Taiyaki Chicago

Delicious! Totally recommend this place. The red bean and matcha soft serve were really nice! The food was priced really well and the staff were friendly and helpful.

Delicious dessert! The taiyaki were made fresh to order and were filled pretty well. We got ube, red bean, and custard and they were all delicious! The taro milk tea with boba was very good, but a little on the sweet side (we forgot to ask to change the sugar level, so we aren’t sure if they’re able to). I would love to try the ice cream next time we come back.

A yummy, unique dessert available right in Chicago! I got the matcha soft-serve with custard filling, and it was really good with the brown sugar syrup on top! The taiyaki was good, but it could have been filled a little deeper into the pastry.

We got the matcha soft serve in a custard filled taiyaki. The flavors were all really good but we felt the taiyaki could’ve been filled a bit more. But the portion size was great and we really enjoyed the matcha soft serve!

stumbled upon this soft serve place last year and it’s soo good and affordable!! What’s even better is that it’s Dairy Free!! My favorite is their matcha with crushed oreos and my bf is obsessed with their chocolate shake with oreos. We tried the taiyaki but didn’t love the texture but that’s just us (more on the doughy side) but love everything else!!

Came in with friends to close out the night with a delicious and unique dessert. I went with the red bean filling, matcha soft serve, and condensed milk and wafer straw topping but there are a lot of delicious combos to try.

Place seems barren a soulless. Very quiet and even the employee didn't seem like he wanted to be there. Overall good ice cream and the cone was delightfully chewy in a mochi way. Just a bizarre atmosphere so not sure if they're going through a change.

An absolute treat!! Pretty average price for an ice cream cone, but this one’s much quirkier and yummier. I recommend the matcha soft serve w custard filling

Yummy dessert spot! Just had a cup with oreos and chocolate sauce. Cute little place to hang out with friends and the service was quick.

In an area full of great dessert options, this specialty shop stands out. Taiyaki Chicago puts a modern twist on a traditional Japanese pastry. The shop was quiet and clean, with friendly employees greeting customers. Each order comes with soft serve ice cream, a filling flavor for the fried dough, and many topping options- there were so many delicious-looking ones that it was hard to choose! For those not in the mood for ice cream, the shop also offers smoothies and boba tea. I opted for the matcha ice cream with a custard filling. When the order came out, the pastry was piping hot and freshly fried, with the perfect crispy exterior and a fluffy interior similar to funnel cake. The custard filling was very generous and absolutely divine paired with the dough! It was the perfect contrast to the creamy matcha. Although the ice cream was very sweet, the sugar did not at all overpower the delicate and refreshing matcha flavor. I recommend ordering the dish upside down so you can get a nice taste of the dough and ice cream. I'm already looking forward to the next visit and trying more of their menu. To those in the area looking for a sweet treat, be sure to stop by! You won't regret it.

While their taiyaki are cute, the ice cream was pretty flavorless. I thought the ice cream was soft serve, but it ended up tasting more like frozen yogurt, and the toppings for the seasonal "apple pie" and the "bean" (oreo) were very bland as they only sift powdered oreos/pie crust. Additionally, I think the dough for the taiyaki was undone but I'm not familiar with what normal taiyaki tastes like. The inside has around 3 tables with 2-4 seats along with bar space near the windows so there was plenty of seating when we went. The staff was very kind and were accomodating to my nut allergy. Overall, the ice cream was disappointing, but the service was good.

Honestly a 3.5 but rounded up to 4 because service was so good. We dropped by here after a random dinner in the area and were going right for the taiyaki. My friend and I being mirror images ordered the same taikyaki with matcha with the only difference being red bean vs custard fillings. Our orders came out pretty quickly and were giant! Definitely have dessert space in your stomach if you come here. I will say that the matcha soft serve had a great robust matcha flavor - not dilute or faint at all and not too cloyingly sweet in any way. Loved it! Now the problems started once I got down to the taiyaki itself. It was a hefty taiyaki and I truly wonder if it should have been cooked for a longer period of time because parts of it felt very thick and gummy. The outside and the top had a little bit of a crisp but the middle was honestly very hard to get through. The filling was fine -- i.e. the custard that I got and it complimented the rest of the dessert well but I have to say I have some reservation about the thicc taiyaki which felt a little underdone imo. Service was very sweet; you order at the counter and they call your order out. We went on a weekend night but the crowd was not insane which was much appreciated. There is a good amt of sitting area on the inside too!

Excellent Taiyaki! They have vegan ones as well! Soft serve is vegan as well !!! Excellent spot for dairy free people like me :) They serve bubble tea with dairy free alternatives too! Service is pretty fast. Ambience is very simple.

