Japonais

Despite our reservation, we were told to wait in the lounge for a good ten-fifteen minutes or so, which honestly seemed like a ploy to get us to order cocktails or a way to hammer home that they're a trendy place. Also, I'm a California food snob when it comes to Japanese cuisine, and come on - in the Midwest? Really?

However, after being seated at an excellent table, the waiter was friendly, unintrusive, and helpful. The food was absolutely divine. We had the ginger corn soup, kani, tuna-tuna-salmon roll, some unagi roll, an amazing ahi salad of some sort, and this amazing dessert - homemade honey vanilla icecream over sizzling baked apples. Everything was delicious. Unfortunately, they'd run out of uni, which is essential to a sushi place judgment, but what I had was great, and the fusion was quite well done. One of the best birthday dinners ever.

Pros: dessert, decor, server

Cons: wait, pretentious host

Posted 06/08/05

A friend recommended Japonais for sushi. Upon arrival we were impressed by the trendy look and atmosphere. The downstairs lounge is great for drinks. There is a good selection of "exotic" drinks to choose from and well selected background music. Unfortunately, this is all that can be said positive about Japonais. They lost our reservation after we sat in the lounge for 20 minutes. Keeping in mind they had our reservation when we arrived. Our waiter was pleasant, but the majority of the staff were not. Very limited selection of sushi and what they do have is plain jane. Entrees are extremely small and very pricey. The Mahi Tuna and Yellow Tail were not fresh and preperation was so so. The only positive regarding our meal was the wine I selected was very good (#425 on the list).

I will never return or recommend Japonais to anyone.

Pros: Nice lounge/bar

Cons: expensive & rude, boring food, small portions

Posted 05/14/05

My girlfriend and I have been coming here regularly for over a year now. The food is fantastic every time, from all the small plates to sushi. The overall experience is fabulous. We always request Joseph to be our server, best server in the city. He remembers every bottle of wine we have ever ordered and makes great recommendations. He knows our taste so well now that he just brings us what we'll like. The wine list is fantastic. Julio is their head Sommelier and does a fantastic job with wine selections. He always brings us a bottle of something from his private cellar. The lounge downstairs is very nice, especially on a nice summer evening next to the river. Highly recommend this place, make sure to request Joseph.

Pros: Service, Food, experience

Cons: expensive

Posted 03/22/05

After reading the reviews here I was skeptical but we really liked the place. We were seated immediately, the service was flawless and friendly. The food was great. Everything we ordered was very good. We were there on Valentines Day so it was crowded.Only negative is that tables are way too close together. Oh and they kept bugging us in advance to send in a form agreeing to spend $35 per person.

Pros: Food, Service

Cons: Table Spacing

Posted 02/14/05

I was looking for a new sushi restaurant and someone recommended this restaurant. I did my research and found out that they carried rainbow carpaccio (I've been searching for salmon or tuna carpaccio in Chicago for months). Naturally, when I actually ordered the carpaccio I was disappointed. I actually received 6 warm, thick slices of fish. I've had it in Miami and LA and both times it was sliced paper thin and delicious. Japonais may be good for something but its definitely not the rainbow carpaccio.

Pros: Ambience, Location

Posted 09/16/04

I went with a group to celebrate a friend's birthday. The wait was long, the waitstaff rivaled Ed Debevic's (not in a good way), and the food was mediocre at best and in portions the size of your thumb. The place was horrible for groups; all our entrees came out at different times and some were even mixed up. The waitstaff acted as if we were teenagers whon they expected to dine and dash. The lobster teriyaki was more like 'teriyaki soup with lobster', the beef on river rocks came with a few small slices of beef that were quite chewy, and I've had better duck from Chinatown. The only thing keeping the restaurant open is people who think it's trendy have money to throw away. I'd rather have good food and good service than pay $50 for the view of a glass waterfall.

Pros: none, none, none

Cons: , service, value

Posted 08/22/04

I have sent hotel guests to Japonais many times and have personally dined there five times now and each time I receive canned, lackluster service from the waiters, slightly above average food when and if it arrives, aloof attitudes from the people at the front desk, including the very, very rude comments made from the host Julio, and have always left feeling that even my money was not appreciated. I have tried to give it second and third chances, but after last week I will never go or send our guests to Japonais.

Posted 07/31/04

Made 9:15pm reservation 5 days in advance for six people; arrived 8:45 to see the bar/lounge; weren't seated until 10:25pm!, seated w/out menus, waited 10 min for waiter to realize he never greeted us or took our order; 1 appetizer came soon; 1 came right before entrees; 1 came AFTER entrees; steak ordered med-well arrived bloody inside;returned for re-cooking & came back still RED inside; rest of food very good, but VERY pricey for the portions & presentation; expected to pay for SERVICE, which we didn't get; advise avoiding this trendy overpriced poorly managed bar pretending to be a restaurant.

Pros: Nice bar/lounge, Basement patio

Cons: , Poor Service, Overcrowded

Posted 06/13/04

long wait (with a reservation) , portions are small and not fresh, place is overlly crowded but few people are eating. will NEVER go back. you can go to any neighborhood sushi place for better food at 1/3 the price.

Cons: , expensive, horrible food

Posted 06/11/04

When your seated you are told that 1 chef creates the right side of menu and second chef creates the left side of menu...You would think having 2 chefs...they would be able to create a bit of flavor...All dishes were missing something and flavors were very flat...at these prices you would expect your taste buds would experience some orgasimic explosion...Our party had 9 different dishes, all were sub-par...The decor was hip, music strange eclectic, but it is still should be about the taste. Also, don't be fooled with the Kobe beef...It is an American version sold at Japanese Kobe beef prices. You chew like it is gum from Wrigley. Don't waste your money or time at this establishment with all the other great dining experiences in Chicago.

