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    Akebono 515

    4.3 (322 reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Japanese
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Order Akebono 515 Takeout or Delivery

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    Business Info

    AKEBONO 515 ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Classy
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - Akebono 515

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    Miso soup
    Jackson D.

    Great all around experience. Waiter was very engaging and made lots of jokes, there was a sleek ambiance and everyone was very happy with their food. I got the beef yakisoba and It had great flavor and texture. It also came with a salad and miso soup which was nice. Conveniently down town so it was easy to take a little walk afterward and enjoy the sculpture park after our meal.

    Sashimi, fresh but poorly cut .
    Dianna W.

    My friend and I went there for dinner . Nice and authentic Japanese cuisine. We love sushi and have been eating sushi in different places. The sashimi are fresh with good quality, just a little disappointing at the cut . Could have been cut more professionally for a Japanese restaurant. The Hamachi Kama was a little disappointed because it was not exactly fresh . Probably not too many people like to order that in Iowa . Great customer service and good dinning experience.

    Devionne H.

    Food was amazeballs. We had a few of the specialty rolls and the ramen, delicious. Service top notch as well.

    Dragon roll - top right Fargo roll - bottom right  Tamago nigiri - left

    First off, I had a Fargo and Dragon roll (both pictured) and they were top notch, I'd highly recommend giving either a shot. Bit where this place really killed it was the service, I sat at the bar as I was alone. The bartender, whose name I failed to get, did an awesome job of not only making me feel welcome; but when I seemed a bit overwhelmed (everything looked great) offered to pick out a couple of things to try. I'd generally ask for advice anyway, no one knows the menu like the folks working with it, so I put him in charge and he crushed it. Just sitting there enjoying the food I got to hear banter with numerous customers and see him greet some guests as they came in and overall I'd say this is the kind of person most restaurants and other service jobs wish they had working for them. Definitely stop by if you're able to.

    Anna H.

    My coworker & I stopped in with time to kill before she took me to the airport (I'm a DSM visitor). She is obviously a regular because before we sat down, Nick asked her if she wanted her regular drink and what I wanted. I asked what they had and he said "Everything I make is magical". You can't beat that. We had already had lunch, so we wanted drinks. We sat in a booth and he told me not to look at the cocktails in the menu. I said I liked the sound of their blueberry vodka drink and he said he would make me something similar. He did. Amazing. For my second, he asked if I liked cucumber. What he brought was not only picture perfect, but a light refreshing vodka drink with slices of cucumbers. See photo! Before I was finished with that, I slid a new fruity cocktail onto the table for me. All were amazing drinks. We ordered the fried cheesecake that was so different and a great dessert. What a great first visit and he encouraged me to come back. I would like to taste their food next time. Nick is delightful.

    Yaki Niku Bento Box
    Jamie H.

    My sister recommended I try the bento box. It was really delicious and was a big portion of food. I had pleasant interactions with multiple servers, which made it a good experience. Our table split a bottle of the white peach sake, super delicious as well. Looking forward to coming again and trying out a specialty roll and some more sake. Service was very fast, friendly, and personable. Really good energy and vibes here. Thank you!

    Betsy S.

    We had such a great evening here with our extended family. Nick decided to take us under his belt and we got the royal treatment! We ordered so many different kinds of foods that we loved it all - the carb conscious roll (tuna, salmon, snow crab mix, massage, avocado, wrapped with cucumber, served with ginger), salmon bento box, yaki nike donburi (marinated sliced beef) and sashimi large and of course, some drinks -old fashioned, cosmo, sho chiku bai nigori and angry orchard draw. Nick sent several sake bombs to the table along with shots! It wa fabulous and it really was a treat to laugh, and enjoy good food with our family! I highly recommend going here while in Des Moines! Take a gander and go here!

    Chef's choice sashimi large
    Maya Q.

