Sea Ranch

It’s pouring outside but we still decided to try this place, and I have to say it’s totally worth it!

This is probably my fav on the go sushi place ever… Prices are decent, the sushi is fresh & the staff is super nice. The grocery store vibe only adds to its authenticity. Loooove this place.

The cutest place — a tiny grocery store filled with Japanese treats & a little café-​esque area. Although the service is not the fastest, the food is v good & the sushi is v cheap!

Good quality. Clean. Great staff. Nothing fancy… just good sushi/​sashimi! Free hot tea ;)

So cute! It’s like a mini Japanese market with a small food court (reminds me of Japan). If you’re looking for decent sushi in Evanston, I think Sea Ranch is definitely worth the walk down.
I ordered the shrimp tempura udon and the hokkaido roll, and my friend ordered a sushi set and the unagi rice (October special).
The Hokkaido roll (Seared scallop sushi with shiitake mushrooms and pineapple) is my absolute FAVORITE. The scallop is so soft and literally melts in your mouth. I love how savory the mushrooms and how the tartness of the pineapple balances that out really nicely.
The udon is pretty authentic as well, nothing too fancy though. It also comes with six pieces of a very basic california roll. I’ve heard the lunch sets are worth it for the udon!

Love the quality of fish here. But the AYCE price has gone up, again. And it’s only available M-​Th until 5pm. Which really sucks. Used to come here regularly for the AYCE. Used to be $ 19.99. Has gradually gone up, and now is almost $ 30 including tax.
Quality still good, wish hours open were later in general, and AYCE was available nights and weekends.

Sea Ranch has great sushi and soups and a fantastic grocery section. The atmosphere is perfect for what it is.
One of the best Evanston establishments

This review is based on the ‘lunch special’. The gentleman who took my order informed me that the $ 5 California roll special is made with imitation crab and to substitute real crab would be a small added charge. He charged an extra $ 6.25. When I noticed this on my receipt I immediately informed him that I would have ordered something else if the added charge was going to cost more than the special itself. I inquired about getting something else but in that one minute the chef had already started so I was stuck with this order. If you’re pressed for time For anyone who doesn’t consume imitation seafood, now you know. People were friendly enough, just not receptive to fixing the order.

It is super cool to have Sea Ranch right down the street from us. You might find yourself at Sea Ranch for:
— Chef-​made sushi rolls in a casual lunch environment
— Small Japanese grocery with everything you need to make sushi at home (rice, nori, seasonings, fresh fish, tofu, lots of amazing japanese snacks and ice creams)
— BYOB sushi making classes (we can’t wait to try one!)
While I have not yet tried their actual sushi, I am confident that it will be excellent as we have purchased all of the sushi ingredients from their small Japanese grocery area. The fish is always on point, and the salmon we got there the other day was to die for. We also purchased an avocado from them for $ 1.50 (they don’t usually sell them but had them for the rolls they make) and it was AMAZING.
If you have a Japanese food fetish like me, welcome to your midwestern mecca.

All the sushi I’ve tried here is great. In particular, the Chicago roll and escolar is amazing and my personal favorites! Great service. Free hot barley! And there are some shelves filled with imported Asian goods for you to peruse/​purchase.
Can’t speak to the all you can eat but have heard great things from friends who do. Overall, simplicity and basic ingredients combine with a ‘ma and ‘pa feel for an awesome experience!

I used to really like this place but after several delivery failures I’ve come to the conclusion that this simply isn’t worth it.
First off, the price that you pay for the food is high. And they give you such small portions too for some of the combo options that I might as well just nix the combo and get individual items instead.
Second, their delivery service is awful. The past couple of times I’ve ordered delivery it’s taken them an hour and a half to get me my food. I live maybe a five minute drive from this place. And I always order at least two hours before closing. That being said, there is also something wrong with the phone number on the website or something because when I tried to call inquiring about my order the number redirected me to an automated message that repeated «please enter your access code». Way to go on the customer service.
If you don’t mind eating in at this place and paying a decent amount of money then go for it. I probably won’t be eating here again unless I visit the restaurant in person and have nowhere else to spend my money.

Visited again today and got the tonkotsu ramen set, which comes with a California roll that I substituted with a sashimi roll. I’m not a ramen connoisseur by any means, but the noodles were chewy and the broth was creamy and had a slight mushroom flavor, which I loved.
The salmon roll had great flavor, and I could tell the fish was fresh. Friendly and relatively quick service, with pretty affordable prices and good portions (most sets cost about $ 9.99) means that this tops Todoroki any day in my book. I want to try the AYCE sometime!

