn't like. Â Nope. Â Loved it too. Â We will be back. Â Love that this is a BYOB.
Oh yeah, the restaurant has lovely ambiance as well. Â Nicely appointed, clean, comfortable with nice lighting.
Hands-on Thai is really tasty! I've never dined in, only gotten delivery. I seem to remember a delivery minimum, or an extra charge or something. But the cuisine is good (sushi!) and delivery times are reasonable.
I'll update this with more stars, of course, if I dine in and they knock my socks off.
This place is really a hidden gem. Â We had driven past the area a bunch of times when this was a polish/sushi place and wondered if we should try it. Â Then, the last time we were at the butcher down the block, they mentioned that the place had changed ownership (and name) and that they ordered all of their meat from this butcher. Â We decided to come back for dinner and give it a try. Â Sushi was fresh and had great selections to choose from and the hot meals were also really tasty. Â Service was fast and friendly and the waitress was interested in what made us come in and where we lived (probably to tailor marketing) and really listened to our questions to make suggestions for our meal. Â
We will definitely be back!
This sushi restaurant recently opened in my neighborhood. Prior to this, there were no good sushi restaurants around and we would have to travel miles away for good sushi. This one happens to be within walking distance of where I live. So that's a plus.
We've been here twice for dine in and once for take out. The dine in experiences have always been great. The food has been top notch. The Sushi is excellent, always fresh and tasty. Their fried Calamari was the best we'd ever tasted. The value is good as far as the portions you get for the price, and on Friday and Saturday nights they have Happy Hour Specials from 9pm-Midnight. The employees are always nice and friendly and attentive. It seems family owned, but I've only seen employees that look to be in their early 20's and never anyone older.
They've recently upgraded the seating area and it totally makes the place look better and even romantic. For some reason, I've never seen this place packed which is surprising as there are no other good sushi places in the area. It could be just a bad location, but I'm not sure.
One of the best parts I forgot, was they are BYOB. You can never beat great food and being able to bring your own bottle of wine. If you're in this area and looking for great sushi make sure you stop by Hands On as you will not be disappointed.
Hands on is just what this neighborhood needed or shall I say just what I needed in the neighborhood. Â I have ordered from here multiple times and each time the food has been excellant. Â The service outstanding. Â Like one other reviewer said its as good as my old wicker park sushi haunts. Â Try them out people our neighborhood deserves more than burger joints and chain restaurants.
Review Source:My husband and I love the Thai/sushi/Byob spots so being that this place is right across the street from us we figured we must give it a try. I had thai (pad Thai with tofu) and he had sushi (spicy tuna roll and the great wall of china roll) but first we had the Gyozas. Gyozas were great, the sauce was so delish. Most of all they just seemed so fresh! When my pad Thai arrived I freaked! The portion size was HUGE!! Â have never had a pad Thai order so huge! I am 9 months pregnant and I could barely handle a 1/3 of the order! My husbands spicy tuna roll had huge fresh pieces of tuna and the great wall of china roll was simply great! Not only were our portions so healthy my pad Thai was so hot! Everything was fresh and delicious. Â Thai iced tea also good!
I was simply shocked more people were not there enjoying this amazing food! Â
I did notice there were A few take out and delivery orders.
Overall food great and cheap for the size! Atmosphere clean and modern and service was amazing!
Please people support this place, we want them here for a while!!!!!!!
I have gotten take out/ delivery several times from Hands On now. Â I have been really happy with the food and the service thus far! Â I find their menu has a good selection with some creativity to it. Â I do wish they would serve ama ebi as it is like my favorite nigiri item!
I like the atmosphere in the restaurant and will definitely try eating in one of these days... but for now having them bring it right to my door is working out well!
They are quick to deliver and have pleasant people making the deliveries. Â Pretty standard pricing for Asian food.
Overall a thumbs up!
Jessel and I have eaten here 3-4 times and we were shocked to see a local japanese/thai restaurant. Gave it a try and sure enough we came back for more! I must say, we are fans! The staff is friendly, great service, BYOB, we must've tried all the rolls by now and highly recommend the 7 ancient wonders, which is their signature rolls filled with bold flavors and spices! Thai iced coffee and thai iced tea are refreshing as well. They even gave us a free (crab rangoon) appetizer on our 2nd visit...
Seaweed poppers are a nice appetizer! Prices are not so bad and quality and presentation is great! I dont know why this place seems to be empty when we go but you all need to get out and try this place out!! Take advantage of their Happy Hour friday and sat evenings 9pm til midnight! Ambiance is nice and cozy, candles at dinner with dimmed lighting, and the walls are my favorite color..ORANGE =)
4 out of 5 is a good thing...still have to try the Thai Menu...and never had room for dessert just yet...will get around to it soon though!
Good Eats here...you wont be disappointed!
