Kubo Sushi and Sake Lounge — Restaurant in Elgin

My best friend and I decided to try this place on a recommendation that the new sushi place downtown was really good. Yesterday were celebrating Galentine's, feeling nostalgic about 10 years since graduation (We LOVE sushi, Japanese culture and cuisine, studied Japanese for 4 years, then went to Japan after graduating high school)

The atmosphere is on point. Relaxed, cool, modern. I had forgotten a mask, they let us know we could still come in and sit down, but we had asked for one anyway so I could use it at the other stores. It was no big deal so we decided to let it go, just sit down and figure out where I could get one later.

Our waitress was very sweet, attentive. We ordered bento boxes and I asked for a tofu substitution- this was my first time ordering Japanese food/sushi since becoming (mainly) vegan. Not only did our waitress and the chef accommodate me, they went above and beyond checking with me for each aspect of the box that had meat in it (I had forgotten how much meat was included, and was pretty embarrassed that I had ordered something that basically had to be made into a new dish). They did not mind at all, and the food was incredible.

To top it off, I believe the owner (who had told us to come in and sit when we came in) came over to clarify if I had asked for a mask to use elsewhere, because they have plenty of spare masks and realized after what we were asking.

PHENOMINAL. We were so excited to find such a great place in downtown Elgin. There are great ones, and a couple we really like, but this is exactly what we were looking for and more. This will be a regular spot for us (and everyone we recommend it...

I was shocked to see a sushi restaurant in my neighborhood so I had to try it. I'm a little budget conscious, so I often go to "all you can eat" sushi restaurants. This is not AYCE, so I was prepared to pay more than what I was used to. With that being said, I think $12 for Sapporo on tap is too much. I ordered without realizing the price, but that's my fault.

The presentation of the food was beautiful. The appetizer (tartar pyramid - $13.75), my salad (seaweed salad $5.75), and my entree (sashimi app $12) were plated nicely. The portion of the pyramid was a little small, but I thought the salad and sashimi app were appropriately sized for the price and quality. The fish was very fresh. No fishy smell in this restaurant. If you ever walk into a restaurant that smells fishy - you probably don't want to order sushi. The sashimi app is chef's choice and got 3 pieces each of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and sea bass plated with daikon radish and shiso leaves. I also want to mention that they serve white ginger, which I love.

The service was slow, but it's a new restaurant. I'm sure the kinks are still being worked out and servers may still be new and/or training. I will say that everyone is super nice here. The hostess, our server, and the sushi chef were all very friendly.

Overall, I really enjoyed my food and the atmosphere. I will be back and am excited to try other things on the menu. They have a decent cocktail menu that I will certainly hit up next...

I order through Uber Eats quite often. My son is autistic, and their Yaki Udon is his most favorite thing in the world and a safe meal for him when he’s having a hard time trying to eat anything else. Every single time I’ve ordered food from here, they’ve included a free item (free bottle of soda, recently it was a box of the strawberry filled biscuit crackers). I absolutely love this place. The quality of their sushi (I often get the scallop and salmon belly nigiri), portions, everything is always phenomenal. I even get great service despite the fact I’m not actually sitting down to eat in the restaurant. I hope I can come in and sit down here in person eventually, but I highly recommend it just based on the food alone.

EDIT: I wanted sushi so bad on Sunday but since Kubo was closed, I had ordered from a different sushi place. It ended up being SO awful that I just HAD to order from Kubo the next day to get my sushi craving satisfied. I haven’t ordered in a while but wow, this place never disappoints and is a o amazing. They wrote on the bag ”Thank you Molly and Family” included free drinks and a mochi ice cream! Its not just a small gesture but above and beyond. I had such an awful day and was so touched at the amount of care this place puts in. They deserve so much good business and the staff is just amazing. The food is just top notch, especially compared to other sushi places that I tried in the area. I hope the add fresh uni to the...