One of the best sushi Ed in Berkeley, Bay Area. Fresh fish and diverse menu. Also very cute interior

Went here with husband on my birthday for a quiet lunch. Beautiful food. Food was light yet filling. We had the tonkatsu, the bowl of ramen, and the lion king roll to share. Definitely will be coming back again and again here. read more

The Sashimi salad was elegant and flavorful and the vegetable udon was filling and delicious. Ambiance and dark gray decor was also elegant. The service was attentive but not overbearing. Polite and efficient. I've only eaten here once, so I hesitate to give it 5 stars, but the one time I went I loved it. read more

The sushi here is incredible. It is very fresh and flavorful. I do wish they hade a baked roll. I also love their miso. The service was a little slow my day. I also think the rolls could be bigger but they sure are tasty. read more

Akemi is a bit pricey but the food is always high quality, beautifully plated and delicious. We like to go there for special occasions. The decor is moody and sophisticated and combined with the stunning food makes for a very special evening. read more

Very clean place with good service. The server let us know about the $5 toro hand roll special on the Friday we went and that was the highlight for me. Akemi roll was fresh and so was the Salmon Lover roll. We also got a few pieces nigiri and two sake flights. Highly recommend the sake flights just to get a variety and each one was distinctly different from the rest. Really enjoyed how they had a description sheet to accompany the flight and how it goes from sweet to less sweet, left-to-right. read more

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Let me start by saying that over the years my taste pallet has become more and more sensitive due to the fact that i have limited the intake of the amount of salt and sugar i eat on a regular basis....except when i go out to eat. I have tried almost every sushi restaurant in the East Bay area and Akemi is by far one of the best.....in the top 5 to be exact..... Uzen, Mujiri, Iyasare, Fish & Bird, and Akemi. The obvious reason Akemi is in my top 5 is the freshness of the fish. The second reason is the cuts. These sushi chefs know what they are doing. Every cut is perfect. I mostly order the nigiri which can be a slightly higher quality cut than the sashimi. I also order rolls. My favorite is the 49er roll because the salmon tastes like it's wild, not farmed. All the nigiri is good especially the Salmon and Hamachi. For the main entree i always go for the combo dinner. The chicken and beef selections are great, and the tempura is the best in all of Albany. It's crunchy and cooked just right. The shrimp are slightly larger than most surrounding Japanese restaurants and taste very fresh You can tell by the texture and how buttery the flavor is. The combo comes with a cole slaw type salad with some spinach leaves and miso soup. The soup is very good....it is just salty enough but not over salted or bland like a lot of the other restaurants. Here's the funny part. The bowl of rice that comes with the combo is the absolute best of any Japanese restaurant that i can recall ANYWHERE! This is not the sushi rice, this is the rice that comes with the meals. I'm super picky about rice because i cook it all the time at home. They must use some kind of top notch brand but they also add the perfect amount of water in the cooking process, and most likely let it sit for at least 30 minutes before opening it up to start serving (and i'm sure rice is thoroughly washed and cooked with filtered water because i have an ultra sensitivity to chlorine and can test it in food). I sometimes order an extra bowl because it's so good. So it's a mystery to me why this place has 3.8 stars.....it should be a solid 4.5 or higher. Oh and the service is top notch. I see different faces of the help staff from time to time but that are all hard workers and always seem to do their best. I highly recommend this place folks. You won't be disappointed. read more

So delicious, one of my favorite sushi restaurants in the Bay Area! Has such a calm ambience and great food. read more

AKEMI Japanese Restaurant - Uni, sweet shrimp, Akemi Roll, salmon roe - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

Went here for a dinner to host 11 people and I thought it was A-Ok. Service was great and to par. The spicy miso ramen was good and I even asked for an extra to go! Out table was long and spacious and accommodating! The staff and cooks were great and friendly! My gf ordered the sushi and Uni and it was good and delicious! The green tea is also homemade and very refillable! The reason I brought a star down was because there isn't a dessert menu and I thought we would have stayed longer and ordered more drinks by having a dessert selection. If there was one there or waitress forgot to mentioned it to our guests... bummer. All in all I'd come back for the ambiance and the layout of the restaurant is great! Just push some people or groups with more drinks or dessert and you'll see more groups coming in! read more

