40 Best Japanese Restaurants near Highland Park

“Insanely delicious and fresh sushi.“

“A Big Shout Out to Happi Sushi in Highland Park. We were lucky enough to try a number of their apps and rolls. Every single thing we got was SO delicious 😋. Their sushi was fresh, tasty, and so yummy. The apps are unique and full of flavor. We just love this family owned restaurant. The staff goes above and beyond for each patron. Please try Happi Sushi, Friends. You will not be disappointed!!“

“I honestly really liked this place! My friend took me to dinner here and it really is a hidden gem. Yes, the prices are high, but the food and service was worth it. The owner is also such a cute, lovely lady and she makes the experience even better. She gave us free egg rolls and they were absolutely delicious. Our server was also kind and the whole vibes of the place are just super nice. Def recommend!“

“Great place to hangout and good sushi“

“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!“

“Now one of my favorite restaurants! My friend and I came in for dinner, and everything was amazing! The atmosphere was so inviting and warm, the food was fresh and tasty, the complementary tea was super delicious, and the owner/chef/waitress was so kind and an absolute gem!

I had the beef bento box, and it was hot and fresh and extremely good. There is so much food you get in each of the bentos! My friend had the chicken katsu dinner and it was the best katsu we've ever had.

Absolute recommend to anyone wanting some comforting Japanese food.“

“Everything was absolutely delicious! The grilled mackerel was the highlight of the meal—so juicy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. We also loved the gyoza, which were crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and full of flavor. The miso soup was fresh, comforting, and a perfect start to the meal. The Daikiri Salad was also excellent—fresh, light, and a great complement to the rest of the dishes.
Everything tasted fresh and was beautifully prepared. We will definitely be coming back to try more dishes from the menu. Highly recommend this place!“

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

“Excellent Ramen. Excellent bartender in Helen Try the Mango Tango Vegi Roll.“

“Great sushi in the suburbs. Fish quality is amazing!
Ordered:
miso soup- good could have been more hot
Tuna crispy rice- good, had a sweet sauce drizzled on top and small but very good
Otoro sashimi
Otoro and hamachi hand roll- otoro was outstanding
Sunset roll- not my favorite but quality of fish was amazing and presentation with edible stars
Will be back!!

Good music- r&b, pop and hip hop“

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

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

“Always great entertainment and food!!!“

“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.“

“Wow!!! What a treat. The CYO bowls are my way to go because they let you decide exactly what you were going to get. If you don't want to go to the create your own route they have eight signature bowls that you can choose from. They also have a Bento Box that you can choose from or create on your own as well. For kids they offer a kids box for $11 which offers chicken beef tofu all Teriyaki style orange style or tempura. They have a ton of different sides from sushi rice to house salads to edamame to gyoza. What I really like so is the sunset cup, as it's a half a bowl with all the fixings at half the price.

This place is very solid and the prices are on point as the servings are enormous...

Plus the fact that you get free parking right outside and makes it a very easy option for lunch or dinner.“

“If I could give this place 10 stars, I absolutely would! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is not just delicious food — it's absolute perfection! Everything is incredibly fresh, beautifully presented, and bursting with flavor. The menu is so extensive and full of amazing choices that you literally want to try everything!
You can truly taste the quality and care that goes into every dish. It's rare to find a place where the food is this consistently impressive.
Definitely one of the best sushi experiences I've ever had, and a place I'll happily return to again and again!“

“Everything was absolutely delicious! We tried the Buldak Cream Udon, Tempura Udon, and King Pork Cutlet, and loved every single dish. The Buldak Cream Udon was creamy, spicy, and so flavorful, and the pork cutlet was perfectly HUGE, crispy and juicy. The Tempura Udon was also amazing! Definitely recommend this place.“

“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 🙌🏼)“

“Hands down one of the best Tonkatsu Bentos around. The pork cutlet was crispy, golden, and incredibly juicy. Sankyu Sushi & Izakaya does an amazing job honoring traditional Japanese flavors while delivering consistent quality. A five-star experience every time.“

“Love this place. Very fresh sushi!“

“We were so excited to have found this new place for yummy sushi poke bowl! We adore that modernized look of the restaurant and there are a lot of variety of poke bowls to choose from. My boys like the mushroom and California rolls sushi while I enjoyed the spicy hot fish poke bowl a lot. The staff and owner were super friendly and nice. The place was stylish, neat and clean. The sashimi was fresh and delicious! The food was served fast and the price was reasonable too. We are definitely coming back!“

“Great service and atmosphere. The service is always attentive and polite. The decor and ambiance is great for date nights or just a chill dinner
The food is the only thing that gets a star off.
I wasn’t expecting the ramen to be rocking for a sushi place but it was lukewarm warm and not very flavourful. Along with the stray nigiri being crazy fishy or rubbery. Otherwise their rolls and sashimi are pretty great, along with their banging fried rice. Highly recommend stopping by!“

“The food & service are always spot on. We only go a few times a yr for birthdays, & we are always greeted kindly by the front of the house as well as all the servers. Had the hot dynamite roll for the first time & it was amazing!“

“We liked very much. We strongly recommend“

“Absolutely love their Salad Maki and order it every single time I visit. All of their rolls are delicious but every veggie roll shines. Their Cucumber & Japanese Mint salad is also one of a kind and always order it.

