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    Kansaku

    3.8 (352 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Order Kansaku Takeout or Delivery

    Kansaku Photos

    KANSAKU ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Kansaku

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    Michael W.

    I attended a dinner gathering with a large group so got to see many different plates. It is a fairly small room, so was surprised to see that there was another large party in addition to us. Most of the food was pretty solid. The star of the evening in my opinion was the fried mushroom appetizer, it was very yummy. The udon I opted for was ok, but dimmed in comparison to udon I've had elsewhere. All throughout our meal, I kept hearing a sharp popping sound. I could not place the sound so just assumed it was the sushi chefs' knives smacking the metal top prep table or something of that nature. When I got up to use the facility, I gained a better view of the rest of the room, at which point, I identified the source of the popping sound. It was a bug zapper to the left of the sushi bar. That was about it for me, whatever dining atmosphere there was went right out the window. Then I could not stop thinking of how many times it had been popping, that would be a lot of bugs; and why are there so many bugs? It was a rabbit hole gift not of my choosing.

    Yining D.

    Came here for dinner with my husband. We mainly chose the restaurant because they were listed in the inkind app only for me to find out at the end of the meal that their payment system hadn't been linked to inkind yet. The food quality was subpar. The pork katsu was dry and the meat wasn't juicy at all. Nigiri quality was just mid. We got the spicy dragon roll and the shrimp roll, and both tasted extremely western. The shrimp roll tasted surprisingly like Italian food. Service was prompt and professional, we got our waters filled pretty promptly and plates cleared away pretty fast as well. Not sure why they're ranked so highly on Google Maps. The Yelp reviews are more accurate for food quality. Restaurant itself is really pretty and clean. Food is in the pricier end. We spent $85 pre-tip on 2 sushi rolls and one dinner bento box. There are slight discounts if you pay in cash.

    Ika Sansai Salad
    Erica D.

    We went mainly for sashimi, apps and sake. Very nice selection of good quality fish, if not expertly cut, artfully presented in generous chunks. Also had ika (squid) salad which was something not on most menus; it was very good. The miso soup was decent enough. Only the grilled beef rolled asparagus was disappointing. Meat texture was weird and it was overcooked and dry. Asparagus had good texture and the sauce was delicious. Mentioned our opinion to waiter who said he was sorry. Don't know if the message relayed to cooks . We Had a cold sake flight (lowest end of the 3 offered) and a carafe of hot sake because it was frigid out. All were good and reasonably priced. Would return and do recommended as the menu was large, they were unique offerings, the room was comfortable, service was attentive and as a bonus for us, it participates in InKind.

    Sashimi sampler
    Angelle W.

    All the food was fresh and amazing! Service was too notch from the moment you walked in. Even if you sat at the bar like i did.... The chefs were very attentive! Highly tecommend!

    Yakitori
    Nergal M.

    Located in lovely downtown Evanston, Kansaku is a pretty decent Japanese/sushi restaurant. There's quite a bit of competition in the area for this cuisine, but Kansaku still has some nice offerings. The restaurant itself is really pretty and the wait staff attentive. We got gyoza and yakitori for appetizers. The gyoza was actually incredibly delicious with or without the equally delicious sauce. Unfortunately, the yakitori doesn't seem to be grilled and the chicken didn't have much of a flavor. As for entrees, I got some sushi. The salmon nigiri wasn't anything to write home about. The salmon ceviche was an interesting maki. The real star here was the nabeyaki udon, which I regret not ordering myself! The broth was delicious and the mixture of vegetables was perfect. My tiny complaint is that the udon noodles were slightly too soft but maybe that's because they had spent a little more time cooking in the broth. Otherwise a perfectly solid place.

    Delicioso Gyoza
    Rob M.

    Food is great. My one wish would be the Spicy Tuna Maki Roll. I would like for them to make it with spicy mayo. Instead of with chili oil only. The service was very good. Our waiter TK helped us with roll choices & other suggestions. The ambience was very nice. I might suggest a quieter bug zapper. But other than that, the table & chairs were comfy & clean. A mention about the clean bathrooms, as that is always a plus!!

    False advertising Poor customer service Walked by the restaurant in the afternoon on Thursday 5/15 Saw on their window sign ( see photo) Konsaku daily specials: Sake Thursday. House hot sake. Large 7.00 Went back Thursday night, had dinner, and had 2 house hot sakes On our check, the sakes were 10.00 each Addressed this with our server, and pointed out their sign advertising Sake Thursday with 7.00 hot sake She said that " isn't available anymore" I pointed out that's their current advertisement, on their window right now, and she would only say that's not available Asked to speak with manager, she said "she would tell him" Manger did did not come over, we left Horrible business model, unacceptable customer service False advertising. Sign advertising Specials and Sake Thursday with house hot sake for 7.00 is still on their window as you can see in photos

    Scallop Sashimi
    Cassandra T.

