Aki Sushi & Grill
Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
Neighborhoods: North Oakland, Piedmont Ave3953 Piedmont Ave
Oakland, CA 94620 (510) 653-1284
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
536 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
"A nicely decorated place at the top of Media Gulch (the 'taint place in between Potrero Hill and The Mission). MANGO mojitos, yum, with…" read more »
38 Reviews for Aki Sushi & Grill
I really like this place. It's low-key and simple, so it's perfect when I'm in that type of mood. I really like the Futo Maki roll- so delicious! And the wasabi is one of the most potent I've ever had (gets me crying with joy and wondering, "Was that a heart palpitation?"). The waitresses are all nice and alert, which are a couple of the best qualities in any restaurant.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
S'okay, but I've had better. Not sure if this is a good thing, but they're one of the only Japanese restaurants that seems to be open on Monday, which (according to Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential) is the one day outta the week when you should absolutely positively NOT go eat sushi, 'coz the fish ain't fresh and there won't be any deliveries until, like, Tuesday.
Well you know what, AB? Fuck you. I wanted sushi on Monday.
I am going to give this place 4 stars because i rated kotabuki 3 stars and i think this place is better than that. The portions are a little smaller but it taste better. The tempura is really light and crispy which is important to me. The vegetables are of a larger variety. They have more squash type veggies.
I got a chicken katsu dinner and it was ok. I didn't care for the salad. It was some kinda sesame salad dressing. They got free soda refills so that rocks as usual. Not some little can like kotabuki. Service was ok. They had 3 servers and they all helped out. Basically if they saw someone that needed something they would jump on it, regardless of
what table. The food took a little long to come out but nothing to be bent out of shape.
overall if you want something quick and cheap, go to kotobuki. If you got time and money, about 2.5 as much, go here for a dinner.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
This place is decent, and the food is ok. Just middle of the road in the overall scheme of things. Prices are reasonable, service is good.
I ordered the California roll and the City Boy Roll (shrimp tempura, fish, avocado, etc.). Both were just okay. The rolls were smaller than some other of my favorite places.
Hard to describe a great roll, but its just not here.
Not bad to visit though if you need a sushi fix and find yourself on Piedmont Ave. in Oakland.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I've never had anything but a great experience at Aki, and I'm honestly surprised so many others haven't. Their sushi always tastes wonderful to me (try the "rock and roll", absolutely delectable!) , the service is beyond friendly, they've got an excellent variety of sakes and the prices are generally very reasonable.
Aki Sushi is a great place to go on a date, and I'll definitely be going back there soon for more of their awesome sushi.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (2)
eh..
ate here twice. disappointed both times.
service was slow, food was mediocre at best.
So it's a bit busy, but when you absolutely must get some sushi this place works for me. The house rolls are pretty good, the specials are well composed, and the cuts are smooth as silk every time I have gone. The service is very professional as well. The waitresses are always very attentive and usually pretty fast with the order.
Decent sushi, reasonably priced, very friendly staff. All in all, a great neighborhood joint. Will do the job when you get a hankerin' for some sushi...
Sushi was okay. Rolls were good and sashimi was mediocre. Service was friendly and quick. Nothing special here. At least it was not overpriced.
This place has pretty good sushi, average prices, and good service.
The Super California roll was bomb! The fish and other ingredients seemed pretty fresh. I wouldn't suggest ordering the baked salmon over crab with macadamia nuts. It may have been better with rice or in the form of a roll but overall it was kinda weird. My date ordered the "Rebecca roll" just to amuse me but it didn't quite compare to the real thing ;) jk. It was very similar to a spider roll but the DF shrimp was a little dry or overcooked. The rice in the donburi dishes was a bit on the mushy side so I wouldn't order that again, either.
If you sit at the sushi bar, you can watch the chefs fry the tempura and roll the sushi. The prices were average for the averaged sized rolls that were served. The waitresses were really sweet and friendly. The atmosphere was pretty chill and homey. This would be a good place catch up with an old friend or have a dinner on a rainy night with a significant other.
