Review Ara On - Chicago

Really great experience. Went here randomly after reading yelp reviews. The did was absolutely amazing. Service could have been a bit more on it but otgerwise, worth it. Ordered the the Ara on chef special, Araon tower, and they gave us a complimentary sampler that was really delicious.

Food is great and it's a nice sushi place in the loop if you don't feel like trekking all the way out to River North or something. It's clean and spacious, but I don't care for the leather sofa or in the walkway, it's kind of gross looking. Luckily the wall art is intricately pleasing. The hosts and servers were attentive and kind, but the other staff didn't seem happy to be there. Definitely coming back for great nigiri but service and aesthetic could use consideration.

Very impressed by this restaurant. Great decor, great, friendly staff and great food. Very convenient to both the W hotel and JW Marriott in downtown Chicago. I found this to be one of the better restaurants I have been to in Chicago, I could go on and on, I definitely recommend this place

Excellent place to get some drinks and/or food. We came here for some wine after dinner. Loved it. Ambiance is very good.

The food is really nice. The environment is clean, nice and stylish. It would be great if beef in Bibimbap can be a bit more tender.

Amazing food!!! Highly recommended!!! Best experience possible!!!Chef came to our table to teach us how to eat the pork meal. Love it!!!! AMAZING!!!

This place was amazing. Outstanding service great food. If I ever come to Chicago again I would stop here.

Great selection of sushi and nigiri. Entrée (healthy salmon) was OK. Service was mediocre - inattentive but pleasant when they were around, perhaps they were short staffed. Enjoyed a complimentary appetizer which was a nice welcome touch.

Food was AMAZING!! My server Ben was very patient and answered all of my questions about my choices. Was very beautiful inside. Will def be back

The service here was impeccable. The executive chef came around to every table to talk about each aspect of the dishes. Everyone was incredibly kind. The food had exotic Japanese and Korean flavors combined in unique ways. Everything was amazing and the people made the experience 10X better. I would absolutely recommend for any occasion, big or small.

This place is awesome. The food is great. Here's a little cheat sheet for ya:<br/><br/>Specialty food and deserts are to the far right when you walk in. If you order a salad in the hot dog line (middle) you still have to pick it up from the specialty side. <br/><br/>When you order a hot dog and associated food, there are two lines. Stand in the line on the right side. It opens up to 3 cash registers and moves quick. The line on the left side of the middle line is operated by one cashier and goes much slower. He is also unable to ring up a salad, so you have to then go over to the other line. Lesson learned. <br/><br/>The food comes out quick and is picked up on the left side along with your beverages. To the far left you can order your alcoholic beverages.<br/><br/>The food is great, the atmosphere is loud, and the pace is fast. Enjoy!!

The third course was a clay bowl of sesame crusted salmon with bibimbap. Not only was the salmon bursting with flavour, but it was incredibly flaky while being succulent. I can’t state any French influence in this dish, but the bibimbap is my favourite Korean dish.

Wanted to try this place as its close to work.<br/>Braved the sleet and here I am.<br/><br/>The place is spacious, you wont feel it when you see this from the street, the decor is good.<br/>The tables are made up of what look like a single piece of sliced lumber.<br/>the music is bit loud for me, Service is good<br/><br/>Order is Scottish Salmon , which comes with mashed potatoes and vegetable stir fry in teriyaki sauce<br/>Made a mistake , ordered the salmon medium rare, so lot of uncooked region, had to send it back to fix it.<br/>Lesson learned, medium rare steak OK, Medium rare salmon not OK

This place is terrible. Maybe it's because I'm spoiled in New York but the sushi here is terrible. The bento box is so over priced and terrible. The steak was so fatty and not in a good way, it was chewy and had to spit half of it out

Superb meal. Chef Special was excellent. Very friendly service.