After my experience at Fuji Ya, I couldn't bear to try another sushi place unless it was in the Wicker Park or Lincoln Park neighborhood. Â The commute would just have to be worth it. Â But after some Foodspotting, I saw that there was a new sushi restaurant not too far from our place and the pictures seem to indicate some fresh seafood was going on. Â So research began, pulling up menu, calling up for hours, asking fellow Yelpers who have tried what rolls and how were the portions.** Restaurant now added onto "To Go List"**
Well it wasn't long at all before an opportunity arose to pick up some take out. Â After a 12 hour workday, me and the bf wanted to just go home and crash. Â 95 degree weather does not justify having to bake some wings at home, so I dialed up Hands On and lucky for me, they are open on Mondays. Â
Order in, shrimp pad thai with extra peanuts, and shrimp tempura roll. Â Needed to do quality control on both the sushi end and thai end of this place. Â While I waited, I surveyed the place. Â Very nice modern setup. Clean, stylish yet minimalist. Sushi bar is set up as you walk into the entrance. Â In the adjoining room is the spacious dining area. Â I picked up a menu to peruse while I waited for the takeout. Chef Andy has an extensive culinary background, with his passion from cooking stemming from lessons from his mother to enrolling into Chicago's own Le Cordon Bleu at the age of 18. Â I was impressed. Culinary training and opening a restaurant in an area that needed revival. Â Nice combo. Â
In addition is their happy hour menu.  From 9- midnight  select rolls and dishes run between $5-6.  A late nite dining place other than Denny's or White Castle with healthy food?  I'm sold!
Dee-lish!
We ordered this on a whim as we received a menu in our mailbox. Â The food arrived and was hot -- as my husband said nuclear hot! Â Usually when you get your food, it's cold or tepid, at best. Â The calamari was piping hot and the chicken wings still crispy. Â The pad thai was not overly sweet and the portion was enormous! Â I think we'll try the sushi next time. Â Oh, and they were fast! Â We're devote Manee Thai fans, but I believe we may have just switched teams. Â Check it out!
I absolutely loved this place.. You can't even begin to imagine best Thai food I've had in a while and it's even better that's next door to my apartment.!!!
Sweet baby!! I had the Pad-thai with beef and man was it fresh!! the portions are ridiculously huge and make for a great next day lunch! My best friend order the Pad-seeu ( not sure of spelling lol ) and it was her first time trying Thai food and she loved it!! Â We also order some Crab ragoon and man oh man I have to say thank you to the God's of Crab ragoon it was amazing!! and I have to say FRESH!!!
we also order basic california roll and they didn't dissapoint and once again FRESH..
The waitress was very friendly and the place is set-up really nice. Â I do like the fact they are BYOB so I will definately be coming again with a nice bottle of wine!! ..
MUST-GO!!
I LOVE this place! I've ordered once and I'm already trying to map out a time when I will be ordering again. The sushi was fantastic...the service was attentive, quick and thoughtful. I did carryout and ordered philly and dragon maki along with Great wall of china specialty roll. I thought they were all fantastic but there was one thing that melted in my mouth. THE SEAWEED POPPER APPETIZER. I wish I could eat that everyday. The flavors gelled together more perfect than a disney happy ending. It is a small quiet restaurant and great to be close by. Whether you are craving a good dinner or even quick lunch, check out this place. You will not be disappointed.
Review Source:Delicious!  I've been there twice and the sushi is fabulous and so fresh.  The filet mignon teriyaki is so tender  it melts in your mouth.  Being part Japanese I think the sauce was a bit too sweet but still very good.  Miso soup was also very good.  I love having an Asian restaurant in the neighborhood.
Service was great and the BYOB is a plus for me. Â It was a shame that the restaurant was empty both times I was there especially for a weekend. Â Please let's try to keep them in business!
This place is amazing! Â There weren't any really good Thai or sushi places in the area until this place opened. Â We love it! Â The crab rangoon will melt in your mouth. Â I usually get the Tom Yum soup and a maki roll, and my husband usually gets the massamun curry. Â He doesn't love sushi but I do, so it is nice we can order both kinds of food from this place. Â They deliver super fast and sometimes will throw in a free appetizer. Â They are also on Grub Hub which is very convenient. Â So far we've only ordered in from them - but sitting down to eat there something we plan to do soon.
