Fab Review: Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill

Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill, located in West Town, is a family-owned, casual BYO Japanese restaurant that specializes in sushi and robata grilled food.

Chef Yut Vong, formerly Sushi Wabi, opened his first location in May 2011. It was an intimate space that only sat 35 people. Due to its popularity, Chef Yut moved into a bigger space, just a few doors down in the shuttered La Fama Bakery building in February 2015. He really loved the community and wanted to stay in the neighborhood. Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill is now located at 1751 W Chicago Ave.

I have been going to the original location for years so I was excited to go back to new location with the Fab Food Chicago team.

{Ambiance}
The atmosphere at Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill is casual and energetic. There is old school hip hop playing in the background, which will undoubtedly persuade you to do a little chair dancing during your meal. It sure worked on us! Heeeeeeeeey!

The room is filled with wooden tables and metal chairs while the walls are adorned with intricate Japanese comic characters.

The open kitchen concept has maximum transparency so feel free to take a look at how your favorite dishes are made. The staff is friendly and welcoming.

{Food}
Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill puts their spin on classic Japanese dishes with creative and artfully crafted food. For you Instagrammers, it is the one of the most photogenic spots in the city.

Here are some of the highlights:

Tuna Poke
Their version of the Tuna Poke is a Hawaiian raw tuna salad with avocado, green & white onion, Japanese chili pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil. The tuna was fresh and the onions added a nice texture.

Killer Tataki
The Killer Tataki was presented beautifully as the A5 wagyu beef was wrapped in cucumber and Asian pear. It was then topped with jalapeño, garlic chip, truffle oil, ponzu, and gold flakes. You fancy, huh?

Zuku Sake
The smoked salmon combined with the wasabi mayo and French Osetra caviar was rich in flavor with a buttery texture. The caviar was high-quality and had a clean finish.

Behind the Scenes: Shhh! Don’t tell @vansventures I told you but she likes to hold her breath when she takes photos. It helps her focus.

Yakuza Mussels
The mussels were cooked with yuzu garlic chili sauce and served with sourdough bread. It had a great mix of Asian flavors that could have been easily eaten with a bowl of white rice.

Behind the Scenes: Oh, @chelsias! Why so serious? LOL. By the way, Chelsia is an awesome photographer. She takes a lot of photos for Fab Food Chicago.

Punk Rock Lobster
The 9 oz. Maine lobster tail in a Sriracha butter sauce came with side of fresh lime chile sauce. The acidity and heat in the fresh lime chile sauce worked well with the buttery sauce on the lobster.

Takoyaki
Van loves Takoyaki so we had to try it. Takoyaki is a Japanese snack made with wheat flour batter and fried in a special pan. The Takoyaki at Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill was filled with minced octopus, sharp cheddar, and bacon. It was then topped with mayo, katsu sauce, nori, and bonito flakes. The fried balls were cooked to perfection but we thought the dish overall was a little bit too salty.

Robata Grill
Our favorite course was the robata grilled foods. We tried the Chicken Sausage with truffle oil, Pork Shoulder with honey garlic sauce, Beef Short Rib with kalbi sauce (uh-mazing!), and Chicken Satay with a light curry sauce, basted in a peanut sauce. The meats were tender and cooked well.

With names like Sorry I Am Drunk and Thug Life, the maki rolls are a big hit at Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill. Let’s Roll!

Dragon Roll
Work of art. The dragon roll is the most photographed maki roll at Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill. The roll itself is pretty standard and comes with shrimp tempura, unagi, avocado, cucumber, tempura crumbs, spicy mayo, and sweet soy sauce. The art is made with colored mayo so you can add more sauce if needed.

roll model {dragon roll @yuzuchicago} || #🍣 #yuzuchicago #chicagorestaurant follow @fabfoodchicago and tag your fab food pics #fabfoodchicago!

A photo posted by Soo Park (@fabsoopark) on Nov 2, 2015 at 7:09pm PST

Pot River
The Pot River is a popular roll on the menu. It is packed with tuna, super white tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeño, scallions, tempura crumbs, wasabi tobiko, chili sauce, wasabi mayo, and sweet soy sauce. This roll is jumbo-sized.

Chef’s Special Roll
They made a special roll for us that was wrapped in squid. Are you squiddin’ me?

Plus, two more rolls, Black Sea and Pier 69. We literally needed a whole table just for the sushi. No joke! #allbuttonsbursting

FAB TIP: The decorative art is not made with all sushi rolls, especially during busy hours. Make sure to special request, if desired.

Dessert
Even though we were beyond stuffed, we still found room for dessert. We had to see if it was Sherrie (aka #dessertqueen) approved. Fine, twist my arm.

We tried the mochi flight and matcha chocolate raspberry mousse. It was only fitting they put sparklers on top because the desserts were worth celebrating.

Behind the Scenes: YAY! The desserts were @sherriesavorsthecity approved. She’s all smiles!

{Experience}
Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill is a great neighborhood spot for a casual meal in a fun atmosphere. The prices are reasonable and won’t break the bank. I am a purist when it comes to sushi, so some of the rolls are a little overpowering with the cream cheese and mayo but can be easily adjusted to your taste. Just ask your server. I would highly recommend the robata grilled dishes and appetizers.

FAB TIP: Reservations are not required, but highly recommended…especially on the weekends. It is BYO, so bring your favorite libations.

{Location}
Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill
West Town || 1751 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL || P: (312) 666-4100

{Price Range}
$$ ($11-$36)

{Fab Ratings: 3.5 Fabs}

We ate so much food, we all immediately fell into a deep food coma. Thank you Chef Yut and Bua for your warm hospitality!

Where are your favorite sushi spots? Please comment below.

Live the Fab Food Life,
Soo

Note: This meal was complimentary. However, the views and opinions expressed herein are those of the writer.