Sakanaya is unique atmosphere. Has good japanese ramen noodles that are not comparable to any other ramen restaurants in Champaign.

Nice presentation, and the food is always good. Although the service is spotty. But the annoying part is the ridiculous wait. I'm just not going back to a place anymore that has an hour wait time. And after all that, a larger than normal price tag. That was cool when I was a kid, but not anymore. It's definitely still worth a visit. read more

I'm in town visiting my sister for the weekend. We went during lunch time on a Saturday, missed the peak lunch rush and went in at about 1:25-1:30pm. We had to wait about 20 minutes for our seats--which was fine. I understand that there aren't many tables inside. But at about 1:51 (I looked down to check my watch), there were several people who came in to put their names down and the host started turning people away because it was "too close to 2:00"--which is when their kitchens close and they start preparing for dinner. NOW, from my experience, it is APPALLING for you to turn away customers before the official closing time of 2:00pm. THIS IS JUST BAD SERVICE, and if i was the one that was turned away, I would've raised a bit of a scene. Felt bad for all the couples/groups that got turned away that day. I don't know if this is a regular thing for Sakanaya or if it was a one-time occurrence, but word of advice--don't turn your customers away because it's too close to kitchen turning time. And don't be crying when your customers start going to some of the other competitors in the area because THEY'RE not turning away customers. My sister got the Tonkotsu ramen and I got their 8pc sashimi lunch special. The ramen was subpar--too bland and their broth wasn't the right consistency--that thick, flavorful Tonkotsu ramen consistency. My sashimi was extremely fresh--the one good part about this experience. And the sushi roll was perfectly average--nothing mind-blowing or not extremely bad either. If it wasn't so overpriced, i would say that the sashimi is pretty much the only thing going for this restaurant. Overall restaurant service was pretty bad too. From the hosts to the servers. Our server brought us our check even before we finished our meal and started cleaning our dishes too soon. It was obvious they were trying to rush us out of there. All-in-all, Sakanaya had average food for being slightly overpriced--but even the fresh sashimi can be overlooked because of their service. TERRIBLE. read more

Probably the coolest looking reasonably priced restaurant in champaign il. My girlfriend and I enjoyed our food, especially the sushi. Really good place for a date night! read more

Absolutely delicious. The sushi was the best I've ever had. A little on the pricey side but so worth it.

It's overpriced for the quality of sushi you get. Most of the rolls are fried but what bothers me the most is tons of rice in nigiri and not much fish. read more

Our favorite place to get avocado rolls in town. They also have a tasty seaweed salad.

What a delicious surprise! Restaurant interior design set the tone for a special meal-very modern. Wait staff were polite and attentive. Meal was absolutely delicious. 5 people in our party, so we tried many sushi, entrees and soups and everything had a fresh flavor. Prices more reasonable than other sushi places in town, but sushi was still awesome. Located on Green Street yet easy to find parking on a nearby side street. read more

My fiance and I have been here at least 5 times since they opened. The food is delicious and unique. The staff is well trained and professional. It is a great addition to DT champaign. read more

Tasty sushi! Great selection of rolls at a decent price.Service was quick and polite.If you're in town and craving sushi highly recommend this place. read more

We were totally surprised to find such a fantastic sushi place in Champagne/Urbana's Uni of Illinois district. The sushi was fresh and yummy and we are very picky. The service was impeccable. Great place; great find! read more

"Meh" is a good way to put it. Appetizer portions were smaller than expected. Sashimi are decidedly on the small side considering the price, even for a small town in the midwest. Server dropped off food and disappeared, never checking in to see if we wanted anything (more wasabi, the portion of it being small too), nor noticing the empty plates and credit card on the table for way too long. (No, they weren't busy.) Food was edible and nobody got sick. read more

Great place for semi fancy sushi. Its fun to dress up w friends and come here and good place for a first date. Get the fried shrimp roll

I love this place! I have had Jap food in Asia, and in large cities across North America and this place is legit. My favorites are: the Willis Tower (flavour explosion, must get), the gyoza dumplings (great flavour, perfect crisp, delicate in a good way; the sauce that comes with it is a little too 'soy saucy'so I bring my own dumpling sauce), spicy shoyu ramen (I've had better but this was still very satisfying... Full flavour, chewy noodles cooked to perfection, I add extra chili sauce (I bring my own) and the egg is hard boiled which is a shame but not a deal breaker). I would not recommend the tempura or the wings... Both very heavily battered and a bit too crunchy, not in a good way but still good flavour. You can't go wrong with any of the rolls.... Everything is exceptionally fresh and delicious! Chicken teriyaki is standard and beef bulgogi a little dry but still tasty. The umagi rice dish looks really good just haven't tried it yet. This place rocks... you just can't go wrong here! I can't wait to go back!!! read more

Love this place! The food is wonderful, very fresh and delicious. Service was great. The menu offers a nice selection of sushi, noodles, and more at a variety of prices to suit everyone. Only "downside" to this place is that it's always packed- expect a wait, but it will be worth it. read more

ive only tried their late night menu. The wait was long, but the wings were really good. I felt like it was trying to be too cool though, which always turns me off of a place. I prefer yellow fin, which is quiet and you can appreciate the food more. read more

Best Sushi store on campus! Love how fresh their food is. Great for celebrations or dates.