Very delicious taiyaki with a healthy number of flavor and item options. You get exactly what you hope for, and it pretty much always delivers! - Fast service - Almost never has a line - Delicious taiyaki and soft serve - The bubble tea is pretty solid too! - Great limited edition flavors - Inside is clean with a few tables and chairs I have a positive experience every time I go here and would definitely recommend it to others. The taiyaki has a great balance between "waffle" and soft serve and makes for a very fun eating experience. I would recommend getting it "upside down" (comes with a cup) if you are worried about spilling. Great spot to get dessert in Lincoln Park! and best taiyaki I've had in Chicago.

I got The Bean Neighborhood Favorite with vanilla ice cream sprinkled with Oreo crumbles on top of a taiyaki filled with red bean paste. The taiyaki and red bean paste were both not very sweet nor flavorful. Plus, it was like fighting through a fortress of vanilla ice cream to get to the taiyaki below. This establishment is great for straightforward, uncomplicated flavors and people who want to get a cute picture with some adorable ice cream. The portions are massive and you won't leave hungry.

Taiyaki Chicago is an absolute delight that leaves you craving for more. This charming Japanese fish-shaped pastry, captures attention with its adorable shape. The pastry was perfectly golden, slightly crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. I decided to go for the peanut butter filling, which turned out to be a fantastic choice. I couldn't resist pairing it with a chocolate soft serve. The creamy, rich chocolate soft serve was a wonderful complement to the warm taiyaki, creating a symphony of flavors that left me craving for more. As if that wasn't enough indulgence, I decided to treat myself to a chocolate shake as well. The shake was thick, creamy, and irresistibly chocolatey, adding an extra layer of decadence to my already delightful dessert adventure. My dessert experience was nothing short of amazing. This pastry is the real deal, made with love and care, and it's no wonder people all over go crazy for it. If you're into Japanese treats or just looking for something super satisfying, you've got to get your hands on some taiyaki. Seriously, the flavor, the texture, the cute shape, it's got it all! Head over to your Taiyaki Chicago and treat yourself to this little piece of heaven. Trust me; you won't stop smiling!

My son and I were craving Taiyaki and decided to check this place out. I ordered the 'Lincoln Park' Taiyaki which is filled with Nutella, matcha soft serve, rainbow mochi ball stick and a wafer; my son customized his Taiyaki. Service was excellent and really fast! Make sure to snap a pic of your Taiyaki quick because this sweet treat will melt. I recommend stopping in if you have a sweet tooth or bring your children because it's an aesthetically pleasing dessert!

Stopped here for a mid-day snack. The interior decor is pretty plain with white walls- nothing exciting. There were a couple people running the store and the kitchen is hidden. I got the Lincoln Taiyaki Matcha ice cream was good with the mochi topping. The Nutella is too sweet for an asian dessert, so had to scoop some out. I'm disappointed that the pastry was underbaked.

I came here after seeing an instagram reel about the shop, and it was so good. I came by on a 90°F day, and the ice cream taiyaki just hit. I ended up ordering one with matcha soft serve which was such a good choice. The shop itself is on the smaller side, but does have a few tables to sit at. I also came early in the day, so the service was fast and the staff was very patient and nice.

3.5/5, rounded to 4/5 The tayaki was quite interesting. I do think it was a bit on the tougher side similar to other reviews. We got it with matcha ice cream and oreo and mochi toppings. The matcha ice cream was delicious but so strong it ended up being a little too overpowering (bitter?) by the end. The oreos were a good mix along with the matcha. The mochi was... ok.

Not that impressed. We should have known when the place was totally empty. The only ice cream was vanilla and the flavor stuffed in the Taiyaki was minimal.

Okay place. It's one of those places that combines alot of stock ingredients. The sum is more than the parts type of ish. And the sum isn't lol. But it's still REALLY nice presentation, cool waffle fish, nice piece of art for a dessert. Okay dessert.

SO yummy. The inside of the shop is pretty sparse and I wish they'd decorate it cuter! The cashier was very helpful in explaining the build your own process to me when I was struggling food came out super fast! Since its the only taiyaki ice cream place (that I know of) north of the loop, it definitely fills the spot well :)

Lots of options here for people looking for soft serve or smoothies or shakes. Next time I'd get Nutella as my filling for the traditional Taiyaki. Staff was welcoming and quick to deliver orders. There is seating inside and it's a nice little spot for a quick treat.

The taiyaki itself needs to be eat right away or else it would turn sticky and gets hard to chew while the ice cream come on top is so tall you need to have it asap too otherwise it gonna melt and fall right away. However the taste of the ice cream is not too heavy it's more to the light side and less sweet than usual which is the only reason why I still give 4stars. Inside the shop doesn't have any window though so you need to come out and take a pic in-front of the store if you need some cute pic. The staff was okay and it's clean enough.

