I went there because we were in the neighborhood and it was convenient. Â It was nothing that spectacular but it was alright. Â The english spoken was less than basic and the server had a real hard time understanding was was being ordered. Â I would think that they would have someone fluent in english to take orders for business reasons alone.
Review Source:First off I ordered California roll and waited 25 min with the place only having 3 customers. Then I watched the guy serving the soup or salad and one came back. Well I personally saw him take out a hair out something like that out of the bowl with his h hands and gave it back to the customer to eat. Which had no idea what happened because they sat behind a little wall. Then after 25min I finally got my roll and Bill!!!!! The California roll was only $4.50 my Bill came out to $8.30! Â Since I added cream cheese to the roll they charged me extra $3 almost as much as the roll it self. What a waste of money and the roll was not that great! I go to down town for sushi and never pay$3 for cream cheese. I will never go back my first and last time.
Review Source:We may have solved the mystery why some Yelpers said this place has expensive sushi. Â DOUBLE CHECK YOUR RECEIPT! Â OUR CHECK WAS PADDED!
Saturday lunch for two
The Good:
+ Friendly service
+ Clean but dated dining room (This was our fave sushi place in the late 90's when we were high school. Â When we left for college, our group of friends would occassionally meet here whenever we were all home from college. Â We decided to come here again to reminisce and eat good sushi (or so we thought). Â The restaurant interior never changed in the 13 or so yrs.)
The Bad:
- Poor sushi quality. Â What happened? Â This place used to be good. Â The "crunch" used in our sushi tasted and looked like pre-packaged chips. Avocado was not its fresh green color. Â It was almost black. Â Salmon was not its fresh pink color. Â It was dark pink, close to brown. Â I was hoping we wouldn't get food poisoning after our lunch here. Â (We didn't, thankfully!)
- OUR CHECK WAS PADDED! Â I am not sure if this was an honest mistake or it was done deliberately. Â For 4 sushi rolls and a soda, our bill came up to $40. Â I was surprised so I double checked our receipt. Â 2 sushi orders that were supposed to be $6.50, were charged as $8.50. Â One sushi roll we ordered, the price was not listed in the menu so I could not dispute those. Â However, I would not have been suprised if that was padded as well. Â We notified the waiter and he apologized and corrected our receipt.
We appreciated the apology and the correction of our receipt. Â However, this experience left a bad taste in our mouths. Â Sad to say, we won't be coming back. Â This officially ends our 13 or so yrs relationship with Sushi 21. Â Sayonara, Sushi 21.
Everyone else seems to note what I do: the dragon roll here rocks. It looks cool enough for my almost-eight-year-old who doesn't like sushi to want to eat it, which he happily does because he also likes its taste. And that makes ME happy.
I add that we like this dragon roll's taste over Glenview Ra's. I'm also partial to Korean-style sushi so this place is great for me. Our son loves the chicken teriyaki here while my wife says it's her least-favorite. Me? I don't know of any better teriyaki but my experience with the dish is limited. Service in any case is and has always been great. Â
We visited today after quite some time and this place now has a T.V. hanging from one of its walls. If it would just have on something we wanted to watch (i.e., endlessly repeating DirectTV movie previews don't do much for us).... But everything else was great and I still enjoy the food, service and tranquil ambience here, which have been consistently solid since 2001.
The more times I eat here, the more I like it. Â My daughter and I went last week and really enjoyed a mother-daughter bonding time over some sushi and sake! Â
Started out with Miso Soup, yum...
We did get a bit adventurous... Â The RED DRAGON ROLL, this was a spicy dragon and it was beautifully presented! Â The roll itself was very large and there was plenty for us to share. Â We also had an Alaska and Spicy Tuna. Â Everything was delicious!
I sometimes forget that this place is even here, tucked away in this little strip mall which isn't the most convenient place to get in and out of!! Â But it is worth the hassle.
I would recommend this place in a heartbeat.
This place is an okay option for sushi in the 'burbs. Â Sushi 21 may not be the most amazing sushi you'll ever eat but it's a reliable place to get some fairly tasty rolls. Â They've got the usual rolls (california, salmon, tempura, etc) and several interesting speciality rolls like the deep fried Hollywood roll. Â Quite a few options for those who want vegetarian sushi or cooked fish. Â Best time to come is during lunch to take advantage of their lunch box specials. Â Staff is attentive and while the decor is a little dated, the restaurant itself is spotless.
Review Source:Not nearly as bad as Shitroi Sushi down the street service-wise, but in its own way, just as bad.
