2/5/2024--I would go back for the ambiance alone, then you add great tasting food, and it's a no-brainer. My sister and I stumbled upon this place, looking for another restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat before catching a show at the Laugh Factory. We were seated immediately. It took some time before a server came to our table. Once we ordered, we noticed our server was busy, so throughout our dining experience, we had to ask other servers for assistance. Besides that hiccup, we enjoyed our dinner. Our food was served fast, fresh, and hot with all the flavors. By the time we left, the place was packed, but it didn't feel crowded, and it wasn't loud even with music playing. The lighting is nice. It was a touch too dark for me, but feasible. Houskeeping items: The bus staff was on point. You could barely lift your last piece of food off your plate, and they had already taken it away. Water was refilled before even reaching half a glass. When patrons left, tables were cleared, cleaned, and ready for the next guest within minutes. The restroom was clean as well. Parking is metered.
Corrine M.
Yellowtail HAS to be on everyone's must-eat list in Chicago! This Lakeview sushi place has a creative and delicious menu filled with lots of traditional rolls and so many innovative takes on sushi! We tried the Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna (marinated spicy tuna with scallion, unagi sauce, black tobiko, and avocado on top of crispy sushi rice) and the Handcrafted Nigiri Appetizer (2 Namasake Nigiri with Ginger Soy Sauce / 2 Hamachi Nigiri with Jalapeño Soy Sauce / 2 Bluefin Akami Nigiri with torch spicy Lava Sauce and Scallions) - both of which were PHENOMENAL!! Then for our rolls, we split the Salmon Mango, Shrimp Tempura, and the Takara Hotate Maki Roll (Avocado, tempura crunch, spicy mayo rolled in seaweed with giant domestic Scallop baked in creamy garlic sauce, Jalapeno, spicy sesame seasoning, and unagi sauce). The service here was great (our waitress gave us so many good recommendations!) and the interior is so cute. Out of everything, PLEASE try the Takara Hotate Maki roll & the Nigiri Appetizer! Those were SO SO GOOD!! Can't wait to go back and try out more of the menu!
Amira S.
Best sushi I've ever had ambiance is amaz food is so yum service is pretty good super love
Maila Solares
The kobe beef was fantastic! The atmosphere is good, but the seating is tight.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Cami P
Yellowtail has THE best spicy tuna roll I’ve ever had- the roll is wrapped lightly with rice but loaded with fresh tuna. It also comes with a side of the best spicy mayo sauce. All the nigiri is fresh and tasty too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Erin Cunningham
Everything was so fresh and delicious. The staff was all super friendly. And the jellyfish wall! Great spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brendan Berry
This place is trash with wait time. Waited over 2hrs and kept getting your table will be read “in 30 more minutes”
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sydney H.
Yellowtail is by far my favorite BYOB sushi place I've been to so far!!! A lot of the ones I've been to aren't very nice and don't have high quality sushi, but Yellowtail was very good and had really good, high quality, fresh sushi. The inside was packed and not very big, so I recommend making a reservation. Although it is BYOB, there is a $5 fee for every bottle of wine you open. The quality of sushi and experience at Yellowtail is still worth the $5 fee though over going somewhere else that isn't as good. I tried the Miso Salmon and Spicy Calamari roll. Both were amazing, but the Miso Salmon roll took the cake. I would get it again and again next time I go back over trying all new things. Yellowtail has tons of options outside of sushi, so it makes it a great place to go with anyone. Can't wait to go back!!!!
Sam Stewart
Really disappointed with our first visit. Made a 7:30 reservation a week in advance and arrived 10 minutes early. Host told us our table had just paid their check and would be ready for us in 5-10 minutes. By 7:45, still no table. The host told us it looked like the table still had a little wine left, so it could be another 15-20 minutes. And that sushi orders were taking “about an hour” anyway. We were dining before an event that began at 9:30 and needed to leave shortly after 9:00, so by this point we wouldn’t have time to eat anyway. A well-managed restaurant would invite the lingering table to finish their drink at the bar in order to honor other reservations. Instead, this joke of a place left us without a place to eat on a Friday night. Definitely won’t try again after this experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ray Pang
Hands down my favorite sushi spot around! Everything we ordered was beautifully plated. The salmon flight is my favorite plate. Every bite is an explosion of flavor! But the reality is, I can say that about everything we ordered. Not to mention how attentive the staff is. Highly recommend for sure!
