Fishing with your bare hands is the best way to capture the live, cavorting sushi rolls that inhabit most bodies of water. Lure in a fresh catch with a handful of wasabi and today’s Groupon: for $15, you get $30 worth of sushi and Japanese cuisine at 153 Akira in Wilmette.
Voted to Citysearch's 2010 Best Chicago Sushi list, 153 Akira specializes in fresh, authentic sushi and Osaka-style entrees with an unexpected French twist. Begin your culinary exploration of Akira's menu with an appetizer such as the aptly named avocado on fire, an edible Vesuvius of minced scallop, shrimp, crab, and tuna, blended with avocado and flowing with tasty mango lava sitting on top of a flickering flame ($15). Daring diners will savor specialty rolls including the french kiss, saucily stuffed with smoked salmon, crispy shrimp tempura, cream cheese, cucumber, and sprinkled with crunchy topping, as well as the honey fire-flaunting tamago, a concoction of shitake, crabmeat, unagi, and spicy jalapeño, adorned with tobiko ($15.95 each). Combination entrees are available for chronically indecisive diners longing to taste both shrimp-and-vegetable tempura and salmon teriyaki ($20.95). Herbivores can select from a wide variety of options including the vegetable delight, which melds fresh zucchini, onion, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots and more ($13.95) into a delicious garden patch.
Head sushi chef Akira applies his 13 years of experience to each platter, adding a European flair to traditional Japanese flavors. Enjoy his edible expertise in 153 Akira's contemporary dining room and raise a glass from the restaurant's list of beer, wine, and sake while making a toast in honor of your fellow diners or diners in other restaurants who should be making a toast in your honor if they knew what was what in this world.
This Groupon is valid for dine-in only. Reservations are required.
Reviews
Citysearchers give 153 Akira a whopping five-star average. Yelpers give the restaurant an average of 4.5 stars, and three Yahoo! Locals give it five stars:
- This place is on the money. If you love fresh thick cut sashimi, this is the place to go. They have this amazing sashimi platter that is so vibrant and beautiful you almost dont want to eat it. – scatterboxx, Citysearch
- It was very cozy and friendly atmosphere. And the owner, Kelly and Akira was [sic] super nice and most of all, the food was excellent quality. I loved the freshness of the sushi and my kids loved the tempura udon. – reviewmom, Citysearch
153 Akira
153 Akira's traditional and specialty sushi rolls are crafted with a hint of French flair, which has helped earn the eatery its reputation as one of the best sushi restaurants in the area according to Make It Better readers in 2010. With sushi offerings ranging from sashimi to vegetable rolls and specialty maki, the eatery has selections fit for all types of sushi lovers, even those who just pretend to until they get to a restaurant. Luckily for those diners, the chefs also create traditional Japanese dishes such as beef udon and chicken teriyaki.