My friend and I were feeling in the mood for Japanese izakaya for our weekly dinner, and while we live in Echo Park and Hollywood, respectively, we wanted to change things up and go to West LA. Perhaps we were generally ambivalent--it had been a long week--but no particular izakaya over there was speaking to us. On the other hand, there was Aki, which is a traditional Japanese restaurant. We decided we'd go, and if we couldn't get in, there were lots of options on nearby Sawtelle. Long story short, we arrived and it was busy, but we managed to get one of the few open tables--soon there was a wait--and I'm so glad we came here. This is an old-school spot, with sushi and sashimi options but also lots of classic homestyle Japanese dinners, each of which came with miso soup, a salad of pickled veggies, tempura and rice. I opted for broiled salted salmon, which also came with shredded cabbage and a slice of orange as "dessert." Simple but done perfectly--I was extremely happy with it. My friend ordered a dish we had never heard of--niku dofu, which was sliced tender beef with soybean cake, green and dry onions, served in a broth, the idea being to eat it over the accompanying rice. He really enjoyed his meal too. The restaurant itself is not remotely fancy, but it's clean and comfy, and service is skilled and friendly. The dinner plates offer good value, and given our lovely first experience, I wouldn't hesitate to come back or to recommend it to others. read more

Aki Restaurant - Broiled salted salmon with all the trimmings. Delicious and satisfying! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

If you want authentic Japanese cuisine Aki's is the place to go. This has been a favorite family restaurant of our in-laws for over 40yrs. They are family friends and have watched our family children grow from babies to thriving and successful adults. Aki's food is beautifully presented and tastes authentically scrumptious. This is our go to place whenever our family gets together for special occasions. I now live in another state and was happy to eat here again for Mother's Day dinner. Aki's is a popular spot so you may want to consider making reservations especially for dinner. It's not fancy (reminds me of the many traditional small informal restaurants in Japan... called Izakayas) Recommendation: ABSOLUTELY YES Oishiiii! read more

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Fresh and delicious sushi with excellent service. It is not, however, cheap! But it was that good so I will be back! Great service as well!

My family loves Aki, it's Homestyle Japanese cooking. Not fancy but down to earth good meals. We come here to eat the fried oysters but unfortunately they don't have them now due to the contamination and outbreaks. I hope they can find a good supplier. I ordered the beef sukiyaki instead- very good and filling. It comes with tempura. It's a wonderful family oriented restaurant with decent prices. read more

Aki Restaurant - Tempura that comes with dinner sets. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Very authentic Japanese restaurant with cozy ambiance. Service is great, food quality is great. There aren't many restaurants in LA (outside of the South Bay) that have this kind of homey, ojii-chan and obaa-chan's store feel. One of the last of its kind fr. The sushi was fresh and the nabe was so outstanding!!!! The salmon got so tender. Felt like I was eating at home. read more

Aki Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Aki Restaurant is a home-style Japanese restaurant on the Westside. The service is always friendly and attentive. There's a small paid lot nearby and neighborhood parking. For the food: There's a good variety of dishes from sushi, teriyaki to seafood nabe. They have a la carte and dinner options for all of entrees. The special combinations is a good way to try everything. They're next door to Churros Calientes, so go there for dessert afterwards. Here are my preferred orders: - Sushi Combo A Dinner, sub scallop for yellowtail - Special Dinner - Chicken Teriyaki + Sashimi read more

Aki Restaurant - Sushi A. 13 pieces - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Aki is terrific! We loved our meal tonight. Even more, the restaurant is quiet, clean, and has lovely decor (it's kind of a time capsule and looks just like so many restaurants did in the 90s). The folks working there are very friendly, too, and service is great. read more

We came to Aki to celebrate our anniversary and had a nice overall experience. This is one of our go to places on the westside when the traffic is too heavy to drive to Gardena. The food was definitely good and fresh. Though we would have preferred the steak to be more tender, I still enjoyed my meal. That said, the prices are on the higher side for what you get. The sushi portions were smaller, they only come with 4 pieces instead of the more typical 8 pcs. For example, the shrimp tempura roll was $12.50 for just 4 pcs and the spicy tuna roll was $11.50 for 4 pcs as well. I thought they made a mistake when they served our sushi but nope, they only come with 4 pcs. The service is great and for that alone, we would definitely come back. They offer combos as well. The one I got for $39 was 1/2 portions of teriyaki chicken and steak. The combo comes with tempura, miso and rice as well as ice cream for dessert. The ambiance is casual. Parking on the street. They're open for lunch and dinner. Make sure to check Yelp for current hours. read more

