I don't like raw food and the miso soup but Japanese food is an acquired taste and my friends love it :/ the service was very nice. Ambiance was great. read more

Ordered some dumplings and sushi. The problem with this restaurant is when you order sushi you probably only get about six pieces I was expecting 10. I guess if I want to get cheaper sushi and more of it I have to go to County market. It isn't as fancy of a sushi but at least I can eat a lot more read more

Sushi is good. Gyudon is good. Poke is very good. Do not get the ramen, probably the worst I have ever had. The green tea wasn't good. Service is friendly. Setting is nice. read more

Best sushi in town. Absolutely fresh, good service, nice environment, reasonably priced, and friendly staff. Kamikaze (without the mayo on top) and Windy City (which is like the well-known Rainbow Roll) rolls are my favorites. Overall , I could have not had a better experience, definitely recommend it. read more

This is my husband's fave restaurant to eat when we are craving for sushi. The ambiance is nice and neat. Highly recommend!

This was maybe the fanciest take out we every had. Ordered 5 sushi rolls and they threw in a bonus. All the flavors were perfectly matched and ingredients were of excellent quality. Great choice for high end sushi! read more

Great atmosphere. Small college town vibe. Unique ordering all online. Certainly overpriced for the quality, thinks are expecting these days, but they are about $20 in risk bill than most comparable places. The sushi was okay.. Nigi was fine, pieces a bit small. Rolls where ample yet caution on ordering anything with tempura. Overly fried and tasted greasy. Limited beer selection (1). But overall not bad. Just likely will bit return, a little uninspired read more

Best sushi place around and probably the best service I've had in a long time. Went with two buddies of mine and we had about a 5 minute wait in a packed house and received our food well within 10 minutes. Refills on water were done before we even had time to look up and they were extremely helpful about making our experience worthy. Ramen was off the charts and the sushi was fresh! read more

Sakanaya - Spicy Shrimp Tempura Udon! Can't express enough how great this place was ranging from the food to the service. - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Very tasty and quality sushi! There's not many great sushi places around that is REALLY worth the price. Even their hot foods are delicious, the Yaki Udons are very nice. The workers are so nice and helpful as well! Highly recommend read more

My first time here and it did not disappoint. I asked the waitress for her opinion and expressed my likes n dislikes. She was very helpful. I ordered he gyoza(dumplings) and the five star roll. The dumplings were very tasty and cooked just right. The roll was a little messy but I conquered it with chopsticks, mind you all in all I loved it from start to finish! Thanks for the reviews that influenced my choice read more

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The sushi is fantastic. Atmosphere is great. The only issue for me, campus town. read more

Great sushi restaurant on campus. Operated by Miga, a very good Asian fusion restaurant in town. Atmosphere is very cool, sushi is fresh and inventive. We tried the Willis Tower sushi appetizer - beautiful and delicious. Everything I have had there has been very good - noodle dishes, sushi, etc. read more

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

Great food for sure. But if you're hungry and looking for a place to fill your stomach, think twice before you choose it. The line can get pretty long late at night. Or alternatively, you can try to download Nowait. It's their reservation app (at least at the last time I visited). You may try to download the app, find Sakanaya on it, send a reservation, and come by later. They might be able to just let you in with the reservation online. read more

This place is amazing! We went during Covid and they did everything just a beautiful as they are now that it's calmed.

Always very busy be ready for a 1-2 hours wait add yourself to the waitlist through google before arriving it is much quicker. Nice little place. read more

The food here is great - EXCEPT their seafood ramen. It's closer to shin ramen (or some other ramen brand) with seafood added in to it. The seafood was disappointingly little and the flavor of the dish was basically the standard ramen you can find in packets. read more

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This is my favorite sushi place in the area. I like that they have more moderately priced basics but also have fun rolls.

Ordered a 80 dollar order... and DoorDash took my food... and waiter was showing me attitude out same orders in diff box when I ordered myltuple entrees for diff people didn't do anything to satisfy it when it's their fault very bad service read more

Came here Wednesday evening with a friend from out of town and this place gave us FOOD POISONING. I know it was this place cause it was all we ate all day. Seeing that I've been here before and actually trusted the quality of this place, I thought hm maybe it's just a little off but still good to eat. We ordered the a spicy salmon roll and the Miga roll. The tuna on top of the Miga was not fresh at all. It looked almost grey and was warm(???) We should've asked about that but it was near closing and didn't want to be a drag. We also had the chicken teriyaki and tonkotsu ramen. The ramen noodles themselves were over cooked, broth was only warm, and the pork chasu... I swear the pork chasu (if not the pork and the tuna both) was what gave us food poisoning! It tasted rotten/spoiled. Bacteria on pork lingers and what was served to us was definitely not safe to eat. Extremely disappointed in this place and will not be returning EVER! Be careful to those who still think so highly of this place read more

