Blue Sushi Sake Grill

By Naperville Magazine
January 2026 View more Table for Two

By Phil Vettel

Offering feel-good, sustainable seafood rolls

Blue Sushi Sake Grill (123 Water St.), a downtown Naperville fixture since 2017, has its origins in Omaha, Nebraska, where the first location debuted in 2002.

A landlocked state in the nation’s Corn Belt might seem an unlikely launching pad for a seafood specialist, but Flagship Restaurant Group, with its credo of responsibly caught, humanely raised seafood, has grown the self-styled “feel good sushi” concept across 13 states and two dozen locations, including three in the Chicago area.

“The owners are really cool and super passionate about sustainability,” says Mia Mitchell, general manager of the Naperville location. “We work with suppliers who take pride in their product, and really, we give credit to them.”

The Naperville spot, across from Hotel Indigo, seats close to 100 in a large dining room bifurcated by a three-sided sushi bar; the bar is where I’d sit, as comfy as the freestanding tables may be. (In temperate months, there’s also riverside outdoor seating.) Low lights above the sushi bar give the space an attractive glow, and plenty of Japanese art is on display, notably the origami cranes suspended from the black ceiling. Sci-fi fans will appreciate the floor-to-ceiling posters of Godzilla and his nemesis, King Ghidorah (yeah, I had to look that one up, too.)

The massive menu has plenty of options for sushi aficionados, but it’s geared toward newcomers; maki rolls are separated by “raw” and “not raw” listings, and there’s a dedicated list of vegan options. Gluten-sensitive diners will find a slew of suitable dishes, and servers know which main-menu items are available in vegan preparations.

One of these is the tuna tower, which the closest thing to a must-order dish here—a towering parfait with individual layers of bigeye tuna, spicy crab, sushi rice, and avocado, crowned with black tobiko (flying fish roe) and wasabi sprouts (not spicy; that’s the root). It’s a treat for the eyes and a challenge for the hand; I raised an eyebrow when my server asked if I’d like a fork (did she think I was a rookie or something?), but she was absolutely right; taking on this culinary Jenga armed only with chopsticks is a total mismatch. But the tower, served with a trio of dipping sauces (honey wasabi, mango, eel), tasted great, even after I clumsily hacked at it.

I also recommend the charred edamame; I order edamame every time I’m able, but the charred exterior is especially nice, particularly if you ask for the spicy version, which is seasoned with garlic, tamari, and togarashi. This is how I want my edamame from now on.

Among the specialty nigiri, try the aptly named Cherry Bomb, a tuna nigiri accented with serrano pepper, Sriracha hot sauce, and togarashi spice mix. It will most certainly get your attention. Milder are the “itchy” nigiri—Itchy Salmon or Itchy Seabass—laid over spicy crab and topped with serrano and cilantro. “It’s an inside joke,” Mitchell says of the names. “Basically, once you try one, you’ll be itchy for another.”

There are plenty of sashimi choices; I’ll just point out the truffle salmon (listed among the specialty nigiri), which features five meaty slices of raw salmon drizzled with hot sesame oil and topped with ikura (salmon roe), truffled ponzu sauce, and wasabi sprouts. Delicious.

There are more than 50 maki rolls (no, I didn’t try them all), including plenty of classic favorites (rainbow roll, spider maki, Philadelphia, and so on). I very much liked the tataki maki, made with spicy salmon, tempura shrimp, pepper-seared tuna, and panko, but my favorite is the Amazon roll, made with red sea bream (often called red snapper), smoked salmon, and tampico mix (surimi and mayo), then topped with sliced tuna and accompanied by a fragrant chimichurri sauce.

There’s even room on the menu for crab Rangoon, that oddity of a faux-Chinese dish named for a city in Burma (although that country goes by Myanmar these days, and Rangoon is now Yangon). Blue Sushi’s version pairs the cream-cheese-filled fried wontons with pieces of mango, mango purée, and Fresno chiles.

A lot of people, myself included, order sushi to go, and so my second visit here was for a carryout order, which was ready at the promised time and very carefully packaged.

I did not indulge in dessert, but the menu does list a few, including various flavors of mochi ice cream, and tempura fried ice cream. Most intriguing are the chocolate spring rolls, filled with vanilla ice cream.

Visiting during happy hour is a good idea; indeed, it’s hard to avoid happy hour, it’s offered so frequently (daily from open until 6:30 p.m., and all day Sunday). During those times you’ll find more than five dozen food items (55 of them less than $10) and discounted beverages. Good deals all around.

Photos: Blue Sushi Sake Grill; Jen Banowetz (interior and chocolate spring rolls)