Oysy Japanese Sushi Restaurant

Food is great! But the waitresses seem distracted most of the time, not professional at all. Every time i needed something i had to call her over. I don’t usually have to that, because, in most restaurants they actually care about the customers well being. This was not the case, with her rather. But the food was delish! Well the Arizona summer roll was great. The rainbow dragon sushi was alright. But it only gets 4 stars because of the great food. And try the teriyaki chicken! Hope you go there :)

Very sad to have to post a review like this…
I forgot my phone at the restaurant, and when I checked back, it was gone. I tracked it via Lookout to a location in Gage Park near Midway. When I asked the manager if she had any employees who lived down there, she said no. But when I asked our bus boy from that night and his English-​speaking friend (a cook) where they lived, they gave the same location as my tracking program had found. They denied taking the phone and said they were the only two who lived down in Gage Park. I gave my number and said to call if they «found anything» but that I’d be filing a police report if I didn’t hear back. Didn’t hear back.
The next day I got a track on the phone again. .. to a location a block from the restaurant. So it had come back from the SW side. Again I asked at the restaurant and they denied taking it. I asked the manager again to check if she had any other employees who lived down in that location. This time, she stonewalled, told me to «just let the police do their job» and refused to do anything else to help.
That is simply a bad way to treat customers. I had strong, verifiable evidence that my phone was taken by an employee, and I was either lied to or simply dismissed by the management. I generally hate writing scathing reviews but I feel just fine about this one.
tl;dr — Staff stole a phone, management doesn’t care.

Hmmm … something seems different at Oysy — and not in a good way. This place has been a dependable standby on many visits to the south Loop — not great, but good. However, the food has slipped a couple of notches.
Over-​marination was a theme on this visit: grilled steak was mushy from marinade (papaya overdose, perhaps?) as were sautéed scallops (why are they marinating scallops, anyway?). Even the grilled super-​white tuna seemed spongy. Lotus root tempura — which in the past comprised identifiable slices of lightly battered lotus root — tonight came as large lumps of bready root (I think — it was hard to tell if it was indeed lotus root).
The service and ambiance were fine, as always, but we were really disappointed in the food. I’m not planning to return any time soon.

Sat at the sushi bar, Wednesday evening 7pmish. Ordered a beer and a dragon roll.
Half hour later dragon roll appeared.
Service?

I was here on a date from hell, so my attitude wasn’t the best, and I swear I was looking for anything to point out that was bad. Honestly, the service was fast and efficient. I love the minimalist décor. It almost looks more like a diner in there rather than an Asian restaurant you’re typically used to seeing — with Asian symbols written on banners, and paintings depicting people gathering food out in nature. There was, however, funky lighting at our table which replaced the concept where other restaurants are using candles. We had a plastic cube that was lit from the bottom in an eerie green light.
We ordered a dragon roll and it was fantastic. I could have done without the plastic decorations that were inserted in the roll that gave the dragon ears and whiskers. It came across a little unprofessional to me. I’m rarely in this area, so the likelihood that I’ll be back would be for another date out of the Twilight Zone. Hey, if you’re hungry and you’re close by, this place should clearly be the choice to dine if you’re craving sushi.

The food was pretty good and the fish was pretty fresh… But the service was terrible… Granted it was only our server so with any luck you won’t get her
I didn’t get her name however if you get her you’ll realize it very quickly

The food was really tasty. I was afraid because I read the bad critics, but it has been a nice diner.
Quick service and good food.
Not best sushi in the world but very good combinations and tasty mochis for desert!
Try the coffee mochi, I loved it.

Have been here several times, sometimes dropping in after visiting the Art Institute, and the food has been consistently good each time. The décor is minimal chic, but getting a bit worn (so are the menus). Have sat both inside and outside, both nice. I’ve had both very good and forgetful service on different visits, but I went for the 4 stars anyway because of the food and that the prices are actually decent for this area. If you’re in the area and need food, this is good, but I wouldn’t make a special trip out for it.

I ventured here alone on the last Friday night in May. It was a wholly pleasant, refreshing end to my day. My server was attentive, friendly, and helpful.
I had the:
Mixed Green Salad w/​Ginger Dressing (Just so-​so, since I didn’t care for the dressing that seems to be a weird carrot-​pulp-​y standard…)
Pan-​fried Seafood Dumplings (The mushy texture of the filling was a bit off-​putting)
Rock Shrimp Tempura w/​Spicy Golden Sauce (De-​lish-​uss! That sauce is golden!)
Miami Roll (A pretty tasty roll with shrimp, avocado, masago, cucumber, and kani-​kama)
Spicy Ebi-​Q Maki (Very tasty roll of deliciousness!)
Oregon Roll (Not my finest moment. Why did I ever decide to try a maki roll with CHICKEN?!?)
To top it all off, I had a libation that was touted as a Japanese Mojito. Boy, was it ever good! My server was right on point with that recommendation. Hmmm… now, where can I find Veev Acai Liqueur???

