Sushi Wabi

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Fone and fone – 0 stars
Manly ass slap – ½ star


Restaurant: Sushi Wabi
Location: 842 W. Randolph St.


I’m not sure what’s wrong with me. Two years ago you couldn’t pay me to eat sushi, and I’ll do pretty much anything for money. Slowly, over time, I’ve grown to be OK with sushi. It’s not the kind of thing I’m gonna seek out, but if others are going there, then I’d be OK eating with everyone else. Well, the other night, I was absolutely craving sushi. I’m not kidding. It’s all I wanted to eat. It’s never happened before. I guess I’m all growsed up.

To satisfy my craving my wife suggested we go to Sushi Wabi, which I had never been to before. I was craving the House Crunch at Bob San, or the White Dragon at Coast, but I thought trying someplace new was a good idea.

I love going out to eat, and that’s one of the reasons I love Chicago, because there are so many places to go in so many different parts of the city. That doesn’t mean I get to them all, but I still like having the option. Now, I only need a few things to make me happy when I go out to eat. First, I like a decent atmosphere. Whether it’s the design of the restaurant or just the people eating there, atmosphere is important. Second, I need good service. And really, good service is almost more important than the food itself. I’m happy going to a place where the service is great and the food just so-so. If eating out is about the experience, good service is the most important part of the experience. For example, the one time I went to Mas, the service was so bad I’m not sure I ever want to go back, even though their food was really good. That’s how important service is to me. And lastly, the food is important. That’s it. That is the triangle of happiness for me.

I liked the atmosphere at Sushi Wabi. It’s in the West Loop on Randolph, and I like that area to begin with. Plus, the place is pretty small, giving it this really intimate, exclusive feel. When you’re sitting in there you kind of feel like you’re someone important, or that the paparazzi is waiting to snap your photo outside. My one complaint is that the DJ is spinning the music a little loud, so you end up shouting across the table to talk to someone.

The service was great. Really, almost every place I go has good service. And good service is easy to achieve. Just be friendly, stop by often enough to take my order when I’m ready, and bring my food sooner rather than later. And if you do simple things like fill up my water before it’s empty or bring me another drink (when it’s free refills) without me asking, then I love you. It’s really not hard. Our server was friendly, gave recommendations, and stopped by often. Of course some people hate when a server is always at your table asking if everything is OK, but to me, that’s better than never coming by and me having to flag him or her down. Unless your server takes a seat and starts eating with you, the more you see him, the better.

And lastly, the food at Sushi Wabi was good. We started with the gyu-negima, which were scallions rolled with thin slices of meat cooked in a sweet soy garlic sauce. It was amazing. But then again, it had everything I like – onions (scallions), meat, and garlic. I recommend you order it if you go.

For the main eats, we got the Spicy Tuna, the Godzilla, and the Dragon. The spicy tuna was pretty good. It had a nice kick to it at the end. I think the most popular sushi at the place had to be the Godzilla. It looked like every table had an order of it. The thing was pretty huge, which is where I’m assuming the name comes from. And I can see why it’s popular. It was pretty tasty. It was kind of sweet, with a hint of spiciness to it. But, to me, it wasn’t the best of the bunch. I’d have to say the Dragon was my favorite. It had a lot more flavor than the Godzilla (which in comparison was just a little bland), and had a little more kick to it. It was a good balance between spice and sweet. My only complaint is that it was smaller than the Godzilla. I wanted more.

I will say that this was the first time in my life that I actually got full off of sushi. It was just two of us, and the three rolls and the appetizer were more than enough to fill you up. The Dragon and the Godzilla were pretty generous in size, and enough to satisfy even me. If I went back, I’m pretty sure I’d order the exact same thing. That’s gotta be a good sign.

Oh, and just so you don’t have sticker shock, Sushi Wabi is a little on the pricey side. An appetizer, three rolls, and two glasses of wine cost us more than seventy dollars. You may think that’s a lot, you may not, but I thought it was a tad high. Even without the wine it would have been over fifty bucks, which to me, for sushi, seems just a little much.

But, Sushi Wabi did a good job of satisfying my sushi craving, though I’ll still take Bob San or Coast over it. Final rating - fist bump.