Akane Japanese Restaurant
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot, Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
124 reviews
Menlo Park, CA
"Perfect harmony + no incongruities + no wasted energies + attention to detail + understated decor + creative authenticity + attentive…" read more »
48 Reviews for Akane Japanese Restaurant
This place is great for quick Japanese meal in a cozy atmosphere while you're waiting to get your Rx filled at Walgreen's. Oh wait, that's just me. Seriously, I like this place a lot. It's got what I like in a Japanese place: fast service, hot hot tea, a daily special if you don't want straight up sushi and tatami mat rooms. I don't use them but I like the fact that they have them...
No wait for a Friday lunch today! A great value for the chirashi--$15 loaded with a good variety of fish and the tamago was very very good. In addition we shared the futomake rolls. While the rice was really good, it totally outweighed the middle contents by at least a few times! In the end, I had to just dispose of the rice and eat the stuff inside.
Great and fast service, too. The restaurant is simply decorated but felt quite homey. I'm a Bay Area lifer and first time in Los Altos downtown. So glad I've discovered this gem today!
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Why do we keep going back here? The location. Downtown Los Altos is one of our favorite strolling spots.
It took me a while to review this place, because I'm THAT indifferent about the food. I really don't care for their sushi, particularly the rice. It is tooooo sweet and mushy. (Note: I prefer mine vinegarish and firm.) The rolls are terrible - messy and loosely packed. The cooked entrees are mediocre. Really...nothing to write home about.
Oh, and one more thing. My biggest pet peeve is Japanese restaurants charging for tea. At Akane, it's additional $1.50 per person for bagged (not loose) tea.
Service is fine. The room is fine. Regardless, the place is seemingly doing very well, as it's typically always crowded. (Again, it's gotta be the location.)
Anyway, I believe the place used to be better...years ago.
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Alright, so i've been going to Akane for years and to this day it is one of the best sushi restaurants I've ever been to. Hands down. I'm actually suprised with some of the bad reviews this place has gotten because personally, I would go there all the time if I had the money. The food is delicious and fresh every time I go there. The service is decent but friendly, the food makes up for it. I always order the tombo tataki, california rolls and los altos rolls (red tuna and avocado). They have the only california rolls i've ever eaten that don't taste like shitty synthetic crab. The tombo tataki (white seared tuna) just melts in your mouth. My boyfriend thinks the dragon roll is bomb. The hot food is always hot and cooked just right. I also recommend the deserts, especially the mochi or green tea ice cream. In all honesty it is a bit pricey if your on a budget, but it's a great place to go for a nice date or a special occasion. Because the place is pretty small, you should definately book a reservation if your going on the weekend. Seriously though, the food there is worth every penny, and you'll definately want to go back.
This is the first omakase I've had in the bay area after returning from LA so I didn't have very high expectations. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised at the end of the meal.
The fish
- pretty good quality. I especially liked the red snapper. The spanish mackerel is also good.
The uni
- just ok. This is usually a good indication of how good a place is. However, it was not very sweet and was borderline slimey (not as fresh as it should be) but definitely way better than your average sushi place.
The sake
- nice selection. I like how they had sake flights. I was tempted to get a bottle of the dewasansan (my all time favorite), but at $52/bottle I decided to save it for a special occasion. I got the Ginjo sake flight instead for $12. Came with three 1-oz samples, one of them being the dewasansan =)
The originality/balance
- just ok. The temperature of the fish and rice was off I think. I like my rice a little warmer than the fish (unless the fish is seared). Also, many of the nigiri pieces came with just the fish on the rice, with no added garnish or other flavoring to really bring out the true flavor of the fish.
The sushi chef kept asking us if we had room for more, and we happily took all he could offer. We probably had close to 10 pieces each plus a roll. When the bill came, I was shocked. I had been expecting something close to 200, but it was only $100 for two omakase dinners and two sake flights. That's pretty damn cheap. For the quality of the fish I definitely would have expected to pay much more.
Overall, I like this place for its fish, but the wow factor in the preparation just isn't there. You get tremendous value coming here and a great selection of sake.
Great sushi - great owners - great service!!! I am a sushi lover- and this place tops the list, up there with Ozumo's, off the Embarcaderro.
