Blowfish Contemporary Sushi

The food at Blowfish was great. It is very reasonably priced and is also BYOB, which is a plus. The only downside was the service was bad. They had 2 people working there doing all the take-​out orders, waiting tables, bringing food, etc. The 2 staff people were nice, but they seemed to be extremely busy and slightly stressed with having to do so many different tasks. They really should have 1 dedicated person for take/​out, since this seemed to be a big part of their business.

Had the Solar and the Smokey Eye. I think the Solar is one of my favourite rolls, ever. Ever. The other one was good too, but it just paled in comparison! I can’t wait to try more. The ingredients are fresh, the rolls are delicate, and the portions just about filling.

This review is exclusively for the ramen. I ordered the black garlic tonkotsu ramen for dinner. The noodles were served in one big sticky lump and needed to be untangled. The egg was a tad bit overcooked and the broth lacked depth. However, the pork was delicious and just melted in my mouth. Not my favorite place for ramen but the other patrons seemed to be enjoying the sushi so I might give that a shot if I venture back.

So. This place use to be the old Yokozuna. I was a little sad to see them go but after coming to Blowfish, that feeling quickly went away. The food here is great. The sushi is great! They even have a dessert sushi! The first time I came here they didn’t have the ramen so I was excited to find out that they added it to their menu. Now, I’ve eaten my share of ramen. When I mean I’ve eaten my share I’ve tried almost every ramen place in the city and in the suburbs. I have to give it to blowfish. They make some pretty awesome ramen. It’s up there with some of my favorite ramen spots. I’m so glad they started introducing ramen. Now I don’t have to go to Logan square, wicker park, river north, or mount prospect to get my ramen fix! Thanks Blowfish! You guys are dope!

Always a good decision!

This place is amazing!
My wife and I went there to have ramen per a friend recommendation. Wow, we were impressed!
I think part of it is because we have never eaten ramen if was not cheap option from the supermarket, but nevertheless it was nothing like it.
The presentation of the plate was amazing, the instruction on how to eat were hilarious, and most importantly the taste was phenomenal.
I had the «black garlic» and my wife had a veggie option. I need to come back!

I wish I could give 10 starts to this place!
I went there with my husband to try ramen noodles. Our friend recommended this place to us and I’m glad we went there. I had the tofu shoyu ramen (vegetarian) and my husband had the black garlic ramen.
We loved the funny instructions of «how to eat your ramen». It’s hilarious! We broke the rule of «never share your food». I couldn’t handle myself in not trying my husband’s ramen, hahaha.
We also had the fire cracker roll and it was the best!
Price is good and if you do a Unilocal check in when you arrive there you will get a delicious green tea ice cream with chocolate on top. You don’t want miss it!

I’m addicted to their Ramen. It’s bad.
Everything else on their menu is also top-​notch, especially the pork buns.
Reasonably priced.

Amazing! Very fast delicious and the food was super fresh!!! It was my first time trying ramen (I know, I know) and it was so fresh and amazing! We also ordered the green tea ice cream with our meal which was still frozen when it arrived! Next time I visit Chicago, I will definitely check it out again!

I did take-​out once and delivery once. Take-​out took a really long time (almost 40 min.) so they gave me a free edamame, which was nice. I ordered the tuna & avo roll (awesome), Spicy Roasted Garlic Miso Ramen (my favorite thing) and gyoza (pretty good). I loved all of the ingredients in the ramen — pork chashu was well-​seasoned and perfectly cooked, same for the egg, and the garlic chips were a nice touch. For $ 12, this is a pretty good deal — nice portion and very satisfying.
When I ordered delivery (which came in about 45 min.), I got the Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen, which I did not like as much, and they left out the seaweed. I thought the spicy miso broth was better than this one. I also tried the tiger shrimp tempura, which came with tiny shrimp — not what I was expecting at all, and perhaps this is not how they usually make this dish because another reviewer said the shrimp were large. The shumai shrimp dumplings were just okay, wouldn’t order again.
I do like that they pack things nicely for delivery and take-​out. Plenty of soy sauce with a little soy sauce dish, chop sticks, etc.
I’m looking forward to trying some other dishes — more sushi since the tuna & avo roll was so fresh, and the crispy BBQ spicy tuna appetizer.

I couldn’t keep track of how many times I go to Blowfish even if I tried! Wait, I suppose I could by checking in…
Anyways! Blowfish consistently delivers quality sushi in a laid back atmosphere AND it’s less than a 5 minute walk from my place! I love bringing visitors to Blowfish to introduce them to the BYOB Chicago Sushi scene. There is a liquor store a few steps east, in case you forgot or didn’t know about their byo policy. When in the area, this is a must try!

