Located near Sam’s Club in the former Empire Korean Steakhouse space, Japan House is yet another on Springfield’s growing list of all-you-can-eat Asian restaurants. Japan House, however, is not a buffet; instead, diners order from a menu. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant charges $16.99 for lunch and $27.99 for dinner. By my recollection, this is slightly above most of the other restaurants in this genre.
In terms of décor, little has changed from the days of Empire Steakhouse. Lighting is muted, and the space exudes Asian influences with its red and black color scheme. A full bar with counter seating is also available.
We arrived at 11:30 a.m. and were the first diners. By the time we left, about seven or eight other tables were taken. Service was excellent. Our drinks were well-monitored, and our server was attentive but not overbearing. She also patiently answered our questions.
The menu is broken down into a variety of categories, including an expansive sushi list (which identifies raw and cooked versions), hot appetizers, cold appetizers, salads and soups and hot entrees. If you can’t find something to satisfy your taste for Asian food then you are far too picky, or you’re expecting something only found at high-end establishments.
Diners may order an unlimited number of rounds but can only order five dishes at each round. If your eyes are larger than your stomach, beware – customers can be charged $5 per plate for excessive amounts of waste. The menu also clearly identifies dishes that are only included at the dinner service (all sashimi and a majority of the dishes served with more expensive ingredients).
For our first round we decided on the pot stickers and the calamari. Each diner is presented with their own tray for dipping sauces, which included the now ubiquitous yum yum sauce. Fried squid is a difficult dish to nail – cook it a few seconds too long and it becomes rubbery – which was a problem with our dish. The crunch of the fried coating was well-seasoned and crisp, but the inside wasn’t quite up to par. The pot stickers were representative of Japan House’s peers – pan fried and served with a decent dipping sauce.
For our second round, we decided to try the egg rolls (two to a serving), the spicy tuna roll (a favorite dish of mine) and the squid salad.
The egg rolls were a fan favorite, probably the best bite of the whole meal. We asked for some hot chili oil and were provided with a decent helping of house-made chili sauce. It had great flavor and just enough heat to elevate a dish but not enough to overpower it.
The spicy tuna roll was, again, more or less representative of Japan House’s competition. Although somewhat of a smallish item, this works to the format’s advantage: Diners can sample many varieties without overcommitting.
The squid salad was also a modest portion and was served chilled. It consisted of thin slices of squid marinated in a slightly sweet, sesame-infused dressing with a touch of acidity. Unlike squid that’s been sitting around too long, Japan House’s was also pleasantly springy with just the right “chew.” Its flavor leaned clean and refreshing, helped by maybe a hint of ginger or citrus. Compared to heavier fried or sauced items on the menu, the squid salad offered a lighter and palate-cleansing segue into our next round of main dishes.
For our third round, although the poke bowl was tempting, we went with the chicken fried rice, the steak hibachi and the General Tso’s chicken. Again, as was to be expected, these were not giant portions. In general, our main complaint was over a lack of flavor. If you like bold garlic, strong sauces and pepper you may be disappointed. (This could have been operator error, as in talking to friends we learned that diners can order their dishes well-seasoned if more bold flavors are desired, a fact that would have been helpful had we been advised before ordering.) The vegetables also felt like they had been sitting for a bit before service.
These dishes won’t knock your socks off, but they do a good job of being precisely what you want for lunch – warm, filling and honest. With a bit brighter seasoning or more consistent heat in cooking, it might elevate even further, but as they are, they’re a dependable go-to in the Japan House lineup. On the flip side, I particularly appreciated that the kitchen respected our request for medium-rare on the steak (something much more honored in the breach than the observance, as Hamlet once pronounced).
We toyed with going for a fourth round of something lighter like the fish tacos or the grilled mackerel with salt but decided that might lead to the inevitable bout of food coma.
If you go in with moderate expectations and a sense of exploration, you’ll have fun and likely walk away satisfied. But it won’t be flawless – and it won’t compete with a high-end sushi omakase in technique or freshness or with high-end Asian restaurants that you would find in Chicago’s China Town. Still, as a midday indulgence, it’s a fresh take from all of our city’s other all-you-can-eat buffets.
This article appears in October SBJ 2025.