Food was really good, and got lots of it. Also had a bunch of cooking stations, so a lot of seating. Definitely should try if you're in the area and looking for a great Japanese meal! read more

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Ambiance = 10 Food = 6.5 Service = 7 It's a decent place to go for family dinners, dates, entertaining guests, but the food has gone downhill since they were located in the strip mall off Mulford. Beautiful place though. Chefs are inconsistent --- you always pray you will get the purple or red hat guy. read more

I'm Japanese and I always try to find good Japanese restaurant. The building and inside of it is very old Japanese style. It was fun to visit! I ate lunch box. Taste was okay but I don't recommend this place for Japanese people. I think most of their menu are American style Japanese food. read more

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Food is always delicious, the staff was very accommodating, and made it a wonderful birthday!

Has always been my and my family's favorite restaurant in Rockford. We come here for all our celebrations, not to mention for lunches where the prices are fantastic! Would go here for every meal if I could. Just a tip: it's always worth upgrading to the filet. read more

Anytime I ever visit Nippon! It's a treat! I've been going for the last couple years at least once every month or two. The food is of consistent quality, it's delicious, and good sized portions! They never balk at special requests either! Some of my favorite rolls are the surf and turf roll and the egg roll. read more

We have been going to JMK Nippon (NOT Nippon'S as everyone calls it) for nearly 50 years, as it was once the only restaurant in town open on Christmas Eve--my mother's birthday. We have at least 25 years of Polaroids from those years. Between my parents, myself and a multitude of friends, we've visited the restaurant countless times during that long period. In recent years, we've noticed Mas' (the owner) absence and experienced a slow decline in the service and food. Rumors are that his children have taken over the restaurant...we're not sure. We just know he's no longer there because he wouldn't allow what has happened: This past December 24, 2023, we had the worst experience ever. In addition to being disappointed and frustrated, we are most of all, greatly saddened at the: * garbage in the grass on the walkways leading to the restaurant * seated in the café, as we waited for over an hour (no exaggeration) for our entrees to be served. This while we saw 3-4 employees joking around the sushi bar area. * the pineapple 'boats': Although I'd made reservations 20 days prior, specifying that it was for my mother's birthday, there were only 2 servings for 3 people. As we started to eat them, we noticed it tasted rancid and in examining it further, there was a stripe of pink close to the rind which we recognized as spoiled fruit. We immediately stopped eating them. * prices: while I'm reticent to mention costs because they are arbitrary and we are always willing to pay top dollar for a good meal--especially at a long-time favorite restaurant, I regret not reviewing the itemized bill. It was $155+ for. I did not want to penalize the server although she could have been much better, so the total was $200. filet Mignon with shrimp filet Mignon with lobster an inexpensive non-meat or non fish roll 4 non-alcoholic beverages (2 tonic waters) The pineapple: 2 servings of rancid fruit To my regret, we did not take pictures to document all of this. Additionally, as anyone who reads the news is aware, another JAPANESE steak house restaurant has garnered HIGHER ratings than the well-established, Rockford, Illinois institution of JMK Nippon. I don't have to emphasize that JMK Nippon is a Rockford INSTITUTION! In closing, I bluntly ask these questions: What is the intention for Nippon? Is it to continue as it currently is, knowing it will likely close within a year? Are you entertaining bids from buyers? Perhaps the competitor Shogun? We believe Nippon owes it to Rockford to be transparent about what its intentions are. We are attempting to locate Mas so that we can direct our questions and concerns to him. read more

Always a family favorite! Kids love the show every time. Food is great! Gather your small group of friends and enjoy the experience!!!

The whole experience is nice. Food is prepared fresh in front of you or visit the sushi bar. It's a lot of fun with large party or thrown together with other diners. It's always excellent. The place is gorgeous winter or summer. read more

I've been eating here for 6 years. fantastic sushi, ambiance, and service! I highly recommend the shumai, sushi roll, and sitting on the outdoor patio read more

Honestly, I'm very disappointed and won't be returning. I placed a carry out order and when I arrived they said they're finishing it up, yet when I got my food it was cold. Food was forced into the bag so it was overflowing and boxes were put sideways so the food spilled. No utensils were in the bag and the yum yum sauce was very clearly expired. For $80 worth of food, I expected it to be good. If I could give 0 stars, I would. HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED. read more

JMK Nippon - Overflowing bag of food. Can see a side ways box in the back. - Japanese Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

Was there last night for date night. Will not be back. Food was mediocre. Service was atrocious. Our waiter would disappear for long periods of time. Nice guy, very bad service. We ordered fried rice (apparently an upcharge, or extra) and never saw it and were charged. Ordered a side of noodles after our meal (our fault) and didn't get what we asked for, it came right before our bill and we were billed for much more than a side of noodles ($17.50!) We paid at least $20 more than we should have for bad service, errors, and subpar food. I'll stick to Shogun. read more