The sushi is the most tender and delicious I've ever had and the noodles were perfect and plentiful. I only wish this wasn't on campus, because I hate fighting the crowds during the school year. read more

Me and my friends went to the restaurant today and got very unpleasant services. The waitress didn't smile to us at all and never asked us whether the food/service is good. However she treated friendly and nice to the white people at the next table. When we told her our complaints she became very inpatient and left without any explanation. We then asked to see her manager and one of her co-workers (We don't know if she's the manager. She may not want us to see the manager in order to avoid the trouble) came to us and apologized. When we left the restaurant, waitresses said thank you to us, yet the waitress who served us said nothing when we made eye contacts. The impolite manners she showed made us so unpleasant and to some extent angry. Me and my friends usually go there but today's experience really disappointed us. read more

This is my favorite place for sushi in town. Everything is fresh and well priced, and the servers are very friendly. I especially like to come for lunch for one of their sushi lunch specials. Highly recommended! read more

Good sushi with awesome beautiful presentation. The price is a little high.

This restaurant is pretty good, though expensive for what it is. The fish was fresh and the service was fine. I agree with another reviewer who said that the hot house sake was a large carafe and a good deal for $6. The decor gives the space a clean feel, especially compared to some of the other restaurants on that block. I went with two friends, and each of us ordered a regular roll and then split a specialty roll. I wanted to get sake don instead of a roll, but it was just too expensive. Overall, this is a solid little sushi place and I would come here again... if someone else was paying. read more

I came from out of town for the Illinois Marathon. This place has the BEST sushi I've ever had. We had the Willis tower to share, and we tried a variety of rolls and I can honestly say I was in Sushi Heaven. read more

i recently moved to the area and heard this place was good for sushi and i heard correct! the service was slightly slow but it was worth the wait. the sushi is spot on and i would recommend this place to anyone as long as you have a decent amount of time, especially when this place is packed. good choice though! read more

Willis tower. 'Nough said! Fast service and sushi-feel inside..usually a big wait around dinner time so suggest going around 7-9. Miso soup is always a good start as well. read more

Best sushi I've had yet. Great service and stunning atmosphere. I get sushi here one a week! Sometimes to-go and it's still fantastic service and delicious! It's a standout. read more

The wait is normally very long, most of the staff is not very professional or friendly, and whether the sushi is fresh is pure luck. It is not worth the price. This restaurant is as successful as it is because college kids are drawn by the apparent (but unwarranted) prestige, not by the actual quality. read more

the willis tower is very delicious, and the I love salmon combo is to die for. the sashimi melts in your mouth

Went for a girls night out while the campus was closed for winter break so I can't comment on the wait time because we got right in. Best sushi I have ever had. Highly recommend. read more

Went at dinner time with a friend. My Sakanaya roll was ok. Nothing impressive. For a 15 dollar roll I expect a little more flavor. Her 6 dollar California roll actually tasted a lot better than mine. The atmosphere's nice. I love the decoration and design. I'll probably come back to try a different roll. So far I still think the lunch eel roll is the best. I guess I'll stick to lunch now read more

A year ago I came to visit my boyfriend at U of I and we googled "best place to eat in Champaign" and went! I'm so glad we went to Sakanaya, it was truly a surprise. It's cozy and clean inside, and while it can get busy they do a great job of working with customers to make you comfortable and up to date on table status while you wait. The sushi is as good as it's going to get; being in the middle of Illinois it really is a pleasant surprise to stumble on something this good. We'll have to try their ramen next! read more

Some of the best quality Japanese food in town. Though you will pay for the quality. Portions are not super generous either. But regardless its a nice place with quality food. read more

We had dinner here last week. The staff was extremely kind and accommodating to my dietary needs! I had the vegetarian ramen, and the waiter suggested that I swap out the pork based broth for a vegetable based one, since I am trying to avoid meat. He said the broth that he was suggesting would probably taste even better than the one that comes in the menu, and it was delicious! He even checked back in to see what i thought. Love this place. Clean, great food, and cozy decor. read more

Outstanding!!!! The sushi was delicious. And well priced. We will definitely be back:).

Went there for dinner. As other reviewers said, be prepared to wait if you didn't make a reservation ahead of time, as the restaurant is very small. They said we would have to wait 30-45 minutes, but it ended up only taking 10-15 so it wasn't too bad. The quality of the food was very good, but I felt like we were paying more for the atmosphere than the food itself (though, to be fair, the atmosphere was quite nice--definitely a good place for a date if you don't mind it being a little bit on the loud side). I'd go back, but it's one of those places where I feel like I would need to eat something either before or after to be really satisfied. read more

Fresh, delicious sushi! I was in town traveling for work and followed the great reviews to see for myself. It was awesome! Would recommend to anyone. read more

salmon is delicious but don't like the rice they use for entree

Love the Willis Tower. Everything goes as expected.

Excellent service and the food was so fresh! Will definitely be back. Sushi is the best in champaign hands down.

I've always heard great things about this place - it was pretty hyped up by friends. Because of this, though, I expected a lot. During the course of the meal I got the impression that Sakanaya was putting more emphasis on putting off a "fancy" vibe than they were with the actual distinctiveness of what they offer. Overall, though, it's still definitely the best option for sushi in the area. I give it 5 stars for that. read more