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Aki Sushi Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
340 Travis BlvdFairfield, CA 94533
(707) 426-5100
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Sat 12 pm - 9:30 pm
Sun 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for Aki Sushi Restaurant
19 reviews in English
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Review from Jillian C.
Vacaville, CA
5/19/2012
Seriously amazing. This place has ruined me for every other Japanese place in the Davis or Bay Area. Yes, the wait times can be long, but that's because there's only one chef turning every single shrimp tempura into a glorious, crispy yet tender piece of perfection. Whether it's J-style steak, chicken, tonkatsu, or fish, the meat is always juicy and ridiculously succulent. The skin of the gyoza is paper thin, and the sushi chef knows to start frying it up as soon as he sees me walk through the door. The California rolls are made of real crab meat, and the sashimi is always fresh and beautifully presented.
If you want to eat cheap and eat fast, this is not the place for you. If you prefer quality over quantity, it just doesn't get better than this. -
Review from Andrew A.
Omaha, NE
2/20/2011 5 Check-ins Here
Overall (9/10)
Food (9/10) - pretty awesome *most authentic and awesome in Fairfield*
Service (7/10) - quite slow and I can't eat here for lunch
TIP - do not come if you have a short lunch
If this place got my food out in 30 minutes for my lunch time, it would be super awesome. For those who rated it bad because they don't know why their bill is so high, their bento boxes are priced by what you get. If you get the more expensive items, they will cost more... not $8, so please pay attention when ordering.
Things to eat
- chicken katsu curry (no fukujin-zuke) - pickles
- bento box with sashimi and tempura.
- donburis are not bad
would i come back. YES! but probably not for lunch cause then I will be late for work =/Listed in: Lunch-time in Fairfield!
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Review from Justin C.
10/11/2007
I've always enjoyed Izumi's delicious assortment of delicious sushi. Izumi's won't serve anything but the freshest fish, which always tastes better. And yes, you won't find watered-down sushi for Californians here. Izumi is the real deal.
Great service, good food (even the cooked stuff is fantastic), and a friendly neighborhood ambiance combine for a solid dining experience.
They were once the only stronghold in an abandoned shopping center on North Texas called Mission Village (jokingly nicknamed "Missing Village"). I would always drive by the dark unlit center and the only thing anyone could see was "SUSHI" in bright red lights. Ah, those were the days.
I'm really happy that Izumi found a new location for his loyal customers.
Try their Ponzu sauce. Izumi makes the only Ponzu sauce in North America that I've ever liked.
Also, when I go out to Japanese restaurants and ask for a Salmon Skin hand roll, it usually disappoints, but not at Izumi. The way Izumi makes the Salmon Skin balanced with the right seasoning and texture simply works, so try one of those too.
I'm a big fan of the Nigiri style of sushi. Highly recommended at Izumi's: mackarel, yellowtail tuna, ika (squid), halibut, and unagi (eel). -
Review from James L.
12/3/2007
IMPORTANT NOTE: This restaurant is now called "Aki Sushi" and is located on Travis Boulevard; and yes, it is the same restaurant that used to be called "Izumi" and was located on North Texas Street. Aside from the location and name change, things have pretty much remained the same. I noticed the same old lady from Izumi cooking in the back making my yosenabe at Aki Sushi. While the sushi chef is no longer Miyazawa Izumi himself, the man now behind the counter looks like a close relation - but frankly, I haven't had the temerity to ask. Miyazawa himself is currently on the peninsula south of SF, teaching people in San Mateo how to make sushi, katsudon, and a proper dashi.
Anyway. This is one of the few places I would ever give a five-star rating to. I'm a native of the West Bay/Peninsula with relatives who own or have at least worked in Japanese restaurants, and when it comes to the quality of the fish Aki Sushi uses for their sushi and the care and detail they put into all their other dishes, I can confidently say this place beats ANY of my favorite places in LA, SF, or the Peninsula. Hands down. If I want the absolute best sushi, I will drive here before going anywhere else, no matter where I am in the Bay Area.