JMK is one of my favorite places to eat in Rockford. Definitely the best sushi place you can go to. Typically it's pretty packed. Just left here on a Friday night and the place was insane. It's great to see and we always get a table quickly since it's a huge restaurant. If you want to stick to sushi I'd go for the rolls. Their sushi rolls are dope and a really good sized portions. My favorite are the King Dan and Osaka roll. Both are delicious and are on the half menu... Been here before and never knew there is a half menu? Well there is. The most popular sushi rolls are on this menu and you can order cheaper, half sizes so you can get a variety. Honestly, you can get two half roll orders and a order of California rolls and be full between two people. JMK is not only the best sushi place around, but very affordable. Between two half order rolls, one order of California rolls, vegetable tempura, and a bottle of cold sake it was like $30. Super cheap for what you get. The atmosphere is awesome also. Very traditional Japanese decorations, indoor and outdoor koi ponds and a separate room for the hibachi shows. The owner and staff are super friendly and seem to really enjoy working there. If you want good sushi in the area, don't skip JMK. Great place to have some good Japanese food. read more

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Skip the Beef Teriyaki. Not a lot of flavor. Get the salmon bento box instead. For whatever reason, there's little to no flavor in the beef, but the salmon tastes incredible read more

Our server was excellent, ran his tail off for multiple grill/tables. The cook however at our grill was not funny, didn't do anything with the flair you would expect and he snapped at me when I asked about not putting vegetables in 3 of the fried rices we had w dinner. Other cooks were funny and you could hear the tables having a blast, ours cook just wasn't into it. So that was a huge disappointment. The food was good. read more

The service in the Green Room is out standing! Drinks are replaced before you are out. *That's how it should be* Our waitress was outstanding! No schmoozing! To the point and make the customers happy! Now to the food. My salad is missing a few components *Not my servers fault* the California rolls very tasty but portions were a bit of a mess. read more

JMK Nippon - Japanese Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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When I lived in Rockford this was my go to place for Japanese food. It was authentic and fresh. On a recent visit I was anxious to eat there again. In the past it was always packed with people but this time I found myself wondering on a Saturday night where all the people were. I know the original owners were Japanese but it seemed there had been a change in ownership or management. I ordered the Bento Box. Since I have a shell fish allergy I asked to substitute items that contained shellfish-something that didn't used to be a problem. The best they could do was either leave them out or take the crab out of the sushi or give me a seaweed salad in addition to the salad that already came with it....When it arrived, there was a piece of fried fish in place of tempura that used to come with it, the sauce was a terrible sour concoction of something I can't even describe and instead of the delicious terriaki sauce I remember from the past that covered the juicy tender beef, there was steak sauce in a little cup and the beef was dry and unremarkable. To top it off what used to be a couple of refreshing slices of orange to clean the palate in the traditional Japanese style, there was a fruit cup! I felt as if I were eating at Denny's! We didn't have the sushi this time but we noticed it being served to others. It was HUGE! I'm sorry, some might think bigger is better, but I prefer my sushi in bite size pieces. JMK Nippon has definitely changed. I will not go there again. read more

My wife and I LOVE this place. If you're either looking for authentic Japanese cuisine or something more American it's quality and great bang for your buck. I have yet to do the hibachi style there, only cafe dining. Everytime I leave I leave full. I highly recommend the sushi, the one with the fish eggs. The combo plates are A LOT of food but it's all so yummy. Great service and great prices. We might actually go tonight. Lol They pour good mixed drinks. Parking can be tricky but it's worth it everytime. I originally came to Rockford to be with my lover, however JMK is a valid reason why I still want to live in town. read more

Ate on cafe side. Sushi took almost 1 hour, for just 2 people. Management never came to explain the problem. I don't know any restaurants that would let a table sit for that long with no acknowledgement. While sitting for an hour we did notice not one sushi chef had on gloves. Major concerns for cross contamination especially for anyone with allergies. Very disappointed in how the business is run. read more

Rude hostesses and dishonest reservation policy. Made reservation 2 days in advance for party of 6 on wife's birthday. Left after waiting 45 minutes to be seated. Was not initially told of a wait and after waiting, was told seating was based on first-come, first-serve. Why take reservations if you don't honor them. Did not eat. read more

This was the first time back here in a while so I new what it's all about but, I forgot about the indoor koi ponds and a great MaiTai I was very pleased with the personalize service and my meal choice of lobster scallops and the calamari was as fresh as the coast. Plan this meal with about 10-12 of your friends and you'll know what I mean. read more

