Ai Japanese Restaurant: User Reviews

Me and my girlfriend dropped by this hidden sushi place when I missed the exit to I-90. When we entered the server seated us and we he was very knowledgeable and very attentive. For sushi fans the sushi was really good and heavily decorated. Four pieces of sushi was on a plate that is big enough to fit 30 pieces. I do recommend the "scorpion" which is really good. I also recommend trying one of their sake. I do agree with the other reviews about the bad service at times, it just depends who you get I guess. As for the value, I did pay more than the usual sushi joint so be ready for the price. Overall try if you like sushi AI

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

I went to the Summer Lovin' event at the MCA, and Ai and Tsuki were there being showcased. Tsuki, being one of my favorite sushi restaurants, without a doubt I had to check this place out when I heard they had a new sister restaurant. It was no surprise that I had a wonderful experience. The interior was absolutely beautiful. As soon as you walk in, you can tell that this place is upscale. The food, of course, was amazing. They have an extensive array of fish, some of which I've never even heard of. My server, I think his name was Javon, was very attentive and was able to make some really good recommendations. We had the this cut of beef that's similar to kobe , SUSHI STYLE. It was soooooo good, literally melted. Definitely worth trying and a good spot to go before going out since it's so close to all the clubs.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

I was scheduled to meet a friend at Ai last night. After reading the last couple of reviews, I tried to convince him to meet elsewhere. He said that he'd been there before, and there was nothing to worry about. He couldn't have been more correct. We arrived at 7:30 and were taken to our table. The restaurant was busy but not crowded. The atmosphere, was top notch. I had a great framed view of the Sears Tower at sunset during my meal.

Along with our menus, we were given a top notch wine and sake menu that included several options for tasting flights. I ordered the a flight of very interesting--and sushi friendly--white wines: a muscadet, a chablis (the real stuff from France) and a Riesling from the Mosel. My friend ordered a flight of three different daiginjo sake. We also ordered a large plate of sashimi at this time.

Our drink flights came out first, followed by our sashimi. The fish was extremely fresh and well presented. We had a range of fish from simple salmon and tuna to rich, buttery fatty tuna and fatty salmon along with extremely flavorful (but not fishy) mackerel and surf clam.

Half way through the meal, we ordered a bottle of the muscadet from the white tasting flight. It was an "Old Vines" bottling from Luneau-Papin. This is usually the type of wine one expects to find at Charlie Trotters, L20 or one of the city's better French bistros. It was an excellent, and inexpensive, choice for a Japanese restaurant.

After finishing our sashimi, we ordered two of the chef's "signature maki" They were priced higher than the regular maki, but were completely in line with the prices for signature rolls at Japonnais or Mirai, and were as good if not better. One was a takeoff on a Spider Roll with minced soft shell crab. Mine was a selection of spicy tuna topped four different ways. The quality and complexity of the rolls was outstanding. While I tend to lean towards sashimi more than rolls, these were definitely interesting and of high enough quality that I'll try them again.

That's about it, we finished our bottle of wine and left to catch the Cubs game at Emmitt's Pub. I've never posted a restaurant review here before, but after almost changing my dinner plans due to a couple of the reviews that I read, then having an absolutely outstanding experience at Ai, I feel the need to add a little balance to the discussion.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

Wow, this may be one of the worst experiences I have had with service. And I am BIG on service. There are just simple things I expect when I dine out, and this restaurant definitely did not deliver. I went to Ai Sushi tonight to grab drinks with a girlfriend and nibble on their late night menu. We walked in and there was no host in sight covering the door. There were off duty workers sitting at the sushi bar that just looked at us and because there was no one to seat us, we seated ourselves at the sushi bar as well. 5 minutes later, a host walks out and he asks if we've been helped. I said no, and asked for a table. He informed us only the late night menu was available which we were fine with. He walked us to the lounge and seated us with menus. He walked away and we never saw him or anyone else come by our table again. We sat for 10 minutes and as my temper began to rise, I started googling other late night food spots on my blackberry and started calling to find another place to eat. Another 5 minutes passed with not a single person asking to take a drink order or food order. Hello??? are we invisible to you people?? Did you not just HAND US food menus? So we got up to leave. We headed towards the door and I noticed the guy that seated us was at a computer up front with two other employees. I politely called at him and when he turned around, I just let him know we were leaving, and we really truly appreciated sitting for 15 minutes and not being served at all. It was great use of our time. yeah, Ai Sushi, work on your customer service skills. You are in the service industry, in case you didnt realize. Skip this restaurant. There are plenty other amazing restaurants in our city. Don't waste your money here.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

Went there one night for some get together. It was a nice place, but the food was not good. Aside from being over priced (most places in the Chi are) it was low quality. I laughed when I saw the portion size. My Tuna was nasty. The ebi was almost like chewing rubber. The teriyaki sauce in the chicken was gross. This place is a joke. If you want real good sushi, stay away from this place. Oh yeah, the service was horrible too.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

Positives- Wonderful presentation and the ambience was great
Negatives- Overpriced, averaged tasting sushi, small portions
I came here on a Saturday night with a group 7 people. Our waiter seemed friendly & attentive but we were frustrated on how long it took for our appetizers/drinks to arrive. Not to mention the restaurant was not yet busy at the time. We were impressed though that our dinners came in a swiftly manner. Presentation was a definite A+ but the amount of sushi rolls for the given price was disappointing. Our waiter kept making his rounds at our table but again, it took a while for him to come back with our drinks. Despite the numerous amount of sake, make, sashimi rolls we ordered, most of us were still hungry.

I would recommend bringing a first date to this place. He/She will be impressed by the ambiance and the wonderful presentation of the food. But if you're going with a group of friends who enjoy sushi, I'd go elsewhere. There are plenty of other sushi places out there with similar prices but better sushi/value.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

This place is great. Perfect ambiance where you can talk with your table mates without screaming over music, great presentation of the dishes. The waitress was very knowledgeable about the various dishes and made appropriate recomendations according to the differing tastes of the people at the table. The service was quick but not rushed which was great on a saturday night when the place is full. Definitely get reservations on the weekends as they fill up fast. Overall a great sushi experience.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

When a sushi place doesn't have enough turnover, the fish gets bland as it ages. That was the case at Ai. Namasake, hamachi and tuna could have all been the same slices. When the waitress dropped our order off, I was shocked at how small the pieces where - literally the size of my pinky. The rolls were okay, but the sushi pieces were terrible. The Ika (squid) wasn't prepared properly with the cross hatch cuts, and so was like chewing old bubble gum with dental floss hidden inside. Avoid at all costs. The place was deserted at lunch.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

Loved the food, best in downtown area...though the service was beyond bad. Won't go back until after training season.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review

My friends who love sushi love this place. I don't do the sushi thing, and I really enjoyed it too. Plenty of appealing options for those of us who don't eat sushi. And prices not bad.

Ambiance:

Food:

Service:

Value:

Report This Review