If you like the idea of five-star quality sushi and other Japanese dishes in a really low-key, casual setting this is the place for you. It doesn't get more casual than a small, deserted strip mall, after all!
My recommendations:
- The California roll. I know, it's just a California roll, but trust me, the sushi chef here does proper justice to it. It features an insanely generous amount of REAL crab (not imitation), fresh avocado, and cucumber, and unlike most California rolls which have a thick layer of rice and very little in the way of goodies on the inside, the rice here is minimal, almost token, thin as a wrap. And the rice is dusted with shining, jewel-like shrimp eggs. When was the last time you had a California roll that was dripping with that kind of bling-bling? Fabulous.
- Amazing hamachi: properly cut, with just enough of the dark meat to give flavor, but not so much that you're overpowered or eating a cheap cut of fish.
- Ask the waitress/waiter (or ask the sushi chef directly if you're at the bar) what fish they recommend. The sushi chef takes the seafood seriously and will tell you what's the freshest. It's a good way to get into new types of fish besides helping you figure out what to order. Asking in this manner has rewarded me with tasty portions of aji and suzuki, among other things.
- Because the fish is so good you might be reluctant to try out the cooked dishes, but I highly recommend that you do. The quality and care that you see in the raw seafood will be reflected in the other dishes as well. Personally I recommend the yosenabe, a stew of seafood, cabbage, and clear noodles in one of the most amazing broths I have ever tasted. Light the way seafood broths are but amazingly rich and with so much depth.
- As I mentioned above, this place is pretty low-key and casual. Don't be put off by the fact that this place serves high-quality fare and assume that you can't wear jeans to this place or that you can't bring your kids. (But do leave your kids at home if they're extremely loud...)
UPDATE: I had dinner at Izumi on 1 Dec. 2007, the same night Kyari T. posted her unfavorable review. That night I was informed by the waitress that the kitchen's cook was not there and that the sushi chef was the lone cook, making BOTH the sushi and the hot entrees. Our waitress was the only other person working that night. This would probably explain the slow service others received that night, and it's a shame if that was some people's first impression of the place. I myself had great service that night - the food did come out slower than usual (the sushi chef did indeed disappear into the back for awhile to make my yosenabe, leaving the front of the restaurant unstaffed), but it actually helped us pace ourselves and relax so we didn't mind a whole lot. -
Review from D.wight L.
Fremont, CA
12/10/2008
Traveling on I-80 on the late side of dinner time, we looked this place up on YELP and decided to hit it up before a lot of our options were about to dwindle. Was kinda jonesing for sushi and the reviews did not seem too scary, so off the exit and into the strip mall.
It was a little past 9 pm on a Friday night and the small place was empty. Yikes, I thought, but decided to brave it after being eagerly seated by our server. Within 5 minutes, 2 other couples walks in and the place starts to show glimpses of energy to my relief.
Hungry from the road travel from Tahoe we order everything at once. 1 Chirashi (bout 15 bucks) came separated in a bento-type box, unusual but unique; Sunomono Salad (bout $5) marinated Octopus and cucumbers nicely shingled and stacked but not tangy and vibrant as I like; A combo of Saba Shioyaki and Hamachi sashimi (bout $18) came completely separate, the sashimi arrived after I was almost done with my mackerel but no big deal at all. The grilled oily fish was good, nicely salted and lightly charred but was a little on the small side. The server even freaked out a bit when I smeared a little wasabi on my fish and I explained that the spiciness cuts the oily-ness a bit, and then says she has to try that next time. Didn't seem that odd to me, that's just the way I've done it. Hamachi was as spot on as I've had at any respectable sushi joint.
Prices seem a little high for the amount of food and for their location but not crazy. Service not polished but overall I'd come back if ever in these parts. Definitely not bad! -
Review from Tony N.
Pleasanton, CA
8/22/2010
Taste like yes: Agadashi tofu (AMAZING!), Chicken Karage, any Nigiri
Taste like no: nothing, best japanese food in Fairfield
Feels like no: The looooong wait. The service is not good (punch my crotch bad) but the food is worth it.
