Great sushi. Cute little place. I got the skyroll and the moon river roll. Both were a 20/10.

Our favorite sushi in the area! Love the tempura crunch roll, ninja turtle and Chicago sky roll. The service is excellent. Very attentive and appreciative of their customers. read more

Decided to stop after seeing it got 4 stars. Our waitress was nice and took our order promptly. We ordered gyoza to start and they were tasty. For dinner we ordered a chicken/beef teriyaki and a spider roll and spicy tuna rolls. The chicken was not good. It tasted and had the texture of that pre-made chicken in the refrigerated section. The beef was just ok. It was barely warm and mushy. We also ordered chicken fried rice which was tasteless. The sushi was just ok, nothing fantastic. Unfortunately we won't return. read more

Food. 5 stars Service. 5 stars Cleanliness. 5 stars Value. 4 stars Tasty seafood soba. Not used to the Kim chee in the broth but it added a little kick to it. Salmon, shrimp tempura, surf clam, mussels all were fresh. Roll I ordered was good. I don't remember the name of it but it's on their blackboard above the cash register. The roll has black caviar sprinkled on top. Lots of parking. read more

Amazing. They handle food allergies very well, and the servers are very nice. They even ask if you want the wasabi on the sushi or on the side, unlike many other places. When I got the tea that I ordered, it was very hot. Not lukewarm like most places. You can tell that everything made here is fresh and made when you order. Their gyoza was not the absolute best I've had, but it's up there... easily 2nd place on my list. My fish tasted like it had just been caught and made right then and there... very good. I will come back if I'm in the area. read more

Worst sushi I have ever had. Absolutely disgusting Service is poor at best and the employees are rude. read more

I had to write this review to combat some of the other comments.... I have been coming to Hayashi for years - since it opened - and its absolutely one of my favorite Japanese restaurants ever. I travel all of the country for work and so I eat sushi frequently and know the differences. I've eaten sushi in Japan - Hayashi is as close to the real deal as possible. Case in point, one of my good friends from Japan is in the states for the next few years working on her masters. She's living downtown and so every so often she'll come to stay with us in the suburbs for the weekend. The minute I mention to her that we're going to Hayashi, she beams and starts clapping. She LOVES Hayashi because its just like home - and this is her quote. The service has changed over the years, they used to know my name and face, anymore its hit or miss. But, we usually always have quick and friendly service. I love the sushi and the rolls and the tempura is awesome as well. Miso soup - divine... You HAVE to try the cheese balls, but I always ask for a side of the tempura sauce with the cheese balls - puts them over the top. read more

I wish Hayashi was in the city. This is my all time favorite sushi restaurant. I'm surprised at the low marks this place has. They have the freshest sushi and they use flying fish eggs on some of their rolls. I know that sounds nasty but I love how the fish eggs pop in your mouth! The staff is very accommodating here and they have a cute set up. They also offer low sodium soy sauce which is a bonus for me. The sushi makers here are very friendly, I drop a few bucks extra in their tip bowl. I have been here for both lunch and dinner. If you want to go for dinner, be prepared to wait. This place gets packed. Lunch is also a nice option, it's very quiet and you will get a table right away. If you're in Gurnee for the day, stop in here. You will not be disappointed!! read more

Not my favorite place im from Chicago but the women outside sold me...looking to spend $10 walked out spending $100 great sales approach thats why 4stars read more

This is a enjoyable small restaurant out here in Gurnee that actually has good Japanese food. If you feel like having some sushi or udon stop here and enjoy a quick bite. read more

Went here the other day with my parents and were blown away with how great the food and service was. The staff was kind, attentive and accommodating. Especially since my baby niece bought in her own meal since she's a picky eater, which didn't bother the staff at all. I would recommend their soba noodles or heart roll. Amazing read more

Went here on a Friday night and it was pretty busy. Seating is limited and they have a small sushi bar. For 2 people, we got the sky roll then a combination plate which was chicken teriyaki, tempura shrimp and vegetables, and rice. It was a decent amount of food to share and everything tasted fresh to us. Bill was about $35-$40 and we left satisfied but not completely full. Overall good service, will return again if in the area to try other sushi. read more

