Japanese Restaurant Aki

Loved restaurant Aki! My boyfriend and I were able to walk in without a reservation on a Wednesday night. We must've gotten lucky because the restaurant was pretty crowded, with a few large parties. The atmosphere of Aki is very lively without being too loud. Some Izakayas to me feel stuffy when everyone's drinking and the noise level of the place gets super high--this was not the case at Aki.In terms of the food I really enjoyed the quality of the yakitori skewers, grilled onigiri, sushi rolls and agedashi tofu. The miso salmon was pretty standard/ok. Overall, food was amazing, but the service was a little slow. Nevertheless, I would definitely come back. Added bonus we did not smell like yakitori/smoke after dining due to the open air dining room!

Very interesting spot. Nicely authentic with a unique Hawaiian vibe added on. The quality of the food was overall fresh. The fish was tasty and they they did an excellent job on the rice. The service is a little bit off, but just have patience if needed. The food is worth it.

The 11 piece assorted sushi and the grilled squid were really good! The hamachi roll seemed a bit lacking, but they do call it a "skinny" roll so I wasn't expecting much, just wanted to try it. Love the miso soup. The ribeye and pork belly skewers were tasty - the paste that came with it is delicious. It's a small cozy spot. I wouldn't call it intimate since the seating wasn't very comfortable and it was a bit loud. They had elegant jazz music playing in the background which seemed odd. All in all, the service was good and the food was exactly what we were looking for. I would recommend trying it, just don't waste your time on the rolls.

A friend was visiting and wanted fresh and authentic sushi. It was an odd time and most places were closed, except the spot. Though I've been to the shopping area, multiple times, never to this restaurant it is a little hidden, but super cute.Bottom line, service was friendly,, the fish was fresh and prepared dwell. It was a little on the pricey side, but acceptable given the quality.

We had just returned from staying in Las Vegas when my husband's relatives called to catch up with us since we've not seen them for the past month. My husband's relatives asked me for restaurant recommendations in the Ala Moana or nearby neighborhoods since they would have a business appointment there. Luckily, I saw and read several other Elites' high rated reviews for Japanese Restaurant Aki in the Kaimukī neighborhood and suggested this tiny Japanese restaurant as our meeting point. I called for lunch reservations, and the gentleman who answered the phone asked if I was making a reservation for izakaya or sushi bar service. Since our foursome planned to have lunch and gab for a while, I chose the izakaya side of their restaurant. Fortunately, we got a reservation on a Saturday near restaurant's lunch hour peak time.We located the restaurant's entrance quickly from the 11th Avenue entrance of the Kaimukī Municipal Parking Lot and easily found parking. My husband's relatives had arrived earlier than we did and snagged the reserved table. The server placed several menus on the table since our guests were seated before us. While we perused the menus, the server came by to inform us about the daily specials and fresh from-the-market fish. We all settled on bentos from the Lunch & Takeout Menu.FOOD:- #1 5-piece sushi & soft shell crab bento: I chose the first item on the menu since it appealed to me the most. The bento was a good balance of fresh and made-to-order items served at hot and cold temperatures. The miso soup was served piping hot, and my palate was refreshed by the tossed green salad with ginger sesame seed dressing and sweet pickled ginger. The made-to-order nigirizushi had fresh tender slices of fish atop warm sushi rice, and crisp tempura battered soft shell crab was hot from the fryer. The tempura battered soft-shell crab was meaty, sweet, and slightly salty. I noticed that my husband started eyeing my bento and quietly whispered that my bento looked better than his. $22.50- #9 Fried chicken & pork cutlet bento: my husband selected this bento because he was attracted to the deep-fried proteins. The karaage (fried) chicken had been marinated and was flavorful, although the fried chicken pieces were a bit dry, possibly overcooked. The three strips of pork cutlet (tonkatsu) were tender with a light crunchiness from the panko breading. He liked his bento and wolfed it down while eyeing the bentos of our guests and mine. $15.00- #8 5-piece yakitori bento: our guests ordered this bento. The assorted skewered meats (chicken thigh, chicken breast, pork belly, and Arabiki sausage) were grilled over an open flame which enhanced the meat flavors with a light smokiness. The tossed green salad and steamed white rice completed the meal. There was a dish of refreshing and sweet pickled sushi ginger (gari) to cleanse and complement the grilled meats and rice. $15.50This restaurant's open front allowed cool breezes to flow while we ate on this hot, sunny afternoon. The rustic Japanese interior decor was comfortable and welcoming. We'd return to this cute neighborhood Japanese restaurant for another meal at their izakaya side or perhaps for sushi bar service.

