Wabi Sabi

Great for lunch or dinner. Sushi tastes delicious and fresh. Staff are very attentive and friendly.

Ordered pick up via Unilocal.Had the tonkotsu ramen & pork buns. Glad that there is a good ramen place closer by. The ramen is good, but the broth not as rich as other places (oiistar & strings). The buns were tasty but a bit salty. I didn’t have the sushi, but looked like a good variety. Will be back to try other items. On another not Unilocal’s Eat24 is so convenient.

After a few months of passing by this place, we decided to try it when I had a ramen craving. It was the best dining decision we’ve made in a long time! The service, ambiance and meals we chose were spot on.
The maki rolls were fresh, the right-​sized bite and some of the best sushi we’ve had in Chicago. The ramen could not have been better. The flavors melded together so perfectly and the pork belly was juicy and tender. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, because i don’t want to wait for hours to get a table due to its popularity, but it’s definitely on par with Wasabi and other restaurants known for their ramen.
The service was wonderful and attentive. The chef told us the ramen broth is prepped for 20 hours — no wonder it’s so good! He also told us that next time we’re in he’ll make us a special roll.
We’ve found our new favorite neighborhood restaurant and look forward to our next visit.

My friends and I ate here on a Friday night. I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to make a reservation for 10 people at 7:00 with only 2 hours notice! The food was awesome, the atmosphere was cool, and the service was quick and friendly. And BYOB! We’ll be back!

This is my new go to place for ramen. I always go to Schaumburg to satisfy my cravings for authentic Japanese ramen but now I found this place that’s near my home.
I learned about Wabi Sabi while browsing through Unilocal for a good ramen shop. I was skeptical to try them at first but after reading all their reviews I was sold. We ordered online since it was a bit too cold to go out.
We ordered tonkatsu and sho-​yu ramen, takoyaki and dragon maki. The tonkatsu ramen was just like the tonkatsu ramen from Japan, it makes you think the winter cold nights in Tokyo and eating ramen at one of the many ramen shops there. The sho-​yu ramen was to die for, the taste was exquisite. The takoyaki was just a little smaller from the ones I’ve seen in and eaten before but it’s still really good. The dragon maki was my favorite, the rice was perfect not too soft not to hard. The sauce has the perfect heat in them. It was so amazing that my parents devoured them in 2minutes.
All in all I would definitely visit their store to experience the vibe, but their food is totally on par with the other Japanese restaurants I’ve gone to.

Cute space, fair prices, and impressive cuts of sushi!
I came here during the lunch hour and was pleasantly filled up on my small budget.
The crab rangoon was so good and so stuffed, there was no attractive way to eat it. Luckily my boyfriend and dining partner has seen me at my grossest. Get your napkins ready!
I enjoyed one of the best White Dragon rolls I’ve ever tried — although I can do without the cream cheese.
I’ll definitely be back.

I have been ordering from wabi sabi I feel like since they opened but I didn’t want to write a review until I’d dined in. I finally did and it still gets 5 stars. I’m SO HAPPY this place is in Albany park! It’s truly a hidden gem.
The ramen is so reasonably priced and is on par with Wasabi and other posh ramen restaurants in the city. The Spicy Garlic ramen is something I swear by on a cold winter evening. The sushi is amazing, so fresh, the portions are filling and and the presentation of everything is beautiful! Even for pick up orders.
I’m proud to say that Wabi Sabi is my new neighborhood hotspot!!!

I’ve had three very solid meals at this neighborhood ramen spot (and my husband has been a couple of times additionally – it’s finally winter, and soup sounds really, really good right now). I’ve tried the Tonkotsu ramen, the black garlic ramen, and the curry ramen. All were very consistently tasty. The size of the portion is right in the middle. It’s not a massive bathtub like you get in some places, but it’s not skimpy, either. I’m actually happy that you can get an appetizer and a bowl of ramen and leave feeling full but not dead of soup. I’ve had some of their simple sushi rolls and while they’re not life changing, they’re competently executed and the fish is fresh.
Prices are reasonable and it’s BYOB, which helps keep the bill to a very manageable total. The atmosphere is pleasant, although they do go for the untz untz techno that seems so popular in many sushi places. Service is friendly and generally attentive, although we’ve usually had to indicate that we’re ready for the bill. All in all, a nice addition to the neighborhood, and I hope it continues to do well.

