Starfish

I've been to Starfish 3 times. All three visits were great. I've discovered that it's normal for them to be "out" of something I wanted, like sake. But the meal always makes up for it. Last visit I ordered the tekka-don. I was living dangeriously, as I normally look for tekka maki. The menu said this was 10 pcs of tuna on rice, but it came 1/2 and 1/2 tuna & red snapper. I'm glad I was feeling adventuous. The plate was gorgeous, tuna and red snapper with caviar added. Yum. This was the first time I've tried the red snapper. My tuna intake has been seriously curtailed after this experience. I ordered an ice cream dessert. I have no idea what it was called, but it was cappucino ice cream inside some sort of squishy dough. I know, it sounds kind of gross and the texture was a little weird, but it was so delicious!

I went to Starfish bc it's always looked appealing from the outside. I live 2 blocks away and didn't have any better idea, so figured- sure, give it a shot! Whoops. ick. ugh. So - starts: we'd like a bottle of sake. They're having a 'special' tomorrow, so many sakes are unavailable tonight. Choice available- 3 of 12 or so. My friend wants udon. Great- they have nebayaki udon. I like the bento box -great value ($21 for 9 pieces sashimi, 4 nigiri, mixed tempura & salad). So - we order. 10 Min later our waitress returns apologetically- udon isn't available. They don't have the broth for it. So, we get miso, it arrives smelling like fish, tasting like beef. My friend decides on a new meal - Shrimp skewers, Toro nigiri from the menu. No Toro tonight. Ok, Bluefin. No Bluefin. Give us another min. Tuna. Regular Tuna? yes. An order of shrimp skewers and 1 Tuna nigiri. Bento box arrives. Ooh- nice selection! I pick up what I think is 1 piece of Tuna. It's 2 literally ripp... Read more

Not sure if Starfish is under new management or what but it has gone way downhill. This used to be one of my favorite sushi places but I will never return again after last week's dinner. The service was terrible, the place was almost empty, it took forever to get our sushi order and then some of the rolls we ordered were missing key ingredients and had to be re-made. Don't waste your time on Starfish. What used to be a fun, hip, enjoyable place to grab some sushi is now a depressing, uneventful waste of time of money. Go elsewhere!

Twice we have been saved from bad experiences by just coming here. We love Sushi, not training wheel's but real Sushi. There are trendier places that call their dishes Sushi, we call them as we see them... fruit roll-up's with lot's of sauce. We have found more traditional finds on the menu & the occasional surprise fish special, not to mention hard to find black rice (try it, you won't be sorry!). They also do a version of Poke that is pretty good, though Sai Cafe has theirs down to our taste. The first time our server was really nice. He was very personable & spaced out our courses... which considering how some places push you out the door was a nice change. The second time our server could not have been better. She was filling in for the hostess, seated us outside & a few minutes later was our server. Considering our rough treatment down the road at a Chinese restaurant, she made the difference in our night.

This restaurant was a great find. First of all, my husband and I didn't have reservations, so we went to the bar to get a drink. The asian pear martini was great- I could tell it was made with the Korean pear juice. We were seated relatively quickly, which was really nice. The rolls were good, and pretty original. Although we were not that hungry, and only ordered 3 rolls, it was a great experience. Our waitress was friendly, the food was good, and the atmosphere hip. Plus, you can check out the hookah bar next door after eating. It was a great experience all around.

This is one of the best sushi restaurants in the city, only second to Heat. Great fish quality, and a fun atmosphere.

The Scene Dark velvet banquettes, red and lime-green walls and bamboo accents give this lofty space an urban-organic feel. A stylish lounge and bar area is separated by a wall from the well-spaced tables and sushi bar in the main dining room. Lounge-type club music sets a cool mood; service is smart and efficient. The Food Chef Andy Park has created a daring sushi menu, and his plates taste almost as good as they look. Starters like spicy tuna and salmon tartare and asparagus beef roll in teriyaki sauce are just about perfect. Maki choices are plentiful: Try the Kamakazi (spicy tuna roll topped with tuna nigiri) or the Black Dragon (eel over spicy scallop). If nigiri's your thing, you'll love Starfish's huge portions; favorites among the couple dozen options include fatty tuna, mackerel and tiger shrimp.

