Meiji

IT’S CLOSED!
I gave it four stars for good memories. I live down the street and have eaten there a number of times, always having a good experience. It’s too bad they couldn’t make it, but I could see it coming. They were very rarely busy, especially compared to Blackbird and Avec next door.

When a place can trigger a childhood memory you know it has to be good.
The sashimi was so fresh that it reminded me of the air during the dolphin show at Brookfield Zoo. (And as a friend asked, no, not because of the dolphin tears.) Some would say that this is a terrible comparison, but as the review continues you will see how this is a positive response.
It was a Tuesday evening, and my friend and I were the only two in the restaurant. She told me this was the case the last time she was there. Being between Blackbird and Avec this place should be difficult to get a seat, but it was the contrary.
The waiter, who had a very pleasant demeanor, remembered my friend from last time so we struck up a conversation while ordering a bottle of Sauvingon Blanc. We started off with five orders of the sashimi. (They did not have any of the market price Fatty tuna, but that is due to the problems in Japan.) While we were waiting our server brought us over a complimentary seared garlic tuna, one of his favorites. It was a delightful romp in my mouth.
When the sashimi came it was a very nice presentation. We usually do not order sashimi, for we are roll folk, but she promised I would not be disappointed. They were wonderful. As I placed the fatty yellowtail on my tongue, that is when my memory was triggered. The fresh smell of the fish sent me swimming back to Brookfield Zoo. This must have been my reward because I felt like a dolphin being given a fish for doing something great. It was all I could do from slapping my arms together in glee.
We then ordered four makimono rolls. They were all wonderful. I pride myself on being a fan of the Sweet Potato Roll, and the one they served here…
I FELT AS IF I WAS BATHED IN MILK AND 1,000 KITTENS WERE TICKLING ME WITH THEIR WHISKERS WHILE THEY CLEANED ME.
It was a great dining experience and I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of sushi.
DO NOT, I repeat do not let the lower reviews fool you, nor the empty tables. You will be treated not only to a great wait staff but an almost private experience.
(Sidenote) There is a wonderful parking lot just south of the location on jefferson that is $ 6!!!

Hands down the best sushi I have had in Chicago — great quality ingredients, cool presentation, and a very nice atmosphere, even the location itself is not too hot, in my opinion. This is where I rekindled my romance with sake., and it is still going strong.
An expensive place, but great food without a doubt!

So my boyfriend and I randomly stumbled in here after attempting to do a birthday dinner crawl along Randolph’s Restaurant Row, who knew so many people went out on a Wednesday night?! However, it turned out to be a little blessing in disguise as we probably would’ve never ended up in Meiji.
Though the restaurant was pretty empty when we got there we decided to just sit at the bar and I ordered their Rising Sun, which had sake, strawberry purée, and cranberry juice… sooo delicious, if you like sake definitely get this drink!
It took a little longer than usual to get our food as we were informed when we sat down that the head chef wasn’t in tonight as he had a family emergency, but the food was well worth the wait! We ordered their 3 top sushi rolls, the ShoGun, White Dragon, and Honey Fire. All were delicious but the Honey Fire and White Dragon definitely stood out among them all.
Meiji packs a triple punch as they had great drinks, great food, and great service! The bartender and GM both chatted with us while we waited for our food and they even surprised us with their Ginger Crème Brulee dessert (which was delish, btw) in honor of my birthday :) My boyfriend said he didn’t even ask them to do anything, it was all on their own accord. Awesome people they have working there :)
So, in conclusion, if you’re looking for some delicious, a little off-​the-​wall sushi definitely check out Meiji, you won’t be disappointed!

