Chef Paul Virant is a Chicago-based executive chef and owner of restaurants Vie, Vistro Prime, and Gaijin. He is also the author of 'The Preservation Kitchen cookbook' and an expert in canning and food preservation.
Wow! My friends took us to this restaurant while we were visiting Chicago, and it was amazing. We had a reservation and did show up about 15 minutes late. The hostess said we could still be seated but another reservation was coming an hour later.
I had never had okonomiyaki before, but I got to try three different kinds plus some yakisoba. We ordered four dishes and shared them among the four of us. We got the pork belly yakisoba, pork osaka style okonomiyaki, shrimp osaka style okonomiyaki, and the mushroom and yuba Hiroshima style okonomiyaki. My favorite dishes were probably the pork ones, but I really liked trying all of them!
When our waiter asked if we wanted dessert, we said how the hostess told us we would need to leave by a certain time for the next reservation. However, he said we could order dessert anyway. I thought it was weird the hostess was being so finicky about the time, since usually 15 min late is within reason. We did get the red panda. It's mostly ice and a little ice cream, but it was very good and so cute!
I would definitely come here again! It is a bit loud if you have anyone in your party who has trouble hearing. You are also quite close to other people in the restaurant.
Ever since I was introduced to okonomiyaki, Gaijin was on my list of restaurants to go to. It did not disappoint. We tried the duck Osaka-style, traditional Hiroshima-style, and the mushroom and yuba negiyaki. The traditional Hiroshima-style was my favorite, but they all tasted great. We came during brunch and my mom got the rice bowl which was also very good! There is a bit of a wait for the food, but they were all worth it. For dessert, they have mochi-donuts as well! Overall, I would recommend.
Adorable little Japanese restaurant that serves icon pancakes. That's what you should come here for. It is a sharable style meal so plan on trying a lot. The Hiroshima style pancakes were my favorite and the veggie yakisobi was great. Make sure you make a reservation ahead of time.
Absolutely enjoyed our meals. Our server gave great recommendations. So many of the meals can be made gluten free. We WILL be back for the donuts (rice flour, also gluten-friendly!). The ice cream inside the shaved ice was fun too.
Amazing restaurant! Recently came back from Japan and the taste of Gaijin is very authentic. Loved everything, the octupus okonomiyaki was the best. Dessert donuts where very tasty as well. The restaurant has great service and very cool decoration and table setup. Really recommended!
