Let me first make something abundantly clear. My five star rating is based solely on their sushi. First, let me praise them and then I'll tear them apart. In the Southwest suburbs, we have quite a few sushi places. Most are pretty good, but Sake Bob's is just about the best. It's exceptionally fresh, very creative, and just scrumptious (did I just use the word scrumptious?). So if you're looking for great sushi, head on over to Sake Bob's! Now, things you don't want to go to Sake Bob's for... The ambiance. The place looks like a warehouse and I would venture to guess that all of the furniture was reclaimed from some dumpster or purchased from Craigslist where the ad read, "If you can get it the heck out of here, it's yours!" Additionally, the place is really a bar with a few tables. It is not a restaurant with a bar. The bar is the main attraction and every time I've been in there, it seems like the people at the bar tend to be rowdy loudmouths. Of course, that could be due to the ridiculously loud music and the fact that they're all pretty wasted. Another thing to stay away from are the general menu items. I've tried a few things from their regular menu and I was sorely disappointed every time. It's not that the food is bad or spoiled; it's just not very appetizing. So, don't go for the general menu. Don't go for the ambiance. Go there for the best sushi in the southwest burbs! If, like me, you can't handle being in the place because of the troglodyte regulars and the deafening music, order it to go! read more

The Philly roll and Las Vegas roll are really good, and the customer service is fantastic.

Me and my friend went here on a Saturday night for dinner and left disappointed. First of all, almost nobody else was here the entire time we ate. The "decor" (or lack thereof) was drab and dingy. It was depressing in here. The waitress was unenthusiastic and treated us like we were an unwanted guest in her house. She acted annoyed whenever she stopped by our table and the service was slow even though we we practically the only people here. We both ordered miso soup, which was ok. Tiny cubes of tofu and a few chives... nothing too fancy. At least it wasn't really salty. Then we got our sushi rolls (we ordered 2 each). The tempura was soggy and not crunchy as all as the rolls were drenched in sauce. My friend said her sauce was supposed to be spicy but instead it was sweet and unappetizing. My rolls were fine, but there was definitely something missing. Tasted kind of like grocery store sushi. In the end, we ended up paying $50 for this meal and left hungry. We actually drove to McDonalds afterwards and got fries. It should be really telling if you have to go to McDonalds after a $50 meal for two. For the lack of business they have here, the waitress could have at least smiled and treated us like guests rather than intruders. We won't be back. I urge you all to go anywhere else... read more

Love it! Been coming here for 4 years, great little neighborhood treasure. Family owned Mom n pop small business. I will always support!

Great sushi. Great prices. Very friendly service. My girlfriend and I ate a dinner here under $25. The decor is unique and unlike a traditional sushi bar..a little off putting, but don't let that discourage you before you order. Definitely recommended for anyone looking for sushi in the south suburbs. read more

Barbeque Sakebob - Sushi Bars Near Me - Oak Forest, Illinois

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Any itamae that can make simple yellowfin that has the same feel, taste, and quality of bluefin in the average itamae hands is a genius. Snuck in for carryout to make sure my last review had no influence earlier this week. Got home, ate, and almost cried. For those who dont like sushi I beg of you find a person who makes precision cuts. They are called itamae when they reach a level that is above the rest. I have no idea how a true itamae found Oak Forest. I do know, however, one has. Please try the sushi here. Domo Itamae. Sushi experts in Japan would revel in the wo rk done here. read more

This is how sushi should be! Excellent quality at a low price. Try to go on a Friday as a majority of the rolls are discounted. I had a group of three go on a Friday and we all ordered several types of rolls each, yet the bill still came out to be under $40 And the quality doesn't suffer because of the price and the place feeling more like a bar that serves sushi than an actual sushi house, it is easily in league with the best sushi places I've been to It's really hard to go anywhere else after going here. I recommend it to anyone who needs their sushi fix. read more

I love sakebob! Some of the best sushi for the best price! I have been going here since it opened and the quality of the food is amazing. The decor isn't the best but I'd prefer the food tastes good! read more

WORST sushi I have ever had in my life!! We ordered soft crab roll, spicy scallop roll, Los Vegas, and yellow tail roll, and they all looked and tastes exactly the same, like dried up and expired food that had been in the fridge for ages!! Then when we confronted the manager about it, she was being super rude and basically told us there's nothing they can do about this! Do yourself a favor, DO NOT GO THERE! (Of course if you want food poisoning, go right ahead :) ) read more

Barbeque Sakebob - WORST sushi I have ever had! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Oak Forest, Illinois

