Shinju Sushi

I only came back to this place because my husband loves the food here for some reason… I was never impressed by the rolls here because of all the sauces. I only came back when I get the cravings and am too lazy to drive up north…
So, this trip was spoiled since we came in right after a holiday. The fish was not fresh at all. It smelled fishy. We sent it back to the kitchen. I nearly barfed from the smell while I chewed it.
I honestly think the ramen is something that I might come back for, and maybe even the bento box. I’m not sure about the sushi anymore.

Not only are the sushi rolls gross, but on my way out I slipped because the exit/​entrance is on a slant plus was wet because of the weather this evening. When I tried to get up again I slipped another time. Once inhaled out, they decided to put up a sign.
The food isn’t worth it. I’m in the Hyde park area because of a tournament and I’m staying at a hotel 1 block down, otherwise I would not be dining at a sushi restaurant on 53^rd street. If you are not in the Hyde Park area, don’t bother. If you’re in the Hyde park area you still shouldn’t bother… really awful and sloppy sushi rolls.

I like cheap sushi. I like good cheap sushi even more. Place was exactly what I expected and even exceeded what I figured it would be taste wise. I’ll definitely be going back.

Thats my favourite sushi studio in this area. Always fresh and so tasty. I’ve tried a lot before but this one is the most tasty, so my best. I really adore their classic with salmon and avo, crab stick and cheese. Thank you for doing a great job.

Sushi’s not the best, but the lunch buffet deal is incredible. $ 14 for all you can eat sushi? Ice cream too?
Also, ramen’s pretty decent. Don’t go to Yusho, come here instead!

Poor service, bad communication skills, and hair in food
SN: Now I rarely write Unilocal reviews but I thought they brought this on themselves.
After I was directly pointed to sit next to a party of two, I saw immediately that we be sitting next to another party of two with a overbearing conversation. So I asked nicely if we could sit behind them instead.
The waitress said yes and immediately walked away without moving our menus.
Then she started cleaning off other tables without greeting us for another 5 mins.
I found this especially odd since this took place during the lunch hours on a cold winter day. There was only me, my friend, and another party of 2. But somehow she made it a point to ignore us for a while.
Once she came up to us, she gave us two cups of water and asked if we knew that we wanted.
We ordered some rolls and a smoked salmon.
We also brought a chipotle bowl that we wanted to simultaneously eat.
We asked for an additional plate and she left and came back saying that her manager «saw our bag» and that we were not allowed to eat outside food and that we must put our food away now.
(While waving her hands over it.)
Later when I received my salmon, I realize it was raw fish. I told her that I thought it would have been cooked and she told me that «I am not the chef.»
To make matters worse, my friend soon realized that their was a hair in one of her rolls. We alerted the waiter and she immediately asked «what do you want?»
We were confuse because we wanted a little more sympathy since we’ve realized that we may have been eating hairs during this entire meal.
She said that she could remake us 1 sushi roll as in one serving as in replace the sushi they put the hair in or 5% off our meal. We chose the later.
Even though we were not indulging customers either, this restaurant could have tried a lot harder.

Let’s just start with, if your going to an all you can eat sushi bar, don’t expect mind blowing sushi. Also, just don’t even think about whether or not the aquarium’s cleanliness is indicative of what goes on behind the counter…
I’m giving this place 4 stars for a combination of good quality and great value. My date an I had edamame, spring rolls, and 8 rolls for $ 40, that’s a total steal. The service was lagging at times but we needed time to digest anyway. The rolls were stuffed full of fresh ingredients and I didn’t get food poisoning later that night. I purposely delayed my review until a significant amount of time had passed… I’ll be the first to admit that sushi bars, especially all you can eat, make my stomach nervous. However, I feel comfortable returning to this establishment.
I would recommend the vegan maki for the tofu lovers, the spicy crunchy chicken maki for those leery of all things sushi, and the salmon lover’s roll for the average sushi lover.
Don’t forget to BYOB!

Was gutted when they didn’t let all you can eat pledges have green tea ice cream. We were restricted to chocolate vanilla and strawberry. If I wanted chocolate vanilla or strawberry I would have gone to a diner. Not Japan.
Good sushi though.

Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the sushi here. I ordered spicy Tuna rolls which weren’t spicy at all. I ordered spicy mayo sauce and that wasn’t spicy at all ether. The food just wasn’t good.

Their salmon rolls are good but I don’t recommend the yellowtail (bad quality).

