So, we've been coming here for years ... time for a review! Context for this review is that we probably eat sushi about 3-5 times a month, sometimes as a couple (whee!), sometimes with the whole family (three kids), and have been doing so for a couple decades, as residents in Chicago and the Netherlands, and tourists globally, including Japan. My point being: we are not "ooh, once a year Ravinia Rolls!" diners. Wakaba is our definite "come here for comfort and good food" selection of all the sushi joints in Chicago, and from among the 4-5 decent places within striking distance of Wakaba. You can get fancier in other places, and you can get o toro in other places (rare, for obvious reasons, at Wakaba) ... but you can't get better service or better consistency in the quality of what you're eating. The service is friendly, attentive, personable and thorough. IMO, if you've had a bad experience here, then you just happened to hit a point where they were overwhelmed briefly. That's happened to us maybe twice out of ... sixty? many more? ... meals here. Appetizers are all right on target in terms of appealing taste. Our usuals are edamame (good, crisp, right level of salt), shumai, tempura (neither here nor there -- which is probably the hallmark of decent tempura), gyoza (they have, oddly, our favorite gyoza *anywhere* ... no idea why it's so good, but it is) and wakame su (crisp, clean). The miso is good, and the udon is very good (to be fair, I don't think we regularly order udon anywhere else). The fish is always very good. Well cut to favor each individual fish, with generous portions, and a very pleasant presentation. We tend to favor sashimi over nigiri, but both presentations are generous and well cut. The selection of fish and cuts is what you'd expect from a "family/comfort" restaurant -- e.g., no (or very rare) toro, no thin-sliced or whole-fish preparations. But on the other hand, they (almost) always have uni, they don't have super-white (good thing), and they always have hirame (one cut) -- so I guess what I'm saying is that the fish is very good overall! Can't really speak to the maki or rolls, as we're not really rolls people. The sake list is pretty good, with some nice selections and a nice pour. But there are no bottles (small or 750ml), so you're by the (generous) glass. Highly recommended. read more

Our family is visiting from out of town and was looking forward to checking out this place. We arrived around 6:20 on a Wednesday evening and were told to sit anywhere we liked. Nobody brought us menus and the only two employees we could see were busily filling door dash orders continuously. The waitress was unable to help us because she was filling take-out orders. We grabbed our own menus sure that someone would wait on us eventually. The final straw was when the waitress gave water and started to wait on a table that had arrived much later than us. We wasted 45 minutes waiting for someone to take our order and finally walked out. What a disappointing and frustrating experience. If they are going to participate in door dash, they need to hire more help. It is not acceptable to ignore customers sitting in your store! We will never go back when there are so many other sushi options available in the area. read more

This is a great sushi place we've been going to for over 15 years. We hadn't been there for a while, so we went last Saturday night to see if things had changed. The seating, the service, the ambiance and, especially, the food, was just as we remembered. We had the best meal. We started off with salad and miso soup which was delicious as ever. There is nothing like Gyo Za and Wakaba's is among the best. So, we had to have that next. It was exceptionally good. Our server was attentive and brought it to our table while it was still very hot from the pan. It doesn't get any better. Our main course consisted of the Sushi and Sashimi Combination Plate along with four rolls: Salmon, Ebi Tempura, Dragon and House Special. Everything was out of this world. The fish was extremely fresh and very tasty. Each roll was really good. We couldn't agree on a favorite. When the bill came, I was reminded that Wakaba is still one of the best sushi values for the money. read more

Small, cozy, family owned restaurant. Super nice people, awesome service and great food! My girl and I moved to the area over 2 year ago and this is one of our favorite spots around here!! Try the Galbi and Tonkatsu for sure!! read more

Decent Japanese place with the usual offerings: sushi, noodles, bento boxes... Will certainly go back for a casual Japanese meal with good choices, good service and good food. The sushi quality is not top notched but you get what you pay for. Good place to feed a family who is craving Japanese food but don't have the dough for the fancier stuff. The room is nicely set with adequate space in between tables, warm colors and fish tanks "screen savers" all around the place. Somehow it entices you to take your time and enjoy your meal. read more

