I had a pretty bad experience at this place. I went with a friend for a casual dinner and we ordered three sushi rolls to share. One of them was a tempura roll and one we asked to be made into a tempura roll- both of these rolls came out crunch rolls (which just means it has those little crunchy pieces on top)- not tempura like we asked. Then, we were charged two dollars extra per roll for those two- but they did not inform us in advance about it being extra. They seemed very annoyed when we complained about the charge, but it did get taken off the bill eventually. The overall service was terrible- they did not check on us, when we wanted something we had to flag them down, and they rushed us to order by saying the kitchen was closing even though it was a half hour before it was supposed to. One of the rolls we both agreed tasted terrible and we told them we did not like it- they did not even apologize, let alone take it off the bill. Overall terrible experience and I would not go back.
Review Source:I'm only giving it 3 stars because the sushi was pretty good, not great. Â And the servers literally had NO personality and looked bothered by us adding to our order - this was the worst part of the place (servers). Â Even the lady at the hostess stand barely said goodbye when we left and said thank you? Â Very strange service experience!
Review Source:This place was okay. It was more authentic tasting than I had expected, and the restaurant seemed to be owned by a Japanese rather than a Korean, which is a plus because it signals that the food is close to being genuine Japanese cuisine... I wasn't blown away by the food. The market next door carried a good collection of Japanese goodies, but I wish the store itself was renovated to look sleeker.
Review Source:Was a long time favorite " BUT"  ... the last few visits over the last year were marginal. We love the Combination E  with the chicken and tempura. To night the chicken was way dry and over cooked. The tempura was grease soaked and under cooked. We could only eat one forth of the meal and told the waitress. Showed her the dripping tempura. She was apologetic  and said she told the manager. No manager came to our table and no considerations were made. Our consideration is to not go back.
Our visit was on March 16 .The cash register receipt said March 17 INV 000135
The quality of the sushi and speed of the kitchen is definitely 5 stars at this restaurant. It's fantastic. Unfortunately, the staff is why I gave only 3 stars. They were very unattentive and distracted. They were not rude, but definitely provided the lowest level of service possible.
Review Source:I think I could eat my body weight in sushi at this place - YUM! Â On our last visit, my wife and I ordered some teriyaki lunch specials - so delicious. (She ordered beef, I ordered the dark meat chicken. Â Both were fabulous.) Â I am looking forward to a return visit soon. I am not a big fan of green tea, but even that was good!
Review Source:Probably the worst AYCE sushi place I have ever been to.
This was the second time that my boyfriend and I dined here, the first time not for AYCE sushi. But considering that I'm a huge sushi fanatic... I wouldn't even return here for the regular menu.
We only came back to this restaurant because we were craving AYCE sushi for a while... and a friend recommended it. It was $17.95 per person... which is a great price, and they only serve this on Tuesdays from 4-6pm. In my mind... I thought the place would be packed during these two hours. But nope... only about 30% of the tables were full. Somewhat of a bad sign. Then when the menu came, there were so many restrictions on there! I have never seen something like this for AYCE, and I've been to at least 20 different AYCE restaurants. First, all the rolls you can get are the "crap rolls," like cucumber roll or something. Seriously who orders that? But that's not even the worst part. Most people go to AYCE sushi because of the nigiri sushi or sashimi (if they have it) and at Akai Hana, you have to pay an additional $1 for every piece! Seriously what?? Even if I were to order 6 more pieces so that the price is closer to a typical AYCE price... it wouldn't be worth it. I was so disappointed... I don't understand why they even offer this option for 2 hours a week if they don't even make it good. I think the only people who would appreciate this option is if they enjoy the rolls they offer... but why spend this kind of money on so much rice? Don't people go to AYCE for the fish?
The extra star is for the spicy scallop sushi I actually ordered for an extra $1. It was pretty good. Also, the quality of the fish is okay. That at least deserves another star.
However... will not be returning.
Very good sushi and udon. Â Akai Hana has been around for years and continues to pack them in. Â There is nothing pretentious or "fusion" about this place. Â Just classic Japanese fare served with a smile. Â Prices are reasonable, especially the lunch specials which are available 7 days a week.
