Shakou

What a great addition to the corner of 59 and Main Street! This was my second visit in the past 6 weeks. Food was consistently wonderful. I enjoyed the sushi and my husband ordered the short rib. He liked it so much on our 1^st visit, so this was an easy menu choice for him. The service was great and ambiance was beautiful. I moved from the city where there were many great sushi places near by. This is such a great find! I’ll be back

I would have given 5 stars, but the table we sat at was definitely too small for 4 people. I almost knocked my glass off the table a few times, but other than that the experience was great.
Food was delicious, ambiance and décor were beautiful!
I will definitely be back.

Went there for my birthday dinner everybody there seemed really nice to us (the host staff, the bartender and our servers Kevin and Keely). I think the price is reasonable and our food was phenomenal. The service was going kind of slow but it was a busy Saturday night and we couldn’t decide what we want for our entrée once Keely checked on us so it took forever for our food to come but that’s not the restaurant’s fault. The 20 pieces sashimi plate for $ 30 is a steal! Our drinks were awesome. Anyway I have to admit that the music was too loud and 8 of us had to yell talking to one another across the table. When I have a craving for sashimi and I’ll be in the area I sure will come back to Shakou.

I’m perplexed by some of the reviews here. Simply put, I don’t know of any place within 30 miles that rivals this place: atmosphere, food, crowd, and service were all a notch above what you find in the burbs. It doesn’t completely achieve the personality of many of the places downtown but does a very commendable job of losing the sterile lifeless feel that is so epidemic in suburban restaurants; a condition that stems from the typical unoriginal formulaic cookie-​cutter process usually used to create them all the way down to the menu items.
The Seven Spicy Ahi,(currently $ 11) a variation of the very popular spicy tuna over toasted rice dish which to my knowledge got its start many years ago in LA at the original Katsuya, was pretty much the best iteration of this well-​know item I’ve ever had beating Katsuya itself, killing E+O’s, and being quite a bit better than Wildfish’s; just to name a couple I’ve recently tried. I probably marginally prefer the modified version (mine) of the original Sushi Bombs at Kaminari but alas this is no longer available now that the ownership of Kaminari has changed hands.
I’ve been to Skakou Barrington twice now and tried a large sample of the menu. Not every dish was an absolute winner but I don’t recall any I flat out didn’t like or that wasn’t at least on par with what I’d get elsewhere around here. Along with the Seven Spicy Ahi, I recall the Braised Short Rib (currently $ 24) also being outstanding.
Prices are EXACTLY what I would expect for a restaurant of the mid-​to-​high-​end variety in this location with food averaging about $ 40 – 50 per person + drinks. Since this is what I usually pay at any restaurant of this level in this area (Arlington Heights, Algonquin, Barrington, Schaumburg, etc.), I don’t get all the comments on being over priced. In any case, while you can dine here for less, expect to pay at least $ 40 per person + drink costs.
Bottom-​line, I definitely recommend checking Shakou Barrington out.
I have been to most of the places in the area, but if you do go to Shakou Barrington and feel there’s another place within 30 miles that is better, please drop me a personal note. I’d love to try it!

I recently posted a review which I am revising due to a break down in communication.
4 stars because the reservation process should have been better communicated. I made the reservation 1 month in advance but I was not aware that I needed to confirm the day of. The seating arrangement was very tight for a party of 12.
I am happy with the way Adam handled my concerns.
The food and signature cocktails impressed everyone.

Not only have several people told me about their own rude treatment at the hands of owner Adam, meaning he didn’t learn anything from me publicizing his yelling at me– but now a friend told me they’re swapping premium liquor brands. Yep. She ordered a Bailey’s– as listed on menu– and knew what she got wasn’t the real deal. When she questioned the bartender he admitted it wasn’t Bailey’s– saying he can only serve what he’s provided. Wonder what other top shelf brands you’re paying for but not getting?

Loved the ambience — very trendy new Asian restaurant in Barrington. I had the edamame and Teriyaki chicken and it was delicious. Excited to go back to try something new including a cocktail or two!

I was underwhelmed. The décor is beautiful. The music too loud. Our servers hounded us for our order. We were celebrating my non-​birthday birthday dinner. We got there at 5:30pm. We had reservations and were seated quickly. Our server was training new ppl for this location. Apps came quick and so did our food. Let’s talk about price. It’s borderline outrageous. Sure sure, I know it’s Barrington but you can’t charge double or triple the cost what other sushi places in the area charge. How can ONE roll be nearly $ 20? We prob won’t go back. If you want take out try Naomi or Sagano. If you want a quaint little place try Sushi Asahi or Sushi AI. You’ll get better prices elsewhere for sure.

