4. Restaurants

Aodake Sushi & Steak House

2129 75th St, Darien, IL, 60561
  • (630) 719-9888
  • Store is closed

Aodake Sushi & Steak House Menu

  • Kitchen Appetizers
  • Soup & Salads
  • Kitchen Entrées
  • Rice And Noodle Dishes
  • Side Order Items

Healthy Meal suggestions for Aodake Sushi & Steak House

  • Kitchen Appetizers
  • Soup & Salads
  • Kitchen Entrées
  • Rice And Noodle Dishes
  • Side Order Items

Visit below restaurant in Darien for healthy meals suggestion.

Subway ( 2189 75th St )
Culver’s ( 541 Plainfield Rd )

Visit below restaurant in Darien for healthy meals suggestion.

Subway ( 2189 75th St )
Culver’s ( 541 Plainfield Rd )

  • Nida K.

    My go-to for sushi. 9/10 times the sushi is on point, and the prices are decent. Never really tried anything else but the sushi, but it's definitely worth visiting for.

    (4)

  • Kristin M.

    I came here on a Saturday night because I had the groupon. I've always heard that the one in Romeoville is better and now I can say that I agree with those claims. Food was similar in quality but service was definitely lacking. They brought out my food then we sat for about ten minutes waiting for my boyfriend's food. When the waitress finally stopped by we asked her where it was. She said they were still making it but since we could see the chefs it was obvious that they forgot to make it. Do yourself a favor and just go to Romeoville.

    (3)

  • Darren L.

    I was hungry. My sister and brother were hungry. So we came up with the quick decision that sushi was the move! We came here for the lunch menu and I must say that it was one of the best lunches I've had. Immediately, we were greeted then seated. During lunch, they have awesome deals. I was actually the only one who got sushi. I ordered the crunch, shrimp tempura, and some other roll that I forget the name of. The sushi was pretty good but not the best I've had. What I really loved were my siblings dishes! They got salmon with veggies and rice and the other order was chicken w vegetables and fried rice. The rice was so delicious and the flavoring on the vegetables were to die for. I loved everything about it. It was a nice portion size too! Also, salad with ginger dressing and miso soup were complimentary. At first, our server seemed very rude and was in a rush. She gave us about 5 minutes after sitting down before she asked what we wanted to order. I understand her mindset but that's not polite. However, as we continued lunch, she proved to be very respectful and nice. We ended up speaking Chinese to her and it made her open up even more. Love this place!

    (4)

  • Debbie M.

    Crave the shrimp tempura and hibachi scallops. Reasonable prices. I was perfectly comfortable the times I've gone alone but it's a blast with a group

    (5)

  • Marianne D.

    Aodake was the perfect spot for sushi lunch. The restaurant itself is low lit and quiet, peaceful. The staff is very friendly and attentive. The lunch specials of two or three sushi rolls with miso soup and salad are reasonable. I had three rolls for $10.95 for lunch. The rolls were done well and the fish was fresh. My friend had the shrimp tempura bento box. Next time, I will be trying that as it looked so good. You can also order hibatchi without sitting at a large hibatchi table if you don't want to share lunch or dinner with people you don't know. I liked this place and will definitely be back!

    (4)

  • Shannon W.

    This place is awesome! They have delicious hibachi and the staff is wonderful. My favorite is the hibachi scallops dinner and the sushi is excellent as well.The portions are huge and I usually end up taking some home to eat the next day.

    (5)

  • Jessica M.

    Giving 2stars because bartender Amy tried saving our experience..hoping all of our tips went to her! Not sure who our server really was.. Otherwise, long story short- Bad service out weighs good food ANYDAY. Paid $100 to sit at a restraunt & ask to be served. Really wish this place was better.

    (2)

  • Dannyel C.

    Come here with my wife regularly and enjoyed the happy hour menu. Great prices for good food quality. We enjoyed our food and had our drinks refilled frequently and were checked on regularly. Nice calm atmosphere, a little bit of a language barrier between the servers and ourselves but it wasn't an issue for us. I wasn't a fan of the beef teriyaki but the sushi is excellent and fresh. Their unsweetened iced tea is refreshing and has good flavor. Definitely a diamond in the rough with great prices- even on regular days. Happy hour is Saturday and Sunday lunch find hours.

    (4)

  • Claudiu S.

    My wife and I have been frequenting Aodake for over 8 years now. They NEVER disappoint! The Sushi is so fresh, it looks like it swam out of the ocean directly on to your plate. Enjoy it with some hot Sake or a Sapporo. I especially recommend their Tuna Sushi... it is the best I have ever had, and I have lived on both coasts! My wife does not eat fish at all, and so she enjoys the Hibachi experience. The chefs are great... it is an artform in itself, and a really fun experience to enjoy with friends and family. Their pricing is extremely fair and the quality of their food is AMAZING! Management and the wait staff are always on point with regards to service and they are always very friendly :) Celebrating birthdays are especially fun as the staff sings and brings out a dessert to the birthday boy or girl... All and all it is one of my absolute favorite restaurants to frequent and I highly recommend it to everyone, every chance I get. No, I do not own stock in the joint, but quite honestly, I wish I did. Go and try it! If I'm wrong, feel free to call or text me and cuss me out :) 312-315-8560!! Enjoy your Aodake experience, I know you will!

    (5)

  • Nestor O.

    My family and I have been coming to Aodake for years! We've held many celebrations at the restaurant as well as just casual lunches and dinners. The quality of the food is amazing. I have not once experienced a bad meal. Above all customer experience is top notch. Amy and her staff are always prompt and very professional. Alex is the man. Very personable, knowledgable on his menu and professional as ever. I'll be eating here as long as they're around which I hope is for a while!

    (5)

  • Yvonne M.

    I came here tonight and called ahead for reservations. It was a reservation for two. My friend was running late and the rude hostess refused to seat me until my friend arrived. She said she can't seat us until the entire party arrived. A moment later this horrible woman sat a group of 3 people who said "oh, we are being seated? We are still waiting on people." I honestly can't tolerate this kind of treatment. The downside was that it was 7:30 on a Friday and there was plenty of seats available. The horribly rude hostess should be replaced because otherwise we really liked the food and enjoyed our time.

    (2)

  • A. B.

    Very fresh, delicious, good quality, tasty food with friendly staff ! I especially love their garden salad with house dressing that comes together with their lunch roll specials.

    (5)

  • Aijaz H.

    I really like this place. Have tried their hibachi and sushi. Both solid! Tonight we had sushi. Their Monster roll and Spicy tuna rolls are A+. The other two rolls we tried Spicy and Crunchy AND King crab roll were good not great. Enjoy...

    (4)

  • Jennifer W.

    This is a bit late but I've had some okay experiences her and the last one, which will be my last time coming to this place was absolutely horrific. It was new years eve we made a reservation we came 15 minutes early and waited and waited, then in comes a party of 40, yes you read that right 40!!! There were two parties in front of us still waiting and of you've seen this place you will not be able to sit two parties of 5+ and a couple, plus a party of 40, not only did this huge party expect to be seated right away they were rude and pushed everyone who was standing waiting to the door. This was so unorganized and I had just about had it with being stepped on over and over we left. I will never go there again, and to top of off when we go it's not that great, there are much better places around don't waste your time.

    (1)

  • Stephanie M.

    Favorite

    (4)

  • Aundrea K.

    Love the Red Dragon roll it's my all time favorite! They have the best hibachi around! The prices are a little high but the quality of the food makes it worth it. Will definitely be a regular at the Darien location! :)

    (5)

  • Marta H.

    I've ordered from here several times and every time it's delicious! I love their food but mind you I have never eaten inside this restaurant i have only ordered out. My favorite is Godzilla and pink lady! Omg they are the best. The only thing I will say is that whenever I would call to place and order for pick up, the lady that would answer was very hard to understand. Other than that the food is delicious and I will definitely keep ordering from here!

    (5)

  • Me H.

    Good Benihana style knockoff. We do all our birthdays here. Good deals to be found on Groupon.

    (5)

  • Amanda W.

    My husband came across this place venturing down 75th after a much loved visit to the Social Security Office. I don't know very much about Japanese restaurants, and neither of us are sushi eaters. We are both pretty obsessed with beef/chicken teriyaki, and we have been searching for that place that makes the perfect dish we love. I am so glad we stumbled upon this place! IT doesn't look like much from the outside, but it is actually quite a spacious sit down restaurant with 2 hibachi grills (pardon me if I am wrong), a sushi bar, and a few tables. Our server was extremely friendly, and we ordered 2 beef teriyaki's. They started us both out with miso soup and a side salad with ginger dressing ... both very good! My husband devoured the salad, which he never does. A very tasty dressing I have never had before. We watched the man at the grill prepare a meal for others and I was a little disappointed we didn't try that out, but we weren't even sure how it works! It looked extremely interesting, maybe next time. Our beef came out on a skillet type of plate sizzling hot! It was very well presented and looked extremely delicious. The beef was tender and cooked excellent, not even chewy due to it being well done. The teriyaki sauce was sweet and tasteful. My husband gobbled his down, and couldn't stop raving about how awesome this meal was. I was extremely impressed and the customer service was awesome! The restaurant was extremely clean and everything was perfect. We loved it so much that this is now our new date night spot! Swoon!

    (5)

  • Linh L.

    The great thing about this place are their lunch specials. They're very cheap -- 2 rolls, miso soup, and salad = $8 and some cents. The bad... The food. I ordered the spicy tuna roll and the eel&cucumber roll (assuming that this is the typical unagi maki). The spicy tuna looked so funny. First, the roll wasn't spicy and second, the tuna was mixed with an orangy-ginger sauce. Since when were spicy tuna rolls mixed in with a sauce? or if anything, THAT much sauce? It is cheap though, so you pay for what you get (the only reason why I gave it an extra star).

    (3)

  • Raphael M.

    The service here is absolutely horrid. Manager & server were not understanding. Don't buy the groupon because it's a scam

    (1)

  • Jason J.

    I really enjoyed the quick service here. I especially enjoyed the perfect rainbow roll. I think I have had it over five times now and enjoy the quality of the fish they use. For a local sushi joint, I would definitely recommend this place.

    (5)

  • Don N.

    Food was alright, service was BLAH, atmosphere was nonexistent, and overall experience was subpar. The fact that it is in a strip mall next to Walmart services it well. I will not be going again.

    (2)

  • Taj P.

    The food is delicious and the chefs are hilarious. I would recommend using a groupon because it can be pricey but overall thoroughly enjoyed this place and will be returning.

    (5)

  • Jie S.

    We walked into this place on a Friday with a Groupon on the phone. It is nice decorated place but the whole layout threw me off a bit. Usually when you walk in a Japanese place, you have a Sushi bar type of thing close to door, then a few regular tables and then the hibachi tables in the back. Aodake has the totally opposite. So we soaked up with hibachi smell while the hostess lead to our small table next to the sushi bar in the end. We got the Tuna lover and Perfect rainbow rolls. The tuna lover was nice but nothing to rave about. Perfect rainbow rolls were pretty tasty too with the spicy salmon in the middle. Both of us liked the fish but not too much about the rice. The rice was not stick enough which probably caused by the low grade rice mixed with real stick rice. And the rice was not cooked/seasoned right. Both me and my friend were kind of picky on those little things so all we left on the plate was rice. The services were actually really nice even though it was packed for the lunch time and/or due to the Groupon. We did wait a long time before we got our sushi. I might take my kids to eat and see the Hibachi show when I could get my hands on another Groupon or something. And I will make sure we all wear hoodies or sweatshirts which could be washed easily after the meal.

    (3)

  • Margret H.

    I have gone to this place a long time and one of my favorite, but simple, dishes is the fried rice. The first time I had it I didn't really like it, but the more I ate it (I kept on eating because I didn't want to waste any food) the more I wanted more! My husband and I often get sushi to go along with our meal, and we usually do not have a "usual" because we like to change it up. And I can say that these rolls are very good. The habachi is always amazing and when I bring my son here, the chef always makes an effort to make him laugh!! This place, in my opinion, is also kid friendly(if they can enjoy habachi). So basically the atmosphere of the restaurant is kid-friendly ;) This is a place I have loved for a long time and still do!

    (5)

  • Adam B.

    I love your food here! Great sushi. Good drinks. Love the free saki with the hibachi. The older chef is great. The younger chef acts like he doesn't even want to be there... ** look for their Groupon before showing up** Will return shortly for some great food.

    (4)

  • Krisha d.

    I don't know why Aodake has only a 3 star rating? So far for nearing my vicinity, this does the trick for me. I have come here twice and plan to come back more. I had the Loster tail and 2 shrimps ( my lobster tail was garlic and my 1 order of shrimp was garlic and the other golden shrimp.) The first time and Lobster tail and shrimp (I had golden lobster and garlic shrimp.) my second visit. Both my meals I enjoyed with a large hot sake. Both times, SATISFIED my Hibachi craving! I left very full and ready to nap! My ONLY problem is they charge $2.00 per every topping after your first. Which I found odd because I've eaten a lot of Hibachi and never charged for toppings. Kind of tacky if you ask me. Other than the topping price issue. I WILL BE BACK. Aodake is in the same plaza as Walmart and if you are not familiar with the area, YOU WILL MISS IT! So, my advise, keep your eyes out! YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS PLACE! Especially if its near you and you like hibachi like I do! I can not say anything about the sushi because I come there for hibachi. My favorite "tricks" here are the little boy statue that squirts like his peeing, but its water. (Which they give to kids or people who are under 21 or do not drink) they do give free sake shots to 21 & up! MMMM

    (4)

  • Michelle H.

    No, I have never lived in Japan, nor am I considered a sushi specialist in any way, but I can say I was very happy with my meal here. Take it for what it is: Suburban strip mall sushi. Decent food at a decent price, made all the sweeter by a restaurant.com deal. It is a relatively small storefront next to a Home Depot, but they pack quite a bit into the space. Three or four hibachi grill stations with seating for about eight at each, and a few small tables for two near the sushi bar. I do have to admit, I felt a bit cramped, since the tables were packed in tightly. Our service was good, although a bit unfriendly. I did not ask questions about menu items, for fear of the server chomping my head off. I did appreciate the quick removal of empty dishes, due to the lack of table space. We started out with Gyoza and Harumaki. The Harumaki were standard, small fried spring rolls served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The Gyoza were excellent. The dumpling skin was ultra thin and perfectly steamed, just thick enough to hold the very tasty filling. Sushi was our main course. We shared four different rolls. The Chicago Roll was OK. It came in about six hockey puck sized pieces, made up of mostly of crab meat with a tempura crunch shell. The Volcano Roll was my favorite. It is presented in a pyramid shape, with spicy mayo and a spicy sauce covering it, so it resembles an exploding volcano! The Spanish Grasshopper was very refreshing; the cilantro in the roll had an almost palate cleansing effect. Lastly, the Red Dragon was the least memorable. Crab stick, tuna, cream cheese, and topped with red tobiko. Our meal ended with an order of ice cream tempura. Imaging a scoop of chocolate ice cream snuggled in a blanket made of elephant ear. Simply fantastic! They also offer a tempura banana split, which I will have to try on my next visit!

