Izakaya 88 — Restaurant in Rockford Township

Horrible! Our chief was good but every single other staff member we encountered was AWFUL. It was bad enough that I gave our chief a cash tip, told him not to split it, and then left zero on the bill and talked to the manager. This was my first time here and I will NEVER be back.

They brought us the wrong orders twice, ARGUING with us the second time. The other family that was sitting at our table actually piped up and took our side and pointed out that they had also screwed up their orders once. My mother had to wait 20 minutes AFTER everyone else had their drinks to get her tea. Despite our cheif acknowledging she had ordered steamed rice, she had to get up, find our water who wasn't checking on people, and ask for Rice. Then after our meals were DONE, some other lady came up with another bowl of rice for her AND our calamari appetizer.

When everything was done, they mixed up our orders with the other family at our table. Like, to the extent that we couldn't just swap receipts. They had to redo the whole thing, and upon guessing again, got it wrong...again. Our waiter actually ruined my birthday dinner, NEVER apologized to or acknowledged my mother, would NOT give her the bill despite her asking for it, with credit card in hand (he would only give it to me) wouldn't even acknowledge her, never apologized to her. Told me that he was comping us the drinks, which was hillarious since the $10 lunch special we had each gotten included the drinks. When I loudly pointed this out the family next to us started laughing at him and the father there said "He told us the same thing!"

The food was good but for god sakes. With the exception of our chief...in the words of the other family at our table, "We could have gone to McDonalds and gotten better service." THe food was also nothing special.

The fried rice was, quite literally, the only exceptional thing here. The sushi was absolutely dime-a-dozen, dead on average. Cooked vegetables were easily given a run for their money by the frozen foods section at Walmart, and the steak was about on par with what I'd expect at golden chopsticks.

In hindsight, I saw warning signs at the beginning of our meal, and thought about walking out after being there for 20 minutes when the tea issue had started. I...

I was visiting Rockford and looking for a place to eat. I found a restaurant called Shogun online. The menu looked good, so I decided to give it a try. It was a little bit confusing at first, as there appeared to be two restaurants inside the same space. One was Shogun and the other was Izakaya 88. Both had open seating signs posted. I asked at the counter, and it was explained that it's not really two separate restaurants and that it's just a matter of preference as to which "restaurant" atmosphere one prefers. The Shogun side was bright, more basic in terms of decor, and more communal in its layout. The Izakaya 88 side was dim, had lovely modern decor, and was more private. I opted for Izakaya. I ordered the shrimp tacos, vegan ramen, and a sushi dragon roll. Although more Tex-Mex than Asian, the tacos were quite tasty and the amount of shrimp included was generous. The vegan ramen was also good. The broth and noodles were flavorful. Both the tacos and ramen were good values for the price charged. As far as the sushi dragon roll, it was just okay. Not bad, but I imagine that if I were trying sushi for the first time, I'd think to myself it's okay but not something I'd go out of my way for. Which is unfortunate, because I'm quite fond of sushi and, in particular, this style of roll. As to what made the roll just okay, I think it was a few things. The tempura had gotten soggy and didn't hold up well. There was actually a lot of tempura batter that overpowered the flavor of the other ingredients. As for the other ingredients, I feel like the proportions were off (and too little for the price of the roll). Also, the eel sauce wasn't as good as others I've tried, but this might just be a subjective preference. As far as service, it was good. The server was friendly. The food came out all at once (I hadn't specified an order) and was brought out by bus persons. When the server came to check on how everything was, it was just after the food had arrived. So, I think another stop further into my meal would have been nice. Overall, I had a good experience and would recommend this restaurant. Maybe don't get the dragon...

I've been a regular customer at this establishment for years. There is something for everyone. There are three different areas you can sit in. The cafe is beautiful and they offer you hot towels before your meal. If you are entertaining guests the habachi is top notch with great food and a show. If you come regularly and let to relax I highly recommend the Izakaya 88. The dinning area of the bar is set with low lights and string lights on the ceiling. The menu is smaller but fantastic! I love the servers who always remember that I like salt and pepper with my salad ! Shogun has the best sushi in town I've never had a bad experience with my food or service. We are always treated like family when we...