Tanpopo

When I first started going here, this was my favorite sushi place. even better since I only live a couple of blocks away. Something happened as time passed by. No more UNI, which I loved when they used to offer it. The wasabi tobiko blew your head off — which I loved also. Not any more. I don’t know if they are skimping on some items to save money or what but things aren’t the same. I think it used to be that you got 2 pieces for one price. That’s changed. now it’s per piece. The one thing that kept me coming was their monster rolls. That’s what they were famous for with me and my friends. Although the sushi and food are still fresh and taste great, it seems it’s gone downhill. Maybe because they spoiled us with their great deals on such great food.
I thought I’d give them one more shot. I went over tonight to order sushi for pick up. The dragon roll isn’t as big as it used to be. Still no uni, either. I ordered a wasabi tobiko and they left it out of my order. I noticed this when I arrived home. Tried calling them but their number listed here is disconnected. Not only did they forget my wasabi tobiko but there was no ginger or extra dab of wasabi included in my order.
This used to be a great place for sushi. Now, it’s just a place. Nothing special to make them stand out. My order still tasted good but I’d rather order from Lawrence Fish Market and make the extra hike. They’re only carry out but they still have the best prices on good sushi in Chicago. They even have the UNI and wasabi tobiko that blows my head off.

CLOSED!
Phone number is disconnected says they are open today… mmmmm…dropped by and completely dark.

Overpriced and the prices keep changing (getting higher!)
Food is not very good. Do NOT order any kind of noodle dish. You will be sorely disappointed. They use ramen noodles from what seems like a bag of instant ramen. Fine at home and if you’re a college student, not so much if you’re paying over $ 10 for cheap, overlooked noodles. This warning includes the yakisoba and ramen soup.
Service is very nice, but this place just feels dead. Shame, because it used to be vibrant just a couple years ago.

Seeing so many glowing reviews and with Groupon in hand, my wife & I arrived at 5:20 PM today. The front door was locked and after a few knocks the woman opened to tell us that the sushi chef was sick (we had called earlier in the week & heard the same story). Red flags were going off: door locked 20 minutes after opening time, NO sushi chef… hmmm. After being sat in an empty restaurant the woman arrived to take our order (no hot towels as in other reviews). She proceeded to tell us that the only thing they were making was ramen and appetizers — not good. We both ordered seafood ramen with a starter of gomae (bathed in sweet corn syrup & some sesame seeds). The gomae was abysmal at best, beaten by the small plates of pre-​meal sides. After that we added some steamed shumai: vastly overpriced and skimpy with no flavor. The bowls of ramen were BIG, but with hardly any seafood or flavor. The 2 mussels, 4 tiny shrimp, and tiny slices of calamari were tough & over-​cooked: bummer. As we were finishing this meal, we noticed that the phone was not ringing and there were no people coming in. A sign on the front door and/​or an answering machine telling customers about significant menu gaps would have helped. This kind of situation on a warmer Friday night does not bode well for this place, sad to say. No donburi, no bento boxes, no maki: NOTHING BUT OUTSOURCED RAMEN.

We went on a Tuesday night and there was only one other couple in the place. We were warmly greeted and seated and handed hot towels to wipe our hands which felt great since it was cold. Our server (who is probably the owner) informed us there was no Sushi chef that night — which I was ok with since my guy doesn’t eat it. We ordered the Katsu Curry and Donburi pork — both were very good and the portions were large. They also offer miso soup and pickled vegetables before our meals and those were tasty too.
I would like to come back to try the lunch special. Not sure why there are a lot of negative reviews — our meal tasted very good and the service was friendly.

