Kurumaya is a place that I have visited maybe three times before, several years ago. It was a…read morepopular, well reviewed place back then, just as it is now. But it just kind of slipped out of my consideration for no particular reason. But today I was driving near there, headed for somewhere else, and it hit me - Bento box sounds good today. And so it goes.. Parking in this small strip mall is usually pretty easy. It is a popular choice for lunch for many people that work in this business area of Elk Grove. I think that is because in addition to the good food, the service is not only friendly, but also very efficient. That allows you to have a nice sit-down lunch and still get back to work in time. They don't rush you, but you won't have to wait long for both the food and the check. Today I did have my delicious bento box, which as others have agreed, is a great deal for lunch. But I also splurged for a "Rock' n Rol" sushi roll, which was quite tasty. My waitress was wonderful - friendly and efficient as usual. But she didn't rush me personally. She even asked me if I wanted tea. In summary, it's an excellent choice for lunch. Good food, affordable, kind people, and a nice change from a fast food drive-thru.

Ask for Harumi - She is the most wonderful, nicest server ever and knows the best recommendations…read moreon the menu! If you're looking for the most authentic Japanese food outside the city, seems like this and a couple other places are all in the Schaumburg/Elk Grove Village area. Highly recommend hitting their lunch menu if you can because the bento box values are so worth it for authentic Japanese food/sushi. We got there at opening for dinner on a Saturday and got there just before dinner rush! This place is such a hidden authentic gem - you can tell from the decor to the choice of seating design to the actual menu and way they cook the RICE and other dishes. They serve the same grain for sushi as they do regular rice (Tamaki gold). Quality is not skipped here. We got the agedashi tofu (must get appetizer, as it's hard to really every achieve at home cooking), house special curry katsu, the beef kurumaya gozen (bento box) (which has incredible tempura, juicy soft beef), and assorted sashimi platter (I forget the name). All come highly recommended and were well worth the price point. I am just a bit sensitive about the freshness of the sushi, but I think this is probably as fresh as you can possibly get with generous cuts outside the city. Everything down to the miso soup too was delicious - best place to take your friends/family/coworkers for an authentic Japanese meal. Parking lot available out front. Recommend also stopping by Tensuke market nearby after!

The little things matter, they add up, and do not go unnoticed. These little details is where…read moreTensuke Market truly shines above and beyond other specialty/import grocers. The baseline meets expectations. For a store of this size, they have a very good selection of Japanese and other Asian products, imported and domestic. Further, their selection of house-made items, like the tsukemono is impressive! The store is very clean (restrooms included), and well-stocked. The prices are on the higher side, but this is common and expected from a specialty market. They also have a food court - one counter sells all the food (rather than multiple stalls). The selection is fair with bowls, sushi, ramen, and other apps, IIRC. The dining area is massive and very well through out. There is free water, large containers of miso soup (which one is apparently free to refill at their heart's content). Bonus points for not having to carry (and spill) hot soup on the way there. While the area is clean, there are table wipes provided. The only thing missing is unlimited green tea like many places have in Japan, but given the cost of matcha in the US, I understand, and am by no means complaining. I'd ordered a bowl with various kinds of seafood. While not a masterwork, it was excellent for the category of items prepared in a grocery store. There are other small things which go a long way in the big picture view: The staff are helpful and friendly, think a Trader Joe's like attitude; increasingly rare in retail. At the register, items that have the potential to leak are sealed in small plastic bags. Going further, there are small bags of ice (think school nurse for playground boo-boo's sized) to help keep delicate items cold and fresh. Final thing I loved: the parking lot has ample EV charging, and there is even a charger by an accessible parking spot. Though I don't need an accessible spot, I appreciate that those who have a need and drive a plug-in are able to charge. Final verdict: Tensuke delivers an all around excellent experince, with a great selection, friendly staff, and little details like preventing items form leaking and free ice making the experience truly top notch. Would recommend?: Yes, especially if you're a fan of Asian cuisine. Would return?: Absolutely, I see myself going at least once a month, or when the snacks run out!

Since they relocated to their new building, I wanted to stop by and check out the new location…read more Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed to find out that the food court restaurant was closed and wouldn't reopen until 4 PM. Since I was already there and hungry, I decided to grab one of the hot premade meals instead. I went with the spicy kimchi yaki udon. This dish definitely packed a lot of heat, but I felt like it was missing some flavor to balance out the spice. The udon noodles were cooked well and had a nice chewy texture. At $8, the value wasn't bad either, and it definitely did the job of satisfying my hunger. I'll have to come back another time when the food court is open so I can try some of their freshly prepared dishes. Hopefully, the next visit will be a better experience!

Very friendly staff and the fresh fried food and soup were good…read more The sashimi (otoro, fatty salmon, ikura) were very good, melt in your mouth level of deliciousness. The yakitori had issues, most of our skewers tasted reheated or cold, which was then reheated anyways. I think they have staffing issues as well. Ordered a lemon sour and it was flat due to having flat soda water. They kindly replaced it with a slightly less flat soda water. Strong recommendation for the otoro and sashimi cuts. Maybe double check if yakitori is hot before ordering more.

Everything we ordered was delicious, but unfortunately the chicken gizzard skewers were 100%…read morespoiled (they had a wet dog smell to them). After communicating this to staff, they passed it around and confirmed it was indeed spoiled and took it off our bill, which we appreciated. They can get busy and with not too many hands on deck, food and service can come out slowly. It's understandable to a degree, but it does feel like servers rarely come around (through the whole dining experience, our water was never refilled once or even asked to be) and overall service seems subpar at best. Ambiance is great. They definitely have that Japanese izakaya vibe. Go to Sankyu if you have time on your hands and order menu items that are likely ordered often and you will have a 4-5 star experience.

