The aesthetics are basic and you will think the reviews are wrong. One of the very best Japanese restaurants I have eaten at, for a reasonable price!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Teriyaki Bento Box
Dmitriy Golovanov
5 stars!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Darrek Jones
Great little strip mall Japanese. Fantastic bento boxes for amazingly low prices. I couldn't believe how much food I got for $12. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dinh N.
Well, I came here for many times and didn't have a chance to write a review for this restaurant. It is located in a small plaza right off Higgins and Lively. The staff were friendly and quick service. One thing I love about this restaurant is the daily specials just $12. Every day they have different offers for their daily specials. The food was worth compared with the prices you paid. I would love to come back here to try their daily specials.
Kyungsook Kim
Parking: There is ample parking space.Kid-friendliness: There are a variety of foods that children can eat.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
LINXIN WEN
My favorite Japanese restaurant. My wife and I drive 1 hour from Chicago here to have meals very frequently.Cassie is very nice! Coming here feels like coming home :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Robert G.
Great food and good value. Always a different lunch special. Sushi looks great but I haven't tried it yet since the lunch specials are so good, so are the Bento boxes.
Emily C.
This was our second time at Kurumaya - first time was for lunch and this time was dinner. This place is a true, hidden gem hidden in an industrial area in a small strip mall. So, if you're looking for fancy schmancy, this isn't it. If you're looking for authentic Japanese home-cooked food in a comfortable setting, this is it! For appetizers, we ordered grilled calamari (served whole and sliced) and eggplant- both outstanding and with that delicious charred taste. For the main, I ordered the tenju or tempura covered rice. The tempura was hot and crunchy, and the sauce wasn't overpowering. My tenju had three pieces of shrimp and several other veggies, including Japanese kabocha (sweet acorn squash) and zucchini. My meal also came with flavorful miso soup and a small salad with ginger dressing. All delicious. My husband had steak and veggies (mix of onions, bell peppers, carrots and mushrooms) - perfectly cooked and flavorful. His meal came with miso soup, salad and a macaroni salad. He loved everything. Customer service was great! Price is also very reasonable. I had a glass of plum wine and husband had Sapporo beer. Because we went on Valentine's Day, we each received a chocolate-covered strawberry on the house. Perfect since we were both quite full. I can't wait to go back.
Deborah W.
We came here as a group of 7 on a Saturday for lunch around 11:30 AM. The restaurant was already filling up fast at that time. Service itself was good and quick. We got our items ordered and food delivered pretty rapidly. However, it seemed like the servers were pretty busy so one of them let me go grab a to go box myself since she did not have any hands to do so. The lunch menu was a bit limited but they did have a couple of specials in the front. I ordered the SABA SHIOYAKI KURUMAYA BENTO BOX. The box came with a lot of variety of items. Everything was very tasty. However, the saba was a little dry unfortunately. All in all, a great, affordable option for Japanese food in the area.
I love their lunch special every day it has a different menu and it never disappoints me. in the end, I always leave a cash tip, which is equivalent to 50% or higher but today I ended up paying by credit card and wanted to round it up to the nearest so I had to leave a little less than usual but the server approached me, demanding more tip! I was very baffled. Leaving tips to the server is the customer's choice not by their demand. I was very shocked and disappointed. They should retrain how not to approach customers asking for tips
James W
Last customer for lunch but they were very welcoming and did not rush our meal at all!! Great food, great service despite us walking in a few min before closing. Thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jia Choi
very authentic japanese homestyle resraurant. staffs are so friendly and nice. food is awesome. my favorite japanese restaurant in Chicago.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry Katsu, Kurumaya Bento Box, Ton Katsu Curry Rice, Special Sushi, Beef Teriyaki Bento Box
Andrés Weig
Loved this place, amazing service, and here it is the trick, if their local people go over there, that is the true spot. Try the food first time from the menu, and the second time, learn what the locals eat so you will enjoy different new dishes.10 of 5 stars
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ton Katsu Curry Rice, Miso Soup
Local Japanese spot with traditional Japanese taste and menu. Not your commercial Japanese restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chirashi Sushi, Sashimi Appertizer, Ton Katsu Curry Rice, Teriyaki Chicken
The aesthetics are basic and you will think the reviews are wrong. One of the very best Japanese restaurants I have eaten at, for a reasonable price!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Teriyaki Bento Box
5 stars!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great little strip mall Japanese. Fantastic bento boxes for amazingly low prices. I couldn't believe how much food I got for $12. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Well, I came here for many times and didn't have a chance to write a review for this restaurant. It is located in a small plaza right off Higgins and Lively. The staff were friendly and quick service. One thing I love about this restaurant is the daily specials just $12. Every day they have different offers for their daily specials. The food was worth compared with the prices you paid. I would love to come back here to try their daily specials.