My girlfriend and I ended up at Meiji after stopping first at Sushi Wabi for her birthday crawl. Right after we sat down at the bar they let us know the head chef had to leave early for a family emergency and the food would take longer than normal.
That said, we ordered our food and our drinks were made. The drinks were amazing. My GF got the sake w/​strawberry purée and cranberry. She loved it. The drinks were definitely on point.
While we were waiting for the food, the bartender and the GM were awesome! They were really nice and personable. We had a great time talking, laughing, and sharing stories with them.
The rolls came out and WOW. I haven’t been so impressed by a roll in awhile. These rolls were fantastic. The highlight was the White Dragon and the Honey Fire. MMMMMMmmmmMMMMmmmm so delicious.
Heed my word. Skip Sushi Wabi and head straight to Meiji. Just don’t come the nights I’m there :)

Based only on the seaweed salad, this deserves a 5 stars, but I don’t feel like I can fairly rate 5 stars without trying anything else on the menu. The portion was really huge for the price (only $ 3!).
I love love love that they have chawan (the soft boiled egg soup), and 3 mushroom soup. Next time I’m around, I’ll be stopping by Meiji!

I’m not much of a descriptive writer, but for this place one word does it… STUPENDOUS!
From the ambiance and atmosphere (clean, chic, and comfortable) to the drinks and delectibles (fresh, fun, and finessed), this place is an A+. While it may be overshadowed by its neighbors’ reputations, Meiji easily strides past the competition.
I live nearby, and this place has become my favorite pit stop for great food and friendly service on the way home. The wonderful staff always greets patrons promptly and the fun begins.
There are some unique cocktail selections and the sake list has some great choices, but the best part is the food. Always served quickly and with the freshest ingredients, I really love starting with the seaweed salad (wakame) and either the hye roller, meiji gunkan, or some sake harami (fatty salmon) nigiri. The sushi choices are too good to detail, but I’m yet to find something that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy.
Next time you have a craving for sushi let chef Christina and friends treat you to the best in Chicago. I’m sure you won’t be dissappointed.

Biggest pet peeve of mine is a sushi bar that has sushi chefs that are non-​Japanese. Its almost like having a Cajun restaurant with Asian chefs.
Meiji uses low grade fish which is okay for rolls but unacceptable for sushi and/​or sashimi. The biggest indication of the low grade fish is their tuna. Meiji uses CO tuna (carbon monoxide treated tuna) which enhances the color to be unnaturally bright and allows the fish to look fresh longer. Obviously they concentrate on the rolls and mask the fish quality with mayo and spicy sauces.
Not a place to eat sushi peeps.

3 stars from Phil Vettel. Zagat’s Top 24 Sushi places in the US. Chicago Magazine Best New Restaurants. High high expectations to meet. I can personally say that Meiji met my expectations, and then some. There is quite a spread in the reviews that my Unilocal friends have written… but, in the many experiences I’ve had at Meiji have all been quite impressive. This is one of the few places I’ve been able to find otoro in Chicago. The hamachi collar, albeit a bit small (seriously, we’re talking yellowfin tuna here… not goldfish) was very well done, grilled perfectly and only seasoned with sea salt. The last time I visited I sat at the bar, and the staff was handing out samples of new sushi offerings, some very tasty, others, well, meh. (the awesome ones have replaced some entries on the menu).
If you want simple, with a menu that seems limited but is really quite focused on doing a few things very, very well, and good quality ingredients, Meiji is the place for you. Sure, it’s not cheap, but, are you willing to go to a sushi joint in the landlocked, nowhere close to the ocean, midwest that only serves «cheap sushi»? Can you say «salmonella»?

There are only two things to remember about this place… pricey and spicy.
There was no real variety to the special maki rolls… everything was made with spice and as I am a fan of spice it was okay but a little more variety would have been nice.
There was nothing special enough for me to want to pay that much.
The service was very attentive and the drinks were good but I wouldn’t recommend going back unless you want to splurge.

Ok. so this place isn’t cheap, but when you think about the rolls and everything though, the pricing really isn’t that bad. Especially when you think about what you get. Here is some of what we ordered…
Meiji Gunkan: Spicy blue crab deliciousness with tuna wrapped around it. really tasty, I think I’ve gotten this a couple of times now.
Hye Roller: Don’t really remember what was in it, but it was really good. Kind of sweet, but I really liked how it was sitting in a bed of tempura crunch.
Also had a couple of rolls which I can’t remember except for the ichigo which has strawberry on top of it. Really good, spicy tuna. I don’t think it was as good as previously had though. The other rolls were good too.
Also had some sashimi of red snapper, fatty salmon, and fatty yellowtail. This is where it’s at! I never knew either. so sad. Really, really fresh fish. Will have to partake in ordering more pieces next time!
I guess the reason this is a 5 star for me though is because of the service. True, the last time was a Tuesday evening, but Meiji has always treated me right. From desserts just because sometimes to even rolls made specially in the style that the sushi chef is from… I’ve never been let down or just satisfied. It’s always been a good experience for me consistently.
Thanks again Meiji for another great dining experience!