Where do I start with this place? Disclaimer, my fiance and I use to enjoy and often take advantage of the happy hour offerings on Thursday nights and go for for what it was; good value but average maki rolls. However, during our last 3 visits and poor dining experiences have changed my feelings and tune about this place. It wouldn't surprise me if it's on the brink of shutting it's doors soon. Horrible service and food preparations have significantly taken a dive for the worst and in a faster downward spiral than Nine Inch Nails last album from the 90's. The last straw that killed the cow was in our recent Saturday night visit that was so terrible of an experience we literally walked out after ordering our drinks. Here's how it all went down in what ended as our last visit. At entering the restaurant there was only 2 other couples sitting on the tables and a few patrons hanging at the bar. The depressing atmosphere looked like something out of a Quentin Tarantino film scene; dark, dingy and no substance. We sat ourselves and didn't see a waitress in sight outside of the bartender. Keep in mind this is around 7:30pm on a Saturday evening when 20 minutes later we finally got some acknowledgment by the bartender by shouting out loud from across the bar "I will be there in a minute". Upon her arrival to our table she threw the menus across the table, looked at us and said in a "I hate my job" tone - What to do you want to drink? No apologies, no explanation, no nothing but a big glass of my daddy never gave me a hug attitude. We were so turned off by this and based on the previous dining experiences, we grabbed our jackets and walked out, when the owner appeared out of no where and simply shouted "Thank you come again" WTF? Clueless, I don't think she had any idea what just unfolded. When we came here it wasn't for the atmosphere but good value in what was ok at best Sashmi/Sushi/Roll offerings on a pinch. Instead Sakebob has become a sad and desperate looking restaurant that would qualify for Robert Irvine's Restaurant Impossible show, however in this case it may actually be the first restaurant in the shows history where Robert fails to turn things around. The interior is so outdated and uninviting that makes other Asian restaurants in decors seem like the Taj Majal. From the ugly banquet chairs, poor lighting, and plastic cups where they serve the water and tabletop made of cheap wood veneer. The outside is even worse as it always appears closed due to windows been covered and many times have driven by thinking they are closed or went out of business. Only way to know it's open is by the poor neon "open" signage. Sakebob is like the Denny's of Sushi, no one ever says "Let's go to Sakebob's for sushi" but rather you just end up there by accident. Go to the new local Asian restaurant Yucca in Orland Park instead and check for yourself what a friendly, inviting and welcoming staff along with a vibrant and energetic atmosphere should be like. Stay away from Sakebok like the plague or better yet pre-made gas station maki rolls are probably better suited than this restaurant offers by now. I am sure it won't be to long when Yelp updates this page with the word CLOSED next to BBQ Sakebob. read more

Used to love sushi happy hour. That was a couple of years ago, before I moved out of the area. I'm sorry... but this place is so dark and dirty, there was no way I was ordering anything more than a drink when I was recently back there. It has not changed hands, I recognized the owners. What happened? I won't be back. Can't believe you serve raw foods in that filthy environment and haven't gotten sued yet. read more

I know what you're thinking: A sushi joint in the south suburbs sounds like a joke. Some chef who couldn't make it in Chicago is forced to ply his trade in Oak Forest. Well, actually, the joke is on YOU if you're in the area and you don't stop by here for a meal and a good time. The sushi was good and the waitress was hilarious! Her quick wit and good-natured chafing, of course combined with excellent service, really made an impression. read more

absolutely delicious. you can tell they are very caring towards their food and are so kind to their guests. whether you get takeout or sit down inside to eat, the food is amazing and tastes fresh. for the price, the food is astonishing and i recommend everyone eats here. read more

Don't be fooled by the appearance of this place - though it has kind of a divey atmosphere, the food is amazing! The sushi is fresh and delicious - the best I've had in the south suburbs. I love their seaweed salad too, and my husband is a big fan of the miso soup and cucumber salad. The wait staff is always helpful and nice, and the hostess (owner?) is very friendly. I enjoy all their martinis too, and they have warm and cold sake. Come check this place out! I like to go during Happy Hour (Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00 - 10:30PM.) They have 2 rolls for $7. Bring a someone to dine with though, because this place is usually pretty empty. The food here totally gets 5 stars by the way, the decor is what is bringing it down to 4. read more

I love this place. The tea they have here is one of my favourites; It's a brown rice and green tea mixture. The owner is always friendly and talking with everyone. The sushi rolls vary from your basics to unique rolls with fun names. The decor is one of the only downfalls. With such good food I feel it brings it down a bit, but at the same time if there is good food who cares what the decor looks like! I love having regular places we go to twice or three times a month and this is one of them. Also, they have pictures of their regulars hanging around the border of a wall which is cute and encourages them to keep coming back. All in all, it's a great place and reasonably priced! Check it out of you're in tinley/oak forest/orland area! read more