Our Blowfish consumption has waned. Since they’ve gotten more popular, service has really gone downhill. I’ve watched my ready sushi sit out on the counter for at least 5 minutes before having it delivered and have waited much longer than that for any other service (like water refills, the check, etc). Get more staff, Blowfish management!
While I’m sad service has declined, Kristen F.‘s review is a bit exaggerated. I think Kristen F. just really wanted us all to know that she’s been to Japan. I’ve never had sushi at Blowfish that tasted like it was just day-​old mayonnaise and rice.

Went here with my girlfriend for dinner.
To first start it is kind of a hidden restaurant as it blends in with all the buildings and has no distinct logo on their building. Public Chicago parking runs along the entire strip of their street both ways and it was easy to find a stop when I visited.
Once inside you will see a medium sized hostess stand and towards the back you will see the sushi chefs making the little bundles of excellence. This place is pretty small and roughly seated 30 people. We chose a window seat and the waiter came over and asked what we wanted. She didn’t mention her name otherwise I would have noted her excellent service. We ordered multiple rolls and I also wanted to try their black garlic ramen. The black garlic ramen was a tad bit spicy but very good and a perfect way to open my sinuses. I had the waiter add beef brisket as an extra cause I wanted to try their different options. The dish typically comes with pork which was fall apart delicious and in medium sized chunks in the ramen. The rolls were perfectly prepared and this place is definitely a new go to spot for me. On a side note it is BYOB and decently priced for the quality and quantity of food that you receive.

I am so sad to write this review. I can’t figure out how the reviews are so good. They must be written by friends. I have lived in this neborhood for a long time and want the best for the businesses in the area and will always support good business, but this place sucks. Owners, please take this to heart…
1. We arrived sat and waited to have our order taken for 20 min. We watched the table behind us, that was seated at least 10 minutes after us, be able to place their order and be severed before us… for this alone I will never be back.
2. Kara gee. If you have ever been to Japan you would be confused by their karagee. I have been to Japan and I am unsure what this is other than American sweet and sour Chinese food which is not even close Japanese karagee. If you want American sweet and sour, this is good enough, but not karagee. It is cooked ok, tender. But in no way what you expect ordering karagee.
3. Worst sushi ever. It is cheap for sure, but it tasted like old and hard leftover rice with a lot of mayonnaise. I would rather eat jewel sushi, that is how bad it is. Not to mention they ripped off the name Blowfish from a well known sushi place on Randolph that has no relation.
4. Ramen. Obviously they have never been to Japan or don’t understand what Ramen is. Their ramen is like the Campbells condensed soup of ramen. No favor. But I do appreciate they have offered extra noodles because I loved that in Japan. But their ramen wanted to make me cry, because it was so bad and flavorless. If you are looking for ramen, Chicago can’t match Japan l, but try wasabi, strings, or shinchan in palatine. Not blowfish.

Beyond the ambient lighting, friendly staff and generous BYOB policy, Blowfish blew my expectations out of the water.
The ramen here is to die for — the perfect ratio of miso pork deliciousness to spicy oil and perfectly done egg. Sushi here was on point as well — my tuna avocado roll was generously portioned for the price.
Overall I had a wonderful dining experience at Blowfish, especially since they’re open late. This will definitely be a go to ramen spot when I’m in the area.

We live in the area and have had a go-​to delivery sushi place for years. Then, Blowfish came along.
While I’ve never actually been to the restaurant, we’ve now ordered delivery three times. Sushi takeout is tough, as things have to be neatly packed and kept at the right temperature. Every time we’ve gotten our order from Blowfish, it has been perfect! Looks like it’s been packed by a 5-​star restaurant.
More importantly, though, it’s delicious and FRESH. We’ve had a variety of basic rolls and nigiri, but the Mexican yellowtail roll and the spicy tuna BBQ app are both AMAZING. The fruit roll is also surprisingly delicious.
Even better, this place is really well-​priced for the quality.
We need to make a trek to the restaurant, soon. But with the ability to get such high-​quality sushi delivery – and eat it on our couch while binge-​watching the next great show – we don’t have much motivation to leave the house. ;)

I’m actually updating my review on Blowfish and here is why. I have been two more times, since my last review, plus I’ve had it delivered one. This place is all about the ramen!!! I have visited Japan on multi-​times and I’m telling you, this place is the real deal! I have relied the Spicy miso version and the black garlic with traditional porky and chicken stock with sliced park belly and marinated soft boiled eggs cooked to perfection! I’m telling you, it’s really good on a cold Chicago winter evening.
Now, for the sushi, I need to retract my first review, as I find their sushi very inconsistent. The last two times I ordered I ran into one or two pieces that just weren’t that fresh, and the grade of the sushi is a little questionable? Also, please don’t use a blow torch on the sushi!!! I person Hate It when sushi chefs use the forbidden torch! It makes everything taste like gasoline. Do you know what I mean? I think we need to start a boycott against it; who’s in???

