Sake Blu

Sake Blu is closed indefinitely says the sign in their door.

Our new favorite sushi joint! Better than Sushi Kushi Lake Forest! (Boy are we glad we don’t have to put up with the surly front hostess, shrinking fish slices, and the spoiled-​brat clientele anymore!)
We are always wary of new sushi places around the north shore because, frankly, it just seems that no one cared enough anymore. Most places decide that it’s sushi, people love it, they can just carelessly cut up a bunch of raw fish, cook up some rice haphazardly, slap’m together and people will come. And sadly, most people do. That’s why even American steakhouses have a sushi menu now, right?
Sake Blu is the welcomed exception! Boy I hope they make it and stick around! The owners are super friendly and helpful. We have little kids who are «high maintenance» and sometimes I call ahead to ask them to put in the orders so that the food will be ready when we arrive. They always do it so gladly.
And the food! Sushi is amazing, fresh, carefully prepared, generous. Menu items all decent. Atmosphere is comfortable and relaxed. We love Sake Blu!

Awesome food and service at a reasonable price. The staff is very attentive, friendly and offer great recommendations.

Service was slow. We waited 10 minutes to order and get our water and then 10 more minutes for them to take our food order.
Food was mediocre. Chicken tonkatsu was more breading than meet. Beef bulgogi was overcooked and tasteless.

This is a hidden gem at the end of a strip mall. Service is top-​notch and the food is fresh and not just run-​of-​the-​mill. It hasn’t ever been busy on the nights we’ve gone there but it should be! And for all you sushi and Elvis lovers, you’re in luck: they’ve got The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, as well as Ol’ Blue Eyes, pumped in for your dining pleasure. Not my taste at all music-​wise, but it could be worse.

I ordered takeout on Saturday night. When I arrived I was greeted by everyone in the restaurant. I was a little nervous because for a Saturday night it was very empty. When I got home and started to eat my sushi I was pleasantly surprised, it was delish. I didn’t get anything too crazy (Philadelphia roll, spicy tuna roll, spicy scallop hand roll, soup and salad) it was fresh and really good! Sad to see a local business not packed on a Saturday night. Next time I’m in the suburbs and craving sushi close to my parents, I will definitely return.

Another average sushi place in North suburbs. It is not bad, but I cannot say anything that stands out either. Ok service, ok décor. Tuna tataki and assortment niguri were lacking in texture, but passable. Unagi were mostly rice. Wildfish and Blufish are better options in this area.

Elvis and sushi? There’s better choices nearby unless you are in a pinch, then I guess it will do. I arrived at 4:30 when the restaurant opened. Friendly greeting, promptly seated, and then they turned on the music to create ambiance. Back to back Elvis songs followed by other 50s rockabilly hits. Elvis at a sushi restaurant is unforgivable! Especially since everything inside the restaurant is traditional. Clean restaurant at the end of a strip mall. Outside looked nice and inviting with lots of blue and white lights. There is a feint fried tempura smell when walking in which was a bit overwhelming. Miso was typical and enjoyable. I’m glad i didn’t order the edamame off the menu because they brought it for free. I have read this on other reviews so why put it on the menu? I ordered the ASPARAGUS BEEF ROLL as a appetizer. It was burnt which overtook the beef, asparagus, teriyaki sauce flavor. By the time the sushi came out, The Beatles were blasing loudly– one song after another for the remainder of the meal. The SNOW WHITE roll was not to my preference. The white fish was a bit loose in texture which made me cautious. The SALMON ROLL was typical. Nothing special. The SPIDER ROLL was a bit small and average taste. The CRUNCHY SPICY TUNA ROLL was our favorite. It had a zing to it and the pan fried crispy bottom made it tasty and unique. As I was finishing my meal, The Beatle’s «Help» came on– how ironic– I was just thinking the same thing! I would consider the food here just shy of average neighborhood sushi. It’s a hit and miss affair. The dining experience was a miss with indications like the music, plastic miso bowls, and cheap laminated menus, and paper napkins alluding that they are not truly serious about their product. Not terrible or a complete rip off but meh– there’s better choices nearby unless you are in a pinch, then I guess it will do.

