Akaoni

If you are looking for traditional Japanese sushi, you have found the place. The menu was brief and awkwardly bilingual, always a good sign. The service was the epitome of Japanese, right down to the hot towel. We ordered a sushi plate, some sashimi and the yaki-​nasu. The eggplant was a bit short on miso topping, but everything else was perfect. The sushi was the correct size, perfectly made, incredibly fresh. The sashimi was, again perfectly prepared and perfectly fresh. Fantastic, but make sure you have reservations.

The food here is amazing! It’s a small little gem in downtown Carmel, maybe with less than 25 seats. If you want fast service then don’t come here. This place is not your eat and run mill. It is a place where you enjoy the food and maybe your company, because there will be some waiting involved. There is only one sushi chef, one server and make be one person in the back of the kitchen cooking.
We didn’t make reservations on a Sunday evening, we were lucky because after being in the restaurant they had to tell the customers to come back later. I had the assorted sashimi, uni (sea urchin) and halibut (hirame) from Japan. The uni was creamy, smooth and the subtle rich sweetness of the flavor just lingers in your mouth. By far when I crave uni I come here. Other unis from different oceans/​area are gritty and have have a sour flavor. This place ruined all other sea urchins for me. The hirame was soft and milky. I savor end every piece as long as I could. My other sashimi was above average. Never been disappointed. The wait is definitely worth it.

Probably the best sushi place I have been to in the Monterey/​Carmel area. I got the omakase and it did not disappoint. Additionally it was quite cheap about $ 30 – 40.
Service: no complaints.
Wait: did not have to wait, but I did call in advance and there was only one table left when we got there. I would probably call in advance instead of showing up. Because all the tables were full throughout our entire meal.

Wow. Nice attitude lady. No prob waiting for a table of 4, but the eye roll was unnecessary. And when you say 45 minutes with a table of 4 clearly at the end of the meal… not cool. I even said we’d wait… then she bumps it to 1:15 mins. Can’t support this no matter how good your food might be.

2^nd visit here and I was not disappointed. I ordered the agedashi tofu and chirashi sushi. My friend ordered the fresh house made tofu in sauce and chirashi sushi as well. The agedashi tofu was fried a bit differently from how I’m used to but it was good nonetheless. The house made tofu is a soft, silky tofu that comes with a strong (but not overwhelming) sauce. I liked the flavors and textures, I just wish the sauce was warm since the tofu was warm; it was slightly distracting to have warm tofu and cold sauce. The chirashi had a good variation of fish. It’s important to have a good balance in the fish served for chirashi, you don’t want flavors to compete or overwhelm. The sushi chef here tends to go light on rice, but I’m ok with that, you can appreciate the flavor of the fish more.

My second time here and I love it. My last visit I ordered a couple of nigiris (Tamago & Unagi) and croquettes to offset my horrible sushi experience at a place called Sushi Heaven also here in Carmel.
Today my foodie bff & I decided it was a chirashi kind of day and decided to splurge at Akaoni. We had the homemade tofu & the agedashi tofu. It was tofu overload, but I like my tofu though.
The Chirashi was pretty good, I’m not a fan of tako (octopus) but this had a sweet taste to it. My palette was definitely challenged with the mackerel but that’s just me.
Everything else, was delightful. I recommend this place if you are really a sushi person, by that meaning not into the froufrou rolls drenched in different sauces that drown out the simple, clean, fresh taste of a properly prepared sushi. Give it a try!

My favorite sushi place in Monterey Bay Area, especially Omagase meal! The Master (chef) is very nice and friendly. Most fishes we ate for sashimi and sushi he made for us were imported directly from Japan. We were lucky that they were just came in the day we ate our omagase. It’s rare you can find fresh abalone sashimi and/​or sushi in USA. Living in U.S. for 23 year, I’ve only found 2 Japanese Sushi Restaurant where serve fresh abalone sashimi or sushi, which are Akaoni in Carmel, CA and Little Tokyo in Jackson, MS. The Master explained how to eat sushi he individually made for us since the way he made them were different. Some were good by itself due to the harmony of sushi rice he individually made for each piece incorporated with flavor of each fish. He gave us high quality soy sauce that was also imported from Japan. Another dish that I have to mention since I’ve considered it as one of the signature dishes besides «abalone sashimi» is Chawamuchi or Japanese steamed egg, which is rarely found in typical Japanese restaurants in U.S. despite the common Japanese dish in Japan. Grilled local black cod is one of the cooked dish that we’ve been longing for eating at Akaoni. Our last dish was ended with fresh clam soup! It was so good!!! We ended our Omagase meals with cold sake recommended by the Master. I was very happy and enjoy my Birthday Omagase dinner at Akaoni. Campi!