    (4)

  • Katherine B.

    I really don't think I will be coming back. Service is so bad! We were treated horribly and felt really uncomfortable. The food is so good but when the waitress seems to be annoyed that she has to serve you just ruins everything.

    (2)

  • Maria I.

    I love this place... Been here many times... Nice place if you want a reasonable price Sushi. Good food and service. Try pink lady roll! My favorite

    (5)

  • Jeannie A.

    Went here on Friday for lunch, with my Groupon ($30 in food plus a beer). I couldn't use the Groupon for any of the lunch specials, but I was cool with that. The place was ok inside, what I would expect from a storefront. There was some sort of construction going on near the building, but it sounded like it was right next to me inside of the building. The other patrons were complaining about it, but the restaurant had no control over it. I ordered 2 of their special rolls, they were $15.95/each. The Perfect Dragon and Larry Lobster. That took care of my Groupon. The sushi was fresh, but it fell apart when you picked it up. The rice wasn't holding together. Overall, good sushi, not great. The servers were very abrupt, not friendly, but not rude. Just to the point. I was fine with that, since I was by myself and just stopping by to use the Groupon. I'm not from the immediate area, so I probably wouldn't go back. If I lived in Darien, I probably would give it another chance.

    (3)

  • Jaki M.

    If you come here you absolutely MUST get the Godzilla Roll. I cannot emphasize it enough! I have gone to dozens of sushi restaurants and so many of them have ok specialty rolls or not so great Godzilla Rolls, but this place has great rolls! The Godzilla Roll is my favorite thing on the entire menu, it is to die for! The shrimp tempura is so yummy and crispy and the rest of the roll is creamy and almost melts in your mouth when you eat it.. Man, my mouth is watering! I feel this place doesn't have a high enough rating because people haven't ordered it yet and just get simple rolls or hibachi. My rating is solely based on the fact that the Godzilla Roll is so good, but if you are coming here for hibachi I would rate it 3 stars. The food is not bad, but doesn't leave an impression. The spectacle the chef puts on is fun though! Also, this place is a little pricey. However, it is equally as pricey as going anywhere else of similar quality for a date night or outing with a friend.

    (5)

  • Jane S.

    We went there to help celebrate a kid's birthday. The hibachi experience was as expect and fun. Kids were very happy with the performance. Food tasted good but too much soy sauce on both the fried rice and vegetable. It was a U-shaped hibachi table setup where I expected two chefs (back to back) to serve two tables of 9 people each. Except this time there was only 1 chef cooking for both tables. Since we were the larger group and with kids we got to watch the "volcano", etc but the other table (2 groups of 2 and 3 ppls) hardly saw anything. If I were them I would be very disappointed.

    (3)

  • Donna M.

    Aodake is my go-to sushi lunch option. They do a two and three roll lunch special that includes miso soup and a little salad with ginger dressing. It's just enough and the price is right around $10. You can't beat it. Aodake is not fancy at all, maybe even a little rough around the edges. But it's a nice cheap lunch option.

    (4)

  • Joey M.

    I need to preface this by saying I have never had the Hibachi before but I frequent this place a minimum of once a month even though i live in Chicago! The sushi and prices here are amazing! My fav is the dynamite roll! They also have 20 oz Japanese beers :) On the Hibachi side, when I look over the chefs are always doing triacks and everyone looks like they are having fun!

    (5)

  • Kamilah S.

    My boyfriend and I came here last weekend and had a great time as always. Food was seasoned well, steak was cooked perfectly. I will definitely be back. they have a Groupon for $15 for $30 worth of food.

    (5)

  • Christina K.

    Before going to this restaurant, I have been to 3 other different hibachi places. I like them, but don't like paying. So when Groupon gave me $40 + two wines, I took the bait. Meh at best. We walk in the front door that says "Groupons please show before being seated." So I did, where I was told to show later. Why have the sign then? We were sat down at a table that's obnoxiously high (elbows level with ears when eating) when another woman came up and said "Red or white wine?" Like, the very first thing she said. We waited over 30 minutes at the full table before being served any food, and even longer before the chef came. I'm pretty sure they had 2 chefs for 8ish tables at 7:00 on a Sunday night. Of course, we got the not-as-cool chef, but he was still ok. Their show is a little different than the others we've gone to. They have a sake in a condiment bottle that they messily squirt into your mouth. Interesting. Their hibachi sauce is better than any other place I've gone to, but their garlic topping is extra $ and gross. Like another review, I ordered the spicy tuna roll to help us hit $40, but it wasn't spicy. Additionally, there was a birthday celebrated at the next table. So awkward! They don't sing, but rather play a weird recording through the whole room. Weird place that you won't regret skipping.

    (2)

  • Michelle-Julia G.

    I wish i could give this place a higher rating, my review is just on the sushi side of this place and not the hibachi... first off I'm not a big fan of the ambiance, its kinda one of those "hole in the wall" type places, nothing suitable for a date or romantic type evening, i would bring my friends here for some quick sushi and thats it. I always manage to get the same lady to take my order and she's rude and not very polite, she almost ruins the entire experience for you... but the sushi is actually pretty good... some rolls are bland and sometimes they do not roll their sushi rolls tight enough, they fall apart the second your chop sticks attempt to pic a piece up... thats really frustrating... don't get the roll with lobster in it, its over prices and hardly has any lobster, the romeo and Juliet rolls... are bland and boring, you won't be satisfied... the pink lady is always a crowd pleaser, anything with eel in it is normally my fav but not so much here, i will come back, its just like they have a lot of "off" nights but when they are on point, your leaving very satisfied (again if you can get past the rude, brash service) i will probably come back her again but it will have to be a last option kind of idea, or if I'm just in the area... its ok

    (3)

  • Daniel D.

    The service was very polite and friendly, but when we visited they were extremely busy so it was a bit slow. However, the food is high quality and definitely worth it, and the staff were very friendly.

    (4)

  • Dana G.

    Pee pee man put out the fire! OK before you go running far away from the "pee pee" man it's a plastic dude that pees water on the fire... not pee. This review is only for the hibachi. I didn't try the sushi. Typical hibachi but I love a show. Especially if it involves shooting Saki into my mouth! I also like food and fire. Put the two together and I'm hooked. The food was good. We all ordered the shrimp and scallop combo and it came with miso soup, garden salad, hibachi shrimp sampler (2), sautéed vegetables and vegetable fried rice. Tons of food and the prices were cheap. My only issue is the drink selection is very limited. They have a few beer and wine selections but not a full bar.

    (4)

  • Katherine M.

    i dont eat at enough hibachi joints to really tell u this place is better or not than other good places. everything tasted yummy. why i loved this place is that the people here were top-notch friendly and service was terrific. anyone who treats my family well and gives my kid an extra smile, a lollipop on his way out, and takes time to interact with him (it was not busy when we ate here), gets a good grade. PLUS, they turned the hibachi plate on so we could see the chef prepare my son's meal. they did this even tho i only wanted to order 1 hibachi lunch. the minimum is 2 lunches. we'll be back when we are in the area, for sure!

    (5)

  • Julie M.

    the best hibachi and sushi place in my neighborhood! come here all the time, gots to have snow crab naruto everytime we dine in.

    (5)

  • James M.

    Good portion sizes with more than reasonable prices. The fiance and I got full on fewer rolls than we would have at other places. Some of the rolls are huge, and don't cost much more than regular ones. Not only do you get a lot of pieces, but the pieces are big as well.

    (4)

  • Paul K.

    Good food but horrible service. We waitted for over 15 minutes before we were greated. Our server was in the clouds and as we left the host didn't say thank you or anything. Guess they don't want us to come back?

    (2)

  • Amy B.

    Go here all the time, nice convenient location. Pretty good food, love the egg yolk sauce. The employees are always friendly. Their lunch specials are great, super cheap and tons of food. Only get hibachi, but friends who've tried their sushi enjoyed it.

    (4)

  • D B.

    I love Aodake! The staff are very warm and welcoming. There is enough privacy and ambiance to make you forget you are in a strip mall setting. The sushi is always fresh and tasty. The Godzilla role is my absolute favorite! It is also very fun for small groups while sitting around the hibachi grill.

    (5)

  • Rocky P.

    Good food. Good price. Love their Happy Hour. Im not too crazy about their hibachi performance but food are great. Especially their egg yolk sauce... YUM!

    (4)

  • Avery D.

    After moving to Darien from the city, we were hard-pressed to find good sushi. At first Aodake fit the bill, then we had horrible experiences and will not be returning. On a Friday evening we carried out some sushi, and found the tuna to be rubbery and completely inedible in two separate rolls. We called to complain, and after being told that "the tuna is supposed to be like that", were told we would not be refunded for the inedible fish, but could order something to replace it. Fine. We picked the replacement roll, but were told that because that roll was $2 more, we couldn't have it. After driving the 20 minutes (there-and-back) to pick up the new roll that was also sub-par and overpriced, we decided we would not be returning. Perhaps better customer service would have changed our minds, but bad, overpriced sushi is bad overpriced sushi.

    (1)

  • Marjorie F.

    I'm not a huge fan of dining in the 'burbs (eeek - strip malls and chain restaurants), but this place is OK. My friend and I ordered the dragon roll, "pink lady" roll, and spicy tuna roll. I wasn't a huge fan of the spicy tuna, but the dragon roll was good. My favorite out of the three was the Pink Lady which was topped with crunchy tempura batter pieces (cooked, of course). The service was decent and price wasn't bad. Clientele-wise it was mostly young families. Not a surprise. It is in the 'burbs. While I wouldn't go out of my way eat at this place, I would still go back if I was in the area.

    (3)

  • Matt B.

    Meh. You might like it. But I wouldn't go out of my way to go here. Poor arrangement, nice people, mediocre sushi.

    (3)

  • Tony K.

    Slightly below average. Its ambiance is average. The sushi is slightly below average. Why? THE RICE! I was there for lunch and the rice was slightly mushy also not seasoned properly. The wasabi was generic and bland. The pickled ginger was below average quality. If its the closest place and your craving sushi, its just ok in a pinch.

    (2)

  • Maya M.

    Went to Aodake using a groupon which was a great deal! The wine was delicious along with the clear soup. Our waitress was very quiet and it was a little difficult to get her attention when we needed a refill on water or anything. Our Hibachi chef was not as fun and interactive as some of the other chefs but the food was delicious all the same. I would Highly recommend the scallops! The mustard sauce was some of the best I've had. The sushi was good but not amazing. The atmosphere of the place was a little lack luster but prices were very reasonable. All around it was a good experience. I would probably return for the hibachi but not the sushi.

    (3)

  • Chris W.

    This is a Japanese steakhouse in the general Benhiana mold. They have a handful of hibachi cooking tables and 10-12 more regular tables. I have eaten at Aodake for both hibachi and sushi and have always been happy. They have excellent lunch specials that will run you about $10 and be worth every penny. The sushi lunch special allows you to select 3 rolls with salad and soup for only $10. Great deal. The food is all good. I have never been disappointed with it. The pricing is reasonable. I'd recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for good sushi or hibachi

    (4)

  • Jessica M.

    Another decent lunch at Aodake. We go here b/c it's the closest sushi near our workplace and the lunch specials are good. My co-workers and I somehow racked up a $60 bill for lunch pick-up (oops!). They told us 20-25 minutes and we got there about 25 minutes after we called and still had to wait at least 10 minutes and then watch them pack up the items - which was a drag - just tell us it will be a 40-minute wait and it's cool. However, they got the order perfect. From their lunch special menu, I like the crunchy roll, the dynamite roll and the spicy shrimp roll. aodake.com/menu_lunch.ht… Received another free menu item coupon when you dine in and spend at least $15.

    (3)

  • Brian M.

    Well priced for a hibachi . Got an entertaining show.....got to do a saki bomb and got to try to catch skrimps in my mouth. Not a bad deal. We got one roll (millipede) which was crunchy and good. On top of it we got a coupon for a free roll the next time we come. All and all will be back. p.s. - - The birthday song is definitely one of the more creepy things I have herd in my day!

    (4)

  • Essie Z.

    Yummy yummy yummy!!! We were turned on to this place a few years ago and it's become a family favorite. Even my small children ask to go here. My kids fell in love with Snowy the hostess. When I was pregnant with our third child this was all I wanted. We get sushi appetizers and then I've tried the different hibachi items and my favorite is the new York strip steak. So good! Try it with the white sauce it's the best! And ask for a Japanese soda it's really cool how you trigger the bubbles. Oh and if you want to try it out at half the price go at lunch. It's my little secret I take my daughter there for lunch, just us girls. And don't quote me on the price but it's only like $8 for the full dinner size if you order a drink. For all you get if a great value. And I don't know about you but I would rather my kids ask for this than McDonald's!

    (5)

  • Danielle M.

    I've been here a handful of times. Anniversaries and dates mostly. I love the hibachi, but my weakness is the sushi! Lots of different sorts of sushi, I am not on the adventurous side of fish, but I like the snow crab and shrimp & crunchy rolls. Personally feel like it's at benihana quality, for a significant amount cheaper. Benihanas used to be my favorite, but has now taken a backseat to my new found love. The only thing I ever felt dissapointed about here was being rushed to order, eat, and leave so they could close before the lunch break. Otherwise no complaints here!

    (4)

  • D T.

    I really don't understand the bad reviews...I have been to L20 and Bond Street in LA to name a few fabulous restaurants in a long list and I love this place!! The atmosphere is terrible, but you're in a suburban strip mall next to Home Depot and Pet Smart?!?! What do you expect? My daughter and I eat here frequently for lunch, and always enjoy the food. The lunch specials are amazing. Bento boxes galore, hibachi, rolls, apps, etc. 2 rolls for $7.95 or 3 for $10.95!! The miso soup is dirt cheap and good. My daughter and I always get an app or 2 and the Yaki Udon noodles. SOOO yummy!! Shrimp, crab, baby corn, broccoli, carrots and yummy Udon noodles. Hibachi is so tasty. (and greasy) This isn't a top notch place, but I think it's great! We went again today and the Dynamite and Spicy Tuna Hand Rolls were extra good today. Give it a try. You almost feel like you're stealing from the place, and it's tasty!

    (4)

  • Caitlin O.

    I've never ever had a problem with the food there and I've had it more than a few times. I can't complain about the fish smelling fishy - I've had sushi or seafood every time I've gone there and it's always been tasty. The lobster was excellent and grilled quite well, the steak that my roommate had was rather tasty, they're extremely friendly and all of the sushi I've ordered has been rather tasty, though I wish they'd mention that the crawfish roll was spicy before I ordered it since I have horrible acid reflux and can't eat spicy things. The unagi is also extremely well cooked and is the best I've had in the area besides Bob-San's. They were happy to serve my ama-ebi with the head on the side without a problem and the rolls have all been really good, especially the Rock n' Roll. Fun for birthdays too, with a free birthday sundae and a Polaroid photo for their foyer with birthday photos. I really like going here and I don't get the negativity at all, I've never had a bad experience at all. Not to mention I am NOTORIOUSLY picky about my sushi.