Ate lunch there for the first time with some friends recently. Wonderful izakaya ambiance. Friendly and professional staff. I could have sworn I was in Japan! Try the miso butterfish and any or all of the yakitori choices. If you have room for dessert, I would highly recommend the matcha crème brûlée! Yes, it is as heavenly as it sounds!I bet this place is even more wonderful at night with some tasty dishes and a couple of cold beers. Will have to check it out.

Well what do we have here??? Something like a Nonbei but no corners cut. An airy restaurant hidden in an alley - in a building behind Big City Diner. Ample parking. The place was pretty packed when we went and judging by the Yelp pictures, I knew we were in for a treat.First off, the service!!!! Literally perfect for an izakaya! Water was filled, beers were offered as I took the last sips. The Asahi was perfect! They were out of my tako wasa but they had chicken cartilage karaage. They had whole grilled squid and tasty sushi! The place is pretty darn airy with a patio-like vibe.The food does not have a lot of "sauces" to dip in. For example, no mayo for grilled squid and no mayo to dip chicken karaage in. They had lemon to squeeze over and the food was so tasty it didn't need to hide from any sauce. The spicy tuna did have a creamy sauce over it and it was delicious.The service was impeccable - oh I said that already!and....They had pickles.....!!! Tasty pickles - we got two orders!!!! Nothing about this place seemed like they cut corners. This is a really good place! Very tasty!My wife was happy, I was happy, we are going back for sure!!!

Food was great and service was excellent. Definitely try the motsunabe if you go, and the sushi was some of the best I've ever had on the island. Highly recommended for those who are missing Japan and want to enjoy good food

Love this gem. Right in the heart of Kaimuki. Loads of parking, amazing food, great service.The space holds around 40 guests comfortably. Semi open dining experience.I ordered the fried oyster curry. It was just as expected. The oysters were fresh and the curry had a great mouth feel the flavors were all on point dislike being back in Japan. The sushi was incredibly delicious. We ordered, the Otoro, very rich and decadent, due to a its high fat content. The fish finished very clean on the pallet. We also ordered the Ikura nigiri. The marinade was very late and there was no sushi aftertaste.You're in the area and craving some free Chinese food. I would highly recommend this place.Pro tip, go early as soon as they open, because they get very crowded during lunch.

Had a great time eating at Aki Sushi which is not the same restaurant as Aki Izakaya. I stood at the Izakaya side waiting to let the checkin person know that we had reservations for 4, she mention that she does not have our name on the list. After a few minutes later I ask her is this this only Aki restaurant and she says we have the sushi side which is next to them. A light bulb came on for her and she walked us one door over. For someone that never been to this place they need to make it easier for people to know the difference or train their staff that when someone has reservations and their name is not on the list to check with the other Aki restaurant.After sitting down at the sushi side, the ambience was nice and very relaxing. Love the service and enjoyed the dinner, however I couldn't give 5 stars.Having family in Japan that grows one of the best rice in the country you truly understand that sushi is not only about the fish but the rice that you eat with. Rice was not high quality but was ok. The fish was good but not something that tilt my head back of amazement. Overall great place to hangout with friends and have some sake and sushi.