Daruma (Schaumburg) for Homestyle Japanese

Daruma is the first spot that my Japanese wife and her family introduced me to. At first, I didn't realize it was special because I didn't know what Japanese food was. Then I didn't realize it was special because I didn't know what other Japanese restaurants were. Now I'm pretty sure it's special. The sushi is always fresh and thoughtfully prepared. But the real treasure is the food out of the kitchen. Even though I've ordered a multitude of deep-fried dishes, nothing has ever been undercooked on the inside or greasy on the outside. Salads and sumomo are perfectly and refreshingly seasoned. And the broiled fishes, with their crispy skin and juicy interiors, inspire you to suck the delicate bones clean.

One word of advice: ask for the daily specials. They're not listed anywhere; you have to ask. The servers may struggle to translate the components into English, but be patient, because it will be worth your time. The tofu, fried asparagus, and mackerel below were all specials on the night we visited.


Wakame, cucumber, rice vinegar


Tofu, grated mountain yam, shiso, ume, dashi


Asparagus wrapped in bacon


Beef croquette


Asparagus wrapped in beef


Assorted sushi


Dried horse makerel, broiled


Fried oysters


Napolitan spaghetti


DARUMA JAPANESE RESTAURANT
1823 West Golf Road
Poplar Creek Plaza
Schaumburg, IL 60194
(847) 882-9700

It all looks wonderful, but the Tofu, grated mountain yam, shiso, ume, dashi is calling me.

Daruma is high on my Must Try list, thanks.

Another great dinner tonight. Once again, items on the specials menu were fantastic.

Agadashi Kani Ankake (special) - Cubes of deep-fried tofu in a velvety dashi sauce with carrots, shiitake, konnyaku, bamboo shoots, green onion, and shredded crab. I had never had this before, and now I wish it was on the regular menu. A very meaty and satisfying dish.
Gyutan Negi Kimchee (special) - Thin slices of beef tongue topped with green onions and kimchee. Great combination of tenderness and chew in the meat, combined with the crunch in the onions and kimchee. But I do wish the kimchee had a bit more heat to it.
Kanpachi Sashimi (special) - 4 fresh, thick slices. I like the taste and texture of this "fishy" fish more than my wife does.
Karaage - These deep-fried chunks of dark meat chicken always come out perfectly crisp. The kewpie mayo on the side doesn't hurt, either.
Sansai Udon - Soup with mountain vegetables. As I mentioned above, I'm always impressed with the well-seasoned broths at Daruma.

Is this the same Daruma that used to be on Central in Evanston?

iblock9 wrote:Is this the same Daruma that used to be on Central in Evanston?

No, it's the second location.
The Schaumburg location opened in the late 80's. I did not go there as often -- I may have been wrong, but it always seemed more expensive and less friendly.
I miss the Evanston location, it's where I cut my teeth on sushi and bento boxes.

JoelF wrote:

iblock9 wrote:Is this the same Daruma that used to be on Central in Evanston?

I miss the Evanston location, it's where I cut my teeth on sushi and bento boxes.

+1
work took my parents to Japan and they "discovered" the food they missed at Daruma (prior to the expansion) and I really loved the food
and seeing all the Japanese businessmen reading Japanese papers while chowing down on a bowl of noodles. Could they have been open back in 1978 or 1979?

mhill95149 wrote:work took my parents to Japan and they "discovered" the food they missed at Daruma (prior to the expansion) and I really loved the food
and seeing all the Japanese businessmen reading Japanese papers while chowing down on a bowl of noodles. Could they have been open back in 1978 or 1979?

Probably; they were certainly there by '81 or '82 (not sure when I first found them -- it was a little far for a hike from the NU dorms).

I think my problem with the Schaumburg version is that it was too "traditional" Japanese: tea rooms, low lighting, big bar with tropical drinks. The original Daruma was more cafe-like, with formica tables and bright lighting, as seen at Akai Hana (Wilmette), Sakura (Mt Prospect - which does have tea rooms too), the late lamented Kitikata, and many others. They do have one room which is more casual, but you had to walk past the gloomy area to get there.

