Fantastic dumplings and fresh sushi. Laid back environment. Courteous staff. Great value. Highly recommend.

Had to try this spot in Richmond. I've heard good things about this spot, and some spots nearby are my all-time faves. Went as a mini date with my partner and got the Richmond Roll (4) and the Crazy Dragon Roll (2 ). I love sushi, and am always open to trying new things. The Crazy Dragon roll, however, was not good. The topping (I think eel) was soft for some of the rolls, and others were crunchy/hard. As someone who frequently eats eel in/on my sushi I have never come across crunchy eel and it turned me off immediately. The service was quick and friendly, no wait at all to get in or out. Loved the spot and will try again at a later date... but definitely avoiding anything with eel on top now. read more

Akida Japanese - Crazy Dragon Roll Richmond Roll - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Small spot for carry out or dine in sushi. There is limited seating so just be aware of that. The sushi was pretty affordable. My bf and I ordered the California roll the spicy tuna roll. The only complaint I have is I wish they added more crab to some of the rolls to be more proportionate to the cucumber and avocado in the roll. - still very good! My boyfriend liked his California rolls better than the spicy tuna roll. He also ordered the miso soup and said it was delicious. The service was quick and our waitress was nice! read more

Akida Japanese - California roll - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

The sushi cuts were just okay. The prices were good and the service was fast and the waitress was very kind. The restaurant is small and cute. All in all is an okay spot. read more

Akida Japanese - Tofu teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

See all

Found this place via Yelp after a day at the VMFA. The previous reviews are spot on. A small intimate place with amazing sushi. As soon as we walked into the restaurant we were greeted by the wait staff and chef. The menu is laid out very well with plenty of options and combinations. I decided on Combo #6 which delivered almost too much food for a lunch. The portions are large, the flavors are over the top, the service and staff are extremely friendly and answered all my questions. It's no wonder this place has been around so long. If you're in the mood for some good sush, this is your place. read more

See all

Absolutely amazing sushi, my favorite is the Love roll! It is the perfect amount of sauce and HUGE amount of fish. It's like a whole salmon nigiri plus the other fun ingredients in one bite. If you love salmon I highly recommend. Also the service is amazing and so personable. It is a small but homely restaurant that makes you feel comfortable and cozy. Extremely inviting and a nice place to visit solo and eat a whole 10 piece roll! read more

I have been going to Akida for almost 15 years. I'm so glad it has stayed in business and it shows through their service and quality of food. I've moved a bit away so don't go back often but every time I return it's great. Seating is minimal so be prepared to wait if you go during peak hours. read more

Absolutely the best sushi I've had in a while!!! Our server was completely awesome!! We had to wait at the front for a few minutes in the two chairs available in the tiny quaint restaurant. She brought us the sake and beer we ordered right to our seats while we waited. They were both delicious. We actually drank two bottles of the hot sake. We started with seaweed salad and eel sushi. The eel was amazing!! I honestly wish I could remember the names of our favorite rolls. They were all fantastic! They customized them wrapping in soy paper and adding masago on top. I can't wait to eat there again the next time I'm in Richmond. It is definitely a must try!!! read more

Akida is a cozy neighborhood hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The food is as good as I have had from some bigger restaurants, and the waitress was attentive. That said, this restaurant is six tables and designed to be enjoyed by the locals. It is not a destination for sushi. The decor is old and falling apart, the menus are paper and likewise falling apart. I do appreciate that the chef makes quality food, but there is no flexibility in any menu options (ie $2 up-charge per piece of sashimi to ask for tuna instead of salmon), and the place needs a face-lift and better lighting. If this is a short drive or walking distance from your home, it could be your go to sushi shop. If you are looking for a date night or celebration place, look elsewhere. read more

I've been searching for the best overall sushi place near my home right outside of Richmond, and I think this might be it! We frequent the spot, and they never let us down. The prices are reasonable, orders are fulfilled quickly, whether your dining in or ordering takeout. The staff is friendly, and the restaurant has some seating available for both big and small parties. Usually, we will get their combos, tonight we opted for getting two rolls each. I hope to try some other menu items soon, but I will almost always get at least the Spicy Salmon Roll. read more

Akida Japanese - Spicy Salmon Roll - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

See all

Quick up and back to Richmond to see the samurai exhibit so of course that means sushi afterwards lol. This spot hit....well the spot! Sushi was fresh, excellent preparation and presentation. The place is small, and clearly stays packed so their name proceeds them! My buddy and I ordered a bunch of plates between us and everything was delicious. Definitely going into the mental Rolodex of Richmond regulars for me! I shall return! read more

See all

Great spot for sushi; it's always fresh and very tasty. We usually take away our orders but have dined into the cozy dining area.

