Updated November 2026. A Friday date night for two at Osaka Sushi in Mundelein, without the kids. The bill is at the bottom.
For over a month now, Vika and I have been getting ads for Osaka Sushi on Facebook and Instagram. The funny part is that we were both getting them, and we kept sending each other different ones. Every ad was a plate of sushi that looked great. So I messaged them, and Ryan, who I think is the owner, or at the very least the head chef, wrote back and told us to come down on a Friday and check out the food. So on Friday night, that’s what we did.
Here is where we landed on the drive home, and we didn’t land in the same place. I would give it about a 4.3 out of 5 and I would happily go back. Vika says 3.5 at the most, and she stands by that. We agree on more than that gap makes it sound like: the rolls look fantastic, the rice is good, the fish is generous and the prices are reasonable. Where we split is the spicy mayo, the eel, and how much tempura is hiding inside the rolls.
Who runs Osaka Sushi
Osaka is a small sushi place in a strip mall on Butterfield Road in Mundelein, and it has been there a long time. According to the restaurant’s own website, Chef Ryan has been making sushi for over thirty years, including at Nomi in the Park Hyatt Chicago, ran his own sushi restaurant near Atlanta for eleven years, and has been running Osaka Sushi for more than ten years now. We didn’t know any of that walking in. We knew the ads.
The room feels like 1994, and that’s okay
Walking in, it kind of feels like you’re walking into 1994. I don’t mean that in a negative way. It’s an older place, and I think it probably has not been updated in a long time, maybe since it first opened. If it were up to me, I would get rid of the carpet. Otherwise the look is fine. It isn’t modern, and it isn’t one of those places where you walk in and feel like you’re in a lounge or a nightclub. You are walking into a restaurant.
It also didn’t feel dirty, which matters to us. You know how sometimes you walk into a restaurant and start questioning how clean the kitchen is? There was nothing like that here. Vika’s take was that nothing about the room made her want to leave, and nothing about it drew her in either. It was just fine.
If we had been Googling for a date night spot and only looked at pictures of the inside, with no ads and no reviews, I think we would have scrolled right past it. It isn’t a date night room. But that isn’t what you come here for.
What I did like is that the tables near us had tall cherry blossom dividers between them. It’s a small place, and without them I think you would feel like you were sitting with the next table.
Small, steady, and easy for a family
When we walked in there was one other table. Over the hour we were there, a few more filled in, all couples except one family of three, two adults and a child. It wasn’t empty, and because the room is so small, it felt fine. There was also a steady stream of people picking up takeout, and one man came in, ordered and waited while we ate.
If you want to come with a family of four, I think that’s easy. If you’re bringing a bigger group, say eight people, I would call ahead first, because I’m not sure they could fit you on a busy night.
The service was attentive enough
They took our order, brought us water, brought my beer, and came by to ask how the food was. It was attentive enough without being the kind of place where someone asks every five minutes if you need anything. If I had to nitpick, it would have been nice if they had come by one more time toward the end to ask if we wanted anything else. I don’t remember them doing that.
One small thing: Vika said she was good with just water, so they brought one water, for her. Usually a place brings water for both people. I wouldn’t hold it against them. We asked for one and we got one. And if you have been to Europe, you know that if you don’t ask, nobody brings water at all. But we’re not in Europe, we’re in Mundelein.
Before the sushi came out, they brought us a little salad with ginger dressing and a bowl of miso soup. Nothing fancy, and the miso soup was tasty. Neither one was on our check.
What we ordered at Osaka Sushi
We ordered the 4 Roll Gold Combo, which is four of their rolls on one plate: the Firecracker, the Tiger, the King Crab and the Dragon. They have a few roll combinations on the menu, and this one sounded like a good way to try a little of everything.
And because we get it everywhere we go, we also added a spicy scallop roll. That is five rolls, eight pieces each, forty pieces for two people. It was a lot of sushi.
Presentation is what got Vika interested in the first place, from the ads, and it held up in person. Everything came out on this really cool, deep plate, almost a bowl, and every roll was neatly plated. Nothing was falling apart. I also liked that they used different mayos on different rolls, so you get these contrasting colors across the plate.