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My wife and I were enjoying a lovely walk up Solano Avenue and we had been discussing our lunch options. We decided on sushi and Akemi was the first place we encountered on our way down. We got a table quickly as the restaurant was only about 45 minutes from closing for lunch, but the service from Lilly was excellent, and our meal was lovely! We ordered the spicy tuna, evil, and asami rolls and they were DEE-LISH. I also ordered an inari as that's always been a favorite of mine. The wasabi was hot but not too much, the pickled ginger was lively, and we really dug the low-fi music that was fit the mood and was not loud. We look forward to coming back! read more

I think about Akemi far too often, it's hands down the best sushi I've had thus far & I've tried a loooot of sushi!! The ambience of the restaurant is perfect for any date night, but it's worth going solo or even with a squad of friends. Recommendations: dragon roll, lion king roll, evil roll, crazy roll, & 49er roll. Also the veggie gyozo is delicious! If these don't look to your taste, then I'd recommend any other torched roll. They're all so flavorful and different from other sushi rolls I've tried! My mouth is watering just leaving this review! Overall, I'd recommend this place to any and everyone. 10/10! read more

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Was incredibly impressed with Akemi. From start to finish we were so happy. Service, food quality, Atmosphere all were wonderful. Had the cucumber with sesame dressing- light and refreshing, friend Brussels sprouts with bonito flakes- delicious and watching the bonito dance is so fun, ribs- literally fall off the bone deliciousness, toro toro roll- light and filling and the asparagus inside was perfect, plus some nigiri. Would highly recommend and would absolutely visit again. read more

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The best sushi , try the omakase chef choice super good. I'll be back with family next time. read more

It's great I love the sushi there and the staff is amazing and I love the ambiance it's like

We did arrive 30 minutes before closing, but the food was terrible. Spent over $100 for 2 and it was barely edible. We were on our way to a concert in Berkeley so it was a last minute decision based on what was open, but a huge mistake. Service was lackluster and we would not recommend. There are so many better restaurants for much less. read more

We found Akemi through a groupon deal, we had past by the restaurant several times before; but could not pass up this deal. We got the groupon for an appetizer, salad, roll and sake for two. The place is really nice and takes reservations, but we prefer to sit at the sushi bar and watch the action. We enjoyed the food so much, we have been back quite a few times to try other dishes like the ramen and udon soups. Everything we have tried from Akemi, keeps us coming back for more. It's a great local date night spot for us, we like to sit at the sushi bar and see the rolls coming out. I love the attention to detail that they take and it shows in the quality of food and the service. read more

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2.3 dinner A bit sad and disappointing, apt description of recent dinner. I could not endorse this restaurant for its general fare, though the nigiri was not terrible. But--- for a $45 dinner for 2, there ought to be some wow bites and head nods in there. I've been to Japan and eaten my share of Japanese food. Could not and would not return after trying for first time. Customer service was just ok too. Had to eye hunt her down a few times. read more

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We had a groupon for ramen 2 for 1 including Sake for 2. Totally loved the vibe of the place, very cool looking, but once in (I'm not officially an architect, but can tell Sub par materials and finishes. It was obvious this was a take over for sop thing prior. Maybe my hoodies can fill in the blanks here (Hoodies=neighborhood folk) Was rather empty up front, nobody at the bar the entire meal. Poor Sushi chefs looked totally bored. Layout was not feng shui got antsy sitting there. Even tho we were in a booth on far wall. Perhaps I am spoiled by others Ramen, this was meh, not bad nothing earth shaking. Sake was nice and warm and kept my innards toasty. One of the little cups was chipped. We used it to help the heat in the decanter. The so called spicy edamame, was oily and soggy, lacking that spicy hot garlicky punch. Too many other good sushi on solan or alone. Would come back with a groupon, otherwise still seeking the next great Japanese place. read more

The food was okay, not the best, but not the worst. Nice jazz music though, the place was cozy with contemporary design. The issue I had was on the sanitary side. The glass of water I asked for, could tell that it was wiped down by a dirty towel, smelled it as soon as I tried to take a sip. The wait staff was a bit slow too, even though they weren't very busy when I went. read more