great toro and housemade tofu. the waitress and sushi chef are super sweet.
the way the chef slices the abalone sashimi shows great knife skills! i loved the aji, ankimo, uni, oysters, and toro. the little dish of appetizer before your meal was fine, but i didn’t care for it.
reservations highly recommended, don’t be late.

Don’t miss this place for lunch… Best food /​best value along with excellent sevice! A local purse/​bag maker (in the alley just behind the store) gave us the recomendation and she was dead on. The crab salad and Katsudon were both excellent. We will be back on our next visit…

Should be a 4 stars for the sushi but the service bring down the rating.
The sushi chef never greet us or say good bye which is unusual in a Japanese place. Had us sit in a counter facing outside instead the sushi bar was ok to us. But not letting 5 customers sit on the sushi bar with 6 seats was weird.
Our counter area could have seated for 5 but tight. All other tables are for 4 people and the waitress or sushi chef did not show any intention to accommodate the 5 customers so they walked out.
It’s his resturant so he can do whatever he wants and I don’t live in Carmel so plenty other nice sushi places in bay area or nyc.
I do have to give him credit that the octopus in our chirashi was tender and flavorful!
Maybe just order take out and eat in town instead if you must.

Great nigiri! Fishes are fresh and rice is awesome. The sea urchin is really worth the price.

This is the best traditional sushi place on the peninsula and probably SF as well. The Chef is quiet, reserved and extremely focused on putting the best possible product on his plates. If you are looking for a place where you are greeted loudly and saki bombs are encouraged, keep walking because you will not find any mayo covered trash fish here. I have been going here for over five years now and every time is special, so leave the kids at home and make this an intimate date night where UNI is the best form of dessert. Thank you Chef for your hard work and dedication to your craft.
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I am a very long time sushi person.
Plus /​minus /​neutral on Akaoni.
Plus: Chef is very knowledgeable and takes great time /​pride in his creations. They offer specialty creations other than standard sashimi and sushi that I have never experienced. I plan to return to try every one of these items and I suggest you do as well. Superior presentation.
Neutral: Most of the fish is superior, some average. Live Monterey prawns in the tank!
Minus: Chef and staff are dour to the point of being funereal. Chef didn’t even look up when he was complimented on the food. Very standoffish to the point that the atmosphere in the entire restaurant is affected. Don’t go here for fun. It’s not fun. Go here to enjoy the food and speciality items, but be prepared to be underwhelmed when it comes to atmosphere; both physical and personal.

If you are looking for an authentic Japanese dining experience, look no further. We had the cucumber sunomono with octopus. It was tasty and different. We stayed with the usual rolls for dinner: spicy tuna and California rolls (boring!). They were very good though. We had the kids with us so we couldn’t delve out of the normal.
This is definitely not a kid friendly place, if your child does not like seafood then do not bring them here.
They also close right at 9:00, so get there in time.
Food was good but I recommend being a bit more adventurous when eating here. These are authentic dishes that are worth a try.