Wait staff attentive. Seaweed salad sweet and crunchy. Sunomono salad had nice big pieces of yellowtail. Negihamachi hand roll had lots of fish thru and through.

I don’t write a lot of reviews because not a lot of places surprises my taste buds in a positive way. Well Wabi Sabi did just that. I moved in the neighborhood a couple months ago and today was my first time visiting this small Japanese restaurant.
The ambiance was great which made me skeptical of how the food was going to taste because some restaurants create a nice ambiance only to mask how terrible their food is.
Wabi Sabi did not disappoint with the taste of the dishes we ordered. We had the Tonkotsu Ramen which was amazingly delicious. Also had the Beef Negi Maki and Salmon roll which were equally as delicious.
Will definitely have to come back again especially between 11 and 3 for their lunch specials.

Wabi Sabi had their grand opening as hubby and I were leaving Albany Park for a new neighborhood where we purchased our house. Many chic ramen bars in the city are located in those popularly-​known north-​side places, such as Wicker Park and Lincoln Park. However, Wabi Sabi was founded in east Albany Park on Kedzie, one (1) block north from the CTA Kedzie Brown Line station.
As someone who LOVES Albany Park as being one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the U.S., I sincerely wanted Wabi Sabi to do well because AP really needed a quality coffee shop and a restaurant that serves ramen.
Nevertheless, Wabi Sabi failed to deliver in my opinion. We didn’t order anything from their sushi/​sashimi menu because my affection for «LFM» on the opposite side of Albany Park is way too strong! That was alright, though. I saw ramen on the other menu and went with the «black garlic ramen» instead.
I wouldn’t say that bowl of black garlic ramen was awful, yet I found it uninteresting and bland. In other words, there was no depth in term of the flavor of the broth, the ingredients, and the choice of noodle. Don’t get me wrong. It tasted soothing and comforting, but it was a solid three (3) star-​quality. I said this in a very fair manner because you will be able to find a better-​crafted, more delectable, and more unique bowl of ramen elsewhere in the city.
It was surprisingly to me that hubby had a craving for yaki udon this evening. I saw a lack of reflection and comment from him on this dish. I, therefore, assumed that it was just average.
Wabi Sabi had a massive potential to be a cool hang-​out joint with your pals, significant other, or someone whom you want to share a meal with. The food I had tonight didn’t cut it. I honestly don’t know if I would be back because choices of restaurants on Kedzie, between Lawrence and Irving Park, are beyond plenty.

Had a nice dinner here. Nice to see more variety in the hood!
I had udon and my wife had a nice fish dish.
Highly recommend!

Wabi Sabi offers a variety of Japanese cuisines, such as sushi, ramen, donburi, and other kitchen foods.
I think the variety is great. When looking at the menu, there’s a lot of things I want to try. The starters all look delicious as well. However, I do think that without specialization, Wabi Sabi becomes a jack of all trades and nothing stands out. In fact, there are some items that just aren’t that good.
Ramen — Pretty average. Definitely not one of the best in the city. Portions are small, broth is less flavorful, and meat is skimped on.
Don — As the word «don» implies, it’s a rice bowl with toppings. Well, Wabi Sabi decided to put these on plates. Portions are small, and the don experience is killed.
Tako balls — One of the starters we chose. Very little, if any, octopus inside.
I didn’t have to opportunity to try any of the sushi, so I can’t say anything about that. But overall, Wabi Sabi did not impress. I do, however, want to give them credit for their variety and excellent service.

