Daruma Japanese Restaurant

Excellent food and atmosphere. It’s on top of my destinations when I feel like sushi.

Thanks to Unilocal for helping me discover this place! I never thought I would find one of my favorite sushi places tucked away in an unassuming plaza in my fiancé’s neighborhood.
Judging by the numerous Japanese patrons that come here, this is probably the most authentic Japanese restaurants in the city. And in the few times I’ve showed up here late at night, there was never a decline in service, food quality, and presentation.
I always ALWAYS order the Pork Ramen! The noodles taste homemade and not store-​bought. The broth is delectable and the pork is soooo tender and flavorful. And it’s only $ 9.95!
As for the sushi, the fish is consistently fresh and the texture and flavor of the rice are always on point. The sushi is never rice-​heavy and all the ingredients are well-​balanced.
They have the best hot tea, and I love that they give unlimited refills!
Lastly, try to make room for dessert because their crème brûlée and cookies and cream mochi ice cream are the bomb!

KNOWN FOR:
— Sushi
I’VE TRIED
— House Salad w Ginger Dressing (⁹⁄₁₀)
— Spider Roll (⁹⁄₁₀)
— Salmon Nigiri (⁹⁄₁₀)
— Med Fatty Tuna Nigiri (¹⁰⁄₁₀)
— Yellowtail Nigiri (¹⁰⁄₁₀)
I only live a few streets down from this place, and the funny thing is, it’s been here for almost as long as I can remember. I feel like this plaza (which has been here forever) was not built on the CVS, who used to be an Osco, but around Daruma. Here’s the amazing thing, I never knew what this place even was until my boss and I went there for dinner. I tell ya, this is like the hidden-​est gem I’ve ever seen!
It’s legit too! It’s all Japanese run, in fact the sushi chef barely speaks English, the staff is all Japanese, the «real» menu is all in Japanese, and here’s how you know it’s legit, the clientele is mostly Japanese. When you talk about an ethnic joint, that’s a good sign!
Now, I’m not Japanese, so my exposure to the cuisine is pretty much sushi and ramen. I’m sure there are a ton of things on the Japanese menu that are amazing, but when I come here, it’s always about the sushi!
HOUSE SALAD
It comes in a small bowl, but damn if this is isn’t refreshing! It’s always very cold, the veggies are always crisp, and nothing is ever dry. It’s got lettuce, asparagus, tomato, a little carrot shreds, and a couple slices of green pepper (which I brush to the side). It also has some imitation crab meat and this amazing ginger-​soy dressing. That dressing is so good, I actually want to drink it out of the bowl when I’m done! It looks freshly made too. The dressing looks like it’s made of pureed ingredients, to give you an idea of texture. Not creamy like some dressings, and not oily like others, it’s got a little bit of sweetness, refreshing ginger essence, nothing overpowering, and the perfect amount of seasoning to make the salad as far from boring as possible!
SPIDER ROLL
In general, spider rolls are a bit of a risky order for me. Texture’s really important to me, and I love the crisp, but sometimes, the soft shell isn’t cooked quite right, and as your mouth adds moisture to it, it ends up being like a shrimp tail that I have a hard time swallowing. I’m happy to report that theirs is pretty good, no danger of that. It’s so incredibly crispy, and you actually get that soft-​shell-​air in each bite (kinda like donut air, if you know what I mean?).
SUSHI (IN GENERAL)
While I do like sashimi too in small amounts, I’m more of a nigiri person. The fish is one thing, but you know the rice is so important! You have to mix the ingredients perfectly to give it a hint of sour without being sour, and it’s gotta have seasoning too. An interesting thing I heard is that the best sushi chefs are BORN that way, because their hands actually produce natural oils that season the rice, and some hands are better than others. When they pack that rice in, you’re getting some of that. In any case, whether it’s hand oils or cooking methods, Daruma’s rice is so perfect, which compliments their fish.
The other thing is the size of the pieces. Maybe I haven’t been to too many other fancy sushi places, but the amount of fish you get is crazy! I’d say for a 2 inch log of rice, you get probably 4 inches of fish!
SALMON NIGIRI
The texture of their salmon is unbeatable! It’s so fresh and… slick? It’s almost perfect, but it lacks just a tiny bit of seasoning. I don’t know how to make sushi, so I don’t know how something raw tastes different at different places, but that’s the only thing keeping it from a 10. Believe it or not, the place Sake on Golf & Plum Grove actually wins the sushi nigiri FLAVOR for me, but Daruma definitely wins texture.
MED FATTY TUNA
OMG! I’m in heaven! This ain’t cheap! It’s like $ 13 per, but if this is medium, I can’t imagine what their Otoro is like! It’s thick too! Take the size I mentioned before and it’s maybe 0.5−0.6 cm thick! Such powerful fishy flavors, and a seasoning that hits you at the tail end instead of the front end (like mackerel). Also a perfect melty-​soft texture with a tiny bit of fight in it. I actually think I like the texture of this better than Otoro. Otoro melts in your mouth, but I like to feel like I’m actually eating something. This alone would carry Daruma!
YELLOWTAIL
Make sure if you get Med Fatty tuna to eat yellowtail BEFORE not after. It’s also thick, but has a little more fight, less powerful fishy flavor, but more than most I’ve tried, which makes this the best yellowtail nigiri I’ve ever had! I get this every time I come! Again, seasoning hits you at the tail end more than front, which is what yellowtail is.
BANZAI!
Ok, so, this sushi ain’t cheap! For 3 ppl: 3 salads, 3 miso soups, 2 big maki rolls, 12 nigiris, a veggie tempura, 3 mochi ice creams, and 1 beer + tax and tip cost something like $ 240! Of course, a lot of that is also based on which maki and nigiris you get (btw, we were STUFFED!) But still, who knew that the best sushi I’ve ever had so far was right in my backyard?! Come to Schaumburg, NOW!

