Sakanaya

Sakanaya remains a nostalgic favorite from college days. The Willis Tower roll was just as satisfying as ever, layered with unique flavors and textures in every bite. The Aburi nigiri, especially the seared scallop and salmon, were rich and flavorful with a nice char, though the sushi rice could have used a touch more vinegar and softness. Overall a solid and enjoyable experience, and always a treat to revisit while on campus.

Had a great time at Sakanaya! I got the Kamikaze Roll and it was super tasty—really fresh and full of flavor. You can tell they use quality ingredients. The vibe in the restaurant was really chill and inviting too, which made the whole experience even better. Definitely recommend if you're in the mood for good sushi and a nice spot to hang out.

Great experience! The rolls were huge and tasty. The server was also very quick and always ready to help us out if we needed anything. We had a group of 6 and they were very accommodating for us and split the bill perfectly.

I was recommended by a friend to check out sakanaya upon my visit to UIUC. We ordered Sakanaya Supreme, which was honestly a huge bargain, and some appetizers. Their sashimi and nigiri were top notch, fresh and delicate. I savored every bite I took. Although I am usually not a huge fan of sushi rolls, Sakanaya’s roll was on a different level from the ones I had so far. If you are visiting UIUC, Sakanaya is definitely worth the try.

Hands down the best sushi restaurant on campus (if not in the central Illinois region)! I have dined a couple of times and the food is always amazing. Some of my favorites are their salmon sashimi, Kamikaze, and the OMG roll. We also got to try the Mother’s Day special: Vegetarian Chef’s Special Roll. The roll was generously filled with a lot of different ingredients and was delicious! The staff members are always pleasant, and the food comes out fast.

Some of the best food and sushi in the CU area. Sushi is always fresh and the entrees never fail. I got the Naya roll which I think is their best roll and always love me some Chicken Teriyaki. Highly recommend!

We dined in tonight and the fish was fresh and presentation was great. Our server brought a complimentary hot cup of green tea for everyone in my party (5 of us total), which I found to be very thoughtful. If you’re looking for consistently good service, food, and the best vibe in town, Sakanaya is definitely the go-to place. :)

The miso is amazing! The sushi had too much rice on it which is a downfall and it wasn’t full of flavor. The shrimp dumplings were horrible and served cold.

5 outs 5 all day long! This place is hopping so get on that waitlist way before. We spent 15 mins trying to find a parking spot. The main area is a little loud and crowded but they sat my trophy husband and I next door. Very calm atmosphere. Everyone from the host to both people that came to our table were above and beyond sweet. The food is awesome! Why travel to a college town for sushi? The OMG roll is why. A close second is the crunch munch. Try thy truffle edamame, it's great! We will be back !

Service was great! Nice atmosphere. But...the food was just not very good. The nigiri looked good but...Salmon Belly, Hamachi and Albacore. The fish was ok to good. However the rice was cold and too hard and delivered with no wasabi by default. Sushi rice is supposed to be room temperature or slightly warm...not cold like 7-11 sushi. If you went with sashimi you will probably have a better experience. There is nothing nice I can share about the spicy tuna roll. Cold hard rice...meager tuna that lacked taste or appeal. The server was very nice and attentive! The food and the restaurant look nice. So really just get the rice right and I would have enjoyed this much more. A Hawai'i 3 or a Champaign 4. :) Two stars might be rough but $26 for 6 pieces of nigiri you have a right to expect more than cold hard rice. As is this would be a 1* or 2* in Hawai'i.

The best sushi around! Awesome staff! Very clean and quiet. ----------------------- -----------------------

Best food, best environment, best service. I was very much enjoyed with my family at this restaurant, sushi was very Fresh, hot food was marvelous all, server was very friendly and had professional attitude. I will be back definitely again and regular customer.

I lived in Japan for several years and recently came to Urbana from Los Angeles, so my expectations were modest for Japanese in the Midwest. The atmosphere at this location was comfortable and clean, we were seated right away and the service was good. The food came promptly and the presentation was attractive. The quality of the food, however, leaves little to be desired. While the fish (salmon, yellowtail, tuna, etc.) was acceptable (but by no means great), the shellfish was not. The sea urchin was not fresh and should not have been served - it was clearly going bad. The octopus was over-boiled and had the texture of hard leather. The scallops were dry on the outside, completely lacked flavor and were also not fresh. The rice was crumbly and dry, not sticky and warm as it should be. And the shrimp "tempura" was made with tonkatsu crumbs, not tempura batter. While this location might be fun for college students trying out different varieties of Americanized sushi rolls, those looking for quality Japanese food should look elsewhere.

