Rise Sushi & Sake Lounge

Doesn't Recommend

scwjd2009

Joined 2 years ago

felt compelled to write my first review ever. To put this review in perspective - I have eaten pretty much every type of food at every type of restaurant and I've NEVER felt compelled to write a review of a restaurant.. EVER! So here I am, writing about how absolutely awful my experience at Rise was.

To start, the place is incredibly loud, though it could have been 1) the drunk frat boy to my right who was slurring his words at the top of his lungs about a threesome that he was trying to make happen 2) the party of 30 right behind me, or 3) the group of 5 that was doing drinking games at the table. It was like they managed to take all of the douche in chicago and cram it into 300 square feet. Admittedly, not Rise's fault but I mention it in case anyone wants to go who is allergic to fish or moron.

The service was awful. When I told the waiter that we had to move because it was too loud he gave us a dirty look and came back to tell us that it would be a 45 minute wait for a new table. When I said we would just take it to go, he gave us another dirty look and took our orders.

45 minutes later the food still isn't at the table. I'm still sitting next to the guy who is now drunker and louder (which I didn't think was possible). The food finally arrives at the table. My sushi and my girlfriend's terriyaki are both luke warm but I'm willing to pay for it just to get the hell out of this place.

We leave, take the food home, and heat up the food. Which brings me to my last gripe.

The food - it's not really that good. Maybe it's the fact that my food sat around long enough to be luke warm but this is Chicago - there are a million better sushi joints like Oysy or Makisu or Toro. The flavors are mush and the spices overpower the fish.

In the end, it certainly wasn't worth the price, the bad service or being stuffed in between a bunch of jerkoffs. This was honestly more belligerent of a crowd than any bar that I've been at during dinner hours coupled with the least attentive wait staff I've ever seen (the table next to me (not the frat boy) was also angry about their service, and they had a different waiter).

So, in conclusion, I wouldn't go there again if it was free and they had their shitty wait staff hand feeling sushi rolls dipped in happiness.

Doesn't Recommend

foodiegirlchicago

Joined 4 years ago

the worst attitude ever. I placed a catering order, they got it wrong, then wouldn't give me a credit. The attitude of the manager was ridiculous. I will never go there again. The good isn't good enough to put up with terrible service.

Doesn't Recommend

mkay75

Joined 6 years ago

Strike 2 you're out!. I used to love this place but the last 2 times were horrible. Last night I ordered the Chirashi and the sashimi was served on piping hot rice. EWW. The service was not good either. With all the great sushi places in the area I won't be heading to Rise for a 3rd bad experience!

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ChicagoKid12328

Joined 5 years ago

Trendy, hip, sushi bar!. We went to Rise over the weekend, and was a little scared after reading other reviews. This is not "traditional" Japanese cuisine. This is Americanized Japanese cuisine, with a dash of Chinese and Thai food. The Sushi rolls are great, and original. The Mexican Maki was my favorite. Huge martini list. Service was great. Trendy atmosphere. You either will like it or you won't.

Doesn't Recommend

arh2007

Joined 6 years ago

From great a couple of years ago to horrible today.. My wife and I used to frequent Rise regularly back when it was new to the neighborhood and found it to have a cool atmosphere with fairly good sushi.

We hadn't been there in about a year when we visited last night for dinner. The place had gone from a hip, cool atmosphere to an excessively loud and annoying place where you couldn't hear yourself think, let alone have a conversation.

After waiting for a table for over 30 minutes (when we were next on the lsit and several tables remained open) we left - after being treated extremely rudely by both the hostess and manager.

We'll never return to Rise as there are just far too many better Sushi restaurants in the city.

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kiki80

Joined 6 years ago

Eh. Sushi was ok--not good, not bad, but pretty expensive. I did like the restaurant itself and our server was friendly and helpful. Overall, Rise was a mediocre experience. There are way better sushi places in Chicago.

Doesn't Recommend

deidre_stone

Joined 6 years ago

too noisy to believe!!!!!!!!. We eat sushi all of the time and based on a review of Rise, on this site, we went on a Thursday night at 9. When we walked in we were horrified by how loud it was. Even our teenage son thought it was way too loud!!! We couldn't have a conversation at all!! We certainly couldn't ask the sushi chef a question!! What happened to the traditional Sushi Bar where you actually got to order from the sushi chef? We ordered quickly, from a waitress, and then waited more than 30 minutes to get our very small order. The food was uneven, the fish in the yellowtail hand roll was definitely not fresh, it smelled bad and tasted very fishy!! though the tuna was good. I would never go back!!

Doesn't Recommend

horwitzzz

Joined 7 years ago

AVOID THIS PLACE!!!. In the several years of eating at Rise, I am shocked at the treatment we received from the manager, and I will never eat there again. My wife and I ordered carry out. We are loyal customers and forego the sushi places that are closer to Evanston and make the 25 minute trip there and back to pick up our food. Upon returning home we discovered that the scallop rolls we ordered were in fact octopus. We called to alert the restaurant about their mistake. After two completely confused hostesses, we finally got the manager on the phone who informed us that there would be no refund of the $10 for the two incorrect rolls. Apparently the owners (who do not live in the United States and CANNOT be contacted by anyone other than the manager we spoke to) have issued a fatwah that no refunds may be given unless the wrong food is returned to the restaurant. The manager would not send his delivery driver to pick up their mistake and informed me that they would do nothing to rectify their mistake. The lesson, you?d better make sure that everything is absolutely perfect before you walk out that door, cause these guys don?t care if you are satisfied with the food or the service. This seems like a small offense, but really their inability to fix a mistake of their own making shows how little regard Rise has for its customers. For the $10 they got to keep on their mistake from me tonight, the manager conceded that he would rather not have me as a customer. Choose wisely. Find a different place to eat.

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mybffisstacey

Joined 6 years ago

Best place ever!!!!!. omg!! The service is awsome! The sesame chicken and calamarie are sooooooo good!!!! The workers are really nice, especally Mono. The sushi is really fresh. The owner is really nice. The fried rice is good too. The enviornment is so cool! And my best friends uncle owns it so its even more awsome! And to all the people who said they had bad servise boo you!

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thisismymembername

Joined 6 years ago

This place is.... Awesome! Will always go there! Don't know why stupid people complain about Rise and the staff! I mean like if they tell you that you can't bring drinks from Starbucks into the place, just finish and throw it out! If the workers have Starbucks, who cares?! You don't have a job so you can just deal with it! If you want to drink Starbucks in Rise, get a job there! The waiters and waitresses aren't mean or rude....probably your the one who's acting like a big baby.

Having a problem about how the hostess puts on her make-up or dresses is really stupid. Restaurants are for eating, it's not a fashion show. And if a worker "ignores" you, it's because there busy with other people at the restaurant. It's not all about YOU the moment you walk into Rise. If you don't like the music, bring an Ipod or something! GET GOT GOOD!