My fiance loves this place's Dragon Rolls. I do too. But, I took her here 3 times, and two of those three times, she got food poisoning. I am sorry, I know the food is great, but that's unforgivable. My fiance was bouncing up and down that we were going to come here and she could eat the yummy sushi... let's just say she wasn't bouncing when she was vomiting into the toilet and suffering from stomach pain. Prices are horrendous, too. We ordered three Dragon Rolls, a miso soup, and two sodas; the bill without tip came to 47.90.
I agree with the positive reviews that the great (expensive) sushi here is top-notch, but more pedestrian rolls such as spicy tuna are just not good. This place got three stars overall, unless you blow tons of money on their best rolls, you get three star food. Factor in the frequent food poisoning, or the threat thereof, and coming here stops being a good idea.
This place has amazingly good-tasting sushi. Â True, it's not the most affordable place to eat, but you get what you pay for. Â If you want cheaper sushi rolls drenched in enough fat sauce to make the quality of fish unimportant (I'm guilty of sometimes craving these), then this probably isn't the place for you. Â This is for a nicer night out for good quality sushi.
The service is great too. Â The waiters are attentive, but don't mistake their shyness for rudeness! Â My friend wanted to order a coke to go, which most restaurants don't allow you to do. Â But our waiter came over somewhat embarrassed and gave us a Styrofoam soup container, apologizing and saying that it was the closest thing they had to a "to-go" cup. Â We had a pretty good laugh over that and my friend happily left the restaurant with a container of soda.
I recommend the sashimi platters and tofu side dish.  If you want to splurge, try the uni and plum wine.  Again, not the most affordable, but do you really want to risk getting cheap sashimi (with no rice or sauce to mask the taste)?  And I liked the décor.  They have huge authentic-looking fans and screen prints on the walls.  Stark but gorgeous!
Last night, I was shopping at Old Orchard Mall and had a craving for sushi. Â I decided to stop in at one of my favorite sushi places--Sushi 21! Â I used to come here every night when I worked in the neighborhood years ago, but don't anymore because I changed jobs. Â I usually get their Bulgoki Bento Box, which to me is like tapas. Â The Bulgoki Bento Box comes with marinated Korean beef, white rice, house salad with their own homemade dressing (wish they sold bottles of these), a little dish of shredded crab meat, California rolls, and tiny crispy egg rolls. Â The portions are generous in size, but I always manage to make room for their special Sushi 21 roll. Â I don't know what's in it, but there's chopped up tuna, scallions, and rice all wrapped in a seaweed.
I didn't order any appetizers during my recent visit, but I used to get their Akadashi Tofu which is a lightly battered tofu with sweet sauce drizzled on top. Â I tried other Akadashi Tofu at other sushi places, and this by far is on top of my list.
Aside from my usual staples, I have had tried their Dragon Roll before and it was okay. Â The eel was a little soggy for me, but I'm not a big fan of eels. Â
Lastly, the owner is super friendly and he prepares all the sushi rolls. Â He usually wears the tall chef hat behind the sushi counter. Â Every time I do have the opportunity to visit here, the owner always acknowledges me with a nod and a smile. The servers have always been courteous with me as well. Â The food is always prompt whether you dine-in or carry out.
I wish they can expand and open one in the city by me!
On a whim, we popped in to Sushi 21 after donating a bunch of stuff to the resale shop in the same strip mall.
(Dude, if you like beige wood, this is the decor for you! I've heard of spartan tastes, but do the booths, chairs, walls and floor ALL need to be the same color?)
After much musing, we decided to go with the sushi platter (I forget the name) that had 35 pieces of sushi and came with 2 bowls of miso soup. Price was a bit high, but knowing us, we figured we'd rack up a pretty big bill anyway.
So, the sushi came and  the pieces of fish on top were generous. Quality was good. Pretty fresh. We also tried some abalone sushi and it was good.
But the bf noticed we'd not gotten our soup. I asked the gal assisting our waiter where it was and she told us flat out that no soup came with our meal. I suggested they update their menu. She then walked away. (Losing the restaurant a star on this review.) A few minutes later the waiter brought our soup. No apology, he just set it on the table and left.
So we paid up and walked out.
So why a 2 star review? Â Apathetic service, boring decor and the experience left me feeling "Meh".
If it werent an absolute rip-off this place would get 5 stars. They have beef and chicken and other non-seafood option sushis and that really makes me happy. The ambiance is also kind of cool and the service is great.
Just don't be surprised when you get the bill and your heart drops a little bit - its not a cheap night out. But if you really want to treat your cheap-self to some quality sushi there is no better place in my mind.
