Sushi Ukai had me reminiscing about my apartment in Japan the second I walked in. Something about the smell of the food and the whole vibe just took me right back. I went with the bento box B with the teriyaki chicken, and I can't really pick a clear standout. The teriyaki chicken was cooked perfectly and just hit right, but the fried vegetables were just as impressive. Light, crispy, not greasy at all. And yes, I said vegetables... I know, right. They kind of balance each other out, and honestly both were equally good for different reasons. I also grabbed a side of crab rangoon and yeah... those were crazy good. Crispy outside, creamy inside, just straight addictive. Only complaint is you get three. That's it. I could've put down 30 without even thinking about it. What I really liked is this place doesn't try too hard. The food is clean, fresh, and consistent. You can tell they care about what they're putting out. It's not some flashy, overhyped sushi spot, it's just solid across the board. The space is smaller and more on the cozy side, which honestly works in its favor. Easy to relax, not loud or chaotic. Service was friendly and on point without hovering. Overall, this is exactly the kind of neighborhood spot you want. Good food, good people, and a vibe that keeps you coming back. read more

Sushi Ukai - Bento Box B (Chicken) - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

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We got takeout sushi tonight. The order was ready and waiting right on time. The dining room looked great, but we had a date with a TV show, so it was takeout. 3 rolls, 6 pieces of sushi, and an order of crab Rangoon to start. The crab Rangoon would have been better as a dine in option as it cooled a bit too much once it got home. Good flavor and loved the spicy dipping sauce (which is often watered down at other places). VERY generous portions of sushi. Tuna, salmon, and yellowtail all delicious. 3 rolls: Pink Lady, Crunchy Roll, and Sweetheart Roll. The first and last had their own special sauces to add, which we each delicious. The crunchy roll was the least interesting, though still tasty. Will need to dine in next time to give the crab Rangoon a fair chance. Otherwise, I recommend a good takeout experience. read more

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Takeout review: Holy smokes what a bang for your buck! For just $20 you're getting entire delicious bento box! The food is fresh and flavorful. The service is absolutely wonderful when you pick it up. Even the packaging of the bento boxes made the service top notch! Definitely my go to sushi takeout spot. read more

Sushi Ukai - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

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We had the Omakase last night and it was fantastic. Omakase is multi course, chef curated. We sat at the chefs table and watched as Chef Dong created plate after plate of fresh specialities. We felt that we could see (and taste!) the passion in his work. I was surprised how much food we received and wished I had more space in my stomach haha. I ended up needing to take a bit home but every single dish was delicious. I'm so glad we went and tried Sushi Ukai. It felt like a special experience and everyone from our two waiters, the order taking robot lol, Chef Dong and his staff - were friendly and hospitable. We can't wait to come back! read more

Sushi Ukai - Omakase - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

It is surprisingly hard to find truly decent sushi in the Chicago suburbs, especially if you care about fish quality. This spot is pretty good for the area, and the fish tasted fresh compared to many nearby options. Prices are on the higher side, and the biggest downside is the service, which was very slow and not very attentive. If service improved, this place would be a standout, but it is still worth trying if quality fish is your priority. read more

Sushi Ukai - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

I came here with a larger group and got some of the sushi pieces and spicy salmon roll. I thought the sushi was good but nothing too special but the service was very slow. The waiter was pretty slow and gave our table water refills at the end of our meal when we had already finished eating and took a long time to give us our check. The restaurant was also pretty empty as we came on a weekday evening but our waiter was still pretty slow and not that great. The price was also not great for the quality of the food. If coming back, I think I would order take out but honestly the food and service were both mediocre so I think I would just opt to try out a different sushi place in the area. read more

Our first experience with this cuisine. We shared several appetizers including Crab Rangoon and Goyza with an order of Philadelphia rolls. Excellent...we'll be back. Only downside is that the wine offerings by the glass are over priced. read more

I can't talk To service and ambiance cause this was an Uber eats delivery but this was absolutely amazing ! The king crab leg had a good amount of filling and the side sauce that came with it was to die for !!!! I wish I had three servings !! read more

Sushi Ukai - Snow White - seared scallop with king crab legs - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

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Ambiance: 5/5 This is such a cute space! We especially love the party rooms they have. Great for a big party or even a fancy date. Service: 5/5 The owner is one of the friendliest people we know! Everyone is super welcoming. Food: 4.5/5 You can't really go wrong with ordering anything from here. Our favorites include the scallop sashimi and salmon. They serve the scallop on a fried perilla leaf with masago and a creamy sauce that is so addicting to eat! We also just love how fresh their fish is. Highly recommend eating here for some of the best sushi in Glen Ellyn! read more

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Always excellent food and super friendly staff.... Such a great experience overall. Get the fatty salmon! read more

