50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Harwood Heights

“Excellent food and service!! Highly recommend!“

“This place is the perfect dining experience in my opinion. It's casual, yet intimate, and the atmosphere is chill hip hop. I got the Beef Bulgogi and the KFC and I am at odds with myself in choosing a winner between the two. I am 100% coming back to try the Tomago and Tonkatsu! The pièce de résistance was the Ube and strawberry dessert sandwich, it blew me away. However, what made this a 5 star experience in earnest was our server Calvin, he gave us so much knowledge and made us feel very comfy and welcome ? he is a G and I look forward to coming back to tell him how I feel about the rest of the menu!!!“

“Amazing sushi... unique offerings, and ultra delicious. i seriously think about my next visit waaaay too much...“

“Wonderful service and excellent rolls!! Overall great experience“

“Nice and cozy sushi bar. Great food!! Recommended“

“There was absolutely nothing that could have been better.
This is one of the best experiences aive had at a sushi place, period.
The staff greeted me with smiling faces, were attentive without being obtrusive, and genuinely seemed to care that I was satisfied throughout the meal.
The food? Probably the best I've had anywhere around Chicagoland. Not kidding; I felt compelled to write a review after, which isn't every day.
Great location only a minute or 2 off I-90, as well, so I will most certainly be back!

Edit: stopping back again another day, I was impressed at the amount of effort the waitress took trying to find something to suit me and my guest, who didn't have much experience with sushi.
Our meal was fantastic, and suited both of us well. Also had a great presentation, which I generally don't take much note of.

Same opinion as before - one of the best in the area.

Parking: The lot is small, and it is easy to drive past. Not their fault, but be advised it may be difficult to park here at peak times.“

“Quick friendly greeting and seating on a cold, wintery evening. The place was busy but the service was prompt and accurate. Excellent quality food and large portions. And you'll probably never be short of soy sauce per your taste.“

“Ora is a fantastic sushi restaurant with FRESH fish and excellent service. Definitely a go to for date night.“

“I believe this place is a sister location to The Sipping Turtle, that being said the food is so good. I love the freshness of the ingredients, it truly is fully customizable. Only thing I wouldn’t recommend is their smoothies, I just don’t think they have a lot of flavor (super bland smoothies, taste like a lot of ice)“

“The Sushi was absolutely delicious .“

“I really like this place! I had the Tantanmen ramen and chicken karaage and both were bomb. Great service too. We were seated quickly and our food came out in under 10 mins. 5/5 stars in my book!“

“Delicious poke bowl! Fast delivery!“

“California man says Yes, and highly recommend here“

“LOVE THIS PLACE !! ALL TIME FAVORITE RESTERAUNT THE FOOD IS AMAZING ! THE STAFF AND PEOPLE WORKING ARE EXTREMELY NICE AND MAKE YOU FEEL WELCOMED AND TAKEN CARE OF !! LOVE THIS PLACE SOOO MUCH. A MUST GO PLACE, THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE RESTERAUNTS BY FAR, ME AND MY BOYFRIEND LOVE THIS PLACE ? THE OWNER/MANAGER IS SO KIND AND ALWAYS TAKES CARE OF US, SHE IS A BEAUTIFUL SOUL❤️ WE LOVE THIS PLACE ! WOULDNT BE THE SAME WITHOUT THE STAFF ✅? FOOD IS WONDERFUL AND PRICING AMAZING EXTREMELY CHEAP FOR AMAZING QUALITY. EVERYTHING IS DELICIOUS“

“fantastic tiny place but the food sushi huge selection and ramen are great. I have such a nice experience Everytime I go there. The owners Akira and Kathy are THE NICEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. REALLY PLEASANT! I go next door for a pedi and I just feel so relaxed and nice going in this mini strip mall. I really recommend both. if your having a crappy day go get a pedi and enjoy some great sushi or ramen. it's a counter place but it has its own charm and coziness. they use to own the restaurant in Wilmette but downsized. so help keep this gem and go often.😀“

