Izakaya Yume

This was a really good dinner place if you like sushi and Japanese food. We really enjoyed the ambiance and the service was really good.
We ordered sashimi platter and rice bowl. I loved that they had complimentary green tea and rice soup. Everything was delicious.
The sake we tried was really good as well. They have a lot of different choices.
Definitely will be back again!

IY has been open for lunch for 5 months now, and we dropped in for a late lunch. The dining area is cozy with a nice calm Japanese vibe and with soothing background music. The booths are nicely partitioned with bamboo shades also. We had two of their lunch rice bowl specials — a butadon pork and onion dish (#2) and tendon shrimp with tempura vegetables (#12). Both came with miso soup and both were $ 8.95. The food quality, quantity, and taste were very good, though the rice could have been a tad steamier. Overall, a very nice lunch stop for us. They are known locally more for their sushi and sashimi offerings. Their drinks menu was also extensive as one might expect of an izakaya business. Kate was the friendly Korean owner and also our server. She also gave us some insights into their 5 year old business as well as background of their sushi chef with 28 years experience.

this has to be hands down the best sushi ive tasted in the chicagoland area. the lady i met which i feel horrible i forgot her name, was so sweet and welcoming. we literally just ate los comales down the street and we wanted to stop and grab some rolls for a midnight snack. as soon as you walk in you just know your in a clean restaurant and the atmosphere was so perfect with the dim lights and calm environment. she talked with us while we waited for our food and recommended some items on the menu. we ordered the godzilla roll, shrimp tempura, & california roll. i literally have been wanting to go back ever since and will have to make this a weekend spot since its super close to home!!! excellent service ans fresh fresh fresh sushi!

Sushi? Open late? I’ll take it!!! I was desperate to find a sushi place that had quality sushi and a nice atmosphere while staying open late. Izakaya Yumi is that place. Not only did it meet my above standards, but the staff is so very friendly, helpful, and a good team fit to run a solid restaurant. The food is above average when it comes to sushi or any Asian dining. This restaurant is clean, stylish, while staying inviting and cozy. Not only did this place go beyond my expectations, it made me want to put Izakaya Yumi as a go-​to restaurant and something I would recommend to others. Definitely one of my favorites.

Overall, disappointed. It took a long time for the sake to come, even though they just have to pull it out of the fridge. The sushi rice was hard. There were mayonnaise on the Rainbow and Caterpillar Rolls. It masked the taste of the sashimi and unagi. I ordered the $ 10 otoro and couldn’t chew it. There were veins in both of the otoro and I had to spit it out. The veins even got stuck in my teeth and it was pretty disgusting pulling it out. I told the waitress and she said that’s a surprise. She said she will complain to the wholesaler, but still charged us full price for it.

The food and service was excellent. The sashimi was fresh and delicious. We had two small children with us and the were fantastic and extremely accommodating with the kids. The ambience is fantastic, really enjoyed this hidden gem and plan on being back very soon.

Beautiful authentic Japanese restaurant, if you want to feel like you’re in Japan for a night is the place to go, also the staff is very nice and welcoming! I would recommend you come in for some good Sushi! It’s little on high side for the price! BUT LIKE ALL THINGS IN LIFE! YOU GET WHAT YOU PAID FOR!

I love this place i recommend for all you guys ;) I would recommend to all people that this particular Japan kitchen locate in golf and greenwood is very good, with Big menu and quality of freshness ! I was visiting this location 4 time so I believe a now what I’m writhing and list of good thinks start from food and finishing in atmosfer. Check this place !