Went here for dinner last week with a small group. The atmosphere was great and the little tables charming. The staff was friendly and helpful. The sushi roll options were some of your regulars along with some unique choices. Everything was fresh and tasty.

Sushi = 5 stars
Service = 2 or 3 stars depending on the day.
The sushi here is actually one of my faves in the city and the location is pretty darn convenient for me. I have to catch myself on the way home from work like hmmm, I could just get off the bus here, wait a few minutes for my order, and walk home… why not!?! With that being said, I prefer Oysy for takeout which is odd for me. I don’t generally like sushi for takeout solely because I like the presentation of it when I’m seated at a restaurant. It just makes me happy! =) When it’s boxed up and I have to squirt soy sauce packets in a the lid of my takeout tray or any small cup I can find at home, it takes away from the experience. So why do I prefer takeout here? Well… plain and simple… they are rude. Straight up. If the sushi wasn’t good, I would never go back. I’ve never dined here when it was really busy or anything (for lunch or dinner) so you would think the service would be on point. Nope. They take their good, sweet time do just about everything. And don’t start enjoying yourself and your company too much because they’ll hover over you wishing you would stop spending money and leave! Backwards, right?
The last time I was there was with a group of girlfriends, we were having a great time catching up, eating and drinking (i.e. spending money and keeping Oysy in business). It was literally, no exaggeration, AT LEAST 20 minutes before they closed and we were still seated. Where was the staff? Huddled in the corner at the back of the restaurant with what… the LIGHTS OFF!!! They dimmed the lights on us like it was a club about to shut down at the end of the night. Seriously?!? That’s how you treat recurring, paying customers? Geez. We were so appalled. I have a bad attitude myself sometimes (but I’m working on my patience… I promise!), so we didn’t move an inch for another 10 minutes or so. I refuse to get nudged out of a restaurant 20 minutes before closing time. That’s just rude.
But like I said… the sushi is good so for better or worse I’ll continue to go back… even if I have to dine at my own table at home.

Seriously, FIX your service. Get more people when every single table in your restaurant is occupied and your servers can’t even bring water, let alone refill an empty glass.
We were seated promptly, then nearly forgotten about for about 15 minutes till I asked the server to at least get us some water. We order an appetizer and just two sushi rolls. The appetizer was served promptly. It took almost 30 minutes before our rolls were served! We looked around and noticed that everyone was getting lousy service because there were TWO people taking care of almost 20 tables.
The sushi was below average — this was our second time there and we had had a decent meal the first time. Don’t think I will ever go back. I value time much more than watching some snooty waitresses run around providing terrible service.

«If service is a deal-​breaker, I would be broke. but alas I’ll fall victim to the developing South Loop area and the limited choices right now».
The okay:
It is a cute restaurant in the up and coming south loop area. Parking isn’t the greatest but it’s accessible by several buses and not far from the red line. They have a lot of options one can choose from and the food comes out pretty quickly which is nice if you are hungry. Some rolls are bigger than others, so take a look at the ingredients to get a feel for what your roll may or may not look like. I ordered the Summer Roll and the Ruby Roll. They were just okay. Nothing to write home about. The Miso Soup wasn’t the best I’ve had but fine. It was an average dining experience. I would go back for location, but I wouldn’t fall over myself to get back.
The unfortunate:
I met a group of my friends for dinner. They had already placed their order and I was playing catch-​up. The server came over promptly and asked me if I knew what I wanted. I said I needed a few minutes. When I had decided, the server was occupied. I made eye contact with who I assume was the «hostess» and said that I was ready and asked could I place my order with her. She was like no. you’ll need to wait on your server. The host walked back to her «post» and continued to do nothing but check her phone. In my mind, I would have hoped she said sure I’ll take your order but I’ll need to give it to her. At least act like you want to help considering the $$ status of the restaurant.
The icing on the cake was how they closed the kitchen about 20 minutes before the restaurant closed without a smidget of warning. I guess we better not have wanted anything else, huh? My favorite was at about ¹⁵⁄₁₀ till they decided to turn off one of the lights and by then the kitchen staff was GONE. about 5 till staff had already put on their coats. I mean goodness. I’ve never had the good fortune of being darn near ran out of a place (not a fast-​food restaurant, but a sit down restaurant) that they’ve already charged 20% gratuity on since we were a group of 5. It was a bit appalling.