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Atmosphere: Modern, with unique 'sea urchin' light fixtures, charred wood walls, and beautiful wood sushi bar. The concrete floor keeps the space nice and cool in the summer, but the space can feel cold and sterile in the winter. Sushi: Amazing! Fresh and well prepared. We like to sit at the bar to chat up the chefs to get their opinions on what's best that day. Sake: Great selection with good descriptions on the menu to help you make a choice that suits your palate. Other Dishes: Ramen is an excellent choice for more budget conscious folks, and it will certainly fill you up. Be on the look out for the pork belly - unctuous and smoky, served with a tangy sauce. The yuzu panna cotta is to die for, but the tempura can be hit or miss (sometimes greasy). Service: Can be good or not-so-good, depending on who is there and the time of day. Since we sit at the sushi bar, the chefs are on it and make sure we get what we need. Prices: Expensive. Sushi is a treat and we consider it more of a special night out. That said, the ramen is a great choice for those on a budget. Parking: Not difficult, but surprisingly not so easy either. Prepare to park down a side street and walk a block or two. Would gladly give this restaurant 4-1/2 stars if I could, and it would be 5 stars if service were better and tempura was consistently light and crispy. read more

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Came here yesterday to eat dinner with my grandma, dad, and sister and I have to say, I really liked it. I was always a fan of Miyuki (the old restaurant) but I enjoy the atmosphere and ambiance of this new design, a lot better. I love the couches that are situated behind the sushi bar. The whole place just makes me feel super fancy and modern, which I really liked. I just ordered an Okonomiyaki, because I have a small stomach, but that satiated my hunger and my entire life. It. was. so. good. Seriously. My sister, later, said that she has never seen me react that much about a dish. Ever. The first bite I had was delicious. The second bite? Delicious. Every other bite after that? Delicious. Usually when I go out to eat food, I encounter a lot of delicious things, but I tend to either get sick of it after awhile and not be able to finish it, or the food's just "meh" after awhile. But the Okonomiyaki? I was gushing about it when took my first bite, took my last bite, and on the entire ride home. And I'm most likely going to continue raving about this dish to all of my friends. It was seriously that good. My grandma had the Tonkatsu Ramen, which she really liked. Coming from her, that's a huge compliment on the chef, since she is super picky and critical about food. My sister had a veggie tempura roll and... this one roll with mango on top... I don't remember the name, but she really enjoyed those too. I had green tea to drink which was also pretty good. and for dessert, I had the Yuku Panna Cotta, which was pretty good as well. The popped rice bits did kind of throw the taste off for me though... OVERALL: VERY GOOD. I love it. Now, whenever I go back (I will definitely come back), I will definitely order me some Okonomiyaki. read more

AKEMI Japanese Restaurant - this okonomiyaki is the best thing i've ever had - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place is a little higher end than a normal Japanese restaurant. But the food was just okay. I think it was better pre-pandemic. The service was also not good. It took a while to flag down someone each time. Maybe it will get better later. read more

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Nice restaurant, dimly lit and great interior decor. Food was presented beautifully every time, even the chicken katsu. Service was extremely lacking and that was a disappointment for such a nice restaurant. Their edamame was smothered in sweet chili sauce which was different and tasty. Their evil roll was fireworks in your mouth! One bite and you can taste all the ingredients and the different textures in one roll! It was beyond perfect and ingredients were evenly distributed thoughout the roll. The Japanese pancake was another big hit. The presentation in itself was mesmerizing with the flakes moving and making the food come to life. It was not fishy at all and it was a seafood pancake. Whatever sauce they drizzle on top of the pancake was the cherry on top! Their ramen was better than what I tasted in the east bay so far. The broth was light. You still can't beat ramen places in San Mateo. I'd definitely come here again and would recommend it to others. However, I'd warn everyone about the slow and poor service. read more

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Came for a special evening out to celebrate. Nice ambiance. Waited at the hostess desk for at least 5 minutes, then waited at the table for another 10 plus minutes for the server to acknowledge us. No apologies, no asking us about beverages, Just wanting our order. Food came promptly all at once (sushi and appetizers). Forgot some of our drinks. Sushi super average, reminds me of the sushi I would get back in AZ at chain sushi joints. Pork ribs were marginal, probably could have made them at home. Sadly, nothing special. Definitely not coming back at $50 a head. read more

I was surprised to find parking. Given this is Berkeley and parking is a tight squeeze. My family had a large group and didn't take too long to get seated. Most of us ordered ramen. I had the lobster ramen. The broth was good. The one part I particularly didn't like was that the greens were really bitter. However, nice to look at. Perhaps nori or a green that wasn't so strong would be good with this dish. I noticed my aunt didn't eat her greens either. I hate wasted food and I hate to see a good business lose money on vegetables. Service was also somewhat slow. I felt bad my sister in law was the last person to receive her food. In my family we wait for everyone to get their food before eating. This place was good all in all. Easy to remember because the restaurant name sounds like my daughter's name. read more

