Best sushi near Berwyn

I know I might be berated for not using the search function, but I like to get opinions this way. Saturday night is my wife's birthday and she wants sushi, in the old days, we would have gone to Katsu, but that's quite a hike now. Any suggestions. Thanks in advance.

The begging question is:

HOW near?

Sen Sushi in Oak Park would be an obvious answer, though my most recent visit earlier this month netted me a plate of gloppy mayo maki when I ordered their "Spicy Set" combo deal as part of our meal. As far as very decent fish, and nicely flavored rice, however, I'd say Sen is the obvious choice. Let's just not forget, however, that you're still VERY close to one of the greatest culinary cities in the world. Katsu is a hike, yes, but some of the more central places ain't really that far at all.

Here's the LTH Sen thread:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=25566

Twenty minutes in the car maximum. How does Sen compare to Fuji grill? That's the only sushi I've had out this way. Of course if I come up empty handed on this search, she might agree to take the trek to Katsu

mrefjl wrote:How does Sen compare to Fuji grill? That's the only sushi I've had out this way.

You don't want me to answer this question. I'll gladly welcome someone else to field that one. If you do chose to use the search function, you'll probably see why I can't answer it impartially. I'll just say that imo, Sen is far, far better in my limited experiences.

seebee wrote:

mrefjl wrote:How does Sen compare to Fuji grill? That's the only sushi I've had out this way.

You don't want me to answer this question. I'll gladly welcome someone else to field that one. If you do chose to use the search function, you'll probably see why I can't answer it impartially. I'll just say that imo, Sen is far, far better in my limited experiences.

Hrm. I'll just say that there are 2 other less popular sushi options in Oak Park that don't compare favorably to Sen when it comes to freshness or flavor, but i'd visit either one every day and twice on Sunday before hitting Fuji again. I'd even give some of those Thai + sushi joints on Madison a shot first.

Sen is worth a look, but you may wish or need to interact with the itamae directly to get the good stuff if you like sashimi. Without Plotnificating, mentioning that you are an engaged sushi eater can be the difference there between getting some nice bluefin chutoro from the cooler instead of maguro from the saran wrap when you ask them to do something with tuna.

If you like maki (which I do), they have some creative options, and I find their tempura better than average both in and out of the roll. The goma-ae maki is very flavorful and something different for a veggie break. The agedashi tofu is simple and good, but make sure they bring a spoon for slurping the dashi. The dinner (or lunch) bento boxes offer a ridiculous amount of food but the main protein (chicken, steak, or salmon) is nothing special these days, disappointing since their initial chicken thigh and marbled steak offerings were good. I like their sesame paste and ginger salad dressing and their dessert and drink options are above average for a small sushi joint. I want their ponzu to be homemade and better, which would elevate their occasional seared seafood specials. I think you'll like the pretty space and service if you go - good luck!

I have not been to Fuji Grill in years because I thought it sucked. Recently I was told that under new management it has been transformed for the better. I really like Sen. Went there last week and the rolls were great and innovative, the sushi was fresh and the rice well seasoned. It is definitely worth a try. Like must local places though, there was no Uni to be had. Miria Sushi in Bucktown is always a fun hip experience with great sushi to boot and not to far.

Mirai Sushi
2020 W. Division
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 862 8500

Yes, Fuji Grill is under new ownership. They are better than they have been, but probably still not as good as Sen. There is also Sushi House on Lake street, and they have a location in Wesmont as well. Inari Sushi on North Ave (a few doors down from Johnny's Beef) is also ok.

I would tend to agree with SeeBee, you are limiting yourself by wanting to stay near Berwyn, add another 5-10 minutes to your commute and "the world is your oyster" as they say..

I think we'll try Sen. I'm not big on sushi and my wife is not really particular (she thought Fuji was OK while even I didn't think the sushi was good). I'm going to have to use that search function to see what happened with seebee @ Fuji.

Diner at Sen last night was really impressive. For the money, I thought the food was a least very good, ranging to excellent. I might not be a first class expert on sushi, but the fish seemed quite fresh and their contemporary maki were very interesting. Desert was very good and the service was outstanding (unusually kid friendly). Thanks for the heads up LTH! Just what we were looking for.

Glad you dug it.
P.S. - I don't care that you don't think you are an "expert" on what good sushi is, you ARE. I guarantee you that you'll know the difference between good sushi and bad sushi right away. Fresh fish and non-fresh fish is like night and day. Well seasoned rice, and non-seasoned rice the same - night and day. Go get a sushi lunch special that has a few pieces of nigiri at J-wok on Roosevelt if you don't believe me. My one experience at J-wok was not BAD fish, or bad food, but nothing had any flavor. The rice was plain. The fish was somewhat fresh, but didn't pop at ALL. A good sushi place wouldn't dream of serving plain rice. The word sushi literally means seasoned rice, or vinegared rice.