Ran out of fatty Tuna way to early in the evening but for Midwest sushi in a small town. Def a good meal. My cold sake was served in a juice box which was interesting but it still was good. They kind of make you feel rushed while you eat or want to move people in and out as fast as possible it feels like. Probably bc the place is very small and still quite new and popular but it would be nice if I felt less rushed through my meal. Sushi cuts were good but just they ran out of main items way to early in the evening . read more

I am often in the Champaign area because I have a sister who attends college there and she took me to this place to have the lunch special. It was a good portion of food and reasonably priced. For the lunch special we got the miso soup and 2 rolls which was the perfect amount of food for lunch! Also loved the inside of this place- it was super cute! read more

Not the best sushi ever, but the ambience was really classy and modern. Went for a celebration and it was a good time. The wait was incredibly long so check in online before you head over. The wait is so long because the place is fairly small. Maybe order out if you want something a little sooner. read more

Probably the best sushi restaurant in Champaign! I love visiting here and wish I could eat here more often!

Since moving to the Midwest, we've been looking for a good sushi place. In Chicago we ended up at some restaurant where the rice tasted fermented and sour, so we didn't have much hope of finding someplace that tasted as good as sushi from the west coast. The sushi here, however, tastes fresh and clean. At 8pm on a Saturday night, they told us it'd be a 20-30 minute wait but we didn't have to wait nearly that long. The dining area is a little narrow and congested, but the food is excellent. Had the tuna combo plate and the kamikaze. The shrimp tempura was a little greasy, but good. Would definitely come back and recommend for people with parties of 4 or less. read more

Sakanaya - Tuna sushi combination plate and kamikaze. - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

I was disappointed to see that Sakanaya has gone the route of self-service ordering via an online phone app. It's particularly unfortunate for the wait staff as less interaction with the customers probably results in smaller tips. I also noted that, compared to previous visits, the amount of rice used for the nigiri sushi is disproportionately small relative to the generous toppings. Otherwise, Sakanaya remains the best sushi experience in Champaign. read more

Fresh, high quality sushi. From around Chicago area and this place is up there with many top notch ones. Small and homey area. Would definitely recommend read more

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I loved it! Super fresh raw fish and lots of flavors. The sushi was extra fresh and the service was insanely quick. read more

Sakanaya - Drink menu - Japanese Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Awesome. Atmosphere is very cool. Front desk staff were super friendly. I used the yelp check in app for the first time and I thought it was great. Our table was ready when we arrived. The waitress was great. However I used my free miso soup coupon from yelp and she forgot to bring it. She had me validate it at the table so it's not like I still have the unused coupon to use. The spider roll was great. The champaign Urbana was awesome. I had another roll with fresh fish on top, and it was awesome. Everyone's favorite, Philadelphia roll was yummy. Crunch and munch was too spicy but really good. Overall was a great experience. Would highly recommend and definitely will return. read more

I've only order sushi here mainly because it's so good, I don't want to order anything else. The specialty rolls are more pricey but you get what you pay for. They do offer classic rolls which run $5-7, but they're just the basics (also still really good). read more

Excellent food! The location is convenient for students and the ambience is great for a good meal. Cali crunch roll - the crunch did not overpower the taste of the crab. OMG roll - this is a must try. They bring it on a sizzling plate on flames. The sauce on top is amazing and goes really well with soy sauce and wasabi. Chicken wings - tried both flavors hot n spicy and garlic soy. They were good but I don't think I'll have them again. Overall it's one of the best places on campus and definitely coming back. read more

Great food always. However, very pricy for a student average lunch/dinner. It is good for a date night. The sushi is good. If you want something fancy, order something that has flames (like "playboy"?). I personally like "Gold Rush" because it looks fancy (with a splash of gold sprinkles on top of the grilled eel). Their "katsu don" is huge. And meat's thickness is in average. My friend says the sauce is good. Their noodles are just average. Their sashimi is a little pricey and sometimes they mistaken my order. Their chirashi, a personal favorite. is good in size and variety. Generally, recommend for their food if you want something a little extra for a good lunch/dinner. read more

A Champaign 5! An actual 4 :). The Place: Of the handful of places that serve sushi in the area, this place always has me coming back. It's intimate, quick, and pretty tasty for the price you pay (which is next to nothing if you're a regular sushi eater). The waiting area gets crowded, but that's part of the fun for me. Download the "No Line" app, to "make a reservation" it's very helpful since they don't take actual reservations. My waiter was always helpful, try to sit with Sophia, if possible, and you'll be guaranteed a great evening. The Food: Classic rolls are dirt cheap and delicious considering that. The signature rolls are elaborate and worth it. The VIP roll comes on a flaming plate if you're looking for some attention and good taste. I love the Playgirl after that, then the Kamikaze. Haven't had their alcohol, but it comes in mason jars and looks delicious. Their ramen is also VERY good and very filling for about ~$13 USD. The Wait: Again, get the "No Line" app, it's very helpful bc people know this place is pretty worth it and the town is nondescript. Saturday nights have like 1-1.75 hour waits if you just walk up. But, if you're smart about it, it's worth it. read more

