Aki of Japan may very well be the biggest oversight I've had in terms of Lake County restaurants…read more The exterior is so unassuming and even somewhat forlorn. However, the experience inside is anything but. The staff were so welcoming and genuinely seemed happy that our part of was there. Our group of 8 sat around a hibachi table. We were pretty quickly welcomed, and our drink orders were taken. Soon after our food orders were taken and the show started (about 20 to 25 minutes after our reservation time). The staff was great to check and double check regarding accommodations for allergies. We started with Japanese clear soup and salad with ginger dressing. Our hibachi chef was so personable and fun. We thoroughly enjoyed his cooking style, jokes, and the food he prepared for us. We received very generous portions of food and many of us walked away with leftovers. I am excited to return. Every part of this experience was great.

Great hibachi/Teppanyaki meal. Nice size soup and salad. Prices makes it a good value that tastes…read moreamazing. They do all the table presentations, like egg in hat. Beating rice heart, and volcano. Bring an appetite. Not a long wait for the chef. The tables are smaller so you are close to the action. With fewer people you don't know.

What a great find this was in our travels to the northern 'burbs of Chicago! We were preparing to…read moreleave the area to head toward home, but it had gotten late enough that it made sense to grab dinner before we left. Our 21-month old granddaughter was along so we had to be a bit circumspect in our choice. But my wife and I both like Japanese fare and our granddaughter, whose Mom is Korean, gets a lot of that type of food at home. The location of this place is in a strip plaza tucked away in a non-descript commercial area. It was not too difficult to locate with GPS. The interior was well-kept and made a good impression on entry. Located in a single storefront slot, it was not too surprising that it was narrow in layout. It could probably be described as cozy. We were seated right away and our server attended to us quickly. She did an exceptional job taking care of us during our visit. The food was delivered promptly and was ready to eat with no problems. We started with the Asparagus Beef Maki, which was excellent. Served in a soy-based sauce, it was very tasty. For entrees, we tried a Bento Box (Box C) and a Dinner combo (Combo C). Both featured tempura and sushi. We both gave thumbs-up to these. We were able to feed our granddaughter from our portions amd have some to take home as well. With food, drinks, tax and tip, our total was $76. At roughly $38 per person (cheaper on a per-person basis really, since we fed a toddler as well), this was a good deal. We will definitely go back when we are in the area.

As always, service at hayashi is so very fast, professional and friendly…read more As always, the ambience has enough music and enough crowd and is never too loud. As always, tonight , the restaurant was clean and easy to get a table. As always, hayashi's food is absolutely excellent and the prices are absolutely reasonable. Parking is easy.

Honestly, the reviews say it all. We were craving sushi and naturally had to fix that. Since we're…read morestill trying to familiarize ourselves with the area we were looking for a new sushi spot to try when we saw the reviews for this restaurant we had to try. We ordered our food for delivery and it came SUPER fast esp since we felt guilty not noticing that we were ordering just before closing. We ordered a variety of rolls but my favorite one was the salmon sunshine one. It tasted fresh and the citrus on top made for incredible flavor through the roll. All in all a great experience esp for takeout! We can't wait to dine in the restaurant since take out sushi is always iffy and we had an incredible experience here.

Kinda torn writing this review. The food is good and hits the spot when you're hungry. The ramen…read moreand rolls are decent--not mind-blowing. We've had better in bigger cities, but hey, this is Gurnee, and food options are limited. So go here sushi and ramen around here, What really stood out was the service. There was only one server working the whole place, and it was packed. She handled it like a pro and was super sweet, especially with the kids. Her service push this rating from 3.5 stars to 4 stars. We'll definitely swing by again next time we're in Gurnee.

5 stars are not thrown around lightly by me - This place is REALLY good…read more Fresh food legit chef! Oh my!!!! My server was super nice! Looks pretty new and very nice spot for a quick lunch or a date. Ya gotta check this place out!!!

Been coming here since they first opened, and it's been a great experience every time. The food has…read morealways been top-notch, as well as the service. Especially the Boba station. The atmosphere is quaint and cozy, with a very tolerable noise level, perfect for maintaining conversation.