Sushi is always fresh and prepared to perfection. My (Japanese) boyfriend and his family have been going there for years, so it's like visiting old friends every time we go there.
I prefer the sushi bar, but if it's packed, we'll sit in the little booths right behind it - where you take off your shoes and sit crossed legged. Either way, the busser (Abel), server and sushi chef's Shin and Shuey (spelling??) are always on top of it and sometimes deliver our food before we ever order because they know us/our order that well! Not to mention the Frances' (owner) big, cheery, smiley greeting when you arrive or depart.
Decor isn't super modern or anything, but it's lax, clean and comfy.
If you're looking for no-nonsense sushi that tastes great but without all the frills - this is your place. But remember to get there early if you want a bar seat. =)
An excellent sushi palace, decor is very non-descript, but the food is awesome. They have an excellent selection of sake's. They also have an excellent selection of sushi's. The rools are really bitesized (not supersized like at some places) and always well made. I've ended up there multiiple times when the los altos grill across the street is too busy. Even though this place is also busy, reservations are recommended here, too.
We had typical sushi, philly roll, dragon roll, ebi, unagi, maguro, all good. My daughter was dissapointed with the ca roll as it had real crab in it (not something she was expecting.) The dragon roll was excellent (as was the philly roll.)
The service is adequate. I've always eaten at the table, not the bar, so I don't know how that is. All in all a very good sushi place.
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I work across the street so I frequent this place for lunch all the time. It's often pretty crowded between 11:30-1:30 for the lunch crowd, but service is always quick.
I love their bento box. It makes for a great lunch - 2 pieces of California roll, salad, rice, soup and your choice of 2 other entrees (I always get the vegetable tempura and the chicken teriyaki - yes I realize that's barely any "real" sushi). My only negative review is that their tuna sashimi was chewy, and nasty tasting. I'm sure I just got a bad piece but now I will never order it again.
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the parents took me here for dinner tonite. hidden gem in downtown los altos. heck, even steve young recommends this place (i read the article hanging among the rest of the plaques on the wall).
sashimi was fresh -- i enjoyed my hamachi and hirame with ponzu sauce. also sampled the hiyayakko (cold tofu) and salmon skin roll with gobo, sprouts and cucumbers which were both excellent!
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I used to go to Akane regularly and was never disappointed. Sometime around late February, things changed. I think the head sushi chef is gone. But it is not good anymore. Sorry to see that happen. I went again twice just to be sure it was not just an "off" day the first bad time, but it was bad again. The tuna was tough and nasty, the presentation was sloppy, the service was almost like tossing food at me, and the yellow tail was off the rice and poorly cut and "fishy". Alas.
On the recommendation of The Big Sushi List, http://www.emeraldlake..., I wanted to try this hidden little gem. Tucked behind Los Altos Grill, next to an abandoned bank and the entrance off street the fore coming meal was definitely worth finding.
We were immediately seated in a quaint dining area and given finger towels. Our service was very polite, cheerful, welcoming and attentive; our waitress appeared to be really happy. Nice!
Throughout our dinner a lot of regulars came in and were happily greeted .
We ordered the following:
The sweet sake sampler - YUM, and triple YUM. The 3 choices were clean and cleansing with a hint of fruityness or spice.
Amaebi - I like eating the head. a little soggy on the fried side and all the antennae were broken off. so sad. =(
Dragon Roll - good but the tempura shrimp was not super crispy - Chocloate sushi http://www.yelp.com/bi... set the bar pretty high for me.
Hamachi
Sake
Unagi
Live scallop - FANTASTIC
Spicy scallop - GREAT, hint of spice and NO mayonnaise taste or texture
and .....
FRESH WASABI - OH SO, DELICIOUS! Last time I had this was in HI and loved it. An extra star for actually having FRESH wasabi.
Everything was well prepared and relaxing.
Definitely on the list for going back.
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Don't listen to some of the bad reviews below. This place is the bomb! Best Sushi in bay area outside of the city. Try it for yourself. You'll love it.
5 stars for their omakase sushi - my favorite is their toro... at times they have run out when I have asked for seconds so I've learned to order multiple at a time. Make reservations, especially on the weekends, a day in advance. I love the casual atmosphere and they also have the usual non-sushi Japanese comfort food as well.
