Fresh Sushi & Noodles

I used to live down the street and would walk here for dinner. Love them! Thai is great. Sushi is fresh!

I’ve tried Thai foods in this restaurant… wow you know, very good taste!!!
Thai food in 7−8price it’s not too expensive. Thai taste and not too spicy for foreigner. In front of the Wellington CTA station. easy to go. Service was excellent also.

Had a little get together here for my wife’s birthday. They let us bring cake and they even walked to Walgreens to get us candles. Food was great, service was even better. Will definitely be go
ing back frequently.

There are hundreds of these places on the north side – smallish, sushi/​pan-​asian restaurants with no overt personality or distinguishing traits. The vast majority are serviceable, dishing up all the standards with relative competence and a modestly pleasant service experience. Sometimes that’s okay, and just what is needed, but they’re all the same.
So why am I writing about Fresh Sushi & Noodles? Because of the basil maki. It is unequivocally the most interesting and flavorful vegetarian roll that I have ever come across. Mushroom, carrot, asparagus, onion, and fried tofu, topped with crispy basil leaves and basil sauce. Hell yes.
The rest of the food was really good also, cementing my opinion of Fresh as a cut above the other restaurants in their class. The spicy tako maki was an A and the negi hamachi maki and tom yum soup in the B+ range. They let me substitute tofu for chicken in the soup, but I was sad because I originally ordered the grilled calamari appetizer, of which they were fresh out. I love calamari, and grilled is a nice change of pace from the standard fried version – another little way in which Fresh sets itself apart. I’ll be back for that calamari, not to mention more delicious sushi.

The 4-​star part:
AYCE maki on Mondays and Tuesdays for $ 20 is definitely worth it. The rolls themselves were good — we had a spider roll, dragon roll, spicy tuna, spicy tako, and spicy squid — but I agree with an earlier reviewer that there’s too much rice on them. Salad and miso soup were fine. The salad and its dressing are different from what I’ve usually found in Japanese restaurants — this was leafier and tossed in a thinner ginger vinaigrette. Server was attentive. The time the food took to come out fluctuated but was totally reasonable.
The 2-​star part:
If you don’t completely finish a roll that you ordered as part of the AYCE deal, they charge you its full price, adding it to the $ 20 you already spent. This is poorly explained — at the end of the menu it just says something like, «you will be charged full price of maki for leftovers.» My girlfriend and I were taken aback when we said we were done and the server frowned and said, «You really can’t finish that?» There were two end pieces of a dragon roll left on the plate. She pointed out that the chef had made it because we ordered it and it’d be an additional $ 6 if we didn’t finish. My girlfriend and I just kind of groaned and stuffed ourselves with what was mostly just rice and avocado.
I understand they have to somehow keep people from abusing AYCE sushi and ordering more than they can eat and then either tossing it or asking to bring it home. But I’m sure Fresh could enforce this more effectively in other ways, and at the very least could better explain their no-​leftovers policy when you first start ordering.
I plan to go back but I think I’ll try their noodle options instead.

I need to find some more sushi-​lovin’ friends here in Chicago. I came here last week, and don’t get me wrong, the food we had was delicious. I just NEED to try to $ 19.00 all you can eat maki. Who will be my friend?!
Like I said, we got all noodley here, and it was dynamite. We started, though, with the Thai Spring Rolls which were our second choice appetizer, but oh man, so good. I had the Tokyo noodles after that, and I really wish I could have maybe not inhaled my food so that I could have had leftovers, but I couldn’t help myself. The homemade noodles were chewy like I like ‘em, and the whole experience was pretty great. I’ve not taken advantage of the BYOB lifestyle here in Chicago, though I’m sure I will one day.
The fact that this place is about three blocks from my house is dangerous and fantastic.

I’ve eaten here several times for their all you can eat maki and it is a great deal! Wonderful access right off the Wellington brownline stop and even better it is BYOB.
I’d have to say one of their best rolls is their cashew crunch roll, unexpectedly delicious!
Only reason this place doesn’t get the full 5 stars despite being great sushi – always fresh and delicious, BYOB, reasonably priced and easy access by public transportation, is their service has never been great, friendly or really attentive. If this improved, they’d definitely earn their full 5 stars.

Fresh and tasty with options
Besides the terrible name this place is great!
Décor is cute and trendy. A bit small but it adds to the character. They have their little touches all over and its nice.
Service is good. they overwhelm a bit and ask if you are ready way to much. but that’s better then the opposite. The staff uniforms are cool as well, very trendy and another nice little touch.
What I love best is the options. Not many places have such an extensive menu with both rice noodle and sushi. No place I have found can offer all three deliciously the way way Fresh can. (WORST NAME) Asian noodles, Thai noodles, Japanese noodles and all sorts of maki rolls and sushi.
The noodles are light and fluffy. The sushi is melt in your mouth fresh. The portions are a bit small but so are the prices. The attention to detail in the food is just fabulous. Everything I had the perfect amount of each ingredient on the plate. Crab rangoon was crunchy out side and smooth and rich inside. they also added the perfect amount of sugar to outside… it gives it a nice added touch. You could say that about all the food I had at least.
Its just a great diverse menu.