Hayashi - Combination plate - Japanese Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

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About a month or so ago, I started a thread on Yelp about wanting to eat sushi....everyone told me to start with the cooked and work my way up to the raw food....so I figured there was no time like the present to try it. Someone that I work with told me about this place and that it had pretty good sushi, so I decided to go here. I took a look at the lunch menu and immediately panicked....I didn't know what to choose, there was so much there. I went with what I could remember the other Yelpers telling me....tempura pretty much means "cooked" so I ordered shrimp tempura and I also ordered the soft shell crab appetizer. I think my total order was like $14.00.I'll be honest, I didn't care for any of it much. But I'm trying to keep an open mind, I know that sushi is an acquired taste. Maybe these two selections are just not my thing......so next time, maybe I'll get a California Roll (which I would have tried today but the flying fish eggs kept me from ordering it!) or a Crunch Roll (which I think had mayo in it, and I don't do MAYO...plus is sushi really supposed to be made with mayo???) Anyway, I'm giving it three stars...the next sushi place I go to I'll make a trip to the city to one of the places with a high rating on Yelp...I'll be a sushi eater in no time..... read more

If you know nothing about "good" sushi this place might be good then. The rolls were done very sloppy and had a very small portion of fish. I couldn't even pick the roll up and it fell apart. The portions were small and the prices were way to high for the quality! There were 4 sushi chefs and a small crowd and it took over 40 min for our sushi. I wouldn't recommend this place. read more

Hayashi - Boston roll and crispy tuna roll - Japanese Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

I've come here a few times now and am always pleased by the food and service. Reasonable prices for sushi/sashimi and a good amount of food for the serving. The tempura veggies is enough to serve a table of 6 and the edamame isn't too salty. Good selections of rolls and other items as well. read more

Have been here several times. Mostly good food, service is good. However, my last visit was disappointing. The food quality seems to be on the decline and the portions are definitely smaller - the prices are still larger. The tempura is good, udon also very tasty. The sushi roll I ordered tasted spoiled. They argued with me which was off-putting. All new staff in the front of the house - not as good as the people I knew previously. Perhaps management or ownership has changed. I am looking for a better sushi place in Gurnee. Maybe Ahi? read more

Visited this Japanese eatery after reading good reviews from several websites: Here goes: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY 1. THE GOOD-order the shrimp tempura...nicely breaded tempura, lightly fried and huge! Comes w/dipping sauce... 2. THE BAD-mayonnaise in sushi???? WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!! We ordered the Spider Roll (soft shell crab) and Spicy Tuna...both had the mayonnaise..yuck yuck yuck! The spicy tuna was just awful...the tuna was fine, but the mixture of mayo and who knows what else was just downright awful. Charging for hot green tea??? This should be complimentary at every Japanese restaurant... 3. THE UGLY-the owners are KOREAN, who are running a JAPANESE RESTAURANT. In 2 words...NOT good. I"m Korean and I love my Korean food, but PLEASE, stick with your own ethnic foods! anyhow, the lunch menu STATED that the lunch entree included rice and salad w/our shrimp tempura entree. Well, they never brought the salad and when I mentioned it to our waitress, she said that for lunch they don't offer salad. I said fine and then peered at the LUNCH MENU, which read, "LUNCH ENTREES INCLUDE RICE AND SALAD". After pointing out the menu to our waitress, she scurried to the kitchen to inform the manager who again said, "The menu is incorrect" to which I replied, "So, I'm the first person to bring this up???" They brought out the salad, which was iceberg lettuce with awful yellow (ginger-wannabe dressing). Anyhow, I live approx. 98 miles from Gurnee, IL and was in the area to viist the Gurnee Mills mall...and thought I made a good choice in eating here due to many reviews... I CANNOT recommend Hayashi at all... read more

I have been going here for 13 years and it is without a doubt the best sushi in Lake County. The sushi is amazing and great quality. They are unique and delicious. The restaurant is small but adds to the ambiance. read more

Hayashi - Ninja turtle roll, Miami roll, bloody tuna roll, and sky roll - Japanese Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