    Met a friend for dinner here. We had a great time! The restaurant has a good atmosphere and the booth was clean and comfortable. Everything came out really quickly. We split mushroom tempura and edamame. Both were fresh and tasted good. They were generous portions. My friend ordered one of the rolls and liked it a lot. I got a sashimi platter and was pleasantly surprised by how fresh and high quality the fish was. I think it was a good price for the quantity as well. The only think I wouldn't order again is hot tea. The cups they use are boiling hot... by the time the outside has cooled off enough to drink the tea the tea is room temperature! Just a heads up if you were thinking of ordering tea you might lose your fingerprints in the process. Otherwise, I will definitely come and enjoy sashimi again this is a great date night or meet up spot.

    1 Piece Seared Salmon Nigiri
    Alex W.

    The sushi was really good and the chicken katsu sandwich was disappointing. I ordered the spicy scallop nigiri and the torched salmon nigiri to start off. Both were phenomenal and out of this world. The chicken katsu sandwich was not good and dry, but the fries were amazing. The seasoning on the fries were really good and crispy! The chicken sandwich was dry and not good. The chef did apologize for the delayed arrival of my meal and gave me an order of gyoza on the house which was really nice of them. I also ordered a Taz salmon nigiri which was good and unique. I also ordered the Akebono roll and it was good. The fish were really fresh and the tempura shrimp was well cooked and crispy. Overall, my meal was delicious, the staff were nice, and the ambiance of the restaurant was nice! I liked the music and my waiter was very hospitable! Next time, I will probably just stick with the sushi, but I will be back!

    Various rolls...  Captain Crunch Roll Spider Roll Salmon Skin Roll
    Jeremy L.

    Nice Japanese restaurant right downtown. Many compliments: -Nigiri was awesome, yellowfin very fresh -Rolls fantastic , especially the surf & turf and crispy salmon skin -Decent beer selection, nice to see local brews -Wife never has had sushi- enjoyed the captain crunch and spider rolls Service was impeccable, 5 stars for the service alone! We will be coming back regularly!

    Caterpillar Roll
    Natalie D.

    Phenomenal service with sushi and sides that are fresh and beautiful! If you are looking for delicious food and an experience look no further. We had the caterpillar roll, dragon roll, and seaweed salad. Speciality rolls came with miso soup and salad for dinner.

    Special roll made for us.

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    6 months ago

    Not the best sushi but not the worse. Thus the three stars. Food came out fast. Server and hostess were friendly.

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    10 months ago

    Staff was friendly and attentive. Food came out surprisingly fast. Would definitely recommend.

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    Page 1 of 9

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    W-Tao Sushi - Crazy Friday Roll and Italian Stallion Roll

    W-Tao Sushi

    4.4(440 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    W-Tao is a great place to eat before an event at the Des Moines Civic Center! Only a city block…read moreaway! The miso soup was nice and hot (but only had two pieces of tofu lol). The spicy edamame had a little kick but nothing too crazy. The sushi was very fresh and everything we ordered was really good. The waiter seemed to be new bc he seemed nervous but the overall service was pleasant. The vibe was chill, the temperature was perfect on a sub-zero freezing day, and the lights were the right 'dim' amount. I recommend this restaurant and I definitely will be eating there again.

    Stopped by this place for a quick bite before attending a show at the Civic Center. We walked in…read morethe place was quiet inside, but there were 3 people at the sushi bar and we waited and no one greeted us for several minutes before I spoke up and asked if they were open. A lady swung around from the bar and said "oh I didn't see you." Turns out she was the hostess. Food was ok, a bit pricey in my option. We ordered very basic rolls California and shrimp tempura rolls those were $6 and $9. I was with my teen daughter and she only like California rolls. So it was fine. I've had better sushi ironically in Ankeny. For a quick bite this was fine- but I wasn't overwhelmed by it. Service was ok. Food came out fast but was well paced with the appetizer we ordered first. However our server wasn't overly friendly and seemed like she didn't want to be there at all.

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    Steamed Shrimp Shumai and Shrimp and Veggie Tempura Samplertempura

    Akebono 515 - sushi - Updated May 2026

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