Sunda

Reviews 7

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Steve Alcorn

I had high expectations for Sunda, and they were met in some areas, but not all. The best item we sampled was the Crispy Brussels Sprouts, a superb house specialty; thin slices of broccoli are almost toasted, then tossed with red cabbage, carrots, chilies, fried shallots, and minced shrimp and served with nuoc cham (a rice wine vinegar dressing). I couldn’t stop eating this! Tiger Shrimp Tempura was interesting in that it was served with candied walnuts, but the creamy honey aioli was really slathered on and made it very rich. “Grilled Spare Ribs” are actually Korean style kalbi ribs, not my favorite. Sushi was less inspiring. We tried several house special rolls, and none was greater than the sum of its parts. Spicy Salmon Shiso was particularly odd, with very finely ground salmon tartare and a dollop of sriracha on top of a thin slice of jicama and a shiso leaf. The ingredients were fine when picked apart, but the combination was a bit of a mess. The wine and beer list in interesting, with many selections, including some excellent Champagnes, available by the glass. The space is stylish and vibrant, and the service was efficient, if not inspired.

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Monica Bhalla

Ive been here several times, but recently came back with a big group of friends. The scene is trendy and the people are beautiful. Lighting is dim and music is loud, but not too loud where you cant hear each other and hold a conversation. We had a 9pm reservation on Saturday for 9 of us, and were seated 20 minutes early at a great long table in the middle of the restaurant. Our server was great (forgot his name)! We started with cocktails and I absolutely loved my Lychee Luxury Drop. Combined with St. Germaine and lemon juice, it wasnt extremely sweet, just how I like my drinks. The hint of wasabi was great, although, one of my friends wasnt a fan. We shared a ton of dishes: Oxtail Pot Stickers, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Garlic Crab Noodles, Stuffed Avocado, Yellowtail Jalapeno, Spicy Tail of Two Tunas, Red Dragon, Firecracker, The Number Ten and several others that I dont remember. Everything was delicious and perfect for sharing. We even ended our meal with a couple desserts: the ridiculous and the coconut sorbet. Ill keep coming back!

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Raj Vinjamuri

Nick Maggio: What an experience! A group of 12 of us came for some great food to celebrate for a bachelor party. We were quickly seated and treated to a feast to remember--designed, served, and executed by the masterful and benevolent Nick Maggio. This gentleman observed that our party wanted to enjoy a good variety of Sundas finest, while not neglecting to have sake and other appropriate spirits. Nick suggested that he let him order for us. We convened and agreed--and boy did he exceed any possible expectation we could have had. After acknowledging any notable preferences and/or allergies, he promptly put in order after order of wonderful dishes (which you can see in my added pictures). These were not entirely exorbitant nor on the minimal-side, but rather we received a balanced experience of Sundas rich offerings. The sushi and sushimi was spectacular, the sake was not marginal, and our time was filled with plate after plate of great service. I could not more highly recommend this place. If you are so fortunate to try it out, ask for Mr. Maggio!

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Tim Fehr

Ive been coming to Sunda for nearly two years and every experience has always been wonderful, even a couple days ago when it almost went south because of my waiter/waitress having forgot about me at the sushi bar. I say almost because the level of service I received after they realized their mistake was like dinning at a Michelin rated restaurant. Scott, the Assistant General Manager, two waiters, and one of the chefs, were sure to frequently ask if I needed anything, but not too frequently as to create an annoying experience. I was offered a glass of wine on the house, brought a small sushi sampler, and comped a large portion of my bill, all without asking for a single thing. I simply asked one of the Chefs if I was supposed to be ordering from him and that seemed to have set in motion the experience I ended up receiving. The food was amazing like always, the atmosphere is fun and upbeat, and the service remains impeccable, so Ill be going back soon! Thanks again Scott and the rest of the staff that more than saved my experience!

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JUAN MATA

My friend searched for The BEST place for a Bloody Mary , while we were downtown for Saint Patricks Day. I Wish i would of went home and not joined them. BUT I love Bloody Marys ! So the wife and i joined them. They mentioned the Bloody Mary was on their secret menu . it had a 1/2 of a grilled cheese and ham on skewer . with well done Bacon slices. and some little egg roll of some sort. and a skewer with pork ? . anyhow we asked what is the price ? as they never were going to tell us ( I Guess ? ) it was $40.00 !!!!!!! Has to be good . RIGHT !??!???!?!! we ll 3 of us shared it. glad we did. cause it is BARELY worth $13.33 (1/3 my portion ) . ANY NEIGHBORHOOD BAR can make a better tasting Bloody Mary .. For $3.50 - $5 , we also ordered the Tiger Shrimp. it was tasteless. Tiger - I would of thought - would be somewhat Spicy ? Flavorful ? NOT. WOULD NOT GO THERE AGAIN. 1 - Bloody MARY & 2- appetizers .. $82.00 + $18.00 tip = $100.00 -NEVER AGAIN . at least not SUNDA .

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Katie Lane

Its not everyday I eat shrimp... actually I NEVER eat any kind of seafood and shrimp is at the top of my list of no gracias. Ive gone to sushi restaurants and asked for the vegetarian menu... yes, I know, how dare I! But theres a first for everything and the first time I had shrimp was here... at Sunda! And holy crap, it blew my mind, the shrimp tempura definitely set the bar for how shrimp should taste for the rest of my life. Came here for an early business dinner and ordered the shrimp, short ribs, pad thai and 7 spice fried chicken. It was the best meal ever, we all shared rather politely until the final bites came and then it was like a Hungry Hippo game... which I won. Thanks! Dessert was great, we had the mochi ice cream and a thing called the ridiculous which was ridiculously f**king awesome! This place has made me miss hanging out downtown, but Id be sure to come here more often... when invited. *hint hint*

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A Private User

Sunda is a great new addition to the Chicago area. I enjoyed the food and the overall decor of the place. I would have to say that I took one star of for service. I went on two occasions and each time the server was either too new or too occupied. How can you serve soup with no spoon and it took me asking 3 different people for a spoon. I finally got my spoon and the soup went cold. Other than that the food was great. So good I went back another time and this time willing to give the service another shot. Again it failed. I ordered appetizers that came out with the entree because they forgot to put it in. Come on! I took of one more star because although the bathrooms are beautiful I didnt like that its like a maze to get there especially when the restaurant is packed and food runners are whizzing by. It is worth a trip but ask for an expeciened wait staff member and try to sit in the back if possible.

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