I had pickup from here the other night. I came in a little early to pay for my food and was surprised with the attention I got. The waitress, who I suspect was one of the owners, was very sweet. She got me water while I waited, served me edamame, and cracked a couple of jokes. What a sweetheart.
The sushi was good. Nothing amazing, but I will be back because of the people that work there.
Get-A Sushi was closed on Sunday, so we tried a new place tonight (1/6/07). The best thing that we had was sake nigiri, which was delicious and sliced thickly. If I went back, I'd stick to the nigiri, which I suspect is the best choice. We also ordered two rolls: one shiromaguro, which contained so much garlic that it overpowered the delicate fish, and also another roll that contained hamachi, maguro, and one other fish. That roll was pretty good. I think it was called a spicy something roll. Overall, it was the same sushi experience that many of my other reviews gripe about. Too much rice, so-so rolls, and some rolls that contain the most disgusting combos - macadamia nut sushi? Whaa?
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
Hmmm..perhaps my virginal encounter with Aki was a 1 in a 1,000 chance, but my evening meal wasn't as terrible as many other yelpers have experienced.
I went on a Friday night which is usually a bad night to go out without any sort of reservation, but J and I managed to get seated quickly which was great as about 30 minutes later, a ton of people entered wanting to eat!
So we ordered J's favorite..the "Johnny Love" which has this spicy sauce with baked scallops..YUM....Seriously, I don't know what exactly goes into it, but nonetheless, my adventurous little tastebuds were humming with happiness upon the first taste.
Their spider roll was great as was their spicy tuna.
So my assessment?
1-star for service which was prompt and friendly--yay for Korean speaking waitress...
1-star for the food...I liked everything I had, but I also had rolls as opposed to sashimi so things are masked when rolled with all sorts of other goodness...
1-star for the tea--it was hot, not lukewarm like most of my experiences of late
1-star for being affordable..I don't think this place is that expensive...try having sushi in SF where a roll is $12 rather than $6!!! I have been to cheaper places and have been disappointed, and at other been pleasantly surprised. So in the realm of price, Aki is right where it should be.
*But I have to admit, nothing beats the sushi place near the United gates in Narita airport.
Dear ike & suseroo - if your reading this. I think you guys have something special going.
your sashimi is pretty good & your otoro is great!!!! Plus, you are engaged in the neighborhood. I dig it.
....& you satisfy my need for sushi & KAREOKE in one place.
how cool is that? every once in a while they roll out the kareoke on laser disc. so fun.
Who are the people in my neighborhood! Ike & Suze! and I don't even live here.
damn I love sushi.
I knew I shouldn't have eaten that spicy tuna roll.
Uh...I shudder to even think of it now.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I'm a regular at this sushi bar and LOVE their OTORO! always fresh and always melt in your mouth delicious!!
The fish, especially yellowtail and seabass, are always fresh.
The service is fantastic and the sushi chefs treat everyone who walks in as if they are regulars.
I would recommend that you give the restaurant a try and stick to the nigiri.
I'm so sad to see that many people do not share the same love for Aki as myself and many of my friends do, but I still do think that this place is pretty great.
Perhaps it is because Aki is just a stroll away from one of my best friend's houses, so the stumble home after some sake or Saporro is short...
Perhaps it is because we have been coming here for the past year and get treated extremely well by the owner and head sushi chef. They most usually always give us a special free dish from off the menu to try, and all of them have been damn good so far. I do admit that if you get a new waiter or waitress the service may not be A+, but they always try their hardest...
Perhaps it is because they actually have Super White Tuna!! No, not white albacore tuna... Super White Tuna. I used to stick to the standard raw salmon and tuna, but I can seriously say that this is my favorite nigiri by far!! Try it out.
Also really like the Oasis roll which is a California roll with mango. Oh yeah, and they use real crab for all of their rolls which is another big plus in my book. If you like wakame salad, definitely try the Green Zone roll. It's a spicy tuna roll topped with seaweed salad and a special green sauce. Pretty yummy.
