Aki Restaurant

Japanese place straight out of 1970. Best part — the old ladies that wait on you with five star service and the 70s vibe. The second best part — quality food and fish as fresh as any top sushi bar in LA. Get the dinner combination. Wonderful salad, great miso not too salty and full of flavor, crispy tempura and a great selection of high quality sushi. Love it.

I’ve been here a few times and both times the food was excellent! I recommend the crispy rice with spicy tuna and fresh water eel rolls! The only reason I give it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the prices are a little on the high side. Still a great spot if you’re in the area!

So old school, I swear this place hasn’t changed since the 80s. Including the menu.
The usual teriyaki + sashimi dinner specials harken right back in time, with somewhat chewy, tender beef and sashimi that seemed like it’d been kept on ice a tad too long– a bit watery?
Great service, the classic lightly pickled veggie appetizers, and a throwback feel. Priced fairly. 3.5 stars.

What everyone said is true… very good and very (from an American guy’s opinion who has lived in Sawtelle for six years), traditional. It was not frilly and neither was the crowd or the service. Just excellent, high-​quality Japanese goodness. Came here last week for an early dinner. They were packed by the time we left.
Parking absolutely sucks. (i.e. — There is no parking) We parked in the parking lot behind Floyd’s Barbershop and walked half a block. I called to ask about parking and the woman said to park in Bank of America’s lot. I asked if I would be towed and she said, «not likely.» Signs all over that lot said they would tow. Not risking it. No street parking on Santa Monica during dinner hours.
An excellent place to try, not for a first date, but for every other occasion.

Japanese Comfort food is all I can say about this great place! Sushi is on point, and the Paki dinner is something to die for! I’ve had almost everything they have on the menu here and haven’t run into a single dish that is «just ok». Everything from their sushi to the appetizers are all made fresh and come out tasting excellent!
If you have a private party you would like to host at their location they do have a medium size private area that they can open up and host your birthday, graduation, office Holiday party etc in. It’s secluded and you will have complete privacy for you and your group.
Pricing is very reasonable for sushi and their dinner prices are great. Check out the lunch time specials as the prices are even better at lunch! On a side note, try their ginger ice cream, its pretty dam good!

My family has enjoyed this restaurant for over 20 years.
Their high quality food has not altered or changed at all over the years. Their chicken teriyaki and steak teriyaki dinners are wonderful. The teriyaki sauce is fresh and delicious. The salmon sashimi dinner is another dinner we enjoy often. The dinners are supported by the best fresh tempura ever… fileted shrimp with light batter and lots of panko.
We are not fans of the short rib dinner.
It is a very comfortable restaurant frequented by UCLA faculty. It is not fancy… but the food is delicious and consistently of high quality. We have yet to find its equivalent in the Camarillo/​Ventura area where we are currently residing. If traffic was not so terrible… we would eat at Aki whenever we had a craving for good Japanese food.

Very good food. Very great lunch specials! I always get combo #3 and it is delicious. Can’t beat a full plate of food and miso soup for under 15 bucks!

This hole in the wall may be a bit hard to find,. but it definitely is worth the search!
First off, the staff here is unbelievably nice. I’ve never once had a bad service here. The ladies are attentive and always asking if there’s anything else we need.
Secondly, who would have ever guessed about California Roll with actual crab meat?! I didn’t know you had such an option in life! But opt for it. It’s an additional $ 1 if you want to change out the spicy tuna roll for it in the lunch special menu.
Third, lunch special here weighs out in quality and pricing over the other restaurants nearby. For only $ 13 — you get rice, cabbage salad, miso soup, teriyaki chicken or beef (I suggest chicken), shrimp tempura, string bean tempura, and a 6 piece California Roll. WHAT A DEAL!
I don’t think a lot of people in the area knows about Aki and I’m glad because I don’t want to be waiting an hour to eat lunch ;)