Average service, average sushi, horrible ambiance... not the best sushi around. Location and Ambiance: Location is ok, ambiance is quite awful. The experience was boring and dull overall. Food: Got about 5 rolls. All of them were average to below average. Nothing seemed unique or great. We asked the waiter to bring out a random roll he recommended, and it was A-ok but nothing amazing (I don't recall which rolls we tried). Staff: Really average / uninterested in serving us. In summary, much better options in the area. Check out some of my reviews if you would like. :) Thanks, Connor Brady read more

I can't say anything bad about this place. Great service, huge selection of rolls (and, much to my hub's suprise, they even have rolls with chicken!!), their sake rolls are perfect. AND the house sake is pretty good, and very reasonably priced. read more

Wakaba is not only my favorite restaurant because of the incredible quality in the fresh fish but also because of the people who work there. This family who owns and runs the business is the kindest and most genuine people I've come across. Everyone NEEDS to come here and experience it for them self. It's a relaxing quiet environment that really shines In their sushi creations and quality. I have come here over a hundred times and I only love it more and more each time. FIVE STARS read more

Fantastically fresh sushi.....love the spicy tuna roll, crunchy roll, chicken udon soup and teriyaki chicken. Family run, unpretentious, and my family's favorite. Love the hot tea. We always come back for the Claudia roll. read more

Sushi and sashimi combo is OK other than that everything is great, environment, service, etc. great value. read more

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Had lunch here today, and it was the first time that I've been here in years. The food was okay. Some of the appetizers were pretty good, but my katsu curry was really watery and lacked any real taste. It actually reminded me of just pork cutlets put over rice and topped with some kind of watery gravy. I went during lunch, so the price was about right, but I can imagine that it is kind of overpriced during the dinner hours. Service was just okay - I can kind of gauge how good service is depending on how often my water glass is filled, and it was empty most of the time even considering how dead it was in the restaurant. Overall, an average experience, so 3 stars. read more

Wakaba was the first sushi place I've ever been too, and they we sorta forgot about it as more places opened in the area. Recently, we started to go there again and now it is definitely our go-to place for when you want super fast service and fresh sushi! Even though there may be a slight language barrier, the staff is so friendly and always have smiles on their faces - huge plus! No matter what roll we try, everything is prepared so fresh - for carryout too! The prices are great and slightly less than other sushi restaurants in the area, which obviously doesn't hurt. We highly recommend you give this place a shot - you wont regret it :) Some our favorite rolls here are the Michigan roll, the Futo roll, and the Spicy White Tuna roll. And, their sushi combinations are perfect as well! read more

A great sushi bar in the suburbs! Very authentic and moderately priced. My husband and I have gone on several occasions and have never been disappointed. It's not as good as Coast but you aren't in downtown Chicago either. I highly recommend this place! read more

This place never fails to disappoint been going here for years it's my go to for amazing sushi! I recently moved away from the area to the southwest suburbs, but I was visiting my dad and had to stop on the way home for sushi Carry out! Been to too many sushi places or Japanese and been disappointed. never once disappointed by Wakaba!! read more

I thought the sashimi I ordered was days old. It had a rancid taste to it and smelled bad. After a few pieces I asked for the check. I only had three pieces of a 12 piece order but the waitress did not offer any help. She said that she told the owner. I saw him behind the sushi bar and I told him his raw fish had gone bad. He didn't deny it and said very little. If you are ordering maki or other dishes with sauces please be aware they are covering up the old stock with the sauce. Stay away. Raw fish needs to be fresh, otherwise you can easily get sick. read more

Wakaba was great!! -The service was excellent. It's a small family run restaurant that is very welcoming. It's a clean atmosphere that is very family friendly. The servers were consistently checking on our table to see if we needed anything, and everything was served in a timely matter. -The only thing that was difficult about eating here was trying to figure out what we wanted to eat. The menu is loaded with a lot of food options. A good mix of sushi (sashimi+maki+specialty roles) and warm entrées (e.g. steak teriyaki, udon, etc.). -The food was great. The sushi was surprisingly fresh, especially for Chicago standards. Moreover the presentation of the food was superb. The sushi chef has some seriously impressive knife skills. Even the oranges that they served at the end of the meal were neatly carved into cool looking shapes. The fired tempura was crispy and light. The udon noodles had a great texture. -Felt extremely satisfied at the end of the meal. Surprising, because I usually don't feel that way after eating at a sushi place for some reason. Overall, Wakaba was great and we'll be going back there soon! read more

