Best sushi in Champaign IL. Great staff and wide variety. Just book online to get a table and they use an app to order and pay from so be ready to use it. read more

Love this place. Great for delivery. If you can dine in, the ambiance is spectacular! Parking sucks.

The service is not good The price is not reasonable The chicken noodle has so much oil and salt. Not healthy The light is not bright read more

I had the Aligator and the VIP sushi's... DELICIOUS! I liked the Aligator more though. Next time I want to try the OMG which looked great. Ambience is really cool, and service is excellent. read more

Taste pretty damn good. Good food. Good timing. Good for take out. No dining in right now because of covid, but that's ok. They might of changed it in the last few weeks but I'm not sure. read more

Great service. Sushi are fresh, and has many vegetarian options! Would definitely recommend if you are craving for a good sushi.

I have never been disappointed with anything about my experience at Sakanaya. Great food and decent prices and the wait staff is extremely friendly. I recommend the Willis Tower for out of town people. It's unique and a Champaign favorite. read more

Sakanaya - Willis tower - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Best Sushi in town. Hands down!!! The crunch munch roll is the best! Service is amazing and the vibe is just right

The food is truly fantastic. Very authentic and diligently prepared. The atmosphere is buzzy and high energy although not uncomfortably so. All in all a surprise find on campus town. read more

They may have 'the best sushi in town', but they, unfortunately, don't have much more to offer than that. I went in with my boyfriend to have a belated birthday dinner for me since we couldn't be together on my actual birthday. I saw the menu posted here on Yelp, and thought I'd try the Miso Ramen. Turns out, upon entering the restaurant and being seated, their menu is about half of what is actually listed. It was an *old* menu. Before I could get up to leave, our waitress appeared out of nowhere and gave us plates, cups, silverware and water. I felt trapped by her sudden appearance as a person with anxiety. They didn't have what I wanted, so I thought I'd be brave and try something new. Keeping in mind I have a stomach ulcer, we tried to pick a dish for me that would settle well with my stomach and not irritate it. I wanted to try the Chicken Yaki Udon and we got Takoyaki to share. The takoyaki was wonderful; warm and slightly gooey in the center, with big chunks of Octopus meat. I unfortunately couldn't say the same when my udon arrived. It had a ton of ingredients in it not listed on the menu: Tomatoes, Peppers, Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Onion. Peppers and Tomatoes don't settle well with an ulcer-ridden stomach, and it was filled with pepper seeds too. I didn't want to be rude and complain, so I tried the meal and... My stomach was not happy, to say the least. I ended up vomiting in the women's bathroom and losing everything in my stomach. Not to mention, the udon was eerily *slimy* and the chicken included in the dish was *dry* and *tough*. I wasn't too happy with the price of our bill either. 14$ for a meal I couldn't even eat, and it was 54$ total just for water, tea, Takoyaki, and two meals. The decor was beautiful, but it was FAR too loud for me. Too many campustown residents talking at full volume. Next time you go, stick with Sushi. I don't think I'll be visiting for quite some time. read more

Best sushi in central IL. The tower seems like a gimmick but it's great. This reminds us of sushi in California or Japan.

Stopped in on a Monday night...glad to see they were open because a lot of places close on Mondays. The place was packed at 630pm which was a good sign. Host took my name and entered my phone number to ensure my place in line and to text me since I walked next door for a few minutes. 15 minutes later Im seated at a 4 top even tho I was alone. I said I would happily wait for a 2 top but she said I had waited long enough and that was that! Ordered seaweed salad, agedashi tofu, assorted sashimi and hot sake. Everything was great but I wish the tofu had been cut in smaller pieces which would make it easier to eat but still very nice. Not a fan of white tuna...its actually escolar which can negatively affect some people when eaten raw...I just pass on it...love it when cooked through like at Miga. All in all a great meal. But the real plus was being looked after by Sophia...a very helpful and attentive employee that always had a smile on her face and was very welcoming. Bravo to her...she will no doubt find great success in life with that kind of attitude and work ethic! read more

