Japanese
Gaijin Chicago
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Featured Items
Kinako Donut
Roasted Soybean flour glaze on a rice flour donut. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.$6.00
Matcha Donut
Matcha powder, and citrus glazed rice flour donuts. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.$6.00
Chicken Karaage
marinated chicken thigh, breaded and fried in the traditional Japanese style, served with a side of yuzu kosho mayo$14.00
FOOD (SAT&SUN)
Small Plates
Tsukemono Trio
curated rotating selection of Japanese-inspired pickled vegetables$5.00
Kombu Vegetables
kombu marinated celery, fermented green beans, radish, sesame$6.00Miso Soup
$6.00Gaijin Salad
House Gaijin Salad with orange-miso vinaigrette, romaine, cucumber, carrots, radish, bean sprouts, arare, and sesame seeds$7.00
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
Veggie Tempura
tempura battered and fried assorted vegetables: broccoli, mushrooms, marinated green beans$10.00
Enoki Mushrooms
Four Star golden enoki mushrooms, sauteed with soy sauce and garlic, topped with curry sesame seeds$12.00Chicken Karaage
marinated chicken thigh, breaded and fried in the traditional Japanese style, served with a side of yuzu kosho mayo$14.00
Honey Glazed Ribs
dry-cured baby back ribs, slow roasted and drizzled with honey chili, served along rice with lemon-ginger pickled turnips$21.00Scallop Sashimi
$28.00OUT OF STOCK
Yakisoba
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$23.00
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
Japanese savory cabbage pancakes cooked on a griddle with customized ingredients. Toppings can include. Okonomiyaki sauce: a savory rich sauce made with over fifteen fruits and vegetables.
Kewpie mayo: A rich mayonnaise made with only egg yolks.
Aonori: Aromatic Dried seaweed from the coast of Japan.
Bonito flakes (katsuobushi): Dried, fermented and smoked skipjack tuna or bonito. Umami explosion that dances with heat.
Arare: Japanese glutinous rice crackers, flavored with soy sauce.
Veggie Tempura Osaka
osaka-style okonomiyaki topped with lightly battered and deep-fried assorted vegetables, puffed rice, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo (can be adjusted to be vegetarian or vegan)$19.00
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)$19.00Beef 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$24.00Pork Belly Osaka
osaka-style okonomiyaki with fried pork belly and bacon, topped with bonito, okonomiyki sauce, and kewpie mayo$25.00
Fried Shrimp Osaka
osaka-style okonomiyaki topped with breaded and fried shrimp, puffed rice, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo$22.00Octopus Osaka
osaka-style okonomiyaki with braised octopus and honey chili-gastrique, topped with bonito, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo$27.00Duck Osaka
osaka-style okonomiyaki topped with teriyaki duck, bonito, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo$30.00
Traditional Negiyaki
savory scallion pancake with bacon, topped with bonito and ponzu sauce$19.00Mushroom/Yuba Negiyaki
savory scallion pancake with roasted mushrooms and a layer of yuba, topped with shio kombu seaweed and ponzu sauce$19.00
Hiroshima
A variation where the ingredients are layered (rather than mixed), with the addition of yakisoba noodles. CANNOT BE VEGAN.
Traditional Hiroshima
layered okonomiyaki with yakisoba noodles, bacon, cabbage, egg; topped with bonito, okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo (not available gluten free)$22.00
Mushroom/Yuba Hiroshima
layered okonomiyaki with yakisoba noodles, roasted mushrooms, yuba, cabbage, egg; topped with okonomiyaki sauce, and kewpie mayo (not available gluten free)$22.00Japanese Breakfast
$18.00+
Sides
Chili Crunch
spicy sesame chili crunch made in-house$2.00Sriracha Mayo
kewpie mayonnaise blended with sriracha, offering a tiny and spicy kick$1.00Kombu 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.$4.00Sambal
sambal oelek, a spicy chili paste with salt and vinegarSriracha
sauce made from sun-ripened chili peppers and garlic, perfect side to add some spice and kickSeasonal Kimchi (Cucumber)
salted and fermented apple, marinated in a spicy Korean-style sauce.$6.00
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.$6.00
Strawberry Donut
Strawberry glazed rice flour donut. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.$6.00
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.$6.00
Chocolate Donut
Valrhona Dark Chocolate glazed rice flour donuts. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.$6.00Kinako Donut
Roasted Soybean flour glaze on a rice flour donut. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.$6.00Coffee Donut
Coffee glazed rice flour donuts. Crispy outside, fluffy and chewy inside.$6.00
外人 Merch
All hours
| Sunday | 11:15 am - 9:00 pm |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 11:15 am - 2:00 pm, 5:15 pm - 9:00 pm |
| Wednesday | 11:15 am - 2:00 pm, 5:15 pm - 9:00 pm |
| Thursday | 11:15 am - 2:00 pm, 5:15 pm - 9:00 pm |
| Friday | 11:15 am - 2:00 pm, 5:15 pm - 9:00 pm |
| Saturday | 11:15 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
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