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Do you want a quiet, old-school sushi bar experience in LA? Doesn't exist, you say? Especially not on this stretch of Santa Monica Blvd., blocks removed from the bustle of Japanese restaurants on Sawtelle and another half a dozen on Santa Monica? Aki Restaurant is a gem, one that has clearly been around a long time while the buildings around it developed. Seriously, I can never tell when this place is open from the outside. Inside, it's a classic lantern-lit sushi bar with a welcoming, family-esque dining area. The food is wonderful and portioned generously, with a fairly small menu that focuses on the essentials. Shout-out to the Seafood Nabe, an incredible soup which I recommend sharing. Sushi quality is very fresh, and the staff are very friendly. Street parking is not too difficult. read more

Been coming for 10+ years and they are always so kind and welcoming and the food makes you feel good after you eat it amazing lunch special deals too! read more

Aki Restaurant - Half eaten lunch special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

this isn't first time we had done takeout order for dinner. The unagi nigiri sushi and spicey tuna on crispy rice was incredibly delicious The california roll has real crab is my husband favorite. i while waiting for our order they served us tea and waitress was very polite. read more

Always love finding a homey, cozy, real japanese restaurant. This feels like a diner; they have mostly meals that come with miso and salad. There's a basic selection of sushi, nothing fancy, no ramen (thank god) or cream cheese here. Good service. It's a small place so try to reserve if you're coming during a dinner hour especially weekends. read more

Found this place while in the area. I love a mom and pop owned business. The sushi was ok, not amazing. The uni was the worse thing I tried. The toro was good. Surprisingly my favorite thing was the miso soup. It was piping hot and tasty! The best miso soup I have ever had. The thing that puts this place over the top is the service. Everyone that helped us was attentive and kind. You know when you leave a restaurant and you want to give the employees a hug? That's this place! I'll definitely be back when I'm in LA. read more

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My mom used to love this place. Very homestyle approach with very kind servers. Come here to enjoy Japanese food in the neighborhood.

Best sushi in town. This is a third generation owned establishment. Super friendly. Always clean.

This was my first time dining at Aki but, my partner has a long history of enjoying their menu offerings. My chicken teriyaki & shrimp and veggie tempura combination began with miso soup and cabbage tsukemono. Everything was absolutely amazing! The entrees were accompanied by both a green cabbage salad and a flavorful bean sprout salad. So traditional...very refreshing to have an authentic Japanese bento! The service was superb. Our server was pleasant and very attentive. The overall ambiance reminded me of Japanese restaurants of yesteryear which was heartwarming. I'd definitely recommend Aki restaurant! read more

Still number 1after all these years! The food is so authentic! Give it a try you will keep going back!

Wonderful Japanese restaurant with very home-y vibes!! Service: amazing! No complaints! Waitresses were very kind, checked up on us a few times. When we asked for a to go box for our leftovers, they gave us extra rice which was not expected. Food: I absolutely loved the Miso Cod. It's one of their specials and not on the physical menu. It was extremely tasty - enough flavor so each bite was satisfying but not too overpowering where it was salty. I would pay $20 for this cod over and over compared to other places I've had it from. The tonkatsu was delicious as well. I like their sauce. The meat was on the thinner side though. My least favorite, albeit still enjoyable was the sushi combo. I've had better quality fish elsewhere so if you're looking to eat sushi, other spots may be better. Though, I will say - it wasn't bad, just not as good as the other times on their menu. I've been here a few times already and will happily come back for authentic japanese food. read more

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20/10 food. Fish was so fresh, and the tonkatsu perfectly fried without being dry. They do charge a little more if you want to do all salmon as the sashimi option but the prices are pretty reasonable here. The interior design is very beautiful despite being a little bit old. Very cozy. Our server was perfect too she checked in with us just the right amount of times. Will definitely love to come back again. read more