The decor is looking a little ragged after all these years, but I'm not expecting anything fance. Â After all, it is located in a tiny strip mall on a busy street.
The mixed reviews had me worried, but this was one of our only options still serving food around 9 on a weeknight so we went for it.
The fish was surprisingly good. We had the sushi/sashimi combo plate and everything tasted fresh. My one gripe is that they charge you for everything... we wanted to replace the 3 pieces of octopus sashimi with yellowtail and they charged $1/piece. Seems kind of unnecessary.
A bunch of us came here for dinner. Â The food is good, tho a bit pricey. Â The portions are fairly substantial as you pay for it. Â The sushi plate was good, the fish tasted fresh and presentaion was nice. Â The miso soup was a full bowl, tho lacking in flavor, with tofu and seaweed. Â The tempura entree came with 4 shrimp and huge portion of typical fare of veggies. Â The tuna may be the best deal, with 3 pieces of tuna, tender, not overly cooked. Â The beef teriyaki was thin and overcooked, so it was chewy. Â Service was ok, since there was a large party, had to ask for green tea refills. Â If we do come back, and I have a taste for fish, it'd be just for the tuna.
Review Source:I really like Akai Hana. It's close to my house and has good. I love the seaweed salad & teryiaki salmon/chicken. The green tea ice cream is very yummy as well.
But recently the staff hasn't been very nice. Sometimes they just seem to be flat out rude. They used to be nicer, but lately they are very rushy and pretty unfriendly. The waiter even forgot to give us water for a full 10 minutes after seating one time.
Was tempted to give it 3 because AH holds a special place in my heart as the first locale in which I had non grocery store sush many, many moons ago, but after the last few lack luster trips, I think it's time to admit that it's just totally mediocre.
Place looks tired, fish tastes a bit tired -- it's all a bit depressing. Most rolls are fine, really nothing special -- and all of the "special" rolls are insanely pricey (often $15+) for how unappetizing they are. Nigiri is a better choice, w/ the albacore being a favorite. Salmon was recently too fishy, and the snapper was too firm.
Cooked entrees are standard udon/teriyaki/etc -- all tributes to sodium and absent of the clean respect for ingredients that true Japanese food should have. Oh, and they serve escolar, which no one should eat. Ever.
Din for 2 was $65ish -- I think it was 10 pieces of nigiri (1 piece/order), 2 rolls, 1 gomae, 1 salad, 2 teas. Pace of the meal is quick -- not somewhere to lounge and pontificate.
I have been going to Akai Hana for years out of convenience. The sushi is just ok, but you never have to wait for a table and they're really fast. But, I will never go back. The manager/owner is way too pushy and the servers are rude.
I brought my six week old baby in, who was SLEEPING in his carrier. Without asking, she started touching and pulled him out of his carrier proceeded to walk him around the restaurant to show other tables. Of course he woke up and freaked out, so after 10 minutes of him screaming, I asked her to give him back. She insisted he was fine and I literally had to tug back and forth to get him out of her arms. Then when I finally calmed him down she came back and tried to take him out of his carrier again, which woke him up again. She tried to take him OUTSIDE OF THE RESTAURANT to calm him down. Nothing was ok about this.
She is way too pushy and obnoxious. I will never go back. Our meal was ruined. I didn't finish my meal and the friends we had brought there were totally shocked and hated it.
This is solely for their lunch specials. I remember thier dinners to be over priced and just ok. Akai Hana is a traditional sushi place. If your expecting black rice or soy paper, this is not the place for you. If you're looking for a huge tempura udon combination with your choice or sushi roll for ten bucks, then please come right in.
Unfortunately, this place is in a strip mall with one of the worst conceived parking lots imaginable. Dodge the Lou Malnati take outers, don't park at the bank and you'll be fine. They have sushi combos ( sushi set three is my fave. spicy salmon, spicy tuna, and spicy california with miso soup) as well as bento boxes and the previously mentioned udon/ramen lunches.