“have eaten here for many years. I am aware of the new management but we will continue to come to the eat at RengaTei“

“Great food, fresh ingredients… worth every penny!“

“This was a great little surprise date night spot. Not a huge menu but everything they had on the menu was fresh and great. The owner served us and she was a gear host

We dined in on a week night

Kid-friendliness: Plenty of space for kids“

“Folks, this is the real deal. All the food was great. I'm pretty sure the chef is Japanese. I say so because they have authentic items like Nira Tama and Kampyou Maki (both fabulous, by the way) that you won't see on the menu at other places. They also had Iichiko (wheat shouchu (think vodka)), and they were happy to make me an oolong wari. Loved it!“

“First time here! Everything was delicious.“

“perfect foods...great decorations.. nice price...“

“Wonderful, authentic, beautiful Japanese sushi & food with a fantastic, hands on owner & exceptional service.“

“I was pleasantly surprised! We ordered create your own bowls and both selected the salmon option and they were delicious. Their oshinko is shredded which was different but kind of neat how it balanced out the flavor in the bowl.Pros:- bowls are delicious, I would order again- I'm happy the bowls are compostableCons:- the standard create your own bowl is pretty slim for the price, I added a couple extra toppings- the milk tea was okay, they're very sweet. I ordered the brown sugar milk tea and ordered less sweet to balance out the brown sugar but it was still too sweet. And the strawberry milk tea just tasted like a milk shake and while it tasted good - there wasn't any tea flavor, so that was disappointing.“

“Good food with good asmosphere. I really recommend this restaurant if you are in a mood of craving yummy food!“

“The widest selection of Sushi grade seafood Ive seen on a menu in a Long time- all very fresh and very generously portioned! Octopus and salmon Sashimi were the dessert orders from our kids 😂 We will definetly be returning, and highly recommend. Servers, Host, Owner, entire staff was extremely attentive- and to top it all they were happily and safely able to accomodate my childs severe dairy and peanut allergies (first sushi experience for him, and we Love seafood, so huge win for the whole family 🙌🏼)“

“Sakura was a cozy restaurant with really good Sushi, we enjoyed our time there! 😊🙏🏻“

“So much to love. Many tasty options and it's BYOB!“

“Awesome vibe, the atmosphere is spectacular and the service is exceptional! We got ramen which was very nice. You can add or take away from any of your choice ramen. We also got a cucumber salad, their fried chicken and kimchi, all very good.You order everything via an iPad, even order water. Very cool services. We will definitely be coming back for the sushi next!“

“Amazing freshest sushi , best in the town , great service , and nice ambiance.“

“A light evening at this relative central location. Great sushi pleasant store , very colorful but chill, one thing I didn’t expect was the floor was a little slippery , but looked clean may just be the type of tiles used or my shoe . Staff was pleasant and welcoming. Love the anime’s/gaming theme to store and names for the type of rolls, you could tell it was thought through and deliberate. Time between order and receiving the meal was quick …. I loved the Mario roll and crab Rangoons were more ish (would go back for this) .

Ultimately a Great experience and left comfortably full but not stuffed worth the spend??

Parking: It really depends on on time you go but the seemed to have a bunch of street paid parking relatively easy to access“

“First time visitor. The food was exceptional, getting the takoyaki and route 66 rolls. Takoyaki was very hot and fresh, and extremely tasty. And I wasn't expecting the portion size of the roll to be as big as it was. Decently priced for the entire meal. I would definitely recommend eating at this place.“

“We had a fabulous dinner last night at Chicago Kalbi with Cummins Peru, Komat'su, and the VPs from Antimina copper mine.

Such a great place, where you cook the wagyu & kobe beef at your table. The food was delicious ?

Isao Tozuka, the chef and his wife Chiyo-san, are fabulous hosts, very friendly, and really happy to help and show you how things are do e.