This is a great little hibachi spot that definitely deserves more attention. The staff was…read moreincredibly kind and attentive, and our hibachi chef, Tom, was fantastic--funny, talented, and great at getting everyone involved in the experience. The food was excellent. You can really tell they put care into everything, especially the homemade sauces--definitely try the yum yum sauce. Even the salad dressings are made in-house, which is a nice touch. The fried rice was especially delicious. It's also very reasonably priced for the quality and portion sizes. We went on a Wednesday evening and had the place to ourselves, but the staff still made it feel lively and welcoming. They also have a great drink menu and a really nice, relaxed ambiance. Overall, a wonderful experience--I'll definitely be back!

We don't get to come here very often. But when we do the food is always good and the service…read moreimpeccable. The teppanyaki tables are downstairs. But they also have an upstairs dining area serving sushi and items made in the kitchen. Once again, the golden shrimp was amazing and hibachi salmon very good. They have been open about 35 years. Such nice restaurant and great food.

If you wanna feel like ryan gosling in blade runner this is your place. I loved it! Pretty…read moredecorations, good drinks, anime playing on the tv, good ramen, good appetizers. It was a good place to go after Renfaire. I had the tonkotsu ramen, my bf had the beef ramen. Both were so good. Ive seen some reviews bashing this place for turning down service 45 minutes before close but I think 45 minutes isn't enough time to order, wait for food, and fully soak in the place. Definitely go earlier. It's nice for a nice peaceful way to end the night. I think everything is decently priced, for the amount of options you're getting.

The ambiance was almost as amazing as the food. 10/10 will be back. Drove from Lake Zurich for this…read moreramen. Pot stickers are fried which were still good but not my favorite. I had the tantan ramen my wife had spicy miso. Both were 10/10

Stopped in for dinner after a Tuesday at Six Flags…read more There was one party getting ready to leave, other than that, we were it. There seemed to be only two people working as well, the Hibachi chef, and the Sushi chef. Typical Hibachi /Sushi menu, however on the hibachi side it seemed that we got smaller portions that at other restaurants. Soft drinks are cans (no refills) and water was bottles from Costco at $3 ea. The staff was very friendly and attentive, especially since there weren't any other customers in the building. While the decor is "traditional ", the space itself could really use some upkeep and cleaning. The range hoods over the cooktops were greasy, and the ceiling vents were dark grey/ black, and desperately needed cleaning. Many of the ceiling tiles had water stains, and just had a dingy appearance. If I'm ever back in the area I'd try a different place if going for Hibachi.

Racist treatment and price gouging at Ichiban Steakhouse, Gurnee, IL…read more I came to Ichiban Steakhouse in Gurnee, IL with my three children after our original restaurant choice was closed and it was raining. What should have been a nice night out with my kids turned into one of the most disrespectful experiences I've had at a restaurant. A woman who I later realized was a co-owner was working the front as if she were just a hostess, and never disclosed that she owned the business. Throughout the visit, she made a string of comments and actions that made clear this wasn't about hospitality: She commented that my son was "cute for a black child." While I was in the restroom, she approached my 17-year-old daughter and asked her why I was "so mad." While I was trying to clarify my kids' order with her, she cut in to tell me she'd "been doing this job for years," rather than actually listening to what we needed. She emphasized extremely long wait times for sushi in a way that felt designed to discourage us from staying. Her body language and tone throughout made it clear she didn't want us there. I watched her demeanor change completely, becoming all smiles with white patrons who came in during our visit. A Hispanic family seated near us witnessed the entire interaction, and their reactions made clear they understood exactly what was happening. We were charged $43 for a single glass of apple juice, 2 bottles of water, 4 side salads, and clear soup, all of which came with meals and service that was subpar at best. I paid it because my children were with me and I didn't want to make a scene in front of them, but I want to be clear: I paid so I could leave with my dignity intact, and so I'd have the standing to fully describe what happened here, not because the charge or the treatment was acceptable. I wanted to give my kids a nice night out. Instead, they watched their mother get condescended to, questioned, and charged an absurd amount by someone who couldn't even be honest about being the owner. As a Black woman and someone who genuinely loves going out to eat, I will not be back, and I want other families -- especially families of color -- to know what to expect here before they walk in.