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Easily the best sushi in the Gurnee area and great prices. We usually do family share style with sushi, specialty roll and appetizers for under $30. The ninja turtle roll is very good. I would like to see a larger variety of rolls, a good example of this in the near suburbs is Sushi Kushi in Vernon Hills. Other than a relatively small variety I would strongly recommend this restaurant for sushi. Their salmon sushi is excellent. read more

We went her for a week night dinner at about 6pm. We were the only ones in the place, didn't really bother me other than the 2 servers and the guy busing the tables were all by the front door on their phones. I have worked in a restaurant, and cell phones are a no no, so when you see the whole staff on them *sigh* The rolls were ok- I have had better, but the presentation was as someone else stated, looked like it was thrown on the plate. It is an ok place, but I don't think we will be going back. read more

Was looking for a sushi restaurant to my standards near by...being that im Korean Foodie...This is by far the best in lake Co. so far. I dont like that we have to pay for salad n soup where many other locations dont charge. I understand its a business buy in many asian restaurants its just part of the service. read more

Hayashi - we love thier red flower with a zing of jalapeno - Japanese Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

It's ok. Best in the area so it's a convenience. I'd get these again: - Seafood Udon: tasty, even with the mussels; only one scallop; fish the mussels and scallop(s) out first - Spicy Tuna w/Avocado: needed more spice but still good I'd avoid: - Kani-Su: ok, but not $8.50 ok I don't go here often, hence the short list UPDATE: recently went for lunch, and won't again. spicy tuna shouldn't be bubble gum pink. That's how much mayo there was. Unagi slice on my nigiri was woefully thin.Downgrading my rating. read more

Good food and service. We are never disappointed going to this place. Our teenagers also enjoy this place. read more

Hayashi - Japanese Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

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I'm not going to give a perfect review just because this is one of my favorite places to go to. All of the people working there, even the sushi chef (who remembers me) know me. I tried only some rolls everytime I go there. The sushi was great and I like their miso soup! I either dine there with my friends or take out. I like everything about this place and even if the place is always packed and decide to take-out, they are always quick! The downside is that I was extremely picky of the sushi since half of the rolls consist of adding either cream cheese or most of them have caviar on them (the orange stuff). And the fact that they do not deliver. Because I live very close to this place, they should still deliver, like Sushi Thai for example. I think most of the rolls that have that orange stuff outside of the rice is not the most exciting thing about the sushi. Although my favorites have to have anything with salmon. I only like the salmon/avocado roll, sky roll, and moon river roll. read more

Most disappointing sushi experience ever. The sushi was LOADED with wasabi. I actually like it, but I shouldn't be able to see the wasabi through the piece of fish, NOR should it be seeping out the side. They filled up my water, and it tasted like sink water to me. The rolls I had, that I thought were going to be good were nasty. And some of the tastes were overpowering. I won't go back, and am going to Aha from now on...Much better read more

Visit Hayashi for a decent sushi joint in a strip mall environment. I got take out from here on a weeknight and it was decent, but I haven't had the full sit-down experience yet. My order was simple maki rolls - a spicy tuna and a Philadelphia salmon roll. Both were good, but different than I am used to. The spicy tuna had a strange mushy mayo mixture on the outside instead of just a spicy mayo drizzle, and the Philadelphia roll had an unexpected sweet flavor that I could not pinpoint. There was too much rice in the rolls, or maybe I just prefer Sushi Joon's food over other sushi joints in the Northern IL area. Pricing is reasonable. Staff was friendly and helpful. I ordered as a walk-in instead of calling ahead, and they offered me a seat at the sushi bar while I waited for my food, which was not long at all. I will try this place again just to give it a fair try. 3.5 stars Visited 5/22/13 read more

Love it!! Sushi is sooooo good and the staff is beyond friendly. The ninja turtle roll is my favorite but you can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Highly recommend! read more

Sooooo yummy and the workers are all so nice! The menu is large and the sushi was super good. Customer service was on point and I left super happy! Definitely going to come back again. read more

Sushi: delicious! (I'm no expert by any means, but I've been to several sushi restaurants around Chicago and this is as good or better than most) Prices: reasonable Service: good (not excellent, but nothing went wrong) Strange: We didn't have any soy sauce dishes - makes things messier and awkward The place was busy; we had a short wait - Saturday evening in December. read more