If you’re anything like me, you get sushi cravings a lot, and the question is always: do I want to go to some cheap-​ish, mostly likely Americanized joint to get my sushi fix? or do I want something more authentic/​higher quality Japanese food… and then cry because I’m broke and have to eat ham and cheese sandwiches for the rest of the week???
Well places like Aki Restaurant (and Hide!!) fix this problem. I was actually originally on my way to Hide but decided to try something new and came here based on favorable Unilocal reviews. While a lot of Japanese joints that aren’t pure sushi joints are more tapa style (where you can order a lot of small dishes of different stuff), Aki’s offerings are a lot more substantial and meal-​like — they have a variety of dinner combos, which come with miso soup, salad, tempura, and a hearty portion of the main course, whether you picked sushi, sashimi, teriyaki, or whatever else they have on the menu! Portion sizes are very filling and everything is delicious, fresh, and authentic. Pricing wise, Aki is very fair: Though the sashimi wasn’t AS good as some of the ones I’ve had, for what you’re paying, it’s definitely worth it! At around $ 20 per dinner combo, Aki’s prices are somewhere in between super cheap/​bad sushi places, and super expensive/​break the bank Japanese restaurants — perfect if you want to treat yourself a little, but not too much!
Anyways, on to the actual food! Keeping in mind that Aki isn’t like a sushi sushi place (more like a Japanese restaurant where you can also get sushi on the side), their California rolls are actually delicious… none of that imitation crab meat/​mayo you get from random grocery stores — this is the real deal! Probably some of the best I’ve ever had. Their tempura was also SO good — perfectly fried and crispy, but not dripping in oil or anything gross. Their sashimi as I’ve mentioned def cannot compare to the top Japanese restaurants, but for the price, it’s great and very fresh and they give you a lot of it. The chicken teriyaki was also very yummy and tasted home-​cooked, which I loveee.
Finally, I also really liked the mom and pop feel of the restaurant. We have a lot of these kinds of traditional Japanese styled places back in Norcal, but here in Socal, it seems like everyone is always trying to be super fancy or hipster or who knows what… Very refreshing to find a place like Aki here in LA.

Came here for my Dads birthday! As always the people at Aki treat you like good friends. A very inviting place not pretentious in any way. There food is well made and very delicious.

Aki reminds me of the cozy, family-​owened Japanese restaurants that my family and I patronize whenever we visit my nonagenarian Japanese American grandmother in NorCal. This would totally be the neighborhood restaurant that only insiders know about! In many ways, the restaurant bespeaks a bygone era. I’m not just referring to the wainscoting, lacy tablecloths, and the vinyl booths and seats. Rather, I’m thinking about the food reminiscent of a home-​cooked meal, the friendly, aged staff who must run the restaurant, and the histories that this restaurant must have been privy over the past few decades.
Being the super, saving sleuth that I am, I can recognize a good deal when I see one, and I’m pleased to report that Aki offers good food at fair prices. All of the dinner entrees (roughly $ 15 – 25) come with tempura, miso soup, salad, and rice. The inclusion of tempura in most entrees is unheard of at most restaurants, so it was definitely a pleasant surprise. The rest of the menu is extensive, and has a range of traditional items you’d find at Japanese restaurants. I ordered the *Sushi B Dinner,* which came with 7 pieces of nigiri and 6 pieces of a tuna roll. I wasn’t particularly blown away by the quality of the sashimi, as it didn’t have the smoothest texture or the freshest taste. But, I was nevertheless pleased with the quantity I received. The included *tempura* had this wonderful crispy texture that reminded me more of tonkatsu than tempura I’ve gotten elsewhere. The batter is thick, but not overly heavy and greasy. That, for me, is perfection! My friend had also ordered the *tebasaki* (lightly fried chicken wings) as an appetizer, and it was delicious! After dousing the chicken in lemon, I probably could have eaten this meal for days.
Since the restaurant doesn’t have a private lot, you’re limited to parking on the street. The spaces in front of the restaurant are metered and restricted during the morning and evening commute. I’d recommend parking on the residential cross streets, either Butler or Colby. If you drive down far enough, you’ll avoid having to pay at the meters!
Unlike some of the other older restaurants in the area, Aki accepts credit cards, which is really convenient.
Check out Aki if you want good-​sized portions of Japanese food at fair prices. This is definitely an underrated neighborhood gem that has the nostalgia factor going for it.