    (4)

  • Stella L.

    The food is appealing and interesting but I wouldn't be in a rush to try this place out anytime soon. The servers are nice but it seems to me they they want to rush you out. They tried taking away my salad like 3 times even when i clearly had my soup and salad unfinished. They did not bother to explain the menu very well and their "hibachi happy hour specia"l did not hold up to it's title. This is the 3rd time I've been here but I am very disappointed each time i not only get a slight stomach ache whether I ordered something light or heavy, the food is very sad looking. The review is more of the disappointment of the saturday visit. I got rushed, the food was terrible and soggy. And the fried rice was all soggy with slightly undercooked veggies. If it's supposed to be a hibachi, from the grill meal -- how come it seems to be more souped, boiled and steamed?? Again!! So sad so sad!

    (3)

  • Jeff L.

    All I have to say is AMAZING! We go there at least once every 2 weeks (sometimes twice a week). The filet mignon hibachi is an All-star meal! My 2 favorite rolls are the Dragonfly and the Spicy Shrimp. If you do get a hibachi table (Darien Location) try to get seated at a table with the Hibachi Chef Sam. He is the BEST! Saki bombs, entertaining and a great chef. Also, Happy hour on the weekend - half-priced rolls! And, half-off beer on Friday and Saturday! Great Place!!!

    (5)

  • Karen H.

    In the past, our family has enjoyed the food even though the service was just okay. Tonight was REALLY bad. From the moment we told the waitress we had a groupon (and had also mentioned this when we made our reservations), the waitress was rude and dismissive. I had not even finished my sentence completing my order and she turned her back on me and went onto the next person. Four in our party ordered hibachi grill and sushi and I ordered just sushi. There were several people at our table who ordered their vegetables without onions, which in itself was no big deal. But instead of substituting other vegetables, our chef put all the broccoli and carrots on the plates of those diners and gave my two teenage daughters a plate of onions and one piece of zucchini each. Ridiculous. We expected to get at least some of the sushi prior to the hibachi but that didn't happen. NONE of the sushi was brought to us until 10 minutes AFTER everyone had finished their hibachi dinner. I had ordered unagi on the side which wasn't delivered. Our sushi was just "dropped off" in front of us and our waitress just ignored me when I pointed out it was missing. When 15 more minutes went by and I couldn' catch her attention, I went to the sushi chef and got it myself. We wanted one more order of crunchy roll but still couldn't get our waitress' attention despite repeated attempts on our part. After 20 more minutes, I finally went up to the sushi chef and ordered it myself. Someone else brought the order to our table thankfully right away. It was only at that point our waitress came over and asked to take our dessert orders (not would we like any refills on our soda or anything like that). All in all, our waitress left us unattended for 50+ minutes. After the continued fiasco, we couldn't wait to get out of there.

    (1)

  • Bridget M.

    Ben-to box! Ben-to box! I have only been here a couple of times for lunch and their prices vs. food value make you feel like you've got quite the steal. Their sushi rolls are decent - nothing stupendous, but certainly good enough to do the job. You can 1/2/3 roll specials for a good price. The give you miso soup and salad which are pretty much solid staples. Last time I ordered the bento box with teriyaki beef. There was a lot of food, but I wasn't all that impressed with the beef sadly. The waitresses are a bit on the curt side, but I think they're trying to be as accomodating as possible. This last visit we were almost able to escape unscathed by the haunting tune of Happy Birthday - I kid you not, they have a whole CD of the Happy Birthday song sung by high pitched Japanese children. It's like Disney's "It's a Small World" gone horribly awry. Truly, I think they deserve a 2.5 but we'll have to leave that up to the law of averages...

    (3)

  • Paul d.

    Like Tsuki, the deals make this place worthwhile. For lunch, they offer a $7.95 and $9.95 for two and three rolls respectively. That's already a deal. Throw in the Miso Soup and salad and it's pretty much a steal. The place also has a Hibachi for a pretty decent price - all under $10. I don't entertain that option so much; it's like the tourist introduction to Japanese food. As my buddy put it so eloquently, "White people love that shit!!!!!!!" Overall a pretty good lunch deal if you're out in Darien. p.s. (extreme sarcasm) If you're lucky enough to have your birthday here, you will be treated to the "Birthday Song" complete with Japanese accents played loudly on the speakers for everyone to hear.

    (3)

  • Frank L.

    Extremely mediocre. I've been here several times... we always go on my girlfriend's mom's birthday because she loves this place and it's so close to her house. The setup of this place is not ideal. We've only done hibachi and I've always felt very cramped and crowded during my meal. My recent visit this winter reminded me that cold air leaks down through the exhaust hood, so dress warm! Also, lots and lots of white smoke from the cooking oil... some of it found its way into our faces instead of up and out the hood. While the food isn't *bad*, it's the least good of all the Hibachi places I've been to (Domo 77, Ron of Japan, Benihana, Shinto, etc). As far as food, I've gotten the fillet and the lobster combo with upgraded chicken fried rice (+$1) and their egg sauce because I like to eat healthy (LAUGH)... and I don't know... it's typically very bland. On my most recent visit, I again went with the fillet and lobster combo and the fillet had more flavor than usual... maybe they changed soy sauces, or used more this time? Not sure. I also switched it up recently and decided to go with their garlic topping on my lobster, which I've found to be much better than their egg yolk sauce. The shrimp that comes with the meal is very good. I tried it plain and dipped into their white seafood sauce. I think this is pretty atypical of this place, but I should probably mention that one of my companions was given his shrimp undercooked. Luckily this was spotted before the shrimp was consumed, and our chef (who put on a good show), happily grilled/steamed the shrimp a bit longer. My girlfriend ordered the fillet and scallops combination with upgraded shrimp fried rice (+$2). I tried her scallops and enjoyed their flavor (again tried with and without the white seafood sauce). The shrimp fried rice was slightly better than their chicken fried rice, in my opinion. For dessert, I had the vanilla ice cream tempura. Not bad... definitely not fantastic, but not bad. My girlfriend had the banana tempura and it was just "OK". We decided that my dessert was the better of the two. I don't do sushi, so I cant' comment on that aspect of this place. I can confirm that this place is beer and wine only---no mixed drinks. Sort of strange for a hibachi place, where people like to get tropical drinks. Overall, a generally "meh" experience and I would probably not be back if it wasn't the preferred birthday spot of my girlfriend's mom. If you want Hibachi, go to Domo 77, Shinto, or one of the other options I listed above. Although, as a note, my most recent visit improved my experience (I'm tempted to raise my rating to 3 stars, but I'll wait until next year's visit to confirm consistency).

    (2)

  • chelsey B.

    I'm new to sushi... I first tried it about 2 years ago and now love it. Anyways this place is wonderful! *Order the PINK LADY ROLL it's a melt in your mouth sushi surprise! YUMMY! Aodake gets two thumbs up by me. Give it a try... they also cook in front of you, if you choose to get something besides that pink lady roll.

    (4)

  • Josie S.

    We bought a groupon and made reservations for 3 (husband plus 9 mth old). Included baby since we would need room for highchair. The lady was SO rude! She pretended like she didn't have room when we got there, gave nasty looks like she was surprised we could ask for a table when we made reservations!!! We left without using out groupon and will never go back!

    (1)

  • Stef F.

    MAI-TAI's. I wanted some mo fo fruity concocted deliciousness with a straw, and what do I get? NADA. ZIP. NO-SIR-E-BOB. They don't serve mixed drinks here. WTF. FML. Seriously. What hibachi style place doesn't serve mixed fruity drunkenness??? They only serve a limited selection of Beer, Wine, and a drop of Sake. Total crap I say. We went here because I bought a GC off of Restaurant.com for $2...which allowed me to get $25 off. That seemed worth it. But still. I've had better, and wasn't overly impressed. This place is a dime a dozen in this area. I ordered the Filet/Garlic Shrimp combo. Filet was tasty, and I only had one chewy piece. The garlic shrimp was meh, and I've experienced tons better. My man ordered some sushi, which he thought was mediocre, and had the Lobster/Chicken combo. He thought it was decent, but nothing to write home about. All in all, I wouldn't pay full price for this place. Had I not had the GC, I would've walked out in search of Mai-tai's elsewhere. Even with happy hour, I don't think I'll go here again. Big disappointment. I mean the food is good, but not OMG good. And the lack of liquor? Big no-no.

    (2)

  • Sara K.

    I've been to this place several times and have never had an issue. Of course, I always order Sushi when I'm there, and have yet to venture to anything else on the menu. They have decent rolls, and generous portions. They've got great service, the waitresses are always really attentive. Plus, they give you two coupons every time you go there! How can you beat that? Their place is a little small though, and its mostly taken up by hibachi stations. The nice thing (for those that just want to watch hibachi) is the easy view of everything! The biggest problem I have with it is that its kind of hard to find for new comers. But for a strip mall Sushi place, its pretty good.

    (3)

  • Dave L.

    A safe bet for sushi - Darien location lacks atmosphere - romeoville spot is more hopping. You'll get a decent sushi, but I can't vouch for the hibachi grill.

    (3)

  • Amy S.

    It's fine for suburban sushi...which means the cooked items are solid. But as for the sashimi-the most popular tuna and salmon are the only fresh tasting fish. The others not so much...prices reasonable. Just be safe in your raw fish choices...

    (2)

  • B. S.

    good food, reasonably priced and kid friendly. does not take long for orders, like you usually see in sushi spots. Wait for the groupon and it will be a steal!

    (3)

  • Samantha K.

    Though the food is alright, the overall presentation of the place is horrible. I hate that the 4 tables are put so close together right next to the sushi bar. The tables are so tiny I have no where to put my purse plus the food and beverages! All of the times I've been there, I have never seen those benihana looking tops being used. I've seen people sit there, but only eating sushi. The only thing I will eat there is the dragon roll. It's big and worth the $12.95. The miso soup had no taste whatsoever, the salmon was pretty burnt when we got it. The service was okay. We had garbage and empty plates on our table (which took up even more space on the tiny ass tables) the entire time there. The waitress came to fill up our drinks but didn't pick up the stuff... what the hell. I had to hand it to her in order for her to take it. F.

    (1)

  • Jennifer P.

    Bleck!! This is the worst sushi I have ever had. Warm, and fishy. Yuck. Im used to city sushi (fresh, cold, delish!) It was very disappointing to say the least. I was really looking forward to finding a good sushi spot in the burbs, but this is not it!

    (1)

  • Gail M.

    I love that decent sushi is only 5 min away from my house. The lunch menu with their sushi combos and bento boxes are a great deal. The place in Darien is a little small, but I try to think of it as cozy:)

    (3)

  • Andie W.

    Eh....I've had better. Overall- Cleanliness: A Food: C Presentation: B Prices: C Service: B ----------------------- Grade- C

    (2)

  • martini g.

    Just moved from the city and struggling to find a good sushi place. So far, this is the winner. The sashimi is fresh, and they give you big slices. Service is pretty ok. Rolls are creative, and I THINK they have a sushi "happy hour" on Saturday/Sunday afternoon where all the rolls are 40% off.

    (4)

  • Natalia S.

    godzilla roll :) every time. so delish. we've tried other rolls here and they just don't compare ;)

    (4)

  • kevin a.

    Normally I don't write reviews either (some earlier post mentioned) but I want to save everyone the trouble. What terrible food! There are two aspects of the restaurant: a) the sushi and b) the hibachi. a) The sushi is terrible. I almost always get a rainbow roll at every sushi place that I go. This was incredibly painful to eat. Not only did the find a way to fit an entire cucumber in the roll, but the fish was luke-warm and mushy. We also got the dragon roll. We saw a picture, which was normal sized sushi. When we got it, the sushi pieces were roughly three times the size of a quarter. Again, mushy and luke-warm. b) The hibachi is a good show, but suffers from sub-par quality food. The waitress got really mad when I told her I didn't like the roll. She then dropped a "free appetizer if you spend $15" and then walked away. Literally didn't say a word. Spend your money elsewhere.

    (1)

  • Jo Jo B.

    This place is located in a strip mall in the burbs. It is kind of tucked away, but when you enter it, it is always busy. Tables are limited here, because they have quite a few Hibachi stations in this small place. I usually go here for the Sushi specials at lunch, because it is such a deal. You can choose between a two or three roll special which includes salad and Miso soup for around $7 to $10. I have never had a problem with their food. Everything is fresh and the staff are very attentive. Friends of mine order the Sashimi quite often and only once did they say the fish that day was not up to par. Presentation and portion sizes are great and overall if you want a sushi fix for a great price then this is the place to go.

    (3)

  • Maria S.

    I have been here many many times and every time i come back i am always pleased and surprised! I come back because they have the best "special" sushi rolls and they actually are innovative with the ideas and combinations i think will not be good are actually yummy! I also enjoy the coupons for future use like free rolls and $20 off specials!

    (4)

  • Leia H.

    Love this place! I'm usually a big fan of hibachi, but for me it was just ok. I really love their normal menu though. I think their "Pink Lady" (without the sauce) is my favorite sushi roll ever! I also adore their scallop tempura. Pretty much everything I've had there has been good. This really is my go-to place when we're thinking Japanese for a meal out.

    (4)

  • J A.

    To be fair, my family and I did not try the tepanyaki. That may be a whole lot better experience then sitting at the sushi bar. First, we ordered a couple of appetizers. The softshell crab was just aweful. It was so fishy that we couldn't eat it at all. Then the agedashi tofu was just fried tofu with sauce. (I've never seen agedashi tofu served this way. ) And to top it off, the gyoza was cold. I could tell that it was just the kind you buy in the frozen section of any asian grocery store. I ordered tempura udon for dinner. The udon noodles were overcooked and limp. Then comes the sushi and some rolls.... talk about being cheap with the fish. The sushi pieces were so tiny! There were thin slivers of fish on the sushi and the rolls. Then to add to all this, the the long sleeve of our waitress' shirt sleeve would run over our rolls each time she came to refill the water! I am sure she's been doing that all night at every table! Warning! Don't go to Aodake for their sushi or anything from their kitchen!

    (1)

  • Nancy S.

    Went there for the first time after hearing that it was so good from neighbors. We arrived at Noon, and the place was almost empty. Once the waitress came and took our drink order, it took a while before she returned with our tea, Shrimp Tempura was next, when it arrived, the broccoli was soggy, and the sweet potato was almost raw. The single shrimp was okay. The miso soup arrived the table, along with an almost bleach-like smell. My partner complained the soup tasted "medicinal", to me, it tasted like chlorine - it was sent back almost untouched. The salad was a bit of iceberg lettuce with a ginger-tinged almost thousand island dressing. It was not presented very well, and was "meh" at best. Bento box w/Chicken Teriyaki was decently presented, the gyoza were okay, the salad even less impressive then the earlier side salad. The rice was cold and flavorless, and the main item - the Chicken teriyaki, was basically a thin boiled breast sliced with sauce. The three roll sushi lunch was decently presented, however; the rolls were loosely formed, the rice grayish and gummy, and the spicy mayo slopped on top of the "dynamite" roll was overpowering. The bill came to about $30, we left feeling ripped off. Will not go back.