This by far has been my most favorite sushi restaurant I've found in the bay area. No fuss, no muss. I make the 1.5 hr RT commute without hesitation!
Know this: closed Mondays.
Akane has decent Japanese food although you shouldn't trust my ability to judge sushi quality. I eat here a 3-4 times a year because I work in Los Altos. For regular non-sushi type foods, I think Akane is decent. If memory serves me well you can get a box lunch with 2 items for in the $10-14 range after tax & tip.
What sets Akane apart from the other downtown Los Altos Japanese eateries is that they usually have interesting daily specials that are the best value in the house typically running less than $8 before tax & tip. As opposed to your standard tempura + teriyaki + katsu offerings, the special typically includes some less common food items like croquettes, gyoza, or coconut shrimp.
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food is pretty tasty, fairly fresh fish. not the greatest, and the crowded wait will make you think it's better than it actually is. 4 stars if they don't charge you for every little petty item. their portions are small...seem a little stingy with their food. i recommend kitsho in cupertino.
Charging $2.50 for "special tea" is not quite right when the "mystery tea" is served in a spartan stainless steel teapot.
Blue fin tuna $8 per 2 pc was a good deal, but the "toro" which looked and tasted identical at $15 was not.
The "maki special" which is actually miniature yaki onigiri topped with the spicy scallops was not a good deal and overpowered by red chili sauce (not chili mayo). The other maki special with the 3 pairs of the same onigiri, 1 topped with chopped tuna, 1 with seared salmon+ikura, 1 with I guess white tuna, was not worth $13 either.
Stick with the old-school edo style nigiri sushis. Portions are good which justifies the slightly higher than average price.
Avoid Sunday nights as they are always jam packed.
Interestingly enough this Saturday it was not full.
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I went for the sashimi and sushi and wasn't disappointed. We got the variety sashimi platter to share and it had all kinds of fresh fish. All of them were good but the white tuna was the star standout. We also had the dragon roll which seemed popular cause--we kept seeing this roll being delivered to several tables around us. That was good and the presentation was unique: they used some octopus to make eyes and stuck some tempura in it's "mouth" to look like a tongue.
My non-seafood eating husband had a combination dinner which was delivered as two separate plates. He liked his tonkatzu a lot and thought the teriyaki chicken was fine.
The atmosphere is just ok and the service wasn't great--we could never get a hold of our waitress when we needed something,
They do get fun points for the sake flights. They come in a wooden carrier with 3 slots for each glass and descriptions of each. Hefty portions so you could share one of these with a friend. I know nothing about sake but my friend likes to get when we go for Japanese. I couldn't taste the difference in any of them but it was entertaining to try.
So the food was good but for some reason I wasn't blown away by this place. I'd probably come back though, so that's saying something.
In an offstreet of the town of Los Altos is this hidden, yet well known Japanese restaurant. Famous people apparently love going here, as Steve Young (ex-49ers QB) and Juli Inkster (LPGA pro) have their own masu (wooden sake box) at the sushi bar.
The main guy - Shin, and his sous chefs Shu and Johnny, man an ~8seat sushi bar right near the front, adjoining the kitchen. Much more seats around the back, with capacity of about 90.
Upon recommendations from Ken K. to try this place, I finally made my way here and decided to try out their omakase. Mainly ikkan (singles), since I was still recovering from a big Palace BBQ dinner the night before. As Ken notes, it is classic Edomae purist sushi. Unfortunately, it looks like the team of the three has been reduced to creating crazy kooky rolls (Mainly dragon rolls, with seaweed as antennae and tako tentacles as eyes).
I sat down, and waited for the omakase. Little did I know, Shin-san, Shu-san, and Johnny, shot 10 nigiri out at me through a cannon. Instantly, not 5 minutes after I sat down, were 10 nigiri on a standard geta plate. I felt like I was getting the table treatment. However, after a few addons - it felt a lot more comfortable. With the neighborhood sushi bar look, it did not have the same neighborhood sushi bar feel. One note - there was a very obnoxious drunk guy sitting next to us - harassing all of them. He must have been a regular. But Shin-san, Shu-san, and Johnny didn't flinch! Patience of saints - very pro.