You don’t get better food than Daruma! Here you will find the best tapa style appetizer, sushi and best ramen hands down. Service is so good here that it will put some higher end places to shame. The only problem: price. But I gladly pay higher for the quality and freshness. My wife and I generally spend about $ 100 give or take 20 bucks. We come here about once a month as its a good 45 min drive. Yes we drive this far for the best sushi and ramen combo in Chicago land.

Feel like a pretty authentic Japanese restaurant. Appetizers are so great and you have so many choices. Sashimi tastes fresh as well. It’s close to where I live. I’m planning to explore the whole menu gradually.

The food here is fine, nothing impressive. Tempura udon was just ok, I would not describe the broth as the most tasty I’ve ever tried but it wasn’t too bad either. Sushi is made fresh and tasty.

Ok, so I love sushi, but I also dip it in soy sauce and wasabi so maybe I just love soy sauce and wasabi more than the fish itself. But hey, when it comes to the fish to go along with my soy sauce, this place is tops.
The pieces of sushi are nice elegant and huge cuts to go on top of the rice. It’s almost as if I ordered sashimi instead of the nigiri. The rolls are also well made and very delicious. They have a wide variety of rolls, but not an incredible amount (I will have to update on the number when I go back, but it’s not as many as other sushi places I’ve gone to, but it’s a good selection). Even the spicy tuna rolls are actual pieces of tuna instead of ground up tuna with the spicy sauce. I know some places use the leftover crappy parts of tuna to make the spicy tuna rolls… not this place.
They also serve Ramen on the weekends here and they do make quite a good bowl of ramen.
Service is also pretty top notch as the waitresses are very nice and very attentive to your needs.
So while there are plenty of places to go for sushi, this is definitely one of the better places to go for raw fish to go along with my soy sauce.

Everything is awesome here.
From the sushi to the kitchen, you can’t really go wrong.
The sashimi is excellent and kitchen always does a great job.
I would recommend this place to anyone.
Don’t expect to find americanized sushi here, expect quality Japanese Food

So we used to come to Daruma when it opens many years ago. I think it’s been 15 years since I’ve been there. I got a few comments from people I know and the reviews are pretty solid again. They do cater to a more authentic menu and don’t have 100 Fake rolls to satisfy the white palate. They have a lot of dishes that cater to the Japanese culture and I like that. Since it’s been so long since I’ve been here I ordered my usual standard and a few other things to test out the kitchen.
My standard nigiri order is Hamachi, Salmon (or fatty salmon if they have it), Ama Ebi, Unagi, & Toro (they had ChuToro so that’s what I had). It all was fresh but not one thing stood out as really good, all mid level flavor. Had a veggie tempura app and it was ok, not a great selection of vegetables compared to other restaurants but batter was light and clean as it should be. Had the Berkshire pork belly, which was good. They do have Hamachi Kama on the menu (Yellowtail collar bone grilled) this is a great fish item to get.
Overall I think it’s god spot. It doesn’t seem as good as back in the day but it is one of the few Japanese restaurants that hasn’t caved in to the American Roll fad. I hate reading reviews of the «Best» Japanese restaurants and it’s all based on the frickin’ Philly roll someone had!
I still think that the Sushi Kushi spots are some of the best for fish etc but none of them are in Schaumburg/​Hoffman are as Daruma is…
Give Daruma a try, might be a good pick for a real Japanese meal…

