CHIReview
photo credit: Kenny Nakai
Gaijin
Included In
Gaijin is a small, popular spot just off the Morgan stop in the West Loop, and you’ll be able to tell from your train window that’s it’s a very busy restaurant. They specialize in okonomiyaki, and there are two main styles of savory Japanese pancakes to choose from: Osaka, where different toppings are mixed into the batter, and Hiroshima, where they’re layered with yakisoba noodles.
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Both are tasty, but our favorite is the Osaka, which has the more interesting toppings - like beef and garlic, shrimp with creole butter, or octopus with honey. All of those things come together - sweet and savory, meat and vegetables - to make a pancake equivalent of a show with an ensemble so strong, not even a cast member leaving after the first season to start a film career can slow it down. There’s an option to add things like udon, eggs, rice, and cheese, but you don’t need to worry about those. It’s overkill to add an egg to the already-rich chicken confit - like buying a 4K TV just to watch Jeopardy! reruns.
Between the chefs griddling pancakes in the open kitchen, people milling around waiting for a seat, and a fleet of servers navigating a narrow dining room, the menu isn’t the only thing with a lot going on. But it also makes Gaijin the kind of spot where you can get loud over cocktails with friends while you split frisbee-sized pancakes and finish up with kakigori—giant shaved ice sundaes with sweetened condensed milk poured on top to reveal ice cream inside. And that sundae should be the most complicated part of your night—at least until you go home and watch that new German drama about alternate realities.
Food Rundown
Arctic Char
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Pork Yakisoba
Short Ribs
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki
photo credit: Sandy Noto
Negiyaki
photo credit: Sandy Noto