I would definitely recommend coming here. It's a unique place. Make sure you book though ad it can be busy.“

“We liked very much. We strongly recommend“

“I am not local, this is a regular go-to place for a friend, so when I visit with her, she wants to bring me. I had a Chinese Eggplant with chicken dish, flavorful and spicy. Also had some nigiri sushi, all very good. The Black Tobiko was plentiful and fresh. The Tamago and Inari, which are types of sushi that are deceptively simple seeming but really show a chef's knowledge and artistry, were excellent. I'm sure I will go again.“

“Good service and staff are friendly and. Very attentive . We had a very good experience dining in . I would highly recommend. We’re already planning of going back …“

“Best kosher sushi in Chicago.“

“Warm, cozy, and slightly upscale. The izakaya has karaoke rooms available for rent, but the vibe of the place is great for ordering a few beers, some karaage, and whatever's on special (check their Instagram).Don't forget to bring something to read. They use great coffee beans and have good pour over technique if you get a cup of coffee to cap your meal.Haven't checked out any of the live Jazz or classical music but it sounds interesting!“

“Good food for a great price. Service was fine, not friendly, not rude, but very quick and competent.
Trust me on this, get the noodles, oh yes yummy. And add veggies, very satisfying. Hubs agrees.
I was happily surprised by the amount of well made food for the price. And made quickly.“

“I went to eat here and everything from the welcome, the table prep, and the atmosphere was excellent! Highly recommended.

The food was presented in courses and is truly delicious: filling and hearty miso soup, the squid nigiri was very fresh and the texture was perfect, then I was presented with the avocado smoothie I ordered which had amazing consistency and will come back to enjoy again. At this point during my meal I felt as if I was being pampered and it reminded me of truly sweet moments I had with others, it literally brought tears of relief to my eyes. I quickly wiped them off and I was presented with the Caterpillar sushi roll I ordered which turned out to be amazing as well.

Thank you for acknowledging me and for the wonderful time.“

“First time going here was amazing, staff was great and very respectful, and don’t even get me started on the ramen, everything about it was amazing from the taste to the look. But yeah honestly great place to grab ramen.“

“I’ve come here a few times now since they opened and I can confidently say it’s some of the best Japanese food I’ve ever had. There takoyaki especially is the best in the city, probably in the Chicago area in general. I’ve had both their spicy tonkatsu ramen and black garlic ramen and the black garlic is my favorite of the two but they’re both very good. My wife tried their lunch special recently and was a huge fan. I’m hoping to come here for years to come so do yourself a favor and give them a try.“

“Fresh, Fresh, Fresh Seafoods! Great Service! Tasty foods.“

“Akai Hana has been in business for over 30 years, and the steady traffic means the sushi is fresh and safe, offered at a good price. However, the ambiance is lacking, with an outdated, cafeteria-like vibe and cheap-looking menus. It’s a solid spot for a quick, no-frills sushi meal, but not the place for a special dining experience.“

“Really cute Japanese place close to the airport, our actual plan was to get Halal pizza from Girodano’s but had to change our plans and the wife picked this place at a walking distance.

Her favourite thing was the “spicy fire” appetiser, which is made with cream cheese, jalapeno and salmon. We also had the spicy ramen noodle soup and the yakisoba (another noodle dish but stir fry).

Cozy ambiance inside and the service is really good too. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to have sth asian“

“Good atmosphere and nice place to dine in“

“Great place. The Onigiri and takoyaki were great to start with and then all the rolls were the perfect thing to split for the table. Our consensus was our favorite was the black ranger with orange and red close behind. We also tried the pink and green and while they weren't top 3 for us, still delicious and we finished them all. Great spot and BYOB was fantastic too.“

“I have eaten here many times. Usually the food is very good. This time wasn't up to par. My lychee martini didn't have any whole lychees in it. The fried squid was very tough. The skirt steak was good perfectly. Would I come back again, probably and order different food.“

“The sushi here is really good and tastes fresh. The Lake Shore Drive roll was the stand out for me. The service left a little to be desired. Not terrible by any means, but our server could’ve been more attentive. We were finished and I asked for the check and she must’ve forgot and we couldn’t get her attention for another 20 minutes. Could’ve been a one-off here but it was annoying enough to take a star off the review.“