And if you happen to stumble in on a karaoke night... it is a pretty fun time. Who knew the head chef could sing so good? I will definitely keep coming back to Aki :)
I was out wandering the ave and decided to get lunch. I hesitated before entering Aki, thinking 'I really should check Yelp first'. But I didnt and I had a so-so lunch.
I ordered the bento box with hamachi sashimi (costs extra although they don't say that on the menu) and the shrimp tempura. The hamachi was fresh and a nice clean cut (since I am a picky pesco vegetarian that rarely eats fish this says a lot.) However, the tempura was pretty bad - it was soggy and the shrimp was not fresh. I ate the vegetables but put the shrimp aside. Ew.
They also have saki cocktails. They are really just chilled saki with martini mixtures but I ordered the lime and it was like a grown-up Italian soda. Kinda nice on a warm sunny day.
All in all lunch was $20 with tip, which is kinda pricey for a so-so one person lunch.
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Funny (1)
Cool (3)
this is a very nice low-key friendly & comfortable sushi restaurant. the fish is excellent, service is great and the chefs are really fun. the owner also runs a fish market -- good quality fresh fish is the norm. the chefs know what is best on any given day... just ask them what they recommend.
We made friends with the sushi chefs here when I was working at Piedmont Springs. My bf and I had our own chopsticks with our names on them there- made us feel special. They would always give us one free dish to try- super friendly, but we ALWAYS sat at the bar.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
I ate here tonight and I wish I could throw up everything I forced down my throat. I didn't try the sushi here..thank goodness. I did try a bento box with salmon, tempura, and chicken teriyaki (they were out of the kalbi so I settled for the chicken). The tempura was mushy..as noted by another yelper....the salmon tasted microwaved and smelled a little too fishy...and the chicken tasted like luncheon-meat-chicken...you know what I mean. Even the rice was overcooked and mushy...the miso soup was salty...the edamame was oversteamed and mushy.....the only ok thing was the water.
Both waitresses asked me whether I enjoyed my meal and I told them in my best Borat impression..."Not soo mautch." They looked a little puzzled but didn't say anything in response. My boyfriend was absolutely mortified with me....but he's got the palate of a golden retriever and he just doesn't understand the horror I feel at paying $20 (including tax and tip) for a lousy bento box.
I usually like Korean owned Japanese places...at least the ones down in SoCal.....but the ones up here...."Not so mautch."
People thought this was:
Funny (2)
It's sad that so many people have had bad experiences here. For a no-wait table, this place can't be beat. I've eaten here more twice and had prompt, attentive service.
The menu has a fairly good selection and the udon is delicious. I also like that their sushi has a generous cut of fish with a small portion of rice. I don't like to be overwhelmed by rice.
I do find it amusing that their cocktail menu boasts of the clot-clearing capabilities of so-chu, like drinking more alcohol will improve your health. 1.3 times more clot clearing than sake! 2 times more than red wine! Whatever.
+yummy soy-ginger dressing on the salad
+good salmon sushi, very reasonably priced
+attentive service
+delicious udon
-sad shrimp tempura (in the udon)
Eeeks. I can't tell you what the food is like because we never got our order. We waited. And waited. And waited. After 1 hour and 7 minutes we had received a bowl of edamame, a beer, and two (out of 3) menus.
So we paid our tab and left.
To be fair - this is one of my coworkers favorite sushi places but she usually goes for lunch.
People thought this was:
Funny (2)
Cool (2)
This was quite possibly one of the worst restaurants I've ever been in. I probably should have known better when upon entering, they were playing Sade. It also smelled fishy.
The decor is terrible. Spotlights illuminating the wrong areas, just awful faux something painted on the walls, uncomfortable chairs, the works.
Considering there were very few patrons, the service was remarkably slow. By the time our waitress took our order I had gone down a dress size.
We ordered an appetizer, a main course, and dessert.
Dessert was brought first, followed by our appetizer, and then our sushi. What? Don't these people understand anything?
The sushi was poorly made. My rolls kept unraveling. Very unsettling for an avid sushi eater.