Pricey, you wait a long time, and it's not that much better than discount sushi, so seems like too much work for that. Nothing bad but nothing really good either, and if you are used to "big city" sushi you will be disappointed. It's VERY cramped and doesn't feel very safe during these complicated CoVid times. Few masks and poor ventilation. read more

This place is definitely the best sushi in Champaign without a doubt. With that being said it's on the pricier side. They also have pretty good main courses such as the gyudon and the don katsu each come in at around $15. The secret for the sushi is to come around lunch time which is when they offer 2 rolls for $11. All in all it's an extremely charming and warm space which is great for dinners with friends. read more

I probably eat at Sakanaya more than my wallet can comfortably handle, but I keep coming back because it's a better than average sushi place with lots of other food choices. I write this review in the context of the UIUC campus in which Sakanaya is definitely as good as it gets for sushi, so 5 stars instead of 4 if this was located in DT Champaign or Urbana. Their menu has been relatively consistent throughout the 4 years I've been here. My go-to's are: -Willis Tower (to share): it comes out super quick, so you can start eating right away (especially if you've been waiting 45 minutes for a table). It's a little tower with rice, spicy tuna crab, and some avocado that you can break up and mix on the plate. Super fun and delicious! At $12 or $6/person for 2 people, it's not a bad deal. -Chicken wings: they're SO good! Korean style with two flavors: soy garlic and hot&spicy, but I usually go for half-half. Definitely a must try for lunch or late night (they don't have them at dinner). -OMG and VIP rolls: If you really want to impress that hot date, get one of these rolls that are served with actual flames on the side. They both taste pretty good and are exciting for a special occasion. -their platters are also good to share with someone if you're really feeling a certain kind of raw fish. my favorite is the I Love Salmon. -their sashimi is kind of pricey for a campus restaurant, so if you're craving, I'd recommend just getting the sampler. It comes with 3 salmon, 2 tuna and 2 escolar (I think). Obviously, not the highest quality, but it's more affordable if you're getting other items too -Ramen: more than acceptable for the price! Portions are great, but the broth is just okay. Overall, not bad for $13-14 if you compare how much you're getting vs 1 roll. There isn't much seating space inside, so during dinner times, it can get really busy (like longer than 1hr wait busy), but if you come right at opening or with smaller party, you can get seated right away or with a shorter wait time. If you have a party larger than 5, I would avoid coming during busy times. Staff are usually pretty accommodating for larger parties, I've been here with 8 people before, but only if there's not a huge line of people. Ambiance is also really good for a campus restaurant. Dim lighting and industrial style lamps make it feel pretty intimate. read more

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Excellent food and service. We really enjoyed the personalized service we received. Will be back for sure. Johm read more

Might be good sushi for a college town, but the premium in price is not justified. The Specialty rolls are portioned appropriately, but the flavor is not there. The best value is the sashimi. read more

Food is good but not fancy. I have been there several times and had unfresh fish once. However, it is still a right place for sushi. Chicken wings are awesome. Sadly, service is not as good as food. One of the waiters always touched my back when he came to the table and I do not like it. I ordered wings to go a night and they took my number. I waited for 40minutes outside and when I came back I found out that my wings are ready for a long time and a little cold. They told me they would not call me even though they took my number. They took my number just in case I did not show up. I do not understand the logic there. They really need to work on their service to match the good food. read more

I was curious about what a tart specialty place would be like, so I stopped by after lunch. The interior is simple and clean and while there are only a few varieties of tarts to choose from right now (8 according to the website), the case was well-stocked and the fruit looked fresh. I tried a lemon and a blueberry tart because I couldn't choose between the two. Both tasted as good as they looked, and they were beautiful tarts--simple but very pretty. I regret not taking a photo of how nice they looked before eating them. Please just know that the photos on the website are not exaggerated, and I think they look even better in person. My favorite flavor was blueberry--it had this surprise layer of blueberry cream at the bottom of the shell.But the lemon was also great. The filling reminded of high quality lemon meringue pie minus the meringue. read more

I've been all over our country and had sushi at all levels and I'm not sure if these college kids just haven't had sushi or what? This is nothing fancy. Flat tap water on every table. Your standard miso soup. $17 for a lunch special got me maybe 3-4 ounces of meat and one roll that was pretty good but fried and prepared earlier. Usually sashimi is at least served over beds of rice for a little more fill. The wasabi is very weak. Rice is kind of dry, I've had fuller rice. read more