Daruma Restaurant — Restaurant in Schaumburg Township

The restaurant atmosphere was welcoming and the overall service was good. The servers were attentive and food came through relatively quickly despite the restaurant being quite packed.

A quick rundown of what we ordered:

Spicy Geso Karage (6/10) - the spicy mayo is BARELY able to cover the oil-soaked taste on the squid tentacles. Even taking a bite out of the lemon, the oil tasting still lingers.

Yakitori (10/10) - grilled to perfection with a well balanced sauce.

Sashimi (10/10) - also a 10/10. It was very fresh and perfectly sliced. Can't ask for more for sashimi.

Black Tonkotsu Ramen (10/10) - This is prob one of the best Tonkotsu Ramen I had in the Chicago area. The broth was ON POINT and the right amount of burnt garlic oil elevated the entire ramen experience. The noodle was also very well done and maintained the right texture.

Macha Tiramisu (0/10) - Saw on the menue it was a HOMEMADE green tea-flavored mascarpone cheese cake, and immediately went for it. As you guessed it, it was a huge letdown. The tiramisu was a mushed-together green Jell-O without the green tea flavor and the between layer was so saggy to the point that jell-o on top was heavy enough to start compressing the layer!! And the fact you can't taste any green tea flavoring (not even a hint)...

For those who won't read the entire review: PLEASE try the yuzu beer. You'll thank me later.

If you are looking for a place reminiscent of the the izakayas in Japan, if you are in the mood for some really good Japanese food, if you want a place to relax and where you can have long, leisure talks with friends or family, then look no further. This place has you covered.

No kidding, there are so many dishes to try here that are hard to find anywhere else. There are certain staple Japanese dishes that can be easily found and that have now become familiar, but for those who are longing for the "hidden gems" of Japan or who are adventurous and want to try new foods, then this place is perfect for you. The times we've went we used a Japanese menu, though I am sure they have one in English. I don't know if the menu items are the same, so either go with someone that knows Japanese or simply ask the waiter to give you the recommendations to get to those hard to find dishes. This place has a super relaxing atmosphere, especially if you are lucky and get the Japanese style rooms. They have a bunch of really good alcoholic drinks and I highly recommend the yuzu beer and the sake jelly.

You do not want to pass...

We visited this restaurant for my wife's birthday. The atmosphere was ok with attempts to make it look authentic Japanese. There's a small fish pond in the middle of the restaurant and cozy sunken booths to get that seated on the floor vibe. We came for sushi and were not disappointed. It was all fresh and seemed very authentic. Many places make sushi but Daruma's sushi seemed somewhat different... stepped up. The fish pieces on the Nigiri were larger. We tried some different pieces and there were Maki combinations that were fresh and different than the norm. My only complaint about the place was that it was either under construction or was just a bit run down. When you first walk in there were things piled into the corner of the bar area, there was a space heater in the middle of the room we were seated in to warm it up, and the bathroom was very rundown and in need of a makeover... fresh paint and an overall cleanup. The place needed a good dusting. Aside from the cosmetic issues, the food was excellent and well made. For my wife's birthday, they brought her out some green tea cheesecake that was very good. It was a nice end to a...