Really amazing service, great location, adorable little spot. If you’re the type to get fancy rolls with lots of flavors and sauces and toppings, you might like this spot, because those things all disguise the quality of fish and they are reasonably priced.
I however am interested in just the fish. Really good sashimi doesn’t need all those extras. And I’m afraid it’s below average. I’m not saying it’s old/​unsafe — I’m just saying it’s not good. Reminds me of a roll I’d get at a college cafeteria.
Lawrence Fish Market over on Lawrence has spoiled me, perhaps. But that’s a much better bet if you like your sushi simple and care about quality.

I’m going to make this short and sweet. The sushi is borderline awful. I eat a lot of sushi and been all over the city and this was grocery store quality. As someone mentioned below it’s on par with Jewel sushi. I thought that was harsh based on other reviews until I ate the sushi. I did carry out, and walked the 5 minutes home. We ordered a lot, and could barely finish half. I hate to be a downer and I know business owners put a lot of heart and soul in the food, but good sushi really has two main things to focus on: taste and quality of the rice and the quality and taste of the fish. Both were severely lacking. The rice was mushy and flavorless. The fish was poor quality and tasted as such. The ingredients used in the rolls besides the fish tasted stale and offered nothing but to make the rolls more off-​putting.
I might give this place one more shot and am curious about the Ramen, but disappointed that a place so close to home was not a hit in my house.
Also, on another note, and applicable to Wabi Sabi, I’m so tired of seeing 90% of rolls on a menu cater to the taste of American eaters (being an American myself): everything contains something tempura, or cream cheese, drenched in sauce, etc. Some rolls I get, but there’s got to be some creativity without all the crazy flavors… I’ve seen other places do it. Sometimes, simple is better.

Went today for the first time with my family.
Everything was very good, from the appetizers to the sushi to the entrees. The service was excellent.
We all loved it.
They even brought out this really cool sushi cake for my mom’s birthday. Will definitely come again

This is my 1^st time having ramen in Albany park. The ambience here is nice and relaxing and the employees here were very pleasant and attentive. When i came in at 1p there were a few people there so it wasn’t busy.
I came for the lunch special 11am-​3pm
I ordered 2 rolls for about $ 8
Spicy tuna
Salmon avocado roll
Both were fresh and delicious
I also ordered the Tonkotsu ramen $ 9 which was really good and filling. It definitely hit the spot!
I will be back to try more items on their menu.

I came in on a Sunday evening and we were the only couple in the restaurant. It had me a little concerned and I don’t know how long they have been open, but trusted the Unilocal reviews and ordered the lava stone appetizer and the Tonkatsu ramen with added spiciness and I’m glad I did.
The lava stone is an appetizer with deep fried rice balls with spicy tuna on top. The tuna was fresh and delicious, but I thought the rice balls were a little tough to chew so wasn’t as thrilled about this appetizer.
The ramen was perfectly spiced and perfectly done with a soy sauced-​soft boiled egg and just the right amount of noodles. The crunchy veggies were nice too but I wish they added more of it, I thought that was sparse.
I thought the price point of the ramen was as expected for the Chicago area. Most ramen bowls go for about $ 15 and this bowl was smaller but goes for $ 11.
I will definitely be back to try some more ramen and rolls.

Finally ramen in Albany park I
Love the location since it’s near my place. The sushi is very reasonable and its good quality sushi! The ramen is good too I got the spicy and the tonkotsu ramen. Def. ask for the spicy oil! It makes. Difference and makes then ramen so much better.

As it is getting chillier here in Chicago, sometimes I crave ramen. I saw this place was opening near me and decided to check it out.
I liked the ambience for it had nice décor and top40 hip hop in the background. The staff were very nice and accommodating.
The reputable Food Network judges always say how you know how good a chef is by how they cook eggs, and the soft boiled egg in the ramen was absolutely perfect! My roommate and I both ordered our ramens to be spicy and they willingly accommodated us. The broth was a perfect balance of salt and surprisingly light. Especially since they have only been open for a week, I was very impressed.