Parking: There is ample parking space.Kid-friendliness: There are a variety of foods that children can eat.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
My favorite Japanese restaurant. My wife and I drive 1 hour from Chicago here to have meals very frequently.Cassie is very nice! Coming here feels like coming home :)
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and good value. Always a different lunch special. Sushi looks great but I haven't tried it yet since the lunch specials are so good, so are the Bento boxes.
This was our second time at Kurumaya - first time was for lunch and this time was dinner. This place is a true, hidden gem hidden in an industrial area in a small strip mall. So, if you're looking for fancy schmancy, this isn't it. If you're looking for authentic Japanese home-cooked food in a comfortable setting, this is it! For appetizers, we ordered grilled calamari (served whole and sliced) and eggplant- both outstanding and with that delicious charred taste. For the main, I ordered the tenju or tempura covered rice. The tempura was hot and crunchy, and the sauce wasn't overpowering. My tenju had three pieces of shrimp and several other veggies, including Japanese kabocha (sweet acorn squash) and zucchini. My meal also came with flavorful miso soup and a small salad with ginger dressing. All delicious. My husband had steak and veggies (mix of onions, bell peppers, carrots and mushrooms) - perfectly cooked and flavorful. His meal came with miso soup, salad and a macaroni salad. He loved everything. Customer service was great! Price is also very reasonable. I had a glass of plum wine and husband had Sapporo beer. Because we went on Valentine's Day, we each received a chocolate-covered strawberry on the house. Perfect since we were both quite full. I can't wait to go back.
We came here as a group of 7 on a Saturday for lunch around 11:30 AM. The restaurant was already filling up fast at that time. Service itself was good and quick. We got our items ordered and food delivered pretty rapidly. However, it seemed like the servers were pretty busy so one of them let me go grab a to go box myself since she did not have any hands to do so. The lunch menu was a bit limited but they did have a couple of specials in the front. I ordered the SABA SHIOYAKI KURUMAYA BENTO BOX. The box came with a lot of variety of items. Everything was very tasty. However, the saba was a little dry unfortunately. All in all, a great, affordable option for Japanese food in the area.
Restaurantji Recommends
I love their lunch special every day it has a different menu and it never disappoints me. in the end, I always leave a cash tip, which is equivalent to 50% or higher but today I ended up paying by credit card and wanted to round it up to the nearest so I had to leave a little less than usual but the server approached me, demanding more tip! I was very baffled. Leaving tips to the server is the customer's choice not by their demand. I was very shocked and disappointed. They should retrain how not to approach customers asking for tips
Last customer for lunch but they were very welcoming and did not rush our meal at all!! Great food, great service despite us walking in a few min before closing. Thank you!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
very authentic japanese homestyle resraurant. staffs are so friendly and nice. food is awesome. my favorite japanese restaurant in Chicago.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Curry Katsu, Kurumaya Bento Box, Ton Katsu Curry Rice, Special Sushi, Beef Teriyaki Bento Box
Loved this place, amazing service, and here it is the trick, if their local people go over there, that is the true spot. Try the food first time from the menu, and the second time, learn what the locals eat so you will enjoy different new dishes.10 of 5 stars
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Ton Katsu Curry Rice, Miso Soup
Great price for lunch bento.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5