First time. We came on a Thursday afternoon around 4 so it was rather empty. It's in downtown GE so parking would usually be a bear but we were lucky and found parking right in front. There is also a parking garage across the street. Simple, tasteful decor. Nice sized booths. Our server was professional, friendly and attentive. He was also the host/attendant in front. I believe his name was Sam. Nice guy. We ordered 2 steak bento boxes and a dragon roll. All the food was pretty good although the California rolls tasted premade, like it was sitting out. Also, they were rather stingy with the tempura sauce IMHO. The steak tempura was excellent and the temperature was spot on. No major complaints. Would recommend and will be back. What could be better... Perhaps presentation could be taken up a notch considering the pricing. Also would love a teapot at the table for hot tea. read more

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GUYS!! If you like sushi, please go here and try it out!! So far, this is the best sushi I've ever hadevery single piece of sashimi is melted in my moutheverything presented in a beautiful plate. EVERYTHING IS ON FIREand PURFECTLY FRESH AND DELICIOUS read more

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Highest quality sushi I've had in years, at a reasonable price. Great sake collection, try the Dassai. Friendly, efficient service by Sam!

We did the omakase and it was delicious. The variety of ingredients and seafood was amazing. Service was excellent and everyone was very knowledgeable. Definitely recommend giving it a try read more

Excellent food with exceptional service. Sam was our waiter, and he was fantastic. The sushi is incredible, and the drinks were very tasty. We are looking forward to coming back soon again in the future. Highly recommended! read more

5 starts are based off the food!! Food is amazing. The ambience is nice. Just don't look at promptness lol. That seems to fluctuate every time I go there. read more

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We've been long time customers of Ukai. Tonight was a complete surprise and delight moment with them... after what was an initial disappointment. Tonight we ordered take out and when we got home one of the shichimi orders was not in the to-go bag. Right as we were discovering this Ukai called us to let us know they missed it... and then requested our address to have someone run it over. Well done Ukai. You turned a loyal customer household to super-loyal. Such a graceful way to handle a whoops like this. Thank you! read more

This is a cozy yummy sushi spot ! They have an authentic feel where they give you warm towels for your hands right away & heavy duty chopsticks . We a few different rolls all tasting so fresh! And the miso soup was full of flavor . Loved this place for a go to sushi spot! read more

Sushi Ukai - Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

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The special event Sunday for the tuna cutting was wonderful! Well worth the price if $100 per person. Will do it again!

First of all the food was absolutely delicious. It had spice, flavor and it was amazing. However, I'm giving it 3 stars because the portion sizes were very small for the price you pay. Another reason for the 3 stars is because the service was not good. When we were first seated the waiter ignored us for approximately 10 minutes. When he came back he brought us water and then walked away for another 10 minutes. Now I can see if the restaurant was busy, but there were literally 3 other tables with people in them. When he finally came back I had to ask him if we put in a drink order. I took that opportunity to put my food order in because I didn't know how long it would take for him to come back to take our order. When we eventually got our food, we never saw our waiter again. We received our check I quickly paid the tab and left. It's a shame too because their food was amazing. read more

Visited once and really loved it! I'm new-ish to sushi and only eat vegetarian sushi, so Sushi Ukai was a MUST for me! I loved how many options they had for vegetarians and each I tried was great! The speciality Japanese pickle one was my favorite! Great services, nice wine selection, and tasty food! Cannot wait to come back. read more

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Overall area is nice and parking wasn't bad to find either. Cute decor on windows, love how they have separate windows and rooms for people wanting to eat a traditional way. Walked in around 6/7 and got seated right away. Service was nice from the man and the nice lady. Did take a bit longer for actual food though which is understandable. Started off with the calamari, which i knew isn't usually made the way other places make it. Wasn't terrible but wouldn't get it again. 6/10, very chewy pieces, hardened if you waited too long. The dip that came with it was very very salty not sure if it was soy sauce or something else. For meal wise we had the sweet potatoes roll and ebi tan roll. Also 6/10, the sweet potatoes pieces were hard, even though the menu said it was served warm which I assumed they would cook them or something. The ebi roll was 7/10, little better because of ingredients but nothing special, also said it was going to be served warm or cooked or something but was completely cold. The other rolls weren't all that either. Nice decor though on the inside and nice people. Paid $75 for 4 rolls 2 drinks (soda) and appetizer. My opinion not worth it, maybe should try something else off the menu. Presentation is very nice tho. read more

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Futomaki Black spider roll Dan dan noodle The futomaki was decent (shouldn't have avocado, but whatever) but the black spider roll was just bland. The dan dan noodles were unique but not particularly amazing. Not awful - might try this place again. read more

