Sushi Para — Restaurant in Palatine Township

I am only giving one star because Google is making me. This place was AWFUL!!! We just left and I couldn't wait to get home and write a review. First let's start off with the bad qualities of the rolls. The rolls are absolutely disgusting. My husband and I decided to do the all you can eat while our daughter decided to pick a roll from the menu. I ordered the miso soup, chicken salad and a couple of the rolls. First of all the chicken was cold and disgusting on the salad it was like they just threw it on there without a care. And the miso soup was the most disgusting miso soup that I've ever had and I've eaten a lot of sushi. After the first round of rolls my husband was so disgusted and his stomach already hurt but we knew we have to pay the $20 so we decided to just go ahead and continue with it. When you after the first round we would never come back to this restaurant. On the next round we ordered a bunch of different rolls and some of them were okay tasting while others were really gross. The one that was really disgusting was the spicy tuna.

During the first round of rolls my husband didn't like any of his rolls and decided to give a piece, a singular piece to our daughter. We saw the waitress, who was watching us eat from across the restaurant, walk over and start to talk to the other servers and then we noticed that all the servers started watching us. She came over and said that we couldn't share with our daughter because she didn't get the all you can eat. We said ok and didn't realize that we couldn't share a single piece of a roll with her and ordered another round. After this we notice every server was watching us, they actually stationed someone across from us to watch us. Then we noticed they all started whispering and pointing to us. And sent another server over to ask why wasn't eating my spicy tuna rolls. I told her that I didn't like them and they were disgusting and she said okay and took them away. That's when we noticed that all of the servers were watching us and talking about us and pointing and laughing. I should note that we are a multicultural family. I am Black and my husband and daughter are white. When they started pointing and laughing my daughter asked are they laughing at us because I am black. I think the one woman overheard her as she turned around and started walking away and then went into the kitchen. It was then I told my husband to take our daughter and put her in the car. I walked up to the counter and said we were done and we just really wanted to pay our bill and go. That's when I noticed they had double charged us. They charged us extra for the spicy to know that I didn't like and wasn't going to eat and also for the singular piece of a role that my daughter ate they charged us an extra $2.75. Which was insane. When I asked the woman at the front why everyone was staring at us she said "what am I supposed to do just not look at someone like you". It was then I knew exactly what she meant and not only that they were staring at us about the singular piece of a roll that we gave our daughter but because we were an interracial family. Disgusted I just paid whatever the bill was signed my name and left. No I did not leave a tip because our waitress was the leading person staring and laughing at my family. I will be calling my credit card company right now to let them know that that was signed only so I could leave the restaurant and not suffer anymore of the racism that this restaurant was putting towards me and my family. I will be calling the general manager and owner of this restaurant tomorrow.

Do yourself a big favor do not ever, ever, eat at this disgusting restaurant. Not only is the food gross but the people...

This is, by far, my favorite restaurant anywhere. Let me cover every aspect, as Sushi Para deserves a verbose review:

-Food- People may at times tell you that the best sushi is single-plating versus all-you-can-eat. That isn't the case here. Sushi Para chefs prepare the sushi extravagantly and neatly, quickly, and plump. The eel is perfectly moist, tender, and is absolutely my favorite thing there. I've had eel other places and it's either been dry or overly salted. Not the case here. The tuna and salmon are exactly the right color and temperature for the most flavor. I'm personally not a fan of fish roe, but it's absolutely beautiful, the quality of the roe.

The appetizers are always freshly prepared and cooked. The edamame is perfectly spiced/salted and the beer/beverages are always served frosty. I never even bothered to ask about dessert, mostly because every time I eat here, I'm bursting at the seams.

-Service- The staff is exceptionally friendly. Mind you, I've been to Sushi Para II in Chicago and the service there is attrocious, but no surprise to learn that the original is always the best. The ladies are extremely courteous, always smiling, and never rude to any extent. The chefs/preparers make conversation amongst themselves, but never uncomfortably or unprofessionally. The last time I tipped them (not just the waitress), they all stopped for a moment to thank me. I had to remind them that they do an amazing job and I'm the thankful one.