Bento box was just the stir fry (steamed, mostly peppers) with a sushi’s roll. Got the teriyaki salmon medium, it was charred and uncooked.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Benjamin Zuber
Horrible service. They seem to refuse to pause the delivery apps making customers and delivery drivers wait for 45mins or longer after pick up time, for just a single roll and some miso soup, one of the restaurant packers said they were 100 orders deep.I also overheard one of the hosts tell all the delivery guys they needed to wait outside for orders and inside was for customer only. Extremely degrading and disgusting practices.The owner didn't seem to care at all about delivery drivers, nor their staff, if they were that slammed with orders. One of the drivers even mentioned that he's talked to the owner, and they told them before that, "if the drivers don't want to wait, he doesn't care just tell them to cancel." Which they get no money for. On Valentines Day when they were going to be busy.Edit since owners response*In the owners response they want to act like I was a driver which I clearly stated I wasn’t, again 100 orders deep is insane especially when you are saying yourself that you have a small space. Stop forcing employees to keep the apps on when you can’t fully fill the orders in a a timely manner. And saying since Covid you have had this policy is a ridiculous excuse. Grow up be responsible and treat your staff and drivers that keep your business alive with respect. And stop forcing them to stretch your small space beyond the means. I’m sure the even that chefs are stressed and it’s ridiculous. What you’re doing?
Emily G.
Food is good as always but service was very slow. Took 40+ mins for 4 rolls to be made and when we asked how long it would take for 2 more rolls we were told another 40+ minutes which was crazy.
Jonathan S.
Great food. But charging $10 for 2 byob beers seems a little excessive. Not worth the negative vibe it gives. They need to rethink that.
Courtney B.
Really vibey spot and so many good rolls to choose from! Also had a low carb/no rice section of rolls which is nice if you are trying to watch the carbs.
2/5/2024--I would go back for the ambiance alone, then you add great tasting food, and it's a no-brainer. My sister and I stumbled upon this place, looking for another restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat before catching a show at the Laugh Factory. We were seated immediately. It took some time before a server came to our table. Once we ordered, we noticed our server was busy, so throughout our dining experience, we had to ask other servers for assistance. Besides that hiccup, we enjoyed our dinner. Our food was served fast, fresh, and hot with all the flavors. By the time we left, the place was packed, but it didn't feel crowded, and it wasn't loud even with music playing. The lighting is nice. It was a touch too dark for me, but feasible. Houskeeping items: The bus staff was on point. You could barely lift your last piece of food off your plate, and they had already taken it away. Water was refilled before even reaching half a glass. When patrons left, tables were cleared, cleaned, and ready for the next guest within minutes. The restroom was clean as well. Parking is metered.
Yellowtail HAS to be on everyone's must-eat list in Chicago! This Lakeview sushi place has a creative and delicious menu filled with lots of traditional rolls and so many innovative takes on sushi! We tried the Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna (marinated spicy tuna with scallion, unagi sauce, black tobiko, and avocado on top of crispy sushi rice) and the Handcrafted Nigiri Appetizer (2 Namasake Nigiri with Ginger Soy Sauce / 2 Hamachi Nigiri with Jalapeño Soy Sauce / 2 Bluefin Akami Nigiri with torch spicy Lava Sauce and Scallions) - both of which were PHENOMENAL!! Then for our rolls, we split the Salmon Mango, Shrimp Tempura, and the Takara Hotate Maki Roll (Avocado, tempura crunch, spicy mayo rolled in seaweed with giant domestic Scallop baked in creamy garlic sauce, Jalapeno, spicy sesame seasoning, and unagi sauce). The service here was great (our waitress gave us so many good recommendations!) and the interior is so cute. Out of everything, PLEASE try the Takara Hotate Maki roll & the Nigiri Appetizer! Those were SO SO GOOD!! Can't wait to go back and try out more of the menu!
