Fujiyama- Northbrook

Hello all! I'm addicted to this site. Has anyone been to Fujiyama in Northbrook? It is the best place for sushi around my area in my oppinion and I'd like to know your thoughts if you have eaten there. I'd also like to meet a fellow LTH around Northbrook just to drink and eat!!!!

Hi,

I have not been to Fujiyama. Is this is inside a large strip mall or stand alone? A friend recommended a place in Northbrook for sushi, I suspect you are both referring to the same place.

Why don't you tell us something about their sushi and what makes it so special to you? Can you offer some comparatives to other sushi restaurants we may already know?

Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant
3057 Dundee Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
847-714-1319

Regards,

I have been going there for the past 6 years and I think it's the best in the area. It is located in a strip mall right next to a fast food Italian restaurant.

Sushi- Thick quality pieces w/ not a lot of rice.

Rolls- Are very creative for being in the northshore The Double spicy roll is one of their best sellers, however it's not spicy in my oppinion. It's very good.

Cooked food- I'd say it's above average. They have the typical Japanese fair. The tempura is always crispy, their baked scallops and baked mussels are very good.

Ambience- The place seats about 30 people at most and its always crowded when we are there. Some of their customers are used to the long waits at peak times. It's not a trendy place to go to for ambience but a place to eat traditional Japanese fair. Paul the sushi chef and his wife Irene( the only wiatress) run the place. They are both straight forward people.

The only competitor in Northbrook is Kamahachi. There you have the ambiance/ decor, but their sushi is precut at times and their pieces are small.

Try it out and let me know your thoughts. Just ask the chef, Paul what would Pio ( pronounced P-O) eat when he's there.

My wife is from Northbrook and has been to Fujiyama many times. She said she had to stop ordering the Negiri there because the pieces were cut too thick. Although it is nice to get a meaty piece of fish on the rice, it loses its buttery texture if it gets too thick. She loves the fact that it is a small family run place and that you can get in and out pretty quickly for lunch. Overall, the fish is very fresh but they need to be consistent when cutting the fish.

I, too, love Fujiyama. But beware, once you start going there you will not be happy at the majority of other sushi places!! The Double Spicy roll is fabulous, as are their many other creative rolls. The Rich and Famous roll, the North Shore roll, the Sunrise and Sunset rolls--I could go on and on. Their sashimi is great--try the white tuna --it will melt in your mouth. I also think their seaweed salad is great.

I tried Sushi Kushi Too (or Two?) soon after it opened in Highland Park and was very disappointed. Same with Happy Sushi. Very average, uncreative rolls. And don't get me started on Aki Hana--why do people think this place is so great? I can't figure it out.

Fujiyama rocks!

Martwork wrote:I tried Sushi Kushi Too (or Two?) soon after it opened in Highland Park and was very disappointed. Same with Happy Sushi. Very average, uncreative rolls. And don't get me started on Aki Hana--why do people think this place is so great? I can't figure it out.

I have not tried Fujiyama, but I look forward to trying it based on all the positive comments here.

I am not someone who is interested in, or impressed by, creative rolls. I am a fan of Akai Hana and have always received high quality fish there. I particularly like their ika butter dish and the yellowtail collar, when it's available on the specials menu.

I have not been to Sushi Kushi Too, but I am also a fan of Sushi Kushi Toyo. Their menu is very impressive and I have also found their fish to be high quality across the board. They have a great selection of kushi and noodle dishes.

Best,
Michael

Akai Hana
3243 Lake Street
Wilmette
847-251-0384

Sushi Kushi Toyo
825 South Waukegan Rd
Lake Forest
(847) 234-9950

Sushi Kushi Too
495 Central Avenue
Highland Park
(847) 681-8997

Interesting that the three positive reviews are coming from three people who've never posted before.

Must be lots of Fujiyama fanatics who were just waiting for that perfect opportunity to make a first post.

Yes, it is interesting. It will be even more interesting to see if they have any other opinions on any other restaurants.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:Interesting that the three positive reviews are coming from three people who've never posted before.

Must be lots of Fujiyama fanatics who were just waiting for that perfect opportunity to make a first post.

