Kohan Japanese Restaurant

Crab crunch (not on menu)
YH maki
W3 Roll
Awesome food my favorite sushi in chicago!

This review is based almost completely on their Tonkatsu (described as Don Katsu on their menu).
Regardless of the name or linage (Japanese vs. Korean) it means one thing: tender pork cutlets fried in panko flake batter served with a side of what could best be described as a «fruity barbecue sauce». Most places I get this in the US end up producing some dark pork pieces which are 40% grisly pig fat. Not so here though. Perfectly cooked, lean pieces with just the right amount of breading. They are a bit on the thin side and I prefer the thicker cuts of meat I’ve had in Tokyo, but considering the difference between a 13 hour flight to Japan versus a 13 minute drive down 290 this place nails it.
Also had a few rolls, salad, miso soup, and hot green tea which were all really good as well. I liked that their menu is not so one-​dimensional and had a wide selection to choose from.

We ordered the volcano roll, dragon roll and the crazy chicago roll. The best was the volcano. The dragon roll was OK. The crazy Chicago roll had lettuce which kind of throws off the taste. We also ordered the sashimi platter but got the sushi deluxe instead. We tried to wave down the waitress but after 5 min we just stopped trying and ate it. When we did mentioned it she said we ordered the sushi not sashimi. Yea… three people heard sashimi but what can we do… she insist it was sushi. The pieces we’re nice but not worth the price. All the pieces including the rolls didn’t have the right balance of vinegar… the worse deal was the udon. We had udon with an egg and beef gyoza. That was $ 12. Another udon with tempura was $ 10. The udon we’re overcooked and was in a clump. Tasted like instant udon too. The bill came out to be around $ 100 after tips. Not worth. Service was mediocre. Not coming here again. There are better options out there! Maybe service was crappy because we came 50min before closing time.

The rice on the rools come warm! That is so delicious!
Got the Volcano, philly Crunch and the W3! Couldnt figure which one was better!
Service was also one of the best things here!
Gonna come back for sure!

Honestly the best place within walking distance of UIC campus I’ve found for Sushi & Korean! I’m going to be coming back a lot, I can tell.
(´ o ‘)ﾉ
They also have a student discount, which is great! The portions are really nice too. The first time I came I didn’t think the lunch sushi bento would fill me up, so I ordered an extra roll. I was wrong! I ended up having to take a roll with me to the library. (Best snack ever)

Great lunch specials! I havent tried sushi yet but everything else i ordered was fresh and tasty so far. My favourite is Korean beef. The service is fast, and the ambiant is very calm. Oh and the waitress was really nice and kind.

This place is in a nice little nook area of restaurants. There is a parking garage right down the street, which is nice for anyone driving.
Overall, the service was nice, they were attentive and polite. The selection of rolls were a good variety, the prices were in line with many other places. I am a fan of getting a Groupon deal for a sushi place. I wish they would partner up with them, I would go here so much more often.
We got two rolls and that was just the right amount for two people. I am not sure if they are BYOB, they do have drinks to choose from though.
They also have some lunch specials that contain a good amount of food with some options.

My coworkers and I play a game where we put down two locations around Maxwell for lunch, and we randomly draw one to go. Being the new kid on the block, naturally mine got chosen and we got to go to Kohan, and overall, it’s not bad, but not fantastic either.
The restaurant is large with plenty of space (assuming for the students when they return in the Fall). We were seated by the window indoors, which made for a great ambiance while we chatted and enjoyed our meal. There was only one server during lunch hour, but it’s no big deal when there isn’t a large crowd to oversee.
Kohan serves up Japanese and Korean fair. That in itself would be an indication that it doesn’t necessarily excel in one or the other. To be fair, our lunch bentous (roughly $ 10) was not a bad deal either and I’d recommend them for someone coming in on a weekday. You get a small miso soup, salad, vegetable gyozas (the standouts), and two main orders that vary from tempura to sushi. I got a salmon roll along with a shrimp tempura roll, and both were decent enough. The tempura wasn’t the crispiest, but I’ve had worse elsewhere.
All in all, Kohan does a good job and delivering basic Japanese and Korean fair. I’d come back to try some of the more elaborate rolls available since they look enormous!
So while it’s not the greatest sushi you’ll find in Chicago, it’s a solid choice for UIC students and seafood fanatics.

Love this place. Has the best sushi ever. A bit on the pricey side, but worth it. Love the yh, caterpillar, mango maki and the calamari and the Jalapeño bomb!
Would I come back: every week!

My husband and I were extremely satisfied !! The fish was fresh and the waitress was extremely attentive. We were there during lunch time on a weekday and I’m sure that had a lot to do with it but it doesn’t change the fact that the chef took a lot of pride in his meal prep. I had the Korean beef bimbimbap. It was piping hot and delicious. It’s a small, clean restaurant. The dessert was presented well too. I recommend the red bean ice cream !