JoelF wrote:I think my problem with the Schaumburg version is that it was too "traditional" Japanese: tea rooms, low lighting, big bar with tropical drinks.

Interesting... it's true that Daruma does have tea rooms and a small bar area. But from my personal experience, I've never seen anybody partaking of tropical drinks. Mostly just sake and beer. And besides the tea rooms, there are 2 large spaces with normal seating, besides the seats along the sushi bar.

I do agree about how the low lighting can sometimes contribute to a subdued atmosphere, especially at night. But it kind of depends on the other patrons at that particular time. Sometimes there's plenty of young children in the restaurant running about, and sometimes a large group in a tea room can get plenty rowdy.

Anko wrote:Interesting... it's true that Daruma does have tea rooms and a small bar area. But from my personal experience, I've never seen anybody partaking of tropical drinks. Mostly just sake and beer. And besides the tea rooms, there are 2 large spaces with normal seating, besides the seats along the sushi bar.

I do agree about how the low lighting can sometimes contribute to a subdued atmosphere, especially at night. But it kind of depends on the other patrons at that particular time. Sometimes there's plenty of young children in the restaurant running about, and sometimes a large group in a tea room can get plenty rowdy.

I probably need to give them another shot -- it's been years since I've been there (I have friends who lived in Streamwood for a number of years, and we'd meet there on rare occasions).

I'm a big fan of Japanese yōshoku style cooking, so I finally tried Daruma's lunch menu. A lot of the lunch menu items are also available at dinner, but whenever I'm there for dinner, I always try a bunch of the dinner specials and don't have room for the bigger entrees.

We ordered the Tori Karaage Lunch (fried chicken) and Nikko Hamburger Lunch (special). Portions were generous and hearty, and pretty much every table around us took home leftovers. Dark meat for their karaage and the hamburger was a mix of pork and beef with a tasty sauce/gravy. It also comes with sides like rice, miso soup, salad or cabbage salad, and their Japanese spaghetti with ketchup sauce (which you can also order at dinner but comes in a huge portion, and not unsurprisingly, reheats badly).




I thoroughly enjoyed the food, and the prices are for very reasonable for lunch. Our meal came out to a little over $31 total with tax and tip. I had sticker shock recently after going to a trendy taco place, where I got significantly less food that was much less tasty. The only bad thing about lunch is that I can't order their deep fried cheese ham sandwich, which is truly comfort food happiness for me.

Glad to hear they're still open. 35 years ago they're original in Evanston was a regular spot fort us, and we went to the Schaumburg one several times with friends out that way.

don't mean to highjack the thread but i was just recently feeling sad about the demise of Sunshine Cafe in Andersonville, and wonder if folks have recs for homestyle within the city?

annak wrote:don't mean to highjack the thread but i was just recently feeling sad about the demise of Sunshine Cafe in Andersonville, and wonder if folks have recs for homestyle within the city?

Renga Tei in Lincolnwood is still wonderful and I always preferred it to Sunshine, though I know some disagree.

boudreaulicious wrote:Renga Tei in Lincolnwood is still wonderful and I always preferred it to Sunshine, though I know some disagree.

As a long time lover of both Sunshine (RIP) and Renga Tei I'd suggest that's like comparing apples to pears.

Sounds like I have to crank up the Vespa and head to the wilds of Schaumburg for a meal at Daruma.

Daruma is one of the few places my ex-wife who was born and raised in Akita approved of.

boudreaulicious wrote:

annak wrote:don't mean to highjack the thread but i was just recently feeling sad about the demise of Sunshine Cafe in Andersonville, and wonder if folks have recs for homestyle within the city?

Renga Tei in Lincolnwood is still wonderful and I always preferred it to Sunshine, though I know some disagree.

is Lincolnwood in the city of Chicago? this is not the first thread of my asking for something specifically "in the city" and people interpreting that as "in Chicagoland" but i really mean, easily accessible on the el, not too far from people who live in the core, etc etc. - i should think of a better way to phrase.

annak wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:

annak wrote:don't mean to highjack the thread but i was just recently feeling sad about the demise of Sunshine Cafe in Andersonville, and wonder if folks have recs for homestyle within the city?