Meiji has some tough competition being next door to Blackbird and Avec. But, it definitely can hold its own.
Soy sauce becomes obsolete here because the sushi is so ridiculously fresh. It would kill the refreshing, crisp flavor of the fish. Our server was very helpful and helped up pick out some fantastic rolls and appetizers. I would have never ordered the Meiji Gunkan if he hadn’t suggested it. I loved loved loved it.
We also ordered the sashimi platter, and were lucky enough to score a couple pieces otoro (supreme fatty tuna). It was perfectly marbled and perfectly delicious. If you haven’t tried otoro, do yourself a favor. Stop reading this and get some NOW. The other pieces that normally come with it were great too. I think it came with 10 – 12 pieces??? Though it was good, it wasn’t enough. But there’s never enough sashimi, anywhere I was hoping to try the salmon but it only came with one piece, and some dummy at the table ate it before I got to it. Grrr.
Terrific place, but I’m going to have to complain about something probably not worth complaining about: the chopsticks. They were plastic, heavier than normal. and kept slipping out of my hands. I’m sure they work fine for perfectly normal people, but for Asian failures like myself they don’t. Not your fault Meiji; I just suck.

Just came from lunch at Meiji. I was surprised it was just about empty at noon, but glad we didn’t have to fight the lunch crowd. I noticed in other reviews that crowds/​waiting don’t seem to be an issue here. Hmmmm…
Décor: the usual black and varying shades of taupe with clean lines.
Service: Okay
Atmosphere: Can we get some music… some chimes… something?
The menu is small with a few interesting items. Overall, I see they’ve got a fascination with tempura crunch that I can appreciate. I left the tasteless, hot, grass water (I’m assuming it was green tea) alone. That hye roller was just ridiculously good with that melted wasabi on top. Too bad there were only 5 pieces and we had to order another. At $ 15 a pop, that’s not cool.
Wasn’t so impressed with the other item we ordered (can’t remember the name but it was a couple different fish wrapped in cucumber). Don’t get me wrong, it was very fresh and not at all fishy, but I’m not one for plain jane food. I wilI liken it to chomping on flavorless flesh wrapped up in cucumber. When I do sushi, I want the perfect-​bite-​party-​in-​my-​mouth! Call me a sushi-​diva if you want, but I want creativity, pretty presentation AND flavor.

I don’t seek out sushi, sushi somehow finds me. I’m not really a big fan of sushi – and I just realized why – because I haven’t had really great sushi. And then I ate at Meiji. And I don’t think it was because I was drunk or hungry, but because everything tasted so fresh and delicious.
We came in at 11:30 on a Thursday night right as they were about to close but they sat our party of 5 anyway and the waitress who took care of us was not only gracious but gave us great service. We ordered a bottle of saki. I ordered the Yuri (shrimp tempura, avocado, and spicy mayo topped with spicy shrimp, masago, tempura flakes) – crunchy and delicious!
Edamame for the whole table to share, it was the first time I’ve had edamame and it won’t be my last, salty but yummy, couldn’t stop eating them. I wish I could remember what everyone else ordered because I had a taste of each of their dishes and they were all good. There was definitely a salmon roll of some type in there and that’s about all I remember.
If I were to have sushi again, I would definitely come here, great fresh food and excellent service.

Fabulous! Great service and delicious specialty rolls. I went here on a very cold winter night and it was a warm, wonderful dining experience. We tried a variety of rolls but there was this amazing one that had almonds and honey and I think white tuna. Probably the best roll I’ve ever had in my life. I was a little surprised that they had only one option for hot sake (which we needed on this cold winter night!)
The service was great and I got to meet Herb the manager. He was very kind, gave me his business card, and thanked me for coming in.