Sakanaya - Crispy tofu in a sweet and salty sauce...nice - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Passing through and stopped here for lunch. The place is quite small, but we are lucky to be seated right away. We ordered tonkotsu ramen, hot and spicy wings, hot girl rolls, uni and Botan Ebi nigiri. The food come out fast, but the server brought regular ebi instead of botan ebi. The ramen tasted ok. I wish the broth had more umami and fat (as the tonkotsu should be) and had marinated onsen egg instead of just a boiled egg. Botan ebi was fresh but sushi rice is a bit dry and bland. The roll and ikura met our expectation. Hot and spicy wings are great; crispy and piping hot, as it should be. read more

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FINALLY. I've been waiting for Urbana-Champaign to open up a Japanese ramen shop and one has finally opened. With an extensive menu of appetizers, fresh sashimi, sushi rolls, shoyu + miso ramen, and other korean dishes, you will definitely have to take some time to look over the menu. I would have to say that the sushi was the freshest I've ever tasted in Urbana-Champaign. Being from Florida, my standards for sushi are a bit high and have been disappointed over the past 2.5 years I have been living in the CU, but Sakanaya does not disappoint. Location is ideal as it is right on Green Street, the heart of the UofI campus. Parking can be hectic though. ($0.75/hr) Parking is free after 9pm and free on Sundays. There was a line the entire time we were there, but service was fast and friendly, so the line was constantly moving. Also, we went after opening day. The interior and exterior is very appealing, but the inside is a bit smaller than I would have imagined. The tables are pretty close to each other. The man next to our table was sitting alone, listening on our conversation and occasionally talked to us. Prices are a bit more expensive than I thought. Since it is catering to mostly college students, thinking of one's budget, the ramen bowl would've been nice at $8, instead of the $12. Portion size is good - shared a shoyu ramen bowl and kamakazi (sushi roll) with a friend and we were satisfied. (But there was still room left for dessert.) Ramen broths are pork-based. The pork melts in your mouth and the broth isn't too salty or bland - just right. It was a bit lukewarm though, but that's just preference. I like my soups really hot. The salmon on the kamakazi was really soft and melted in your mouth too. Definitely fresh. Tl;dr? - Sushi and ramen are good. Get it. - Atmosphere is romantic. Definitely a date night kind-of place. - Worth the experience/trip, not worth the price. Would've been better if it was $4 cheaper. Where else can you buy authentic Japanese ramen here, anyway? read more

Sakanaya - Shoyu Ramen. - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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The Sushi is very GOOD! I came with my girlfriend on a Friday night for dinner. We got there at 7 and had to wait around 20ish minutes to get a table but they had a seating system where they text you when they're ready for you so it wasn't a big deal. The Atmosphere: The restaurant itself is beautiful, modern and minimalist. It is a bit small but I personally enjoy that vibe at a sushi restaurant; it usually means that the kitchen can take the time needed to make the food for you. The Food/Drink: I was not very thrilled with the drink menu. I really wanted some nigori sake but it was $45 for a bottle, a bit much. We ended up getting a bottle of makgeolli and some beers. As for the food we got steamed gyozas (had to ask for them to be steamed because they are on the menu as fried) and 4 different sushi rolls: shrimp tempura, Philadelphia, Sakanaya, and the Windy City. We were satisfied with the gyozas and all of the rolls but especially enjoyed the sakanaya and windy city rolls, definitely a repeat order item. The fish was fresh and the rolls looked extremely appetizing the way that they were presented. The service: This is the only part of the restaurant I wasn't thrilled about. Our waitress was a bit cold and seemed like she was going out of her way every time we asked something. She could have been having a bad night so I don't think it would be fair to say the restaurant as a whole has bad service. Takeaway: All in all I will definitely make Sakanaya my go to sushi destination in Champaign/Urbana. read more

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1. This is a sweet lookin' spot: There's wood everywhere, and it's got a nice chill atmosphere and proper seating. Aesthetically speaking, it's above and beyond most of the sushi joints we have in this town. 2. The ramen, oh god, the ramen: I didn't personally order any, but I kept stealing bites of my friends and wow, it was so tasty. 3. The sushi was alllllllll amazing! My friends and I all ordered a few different rolls so we could sample them all and I still couldn't pick a favorite because everything was so freakin good. If this place weren't on campus, I would be there often but it just gets a bit busy with students sometimes. Even then, still totally worth it! read more