A rainy evening was perfect for some sushi. My first venture here and sat down at the sushi bar to watch the magic get created. First I ordered the shrimp shumai they could have been served hotter and the accompanying sauce a touch more of a kick. My dinner order were two rolls: Alaska Rolls and the Robinson Rolls. Both were carefully crafted, the fish was very fresh and tasty. Also had a bowl of Miso Soup which on this rainy night was a warm welcome. Service was friendly and attentive. read more

See all

Very dissatisfied. Yelp reviews must be wrong. Several selections were cold as they pulled them out of the fridge. Grocery stores like Kroger have better and fresher selections. Tempura batter was like dry pancake mix. Not worth the price. read more

Updated: stomach feeling sick after an hour. Went to bathroom with bad diarrhea right away. Two of us both feeling stomach discomfort, probably fish is not fresh. Came for lunch on a Monday, it was quiet only two tables, the space is small only couple tables for sit down dining. There's lunch special combo at very decent price. The food tho is not as expected. Two of us shared the combo 9 with comes with 22pieces or sashimi served with rice. Not any premium fish, instead there are tuna, salmon, squid, octopus, mackerel, shrimp, red clam and crab stick. Not anything special for this price. The double spicy roll and Robinson roll are decent. If you are sushi lover, I do not recommend this place, if you want a quick bite at a cheap price to take advantage of their lunch special, then this place is just fine read more

Akida Japanese - Combo 9 sashimi 22 pieces - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

See all

Excellent sushi, nice variety on the menu. Conscientious service . Cozy little restaurant near the VMFA. Our go to sushi whenever we are in Richmond. read more

As our internal rating method, we believe it's safe to take off at least one additional star for the places in small towns/rural areas. It is true - this place was below average for those who know authentic Japanese food/sushi. Service was friendly and pleasant though the server didn't bother going around to place each plate in front of each of us. Instead, she just put everything right in front of her, so the person who happened to sit closest to where she was standing had to the rest of her job. The whole experience was underwhelming, especially after seeing the bill that turned out to be at the recent Metropolitan DC level. read more

Akida Japanese - Overpriced below-average sushi - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Been here a few times before the pandemic and this was one of my favorite sushi spots in Richmond - definitely a cute neighborhood restaurant. The sushi was fresh, delicious, and inexpensive. I was kinda sad that they got rid of the special combination menu due to COVID. My cousin and I ended up getting the Party Tray, which included a rainbow roll and 6 chef-selected rolls. It was definitely enough food for the two of us, but we kinda felt cheated with the cucumber roll and avocado roll. As Akida is small business, I understand their decision to remove the special combo, but I hope one day in the future they'll bring it back because that was one of the reasons why I kept coming back. We also ordered the fried dumplings - tasty, but I wish it was pan-fried more. Our food also came with miso soup! We came here for dinner on Monday around 6:30 PM. Besides us, there was only 1-2 other tables occupied. Service was great, since the waiter was very friendly and checked on us multiple times. Plenty of street parking available! read more

Akida Japanese - Party Tray 1 - Rainbow Roll and 6 Chef-Selected Rolls - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

The perfect spot to unwind and eat some fresh delicious Japanese food. Everything I ordered came out so fast and was top notch quality. The server was very sweet and attentive. One of my favorite places in Richmond to eat at! read more

Akida Japanese - Edamame Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

This place has been mentioned by a lot of locals as being the best sushi spot in Richmond. If that's so, then I feel bad for the people in Richmond. Perhaps I'm spoiled having lived in large cities and also growing up on the Northeast coast. Anyway, this place has been on my list since I arrived 2 weeks ago. There was some street parking available across the street. Upon walking in I knew I was going to be disappointed. The place is tiny and unattractive. The sushi bar is insanely small with no seats so I grabbed a table near the bar. The waitress was attentive. I asked if they had Uni and the chef said no. I knew this wasn't going to be a good spot since they don't carry this fish at all. Only really good places carry this stuff so I knew my experience was going to be underwhelming. I'm used to getting two pieces of fish when ordering Nigiri and I only got one. The fish and the Spicy Tuna Roll were of low quality as you can see by the pic I took. You can get better quality sushi at a basic supermarket. I will say Richmond has some great food but if this place is considered the best in Richmond then this city has a long ways to go when it comes to sushi. One and done for me for sure. I'll be sure to check out some other spots while I'm here because there has got to be better sushi than this place in Richmond and that includes grocery stores. read more