Great lunch spot. Oh, and if oysters are your thing don't miss out on the kaki fry (fried oysters with veggies). They're a must have,
My mother and I just went to Akai Hana tonight for dinner. We used to come here several times a month, whenever we had friends in town, for big family dinners, etc. Then the management changed and the food quality went downhill. Honestly, we hadn't been there for a few years, so we decided to give it another go. How could we tell people it was bad if we hadn't been there recently?
First, we walked in and the restaurant wasn't that busy, maybe 40-50% full. No one was waiting, and we stood at the hostess table for a good 3 minutes while the manager (owner?) and a server finished their conversation. NO NO, YOU FINISH YOUR CONVERSATION. We'll just wait here... Â We get seated and the bus boy was very prompt bringing our waters. (the only employee who cares, apparently)
Then, we waited about 10 minutes. And waited... We had no idea who our waitress was. Two other tables were seated after us and were greeted by their waitress and brought drinks. When our waitress finally came to our table (Dom/Dum, according to the manager) we were briskly asked if we were ready. I asked...for our drinks..or... Â And she interrupted me to say "for everything." VERY RUDE. We said we were leaving because we had waited so long. She didn't even apologize, she just gathered our menus and walked off. Â I talked to the manager/owner lady at the front but she didn't seem to really care either.
The overall feeling in Akai Hana now is that no one cares. About the food, about the service, about the quality in general. It really is a shame because this used to be our favorite Japanese spot. Now we can accurately tell people to NOT EAT THERE. Â Go to 153 Akira...those people REALLY appreciate their customers and know most by name. Great food too.
What A.H. lacks in decor and a put-you-to-sleep dining experience, they make up for in providing loyal customers a tremendous dining value.
You can score big with their lunch specials, that's even offered on the weekends.
Everytime I go there, I say I'm going to try something different. But with that 12 piece sushi special for $12.99 staring you in the face, I can never break new ground here. It comes with a huge cucumber salad and 6 pieces of maki roll too.
Call me boring but I will bet that no one can find a more painless and inexpensive way to do something so beneficial for the heart!
Every once in a while I end up here because my aunt seems to like this place. I just think it's maybe average at best. My latest visit I went to lunch with said aunt. The lunch specials seemed reasonably priced and I ordered the sashimi box while my aunt got the salmon box. The lunch special comes with a salad and a miso soup which was okay.
The sashimi box only has 6 pieces of sashimi 2 salmon, 2 tuna, and 2 pieces of yellowtail the rest was all maki rolls which was kind of disappointing. I'd rather get a couple of smaller pieces of fish than 6 slices of fish and all maki. If I wanted maki I would have ordered that.
Service is okay, it doesn't seem like any one table or section belongs to one person so everyone just comes by and it took a while for our check to be presented but even more our check to be taken after we were ready to pay up. We ended up having to put the tip on the table and walk up to the register to get change. I'll end up back here again sometime because it's nearby buy I won't particularly enjoy it.
Hm my 2 star doesn't reflect the fact that i actually come more frequently than you'd think, mostly because there are limited choices for Japanese restaurants in this area. I remember when I was a kid this place used to be really good. But then they probably changed ownership and their food became overpriced and Americanized.
Nevertheless I continue to come here due to limited choices in the area. I avoid their sushi because it's so overpriced for the type of quality that you get. I mean, it's edible, but really, so Americanized.
I almost always get the Tempera Udon because it's a better deal than some other things - they give a generous variety of tempura battered Veggies such as Sweet Potato, beans, onions, shrimp, etc. Very filling and sometimes i have to bring home leftovers.
My sister likes to order the Nabeyaki Udon which looks healthier than the Tempura Udon dish - comes not only with Shrimp Tempera but a lot of boiled veggies in the soup - much healthlier than my dish. I plan to order this next time  i go to Akai Hana.
I also think their Lunch Combination Box is a good bang for the buck - they give a large lunch box with a variety of foods depending on the selection. Probably a better deal than dinner.
Their green tea is gross - powdered stuff. And their ramen is really bad. Also, their icecream dessert can be old and gross. Watch out.!
The last time I visited I was totally disappointed. I ordered sushi and they were running low on rice. They rushed a new "pot" out that was still warm and hadn't had time to settle. As a result, the sushi didn't stick together very well.