Delightful pastry fishes vomiting up frozen confections for your enjoyment and entertainment. Different and worth a try.

My partner and I came here on a Saturday afternoon during their grand opening. We received BOGO 50% off on our taiyaki since it was their grand opening. The shop was quiet but with very very limited seating, we actually had to wait around to get a table. Taiyaki is a little messy to eat so a table is necessary and they have the space for it so I don't understand that part. I got a taiyaki with ube filling, matcha ice cream, condensed milk drizzle, and rainbow mochi. My partner got a taiyaki with red bean filling, matcha ice cream, condensed milk drizzle, and brown sugar drizzle. I was extremely dissatisfied with my treat. The matcha soft serve tasted of matcha, but seemed watery instead of creamy. The condensed milk drizzle was barely noticeable in terms of flavor, although the ube filling tasted authentic. Lastly, the actual waffle part for mine was undercooked, tasting rather doughy and raw in the middle. I think this place is a tourist stop, not a foodie stop. I didn't try their boba but I wouldn't have the highest hopes. Try somewhere else!

This place was closed/moving for the longest. They popped up today on N Clark. Shop was bare bones, and they ran out of stuff... BUT, damn it's good. Wanted matcha ended up with the chocolate swirl. First time trying Taiyaki, always looked so yummy. The little fishie batter was a little under, but I loved it. If they stay open I'll be back soon for the traditional red bean.

Soft serve tasted slightly icy very low quality, particularly at ~$4,65 each. Only 4 flavors, chocolate, vanilla, tea, and one other. Hugely disappointing, particularly considering the reviews. Definitely will not be going back.

Fish cones were ok - I think these are just not my kind of thing. Soft serve is dairy free, and made with coconut oil. I think I would have preferred the texture of a dairy ice cream. Fish cones are cute, made fresh to order. Crispy on the outside, but rather than being like a fluffy waffle texture on the inside, it was a bit gummy - I did not finish the fish. I did like the red beans they put in the fish (there is also the option of pb or Nutella). Staff were super friendly - they let me sample the ube soft serve, which had a bit of a nutty and chocolatey flavor. I would come back to try some of their yummy sounding drinks in flavors like rose petal and black sesame.

Yummy ice cream/desert spot in a great area! Staff was super friendly. There is indoor seating (but very limited). They have lots and lots of varieties to choose from ranging from smoothies, boba, to soft serve in a dish or cone (famous fish cone). Portion size was a little larger, but price was just right! There are unlimited customizations you can make to the food. Overall, vibe is great, and it's a more modern desert shop. I will definitely be going back!

Mmmmm, it might be winter but I still have a soft serve craving. Taiyaki is a perfect match because of the warmth of the Belgian waffle holding the soft serve. Super easy to order, just follow the instructions on the board. I opted for no filling, chai soft serve, and a wafer stick. You have up to two toppings. The chai was also a seasonal. It takes about 5-10 minutes for each one to be made. When mine arrived, I had to eat quickly. I was maybe 1/3 from the top down before it started melting. When I got to the cone part, I was stoked. This is where I was a bit sad, the fishtail portion is all dough, so I needed more soft serve. If I got taiyaki again, I'd get the soft serve in a dish, and the cone separate for dipping purposes-that way I can eat all the cone! The chai was soooooo delicious!!!! They really hit the flavor. While I'm not lactose intolerant, the soft serve is dairy free!

My friends went here and it looked cute so I went today and I absolutely love it! Today's flavor was mango so I got mango with Nutella filled taiyaki topped with caramel and graham cracker. It was delicious. The mango ice cream had a frozen yogurt like consistency and I'm guessing that's because the ice cream is non-dairy. The taiyaki had a nice crunchy outside and soft chewy inside. My brother got a taiyaki with red bean which he loved. The red bean was chunky and not a paste (just so y'all know... No issues with that.) I also got the tiger boba and that was delicious too. Not too sweet and still had flavor. They have a lovely floral wall with a bench towards the back of the store so you can take your cute aesthetic photos. I'm looking forward to visiting again and trying another flavor.