One word: WOW. I came not expecting too much after reading some negative reviews regarding the service. However, I decided not to let this sway me too much since after all I’m here for good sushi (there wasn’t anything wrong with the service I experienced though).
Ordered a couple of items to try: homemade tofu, 12 pc nigiri, sake nigiri, uni (from Japan), abalone sashimi, fried tempura, and green tea ice cream for dessert. The homemade tofu came first and blew my mind! It was super soft and went perfectly dipped in ponzu sauce. The 12 pc nigiri gave us a sampler of different fishes such as toro, sake, hamachi, etc. All were so fresh and melted in our mouths that I had to order more sake ’cause it’s my favorite type of fish! Uni, thankfully, didn’t have that stench that is easily distinguishable when it’s been out for too long. Abalone sashimi was interesting… and reflected accurately on the chef’s amazing knife skills! The pieces were thinly sliced and had a chewy/​bouncy texture. Their fried tempura was fried in a way I hadn’t seen before. Instead of separate pieces, it was one giant blob with variety of vegetables and shrimp mixed together. The green tea ice cream at the end really completed the meal. It was rich in green tea flavor and I was able to taste thin matcha powder residue.
Side notes:
— Only complaint would be the rice wasn’t packed tightly enough (lack of vinegar)
— Good wasabi shouldn’t be just ‘spicy’ — theirs isn’t!
For everything we ordered, the total came to be about $ 125 which is, IMO, inexpensive considering the quality we received. It’s probably one of the best sushi meals I’ve had in a while too! Definitely visit here if you’re ever in Monterey: P.
TIP: Make reservations ahead of time!

I’ve been eating Sushi for 18 years and have never been able to find a Sushi Restaurant that appears to be authentically Japanese here the U.S. (Granted my knowledge of traditional Japanese Sushi comes from watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi)
This isn’t a place that serves up squeeze bottles full of sugary sauces or imitation crab. This is the real deal, through and through. I swear this isn’t the Sake talking…
My wife and I ordered the 14 pc. Chef’s Special, which was a mixture of US and Japanese sourced fish. By far the freshest fish I’ve ever had and the chef was truly an artist as he crafted each piece of Nigiri.
Our favorite was the Scallop and the additional Rainbow Roll we ordered after we just couldn’t get enough. Just as an example, the Rainbow Roll was filled with chopped, fresh Tuna as opposed to imitation crab. It was additionally topped with fresh cuts of fish.
Is it wrong that we made a reservation for tomorrow night too?

Despite the negative reviews, I still decided to come here for an anniversary dinner. Therefore, I made a reservation and was seated immediately when I arrived. The place is really small but neat.
We ordered their homemade tofu, 14 pcs nigri selection, uni, abalone sashimi and tempura. Everything blew me out of the water as it was amazing. Probably one of the freshest sashimi I have had in California and the chefs knife skills were on point. Writing this review have me salivating to try other menu items I didn’t get to try. Needless to say, I will be returning sometime soon.
My only complaint is the rice wasn’t packed tight enough and lacked a bit of vinegar for my taste. This place will not disappoint if you want a taste of traditional and fresh japanese sashimi. OISHI!!!

Have been here a few times and I have to say the food is very good… when in season, the live uni is a must try. Another staple is the house made tofu, Saba bento, and fish head.
Usually we call to make reservations, as this place is tiny. The chef (owner) and his wife are not the friendliest, in fact that is only why I am giving them three stars. Maybe because they know they are usually packed with customers, they don’t need to try that hard… but still for the price we pay on food and drinks here, one would hope they would crack a smile more than just once during the meal.
Anyway, this is an outstanding sushi place if you don’t mind the cold service.

My girlfriends and I read all the anti-​asian reviews against this gem so we came in expecting the worse, however, we received the best. We’re all VERY ASIAN and got EXCELLENT service so I am quite upset that there are this many reviews regarding such a controversial topic. From our excellent experience, I can only say these are angry comments from one large, fussy group or one is known to not tip well.
Fish was so fresh aji and ankimo were some of the best I’ve ever had. The one star deduction wad only because we we came here for the sb uni and sweet shrimp but they had neither tonight. :(still awesome and if I lived in the area, this would be my go-​to sushi place for sure

This very good family run restaurant. What really stands out is the excellent rice within the Nigiri. Seriously next level stuff and some of the best Nigiri I’ve had.
The simplicity of the menu is what works too. No fusion, no out of the box, just really good sushi. Hands down the best spot in Carmel — Monterey Peninsula.
Anything ordered off of Akaoni’s menu can go toe to toe with the same items prepared by any other sushi spot in the country. All in all this was a better food experience than a recent visit to a Michelin Star restaurant in Manhattan.
If you want a sexy, sleek, hip spot where Sake Bombs are the norm this is not a logical choice.
The décor in the small restaurant is like the menu, simple. However, if you are interested in Sushi while in Carmel you shouldn’t consider any of the other options and call to make a reservation even if you prefer to sit at the Sushi bar/​counter.