Champaign, IL restaurants are a sea of mediocrity, but Sakanaya is certainly a pearl in that ocean. The food is incredibly fresh, the atmosphere is more upscale than the college town deserves and the staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming. I love sushi, but do not like much seafood - I'm a shrimp guy - and there are several options for a picky sushi eater like myself. There are quite a few options on the appetizer menu that I enjoy and recommend. The Willis Tower is a signature appetizer. The secret to eating it after they serve it is to knock down the "tower" and mix it up with the fixins surrounding it. They don't always tell you and it's fun to watch as people eat it incorrectly. Like I said, I am an appetizer guy. I love edamame and my fave are dumplings. Their Shumai and Gyoza are really good. They do have some non sushi options and I recommend the Chicken Katsu and Chicken Teriyaki. If you're in Champaign for business (never would expect that) or visiting your college-aged child or even visiting the campus, skip the bars or some of the steak places further away and check out Sakanaya.

First time coming here and was pleasantly surprised by such high quality sushi in campus town. The Willis tower is a must get. It's very rich and creamy and has added crisps for texture. The rolls were also very good especially the spider roll where you can actually taste the soft shell crab inside! Service was great and the interior was quite nice. Great place to come out for a nice dinner!

Wow! The Champaign-Urbana roll was fresh, well wrapped and large. The flavor combination was spot on. The black truffle edamame were perfectly cooked and so flavorful that we didn't even dip them. Staff was friendly. Beautiful atmosphere. A great spot.

Love coming here when I'm celebrating an event. Recently came here with my boyfriend to celebrate the end of the school year and we got the Willis tower, the spider roll, and the kamikaze. All of them were DELECTABLE. The fish is especially fresh and ambiance is amazing. I've also tried the dynamite roll, the OMG (it comes on fire!), and the yellowtail before. Everything was great. Great sit down restaurant that's easily accessible on Green Street.

I was pleasantly shocked by how good this place was given its proximity to the ocean. I wasn't expecting Champaign to have good fresh fish. The salmon sashimi was exquisite and the Willis Tower was also shockingly good. I wish I got to try the tuna sashimi, but they had run out for the night. The wait took close to an hour, but our waiter explained that there was an issue with one of the head chefs so the kitchen was slower than usual. Even though it was a hectic night, our server was more than kind and knowledgeable about all the dishes!

Service was so kind and helpful, the environment is sort of sophisticated and elevated even thought it's in the middle of a college campus, and the food was amazing, I can't wait to go back. I don't remember what rolls we ordered but they came out amazing. The gyoza was to die for. Can't recommend enough.

This food was delicious. The service was quick and the rolls were breathtaking. We got the Sunset, Playgirl, Vegetarian Kamikaze, Dynamite signature rolls. Every one of them was beautiful and tasted so good. Totally recommend and it's so worth the price. Yum!

Loved it. Amazing sushi and great vegetarian options. Best sushi in the Champaign area. I would definitely recommend.

Quite surprised to encounter such a friendly and welcoming atmosphere at this place. As soon as you enter you are immediately greeted with sashimi chefs and attentive servers. The menu was reasonably priced when it came down to quantity. Katsu was slightly over breaded but nothing alarming or out of the norm. I would like to point out that the sushi specialty rolls were very filling. I would recommend to stop at this place as it one of the few restaurants that does not trade quality or quantity in the Urbana area.

Way too over priced for a restaurant in a college town, and for a sushi restaurant in the middle of the Midwest. The service was friendly and the interior is clean. We started with the miso soup, which was very basic and I could tell it was premade and reheated before serving. My friend's avocado rolls had graying avocados which was just unappetizing. The kamikaze roll was actually really decent with fat pieces of fish inside and on top of the roll--this would be the only thing I get if I came back. The eel roll was average with too tiny of a piece of eel.

I've come to Sakanaya once a week this school year and it never disappoints! The service is fast and friendly, the restaurant is cozy, and the sushi is fantastic. I've always left happy. Tonight in particular, it was packed. The servers did an excellent job managing the large flow of people & got us tasty food in record time. My favorite is the Playgirl roll! I recommend it to everyone I know.

I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant! I wasn't expecting such a great sushi place in the town. The sake don is delicious with pretty fresh salmon. It's a generous amount of fish as well! The shu mai was okay and probably wouldn't order again. Definitely go for the sushi and raw fish platters! Service was great and really attentive. Ambiance was also wonderful and pretty aesthetic (including the bathrooms!).