Skip this place. Ordered the $ 25 chef’s choice sushi for lunch. Chef chose 2 pieces salmon, 2 pieces of tuna, 2 pieces of escolar, a piece of ika, uni, and egg.
I didn’t finish my meal. Spit the ika back into a napkin after chewing on it for what seemed like forever. There was something wrong with the tuna so I didn’t eat the second piece. The uni I took a bite of and decided not to eat the rest.
Overall it was the worst sushi experience I’ve ever had.

A pretty good lunch of sushi for just the right price. Fish quality was okay, nigiri were fine but nothing to scream about. I would happily go back.

My first review, I wasn’t too happy with my yakiudon, but the tens of times I’ve come here after school has been great so far. Their shrimp tempura udon noodle soup is great. The broth is a little spicy. All their nigiri and sushi is always fresh.
What i love most is their uic discount and sushi lunch bento. It’s affordable and comes with a choice of two rolls (or three preselected nigiri), two cucumber lollipops, fruit, shumai, and salad.
Most recently i brought a friend here to let her try sushi for the first time, and she certainly wasn’t disappointed.

Sushi and Korean bbq? Places that serves two cuisine usually deter me from trying. I went there with a voucher and ordered some rolls. It was average. I probably won’t try again. Nothing special.

Our favorite sushi spot was closed for the holidays, so we gave this place a shot. The nigiri was grocery quality and the rice was old and stale. The owner and his wife were friendly and inviting, but I got the sense they didn’t really have a lot of experience running a restaurant. Sushi menus under the glass table tops featured a dozen cuts not available anywhere in Chicago which was annoying.

So it was late, we were shooting from the hip hoping to find a good place. Found one! They sat us, service was fast, food quality was good, presentation good, all in all a great place to get some sushi late at night!

Ok I might be biased but kohan is my favorite sushi joint in Chicago. I have been a regular for maybe 6 years now… Well until I moved to Florida
But even Florida has not stopped me from getting my sushi. I get back to Chicago about every 2 months and kohan is on my list for a late lunch or dinner.
My daughter and her friends 18−19yrs old have been regulars there since they got their drivers licenses at 16 (they still live in Chicago) they have been going with me since they were 13
I only mention my daughter and her friends because they all «hated» sushi until I took them there and now they are sushi snobs.
I hate shitcago but I love the food and kohan’s
While it’s been less than 2 weeks I am craving the orange yellowtail.
See you soon.

Food is decent, not the best I’ve had. Not comparable to sushi pink. The sushi just isn’t made delicious. The bibimbap also doesn’t have enough flavour.
Horrible service. The lady never smiles or says thank you! It feels like all she wants is tips and is on her period.

I came here with a friend because I’ve always been curious as to the food they served here. We had just eaten at the Joy-​Yees nearby, so we weren’t hungry.
The venue itself was pretty dark. I liked the ambiance though. We came around 1PM and there were only about 4 other people in the restaurant so service was quick. They served us miso soup for free while we looked at the menu. Neither of us liked miso soup in general, so we didn’t bother with it. Good thing we didn’t cause a fly ending up flying into the bowl. We notified the waitress and she apologized and took the bowl. It wasn’t their fault so it’s no big deal.
We ended up ordering the shrimp shumai for an appetizer and the UIC sushi roll. Both pictures are attached. :) The shumai was tasty. It was a little more expensive considering the small amount, but it wasn’t terribly expensive. The green onions on top worked well with it. The plating was also nice. The UIC sushi roll was okay. The sides of it were thicker than I would have liked though. There is a picture attached to show what I’m talking about. It tasted good though. Once I took out the avocado, it tasted even better. (I’m not a fan of avocado)
Overall, it was a nice visit. Kind and quick service, okay food, and nice look. I’ll definitely be back again to try their noodles and lunch bentos. :)

I have to change my review. I go here for lunch on a regular basis, and their lunch specials are definitely one of the best in the area. I don’t know where else you can get a sushi bento box or hibachi bento box for under $ 10! And seriously… it’s A LOT of food. I’m always stuffed afterwards!
If you’re in the mood for dessert, you MUST order the Mango Express! BEST. DESSERT. EVER. It’s vanilla ice-​cream wrapped in pound cake and mango strips and fried. Man, just typing this is making me want it!
I bring my newborn baby here with me every time and staff is always so courteous and accommodating. It isn’t easy lugging around a stroller in Chicago, but Kohan is always so welcoming. It’s definitely one of my favorite lunch spots in University Village and I’ll continue to dine there for lunch!