(773) 878-6886

5547 N Clark St (Between W Bryn Mawr Avenue and W Gregory Street)
Chicago, IL 60640 41.9829 -87.6685

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Neighborhoods: Edgewater, Far North Side

Hours:

Sun-Mon 4pm-10pm

Wed-Thu 4pm-11pm

Fri 4pm-12am

Sat 2pm-12am

Last updated 1.24.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Cuisine:

Japanese, Vegetarian, Sushi

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Tanoshii

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Tucked into two small rooms on a quiet stretch of Clark Street, this storefront is modest and warm, with hardwood floors, stretched cloth-covered light fixtures, and walls painted in textured green and cheerful yellow. Relaxed foursomes and couples on dates settle in at close tables, popping open beers and bottles of wine, while two chefs slice maki and nigiri behind the 12-seat sushi bar. – – The Food – The menu is varied, with a couple dozen nigiri and maki selections, plus good-value bento box combinations and cooked plates. Appetizer highlights include…

Editor's Tips

The Extras:
Feeling adventurous? Ask for "Mike's special," and the chef will whip up one of his personal maki creations for you on the spot.
What to Drink:
It's B.Y.O.B. with a $1 corkage fee, so bring your own beer or wine. Other beverage options include hot tea and soft drinks.
Parking:
Metered street spots are generally available; there's also a free lot across the street behind the Salvation Army building.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “On top of this, Mike creates a personal, friendly, and comfortable environment for his customers.”
  2. “while the ambiance and food were nice.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “Bring a great bottle of wine or two!”
  2. “Call for a reservation and ask for the sushi bar- then tell Mike if you have allergies, love or hate spicy food, what you're in the mood for and then let him take control.”
food quality
75.0% positive
  1. “while the ambiance and food were nice.”
  2. “The sushi was good, but absolutely NOT worth the wait and the hassle of trying to get served.”
  3. “have never experienced service as slow as Tanoshii, for sushi or any other kind of food.”
  4. “It was a big mish most of fish and spicy mayo.”
  5. “This is simply the best sushi I've ever had.”
  6. “bad service, overpriced sushi”
  7. “It is a blend of spices and flavors, which were delicious, but not necessarily Japanese style.”
  8. “eat a lot of sushi in this town and I've never experienced such bad service in the 20 years I've lived here.”
  9. “The owner/sushi chef was extremely rude during our entire dining experience.”
  10. “The freshness and taste of the fish, the unusual and brilliant choices of vegetables and even fruits to create amazing taste combinations, the sauces, the overall intricacy of taste and presentation: it is fabulous in every respect.”
  11. “However, I've always found the staff and chefs to be extremely friendly, and I enjoy the food.”
  12. “When we expressed frustration with how slow the food was taking and that there were dishes missing long after ordering, they asked "Haven't you ever been here before?”
  13. “Call for a reservation and ask for the sushi bar- then tell Mike if you have allergies, love or hate spicy food, what you're in the mood for and then let him take control.”
  14. “the food is tasty and creative but would make most japanese people cringe.”
  15. “From an amazing Asian pear/soft shelled crab number to a wild mountain of ceviche-type sushi, Mike delivered one magical experience after another.”
  16. “do not believe that Tanoshii is authentic Japanese fare.”
  17. “have been to many Korean owned sushi restaurants that were quite good and authentic.”
  18. “We read such great reviews, but ultimately were disappointed by the service and the overpriced sushi.”
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. “While not to be thought of as traditional, "Sushi" Mike offers a hand-crafted menu of some of the most creative rolls in Chicago.”
  2. “Our party of four sat in the back room, went with the chef's choice menu, and, for seven plates and two hours, took an amazing ride.”
  3. “The freshness and taste of the fish, the unusual and brilliant choices of vegetables and even fruits to create amazing taste combinations, the sauces, the overall intricacy of taste and presentation: it is fabulous in every respect.”
  4. “You do not go to Tanoshii to order off the menu.”
service
58.33000183105469% positive
  1. “The service was incredibly slow and unresponsive.”
  2. “The owner/sushi chef was extremely rude during our entire dining experience.”
  3. “have never experienced service as slow as Tanoshii, for sushi or any other kind of food.”
  4. “On top of this, Mike creates a personal, friendly, and comfortable environment for his customers.”
  5. “Its a cool place to hang out and meet the people around you.”
  6. “We read such great reviews, but ultimately were disappointed by the service and the overpriced sushi.”
  7. “the food is tasty and creative but would make most japanese people cringe.”
  8. “The worst service I've ever exerienced”
  9. “eat a lot of sushi in this town and I've never experienced such bad service in the 20 years I've lived here.”
  10. “bad service, overpriced sushi”
  11. “However, I've always found the staff and chefs to be extremely friendly, and I enjoy the food.”
  12. “Overall, however, the rolls were good, and the staff was friendly.”
value
16.670000553131104% positive
  1. “We read such great reviews, but ultimately were disappointed by the service and the overpriced sushi.”
  2. “bad service, overpriced sushi”
  3. “The sushi was good, but absolutely NOT worth the wait and the hassle of trying to get served.”
wait time
33.3299994468689% positive
  1. “have never experienced service as slow as Tanoshii, for sushi or any other kind of food.”
  2. “The service was incredibly slow and unresponsive.”
  3. “When we expressed frustration with how slow the food was taking and that there were dishes missing long after ordering, they asked "Haven't you ever been here before?”
4 Star Rating: Recommended