Pros: , Ambience

Cons: , Food

Posted 05/24/04

We had a 9:30 reservation and arrived at 9:00 to allow time for a pre-dinner drink at the bar--that was our mistake. In the crowded bar, a "gentleman" next to me accused me of "leaning on him" and proceeded to throw his "power" around by "telling on me" to the hostess, who fed his behavior and gave a nasty walkby and sarcastic "hi girls." Luckily our table was soon ready and the night quickly changed. In the dining room our food was fantastic, service was tremendous, and the atmosphere was outstanding. My advice to Japonais, tell your uptight guests to relax and keep doing what you do well. It's fine dining, not recess.

Pros: waitstaff, food, decor

Cons: , hostess

Posted 05/21/04

Great appetizers, mediocre entres (maybe even below average). Service was outstanding when they actually got to serving you. Be prepared to wait and inflate your bar tab for about an hour even with reservations (8pm reservation, seated close to 9pm). It helps if you are a regular or big spender/tipper, the unspoken express line is quite evident here. They do a great job of making the most of available space, I was almost bumping elbows with the couple at the next table.

Pros: Appetizers, Ambience, Location

Cons: , Wait, Seating

Posted 05/16/04

Went with a group of people on a busy Friday night. Had a reservation for 9 but was not seated until almost 10p- what didn't help is that Michael Jordan showed up unannounced on the same night and the staff practically fell over themselves to accomodate his group. Checking in was a bit confusing- you check in upstairs & are sent downstairs where you check in again (huh?). The staff claim they'll find you when your table is ready, but this is difficult when the bar downstairs is packed. Despite all that, the sushi was of excellent quality (to my surprise), and they have a very good sake selection. Entrees however, were so-so, not worth it- stick to the sushi. Service was acceptable, no complaints.

Posted 02/16/04

My experience was wonderful. . . made reservations, seated promptly and enjoyed the food and ambiance. The waitstaff was fantastic. . .only real complaint is that it was a bit noisy to be considered a romantic restaurant and the food came out a bit slow. Kobe Beef was excellent . . .try it once in your life. I would definitely go back.

Pros: Ambiance, Service, Trendy

Cons: Loud, Expensive

Posted 12/11/03

With the higher prices comes better service-not here. We've been treated better at McDonald's. We were expecting to pay, though hoped to be treated well for our patronage. Their attitude-you should feel privileged to be amongst other sexy people eating mediocre, over-priced food. Our server was extremely rude, the appetizers were very small for our party of four (i.e. shrimp tempura appetizer had only one shrimp!), entrees not impressive (greasy duck!), and their almond creme brulee tastes like lemon pudding. To their credit, no watered down drinks (you get your value there). In the lounge you'll find more unjustifiably snooty people. The "greeter" informed us they couldn't let anyone else in unless we were on the list, yet once we stated we dined upstairs we were welcomed. Not liking the feeling of being "allowed" to stay, we decided to take our money (which is as green as everyone else's) elsewhere.

Pros: funky decor, decent cocktails

Cons: Bad service-rude, Overpriced, Mediocre food

Posted 11/28/03

I couldn't believe how awful my experience was at the bar downstairs at Japonais. My party and I went down there before dinner, and waited 3 hours past our reservation time. The host and hostess couldn't have been more rude, and waitresses were even worse. So slow, so rude and they obviously think that people will put up with this. Well i can tell you, they won't be open for long with the kind of service you get there while waiting for your table. What a terrible experience. Don't bother with this overpriced mediocre establishment.

Pros: good looking people, sushi is decent, it's new

Cons: waitstaff, management, won't get a table

Posted 11/13/03

I would love to write a review on the restaurant and the food, however I was not given the opportunity. I made reservations 2 weeks in advance for 8, and when I called to see if I could change it to 10, they said they did not have a reservation for me. They did not try to accomidate, said they would have a manager talk with me, which never happended. Save your time and money for a restaurant that will hold a reservation.

Posted 11/04/03

This was an overpriced restaurant with very average food. The Tempura was so fried that it tasted like "State Fair Food." The service was slow, the tables were cramped-we learned WAY too much about the people next to us, and the food was average. I would rather spend my money elsewhere!

Pros: Decor

Cons: Expensive, Crowded Tables, Average Food

Posted 10/06/03

Swanky dining and downstairs lounge area. The downstairs lounge area has an opening to the riverwalk. Very romantic and very relaxing. Definitely go with a date. The food upstairs is expensive and they dont give you much to eat. So if you are really hungry eat before you come here to eat. I like trendy well decorated places and this one is one of the best i have seen!

Pros: decor, crowd, lounge area

Cons: expensive

Posted 10/06/03

Went a few days after opening with great anticipation since the owners come from two excellent places, Le Colonial and Mirai. The interior design is incredible and with a spot along the river very romantic. They didnt have their liquor license yet and not BYOB. The service I think is still working the kinks out (brought out several wrong meals and some none at all, however they didnt charge us for them, how nice) which probably should have been done before opening, but I will be patient and look forward to another and even better experience next time.

Pros: Unique, Interior Design, Cool Lounge

Cons: Service below average

Posted 09/21/03

A very swank Asian themed restaurant with a beautiful and modern lounge and breezy riverwalk seating area. Pretty large menu & wine selection, with both traditional/house specialty sushi and main courses with french influence. Service was good and waitstaff were knowledgeable. Food, in general, was okay. Some of the appetizers were too salty, skip the shumai flighto. The duck entree meat and mushu pancakes were too dry.

Pros: great lounge area, vast appetizer/sushi , menu

Cons: crowded, expensive

Posted 09/20/03