I'm never going back, ever.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (3)
Hi, my name is Aki Sushi & Grill!
^_^
I am just like every other Korean-run Japanese place in the East Bay.
$$$ **
Foodies make fun of me.
-___-;
But I have really yummy sansai (mountain vegetable) udon and mango-filled sushi!
^___^
Looks like I've escaped yet another potentially debilitating bout with depression. All in a day's work.
~__~
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (10)
Cool (2)
Not knowing where to go in the area and in need of "to go" Japanese, I ended up at Aki last week. Nothing really stood out and the fried dishes we picked up were way over cooked (soft shell crab) or way under cooked (agedashi tofu). Sushi was whatever. They did give a huge piece of Salmon for my lady's Teriyaki Dinner! It's just not a place I would recommend or come back to. I did feel kind of sick after my dinner, but it could have been something else.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
This place is BAD on so many levels. We got sick after eating the sushi nigiri delux and a macadamia nut and tuna roll.
We walked in and sat at the sushi bar. We got a cursory hello but watched as a few friends of the sushi cooks plied them with Soju and beer. I noticed one cook being nonchalant about the cutting of the sushi and throwing the fish back into the display. I got very worried when he knocked over the sushi rice container. The service was sooo slow, only one poor waiteress and these two drunk idiots were in the front of house.
Now the food, bland, bland, and NOT fresh.
NEVER WILL I GO BACK, and neither should you.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
My husband and I love Aki's. The service can definitely be improved upon, but they get the job done without too much trouble. They're very flexible with their menu (I've asked them to create maki's on the spot with some great results) and I am in love with their seaweed salad and calamari. Overall, I can safely say that my husband and I will be returning to Aki's for years to come.
I've had better sushi places, but I really liked the tempura udon. I actually like the sushi at GetA better than here.
I will start by saying this place is not fabulous. The decor is OK, the service sometimes good, sometimes bad, the food is OK for dine in but pretty terrible for takeout.
My husband and I keep eating here for the few items on the menu we've found they do consistently well. I personally like creative rolls, and that is what this place has plenty of. The sushi appetizer is also good, 5 pieces of tuna, albacore or salmon which has always been fresh.
The rest of the food is pretty bland. This place used to be a sandwich shop and thus the kitchen is not exactly huge. If they stuck to just sushi it would probably be a lot better.
The prices are reasonable considering it's on Piedmont Ave. 2 rolls, 2 beers, 2 miso, 1 sushi appetizer comes to less than $40 for a full service experience, not bad.
After a Soak in the hot tubs at Piedmont springs (Highly Recommend) we stopped in at this restaurant located near by along Piedmont Ave. The service was prompt and friendly. Although we walked in at 9 pm and there weren't many other patrons in the restaurant.
For appetizer you get a plate of soybeans. Nice! Most places charge you for this appetizer and to me it's better than a plate of picked veggies (which is a little more traditional).
We had an "Eric's special" roll for appetizer. It was great. For dinner I had a grilled saba which was a tad salty but a nice piece of fish never the less. My boyfriend had the Beef Udon. Not the best Udon in the world but pretty good compared to other places I've been. The broth was tasty.
All this food and plus miso soup and salad come with the meal with an ice tea and a beer came to $35. . . .Now that's pretty good deal.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
5 stars Tim G? You have GOT to be kidding me!
We had sushi here one night and it was an experience that I wouldn't care to repeat. Sushi has to be fresh. We got plates full of fish that was either chewy or fishy tasting. To top it all off, Aki is EXPENSIVE.
Even though I think Drunken Fish is only so-so, walk yourself down the street and go there instead.
Miso soup was too salty, sushi was not good at all and service was terrible.
We ordered Albacore lover (? I do not remember exact name), which had sushi with albacore inside and out, another sushi (I do not remember the name), which had scallop on top with special sauce, and Fish teriyaki. When we asked our waitress what the special sauce is and if it is spicy, she said "it is sweet sauce and not spicy at all", so we ordered. Even though the menu said that "grilled" scallop, scallops were raw and the special sauce was mayo with some spicy stuff. Fish teriyaki came out after we finished eating most of sushi. To make things worse, it was not fish teriyaki you may imagine. It was deep fried fish with teriyaki sauce. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone.