Across all five rolls, the ratio of rice to everything else was good, and the rice tasted good, which isn’t something we can say everywhere. One thing Vika noticed that surprised us both: every roll with cucumber had one very thick piece of it. A single solid slice rather than thin strips. It isn’t a bad thing, it was just unexpected.
The Firecracker was my favorite, and Vika wasn’t wowed
The Firecracker is chopped spicy tuna on top with tempura flakes inside, and it was my favorite roll of the night. I like the crunch.
Vika didn’t love it, and that surprised me, because spicy tuna is normally her thing. She didn’t think it was spicy, and it didn’t wow her.
And I will admit her point has something to it. The inside is all tempura flakes. You like the crunch, and then you realize you’re mostly eating fried batter. If they put something real inside, even for a dollar more, I think it would be a better roll.
The spicy scallop roll, and the great spicy mayo debate
The spicy scallop roll was full of chopped scallop, and you could tell it was good quality. It was very meaty. Vika liked the scallop and the rice, but she didn’t care for the mayo it was mixed with, and next to the spicy scallop roll at Black Pearl in Glenview, it fell a little short for her. For me it was my second favorite roll on the plate. I thought it was excellent.
Here is where we started arguing in the car. Vika thinks the mayo in the scallop roll is the same house spicy mayo they brought us on the side. I think it’s a different mayo, and I have the photos. The side mayo is a bright, almost neon orange, and the scallop roll is a paler orange. It didn’t taste the same to me either. We may have to call the restaurant to settle it.
We order a side of spicy mayo everywhere and taste it on its own. It’s how we judge a place’s spicy mayo. Theirs is a thick, real mayo base, which I like, and not the watery salad dressing kind you get at some restaurants. But it wasn’t very spicy, and to me there was something like a gochujang flavor in it. I’m not saying it was bad. It just wasn’t my jam, and Vika agreed completely.
I think that side dish set the tone for Vika’s whole meal. She tasted it first, didn’t like it, and after that she was a little nitpicky about everything else. For what it’s worth, I’m the opposite: I didn’t like Black Pearl’s spicy mayo on its own either, but in the rolls I thought it was excellent.
The Tiger maki was the one we both liked
The Tiger is a California roll style inside with a very generous, thick cut of fresh salmon on top. The salmon was great, and Vika couldn’t complain about this one at all.
The menu says there is spicy mayo inside. Neither of us tasted any. It was just a clean, tasty roll, and if we go back, it’s the one we would both order again.
The King Crab maki and the mango mayo
The King Crab maki has shrimp tempura, avocado and cucumber inside, and on top, shredded crab stick, which is imitation crab, with a mango mayo. We didn’t know about the mango mayo when we ordered, and honestly I’m glad, because I think Vika would have asked for it on the side.
I really liked that mayo. I like spicy things, I also like sweeter things, and it hit the spot for me. I would want it on the side to dip other rolls into. I also liked how generous they were with the crab stick. Vika liked the mango mayo more than she expected to, but it was too sweet for her, and she thinks half that amount would have made it a better roll. She also barely tasted any shrimp. I tasted shrimp. It was like we were not eating the same roll.
The Dragon maki was the one Vika didn’t like
The Dragon is a California roll style inside with eel on top. Vika always wants one roll with eel in any sushi meal, and she didn’t like this one at all. I think the eel was seared too hard, to the point of being smoky and a little too barbecue. Normally we split every roll evenly. She ate less than half her share and left the last two pieces for me.
It was my least favorite on the plate too, but for me it wasn’t bad. I like my eel a little sweeter, and this was more charred, but I didn’t mind the flavor. Vika does not like smoky food in general. When I finish steak or chicken wings on the smoker at home, she isn’t a fan either, so this one makes sense to me.
Would we bring Josh and Emily to Osaka Sushi?
Yes, and this is one Vika and I agree on. Josh would have no trouble at all. There is plenty on the menu for him, and I think he would happily work his way through a few rolls on his own.
Emily is a little pickier, so for her the menu is more limited, and they don’t have anything specifically for kids. But Emily likes cucumber rolls and California rolls, and Osaka has both, so we would have no problem feeding her too. With the prices where they are, it’s an easy family dinner.
