Gaijin

Q: Does Gaijin offer gift cards?

Gaijin does offer gift cards which you can purchase here .

Visa Dining Collection

4.7

132 Reviews

$30 and under

Japanese

Make a reservation

2 people

Apr 1, 2025

7:00 p.m.

Booked 36 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Neighbourhood gem
Hot spot
Innovative

Gaijin by Chef Paul Virant is Chicago’s first okonomiyaki restaurant, offering both Hiroshima and Osaka styles of the savory Japanese pancake. A self-described gaijin, or “outsider” in Japanese, Virant playfully embraces this perspective and honors traditional preparations and techniques, as well as his well-known passion for pickling and preserving.

Designed to deliver a lively and interactive culinary experience, the 60-seat space is anchored by a custom 12-foot griddle and chef’s counter and offers individual Hiroshima teppan griddles for table service.

The dessert menu features kakigori, a shaved ice dessert, along with mochi donuts and other Japanese-inspired treats. The bar program showcases highballs and a focused selection of beer – including a Moody Tongue-Gaijin collaboration house lager, sake, Japanese whisky, and wine.

We can’t wait to see you at Gaijin!

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Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Japanese, Japanese (Okonomiyaki), Asian
Hours of Operation
Mon–Fri 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Sat, Sun 11:00 am–10:00 pm Happy Hour Mon–Thu 5:00 pm–6:00 pm
Phone number
(312) 265-1348
Website
https://gaijinchicago.com/
Dress code
Casual Dress
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

Location
950 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607
Neighbourhood
West Loop
Parking details
None
Public transit
Morgan Green Line

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Experiences

Chef Collaboration Night: Christian Hunter
Apr 17, 2025 only
Gaijin is thrilled to welcome Chef Christian Hunter of Atelier in on Thursday, April 17th, for the eighth installment of our Chef Collaboration series! Chef Hunter will be in house from 6 - 8 p.m. to showcase his unique osaka-style okonomiyaki special. This is a one-night-only opportunity you won't want to miss!
Chef Collaboration Night: Won Kim
May 15, 2025 only
Gaijin is thrilled to welcome Chef Won Kim of Kimski in on Thursday, May 15th, for the ninth installment of our Chef Collaboration series! Chef Kim will be in house from 6 - 8 p.m. to showcase his unique osaka-style okonomiyaki special. This is a one-night-only opportunity you won't want to miss!
Sakura Season Five Course Tasting Menu
US$35.00 - US$70.00 per person
Apr 10, 2025 only
Join Gaijin in celebrating this year's cherry blossom season! Enjoy a five-course tasting menu inspired by sakura season and all flavors of spring, created by chefs Paul Virant and Marcus Rasmussen. Optional beverage pairings will be available for $35.

Offers

Try Our Happy Hour Specials Starting At $5!
Multiple dates available
Mon - Thu - 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Join us Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. - 6 p.m., for selected highballs, sake, draft beer, starters and share plates, starting at $5. Reservations are recommended, but walk-ins are also welcome.

What 132 people are saying

Gaijin reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.6Food
4.7Service
4.6Ambience
4.5Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Gaijin offers an innovative and authentic Japanese dining experience in Chicago, known for its delicious okonomiyaki and unique dishes. Guests rave about the "delicious food" and the "fun atmosphere" that transports you to Japan. The staff is "super friendly," and the bar seating provides an engaging view of the culinary action.

132 Reviews

M
Marci VIP
Chicago5 reviews
5.0
Dined 1 day ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Thank you Anna and team for excellent service and an excellent dinner! We’ll be back for more soon.
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D
Dan VIP
Chicago10 reviews
4.0
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We has a very nice dinner. Good value and filling. We’ll be back to try more options. Very unique menu.
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J
Jihye
Unspecified2 reviews
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The sauce was a bit too strong for my taste, making the dish quite salty, but overall, it was a good experience for the price. I especially enjoyed sitting at the counter and watching the food being prepared—it added to the dining experience.
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A
Alaleh
Chicago3 reviews
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Super friendly and the environment was nice and warm environment look like new york restaurant vibe. food was amazing shaved ice dessert was phenomena highly recommend.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Chicago2 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 20, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Such a fun experience! I had never had food like this before I happened upon this place. Definitely sit at the bar to watch them make the food and have a mochi donut for dessert. Love it!
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I
Irma
Chicago11 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 20, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was delicious, as always, and it's fun to get a different chefs take on okonomiyaki. So the collaboration evenings are extra fun.
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S
Sofia
Chicago1 review
5.0
Dined on March 20, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
So good! Went here for my 21st, so I enjoyed one of their lychee martinis! The food itself though was so delicious, I would go back here over and over again just for that!
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J
Julia VIP
Chicago25 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 15, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Outstanding experience at Gaijin. Our server was knowledgeable and helped us navigate the menu items we were not familiar with. Everything we had was delicious, including the cocktails. The only thing that we didn’t love was how close the tables were to each other. Fortunately, it wasn’t an issue, as no one was seated next to us until the very end of our meal. We will be back!
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I
Ingeborg VIP
Chicago65 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 15, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Love it a lot! Japanese street food is great! We sat at the bar, seeing all the dishes getting prepared. Definitely one to consider again.
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M
Mya
Calgary2 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 15, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This was truly a unique, delicious experience. The staff were kind, helpful and a pleasure to be around. We will be coming back for sure!
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FAQs

You can order delivery directly from Gaijin using the Order Online button.

Gaijin is rated 4.7 stars by 132 OpenTable diners.

Gaijin does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.