I came here on impulse for lunch last week. I've heard so many great things about it but with it being on campus, I was waiting for a slower night. I initially just wanted to get some ramen to go to satisfy my massive ramen craving I had. When I asked for some ramen to go, they informed me that they do do take out but that they can't do ramen to go. I decided to come in later and boy was I happy that I did! I ended up trying the Willis Tower appetizer which is this deconstructed sushi "tower" with tuna, roe, coleslaw, avocado, & rice. The fish was amazing and super fresh and I couldn't stop eating it. I also had a mojito which was certainly tasty but a little on the boozy side. I ended up ordering the miso ramen which was also pretty amazing. My only gripe was that I felt like the pork and egg were a little over cooked for my liking. Also, this place is teeny tiny. Total seating comes to about 30 people. So, I would not try to come here on a typical busier night. Calling ahead or having a back up plan might be the way to do it! I can't wait to come back here for some sushi! This might be my new favorite sushi spot in town! read more

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Where else can you get fresh, buttery salmon that evanesces with flavor? This place has been a favorite of mine ever since they opened up on campus a few years ago, and consequently the only place you can get a decent Sweet Shrimp Sashimi/Nigiri without having to venture into the Windy City. My favorites are the 'I Love Salmon' plate (1 regular maki, 1 hwedubap maki, 4 sashimi slices, and 4 nigiri), Sakanaya Roll, and the Willis Tower (unique tower consisting of tiers of rice, artificial crab, avocado, tuna, and salmon) foolproof every time! If you check in to this establishment on your Yelp app, you're eligible to receive a complimentary serving of Miso Soup. While they don't take reservations, it's smart to show up during non peak dining hours and putting your name and cell number on their wait-list/app at the reception carrel. You can walk around the area for the time being (there a Chatime, UO, and Walgreens nearby) and before you know it, you'll receive a text indicating that your table is ready. I wouldn't recommend going with a large group since the dining space is on the smaller/narrow side. Best sushi for the price in Central Illinois! I'll be coming back every time I'm visiting my Alma Mater! read more

i love sakanaya foods. Everything was delicious although a bit pricy. I have to save it for special events.

This restaurant impressed me with its attention to detail. Right from the get go- you have the laminate wood exterior, and the zen feel is all throughout the interior. The posh, slate colored trim and the dim oversized lightbulbs gives it an industrial flavor. You see the detail work in the silverware, menu, even the napkins... the ambiance outranks all of the other campus restaurants out there. This meticulous attention is of course given to the food. I'm a bit picky about my sushi and I can say that the sushi here is fantastic. I've had their cold noodles and ramen as well. Like the sushi, they all have a balanced composition of flavor and texture. Its definitely worth going to for a nice dinner out on campus. read more

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I was craving sushi, and Sakanaya appeared to be the best choice in the Chambana. We arrived right before they opened for dinner, so we were sat before there was a line. We ordered the seaweed salad as an appetizer. For entree, we got the "I love salmon" plate, as we were not very hungry. Got the seaweed salad, and it seemed like it's just pre-packaged seaweed salad with a cherry tomato on top. Tasty, but not too special. For the main entree, the salmon plate ( see pic for details). It was good, but not great. Honesty, the best part was the gochujang ketchup they had on the salmon roll. Sakanaya is relatively good in Chambana, but not great if compared to other places I've been to. read more

Sakanaya - I love Salmon plate - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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You wouldn't necessarily associate good sushi with Champaign or Urbana, but when I look back at the food I had while staying at the university there, the sushi stands out.  I tried various items from the menu over 3 or 4 visits. They carry the usual suspects for sashimi. I tried salmon, tuna, eel and mackerel, all tasty. The rolls were well rolled ;) and they had a good variety, including vegan options. I didn't try the fancy rolls but others at the table were quite happy with them. The combo plates are a good option for a bigger meal. The udon was delicious.  The staff was friendly. They get big lineups on weekends, so it's better to make a reservation if you don't want to wait for 20 minutes or so.  Overall, I found Sakanaya to be one of the best dining options on Green. read more

