Hamachi Sushi Bar

The two stars given justifies the flavor of the specialty roll my boyfriend and I ordered. We would give zero stars for customer service. It took 30 minutes for us to get the 3 rolls we ordered. We would understand that if the place was busy but there were 4 other customers there at the time. We would have ordered more but it took too long the first time so we left hungry. Also they never actually brought us a check. After about 20 minutes of waiting we went to the front to pay $ 44 for our 3 rolls. We will never eat here again. Overpriced and poor service.

Very disappointed. When I order tuna I expect it to be soft like butter, not overly fishy, and free of fat. The tuna I ordered today was all of the above. I shelled out a pretty penny because I’m a tuna lover and have consumed it all over the world. The crab Rangoon was very good And I have to say that it was bordering impressive for being non-​dairy. The spicy tuna crunch was decent but the seaweed was tough. I ended up having to dissect the rolls and eat with a fork! I also asked for extra sauce and the woman’s response was, «we don’t usually do that unless you pay extra.» And my response was to go ahead and charge me. In the end she didn’t charge me but what I got in my complimentary sauce containers was sad. Each was filled maybe ¹⁄₅^th of the way and when I eat sushi I’m all about my sauce especially when the tuna is so unnaturally fishy!!! Also I can not stand when sushi places wrap a takeout order with the hot food next to the sushi my fish was warm and in that starting to cook category. It only takes light heat to do that. All in all I ordered simple things and really wanted to be impressed but was so let down :(in the future I will shell out the extra money for shallots since their fish quality is drastically better.

Service is great and food is always good. I find myself going back every time!

No booze, the fish tasted weird and it’s ridiculously over priced. worst sushi place I’ve ever been to! I’ll never ever go back there!

For starters, this place is very small. I wish they had a larger dining room (they can probably seat about 18 at tables, another 6 – 8 at the bar), and they place can get very cold in the winter (no double door to the outside). That said, the menu is phenomenal. There is an overwhelming list of choices, and some are very creative. I have been to the restaurant about a half dozen times, and gotten takeout another dozen or so. I have never had a bad bite of sushi. I have read complaints about the occasional fishiness and undercooked rice, but I guess I have been lucky! I really hope this place lasts, as we really need some good kosher sushi in Chicago.

I love Hamachi! Its a small place on the corner, careful you might miss it. The staff is delightful and they seat you right away.
It can be busy but i recommend going first thing about 11 am.
The Salmon Teriyaki is fresh and so Delicious. My fathers favorite every time.
My personally i like the crunchy spicey tuna roll. The rolls are so big that i can never finish it.
I wish this place was closer to my house.

Excellent choice, most creative and healthy kosher option in Chicago

For Kosher in Chicago this place is yum. When it first opened I didn’t like the rice and only ate the sashimi platter but since then they have perfected it. The Hama Tuna tower is filling and always fresh and it’s the only place around that you can get seaweed salad and it’s actually very good. I’ve never had the cooked food besides the fries with my son so I can’t comment on that but it’s a quaint place to go out with a few friends for an afternoon lunch or a nite bite. The chefs are friendly and very willing to accommodate allergies and dietary restrictions or special requests.

I was very pleased with the food here. I’m not into sushi like my husband and daughter, we don’t eat shrimp or crab (yeah, I know what they taste like, no, I don’t miss them) so the fake stuff is just fine.
I had a black spider roll… i think fake crab, avocado, maybe cucumber? rolled in crunchy black sticky rice, topped with seared salmon and tobiko. The tobiko wasn’t in the description and I was a little apprehensive about roe-​not my favorite, but this was very fresh and I inhaled it.
My husband had a white sox roll (don’t ask, he wouldn’t let me try it) and we were still hungry after that so we ordered a bento box appetizer.
Not thrilled with the chop sticks, they are stainless steel rods, aren’t weighted properly and a mess to eat with. I doubt they’ll let me bring my own so I guess I’ll have to ask for a fork next time.
Very small place, feels very cramped.

I have eaten here several times, and always been pleased. Fresh ingredients, well presented, reasonable prices, and METAL chop sticks; not the cheap disposable kind. I can really use them to eat.
Kosher food is more expensive to prepare than non-​Kosher food. There are more steps and supervision involved. If wine is brought in, it must be sealed, marked «Kosher» from a reliable Kosher certifying agency, and it must be «mevushal», that is, cooked. I, a Kosher consumer, do not appreciate any of the rules being broken and indeed, would report any observed violations to the certifying agency.

Sushi with Catherine N.
Unfortunately we had to send back the yellowtail roll because you can tell the fish wasn’t fresh and had a super fishy taste. We substituted it for the spicy salmon roll instead, which was alright. Between the three rolls we tried, the spicy tuna was the best. The prices were however quite reasonable. Each of the three rolls were roughly $ 8 each. There wasn’t a wait and we went there around 8:30pm on a Sunday. It was still about 70% full when we came.
Most likely would not come here again. Still trying to find a decent sushi spot here in Chicago! I know I know, its hard when its not a coastal state… but there’s hope.

Walked in with my wife to try this new place by our home. We were excited because we love sushi and there’s not much close by. We opened the door and saw a very cozy place with a good amount of people dining. There was no greeting when we walked in and no host to seat or greet us. The waitress saw us and instead of saying hello and asking if we’d like a seat, she walked passed us and grabbed a reserved sign from the counter and put it by the one open table in the place. Not once during this whole time were we acknowledged even though there were others behind the counter. We turned around and left. They must’ve not wanted our business. We won’t go there again.

