Akira Sushi

While the food is good it is served lukewarm. The soup was tasty but cold and the same was true for all 3 of our orders. There was only 1 other table and the service was very slow. Unless they can do better there are many other good restaurants I prefer.

Good sushi. Good noodles. Great service. Came in on a slow night and all of the workers were so pleasant and so nice to just talk to.
The sushi is great, especially for the price. I’ve been to too many japanese restaurants to count and Id say this one is up there with my favorites. Its a little far but it was definitely worth the trip.
& their version of the soft shell crab roll was the best ive had so far!

*note: this review turned into a bit of a novella so I wrote a summary at the bottom for you cliff notes lovers out there
I ended up in Nanuet for work and I was starving after the longest day of hard manual labor ever. I was going to go to the Hibachi place across the street from my hotel but I decided I was too hungry to wait for someone to throw some onions in the air before I could eat them. We literally just googled «food» and then looked at some menus and picked Akira.
It’s located in a strip mall next to some take out places and having lived in Boston for almost a decade now, the location initially sketched me out a little. However, my inner repressed Jersey girl reminded me to remember my roots [which are firmly planted in strip malls just like this one] and I was pleasantly surprised by the nice décor inside.
We ordered the beef negimayaki appetizer which I always get at Japanese restaurants because there could not be a more delicious combination than beef, scallions and teriyaki sauce. I think Akira makes their sauce in house because it was unbelievable. It came out really fast, and piping hot, and smelling so good I promptly scalded the entire roof of my mouth trying to inhale an entire piece. Worth it.
Boyfriend got the spicy tuna roll with crunch and we were both surprised at the quality and quantity of the fish. Actually he was confused at first, he was like this tastes kind of weird — in a good, different way, not an oh-god-I’m-going-to-die way, and I tried it and realized it was because they use these huge chunks of fresh tuna instead of the place we normally go to back home which dices it into pretty much a raw tuna pâté.
For my meal, I ordered the Una Don, broiled eel over rice, again something I order often in Boston. The manager brings me out a massive, massive filet of eel on a plate. «Does this come with rice?» I asked, somewhat in shock from how much meat was in front of me, and he said he was bringing it out next. 10 seconds later he appears with the HUGEST bowl of rice, with another giant piece of eel on top. The first piece he bought me was the EXTRA. It literally didn’t fit in the giant bowl. Let me try to put this in perspective. Comparing the Una Don here to the Unagi Don I normally order in Boston is like one of those funny internet photos where you see the huge bull mastiff lying down and there is a little chihuahua curled into one of its enormous skin wrinkles. This dish is the bull mastiff. Every other dish ever is the chihuahua.
Anyway after eating until my stomach pretty much imploded, I glance at the menu one last time and see fried ice cream. I know this is the end of me and I feel my brain click my stomach lever from «about to rupture» to «totally more room in here for ice cream». And of course, it was, as these things tend to be, the best decision of my life as the fried ice cream was thickly battered in tempura batter, covered in whipped cream and more or less the most delicious thing ever.
Honestly though, as much as the food was excellent and the portion size insane, it really was the manager/​owner/​waiter/​comedian, Alvin, who made our night at the restaurant. Now, I’m not a very social person, I’m definitely not one of those people who makes friends with everyone wherever I go. I’m more of a wary, give everyone the eyeball, scarf down my food and mind my own business type of person. However, Alvin actually engaged me in conversation and made me feel way more welcome than I had felt in a restaurant in a while. Either Nanuet is breeding some extremely friendly, warm and fantastic people and Boston needs a lesson, or I just got lucky and picked the right restaurant.
SUMMARY: come for awesome japanese food with portions sizes that will make your stomach beg for mercy and feed you for weeks, stay and joke with the super gracious owner about how giant our bellies are.

I know Eddie the sushi chef since he was working at steak and sushi in spring valley marketplace a decade ago. He was always the best at making rolls, and that’s why we always follow him from place to place. Now he owns Akira in nanuet. It’s a very cute restaurant, and the food is still amazing. I’m mostly a fan of the rolls, but I must recommend the beef negimaki and scallops, best scallops I’ve had in a while. As for rolls, Godzilla is signature, a must have. The pieces are huge, and I will admit I like the old style smaller Godzilla rolls he used to make (not talking about mini-​Godzilla). They service is good, but keep in mind it takes time to make the food art that you will be eating, I would definitely recommend an appetizer to start while you wait. They serve liquor, but I usually get tea or sake to go with my meal. Bottom line it is the best sushi around the area, highly recommended.

