Japonais: User Reviews

Fatty Tuna to die for!
By JamieN731 from Bucktown, May 7, 2008

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I had an excellent experience here. The fatty tuna I had, was by far the best I have ever had, I'm not expert, but I've been to many a sushi restaurant and this tops them all. Our waiter was very attentive and had great suggestions on drinks as well as meal options. The bus staff were also on top of their game, taking our plates when we were done and filling up the water glasses. The drinks were great also. The price was too high, I feel, however we went there knowing it was going to be an expensive meal, about $140 for 2 people. I'd recommend going at least once to experience the food and atmosphere which is so fun.

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Not impressed...
By ChayB from Roscoe Village, March 28, 2008

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First I will say it's not a great place for a date. I had a first date there, it's too loud, too cramped. I could barely hear my date, but I heard plenty from the woman at the table next to us. The food was unimpressive. The california roll was bland, the salmon lukewarm and extremely fishy, and the snow crab appetizer was boring, lacking flavor. Our server was lovely, very helpful, she didn't hang around too much but we never needed anything. The place is beautiful, especially the bar downstairs. Very "seen and be seen." A nice place for a drink or two, but I wouldn't recommend for a nice dinner.

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Valentine's Day Massacre
By robbor6386 from Tinley Park, February 15, 2008

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If you’re looking for a place to go on a holiday with a special someone avoid going to Japonais. Starting with the reservation process I had a feeling that we might not have the experience we were expecting. After sending the reservation fax multiple times failed we resorted to an email to confirm our reservation. There were a list of restrictions and guarantees that were required by Japonais from their customers(i.e. $75 a person minimum, $100 reservation cancellation fee, 2 hour maximum table time), which is somewhat understandable from a 3 star restaurant on Valentine’s Day in Chicago. After arriving 45 minutes ahead of our reservation we were corralled into the bar/lounge area to wait for table. Here is where we waited for an hour and 15 mins before I went to the host and asked approximately how much longer till we can get a table. She responded with an estimate of 15 mins. Another hour passed and I decided to check on our reservation again the host responded “…we have been looking for you, where have you been?” I explained I haven’t moved from the area in which you instructed me to be in. After waiting 2 hours and 15 mins at the $12 a cocktail bar we were finally ready to be seated. We ordered a variety of food including the rock appetizer, 2 rolls of sushi and 2 chef specialties entrees. First came the rock appetizer which unique but very tasty.Next, the sushi came out which had an added bonus a piece of hair in between the pieces of ginger. I “explained” that we no longer want their “fresh” sushi. The manager came over to inform us that we were no longer required to spend the minimum of $75 a person and asked if we wanted anything else and my girlfriend asked for the house soup. Moments later our server informed us that they ran out of their soup.After waiting another 30 mins our server explained that she didn’t know what was taking so long with our entrees, she went to investigate. 10 mins after she left our food showed up only to be wrong. My $68 Kobe Ribeye was rare even though I ordered it medium-well.After sending it back the manager returned again and explained that he was once again sorry and offered to buy us dessert. My girlfriend’s filet mignon was good but was disappointed that I had to watch her eat instead of enjoying a meal with her on Valentine’s Day. After the Kobe Ribeye made its return I was so disgusted with Japonais I only ate 2 bites and asked for the check.They removed the sushi (which we ate 1 piece) and the rock from the bill because of our bad experience which I felt still didn’t rectify the problem, but I was so disappointed I was not about to argue. I would not recommend this restaurant to anybody and would highly suggest going elsewhere for Japanese type cuisine. I would be embarrassed to be the owner or an investor in Japonais.

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Avoid
By das165 from River North, February 13, 2008

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Japonais is the Ben Affleck of Chicago restaurants: mildly attractive, occasionally in the news, and indefensibly pompous. Within minutes of walking in the door, it becomes clear that Japonais feels the patron needs the restaurant more that the restaurant needs the patron. The only explanation I can see for the overpricing of such average fare is that conceit costs extra.

The “atmosphere” and “scene” are often cited as draws for Japonais. For any patron that needs to be seen at Japonais badly enough to overpay for mediocre food, you are more Affleck than you care to admit. Instead, do yourself a favor and try any of the dozen, upscale Japanese restaurants in Chicago with better fare and (especially!) service than Japonais (e.g. Sushi Wabi, Coast, Bob San). Unsure what to do with all that money you won’t be flushing down the toilet? After an enjoyable meal somewhere else, give to a favorite charity.

Hubris has ruined many potentially great individuals and institutions. Add Japonais to the list.

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So disappointed
By jojo from southloop, December 27, 2007

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We have been there about 6 times. Almost every single time we have had rude waiters and uncaring managers. The first time I had a bug in my wine and I told the waiter. He took the wine and never gave me another glass. When I asked him about it he was very arrogant and asked why I would want another and walked away. He brought the other glass and I was still charged for a second glass. The waiter could never be found, and we had a group of 10 people! Another time I ordered a dessert that I did not like. I wasn't going to say anything until the waiter took it and noticed I only had one spoonful. He asked if I liked and I said no. The manager came later and asked if everything was ok besides the dessert and I said yes, thank you. Again, we were charged for this dessert. There was only one time we were there that we had a waiter that was not arrogant. The rest were all terrible experiences and we will NEVER go there again. The ambiance is great and food is good, but the service and the value bring it down tremendously.

