The atmosphere was quite nice, but the lighting was a tad bit dim. Making the restaurant seem quite sad. The water however was very refreshing and had a lemon in it as well. Moving on to my food, the shumai and gyoza are quite delicious, with a great sauce. I also ordered the king kong and Philadelphia roll. The king kong had a very odd combination of flavors with the wasabi Mayo and asparagus. Personally, this roll would be a 2/10. The flavors were not great together and left an unappealing after taste. The Philadelphia roll however was quite good, but did have a lot of cream cheese. My King Kong roll and my friends roll also did not come with the black balls as listed on the menu. Overall, the food was very overpriced, as you're paying over a dollar per piece. I would recommend going to a local ayce rather than this restaurant. Even though I recommend other restaurants, kansaku isn't terrible. The bathroom is also very unappealing. read more

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Garabage food and garbage management. Disgustingly run business that failed to prepare food properly or on time and told us to then wait 2 hours for them to correct it and didn't care. read more

Terrible customer service experience today has left me wondering if I will ever come back. We ordered carry out. I arrived to pick up my order a few minutes after the suggested time from my order email confirmation. After standing by the host stand for 20 minutes before anyone even bothered to ask if I had been helped, I was told that they got too busy with dine in orders and had put all carry out orders on hold and would be resuming them in another 30 minutes time, and that it would be at least another hour before my order would be ready. And I was not alone in my situation. There were four other folks attempting to pick up orders while I was there, We all ended up cancelling our orders. I cannot understand why a restaurant would not proactively notify its customers in the case of such an unreasonable delay, so that at least we don't have to drive across town and wait around the store before we find out. And if that is too much to ask, you would think the restaurant would offer more than just a refund for the cost of the order. Sadly, no such offer was made. And ironically, this happens on the day we got an email from Kansaku, thanking us for being regulars and asking if we would write a Yelp review... read more

I was very happy with my first visit to Kansaku last night. Chicago winters can feel dreadfully cold and we were craving hot udon. I've yet to try sushi from Kansaku, but we ended up opting for tuna tartare for an appetizer, nabeyaki udon, and tempura udon. The tuna tartare was absolutely delicious and was so pretty! I'm always a fan of food that is aesthetically pleasing and this was definitely a case. The udon entrees were fine. They were nothing special, but tasted okay. Prices weren't cheap as our udon entrees were $14 each. Other items on the menu are pricey as well. Service is excellent at Kansaku. The staff are very attentive and we had a very comfortable and great experience eating there. Skimming through the menu, they seem to have more reasonable prices for lunch and happy hour. They serve sushi burritos during happy hour (until 5pm). Definitely would recommend checking out Kansaku if you're in the area. There are plenty of street parking available nearby. read more

Kansaku - Tuna tartare - Japanese Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Beautiful Japanese serving style. Good bento boxes. Fancy sushi and some unusual types. Elegant and upscale. Good stir fry plates with entree protein and vegetable. read more

I got a take-out of ramen and that felt reasonably portioned, and more importantly not excessively spiced or salted, so you could actually appreciate the quality of the meal. read more

This is a beautiful, modern restaurant located in the downtown Evanston area. The best sushi I've had in the Chicagoland area. Everything is super fresh. The menu is extensive and has many options. Great service, fantastic food, strong drinks. A perfect spot for date night or a business lunch/dinner. Very classy read more

Update - Kansaku is seriously our go-to on the weekend evenings. We love pretty much everything we've had. Awesome rolls/dishes: Shiroi Fire dragon Kansaku Kamikaze Lake shore drive Calamari - ok, but the garlic ponzu it comes with is to die for Oyster shooter Gyoza All awesome!!! Also hardly a wait on most weekends. Go!!! PS Delivery via Yelp is a lifesaver - ordered 3+ times and never had an issue. read more

Kansaku - Oyster shooter with quail egg - Japanese Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

AMAZING SERVICE - Our waiter was the absolute best person ever and made our experience great. I am so bummed I do not remember his name but he is the best. He was so attentive, kind, and patient. We had a large party that he handled most awesomely. Food was both beautifully presented and delicious. I will def. be back. I recommend their appetizers, everything we ordered was truly well made. read more