The two stars is because its better than no stars.
I have been here two times with people who keep kosher.
While I cant be confused for a Rabbi or anything, I walked right in for the 2^nd time yesterday.
The service is not that good. I should notice that it was 80 degrees outside and the vents above seemed to be on full blast with the A/​C on. It did not matter since I was roasting still.
They must do something with the ventilation.
Its for sure over priced but then again that is done purposefully since like all the other kosher establishments in Chicago perhaphs they feel where else will they go ?
One place would be the Jewel on Howard where they have a large kosher section however the sushi they sell over there is on the shelf in a regrigirated section that has been there for 12 hours– 2 days. Not cool at all.
In NY there are kosher sushi places that do it right.
I feel the propieters would be served right if they took a trip to NY and went to Haikara, Eden Wok or other places in Manhattan that look like they care about their customers.
if they fix the ventilation or circulation of the A/​c I will give it 3 stars
By the way what sushi place that wants to be taken seriously would sell 5 types of Herring? This one

I feel really bad writing a negative review for such a new mom n pop but this place is really bad.
Ordered 2 orders of sake nigiri for $ 7 a pop, n their contest winner featured on the table, called Hako Maki, which was salmon over rice topped w pineapple salsa n spicy mayo sauce for $ 12.
Overall, Rice was undercooked, skimpy on salmon, service was mediocre, n prices were unreasonably high. Will not be back, not worth the time or money.
Renga Tei is less than 2 miles away n taste better n is more reasonably priced… why does Renga Tei not open earlier — then I could have avoided this place.

Good food, however the prices are a little high.
I don’t think I am going back here however, the ambiance is poor. The high ceiling, and not being able to see the street (its a film on the windows– which could be nice to block the view of the traffic, but ends up making the space feel closed in.)
I really hope they fix the ambiance here.
Small place and the prices are high.

Kosher Sushi!!! What’s that about?
Pretty much means that you aren’t going to get «real» shrimp nor crab… They do have the «substitutes» and I honestly DO NOT get imitation crab nor shrimp… Just as I, for sure, do not get Turkey Bacon (and I know pork ain’t Kosher either).
Trust me, the imitation stuff DOES NOT taste ANYTHING like nor has the mouth feel of the original… And what the substitute protein has to go through, to resemble the faked product… I wouldn’t bother with having the substitute/​imitation.
That being said… I appreciate the effort that this place puts forth and I hope for this place to do well.
Came in when it was fairly new and had their Miso Soup (very good) and the Hama Tuna Tower.
Good sized portion of tuna paired up with mango, avocado… A bit of spice but nothing that overwhelmed the tuna. It was really good.
Staff is very nice and chatty. Figured me for being «not of the tribe» and were asking «why did you decide to come in» and «welcome» and discussed a bit of Kosher law.
Thought the place was very cool, welcoming and offering a very solid product. Personally, I wouldn’t bother with the faux crab/​shrimp… But i wish this place well and I will be back.

I’ve gone twice and ordered the sashimi assortment both times. The first time was a lovely presentation with nice-​sized cuts of fish. The second time was an over-​the-​top presentation with TINY cuts of fish. While I certainly appreciate the artistry, I am still going in for a meal. The selection of rolls is pretty extensive. Many are either vegetarian or contain cooked fish, so those leery of raw fish will have plenty of options. I think it is a bit pricy. While I certainly understand that a kosher establishment has additional costs, $ 4.50 for an a-​la-​carte miso soup is ridiculous. We also ordered a tempura appetizer that was kind of anemic.
I’ll give it another shot in a few weeks since they’re new, I LOVE sushi, and they’re walking distance. I’d like to see tamago added to the menu, and a mirror added to the restroom!

i absolutely LOVE this Sushi Bar. I drove by all the time and they always looked closed or as if they were having some private invitation only party. A coworker of mine almost convinced me this was a «nude Sushi bar» to explain why the curtains were always down. I almost believed him.
I found their business hours from their website and made plans to stop in when they were open. Everything was reasonably priced! I love raw fish, but because of my daughter I stick with california rolls when I have to share.
The staff was very polite and the atmosphere was great. I didn’t order ahead but I was able to watch my order being made and it took less than 5 minutes. I certainly plan on coming back here again!

Came a skeptic, left a believer. DISCLAIMER: I do not ONLY eat at kosher restaurants, so I’m not locked into eating at crappy kosher places when I don’t want to. That said, I am interested in supporting better kosher options in Chicago, since the current offerings are either limited or plain bad. Anyway, the miso soup here was normal, nothing fancy, but solid. The sushi was amazing. The spicy tuna roll was a standout, as was the Cali Crunch roll. (There aren’t a lot of sushi places that put wasabi-​pea encrusted avocado in their rolls– and it was phenomenal). We also had a nice toll that had cooked sesame-​encrusted salmon in them. YUMMMMMM.
Guys, go here. There are rolls the likes of which you won’t find elsewhere. In my mind, it’s worth the trek.

If you’re looking for great sushi made fresh, Hamachi Sushi Bar is the place to be. Picked up some sushi this past Saturday night, all four of the rolls were delicious and tasted great. Before that we got an order of the Rice Crackers, which were FANTASTIC! (check out the pic!)