JMK Nippon - Our chef of 37 years now - Japanese Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

I was introduced to this place by a new friend. Really great interiors and excellent selection of sake. Earnest and friendly waitstaff. Come for the food, stay for the really cool koi ponds. read more

Returning customer thoughts..... I don't go often but i've been in a handful of times over the yrs. Food in my opinion is great. I have sat both areas and have gone during lunch and dinner. I went this weekend for lunch and for the first time I wasn't very pleased with the service. There was a decent amount of people in but got seated right away. We waited a while before we got greeted to get drinks goings. To keep it short, I felt our waitress didn't want to serve us. Decor - I enjoy the inside, however I feel the outside needs some up keeping. Over in entrance area I saw paper everywhere and it's really sad people are so sloppy and gross to property especially at a nicer place like this. Otherwise I really enjoy the inside vibes this place gives. It's like I almost forget i'm in Rockford lol. Price - Pricing is fair for the food quality, quantity, etc. Staff - Aside from this circumstance, I always felt the staff was 1-10 scale (around a 5). read more

JMK Nippon - First time trying soups - Very tasty - Japanese Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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This is my favorite Japanese restaurant in town. We've tried them all. No one beats them by flavor and quantity! Osaka roll is a must try. We order that all the time. read more

Server was good but the food was not. Tried the King Dan and it was all rice and falling apart. Literally could not pick it up because it was so sloppy. Then we tried the Surf and Turf. Dried, old turf and half the steak was hot and the other half was ice cold. Also ordered fried rice as a side and it was hard and dry. Pass on this place if you want good food. read more

The food itself is delicious but the reservation wait and staff service the last few times we've come has been ridiculous. 15-30 minutes over just to be seated but one time we waited over an hour for water at our table even tho we were seated. They claimed to be out of glasses and we didn't get our appetizers before he cooked... I'm Literally sitting at a table now that we waited 25 + minutes for they can't find the other party of 2 they wanted to be seated with us (probably left from such a disaster up front) read more

A colleague of mine and went here with two different people making the suggestion. We went to the dining area to have sushi. Our waitress was great!! My colleague had some sushi in San Francisco and it came with Ponzu sauce. We asked our waitress about it and she went to check in the kitchen and she brought us some on the side. It was very good and would visit there again. read more

Where do I start? They were super busy, Friday after Thanksgiving. It took 15 minutes for anyone to acknowledge us. Then another 15 to get a couple of beers and water. The sushi was terrible. The execution was sloppy, the flavors were bad and much of it was very fishy. We left most of it on the table. One of us ate a piece of mackerel and he said it tasted like eating metal. We asked for little bowls to pour soy sauce in and were told "we don't have any clean, I'll bring them to you when we get some." That was another 15 minutes. Wow, just wow. read more

If you're from Rockford, you either prefer JMK or Shogun. JMK is my go to because I feel like their sushi is better quality and they have Asian fusion dishes that are amazing! I've eaten here many times and the service has always been pleasant and efficient. I'm not a huge fan of teppanyaki so we typically eat on the cafe side. You can order off the cafe menu on the grill side- just ask! Their yakisoba is amazing. I've never had a bad sushi experience here. Last visit I had the shrimp mango salad and tuna tartare. So good! Fish was super fresh and well presented. My only fault with JMK is their bathrooms. Every time I go here, the women's bathrooms are a disaster. I expect more from an establishment like this. read more

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The fact that this is not a 5-star-reviewed restaurant makes me question my faith in Yelp reviews. It's a gem and Rockford is lucky to have it. Affordably priced, delicious, good service and well-decorated. read more

Service for lunch was immensely slow. Took over an hour to get our sushi, server was ok but food took way to long, especially at lunch.

The only reason they get 2 stars is because the place is very nice inside. The food sucks!!! Poor excuse for sushi! Please, go somewhere else for sushi. The King Crab Dan roll had zero flavor! None! And it was 90% dry rice! The Surf N Turf roll was full of steak and imitation crab - and the steak was dry as a bone! Dried out old steak rolled up with very little imitation crab. Just a horrible experience! Perhaps I've had some really good sushi in my day that I'm using as a comparison - I dunno. I do know that this place sucks! read more

A Rockford staple. Love that you can order cooked food on the Cafe side without all the hoopla. Great steak, chicken and I'm told great sushi. If you want to support your hometown Japanese restaurant, JMK is the place. Good people. read more

The sushi fish here is tasty and fresh. The green tea ice cream, orange sorbet, tiramisu, and chocolate cake with a fancy french name that I can't remember were big-sized tastes of heaven. My only complaint would be the unflavored rice. Rice that is served with sushi should be flavored with a combo of rice vinegar and sugar. It's a subtle thing that makes a BIG tasty difference.... Kinda like listening to the radio version of Taylor Swift's "Love Story" after hearing the album version on surround sound. (Oops, I might have a slight obsession with that now.) The sushi is appropriately priced, and there's even a 25%-off-all-sushi special during lunch! (That ends at 2pm) read more