Though what was surprising was each piece was all quickly dressed up and presented perfectly, and certains with their own specific additions (i.e. momiji oroshi, shiso, etc.) Rice were formed into relatively small balls, but good rice quality. A bit underflavored in my opinion.
Listing of what I had:
Aji x1 - with the minced ginger and ponzu treatment. Decent.
Amaebi x1 - Not exactly sweet, not the best. The fried amaebi heads as freebies though were great.
Anago x1 - Wow. I usually never like anago, but this piece had to be the best I've ever had. Piping hot from the oven, though extremely juicy and flavorful. No oversaucing, very tender, no bones or sharp bone remains. Excellent.
Hirame x1 - Momiji oroshi treatment. Decent piece.
Ika x1 - A few ikura eggs on top - but a bit chewy and not crisp. Not the best.
Maguro x1 - meh.
Mirugai x1 - with salt and green onion treatment. Decent, crisp.
Sake (Aburi) x1 - meh. Horrible, honestly. Overdone with the aburi, where it almost tasted like a cooked salmon piece. Sushi Maru in Milpitas does an even better rendition (sad).
Tai x1 - With shiso treatment. I liked this one.
Chutoro x1 - Decent, almost melt in your mouth, but not there.
Uni x1 - Two clear lobes, good quality. Though not enough uni sweetness or taste, just down and out.
Kanpachi x1 - Not as impressive. Kitsho's shiromi has ruined me.
Shimaaji x1 - Relatively standard. A bit warm?
Engawa x2 - classic momiji oroshi and ponzu treatment. A classic, crisp but not sinewy.
Came out to be about ~50$ pre-tip.
Cooked food was surprisingly good. My girlfriend had their Nabeyaki Udon, and it was extremely well done. Noodles were perfect consistency and chewy, and yet did not absorb even more soup to make them soggy. Soup was extremely savory broth. Egg was perfectly poached. Salmon, cooked in the nabe, was also perfect - and better than my sake aburi! I was jealous.
+/-1 for a full listing of what you ordered, which makes it a lot easier to determine how much everything is. Good thing - no being skinned. Bad thing - no sushi freebies either.
4 stars - Decent quality at relatively reasonable prices. Don't come here and expect top flight sushi - but come here as maybe an introduction to the world of top flight. It wont cost you as much for the learning experience :)
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This is my first Yelp review...hurray! I decided I should contribute for a change instead of just benefitting from all the great info here. :D
I tried Akane on Sunday and thought it was very good. I would definitely go back. They weren't crowded for a Sunday night so the service was efficient and attentive. The combo dinner (veggie tempura and beef teriyaki) was delicious and the sushi (negitoro, salmon, unagi) was fresh and decently sized. The spider roll wasn't the best I've had so I will probably order something different when I go back. They do charge $3 for tea which I hear is becoming the norm but their prices are reasonable overall and a good deal for the quality of the food.
you guys are jokers.
This is, by far, the best sushi I've had in the bay area.
Here's the trick: sit at the counter and ask the chef to go off on a sushi tangent - serve me what you like. You shall be amazed.
Incredible.
SHORT & SWEET: Some of the best sushi in the South Bay; stick with tiny sushi bar, avoid table seating with rushed, robotic service; sushi chefs would rather stick needles in their eyes than talk to you (maybe once you are a regular you get a head nod); succulent hamachi, hamachi belly, kampachi, hirame, some of the best uni; no need to bother with rolls here; sushi cuts are just the right size; worth a 25 minute drive.
OK, this place's food was fresh and good, but their service really sucks. I didn't expect Sunday night to be so busy, but it was, and it just took forever for our order to be taken and the food to be served. Don't come if you're starving.
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I agree with the previous sentiment that that service kind of sucked. With a small teapot, you would think that logically, it would require more refills.
I thought that the toro was definitely the best, and the sushi was decently fresh. The unagi was good in that it wasn't heavily broiled and basted in sauce as the regular unagi. However, I would concentrate my visit more on the appetizers menu than the sushi menu, because the fish on Sunday wasn't melting in my mouth except for the toro mentioned above. Quality of the fish was average with most other decent sushi places in America. $53 per person to be satiated on sushi, and you're not totally full.
3 stars if possible, 4 stars if they refilled our tea more often. I'm harsh (i.e. realistic) when I restaurant reviews.