I've passed by this strip mall countless times. Â Finally tried it out. Â I enjoyed their Nabeyaki Udon (korean version where you add a raw egg to the bubbling soup). Â the broth had a good flavor, not too salty. Â chicken pieces could be more tender. Â Comes with 3 big tempura peices (shrimp, sweet potato & broccoli).
I came with a large group. Â The big ticket rolls turned out to be DYNAMITE roll (spicy scallops) & DRAGON (shrimp tempura & eel). Â The Una Q was a good choice. Â
The spicy tuna hand roll was good, but not amazing. Â I tested the Las Vegas roll (fun name)...the crunchy tempura outside was exciting, but heavy tasting roll (due to the cream cheese). Â Share this one.
Spider roll was average, not exciting & i would pass on the Rainbow roll.
Loving this place?! neh. Â Hit and miss with the rolls. Â good for a quickie meal. Â
On the pricier side for the amount of food you get. Â I was not pleased they charge $3.00 for an iced green tea and $2.50 for ONE tiny piece of mochi icecream.
This place has been around for 12 years. Â I presume it is korean owned based on the korean japanese menu.
i would skip dessert and drinks here to keep the tab down..haha.
Servers were attentive and friendly. Â However, on a saturday night, the wait staff looked stressed out when the restaurant was not that busy.
LOVE this place! Sushi is sooo good! I think I have had every roll on the menu. Spicy tuna, Lasvegas, Philly and Dragon are my favorites! The combo sashimi is also great! and The Veggie tempura (of course anything tempura is good) Never had a bad experience here. Staff is always friendly place is spotless and price is perfect! :)
Review Source:My mom suggested this place after seeing it advertised on korean tv.
Apparently it was supposed to be very good. I (and my mom) thought otherwise.
First off, the service seemed a bit slow. we had to call our waiter a good while in to tell him we were ready to order, and even then, we did not get plates or our edamame until much later. It was somewhat busy, but not packed.
Next to the sushi. We ordered a gold deluxe combo as a sampler and then a dragon roll and a hollywood roll. A lot of the sushi seemed kind of dry and old, and only the salmon tasted fresh. For the rolls, the dragon was not bad, but the hollywood was definitely not what I expected. It's a fried roll, so I expected light tempura batter, but it was more like a breaded corndog. And the inside was just a grinded up goop of the ingredients which looked like someone just threw up inside a roll. It didn't taste bad, but I just didn't really know what I was actually supposed to be getting.
Never have i been more disappointed in a restaurant or its service than when i went to Sushi 21. Considering that this place is close to my house, this has always been the go to place when my family craved a bit of sushi. So needless to say, it wasn't our first time.
We decided to order the course meal. This means you get the soup, salad, misc. items, the sashimi tray, couple rolls, the spicy seafood soup, a couple of other dishes, and the hot rice in water.
Now, up until the soup, everything was fine. Sure the appetizers came out a bit slow. Sure the order in which the food came out was a bit out of whack. But the sashimi platter was the straw that broke the camel's back.
The pieces were visibly way too small. So small, that in fact it was obviously an attempt to take a single piece and pass it off as two. The cut up radish that garnished the platter was not the usual white freshness it usually is, but rather turning an off brown. I dont know about the rest of you, but this is a big sign indicating the lack of freshness, and the lack of care that goes into preparing someone's food. We called the waitress over and explained to them:
"I dont understand why the sashimi pieces are so small. We're not first time customers, and we know how the pieces are supposed to be like, why are these so small? We are paying good money to eat here, and I am insulted that you would serve us such miniscule portions and unfresh products." (it sounded better in korean)
To which her reply was, "Just eat it, we'll take care of you next time."
Next time? She should only hope that there is a next time.
The purpose of my yelp review today is not to make any good recommendations to adventurous foodies out there. Instead, its my way of trying to boycott this place. How does one expect to do business in America by offering such substandard foods and lack of care? As i mentioned before, never have i ever been so disrespected as a customer and disappointed at the fact that even after a complaint, they gave us the attitude of not giving a rat's behind.
I had to ask for water 3 times before they brought over their little kettle. And when i'm complaining to you, dont just stand there staring at me. I'm speaking your language. if i'm disappointed, make me happy. Dont tell me to come back next time........
anyways. I'm giving this place 1 star because thats the minimum i can give. if it were up to me, this place would receive nothing at all. If you want lackluster food, subpar service, and a genuinely disappointing experience, check this place out. You'll end up leaving hungry and frustrated that you just spend good money on crap.
The owners have to realize that they cannot treat their customers like this. Its an embarassment to their business and their profession. The trips we had taken before were enough to keep us coming back cause they treated us ok. But this time, it was a major disappointment.