Akida Japanese - Self explanatory - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Small, cozy place with very friendly and helpful staff. Food was delicious and affordable. We did need to ask for a couple of additional small plates to serve our food, but maybe that was simply an oversight on the part of the server. read more

Located in downtown Richmond, this cute little Japanese restaurant is a great place to stop for some sushi lunch. Parking is a bit tight as there is no designated parking space so you have to find a space in the streets but it is expected in downtown Richmond. Our server was very friendly and attentive. We ordered 2 lunch combos that came with a salad, miso soup, rice, 5 nigiri and a California roll. We also ordered 2 additional rolls and they were both flavorful. Prices are reasonable for quality as well. read more

Akida Japanese - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

This is not the place that it once was. Bad, confused service. Terrible food quality, terrible food in general. If you order something hot it's cold if you order sushi it's lukewarm. I've given them too many second chances. This place was great before 2019 which is why it has so many great reviews. No longer the case read more

I'll start by saying the sweet potato roll I had was THE best I've ever had!!!! Came here for valentines, arrived early and got one of the last tables. The place was slammed with to go orders so the waiter was definitely stressed but he made sure to communicate that he wouldn't be around as much as he hoped. Food came promptly, I got a sweet potato tempura roll and teriyaki tofu. The teriyaki dishes also come with miso soup which was very good. The only reason I'm giving a four star review is that the tofu was super bland, I had to add a lot of soy sauce. But the sushi alone will bring me back for more, my husband also agreed that his eel roll was the best he has had in Richmond. read more

Akida Japanese - Sweet Potato Tempura Roll - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

See all

As always, great service and food was excellent! Seated very quickly and the staff very quickly

TL;DR: small restaurant, great sushi This place is a small little restaurant nestled in the Fan/Museum district. It's a small space, so it fills up very fast! I came here around 7:30 on a Saturday night, and it was so packed that we had to sit at the sushi bar. Service was very nice and attentive. The sushi was great! It was so fresh and tasted so good. Even though it was a busy night, it did not take long for us to get our food. The price is fair, considering that if you want GOOD sushi, you'll have to shell out a little money for it. The Chirashi bowl was by far my favorite thing. Lots of sashimi definitely make it worth it. Can't wait to come back, whether to dine in or carry out. read more

See all

One of my favorite sushi restaurants in Richmond! Small on the inside but they always got seats, the customer service is great, and the food comes out super quick! So delicious. read more

great food and service, after 10 days without sushi this is amazing. I highly recommend.

Akida is my all time favorite sushi in Richmond. It's straight forward, not fancy. You're not going to find a list of 30 specialty rolls stuffed full of cream cheese and covered in crunchy bits. read more

Such good food! This tiny Museum District spot offers a wonderful selection of Japanese menu items -- sushi, tempura, rice bowls, and more. Service is quick and pleasant, atmosphere is brightly lit and fairly quiet, and everything on the menu is freshly made and delicious. read more

After hearing rave reviews about this hole-in-the-wall sushi restaurant I finally had a chance to try it. Both the storefront and the restaurant itself are unassuming; decor is very simple and it barely fits its six small tables and four stools at the sushi bar/kitchen/takeout counter. It is street parking only, and coupled with the restaurant's size it unfortunately isn't very accessible for wheelchairs. Despite slightly cramped quarters, the interior is cozy, well lit, and has just the right amount of noise that you don't feel the need to whisper your conversations in the intimate space. The staff is full of smiles and very welcoming even while being run off their feet with every table filled and takeout customers lining up in what little extra floor space there is. The menu has standard Japanese appetizers, soup, and noodle dishes as well as the beloved sushi. Regular and hand rolls are $3-7 for six pieces, sashimi is $2.00 per piece, and specialty rolls are $8+. There is also a special combination dinner for $17: one appetizer, soup, one regular roll, and one specialty roll. When trying a new sushi spot I always pair down to the absolute basics to get a feel for quality, and in this case ordered the salmon roll and California roll. The rice and seaweed was perfect on both, although construction was a bit haphazard as the rolls easily fell apart. The crab stick, avocado, and cucumber were exactly as they should be: fresh, bright simple, flavorful. The salmon, my favorite raw fish, was an enormous disappointment. It was badly sliced, unevenly distributed throughout the roll, and very anemic in color, more like tuna than salmon. It tasted and smelled like licking the bottom of a sandbar and then taking a shot of ocean water, overwhelmingly salty and fishy in an unpleasant way, and incredibly chewy. However, while my meal was batting 1 for 2, my friends ordered an Alaska roll, James River roll, Richmond Roll, and spicy tuna, and absolutely loved all of it. I will have to try again and update my review! read more