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Kansaku is pretty damn cool! It's absolutely a little bit overpriced as Cassie notes, but I don't think that detracts from the place. They do have some of the most unique and tasty vegetarian sushi I've ever seen in Evanston. What do I mean? Most are generic and boring. Carrots, celery, avocado, maybe mushroom, maybe sweet potato. That's about the only choice you have for vegetarian sushi, and I'm sorry but it's an embarrassment to any restaurant to do so. While my partner in crime aka wifey is happy with that, it's also bland. So who actually has something more creative than that? Kansaku. The Veggie Garden sushi, described as (copied verbatim) "Sweet potato tempura, asparagus, cucumber, jalapeno and avocado wrapped in soybean paper served with spicy sauce, spicy mayo and eel sauce.", can be made without including the eel sauce. So not only is it different, the outside of the roll is soybean paper and not just nori. Also, their Lychee martini was quite good - even if it as well was not cheap for the price. I also noticed they do all you can eat (AYCE) on a specific day - I think Monday? So that may be worth checking out some time as well. Overall, I do like this place. read more

Outstanding choices for sushi, as well as soups, tempura, and tonkatsu. Reasonable specials on cocktails. Love the generous pour on Martini Tuesdays. Service is outstanding. Wait staff are attentive and charming! read more

Delicious!! This place never fails with their rolls! The service has been delightful! Decor is warm and inviting! read more

Kansaku - Dragon and lobster king!!! - Japanese Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Hardly do I ever write poor reviews but felt I needed to do so in this case. For dinner I ordered the chicken entree (priced around $20 without tax). I placed the order through DoorDash and needless to say will not be a returning customer. Not only was I given five small bite sized pieces but the chicken was cold and very dry. Feel bad leaving such a negative review but felt like it was necessary so that others don't experience something similar. read more

Delivery driver left my food outside. No call. And here's a crazy thought, ring the damn doorbell. The OWNER of the restaurant didn't even offer an apology. Told me next time change the phone number on my account. I guess I can't expect them to make it right. Steadily decreasing stars. read more

Three of us came here for lunch on a quiet Sunday and had a wonderful experience. The ambience was elegant, our server was awesome, and the food was artfully presented and delicious. My friend declared it the best sushi she's ever had! For me, I would say it's as good as any I've had. For starters, we tried the shrimp shumai, gyoza, seaweed salad, and asparagus beef roll. Main course rolls: creamy lobster, lake shore drive, fiesta, carnival, & fire dragon. read more

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Great place, I come with my family quite often and it is definitely one of the better Japanese restaurants in Chicago area. The sushi/sashimi is great and their rolls are very good. I highly recommend this for any who enjoy japanese cuisine. Smokey hamachi and fresh shrimp sushi is my favorite. read more

Kansaku - Japanese Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

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Chicken Teriyaki - Bento box/average flavors. Went for lunch time. In a pinch/convenient maybe but would likely go elsewhere for sushi.

Very fresh sushi, some of the most delicious in Evanston. I came with a friend and her parents, as it's definitely a place to treat yourself. The quality sushi comes with a big price tag, so in that sense I think you could find a nicer place a little further from Evanston. The restaurant is on the upscale side, but it's not very cozy. It's just pretty nice. read more

Kansaku - Beautiful presentation of our table's rolls - Japanese Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Food was alright. Liked the oyster shooter. Honestly the biggest complaint for me was the ambiance/ lighting- it's way too bright in there. It should fairly dim for an evening dinner. Need some dimmers. read more

Very nice space and courteous staff. It's a Monday night, slight rain outside, yet at 6:30p the restaurant is about 1/2 full. This is an OpenTable restaurant and unlike many, they accept reservations for 1 person. They have an All You Can Eat Maki special for $30 but a) has to be with a table of 2 or more (which I'm not) and b) cannot be used with a Groupon (which I am). So perhaps a future visit. Started off with the Spicy Tuna Tartar which was really good! Great heat, good portion, super fresh. I could have done another! Ordered a selection of nigir which comes 2 pieces to an order. Also got the Kamikaze roll. Well the nigiri was excellent. Very fresh, good cut, appropriate amount of rice. Two of the highlights were the scallop and the Ikura (salmon roe). The maki was good, but a bit too much sauce. Between the excessive amount and the heat, you lose any taste of the fish. It's just more like a spoonful of very spicy mayo with some rice. I'm not one to go for the heavily sauces maki, but thought this place would be more conservative with the amount. If you like a lot of mayo/sauce on your maki then I'm sure the roll would be very enjoyable b Total bill before Groupon discount was $55. I'd say about average price. Overall I liked it - the fish is very fresh and well put together. I think the maki has too much mayo/sauce and would look to order something a little more "plain" next time. read more