A good sushi place would not have allowed this to happen. There are better places that don't - and it is those places where I will be enjoying my next tekka maki.
Walls decorated nicely and plenty of room for large parties. Even the waitress service is attentive.
Unfortunately everything in that place is covered in a thin layer of fish oil. Even the green tea vaguely tastes like fish. Akai Hana prices food a bracket higher than most cheaper Asian restaurants but still serves poor quality stuff to its customers.
Could be some much more.
This is our go-to sushi lunch place. The lunch specials here are great (and are effective til 4p)!! Lots of variety, including udon, ramen, donburi, sushi and bento boxes . Our standards are the kaki-fry and sushi set #3, though we've thrown in a couple of bento boxes in the mix every once in a while. Â The kaki-fry are always awesome- you can't find the same type of fried oysters anywhere (trust me, I've tried..). Â The panko breading used and the sheer size (these are HUGE) and volume provided are something that are unique to Akai Hana- these are highly recommended!! Â
Though the lunch specials are great, dinner is just ok. Â The sushi for dinner is generally fine but pricey for what you get, and their cooked dishes from what I remember were not fantastic. Their sukiyaki broth was terribly sweet and heavy, nothing like what I Â would think would come from a Japanese joint that I think are actually owned by Japanese people. Â Also a plate of veggie tempuras will run you about $14.25 a plate. Kinda pricey for some fried veggies.
A definite recommend for lunch!! Not so much for dinner though...
My husband and I happened to remember Akai Hana as we were in the area on a Saturday early afternoon and decided to stop by as it's been a while since we were there. Â First off, their green tea is incredible - very powerful and unique, not the typical brown rice green tea you get at sushi spots. Â
They have lunch specials on Saturday (and during the week), and we both ordered a lunch box... Â Mine was with the most flavorful and perfectly cooked teriyaki salmon - quite delicious. Â I've had the sea bass teriyaki in the past and that is wonderful as well (actually a little better than the salmon). Â The box comes with a California roll and a futo maki - their California rolls bother me a bit as they do not include cucumber, but it was still fine. Â The futo maki was not my favorite, kinda odd with the unique pickled veggies, I like the tuna and shrimp sushi pieces that they used to include with their lunch boxes a lot more... Â It also came with a cucumber salad and miso soup - both were fine, but nothing to rave about (I don't think anyone can ever rave about miso soup). Â Our waitress was lovely and helpful. Â All in all a very good lunch for a good price.
There is a man that works at Akai Hana named Mr. Lee.
Mr. Lee can move at lightning speeds and can bus every table in the whole restaurant with high efficiency by himself. He moves faster than the speed of sound, and gets his job done at all costs. Once, a customer spilled their water, and Mr. Lee reversed time so it didn't even happen. Another time, Mr. Lee even saved the planet from evil ninjas in Guam all while performing his wait staff duties at Akai Hana in WIlmette.
Mr. Lee is a sonic-speed legend that continues to inspire us all.
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you Mr. Lee.
Now, onto the restaurant: Akai Hana has a very distinct flavor in their maki rolls that comes from their fresh fish. They add sesame seeds to pretty much everything, and the flavor works.
Their tonkatsu is generous, and their sea bass always satisfies. In addition to a huge menu with plenty of vegetarian options, they also have good combination boxes that are generous, if a little expensive.
The mochi ice cream is a nice touch, and the place is a fun spot in town to have dinner.
Restaurant approved.
this place has been around forever, and you will know why with every visit. Â The staff is very inviting upon arrival, without being overly sacchrine-y swee
usually get the bento box, combination C.  Comes with 3 pieces of nigiri, one California  roll, (which is your standard 6 pieces), miso soup, cucumber salad and beef terriyaki and rice...oh and scoop of ice cream
this is enough for two meals, so i tend to eat the sushi first, and save the beef terriyaki and rice for next meal
parking is kind of  a pain during peak hours, but the place is worth it to circle around a few times
If you think Akai Hana is the place to get delicious, fresh japanese food.. You must be out of your mind. I've been here countless times for the convienience and have been let down everytime. The fish is NOT fresh here! The rolls have a funky stink to them and the other japanese fare is subpar. I even found a crinkly nasty hair in my way overpriced yakisoba.. bleh
For fresh sushi go check out Sushi Station in Rolling Meadows.. it's worth the drive
I expected more, because my dad is a big fan of this place. But it was really just your standard japanese restaurant with sushi.