Unlike all the other reviews here i had no issue with my group on experience. Many other reviewers complained about the mandatory 18% gratuity but I did not have this problem.
Aside from that my experience was fine. Edamame, miso, sushi and steak were all acceptable. Beer and sake were served for us by the waitress as traditionally done in Japan.
The only thing I found strange was that the miso soup was served with an American spoon. I bypassed it by just sipping from the bowl so no worries.
Oysy always has group on deals so I would never go without one.

Came here once because of the fantastic location with my husband, then fiancé as we were spending our day by the magnificent mile, and clearly we didn’t know any better. The place has a modern, sleep décor, which we liked and it wasn’t overly packed which is also a plus, but then again, it says something about the quality of sushi here. But we left kinda disappointed and haven’t been back. Everything was over priced for what it was and their was a sever deficit of fish to rice ratio in almost all the rolls we got, it’s like if we’re paying more money, I want to see fish in my rolls and not just rice and eel sauce, come on now.
Good location won’t save this place and as some other reviews are deducting for bad customer service, which wasn’t our issue when we went, but the quality of sushi is below par. Won’t be back.

This restaurant’s employees steal cell phones from customers. My date left her cell phone on the table, and five minutes later it was gone. Tracking showed that an employee stole it and likely pawned it.
I would avoid eating at this restaurant. With criminals on staff, who knows what else is going on behind the scenes.

OYSY is located in the South Loop and somewhat of a jaunt from the Harrison Red Line stop. From the outside, the décor inside looks nice. However, when you are sitting inside, the interior has been somewhat weathered. I took the liberty of ordering one of their delicious lunch specials. They were really good. It came with an assortment of items. I ordered the Chef Sushi special which included 5 pieces of sashi, the 3 pieces of california rolls and 3 pieces of spicy tuna, and various salads.
Although good, I could not help but think that the fish that they served was not fresh. When I ate the salmon, it smelled, a sign indicating that it was not fresh. Oh well.

Two words: PLUM MARTINI.
Moving on…
Finally made it into Oysy last night & I am happy I did. I will certainly be back!
I have a habit of trying every «Chicago Crazy Maki» roll at any sushi joint in Chicago, & Oysy does theirs so well. Gorgeous cuts of fish.
Tried a bit of sashimi… thinner sliced fish than at other sushi restaurants in the South Loop, but fresh & well prepared regardless.
Wasabi tobiko? Wasabi tobiko! Such an inventive surprise to find on one of their specialty maki rolls.
The atmosphere at Oysy is casual but trendy… no need to «dress up,» but it is absolutely beautiful inside; pairs well with the artistry of their sushi.
Only, only drawback: I left a favorite pair of gloves in my cute, little 2-​person booth. I called within 5 minutes of leaving (on my way to the theatre…) & they had not found my gloves. I called again after the film let out, around 9:30pm, and the woman who answered would not tell me if they had found them or not… only that Oysy was now closed. I’ll be calling back today!
UPDATE: Called back today, no gloves. Sad face!

The interior is modern, soothing and minimal. I remember loving the interior when I ate at Oysy’s other location near the Design Within Reach store about 4 years ago. I had high hopes and good memories of my last Oysy dining experience.
The seaweed salad was probably the best I have had. Perfectly seasoned and adorned with additional half moons of cucumber. It was refreshing for a hot day. We ordered edamame which was served room temperature and a little limp. Our platter of sushi was presented beautifully… rolls of tuna, spicy tuna, eel, salmon, California rolls, and special rolls made with shrimp and soft shell crab tempura. Though it was beautiful, I thought the fish tasted ok and the rolls weren’t tightly rolled. I can put away sushi, sashimi and rolls but I wasn’t feeling it.
We had a group of 8 and the restaurant was about 75% full around 9 PM on a Saturday. Our server was friendly and took our order and made sure we had what we needed but service was a little slow in refilling water and replacing beers. I would give Oysy a 3.5 but the half star is not an option. The seaweed salad is a 5, but the sushi was not quite a 4.

I met up with an ex-​boyfriend here to catch up, and it was like the nice sushi date we never had when we were in high school because we weren’t as sophisticated then haha.
I had the Oysy Mojito, and it was decently strong and yummy! We had edamame and the Sashimi Sampler, which was a great value. We had Super White Tuna, Octopus, Tuna, Red Snapper, Yellowtail, and Salmon — they were fresh and sushi-​gasm worthy (all my friends love to watch my face when I eat sushi). This Sampler includes 3 pieces each of the 6 types of fish I listed, totaling 18 pieces for ~$ 35. Definitely a good deal!
We finished off with Mochi Ice Cream — there was green tea, red bean, and another flavor I believe. Yum — perfect ending.
Great ambiance — clean and modern on Michigan Ave. The service was great as well. Date-​worthy! =)