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I've been here twice, and have actually had pretty good service, and great food! The nigiri and sashimi were all REALLY fresh (the highest mark at a sushi restaurant if you ask me) and tasty!
They have a sushi bar with young, energetic chefs and they also have a cool authentic sushi house room in one part of the restaurant where you can sit on pillows and eat low style-- not my thing, but if you enjoy it, by all means it's a nice touch!
Prices are very reasonable for sushi, AND for being in Los Altos! We've ordered plenty of sake here, and a full meal for two and walked out the door for way under $50.
Great sushi at reasonable prices. This has become our regular sushi place ever since the demise of Higachi West. Sushi has consistently been high quality and fresh.
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Below average sushi place for my dinner visit last Saturday. I don't get why there was even a waiting list. Maybe people come here for something else than sushi.
Hot tee was good and free, but I had to ask for it. Toro (Fatty tuna) was not as buttery as I expected and some hard to chew part inside. Not a good deal for $10 for two pieces sushi. Free appetizer (mung bean sprout?) was too sour, guess that's why it's free... Ikura (salmon roe) was small amount compared to other place, but at least was fresh.
Uni was also somewhat fresh but too much hint of ocean. Tombo (albacore) tataki (full order) was good portion, but sauce was lacking some depth and aroma while fish a bit mush and fish. In addition, onion used in the tataki was not of high quality I think. Tomisushi in Mt. View's was better although less portion. Overall, medium quality fish in use. Rice a bit warmer than normal. Spicy Rolls were OK, but not as spicy as I'd like.
After I noticed Kirala in Berkely getting shakier recently, I'm a bit of a hurry in search of a good deal sushi joint. Dear fellow yelpers, please help me find one...
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The family decided to try Akane again since our first visit was so good. Well 2nd time around did not disappoint. The place is nestled among a few banks and stores. Inside, it's a bit on the minimalist side, I can even dare to say rather plain just 4 walls and a bunch of tables and chairs. There is of course a sushi bar at one end and on the other end you can enjoy 2 private rooms. Wow, it's a Wed night and it is packed! This place is super busy. Luckily there was one open table just for us.
One of my favorite things about this place were the hot towels. They were really really nice and warm and they smelled very clean. Yes I know its crazy but it really made me happy. The steam was just rising from the towel and all I could do was huddle around it to take in all its warmth. I just about gave myself a mini facial with all the steam that came out of it.
The sushi was just as good as last time, very fresh and decent size portions. We had a nice nigiri selection: maguro, hotate, ebi, ika, and lots of hamachi. We also had some hamachi kama, spicy tuna and hamachi rolls. We also decided to be a bit adventurous and try a white tuna roll with tempura flakes. Boy I cant believe I swayed from my usual! Rolls were nice but just a tad much rice But I still had my saki back and all was good.
The previous time there we had some sake samplers and that was really nice. I highly recommend it. Service was good both times. The price was great! The place appears to be very family oriented. They had butcher paper on the tables which was great! With my mom stash of crayons, it kept my little one busy until we were overstuffed and ready to go.
So with the 2 visits, I would rate this place 3.5 stars but hell those towels made me feel so good, let's raise it to 4.
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This place gets 3.75 stars...my experience with this place was probably about 3 stars, but i think from the review and what i learned from eating there, both you and i will have a much better experience in the future--in the realm of high three stars or better.
I was told that this place has some of the freshest sushi around, by a friend that used to purchase sushi for restaurants from the early a.m. fish markets.
So i got there and ordered the omakase...couldn't wait. I found that 1) there wasn't really anything special about the types of fish served in their omakase (sake, tai, hamachi, ika, ikura, halibut, uni, toro, amaebi), but 2) the fish really is very fresh and their amaebi was probably the highlight of the omakase, even slightly better than their toro and uni.
The omakase wasn't quite enough ($32 per person), so we ordered the misoyaki seabass as a side order, which was very good, hamachi (excellent), and white tuna (also quite excellent). The final tab was $115 including tax and tip...perhaps a little steep for a dining experience that didn't exactly wow me, but i learned one thing in retrospect...drum roll...
Stick with the Nigiri sushi (priced very reasonably at $4-6 not including the market priced stuff like toro) as it provides the best value. I felt that the proportion of fish and rice was very good, and you really get to experience the quality of the fish better than the omakase.
