This is one of a handful of good Japanese restaurants in Gurnee. Having been around the longest, it has a regular following and can get kind of crowded. In addition to the fact that I just like it, there are many Japanese patrons in this place. I always take that as a good sign.
Over the years, I've enjoyed Unagidon, Chirashi, Bento Boxes, Sushi plates and more. They are all quite good. The owners are always helpful and friendly. I like their Kaiso (seaweed) salad and their Miso soup.
There are a decent selection of cold and warm sakes, as well as my favorite Pilsner Kirin the dragon beer.
Lately, I've been trying some of the rolls and they are very inventive and rather spectacular. Prices are moderate. If they had tootsie rolls or mints on the way out for after dinner, I'd be even happier about the place.
Overpriced and a waste of money. Aha Sushi in gurnee is overwhelmingly so much better. I was expecting a lot more for the prices they charged and what little they gave was just absurd. We ordered the ninja turtle roll and spider roll. The presentation was just sloppy but with that aside, what was most disappointing was the freshness. Take in consideration that what we ordered was not raw sushi so I can only imagine what their actual sushi tastes like. The spider roll was stale and very salty. I will definitely not be going back. Their service was normal for a sit down sushi place and was the only thing I could say was good about this place. I would not recommend this place to anybody. Save your time and money and spend the 5 minute trip to go to Aha Sushi instead.
Review Source:this time i didn't enjoy much here. i ordered " salmon don " and i didn't like it at all. the sushi rice tasted funny and there wasn't that much salmons. it's almost 20 bucks so i think  they should have given more fish. their edamame was really good though. i will still go there but just NO MORE ordering " salmon don ".
Review Source:My daughter and I stopped for lunch as this is one of our favorite places. Â We were sat at the counter as the place was very busy. Â The service was the worst I have ever seen. Â My daughter was hit in the back of the head by a waitress reaching over her to get food off of the counter. Â A gentleman that I have seen there many times who I think my be the owner literally knocked the chopsticks out of my hand as I was eating as he sat down in the chair next to me. Â Neither of us even got an apology.
We have been going here for years and I was so disappointed in the way they handled themselves and how rude they were. Â I think we will be finding a new place.
I had to write this review to combat some of the other comments....
I have been coming to Hayashi for years - since it opened - and its absolutely one of my favorite Japanese restaurants ever. Â I travel all of the country for work and so I eat sushi frequently and know the differences. Â I've eaten sushi in Japan - Hayashi is as close to the real deal as possible.
Case in point, one of my good friends from Japan is in the states for the next few years working on her masters. Â She's living downtown and so every so often she'll come to stay with us in the suburbs for the weekend. Â The minute I mention to her that we're going to Hayashi, she beams and starts clapping. Â She LOVES Hayashi because its just like home - and this is her quote.
The service has changed over the years, they used to know my name and face, anymore its hit or miss. Â But, we usually always have quick and friendly service.
I love the sushi and the rolls and the tempura is awesome as well. Â Miso soup - divine... You HAVE to try the cheese balls, but I always ask for a side of the tempura sauce with the cheese balls - puts them over the top.
This is one of the best Sushi restaurant have been to and it's in the middle of Gurnee! It really is worth the schlep so if you are out that way or want to take in the sights of Gurnee, check it out! Some of my favorite rolls are the Moon River Roll, the Bloody Tuna, the Windy City, the one with mango in it rocks - really all of the special rolls are top notch.
Review Source:Been here twice now so I feel I can write an accurate review. Excellent and friendly service! Â Rolls are fantastic. Love the bloody tuna and the specials are great too. Â We ordered rolls from there each time and loved them. The white tuna is great. Heard they have wonderful soups. Haven't tried those yet. Will definitely be back!
Review Source:Having been a regular for a few years, I was absolutely taken aback by the poor quality of the chirashi i had for take out recently. Â The portion was literally half of what i had the last time (i actually think there was more cucumber and orange garnish than fish) and the price had sky rocketed. Â I know that commodity prices have gone up this year but you have to be a little clever in dealing with that. Drastically cutting portions and raising prices simultaneously is not the way to do it.
Review Source:Most disappointing sushi experience ever.
The sushi was LOADED with wasabi. I actually like it, but I shouldn't be able to see the wasabi through the piece of fish, NOR should it be seeping out the side. They filled up my water, and it  tasted like sink water to me.
The rolls I had, that I thought were going to be good were nasty. And some of the tastes were overpowering.
