Akiyama Sushi Bar & Grill

Elite '08

11

67

yokes f.

Boulder, CO

Being Japanese and having moved here from LA, I've been on a quest to find good Japanese food in Boulder or anywhere around here. Akiyama is pretty good. If you're from LA, just think, it's one of those average places you could stop by casually for lunch or dinner. I had their vegetable tempura bento lunch which was very decent and places can do tempura very bad very easily. So I respect this place (although I did want some grated daikon for my tempura dipping sauce). My Japanese friend who has lived here a little longer than I have told me that their sushi is pretty ok too. After being traumatized by Sushi Zanmai on Spruce, anything will be better. Maybe I'll find the courage to try sushi at Akiyama next time. I'm still recovering from my shock at Sushi Zanmai.

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9

11

Beth J.

Denver, CO

Forget Hapa.  Forget Zanmai.  Drive a little way out east and be prepared for real, quality sushi.  This place really is the best-kept secret in Boulder.  It's not trendy.  It's not hip.  It's not packed, or loud, nor do you need to wait on the sidewalk for a half hour to get a seat at the bar.  Rather, it is peaceful, elegant and the food will blow you away.

Head Sushi Chef Beni-san recently completed a stint at Nobu in NYC.  Not that this is a be-all, end-all recommendation, but it does indicate the gentleman knows his fish.

The nicest thing about Akiyama is the sheer unexpectedness of it - you'll find this tranquil Zen oasis plunked right in the centre of the Gunbarrel strip mall / King Sooper's shopping centre - right between a (terrible!) dive tex-mex joint and a quickie-nail salon.

Walk in the front door, however, and this could be any of the high end sushi bars I've been to in NYC, SFO, DC, Monterey, LA, Maui or Aspen.  And it blows them all away.  And while Sushi Sasa in LoDo is very good, this place is spectacular, with the same attention to detail and full course menu options, but just that little extra something that makes it all come together.

They have a standard compliment of the now-standard rolls and salads.  Forgive me a touch of snobbery though if I find things like '69' and 'Rainbow' rolls to be 'Engrish' sushi - they're westernized, and in my opinion analogous to an appletini or cosmopolitan as opposed to a perfect gin martini.  Tasty enough, and ok for a certain mood, but not the genuine article.  

Where Akiyama truly shines is in their standard  nigiri and sashimi offerings.  Buttery soft hamachi, saba, squid or amaebi literally melt in the mouth.  They're one of the few places I've found to use fresh wasabi, rather than coloured horseradish paste.  

Service is always prompt, considerate and friendly, even when they've had a full house.  And although I've only been there a couple times in the past six months, the host and chef still remember me.  When it's not hopping busy (only on rare weekend nights), the chef has sometimes been known to offer samplings of different fare.  

Overall I get the impression that the folks who run this place are in it because they truly love the food and want to show it off to the clientele.

Oh and the single most unique thing about the Akiyama sushi experience?  Free, abundant parking!  I don't personally have a car, but this is one of the things I know puts a damper on my friends' LoDo and downtown Boulder dining experiences.

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Elite '08

14

59

Mark M.

Boulder, CO

I don't usually review a place after only one visit but based on the price and general feel, I don't think I'll be going back.

Two people ordered the sushi which looked OK and they thought was OK.  Both thought that they liked the Sushi at various other Boulder Longmont places better.

My Bento box lunch special was the real disappointment.  Very small portion of salmon drowning thick ultra-sweet terriyaki sauce.  Very small portion of rice and salad.

Prices are on the high side for any Japanese place for lunch as we dropped $55 for three lunches, no drinks, no desert and we were all hungry when we left.

ON the plus side it was quiet but I think that was only because there were not many customers.

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0

1

Karoline F.

Boulder, CO

People in Colorado that know their sushi, rave about this place. We've eaten at Akiyama a few times now, the last being on Valentine's Day.  It was super loud and crowded but so is every restaurant on Valentine's Day.  Quick story - one night my husband and I had dinner at Akiyama and sat at the bar. The food was wonderful and we started talking with the couple next to us who were equally impressed. It turns out that the gentleman is the head sushi chef at a Denver restaurant. We naively asked him what made Akiyama's sushi so delicious, he responded by saying that it's obvious that their fish is fresh, not frozen. He then went on to explain that most of the other sushi restaurants in Boulder and Denver purchase frozen fish which is much cheaper, and easier to prepare since it's already cut into pre-packaged pieces. To our surprise, he told us that many sushi chefs actually have never learned to filet a whole fish. Finally, my husband asked me to mention the yummy chicken teriyaki they serve as well as the fine wine list selection (which is apparently rare among Asian restaurants in Colorado).
Highly Recommended!

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