A real gem of a sushi spot in downtown Des Plaines and worth a trip from neighboring cities to experience.“

“Wonderful place, the food is amazing! The staff is always so friendly!“

“Best sushi. Better than your fancy Chicago spot. It’s the only restaurant we frequent regularly. They have something for everyone including non sushi lovers.“

“My favorite sushi place! Love their Spicy Salmon Maki! Nice cozy place.“

“This restaurant has been a longtime favorite for our friends and family, especially when we’re craving sushi! 🍣❤ The interior has been expanded several times, so there’s plenty of comfortable seating, although it was completely packed when we visited on a Saturday night. Everything we ordered was consistently delicious, from the spicy kinoko, buta kimchi, ika butter, and karaage to the must-try carpaccio. 😋 The sushi and sashimi are always incredibly fresh! What really makes this place special is the loyal staff-many sushi bar and kitchen employees have been here since the early days, which gives the food a truly authentic and consistent taste. Annie at the front is always so warm and welcoming, making every visit feel like dinner at a relative’s home. 🥰🍱✨“

“The greeter seemed to not wanna be there, possibly from the attitude of the other staff, while she was trying to get us setup another dude jumped in and interrupted and took over. Figure out who does what.
I also found some bogus transaction on my card from this day, and the only time anyone ever took my card from me was from this restaurant I ended up with an uber charge but I DRIVE MY OWN CAR! this is the only time I had anyone else touch my card this day so is someone back there taking card information? has anyone else experienced this from this place? check your transaction history if this is a trend its gonna be a problem, if not perhaps a different vendor is doing it, eitherway its unproven yet so it doesnt affect my rating, if someone does get a bogus charge after going here, can you post it on a review so we can see a pattern.“

“Yummy food and good service.“

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

“great place to eat, very good service and very large portions. loved it here“

“The best sushi spot in Evanston. They flew in a 200 lb tuna from Japan.“

“So, I stopped here after my post-op visit and ordered crab rangoon & orange chicken.
The crab rangoon is what I ate first, and as someone who has visited over three dozen american-chinese food selling restaurants in the Chicagoland area it is the best I have ever eaten. Really really spectacular. Incredibly tasty, strong flavors in both the filling & the sauce. Perfect amount of wrapping to filling. Will be coming here again when I'm in the area, just so I can get another set of them. I genuinely considered going back in and ordering another set when I finished the first but I had my orange chicken to eat so I sadly decided against it.

The orange chicken was next, and it was okay. I did enjoy it, but it came with onions (which I love) and bell peppers (which I hate) so I would've asked for it without the bell peppers if I'd known. Also the flavor wasn't as strong as I like, I prefer a strong orange flavor and a lot of sauce. This didn't have that, but it was the crispiest chicken I've ever had with orange chicken so that was definitely a bonus.
All in all, I'll definitely come back the next time I have an appointment here, mostly to get crab rangoon but I'll definitely be trying other things as well!“

“Really good place! I was expecting generic Chinese but I was pleasantly surprised. I asked the owner if the egg foo young was made with real eggs, or eggs from a carton. He was kind of shocked at the notion he would use eggs from a carton and assured me it was made with fresh eggs and freshly-made vegetables, like he would not be caught dead doing it any other way. That gave me a good feeling about the place - he clearly had pride in what he does. We had a vegetarian and a celiac in the party and he was very understanding and respectful of their needs. We are picky eaters but were all very happy with our meals, which were really good. Big portions too!“

“I came to Sushi on Saturday for lunch. They had specials but I chose an eel roll for $11. And a Japanese drink. Both were delicious and fresh. The place is modest and small but the sushi is excellent. I recommend this place and will be back for sure.“

“Nobori Sushi is a sleek, welcoming spot that blends traditional Japanese charm with a modern, relaxed vibe. The sushi here is consistently fresh and beautifully presented — every roll feels thoughtfully crafted rather than rushed. The Nigiri and sashimi stand out in particular, with melt-in-your-mouth texture and clean, balanced flavors.

Service is polite and attentive without being overbearing, and the staff seems genuinely proud of what they serve. The menu offers a nice mix of creative rolls alongside classic favorites, and the prices feel fair for the quality you’re getting.

The ambiance is calm and intimate, perfect for either a quiet dinner or a casual night out. If anything, a few of the cooked dishes could use a touch more seasoning, but that’s a minor note in an otherwise excellent meal.

Overall, Nobori Sushi earns a solid four stars — a dependable go-to for quality sushi, great service, and a pleasant dining experience.“

“Excellent Ramen. Excellent bartender in Helen Try the Mango Tango Vegi Roll.“

“HIDDEN GEM!!!! Best sushi around and beautiful presentation. Been coming here for 20 years maybe more and have never been disappointed. Lovely friendly staff, reasonable prices. I sinply can't say enough great things about this restaurant!!“