Well, I would not exactly call hankwestcott's post "fanatical" -- he basically says that, in his wife's opinion (not his own), they have quick service and the fish (which is fresh -- small praise for sushi) is cut too thick. Pretty mild-mannered fanaticism, there. As for the other Fujiyama fans, as they used to say on Candid Camera, let's watch what happens ... but I will say that someone I knew who lived in Northbrook a few years ago spoke highly of the place and considered it on par with Kamehachi's Northbrook outlet.

Okay, we are now going to be yanking first-time-poster posts which are about Fujiyama, as it appears we are the target of a none-too-subtle campaign to talk up the restaurant.

If any of these first-time-posters want to attempt to convince us that they are on the level, they are invited to post something of some level of length and insight on ANY OTHER restaurant in the Chicago area before returning to the topic of Fujiyama.

Wow--what an "unusual " welcome to this website. I am just a suburban mom surfing the web and was very excited to see mention of my favorite sushi place in the area and thought I'd post. I have no hidden agenda and am not trying to "talk anything up"--actually--it's better for me if you all don't go to Fujiyama--no lines and no waiting for me. I guess I'll go back to surfing and forget about posting. Nice to meet you, too.

Wow. I'm at a loss. I initally asked if anyone has been there. Then was asked to elaborate about the place. It seems that I have not rec a warm welcome here as well as the others that have posted comments about Fujiyama. I had always wanted to post something on here, but I guess I'll hold back then.

Thanks

Another sushi restaurant I absolutely LOVE is Wakaba on Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling. They usually have no wait, service is great, and the pieces are on par with the best, and better than most. The reason it's not my all time favorite is simply the size and atmosphere.

- Judi

So... an effort to recreate my previous post now that I followed the rules and said something about Wakaba to prove that I'm not part of the "none-too-subtle campaign".

Today is my birthday and I chose to go to my favorite restaruant, Fujiyama, for lunch with my co-workers. I needed to call to make sure that they're open on Monday (yes, they are, from 11:30 - 2), and so I stumbled about this LTHForum by Googling. How cool that there are bunches of people just as excited about my all time fave restaurant as I am! I have been a "Paul & Irene" groupie since their days at Kama Kura in Wilmette years ago.

Anyway, I printed out the posts on the restaurant to share with Irene in a few minutes (pre-mod delete!) I'll post again after lunch to let you know how it went. I'm sure they'll be happy to see your post Pio - even though it was deleted from here.

- Judi

Irene LOVED the comments! She didn't have time to read them all as they were pretty busy for lunch, but she was pretty excited to see that they're "on the internet".

Food was awesome as usual. Had goma ae as an appetizer and a sashimi platter for my entree. She brought us ice-cream as a birthday present as soon as she found out it was my birthday.

- Judi

I went to this restaurant over 10 years ago. I am wondering if it is still good. I am looking for a good sushi restaurant in the northwest suburbs. Has anyone been here lately?

shorty wrote:I went to this restaurant over 10 years ago. I am wondering if it is still good. I am looking for a good sushi restaurant in the northwest suburbs. Has anyone been here lately?

If you want a good Northbrook option - http://www.kamehachi.com/northbrook/ - took my Sweety there last night for dinner.
If you want a good option further northwest - http://sushiparachicago.com/Sushi%20Par ... index.html

Fujiyama has been my absolute favorite go-to sushi restaurant on the north shore for 10+ years (I found out about it from this site when I first moved up north). Last week I went and was shocked to find the owners (Paul and Irene) "on vacation" for an indefinite period of time, and an entirely new crew working the restaurant. Although some of the sushi was still great, some was definitely not. The staff mumbled something about Paul and Irene coming back at some point, but I was not convinced. And now I'm worried - is there actually new ownership? Does anyone have any intel?

Lisa Sue wrote:Fujiyama has been my absolute favorite go-to sushi restaurant on the north shore for 10+ years (I found out about it from this site when I first moved up north). Last week I went and was shocked to find the owners (Paul and Irene) "on vacation" for an indefinite period of time, and an entirely new crew working the restaurant. Although some of the sushi was still great, some was definitely not. The staff mumbled something about Paul and Irene coming back at some point, but I was not convinced. And now I'm worried - is there actually new ownership? Does anyone have any intel?

I am on the fourth owner of a local Chinese take-out. Until the last transition, it was done abruptly and overnight. You might want to inquire with city hall or at the county if there was a change in ownership/business license for this address.

The second ownership of the local take-out was my favorite. If I knew how to follow him to his next business, I would have.

Regards,
Cathy2