I ordered the Chicken Teriyaki & Tempura combination - which is a good deal given how much food is in the combination. You get choice of soup or salad to begin. The combination then has a california roll, a crab meat cucumber salad, and about 8 pieces tempura and a sizeable portion of chicken teriyaki. To finish, you get your choice of ice cream (green tea, red bean, coffee, etc)
The sushi is unimaginitive - but it is still fresh and tastes good. But how many sushi restaurants still serve octopus and tamago in their sushi dinners?
A solid choice for dinner, but nothing extra-ordinary
Went for lunch the other day and thoroughly enjoyed Akai Hana. Â I love Japanese restaurants that offer more than just sushi, even though their sushi is pretty freaking tasty. Â
I ordered the tempura lunch box and loved it. Â My companion and I split the Hawaiian Role made with mango, avacado, tuna and a special sauce. Â Holy God it was good. Â The tuna melted in my mouth and the mango left a perfect finishing touch. Â Granted it was expensive ($18 for the roll alone) but completely worth it as I don't like eating rolls that are chewy. Â
Before going to A.H., I didn't realize they're a chain and took over one of my favorite Japanese restaurants in Columbus, Ohio. Â I know friends back in Columbus who love this place as well. Â I will certainly be returning should I be in Wilmette and hungry for sushi. Â Yum.
I'm a sucker for the bento lunch boxes offered by any Japanese restaurant. Â Today, for $10.25, I got white meat chicken teriyaki, a california roll, cucumber/crab meat salad, two pieces of random sushi, miso soup, and rice. Â Great value!
The chicken was slightly dry and lacked teriyaki flavor. Â There was an orange slice garnish next to the chicken, and all of the pieces of meat tasted like it had an orange sauce on it.
Also, a pet peeve I have is when I go to restaurants, and their menu says you can choose 2 of the following X options for Y price, but all the names are in some other language e.g. Japanese that gives no freakin' indication as to what the selection is. Â How frustrating and annoying. Â No arigato.
This place used to be a record store. Â What does that have to do with my review? Â Absolutely nothing.
The agedashi-dofu was probably the best I've had in Chicago. Â The spicy tuna handroll was too "chunky." Â Maybe if they sliced the tuna portion into thinner strips, or tartare style. Â The salmon skin handroll was edible, but by far the worst of my selections.
Two large Sapporos always makes up for the shortfalls.
My commute passes by here every day, but I never came in until last summer when some friends of mine were moving away and suggested it for a farewell dinner. Â The place was packed on a Friday night, but the staff was friendly and cooed repeatedly over my friends' seven-month-old daughter. Â I recall enjoying my bento box, which was a pretty good deal.
Craving sushi for dinner last night, I stopped by Akai Hana and placed a takeout order. Â I actually had a hard time deciding because the menu showed me nothing too creative. Â After finishing the food, it all seemed overpriced by about $0.50 or $0.75. Â
The shitake roll was good, but it's hard to screw that up. Â I ordered spicy yellowtail, but what I got was just plain yellowtail. Â It was good, but...whoops. Â The "crunchy" california roll was just a rolling of tempura flakes for $0.75 extra, and by the time I got home, they weren't crunchy anymore (if they ever were). Â And besides, the roll was way too salty. Â
There are several other sushi joints along my route, so I won't bother with Akai Hana for my next craving.
Blah. Amidst screeching suburban children, I tried to enjoy sushi here. We ordered rolls a la carte as I'm used to at other sushi places, but I was surprised when the waitress told us we'd only each get miso soup if we ordered regular meals. She gave us one meager MSG-laced bowl for three of us, which I thought was pretty stingy considering the sushi here is not cheap. Bowls were chipped and also not cleared when we were done with different courses.