    (1)

  • Shawna V.

    So we'd just finished a Chiditerod and then headed to IKEA for several hours. Because it's Ikea and that is what one does. I pulled up the groupon and found a great deal on a meal for four. So we headed out for Hibachi. Boy was this a perfect capstone to our trip to Chicago. The chef was charismatic and had a bunch of fun messing with us. He squirted sake into our mouths. I was not very good at catching it so then I had Sake all down my front. Oh well. The hibachi was great, nice and flavorful he was as good at mixing flavors as he was at putting on a show. The miso soup was excellent. Atmosphere: Very chill and asian yet relaxed. A gem for a strip mall joint. Service: Again he was super charismatic and the waitstaff was unobtrusive and quick. V: They offered to cook mine on a seperate grill but i don't care if my food touches where meat touches so I told them not to bother. GF: Easy to do, just avoid soy sauce!

    (5)

  • Shaunda H.

    I really like this place! Just moved here and was looking for a great sushi spot! This is it. Great sushi and hibachi. I have been twice and will be returning! Great

    (4)

  • Allison S.

    We LOVE this place! The Godzilla roll is fantastic, the dragonfly is delicious and HUGE! They have so MANY options for different types of sushi you just don't even know where to begin. You can tell how fresh all their ingredients are, and the staff is very kind and suggestive to other rolls you should try. We used to frequent Bok Choy in Bolingbrook, but ever since it was bought out we've been on the hunt for our new sushi home. This is it!!

    (5)

  • Liz C.

    Still has slow service. Don't expect to be checked on. I recommend the spicy Cali roll.. You can get it cooked. It's tasty. But I wouldn't recommend much else.

    (3)

  • Laura K.

    As The Dude and I were leaving Aodake last night, he uttered what I'm sure the peeps at this place love to hear: "You know, I think I like this better than Benihana!" This isn't some carelessly flung around statement. My family loves Benihana. It's where we go when there's a birthday. It's our go-to place for celebrations. It's where we go when there's any little occasion, like two or more of us being in Lombard at the same time. To us, Benihana is Mecca and we must make regular pilgrimages. However, a friend of mine raves about Aodake, and when I saw they had a Groupon, I snagged it. The deal was for $30 worth of food and a large Sapporo beer (large enough for the two of us to split!). Their prices are lower than Benihana's, so we were able to get two orders of the hibachi vegetables and two veggie rolls for $30. Heck of a deal. So how do the hibachi courses at Aodake and Benihana stack up? 1. Soup: Advantage Aodake. While basically the same soup, Aodake's broth is more flavorful. 2. Salad: Benihana FTW. I just can't get enough of their ginger dressing. Aodake's dressing is a bit creamier, which isn't a bad thing. 3. Shrimp appetizer: It's a tie. I get more shrimp at Benihana, but Aodake's are better seasoned. 4: Fried rice: I prefer Aodake's. It felt like it retained a bit more flavor from the grill. And I liked that all meals came with the fried rice rather than being charged for the upgrade (though I did pay an extra buck to have chicken added to mine). 5. Dipping sauces: Sorry, Aodake, I have to go with Benihana on this one. I crave their ginger sauce like crack. Aodake's mayo-based sauce was yummy as well, though. It was even good with my sushi. When it comes to the main meals, I don't have an apples-to-apples comparison. The Dude and I usually get the Tofu Steak at Benihana. At Aodake, we chose the hibachi vegetables (a great deal at $10.95). We got giant piles of veggies and I had a full meal left over for lunch today. Oh, and I love that they shoot sake into the mouths of people at the table. I was actually able to hold more in my mouth than anyone else at our table. Don't read too far into that, please. We'll definitely be back. At these great prices, we don't need an "occasion" to go to out for hibachi!

    (4)

  • Tom R.

    This place gets 5 stars because overall value, service, lunch specials and happy hr, and of course delicious sushi! This place has the best spicy tuna period and by far the best sushi in the burbs! Their 3 roll lunch special has a wide variety you could mix and match and comes w soup and salad. On the weekends they have happy hr which includes specialty rolls. Love the dragon and rainbow rolls. All of this and I haven't mentioned the hibachi, which of course is fantastic. They also have a good amount of groupon specials. Highly recommended!

    (5)

  • Courtney S.

    This is "the" place for friends of ours, and with good reason: freshly prepared sushi and an excellent teppanyaki display. The chef doing the preparation Saturday was brilliant - a better showman than you'd see in Vegas (and super cute to boot). Five stars to him alone! One thing: my fellow Yelpers are NOT kidding about the birthday song. It IS like "It's a Small World," just without all the charm and multi-ethnic puppetry. Then again, it does make this place unique, and a touch of personality like that goes a long, long way to distinguish Aodake.

    (3)

  • Jessica C.

    Terriable!!!! My steak was ice cold sent it back and im pretty sure they put it in the microwave. They offerd to remake it again, i gave them another shot came back RAW then The waitress argued with me about how my steak was fine will NEVER go back, waste of time and money.

    (1)

  • Shay M.

    Love this place! Sushi is always excellent and drinks are great. Plum wine and sake are delicious, and the mai tai's are strong :) The hibachi chef's are very talented and hilarious! The last time we went he had us in tears we couldn't stop laughing...the highlight was when he yelled out "sake sake sake!!" & he took his bottle and made us open our mouths so he can pour shots of it. If you're not doing hibachi and just eating at a regular table though, the service is awful. Servers are slow and tend to disappear often. Definitely a great little hole in the wall find!

    (4)

  • Krystal R.

    We lived in Westmont and wanted to try a place closer to home. We normally went to Yue-Sun in Wood Dale. This place doesn't compare by far.

    (1)

  • Jason R.

    This was my first time eating tempura, and while I'm not sure if it's is supposed to be cold and bland, this was. I would never get tempura again, here or anywhere. My gut told me to go with hibachi fare (which you can get off the menu even if you don't sit right next to the grill), but my head said try something new. My head won the battle and my gut paid for it later. I don't like sushi, so I wouldn't rate that very high either, but people who do like sushi liked what we ate the night we dined here. While I didn't care for the food, the waitstaff was extremely courteous and worked hard to serve our party, which was seven people large. They did an excellent job.

    (2)

  • Becca C.

    Worst sushi I've ever had. We ordered 4 rolls, none of them tasted good, they were super bland! I'm also having a huge stomach pain because of them.

    (1)

  • Lauren P.

    I only go here for their GODZILLA! Seriously, awesome with a capital A! That is all. Because it's kind of expensive in my book.

    (3)

  • Kathleen A.

    Decent for a strip mall in the suburbs sushi kinda place. Talk about serving a ton of food, holy whoa! Their lunch specials are da bomb. You can either get a bento box (like chicken or beef teriyaki, tempura, etc) alongside cali rolls, gyoza, salad, and a miso soup for about $8. The lunch roll specials are 2 rolls/salad/miso for $8 also. You don't leave hungry that's for sure. Like I said, its pretty decent sushi, not the best I've had but most definitely not the worst. The service kind of stinks though. Probably the best I've had for my money in the Darien/DG area.

    (3)

  • J H.

    We have been coming to Aodake for about 7 years. Celebrated our son's graduation sitting at the hibachi grill in 2007, which was both yummy and fun. We love their sushi, so we try to purchase Groupons for Aodake when they come out. But I totally agree with Cynthia that some of their rules don't make sense. A few months ago, we tried to use a groupon that had expired, but- according to Groupon, is still good for the value that we paid for it. They initially made an issue that we wanted to use it. We tried to explain that it was still good for the $15...which should have been the same as cash, in our minds, as we were getting NO discount at this point. Then they would not let us use it to purchase anything from the "Happy Hour" menu. What difference does it make what the price of the items are if I have $15 that I want to spend? After alot of haggling, we decided that I would use the groupon for my food and order off the regular-priced menu, while my husband would ask for a separate check and order some rolls from the Happy Hour menu. They were not too happy...as if we were trying to get something for nothing. Then today we went for a quick sushi lunch after church- to introduce my daughter's out-of-town guest to sushi. I had a Groupon in my hand, but when we arrived we realized that it was Happy Hour, and so were not intending to use the Groupon (as it is not accepted for Happy Hour prices). As we were seated, I noticed the hostess glanced at the Groupon in my hand. Our waitress then came and asked us if we were using a Groupon, and we said "no" that we understand that it was Happy Hour. She switched out our menus (probably to reflect the pricing difference), and we ordered what we wanted without even looking at the menus. Along with the 6 rolls, we each ordered something else (a salad, soup and 2 fried rice), as well as waters all the way around. After we'd eaten, a manager came around and informed us that we had to order drinks in order to get the Happy Hour pricing! Our waitress never mentioned it, but manager claimed it was written on the menu. We hadn't noticed because we've been there often enough to know what rolls we like. So to avoid a heated argument (my husband was getting pretty perturbed...as he felt it was the waitress' mistake for not telling us there was a drink order minimum!) I said that we didn't want the drinks, and it wasn't an issue to just use the Groupon and pay the full price, but that we would forfeit the 2 beers that were supposed to come with using the Groupon. The manager left, then came back a little while later and offered to give us a dessert. I know she was trying to make things right. But it is just frustrating when you are just trying to save a little money and it is taken that you are trying to rip off the place. We took up her offer for the tempura bananas (which were nothing special) and left with our bellies satisfied. Not sure we'll go there as often as we had, due to the weird rules, but the food is good, the Groupons are a nice deal, and it is close to home. So we'll go back.

    (3)

  • Megan B.

    Usually I love this place, but I've run into the same problem over and over when trying to make reservations. Tonight, we made a 7:30 reservation, got there and it was SUPER crowded...but hey, reservation, right? Nope, we ended up standing there waiting until just after 8 when we finally got fed up and left. Absolutely ridiculous. If you don't plan on actually adhering to reservations, then don't take them. Terrible again.

    (2)

  • Ron T.

    It has been almost 2 years since I had been here and they did a really nice job remodeling because it used to have an 80's decor! I would have made more trips to this restaurant had we not gone and had twins but it was definitely nice to get back there after that period of time. The "performance" is like most others, lots of knife work and comedy, although I have to say it was a nice surprise getting Saki shots from the cook with the Saki he uses to cook with. The price is great but the food lacks a little seasoning, still very good though. They are able to accomidate a very large group at one table which was very nice, considering there were 12 of us and still have 4-6 open spaces for others to join if need be. I say if you are in the area and are in the mood for some hibachi action, stop in and take advantage of the reasonably priced menu and good food.

    (3)

  • Ted d.

    I have been here many of times and they offer a good value. The food is also pretty good. The staff does not speak English well, but they get your order right. They do not accept multiple coupons for a reserved group of people even if the checks are separate and should you have a gift card from them, the tip has to be paid in cash. It can not be taken off the gift card. Also for groups of more than eight a 18% gratuity is added even if there are separate checks involved for less than eight people. They have some odd rules, but overall if you want a hibachi meal at a fair price without a drive downtown, I would give them a try. Overall it is a decent place.

    (3)

  • Melissa G.

    I am sad to write this review, because I used to love this place when it just opened. I haven't been there for a few years and recently went with some friends. Boy was I disappointed. The food was overall not bad, but it wasn't as good as it used to be. There is just not much flavor in their hibachi dishes and the sushi is mediocre. The prices have increased dramatically too. What really made me upset is that my friend ordered a unagi (eel) sushi roll. She threw up a piece in the bathroom because of the taste, and had me try it before she said anything to make sure it was actually spoiled. It indeed was spoiled- mushy and terribly fishy and sour tasting. I have eaten eel everywhere and even have cooked it myself, so I am aware of what it should taste like. When I told the server my friend's dish was spoiled she proceeded to fight with me about it. She asked if we had eaten eel before, to which we both said yes, and then said maybe there was too much in the roll for us to handle. I proceeded to tell her I am well aware that eel should not be mushy and fishy tasting, and she just kept fighting. Finally she took the plate away, but left the sushi roll on the bill! I asked for a manager to which they said none were available. I fought with the cashier and the server AGAIN for 15-20 minutes just to get the stupid roll taken off that we didn't even eat! They were going to try to charge us for the one piece my friend puked in the bathroom and the other that I tried to make sure it was actually spoiled. It was absolutely ridiculous. I will not return.

    (1)

  • Willy W.

    Had their lunch bento boxes. Try to avoid their chicken bento, chicken is tasteless, dry, and stale. The chicken (or whatever bento you order whether it is salmon or beef) is placed over the sliced under-cooked onions along with their teriyaki sauce. I could make chicken better at home. Sushi was okay. I would say their rice is kinda hard. It just doesn't taste good. This place is close to my house, but I hate coming to this place... Why? Primarily because of their RUDE service. Waitress would come over drop off the food and turn around. It seems like their miserable and do not seem to enjoy their job. She did not come check up on us until she dropped the bill on our table. Seriously, their service really affects my appetite. If their food wasn't great, but their service was excellent, I would be more forgiving. But having food that is not so great along with horrible service? Then that is a different story.

    (2)

  • Cynthia H.

    While the food is good and the hibachi grill show can be fun, I despise places that have rules that don't make sense. Case in point: have a groupon where if you buy two beers you get a discount, pretty cool. Problem is that my family had one, our friends had another one. Because we sat together, each one of us could not use the coupon. Had we been sitting at another table, we both could have used the coupon. When we tried to bring some sense into the manager of the place, the line we were given was that we basically could leave if we did not like their policy. Yikess! We ate there but I am not planning on coming back. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

    (1)

  • Paulina A.

    I'm a HUGE sushi fan, but as you could probably guess, it isn't cheap. I've been to some sushi places where a two-person meal can easily climb to $70-$80, which is utterly ridiculous! I love Aodake because their sushi is great, and here's why: their price to size ratio (aka bang for your buck). Aodake's roles can be very simple and cheap (like a California roll for about $4), but their specialty roles are super affordable, and you get quite a bit in one piece. For example, my favorite is the Red Dragon, a 12-piece roll, and each piece is the size of slim hockey puck. In each piece you get: about a tablespoon of shredded spicy tuna, cucumber, lettuce, avocado, and slices of tuna on top of the roll. And a wonderfully spicy mayo and some tuna roe to cover it all. All this is just $14. Yes, just $14. For sushi, that's a pretty darn good price for how much your getting and how good it is! I love a lot of the things menu items at Aodake, but for frequent sushi-eaters, you have to check this place out! You can keep your sushi-loving habits, but avoid burning a hole in your wallet :)

    (5)

  • Kate Q.