Still yummy and good!
I reread my review and found that I had the Picante roll the last time too. I got that roll again and it was still really good. The edamame were still delicious as well and served very hot.
I got other smaller rolls this time around and everything was pretty good. Some the maki rolls were kind of small but other than that, I enjoyed my time.
Service was quick and they gave us an ice bucket, which is always appreciated. BYO is always great too!

I just tried Fresh last week and was impressed. The service was great… to food:
I only dabbled with the sushi menu so I can’t comment on the noodle dishes. I had the salmon nigiri (so fresh… sex in mouth) and the spicy scallop roll. Both great success. My friend had the veggie green curry and it to was a success.
They have a lunch special menu for $ 8 or so where you can get 2 pieces nigiri and a California roll. The only thing that stopped me from that is that California rolls have NO FISH! Ohhh… the humanity!
Does it count that I came here after using psychotropic drugs? Just kidding. I give it a thumbs up!

I use to be a 5 star rater for this place but I realized that their services is horrible! First off you arrive and it takes about 45 minutes for our sushi. Then the lady had a really really nasty attitude towards me. The last time my boyfriend and I went we forgot to tip and the lady came up to us and asked why we didn’t tip? The only way I’ll go back is if I’m ordering for pick up and going to pick up in advance.
The sushi however is really good! It is one of the best (but not really), flavorful is a better word for it. It is really yummy and I love the maki’s and selection they have. Plus the 19.99 all you can eat is a really good deal!
Rated on food ONLY: 4.5
Service: 1

I have eaten here once in the restaurant and gotten take out once. I remember when I ate there I was really impressed… it was one of the first times I had eaten sushi and I think I was in awe of how good it was. We got the all you can eat deal, which is great, but be careful not to order all fried/​mayoish rolls, or you will not feel well! Beginners mistake. Also, they make you eat every last bite or else you need to pay for any uneaten rolls.
I got takeout last weekend and it was just ok. I ordered a few maki rolls. I think they have changed their menu because the new menu is more expensive than the one I had at home. I also got free edamame, but didn’t realize you aren’t supposed to eat the shell. Eating this was not a pleasant experience but that is not their fault. It was ready quickly and they were extra generous with their condiments and chopsticks– must have thought I was eating enough for 2 people.

I’ve been to this place several times and it is one of my favorite sushi places in the city, if not my favorite. I’ve never had a roll or sushi here that did not taste fresh and delicious. Even items I’d normally not like are good here. The prices are reasonable and fairly consistent with other sushi places.
I’ve never had bad service and it’s BYOB!
I haven’t really had the Thai so can’t comment on that… but the sushi is great.

I’m going to let all of the blond-​haired dodos of Lakeview in on a secret: if you are getting ‘bad’ service at a foreign restaurant, speak up, yell, get up and intervene. That’s what they want you to do. Just don’t stew in your seat in a sulking stupor. The service at Fresh is fine. And the payoff is huge: yummy, tasty, greasy, well balanced, dynamic flavors blooming across your taste buds and sliding down your esophagus.

1 the name is not misleading as their sushi is reasonably fresh.
+1 the basic rolls are priced reasonably, as in under $ 6 w/​tax.
= 2 stars.
Don’t get me wrong, Fresh Sushi isn’t bad… if you were standing outside the Wellington stop at 2:30pm needing lunch ASAP (as I was today) it’s fine. But if you were standing outside the Wellington stop & not in immediate need, Café Blossom, Bentonara & Café Furaibo would be much better options. As would taking the Brown Line to Armitage & going to Sai Café. The service at any of those four completely trumps this place as well. As the 2 star says «Meh. I’ve experienced better.»
Today (probably my third time here in about 2 years) I ordered a jalapeño tuna roll to-​go. It was really bland and had no spice/​bite whatsoever. Suspicious, I pulled out a strip of «jalapeño» and am 99% sure it’s just a green bell pepper. Or the mildest jalapeño ever. Unless you’re in a bind, skip it.