Favorite place to eat in Gurnee! Bento boxes are all great . Sushi is consistently good quality. read more

Love this place!! I've gone a few times with my boyfriend, and my group of friends. The service is really nice and comforting, not everyone is perfect but we're only human and I understand the stress of working in a restaurant isn't always peasant. My favorite item is the seafood udon and the octopus sashimi is also pretty good. Definitely recommend to people!!! read more

There are days you want to go home and enjoy sushi at home. We decided Hayashi's take out would be a great option and have heard rave reviews. We ordered the California rolls and the spicy tuna rolls to go and when we arrived home it was disgusting. The rolls were falling apart and it was a big mess in the box. It didn't even taste good. The entire take out went in the garbage. Would never go there again or recommend it. read more

Hayashi - Worst sushi take out ever #disappointed #wentingarbage #spicytuna #californiaroll - Japanese Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Cute and Quant. Even though it is a small restaurant the staff is always nice, and the food good, and the atmosphere is clam. There is a very small entry way into the restaurant, and sitting next to the windows in the winter can be cold. This is located next to the Einstein Bagels with shared business parking but enough to find a spot. I have always enjoyed there miso soup, and avocado rolls, and they have traditional and low sodium soy sauce incase you prefer less salt. If you prefer to sit at the sushi bar you can watch the chiefs make orders. They have a good selection of items menus and if you are out for a date night, Gurnee Mills Marcus Theater is just down the road. The staff is quick, and the food has always been well presented. read more

Don't listen to the bad reviews from people who don't even like sushi in the first place. If you truly love sushi this is a place to go. In my experience, the service has been prompt and efficient, but the best part by far is the food itself. Other reviewers like the bloody tuna roll and I completely agree. The caterpillar roll is excellent and the nigiri is very tasty. Check it out, you won't be dissapointed. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed the food and service at Hayashi, but were slightly put-off by the fact we were seated in a hallway that leads to the bathroom. This is a very tacky way to pack four more bodies into a smallish space, and indicates a certain meagerness on the part of the owner that kind of mars the overall experience. Nevertheless, I would have to say the quality and presentation of the food is well above average, due largely to the skill of the sushi chef, but the kitchen offerings were excellent as well. We started with grilled calamari which was perfectly cooked to moist tenderness, and two rolls - cali-crunch and spicy scallop - which had complex flavors that were nicely balanced (i.e., no need to dip in soy sauce at all). For dinner, we ordered the salmon teriyaki and a chirashi. The salmon was perfect, tastefully dressed (not drenched) in a mild teriyaki. The chirashi (assorted raw fish over a bed of sushi rice in a bowl) was a grand slam: lots of fresh, perfectly selected pieces, some of which melted like butter in your mouth. Even though we were filled to satisfaction, we had to order another spicy scallop roll to revisit the sublime flavors and savor them one more time. We will definitely be back, but won't accept the hallway seating again, and would recommend that nobody accept that seating either. It was the only blemish in an otherwise perfect evening that, unfortunately, lingers long after the wonderful experience of flavor at Hayashi. At these prices, no one should have to sit in a corridor with a view of the storage room/bathrooms. Get those tables out of there, move them (and a few other deuces) to the front, and treat your couples customers with the dignity they deserve. read more

Pros: Best sushi around! My favorite place to go when I crave sushi. Employees are nice. Cons:They are just a little on the expensive side and it would be nice if they didn't close shop for approximately 2-3 hours in the middle of the day, between the lunch and dinner hours :-( read more

One of my favorite places to eat. Small restaurant but the food is very good. Ebi cheese balls and the Sashimi vegetable don are my favorite dish! read more

Hayashi is by far the best sushi I've had in a while. The fish tasted really fresh, and the rice left no aftertaste at all. Sunny maki = delicious. Next time ill try the sushi sashimi combo for a better review. read more

We ordered sushi takeout this week. It was amazing. Fresh. Good. Flavorful. Prices are a little high. Great quality. Quick service.

My husband and I just love Hayashi. On occasion we'll take a a short motorcycle outing and look for other sushi places. In all our adventures, we have never been as satisfied as we have been with Hayashi. read more