We just moved to Nanuet from Bergen county NJ and went scouting to find a new sushi joint we could call home. Admittedly we drove past Akira many times not tempted to dine there because it was so non descript from the outside (actually the strip mall they are in is the real turn off) but eventually we did and we are so glad we gave them a try. Akira is much nicer inside than the façade would hint, a nice contemporary décor that is both initimate yet not crowded.
The staff are friendly, attentive and kept the hot tea flowing while at the same time doing a good stealth job of replacing dishes and utensils, an art many take for granted. As for the sushi… top notch! All the different fish were fresh, super tender and served in generous portions. I’m not sure why one or two other reviewers criticized the portions, we’ve eaten there four times now and consistently the cuts were noticeably bigger than our favorite spots in nj… my god, the Uni was easily double the size of any other sushi restaurant we’ve dined in. Ed, the sushi chef, is a gem, he’s fast, creative and I repeat… generous with the portions. Tonight Ed wowed us with yellow tail «toro», none of us had ever had anything but tuna toro so this was a treat. We ended the meal with their signature fried ice cream… a log of ice cream rolled in a thin layer of sponge cake (like a Yodel) then tempura battered and flash deep fried and refrozen… it was great. Being spoiled with all the BYOB restaurants in NJ we were a little disappointed at first when we were told they didn’t have a corkage fee so we couldn’t bring our own Sake, but over the last four visits we wore them down and they kinda sorta said we could bring a bottle once and a while. The best compliment I can give Akira is that our best friends that we always do sushi with insist now on driving 40 minutes to us to dine at Akira rather than us driving to their neighborhood as we’ve done for years.

Great feel in the place now. Clean. Smells good inside. Great sushi and sashimi for a reasonable price. I just upgraded from a 3 to 4 because they are getting better. Thanks Akira for consistently getting better at what you do.

Great sushi, only had take out. Decent price.

Found this place by chance on the way home to NYC from the Poconos. WOW! GLAD I DID~! Even on New Years day we were treated to excellent food and great service. The waiter’s suggestions were spot on. Next time I’m on my way back from the mountains, I’m probably going to stop here. I’d put this place up against some of the much more expensive ones I’ve been to in the city. Very impressed.

Went there on a date night and while the place is in a strip mall (let’s face it, 99% of restaurants in the ‘burbs are) the atmosphere inside is quiet with typical Japanese-​sushi place décor.
I got the sashimi dinner and while the portion wasn’t overwhelming for the price, it was acceptable. The quality however was absolutely excellent so worth every penny.
Young staff, very friendly and comfortable service. Will definitely go back!

I came here several times and this place is great. The portions are huge and the flavors are awesome. Once you walk in, the décor surprises you. What I see is something that would be expected in a city restaurant, not in a strip mall. The atmosphere is very welcoming, contemporary, and a place that entices the appetite. The few times I came here, I ordered a Chirashi, Godzilla (really big, filling, and delicious), and some other random rolls that are all affordable. The staff are extremely friendly and remembers a lot of their repeating customers. This is for sure one of my top sushi places to go, and I have been to many in Manhattan and this is for sure comparable.

We (my boyfriend and I) just returned from Akira Sushi. The sushi was fresh, but the price-​to-​portion was a little disappointing compared with other area sushi restaurants. I’m a little surprised by the five-​star ratings. This place was pretty good, but it simply didn’t stand out to me. Don’t get me wrong: I wanted it to. Rockland County is missing that one, great sushi restaurant that many other areas around New York city have. After reading these reviews, I was hopeful that I’d finally have a place that was consistent, tasty and reasonably priced.
We had the sashimi with the miso soup, the wings with teriyaki sauce and I had an Ikura roll (my favorite). The Ikura was better quality than many of the other sushi restaurants in the Nyack-​Nanuet-​New City area. The sashimi special portion size was a little disappointing — I’m not sure if it was presentation or what, but we both were underwhelmed by the serving. The fish was good — not icy, not old-​tasting. The wings, however, were strange. They were heavily breaded.
I wouldn’t say «Don’t Go», but maybe order single portions and order selectively. All the fish we had was good — there’s nothing dicey being served here. It just simply didn’t stand out.

This place is fantastic.
My wife and I love coming here after a day of shopping at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets — it’s the best sushi on the way home to NYC.
The décor, as noted in other reviews is very nice, and you definitely feel comfortable there.
I do have to say, that the special rolls at Akira are some of the best I’ve ever had. I like them better than Yama’s special rolls in NYC, and they are cheaper to boot. My wife and I have been to Akira 4 times since it has opened and we’ve been happy every time — extremely fresh fish and ingredients! Try the tuna tacos appetizer — delish!
I’m sorry, but complaining about a sushi joint’s california roll is about as useful to me as complaining about McDonald’s salads — it doesn’t say anything about the freshness of the fish and quality of the ingredients.
I’m definitely an Akira fan and recommend it to anyone on their way home from Woodbury.