My advice order take out. Then watch the entire Matrix trilogy pick up your food and get ready for your eyes to roll in the back of your head. -
Review from yelp j.
Napa, CA
5/19/2009
I was actually looking for a different restaurant and just ran into this place.
Its interesting reading the varied reviews. First, its a good thing when you have Aji on the menu. So, i was surprised with that so i ordered it for lunch.
As far as the service, i didn't have a bad experience as others' mentioned. There were a few people there but the food arrived timely. The food was not as generous but good. Its a place i would need to visit a few more times and try out some other selections before i give it a definite recommendation. This restaurant is more the traditional japanese style/menu then say the newer modern japanese places. Japanese-owned/run. -
Review from Justin T.
Greenwood, SC
1/19/2008
I've been here several times over the last few years and all I can say is wow. I never would have guessed the best sushi I would ever eat would be found in Fairfield.
While the service has definitely declined after the departure of Izumi, the fish is still prepared expertly. These guys really know what they are doing so if you are looking for some serious nigiri, and some remarkably fresh fish, head here. Be prepared to pay though, while they do not charge the absurd prices some of the sushi spots in the Bay do, it is not cheap. But for the quality of the fish, the prices are fair.
While I am not usually a proponent of california rolls, these are delicious. Real, generous portions of crab are stuffed into these tight rolls and you will easily tell the difference between the kani you may have gotten used to.
Another nice surprise is their tamago. This is not some premade, super sweet omelet. It is hand prepared, and balanced, something I have found to be truly rare in sushiyas. Not surprisingly their futomaki is also superb and should not be missed
Cooked items are also prepared with precision and care. A friend of mine ordered chicken teriyaki, something I usually avoid but I was surprised at how authentic it tasted. Not heavy, or greasy, the glaze was light and flavorful, the chicken tender and grilled with a skilled hand. Tempura will also not disappoint, being neither greasy, nor heavy.
I have never had even an average piece of fish here so if you can put up with the somewhat stiff service, you will be rewarded with what may very well be the best sushi this side of the Pacific.
Edit: Since writing my original review I have come back a couple more times during lunch and dinner and while I had previously said the service was on the slide, they've really turned it around. The waitstaff was only one woman, but she still managed to attend to our table and 5 others. The fish still comes in fresh every day and is still the best around. -
Review from Kai-Wen Y.
Walnut Creek, CA
1/5/2012
We have been here several times, the last time was last month and it would be our last time there. The food was terrific, I have to admit, but the service was so bad that we even felt offended. First, there was only one chef (the sushi chef) working. When we came in, there were two other groups of customers in the restaurant. One group of 4 at a table, who left soon after we arrived, and another 4 at the sushi bar. The chef was chatting with them and occasionally making some sushi. Then the waitress took our order. After that, FORTY minutes had passed without any single food (that's right, not even salad and soup) showed up on our table. The chef kept chatting for forty minutes before he entered the kitchen and started preparing our meal! While he worked in the kitchen, my husband, who is a Japanese, heard him complaining about being too busy (ya right, just too busy serving 4 people for forty minutes?), and after he started moving, our food showed up immediately. However, by the time they served food, we were already way too hungry and tired and was pissed by his attitude, that we couldn't enjoy our meal at all. The waitress was nice and kept apologizing, and in the end we decided not to give extra tip and explained our anger to her. From beginning to end, the chef never looked at us or talked to us to apologize. We were very disappointed with this restaurant and will not go back again.
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Review from Herman A.
Los Angeles, CA
6/27/2007
(Please be aware that THE FOLLOW IS MY REVIEW BASED ON PREVIOUS OWNERSHIP - IZUMI'S, who is now retired and is not related to current ownership - Aki Sushi)
Judy L. isn't exaggerating, this is by far the absolute best Japanese food served in California that I know of. As a matter of fact, as a Japanese food fan and a food lover, I can proudly say that Izumi serves the food I'll die for.