I always get the Godzilla Maki from there usually two orders because it’s so good
The smoothies are exceptional

I’m on vacation and this place was nearby and convenient for ayce sushi and the price wasn’t too bad. 15 for lunch and 20 for dinner. We came for lunch and the server was really friendly. Seated right away because they weren’t that busy. After we got our sushi, all of it was on the same plate so we didn’t really know what we ordered. The quality of fish and everything was mediocre and not really great.

Fast service, decent sushi and okay menu selections.
Cleanliness is an issue. And there never seems to be a «grown up» on premises. Just a bunch of high school kids playing restaurant.

It’s been one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Chicago! $ 14.99 for all you can eat for lunch?! Not Kidding me, right? The food is so so good. I wish they could open one next to my place so I could come here all the time!!! The restaurant interior design could’ve had better, but overall it’s awesome!

I’ve been to Shinju many times over the past few years, and boy have they really stepped up their game! The first few times I came two years ago, I was not very impressed. I’m not a huge sushi fan (I know, I know) so I tried the ramen and was disappointed. But boy am I glad I kept going back! They have vastly improved their ramen so much that I crave it now more than anything! I typically get the tonkotsu ramen and it has been delicious every time. Tip: you can substitute the pork in the tonkotsu with shrimp tempura and you will get 4 pieces of shrimp– double what you get when you pay the $ 1.50 extra to add tempura. Definitely worth it!

I’ve been to Shinju Sushi more times than I can count. That’s what I get for living right across from it during the years I spent in Hyde Park, I guess. :) Are there places with better sushi in Chicago? Yes, definitely, and I can assure you I’ve been to most of them! But there are really no places I know of that have better value for your sushi (unless you don’t fancy any sort of seating and go to Lawrence Fish Market), or as good and extensive of a AYCE menu. (And now I live in Rochester, NY, where nothing even comes close to what you can get here. Woe is my sushi life.)
It’s a really great place to catch up with friends. We used to go for lunch AYCE ($ 15, compared to $ 21 at dinner), and just chat for hours over sushi. My favorite rolls are the Spicy Scallop and the Chicago. Their spicy tuna used to be good (like 5 years ago), but now they use the really gunky tuna bits, so I don’t order it anymore. They do the same with the center of the Salmon Lover’s Roll unfortunately. Bubble tea is on the sweet side. Don’t order the pinku miruku out of curiosity… it’s pretty terrible.
They’re recently added ramen to their menu. I haven’t tried it yet, but my friends have and seemed to enjoy it.
If you pay with cash, you get a 5% discount.

Shinju is simply a wonderful establishment. The all you can eat is rather good and fast, the atmosphere is laid back, and the service is impeccable. The boba is also the best in Hyde Park!
My friends and I asked the manager if we could shoot scenes for our short film in the restaurant. Not only were they willing to let us shoot after hours, but the staff was extremely patient when it came to waiting for us to finish before cleaning up.
We are so grateful. If you’re interested in watching our silly, bizarre short film, search «Only Chicago» on Vimeo. We wouldn’t have been able to create it without the neighborhood friendliness of Shinju.

It’s all you can eat, but they take so long to serve you the food. The service is definitely lacking and they do not really let you eat all you can eat because they don’t serve you the food.

AYCE sushi for $ 15 during lunch.
Shinju is the kind of place that you crave once in a while. Those stuff-​your-​face-​with-​mediocre-​sushi cravings just need to be satisfied sometimes. And afterwards, you ask yourself why you thought that was a good idea and tell yourself you won’t do that again. Most likely.
Generally the fish doesn’t taste all that fresh, so my favorites are the Manhattan roll with smoked salmon and avocado and Godzilla roll with tempura shrimp — I usually just get a bunch of those. Nigiri come with way too much rice and mediocre fish.
Gyoza and shumai tasted like they came out of a frozen food bag. Volcano maki had too little squid and way too much mayo, Shinju maki were all right but had too much rice, and the rest of the rolls were unmemorable.

Absolutely enjoyed this place. We came here for a last minute meal before leaving Chicago. Light bubbly atmosphere with a lot of happy patrons enjoying their sushi. I ended up getting the strawberry bubble tea, and the Ebi sushi roll which was tastefully done and totally delicious. I got a miso soup before my meal and it was light and slightly salty which is hard to accomplish.
Our waitress was really sweet and helpful in explaining what some of the sushi rolls were. 5 stars for a great atmosphere and food!