Despite the website saying that it’s not open on Mondays, it was open yesterday evening when the family and I decided to redeem a Groupon and swing by for dinner. There is a free parking lot next to the currency exchange which is nice. We were a little hesitant as we were the only customers in there but we received some fantastic friendly service. Once seated, we received hot towels for our hands which the kids loved.
The miso soup and pickled vegetables were delicious and my kids greedily finished it all. For the kids, we ordered gyoza, katsu donburi, and an avocado roll. For us, we ordered a dragon roll and a spider roll. Everything came out with good timing and was all delicious. My son devoured his avocado roll and declared it the best that he’s ever had. The dragon roll had a sweet aftertaste but was still fresh and tasty. Prices are higher than when this place was Tampopo but service was still wonderful and the food was delicious. We definitely look forward to returning again.

When we first walk in the Lady at the restaurant welcomed us to sit anywhere we want. But she actually meant anywhere she wanted because as soon as I picked a table she told me to sit in another spot instead with my family. I was fine with it because it was her restaurant.
The place had nobody else dining that evening but us. We were in the only ones in the restaurant. I am big foodie so I want to see people coming to eat at the places I am dining at because it is a sign the place has life. This place was dead, and I felt bad about it. There is a big reason why this place is empty.
Tanpopo I am sorry will be X off of our list of places to eat for Japanese food and sushi. I had been to the same restaurant about 2 years ago when it was called Tampopo and my dining experience was a lot better and the food was better too.
First of all we went there before we had a Groupon, I know not all restaurants on Groupon is rated very highly but I thought Tanpopo would be good. Just because the ownership has changed doesn’t mean the food has right? That was my thinking but I was wrong. Sadly diappointed.
My husband had the Shoyu Ramen noodles which were not handmade noodles, You can tell because when you eat it taste just like instant ramen noodles. The soup way super salty. Yes I know ramen broth usually is packed with sodium but this was salt wtth no pleasure. I love Wasabi’s broth it is salt but tasty and pleasurable to eat. Tanpopo’s broth is not like that at all.
I had order sushi rolls like typical Spicy tune, spider roll and a Sake Roll. It was okay not the best sushi I’ve ever had it was okay. It didn’t send me into the bathroom right away so it was decent.
We ordered our girls a bento box which cost $ 25.50! Their website doesn’t reflect the prices of what they have on their menu. They have increased the Bento box from $ 20.50 to $ 25.50. The same amount of food for the higher price WOW! It wasn’t worth the it, We ordered it because we had the groupon needed to spend up to $ 60. I wouldn’t have ordered it otherwise.
My brother-​in – law had their Yaki Soba noodles with stir fry and it was sad. He was eating it and after we left he told me it wasn’t good. It looked like instant saggy ramen noodles stir fried.
Long review in short I wouldn’t go back there unless it improves 10 folds. The service was okay. The lady who was serving us was nice.

Tampopo was used to be known as a great sushi place. It had reputation of high quality sushi. My last visit was about 2 years ago and the sushi was very good. Today I went the restaurant and ordered chef’s sushi special $ 26. I was disappointed very much. The sushi quality was dropped down to the grocery store sushi level but they kept restaurant price. The sushi special contains Cal roll, tuna, salmon, yellow tail. but there was no octopus, squid, salmon roe, sea eel so It’s nothing special. Sushi was not fresh, the cut was thin. It was shocking, their sushi was like Walgreen, Jewel, Dominick’s sushi but they charged $ 26! Horrible. If you are looking for good suhi, I suggest to go somewhere else.

Just like Unilocal says, A-​OK. On a Sunday night at around 6 pm, my boyfriend and I were the only patrons. The service was prompt and polite, although I’m not entirely sure that one of the waitresses speaks fluent English (I asked if there was a dessert menu and she responded with, «Appetizers?») I had an unagi crunch roll (I wished the tempura would have been crunchier) and my boyfriend had the nabe udon.
Overall, not a terrible experience, but not an amazing one either. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to come to Tanpopo, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to avoid it, either.

