Torizen

So worth the wait. The food tasted very fresh and the variety of items on the menu will fit anyone!

Came here on a weekday for lunch, and this place did not disappoint. It is very hard to find authentic Japanese affordable or decently priced food outside of the city, and this one is top-notch.This is my first visit and found it in a strip mall tucked away in the back of the strip mall quite frankly, and luckily, there was parking available. As soon as we walked in, we were able to be seated, but there is a sign-up waitlist as well. We were seated immediately and had service immediately. The lunch menu is only one page and no sushi available during lunch. Please take note. There's also no such thing as dessert during lunch. The lunch menu, however, is very decent and we ordered one appetizer and two entrées and were very full by the end. This place does charge for tea. Keep that in mind. The food is so super authentic with a generous portion, considering the price. Service and food was very quick to come out and super hot and fresh. While the Unagi bowl is expensive at $32 I have to say it does come with a very large portion of Unagi versus other places that charge $20 and you get perhaps maybe 40% of what you see in the picture. The servers were all Japanese and I did see one Japanese cook as well. I do value authenticity, very highly, and I am perhaps I'm a purist to a degree at heart and appreciate the absolute straightforward pure original Japanese recipes and dishes. I have to come back here soon for dinner and try the sushi menu.

The chicken karage and ton katsu here is the best Ive had in the Chicagoland area. The atmosphere of the place makes you feel like you're in an authentic Japanese restaurant and service is pretty good. I wish I got better pictures of the ramen and atmosphere but I will be back. Quality- the raw fish appetizer was well seasoned and the the chewy texture surprised me. Chicken and to katsu has a nice crunchy exterior with a nice touch of heat to it when wasabi is added. The inside is soft, juicy, and flavorful. The spicy miso ramen had some great broth. It was spicy/salty and creamy. Quantity- a pretty good amount of food came out for the price. It was well worth itAtmosphere- very nice homey feel. Lots of room at each booth. Service- fast responsive servers. Food came out fast too.

Came in on Monday 8pm for dinner and did not expect there to be a 20-30 minute wait, but it was worth it!I tried many more dishes this time and it was a phenomenal dinner experience... everything was delicious. The fish with natto, ika + uni handroll, sashimi platter and soft shell crab tempura was out of this world delicious and worth every penny!Tonkatsu dinner was good too, but hard to top the Michelin star tonkatsu meal in Kumamoto. Also the rice was overcooked and the miso soup was overly salty.Torizen is a great place to visit if you're feeling those post-Japan trip blues!

Nothing short of amazing! I think I very much found a hidden gem with this little place that's tucked into the far end of a strip mall. Minimal English on the part of my server but that just enhanced the experience. One of the sushi chefs spoke great English so I was able to sort out dinner. I started with a salmon hand roll. Very fresh and maybe 30-seconds between the chef's hands and my first bite. Simple yet perfect. I also had Agadashi tofu - big portion, great broth, served piping hot and delicious. I grabbed one of their pressed box sushi offerings and I'm glad I tried it. Salmon was slightly charred on top and what a neat approach. I'll keep an eye open for that style whenever I'm having sushi from now on. The final item I ordered was on a separate printed sheet that arrived with the menu. Description was in Japanese but subtitled in English. It was wasabi-marinated octopus. I was the only white guy in the place and apparently the only white guy to ever order this dish. Over the course of the meal, about half of the staff came by to see if I was eating it. Of course! It was really delicious! Someone isn't likely to step from their first California roll to that dish but I've been enjoying sushi for over 40 years and found it one of the more unusual but thoroughly enjoyable and off the beaten path dishes I've ever had. Fresh wasabi and an almost ceviche-like mouth feel combined to make it a great experience and I'm glad I tried it, even if the staff didn't believe I really liked it.

Seems like their transformation is complete and we now have an authentic izakaya-style atmosphere and menu. On a very busy Friday evening, perfect and prompt service. They even have the table bell, where once pressed, a server will immediately appear to take care of any needs. There is an extensive appetizer menu including daily specials as any good izakaya should have.

We came, we saw, but couldn't conquer. I would give zero stars if I could. I came here with friends around 5:30pm (the restaurant's opening time) and waited with a crowd of people for the door to open. After a few minutes, a sassy employee or owner popped his head through the door and said they only had 6 tables and cannot accommodate everyone at once and some would have to wait. Then he asked if anyone had a reservation which no one did in the group. Right after that he said that they would only take customers in if each party paid at least $50 PER PERSON. It was absolutely ridiculous!! When the average dinner entree is between $20-30 it is unreasonable to expect each patron to have a meal worth $50. In addition, they should've better advertised this $50 per person policy through a sign on the window or on their website. Their website says $50 per person with a reservation but does not mention $50 just to walk in. I guess they got scared seeing a crowd of eager customers waiting. My friends and I immediately decided to not eat here and enjoyed a nice meal elsewhere. Thankfully we wasted only a few minutes and dodged a bullet with this place. Considering that there are so many other incredible Japanese restaurants in the area that provide wonderful customer service, I can assure you that you won't be missing out by skipping a place that clearly feels burdened by customers.

We love love love this place. Whenever we are in Schaumburg we try to dine here. Dinner time is the perfect time to go & we finally had a chance to try their lunch menu & it did not disappoint. Everything here is always consistent. So sad that the scallops were no longer served there it was my husband's favorite. But we still love this place and we always be back.

The food, the environment, the staff. This was my first time eating at this establishment and I would recommend this to anyone staying in the Schaumburg area.

This is a great choice for authentic Japanese izakaya style food which brings back nostalgia for being in Japan. There are sushi items on the menu which are very good but come for the other dishes. Ever changing menu always has interesting and seasonal items. Affordable, enjoyable with attentive efficient service. Casual, clean. Don't hesitate for this special experience.