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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

    Octopus Osaka

    $27.00

    osaka-style okonomiyaki with braised octopus and honey chili-gastrique, topped with bonito, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo

    Customize your item

    Osaka-Style Add On's

    Optional

    Protein Add On

    Optional
    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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