I've never had such an awful experience at a "nice" restaurant. On a Friday night (not busy at all) it took us 35 minutes to receive our drink order. We were first told the bartender was training, and then that they had run out of martini glasses. We finally received our martinis in wine glasses, one of which was broken. Many other things went wrong, including numerous food problems, which I consider excusable, because the food was very good. We had to actually argue with the MANAGER about taking our first round of drinks off the bill (he wanted to buy us dessert...sorry I don't want dessert, I wanted to not wait the 35 minutes for my drink). I am shocked this is not a new restaurant, you would think after this many years they would have their kinks worked out.

Outstanding, fresh fish on the menu of this trendy sushi joint. We got there early, so we had no problem getting a table, but on the speakers was some strange club-type rap new-world style music. Way too strange for my tastes, and way too loud for dinner. It may have been appropriate for the after 10pm crowd. Anyway, the food was outstanding. We had appetizers of "Jazz" and some flaming thing whose name I forget, but both werer amazing. Great sashimi. Ask for the fresh wasabi. Also, a nice, and reasonably priced sake list.

By the end of our meal we all agreed that it was some of the best sushi we'd ever eaten! The special maki rolls are inventive and flavorful - Dragon & Alaskan were favorites, while Tataki was extra spicy, but all were great! Other menu items were disappointing, especially the mini Asparagus Beef roll and the flavorless Fillo Soft Shell Crab. It's unfortunate, with sushi this good, that we had to seek out a server and menus after being seated for a while, as did the customers next to us!

The service lacks: For the price (about $90 for two), I expect at least good service at a Randolf street lounge-type place. When we were seated, we were not noticed for more than 20 minutes. Then the waitress asked us if we were ready to order. I was thinking she might say something like, "Can I get you something to drink?" Nope. When I brought up a bottle, she said they were out of that, and that the menu was new. (O, the irony) Our waitress was an idiot, she burned herself on the table candle, breathed her bad breath right in my face and didn't follow our instructions. She immediately cut us from the wine list saying that there were only two bottle available that night. The fish is fresh but bland. The atmosphere is not bad. It is loungey in there, plenty of beautiful people dinning...

I'd heard great things about this place and gave it a shot. Starfish is definitely now on my list for one of my favorite places to go for consistently fresh and wonderful sushi! This is definitely a good place to take a date, as the ambience is a little darker and more romantic, although going with friends is great too! I'll definitely be back.

It was a little dark for my taste, but the food was amazing! Beautiful presentation, wonderful rolls. Pretty ceramic sake holders -- great experience!

It was our first time to this new Sushi restaurant and we left with la gran sonrisa. We've been to many sushi restaurants in Chicago and we believe this is the best yet (although we need to try Heat again). Details: -All of the fish (salmon, tuna, fatty tuna, yellow tail, fluke) was fantastically fresh; service was slightly uninspired and unknowledgeable.

Great~ I was really happy... I think The chef really konws about sushi~ Fresh, fresh, fresh! You gotta try TOROTO KANI !!! fatty tuna over chopped crab meat is one of the best roll!!!!

tonight was my first at starfish and i have to say i almost feel bad to say that i COMPLETELY disagree with the previous review? i thougt the fish was excellent for chicago(i mean it is all flown in frozen..it's all kinda crappy anyway) and actually their otoro was close to superb(and it was otoro.) the only thing i did not enjoy was the crowd. starfish might wanna aim toward a more younger hip crowd. service was ok but i can tolerate that when it gets a little busy. Get's some hot ladys in there starfish!