I met up friends after their dinner, so this review is based on the restaurant’s drinks alone. Izakya means drinks after work and they revamped their drink menu very well. They had minor upgrades and raised the bar (no pun intended): they literally raised the bar and put in high stools. It gave it a nice change from before. We ordered a bottle of Wakatake Daiginno (Onikoroshi sake) which means Demon Slayer. Demon Slayer! This sake can definitely tame a demon by its smoothness and how dangerously sweet it is. We also had yuzu sake, this is like a honey citrus sake without that alcohol taste. This was amazing and couldn’t believe it’s an alcoholic beverage; I enjoy the taste of alcohol, so I’ll consider this citrus juice.
The owner gave us a shot of his favorite sake that’s $ 400 a bottle!!! (pic below). At first sip, it felt watered down but soon realized there wasn’t a burning throat, just a smooth coating of sake. This type of sake has a fennel like flavor that I don’t usually like, but this one was very subtle and complimented the overall drink. I see why this is his favorite.
We moved onto some of their Japanese craft beer (pic of list below). I forgot what some of them were, but had the sweet potato beer. It was surprisingly light and good. The sweet potato flavor followed through very well and wasn’t overbearing. I wanted to go through their beer list, but it was a work night, so I stopped myself there.
I look forward to coming back to review their food, because I know it’s just as good. Plus, having a solid drink menu has a strong influence on me.

What a hidden gem! Thank you for a great lunch! My husband had the beef with onions bowl and I had the curry tonkatsu bowl. Delicious! Wish they served sushi for lunch so we could have tried but because the lady was so cool and sweet, we decided to definitely go back to try sushi at dinnertime. The décor is great and we think our sons would really like it. Cute private booths and fun lanterns and you legit feel like you might be in Japan! Very enjoyable and I look forward to going again!

Amazing Toro !!
Friendly family owned atmosphere !
I am coming back tomorrow!
It is hard to find this fresh of Sushi. Everyone who likes Sashimi should come here.

First time here. Found it on Unilocal.
LOCATION: Unassuming façade of this strip mall Japanese joint. When I opened the door to enter I was taken aback by structural design, layout and interior decoration. Very sleek and cozy. I love the bamboo shades as partitions between the tables– makes it more intimate but without a sense of claustrophobia!
FOOD: I ordered 3 sushi rolls and the teriyaki steak dinner. (I came from a 12hr work day– don’t judge! LOL)
I was HIGHLY impressed by the sushi taste and quality. Sushi in the burbs is always a hit and miss-​even in the same restaurant. So I definitely got there at the right time with the right Sushi Chef and when the fish delivery was fresh. I forgot to ask if they have the same chef and if they have daily fish deliveries– a question you should ALWAYS ask before trying to decipher whether to come back or never go back to a sushi place.
The reason I gave 4 not 5 stars is the steak. It was over cooked and had so much fat, I should of taken a photo. It was a large thin cut but about ¼ of it was fat. Although the the fat does make it more tasty, it just isn’t worth the calories and the grease ruins the already delicious savory teriyaki sauce on it.
Next time I’ll specifically ask to have my steak cooked medium and with the fat trimmed off.
SERVICE: I was also impressed at the attentive service. I’m bad with names, but the young man who served me always smiled, was pleasant and catered to my needs without me asking at times.
Hope this helps :)

Worth the drive for sashimi! There is free parking in the lot out front, and the interior is decorated really nicely with a romantic ambience. A great date spot. Service is quick, friendly, and personable.
We were treated with complimentary cold soba noodles and a kimchi pancake while we waited for our food, both of which were delicious. We decided to get the sashimi platter 2 ($ 50), yamakake ($ 10), and the tacosu ($ 8).
The sashimi platter was presented beautifully and came with 7 different types of fresh fish and octopus. My favorite was the white tuna. 4 of each, so it is perfect for sharing! Paired with 2 appetizers, we were pleasantly full when we left. The yamakake is grated mountain yam over rice with 3 slices of tuna sashimi topped with scallions and seaweed slivers. This had a very interesting texture that I don’t think would appeal to everyone, but it had a unique flavor and is worth a try. The takosu consisted of sliced octopus, seaweed salad (my favorite) and cucumbers. Also delicious. Unfortunately, we were too full for dessert.
If you’re craving sashimi and Japanese appetizers, give this place a try!

Definitely sit at the bar and meet the chef! If he likes you he might show you his killer knife set. Loved the décor and genuinely friendly service. Everything we ate was delicious and we will definitely be coming back! Love that all their fish is wild caught and comes fresh every week. None of their fish is farm raised.