My husband's cousin lives nearby this place and took us here a couple of times because he knows knows I'm Japanese and thought I would enjoy some sushi. It was really nice of him. I'm really picky when it comes to sushi but I went with him thinking it would be great. The first time we went there, I felt like I was at a club. Very dark lighting and music was going on pretty loudly. I refused to go back but he wanted to take us again so I thought 'fine, let's see what has changed since last time.' Not much. Actually, it was louder than ever before and horrible drunks singing along, just ruining the mood. As for the food, it doesn't matter to me if the chef had formal training or not in making sushi as long as it was fresh and good but the sushi felt like it was left out for a bit before it was made. The crunchy topping that they put was old and stale. It also smelled like they left the fish out too long at room temperature which puts out a nauseating oily smell. That was a huge turn off for me and left an aftertaste in my mouth. This happened both times I was there so it seems like it's just their standard. Normally, with such a bad experience, a great customer service will be able to help put some hope for the place but that was not the case here. Overall, I could not find any way to put a good spin on this and wouldn't bother giving it a third chance. read more

They have 2 for 7$ happy hour. Cheapest nasty fake sushi I ever had !!! The menu has pictures that look nothing like it when you get the food and never would go back read more

I love coming here. The staff is always very friendly, the owner is always smiling and very nice and is the main sushi chef that has about 20-25 years experience. The main hostess there is funny and very attentive. I have yet to try their kitchen dishes, but the sushi is good and the prices are very reasonable (they have a list of sushi that you can get 2 for 8.95. Whenever I go to any sushi restaurant, two orders of the shrimp tempura roll is a must and this place I can get 2 for $8.95 where most places would charge 1 for $6.95 or more. If you go during sushi happy hour the prices are cheap!!! read more

Love this place! It's a dive, but they have great sushi and the owners are super friendly. Happy Hour prices are the cheapest sushi prices around. We frequent Sakebob! read more

Absolutely horrible. Wanted to try a new sushi spot with my friends but we regretted our decision immediately! We started off with an appetizer we ordered Calamari and I literally could not chew it! I tried to penetrate it with my chop stick but it was invincible. They took that away and gave us dumplings! The driest crispest dumplings I have ever had! Looked nothing like the picture on the menu. When the sushi came it tasted burnt not sure how but it did! I will never be back. The service was horrible and the decor was definitely not up to par! Someone please sign them up for the show Restaurant takeover! read more

I came here because of the yelp reviews. Anyone that raves about the sushi here has to be an absolute sushi novice. Will Not Be Returning. read more

Where do we start. I ordered their BBQ spare ribs which comes with fried rice, I'm very strict Paleo so I can't have the rice I asked them to substitute the rice for stir fried veggies (which is on the menu) and they said no. Flat out no, no explanation. The ribs themselves were decent but a very small portion my friend got a sushi roll and it was crap. The rice was completely over cooked, too much cream cheese. Our drinks were ok though. read more

I was here once for sushi--it didn't strike me as a place that should be serving sushi and I didn't think it was particularly good. I thought it was okay but haven't been back and likely won't be. read more

Only giving 2 stars because the lady who took my order was very nice. If you're looking for sushi, I would stay away. Most likely frozen, and poor presentation. Taste was below average. Wont be going back. read more

This is my go to for Sushi rolls, Miso soup, seaweed salad and love this place. One of the most experienced awarded Sushi chef that has outstanding remarkable tasty food. Some others at the bar had Sake which is raw salmon, it looked great, all three people were new to this type food and all loved it after admitting they are not fish eating type people. They went on to say that salmon tastes good raw or smoked and cooked salmon may have a fishy taste. I like to come Tu, Th Friday happy hour 2 rolls for one price. I had the pickled seaweed which basically tastes like someone spiraled a cucumber and pickled it, shredded crab meat and sesame seed really make this pop. The Miso soup is a ten, nice broth and the Spider roll and shrimp tempura roll were awesome. I was told they are most popular. Sapporo Japanese beer is a great light beer, similar taste like a Corona or Michelob Ultra with more citrus light taste. Awesome place. I love it. Try it , u will be back for sure. Clean friendly and good eats. read more

Barbeque Sakebob - Seaweed salad. Healthy, tasty and good healthy stuff. Not like it sounds , gotta try it, very awesome. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Oak Forest, Illinois

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This place is amazing. Owners are awesome so polite and make you feel at home!! Highly recommend you have to try it. You will love it