    My fiancee and I are regulars there (for the sushi) and love taking advantage of the Groupons they offer. The rice is always good well and the temperature of everything has always been exactly what it's supposed to be. Portions are great, food is delicious, YUM! We've only been there once for the hibachi and what a great experience. The food was so fresh and delicious tasting to say the least and the show is fun too. I'm not a big drinker at all but took the wine option with a Groupon recently. Their house white wine is really good! As well as the servers. We have a regular server that we usually get and we are quite fine with that indeed. An EPIC WIN in our books and we will continue to enjoy food there for a long time to come.

    (5)

  • Nida K.

    My go-to for sushi. 9/10 times the sushi is on point, and the prices are decent. Never really tried anything else but the sushi, but it's definitely worth visiting for.

    (4)

  • Kristin M.

    I came here on a Saturday night because I had the groupon. I've always heard that the one in Romeoville is better and now I can say that I agree with those claims. Food was similar in quality but service was definitely lacking. They brought out my food then we sat for about ten minutes waiting for my boyfriend's food. When the waitress finally stopped by we asked her where it was. She said they were still making it but since we could see the chefs it was obvious that they forgot to make it. Do yourself a favor and just go to Romeoville.

    (3)

  • Darren L.

    I was hungry. My sister and brother were hungry. So we came up with the quick decision that sushi was the move! We came here for the lunch menu and I must say that it was one of the best lunches I've had. Immediately, we were greeted then seated. During lunch, they have awesome deals. I was actually the only one who got sushi. I ordered the crunch, shrimp tempura, and some other roll that I forget the name of. The sushi was pretty good but not the best I've had. What I really loved were my siblings dishes! They got salmon with veggies and rice and the other order was chicken w vegetables and fried rice. The rice was so delicious and the flavoring on the vegetables were to die for. I loved everything about it. It was a nice portion size too! Also, salad with ginger dressing and miso soup were complimentary. At first, our server seemed very rude and was in a rush. She gave us about 5 minutes after sitting down before she asked what we wanted to order. I understand her mindset but that's not polite. However, as we continued lunch, she proved to be very respectful and nice. We ended up speaking Chinese to her and it made her open up even more. Love this place!

    (4)

  • Debbie M.

    Crave the shrimp tempura and hibachi scallops. Reasonable prices. I was perfectly comfortable the times I've gone alone but it's a blast with a group

    (5)

  • Marianne D.

    Aodake was the perfect spot for sushi lunch. The restaurant itself is low lit and quiet, peaceful. The staff is very friendly and attentive. The lunch specials of two or three sushi rolls with miso soup and salad are reasonable. I had three rolls for $10.95 for lunch. The rolls were done well and the fish was fresh. My friend had the shrimp tempura bento box. Next time, I will be trying that as it looked so good. You can also order hibatchi without sitting at a large hibatchi table if you don't want to share lunch or dinner with people you don't know. I liked this place and will definitely be back!

    (4)

  • Shannon W.

    This place is awesome! They have delicious hibachi and the staff is wonderful. My favorite is the hibachi scallops dinner and the sushi is excellent as well.The portions are huge and I usually end up taking some home to eat the next day.

    (5)

  • Jessica M.

    Giving 2stars because bartender Amy tried saving our experience..hoping all of our tips went to her! Not sure who our server really was.. Otherwise, long story short- Bad service out weighs good food ANYDAY. Paid $100 to sit at a restraunt & ask to be served. Really wish this place was better.

    (2)

  • Dannyel C.

    Come here with my wife regularly and enjoyed the happy hour menu. Great prices for good food quality. We enjoyed our food and had our drinks refilled frequently and were checked on regularly. Nice calm atmosphere, a little bit of a language barrier between the servers and ourselves but it wasn't an issue for us. I wasn't a fan of the beef teriyaki but the sushi is excellent and fresh. Their unsweetened iced tea is refreshing and has good flavor. Definitely a diamond in the rough with great prices- even on regular days. Happy hour is Saturday and Sunday lunch find hours.

    (4)

  • Claudiu S.

    My wife and I have been frequenting Aodake for over 8 years now. They NEVER disappoint! The Sushi is so fresh, it looks like it swam out of the ocean directly on to your plate. Enjoy it with some hot Sake or a Sapporo. I especially recommend their Tuna Sushi... it is the best I have ever had, and I have lived on both coasts! My wife does not eat fish at all, and so she enjoys the Hibachi experience. The chefs are great... it is an artform in itself, and a really fun experience to enjoy with friends and family. Their pricing is extremely fair and the quality of their food is AMAZING! Management and the wait staff are always on point with regards to service and they are always very friendly :) Celebrating birthdays are especially fun as the staff sings and brings out a dessert to the birthday boy or girl... All and all it is one of my absolute favorite restaurants to frequent and I highly recommend it to everyone, every chance I get. No, I do not own stock in the joint, but quite honestly, I wish I did. Go and try it! If I'm wrong, feel free to call or text me and cuss me out :) 312-315-8560!! Enjoy your Aodake experience, I know you will!

    (5)

  • Nestor O.

    My family and I have been coming to Aodake for years! We've held many celebrations at the restaurant as well as just casual lunches and dinners. The quality of the food is amazing. I have not once experienced a bad meal. Above all customer experience is top notch. Amy and her staff are always prompt and very professional. Alex is the man. Very personable, knowledgable on his menu and professional as ever. I'll be eating here as long as they're around which I hope is for a while!

    (5)

  • Yvonne M.

    I came here tonight and called ahead for reservations. It was a reservation for two. My friend was running late and the rude hostess refused to seat me until my friend arrived. She said she can't seat us until the entire party arrived. A moment later this horrible woman sat a group of 3 people who said "oh, we are being seated? We are still waiting on people." I honestly can't tolerate this kind of treatment. The downside was that it was 7:30 on a Friday and there was plenty of seats available. The horribly rude hostess should be replaced because otherwise we really liked the food and enjoyed our time.

    (2)

  • A. B.

    Very fresh, delicious, good quality, tasty food with friendly staff ! I especially love their garden salad with house dressing that comes together with their lunch roll specials.

    (5)

  • Aijaz H.

    I really like this place. Have tried their hibachi and sushi. Both solid! Tonight we had sushi. Their Monster roll and Spicy tuna rolls are A+. The other two rolls we tried Spicy and Crunchy AND King crab roll were good not great. Enjoy...

    (4)

  • Jennifer W.

    This is a bit late but I've had some okay experiences her and the last one, which will be my last time coming to this place was absolutely horrific. It was new years eve we made a reservation we came 15 minutes early and waited and waited, then in comes a party of 40, yes you read that right 40!!! There were two parties in front of us still waiting and of you've seen this place you will not be able to sit two parties of 5+ and a couple, plus a party of 40, not only did this huge party expect to be seated right away they were rude and pushed everyone who was standing waiting to the door. This was so unorganized and I had just about had it with being stepped on over and over we left. I will never go there again, and to top of off when we go it's not that great, there are much better places around don't waste your time.

    (1)

  • Stephanie M.

    Favorite

    (4)

  • Aundrea K.

    Love the Red Dragon roll it's my all time favorite! They have the best hibachi around! The prices are a little high but the quality of the food makes it worth it. Will definitely be a regular at the Darien location! :)

    (5)

  • Marta H.

    I've ordered from here several times and every time it's delicious! I love their food but mind you I have never eaten inside this restaurant i have only ordered out. My favorite is Godzilla and pink lady! Omg they are the best. The only thing I will say is that whenever I would call to place and order for pick up, the lady that would answer was very hard to understand. Other than that the food is delicious and I will definitely keep ordering from here!

    (5)

  • Me H.

    Good Benihana style knockoff. We do all our birthdays here. Good deals to be found on Groupon.

    (5)

  • Maria I.

    I love this place... Been here many times... Nice place if you want a reasonable price Sushi. Good food and service. Try pink lady roll! My favorite

    (5)

  • Kamilah S.

    My boyfriend and I came here last weekend and had a great time as always. Food was seasoned well, steak was cooked perfectly. I will definitely be back. they have a Groupon for $15 for $30 worth of food.

    (5)

  • Amanda W.

    My husband came across this place venturing down 75th after a much loved visit to the Social Security Office. I don't know very much about Japanese restaurants, and neither of us are sushi eaters. We are both pretty obsessed with beef/chicken teriyaki, and we have been searching for that place that makes the perfect dish we love. I am so glad we stumbled upon this place! IT doesn't look like much from the outside, but it is actually quite a spacious sit down restaurant with 2 hibachi grills (pardon me if I am wrong), a sushi bar, and a few tables. Our server was extremely friendly, and we ordered 2 beef teriyaki's. They started us both out with miso soup and a side salad with ginger dressing ... both very good! My husband devoured the salad, which he never does. A very tasty dressing I have never had before. We watched the man at the grill prepare a meal for others and I was a little disappointed we didn't try that out, but we weren't even sure how it works! It looked extremely interesting, maybe next time. Our beef came out on a skillet type of plate sizzling hot! It was very well presented and looked extremely delicious. The beef was tender and cooked excellent, not even chewy due to it being well done. The teriyaki sauce was sweet and tasteful. My husband gobbled his down, and couldn't stop raving about how awesome this meal was. I was extremely impressed and the customer service was awesome! The restaurant was extremely clean and everything was perfect. We loved it so much that this is now our new date night spot! Swoon!

    (5)

  • Linh L.

    The great thing about this place are their lunch specials. They're very cheap -- 2 rolls, miso soup, and salad = $8 and some cents. The bad... The food. I ordered the spicy tuna roll and the eel&cucumber roll (assuming that this is the typical unagi maki). The spicy tuna looked so funny. First, the roll wasn't spicy and second, the tuna was mixed with an orangy-ginger sauce. Since when were spicy tuna rolls mixed in with a sauce? or if anything, THAT much sauce? It is cheap though, so you pay for what you get (the only reason why I gave it an extra star).

    (3)

  • Raphael M.

    The service here is absolutely horrid. Manager & server were not understanding. Don't buy the groupon because it's a scam

    (1)

  • Jason J.

    I really enjoyed the quick service here. I especially enjoyed the perfect rainbow roll. I think I have had it over five times now and enjoy the quality of the fish they use. For a local sushi joint, I would definitely recommend this place.

    (5)

  • Don N.

    Food was alright, service was BLAH, atmosphere was nonexistent, and overall experience was subpar. The fact that it is in a strip mall next to Walmart services it well. I will not be going again.

    (2)

  • Taj P.

    The food is delicious and the chefs are hilarious. I would recommend using a groupon because it can be pricey but overall thoroughly enjoyed this place and will be returning.

    (5)

  • Jie S.

    We walked into this place on a Friday with a Groupon on the phone. It is nice decorated place but the whole layout threw me off a bit. Usually when you walk in a Japanese place, you have a Sushi bar type of thing close to door, then a few regular tables and then the hibachi tables in the back. Aodake has the totally opposite. So we soaked up with hibachi smell while the hostess lead to our small table next to the sushi bar in the end. We got the Tuna lover and Perfect rainbow rolls. The tuna lover was nice but nothing to rave about. Perfect rainbow rolls were pretty tasty too with the spicy salmon in the middle. Both of us liked the fish but not too much about the rice. The rice was not stick enough which probably caused by the low grade rice mixed with real stick rice. And the rice was not cooked/seasoned right. Both me and my friend were kind of picky on those little things so all we left on the plate was rice. The services were actually really nice even though it was packed for the lunch time and/or due to the Groupon. We did wait a long time before we got our sushi. I might take my kids to eat and see the Hibachi show when I could get my hands on another Groupon or something. And I will make sure we all wear hoodies or sweatshirts which could be washed easily after the meal.

    (3)

  • Margret H.

    I have gone to this place a long time and one of my favorite, but simple, dishes is the fried rice. The first time I had it I didn't really like it, but the more I ate it (I kept on eating because I didn't want to waste any food) the more I wanted more! My husband and I often get sushi to go along with our meal, and we usually do not have a "usual" because we like to change it up. And I can say that these rolls are very good. The habachi is always amazing and when I bring my son here, the chef always makes an effort to make him laugh!! This place, in my opinion, is also kid friendly(if they can enjoy habachi). So basically the atmosphere of the restaurant is kid-friendly ;) This is a place I have loved for a long time and still do!

    (5)

  • Adam B.

    I love your food here! Great sushi. Good drinks. Love the free saki with the hibachi. The older chef is great. The younger chef acts like he doesn't even want to be there... ** look for their Groupon before showing up** Will return shortly for some great food.

    (4)

  • Krisha d.

    I don't know why Aodake has only a 3 star rating? So far for nearing my vicinity, this does the trick for me. I have come here twice and plan to come back more. I had the Loster tail and 2 shrimps ( my lobster tail was garlic and my 1 order of shrimp was garlic and the other golden shrimp.) The first time and Lobster tail and shrimp (I had golden lobster and garlic shrimp.) my second visit. Both my meals I enjoyed with a large hot sake. Both times, SATISFIED my Hibachi craving! I left very full and ready to nap! My ONLY problem is they charge $2.00 per every topping after your first. Which I found odd because I've eaten a lot of Hibachi and never charged for toppings. Kind of tacky if you ask me. Other than the topping price issue. I WILL BE BACK. Aodake is in the same plaza as Walmart and if you are not familiar with the area, YOU WILL MISS IT! So, my advise, keep your eyes out! YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS PLACE! Especially if its near you and you like hibachi like I do! I can not say anything about the sushi because I come there for hibachi. My favorite "tricks" here are the little boy statue that squirts like his peeing, but its water. (Which they give to kids or people who are under 21 or do not drink) they do give free sake shots to 21 & up! MMMM

    (4)

  • Michelle H.

    No, I have never lived in Japan, nor am I considered a sushi specialist in any way, but I can say I was very happy with my meal here. Take it for what it is: Suburban strip mall sushi. Decent food at a decent price, made all the sweeter by a restaurant.com deal. It is a relatively small storefront next to a Home Depot, but they pack quite a bit into the space. Three or four hibachi grill stations with seating for about eight at each, and a few small tables for two near the sushi bar. I do have to admit, I felt a bit cramped, since the tables were packed in tightly. Our service was good, although a bit unfriendly. I did not ask questions about menu items, for fear of the server chomping my head off. I did appreciate the quick removal of empty dishes, due to the lack of table space. We started out with Gyoza and Harumaki. The Harumaki were standard, small fried spring rolls served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. The Gyoza were excellent. The dumpling skin was ultra thin and perfectly steamed, just thick enough to hold the very tasty filling. Sushi was our main course. We shared four different rolls. The Chicago Roll was OK. It came in about six hockey puck sized pieces, made up of mostly of crab meat with a tempura crunch shell. The Volcano Roll was my favorite. It is presented in a pyramid shape, with spicy mayo and a spicy sauce covering it, so it resembles an exploding volcano! The Spanish Grasshopper was very refreshing; the cilantro in the roll had an almost palate cleansing effect. Lastly, the Red Dragon was the least memorable. Crab stick, tuna, cream cheese, and topped with red tobiko. Our meal ended with an order of ice cream tempura. Imaging a scoop of chocolate ice cream snuggled in a blanket made of elephant ear. Simply fantastic! They also offer a tempura banana split, which I will have to try on my next visit!