Approaching 3 years of reluctance, I finally decided to give Sakanaya a try. I had heard how great Sakanaya was from probably every person that I know around campus, but it seemed too good to be true. It wasn't until my girlfriend suggested Sakanaya that I finally caved. Long story short, don't wait until your boo wants to go. Try Sakanaya as soon as you can, because it was actually a great experience that every Illini should indulge in before they graduate. The food is only the beginning. The modern interior decor allows for comfortable dining. The music selection was also a ​pleasant surprise. I did not expect to hear Bruno Mars when eating sushi. Sakanaya is a Treasure, indeed. The service was also surprisingly expedient, considering it was a Saturday evening. The service from beginning to end didn't miss a beat. My girlfriend and I were in-and-out within half an hour, give or take. If you are like I was, and are resisting the temptations of Sakanaya, do yourself a favor and surrender to the sushi. read more

Very intricate and beautiful food! The sushi is all very high class and fresh. I adore the ramen as well. Perfect little spot for a date night! read more

For Champaign, the sushi and ramen are definitely the best quality on campus. The waitstaff is decently nice, and the ambiance is really cool. I would definitely pay a couple of extra bucks for the ramen here, rather than eat super mediocre to bad ramen elsewhere. The sushi rolls are pretty good, really fresh and flavorful. I like that they have character, like the VIP roll. I also LOVE the Willis Tower (even though I hate the name). You get to smash it and enjoy the spice and salt an deliciousness. The salmon and tuna platters are also worth the price, very fresh. The tonkatsu ramen and shoyu ramen are my favorites. Very good flavorful broth and tender not overly cooked noodles with many toppings. I would DEFINITELY recommend the twist potato and the friend chicken. Be warned the spicy chicken is very spicy, and the garlic is sweet and salty. They are juicy, crunchy and overall delicious. Pretty big too. They're only served late night though. read more

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I can't say enough good things about Sakanaya! The Willis Tower is a favorite! Great service, great food!

This place is my go-to spot for Sushi in the C-U area. The Sushi and Sashimi combo plate is my favorite. The food is amazingly delicious and tasty. The atmosphere is great and always a great place to go! read more

This is by far the best sushi place in Champaign. It explains why there's usually a line outside the door of this classy establishment. Keep in mind that Japanese restaurants tend to sacrifice quantity for quality and at Sakanaya, you are definitely paying for high quality food. The lunch and dinner menus are different and note that the lunch menu has lunch specials if you're looking to save some money. I hope they release their menu online sometime in the future. read more

Sakanaya - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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I think I am addicted to their chicken wings! This place can get extremely busy but that's because the food is delicious! During my most recent visit, I ordered hot and spicy wings but received the half and half. I told the waiter and he just apologized. I didn't mind to try something new anyways. As I was finished, I asked for my left overs to be boxed up and the waiter gave me a new seaweed salad instead of boxing the one that I ate a majority of! Thank you for accommodating. read more

Sakanaya - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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So, I finally made it over here to eat since a friend and I were on campus for another event, but we got hungry afterwards. We decided to come to Sakanaya because the students haven't come back from spring break yet! We walked right in and were sat immediately. We ordered the veggie roll with shitake mushroom (you choose what veggies from the list in the veggie roll description) and miso first. I got the miso for free with my yelp check in. The shitake roll was good. It has a little sweet flavor from whatever they marinate it in. Then, we got the sweet raw shrimp, sushi sampler, red clam nigiri, mackerel nigiri, salmon roe nigiri, and spider roll. All of those were good, but we were interested in the sweet raw shrimp because we'd both never had it before. Our favorite part of that plate was the fried shrimp head. Sakanaya, you guys need to do the fried shrimp heads as an appetizer. I'd come and order it. It's good! Daniel, our server was really nice and made sure we had enough water and even asked us about the sweet raw shrimp because he hadn't tried it. We told him the raw shrimp was good, but the fried shrimp head was better! Lol. Yum! I'll be back. read more

