Came here on a random week night to check them out for the very first time. Let me be clear I came…read moreto its predecessor that goes by the name renga tei for over 20 something years. Frankly, I was not expecting a lot however I was very pleasantly surprised. First, our waiter Warren was absolutely fabulous. He was from start to finish incredible. And I know he would've been more attentive Had they had more staff. So I am not faulting him in any way shape or form. The food is still absolutely delicious. I'm not sure if they have the same chefs or they have different ones but the food is still super delicious high-quality and fresh. Yes overtime the prices have gone up definitely and the portions have stayed around the same fortunately. The menu is a little bit different than it's predecessor, which is great. So they're doing some different things while still being true and authentic, which I thoroughly appreciate. I would definitely be coming back here again, realizing just how good it really is. One of the biggest surprises of the night frankly were the fried chicken wings. I would have never guessed to order it, but I was here with a group of friends and a friend wanted to order it because apparently she likes fried chicken wings and this one was not just your regular run-of-the-mill chicken wings it really was well seasoned and well fried. All the sushi was on point fresh and delicious. Everything was great, especially the bento box options that they offer you even on a Monday night. I wish I had room for dessert so next time maybe I will and I can order some dessert.

The second place I tried, searching for my Ultimate Tendon place. This time it's Tenjin in…read moreLincolnwood. It's a classy set-ip, just like Nomu in Glenview. And it shows in their food presentation. Instead of the traditional bowl they serve it on, they opted for a plate, with much less rice, 2 small pieces of shrimp tempura, one more than Nomu's singular sensation. But, with more tempura veggies. Side of pickled veggies but surprisingly, did not come with a bowl of miso soup like at Nomu! Or, anywhere else for that matter. Good taste, satisfying but not the Ultimate Tendon I was looking for. The search continues!

Stumbled upon this neighborhood spot and couldn't be happier. Food was fantastic as was the…read moreatmosphere and service!

01/25/25 - We met my wife's family here for here birthday last night. The restaurant was packed…read morebut as usual we had awesome service from the staff there. Jenny was our server but as the night continued & it started getting very busy Bonnie (the owner) came out & started helping serving people. We have eaten here before but this is the first time Bonnie made an appearance As usual the food was good w/great size portions. As the night wore on we mentioned that it was my wife's birthday. Bonnie went above and beyond what we ever expected & not only brought out a small birthday cake that was big enough for our party of 8 along with/dishes, utensils & the coolest birthday candle. The birthday candle was a flower that burst open w/the candles lit playing HAPPY BIRTHDAY. This was so cool & unexpected that just brought a level of service above & beyond what you would expect from any restaurant Thank you for a nice ambiance, great food, & service above and beyond anything what is normal. On a side note the candle is still playing Happy Birthday in the living room. HOW DO YOU SHUT IT OFF? LOL

* Dragon roll, shrimp tempura roll, and fire roll are all excellent…read more * Carry-out that makes food quickly and the service is always very friendly. * Cute interior and ambiance.

This is a good place to grab some carryout sushi (it's carryout only at this time). Prices are…read morehalf what you see at other places in the area.

We came here for the first time to grab some sushi, and we found every single roll to be absolutely…read moredelicious. The menu had a lot of great options, including both hot and cold options. The restaurant had a great atmosphere, and everyone was so friendly and welcoming. We're looking forward to coming back again when the weather is cooler to try the ramen!

I accidentally selected takeout when placing my order. They wouldn't even let me sit in the dining…read morearea to eat the food I had already paid for. I consider this very disrespectful treatment of paying customers. If I had known the service would be like this, I would never have ordered here. I do not recommend this place to anyone, and I will never come back. And on top of that, the dining area was completely empty, with plenty of available tables and places to sit.

Really nice ramen place! The broth was delicious without being too salty, and the fried squid was…read morealso delicious too. The interior sort of looks like the ramen places you'd find in Japan. Fairly modest, but classy as well. Recommended!

Now I'm not manifesting it, but I'm just saying imagine: a cold winter day in Evanston, snow. This…read moreis the perfect spot downtown to hide away and enjoy a bowl of Udon. The smaller, cozy interior, the friendly staff, watching the cooks in the kitchen make your meal, and the Japanese City Pop playing gives the perfect vibe for the chill outside. I've been here a few times now, and as much as I'd love to try the menu, the Signature udon calls me back every time. This will definitely be my winter downtown Evanston stop.

Great food, beautiful atmosphere and friendly staff!! My first time here, and definitely will be…read morecoming again to try something different because they have many options to choose from!

