Asian Harbor — Restaurant in Thornton Township

Let me start by saying that my wife and I have been looking for decent Asian food and sushi on the south side of Chicago for 3 years and have been disappointed until today..

One of my first impressions came from the lobby where there were multiple comfortable leather lounges, presumably for waiting guests. The lobby was clean and tidy unlike some other local establishments.

The dining area was split into 2 main areas, one of which was set for a large party of about 25 people; the other as more regular booths and tables. There was a short bar, and a fair sized sushi bar with two itame artisans present. We were seated without delay by our host.

The first test of the food was two pieces of tako nigiri and two pieces of maguro nigiri; both were fresh, beautiful, and amply sized. The octopus was not tough and you could taste the subtle flavors, the absence of which for me would have been a disappointment. I also tried the Indie roll (minus the avocado, which I don't palate) for the crispy salmon skin and eel sauce, a delectable treat that balanced the texture of the skin against the sushi and cheese very well. The pickled ginger garnished on the plate was pleasantly piquant and could have been served as a side dish. I would put this sushi on par with some of the better places I've been to around the country. We paired this with a glass of plum wine which had layers and depth of flavor, not the sappy sweet syrup that some places serve.

Next we had the sizzling combo (served on a hot plate) and pineapple fried rice, both of which were delicious and complimented each other well. The portions we're good for 2 - 3 people, with a nice little doggy bag for late night snacking.

The letdown was the dessert choices. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much to begin with.. so it was a surprise when the bulk cold staples of chocolate mousse and tiramisu were offset by a creme brulee. Only what came out was NOT creme brulee, just saying. Save your money on that for some ice cream down the street. I will say this, the host cancelled that off the bill without our asking.. good point of service imo.

I took a menu with me as there were quite a few takeout options that we're looking forward to in the Thai and fusion sections. In fact, while we were dining there was a steady flow of pickup orders the entire time. That to me speaks volumes considering the other mediocre choices in the area.

We're going back.. and now that I know this place is here, I believe my wallet is going to suffer in a...

This was our first time coming in after passing it up for so long. Should have trusted my instinct. Walking in, the place is beautiful and a lovely hostess seated us. My booth seat was all cracked and torn, I was wearing a dress, so I laid down a tee shirt I brought along in case the AC was cranked. Waitress seemed indifferent and not at all welcoming. Made it hard for me to speak up about the sub par food or ask for anything. When we asked questions, she was very short with us and said they couldn't make something marked as spicy on the menu, mild. So I got the Tom Kha soup anyways cuz I love it and Thai food in general as long as it isn't too spicy. The Tom Kha had NO lemongrass or other spices commonly in this dish; it was bland. The Vietnamese cold spring rolls had a tiny sliver of shrimp in them, like 1/8 of a shrimp pared down paper thin and put on the outside of the roll to appear like there was a whole shrimp in them and the outer wrapping was super hard/unchewable on one entire side. Those cellophane wrappers are supposed to be soft and pliable, not hard and dried out. Then we were charged $2 extra for the sauce that was supposed to come with the rolls, but the teaspoon that it came with wasn't enough for one roll. The pineapple fried rice was bland, but did have 4 whole shrimp in it. But the rice was super undercooked and crunchy in the middle, just awful! No cashews and the raisins were all dried out in the dish. My friend's dish was Ok, but wasn't impressed either. It seems to be hit or miss here, maybe different cooks? IDK, but I won't be returning. I also noticed that as I sifted thru these reviews the owner only responds to the positive comments and doesn't address the people with bad experiences. If she did, I might give this place an another try. Definitely not worth the $75 we...

After My Aunt Went Funeral Service, We Stopped At This Restarant ,I Was Impressed Until My Family And I Noticed That The Greeter/Cashier/??? Personally Took The Temperature Of A Certain Race. It Was Noticeable Because We Were Told To Take Our Own Temperature. Now, I Like To Be Fair So We Just We Sat And Observed The Entire Meal To See If This Greeter Would Be Consistent! He Was!!! He Personally Took The Temperature Of One Particular Race And Literally Directed The Other Race To Take Their Own!! He Was Nice Though! Lol The Second Issue Was I Was Charged A 20% Gratuity Without Being Told It Was Added On! I Didnt Have A Problem Paying For My Group Of 7 The Issue Was Inform Me You May Have Got More Because I Have Compassion For CSR During This Pandemic. Treat Everyone The Same And Inform Patrons Of Extra Charges!...................

In Response: It Was Our 1st Time There. It Was Assumed We Knew The Rules. The Greeter Grabbed The Thermometer Immediately When A Particular Race Came In & No One I Observed Through Our 2-3hr Visit Voluntarily Took Their Own Temperature. Your Greeter Literally Directed The Other Race To Take Their Own Temperature. As I Stated I Noticed This Because Of The Consistent Pattern And We Had To Figure Out How To Take Our Own Temperature. No Assistance Was Offered To Us. Perhaps You Were Not Aware Of The Greeter Behavior. I Did Not See The Gratuity On The Menu, It Could Have Been There. As I Stated It Still Would Have Been A Courtesy To Inform Us Verbally Or Direct Us To Read That Portion About The Gratuity...