Izumi Miazawa is a traditional Japanese chef who always thrives to make the best food he believes in. He refuses to make the popular "American Sushi" and would rather keep his restaurant small and serve food of the highest quality. I've been eating at Izumi's for more than 10 years until lately he decided to close down his restaurant to pursue a different phase of his career to teach cooking. But if he does ever decide to reopen, do NOT miss it!
Must try: Uni (sea urchin), Toro (fatty tuna), Kampachi (baby yellow tail), Tamago (egg sushi, trust me on this), Kazunoko (herring roe), #8 Special, Tuna Acapulco, 101 Special, Special Salmon, and the list goes on and on... you will not be able to try all his best food in one visit. -
Review from Angelica A.
Fairfield, CA
6/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
The food is good, the miso soup is wonderful. The service, on the other hand, is very slow.
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Review from kyari t.
San Francisco, CA
12/1/2007
The restaurant isn't Izumi's restaurant anymore. It's now called "Aki's Sushi".....which is the reason why you shouldn't go here. I went on November 3rd after I saw all the positive reviews people posted. There was only one waitress, which is probably why it took so long for our orders to get to the table.
At first, she didn't give people their menus for what felt like hours. We watched as she attended to everyone else around us (even the new customers that came in after us). When everyone was ready to order, she was nowhere to be seen.
I raised my hand to get the sushi chef's attention and let him know we were ready to order. He looks at me and says in an abrupt tone, "Just wait." Just wait? Nani? There goes the tip and my patience. So she finally comes back to our table, takes everyone's orders, and leaves us again for what seems like hours.
When the food finally started coming, it was so-so. It wasn't anything special. It's the same kind of food I'm used to having in other japanese restaurants. The salad dressing was ok. The sushi was ok. But the service was so bad, I would never come back here again. So disappointed. Some of the people I came with apparently felt the same way since they immediately started suggesting alternative Japanese restaurants to me right after dinner. For a first impression, it was very disappointing. -
Review from Dante H.
Red Bank, NJ
1/13/2009
Excellent food, horrific service.
Seriously, with maybe 3 or 4 other people in the place, I asked for 2 orders of nigiri and it took 45 minutes. I am not exaggerating. It was darn tasty, but not even close to being worth the wait.
Someone please post if they ever add a cook so the sushi chef isn't wandering back and forth. -
Review from Dan A.
Vallejo, CA
6/6/2010
Wow guys, I was a bit disappointed. A really good Japanese friend of mine recommended this place as her favorite restaurant for good food with a good adherence to Japanese tradition. My family & I went in last Friday to try their fare. Initially, I was greatly pleased to see 3 other tables full of older Japanese women. We figured this place must be good since they'd chosen to eat here.
Our waitress said it was her 3rd day on the job & they were short staffed. She was only accompanied by 1 sushi chef / kitchen chef. With 4 full tables, the 1 waitress just couldn't keep up. We waited about 25 minutes before she took our order. But, the food came out in a respectable time. Well, my 2 kids & my wife got their food first & my Chirashi came after a few more minutes.
As usual, I alway try a new sushi place with Chirashi. Well my food was in fact very good & the fish in my bowl was fresh. The color was good. Although, it seemed they may have shorted me a piece or 2. What they did give me was good. $10.50 for Chirashi was a great price in my experience.
My wife had a Bento combination, which she ordered as sashimi & 3 tempura shrimp. We ordered the same for my son since he likes tekka & the Bento came with a small salad, rice & miso. The $8 price was not bad for a Bento. But that's were the good ends & as you can see alot of bad things happened. The long wait alone would have been a bad remark if I were a real food critic.
Anyway, our $40+ bill came out, which I reviewed, it seemed to high. Our waitress marked the 2 Bento's as 15 then put a 2 in parenthesis, so that came out to 30. Heck 8 + 8 is 16, so I couldn't figure the 15 out. I pointed that out & she quickly took the ticket back with an apology.
She returned with the receipt showing each Bento as $9.50, but recall I mentioned they were $8 each. I said forget it & just paid it. She must have felt a little pressured since it appeared 1 of the owners had showed up & was looking over her shoulder as she did the math. Well, it was still wrong.