Came in during the week with some friends, it was our first time. They were busy but had enough tables to sit us. The interior is very nice, clean and doesn’t smell. The service was very good. The server had some good suggestions and seemed to be knowledgable about sushi. We ordered 4 rolls between 3 people. Our fave was the ecstasy, Macdaddy came in second. The other two were good but I would try something else besides them. We also tried the duck egg rolls which were very good and unique. Also, a nice touch was the complimentary edemame. We each had a glass of wine to drink. My only gripe is I wish some of those nice maki rolls came with more pieces! They were so good I wanted more! I will definitely return and try more items off the menu.

I’ve been meaning to try this place out and finally on Labor day we did.
My friends ordered different roles and I got the sashimi dinner. Everyone loved their rolls. My sashimi was by far some of the freshest fish I’ve had! Also, the sashimi dinner was $ 25 and I counted about 18 pieces! I may be wrong, there may have been even more pieces. This is a lot of fish for the price and the quality. Some of my friends also work in the area and say that they have a great lunch special and it’s working checking out.
The service was spotty, it was hard to get a hold of the wait staff to ask questions and to get our check… and my friends and I were some of the only people there that night.
The ambiance is nice, relaxing, almost a typical sushi restaurant in the suburbs feel.
Happy we discovered this gem, will for sure come back.

If you are looking for fresh Japanese dishes that are inspired and new, this is where you should go.
The staff is very friendly and assist each other. the restaurant itself is compact but makes you feel exclusive at the same time.

Im always looking for great sushi, and this place has been under the radar for quite a while now.
Location & Ambiance:
Its located in a strip with a Panera Bread, and a few other shops. The ambiance is very «sushi restaurant».
Food:
The sushi was average to above average, but nothing extraordinary. We ordered a few rolls, and they were good. I would recommend you go ahead and ask them what their best rolls are.
Staff:
The staff was nothing special very average feeling, but they were nice!
Overall, I dont recommend you go but its not bad if you are looking for a place to grab some rolls.

The skinny – went on a Friday night and ordered four items plus a Grey Goose martini.
The outdoor décor is intriguing with a rich blue suggesting a rich experience.
The interior is modern sparse with a mural. (Elvis singing). It’s how I imagine some Sushi places in Japan. When we arrived there was a light crowd.
We found the service to be watchful and friendly.
The food?
Gyoza soup – a rich broth with the traditional gyoza (a doughy filled noodle) – interesting, good.
Tataki tenderloin fillet – light appetizer with a slight bite at the end – very good!
Blu Star roll interesting, but not a homerun, my palate, not the roll.
Sake Blu – same as Blu Star.
Oh, and the martini? Good as it should be. For some reason, (perhaps one time miscalculation), the shaken martini did not fill the glass.
3 stars from me, but I can easily understand how others are completely taken with this restaurant and it gets 4 stars from them.

Sake Blu is hidden treasure in Deerfield/​Riverwoods.
Amazing sushi, great customer service, the owner David is the best! Free edamami every time, green tea is complimentary!
The food is so delicious, always fresh and servers are so friendly. You need to come and try their food first and you will never stop to come back,

I like sushi and eat every now and then but I definitely am not an aficionado. I can tell a good sushi from not good sushi but definitely not the best from the good since I haven’t had enough of it. I really liked the sushi here. It was quite tasty and delicious. It tasted fresh. I had the McDaddy, Rock ‘n Fire and Dragon sushi rolls, Duck Egg Roll and Mochi Ice Cream. All was good. McDaddy was the best. The Mango Mochi ice cream was really delicious. They gave us some Edmame and Tofu in seasoned soy sauce on the house. It tasted nice too. The service was pretty good and the ambiance was ok. I didn’t care for the music they played — Frank Sinatra stuff, which didn’t sound appropriate for the place it is. Prices are reasonable. This is definitely a place I would go again. I would highly recommend checking it out. It’s a good find.

