25 Best Japanese Restaurants near Waukegan

“My daughter took me out to eat after work, wow, this was an amazing experience, great service, loved the poke bowl look how beutiful it is i posted pics...so yummy and of course I always love getting their boba green tea i got strawberry this time.“

“Great food. will definitely recommend“

“Food is always great and their service is amazing. They have an extensive menu with everything from great appetizers to traditional Japanese desserts. Good selection of drinks both regular and adult. Prices are reasonable for the quality of the food and service. You can depend on having a great experience!“

“I love this place so much. The take out is quick, fresh, reasonably priced and SO delicious! My last visit, the chef was literally the server at the same time, I did a walk-in takeout order for Sashimi and it was ready fresh in 10 mins. Tasted incredible. Pro tip: Sometimes their hours aren't accurate on here, I've found them to be actually open a few times when internet said closed, so always worth a phone call attempt first!“

“Very fresh and good food.“

“Hanakawa is my comfort food spot, no question. Their fried rice with the yum yum sauce is what I order every single time, honestly haven't branched out because why mess with perfection. Consistent every visit, great portions, and the yum yum sauce alone is worth the trip. If you haven't tried it you're missing out.“

“Always great entertainment and food!!!“

“Great selection of sushi. Poke bowl was massive with a ton of fish, maki was very tasty, salad with the tempura crunch was excellent. Atmosphere was nice and classy, but not too loud or flashy. Service was very good, they checked often enough without being intrusive. Overall great experience.“

“Everything was excellent!!!“

“Love it!!!, the food and service was amazing. Would go for it again. 10/10!“

“First time here. Will definitely be coming back many times! The Red Miso Ramen was the best I have had in a long time! Cannot wait to come back!“

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

“The spicy crab poké bowl was lacking spicy crab, although the kimchi made up for it. Chicken fried rice was very tasty but not enough as a meal. Charsu was very fatty. Beef shoyu ramen was ok. The two slices of beef were a little tough. I liked the tasty broth, with lots of ramen, but I would have liked some kimchi or other pop of flavor.“

“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!“

“Food was absolutely delicious!! Highly recommend!!“

“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.“

“I come here a few times a week. Annie and the other staff are amazing and friendly. Food is reasonably priced and consistently good. Menu options are also extensive. It's a nice combination of American Japanese and authentic Japanese food.“

“I wish I got some photos because of how lovely everything was! Best wonton soup in the area hands down, and always pleasant service! We used to come here often enough that the lovely waitress would recognize my boyfriend and ask if he wanted their (fabulous) Thai beer. Wonton soup is garnished with cilantro, green onions, and DELICIOUS fried garlic, had to order some to go! Fresh sushi that is rolled very well with beautiful presentation, delicious drunken noodles, perfect miso soup, and very fresh house salad with crisp red onions (I've never had such a nice house salad like this before, honestly!) Great portions and everything always the perfect temperature!“

“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!“

“Tried this restaurant because we happened to be in the area. We ordered the spicy teriyaki and spicy tofu bowl. Both bowls were awesome! Tasted great. We also got the Tum yum sauce which was a nice addition. The bowls were actually not spicy but they gave us hot sauce and bottle of teriyaki sauce. We also ordered the spicy edamame which tasted great. The side of noodles turned out to be very plain noodles so we added some teriyaki and tum yum sauce to it. The regular bowl had enough portion for more than 1 person to eat it. Overall highly recommended!“

“Very kind gentleman who offered a sample of teriyaki chicken… That what got me to get food here lol. He was quick and piled as much food as humanly possible into the box. They definitely make sure you have enough for lunch AND dinner (if you can’t finish it all in one sitting). Good price for the amount of food you get, definitely recommend.“

“The sushi here is amazing! I highly recommend going here.“

“Stopped by on Wednesday 02/06! And was greeted and attended by Mercedes. She was SUPER kind and attentive with my order! Very grateful she took my needs seriously since I fast on Wednesday's/Friday's & can only eat vegan. She went above & beyond to make sure my needs were meet! & as I was waiting I noticed how clean the area is. & once I got my order it came out so fresh; plan on visiting again! & thank you for the great experience!“

“My wife and I totally enjoyed their food. We were a bit surprised to see that the AYCE went up to $28.99. We will go back.“