I've been here before and kept coming back, but last night will be the last time i ever go. I am never returning here and i hope none of you ever try this place out. The food sucked. the sushi sucked. the service sucked. and the attitude sucked. unfortunately, they include tip in the course meal.
Instead, please check out Dempster Fish market or Lawrence fish market. if you pay cash at places like this, theres no tax. you can eat plenty at home for $50 (feeds 4). Or, check out sushi station in rolling meadows; the conveyor belt idea is pretty neat. Otherwise, just stick to a couple places up north in glenview or northbrook.
all i gotta say is that this was by far, the worst birthday dinner ever. happy 25 to me.
dont eat sushi 21 unless you like garbage.
This place was weird. The waitress was kind of rude. The miso soup was good but I'm spoiled by Sushi-Ya's complimentary Miso Soup that I was less than pleased when I had to pay, even though it was only $1.50.
They didn't have a great selection of entrees. Menu kind of janky looking all ratty.
They sat us at probably the worst table ever even though there were many tables open, the enclosed seating looked kind of cool...
The sushi was okay, good for an easy craving fix, as far as the dining in a restaurant feel.. meh.
Probably will only return if i have a hankering for sushi and want to get take out. Otherwise, me thinks not!
I have eaten there a few times b/c it is close to my house. The last time I ordered from there the Vegas roll didn't taste right but i gave them another try. BAD IDEA! Ordered from there the other day and got food poisoning. From what I hear I'm not the only person that has happened to from that restaurant. I will never eat there again.
Review Source:To start with the service was decent. I'm not really a fan of the atompshere which is why I'm giving it a two instead of a three. I ordered vegetarian sushi which I have had a lot of and know when it's good but the sushi was pretty much meh. My mom had fish and wasn't too impressed with her dish. I also don't like that they pack up all the sushi onto one plate and you have to share the wasabi. They didn't give enough wasabi on the plate but after asking for more they graciously brought a mini dish of it. I don't think I'd go back to this place because it was subpar. We also had tempura which was okay. If you order some of the rolls ask what they put in it because some of them have a mayo-ish cream sauce to it which gave it an overall milky taste which was gross. Also thought this place was a little too over priced for the quality of sushi and again the atmosphere.
Review Source:Worked around the area for years, and also went to college at Oakton. Â This was a good place for picking up sushi for me. Â I like that this place is more traditional with their sushi. Â Pricing is a little bit more on the expensive side. Â
If there's any advice I can give, I't's this. Get the spicy tuna roll. Â I can't find a better spicy tuna roll anywhere. Â It's in perfect proportions, not minced up, or heavily coated with a fat layer of rice around the seaweed paper. You'll really taste the fresh taste of the tuna with a good amount of spicy mayo. Â Again. Best spicy tuna roll I've had.
Otherwise, I'd say this place suffices as a sushi-to-go place for me. I'll usually pick up an order and grab my drink next door from the bakery to get the mango bubble tea
Living 5 minutes from the restaurant this has become our families staple for sushi. Â When entering you are greeted by the staff in a traditional Japanese greeting. Â The wait staff is eager to seat you and take your drink orders immediately. Â They have private tables for private parties and can accomodate up to 30 guests on a table in the main dining area. Â Their bar seats up to 8 people and the chefs are always friendly. Â The best part about Sushi 21 is the quality food and the low prices. Â They have take out and even have nice presentation on the take out.
i highly recommend this for all sushi eaters!
I used to not like sushi. Â Then my bf convinced me to go to Sushi 21. Â It's excellent! Â So far, it's the only sushi that I like. Â My favorite is the Asparagus Roll. Â I also recommend the yellow radishes as an appetizer. Â I guess they are pretty standard, but they are tasty. Â The staff is always friendly and the restaurant is clean. Â It isn't fancy, but I like the decor. Â We go here pretty often and will continue to do so.
Review Source:My friend frequents this place for quick sushi take-out and she brought me here yesterday. The take-out service was quick and friendly but when we got home and I tried the California rolls, I found that they had a funky flavor that I could not get over. Out of the 6 in my order I tried two and gave the rest to my friend, who in turn devoured them! Maybe my tasty buds are off...
Also tried the chicken fried rice. It was okay, wish it had more chicken and broccoli and less zucchini.
Overall, I've experienced better sushi but then again maybe it was an off night??
Very clean atmosphere and service is very quick and attentive. Â The food here is good and honestly pretty common as far as Japanese food goes. Â The highlight was the Dragon Roll, it was really good and not overpowering like other Sushi places. Â However the Shrimp Tempura tasted fine but had too much batter for my taste. Â Overall Sushi 21 is a great place to eat, would dine here again anytime.