Wakaba - simple. clean. delicious. the way sushi should be. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Deerfield, Illinois

Sushi is below average, slices are very small and not fresh at all. Ginger salad was far too runny. Miso soup very bland. Edamame was very good though, right amount of salt! Worst part was the service. Perhaps we caught an off night, but we will not be back read more

Finally tried this place after a recommendation from a friend and was so pleasantly surprised. What a hidden gem! Don't let the tucked-away strip mall location deceive you, inside was lovely and relaxing with plants everywhere, big windows and excellent service. And the food was simple, delicious and authentic. This will be our go-to place for sushi from now on. read more

I don't know if today was just a one off, but I ordered the chicken katsu lunch special to go and something was not right. The dressing for the salad and the tonkatsu sauce had a little more of a sour taste and I thought maybe it was just a variation of the normal sauces - like a house variation of the well-known peanut dressing and tonkatsu sauce. Sure enough, four hours later, my body feels clammy and I'm about 90% sure I will be hanging my head over the toilet any moment now... eat at your own risk. read more

We began going to Wakaba a couple of years ago after moving to Wheeling. From the first visit we were so impressed. We could not decide which rolls to get, so our waiter, Jay, made some recommendations for us. He was spot on. They were delicious! We went back a couple of weeks later. Couldn't remember what we had - but guess what? Our waiter did! Needless to say - we were not only impressed with the food but the service. We've been regularly going there ever since and have never been disappointed. This small business makes you feel like old friends rather than just customers. Sadly we are moving from the area so we will not be able to enjoy Wakaba any longer. I highly recommend this spot for good, quality and affordable Sushi. read more

I've never seen fish sliced this thin for sushi. No wonder this place was a morgue on a Saturday night at 6. Good joints let the people eat!

We have been going here for 20+ years. Amazing fresh sushi. Such kind and sweet workers. Kenny is one of the best sushi chefs. He makes rolls based on what you get sometimes! Really love this place. I recommend to everyone! read more

This has been our go to place for sushi and Japanese food for close to two decades. The fish is always fresh and the prepared foods are delicious. The restaurant is run by a family and they are always welcoming and efficient. My wife loves the bento box dinner and I love the Sukiyaki and the sashimi. Our grandchildren love the rolls. Prices are fair and they have great Japanese beer. read more

The service was super slow. It took over an hour to get our food and when it arrived it tasted terrible. I do not recommend this place.

Was very hopeful when we saw the restaurant. Inside is nice but that is where it ends. Service is very slow and unfortunately the 'sushi chef' is very bad at making sushi. It was over an hour for us to get standard maki rolls off the menu. The fish had a bad smell to it and the maki rolls used room temperature mayo which made my stomach turn. Will not ever come back to this establishment and recommend any others to choose any of the other 20 sushi establishments in the area. read more

Sushi does not look fresh and their portions are very small it's not even worth the price. And the food is not very tasty.

Eat here all the time, never had a bad meal. Nicest family ever that runs the restaurant. Way more affordable than any other sushi places in the area besides all you can eat. My favorite spicy tuna roll on the planet is at this place! read more

My wife and I ate here many times and always enjoyed our meals, then service slipped and we found other places to satisfy our sushi fix. With the closing of our nearby sushi favorite we decided to try Wakaba again. We have been back twice in the last few weeks and have settled back in with one of our old favorites. The service and the food have been great. I've enjoyed the spicy sushi plate among many other rolls and negiri. My wife enjoys their chicken teriyaki and says it's the best around. Basic food but fresh and delicious. read more

Huge menu selection, honestly a bit too much and overwhelming. The server suggested the ginger chicken wings, combo plate and chili calamari. The wings were great. They sushi combo was nice. We ordered some nigiri pieces which were also okay. The tako seemed tougher than how I normally have it prepared. The larger issue was midway through our meal (Saturday night 7:30) service stopped. There were only 3 people working- hostess, chef and server. There seemed to be a huge takeout order they were preparing. But nobody mentioned the delay or brought out the chili calamari. I was disappointed in the service. read more