FRESH! FRESH! FRESH! Sushi at this place all day long. I appreciate the care taken by chefs busting…read moreout rolls every minute. The Kenny roll is delicious and packed with flavor. I had a taste of the mango roll before my wife crushed it and many other delicious rolls we shared. We finished with the Pyramid Chocolate mousse sponge cake filling that was smooth and delicious Chocolate dessert. Definitely coming here again

Beautiful Evanston restaurant with fun vibe. There is indoor and outdoor seating depending on the…read moreweather. Although we started to sit outside, servers were super accommodating when we asked to move inside. We opted for a few simple rolls which we elegantly plated! Also, had to try the salmon teriyaki skewer which was AMAZING!!! Fresh sushi and other options... we will be back!

Based on the reviews, we decided to try Shinsen for the first time and order takeout. We ordered 8…read moreitems totaling over $130 with tip. The food was absolutely awful. The shallot rice with vegetables had no vegetables at all and tasted as if it was premade and warmed up again in the microwave. The shallot rice with beef was the same and contained tiny bits of burned beef. The sushi was not fresh and the crispy spring rolls were akin to dog treat sticks. The food is expensive and some of the worse food I've ever had. While I appreciate the business owners detailed response, there are contradictions. When ordering the shallot fried rice from the restaurants website on July 2, vegetables were included as an option. Today vegetables have been replaced with herbs. Nevertheless we chose the available vegetable option therefore vegetables were requested. The restaurant received our vegetables request as indicated on the pictured receipt and packaging. We received herbs and rice but no vegetables. We did not order through a third party delivery service. We placed the order through the restaurant website and I arrived early to pick up the food. I hope that the owner is able to receive my feedback constructively and take accountability for the issues my family encountered with the restaurant.

very cute place. food is super fresh. very nice staff. have yet to had a bad meal here. 11/10 would…read morerecommend

What a pleasant surprise. The place is small and hard to park at, but the waitresses are friendly…read moreand the sushi is good. The nigiri had huge pieces of fish. Not the most flavorful, but so big it was good. The rolls were great. Spicy tuna, Tuna Lava, and Rainbow were all awesome. My wife got the Green Slushy, a vegetarian roll, and it was surprisingly good. The rice was amazing, easily made the plentiful fish even better.

Getting close to living in the area for 30 years and had not been back to Kuni's until recently…read more Just had forgotten (unless things really changed) how cozy having a place this close to home is. Good wide menu with items that you don't find at your mainstream japanese restaurant. More like old school Chicago Japanese. (Thinking a blend here of old Ginza and maybe some parts Sunshine.) Maybe only with the departure of those favorites we appreciate more what has stayed on. Appetizer selection is long enough to just get small plates to share. Notables: - ebi snijo (homemade shrimp ball) - hamachi jaw (if you haven't had it) - hirame no cha soba age (fried green tea noodles and whitefish rolled with seaweed) - evokes the old Ginza restaurant for me - octopus sunomono Even after three recent visits without repeat apps, there are still more we haven't had elsewhere to try. Part of the reason for that is - we get entrees too. We've been happy with: - chirashi (curious how the sashimi D differs) - Salmon Bento (D) - so many different things fun to share! - Kuni's Special - gomaee and mixed seafood sunomono, then our choice of sashimi followed by saba - nabe yaki udon is reasonable here at $13 with two tempura shrimp Know there's lots of reviews here, but as long as there is room on weekends for us we're happy to share!

08/04/25 - Kuni's Japanese Restaurant since 1986 located @ 511 Main Street in Evanston, IL. What a…read morebeautiful little traditional Japanese restaurant in Evanston. I love this place it has such a cool vibe w/authentic japanese decor. I ordered the bento box that came w/miso soup, salad, broiled chicken teriyaki, tempura w/2 pieces of shrimp, sweet potato, pepper, 1/2 California roll, 1 piece on Inari sushi, a couple of pieces of gyoza, 1 piece of kamaboko, tofu & spinach. This was a very enjoyable bento w/a nice variety of Japanese cuisine. The ambiance is very nice the food is good & it won't kill the bank

Stopped in the other day when I was in town working with someone on my team. This is a hidden gem…read moreoutside you would think typical strip mall food place-inside is like you stepped into NYC or LA vibes. We both had the lunch special and started with the hot and sour soup. 5/5 it actually had heat and huge portion. My coworker is Chinese and said this is the most authentic hot and sour soup she has had in the city! Avocado egg rolls were a nice portion size, but we could have done without. Good but nothing something I would need to get again. The spicy garlic noodles were a very generous portion the beef I added was extremely tender and perfect amount of heat! Highly recommend

Beautiful place our bartender rob was outstanding. We just led the very hot ( as usual) Japanese…read morefestival and didn't win the raffle that would have made my summer haha . We had two great drinks didn't catch the name but loved loved it. I was told they do have Hh everyday they are open from 12-4 . All their gourmet cocktails are bogo:))! Can't wait to be back and maybe try some food too