Kitaro Grill & Sushi Lounge

I really really WANT to like this restaurant. But real authentic Japanese food is crisp, clean and beautiful. I was there on a Saturday night, the place was empty. The sushi was fresh enough, though portions were small. I had the chef's special which consisted of chefs choice 5 pieces of sushi and a choice of one roll. Miso soup and a small salad.
ON PAPER the roll sounded excellent spicy tuna, avacado , and crab. In reality it was engulfed in some sort of thick gooey sweet , syrupy sauce, with thick ribbons of mayonaise and corn syrup covering any semblance of flavor of the actual ingrediants.
The ambiance is geared to a young hip crowd but none were present. They are pumping house or dance music, which is extremely repetious and annoying. Also steel chop sticks along with a fork , authentic Japanese use wooden chopsticks , steel has no grip. The ingredients of real Japanese food is in there , unfortunately it is smothered in high fructose corn syrup and fat. I will drive the 10 miles to Yokohama in Westmont even though Kitaro is one mile from my house.
Don't try to Americanize the Japanese food and experience, that's what I go to sushi bars to get away from !

A sexy little gem hidden in a strip mall. Tasty sea urchin shooters!

I discovered Kitaro after having to come down to Lockport to pick my husband up from work (motorcycle accident, long story, yadda yadda). We had intended to go to somewhere else, but after getting lost from bad GPS directions and with some serious food rage coming on, I pounced on Kitaro after seeing it while turning around in the strip mall's parking lot.

The interior was totally unexpected; very smooth, cool and calming. Nestled in a booth towards the back we indulged in some really nice sea urchin shooters. The octopus salad was tasty, and enough for two people. When it came to maki time, we were totally blown away.  The spicy tataki was really well balanced with just the right amount of heat. Loving me some tobiko, we had the scary spider. We cleaned up with a Mexican roll, again well balanced and not too spicy.

Overall, the roll size was nice and packed with fish. Really fresh and tasty fish. I was quite surprised, and if I ever haunt Lemont again I'll come back to Kitaro.

I've waited until I went a few times before I submitted a review.
Title: Never fails to underwhelm.
Best: Zen-like atmosphere of decor
Worst: very un-Zen-like vibe of most of the staff. Hurried/harried. All niceties out the window. Wait times looonnng.
Best: consistently good sushi. Better than the Orland alternatives.
Worst: they always seemed pricey, but not anymore. Hmmmm.

After 4 visits: great food but expect service issues.