Aki Restaurant - Special dinner (with Tonkatzu and all salmon sashimi) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

"Cash only for the day" the waitress said as we came in. The waitress's service was attentive, courteous, and totally non-intrusive. We got the lunch specials. I believe this is as good as it gets for LA in terms of lunch and value. (Still my heart for Japanese food is from the Bay (Sushi Sam, Hatsune). Ambiance, there were a few guys drinking Asahi and watching the sports channel near the bathroom chatting and chuckling quietly among themselves but not unpleasantly. read more

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The food is excellent, I ordered yellowtail sushi appetizer and salmon dinner following. The main plate was very large and healthy portions! Same can be said for the fried pork cutlets. The service was excellent and very friendly. Relaxed and authentic atmosphere, nothing fancy but the food! It's nice to see a place like this in Los Angeles that is still family run and the difference is apparent compared to other more trendy spots. read more

Aki Restaurant - Inside seating and sushi bar - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Food quality to top drawer. The family atmosphere is very comfortable helped the the great service!

Came here on a Friday night, party of four. No wait to sit at the sushi bar after nearby Sawtelle / Santa Monica restos gave us long wait times Aki is a breath of fresh air by being old. Not trying to be trendy. Or hip. A solid neighborhood joint. Clearly have some long time patrons that add personality and texture to the place. All of that is secondary to the food though. And the food delivers. It's very good, priced reasonably. We ate mostly sushi but the kitchen items also looked tasty. We liked and would come back. read more

YUMMY BROTH!! I got the chicken sukiyaki, and it exceeded all expectations. It's chock full of veggies and tender, juicy meat. The glass noodles help soak up some of the outstandingly flavorful, and addicting soup. Wow! read more

Went with a small group of friends and was pleasantly surprised. I got the sashimi combo which came with salad, tempura, and sashimi and the salmon was particularly good. It was a very casual relaxed spot and our server was fast and attentive. The restaurant was pretty full but we didn't have to wait long at all. read more

I last reviewed Aki and gave it 3/5 stars just over five years ago. I'm happy to say it's gone up after my visit there today... Had a delightful chicken katsu dinner with the 9 piece sashimi side, miso soup and pickled salad ($35) and shared a large Asahi Beer with my father after a movie at The Nuart Theater just a few blocks away. The place has gotten busier and for good reason: they've taken measures to make it feel Covid-safe in their otherwise old-school interior and the service - now a mix of young and old Japanese waitresses - was spot on... The chicken katsu was perfectly fried, nice thinly pounded breast meat, not greasy whatsoever and the brown hoisin style dipping sauce was just right. My sashimi was better this time than the last time I had it with the pork tonkatsu version of this dish. All in all, I was just so happy to see the lovely wait staff at the venerable Aki doing what they do best, serving quality Japanese staples to the elderly folk and families that have patronized them all these years... let's hope they are around for decades to come. read more

Aki Restaurant - Chicken Katsu w Sashimi Dinner Combo, comes w miso soup and pickled salad too ($35) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

We went 1st time with recommendation. Sushi very disappointing, very little fish with too much rice on the rolls. Cooked food is good but atmosphere, ambience is dingy. read more

It seemed like a really sweet spot. Very authentic and great neighborhood vibes. We sat with little over an hour till we had to be at a movie. They seemed very busy. We had our beer and Sake and patiently waited on our food. If it wasn't for the movie we would have stayed but we had to go before it arrived. They were very kind and the food that we saw looked great. I would recommend if you have the time read more

Aki Restaurant - Hot sake, Asahi, dining room, waiting on food :). Good neighborhood vibes in here - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The service is impeccable but most importantly, and I'm a sashimi snob, the sushi is thick and high quality. I'm glad they only have 2 rolls on the menu as rolls are an American thing. There are no rolls in Japan and it's not authentic. I've been to every sushi spot on Santa monica Blvd and this place is the best. We'll be returning! Scott was also the kindest and most humble server! We want to come back because the entire staff is beyond kind and joyful! ALSO! The red bean ice cream is FIREEE! read more