We love coming here to satisfy our sushi cravings! The atmosphere is always nice for either a casual night out with friends or romantic date for two. We like to take a seat at the sushi bar whenever we’re sans our little one too.
For appetizers we usually like to have the goma-​ae or tempura vegetables to start. Both come with delicious dipping sauces but are delightful to eat alone as well. We also tried the homemade pork ramen noodles and it did not disappoint, highly recommended!
Like I said before, sushi is our main entrée of choice but they have a full menu of options to choose from. Soups and salads, meat dishes, hot and cold and don’t forget dessert! Daruma has become one of our favorite restaurants in the neighborhood and it’s right around the corner.

We chanced upon this place through Unilocal.I honestly had very low expectations, being that we were in the middle of nowhere and away from the city. We were hungry and willing to eat any quality Japanese food.
We entered and we noticed that everyone was Japanese. So we got excited. This is what I thought of each of the dishes.
1. Squid tentacles — this was one of the appetizers we ordered. The squid was tender and fried perfectly. The sauce was wonderful: mayo w wasabi and something spicy. Couldn’t get enough. This gets a 3 out of 5 stars because I’ve had calamari more tender than this. I would order this again though.
2. The spicy salmon wasn’t the typical American looking spicy salmon roll. It was a whole piece of tender salmon w a slice of cucumber and w little rice as it should be. The fish was so fresh my Chinese eyes turned American. This one gets 5 stars. I’m excited to try more sushi next time.
3. The tonkotsu ramen was good. The broth was authentic. They used black garlic which I loved. The chashu pork was fatty and full of flavor. I picked up the wine they marinated or cooked it in. Amazing how they were able to bring out that flavor. The noodles weren’t homemade but that’s ok. It was chewy and that made it good. I give this dish 4 out of 5 stars.
4. The hamachi Kama was a triumph. It made me curse. That’s how amazing it was. First of…$ 10 for a piece this big made me feel awesome. It was cooked perfectly. PERFECTLY. I wish NY had this restaurant (we need this in Westchester County). I’d be back over and over again for this dish. This one gets 5 stars. 6 if it was possible.
5. I didn’t try the soba, but my sis-​in-​law loved it. So I can’t really give it a rating. I’m sure the noodles were cooked perfectly though.
I didn’t order any tempura but from the look of it, as it made its way to some other table, it seemed good. The batter looked light (you could see the shrimp meat through it). I would order this next time.
They had an octopus wasabi dish. The same one I always order in ippudo. I would like to try that also next time.
Three of us ate and the damage was something like $ 50. Not bad at all.
The chirashi is $ 25. I will order that the next time I go. Sucks that I go back to NY I’m a couple of days. Would love to go back many more times.

Arrived for dinner to be told we need to eat and be done soon because the table they sat us at was booked at 7pm.
After the embarrassment of being told we need to eat as fast as we can, we rushed and filled out our order to be ignored for 10 minutes.
We walked out and left.

If you’re a sushi addict, you must check this place out! Upon opening sushi gates of heaven, you will be greeted upon delightful waiter/​waitress. If you’re worried about space, let me say it is very spacious! Here are some pointers I recommend.
If you love nigri cuts and want one roll to go along with it, you must try: HonMaguro (Bluefin MedFatty), Benitoro (Salmon), Hamachi (Yellow Tail), Unagi (Eel) and Rainbow roll (assorted fish). Please keep in mind, by no means you must order the thicker cuts, but if you never had these kind of cuts, give it a try! The smaller cuts are: Sake (salmon) and the Maguro (tuna) are excellent choices as well!
If you’re more of a roll person, I recommend getting at least two rolls to start and order more if your still hungry. I love their Rainbow (tuna, salmon, white-​tuna, avocado, salmon eggs, and crabmeat) and crazy (salmon, tuna, salmon eggs, avocado). Crazy has thicker cuts, but rainbow is more tastier, keep in mind!
If you want something warm on a cold /​rainy day, order their ramen and spaghetti! Please, please, please order the ramen on friday or Sunday. You can’t get it on any other days. But the spaghetti will be available throughout the week. What’s different about their ramen is homemade broth with pork belly that melts in your mouth. Their spaghetti is actually made with ketchup and if you feel my review has been decent, give it a try! You won’t regret it!
How much do I love sushi? I LOVE IT. My go to place, ONLY in the suburbs. Enjoy, please eat lots for me!