Wonderfully decorated — great atmosphere — best of all — outstanding sushi! Sashimi tonight was to die for! The white tuna soft like butter. The service is so attentive and chef Eddie is a pleasure. Highly recommended!

Some of the best sushi I’ve had ever. What that woman said in the review about her getting 2 small rolls, and salad with random cucumber? Uh hello it’s a salad what do you expect! Good food, excellent service, friendly employees, best sushi chef in rockland hands down. Go get some sushi today!!!
Aside from its more modern look, to the friendly service, to say the food is good is truly an understatement! Here you feel welcome, with a warm atmosphere to go along with the wonderful colorful rolls that are hand crafted by the very creative Eddie Yip (the Head Sushi Chef).
You would think you will go out and spend a lot of money, but in essence, you would spend the same amount on a dinner at TJI Fridays, and whats more important is which one has more bang for the buck?!

This place is the bomb. I grew up in Rockland, lived in NYC for 10 years, and now live in SF… I can honestly say that Akira has some of the best sushi around. Eddie is a master. My parents still come here several times a week on a weekly basis. Hands down, best sushi place in Rockland! Don’t let the location fool you. some of the best places can be found in strip malls…

After reading 3 other reviews on this restaurant, I decided to grab a quick lunch here. At first I was very impressed by the way it was decorated inside. I mean when you come up to the place it’s located in a strip mall, so I wasn’t expecting much on the inside. But it was really nice… Shocking! I ordered the lunch special — miso soup, salad, and 2 rolls — California and spicy tuna. The miso soup was good, the seaweed salad was okay. It didn’t have that much flavor and randomly had cucumbers in it. The two rolls were not good at all. The california roll was basically made of all avocado and the spicy tuna was mostly all mayo. Just thinking about it makes my stomach turn. I am glad this was not my first experience with sushi, because if it was I would probably never try it again.

Let me tell you this is the best sushi restaurant I’ve ever been to! The chef is so creative!!! He puts together all these flavors that create an explosion in your mouth! It’s very affordable and you get a whole lotta sushi for the little amt that you pay. The staff in the restaurant are soo friendly and they make you feel at home.

The first time I came here was after a long day of paintballing suggested by one of my friend. I was expecting something average, but this place beat my expectation by 100 folds. I must say, their special sushi rolls beats any sushi restaurant that I’ve tried in Manhattan, and believe me, I’ve tried many. The décor of the place is sleek and modern. It’s well designed ambiance adds better dinning experience.
Their special rolls are around $ 10 – 15 dollars (yes, Manhattan price), however, their portion is about THREE time what you get from Manhattan. Unlike some places, Akira Sushi is not stingy in giving you the expensive stuff (i.e. lobsters) in their rolls. I came here with 6 people the first time, ordered 6 rolls and it was wayyy more than what we can finish! Portion-​wise, this place is very generous.
The special rolls are really creative and well developed. The chef really knows how to mix ingredients together to create the perfect taste. What I like the best is the use and the perfect mixing of mango sauce into some of the rolls; it definitely adds a kick to the taste. I spoke with the people working there. They said that the sushi chef trained under a Japanese sushi master for many years! No wonder he is so creative! Taste-​wise, it is a 5 star experience.
The sashimi here is fresh, comparable to the freshness of the restaurants in Manhattan. You definitely do not have to worry about it not being fresh.
The place also has a great selection of sake. They have this really great sweet plum wine that I especially liked. If you are not a sake person, they also have beer to go with your sushi. If you are a whisky person, they also have hard liquor and mix drinks that available.
Overall i love this place. I have gone there many times despite the fact that it is 50 minutes away from my house in Queens. The place is conveniently located 15minutes away to palisades mall. I have bought many friends to this place and they all loved it. It is definitely a great place to try!

On a friend’s advice, my husband and I came here after a long day of shopping at Woodbury Commons. Half hour away from the outlet and on our way home to the city, this place was a god-​send! Its hard to find a good sushi place, especially north of the city but Akira had fresh and innovative rolls. The décor was pleasantly modern, wait staff was courteous, and our food came out quickly. I highly recommend the Godzilla roll; it is like nothing I’ve had. My husband had the Chirashi and the portion was more than generous compared to ones I’ve had in the city and elsewhere. I will definitely go back after a full day of shopping!