Gaijin by Chef Paul Virant is Chicago’s first okonomiyaki restaurant, offering both Hiroshima and Osaka styles of the savory Japanese pancake.
Gaijin
950 W LAKE ST, Chicago, IL
Lunch Menu SS 2026
Starters Lunch SS2026

Kombu Vegetables
kombu marinated celery, fermented green beans, radish, sesame$6.00Miso 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
marinated chicken thigh, breaded and fried in the traditional Japanese style, served with a side of yuzu kosho mayo$14.00Wagyu 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$24.00
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 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)$19.00Beef 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$27.00Pork 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$26.00Octopus 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
Gaijin Salad SS2026
Sides (Lunch)
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 (persimmon)
salted and fermented apple, marinated in a spicy Korean-style sauce.$6.00Tsukemono 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.$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.$6.00
Kinako 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

Matcha Donut
$6.00
Matcha powder, and citrus 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.
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