    (4)

  • Katherine B.

    I really don't think I will be coming back. Service is so bad! We were treated horribly and felt really uncomfortable. The food is so good but when the waitress seems to be annoyed that she has to serve you just ruins everything.

    (2)

  • Jeannie A.

    Went here on Friday for lunch, with my Groupon ($30 in food plus a beer). I couldn't use the Groupon for any of the lunch specials, but I was cool with that. The place was ok inside, what I would expect from a storefront. There was some sort of construction going on near the building, but it sounded like it was right next to me inside of the building. The other patrons were complaining about it, but the restaurant had no control over it. I ordered 2 of their special rolls, they were $15.95/each. The Perfect Dragon and Larry Lobster. That took care of my Groupon. The sushi was fresh, but it fell apart when you picked it up. The rice wasn't holding together. Overall, good sushi, not great. The servers were very abrupt, not friendly, but not rude. Just to the point. I was fine with that, since I was by myself and just stopping by to use the Groupon. I'm not from the immediate area, so I probably wouldn't go back. If I lived in Darien, I probably would give it another chance.

    (3)

  • Jaki M.

    If you come here you absolutely MUST get the Godzilla Roll. I cannot emphasize it enough! I have gone to dozens of sushi restaurants and so many of them have ok specialty rolls or not so great Godzilla Rolls, but this place has great rolls! The Godzilla Roll is my favorite thing on the entire menu, it is to die for! The shrimp tempura is so yummy and crispy and the rest of the roll is creamy and almost melts in your mouth when you eat it.. Man, my mouth is watering! I feel this place doesn't have a high enough rating because people haven't ordered it yet and just get simple rolls or hibachi. My rating is solely based on the fact that the Godzilla Roll is so good, but if you are coming here for hibachi I would rate it 3 stars. The food is not bad, but doesn't leave an impression. The spectacle the chef puts on is fun though! Also, this place is a little pricey. However, it is equally as pricey as going anywhere else of similar quality for a date night or outing with a friend.

    (5)

  • Jane S.

    We went there to help celebrate a kid's birthday. The hibachi experience was as expect and fun. Kids were very happy with the performance. Food tasted good but too much soy sauce on both the fried rice and vegetable. It was a U-shaped hibachi table setup where I expected two chefs (back to back) to serve two tables of 9 people each. Except this time there was only 1 chef cooking for both tables. Since we were the larger group and with kids we got to watch the "volcano", etc but the other table (2 groups of 2 and 3 ppls) hardly saw anything. If I were them I would be very disappointed.

    (3)

  • Donna M.

    Aodake is my go-to sushi lunch option. They do a two and three roll lunch special that includes miso soup and a little salad with ginger dressing. It's just enough and the price is right around $10. You can't beat it. Aodake is not fancy at all, maybe even a little rough around the edges. But it's a nice cheap lunch option.

    (4)

  • Joey M.

    I need to preface this by saying I have never had the Hibachi before but I frequent this place a minimum of once a month even though i live in Chicago! The sushi and prices here are amazing! My fav is the dynamite roll! They also have 20 oz Japanese beers :) On the Hibachi side, when I look over the chefs are always doing triacks and everyone looks like they are having fun!

    (5)

  • Christina K.

    Before going to this restaurant, I have been to 3 other different hibachi places. I like them, but don't like paying. So when Groupon gave me $40 + two wines, I took the bait. Meh at best. We walk in the front door that says "Groupons please show before being seated." So I did, where I was told to show later. Why have the sign then? We were sat down at a table that's obnoxiously high (elbows level with ears when eating) when another woman came up and said "Red or white wine?" Like, the very first thing she said. We waited over 30 minutes at the full table before being served any food, and even longer before the chef came. I'm pretty sure they had 2 chefs for 8ish tables at 7:00 on a Sunday night. Of course, we got the not-as-cool chef, but he was still ok. Their show is a little different than the others we've gone to. They have a sake in a condiment bottle that they messily squirt into your mouth. Interesting. Their hibachi sauce is better than any other place I've gone to, but their garlic topping is extra $ and gross. Like another review, I ordered the spicy tuna roll to help us hit $40, but it wasn't spicy. Additionally, there was a birthday celebrated at the next table. So awkward! They don't sing, but rather play a weird recording through the whole room. Weird place that you won't regret skipping.

    (2)

  • Michelle-Julia G.

    I wish i could give this place a higher rating, my review is just on the sushi side of this place and not the hibachi... first off I'm not a big fan of the ambiance, its kinda one of those "hole in the wall" type places, nothing suitable for a date or romantic type evening, i would bring my friends here for some quick sushi and thats it. I always manage to get the same lady to take my order and she's rude and not very polite, she almost ruins the entire experience for you... but the sushi is actually pretty good... some rolls are bland and sometimes they do not roll their sushi rolls tight enough, they fall apart the second your chop sticks attempt to pic a piece up... thats really frustrating... don't get the roll with lobster in it, its over prices and hardly has any lobster, the romeo and Juliet rolls... are bland and boring, you won't be satisfied... the pink lady is always a crowd pleaser, anything with eel in it is normally my fav but not so much here, i will come back, its just like they have a lot of "off" nights but when they are on point, your leaving very satisfied (again if you can get past the rude, brash service) i will probably come back her again but it will have to be a last option kind of idea, or if I'm just in the area... its ok

    (3)

  • Daniel D.

    The service was very polite and friendly, but when we visited they were extremely busy so it was a bit slow. However, the food is high quality and definitely worth it, and the staff were very friendly.

    (4)

  • Jessica C.

    Terriable!!!! My steak was ice cold sent it back and im pretty sure they put it in the microwave. They offerd to remake it again, i gave them another shot came back RAW then The waitress argued with me about how my steak was fine will NEVER go back, waste of time and money.

    (1)

  • Shawna V.

    So we'd just finished a Chiditerod and then headed to IKEA for several hours. Because it's Ikea and that is what one does. I pulled up the groupon and found a great deal on a meal for four. So we headed out for Hibachi. Boy was this a perfect capstone to our trip to Chicago. The chef was charismatic and had a bunch of fun messing with us. He squirted sake into our mouths. I was not very good at catching it so then I had Sake all down my front. Oh well. The hibachi was great, nice and flavorful he was as good at mixing flavors as he was at putting on a show. The miso soup was excellent. Atmosphere: Very chill and asian yet relaxed. A gem for a strip mall joint. Service: Again he was super charismatic and the waitstaff was unobtrusive and quick. V: They offered to cook mine on a seperate grill but i don't care if my food touches where meat touches so I told them not to bother. GF: Easy to do, just avoid soy sauce!

    (5)

  • Shaunda H.

    I really like this place! Just moved here and was looking for a great sushi spot! This is it. Great sushi and hibachi. I have been twice and will be returning! Great

    (4)

  • Allison S.

    We LOVE this place! The Godzilla roll is fantastic, the dragonfly is delicious and HUGE! They have so MANY options for different types of sushi you just don't even know where to begin. You can tell how fresh all their ingredients are, and the staff is very kind and suggestive to other rolls you should try. We used to frequent Bok Choy in Bolingbrook, but ever since it was bought out we've been on the hunt for our new sushi home. This is it!!

    (5)

  • Liz C.

    Still has slow service. Don't expect to be checked on. I recommend the spicy Cali roll.. You can get it cooked. It's tasty. But I wouldn't recommend much else.

    (3)

  • Laura K.

    As The Dude and I were leaving Aodake last night, he uttered what I'm sure the peeps at this place love to hear: "You know, I think I like this better than Benihana!" This isn't some carelessly flung around statement. My family loves Benihana. It's where we go when there's a birthday. It's our go-to place for celebrations. It's where we go when there's any little occasion, like two or more of us being in Lombard at the same time. To us, Benihana is Mecca and we must make regular pilgrimages. However, a friend of mine raves about Aodake, and when I saw they had a Groupon, I snagged it. The deal was for $30 worth of food and a large Sapporo beer (large enough for the two of us to split!). Their prices are lower than Benihana's, so we were able to get two orders of the hibachi vegetables and two veggie rolls for $30. Heck of a deal. So how do the hibachi courses at Aodake and Benihana stack up? 1. Soup: Advantage Aodake. While basically the same soup, Aodake's broth is more flavorful. 2. Salad: Benihana FTW. I just can't get enough of their ginger dressing. Aodake's dressing is a bit creamier, which isn't a bad thing. 3. Shrimp appetizer: It's a tie. I get more shrimp at Benihana, but Aodake's are better seasoned. 4: Fried rice: I prefer Aodake's. It felt like it retained a bit more flavor from the grill. And I liked that all meals came with the fried rice rather than being charged for the upgrade (though I did pay an extra buck to have chicken added to mine). 5. Dipping sauces: Sorry, Aodake, I have to go with Benihana on this one. I crave their ginger sauce like crack. Aodake's mayo-based sauce was yummy as well, though. It was even good with my sushi. When it comes to the main meals, I don't have an apples-to-apples comparison. The Dude and I usually get the Tofu Steak at Benihana. At Aodake, we chose the hibachi vegetables (a great deal at $10.95). We got giant piles of veggies and I had a full meal left over for lunch today. Oh, and I love that they shoot sake into the mouths of people at the table. I was actually able to hold more in my mouth than anyone else at our table. Don't read too far into that, please. We'll definitely be back. At these great prices, we don't need an "occasion" to go to out for hibachi!

    (4)

  • Tom R.

    This place gets 5 stars because overall value, service, lunch specials and happy hr, and of course delicious sushi! This place has the best spicy tuna period and by far the best sushi in the burbs! Their 3 roll lunch special has a wide variety you could mix and match and comes w soup and salad. On the weekends they have happy hr which includes specialty rolls. Love the dragon and rainbow rolls. All of this and I haven't mentioned the hibachi, which of course is fantastic. They also have a good amount of groupon specials. Highly recommended!

    (5)

  • Courtney S.

    This is "the" place for friends of ours, and with good reason: freshly prepared sushi and an excellent teppanyaki display. The chef doing the preparation Saturday was brilliant - a better showman than you'd see in Vegas (and super cute to boot). Five stars to him alone! One thing: my fellow Yelpers are NOT kidding about the birthday song. It IS like "It's a Small World," just without all the charm and multi-ethnic puppetry. Then again, it does make this place unique, and a touch of personality like that goes a long, long way to distinguish Aodake.

    (3)

  • Shay M.

    Love this place! Sushi is always excellent and drinks are great. Plum wine and sake are delicious, and the mai tai's are strong :) The hibachi chef's are very talented and hilarious! The last time we went he had us in tears we couldn't stop laughing...the highlight was when he yelled out "sake sake sake!!" & he took his bottle and made us open our mouths so he can pour shots of it. If you're not doing hibachi and just eating at a regular table though, the service is awful. Servers are slow and tend to disappear often. Definitely a great little hole in the wall find!

    (4)

  • Krystal R.

    We lived in Westmont and wanted to try a place closer to home. We normally went to Yue-Sun in Wood Dale. This place doesn't compare by far.

    (1)

  • Jason R.

    This was my first time eating tempura, and while I'm not sure if it's is supposed to be cold and bland, this was. I would never get tempura again, here or anywhere. My gut told me to go with hibachi fare (which you can get off the menu even if you don't sit right next to the grill), but my head said try something new. My head won the battle and my gut paid for it later. I don't like sushi, so I wouldn't rate that very high either, but people who do like sushi liked what we ate the night we dined here. While I didn't care for the food, the waitstaff was extremely courteous and worked hard to serve our party, which was seven people large. They did an excellent job.

    (2)

  • Becca C.

    Worst sushi I've ever had. We ordered 4 rolls, none of them tasted good, they were super bland! I'm also having a huge stomach pain because of them.

    (1)

  • Lauren P.

    I only go here for their GODZILLA! Seriously, awesome with a capital A! That is all. Because it's kind of expensive in my book.

    (3)

  • Kathleen A.

    Decent for a strip mall in the suburbs sushi kinda place. Talk about serving a ton of food, holy whoa! Their lunch specials are da bomb. You can either get a bento box (like chicken or beef teriyaki, tempura, etc) alongside cali rolls, gyoza, salad, and a miso soup for about $8. The lunch roll specials are 2 rolls/salad/miso for $8 also. You don't leave hungry that's for sure. Like I said, its pretty decent sushi, not the best I've had but most definitely not the worst. The service kind of stinks though. Probably the best I've had for my money in the Darien/DG area.

    (3)

  • Dana G.

    Pee pee man put out the fire! OK before you go running far away from the "pee pee" man it's a plastic dude that pees water on the fire... not pee. This review is only for the hibachi. I didn't try the sushi. Typical hibachi but I love a show. Especially if it involves shooting Saki into my mouth! I also like food and fire. Put the two together and I'm hooked. The food was good. We all ordered the shrimp and scallop combo and it came with miso soup, garden salad, hibachi shrimp sampler (2), sautéed vegetables and vegetable fried rice. Tons of food and the prices were cheap. My only issue is the drink selection is very limited. They have a few beer and wine selections but not a full bar.

    (4)

  • J H.

    We have been coming to Aodake for about 7 years. Celebrated our son's graduation sitting at the hibachi grill in 2007, which was both yummy and fun. We love their sushi, so we try to purchase Groupons for Aodake when they come out. But I totally agree with Cynthia that some of their rules don't make sense. A few months ago, we tried to use a groupon that had expired, but- according to Groupon, is still good for the value that we paid for it. They initially made an issue that we wanted to use it. We tried to explain that it was still good for the $15...which should have been the same as cash, in our minds, as we were getting NO discount at this point. Then they would not let us use it to purchase anything from the "Happy Hour" menu. What difference does it make what the price of the items are if I have $15 that I want to spend? After alot of haggling, we decided that I would use the groupon for my food and order off the regular-priced menu, while my husband would ask for a separate check and order some rolls from the Happy Hour menu. They were not too happy...as if we were trying to get something for nothing. Then today we went for a quick sushi lunch after church- to introduce my daughter's out-of-town guest to sushi. I had a Groupon in my hand, but when we arrived we realized that it was Happy Hour, and so were not intending to use the Groupon (as it is not accepted for Happy Hour prices). As we were seated, I noticed the hostess glanced at the Groupon in my hand. Our waitress then came and asked us if we were using a Groupon, and we said "no" that we understand that it was Happy Hour. She switched out our menus (probably to reflect the pricing difference), and we ordered what we wanted without even looking at the menus. Along with the 6 rolls, we each ordered something else (a salad, soup and 2 fried rice), as well as waters all the way around. After we'd eaten, a manager came around and informed us that we had to order drinks in order to get the Happy Hour pricing! Our waitress never mentioned it, but manager claimed it was written on the menu. We hadn't noticed because we've been there often enough to know what rolls we like. So to avoid a heated argument (my husband was getting pretty perturbed...as he felt it was the waitress' mistake for not telling us there was a drink order minimum!) I said that we didn't want the drinks, and it wasn't an issue to just use the Groupon and pay the full price, but that we would forfeit the 2 beers that were supposed to come with using the Groupon. The manager left, then came back a little while later and offered to give us a dessert. I know she was trying to make things right. But it is just frustrating when you are just trying to save a little money and it is taken that you are trying to rip off the place. We took up her offer for the tempura bananas (which were nothing special) and left with our bellies satisfied. Not sure we'll go there as often as we had, due to the weird rules, but the food is good, the Groupons are a nice deal, and it is close to home. So we'll go back.