Their sushi is really good & it's cute inside! Super convenient for me! Rate it 4/5. Can use sprite!

Lots of vegetarian options! The crispy tofu bento, vege dynamite, and vegetarian miso soup was delicious.

Always a pleasant experience coming here even when they're super busy. The wait staff are always helpful and polite. My go-to for food is the crunch munch and miso soup; so tasty! Good food plus a cozy, lighted atmosphere, you can't go wrong. Worth the wait!

Great great great Japanese restaurant near campus!!! I have heard the deliciousness of Willis Tower among my different groups of friends for so many times, and today I ultimately had the chance to taste it in person! Beside the Willis Tower, I also ordered a plate of Takoyaki, and a piece of Sashimi-style Fatty Salmon. Both of the Takoyaki and Salmon were good, you can bite a piece of octopus inside each ball. However, for the Salmon, I do think the quantity was too little. It cost 5 dollars for just one bite! Anw, the Willis Tower was just amazing like all of my friends recommended. The sauce was just appropriately balanced between sweetness and saltiness, and the appearance was extraordinarily impressive. Highly highly highly recommend! The order and check process was pretty convenient and fast. You just need to scan the code, place your order in the website where they provide detailed information and pictures of specific items, and use your ApplePay or cards to check out whenever you are ready. The dining environment inside is pretty clean and neat as well, with a kinda Japanese vibe! Love it! Finally, I would like to mention that the only open lunch time of Sakanaya is Saturday, with a very limited time period, so it might be a little hard for people like me who used to eat more during lunch to hunt for delicious food here. If you decide to go there on Saturday noon, pls remember to place your name in the waitlist before 12:50, otherwise there's a risk that you may miss the open hours. It's so enjoyable to finally witness the famous food and explore this wonderful restaurant!!! :)

Delicious Japanese food & great service. Fresh & well prepared. Great selection of rolls. Will return!

Nice local gem in the heart of the University of Illinois campus. The sushi was delicious!

Sakanaya has the best sushi in Champaign, I got the dragon roll today and it was fantastic but I recommend their VIP/ Aburi / and Aburi. You can't get sushi this quality at such a reasonable price anywhere else :)

Excellent sushi with many varieties and amazingly friendly service! The waitlist option is highly recommended and very accurate for seating.

Had an okay experience when we went. Service was great order was wrong the first time but no big deal they fixed it

Outstanding food, atmosphere, and service. Not many places have uni and it tastes so fresh!

The best sushi spot in Champaign! Granted I've had better sushi in NYC, Sakanaya was a go-to spot for special dinners with friends! The prices are reasonable for a college town and there's plenty to choose from on the menu. The restaurant is quite small meaning there's not much indoor seating. Booking your reservations in advance here is crucial! The staff was very kind and checked in on us regularly. Definitely one of the must try restaurants in Champaign!

My favorite sushi spot in central Illinois! I've sat in once and it is gorgeous on the inside and very intimate. The service is very good as well I have never had a bad experience here!

Excellent food and service!! I dined here with one of my friends from Japan and he said the sushi here was "authentic ". Just see how tasting the foods look

Truly excellent sushi. Strange to find such great quality in Champaign, Il. Took my niece for dinner while visiting her at school. Neither of us had been there but the reviews were good so we took a chance. Food was incredible and the service very attentive and helpful. Great menu too with a good selection of some of the off the beaten path cuts like chutoro.

The sashimi was delicious and fresh, the Willis Tower was impressive and fun to dig into. The Ya Ya roll was a great blend of crunchy deep fry outside with soft cream cheese and tamago inside. Overall the food was perfect. The only issue with going to Samanaya is that there are only about 12 tables total. We jumped on Yelp Wait List to get reservations going before we went down there. When we got there, we didn't realize we needed to tell the hostess that we were there, we didn't realize this until we saw multiple names below ours in the list being sat at tables while we still waited. So that was frustrating because the front area of the restaurant was packed with people waiting around for their name to be called, meanwhile it doesn't seem like it's truly going in order. I absolutely recommend checking out Sakanaya - just be sure you get your spot in the reservation line and check in with the hostess when you get there!!

Sakanaya was a pleasant surprise! The meat quality was incredibly fresh and the flavors were definitely there. The rice was the perfect softness and there was not too much on each roll. For a sushi spot in Champaign, I did not expect it to be this good! My favorite rolls were the dragon and kamikaze, both packed with flavor. I would definitely come again.

Fast service, good food. I had a bunch of different sushi, I think like 5 different rolls for 60$. They have a lot of unique stuff on their specialty menu. Was able to try a lot of new rolls here.