Review Source:I was pleasantly surprised to recently discover that there was a sushi restaurant in my area...I really hate having to drive down to the wicker park/bucktown area just for some decent sushi. Â My review is based on a to-go order since I had just got in from the airport and was starving! Stopped in about 2pm on a Monday afternoon. Â Hostess greeted us and gave us the menu to look over but noted that the menu's were old and they were in the process of getting new menu's with different pricing the next day. (gulp) I ordered Spinach Wonton soup, Spider Roll & 2pcs of Tuna Truffle Nigiri. Â The hostess offered my friend & I some water while we waited for our food, thought that was nice. Â I get home excited to eat, the Spinach Wonton soup was lacking some saltiness, but I was eager to try the rolls. They were tightly rolled and beautiful. Â Rolls were fantastic but I didnt give this restaurant 5 stars because 1- the soup was lacking flavor and 2-they forgot to give me SOY SAUCE =(
Review Source:Just had the pleasure of eating at Hands On.  Great food and great service. Started the evening with their seafood poppers and Tom Yum soup. Both were excellent. The  poppers had a unique blend of flavors that was worth giving a try. The soup was a very large portion for the price and a wonderfull blend of tangy broth with large pieces of shrimp and vegetables.  Finished the meal with the entree of tofu,basil and eggplant also very well prepared.  We were very happy to have found this place not too far from our home and plan on coming back with friends.
Review Source:Yes, I'm giving Hands On a five star rating. Why? Because our experience was excellent all around. The decor is tasteful and modern. The food is tasteful but not minimal pace Diane L. The service was attentive and friendly. Prices are very good. I am not particular to sushi so my choices were from the Thai side of the menu. The Gyoza (chicken pot stickers) appetizer, Tom Kha soup and Hands On Salad were all very very good. The Drunken Noodles were excellent. My only objection is it could have been a little hotter for my taste. Like other ethnic cuisine restaurants, they probably tone it down for the locals. Next time, I'll ask for a little more spice.
I agree with Dorotka, it is nice to see a good, appealing Thai/Sushi place in the area. Hopefully we'll be seeing more like this.
The Thai food from Hands was just too sweet and the portions was so small! Â
We ordered the Pad Thai, Tom Yum soup, Basil Beef and Massaman curry. The Pad Thai is fine, nothing special - except the portion is smaller than other places. Tom Yum was sweet! and not sour nor spicy and no hint of lemongrass (a great disappointment). The Basil Beef ... where was the beef?! the meal barely made it half way up the container. The massaman curry was sweet.
I am not a picky Thai food eater, and so I decided to order from a new place - what a disaster! My mom and I ended up throwing out the soup and curry dish, picking out the few slices of beef and two slices of eggplants from the Basil Beef. I ate whatever my mom brought over from her house and I think my mom got full from the okay Pad Thai. I can't say I will give this place a second try. Â My mom and I are not big people, so we normally would not comment on portion - but it was just ridiculous at this place!
A great sadness considering there are not very many Asian restaurants around the area (and that are open on a Monday).
It's nice to see a sushi bar in the area, since there really isn't one for miles. They did a nice job with the interior, but I have to say that I liked the decor much better when Gruba Ryba was at this location.
I thought that the service was very good- our server was quick and attentive. Prices are reasonable for the area and sushi in general. I was craving miso soup for days and theirs really hit the spot. I sampled one of their maki rolls and it was very good. One day I'll splurge and try their premium rolls. The entree (I had the pad thai) was alright- I wasn't crazy about it, but I liked the fact that they do not skimp on veggies. I love veggies.
Overall, nice sushi place in the area. Great alternative to all the run of the mill places in the neighborhood.
Very attentive service!
The service here is far better than the previous place - Gruba Ryba, but I'm saving my stars until I see this new biz fully remodeled and in full swing. Â The Duck entree was above average to very good. Â The sauce was a little too sweet and the rice was on the side. Â The place is also BYOB which is nice. Â That's all I tried, I'll be back. Â For now it is just getting set up. Â At least the waitress was very friendly unlike the previous place.
Went with my wife trying something new and actually in the neighborhood. Â Went before the dinner rush which allow the staff to be very attentive. Â I got the No Mercy Mixed Seafood which was the right mix of hot and sweet. My wife had the Tam Yum soup which was tasty. Â We shared the California Maki which also was great. Â The Chocolate Mouse was very rich and well made. all in all a rare treat in Dunning, a neighborhood full of fast food.
Review Source:Considering the fact I've been on a sushi kick as of late, I was psyched to see this new place open up. The main reason being that here on the NW side Sushi spots are basically nonexistent. And the fact that one would open within walking distance from me, very unexpected.
Stopped in here around opening time and took a look at the menu, they offer a full Thai menu and Sushi bar. Being on the run, I ordered a Philly maki roll to go, and even got to sample the "Great wall of China" specialty roll which is salmon tempura based. It was tasty with a slight crunch to it. Definitely will order in the future.
As far as the Philly roll went, it was very good. Very fresh and tasty and the cream cheese was soft and complimented the roll well, not overpowering. And the staff was very nice and accommodating, they even offered coffee or water and I was carrying out. So I'm writing this and trying to get the word out. This place is good for the area where Asian restaurants are scarce and it'll be nice to see them make it here. I will be back soon, and will update after sampling the Thai menu. And not to mention it's BYOB, score!
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