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!!! Great Sushi, Great Service, Fair Price. All around Awesome. As far as Sushi goes on the Westside you cant find much better then AKI. a true OG traditional Japanese restaurant where the owner works the sushi bar and remembers you from the first time you sit down. Cool neighborhood vibe.
First lets talk Dean (the Owner) straight up this dude makes is the best. The first time I ate there we talked sports (Dean bye the way is a sports nut and theres always a game on the TV) I mentioned that I grew up in Dallas and I’m a religious Cowboys fan which he remembered and picked up the conversation on months later when I went in the next time and every time since then. I find this particularly cool because living and eating in LA that is not the norm.
Food: Tastes so fresh it may as well have been swimming an hour ago and he always has something interesting and new (like razor clam) on his specials board.
My favorite things there are:
Albacore Sushi– some of the best I have had. Its actually a pretty decent cut but the quality is amazing super tender lots of flavor with a touch of Ponzu and green onion.
Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice– perfect bite size pieces they seem panfried not deep fried because you get both crispy and soft rice. topped with Jalapeño slices and a pickled carrot which makes all the difference.
Shishito Peppers: if you get one non sushi plate get these, they have a light char on them and always seem to have a decent kick.
Scallop Sushi: Always crazy fresh he makes them a few different ways but when he makes it with Yuzu salt its something special.
Pricing: It’s sushi so if you go nuts it will add up, but prices are incredibly fair in particular when look at the quality of food you are getting.
It’s amazing to me that this place isn’t packed every night. If you Live in West LA/​Brentwood your options (if your not into the corporate chain sushi thing cough cough San Vicente crowd) are going to AKI or hitting up one of the spots on Sawtelle, IMHO this place should be in the regular rotation.

Aki is a cozy, family-​owned, neighborhood sushi restaurant. It has some nice dinner combo options at standard prices. I’ve tried the 13 piece sushi combo (7 nigiri and a 6-​piece tuna roll) and chirashi a la carte; both come with miso soup. All the fish here is fresh with a clean taste; the pieces are sliced well with a nice mouthfeel. The chirashi rice is a tad sweet for my taste, but still overall pleasant and it’s a filling meal. Sake is reasonably priced ($ 4.75 for a small) if you want to add that to the meal.
Aki is my go-​to whenever I’m in the mood for sushi but don’t want the frills that often come with it. I’ll definitely be back!

This place is aweful! Gave me old ass sushi and said it was fresh! It looked like it had been sitting out for like 5 days! The rice was old and crunchy looking and the fish was dry and discolored! I will never come back here unless I plan to get food poisoning! They ended up taking it off of bill but still won’t be coming back! They tried to bring me back the same plate and argue that it was fresh and ok to eat?!! Who does that?!! Please just keep going don’t bother to stop! Waste of time and money!

I rarely order cooked Japanese dinners. I must say the the hot chicken teriyaki was very good. This is great place to dine if you want to go to the movie theater a few doors to the West. It’s a busy place and we will be back.

Upon reading that Wakasan had closed last summer, my son and I both gasped. And then cried. It was our home away from home. It was our escape back into the Land of the Rising Sun. It was our «Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi.» And then it was gone.
While no shop will ever come close to replacing Wakasan, I’m very happy to report that Aki will be our very close second.
The food is, of course, delish. I only had time to grab the fried kaki and a bottle of sake, but I’d bet my racer’s 2015 season that everything else on the menu is also absolute perfection.
Then there’s the delightful service, comfy booths, and the very expensive tab. Exactly how it should be.
NOTE: Please keep in mind, dear Unilocalers, this IS NOT your Amerikan-​jin Dragon Roll kinda joint. This is proper Japanese fare.

4 stars for the excellent customer service.
This place is a hidden gem in West LA! I love the vibe here — feels like you’re in Japan! Yes, it is pricey. but remember you are paying for quality ingredients ;)

It’s good but price is bit high. Each meal is about 17 backs. Tempra is pretty good! Not greasy, but crunchy!
Niku tofu is fine. Well, everything tastes good. But price is bit really high.

Grade: A
Whether at the high-​end Beverly Hills sushi joints favored by the vapid glitterati or at the noodle joints on Sawtelle frequented by equally vapid hipsters, Japanese restaurants in El Lay are more often destinations to see and be seen than than places to stuff your Botox– or nose ring-​disfigured face full of food. Aki Restaurant, a humble joint owned and staffed by a very generous Nisei family, is as anti-​vogue as one can get in LA. More importantly, it has the best (not exorbitantly priced) sushi and sashimi on the Westside. The other dishes (teriyaki, tempura, etc.) are uniformly excellent. If you’re west of Little Tokyo and north of Torrance, you won’t find a better full-​menu Japanese joint around.

Japanese restaurant, owned by a Japanese family for 3 generations. I have going here my whole life. The closest thing to authentic food in WLA. And this is coming from a Japanese American who has lived the past 7 years in Japan. The tempura is crispy, unlike other fake Japanese Restaurants. All you can eat rice (that’s how it’s suppose to be), and service like you were in Japan.
It may be a little more expensive than other Japanese restaurants, but you get what you pay for. I can’t recommend it enough.