I assented to a first date’s impatience, so we fled from a 30-​minute wait at Avec to an empty Meiji, which may be better named as «Sloppy Seconds» or «Runoff» given how much of their business must be from folk who failed to get into a Kahan restaurant.
Let me put it this way: Um, no. Let me qualify by noting it was a Sunday – but that’s still not enough of an excuse to pass muster. The rolls are Rube Goldbergian contraptions, typical of the Chicago paradigm: lots of shit in and on top; lots of shit tasting in your mouth. The rice was the wrong temperature and lacked the distant vinegar note necessary. Sauces were sickly sweet: like eating a ball of sugar.
But, then, my bad: I had to try the roll with strawberry bits on it (the «Ichigo» or something like that). Unbelievably gross.
This is precisely why I don’t eat in restaurants like this. I’ll stick to Katsu and Itto, thanks.

Let me get the positives out of the way first — the sushi here is good quality. I don’t really think it’s on the same level as some of Chicago’s top sushi offerings, but it’s very fresh. Our table tried the uni, amaebi, fatty hamachi, salmon, and madai in nigiri form and they were all good. I also found the waiters very polite and the service attentive. Based on the sushi and service alone, I would easily give meiji 3*.
One of the problems is that they were out of a lot of premium sushi. They didn’t have otoro or fatty salmon, for example. That’s a shame because their menu does list quite a bit of premium sushi (like the uni, amaebi, and fatty hamachi I mentioned above). Restaurants get big +‘s in my mind for offering these, but if they are out of stock…
And unfortunately, the non-​sushi items were rather questionable. We ordered the edamame, tuna tataki, and asparagus ribeye roll; I also had the chawanmushi. The edamame and ribeye roll were both good (not that edamame can be messed up), but the others were disasters. The seared ahi is actually heavily breaded; some texture contrast is great but this was ridiculous. I mean, I love Chicken McNuggets but not with my sushi-​grade tuna, please. And the chawanmushi was basically a soup, which was totally disappointing. The non-​sushi items were also incredibly small in portion size — which is even more unacceptable given the general lack of refinement in preparation.
I did not partake in any of the makimono my table ordered, so can’t comment on that. Overall though, I found the experience disappointing despite the good service. I’ll stick to the sushi if I come here again, but there are better options and better prices in this city for that.

YUM,
I really thought this was the bees knees. Yes, I said it. The sushi and service is great here, and I love all of the modern woodwork.
I would really recommend all the sushi here, I know that is bad to say. They bring it out in a timely manner, almost too quickly. I’d like to see them kind of layer your sushi. like if you order 3 at one time, the shouldn’t bring it all out at the same time. Is there a sushi rule for that?
West Randolph is great for food and drinks and you should def. stop by here to enjoy the sushi at the atmosphere. Valet if you want.

Oh my. No, no.
First of all, I have a theory about chicken. The theory states that no matter what is done to a piece of chicken, no matter the sides accompany it, no matter the golden dust that’s rained down on it, no matter the diamond crusties that sparkle it… it should NEVER cost more than $ 20. Ever. It’s frickin’ chicken.
So, $ 25 for Teriyaki Chicken is abominable. Tragic, really. Especially when it’s unimpressive to say the least. Limp little sides, a cup of rice and…$ 23.50 worth of chicken? No. You lose!
Sushi? Eh, ok. Also very pricey for the quality. My sashimi (tako, toro and hamachi, unagi) were adequate at best.
Hello, Sushi Wabi is down the street… why on earth would anyone go to Meiji? Besides if you can’t stand the wait at Blackbird… even then, I say get your walkin’ shoes out and head west, for real.
Service was tentative, and space is nice enough. However, it’s extremely overpriced (even for this ‘hood), and ya know, I just can’t forgive overpriced CHICKEN.
Moving on…

Fish is fresh and very tasty. I and husband already try Meiji 3time but wait for our meal was 30 – 40 minutes every time.
Maki-​mono is really good taste and Sushi as well but never go back to this place cuz takes a long time to get food. (even drink…)
We told to manager but nothing change. Need more Suhi chef.