Happy Eating!
Their fish is very fresh.
Price there is also reasonable.
I ordered a luxury lunch for 2 and only cost me $30+ bucks.
There are rolls, Nigri and also sashimi, and all of them are so fresh. I'm the person who can't live without fish meat (raw or cooked)
I definitely recommend this one
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Fourth revision. Quality went up! Review for sushi only.
Akane is one of the older institutions in Los Altos and apparently has been around for 20+ years. It bills itself as a Japanese restaurant and does offer many multiple varieties of commonly Japanese restaurant food, from tempura, teriyaki, sukiyaki, rice bowls like oyakodon & unaju, udon & soba (no ramen haha) some small cooked dishes/appetizers, and of course sushi. There is interestingly no mention of sushi in the signage, although in Bay Spo ads they do have a picture of a piece of maguro nigiri, which is interesting considering sushi chef & owner Shin Kaneoya is a very modest fellow who has 30+ years experience in classical Edomae sushi, including at least 10 years of apprenticeship in Japan. There is a summarized interview with him archived online where he talks about taking his bicycle to Tsukiji market back in the day to help pick the fish selections for the day/week.
Akane's sushi is no nonsense traditional Edomae (Tokyo style) sushi, although you will find a limited number of fancy rolls here. I have to give Shin-san kudos (+1/2 star) for actually refusing requests to make a chicken or beef teriyaki roll, as I can understand it "cramps his style", though more so dents his pride (puurai-do in Japanese?) and training. Respect mon!
With that said, the prices here are moderate and represent a way better value than say Sushi Tomi in MV. While selection here is humble, it is by no means a slouch. Their "White board specials" here are to the very pickiest of nigiri sushi fans, not terribly special, as you would see hamachi, hirame, tai, uni, amaebi, salmon, tombo (seared albacore), blue fin tuna and/or toro, and lately kanpachi (Koma in Menlo Park and Fuki Sushi in Palo Alto are guilty of also putting common fare on a specials white board). Today they had katsuo (tattaki, seared by the master himself), aoyagi.
But don't let the white board common stuff at Akane fool you, the Japanese tai and hirame are smooth and excellent. I'm personally not an albacore fan, but find Shin-san's bincho maguro prep to be actually very decent and in many cases better than Sushi Tomi's on their best day. But what I really like is in some very rare cases, when Shin-san has leftover blue fin/hon maguro chu or o toro that he makes a special marinated version of it (zuke), by preparing a mixture of shoyu and mirin, cooking it until it reaches the desired concentration, then marinating it overnight. Almost impossible to catch when he has it, but it is SUPERB, even surpassing Ino Sushi (SF) and Kitsho (Cupertino)!
Shin-san is also one of few chefs in the South part of the Bay Area to make good use of aoyagi clam (not on the white board) where the adductor muscle is served like a flavorful scallop sushi in gunkan form. The crunchy ribbon under the shell (himo) is made into a handroll (temaki) w/Japanese cucumber, or in a hosomaki form for a nice crunch. Shin-san's sushi rice is beautiful, small pearly grains, though not heavy in vinegar taste, but very mild with a small hint of sweetness.
Regulars at the bar can get some additional sides at times, like deep fried aji or iwashi bones (hone?), seasoned with a little bit of salt. Nice crunchy texture, and hopefully you get a fresh one and not a piece tha thas been sitting out for a while (but heck it is free). Once in a blue moon, he may have a pickled cold Japanese eggplant (small dish) in omakase if you're a serious diner. While not as spot on as Sumika's version, but it is very much appreciated nonetheless.
Best times to come here are Tues through Thurs and in rare cases Fri. About a month ago Shin-san started offering kohada (his own receipe) which I applaud him for doing so in a neighborhood that does not have as many frequent Japanese customers as they did in the dot com boom. The secret is to get this on Wednesday, as it requires advanced preparation for the marination to seep in, so the bones are soft enough. The most recent piece was spectacular, just right, and he did not even need to make cross cuts on top of the neta (to make it form better over the shari). Could be with or w/o shiso.