Review Source:I currently work at a Japanese restaurant in Indiana, and so I know a little bit about sushi. When I come home for breaks from school, I always go to this Japanese restaurant for some good sushi. As you arrive at this restaurant, you are greeted by the nice workers (in japanese). I come here all the time with family and friends and gathering around the semi-private rooms. They have good selection of specialty rolls, I always get the dragon roll. Their salads are amazing, I asked for some dressing to go. I love their Agedashi Tofu, the Nigiri... especially Salmon is what I always get there, it's perfect long pieces that just melt in your mouth.
The service is a decent speed and the waitresses are all so kind and knowledgeable. The food is up to some people's opinion but I think it's good price and quality and everything else such as service and atmosphere is nice and friendly. 5 stars to this restaurant.
My wife and I were Christmas shopping in the area because of the perfect grouping of stores around this restaurant. We don't know the area very well so we didn't know where to eat. We both love sushi but are sushi snobs, so I was apprehensive to eat here to start. I checked Yelp, it had decent but not stellar reviews - so we took the risk. We walked in and it was dead on a Saturday night at 8. Not a good sign. We forged forward. Ordered the staple of Edamame, Seaweed Salad and Agedashi Tofu to start. The Edamame came it literally had 10-15 sorry looking pea pods on a dish for 3.95. What? I asked the waitress is that all? She said, yes. My wife ordered a glass of white wine for 4.95 and it was the smallest pour I've ever seen. We're not off to a good start. The seaweed salad tasted rubbery and the Agedashi was just OK. So, we ordered a bunch of rolls and nigiri. The rolls themselves were not bad but the pieces of fish they gave us for the nigiri were weak. No wonder this place was dead on a Saturday night. Their prices were not cheap and their portions and quality were lame. I guess lesson learned that sushi in the suburbs does not match the Naniwa, Sushi Samba experience in the City. Not recommended.
Review Source:After having two sub par sushi dinners in Evanston I was pleasantly surprised to find Sushi 21 to have some of the best sushi I have tasted in the Chicago suburbs.
The selection is average but the fish was extremely fresh with good portions. Â Rice is often an overlooked part of the sushi experience but the rice here had great flavor and was cooked perfectly.
I ordered the sashimi dinner box and it was quite a deal for $16.95. Â It came with 12 pieces of beautiful fish, a california maki, two potstickers, rice, a salad, and miso soup. Â It was a great value given the quality of the food and attention to detail.
I can't wait to return to Sushi 21, and now that I live closer, I expect to be back frequently.
Went there last night....the sushi's alright. Â It satisfied my craving, but it wasn't amazingly great. Â I ordered the dragon roll, which was visually appealing...it looked like an actual dragon with small onion rings for eyes! Â It was cute! Â After I scarfed down the 8 pieces, I found myself hungry for more and ordered a Philadelphia roll. Â The Philadelphia was okay, it had too much cream cheese for my liking. Â I was also able to taste the spicy tuna roll and it had a nice kick to it. Â Oh, and the service was a bit on the slow side that night!
Review Source:Nothing to write home about, but no complaints either.
The sushi is average and the prices aren't too high (but not too low either). Everytime I've been there, it's always empty and cold - so bring a jacket. If you live in the neighborhood and want some sushi, I think Jewel's sushi is as equally good.
I finally decided to risk it and go here, and I definitely do not regret it. Â The sushi was great. Â My date ordered the lunch box with chicken terriyaki, and he loved it. Â The sushi selection isn't the greatest, but I'm sure they can make any maki you want. Â It's nice to have a spot in the suburbs that's inexpensive with a decent ambiance.
Review Source:I went there a couple of time in the past few weeks in hopes that it would be some hidden gem. Well, it's pretty average for a sushi joint. The first time I went there I wanted to try their lunch box special, so I ordered the salmon teriyaki, the salmon tasted off like it had been frozen, if you can imagine a store bought Van DeKamp's salmon patty then that was it. The sides were so scant, they had some odd dehydrated faux crab mess that had more chew than flavor, the side salad was flavorless & nondescript and the miso soup seemed watered down. Mind you it was busy in there so the next week I decided to give it another chance. I figured maybe these people are on to something so I went with sushi and I wasn't disappointed, the salmon was fresh and I had gotten a tuna maki & a cooked spicy scallop maki (their version of the dynamite) and it was really yummy. In sum, I would go back there only for sushi. I should mention I bought these ala carte I only remember the scallop maki being over $6.
Review Source:
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