As someone who is not really about reviews, I wanted to take time out of my day to express how good…read moremy experiences have been with this place. i've been here quite a few times and i am always greeted very nicely. The food is amazing and if you want to try something new or have questions about stuff on the menu you should ask. The total vibe this place gives is very calm, and as someone who enjoys a little more quiet and calm environment i highly recommend this place.

The food is very poor in the quality of it. I love the service and it is very high quality service…read more The ambiance is very good. The food could improve by the rib-eye steak only just being served extra rare.

Food was good overall.This place definitely puts out an old Japan street vibe inside…read more Service was ok, staff just looked either unhappy or emotionless. Haha. Again, this is a cool little spot with decent food.

This place was pretty good! When we came in, it was just about dinner time. It wasn't very packed…read moreand we got seated right away. Unfortunately, there was an overwhelming stench of poo poo cachoo when we entered the lobby prior to getting seated. I don't know if it was the cleaning agents that were used but the stench was so gross and unpleasant, I'm surprised my hubs and I were agreeable to stay. Anyways, I digress. When we were seated, the smell dissipated, thankfully. We had a lovely waiter named Lauren. She took our order and my hubs ordered the chicken ramen and I ordered the ying yang bowl. I made mine a combo because it came with a Thai iced tea and pork bao bun. We also ordered the yakitori platter to share and my hubs ordered a strawberry banana smoothie. We didn't wait too long to receive the yakitori platter which was decent but the meat was lukewarm. It consisted of chicken thigh, beef skirt, pork belly, scallops and zucchini that were on skewers. The fact that they were lukewarm didn't work in their favor. The skewers were small and didn't really hold the weight of a heavy $16 process. I then received my thai iced tea which tasted fine and my hubs enjoyed his strawberry smoothie reporting that it was creamy and flavorful. The pork bao was small but pretty good. The pork was tender and flavorful but the bao bun was too thick. It was like the bao bun thickness to the pork ratio didn't match. Still tasty nonetheless. When we got our soups, they were absolutely delicious. My hubs enjoyed his chicken ramen and he ordered extra noodles which help to enhance the dish alongside the use of the chili paste and shichimi togarashi condiment. My hubs reports that the soup including the bits of chicken at first was bland but was enhanced massively when he seasoned with the shichimi togarashi seasoning. Like him, I agreed as well. My ying yang soup was also bland in the beginning but once I added my bowl of extra noodles, some chili paste, some cayenne pepper and the shichimi togarashi condiment....things started to look up. It was creamy, spicy and oh so delicious. Lastly, to end the night, we got the Japanese cherry blossom jelly and the matcha tiramisu. Both were delicious and light. The Cherry blossom was so yummy, it reminded me of lychee. Just light and very flavorful. Absolutely, visually stunning as welll....i believe the youngins would call it a "clean girl aesthetic". The Japanese matcha tiramisu was delectable. Creamy, spongy and topped with a wonderful matcha powder that isn't overwhelming. All in all, we enjoyed our dinner date here. The food was good, price is a little steep for what you get and the decor is cute, big and open....with the exception of the smell of a really fat dinosaur who had an accident in the lobby. Thankfully, when we were heading through the lobby to leave, the stench of the dinosaur dookie was almost completely gone. For those of you who want to try it, I'd say go for it but I would also say you wouldn't miss out on anything, if you didn't.

I am not a fan of the whole Japanese hibachi thing. It feels like a tourist trap. You go once and…read morethen you're done... forever. Unless you have a team meeting and it gets voted on. So let's go! For what it's worth, this was an awesome experience. We had some guests from across the ocean and it was a fun experience all around. The food was delicious, of course. So without a doubt, would be back. I make a better fried rice, but the shrimp and beef were seasoned and cooked to perfection. Even the soup was solid. If you haven't been to a hibachi restaurant, this is one to try!

Tsukasa is always a great place to go for sushi, maki and table side hibachi dishes cooked to…read moreorder. The ambiance is smart casual and offers different seating areas; a large dining room with cooking tables, a sushi counter with bar seating and a sports bar area, perfect for a casual after work sushi meal and cocktail. The prices are on par with similar Japanese restaurants (Benihana, Hanakawa) and they've kept several of their most popular entrées and maki on the menu for years and the quality is just as good as it has been for 30 years! Tsukasa is great for large parties and families and has plenty of parking on site.