Cool vibe, but underwhelmed by the food. Disappointed it was a chain. Just nit sure what to say about this one, iind of expect to find the rat under the chef’s hat…

Overpriced average food. I like the interior decorations and the service was great but the food and price are factors hard to overlook. We started with the seven ahi special per our waitresses recommendation and it was pretty decent — fried/​crunchy rice on bottom of ahi tartar with some tobiko and a jalapeño.
Our main entrees were less spectacular. We got the sambal shrimp, japanese steak, and a black window roll. It came with a healthy portion of vegetables but the proteins were cooked mediocre. The steak came out too well done and didn’t have the bite to it like a steak should have. The shrimp wasn’t as fresh as I expected and the scallops on top of the black widow were overdone as well. I thought the flavors of each dish were pretty good though. All of this came to around $ 45 per person (including tax and tip) which I know could have been spent on a better meal…

Barrington has never, in my opinion, had a restaurant that is both hip and tasty. Now it does with Shakou. My wife and I love the people watching and the wide selection of excellent food. It is now our «go-​to» restaurant.
We enjoy both the sushi rolls and the entrees.

For those who would like to experience what it is like to eat inside of a Ed Hardy graphic t-​shirt then this is the place for you. For those of you that are ignorant to what good food at a reasonable price is… this is your spot! Perfect place to take your girlfriend «Snookie» from jersey shore and spend your paycheck to try and get laid. If she sees the «SWANKY» décor and «SHINY» martini glasses that are there to distract you from the utter bullshit that this place is. You might have a shot!

I was SO excited for a new Asian cuisine restaurant in Barrington. However, if you’re used to even halfway decent sushi or service, you will be disappointed if you go here. Overpriced for starters, but I understand good sushi can be pricey. Beyond that, the service had terrible attitude. I picked up sushi to go, asking for an extra side of eel sauce. They took that to mean don’t even put ANY eel sauce on any of the sushi. Forcing me to drive an extra half hour back and forth for it, only to be met with a manager who tried to convince me the roll DID have eel sauce (it did not).
Finally with my eel sauce, the sushi was still very sub par, beneath even the lowest tier sushi I have ever had. Great idea, terrible execution. Will not be returning. Learn a little something from the incredible service at the brunch restaurant next door.
If you’re still hungry for sushi and don’t want to pay a fortune, go to Naomi’s. Way better. Way nicer.

Service was the worst! We were totally ignored. Server was very friendly but preoccupied with another table. Food took 45 min! They were obviously under staffed. Food was as good as any city sushi spot (so I gave them 2 stars) décor was nice but acoustics were pretty bad. The club music was very Schaumburg and tasteless, don’t get me wrong I love me some good EDM. We won’t be back– plenty of other places to get good sushi without the annoyance of having to ask host for a glass of water and wait 15 for check and ask for it twice.

Yummy yummy! Great presentation and delicious food! Also, service was great and great Mojito.

Glad we have a new restaurant in Barrington. It has a fun atmosphere and they did a great job decorating it. Food was satisfactory but did not blow our socks off. The nigiri was fresh. The miso soup was a bit watery for my taste. The rolls were ok. The staff was friendly and the food came out quickly but we were there for lunch on a weekday so things were slow. I’m sorry some have has such negative experiences. Hope they are just working out the kinks.

Our first time there, we found the pricing to be out of line. The food was so-​so, the wine was over priced compared to other restaurants in Barrington. The service was adequate, nothing more. The loud techno music needs to be turned off and more conversational dinner music to be played.
I ordered brown rice instead of white rice and they charged me for it. I was very surprised to have to pay an additional three dollars just for a bowl of rice.
If you need to be in a glitzy restaurant this place is for you. The outdoor upstairs patio was very nice but I don’t think we ever go back there again.

The atmosphere is swanky, feels like I’m in the city! The upstairs is beautiful for a venue!
We ordered the bi bim bop and firecracker shrimp. Both were better than expected.
Staff is friendly and excited about the new opening! Great addition to downtown barrington!

Terrible, terrible customer service. Just turned away a friend of mine who was handicapped. Did not even try to make an accommodation. The host was snotty, cruel. The food was just average. Sagano is much better, fresher and more interesting menu items.

Tried the Newest addition to the growing family of barrington restaurants. Shakou is a great new spot that brings a fresh hip atmosphere to barrington. This was opening weekend and they did a fabulous job of providing good service and excellent food. We had not eaten at any of the other shakou spots so we did not know what to expect — pleasantly surprised. They do need to work out a few minor kinks: we had to wait a long time between courses but we can forgive this on a packed opening Saturday. The only true complaint is a very minimal wine list and no corkage — if you are only offering a dozen or so total wines and all inexpensive let your guests bring their favorite bottles and charge $ 25.00 per bottle.
We will be back, but not often I they don’t fix the wine issue.