Nagoya Japanese Buffet now open in Naperville - very good!

[CJT]

Recently opened in Naperville on the east side of Route 59 just south of Aurora Ave/New York Ave. is Nagoya Japanese Sushi and Seafood Buffet. We’ve been to sushi buffets and all-you-can-eat sushi places but Nagoya is far above any of those in our experience. We think it is better typified as Seafood Buffet with Sushi and Hibachi. The food display and serving line is extensive in size and offerings
At lunch today, we started with cold “salads”, mostly tasty dishes of seafoods with various vegetables and dressings: shrimp, squid (tentacles, heads whole or cut up), seafood combo, etc. Then steamer baskets of 3 different Chinese dumplings, followed by a wide selection of fish: fried flounder, roasted cod, “tempura-style” fish, large steamed shrimp with heads on (remove heads and shells to eat delicious warm jumbo shrimp). Frogs legs and roast duck were also nice surprises. Tempura vegetables, 2 or 3 kinds of ribs (barbecue, Korean, etc), gyoza, and lots of other unique dishes not found on any other sushi buffet we’ve ever encountered. There are hot soups, a long serving area for 25-30 different types of sushi and hand rolls, then a hibachi stove to cook what you select.
The dessert display includes10-12 fruits (papaya, melons, kiwi, kumquats, pineapple, etc), then flan and other gelatin offerings plus cakes. At the end, a server will provide you with scoops of ice cream – about a dozen or more flavors, including red bean, ginger, green tea, mango, plum wine, and standard flavors as well.
What we liked so much about Nagoya is that every dish had a distinctive and GOOD flavor. Some buffets which we’ve tried offer lots of dishes, but many are dull and flavorless and the salads are all too similar – not so at Nagoya. We will go again soon
We were there for lunch today so the selection above was available. At dinner, the price is higher, but you also choose from a broader selection of snow crab legs, sashimi, oysters, and lots of other seafood not on the lunch buffet.
Nagoya does lunch Monday to Friday at $11.99 per person from 10:30 AM to 3 PM. Monday-Thursday dinner is 5-9:30 PM at $18.99. Friday/Saturday dinner is 5-10 PM at $19.99. Sunday is 11 AM to 9:30 PM at $19.99 per person. Wines ($5 a glass available) and other drinks are offered.
No matter when you go, you will find a tremendous selection of delicious oriental food. We’ve never been so pleased with a buffet of any kind as we were at Nagoya. A great addition to the Naperville dining scene.

[Chicago Wine Geek]

Thanks for the report! Usually I would avoid somewhere like this. Big buffets usually mean a large variety of poor food, but lots of it. Sounds like you enjoyed it. I'll try and get the family out next weekend and give it a shot.

[CJT]

Several members of our family have gone there found it quite crowded on weekend nights, especially Friday and Saturday. When that happens, the restaurant gets somewhat behind on replenishing the food line itmes. We went on a weekday for lunch and had no problem, but our daughter and her neighbor went on a Saturday night and had to wait 15 minutes for a table, When you go, focus on the hot and cold seafood offerings first, sushi later (but if they have sashimi when you go, that would be good to go for).

[CJT]

Went to Nagoya last night (Saturday) to check out dinner offerings this time. Our wait for a table was only 5-7 minutes but there was a line of people waiting to get into the food service area (about 8 minutes wait for us). An alternative is to start at the Hibachi end of the service line where there is no wait. We found all the food items we liked on our first visit and added to them were snow crab legs (replenished very frequently because they were so popular - we really liked the crabmeat in them), baby clams in a light sauce were great, and there was a large offering of sashimi (all you care to eat) consisting of about 10-12 different fish and seafood types being cut and replenished frequently (salmon, tuna, yellowtail, whitefish, squid, surf clam, etc), . There was so much sashimi that I bypassed the sushi altogether and feasted on what I selected. We still have not gotten as far as the hibachi grill because there is so much excellent food available before that serving area that we don't have room for it. Saturday night dinner is $19.99 and is served until 10 PM Same menu on Sunday is served from 11 AM to 9:30 PM for $19.99 per person.
As mentioned in my previous post, we recommend Nagoya for the great flavors of the food they serve: nothing is bland or unrecognizable and everything tastes good. A great place for seafood lovers.