Amazing experience, phenomenal sushi!. My wife and I brought our 6- and 10-year-old daughters to Chicago for spring break. We decided to check out AraOn because it's right across the street from the JW Marriott where we're staying. <br/><br/>When we first walked in, the hostess came across as ever so slightly condescending when she asked if we had reservations - it was Monday night at about 8, and the place was *maybe* half full. She seated us, and she came back to take our order a few minutes later. I asked my wife if she was getting a weird vibe from the hostess/waitress, and my wife had the same impression I did. Nothing overt, but definitely a weird sort of "looking down her nose" feeling.<br/><br/>We started with edamame for us, miso soup for my oldest daughter. The owner of the place came out to bring the edamame, and he was incredibly kind and gracious. The edamame was salted with the standard sea salt, and also spiced with a red crushed pepper. They were very good.<br/><br/>I ordered the Sushi Combo Platter ($26) listed as "chef's selection of 6 pieces<br/>of nigiri and a spicy tuna maki." My wife ordered the Miso Yaki salmon bento box ($23). My 10-year-old daughter asked for crab rangoon for her entree, and my 6-year-old just wanted mac and cheese, so we ordered the smoked cheddar and bacon mac and cheese.<br/><br/>The owner came out again to deliver the crab rangoon, and he brought an extra plate for my youngest - great touch to keep the kids from fussing. He was effusive in his welcome, and really nice to all of us.<br/><br/>Then he came out and gave my wife and me a squid salad (not on the menu) to try. The squid was smoky and perfectly prepared, both of us were really impressed.<br/><br/>When our meals came out, I was really blown away by the size of my plate. There was some really beautiful sashimi, tuna, salmon and (I think) yellowtail. There was also a really nice tempura shrimp roll, an eel roll, and five pieces of sushi (salmon, tuna, yellowtail, squid, and I can't remember the 5th piece, sorry). I was not expecting any sashimi at all, and only one roll.<br/><br/>I was amazed at how light and flavorful the sashimi was, and how rich the sushi was. The tempura shrimp roll was perfect, and the eel roll was just... jaw dropping. A lovely touch was that they used sprinkles of real gold leaf on the tuna sashimi. My daughters were fascinated, and I will admit it impressed me. He claimed that eating the gold would purify me. No science to that, but it sounded great.<br/><br/>Now, I am certainly not a sushi connoisseur, but I've had really good sushi all over the globe. This was easily in the top five places at which I've ever eaten sushi & sashimi.<br/><br/>The owner came over a couple of times during the meal to check on us, and he chatted with my daughters easily, bringing them to laughter several times. He really, really did a great job of making us feel welcome.<br/><br/>To top the meal off, he brought us a really unique dessert - an Asian pear sherbet in a bed of ground fresh ginger, resting in a shallow pool of pomegranate juice. He said that it would cleanse the mouth and aid in digestion. It was also really amazing. I've never had a dessert like it before, and it was a beautiful end to a fantastic meal.<br/><br/>When the check came, I finally put it together - I had ordered the "Sushi combo platter ($26)," but they had brought me (and charged me for) the "Ara-On Deluxe Platter ($46)." Normally, I'd have been plenty upset that they brought me a meal almost twice the price of the one I'd ordered, but between the comped squid salad, comped crab rangoon, comped desserts, and personal attention from the owner, I was really not upset about it at all. I choose to believe that it was an honest mistake. Even at nearly twice the price, the Ara-On Deluxe is absolutely worth it. All four of us walked away raving about the place.<br/><br/>I'll definitely be back when I travel here next!

Phenomenal! Thai Spring Roll - awesome! 5 spice duck - incredible! When I come back to Chicago this will be on the list of places to eat - again and again!

Unbelievable!!' excellent staff and ambience... In a phrase... Your stupid if you don't go here!!!

Great sashimi, friendly atmosphere

Exceptional sushi. Nice bar. Good atmosphere. Efficient service. Must try the green tea creme brulee. Strongly recommend!

Decent. I was visiting Chicago and wanted to eat at a good Japanese restaurant. After doing some googling, I decided to give Ara On a try. They position themselves as a Japanese / French fusion restaurant. I am not really sure I got that sense. First off, the name is Korean and not Japanese ....not a huge factor but just thought I would point that out. Ok to the food, I mainly focused on ordering on the sushi and sashimi. We ordered a couple of specialty maki rolls, an assortment of sashimi and some nigiri sushi. Overall, the fish was fresh and the sushi rice was packed on correctly. The wasabi was disappointingly weak though ...it had no kick at all. The staff was friendly though very unknowledgeable. He informed me there was no Uni (sea urchin) for the day but when the food came out there was Uni served in my assorted sashimi. I pointed that out to him and he didnt have a clue! The restaurant was also surprisingly dead for a Friday night. To conclude, it's a place worth trying given the sushi/sashimi is quite decent. Read my other reviews.

Only cosmetic flaws. Wonderful atmosphere with classic Japanese flair and chic modern art, but with a little acne - thel blemishes inlcued cheesy Coke diplays behind sushi bar, paper towel dispenser prominently displayed next to Asahi beer Maneki Neko, and plastic wrap adorning work counter behind bar. The maki roll was superb. The wine list is not huge but had sufficient quality to make it impressive. Fear not the Green Tea creme brulee, it was quite unique and oddly yummy.

A hidden gem. Great sushi, creative Asian inspired entrees, loft feel with art gallery decor and Asian techo punk music. Fabulous staff and inspired chef. These people get customer service.

We walked into Ara On and were immediately greeted by who I guess to be the head sushi chef. He knew we were tourists and gave us a free appetizer! This was BBQ spicy tuna and it was one of the yummiest sushi I’ve had.  Super savory and a little bit of crunch. We ordered a grilled octopus appetizer. It was tender and seasoned just right with salty olive flavor and fingerling potatoes on the bottom. Look at our platter of sushi! I don’t think you could go wrong with any of the sushi selections. My favorite incorporated that amazing BBQ spicy tuna we tried from the app. Definitely order this tuna salmon duo maki if you make it to Ara On! The post Ara On | Chicago, IL appeared first on Take Time Away .