I don’t normally give a place a 5-​star review based on one visit, but having tried at least a dozen mediocre sushi restaurants since moving to Chicago 3 years ago, I’m so overjoyed at finding a really GOOD one that I just have to give it all 5.
There really is no better deal than the all-​you-​can-​stuff-​in-​yourself deal on Monday night. As a party of three, we easily ate $ 100 worth of sushi for $ 60. While the initial wait for the first round was a bit long, once it was, the sushi was coming fast and furious. We brought our own bottle of wine and I don’t even think they charged us a fee for corking or for the ice bucket/​glasses. Since other sushi restaurants I’ve been to charge up to $ 10 for a cork fee/​glasses for 3, this is another huge bargain.
I really like restaurants that sit near/​under the El. Makes it a «real» Chicago experience. While I hope more people try it to keep it successful, I also don’t mind that we had no wait. :)

I was here Friday night and felt comfortable and didn’t feel rushed. Now not feeling rushed may also be because the service wasn’t the best. However, the sushi was very fresh indeed. I enjoyed my sushi quite a bit.
This place is under the Wellington brown line, literally, so it’s convenient since I live by a brown line stop. Being under the train, though, makes the restaurant kind of noisy.
I haven’t tried the Thai here and probably won’t. Whenever I am given the option of sushi or noodles, I will always, always, ALWAYS choose sushi. That being said, one of my friends had noodles and enjoyed them very much.
The price is right for food here. It’s good and it’s relatively inexpensive. I’d say you should give it a shot.

I know there are a lot of noodle and sushi places in chicago, but this one surprisingly ranks right up there with the best of them. I say surprising because it is so close to my apartment, and located right under the train that I also walked by and chuckled at the location and small interior. But we finally ventured in for dinner and are very happy we did.
I will say I have had their sushi before, and while the quality and taste was very good the price startled me. Their specialty maki rolls can run you $ 14. There are cheaper sushi joints nearby. However, in this trip I was in a noodle mood so I was very interested to see how it would compare with other favorites like Satay, Joy’s, and others. I am very happy to report that the noodles were fantastic, cheap and plentiful (added bonus to find a good spot so close). Since leaving Ann Arbor I have been looking for some place to meet the high standard set by No Thai! in making a great Pad see ew, my favorite noodle dish. The Pad see ew was as good as I’ve had in a long time. Lots of food, broccoli, spinach and a healthy dose of spices (I asked for it). The sauce is what makes it all work, and this is where most places let me down. Not here though.
The Pad Thai that Erica ordered was also very good, second only to Joy’s according to the Pad Thai Queen herself. We also ordered some starters, a hamachi roll, Gomaae and carson had crab ragoon. The Gomaae also surprised me with success. Usually the sesame sauce is really thick, really tasteless or really something not that appealing unless you are at a good Japanese restaurant. Here, the spinach was not ice cold, the dressing light but flavorful and generously served. The hamachi maki was also good, simple but fresh and tasty.
The meal was $ 40 pre tax/​tip for 3 people two courses. You can definitely each cheaper if you want, but not bad, not amazing value and the food is good. I will go back for my thai noodle fix, and likely not for any sushi fix since there are cheaper places. Fresh is also BYOB so you could start a good night there too.

Simply DELICIOUS!
As an experienced Chicago sushi diner, I have to say that this is THE BEST $ 20 all you can eat sushi deal in the city of Chicago. The all you can eat deal is on Mondays and Tuesdays, and if you like sushi, it is well, well worth a visit. Did I mention it’s also BYOB? You can’t go wrong.
I came on a Monday with a few of my girlfriends. Fresh has a cute, cozy environment perfect for a girl’s sushi night. We proceeded to drink wine and enjoy yummy appetizers (choose from edamame, miso soup, or house salad — or all 3!) and really great tasting maki rolls. My personal favorite is the Godzilla roll — it is TO DIE for! Another favorite of mine is the Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll. I’m not a huge fan of the Dragon roll — it’s a bit too fishy tasting, but all of the other rolls are really good. Be ready to eat a LOT, or you get charged for what you don’t eat. However, the sushi is so good that you probably won’t have a problem!
I highly recommend this place!

I felt a little embarrassed when I walked into the place and my first question was «What’s the difference between this place and Koon 9?».
Having recently bought Koon 9, the new owners of Fresh have splashed some new paint on the walls and added new lights, removed the television (or at least didn’t put up a new one) and added a lot to their menu, especially noodles!
They are still BYOB which is great and I think having the option to get noodles and sushi in one place is fantastic. My gf and I split an order of (not-​so) spicy lad nar noodles, caterpillar roll, crab rangoon and an order of free edamame. (If you go to a similar website that rhymes with «Etromix» you can down load a coupon!) Everything was really tasty and worth going back for to give something else a try.
Unfortunately, as was Koon 9, this place seems to keep a near empty status and with the Wellington brown line stop closed, may have a short future. Lets hope not and rise up people! (It is only a short walk from the Belmont stop!)