The manager there is very friendly, always on the move, and sacrifices her own sanity to maintain an excellent sense of professionalism and quality. This is the kind of place I enjoy overtipping, because it's never a disappointment. Ever.

Plates and beverages are brought out quickly, though understandably, preparation takes a bit. My recommendation? Order edamame or tempura while you wait. It's worth it, trust me. And all well worth the price.

-Maintenance- Tables are always cleaned and wiped down, silverware (if requested) and plates/glasses are always spotless, and floors are cleaned during slow times. Even when the place is packed, it maintains a very professional sense of cleanliness. My only complaint is that the chairs are somewhat rickety, but that's not really an issue and not worth delving into.

-Price- Who can argue with a $20 dinner and $15 lunch, both all-you-can-eat?? And when the food is worthy of 3 times that price? It's perfectly worth it! I'd go more often than I do, but as I said, I love to overtip here and have tip for the chefs.

Overall:

If you live in the city and are a good distance away, you should still make the trip. Given that Sushi Para II and Sushi Para M are in the city, their customer services are horrible. This place is worth the trip, believe me. First time sushi eater? Make this place your first time and you'll be coming back for more, guaranteed.

Recommendations:

I very highly recommend trying Eel sushi (not the rolls, just the regular sushi). The sound of it may be intimidating, but you will NOT regret it! Also, although it's a premium item (slight extra cost), you should try the Godzilla rolls. It's orgasmic and filling. Edamame is an absolute must. Remember: only eat the beans, not the casing...

Ladies and gentlemen, I never thought this day would come, but this was the LAST TIME that I'm ever coming to Sushi Para. This is approximately the 13th year that my wife and I have been coming to Sushi Para. Has it always been perfect? No. We didn't pay much attention to the sometimes rude service, or the ridiculous wait times, or the fact that they use two fistful's of rice for every sushi piece, we even looked the other way during their many "less than perfect" health inspection score periods... We came back as a couple, we brought groups of friends, and ordered party platters countless times. In other words we have given Sushi Para a LOT of business over the years. However all that has come to an end for me, and after today's incident I am going to take my business elsewhere. I will also make sure that none of my friends or family ever come back, and give Sushi Para even a dime of their hard-earned money. SUSHI PARA DOES NOT DESERVE YOUR BUSINESS! SUSHI PARA DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS!

My wife ordered a $12 roll as her meal and was not feeling like going all-you-can-eat ($19.99). During dinner, I tried one of her pieces and offered her some of my pieces to try. I did not over-order my initial plate, nor did I order any additional sushi beyond my first plate. Technically, sharing is not allowed with non-all-you-can-eat guests, but we shared 2-3 pieces, nothing flagrant or obscene. In the past, there was never any issues with this as long as it was not a rampant practice. When our bill came, there was a charge for 3 pieces of sushi. I asked why and the waitress proceeded to tell me that she saw us sharing, counted how many, and now we have to pay. I asked her why she did not come by to warn us, or explain the now hard rule enforcement. Blank stare. I asked why she was being sneaky? She of course had no answer. So we promptly asked for a manager. A few minutes later another waitress showed up and after we explained our lack of appreciation for this kind of treatment, she looked very puzzled as to why we were not happy. Then a young high school waiter came by and proceeded to try to explain that since we've been here before we should have known the rules, and that it our fault.... He was promptly shooed away.

Needless to say after they all but told us that they do not care for our continued business, we paid the bill, and left ... FOR GOOD.

Folks, please DO NOT GO HERE because they are rude, they spy on you, and apparently count every piece of food you are eating. There are at least 4+ other all-you-can-eat sushi places that will make you FORGET SUSHI PARA. They are (in order of preference) Sushi Grove, Todoroki, Kawa, 5th Avenue Sushi, Yummy, etc.

BYE BYE SUSHI PARA, I hope the $3 you charged us were worth losing a...