Best sushi I've ever had ambiance is amaz food is so yum service is pretty good super love
The kobe beef was fantastic! The atmosphere is good, but the seating is tight.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Yellowtail has THE best spicy tuna roll I’ve ever had- the roll is wrapped lightly with rice but loaded with fresh tuna. It also comes with a side of the best spicy mayo sauce. All the nigiri is fresh and tasty too!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Everything was so fresh and delicious. The staff was all super friendly. And the jellyfish wall! Great spot.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is trash with wait time. Waited over 2hrs and kept getting your table will be read “in 30 more minutes”
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Yellowtail is by far my favorite BYOB sushi place I've been to so far!!! A lot of the ones I've been to aren't very nice and don't have high quality sushi, but Yellowtail was very good and had really good, high quality, fresh sushi. The inside was packed and not very big, so I recommend making a reservation. Although it is BYOB, there is a $5 fee for every bottle of wine you open. The quality of sushi and experience at Yellowtail is still worth the $5 fee though over going somewhere else that isn't as good. I tried the Miso Salmon and Spicy Calamari roll. Both were amazing, but the Miso Salmon roll took the cake. I would get it again and again next time I go back over trying all new things. Yellowtail has tons of options outside of sushi, so it makes it a great place to go with anyone. Can't wait to go back!!!!
Really disappointed with our first visit. Made a 7:30 reservation a week in advance and arrived 10 minutes early. Host told us our table had just paid their check and would be ready for us in 5-10 minutes. By 7:45, still no table. The host told us it looked like the table still had a little wine left, so it could be another 15-20 minutes. And that sushi orders were taking “about an hour” anyway. We were dining before an event that began at 9:30 and needed to leave shortly after 9:00, so by this point we wouldn’t have time to eat anyway. A well-managed restaurant would invite the lingering table to finish their drink at the bar in order to honor other reservations. Instead, this joke of a place left us without a place to eat on a Friday night. Definitely won’t try again after this experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Hands down my favorite sushi spot around! Everything we ordered was beautifully plated. The salmon flight is my favorite plate. Every bite is an explosion of flavor! But the reality is, I can say that about everything we ordered. Not to mention how attentive the staff is. Highly recommend for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sushi
Restaurantji Recommends
Bento box was just the stir fry (steamed, mostly peppers) with a sushi’s roll. Got the teriyaki salmon medium, it was charred and uncooked.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Horrible service. They seem to refuse to pause the delivery apps making customers and delivery drivers wait for 45mins or longer after pick up time, for just a single roll and some miso soup, one of the restaurant packers said they were 100 orders deep.I also overheard one of the hosts tell all the delivery guys they needed to wait outside for orders and inside was for customer only. Extremely degrading and disgusting practices.The owner didn't seem to care at all about delivery drivers, nor their staff, if they were that slammed with orders. One of the drivers even mentioned that he's talked to the owner, and they told them before that, "if the drivers don't want to wait, he doesn't care just tell them to cancel." Which they get no money for. On Valentines Day when they were going to be busy.Edit since owners response*In the owners response they want to act like I was a driver which I clearly stated I wasn’t, again 100 orders deep is insane especially when you are saying yourself that you have a small space. Stop forcing employees to keep the apps on when you can’t fully fill the orders in a a timely manner. And saying since Covid you have had this policy is a ridiculous excuse. Grow up be responsible and treat your staff and drivers that keep your business alive with respect. And stop forcing them to stretch your small space beyond the means. I’m sure the even that chefs are stressed and it’s ridiculous. What you’re doing?
Food is good as always but service was very slow. Took 40+ mins for 4 rolls to be made and when we asked how long it would take for 2 more rolls we were told another 40+ minutes which was crazy.
Great food. But charging $10 for 2 byob beers seems a little excessive. Not worth the negative vibe it gives. They need to rethink that.
Really vibey spot and so many good rolls to choose from! Also had a low carb/no rice section of rolls which is nice if you are trying to watch the carbs.