Didn't look like sushi was made by the chef; it was improperly rolled and when I was at the bar I noticed most of it was made by "assistants." No info about where the ingredients were from either, a must when ordering seafood given the current situation of widespread seafood contamination in China, a major source of eel, shrimp, and other sushi staples.
Akai Hana is a really cute sushi place. Â The decor is traditionally Japanese and has screens over the windows, the sushi bar itself is a little cramped, so I like to sit at tables or booths here. Â
I recommend their lunch boxes and dinner boxes... they are a pretty good value. Â You get soup or salad (I LOVE their ginger dressing), your entree, cucumber/crab salad, a california roll, rice, and ice cream for around $20. Â Â I would recommend it as a standard sushi restaurant, you aren't going to get the trendy fancy rolls here, but they are a classic.
I love the Akai Hana market that is next door to the restaurant which is why this review has 3 and not 2 stars. Â I also love the fact that you can buy sake to-go.
Other than that I am way under-impressed with the sushi here. Â The rolls are fine, I really enjoyed the spicy tuna roll. Â The Sushi/Nigiri is a little iffy though. Â The last time I ate here we got a combo sushi platter and something on it made me nauseous for a few hrs. after I ate it. Â Could have been an allergy or something on my part (which, since I eat a ridiculous amount of sushi would surprise me), or it could have been some questionable fish, who knows. Â Either way, I will not be finding out by going back . . .
Went here to celebrate a birthday. For a party of 11 we were seated in the back corner. Almost everyone ate the Sea Bass Combo. Sea Bass is fried with good size flaky chunks of fish. Substitutions were one dollar for spicy tuna roll instead of the California roll.
I ordered the Tempera Udon which came with two smallish pieces of shrimp, and tempera vegetables of sweet potato, green beans, and broccoli. I think there was zucchini or yellow squash (can't remember). The broth was okay, and the noodles were Udon consistency. I also had the side salad with the house dressing and a red bean ice cream for dessert.
Sitting in the corner we were situated with a bird's eye view of the kitchen/ prep area. And by the time our ice creams came around, the smell of pine sol permeated from this kitchenette area.
A couple of tips this place is NOT BYOB. And when you find a parking spot, take it, do not go looking for one closer. BANK space parking only after hours.
Awesome quality but the service really bites! I went there yesterday at 5:00 PM on purpose and I still got lousy service. After I was seated I had NO contact, not even a glass of water. I looked around and saw several employees (waiter types) chatting it up nearby. I asked the head honcho if there was someone to help us. Well, he yelled something to the staff and suddenly we got some OK service. I don't know what he yelped to them (Japanese) but it worked!
This place would get 5 stars if they could get the staff to work!
This restaurant is popular for several good reasons. The menu covers most of the standard items you'd find at a typical pseudo-Japanese restaurant: appetizers, teriyaki, sushi, rolls, tempura, noodles, sukiyaki, nabe, etc... Basically, something for everyone. Large portions, too. Best of all, they have a huge selection of sake, my favorite being the Sho Chikubai's "nigori" from Berkeley, CA. Not sure what to get, then you can order a sampler of junmai, ginjo, daiginjo.
Interestingly, they have wireless internet connection in the restaurant, though it's really not a suitable place for opening your laptop. They also offer a "rewards program" where you can get a point for every dollar you spend there... Hmm.
The room is nicely decorated, clean, comfortable and spacious. Good for any occassion. Service is slow, but not rude. The place is usually packed, even on weekdays, so you can't expect much individual attention. Also, this place is open 7 days a week, unlike others.
Anyway, I'm not going back to this place. For these reasons:
Miso soup = MSG
Sauce/dressing = pure sugar
"Premium" green tea = $5
Desserts = Cheese Cake Factory
and...
Chirashi = Rice. Not just rice, but very WARM and poorly seasoned rice. I bit into a WARM slice of tako, and I almost gagged. And they give you a TON of this WARM rice, more than twice the usual amount. Half of it is generously covered with slices of cucumber. The other half carries eight thin slices of low-end sashimi. Unbelievable...
SUM: I'd rather go to Sea Ranch Market next door and buy fresh fish so I can make my own food at home.
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