    (3)

  • Megan B.

    Usually I love this place, but I've run into the same problem over and over when trying to make reservations. Tonight, we made a 7:30 reservation, got there and it was SUPER crowded...but hey, reservation, right? Nope, we ended up standing there waiting until just after 8 when we finally got fed up and left. Absolutely ridiculous. If you don't plan on actually adhering to reservations, then don't take them. Terrible again.

    (2)

  • Ron T.

    It has been almost 2 years since I had been here and they did a really nice job remodeling because it used to have an 80's decor! I would have made more trips to this restaurant had we not gone and had twins but it was definitely nice to get back there after that period of time. The "performance" is like most others, lots of knife work and comedy, although I have to say it was a nice surprise getting Saki shots from the cook with the Saki he uses to cook with. The price is great but the food lacks a little seasoning, still very good though. They are able to accomidate a very large group at one table which was very nice, considering there were 12 of us and still have 4-6 open spaces for others to join if need be. I say if you are in the area and are in the mood for some hibachi action, stop in and take advantage of the reasonably priced menu and good food.

    (3)

  • Ted d.

    I have been here many of times and they offer a good value. The food is also pretty good. The staff does not speak English well, but they get your order right. They do not accept multiple coupons for a reserved group of people even if the checks are separate and should you have a gift card from them, the tip has to be paid in cash. It can not be taken off the gift card. Also for groups of more than eight a 18% gratuity is added even if there are separate checks involved for less than eight people. They have some odd rules, but overall if you want a hibachi meal at a fair price without a drive downtown, I would give them a try. Overall it is a decent place.

    (3)

  • Melissa G.

    I am sad to write this review, because I used to love this place when it just opened. I haven't been there for a few years and recently went with some friends. Boy was I disappointed. The food was overall not bad, but it wasn't as good as it used to be. There is just not much flavor in their hibachi dishes and the sushi is mediocre. The prices have increased dramatically too. What really made me upset is that my friend ordered a unagi (eel) sushi roll. She threw up a piece in the bathroom because of the taste, and had me try it before she said anything to make sure it was actually spoiled. It indeed was spoiled- mushy and terribly fishy and sour tasting. I have eaten eel everywhere and even have cooked it myself, so I am aware of what it should taste like. When I told the server my friend's dish was spoiled she proceeded to fight with me about it. She asked if we had eaten eel before, to which we both said yes, and then said maybe there was too much in the roll for us to handle. I proceeded to tell her I am well aware that eel should not be mushy and fishy tasting, and she just kept fighting. Finally she took the plate away, but left the sushi roll on the bill! I asked for a manager to which they said none were available. I fought with the cashier and the server AGAIN for 15-20 minutes just to get the stupid roll taken off that we didn't even eat! They were going to try to charge us for the one piece my friend puked in the bathroom and the other that I tried to make sure it was actually spoiled. It was absolutely ridiculous. I will not return.

    (1)

  • Willy W.

    Had their lunch bento boxes. Try to avoid their chicken bento, chicken is tasteless, dry, and stale. The chicken (or whatever bento you order whether it is salmon or beef) is placed over the sliced under-cooked onions along with their teriyaki sauce. I could make chicken better at home. Sushi was okay. I would say their rice is kinda hard. It just doesn't taste good. This place is close to my house, but I hate coming to this place... Why? Primarily because of their RUDE service. Waitress would come over drop off the food and turn around. It seems like their miserable and do not seem to enjoy their job. She did not come check up on us until she dropped the bill on our table. Seriously, their service really affects my appetite. If their food wasn't great, but their service was excellent, I would be more forgiving. But having food that is not so great along with horrible service? Then that is a different story.

    (2)

  • Cynthia H.

    While the food is good and the hibachi grill show can be fun, I despise places that have rules that don't make sense. Case in point: have a groupon where if you buy two beers you get a discount, pretty cool. Problem is that my family had one, our friends had another one. Because we sat together, each one of us could not use the coupon. Had we been sitting at another table, we both could have used the coupon. When we tried to bring some sense into the manager of the place, the line we were given was that we basically could leave if we did not like their policy. Yikess! We ate there but I am not planning on coming back. Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired.

    (1)

  • Paulina A.

    I'm a HUGE sushi fan, but as you could probably guess, it isn't cheap. I've been to some sushi places where a two-person meal can easily climb to $70-$80, which is utterly ridiculous! I love Aodake because their sushi is great, and here's why: their price to size ratio (aka bang for your buck). Aodake's roles can be very simple and cheap (like a California roll for about $4), but their specialty roles are super affordable, and you get quite a bit in one piece. For example, my favorite is the Red Dragon, a 12-piece roll, and each piece is the size of slim hockey puck. In each piece you get: about a tablespoon of shredded spicy tuna, cucumber, lettuce, avocado, and slices of tuna on top of the roll. And a wonderfully spicy mayo and some tuna roe to cover it all. All this is just $14. Yes, just $14. For sushi, that's a pretty darn good price for how much your getting and how good it is! I love a lot of the things menu items at Aodake, but for frequent sushi-eaters, you have to check this place out! You can keep your sushi-loving habits, but avoid burning a hole in your wallet :)

    (5)

  • Kate Q.

    My fiancee and I are regulars there (for the sushi) and love taking advantage of the Groupons they offer. The rice is always good well and the temperature of everything has always been exactly what it's supposed to be. Portions are great, food is delicious, YUM! We've only been there once for the hibachi and what a great experience. The food was so fresh and delicious tasting to say the least and the show is fun too. I'm not a big drinker at all but took the wine option with a Groupon recently. Their house white wine is really good! As well as the servers. We have a regular server that we usually get and we are quite fine with that indeed. An EPIC WIN in our books and we will continue to enjoy food there for a long time to come.

    (5)

  • Katherine M.

    i dont eat at enough hibachi joints to really tell u this place is better or not than other good places. everything tasted yummy. why i loved this place is that the people here were top-notch friendly and service was terrific. anyone who treats my family well and gives my kid an extra smile, a lollipop on his way out, and takes time to interact with him (it was not busy when we ate here), gets a good grade. PLUS, they turned the hibachi plate on so we could see the chef prepare my son's meal. they did this even tho i only wanted to order 1 hibachi lunch. the minimum is 2 lunches. we'll be back when we are in the area, for sure!

    (5)

  • Julie M.

    the best hibachi and sushi place in my neighborhood! come here all the time, gots to have snow crab naruto everytime we dine in.

    (5)

  • James M.

    Good portion sizes with more than reasonable prices. The fiance and I got full on fewer rolls than we would have at other places. Some of the rolls are huge, and don't cost much more than regular ones. Not only do you get a lot of pieces, but the pieces are big as well.

    (4)

  • Paul K.

    Good food but horrible service. We waitted for over 15 minutes before we were greated. Our server was in the clouds and as we left the host didn't say thank you or anything. Guess they don't want us to come back?

    (2)

  • Amy B.

    Go here all the time, nice convenient location. Pretty good food, love the egg yolk sauce. The employees are always friendly. Their lunch specials are great, super cheap and tons of food. Only get hibachi, but friends who've tried their sushi enjoyed it.

    (4)

  • Avery D.

    After moving to Darien from the city, we were hard-pressed to find good sushi. At first Aodake fit the bill, then we had horrible experiences and will not be returning. On a Friday evening we carried out some sushi, and found the tuna to be rubbery and completely inedible in two separate rolls. We called to complain, and after being told that "the tuna is supposed to be like that", were told we would not be refunded for the inedible fish, but could order something to replace it. Fine. We picked the replacement roll, but were told that because that roll was $2 more, we couldn't have it. After driving the 20 minutes (there-and-back) to pick up the new roll that was also sub-par and overpriced, we decided we would not be returning. Perhaps better customer service would have changed our minds, but bad, overpriced sushi is bad overpriced sushi.

    (1)

  • Marjorie F.

    I'm not a huge fan of dining in the 'burbs (eeek - strip malls and chain restaurants), but this place is OK. My friend and I ordered the dragon roll, "pink lady" roll, and spicy tuna roll. I wasn't a huge fan of the spicy tuna, but the dragon roll was good. My favorite out of the three was the Pink Lady which was topped with crunchy tempura batter pieces (cooked, of course). The service was decent and price wasn't bad. Clientele-wise it was mostly young families. Not a surprise. It is in the 'burbs. While I wouldn't go out of my way eat at this place, I would still go back if I was in the area.

    (3)

  • Matt B.

    Meh. You might like it. But I wouldn't go out of my way to go here. Poor arrangement, nice people, mediocre sushi.

    (3)

  • Tony K.

    Slightly below average. Its ambiance is average. The sushi is slightly below average. Why? THE RICE! I was there for lunch and the rice was slightly mushy also not seasoned properly. The wasabi was generic and bland. The pickled ginger was below average quality. If its the closest place and your craving sushi, its just ok in a pinch.

    (2)

  • Maya M.

    Went to Aodake using a groupon which was a great deal! The wine was delicious along with the clear soup. Our waitress was very quiet and it was a little difficult to get her attention when we needed a refill on water or anything. Our Hibachi chef was not as fun and interactive as some of the other chefs but the food was delicious all the same. I would Highly recommend the scallops! The mustard sauce was some of the best I've had. The sushi was good but not amazing. The atmosphere of the place was a little lack luster but prices were very reasonable. All around it was a good experience. I would probably return for the hibachi but not the sushi.

    (3)

  • Chris W.

    This is a Japanese steakhouse in the general Benhiana mold. They have a handful of hibachi cooking tables and 10-12 more regular tables. I have eaten at Aodake for both hibachi and sushi and have always been happy. They have excellent lunch specials that will run you about $10 and be worth every penny. The sushi lunch special allows you to select 3 rolls with salad and soup for only $10. Great deal. The food is all good. I have never been disappointed with it. The pricing is reasonable. I'd recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for good sushi or hibachi

    (4)

  • Jessica M.

    Another decent lunch at Aodake. We go here b/c it's the closest sushi near our workplace and the lunch specials are good. My co-workers and I somehow racked up a $60 bill for lunch pick-up (oops!). They told us 20-25 minutes and we got there about 25 minutes after we called and still had to wait at least 10 minutes and then watch them pack up the items - which was a drag - just tell us it will be a 40-minute wait and it's cool. However, they got the order perfect. From their lunch special menu, I like the crunchy roll, the dynamite roll and the spicy shrimp roll. aodake.com/menu_lunch.ht… Received another free menu item coupon when you dine in and spend at least $15.

    (3)

  • Brian M.

    Well priced for a hibachi . Got an entertaining show.....got to do a saki bomb and got to try to catch skrimps in my mouth. Not a bad deal. We got one roll (millipede) which was crunchy and good. On top of it we got a coupon for a free roll the next time we come. All and all will be back. p.s. - - The birthday song is definitely one of the more creepy things I have herd in my day!

    (4)

  • Essie Z.

    Yummy yummy yummy!!! We were turned on to this place a few years ago and it's become a family favorite. Even my small children ask to go here. My kids fell in love with Snowy the hostess. When I was pregnant with our third child this was all I wanted. We get sushi appetizers and then I've tried the different hibachi items and my favorite is the new York strip steak. So good! Try it with the white sauce it's the best! And ask for a Japanese soda it's really cool how you trigger the bubbles. Oh and if you want to try it out at half the price go at lunch. It's my little secret I take my daughter there for lunch, just us girls. And don't quote me on the price but it's only like $8 for the full dinner size if you order a drink. For all you get if a great value. And I don't know about you but I would rather my kids ask for this than McDonald's!

    (5)

  • Danielle M.

    I've been here a handful of times. Anniversaries and dates mostly. I love the hibachi, but my weakness is the sushi! Lots of different sorts of sushi, I am not on the adventurous side of fish, but I like the snow crab and shrimp & crunchy rolls. Personally feel like it's at benihana quality, for a significant amount cheaper. Benihanas used to be my favorite, but has now taken a backseat to my new found love. The only thing I ever felt dissapointed about here was being rushed to order, eat, and leave so they could close before the lunch break. Otherwise no complaints here!

    (4)

  • D T.

    I really don't understand the bad reviews...I have been to L20 and Bond Street in LA to name a few fabulous restaurants in a long list and I love this place!! The atmosphere is terrible, but you're in a suburban strip mall next to Home Depot and Pet Smart?!?! What do you expect? My daughter and I eat here frequently for lunch, and always enjoy the food. The lunch specials are amazing. Bento boxes galore, hibachi, rolls, apps, etc. 2 rolls for $7.95 or 3 for $10.95!! The miso soup is dirt cheap and good. My daughter and I always get an app or 2 and the Yaki Udon noodles. SOOO yummy!! Shrimp, crab, baby corn, broccoli, carrots and yummy Udon noodles. Hibachi is so tasty. (and greasy) This isn't a top notch place, but I think it's great! We went again today and the Dynamite and Spicy Tuna Hand Rolls were extra good today. Give it a try. You almost feel like you're stealing from the place, and it's tasty!

    (4)

  • Caitlin O.

    I've never ever had a problem with the food there and I've had it more than a few times. I can't complain about the fish smelling fishy - I've had sushi or seafood every time I've gone there and it's always been tasty. The lobster was excellent and grilled quite well, the steak that my roommate had was rather tasty, they're extremely friendly and all of the sushi I've ordered has been rather tasty, though I wish they'd mention that the crawfish roll was spicy before I ordered it since I have horrible acid reflux and can't eat spicy things. The unagi is also extremely well cooked and is the best I've had in the area besides Bob-San's. They were happy to serve my ama-ebi with the head on the side without a problem and the rolls have all been really good, especially the Rock n' Roll. Fun for birthdays too, with a free birthday sundae and a Polaroid photo for their foyer with birthday photos. I really like going here and I don't get the negativity at all, I've never had a bad experience at all. Not to mention I am NOTORIOUSLY picky about my sushi.

    (4)

  • Stella L.

    The food is appealing and interesting but I wouldn't be in a rush to try this place out anytime soon. The servers are nice but it seems to me they they want to rush you out. They tried taking away my salad like 3 times even when i clearly had my soup and salad unfinished. They did not bother to explain the menu very well and their "hibachi happy hour specia"l did not hold up to it's title. This is the 3rd time I've been here but I am very disappointed each time i not only get a slight stomach ache whether I ordered something light or heavy, the food is very sad looking. The review is more of the disappointment of the saturday visit. I got rushed, the food was terrible and soggy. And the fried rice was all soggy with slightly undercooked veggies. If it's supposed to be a hibachi, from the grill meal -- how come it seems to be more souped, boiled and steamed?? Again!! So sad so sad!