Edomaezushi fans might want to take further note that Shin-san also makes his own kanpyo and tamago yaki, both excellent in their own right, although certainly not the most popular by any means. If you come on Tuesday or Wednesdays he usually makes a fresh batch of tamago yaki that cannot be beat in the area.
Don't get me wrong, while this place is excellent, it is not the same as the other high end sushi restaurants like Kitsho in Cupertino or as nice settings as Ino in SF. This is one of those comfy neighborhood joints, although doesn't quite have that intimate feel like at Sushi Yoshi in Newark, for example. Prices are very reasonable especially in Los Altos, and definitely beats out quite a few of the competition. Where else can you have reasonably priced nigiri sushi by a master with 30+ yrs experience?
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My favorite sushi joint!!!
Okay, based on that... you can tell this is going to be a glowing review. My opinion is based on lunches at the sushi bar and dinner in the main dining area.
Pros...
- Friendly sushi chefs at the bar.
- EXCELLENT quality of sushi.
- Great spicy tuna rolls.
- Great white tuna!!!
Cons...
- I can't think of any, this is my "sushi oasis". =)
I've had friends that did not care for Akane as much as I do, but they are looking for different things. For me, it is just about some good nigiri sushi, good rolls, Asahi beer and good friends. =)
This was good tonkatsu! Our server was quite nice and patient as she explained how some of the dishes were prepared. I'm going back for another deep fried pork chop!
Good place for someone to impress you with their sushi expertise! Loved the toro and maguro, unagi (which I am not always a fan of) was wonderful- great rolls and tempura. Very quiet the night we were there- relaxed, intimate- enjoyed it very much and would go back!
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If you want a good, neighborhood restaurant that serves fresh fish at reasonable prices, then give Akane a try.
Sure, the decor hasn't been updated since Steve Young actually played football (Akane is one of his favorites), but then again it's not trying to be a "destination" restaurant. If you're looking for an inspired dining experience (or if you're a black belt in sushi snobbery), then Akane is not for you.
My advice: (1) get take-out instead of dining in; (2) if you do dine in, don't bother with the tatami rooms; and (3) get to know Frances (the hostess) -- regulars get way better treatment.
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This is Steve Young's favorite sushi restaurant and mine too. The seaweed salad is good, the Akane roll is delicious, and the service is friendly. Plus considering its Los Altos the prices are reasonable.
My friend and I mis-read our own text messages and I ended up at Akane by myself for lunch today -- don't worry, I forgave her. I grabbed a seat at the sushi bar and found myself indulging in a $9.15 bento box in peace and quiet. (Listen, I dish out a bit of Japanese, having lived in Japan and studied the language for a sorry 6 years -- so I want you to know that the sushi chefs and staff were all speaking Japanese -- yes, a Japanese restaurant with Japanese staff -- who would have "thunk" it). Anyhow, was able to get some work done and gobble down my bento (you pick two from a list of six items like teriyaki chicken, beef, tuna sashimi, veggie tempura, tonkatsu, etc.) which consisted of beef teriyaki and tuna sashimi (from the pick two) and two california roll pieces, a salad with miso dressing, miso soup, a bit of seaweed salad, a small cucumber/crab/noodle/may appetizer, and a big bowl of white rice. I'm not wiling to vouch for more than that. So my five stars are for the lunch bento. Got it!
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Came here with family (young kids) and the service was normal. No wise comments from the hostess about our kids making mess. We usually try to clean up ourself.
Food is on average, Americanized Japanese food.
Will give them 3.5 stars, but rounded down since the wait staff did not speak Japanese.
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Apparently one of Steve Young's favorite sushi bars. The prices here are pretty good - most nigiri was about 4 bucks for 2 pieces - so its not too bad - i forgot how much the maki was too much sake - they have a nice selection of premium cold sake (nihonshu) as well.
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I'm surprised the reviews aren't better for this place. The fish is very fresh, and the prices are reasonable. Plus, it was Steve Young's favorite restaurant when he lived in Los Altos. When a football god gives a place his stamp of approval, you can't very well disagree with him, now, can you?
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Good food, but I just do not like the interior. lighting is dim, and the space looks like a dark storage. I wish they can place at least candles or some kind of task lighting - spot lights, or pendant lights.
Don't eat Akane roll - it tasted like Korean food because of the weird hot sauce they used. It was just horrible. Other sushi are all good.