Tonight was a wonderful meal with friends! The sashimi/​nigiri/​roll combo was beautiful, and the appetizers they gave us complimentary were very flavorful as well. I would like a fresher, more flavorful salmon, but overall the fish quality is good. That’s probably the one piece holding this charming restaurant back short of its title not revealing in English what they do — the fish needs to have more punch to it, and I’d be happy to pay more for those cuts.

The food was phenomenal. And to add to that, the customer service was great. This place is officially a favorite.

Had a late night sushi craving after leaving the gym and didn’t want to travel far. After browsing Unilocal,I was excited to see that you get a free appetizer with an entrée purchase when you check in.
We arrive and its hidden away in a small strip. The interior itself was done up very nice, like a scene taken from Tokyo. At 11pm on a Saturday night, the place is empty with only one other couple. After analyzing the menu and finalizing our choices, we went with the sashimi appetizer. The server came back and said the chef will only allow the tako yaki (deep fried octopus donut) for the free appetizer, but we weren’t interested. The server convinced me to give it a try and I did. My best description is like «Chinese dough» with a hint of miso flavor, with a couple bits of octopus in the center. If you like Chinese turnip cake and miso soup, this might be for you. I personally would not order it and my boyfriend could tell he wouldn’t like just by looking at it.
We stuck with the «Dragon combo» entrée, which was 3 different types of Dragon rolls. We also ordered a spicy tuna and salmon roll. Service was slow even though we were pretty much the only ones there. When we finally received the rolls, we noticed the rice was off because it was unusually warm and super mushy. The sushi would fall apart as you pick it up. We brought it to our server’s attention, and he relayed the info to the chef. Apparently they were out of rice and had to make fresh rice, hence the warm mush. This is probably why food took so long too…
We cut the server some slack because he seemed genuinely nice, and he was put in an unfortunate situation for the chef’s mistakes. How do you not prepare for rice on a Saturday night, especially when you’re open for another three more hours? The biggest part of sushi is fish and rice. If you mess up either one, I don’t know how you can have a successful sushi restaurant.
As we asked for the check, the server brings over another octopus dish as an apology from the chef, but we just aren’t octopus fans. There was no offer to replace it with anything else. They must not sell a lot of octopus since they keep trying to push it. If they wanted to rectify the situation, they should have comped a portion of the bill. I’m not even expecting half the bill but perhaps comp the cheapest roll or something, just to show that you’re genuinely sorry instead of feeling like you’re cleaning out old inventory. At the end of the day, prices are high, they skimped out on the Unilocal appetizer, and the chef made some bad mistakes. I think the two stars is more than generous.

Wow, what great food!
Pros:
+ food was fantastic! Very fresh.
+ authentic Japanese food (Korean workers)
+ NO MSG at all!
+ cute decorations, cozy.
+ great place to take someone special
+ jazz playing in background
+ host/​server (Kate) was very friendly and informative.
+ pictures from menu can be found on Pinterest
+ prices match the quality of the food (good thing)
+ good parking (free lot)
+ easy to get to
+ the O-​Toro is a must! There’s not much to it, but it literally melts in your mouth.
+ no reservations needed if mid-​week, but probably if on the weekend.
— Free octopus appetizer if you check in on Unilocal.
Cons:
— none that we noticed.

I visit many famous Japanese restaurant but this one is best.
There decoration is cozy and light is just right.
I orders sashimi #3, clam soup, and deep fried bread shrimp.
Sashimi is so fresh better than Wild fish and Sushi Kushi.
Deep fried bread shrimp is crispy and fresh.
Clam soup is perfect for warm up my stomach after eat sashimi.
I love this place a lot. I recommend for everyone who love sashimi or love to try Asian food.

I have never been here but it seems like a very nice place. I really would give it 3.5 stars since there was nothing out of the ordinary served here that seemed like a Japanese Izakaya location. They have the standard sushi, tempura, teriyaki BUT then they redeem themselves in terms of more difficult to find items for CHICAGO location like TAKO YAKI and believe it or not their GYOZA are the bomb and homemade.