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    Japanese

    Gaijin Chicago

    950 W LAKE ST

    Chicago, IL 60607


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    Lunch Menu SS 2026
    外人 Merch
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    Lunch Menu SS 2026

    Starters Lunch SS2026

    • Kombu Vegetables

      kombu marinated celery, fermented green beans, radish, sesame
      $6.00
    • Miso Soup

      $6.00
    • Twice-Cooked Garlic & Senbei

      rayu oil roasted and flash fried garlic cloves, served along senbai rice crackers
      $10.00
    • Bok Choy

      sautéed baby bok choy, topped with sesame, garlic, shoyu, and fried shallots
      $10.00
    • Enoki Mushrooms

      Four Star golden enoki mushrooms, sauteed with soy sauce and garlic, topped with curry sesame seeds
      $12.00
    • Chicken Karaage

      $14.00
    • Wagyu Bavette

      $25.00

    Yakisoba Lunch SS2026

    • Veggie Yakisoba

      stir-fried yakisoba noodles with cabbage, corn, bean sprouts, and mushrooms, tossed in a savory yakisoba sauce and topped with sesame seeds
      $19.00
    • Shrimp Yakisoba

      stir-fried yakisoba noodles with grilled shrimp, cabbage, and mushrooms, tossed in a savory yakisoba sauce and topped with sesame seeds
      $22.00
    • Pork Belly Yakisoba

      stir-fried yakisoba noodles with fried pork belly, cabbage, and mushrooms, tossed in a savory yakisoba sauce and topped with sesame seeds
      $22.00
    • Octo Yakisoba

      stir-fried yakisoba noodles with grilled octopus, cabbage, and mushrooms, tossed in a savory yakisoba sauce and topped with sesame seeds
      $25.00

    Osaka SS2026

    • Phoenix Bean Tofu Osaka

      osaka-style okonomiyaki topped with Phoenix Bean tofu, puffed rice, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo (can be adjusted to be vegetarian or vegan)
      $19.00
    • Beef Osaka

      osaka-style okonomiyaki with slow-cooked 21-day-aged black Angus beef and roasted garlic, topped with scallions, bonito, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo
      $24.00
    • Pork Belly Osaka

      osaka-style okonomiyaki with fried pork belly and bacon, topped with bonito, okonomiyki sauce, and kewpie mayo
      $22.00
    • Fried Shrimp Osaka

      osaka-style okonomiyaki topped with breaded and fried shrimp, puffed rice, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo
      $22.00
    • Octopus Osaka

      osaka-style okonomiyaki with braised octopus and honey chili-gastrique, topped with bonito, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo
      $27.00
    • Duck Osaka

      osaka-style okonomiyaki topped with teriyaki duck, bonito, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo
      $30.00

    Gaijin Salad SS2026

    • Wagyu Bavette Salad

      $30.00
    • Seared Sesame Tuna Salad

      $25.00
    • Gaijin Side Salad

      $7.00

    Sides (Lunch)

    • Chili Crunch

      spicy sesame chili crunch made in-house
      $2.00
    • Sriracha Mayo

      kewpie mayonnaise blended with sriracha, offering a tiny and spicy kick
      $1.00
    • Kombu Vegetables

      kombu marinated celery, fermented green beans, radish, sesame
      $6.00
    • Rice

      steamed rice topped with furikake: a blend of sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, salt
      $3.00
    • Kim-Chi Side

      house fermented cabbage with chili, garlic, ginger.
      $4.00
    • Sambal

      sambal oelek, a spicy chili paste with salt and vinegar
    • Sriracha

      sauce made from sun-ripened chili peppers and garlic, perfect side to add some spice and kick
    • Seasonal Kimchi

      salted and fermented apple, marinated in a spicy Korean-style sauce.
      $6.00
    • Tsukemono Trio

      $5.00

    Mochi Donuts

    Glazed rice flour donuts. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.
    • Matcha Donut

      Matcha powder, and citrus glazed rice flour donuts. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.
      $5.00
    • Strawberry Donut

      Strawberry glazed rice flour donut. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.
      $5.00
    • Pandan Donut

      Pandan: the leaf of a tropical plant paired with coconut, in a classic South Eastern Asia flavor combo. Glazed rice flour donut. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.
      $5.00
    • Chocolate Donut

      Valrhona Dark Chocolate glazed rice flour donuts. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.
      $5.00
    • Kinako Donut

      Roasted Soybean flour glaze on a rice flour donut. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.
      $5.00
    • Coffee Donut

      Coffee glazed rice flour donuts. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.
      $5.00

    Ice Cream

    • Black Sesame Scoop

      $5.00
    • Black Sesame Half Pint

      Black Sesame house-made ice cream
      $9.00
    • Matcha Scoop

      $5.00
    • Matcha Half Pint

      House-made Matcha ice cream
      $9.00
    • Sorbet Scoop

      $5.00
    • Coconut Ube Scoop

      $7.00

    外人 Merch

    外人SHIRT

    • GUEST TSHIRT

      $25.00
    • Sparrow Coffee 1lb Bag

      $20.00

    Book

    • Preservation Kitchen

      $30.00

    Coffee Donut

    $5.00

    Coffee glazed rice flour donuts. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.

    Request advisory
    In addition to any special request, please inform us if you will need cutlery for your meal and/or extra sauces.
    1

    All hours
    Sunday11:15 am - 9:00 pm
    MondayClosed
    Tuesday11:15 am - 2:00 pm, 5:15 pm - 9:00 pm
    Wednesday11:15 am - 2:00 pm, 5:15 pm - 9:00 pm
    Thursday11:15 am - 2:00 pm, 5:15 pm - 9:00 pm
    Friday11:15 am - 2:00 pm, 5:15 pm - 9:00 pm
    Saturday11:15 am - 9:00 pm
    Restaurant info

    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.

    Location

    950 W LAKE ST, Chicago, IL 60607

    Directions


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