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Love it here. Good solid sushi every time. We don't have to go far in order to get good sushi. There is always plenty of seating and with great service. The atmosphere is intimate, nicely decorated. They have solid options with like your usual spicy roll and specialty rolls too. They also have sushi burritos and other cooked options. There are plenty of choices for different tastes and needs. For me the really nice part is that they have low carb, Keto friendly options. There are two specialty rolls, one wrapped in cucumber and the other with lettuce and rice paper. A great neighborhood spot to stop by for some good sushi without having to hike far. read more

Coming from San Diego (where the caliber of sushi is consistently higher) it was awesome to sit down in a efficient, classy and well done place. The sushi rolls were great, and didn't have that cheap out of place taste. No overt fishy odors as well. A little on the small side in terms of space, for some it could be a ever so slightly cramped. read more

This is the best sushi I think I've ever had. The nigiri melts in your mouth because it's so tender, and the crunchy crab roll is really flavorful. Wish I could eat here every day. VERY worth it, and super fast service also! read more

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In terms of Evanston fare, this place is a great addition. I'm a big fan of the 1/2 price martinis on Tuesdays (Lychee Saketini is awesome). They have a number of specialty rolls that are really tasty, and the fried stuffed mushrooms were unique. It's usually quiet enough for a date, but also room enough for a group of six. Being a member of the united mileage plus dining program is just another plus. read more

Yummo! 1. Ambience: Dimly lit, romantic, fairly decent amount of seating. 2. Food: fresh, delicious. - Lollipop Roll: "Low-carb" - Scorpion Roll - Chicken Teriyaki w/sauteed veggies: not the typical overly sweet, thick teriyaki sauce. Instead, a fusion-type grilled chicken breast with a more light and sweet soy sauce based marinade. 3. Service: a little bit slow due to a large party, but very friendly and helpful. 4. Price: a bit on the expensive side, hence the 4 stars. BUT, I rarely Ieave a restaurant both smiling and extremely stuffed. Definitely would come back again. read more

This place makes some very inventive rolls, and the fish seems fresher than the other places in town. It is pretty pricey, though. I love to sit outside on the sidewalk late on a summer evening when the traffic dies down. read more

This place is a little pricey, but the atmosphere is very classy, and the food is delicious. Sushi is great, and their tempura is not soggy like at some places. Overall a very nice experience. They have Groupons out pretty often, which makes a meal here much more worth it. read more

Fresh, delicious dinner last night...keeps us coming back. Cozy atmosphere, attentive service, awesome rolls! The Godzilla is my favorite, and when I'm with my daughter we always have to get the tempura and two of the crab crunch rolls. Just thinking about it, I want it again. read more

Much better than expected, really couldn't find fault. Service was fast and very good, food was really good, the only disappointment was the fact that they don't make their own Goyza and dumplings, so we passed on those. Posted a pic of my sons Udon, lovely and packed with seafood. My rainbow roll was very nice, more crab than rice. I highly recommend the stuffed mushrooms and at $6 for 6 pieces it was great!! read more

Kansaku - Udon, a bowl of awesome!! - Japanese Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I'm not sure why the reviews for this place aren't better. I've been coming here for years and I've never had a bad meal. The sushi is great and I love the shoyu ramen. Service has always been solid. I'll keep coming back. read more

Great, clean, sushi restaurant in downtown Evanston. Would highly recommend. Food: I tried their oyster shooters, Kamikaze role, tuna sashimi (4 pieces), and tempura udon. Osyter shooter: if you aren't weirded out by eating a quail egg, this comes in a shot glass filled with sake, quail egg and oyster. Pretty delicious. Kamikaze role: had a slight smoky taste to it, that was actually pretty good. Tuna Sashimi (4 pieces): thick pieces, super fresh and excellent Tempura udon: They served the warm bowl of udon soup with huge pieces of tempura (shrimp, sweet potato, asparagus). What really impressed me was that it was a pretty decent size of udon noodles and soup compared to others, so props :) Restaurant cleanliness: Clean, and well-kept Customer service: Average. Nothing to complain about and nothing to compliment. Would highly recommend! read more

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Long-time visitor- I won't be going again. The food was horrible, the service worse. I watched my server sit and be on his phone when all I wanted was a glass of water. The apps & dinner came at the same time- all cold- the soup even later. I do not recommend and I'm sad about that. read more