    We decided to try this little place for a nice relaxing dinner out. An anniversary dinner. Ambiance was beautiful. Very chic, and clean. Dimmed lighting. The food was very good. Fresh and delicious. Service was another story...although the service was good...it all felt very rushed. We were asked in a span of 10 minutes, three times if we were ready to order. Coming from the service industry, when a client puts their menus to the side that is your queue to come over to the table... when they are still actively looking or talking, you do not keep asking them if they're ready to order... after multiple times we finally decided to order because we were rushed. From appetizer to entrée was about 5 minutes. Again, RUSHED. While we were still having our entrées, we were asked multiple times if we were done eating or if we could have our plates taken away .... Check was dropped. We were asked three times within 8 to 10 minutes about paying.....finally my boyfriend asked the server what the rush was? The restaurant closes at 10:30 and we were practically being thrown out at 8:40 PM. We chose this place because of the ambience and the food, hoping to have a relaxing night where we could talk as well. A rushed service sort of ruined the experience.

    We ordered three rolls
    Jeffrey H.

    Man the ambiance is off the chain, smooth r&b playing in the background will make me come back and spend my coins. Do we start with bacon-wrapped scallops? They were delicious as always. We also had drinks which were a margarita made with Patron and a pear martini! Our entree was a Lobster King, creamy Lobster, and crab crunch rolls. They were made perfectly. Our server was really nice and professional. Kansaku is my favorite sushi restaurant. They have never let me down. But I have to say the music they are playing is really impressive considering they're in downtown Evanston. Mywife and I are the only minorities in the entire place other than the workers . They are jamming y'all! I can't believe it...it made the experience even more enjoyable to eat here! Now not just because of the cuisine but I actually have another reason to come dine in. All they need is a dance floor now!

    The food and ambiance were great. The service was okay! I wish one of the servers would treat the customers equally. They opened the door while it was a little cold for us to let fresh air come in. The server or manager talked to the table next to us, saying, "When you are cold, let me know, and we will close the door." She didn't even bother asking us; well, in fact, we have a kid, and we get more air on our table. I would expect better service from this restaurant as their price is not cheap.

    Assorted Sushi and warm saki. We got 2 orders of of the tempura udon.

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    Overpriced place, small portions. Food was ok, service was fine. It is not an authentic "Japanese" place. It also could be cheaper

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    Shinsen Evanston

    Shinsen Evanston

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    Everything was amazing, here on vacation and was not disappointed, actually amazed with food…read morepresentation and service! I went there yesterday and would go again today. Thank you

    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.

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    Kuni's Japanese Restaurant

    Kuni's Japanese Restaurant

    4.0
    (338 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    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

    Photos
    Cool dining area
    Cool dining area
    Tempura Soba Soup (cold $12)
    Tempura Soba Soup (cold $12)
    Beautiful decor

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    NaKorn

    NaKorn

    4.5
    (492 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    Absolutely top dining experience. Service and decor are fabulous. The food has complex flavor…read moreprofiles but it's clean and fresh. Had a super cocktail and two just perfect starters. I wasn't there for a big meal- but my two appetizers (both specials for summer) gave me a real sense of their style and approach. Can't say enough good about it. It's not cheap. But nothing really is any more, so if you are spending you might as well get a really good meal in a really nice spot. Plus it's next to a wonderful bookstore. So win win.

    This place is incredibly cute if you're looking for a nice ambiance. It was my first time trying it…read moreout and I loved the small attention to details. There was a live saxophone player and I loved the live flowers they had. Our waiter was extremely nice and took the time to explain the menu as well as their customer favorites. I order a Thai iced tea which wasn't bad but I prefer mine a little thicker and sweeter. It came in a thin tall glass which in theory was not a lot of drink. To start we order the chicken appetizer and fried beef on rice to share and unfortunately I did not snap a pic but these were listed under apps or shareables but the portions were extremely small. As our mains came I noticed that they were also small and each were around $20-$30 per plate. Not a bad thing if you don't eat much but I'm a big bang for buck type of gal. My family came to share and this place is a more fine dining thai restaurant which could explain the smaller portions. We ordered the pad Thai which was alright in my opinion I expected a little more flavor, the aubergine which was tossed vegetables as recommended by our waiter which was also ok not much flavor but beautiful plating though, and the coconut curry which was by far my favorite. If I were to come back here I would order that again, it was a nice light yet complex flavor profile which made me savor every bite. Overall good place for an upbeat fancier meal and I highly recommend the coconut curry braised chicken if you visit. Little pricey but that's just my opinion let me know what you guys think if you visit! Oh and they also give your receipt in a boat which they spin and leave a thank you card once you paid which was really cute.

    Photos
    Lovely interior
    Lovely interior
    Pink Paloma special appetizer with shrimp
    Pink Paloma special appetizer with shrimp
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