An average of four stars, I respectfully dissent. While the complimentary edamame was a nice touch, the soft shell crab and shrimp tempura were burnt and reduced to fossil fuels. Anything covered in terriyaki and/​or unagi sauce also tasted burnt. I can overlook chemistry and ignore the carmelization process. But the worst part of the service was the terrible waiter. He had no idea what was going on:
1. Can we substitute crab for shrimp (blank stares and then a painful walk back to the sushi bar).
2 .Can we get a side of fried rice (blank stare and painful walk to the manager).
3. What type of fried rice do you have (blank stare).
Oh, and the best — he came back 5 – 10 mins later to ask us about the SIZE of fried rice. Thankfully, my better-​half intercepted this and said «LARGE, the largest you have.»
One last thing, my other dining companion became ill afterwards, and I was boiling over with gas (even more bloviated than normal).
The best part of the meal was the busgirl. She was very attentive and should be promoted.

My first visit was in December, late one night. I literally walked in 5 minutes before they closed (I hate being that person!) dying for some fresh sashimi.
The staff were super friendly, took my order with a smile and made me feel comfortable while I waited.
Since then, I’ve made Sake Blue my go to for sushi. The owners greet me by name when I visit, know my order (no rice) and never disappoint.
Fresh fish, friendly atmosphere and fair prices will keep me a constant customer. I highly recommend!

Great experience!
The staff is super friendly and helpful (we were treated to complimentary edamame as new customers — sweet!). Entire crew is eager to help and please the customer. Good vibe inside. Tall backed booths easy to get in and out of and block other diners’ conversation.
Varied menu. BUT if you don’t see something you want, be sure to ask for it. They might be able to accommodate!
Sashimi was fresh and tasty. Rolls can be altered to your liking. Hot and cold sake, wine and beer available. Chopsticks were substantial (not thin, splintery wood).
Saw several people pick up to go orders. Another table ordered the boat for two and it was as beautiful as it was bountiful.
Try it for causal sushi!
Would easily be 5 stars with a few more well thought out rolls on the menu and more balanced ingredients. Think «Jiro dreams of sushi.»

I was really excited when I first heard that there will be a new sushi restaurant opening in Deerfield, and then, I was even more excited when I first saw it. Being the sushi lover that I am, I am always hoping to find a new fav spot in the ‘burbs, unfortunately, Sake Blu didn’t do it for me.
I went here a couple weeks back for dinner with an old friend of mine and we had a great time, especially since we split some HOT sake! This used to be a different restaurant with Chinese food I believe, which I’ve only been to once so I don’t remember what it used to look like, but boy, do I love the ambiance here. It’s an incredibly cozy environment with booths/​tables on the left side and a nice sushi bar in the middle of the restaurant. It’s a dark atmosphere, but they decorated it with electric blue lights which gives it a great vibe.
Anyway, the menu is interesting, with even more interesting names like the Ecstasy, which we both ordered. The roll had pretty much everything in it — snow crab, shrimp, avocado, and cucumber, topped with super white tuna and scallion. It really wasn’t anything to «rave» about, nor do I even remember what it tasted like. The other rolls I had were spicy tuna and Philadelphia. They were all just Ok, and personally, I found them not to be that tasty or fresh. We also had a dessert, I forgot the name, but it was a chocolate pyramid and some mocchi. The chocolate dessert was way too sweet in my opinion.
I gave it a second try by ordering takeout this past week — i got spicy tuna, phila, and I thought i ordered spicy scallop, but I think it was just regular scallop roll. Again, I did not like the sushi — too much rice to fish ratio and there is no «freshness» to the fish, though the scallop roll was my fav by far from what I’ve ordered here.
Service was outstanding both times, so it really hurts me to give it 3 stars, but after all, do you come for the service or for the food? I may be back again, but not for awhile… sorry Sake Blu!

This place really came close to getting 5 stars. Only a couple things are what convinced me to bring it down to four, so I’ll break it down systematically.
THE GOOD;
1. Place is clean, sanitary.
2. The sushi is of high quality, judging from what we ordered. (Various rolls)
3. We’re brought a small appetizer on the house as soon as an order was placed.
THE BAD:
1. Server wasn’t too attentive.
2. A bit pricy.
Upon further criticism, I can tell that the sushi, like Hakuya’s, is korean style. Lots of eccentric looking rolls with many different sauces added for flavor so that soy sauce would not be needed.
4 stars. Great little joint to visit.