Gaijin

Name: Gaijin
Address: 950 W Lake St, Chicago, IL, United States, 60607
Telephone: (312) 265-1348
Price range: $30 and under
Rating: 4.8

Visa Dining Collection

4.8 (169)

$30 and under

Japanese

950 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60607

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 14, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 34 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Neighborhood gem
Lively
Hot spot

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!

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Japanese, Okonomiyaki, Asian
Hours of operation
Tue–Fri 5:00 pm–10:00 pm Tue–Fri 11:00 am–2:30 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
Neighborhood
West Loop
Parking details
None
Public transit
Morgan Green Line

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Experiences

Chef Collaboration Night: Andrew Zimmerman
Jun 18, 2025 only
Gaijin is thrilled to welcome Chef Andrew Zimmerman of Sepia and Proxi in on Wednesday, June 18th, for the tenth installment of our Chef Collaboration series! Chef Zimmerman 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!
Gaijin Seasonal Omakase Experience
$70.00 per person
Multiple dates available
Enjoy a new, elevated dining experience at Gaijin! Each five course tasting menu will be our chef's expression of the season, with okonomiyaki at the center. Menu $70 / Optional beverage pairings $35 Available Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Please note that not all dietary restrictions may be able to be accommodated for this menu. Please call 312-265-1348 with any questions or concerns.
Chef Collaboration Night: Dylan Patel
Jul 30, 2025 only
Gaijin is thrilled to welcome Chef Dylan Patel of avec in on Wednesday, July 30th, for the eleventh installment of our Chef Collaboration series! Chef Patel 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!

Offers

Try Our Happy Hour Specials Starting At $5!
Multiple dates available
Tue - Wed - 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
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 169 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

4.8

4.8 based on recent ratings

4.7Food
4.8Service
4.7Ambience
4.6Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Gaijin offers a unique and authentic Japanese dining experience in Chicago. Known for "amazing food and service," their okonomiyaki is "on par to what I had in Japan." The atmosphere is lively and inviting, with a focus on quality and creativity. The "Gaijin Lager is phenomenal," and service is "exceptional."

169 Reviews

M
Matthew
Toronto / Ontario3 reviews
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fantastic food and service. Very good. Will be back.
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N
Nummers
Chicago / Illinois4 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 6, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The Osaka style pancakes were delicious. The yakisoba was great too.
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M
Marie VIP
Chicago / Illinois6 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 3, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Gaijin is truly one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago. The food quality is always top of the line and staff extremely professional. The atmosphere is friendly, relaxed and diverse, something I always appreciate. I have introduced Gaijin to many and they share similar feelings.
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E
Erin
Chicago / Illinois4 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 1, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing food and service! Would definitely recommend getting a seat inside—the patio is right under the train tracks—but otherwise stellar all around!
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V
Vanessa
Chicago / Illinois1 review
5.0
Dined on June 1, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
My husband and I tried Okonomiyaki in Osaka earlier this year and absolutely loved it! Ever since we returned home to Chicago, we’ve been on the hunt for a spot that could capture that same flavor—and Gaijin NAILED it! This will definitely be our go-to place whenever we’re craving Okonomiyaki. Also, their Gaijin Lager is phenomenal. Highly recommend this restaurant!
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I
Ingeborg VIP
Chicago / Illinois68 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 30, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 4
Nice experience and great seat at the bar. Food is good and some dishes are really good. Fun restaurant! Waiter was not very good, quite busy with hanging at the end of the bar talking to colleagues and never asked me if I wanted another drink… also did we order too much food/ too many pancakes and I even asked him if we ordered too much. Two of the dishes were even very similar. I really don’t like this type of money making in a restaurant.
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D
Diana
Jacksonville / Northeast Florida4 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 30, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
10/10 for the Okonomiyaki…on par to what I had in Japan. Amazing service as well!!
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B
Bori VIP
Chicago / Illinois2 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 30, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
If you’ve never tried Japanese savory pancake (Okonomiyaki), this is the place to start — it will set a very high standard. If you’ve already had their Okonomiyaki, then it’s time to try their seasonal tasting menu: Omakase Experience. Chef Paul and his team are exceptional, and I’ve never had anything less than outstanding at Gaijin. Both the food and drinks are thoughtfully curated, and the overall experience is phenomenal. I highly recommend subscribing to their newsletter so you don’t miss any limited-time menus or events, like the Chef Collaboration Series, Matsuri, and more.
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C
Chelsea VIP
Chicago / Illinois14 reviews
3.0
Dined on May 28, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
menu is small and overpriced, staff is very friendly
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R
ROBERT VIP
Chicago / Illinois357 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 24, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
This was our second visit to Gaijin, and both outings have been great! We loved the chicken karaage and sesame crusted tuna as appetizers. The pork Osaka-style okonomiyaki was a favorite too!
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FAQs

You can order delivery directly from Gaijin using the Order Direct button in Additional Information section.

Gaijin is rated 4.8 stars by 169 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.