Our verdict on Osaka Sushi in Mundelein
I would come back. We have friends who live in that area, and if they said, “Hey, want to get sushi?” I would say, “Yes, let’s go to Osaka.” It’s good. It isn’t a place where I wake up the next day and want it again, but I thought it was tasty, and I would have it again.
Vika would come back too, and that matters more than her 3.5. She just wouldn’t order the same things. Neither would I. Next time we would both skip the rolls that are mostly tempura and get rolls with more fish in them, like the Tiger.
Part of the gap, I think, is expectations. After more than a month of ads, we were expecting to be blown away. Vika pointed out that it has a 4.7 on Google when we looked, and I think that’s slightly generous. Something like a 4.3 to 4.5 is where I would put it. But if you live nearby and want sushi, I think you will be happy here, especially once you see the bill.
What dinner at Osaka Sushi cost
This is the part that surprised us, in both directions. The food is very reasonably priced. Vika thinks it’s significantly cheaper than most sushi places in the suburbs, and the 4 Roll Gold Combo, four rolls and thirty two pieces, was $39.95. Vika figures most of their specialty rolls run somewhere around $12 to $15. The spicy scallop roll was $10.95, and the side of spicy mayo was $1.
Then there is the beer. Both of mine were Japanese, from a new beers flyer at the table, and I appreciate that they import them. The Baeren Classic was $12 and it was excellent. The Isekado Pale Ale was $11.59, and as I was drinking it I remembered that pale ale isn’t really my thing. I should have skipped it. Two beers came to more than half the price of the four roll combo, and that’s what pushed the bill up. We could have bought a case of Sapporo for that. Vika does not drink beer, so she was even less impressed. If not for the beer, I think this meal would have been absolutely worth it.
Dinner for the two of us came to $81.91. That was the 4 Roll Gold Combo at $39.95, the spicy scallop roll at $10.95, the side of spicy mayo at $1, and my two beers at $12 and $11.59, for a $75.49 subtotal plus $6.42 in tax.
The salad and the miso soup were not on our check. Without the beers, the food alone came to $51.90 before tax, for forty pieces of sushi.
Osaka Sushi location, hours and parking
Address. 1452 S Butterfield Rd, Mundelein, Illinois 60060.
Phone. (847) 549-9944. Reservations are by phone.
Hours. Closed Monday. Lunch Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. Dinner Tuesday through Thursday 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm, Friday and Saturday 4:30 pm to 9:30 pm, and Sunday 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm.
Parking. The strip mall lot right out front.
The hours are from the card on their front door. Their website lists slightly different hours in a couple of places, so I would go by the door, or call.
Do you need a reservation at Osaka Sushi in Mundelein?
Reservations are by phone at (847) 549-9944. The room is small, so for a group of around eight I would definitely call ahead.
Is Osaka Sushi open on Mondays?
No. Per the hours card on their front door, they are closed Mondays and open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.
What is in the 4 Roll Gold Combo at Osaka Sushi?
Four rolls, eight pieces each: the Firecracker, the Tiger, the King Crab and the Dragon. It was $39.95 when we went.
Is Osaka Sushi good for kids?
Yes. Vika and I would both bring our kids here. There is plenty on the menu for an older kid, and there is no kids menu, but a pickier eater can stick to the cucumber roll or the California roll, which is what our daughter would order. A family of four fits easily. For a bigger group, call ahead.
What beer does Osaka Sushi have?
They carry Japanese beer, including imported Japanese craft beers. I had a Baeren Classic, which was excellent, and an Isekado Pale Ale. The craft bottles are priced like a roll, so that’s where the bill can creep up.
Is Osaka Sushi in Mundelein worth it?
For reasonably priced sushi that looks great on the plate, with good rice and generous fish, yes, if you’re nearby. I gave it about a 4.3 and Vika gave it a 3.5. Order rolls with more fish and less tempura, try the Tiger, and go easy on the imported beer.
More sushi from the northwest suburbs: Black Pearl in Glenview, Kaido in Arlington Heights, Furinkazan in Des Plaines and Blackfish Rotary Sushi in Buffalo Grove.
This article isn’t sponsored. I messaged the restaurant before we went, and the owner invited us to come in. The small salad and the miso soup were not on our check; nothing else was comped, and every price here comes from our itemized receipt.