I won't go back, and am going to Aha from now on...Much better
We found Hayashi through the ever so helpful Yelp App. We stopped on in Saturday around 5p and it wasn't that busy yet. However, they looked very over-staffed (4-5 servers?) for a smaller sushi bar.
At any rate, we started off with calamari tako (octopus) - which was more like tempura than a traditional calamari. It was still good, but I think there just needs to be that clarification. As for the rolls, we ordered 6 kinds - I probably won't remember all of them but of the ones I remember having were crunch, spicy scallop, unagi, Philly-variation, and California (see photo). All were really good and there wasn't one that I disliked.
The service we had was pretty decent - no complaints. The main server (older lady) checked in on us and our water was replenished when needed. It isn't the best sushi I've ever had - but it was totally fine.
Amazing food!
The staff greeted me with 3 hosts saying hello in unison - very cute. I came for a quick bite of sushi before a late business meeting and was just blown away by7 their rolls. I like sushi but hadn't had anything this good in a while.
My waiter recommended the mango and shrimp roll as a seasonal specialty, so I added it to my order of the sunshine maki and spicy tuna hand roll. The sushi chef was highly skilled and I enjoyed observing his technique from the bar. I think I may have even learned a trick or tow for the next time I attempt (amateur hour) sushi at home! :)
The food came fast and it looked amazing. I couldn't wait to try this gorgeous arrangement of texture and color. The maki lived up to it's name - the sunshine roll made my whole day brighter. I could go on, but suffice to say if you are in the market for good sushi you have come to the right place. The mago added a sweet note to the crunchy tempura shrimp roll. Even the ubiquitous spicy tuna hand roll had just the right amount of kick. Kudos to the chef!
All in all, quite a pleasurable experience. If ever I am down this way again I would not hesitate to come back. Thanks for the experienec and happy dining to you all.
Any time I am in need of sushi, I go to Hayashi. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is very cozy and the people are very nice.
I personally love their entrees. You get a cup of Miso or salad and then your main dish which is actually quite large. It is worth the money you are paying for it.
I would recommend this place to anyone who is in the mood for some great sushi!
I go to Hayashi multiple times a month, and I have yet to be disappointed. Â I've tried numerous sushi places in the city, other suburbs, even other states... and I have to say Hayashi is definitely my favorite.
The sushi is delicious and fresh. Â My personal favorite is the bloody tuna roll.
Another thing to note, the service is amazing. Â It's a small place, and the staff is extremely attentive and courteous. Â Highly recommended!
Just had dinner here today, pretty packed for Thursday night. This small, yet cozy, restaurant has good sushi and appetizers. I ordered Tempura appetizer (shrimp) and Agedashi tofu. Tempura was tasty&crunchy, and I enjoyed my agedashi tofu very much! For the rolls, we tried: Bloody tuna, spider roll and crispy tuna. Like the appetizer, these rolls were amazingly delicious. I love the spicy on Bloody Tuna and taste of soft shell crab in spider roll. Crispy tuna was a bit too sweet for my taste bud, so next time I'll drop this from my list.
Service was quick and nice. Price was pricey considering the size of the roll; but for the taste like this, I have no complaint. Definitely coming back!
You can imagine how stoked i was when i read on Yelp that this is a good place for sushi... Â I would have never found it on my own, but it was well worth it!! Â I didn't even bother looking for another place and went there again for dinner 2 nights in a row.
Its a pretty small place so it gets filled out quickly, the service is usually very prompt and the rolls as simply delicious. Â Great combination of flavors on their special rolls. Â Only reason they didn't get a 5 stars is one of their rolls was a fail for me (can't remember the name right now) but it was full of raw fish and it was so large that it fell apart and could not be eaten as presented.
Highly recommend!
This place never disappoints. The sashimi is always fresh and the rolls are inventive and tasty. The bloody tuna roll is the bomb if you like spicy. Don't forget to order a Marly salad. It's not on the menu but it's awesome. Fresh salmon & tuna with cucumbers, squid, avocado, seaweed all in a delicious sauce. I eat at some it the finest restaurants and this one never lets me down. Â I try to visit at least once a week. If you like sushi and rolls then you'll love this place.
Review Source:We recently moved to Gurnee, and I was looking for a replacement for my sushi favorite, TL's Four Seasons in Bartlett. After trying some AWFUL sushi place by our apartment, I found this place and grabbed an order to go. The miso was very good, but the sashimi was just wonderful. Large pieces, fresh fish, and the prices were better than some of the other sushi places i've been to. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back there right now. Try the ninja turtle roll, it's delicious!