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The rainbow rolls and lion king rolls were so good! Definitely recommend trying this place out. They took our temperatures before eating indoors but also had tables outside with heaters. read more

Me and my family used to go here for their ramen back when there weren't as many ramen places in the bay. The food is good but a bit pricey. I got the tonkatsu ramen which is very rich and creamy but a little on the salty side. I do love their sashimi though. They give you very thick slices and the fish just melts in your mouth. It's all very fresh. read more

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I visited this place in a whim and noticed their pretty lengthy sushi menu. My partner ordered some sashimi and I ordered a couple of rolls. As you can see from the photos....the food didn't last long. The fish was SO fresh and beautifully presented. The sushi was also served with the sashimi so things weren't awkward. The service was also very responsive and kept us with plenty to drink including a sweet sake. Nice place to try if you're in North Berkeley. read more

AKEMI Japanese Restaurant - Before. Lion King roll, Scallop Roll, and 30 piece sashimi. - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Akemi has good curb appeal. I particularly love the low-key horizontal wooden sidings wrapped around the exterior wall. In spite of the modest look, I had a hunch this wasn't the right place to get the most bang for your buck. On entering, the air smelled different. Maybe it was the sexy interior complemented by the dim lighting and the stylish décor. Akemi no doubt did look aesthetically appealing and not in any ostentatious way. The use of extensive dark wood accents, the unique tree logs that were re-crafted and refinished as tabletops and the one-of-a-kind V-shaped sushi bar were all quite remarkable. I perused the menu and couldn't help but notice the prices were higher than norm. Me: "Takai desu ne!" (Expensive, isn't it?) Spoken with tongue in cheek! Asian server: "huh?" Prolonged silence......not sure if she understood me or disagreed with me! Oh well, I guess the cost of the remodel was built into the price! Moreover, it wasn't cool to behave like cheapskates and take off before eating based just on the price point. So fellow cheapskates out there, don't say you have not been forewarned! My server bailed out on us half way thru dinner without so much as saying sayonara and someone else took over. I swear I wasn't rude or obnoxious! I had to order the timeless Okonomiyaki ($15 ouch!), a perennial favorite of mine. This is a savory Japanese pancake made with flour, eggs and shredded cabbage and usually smothered with a variety of toppings. Disappointingly, shrimps were the only protein. I didn't mind this as much as when peewee shrimps were used and then chopped into even smaller pieces requiring me to use reading glasses to find them! Surprisingly, the okonomiyaki tasted good, in fact really good and crunchy! I did however request the tonkatsu sauce and kewpie mayo be served on the side to prevent the pancake from getting soggy. (4/5) Salmon is not my favorite fish although it's up there in health benefits. Akemi's rendition of Sake (salmon) Yaki ($18) was solid. It was vaguely described in the menu as "miso marinated salmon". The meat was firm and flaky. It must have been pre-marinated in the classic Japanese recipe of sweet-savory miso, mirin, sugar and sake to allow for deep flavor penetration. I was left guessing if the fish was pan-fried or grilled but it didn't matter, as this was one fine tasting salmon bar none. (5/5) Chirashi ($25) left something to be desired. I was impressed with the presentation but was sorely disappointed with the limited variety of fish, which were at best run of the mill while charging top dollar. Adding insult to injury, the cuts of fish were skimpy! A saving grace was the fish were fresh enough. (2/5) Service was lackadaisical and the server was MIA for the most part. Neither one seemed to know the menu well. On the lighter side, it was funny how they both acted like they were sworn to secrecy when asked who the owner is! Overall, Akemi had good potential, great ambiance, good food but marred by skimpy portions, high price tags and lousy service. Gochisosama deshita (Thanks for the meal) read more

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Lunch says until 2:30, they will deny you service at 2:15pm, the food here is decent but yeah not a fan of restaurants that don't take care of the customer 15-20mins is plenty of time to serve one person lunch. read more

Great sushi. I've been trying different sushi places around east bay but 80% of my experiences are disastrous. However, Akemi is one of the exceptional places. Very light and elegant sushi. Tasty, not overwhelmingly rich with dressing or other stuff. Strongly recommended. read more