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Went for Mother's Day, To start No toilet paper, No paper towels! Service slow and sucked, sat on the counter side. When food arrived it was cold! Told one of the servers because the waitress didn't even wait to see how it was. When we told the so called manager "Ryan Cogdill" what a joke, his response was " l don't own the place ". Never going back there. It used to be really nice,now I wouldn't recommend it to the worst enemy! Sad when A BAD MANAGER RYAN COGDILL takes down a place when an owner has worked so hard at having a good business, and because of illness can not be there! read more

This restaurant has to have one of the best atmospheres of any restaurant in Rockford. It's a beautiful building, with great landscaping and design. This is probably as close as you can get to being in Japan, with out actually being in Japan. However, even with the beautiful building and the wonderful atmosphere, the layout leaves something to be desired. First, when you walk in, the main lobby is predominantly taken up by a coy pond. If you are there in the evenings or weekends when it is busy, there is no waiting room. People are cramped and crowded together waiting for their tables. We arrived at 6:15 for our 6:30 reservations. They sat us at 6:40. The 25 minutes we waited in the lobby, we were packed in like sardines. People had to squeeze past each other to get to the hostess or to leave. I know the pond in the middle looks great and adds to the atmosphere, but it takes up a lot of space. Their menu for the Teppanyaki is kind of limited as compared to other places I've been to with Teppan tables. I had their sesame chicken and my wife had the fillet mignon. There is no kid's menu on the weekends/nights so our 8 year old had to order off the adult menu. The rest of our party had various items from the calamari to the scallops. It tasted fine; it wasn't all that impressive where I'll find myself craving it days down the road. It came with a shrimp appetizer which was about 6 pieces of cut up shrimp, soup (which tasted like beef broth with mushroom and onions in it), salad with their house dressing (good), steamed rice ($2 extra for fried), vegetables. The price for what you ordered wasn't out of line. Normally the chef we have is fun and entertaining, the guy we had on Saturday night seemed like he hated life and really didn't want to be there. He never smiled, barely talked and went through his "tricks" with barely any enthusiasm. I ordered two sushi rolls to share with the rest of our party. I ordered the rolls right away, but because they are made fresh and they were busy, we didn't get them until the main course was served. The sushi rolls were good; I think some other places in town have better. I can't remember what the name of it was, but one of the rolls was larger and it was rolled so loosely that no matter how we tried to pick a piece up, it would fall apart. I would say it was operator error, but everyone who tried had the same problem. Another couple that was sitting at the same table as we were (They squeeze as many people onto a table as possible, so unless you have a party of 9 or more and there is a solo diner or a couple, expect them to be sat with you.) They had the same issue with one of their rolls. Overall, great atmosphere, decent Teppanyaki, good sushi. read more

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Choose from Hibachi grill seating or the quieter Sushi Bar in rear of restaurant. There's also a regular drinking bar in the back as well with a few seats. Sushi was good and fresh. This place is always busy so it should be fresh when you visit. read more

JMK Nippon - Rich folks eat here. - Japanese Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

I only got to try the sushi here, not the hibachi side. Big tip: order less sushi than you think you want. The fiance and I were used to the inexpensive rolls being a bit on the smaller side - not so here. Leftover sushi is wasted sushi, so we struggled a bit in finishing up. We did finish though, mainly because it was pretty good sushi. I can't remember every roll or piece we had, but we cleaned off all three plates we received (because again, we don't know how to order). It wasn't the highest quality sushi around, but definitely not at AYCE quality either. I'd go back for sure. I'd just make sure to space out my ordering. read more

Had a wonderful dinner experience in the masa area, last night. Great service, excellent food, pleasant atmosphere. We had a couple appetizers- yakitori, veggie tempura and edamame dumplings. Nicely done! We had chicken teriyaki don and yakisoba with veggies for entrees. Nice size, very tasty and a timely delivery to our table. Ashley, our server was knowledgeable and friendly, btw. With a mai tai and a soft drink, $40 ish. A good value. I've gone to JMK since a month after they opened, almost 30 years ago, and this was the first time on this side. We shall be back a lot more often now. read more

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Best Sushi I have ever eaten... We live in Wisconsin and ever time we get back to Rockford, IL this is our must stop. We love their Surf n Turf roll and their Kentucky Roll. My favorite thing besides sushi here is their hot sauce. It is so unique and spicy! I could eat that sauce on anything! read more

JMK Nippon - Japanese Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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