Review Source:I wish Hayashi was in the city. This is my all time favorite sushi restaurant. I'm surprised at the low marks this place has. They have the freshest sushi and they use flying fish eggs on some of their rolls. I know that sounds nasty but I love how the fish eggs pop in your mouth! The staff is very accommodating here and they have a cute set up. They also offer low sodium soy sauce which is a bonus for me.
The sushi makers here are very friendly, I drop a few bucks extra in their tip bowl. I have been here for both lunch and dinner. If you want to go for dinner, be prepared to wait. This place gets packed. Lunch is also a nice option, it's very quiet and you will get a table right away. If you're in Gurnee for the day, stop in here. You will not be disappointed!!
Tried this place on a Saturday afternoon late lunch. This is your basic strip mall storefront place with minimal decor. We ordered the Tempura combo appetizer (shrimp and veggies), which was probably the best thing we ordered , very good. The Goyoza was one of the better I've had , very good as well. The fried chicken wings were good but seemed a tad over done. The sushi rolls we ordered here were a solid good across the board , Tuna , tuna avocado,salmon avocado and spicy tuna , although none absolutely blew us away. The terriyaki steak was the weak link here , tasted fine but was fairly tough. I've been to both better and worse places than this and would have no problem returning there. Unfortunately they did nothing to really give me a taste to go back there for.
Review Source:Visited this Japanese eatery after reading good reviews from several websites:
Here goes: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY
1. THE GOOD-order the shrimp tempura...nicely breaded tempura, lightly fried and huge! Comes w/dipping sauce...
2. THE BAD-mayonnaise in sushi???? WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?!! We ordered the Spider Roll (soft shell crab) and Spicy Tuna...both had the mayonnaise..yuck yuck yuck! The spicy tuna was just awful...the tuna was fine, but the mixture of mayo and who knows what else was just downright awful.
Charging for hot green tea??? This should be complimentary at every Japanese restaurant...
3. THE UGLY-the owners are KOREAN, who are running a JAPANESE RESTAURANT. In 2 words...NOT good. I"m Korean and I love my Korean food, but PLEASE, stick with your own ethnic foods! anyhow, the lunch menu STATED that the lunch entree included rice and salad w/our shrimp tempura entree. Well, they never brought the salad and when I mentioned it to our waitress, she said that for lunch they don't offer salad. I said fine and then peered at the LUNCH MENU, which read, "LUNCH ENTREES INCLUDE RICE AND SALAD". After pointing out the menu to our waitress, she scurried to the kitchen to inform the manager who again said, "The menu is incorrect" to which I replied, "So, I'm the first person to bring this up???" They brought out the salad, which was iceberg lettuce with awful yellow (ginger-wannabe dressing).
Anyhow, I live approx. 98 miles from Gurnee, IL and was in the area to viist the Gurnee Mills mall...and thought I made a good choice in eating here due to many reviews...
I CANNOT recommend Hayashi at all...
(11/1/2008) Okay I need to update my review...went there a few weeks ago and I thought the food was sub-par. Â The sushi pieces were small and the fish did not look all that fresh. Â Frankly, it seems the place has steadily gone down hill over the past year or so...each time we've been there it's gotten a little worse. Â Not sure we'll go back again especially given their higher price point. Â (I also noticed some reviews of this place by Chicagoans...as a transplant from the city, I would say Morita/Shine on Armitage or Matsuya on Clark are both superior.)
Review Source:About a month or so ago, I started a thread on Yelp about wanting to eat sushi....everyone told me to start with the cooked and work my way up to the raw food....so I figured there was no time like the present to try it.
Someone that I work with told me about this place and that it had pretty good sushi, so I decided to go here. I took a look at the lunch menu and immediately panicked....I didn't know what to choose, there was so much there. I went with what I could remember the other Yelpers telling me....tempura pretty much means "cooked" so I ordered shrimp tempura and I also ordered the soft shell crab appetizer.
I think my total order was like $14.00.I'll be honest, I didn't care for any of it much. But I'm trying to keep an open mind, I know that sushi is an acquired taste. Maybe these two selections are just not my thing......so next time, maybe I'll get a California Roll (which I would have tried today but the flying fish eggs kept me from ordering it!) or a Crunch Roll (which I think had mayo in it, and I don't do MAYO...plus is sushi really supposed to be made with mayo???)
Anyway, I'm giving it three stars...the next sushi place I go to I'll make a trip to the city to one of the places with a high rating on Yelp...I'll be a sushi eater in no time.....
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