Exterior: 2/5 (not in a great part of Evanston. we got hassled by a hobo for money, of course) Interior: 3-3.5/5 (nice and clean) Customer Service: 3/5 Presentation: 3/5 Food Quality: 2.5-3/5 Food Taste: 2/5 Food Portions: 2/5 ----- **note: I rate each restaurant relative amongst its type/range in THAT city. So, no, I'm not rating this restaurant compared to Alinea or some kind of Michelin-star restaurant. I rate it 1-5 out of other restaurants with a similar food type, aura, and price range. I reserve the 1/5 star rating for another place in town, Todoroki (avoid like the PLAGUE). Kansaku's dishes and sushi taste slightly sub-par. It's not a 3, because that would be on-par/average, and thus I give it a 2. They do try, though, with presentation and aura. it's clean and nice looking (as opposed to most Asian hole-in-the-walls). The sushi lacks marinade and seasoning (yes, for those who don't know, sushi meat is marinaded/seasoned), and while it isn't spoiled or completely un-fresh meat, it's not quite fresh. I came with a Caucasian friend, who, like most Caucasians, don't know how to rate sushi. They gave it a 3/5. I give it a 2. They liked the tuna poke a lot, however, the portion of tuna poke was smaller than usual (tuna poke is usually a small dish itself). It was served on 4-5 chips (note-not an authentic way of serving tuna poke, either), with very tinily-diced tuna poke (note- this is a terrible way to serve tuna poke. you are supposed to use CUBES, which suggested this was leftover or unused/undesirable portions of "scrap tuna"). We had a lobster maki and another unmemorable maki, so unmemorable I can't recall the name. It was so mediocre. Finally, I ordered a "creme brulee" as a dessert. I did not get a creme brulee. I got a yogurt with berries on top. WTF. That was my biggest wtf of the night. And yes, this place is overpriced, and no I'm not a "cheap" person. I usually drop a lot at sushi places. I'm saying for quality, quantity, and price, the balance isn't there. read more

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Have only ordered takeout at this place so this is based solely on that experience. My husband and I ordered a few of the dinner bento boxes. He got the katsu chicken and I got the spicy tuna and tempura shrimp. I have to say, the price is pretty steep for a bento box. Mine seemed to come with a lot of food though, I couldn't finish it all and I was ravenous. I liked the overall variety and the rolls were pretty good. My husband said the chicken was average given the price. It did look a little dry to me. So there you go. Food is mostly good and I'd like to try more at this place but it can be pricey depending on what you get. read more

This is one of our favorite restaurants in Evanston. Dining there indoors is always impressive; the service is prompt, efficient, and professional. We were also pleased with their delivery during Covid confinement; we live nearby and I think they ran to our condo building to make sure the food stayed hot. Janet G read more

Yummers!! Kansaku is my go-to spot when I'm feeling that sushi craving. I recently moved here from Los Angeles and was immediately on a hunt to find my favorite sushi spot. Once a week, I've tried a new spot and honestly, nothing Caaba really beat Kansaku. Their prices are great, the food is delicious and the fish tastes very fresh, there's always parking near, and the waiters are amazing. You have to try the oyster shooters (sauce + 2 oysters), dragon and salmon avocado rolls. Also would recommend their sake samplers. Getting hungry just thinking about this place. read more

This is a GREAT restaurant! The food is consistently excellent, the atmosphere is very nice and the staff is great! Highly recommended!!!

Best sushi in Chicago area--hands down. The quality of the fish is so fresh. The variety of the sushi rolls is so creative. My favorites are salmon ceviche and fire dragon tuna. And the tuna poke is outstanding and better than I've had in California. And all this is our usual carry out order. The restaurant itself is well designed to be calm, clean and relaxing. The sushi chefs are top notch. And the staff is friendly and helpful with the wide variety of dishes. Kansaku is a fine restaurant that always delivers excellent dishes with good value in a friendly atmosphere. read more

I have a favorite place here. Gooood place, gooooood service! First of all, goooood food.:-) read more

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Kansaku is one of our favorite date night places in Evanston -- we've been there at least a dozen times. The sushi is always fresh and delicious, service is attentive, and the cocktails go well with sushi (we like the samurai and the zentini). I have to force myself to order something other than the Lake Shore Drive maki because it's so damn good, I don't mind repeating it! read more