Sen Sushi Bar

The 30-seat Sen Sushi Bar is nestled at 814 S. Oak Park Avenue, which formerly housed S3 Kitchen. Just south of Van Buren, the neighborhood is also home to such local dining stalwarts as Lalo's and Avenue Ale House. Oak Parker Chaidanai Chaiprasert owns the restaurant and runs it with his wife, Varanya. He's no stranger to the Oak Park dining scene, as he partnered with his mother 10 years ago to open Mama Thai on Madison Street. Chaiprasert, had always talked about opening a sushi restaurant with his friend and chef Tony Silp - who was previously a chef at Tsunami Japanese Restaurant in Chicago. The owner drives past the Southtown business district (Oak Park Avenue, just by the Eisenhower Expressway) frequently and believed another restaurant would thrive there. The restaurant opened July 19 2009 and has been rapidly getting up to speed. The menu features an array of fish, some imported from Japan, and they only keep them for two or three days to stay fresh. Opening the restaurant was a labor of love for Chaiprasert, who built the tables and stained the poplar walls, as the construction took 3-4 months.