There's a ton of mixed reviews here.. Being from the northwest suburbs, I feel privlaged to be surrounded by so many delicious sushi places.. However, on the south side, it's like finding a needle in a haystack. After looking up and researching the places around the area, I decided this place looked most legit. We sat at the bar which is the best place in the joint.. The music was blasting to some old 90's b96 style music... The one waitress greeted us and was very friendly.. The other waitress impatiently asked repeatedly when we were ready to order.. That was annoying. We had the heart attack appetizer which was delicious. I then wanted to order sashimi, which seemed to be missing from the menu. I got a spicy tuna plate that was much different than expected, but overall, pretty decent. The rolls were really good and there were good drink specials. The solo chef was somewhat slow, but we were in no hurry. This is definitely the best sushi place I've tried on the south side thus far, but overall is middle of the road. read more

Tuesday and Thursday they have happy hour from 4:30 to 10:00. Select rolls 2 for $7. At that price this place is almost as good as sushi station. The great deal bumps it up a notch. read more

We have had pretty good experiences here. It's not top notch but it's not bad. The sushi is fresh, but I've noticed things like the crab appears to be imitation. And for having nobody in the restaurant the service is pretty slow. It's not that we dislike Sakebob, we like it. But if you are comparing it to the city, then this is in the category of pretty good. read more

Had dinner here on Saturday 3/6/2010, a party of 4 adults and one 5 year old girl. Being the south suburbs, of course it's in a strip mall and almost easily missed. However, we were greeted and seated quickly and then we perused the menu. Wowzers, what an amazing selection of rolls and sushi. Some of the names will crack you up, too (orgasm roll, anyone?). The prices are very nice. We ordered a ridiculous amount of food. Giood sesame dressing on the salad, and a nice miso soup. Lovely presentation on the enormous tray of rolls brought to our table. And then we dug in.....and couldn't stop exclaiming over the wonderful flavors and freshness. My little niece tried her first sushi and edamame here - what a game gal! My bro doesn't do sushi so he ordered a chicken teriyaki dinner, and he said it was terrific. The decor, as others mention, is a little off for a sushi place (more family restaurant style) but the bar is really attractive. The service was top notch. Speaking of, when my niece got a little tired of the dinner thing, the waitress changed the TV to Nick Jr so she could sit at a table with crayons and watch quietly while we finished our meal. Thank you! We gratefully thanked the sushi chef as we passed him on our way out - check out his very impressive resume on the back of the menu (I think it's on their website as well). I will be a regular - possibly as soon as tonight! read more

Great food and atmosphere. Did not wait long for my food and the waitress was really nice. If you like sushi I definitely recommend this place, not to mention they have a full bar area if you're into that sort of thing as well. read more

Good/friendly service, but a really dirty, dark, old place. The sushi was just ok(we ordered tempura rolls b/c we were afraid to eat anything raw there). read more

The only thing I can comment on is the Tofu soup. I love it! I was introduced to Korean food while living in California and now I am hooked. I was so happy to find a place that makes excellent tofu soup. read more

I was really not a fan of sushi until I tried it. This place is amazing. The cooks are fast and the waitresses are attentive. The sushi is amazing and Tuesdays and Thursdays they have happy hour. 2 rolls for the price of 1. read more

Certainly never coming back! My friend and I walked in and waited for 5 minutes to be seated. No one came, so we sat at the bar. There was clearly someone in the back that saw us, but yet we waited more and no one ever came. Needless to say, we walked out! read more

My girlfriend and I love this place. We are not sushi experts to say the least, however we do eat it often. We love this place because the sushi is excellent and it doesn't have the pretentious atmosphere that many sushi places of this caliber often do. The sushi is always cool and fresh and the staff is friendly. Also, its cheap if you go on Tues, Thurs, or Friday for happy hour! read more

Great local sushi spot. After many trips, we have yet to experience anything but prompt and friendly service. The menu has a lot of traditional options. In addition to good rolls, try the spicy wings or mussels. read more

HORRIBLE!!!! I asked the waitress if they could alter any of the dishes for a vegetarian, and she said no with an attitude. Seriously ruined my evening. Bad service and bad variety of dishes. read more

This is one of my favorite places to go for sushi! The rolls and sushi are excellent! Half price rolls on Tuesday & Thursday make an affordable dinner! The location may fool you but the chef will not with his downtown quality and awsome suburban prices. read more

I don't recommend going to this place for sushi. They treat their employees terrible and the management is the most unprofessional I've ever seen. If you want to go to a sushi restaurant, there are plenty other good restaurants in the area. read more