Sakanaya, How I love you so. Your VIP role, is the tastiest in all of Champaign. Hold the asparagus and add avocado, I just cherish each and every bite. I wish every place could have such great service. Order to go for quicker service, or dine in, I'd recommend going at opening to avoid a wait.

I was insanely impressed by this place. Sometimes sushi places can be hit or miss (especially on campus). This was a hit and actually some of the best sushi I have had in awhile. Their menu is pretty large, but my favorites are the OMG, Philly, and Shrimp Tempura rolls. All of them outstanding. Their portions are also pretty large, even if the prices are a little high. The only downsides of this place are the wait, price, and ordering. Its a small place so you might need to wait. As for prices, sushi can sometimes be all over the place. This is charging higher end prices, but since the sushi is good, it makes up. Probably the biggest concern I have is the "self service" aspect. No longer are you ordering with a server and getting their recommendations. If I were new to sushi, I would be very scared by ordering something just based on what is on my phone. I also think it cheapens the experience. In all, this place is a hit and a new find for me. If you want to get some quality sushi on U of I campus, this is the place to be!

Nice service and atmosphere, the food was overall good but my favorite was the Gold Rush 1848!

I enjoyed the food at Sakanaya. The Willis tower was fairly large and tasted really good, so did the Alaskan roll. I didn't like how you order on your own and pay on your own as it defeats the purpose of going to a restaurant. You are glued to your phone and have little interaction with the server. The food came out very quickly though.

Staff is very friendly. Restaurant doesn't take reservations but you can join a waitlist. They do have a waiting area next door. Expect to wait for at least 30 minutes for a table during dinner hours. Menu is all digital and orders are placed over an app. Food is delicious, well prepared. Highly recommended spot in Champaign

I was in Champaign with my family for the weekend and I heard Sakanaya was the best Japanese restaurant in Champaign, so I decided to check it out with my kids. We ordered Miso Soup, Agedashi Tofu, Edamame, California and Cucumber rolls (for my kids), and I Love Sushi. Miso Soup was good, came with tofu, wakame (seaweed), and green onions. Edamame was steamed well, but wasn't sprinkled with some salt on top. For Agedashi Tofu, they used more of a firm textured tofu, usually it's supposed to be soft texture. Also, they didn't add grated daikon (radish) to the dish. That would have been a plus. On to the sushi, overall it was ok. The quality of fish was good. However the sushi rice was semi-hard/crunchy. Good nigiri sushi needs good quality fish, but also good quality sushi rice, that is moist and almost melts in your mouth. The I Love Sushi (kinda like omakase) comes with 10 pieces of fish and a negi hamachi roll. I was really opening for 10 pieces of different types of fish, but was given mostly two pieces of the same fish. I did like the fish to rice ratio for their nigiri sushi. Overall, I'd rate Sakanaya a 3.5.

Longest wait, rude staff We went there at 5:20 pm on Valentine's day and waited for three and half hour. When the waitlist system told us to see the host to be seated, we were asked to wait for another 30 minutes. The blue hair Korean host said we were standing in her way and demanded us to wait at the waiting room around the street corner, otherwise we are free to leave. The food was okay, but this is the worst experience I can imagine in a restaurant. I will not be returning ever!

Atmosphere was so great, service was good, food was amazing. Very very busy though and we did have to wait a little bit, so I recommend reservations

Korean-Japanese style sushi place. Friendly server. Very long waitlist, but the food is good.

Love the food! Service is good too the challenge is to get a table - but you can sign up in advance

Maybe it the best sushi place, however, it is oaky compared to sushi places in other parts of countries. Taste is okay. Service is spotty.

Sakanaya is probably one of the only places I would ever go to eat sushi in Champaign. It's a pretty small restaurant, so there aren't a whole lot of tables and seating. Prices are also really steep so be prepared to spend a lot of money if you want to leave full. I'd also recommend coming during hours that aren't busy because they tend to have longer wait times. I went around 5pm on a Sunday but it was still full of people. Rolls were fresh and delicious! Service was great.

This place is the best sushi in Champaign. It's always fresh and delicious and never disappoints. Every time we try another place, we enjoy it but always return here. Dining in can be busy but take out is quick and just as good.

Small place with tasty food. No private parking. Come early to avoid long waiting time. I liked the varieties of sushi and bowls. Simple inner decoration. Prompt service. Definitely planning to go back .

Amazing sushi at fair prices. Been here many times can't recommend it enough. The ambiance of the restaurant is nice with the low lighting but can be noisy at times, especially for those with sensory issues.