I am not impressed. Of the eight different fish we were served as sashimi, two (the albacore and salmon) were inedible. The maguro was not worth eating. The remainder ranged from ok (snapper) to good (hamachi). Portions were generous, but who wants lotsa bad fish? The best of the bunch was the fatty tuna. Sadly, what was sold as otoro was, though fresh and generously portioned, chutoro. Presentation was nice, not special. It's kind of sad when the second best tasting thing on your plate is an apple garnish. Though our server was pleasant, she was not particularly knowledgeable, ordered a different maki than we did, and was not able to accurately identify the sashimi we were served. Though seated at the bar, the chefs did not deign to speak with us or even acknowledge our presence, much less ask how our food was. Embarrassed? One can only hope.

Wow, discovered this place from an artical in the Chicago Tribune. The sushi was fantastic! I've been to Japan several times and was pretty convinced that I wouldn't find that freshness elsewhere. The nigiri was soooo good......ooooooooooooo..... I did have a few bites of some dragon roll or something and it wasn't all that, but then again, I never eat rolls anyways. Impressive new sushi joint I found and i'l definately be going back for more.

Having recently moved out here from Cali, I've had the pleasure of eating some great sushi. Starfish had among the freshest fish I've ever had which was a shock. The nigiri was great but the rolls/maki was average. The presentation in all our sushi plates were outstanding. The mochi ice cream dessert was straight out of a box... It's a brand I get at the store from time to time. Hip scene and good service. Overall, the meal was good but did not warrant its price. We spent about $120 total for two and that's a bit much for this place.

Eat out a lot, especially sushi. This is one of the better places in the city. Not as pretentious as Mirai or silly like Heat, I would compare Starfish to Shine or Sushi Wabi. It was better than both, but similar style. Salads surprisingly great. Presentation of everything really top-notch. Had a few appetizers -- tuna and salmon tartare was very good and the wasabi tempura was awesome. The sushi we ordered was impeccable...rolled perfectly, everything fresh and good. Really very little to complain about which is saying a lot. Service very attentive too.

I am not sure what the other reviewer was talking about. I thought the sushi here was superb! The menu is extremely creative...they get there fish in everyday and the atmosphere is a lot warmer than the neighboring sushi wabi. You must order the sushi maki with the seared smoked salmon on the outside and real crabmeat inside....unbelievable. Also, the salmon entree wrapped in filo dough is killer. The mixed veggies have a great flavor. You must go and try this place.

The sushi here was LESS THAN IMPRESSIVE. The fish was NOT GENEROUS nor was it fresh. The bill I received will require a mortgage to pay off. Feel like burning money? Then go here. Otherwise, move onto something better and reasonable.

Immediatly and throughout the meal I was overtaken by the exclusive and intimate atmosphere-and so was my date ;) Food and presentation was beyond excellent. For an all out nigiri fan like me the portions were more than just satifying. Service was great. Food was excellent. The start of my night was great. A place that I thought would be just like any other new sushi joint turns out to be one of the best sushi experiences I've had in Chicago! ps- great place for dates and people you want to impress.

the wine list was scant and over-priced. when we said we wanted to sent a glass of (really bad) wine back, the server "wasn't sure" what she could do about it. (although, it was ultimately taken off of our bill) the sushi was just OK, but there are so many better places. don't bother with the appetizers. the music was annoying.

Starfish has a wonderful selection of both traditional and non-traditional appetizers along with a terrific variety of rolls to choose from. The Kamacazi roll was outstanding. Tuna over a spicy tuna roll! First time I've seen that offered in Chicago. The staff was extremely friendly. In fact, we asked the owner for the name of the CD she was playing. She didn't know but said to call her later and she'd let us know. She ended up calling us later just to tell us. Great, new place.

Incredible! Sushi Wabi without the wait or the prices. Fresh is an understatement. Has to be the best Sushi in Chicago.

While the food was good, the service was terrible -- it took quite a while just to get a waiter to our table.