11/17/10

Best sushi downtown

by kayb79 at Citysearch

I love this place its always fresh allways fast and theres plenty of parking. I love the selection to. I go back at least once a week!

1 Star Rating: Poor

02/01/09

bad service, overpriced sushi

by sweedishfish at Citysearch

while the ambiance and food were nice...there were numerous problems with our experience. first, the waiter took our order before getting us a wine opener and we had to ask 3 times before we were brought one. second, all four of us got the 'mikes special' in which we were to tell the waiter what we like and don't like. the waiter only asked us what we don't like and didn't write anything down. third, two of the meals came and then another 10 minutes later a third meal came. the last one came another 15 minutes later. the waiter was not apologetic for this large gap in time between all our meals. forth, the sushi, while good, did not match what we had told the waiter in terms of amount of spice. also, we thought we were getting mikes personal creation for us, but looking around we saw a lot of other people with the same rolls as us. We read such great reviews, but ultimately were disappointed by the service and the overpriced sushi.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

01/02/09

Best Sushi Ever!

by krissy1 at Citysearch

Seriously, anyone who wrote a bad review just doesn't get the experience with Mike. Please, sit at the bar, watch him work and try to understand where all the flavors are coming from. Tell him spicy or not, he will listen to you! Everyone seems like they are in such a hurry! Sit back and enjoy life and your food for once! So what if it takes 2 hours to eat! Your with friends! Bring a great bottle of wine or two!!! He can make a sushi lover out of anyone!

  • Pros: Creative and wonderful Sushi !!!
  • Cons: I don't have any, he is worth every minute of my experience!
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

12/04/08

The Future of Sushi Infusion is Here!

by SalesKing at Citysearch

If you are into infusion food then Tanoshii is for you. Sushi Mike is a genius when it comes to combining unique flavors to create something out of this world. So next time you are in the Andersonville area belly up to the bar and tell Sushi Mike you are there to be impressed and let him handle the rest.

  • Pros: Unique Sushi Creations
  • Cons: Slower Service at Tables
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/10/08

take your time and relax

by davimic at Citysearch

Ya the service isnt the fastest but if you sit at the sushi bar and let Mike and company do there thing its quite the experience. If you are lucky he might even start doling out the sake. Its a cool place to hang out and meet the people around you. I've eaten sushi all over town and this is for sure my favorite. Go there take your time and have fun

  • Pros: sushi chef, origanality
  • Cons: ambience

The Details on Tanoshii

Place Categories:

  • creative food
  • worst service
  • overpriced sushi
  • creative rolls
  • delicious flavors
  • quite good many korean owned sushi restaurants
  • comfortable environment
  • amazing ride
  • big mish
  • extremely rude ownersushi chef
  • amazing pearsoft
  • great bottle
  • amazing overall intricacy
  • delicious spices
  • friendly staff
  • order menu
  • cool place
  • horrible experience
  • amazing sauces
  • nice ambiance
  • authentic japanese fare
  • good everything
  • amazing taste combinations
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