Cute lil place. My niece loved her cone. My drink was a little too sweet so I knocked off a star

Great little spot for Taiyaki ice cream and more! The menu walks you through the different fillings for your Taiyaki (fish shaped sweet bun), ice cream choices, and toppings. They also have boba. We chose a red bean filling with milk tea ice cream, which was a seasonal flavor, but it was so good I think they should definitely make it a regular ice cream choice! You get to choose two toppings but the man let us pick another one for free. We had to wait around 5 minutes for them to make it fresh, which we didn't mind. It seemed like only one person was working the whole store (taking orders, making them, and cleaning up) but everything was well taken care of, and we had no complaints whatsoever. Seating available and bathrooms inside

This is the BEST soft serve I've ever had. I came here because I love taiyaki and I just got the ice cream on the side to try it and it was SO good. I saved it and ate it the next 2 days and I normally never save ice cream

Visited Taiyaki Chicago this past weekend, and it was so yummy!! I love all things of the Asian culture... so, I'm extremely happy I stumbled upon this place!! There are so many ice cream flavors, fillings, and toppings!! And if you don't want ice cream... there are a bunch of other sweet treats to choose from!! There's a fun flower wall inside the store for photos too!! I will say... the inside of the store is really small. So, I would recommend getting your order and taking it outside to enjoy. One downside of my ice cream... the ice cream was so tall, it almost fell out of the cone and cup. I think the height of the ice cream needs to be shorter, or they need to get bigger cups!!

The taiyaki was delicious and perfectly crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. We got the matcha soft serve with red bean filling and two wafer straws. The matcha and red bean went perfectly together, and the soft serve was great especially considering it was dairy free!

Wowzer!!! Who knew Taiyaki was the key missing ingredient in my life? Part fro-yo, part warm Nutella filled pastry, oh my, my. Take your pick on your yogurt, the filling (which goes inside what could be considered the cone) and your toppings (sprinkles and chocolate chips for me!) and have yourself DELICIOUS DAY!

Way, way, WAY overpriced for what you get. Ordering is complicated, poorly explained, and confusing. Teenager working the register did his best. But he shouldn't be working the register. Overall, the place is bare and has a weird vibe.

First of, not part of NYC chain....super disappointment. Vanilla soft serve was very icey, would've rather ate McDonald's ice cream than this. Taiyaki fish was super thick and gooey, pretty sure the inside wasn't cooked properly. Tiger boba? Boba was disguising and drink tasted like watered down tea. Couldn't finish the drink. As I walked down the street, saw more over half full cups in the trash bins.

This restaurant appeared in my Instagram newsfeed over a year ago. I never made my way until today since I was already going to be in the neighborhood. What an amazing choice. Granted it was so cold and rainy but I did not care. I walked in and was instantly greeted. The restaurant had the place decorated from top to bottom for the Halloween holiday. Unfortunately there was no public restroom due to Covid. The food: I chose to get a Nutella filling cone, matcha and taro soft serve and the rainbow mochi straw. Such an amazing choice. Taro was the flavor of the day and guess what? The soft serve is DAIRY FREE! The cone was so soft and gooey. And there was an abundance of Nutella inside. The mochi was so cute and chewy. The cashier made everything perfect. This is my first time coming but trusssssst and believe ya girl will be returning.

Taiyaki was sooooo amazing. I had Nutella filled taiyaki with vanilla ice cream topped with sprinkles and mochi, and it was extremely satisfying. The store was also clean, bright and open. 10/10

What a cool, unique treat in the heart of Lincoln Park! This review is for a traditional taiyaki with peanut butter filling, taro and black sesame soft serve, topped with crushed oreos and graham crackers. The result is a delicious dessert that checks off all the boxes. The flavorful creaminess of the vegan soft serve is great, not too sweet. This was one of the best, most authentic taro ice creams I've had. The toppings offer just enough flavor and texture to take it to the next level. But the freshly baked (fried?) fish cone is what makes this special. With the filled inside, it's almost more or a dessert sandwich, a little sweet and savory at the same time. I loved it, but this is what I call sometimes ice cream. This is great late at night if you had a light dinner, but would be tough to finish immediately after a meal.

Honestly this place is cute and Instagram worthy but the taste of the ice cream is absolutely horrible. I don't even think it's ice cream it's something else. It wasn't for my taste buds. You should try this for the pictures and a one time thing but never coming back. The staff was so friendly and they were wearing masks and taking precautions. They didn't have their own lot so you have to street park.

I first went to a Taiyaki in LA, so I am so happy there is one in Chicago! The Taiyaki is basically a belgian waffle as a cone to hold your ice cream. They recently added an Ube flavor filling, but you could choose from nutella, red bean, or peanut butter. Next, you choose your ice cream of choice. They do a flavor of the day, which was ironically ube. Being filipino, it is ube everything. Finally, you can top your Taiyaki with 2 toppings. It ends up bring a $7 dessert, but it tasted great! As for the boba, you can basically add boba to all drinks. The tiger boba and taro milkshake is featured in this photo. You can't really choose your sugar level like most other places, so the drinks were on the sweeter side. Overall, refreshing drinks. Highly rec! 8/10

This is the perfect place to grab a quick dessert! The soft serve is all dairy-free (woohoo!!) and the taiyaki bread is pretty tasty. I got the matcha and chocolate soft serve, and I preferred the chocolate because the matcha was a little too bitter.

