Runa Japanese
| Address: | 2257 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60647, USA |
| Phone: | +1 773-278-8887 |
| Site: | runajapanese.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 12–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 10
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Nizel Adams
Ah, who doesnt love good traditional Japanese cuisine? When I found out there was an actual restaurant that served those big steamy buns near me I had to try it out! Delivery is where my heart is when its a cold day in Chicago so of course Ill let the delivery guy traverse this weather while I sit and watch my favorite tv shows from the comfort of my home (although I do hope they make it out alive). After waiting...and waiting...and waiting....my order finally came after about an hour and 45 minutes when its probably about 2 miles from me at the most. Busy day? Yeah I get it, but at least give me a call if its going to be almost 2 hours. Finally, I got my hands on some steamy hot buns, chicken fried rice and some OJ! I bite into them..lo and behold! Theyre pretty bland and the BBQ Pork ones hardly had any meat. Something was off though, they were way too chewy almost like chewing a napkin. I kept thinking, did they cook them too long or nuke these things in the microwave? Then I take a minute to study the buns.... there was a thick piece of transparent paper on the bottom of them (transparent from all the moisture I assume) that I was accidentally ingesting as well. I wish they wouldve given a heads up about the invisible wax paper on the bottom of their buns before I started chowing down. Removing the paper doesnt help though, proving that even though you can make the buns like nice with almost perfect texture, you cant make piss poor ingredients taste good. At this point I still have hope for the fried rice so "well see!!!" I say to myself, "I refuse to let the only Japanese restaurant near me be sub par!" Fried rice tasted like straight vegetable oil, I still think it was poisoned. You cannot taste the chicken or anything except for the crappy oil that it was drenched in. Along with the delayed delivery did I mention the container of fried rice was broken in the bag so I had to do some shenanigans just to get most of it out of the bag, some of it spilled on my floor and in the bag itself. Strike two Runa, but still I have hope for you. Youre Japanese, you have standards of excellence! Washing down meals with a good drink is the equivalent of breathing so I reach for my juice in the bag. I keep reaching and fiddling around. Did they forget my drink? NOPE, they ripped me off and give me a something which I can only assume was meant for an infant that I paid 3 bucks for. For those who need visuals Ill describe it as best as I can. Think of a small pill bottle for like aspirin, yep, thats the size of the $3 drink they sold me (which didnt state that it was going to be in a can by the way). At this point I feel totally ripped off especially when I couldve gone to 7-Eleven and got like a liter of OJ for 3-4 bucks. I drank my shot in less than a second and immediately grabbed my camera to take pictures. I wouldnt recommend this place to anyone. If you want good Japanese buns go to Wow Bao. The pork ones at Runa are huge, but as I said before they hardly have any meat whatsoever and are pretty bland.
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Tony Buck
Quaint little place in west Wicker Park. We started with edamame, lightly salted, and very fresh. I do not care for plain edamame, and this one did not disappoint. We also had the Negima Beef, teriyaki beef, rolled over an asparagus spear. This was also good, the asparagus was al dente, the way i like my veggies, and the beef was flavorful and tender. For our entrees, we both had some pieces of sushi and split a roll. The sushi was very fresh, the rice was not clumpy, but did not fall apart either upon dipping it in the soy sauce. We both enjoyed that very much. We shared a lobster maki roll. The lobster was tempura. While the roll was good, I would have preferred my lobster not be fried. The service was excellent, but we got there right after work, so there was not much of a crowd. Hard to really judge service when they only have a few people to wait on. Overall we enjoyed our dining experience and will dine there again.
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Alex Thibodeau
This is hands down the best restaurant in Wickerpark/Bucktown. Ive been here a million times and have never experienced anything but consistent, quality service. They have the best salmon in the city, hands down. The sashimi is perfectly colored and prepared- bursting with flavor and ridiculously fresh. The spicy seafood miso has no comparison, featuring a generous variety of seafood ranging from whitefish and crab to mussels and squid. Its a great date spot, great casual dinner, great outdoor patio, great delivery service, great dine-in service, and its BYOB. Cant say enough good things. The owner, Henry, is a sushi master and is very hands-on with the customers and the food preparation. He flies fresh fish in from Hawaii daily, which is part of the unique freshness a meal there holds.
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John Barrett
Weve been here a handful of times and think this sushi is great, up there with the best in Chicago. A few of our favorite rolls are the Pink Dragon Roll, Tuna Fantasy, the Black Pearl, and the Lobster Maki. The beef udon is a great non-sushi option. Its BYO, good for small or large groups of people, has a spacious patio out back for nice days, and last but not least, is a great option for delivery.
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Jen Mui
Came here for dinner, but just thought the sushi was subpar. The makis were very small and so were the sushi pieces. We ordered the "Stay Rolling" specialty roll; it supposedly includes tuna, salmon, hamachi & avacado, but barely tasted any of the fishes! We also ordered the Luv 1, which comes with 3 pieces of tuna, 3 pieces of salmon, 3 pieces of hamachi & spicy tuna maki. Again, just subpar.
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Arthur Mertes
Dont let the small footprint fool you - while relatively new 2013, this is some of the best sushi in the city and rivals the best sushi in town. Their specialty rolls are one of a kind, and all their sushi has been uber-fresh. Weve ordered again and again, each time excellent! A real find and great addition to the Bucktown/Wicker Park area!
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Olivia Howlett
The food was expensive and the portions were quite tiny. Im used to getting pretty full on specialty rolls, and my group had to order more food. It was tasty, but not quite worth it. The atmosphere was nice, but we felt a bit rushed throughout the second half of dinner. Its a BYOB place, so that was nice. Overall good, but not great.
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Steve Sobel
Runa is one of the few places we keep coming back to. There are so many options for places to eat in Chicago that we just dont repeat visits to a lot of places but Runa is consistently good, reasonably priced, and always a nice environment to visit. Definitely worth your hard earned dollars and time!
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Noah Feingold
If youre looking for a nice, chill sushi experience - this is the place. Great neighborhood spot, especially if you want to sit outside and enjoy the weather. Food was great, miso soup was on point, and the green tea was excellent.
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Ryan Snyder
First time visit was delicious and we were able to get a seat right away outside. Its BYOB and the staff was super helpful in both making recommendations on food to eat and in chilling our brought in beverages.
