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Japonais

600 W. Chicago Ave. (Halsted St.) Send to Phone
ChicagoIL 60610
312-822-9600 | Make Restaurant Reservations
Scenesters and sushi enthusiasts chill at this sleek Japanese lounge along the river. Japonais Restaurant is one of our | Top 10 Chicago SmallPlates Restaurants | Top 10 Chicago Lounge Restaurants | Top 10 Chicago Sexy Restaurants | Top 10 Chicago LateNight Restaurants | Top 10 Chicago Japanese Restaurants |

Cuisine

Open

Lunch Mon.-Fri., Dinner nightly

Features

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Dining room at Japonais, Chicago, ILThe presentations at this sleek restaurant are artful and elegant (the shapes of the plates alone are a feast for the eyes)---without being ostentatious. The hot-and-sour soup, for example, is served in a deep white bowl that swoops like a Frank Gehry building. Panko-breaded oysters with a smoky-tasting bacon gratin are laid in a beautiful, long narrow dish. Kobe carpaccio is another outstanding first course; the paper-thin slices of beef form two rows of shingles, amped up by a yuzu-ginger sauce. Seven-spice Kobe prime rib is another flavorful dish. The menu flows from an inspired and eclectic viewpoint, one that keeps an eye on traditional Japanese (including sushi) and the other on a more modern approach to Asian cuisine. The results are as impressive as the atmosphere, which involves splashes of color, textured glass and overhead waves of expensive wood. Service is on top of everything, and there is a first-rate selection of saké, to boot. Be sure to check out the river walk patio in summer.

User Ratings & Reviews for Japonais
Average rating    2
Reviews 1 - 1 of 11
Sad Demise
by Dealguy on 07/23/2009
 
Having been a good and loyal customer from the beginning, I am sorry to say that Japonais has deteriorated. My experience there a couple of weeks ago is a good, yet tragic, example of this. The filet mignon (which I've enjoyed many, many times before) came out burned to a crisp. No one bothered to check on us to see how our meal was (we were on the outside patio), and I literally had to carry my plate to the host stand and wait for a manager to come out. By the time they had re-cooked it my guest was completely finished with her sushi. The manager did not offer to comp the meal, but instead, informed me to contact the director of operations. Japonais is tired and worn down.
 
Reviews 1 - 1 of 11
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