Then, we went on with our day doing a few errands. My wife starts looking very tired & wants to go home. We get home & within an hour of eating her lunch was coming out of both ends. I leave it at that.
Well, her sashimi consisted of 1 piece of salmon, 2 pieces of tuna, 1 piece of yellow fin tuna. She ate the tuna & gave me the salmon. We figure it was the tuna that got here. MY son's meal was prepared next to my wifes & he had no problem. Oh BTW, when the 2 Bento's actually came out, they weren't correct. Both Bento's were vegetable tempura instead of the 3 shrimps, as ordered.
Ok, that's enough. The waitress & the apparent owner were very nice & wished us to return. The atmosphere was great & the restaurant was clean. There were just too many things that went wrong with this new place for me to recommend it. Normally, I always go back to a new place a second time, but this will be a first that I won't adhere to my standard. With 4 bad marks that would be a fubar visit.
It'll be back to Wasabi 201 or Yo Sushi for us. There's actually too many sushi places in this area of Fairfield. 2 more places not even a mile north on North Texas.Listed in: Good Fuel
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Review from Judy L.
Berkeley, CA
10/26/2006
the best sushi i have ever had in the US. the place is ran by an elderly japanese man, Izumi Miazawa, "one of the few individuals in the United Stated to receive the Master Chef Certificate from Japanese Chef Association ". according to neighboring shops, izumi runs out every morning to buy the freshest fish for his restaraunt. personally, i don't like tuna and for the first time, i enjoyed the fish at izumi's. everything was extremeley fresh and tasty. the price is pricier than other restaraunts of the same atmosphere but the quality of the food is exceptional. the little, privately owned sushi shop is absolutely authentic and wonderful.
*update!!!: 1/3/07 had the best salmon fish eggs i have EVER EVER EVER had in my whole entire life. i can't even begin to describe how GOOD it was -
Review from Janice P.
Universal City, TX
3/12/2008
In search of the best sushi place I came to Yelp, I read the reviews, decided to give it a try and so far, I'm sold. Wow. The freshest fish and absolutely best salmon sashimi/unagi nigiris hands down. Love love love this place.
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Review from Joey S.
Vacaville, CA
8/22/2010
The food was amazing. It is owned and operated by a guy from Osaka. Very friendly and has an amazing talent for Japanese cuisine. Best food in Fairfield hands down. Be prepared to wait, as there is only one chief. But please rest assured that He is very good and serves his food fresh and with delicacy they way you would expect to be served in Japan, not yesterday's rice slapped onto a plate and covered with mayonnaise like all the other Korean owned and operated sushi places in the area.
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Review from Sherri J.
Fairfield, CA
8/6/2009
I lived in Tokyo and so I know sushi. I ordered the first roll on the menu with assorted fish on top, $12, because the waitress said it was similar to rainbow roll. It tasted like an oil slick and the tuna, my favorite, was too small and all separated. It took too long to get to me. There was a large table order ahead of me and he doesn't work very fast that I can tell. The waitress was fine but the sushi chef didn't greet me until after I'd eaten my oil slick. You shouldn't taste the mercury poisoning. I couldn't get out of there fast enough and immediately went to Tokyo Sushi to finish my dinner hour. I would only go back if someone else paid and insisted on going.
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Review from Marla P.
Fairfield, CA
12/20/2009
This was the worst Sushi restaurant my husband and I have ever been to in the area. We got there when the restaurant opened at 5:30 and they didn't have any sushi rice made. So we waited a half hour while they made rice. We had heard they had good california rolls, so I ordered one, but they couldn't make us one because they were out of crab. What? A sushi restaurant that can't even make a california roll. When the rice was finally made, we asked for a pair of hamachi and a pair of albacore. After what seemed forever, we were served the oldest, chewiest, nastiest fish I have ever seen. I wouldn't even serve it to my cat. At this point, we decided to save ourselves and leave. It completely ruined our night.
