KANSAKU
KANSAKU — established japanese in Evanston with a loyal following. Unpretentious and comfortable, exactly what you want. The cocktail list is worth exploring. "All the fish was fresh and presented in creative ways" — Gretchen [patio]
What 496 diners keep saying
What 496 diners keep saying
verbatim, from Google
“Simply the best! My husband and I frequently come here and are constantly impressed with the staff, especially the sushi chefs. No need to go to the city, this place is far superior to everything we have tried downtown.. and beyond.”

“Great food great service everything was fresh crunchy and delicious. The atmosphere filled with soft ambience music. Very clean.”

“We were in Evanston for a short time but this Japanese restaurant is a gem. Clean, friendly service, delicious food. Plenty of sushi options.”

“This was great sushi! Well priced and definitely worth the visit.”

“my wife and i had an amazing experience on our anniversary everything is 5 stars!! service, food, atmosphere”

“Not Traditional sushi served at this restaurant, it is more adapted to local preferences( eg. spicy sushi,curd rice). Food fresh overall”

“Worst service ever. Food is okay. Minus the gentlemen refilling waters - I really appreciated him because we waited 20 minutes to get our drinks (Tokyo Mules) and around 40 to get our food, which was sitting on the counter for at least 10 minutes. The water definitely helped. We ordered drinks, an appetizer, and two sets of sushi. When our drinks got to us, they were half empty. I have never ever received a half empty mule before. Should really advertise it as a half cocktail at that point. When we asked for it to be filled a bit more, it was filled some more... But very clearly with mostly ice. 😬 The calamari was super rubbery, not at all the quality I would expect for a place that makes you pay $20-40 per person. Also, the sushi was sitting on the bar for a solid 10 minutes while Olivia the waitress was on the iPad/payment pad jumping between standing in front of the bar and near the entrance. Our order was not the only one piling up on that sushi bar. There were at least 4-5 other orders just sitting there. The sushi really wasn't all that. I've eaten at plenty of sushi places and for the service.. you're better off going somewhere else. They could not handle the Friday night rush at all. It looked like the waitress was busy on the iPad half the time trying to figure out what looked like a new system. Who knows. Other people looked annoyed too, I saw two tables who had to flag down a waitress to ask for the check. We ended up doing the same - asking a completely different waitress than our original waitress for a check. When it came time to pay, I was expecting a standard they run the card and give you a receipt to add the tip. Nope. They turn the iPad around and make you pick the tip while they stare at you. I wanted to give zero tip but the screen was turned just enough she could see exactly what I was going to pick all while giving me the stare down. And of course, the zero no tip option was super tiny and so I ended up tipping anyways. I'd probably only eat here if I lived nearby and was desperate for some expensive bad service. If you actually like good sushi and genuinely can tell when something is mid... Don't come here. Ive had better sushi, better service, and more elsewhere.”
“The quality is excellent. Everything I ate was worth the money spent. I am very impressed”
“Very sweet service and delicious rolls. Generous portions of sashimi, and a Mothers Day cocktail surprise for the Mrs. Only complaint is the tightly packed room—may have sustained a bruise bumping into the table on the way out. If you’ve dined in NYC, you’ll be at home here.”
“Excellent food and fabulous service. There are some vegetarian options, and the gomai spinach is very good. As a pescatarian, I am never disappointed!”
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