The wait staff was rude, exceptionally slow. They gave our party of 6, 2 menus to share, after we all finally got our food, they made 1 person in our party wait an extra 20 minutes for a bowl of ramen, never apologized. The food was mediocre at best. we had to hunt down a waiter to get our bill. The overall experience was terrible. We will Never go back! read more

WOW! WOW! WOW! An amazing night of omakase presented by Chef Dong and all his staff! He demonstrated and took a 345 lb tuna down to sushi and sashimi for an audience of 50 or so in his restaurant in Glen Ellyn, IL. Super informative, entertaining, well organized and DELICIOUS! And ALL the staff helpers, waiters, etc could not have been more pleasant, generous and prepared. Great experience. Our party of 7 enjoyed SO much! Thanks Chef Dong and all the staff at Sushi Ukai in Glen Ellyn. Best place for sushi and many other dishes besides! read more

Got lunch, the shrimp shumai, and a few sushi rolls. Always amazing food here. Our server was sweet, and the atmosphere was nice! I come here often with friends. read more

I really looked forward to eating here, but it left a lot to be desired. I was lucky enough to snag parking on the street pretty near the entrance. Maybe there was parking in the back because I saw a couple enter from what looked like a back entrance. For seating, they have table, booth, bar, and two Japanese style private rooms. The rooms seem to be for larger party reservations. The three of us were in a booth. While waiting for food, we saw an interesting robot thing accompanied by the server bringing food to the tables. The server would take the food off the trays on the robot when it reached the table. Other tables with kids seemed to get a kick out of it. All together we ordered 7 rolls and drinks. I tried the sake flight which had 3 sakes. My gf never had any before so I figured it was a good opportunity. Each one was actually just the size of a sake cup, so very pricy for the volume. To order, you mark what you want with paper and pencil on a sheet. Boo, no pictures. The food itself was what I was most critical on. I didn't feel there was much variety on the menu. A lot of rolls with similar ingredients. I am a salmon lover and they sadly didn't have a super salmon specialty roll. There were a lot of "spicy" rolls. It sounded like the Chicago fire would have been extraordinarily spicy, but it was extremely edible. I didn't like their type of California rolls. I like the crab mixture way more than crab stick type. They brought the food out in two halves, 4 rolls then 3 rolls came later. The second time, they didn't give any wasabi or ginger. I had to ask for more ginger. I wish they didn't skimp on these even if they choose to plate the rolls together. Overall, everything tasted fine, but there was no wow factor. I'd have to say not worth the price for what you get. read more

Sushi Ukai - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

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I would give zero stars if possible... Was really looking forward to our Valentine's date here. Tried to make reservations online via their Facebook page, but nobody responded, so I called. Made the reservation and specifically stated we were going to have the omikase; the man I spoke with said that was OK. When we arrived we were a bit early, but the hostess was very nice and said it would be a few minutes. We were seated close to our reservation time. It went downhill from there. When the waitress showed up, we ordered a beer and a hot tea - plus the omikase. She left our table but came back after a while and said omikase was not available. Seriously. But we decided to stay (big mistake) and told her to just put in some apps (two rolls and shumai) and we would decide what to order in the meantime. She eventually came out to take our order. Ordered the chirashi, my wife the Dan Dan. Quite some time later (more than half an hour), she brought out my wife's food, still with no apps. My wife found her noodles to be bland and not at all spicy. About 15 minutes later I told the waitress to cancel the order; this was more than an hour after we were seated. My food never showed up, and neither did any of the three apps. I have never had such bad service in my life, and I've eaten all over the world. Even better, I was charged for what little was brought to our table. I was silly enough to assume at least some would be comped due to the atrocious service. I would be embarrassed to run an establishment in this manner. Wound up having our Valentine's meal at Freddy's. read more

The service was fantastic and kind. We ate outside on a beautiful day and the vibes were great. It's just that the sushi we got wasn't all that flavorful, although presented nicely. read more

