Kikuya Japanese Restaurant

2 words, Chef Combo.  It's so good.  I love that they deliver, so I have never actually had the expereince of being in the restaurant.  Friendly service. The only thing I don't like is the fact that the delivery guy asked me to give him a tip, when you are already charged for delivery.  The delivery fee is treated as a tip, so watch out for that.

This is one of those places that any where else in Chicago would probably be more like 3 stars, but being in Hyde Park, it's one of the far better places to eat down here.

Preface this by saying that my wife grew up in Hawaii and her mother is Japanese, so her Asian food standards are pretty high.  The sushi/sashimi is nothing to write home about, but it is better than any of the other places we've gotten it in Hyde Park.  But the rest of the dishes are pretty tasty... the Don, the Udon, tempura... all of it is good enough that my wife requests to go back there.  So that's a big deal.

I think it's all pretty tasty, reasonably priced, very good service with an incredibly friendly owner.  If we didn't live in Hyde Park, we probably wouldn't seek it out, but since we do...

The owner of this place is a very friendly man. Always cheerful, and has always been nice to me. The staff are also very friendly, if once in a while they get their priorities mixed up (I come first!). Prices are pretty reasonable for sushi.

So why the so-so review? If I could give them a 3.5 I would, but if you are looking for sushi the selection is pretty limited, the maki remarkably uninteresting, the bento box stuff pretty limited. I have never had a problem with the quality of the food--they could easily step up their game.