Renga Tei in Lincolnwood is still wonderful and I always preferred it to Sunshine, though I know some disagree.

is Lincolnwood in the city of Chicago? this is not the first thread of my asking for something specifically "in the city" and people interpreting that as "in Chicagoland" but i really mean, easily accessible on the el, not too far from people who live in the core, etc etc. - i should think of a better way to phrase.

It's at Touhy and Crawford, so you'll have to decide for yourself if it meets your criteria. It's not technically in the city but still south of Howard St, which creates one primary boundary between the city and suburbs. So, it could reasonably be considered more accessible than some city destinations. It's really a matter of personal preference, which is why it's best practice to let the information come from those generous enough to take the time to provide it, and decide for yourself whether or not it makes sense for you. Given the original subject of this thread, it's reasonable to presume that the suggestion of Renga Tei would be useful for others reading/searching in the future.

If a great place were located in Mount Greenwood, a neighborhood firmly with the city limits, would that be any more convenient than Lincolnwood? If one were coming from Logan Square, certainly not. So, yeah. It's probably best to be as specific as possible rather than assume that convenience is universal.

I find it interesting that so many of these types of places now seem to exist mainly in the burbs. I guess that's where the population centers that comprise their main support now reside.

I've been a fan of Renga Tei for decades but a visit there last summer really bummed me out and I haven't been back since. Weekday lunch there seems a much better option than prime time dinner.

=R=

G Wiv wrote:

boudreaulicious wrote:Renga Tei in Lincolnwood is still wonderful and I always preferred it to Sunshine, though I know some disagree.

As a long time lover of both Sunshine (RIP) and Renga Tei I'd suggest that's like comparing apples to pears.

Sounds like I have to crank up the Vespa and head to the wilds of Schaumburg for a meal at Daruma.

Obviously Renga Tei’s menu is broader than Sunshine Cafe’s and includes sushi, but it’s the “home style” items I like best there, so take that for what you will. I never understood the love for SC, frankly, so maybe that’s why I’m off base on the comparison.

And sorry if Lincolnwood is considered too far from the city. I figure if someone liked Sunshine Cafe, they’d be ok driving 4.5 additional miles.

Guess I failed on all counts

ronnie_suburban wrote:
I've been a fan of Renga Tei for decades but a visit there last summer really bummed me out and I haven't been back since. Weekday lunch there seems a much better option than prime time dinner.

=R=

We had a wonderful early weekend dinner there a few weeks ago with all of our favorites available, along with several interesting new items on the specials menu. If you haven’t been back, I definitely think it’s worth giving them another go. The broiled salmon collar, tofu salad, kakiage, shima aji and tuna tataki were as delicious as ever.

boudreaulicious wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:
I've been a fan of Renga Tei for decades but a visit there last summer really bummed me out and I haven't been back since. Weekday lunch there seems a much better option than prime time dinner.

=R=

We had a wonderful early weekend dinner there a few weeks ago with all of our favorites available, along with several interesting new items on the specials menu. If you haven’t been back, I definitely think it’s worth giving them another go. The broiled salmon collar, tofu salad, kakiage, shima aji and tuna tataki were as delicious as ever.

I'll be back for sure . . . eventually. I actually had 2 meals there within the space of a few days. The first, a weekday lunch, was sublime. The second, a Saturday night dinner, was a textbook example of how to be inhospitable. We were made to feel like we weren't wanted there at all. Really tough to go back after that experience but it'll happen sooner or later. Fwiw, the food was never an issue.

=R=

This also isn't in the city, but Torizen is another homestyle Japanese restaurant in Schaumburg also along Golf Rd. In an old Openings/Closings thread, the poster mentioned that it was opened by the former kitchen chef from Daruma. I find the two restaurants comparable. My partner prefers the karaage from Torizen. Torizen also has a much smaller dinner menu.