After not having sushi for one whole week THIS WAS HEAVEN. Seriously such fat pieces of fish– the generous portions were well worth the price. Melt in your mouth, fresh fish.
This place also has an authentic Japanese atmosphere with the private dining rooms and Japanese wait staff and sushi chef. They served us well and attended to our needs.
Order nigiri and rolls here, the ramen and tonkatsu suit the palette well also though– so you really can’t go wrong with anything here. I would love to spend all the money I don’t have here. Daruma, you have satisfied my sushi needs on a whole new level. In love.

Service and food are really good.
The sushi is prepared in the authentic way a japanese sushi chef would do – the wasabi is already placed in between the rice and the fish: D
the only thing i have to «complain» is that the fish wasn’t pressed hard enough to the rice, so when i picked up the sushi, the sushi easily fall apart…

The moment I sipped the broth of the Tonkatsu Ramen a figurative tear rolled down my cheek. For Japanese Ramens I’m all about the broth, the noodles and chashu come second, and the Daruma broth is the best that I’ve tried in Chicago. And the ramen is ONLY $ 10! I would’ve ordered two of them if it weren’t for all the appetizers that I ordered.
*Note: Ramen is only served on the weekends

Best ramen in Chicago! How can it be?!
They’re not even a ramen specialty place.
Love especially their chashu, the pork in the ramen. Soooo soft and it melts in your mouth!

If you’re looking for fantastic, no compromises authentic sushi, look no further. This isn’t your «give me a California roll» type Japanese restaurant. The sushi chef is incredible, you can tell he takes pride in his work by the cuts he presents. The menu is second to none, offering amazing traditional Japanese favorites with some custom touches. I’m not going to even mention what I had because I implore you to read over the entire menu. Even if you consider yourself a Japanese food aficionado you probably will be surprised by a few dishes you’ve never had or heard of.
Do yourself a favor and go here. I promise you’ll be satisfied.

I will probably get in trouble for a 3 star review… here goes.
This is a review about take out sushi. The restaurant is authentic, and cozy. It had a nice vibe for it. We ordered take out, which was a little bit of a hectic process. First of all, there isn’t an easy found online menu, and had to rely on pictures of the menu taken by one of my favorite Unilocalers (thanks, Candice G!) to make our choices. Thankfully, our chosen options were still on the menu, but if their are seasonal items or menu changes, we could’ve been SOL. They told us the wait time for 4 rolls would be 35 – 40 minutes, which seemed a little steep, but we were willing to do it.
After our wait time was up, we headed to the restaurant. Their small bar area was beyond cramped. People were waiting to be seated, trying to sit at the bar, and the take out order was also waiting there. It felt awkward and chaotic.
Once home, we delved into our sushi. I ordered the spicy lobster and crazy roll. My friend had the spider roll, and a roll with assorted fish in it. The crazy roll (a shrimp tempura option) was great. The lobster roll wasn’t that spicy or amazing. I tried a piece of the spider roll, and also thought it was good.
Overall, I’ve had more enjoyable sushi elsewhere, but I would come here again, if asked.

Previously, I had thought that Sushi Ya might be one of the better places to get sushi in the burbs. But Daruma quickly changed my mind in one trip.
First off, their sushi is better than even some places in the city. Their amaebi (sweet shrimp) is so succulent and sweet and they fry the heads beautifully. Even the standard fish (tuna, salmon) are exceptional and their eel is delicious as they don’t overpower the taste of the grilled eel with an absurd amount of sauce.
But what separates Daruma is their ramen. I believe it’s only available on the weekends but the quality of their broth makes it worth visiting. The savory, meaty taste in a broth is unbelievable.
One note: make sure you make a reservation, especially on the weekends, even if you’re planning on going in 30 minutes. It’s pretty hard to get a table quickly when you just walk in, even at weird hours.