AKEMI Japanese Restaurant

I booked the reservation on the past Sunday at 6 pm, via Open Table. When I called to make the appointment last Saturday, the receptionist was unable to take my reservation because it was very busy at the restaurant, she told me to make the appointment online or call an hour later. I had to read through the website to find it on the "About" section mentioned about make the reservartion via Open Table. I wish the OpenTable link could add to the front page of the website to make it easier for booking.Nice ambiance, like the salvaged wood for the tables and seats at the reception and bar are.We sat near the kitchen and facing the long sushi bar. There were a fruit fly over our table before our dinner, glad it was gone when the food served.The sake samplers were best for those who like to try different sake but don't have to order the whole bottle. My husband and I shared the Akemi sampler, it was only $18 for three kinds of sake.We shared the following food from the menu: Chicken Karaage, California rolls with real crab meat, sushi nigiri of Uni ($23), Hamachi yellow tail, Blue Fin Toro fatty tuna, Tai red snapper. Tonkotsu combo with mixed Tempura, Ikayaki grilled whole squid.I would stick to the sushi, good quality fish was fresh and delicious, good thickness of the fish slices, the sushi rice could be better because it was a bit mushy.The combo was a good value.The grilled whole squid was a disappointment, it was skinny and did not look and tasted like grilled (please refer to the grilled Hokkaido squid at Ippuku, I could encore on it).No complaint on the service, it was decent overall.

I have loved coming here over the past few years. I have had great service, and enjoyed the ambiance. This has been a great local place for me, and have brought lots of my friends here. They have everything from sushi to ramen to combo plates, easy for anyone to choose something! My favorite item on the menu is the steak combo (teishoku). Tonight I went and the wagyu was overdone (after being told at order time that it would be medium rare) and the waitress kindly took it back and reordered it for us. While it came back more pink this time, the steak wasn't neatly cut and had no kind of char on the outside like I used to see for the grilled steak here. I know this is more of a sushi than a combo-plate place. Just want to say thanks for the former fond memories of this dish. Matta ne!

While the food was okay (and really just that- okay), the service was pretty awful. It took almost an hour to get an order in, and they messed up our initial food order. We almost didn't receive one of the items we ordered until two dishes that we did NOT order arrived at the table (which is when the mistake was realized and quietly fixed nearly 45 minutes after ordering, without any acknowledgement). Additionally, we had to continually ask the food runner to order whenever we wanted more food. We were continuously not checked in with to see we needed anything. Overall, the service felt targeted. It appeared that the tables filled with middle/aged white people received regular, attentive service compared to that of my partner and I (a young, interracial couple).While not hugely important, we were also underwhelmed with the decor, although the glassware was nice.Akemi's only redeeming qualities were the Brussels sprouts and the Yuzu panna cotta, which were beautifully prepared and delicious. If you are looking for a nice dinner spot this is not it. We will not be back.

Went here to celebrate a friends birthday, I had never been in this area of Berkeley but it is located in a very cute spot. The restaurant is very lowkey and the restaurant provides a good atmosphere that welcome people. The food was delicious and everything tasted fresh and had good portions! I recommend adding the strawberry yuzu spritzer! Really good! My friends tried the lobster ramen and it was a really good size of lobster that came with the food and the broth had a lot of great flavors. Overall nice spot and I am happy to have discovered this new area.

Anyone say sushi?I can tell you I've had Akemi on my list for years!Located off Solano Ave in Albany/Berkeley. Sometimes it's hard to find good quality sushi and Akemi filled my needs. Agadashi Roasted squid Spicy edamame Chirashi bowl Ebi Toro roll Full and satisfied They also have Omakase for 100.00 Winning

What a nice change of pace for Japanese restaurant that I hadn't been to before. We were greeted at the door by Tina, who has this very outgoing and nurturing personality. She immediately directed us to a table of our choice because we came in early and we're wondering why the place wasn't full of people after good reviews. Later I found out why. The place wasn't full because they had just opened and by the time we left, it was full on a Tuesday night night.Looking around as we walked in, I noticed that the place was elegant and understated, which is a blessing because sometimes you go to specialty restaurants, and they have just too much clutter on the walls in the cupboards, then in the niches. It's well lighted big windows, but because of all the dark wood you get this feeling that is sort of a romantic atmosphere, everyone was smiling the staff and the chef all greeted us when we walked in and the great customer service continued throughout the meal.We got a great window seat. So it was fun to watch the activity out on Solano Avenue while we were waiting for our food. Tina suggested some great things to try that were specials on the menu and they were very very tasty. So I would recommend when you go in. Ask if the chef has a special for the evening or if there's a special dinner plate for the evening. We were very pleased with everything that showed up at our table .Looking back at what I had for dinner tonight. I was very pleased to try a pork belly tonkatsu Ramen, which was delicious. I was very surprised that it had the white sauce. I should say white broth, and it was a nice change of pace for me. We also had the chef prepare a six piece special sushi for a plate just to have a little taste of something special. One was Uni, When was exquisite octopus that had been marinated, and then slightly roasted, and the last item was this wonderful Sushi made from a delicate white fish. Our entrées were the pork belly, Tonkatsu Ramen. I also made sure on a cool evening like tonight that I had some hot sake with it. Though hot sake is more of an American tradition. It was sort of fun to have it on a cold everything we ate and wonderful flavors. Everything looked very, very fresh.It was very clean in the restaurant, and it would be fine to have this experience shared with friends again on another occasion. They will see us soon.

Really great Japanese restaurant. Love their sushi and rolls. We got reservations for family on a Sunday night and was perfect. Service was great and food delicious.

We had delivery a couple of nights ago. The food was quite good, but the $29 cod only contained two very small pieces -- way overpriced

Came here on 2/2/25 at 1:30 pm. Servers are rude and not attentive. We waited 20 minutes to order and 30 more minutes for the food that was not worth the price. I ordered the spicy miso ramen and the chicken was overcooked and the egg was not soft boiled. They put a ton of spinach on top and not very much of anything else.

3.5 Stars. Nothing really stood out for us. Sushi flavor and ingredient quality was there, albeit at the expense of sushi size. Ramen was good. Overall decor was quite nice