The Sea Ranch has no atmosphere and the cashier doubles as the server. This isn’t a dining destination, it’s a Japanese take-​out restaurant/​market. The owners were kind enough to add a few tables and offer free tea (barley or green) for customers who would like to dine-​in.
The Sea Ranch has delicious fresh sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes (ramen, tempura and the like). The sushi to rice ratio is very good and the fish is always cut into nice slices in the rolls. Their prices are fair and the AYCE is a great deal at $ 26. if you eat a lot — it’s an even better deal if you have kids under 12 who can put away a ton of sushi!
By Evanston/​Northshore standards, this is the very best sushi around. I vote for a place named Yoshi’s in Jack London Square in Oakland, CA as the best anywhere, but it’s hard for me to get there for lunch. While I can appreciate some reviewers comparisons to sushi spots in Japan or on the West Coast, need I remind them that we live in Illinois and The Sea Ranch rocks

Sea Ranch is totally delicioso! Good sushi for a good price. Great quick lunch spot.

I usually come here to pick up their packaged salmon sashimi filet/​steak (sorry for the bad description… hopefully you catch my drift). It’s about $ 6 – 10 depending on weight, but it’s still more cost-​effective than buying sashimi by the piece. They also have octopus and mackerel among the options available to buy pre-​packaged. I’ve purchased the salmon more than a few times and it was always fresh.
In addition to many other Asian condiments/​ingredients/​groceries, this place also sells bowl ramen and Shin packaged ramen… this is the only place in dt Evanston that has these available I think.
The other day, I picked up one of their pre-​made salmon skin rolls and it was so delectable I am tearing up just thinking about it now. Only about $ 8 too for *ten* pieces. And they were so generous with the sashimi/​rice proportion…
Udon is really good here too. You can also order a half portion for about $ 5. Free barley tea. Super polite workers. Clean.

I do not know what kind of person I would be without Sea Ranch.
Not only is the Evanston location ridiculously close to my apartment (meaning there’s no reason not to go), but the variety of Japanese cuisine you can get here is amazing. Whether it’s sushi rolls, udon, ramen, miso soup or sashimi you’re craving, Sea Ranch has it all.
I’m a salmon kinda girl, so I highly recommend both the Spicy Salmon roll (salmon + avocado) and the salmon sashimi, which I usually get in the sashimi combo ($ 7.95 for 6 – 7 pieces of your favorite sashimi). The udon here is also very tasty and great for cold days. Personally, I have a lot of trouble deciding what to get, so I usually end up going for one of their many combination sets, such as the unagi/​udon or chirashi/​udon mini bowl sets. They also have an all you can eat option, which is ~$ 26, I believe — slightly on the pricey side for me, but I’d be willing to try it out on a very hungry day.
Green and barley tea is also free for customers who dine-​in, which is a huge plus! They also have a nice section for Japanese groceries, which is very convenient as it’s quite difficult to find Asian groceries in Evanston. As someone who constantly craves sushi, this place is a serious lifesaver for me, so definitely be sure to drop by Sea Ranch if you’re in the area!

Best AYCE sushi in Evanston. Don’t even bother with Todoroki’s. Even though it’s pricey ($ 27 – 28 including tax), it is definitely worth it mainly for the fresh fish and the creative but carefully made rolls. My favorite is probably the Tornado roll. Their nigiri are also pretty solid. Sea Ranch also has a lot of nice combination sets, especially the chirashi udon mini bowl set. If you dine in, they offer free barley tea (and they post a huge list of its health benefits!). I’ve also gotten delivery quite a few times and they’re timing is pretty good. I love that they don’t have a minimum order if you want to get delivery.
Their grocery is extremely convenient for grabbing Japanese groceries when you don’t want to make a trip out to H-​mart. Sometimes they have random sale items that are super cheap, so make sure to check that shelf out!

I’ve basically tried all the all you can eat sushis in Evanston, and this one is definitely the best in quality. It’s a bit pricier with AYCE at 26.99 starting October. However, in my opinion it is much more worth the money to get that than order a specialty sushi a la carte.
I always love getting the spicy tornado and dragon rolls here. The spicy tornado roll is unique to other places i’ve been to with cooked salmon on top and smoky crunches, crab, and avocado inside. If you eat raw fish, ordering the nigiri would be your best bet. In my experiences, the fish has always been fresh! You can also get half orders of udon, ramen, and buckwheat noodles. Everything here is pretty great. Other hits are salmon skin rolls and sweet potato rolls.
Aside from the food, the place is a market as well and has just a few seats for people who want to dine in. I wouldn’t come here for the atmosphere but you should except enjoy the best sushi in Evanston!

One of my favorite Japanese places in town! A very authentic place!
The sushi is great! Udon and ramen are okay! The soup is tasty, but there’s no much meat/​veggie in the soup.
Unagi set is great!
Moreover, there are lots of Japanese snacks and Japanese cooking things/​sauces. Great place to grab some Japanese groceries!

Sea Ranch is a weird combination of sushi restaurant and mico Asian market. They carry a few hard to find Asian ingredients such as various noodles, seaweed, rice crackers, candies, drinks and condiments.
There aren’t a lot of places in Evanston to buy good seafood. I’ve been disappointed with the various markets and even Whole Foods. Sea Ranch has a very limited offering of fish – the day I was in it was basically tuna and salmon – but it is of very high quality, and they sell the sushi cuts separate from fish better suited to cooking.
As far as a restaurant, the ambiance is a non-​started for me. It’s basically like eating in the aisle of a small store, because that’s exactly what it is.