    (3)

  • Jeff L.

    All I have to say is AMAZING! We go there at least once every 2 weeks (sometimes twice a week). The filet mignon hibachi is an All-star meal! My 2 favorite rolls are the Dragonfly and the Spicy Shrimp. If you do get a hibachi table (Darien Location) try to get seated at a table with the Hibachi Chef Sam. He is the BEST! Saki bombs, entertaining and a great chef. Also, Happy hour on the weekend - half-priced rolls! And, half-off beer on Friday and Saturday! Great Place!!!

    (5)

  • Karen H.

    In the past, our family has enjoyed the food even though the service was just okay. Tonight was REALLY bad. From the moment we told the waitress we had a groupon (and had also mentioned this when we made our reservations), the waitress was rude and dismissive. I had not even finished my sentence completing my order and she turned her back on me and went onto the next person. Four in our party ordered hibachi grill and sushi and I ordered just sushi. There were several people at our table who ordered their vegetables without onions, which in itself was no big deal. But instead of substituting other vegetables, our chef put all the broccoli and carrots on the plates of those diners and gave my two teenage daughters a plate of onions and one piece of zucchini each. Ridiculous. We expected to get at least some of the sushi prior to the hibachi but that didn't happen. NONE of the sushi was brought to us until 10 minutes AFTER everyone had finished their hibachi dinner. I had ordered unagi on the side which wasn't delivered. Our sushi was just "dropped off" in front of us and our waitress just ignored me when I pointed out it was missing. When 15 more minutes went by and I couldn' catch her attention, I went to the sushi chef and got it myself. We wanted one more order of crunchy roll but still couldn't get our waitress' attention despite repeated attempts on our part. After 20 more minutes, I finally went up to the sushi chef and ordered it myself. Someone else brought the order to our table thankfully right away. It was only at that point our waitress came over and asked to take our dessert orders (not would we like any refills on our soda or anything like that). All in all, our waitress left us unattended for 50+ minutes. After the continued fiasco, we couldn't wait to get out of there.

    (1)

  • Bridget M.

    Ben-to box! Ben-to box! I have only been here a couple of times for lunch and their prices vs. food value make you feel like you've got quite the steal. Their sushi rolls are decent - nothing stupendous, but certainly good enough to do the job. You can 1/2/3 roll specials for a good price. The give you miso soup and salad which are pretty much solid staples. Last time I ordered the bento box with teriyaki beef. There was a lot of food, but I wasn't all that impressed with the beef sadly. The waitresses are a bit on the curt side, but I think they're trying to be as accomodating as possible. This last visit we were almost able to escape unscathed by the haunting tune of Happy Birthday - I kid you not, they have a whole CD of the Happy Birthday song sung by high pitched Japanese children. It's like Disney's "It's a Small World" gone horribly awry. Truly, I think they deserve a 2.5 but we'll have to leave that up to the law of averages...

    (3)

  • Paul d.

    Like Tsuki, the deals make this place worthwhile. For lunch, they offer a $7.95 and $9.95 for two and three rolls respectively. That's already a deal. Throw in the Miso Soup and salad and it's pretty much a steal. The place also has a Hibachi for a pretty decent price - all under $10. I don't entertain that option so much; it's like the tourist introduction to Japanese food. As my buddy put it so eloquently, "White people love that shit!!!!!!!" Overall a pretty good lunch deal if you're out in Darien. p.s. (extreme sarcasm) If you're lucky enough to have your birthday here, you will be treated to the "Birthday Song" complete with Japanese accents played loudly on the speakers for everyone to hear.

    (3)

  • Stef F.

    MAI-TAI's. I wanted some mo fo fruity concocted deliciousness with a straw, and what do I get? NADA. ZIP. NO-SIR-E-BOB. They don't serve mixed drinks here. WTF. FML. Seriously. What hibachi style place doesn't serve mixed fruity drunkenness??? They only serve a limited selection of Beer, Wine, and a drop of Sake. Total crap I say. We went here because I bought a GC off of Restaurant.com for $2...which allowed me to get $25 off. That seemed worth it. But still. I've had better, and wasn't overly impressed. This place is a dime a dozen in this area. I ordered the Filet/Garlic Shrimp combo. Filet was tasty, and I only had one chewy piece. The garlic shrimp was meh, and I've experienced tons better. My man ordered some sushi, which he thought was mediocre, and had the Lobster/Chicken combo. He thought it was decent, but nothing to write home about. All in all, I wouldn't pay full price for this place. Had I not had the GC, I would've walked out in search of Mai-tai's elsewhere. Even with happy hour, I don't think I'll go here again. Big disappointment. I mean the food is good, but not OMG good. And the lack of liquor? Big no-no.

    (2)

  • Maria S.

    I have been here many many times and every time i come back i am always pleased and surprised! I come back because they have the best "special" sushi rolls and they actually are innovative with the ideas and combinations i think will not be good are actually yummy! I also enjoy the coupons for future use like free rolls and $20 off specials!

    (4)

  • Frank L.

    Extremely mediocre. I've been here several times... we always go on my girlfriend's mom's birthday because she loves this place and it's so close to her house. The setup of this place is not ideal. We've only done hibachi and I've always felt very cramped and crowded during my meal. My recent visit this winter reminded me that cold air leaks down through the exhaust hood, so dress warm! Also, lots and lots of white smoke from the cooking oil... some of it found its way into our faces instead of up and out the hood. While the food isn't *bad*, it's the least good of all the Hibachi places I've been to (Domo 77, Ron of Japan, Benihana, Shinto, etc). As far as food, I've gotten the fillet and the lobster combo with upgraded chicken fried rice (+$1) and their egg sauce because I like to eat healthy (LAUGH)... and I don't know... it's typically very bland. On my most recent visit, I again went with the fillet and lobster combo and the fillet had more flavor than usual... maybe they changed soy sauces, or used more this time? Not sure. I also switched it up recently and decided to go with their garlic topping on my lobster, which I've found to be much better than their egg yolk sauce. The shrimp that comes with the meal is very good. I tried it plain and dipped into their white seafood sauce. I think this is pretty atypical of this place, but I should probably mention that one of my companions was given his shrimp undercooked. Luckily this was spotted before the shrimp was consumed, and our chef (who put on a good show), happily grilled/steamed the shrimp a bit longer. My girlfriend ordered the fillet and scallops combination with upgraded shrimp fried rice (+$2). I tried her scallops and enjoyed their flavor (again tried with and without the white seafood sauce). The shrimp fried rice was slightly better than their chicken fried rice, in my opinion. For dessert, I had the vanilla ice cream tempura. Not bad... definitely not fantastic, but not bad. My girlfriend had the banana tempura and it was just "OK". We decided that my dessert was the better of the two. I don't do sushi, so I cant' comment on that aspect of this place. I can confirm that this place is beer and wine only---no mixed drinks. Sort of strange for a hibachi place, where people like to get tropical drinks. Overall, a generally "meh" experience and I would probably not be back if it wasn't the preferred birthday spot of my girlfriend's mom. If you want Hibachi, go to Domo 77, Shinto, or one of the other options I listed above. Although, as a note, my most recent visit improved my experience (I'm tempted to raise my rating to 3 stars, but I'll wait until next year's visit to confirm consistency).

    (2)

  • martini g.

    Just moved from the city and struggling to find a good sushi place. So far, this is the winner. The sashimi is fresh, and they give you big slices. Service is pretty ok. Rolls are creative, and I THINK they have a sushi "happy hour" on Saturday/Sunday afternoon where all the rolls are 40% off.

    (4)

  • Natalia S.

    godzilla roll :) every time. so delish. we've tried other rolls here and they just don't compare ;)

    (4)

  • Sara K.

    I've been to this place several times and have never had an issue. Of course, I always order Sushi when I'm there, and have yet to venture to anything else on the menu. They have decent rolls, and generous portions. They've got great service, the waitresses are always really attentive. Plus, they give you two coupons every time you go there! How can you beat that? Their place is a little small though, and its mostly taken up by hibachi stations. The nice thing (for those that just want to watch hibachi) is the easy view of everything! The biggest problem I have with it is that its kind of hard to find for new comers. But for a strip mall Sushi place, its pretty good.

    (3)

  • Dave L.

    A safe bet for sushi - Darien location lacks atmosphere - romeoville spot is more hopping. You'll get a decent sushi, but I can't vouch for the hibachi grill.

    (3)

  • Amy S.

    It's fine for suburban sushi...which means the cooked items are solid. But as for the sashimi-the most popular tuna and salmon are the only fresh tasting fish. The others not so much...prices reasonable. Just be safe in your raw fish choices...

    (2)

  • B. S.

    good food, reasonably priced and kid friendly. does not take long for orders, like you usually see in sushi spots. Wait for the groupon and it will be a steal!

    (3)

  • Samantha K.

    Though the food is alright, the overall presentation of the place is horrible. I hate that the 4 tables are put so close together right next to the sushi bar. The tables are so tiny I have no where to put my purse plus the food and beverages! All of the times I've been there, I have never seen those benihana looking tops being used. I've seen people sit there, but only eating sushi. The only thing I will eat there is the dragon roll. It's big and worth the $12.95. The miso soup had no taste whatsoever, the salmon was pretty burnt when we got it. The service was okay. We had garbage and empty plates on our table (which took up even more space on the tiny ass tables) the entire time there. The waitress came to fill up our drinks but didn't pick up the stuff... what the hell. I had to hand it to her in order for her to take it. F.

    (1)

  • Jennifer P.

    Bleck!! This is the worst sushi I have ever had. Warm, and fishy. Yuck. Im used to city sushi (fresh, cold, delish!) It was very disappointing to say the least. I was really looking forward to finding a good sushi spot in the burbs, but this is not it!

    (1)

  • Gail M.

    I love that decent sushi is only 5 min away from my house. The lunch menu with their sushi combos and bento boxes are a great deal. The place in Darien is a little small, but I try to think of it as cozy:)

    (3)

  • Andie W.

    Eh....I've had better. Overall- Cleanliness: A Food: C Presentation: B Prices: C Service: B ----------------------- Grade- C

    (2)

  • kevin a.

    Normally I don't write reviews either (some earlier post mentioned) but I want to save everyone the trouble. What terrible food! There are two aspects of the restaurant: a) the sushi and b) the hibachi. a) The sushi is terrible. I almost always get a rainbow roll at every sushi place that I go. This was incredibly painful to eat. Not only did the find a way to fit an entire cucumber in the roll, but the fish was luke-warm and mushy. We also got the dragon roll. We saw a picture, which was normal sized sushi. When we got it, the sushi pieces were roughly three times the size of a quarter. Again, mushy and luke-warm. b) The hibachi is a good show, but suffers from sub-par quality food. The waitress got really mad when I told her I didn't like the roll. She then dropped a "free appetizer if you spend $15" and then walked away. Literally didn't say a word. Spend your money elsewhere.

    (1)

  • D B.

    I love Aodake! The staff are very warm and welcoming. There is enough privacy and ambiance to make you forget you are in a strip mall setting. The sushi is always fresh and tasty. The Godzilla role is my absolute favorite! It is also very fun for small groups while sitting around the hibachi grill.

    (5)

  • Rocky P.

    Good food. Good price. Love their Happy Hour. Im not too crazy about their hibachi performance but food are great. Especially their egg yolk sauce... YUM!

    (4)

  • chelsey B.

    I'm new to sushi... I first tried it about 2 years ago and now love it. Anyways this place is wonderful! *Order the PINK LADY ROLL it's a melt in your mouth sushi surprise! YUMMY! Aodake gets two thumbs up by me. Give it a try... they also cook in front of you, if you choose to get something besides that pink lady roll.

    (4)

  • Josie S.

    We bought a groupon and made reservations for 3 (husband plus 9 mth old). Included baby since we would need room for highchair. The lady was SO rude! She pretended like she didn't have room when we got there, gave nasty looks like she was surprised we could ask for a table when we made reservations!!! We left without using out groupon and will never go back!

    (1)

  • Jo Jo B.

    This place is located in a strip mall in the burbs. It is kind of tucked away, but when you enter it, it is always busy. Tables are limited here, because they have quite a few Hibachi stations in this small place. I usually go here for the Sushi specials at lunch, because it is such a deal. You can choose between a two or three roll special which includes salad and Miso soup for around $7 to $10. I have never had a problem with their food. Everything is fresh and the staff are very attentive. Friends of mine order the Sashimi quite often and only once did they say the fish that day was not up to par. Presentation and portion sizes are great and overall if you want a sushi fix for a great price then this is the place to go.

    (3)

  • Leia H.

    Love this place! I'm usually a big fan of hibachi, but for me it was just ok. I really love their normal menu though. I think their "Pink Lady" (without the sauce) is my favorite sushi roll ever! I also adore their scallop tempura. Pretty much everything I've had there has been good. This really is my go-to place when we're thinking Japanese for a meal out.

    (4)

  • J A.

    To be fair, my family and I did not try the tepanyaki. That may be a whole lot better experience then sitting at the sushi bar. First, we ordered a couple of appetizers. The softshell crab was just aweful. It was so fishy that we couldn't eat it at all. Then the agedashi tofu was just fried tofu with sauce. (I've never seen agedashi tofu served this way. ) And to top it off, the gyoza was cold. I could tell that it was just the kind you buy in the frozen section of any asian grocery store. I ordered tempura udon for dinner. The udon noodles were overcooked and limp. Then comes the sushi and some rolls.... talk about being cheap with the fish. The sushi pieces were so tiny! There were thin slivers of fish on the sushi and the rolls. Then to add to all this, the the long sleeve of our waitress' shirt sleeve would run over our rolls each time she came to refill the water! I am sure she's been doing that all night at every table! Warning! Don't go to Aodake for their sushi or anything from their kitchen!

    (1)

  • Nancy S.

    Went there for the first time after hearing that it was so good from neighbors. We arrived at Noon, and the place was almost empty. Once the waitress came and took our drink order, it took a while before she returned with our tea, Shrimp Tempura was next, when it arrived, the broccoli was soggy, and the sweet potato was almost raw. The single shrimp was okay. The miso soup arrived the table, along with an almost bleach-like smell. My partner complained the soup tasted "medicinal", to me, it tasted like chlorine - it was sent back almost untouched. The salad was a bit of iceberg lettuce with a ginger-tinged almost thousand island dressing. It was not presented very well, and was "meh" at best. Bento box w/Chicken Teriyaki was decently presented, the gyoza were okay, the salad even less impressive then the earlier side salad. The rice was cold and flavorless, and the main item - the Chicken teriyaki, was basically a thin boiled breast sliced with sauce. The three roll sushi lunch was decently presented, however; the rolls were loosely formed, the rice grayish and gummy, and the spicy mayo slopped on top of the "dynamite" roll was overpowering. The bill came to about $30, we left feeling ripped off. Will not go back.

    (1)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Accepts Bitcoin : No
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Dogs Allowed : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Aodake Sushi & Steak House

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