Teppanyaki with good food *and* a good show? (was Hibachi)

Are there any places not too far away from the city limits that do hibachi Japanese food where the food is good and the cooks still put on a little show? Our family staple has been the Ron of Japan in the suburbs, but the cooks now mostly just cook silently. I'd love to take my preschooler somewhere fun, but I don't want to sacrifice the food too much. (Not that Ron of Japan food is amazing Japanese food, but it's pretty decent and we like it since we've been going there since we were kids) Thanks all!

I think they still do the show thing at the Benihana locations. I actually prefer Ron's because they don't do the show. Well, that and the lobster

BTW, if you're searching, you'll probably have better luck searching for Teppanyaki. Ron's isn't really Hibachi.

I know it's in the burbs, but we actually love Kegon in Northbrook,
and Tsukasa in Vernon Hills also does an awesome job

Not my cup of tea, but we have family members who absolutely love teppanyaki, so I've been to many. I'll agree that Tsukasa is a better example, Kegon, on the other hand, is not that good and has awful ventilation. On my last visit I nearly had to burn the clothes I was wearing because of the lingering odor of grease.

I'd second the recommendation for Kegon in Northbrook with the caveat that it's been a few years since I was there.

=R=

Kegon
569 S Waukegan Rd
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 498-1109

I've seen some positives on Kampai at Oakton and Elmhurst (far corner of Mt Prospect, I think). I was at Rokbonki in Arlington Heights (Dundee between 53 and Arl Hts Rd) not long ago, and was disappointed: it's still good, but it used to be a better value relative to similar restaurants, and they've cut back some things (where's the darn sesame seeds and bean sprouts?). Their show depends on the performer -- we had a pretty lazy dude on ours, the adjacent table had the patrons much more involved.

The only time I've ever been to Kampai, the chef cut himself so bad they had to send him to the emergency room. If you're going to put on a show, be careful

My father loved that place but it really didn't do much for me. But it's been in business a long time so maybe it was just me.

Thanks, everyone! And, yes, sorry for incorrect terminology - teppanyaki is what we're looking for. I had forgotten about Tsukasa. We were there a number of years ago and really liked it, but I think it might be too far to make it worth it.

We used to love to go to Kampai for their floating sushi bar next door- so much fun!
and everything was always so good!
They made an excellent crab salad on little nigiri.
And then in the cooked dept, were shrimp in golden custard.
The last time we went there with our teenage sons, they nearly bankrupted us.

Was hoping to get an update on this thread. Have some guests in town with a young kid and thought tepanyaki would be fun. Are Kegon and Kampai still the best two bets in the suburbs for decent quality? We are in Park Ridge so either would be totally fine in terms of drive time.

Have there been any newcomers to the category I should be aware of? Both still going strong? Not so much?

What timing! Literally just read that Kampai, as of yesterday, is closed for the foreseeable future due to an equipment issue!

DClose wrote:What timing! Literally just read that Kampachi, as of yesterday, is closed for the foreseeable future due to an equipment issue!

Thanks, for the update. My trustworthy friends tell me that Ron Of Japan in Northbrook is still going strong. I haven't been to any of these places recently enough to provide any personal intel.

=R=

Ron Of Japan
633 Skokie Blvd
Northbrook, IL 60062
(847) 564-5900

Tsukasa in Vernon Hills was OK for Teppan cooking too, the last time I went, And of course, Benihana is still a stalwart in Wheeling.

We went to Kampai a couple of weeks ago and it was very good.
My wife had the filet and salmon teriyaki and I had the filet and golden shrimp.
The filet was tender, the salmon was flavorful and moist and the golden shrimp
were spot on although a bit rich. Even the soup which I usually would describe as hot water through a dish towel was good.

Sorry, meant Kampai not Kampachi. Closed with no clear re open date. A shame since that’s the direction I was leaning!

Thanks for the intel. Sounds like there’s not a lot of new blood in the teppanyaki game...

I think it is Benihana vs Ron of Japan at this point since Vernon Hills is too far of a hike!

Tsukasa has a relatively new place in Kildeer. Never been to this location, so I can't really say anything about the quality. The one in Vernon Hills does a pretty good show.

DClose wrote:Sorry, meant Kampai not Kampachi. Closed with no clear re open date.

Please edit the original post. Many will read that and not notice this retraction.

scottsol wrote:

DClose wrote:Sorry, meant Kampai not Kampachi. Closed with no clear re open date.

Please edit the original post. Many will read that and not notice this retraction.

Mods took care of it. Thank you, for the heads up.

=R=

We ended up at Tsukasa of Tokyo in Vernon Hills. The drive time dropped before we were planning to leave and I decided to spend the extra 10min in the car over Ron of Japan - glad we did!

I hadn’t been since its location change to the shopping center with the Kohl’s (basically across the street from where they used to be). New location is really nice, absolutely huge, and surprisingly packed for a Thursday.

Experience was perfect - food was great for what it was, including steak cooked exactly to order (two people wanted it blue) and some surprisingly good nigiri (the toro was highway robbery price of $9/p but it was a special occasion so we each had one nonetheless).

The chef was excellent - and Japanese (not that it really matters but still interesting and increasingly rare to find at teppanyaki places, at least in my experience), super friendly, great with the kid, and put on a great show. Not to mention he managed to flip broccoli in each of our mouths (one of the only ways I eat broccoli these days) with only a single miss.

Definitely pricey but not really any worse than any of the competitors.