I was craving sushi and ramen so we decided to check this place out– and it did not disappoint! It is right by the Bryn Mawr red line stop and there is plenty of street parking as well. It is a small place but has 10+ tables and a little sushi bar. It is modern, clean, and they play great music! I like that it is not too dark– easier to take pictures of my food ;)
Here’s what we ordered:
The Firecracker signature roll– deep fried spicy tuna, cream cheese, avocado topped with spicy mayo, chilli and sweet soy sauce ($ 10) — I usually don’t like cream cheese in my sushi, but this combination actually worked really well together. It was crispy, light, and had just the right amount of sauces. You can barely taste the cream cheese!
The Creamy scallop signature roll– steamed shrimp, oven cooked scallop dynamite, avocado, cucumber topped with spicy mayo, chili sauce, and ponzu sauce ($ 11) — we LOVED this roll! It comes with 6 pieces, and each one has a little scallop on it. It was slightly warm and slightly spicy and was just delicious. If you like seafood, you have to try it!
Black garlic tonkotsu ramen– the original silky tonkatsu pork soup noodle topped with Holland pork chashu, kikurage mushrooms, nitamago, corn, spinach, roasted seaweed, sesame and black garlic oil ($ 12). This was amazing ramen, especially for the price! Generous portions, the pork just melts in your mouth, and the egg was especially good. Everything just went so well together. You can order extra noodles for $ 2 too.
After eating these 3 things, we were stuffed! Don’t forget to check in on Unilocal for free green tea ice cream. It was really good too– drizzled with chocolate sauce. Even though it is snowing outside, it was definitely worth it.
5 stars– great ambiance, prices, service, and food. Our waitress was Natalie, and she was so sweet, and checked on us just the right amount. Great service! Plus it is byob– We will definitely be back!

This is the second neighborhood sushi restaurant that the wife and i have tried recently. This one was delicious. This is the kind of place to take cretins who claim to hate sushi — even such fools will like it.
I begin with the appetizer. On the recommendation of Unilocalers, we ordered the BBQ spicy tuna. The wife was not expecting to like it, afraid that it would be sweet like most BBQ sauces, but I convinced her to order it and she loved it. She called it «outrageously delicious.»
Then we had tuna nigiri and Japanese snapper. Both were good. We also ordered the red dragon, Fuji, and mango tur rolls. The first two were very good. The mango tur I liked, but I’m not ordering it again. It wasn’t bad at all, but it could have used a crunchier element.
Using a Unilocal coupon, we got a fruit roll for dessert. I have never seen one before and enjoyed it — good palate cleanser.
Overall experience was excellent and the service was good. There weren’t a lot of people there in on a Sunday afternoon, which is too bad. I hope more people discover this restaurant.

I love this place, so glad they opened in my neighborhood.
First: BYOB, no corkage and they chill your wine for you, gratis. That is if you bring champagne, or other chillable wine. Who doesn’t love champagne with sushi?
The sushi. Delicious and fresh. The rolls are reasonably priced and a good amount of food.
First thing, we ordered the Crabby Mini Tacos, ‘cos how can you NOT order something with an hilarious name like that? My ever-​charming companion LOVES tacos, and he ate the hell out of these. They are cute, packed with crab and wrapped in what looks like sort of a seaweed taco. Not sure what the outer shell was made of, but these were juicy and flavorful. A small bite, but a small price as well.
We got the Solar Roll and the Spicy Shrimp. Both were fantastic, fresh and flavorful. I LOVED the Solar roll — soy paper, spicy tuna, shrimp, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro. Great combinations and delicious, fresh fish.
Our waiter was really charming and friendly. Bonus, he gave us Fruit Sushi for dessert on the house! Have never had this, it’s an invention of theirs and is a GREAT idea.
There are a LOT of vegetarian options on their menu, quite extensive choices for our plantstrong friends.
The place is clean, sparse and nicely designed. The staff is exceptional, and the prices are incredibly reasonable. I think our bill came to under $ 40 for two, and we were crammed full of sushi. Love that they are open late, as well.
Try this place!