I'm not a huge taiyaki fan so I skipped it and got the $4 milk tea (flavor of the day 10/29/20) in a cup. I didn't realize it was dairy free until after I ordered. I can't say I was a fan. It was very sweet but did taste like milk tea. My bf agreed. Also, I had the dairy milk tea soft-serve at Kurimu and liked it a lot more. I saw other reviewers complaining that it melted really fast. I didn't have an issue but it was also ~40 degrees out side. Dine-in is not available due to COVID but they did decorate for Halloween.

Their mango (soft serve of the day) with ube-filled taiyaki is really good! The mango smelled so good that I wish it was part of their regular menu. Their vanilla with Nutella-filled taiyaki is also worth a try. The taiyakis are made to order and may be a bit too doughy for some, but still good. Staff is really friendly despite being busy on a summer night :)

Way back home, way back when, my wife and I fell in love with a Korean ice creamer named Somi Somi. Our somi shop was on Sawtelle in West L.A. smack dab in the middle of Japan town. In all of our travels we have tried to find this brand or at least a reasonable facsimile so we could get our confection fix! I believe we pulled off this feat tonight: Taiyaki Chicago on Clark St. in Lincoln Park was as close as we've gotten in our (some) 30 attempts to re-create this taste, consistency, flavor selection and the way this sweet is served. This ice cream is Japanese (not Korean like Somi) but they were almost identical. The flavors panel last night was: Chocolate, vanilla, green tea, matcha and black sesame. You can choose one flavor or a two flavor "swirl". I had a matcha / black sesame swirl in a red bean flavored Taiyaki which is literally translated to Fried fish - or cookie - or cone - or whatever you want to call this biscuit the ice cream is served with. This dessert is not a Häagen-Dazs, or a Ben & Jerry's, or a 31 Flavors or a Jeni's! It's a foreign taste with a foreign look for sure, but it sure is delicious. Mind you, I had this ice cream on a 34° night in April; I can't wait to have this dessert in July, wearing a tee-shirt, shorts and flip flops.

Got the Nutella Taiyaki with vanilla ice cream, mochi and coconut flakes. One of the best deserts I have ever had!

Make sure you mix the drinks before as just the plain matcha doesn't have a sweet taste. The place is clean and easy to go in and out in a matter of a few minutes, great location!

This taiyaki shop hits the spot for a quick sugar fix. I love that they serve all the popular Asian treats and drinks! From fully customizable taiyaki ice cream masterpieces, to smoothies, boba teas and milky lattes. As taiyaki is their main highlight, I'd recommend giving it a try! My choice features a fish shaped cake with red bean filling, matcha soft serve ice cream and a chocolate wafer. My only redo would be to swap out the mocha for some cookie or rainbow sprinkle.

Not too bad taiyaki, fish was crunchy and warm, good pairing with the icecream on top. be sure to eat it fast though, because the fish will become soggy

All right, this place is so good. It's right off Clark Street in Lincoln park on the storefront is very cute. The whole store is touchless and there is a big divider screen separating you and the server for safety. The boba tea was ready in 3 minutes and it's delicious. The boba has a perfect texture and the tea was so flavorful. Highly recommend stopping by this place!

The price is a little too high for some ice cream. What can you except from Chicago. The ice cream is made fresh daily. All the ingredients are fresh so nothing is processed. Major key note: it's vegan friendly, gluten-free options, non-dairy, and most important halal friendly too. You don't get this three major key point together. The ice cream is made out of soy based. So if your allergic to soy, at least you know about it. Also, it is an Instagram friendly to take your awesome photos. The staff is very nice and friendly. Even if you want to make a weird combination. The staff doesn't judge, they will be interested on how it taste. If you do try it, go with the today special or the matcha ice cream. And make it different and weird creation.

***3.5stars*** I got red bean filling, matcha soft serve, condensed milk, rainbow mochi. Taiyaki was a tasty piece of pastry! I'm okay with their different batter recipe. I've never had vegan ice cream before and it apparently melts really fast like cotton candy. It doesn't win vs creamy dairy ice cream. Matcha flavor not strong enough. Overall, not bad tasting though. It took a few minutes too long to prepare this for the only customer in the store. $6.95 might be justifiable for a higher quality ice cream and one more topping.