People LOVE this place... I often hear how it's the best sushi in Richmond. I'm not the one to ask. With this last visit, if I didn't know it before, I know now that I'm just not that into sushi. Service was okay. Ambiance isn't all that. The food came out quickly, and it was good enough. Just not really my thing. Price seemed a little high, too. read more

Akida Japanese - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

See all

I really hate that we have to do this, but please find another Japanese restaurant. The food was very low quality. We ordered a chirashi, which all had a Greyson color to the fish, and eel sauce drizzled all over the rice, which is not what chirashi should include. We ordered the crystal roll which was ok, but nothing special. Salmon skin hand roll was also ok. I'm surprised at how high the reviews are, likely due to it being Richmond, and the pickings are slim. Do yourself a favor and skip. read more

Food was very good. The service was good but not timed well in terms of delivery. All the food came nearly at the same time. Also, while I appreciate cleanliness, there was a faint bleach/chlorine smell in the air. It's worth a try and is a solid, cozy spot in the fan. read more

Ever since my discovery of Akida a few years ago, I have enjoyed every single trip! I brought some out-of-town friends on a Friday night and they also loved it. Although the restaurant looked crowded from the outside, we were seated quickly and our waitress was extremely friendly with us the whole night! Every time we asked to see the menu or had a question about ordering, she would come help us immediately and conversed with us a bit. We got a whole lot of food (which all came out pretty quickly), including a Chirashi Bowl, Shrimp Shumai, Shrimp Tempura, Udon, a Combo 10, a Salmon Skin Roll, and a Pork Rice Bowl. We also all got Miso Soup and small salads. The food was all delicious, and my personal favorite was the salmon - salmon sashimi, salmon roll, salmon sushi, all of it! You could tell the salmon was extremely fresh and prepared delicately. For all the fish, we received very thick slices! I would definitely recommend the shrimp tempura as well, especially with udon. Honestly, I would not shy away from anything on the menu because Akida is definitely one of the top restaurants in town. Can't wait to come back soon! read more

See all

By far the best sushi I have had in Richmond. The $17.95 deal has 1 soup/salad, 1 appetizer, 1 regular roll, and one special roll. I got the tuna/avocado/cucumber roll and the rainbow roll. The tuna was nice and light and by far the best I have had in a while! Also, the health department score is better than any other sushi in the area. read more

Found by happy coincidence visiting my son in Carytown. Pleasantly surprised by the value, quality and service. I'll be back. We got the combo dinner for $18 and it was a nice mix of salads/tempuras/sushi/sashimi/rolls. Nobody left hungry and we were out of there for about $60. I'll be back - and I have to drive from Charlottesville :-) read more

Akida Japanese - White Tuna - my favorite. PSA: NEVER consume more than 2-4 pieces. You have been warned (it's not really tuna) - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Pretty standard for a sushi place. It had all the food options one would expect. Quality was good. Definitely got full with a decent price. Was worth the price for the amount of sushi you get. read more

Akida Japanese - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

See all

A cozy place for some good sushi and good company! We love a good sushi place and their menu had a variety while also being very decently priced. Staff was very friendly and the service was extremely quick. Even though we were there on a Wednesday night, it appeared to be a very busy evening for them with people dining in and taking out! We will definitely be back to try more of their rolls! read more

Akida Japanese - Combo 5 - Japanese Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

See all

The place is pretty small. Service staff is excellent but food is just average. If you need quick fix of Japanese "fast food", here's the spot. read more