Sushi Ukai - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

12 HANGRY MEN No jury deliberation needed: the lengthy delays at this Glen Ellyn sushi restaurant were totally unacceptable. Meeting my girl for dinner on 4/24/19, I suggested somewhere new to try. We'd recently been to the fantastic Maize + Mash across the street, and knowing of A Toda Madre nearby, I assumed Sushi Ukai would be on the same level of excellence. I couldn't have been more wrong. Nichole C arrived shortly before me and was given a table. When you're starving -- which we were -- minutes feel like an eternity, and a wait that would otherwise be a minor inconvenience has now become unbearable (we clocked it at 20 minutes without so much as a 'hello'). Eventually, the perplexing absence of our server came to a merciful end. We hurriedly put in orders for everything, since we had 1/3 of an hour to think about it. With an empty dining room, it's not as if she was overloaded with tables, so there's really no excuse for being snubbed like that. An older couple near us was not as, erhm, "diplomatic" about the waiting game. The dude in his 50's was PISSED, full on yelling at server Ashley L and telling the poor hostess they'll never come back again (probably for the best, he seemed like a sh*tty human being). Once that drama died down, the food arrived. Edamame ($5) and gyoza (6 for $7) got us started, followed by miso soup ($2.50). My bento box 'B' came with teriyaki chicken, a 6pc California roll, tempura veggies, and rice ($18). Spicy tuna roll (6pc for $9) had an extra kick to it. The crazy maki roll (6pc for $11) was deep fried with salmon and avocado in spicy sauce. The fiesta maki (6pc for $11) had jalapeno and cilantro. Pretty standard rainbow roll (8pc for $14), topped with whitefish and yellowtail. Strawberry & mango mochi ($3.50) wrapped up our meal. Bread = 3.5 Circuses = 1 Short of our waitress assaulting me with a steak knife, I'm not going to openly complain to the manager........but we felt completely forgotten about. At one point, I became despondent from hunger. A 12% tip seemed downright generous after the ridiculous amount of waiting to simply place an order. I bet that grumpy old asshole a few paragraphs up left her little or nothing. * TL;DR * Sushi Ukai has been open for less than a month, and it appears they've got an uphill climb. For as long as it took to be greeted, it made The Sims 2 loading times seem blazing fast by comparison. Hopefully they'll work to improve the insufferably slow service. With Hokkai Sushi and Kizuna Bistro not far from here, it's not as if Glen Ellyn has a shortage of similar places. The decor here was minimalist in a cool way (I'll give them that) especially the samurai suit behind glass. Management can either view this as a learning opportunity, or ignore it as just some guy sounding off on Yelp. Time will tell which decision they make, but for now, I'm neither inclined to return nor recommend to others. read more

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These is a great place to get sushi in the Glen Ellyn/Wheaton area. Their nigiri is fresh and melt in your mouth. read more

Sushi Ukai - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Really good food though the wait is kind of long. Good ambiance too. Will come back again

Came here at 2:30, ordered the salmon poke bowl. Best salmon I've ever had. Very chill, very quiet vibe, gentle jazz playing in the background. I would definitely come back here again. read more

The food is good, that's why we are currently here, but...we had a 6:30 reservation. We were seated within 5 minutes. Waiter was nowhere to be seen. No waters, no hello. When he did come by we put our orders in right away. It is now 8:21. No food. We asked our waiter how our food was coming. He said he was afraid to ask for fear of getting his head bitten off, and remarked how only women are allowed to ask. read more

Worth the drive for the freshest and tastiest sushi!!! (We drove 30 miles to try out this place...and zero regrets! ) The service is unbeatable! HIGHLY recommend, you won't be disappointed!! read more

Sushi Ukai - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

One of my favorite places to dine at! I was impressed finding out that the owner brings fresh fish every morning. You can tell this family owned business thrive for quality. The staff is very attentive and they have a wide variety of different items in their menu. Highly recommend! read more

Sushi Ukai - Sushi & Sashimi Combo - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

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Both food and service were OK, nothing exceptional and wouldn't make me come back and pay over $100 for a few rolls and a bento box. The fish on my rolls tasted and felt frozen. Not a good thing.. read more

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Best most authentic sushi place in Illinois! I have been trying to find good sushi for the last 5 years since I moved from California- finally found a place. And they serve real wasabi here :) read more

Sushi Ukai was fantastic! We have not had sushi nor maki in months and I can definitely say this satisfied our need for something different! We ordered pick up through GrubHub. The food was prepared quickly and ready when we arrived. The staff was very friendly, the restaurant was impeccably clean, and everyone wore a mask! We got and assortment of spicy rolls, veggie roles, and California rolls. All were great and kept well on the drive home. 10/10 would recommend! I'm definitely going back. read more

Sushi Ukai - Take our option with California Roll, Sweet Potato Roll, Cucumber and Avocado Roll, Spicy Salmon Roll, spicy tuna! - Japanese Near Me - Glen Ellyn, Illinois

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Met a friend at Sushi Ukai last night, and was pleasantly surprised at the sophistication, friendly service and delicious sushi.  When I first arrived, my friend wasn't there yet, so they seated me at a table and gave me a hot wet rag to clean my hands, with a wooden tray to leave the dirty rag on.  I love when places do that - such attention to detail. The atmosphere is calm and the décor is modern and very clean.  The server's personality was friendly and cordial.  I felt relaxed and welcome. I ordered an appetizer - shrimp shumai, which was delicious.  I also ordered a simple sweet potato roll, which was also delicious.  I LOVE that the rolls are nice and small - so easy to pop in my mouth (versus biting them in half - making a mess!) There were a few other items I wanted to try, but wasn't super hungry - I'll have to come back with my husband. My friend got a bunch of different rolls - she liked them all. I will definitely be back! read more