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Best spot to eat sushi!
By Larissa from lincoln park, November 27, 2007

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A very nice hip and cool atmosphere which also had great sushi. For those people who are not a fan of sushi, the ribs and filets are great there too! My favorite little appetizer would have to be the sweet potato fries that comes with a really good sauce that you can't find in other restaurants. A great restaurant to hang out with friends or even a romantic date!!! I love this place!

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Mixed Experience 11/14/07
By savyguy from dwntwn, November 15, 2007

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I read the reviews before going. Service was not rude as described. Our waitress was very nice and the bus staff was very attentive during the meal. My only complaint was that the restaurant was not that crowded and diners were seated on top of one another in cruise-type formations. One half of the dining room was empty while we, along with others, were shoulder to shoulder with other diners. I had a meglomaniacal office "loud talker" next to me, so it was particularly bad (You know the type). With it so packed where we were sitting, other wait staff kept bumping my chair (Approx. 10 times) when passing by and failed to offer any apology.

The food was great. We had: the Kani, Kani was tasty, though deep fried, crab claws (3 pieces); the Kobe Robato (2 pieces = $26.00) was great; "Le Quack Japonais" was good but not great (a little fatty but a good value @ 8 pieces). We had some other items from the sushi bar which were fresh and as good as any other. The food presentation was artful but not so detailed that the food was not the proper temperature when delivered. Our selections were also brought at the perfect pace which is rare and greatly appreciated.

With 3 drinks for our table the bill was around $125..00 plus tip (2 diners). A little over-priced, but the variety of the menu and the attentiveness during the meal would definitely warrant another visit.

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Nothing Special About the Food & Horrible Service
By tigerbite from lakeview, October 29, 2007

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When thinking about where to take my friend from Miami, Japonais came to mind. The reputation and the experience were two very different things. We were treated like two kids emptying out our piggy banks. When I asked our waiter a question about the menu, he said it was "normal sushi." Can't they at least coat the description with fancy words if they're going to snow you on price? The waiter pulled a Houdini, never to be seen again. We got an arm workout trying to flag down ANYONE to order more bar drinks and food, with staff breezing past us at every turn. When it finally came time for dessert, we simply gave up and went elsewhere. It was surprisingly easy to get the check though. The icing on the cake was when our waiter briskly walked back to loudly announce, “We don’t take Discover.” Would you like Visa, MasterCard or Amex, you ninny? I will never go back. And I'm spreading the word — don't waste your money on their self-proclaimed "normal sushi."

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Great Experience
By Abu from Wheeling, September 17, 2007

After reading all the negative reviews, I was a little hesitant to try this restaurant. However, after several friends recently recommended this place, we decided to give it a try. Something must have changed in management because service was one of the best I've seen in a restaurant. We got stuck in traffic on the way downtown (on a Saturday.. go figure) and showed up 40 minutes late for our reservation. We walked in, told the host that we were really late for our reservation- expecting to have to wait forever to get the next free table- and, before I was done with my last sentence, he smiled and said, "Have a nice dinner". We were seated at a 2-person table about 6 inches away from the adjacent 2-person table. Seemed a little cozy, but I was just happy to have a table. The people next to us were on dessert and were gone 15 minutes later. As soon as we sat down, a busboy came and filled our water glasses. 3 minutes afterwards, our server showed up. Right off, he was very friendly and courteous. I mentioned that this was our first time there and he told us "Well, in that case, I recommend that you close your menus and allow me to create your dinner for you". That intrigued us so we asked him to describe what he meant, at which time he proceeded, without hesitation, to describe each of the 7 dishes he had in mind for us to experience. I felt like I was watching the Food Channel live as he described what the chef was trying to accomplish with each dish. After he was done describing everything, he menioned that he used to be a chef. Everything suddenly made so much sense. Anyway, we told him we'd take it and he disappeared. All the dishes were brought out by different food servers. After each dish appeared on our table, our main server showed up 5 seconds later and described what they were and how to maximize our eating experience with each one. I removed the sleeve from my chopsticks and, as soon as I placed it on the table, a busboy came by and removed it immediately. Very impressive. Our water glasses were never empty and our tea glasses were always filled as soon as they were near empty by either our main server or a food server. The attention that we were given made us feel like VIP's, but was not suffocating or overbearing. Our entire experience was made completely pleasant because of the attention to detail. Oh, BTW, the food was very good as well. The roll we had was amazing and, after being told what to look for in each dish, everything we were served became an experience in itself. The left side of the menu is from the sushi bar and the right side is from the kitchen. Oh, and that table that was 6 inches away from us? It was empty the rest of the time we were there, even though the restaurant was packed. As we were leaving, I remembered that I mentioned that we would like a little privacy as I made my initial reservation several days before. I truly appreciated the courtesy that we were given with regards to that request. I would definitely come back here (to try more of the rolls, especially) and would HIGHLY recommend this place to any of my friends. The entire dinner, including tip, came out to about $65 per person (no drinks, just tea). More than a bargain, in my opinion, considering the experience and the level of service we were given.