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Great place on campus for fine dining sushi. The menu is full of great options and the fish is very fresh. It is a bit expensive for on campus dining but definitely worth the money. Everything is full of flavor and you pay for the quality. The presentation is also great and the service was fast and helpful. Restaurant is small so wait time for a table is long but if you use the app NoWait you can get in line through the app and see how long the wait is until your table is ready and you will get a text when it is. read more

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Lovely. Best sushi on campus, though the ramen is a bit overpriced. Clean interior, polite staff though a bit of a wait. I recommend the salmon platter for some simple but well executed sushi. The hand roll? Work of art. Owners are lovely as well, often doubling up as waiters. read more

Worst Japanese food ever. I ordered 2 ramens and 1 shumai. They all SUCK. Totally don't understand why they have such high ratings. read more

Sakanaya - Shumai. Tokoson ramen. They all suck. - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I've been here 4 or 5 times, and have been wowed every time. Sakanaya makes some of the best sushi I have ever had. The fish comes from a good supplier in Chicago, and it always served at an optimal temperature where the fat from the fish is just starting to melt and the rice is a little warmer than body temperature. This sushi is legit, and you should eat it as soon as it gets to your table to preserve that perfect temperature balance. I recommend the simple stuff like nigiri, sashimi, chirashi, or hamachi rolls, but their crazy rolls are fun too. Their chicken wings are incredible. Korean style fried chicken is one of the most underrated foods out there, and Sakanaya has it down to an art. Sweet garlic sauce saturates crispy skin and batter that has puffed out and separated from the juicy meat. These wings are perfect in every way and should be on your bucket list. If you're a student, pick up some wings on a night out! They also have a very creative selection of appetizers. The Willis Tower is a fun one. Its fish egg, spicy tuna, crab, avocado, and sushi rice layered in that order from top to bottom with some sauces on the plate. Its kind of like a big california roll. With their high quality food, friendly and helpful service, and interesting menu items, Sakanaya really is an elite restaurant. read more

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Best sushi I've had outside of Japan. Best restaurant in Champaign by far. I cannot believe this place is in Champaign. Get the I Love Salmon, you won't regret it. Other favorites include the dynamite roll and Sakanaya roll read more

Amazing sashimi -- the fish was really one of the freshest I've had since moving back to the US. Unfortunately it was accompanied by old dry rice. It fell apart and was hard when you bit into it. When I asked the waiter about it he said he would need to talk to the chef - who responded with "that is how we make it". Very disappointing for what would have been a 5 star meal otherwise. I ended up eating the fish off of everything and leaving the rice. read more

Sakanaya - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Soooo good! Best ramen place in town! Good sushi too! Somewhat pricey but worth it! 100% recommend if you are looking for a place in town for Japanese food! read more

Sakanaya - Vegetarian ramen - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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This is my go to sushi place. I normally order through DoorDash, but have been in once and the experience was really nice. It was very cute little place and the food my friend had looked beautiful. I highly recommend! read more

Delicious and fresh sushi in the Midwest, with good services! Dinner wait time was about 30 mins and you can leave your name and phone number on the waitlist without having to stay there waiting. read more

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Definitely make sure to show up early. The tables filled up quick when they opened up for dinner hours at 5pm. I ordered the Bulgoki and my friend ordered the Miso Ramen. The Bulgoki was visually pleasing. I had never gotten Bulgoki with a side salad, two sushi pieces, and two pieces of crispy tofu. I felt like it was worth the price for what I got. I've spent about $12 for Bulgogi at other restaurants, but it was only the meat and rice. So Sakanaya gave a nice addition. I also thought it was a good way to still put a little Japanese influence in the dish. For the Miso Ramen, it was tasty. It was a big bowl of Ramen definitely not something you can find elsewhere on Green St. The pork was very tender and the broth just made it taste better. Overall, it was a good food night. I definitely recommend Sakanaya if you want a nice place to go for dinner. The food's taste matches the decor: awesome. read more