Tanaka Sushi — Restaurant in Lisle

Tanaka Sushi provides the quintessential culinary experience featuring authentic Japanese and Korean cuisine. Nestled in a local strip mall along with other small businesses on Ogden Avenue in Lisle, Tanaka Sushi continues to inspire and dazzle multiple generations as a staple in the community with exquisite and traditional delicacies, such as Bulgogi, Bibimbap, Katsu, Kimchi, Fried Rice, Udon, Seafood Noodle and Soft Tofu Soups, Chicken / Salmon / Beef Teriyaki and, of course, my personal favorite, Ramyeon (Korean Ramen), among other delicious, delightful menu items. The Sushi / Sashimi / Maki rolls are created fresh each and every day from the finest ingredients - and with the utmost care, diligence, and consideration. Both dine-in and carryout options are equally viable. For over 20 years (12 years in this current location and 10 years in another strip mall), this fine family-owned establishment has served members of the surrounding western suburban communities, in addition to entertaining visitors from nearby neighborhoods and guests from Chicago, and even patrons from out of state. I was introduced to this remarkable small business, yet delectable giant, during the onset of the pandemic in 2020. And for the past four years, I have ultimately realized that not a finer sushi restaurant exists in the Chicagoland area. The owner (husband, whose caricature also adorns the restaurant’s logo) and short haired cashier (wife) combine to form a truly dynamic duo - specializing in lunch specials, made to order dinner entrees (with special attention given to allergy concerns) and Sushi / Sashimi / Maki party trays, especially on nights and weekends. The owner specifically is a well-traveled pioneer learning his culinary skills overseas and showcasing his talents now in Lisle for all to enjoy. The husband and wife dynamic duo also keep the dining area functioning elegantly and superiorly on a daily basis. There is also a smart, devoted Korean uncle / gentleman whom provides the expertise and fine craftsmanship in terms of successfully fulfilling Door Dash and Uber Eats, as well as dine-in orders, alike. Additionally, the young, very bright, and highly resourceful cashier consistently exhibits exceptional customer service with an extremely friendly disposition characterized by exemplary manners and kind social graces. As you can imagine - Tanaka Sushi is a family-friendly and family inspired restaurant where community, family, and togetherness are emphasized and celebrated over delicious authentic Korean / Japanese food. Beyond these mainstays - Tanaka Sushi also employs a diverse and talented work-staff, including cooks and servers. I am impressed with everyone’s commitment to excellence, as well as the drive and dedication to continuously succeed. As a result, Tanaka Sushi will always remain in my heart with unconditional love. For all reasons stated above and for all those reasons which stand dear to my palate, I highly recommend Tanaka Sushi with a full 5 star...

A passable place. Price is a little up there, fish is fresh but has a very muted taste (unlike, say, Sushi Ukai or Lawrence Fish Market, whose fish is very fresh AND very flavorful). The fish tasted kinda "refrigerated", if you well. Katsu and tempura are light, but the breading is a little bit "hard". It was not as fluffy and juicy as I hoped it would be.

I also had the Korean cold noodles (summer special), which was... the best dish of the bunch? The noodles are very sticky though due to it being cold, so I had to use the fork rather than chopsticks for it, but it had a nice mouthfeel. The broth and vegetables are quite vinegary. It is like a kimchi soup but without the chilies and made with hard vegetables rather than soft vegetables, if you will. The meat that came with the noodles was also nice to taste, though I would've liked a lot more of it. It's rather like the sliced beef flanks you can find as small plates in Chinese restaurants such as Xi'an Cuisine or Minghin.

Overall, I wouldn't really recommend Tanaka Sushi, although I get the feeling that they do the Korean soups better than they do Japanese cuisine. I've only tried the cold Korean noodles, but if you are curious about Korean cuisine in general, it might be...

I cannot rave enough about Tanaka!! They were SO friendly and welcoming. I have a bunch of dietary restrictions and they were super accommodating. I ordered a food we thought met my requirements and they talked about it in the kitchen, realized there may be some cross-contaimination, so they came all the way into the dining room with a menu, sat down with me and gave me recommendations on what would match for me. As they were doing that, the chef came out and said he would make my original choice special for me without the garlic or onion. They made my meal, made sure they gave me lots of choices for different sauces since the original sauce did not meet my restrictions and checked in on us multiple times. That was just the hospitality part! Now on to the food. O.M.G SO GOOD! We got the lady roll, the baked spicy salmon roll, bibimbap, chicken katsu, and gyoza. It was wayyyyy too much food, but every bite I was saying how delicious it was! Did not miss! 12/10 HIGHLY recommend. The family was so so so sweet and the food was fast, fresh, and amazing. If I lived in this area, I would be a super regular here. Unfortunately, I am only visiting. But I'm going to keep this place in mind if I'm...