I will say I have been to this restaurant many times in the past and the food and service was…read moregreat. I went back a couple days ago and everything has changed. The menu is much less, the food portions are less, and the container the food comes in is plastic and made for to go orders even though we dined in. The service was also not very friendly and when our waitress brought our food, she didn't even smile or say anything. She just plopped down the food and walked off. This used to be my favorite restaurant but I don't think I'm coming back.

This has been on my list for awhile and one day I decided to try. It's located in a strip mall with…read morelots of parking. When you go inside, they have a sufficient amount of tables to sit at, but it wasn't very busy on a Saturday night. You order at the register and he brings it out to you. You'll have to be patient, they don't have a lot of staff. We ordered tako karaage (fried octopus), croquettes, Taiwan style tonkotsu ramen with 2 pieces of chashu, and the deluxe bento with butashoga (ginger pork). I had a bite of the pork and it was delicious. Ginger was not overpowering. Tender meat. Prices were very affordable and cheap. Service was great and he brought out our food hot and freshly made. I would definitely come back and try other items. -tako karaage 5 - it had a nice little chew and was not overly fried. Great taste. -croquettes 5 - I loved these. When you bite into them, they're soft. Flavorful, savory filling inside. I should have gotten more of these. -Taiwan style tonkotsu ramen 5 - noodles were chewy. Bountiful amount of ground pork. The two chashu pieces were tender and easy to break apart. Broth was not heavy, it was just right.

Tekka Sushi has a beautiful interior with a cozy, modern atmosphere that makes it a great place for…read morelunch or dinner. The sushi was fresh, well-prepared, and absolutely delicious. My favorite was the Fire Dragon Roll--the baked flavor was amazing, and it quickly became my top pick. The Fire Phoenix Roll was also very tasty and worth trying. The only downside was the first impression. Unfortunately, the manager at the reception didn't seem very friendly or welcoming. It's a little disappointing when your dining experience starts with that kind of mood, especially since the food and the restaurant itself are so enjoyable. Overall, I would definitely come back for the delicious sushi and the lovely atmosphere. I just hope the customer service at the front becomes as warm as the food they serve.

Tekka Sushi is a real hidden gem in a strip mall. It looks like a small place but it's a decent…read moresize with a larger banquet area in the rear. This ended up being one of the best quality sushi places in the area. All the fish was top drawer quality and everything tasted spot on. The only things I think could be improved upon would be the wasabi as it was a bit flat and needed to be stronger as well as the calamari as it was a bit stringy. Everything had an excellent taste and was presented very nicely. Service was excellent and we would consider this a "go to" place if you want excellent quality sushi with an abundance of variety!

Yo this place smacks, I brought my parrot, Lucky, with me and he really enjoyed the Hokkaido broth…read more I had to bring some home for the rest of the birds

Hands down the best ramen in the Chicago area. Broth is creamy and flavorful, the chicken katsu is…read moreperfectly battered. The ground pork is a great alternative to slices of pork belly (which I don't like). The veggie ramen is equally flavorful. Absolutely addicting. A must try!

My all time favorite ramen place!! I always get the salt ramen with the salmon rice combo. If you…read morego on the weekend prepare to wait in line and wait for a table. Otherwise it's pretty chill on the weekdays.

We were at Mitsuwa and hungry. Something about walking all the aisles and looking at food, makes…read moreyou want food. We sauntered over to the dining area and decided to try Hokkaido. My husband had heard good things and I am always up for anything. Four of us shared two ramen bowls and a Shiyake Ikura Gohan (salmon, rice and roe). Everything was very tasty. Service was fine, it took quite a while for our food to be ready but we found a table and did some people watching while we waited. Tables are usually filled on the weekends... not everyone cleans up after themselves, which makes the dining area look messy. Sometimes, a table will be empty but dirty causing a little bit of confusion if it is available or not.

Stupid me, I've been on a quest to fond my Ultimate Tendon place and it was just under my nose all…read morethis time! At Mitsuwa, well actually, inside and in the food court, is a fairly new stall called "Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr." And my eyes suddenly were so wide open as I scanned their menu display and saw the glorious 4-pronged (shrimp tempuras) rice bowl, surrounded by crispy, tempura veggies! A side of pickled veggies and a bowl of miso soup! Oh joy! Could this be the Ultimate Tendon that i've been dreaming of, looking for? Yuppers! I think this is it! Oishi!

This location has been open for about a year and took over the space where Mama House used to be…read more For those who aren't familiar with it, it's located inside the food court of Mitsuwa Japanese grocery store. After looking over the menu, it seemed like they specialize in tempura, so I decided to try the Soba #13 meal. It came with chilled buckwheat noodles topped with sesame seeds and shredded roasted seaweed, along with two jumbo shrimp tempura served with dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is definitely important because, without it, both the noodles and shrimp tempura would be pretty bland. It tastes like a soy sauce-based sauce with a little chili oil, giving it a nice savory flavor with a mild kick. The chopped green onions add a nice touch of color and freshness. The soba noodles were chilled, chewy, and firm, while the shrimp tempura was light, flaky, and super crispy. My only concern was that the food was more on the lukewarm side, which made me wonder if it wasn't cooked to order. Overall, the food was just alright for me. At $15.99, I didn't feel very full afterward, so unfortunately, I don't think the value was quite there. But don't worry--I'll definitely come back and try some of their other dishes. Maybe there's something on the menu that will be a better match for my taste buds, my belly, and my wallet.