If you're ever out in the burbs, visiting parents/family -OR- you live in the burbs--this is a good sushi place. It gets crowded on the weekends but you generally do not need a reservation and service is good. They have a really good assortment of maki and everything is really good! Their spicy salmon/tuna combo roll is really good. Not technically listed on the menu but they will make it. read more

What a great place. I was a bit early for dinner and all of the lights were off. The chef saw me and opened the door. he brought me in seated me served me, the whole time in though he was a waiter. very personable. The sushi was great, service was the best I have had in a long while. Pricing was even fair! read more

Wakaba is an unpretentious sushi gem. Food is always fresh and well prepared. Service is good and prices are fair. Best tempura I've had in a long time. Very light and crunchy. However, it is in a strip mall and the decor is decent but it isn't as warm and fuzzy as I would like. So I wouldn't recommend it for a romantic evening, (unless you're into Formica table tops.) Hey, who am I to judge? For a Wednesday evening it's great. read more

This place was a big mistake!!! Everyone is friendly when you come in but it is very over priced!! Im a sushi lover, and usually go to Sushi Samba all the way in the city for my cravings. I wanted to try this place out for lunch. (Take out) They said they had a lunch menu, but it is the same exact thing as the dinner menu, except you don't get the soup!...But the same exact prices. Sushi was very very small...$15 bucks for a couple rolls of sushi and lettuce...not filling, not delicious and a waste of time and effort. Would not recommend it!! read more

I loved this place!! A few friends and I were there last night, it wasn't very busy but I got the impression that it doesn't really get packed. Everything was so good, and well prepared. We had shrimp and veggie tempura as an appetizer and their galbi (korean style short ribs) is the best I've ever had. We also had the porkkatsu, it was alright, I think next time I will go with beef, the pork was very dry. We also had teriyaki salmon, that was very good also. The skin was nice and crispy and the salmon was perfectly cooked. All in all I will definitely recommend this place and will for sure go back! read more

Wakaba has decent sushi for a decent price. Basically you get what you pay for. The food is ok, the atmosphere is ok, the service was below average though. They were understaffed and neglected our table due to a dinner rush. Seems they only had one waiter. I doubt I will return as there are many other Sushi choices in the NW Suburbs. read more

Great place for business lunches. The "omakase" is as good as any around if not better. It runs about $30-$35 per person and includes: uni, ikura, and the almost-impossible-to-get-in-Chicago "toro". The accompanying miso soup is good, and the small salad on the side is always fresh with a nice crisp ginger and something else (ponzu?) dressing. The owner seems to like jazz which is fine with me, because there is always some straight-ahead jazz playing, which adds to the cool atmosphere. The place is clean, easy to get to, lots of parking, and attentive service. read more

I have the pleasure of being within walking distance of Wakaba. My whole family loves this place. My son and his wife will often go to Wakaba when visiting from Florida to eat Kenny's Sushi, even before they come to visit his mom and me! Kenny, the owner, takes his craft seriously. He creates his sushi and rolls from the freshest fish and they really are done to perfection without a ton of rice. He hasn't raised his prices in years and for the incredible variety and creativity he exhibits, it is a bargain place to eat! My favorites are his Miso Soup, the Spicy Tuna roll, the Sake (salmon) Skin hand-roll and the Lake Michigan roll!! I love it and highly recommend it!! read more

I am from New York City and travel out to Deerfield quite a few times per year on business. i fell in love with this place. Sometimes I will have both lunch and dinner here the same day. Their Shrimp Tempura Rolls and Steak Teriyaki are fantastic. The owner and staff are very friendly and attentive. I would highly reccomend this place. Very comfortable and reasonable prices. I read more

Great Sushi!! The restaurant is kinda dark and the service is a little snow but the food is amazing. The rolls are very good and miso soup is yummy. Will be back again. read more

This sushi is almost as good as sushi gets. I enjoyed the Chicago roll and, the Claudi Roll. I have to admit, that I ordered a Claudia roll with the meal and also at the end of the meal, as my dessert. The Claudia roll is dipped in tempura and deep fried, so arguably, not traditional Japanese faire, but it is a real treat. The Chicago roll has green apple...give it a try! It's typical sushi pricing. read more