So the last few times we’ve gone there we’ve been sadly disappointed. The place has become rather stinky in fact. Plus the soap in the bath room seems like it’s been there since before I was born.
The sushi also seems to have taken a cost cut, with a lot of the rolls featuring the same toppings, like crunchy tempura flakes which kinda scratch your roof of your mouth up– Daniel never skimped :(

The food is pretty good though a bit overpriced. However the service is unacceptable and sushi extremely chintzy. It should not take 90 minutes to get our food in a mostly empty restaurant and 20 minutes for 3 pieces of tamago sushi that my kids were begging for. Very disappointing.

I was greeted with smiles. Service is excellent and the food is authentic. Best Crab Rangoon I’ve ever had! The sides are enough for an appetizer that automatically come with the meal !

We tried a bit of everything and except for the sushi everything seems really home cooked, which we love! But I personally thought it was a bit pricey for simple home cooked food (e.g. Fish Soup, Beef over Rice). The lady who served us was super nice and polite. Not sure I would go back though without a Groupon…

I honestly didn’t think this place was going to be as good as it was! I was blown away by the hospitality, the atmosphere and the food! Oh my lord it was all so delicious! I recommend eating the beef udon and sushi rolls specifically the salmon skin and salmon avocado.
I am definitely going to be heading there for happy hour and some maki!
I recommend this to anyone and everyone whether you are into sushi or not. :)

This place is well hidden and would not have known about it except it had a groupon deal.
We ordered gomoku ramen, spicy scallop, spider and California roll thinking that it would be enough for the two of us. But then came the accompaniments by the time the sushi can ramen came we were practically full. Which is why I guess the prices are on the high side but you do get a lot of the soup for 11.50. The waitress/​owner was the only person serving which wasnt too bad for a tuesday night, not too many people there. All in all it was a great meal which we took home most of the ramen and half the sushi… oh and she gave me a card for a free appetizer! SCORE!

I’ve been here before and it’s not the same as TAMPOPO– they maybe at the same location but the food is not the same. I prefer the food at Roll’s and Bowls for the price they are charging at Tanpopo.
THIS IS NOT TAMPOPO!

The quality of the food here is amazing. However, I’m upset at their changed menu.
I use to get their lunch special about twice a week. Suddenly, one day, they told me that they could not give me the special that I asked for. (I later figured that the store changed owners.) The price for their new lunch special is still decent, however, the options are disappointing. They only had 3 Sushi lunch combo, and if you look at the menu online, combo a and combo c are the same thing.
Anyways, the new item I ended up ordering showed that the owner maintained quality menu items.

All the food we ordered were really fresh and tasty! Chirasi was really good, Gozilla? Godzilla? and Angel in the Forest are my favorite rolls. The portions was pretty big and the price was very affordable.

This Asian fusion restaurant is no longer owned by Daniel. The new owner, a Korean woman, has made a few changes. There aren’t as many liquor options. There are also a few menu changes, but nothing major.
My favorite item on the menu is the Mexican roll. It’s decently-​priced and tastes good. It’s never too busy. I’ve never encountered a wait time.

New owners at this formerly known as, TaMpopo Korean sushi establishment. I know, korean/​japanese is different but trust when i say they did it & right! The food & service is outstanding. This is now my go to sushi joint. Arami & kamehachi have competition! The difference is, Tanpopo is extremely affordable. I’m there almost every week. You get more food for free than what you pay for & it just keeps coming. So many small plates come out to start you off. From fresh green beans & tofu with Korean sauce to salad & miso soup to outstanding Korean pancakes. Ask for the Tanpopo sauce for your pancakes! Get your kimchee fix to boot!
The sushi is well thought out & prepared delicately with care. I’m in love with the R.O.K. Roll (mainly because
I’m a Korean chili paste junky) with fresh tuna, lettuce & that yummy paste. (note: usually im not a fan of lettuce in maki rolls.) Also, the French roll with fresh ebi, cucumber & Japanese mayo. Both very simple rolls but so fresh & delicious. The sushi chef is super cool & the service is always awesome. Recommend going on Tues, Weds & Thursdays.