Hosts seat 4 tables back to back, backing everything up. Only for it to be mid. Was not worth the 42 minute wait. I know sushi comes in all different sizes but portions are small and hardly tasteful. read more

Dining room is gorgeous but food doesn't live up to it. Service is adequate but not especially professional. Rainbow roll: short and topped with scraps, no full slice of sashimi. Average these days. Double Hamachi roll was bland, fish okay but not super fresh. Futomaki: Akemi puts gomae wakame, seaweed salad, in their roll. It's unique to them, and goes nicely with the other veggies inside. I do wish they'd cut it thinner, however. It is tightly rolled, so big plus to the chef for that. So many places are sloppy about their rolls (looser is cheaper). Cooked food, OTOH, was better: Mixed tempura: batter is light and crispy as it should be, Premixed dip. Veggies are usual ordinary assortment. Miso black cod: Very good, although one edge had some freezer burn. But a good value for the price. Akemi has some advantages, at least for me. I really like their cooked food, which is varied and generally well executed. But the sashimi and sushi are often below average, and could use an upgrade. The décor is great and the service is cheerful - but you can't eat either one. read more

While the food was good, it is WAY overpriced. A hamachi appetizer consisting of five small pieces of sashimi costs $19 before tax at lunch. Other prices are on par with that. The waiter/hostess guy was overworked and, hence, not very hospitable. Did not seem like he was glad we came in as he was busy with something else, we almost left before sitting down, at some he point asked what we wanted from far away so we had to shout it, brought food in random order... I don't blame him, because he was the only one dealing with all the tables and also being a hostess, he looked like he was running a marathon; I do believe he was really trying to take care of everything. With these prices I'd think the place should be adequately staffed, though. read more

If you have sushi cravings and you want to sit down with friends in a nice atmosphere, this is a great place. The sashimi and rolls were very fresh and well prepared and the sake list is extensive. Lovely serving dishes and sake service. The miso soup is as good as I've had, and the tempura was nice as well. Try the brussels sprout appetizer - surprisingly Japanese and great tasting! But the star is the sushi, with many varieties to please every palate. The night we visited they seemed understaffed, and there was a steady stream of takeout orders being prepared, seemingly competing with the in-house diners. But the wait for food was acceptable given the deliciousness of the food. read more

Okay so the food was incredible I was so excited to finally find good sushi in the east Bay Area BUT my food came 30 seconds after I ordered w one of our appetizers and not the other and my dad literally never got his food and we had to just cancel the rest of our food bc it was taking so long. Weird experience. I didn't want to eat my food til the edadame and appetizers came but they never did. So I ate my roll and then for 20 min and my Dad's food just never came. Kinda disappointing. I want to go back but hope for a better experience (: read more

AKEMI Japanese Restaurant - Kamikaze roll - Japanese Near Me - Berkeley, California

I love Akemi. The food and service is consistently excellent: high quality sushi and sashimi; their seaweed salad is fresh, has a mix of seaweeds, and isn't grossly sweet; and this is the only place in the area who makes a consistently outstanding agedashi tofu (one of my favorites). I truly don't understand why they don't have higher ratings! read more

Came here as part of Berkeley restaurant week, but didn't actually order the prix fixe lunch since we got distracted by the normal lunch menu (and great prices!) Apparently the lunch menu is offered on the weekends too. I ordered the combo, which had teriyaki chicken, miso soup, rice, tempura etc for a modest $12. I wasn't charged for tea, dunno if it's a lunch vs. dinner kind of deal. It took about 30 mins to get our orders in, though we came when they had just opened (noon on Sunday). Orders came out really fast once we put it in though. Lots of parking in the area, which is a plus! read more

Sushi very flavorful. I tried there small squid I forgot how it called. Sashimi and nigiri melts on ur mouth. If you like fried rolls try crazy rolls read more

2.5 Stars - don't hate this place nor love it. The pork belly ramen was tasty and a couple of their sushi rolls were good but not great. The worst was the baked scallop roll. They said becareful of the plate cuz' it's hot. The sushi was not even hot and you can still taste the rawness of the scallops. The ambiance was ok, nothing wow like. Food is over priced for the size. Have had better. Service was slow. Food came out random times so some of were eating, some not. The waitress and waiters were nice and professional. Overall, not a repeater for us. read more