Excellent sushi dining experience. Visited for first time on Friday, June 16, 2006 at 6pm.
Creative menu, tasty food, genuinely friendly and helpful service, and nice atmosphere at this corner service.
Waitress gave us friendly and prompt service at the sushi bar. She made suggestions that got our son to try something other his normal order of California rolls. He loved the roll that featured baked scallops, as did the rest of us. Must visit again.
Great local hang out, and has developed into quite a spot for regulars. We've been going every since it opened. The rolls, while not original, are very well done. For lovers of certain type of nigiri and can't get enough, they have rolls like hamachi lover, salmon (sake) lover, ebi lover, etc. which are simply the fish in roll topped with more of that fish. Grill is also good in the normal Japanese faire.
If you're in the area and craving Japanese food, you'll do well to stop by for a quick bite.
I am not sure why the other yelpers were not served promptly. I have been frequenting this place ever since they opened. I was served promptly every time I went there. They have a new wait person who is very friendly.
We just came back with our bellies full from Aki for about $40 including the tip. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were greeted with a big smile. The wait person asked us if we wanted to be seated at the bar, window or inside. We basically chose where we sat. She gave us water and tea right away. They always give you Edamame on the house, which is a huge plus for me. (mmm, love those mames!). We ordered Uni sushi from the today's specials menu. It was very fresh and delicious, although I don't think they really update the today's specials. I have seen the same things listed there for months. We also got Salmon Lover (my husband's favorite -- salmon and avocado inside-out roll with more salmon on the outside), Hana roll (softshell crab and avocado roll with unagi on the outside), futomaki and yakitori. The rolls were huge. All the ingredients were fresh. The rice was seasoned very well. Yakitori is a great deal for the price. They are not those tiny burnt chicken pieces you see at other restaurants. The pieces were quite big for me, so I needed to eat each piece in two bites. Our water and tea cups were never empty.
This place is the newest Japanese restaurant on Piedmont avenue but it has become one of my favorites because:
1. They don't skimp on the ingredients.
2. It's never too crowded.
3. The food is quite reliable.
4. Service is prompt.
5. They offer free Edamame.
6. Their tea is actually green and delicious.
I can't say about other items on the menu but I recommend this restaurant for sushi and sashimi.
Updates: Just ate there last night again. For the first time, the sushi rice was unpleasantly moist. I am now giving them three stars because the sushi rice was wet and all mushed up. It still offers good service and it's a perfectly fine neighborhood Japanese restaurant for a quick bite. I got gyoza on the house in addition to edamame this time.
We dropped in here despite all the sour reviews on Yelp and were pleasantly surprised. We went in for lunch. Between us, we ordered the nigiri deluxe and the yakiniku. The sushi was really fresh and cut well so it went down like butter. I wasn't expecting it to be so good. The yakiniku sauce wasn't too sweet like at some places and the meat was tender. The waitress was really nice and the sushi chefs pleasant. No problem there.
I give this 3 stars instead of 4 because when we ordered the same thing for takeout at dinner time, the fish didn't seem as fresh (maybe got the lunch leftovers?) and the rice was not as soft. We'll try again for sure, especially since we live down the street and definitely won't ever go to Kotobuki across the street again when we get our sushi craving on. That place really sucks.
aki, what happened? you used to be one of my favorite local places, your rolls are still tasty, but i'm left very unsatisfied with the quality now.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Lost My Cookies
a.k.a. "Sushi and French Food that has Made Me… -
My Neighborhood
Grand/Lake, Piedmont Ave., Montclair, Glenview and…
Hot and New
- Halu
23 reviews
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
- Cossu Restaurant, Bar & Lounge
8 reviews
San Francisco, CA
- Firefly
410 reviews
Neighborhood: Noe Valley
- Bar Crudo
359 reviews
Neighborhood: Union Square
- Maverick
456 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