Aki Restaurant - Yellowtail baby! Look how thick this is. The tuna was also amazing but we ate it too fast! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Aki is a casual Japanese restaurant with high quality comfort food. One of my favorite Japanese restaurants here in LA. The portions are very big and depending on what you order it'll come with rice, tempura, miso soup, or sashimi, if you do the sashimi dinner with your combo. I usually get the fried oysters + sashimi dinner. The sashimi is very fresh! Other highly recommended dishes would be the tonkatsu and beef teriyaki, which are both amazing. Service is also great as the staff are very kind. read more

Aki Restaurant - Tonkatsu + sashimi dinner - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Went for lunch The lunch specials were delicious and the service was extremely attentive read more

Saw the doc, Free Chol Soo Lee, at the Laemmle with friends, then we had a delicious Japanese dinner of tender chicken and beef teriyaki, fresh sashimi and a chirashi bowl. Everything was delicious! The place was packed. Wonderful family-owned restaurant since the 1970's. Highly recommend it! read more

Aki Restaurant - Chicken teriyaki - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

PRE-COVID19 3 1/2 STARS I LOVED THEIR NIGIRI! Since I couldn't find any prices for this place, as all the menus were old, I ventured over here and had dinner a couple of months back. For a very .. non-updated restaurant I though my some of the items were a bit overpriced. I've posted the menu for Jan 2020. We walked in and there wasn't anyone to greet us! We waited a few minutes and then finally our server came and sat us- she's doing both serving and hosting and the restaurant was packed. I didn't notice too many Asians though. Our food was good, the chicken katsu was decent but the nigiri was fine star. I think if I come back I'd only get nigiri. I think with the money they make they can definitely update the restaurant a little! read more

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Solid tempura, fair prices, cozy family-owned joint, friendly service. Would come again. read more

Aki Restaurant - Tempura - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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LOOOVE THIS PLACE!!! Always consistently good Japanese food in a REAL Japanese restaurant. I've been coming here since I was a child and it never disappoints! read more

A very homey, hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant! I came for dinner earlier with friends. One of my friends asked if they could make eel on rice even though it wasn't on the menu so the waitress went to check with the chef if it was possible and they were able to accommodate his request! I ordered the dinner special with mixed sashimi (9 pieces) and fried oyster, and it came with a salad, miso soup and rice. Really good value for $25 and I was able to eat most of it. The sashimi tasted pretty fresh too - I had my doubts when coming to this restaurant about the quality of the fish but it was good. The menu is a bit limited, since they mostly have appetizers, a la carte items and some combos but the food is delicious and reasonably-priced. Really good service too, since the waitress gave us a lot of rice and asked us if we wanted more rice. There's no parking lot, so look for street parking. read more

Aki Restaurant - Sashimi and fried oyster dinner special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Great neighborhood spot with authentic food and sweet service. I love sitting at the bar and trying whatever's on the specials

Located off the 405 in west la is one of the best Japanese restaurants imo . My mom and her friend Kathy first took me here years ago and I'm forever grateful . The food at Aki is amazing . My go to is the Aki Golden dinner which is beef teriyaki ,mixed sashimi and tempura. It's accompanied by rice , sunomono salad , miso soup and ice cream for dessert. Sushi and sashimi quality also never disappoints .Tbh everything here is superb and that includes the staff , chef and sushi chef . FYI they are only open for dinner and since the pandemic , sundays may still be takeout only . The restaurant itself has a nostalgic vibe , almost a throwback to another era . Personally I love this about them and I hope they never change . FYI parking is street or lowkey in the B of A lot. Itadakimasu ! read more

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First time trying here and I will be back! The restaurant is small and can be easy to miss but it is next to the Bank of America. The tables are a little too close to the other patrons, but I understand their restaurant is small. I ordered the beef teriyaki with sashimi combination. You get 3 salmon, 3 tuna, and 3 yellowtail and a nice medium cooked, tender beef teriyaki. The meal comes with cabbage salad, miso soup, rice, and salted cabbage. The servers were nice and friendly. While on the pricier side, I enjoyed the quality of the food! read more

Aki Restaurant - Beef teriyaki plus sashimi combination ($28) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Very authentic home style Japanese food. Would very much recommend reservations. They were quite full when we got there