Account

Welcome

Sign in to save places, build lists, and keep your score.

Search
  1. Gaijin

    Japanese

    Save to a list Write a review On the Way Around

    The okonomiyaki griddle in the center of the room is the whole point, and it makes conversation difficult in the best way. This is Paul Virant's Japanese comfort food spot on Lake Street, small and izakaya-ish, with brass fittings and exposed brick keeping things warm. Guests build their own path through Osaka and Hiroshima styles, with a custom Moody Tongue brew on hand to accompany whatever direction that takes.

    The awards strongest first

    One number, weighted & current 69

    How we score

    The dishes from the writeups

    • Okonomiyaki

      “Gaijin is Paul Virant's love letter to okonomiyaki.”

      Michelin Guide
    • Tonkatsu

      “While Tuesdays bring a tonkatsu feast, steamed rice with furikake, miso soup, and tsukemono are eternal hits.”

      Michelin Guide
    • Steamed rice with furikake

      “While Tuesdays bring a tonkatsu feast, steamed rice with furikake, miso soup, and tsukemono are eternal hits.”

      Michelin Guide

    Save to a list Write a review On the Way What's Around
    Address
    950 W. Lake St., Chicago, IL · Chicago
    Hours

    Open now, until 10 PM

    • Monday Closed
    • Tuesday Today 11 AM to 2:30 PM 5 PM to 10 PM
    • Wednesday 11 AM to 2:30 PM 5 PM to 10 PM
    • Thursday 11 AM to 2:30 PM 5 PM to 10 PM
    • Friday 11 AM to 2:30 PM 5 PM to 10 PM
    • Saturday 11 AM to 10 PM
    • Sunday 11 AM to 10 PM
    Phone
    (312) 265-1348
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

    Reviews

    Sign in to write a review.

    No reviews yet

    Reviews never count toward the Eat Score.

The neighbors closest first

Something wrong with this entry? Tell us. Closed, moved, miscategorized: we want to know.

Eat Score

The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

    How we score →

    Drink Score

    The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

      How we score →

      Stay Score

      Four fifths of the score is the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin Key outweighs a listicle. The last fifth is where it is: the ranked places to eat and things to do around it, and how safe the country is. When you sort by what's nearby, distance from you changes the order, never the score.

        How we score →

        Do Score

        The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

          How we score →

          Best Place Score

          The Best Place Score rates the area around a point, not any one place. The places are 60% of it: the best of what's within reach, weighed by distance. The setting is the other 40%: how life goes in that country (how people rate their own lives, how long and how well they live, how safe they are) and what it's like right there (the air, and the weather). If the score looks low, we probably haven't found enough critics out here yet.