Came here with my sister for dinner. This is one of our favorite Japanese restaurants for my entire family. We love coming here because the entire staff is so nice. The cook/owner will come out and check on the guests. It's awesome to watch. We love their miso dressing. And to know that is home made makes it even better. We always ask for extra. Their beef teriyaki is amazing. Perfectly cooked to medium with enough pink in the middle. Their tempura is so crunchy and good! It's not over battered so when you dip it, it keeps the crunchiness when you bite into it. The place is a little hole in the wall. They don't have many seats but if you know what time to come, you'll always get seated. If you come during prime time, be prepared to wait outside to be seated.
Lynn Eglan
I was wondering why everybody was going here instead of the place next door. I went to place my order and it was packed. There were people even waiting to be seated. They had to servers/waitress and they were just busy tending to everyone. It took a few minutes until someone took my order.As I waited for my order, I couldn't help but look around. They had the menu everywhere around the walls. They had a small section in the back where you can sit and order sushi. While you're there, you can watch them make sushi. They were even conversating with the customers. Usually some places just ignore you and make sushi. Not here.I was handed the bill and I was shocked at how affordable it was. I figured we'll see with the taste test.We ordered:Amaebi roll - so fresh and sweetCrunchy roll - my oh my this is definitely crunchy. You gotta make sure to open wide for this one. The cream cheese gives it a perfect creamy balance with all the crunchinessDragon roll - Deeeeelicious, this one is made with the seaweed on the outside which is different from what I've had at other placesCalifornia roll - I was surprised how something so simple tasted so goodSeaweed salad - I recommend this. It goes with every item I orderedGyoza - Tasted flavorful and fresh. Like it was homemade. You didn't even need the ponzu sauce they provided2 item dinner - double beef teriyaki. The beef was so tender. My husband couldn't stop eating it.3 item dinner - tonkatsu, momiji, short rib teriyaki. Short rib, you can taste the char. Nothing I expected from a Japanese restaurant. Tonkatsu was crunchy, not overly battered. Monmiji was something different for me. It was super tender.Honestly, I highly recommend this place. It is reasonably priced and the food was AMAZING!!
I was wondering why everybody was going here instead of the place next door. I went to place my order, and it was packed. There were people even waiting to be seated. They had to servers/waitress, and they were just busy tending to everyone. It took a few minutes until someone took my order. As I waited for my order, I couldn't help but look around. They had the menu everywhere around the walls. They had a small section in the back where you can sit and order sushi. While you're there, you can watch them make sushi. They were even conversating with the customers. Usually, some places just ignore you and make sushi. Not here. I was handed the bill, and I was shocked at how affordable it was. I figured we'll see with the taste test. We ordered: Amaebi roll - so fresh and sweet Crunchy roll - my oh my, this is definitely crunchy. You gotta make sure to open wide for this one. The cream cheese gives it a perfect creamy balance with all the crunchiness Dragon roll - Deeeeelicious, this one is made with the seaweed on the outside, which is different from what I've had at other places California roll - I was surprised how something so simple tasted so good Seaweed salad - I recommend this. It goes with every item I ordered Gyoza - Tasted flavorful and fresh. Like it was homemade. You didn't even need the ponzu sauce they provided 2 item dinner - double beef teriyaki. The beef was so tender. My husband couldn't stop eating it. 3 item dinner - tonkatsu, momiji, short rib teriyaki. Short rib, you can taste the char. Nothing I expected from a Japanese restaurant. Tonkatsu was crunchy, not overly battered. Momiji was something different for me. It was super tender. Honestly, I highly recommend this place. It is reasonably priced, and the food was AMAZING!!
Sabrina C.
Have been coming to this restaurant for years. I usually order the regular combination lunch or the akagi California lunch (which I got in the picture). Each of their bento boxes also come with miso soup and salad. I have tried different meat options but my favorite will always be the short ribs. It is a casual sit down restaurant that also has a small sushi bar with limited seating. The servers are always very nice and friendly.
Jenn N.
This is a great spot for a cheap dinner. This place is so cute. Small authentic Japanese restaurant run by really sweet folks. Prices are so good. They have daily bento specials with 6 or so items for about $15. Can't really top that these days. I will say, I'm more accustomed to a sweeter teriyaki sauce and their's is more salty. Their deluxe sashimi seemed super fresh and worth it. I'll be trying that next time!
Dante de la Pena
Everything was good and a very reasonable price. I'll go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Tim Kay
Great value for
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yuri Moreno
Great deal for a casual lunch bento box. Prices are affordable - you can get a Bento Box and it comes with six items, rice, soup and salad.If you're looking for something a little better sit at the counter, in front of the chef and order individual nigiri pieces.I've been coming here for years and the staff is very friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Sheehan
I recently visited this restaurant after 25 years. Since I was a kid I've loved bento boxes at Japanese restaurants, this was the first restaurant that I was introduced to bento's. I used to eat at Akagi with my family and it brought back old memories. I thought that the food was good and considering how inflated the economy is with pricing, their food was priced fair. We ordered the akagi California bento boxes, was satisfied but since I've been eating bento boxes for 25 years, I've had better california rolls. I would definitely visit with my family again for lunch. They are a good restaurant!Vegetarian options: You get a salad and miso soup with the lunch bento's, which was terrific.Parking: Parking is limited, not sure if you can park in the lots present without getting towed.Kid-friendliness: My daughter loved the misp soup.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Teriyaki and Shrimp Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box w Modified Beef, And Salad, Fish, Beef Teriyaki, Deluxe Bento 3 Items, Miso Soup and Salad, Spider Roll
Chris Chris
It's like a secret hole-in-the-wall with awesome food and people. Shhhhh... don't tell anyone j/
I really do not like to give places a low rating, but sometimes it is unavoidable. The good news is there is ample parking. We ordered pretty basic food such as tekka roll and a spicy tuna roll. On the plus side, the miso soup broth was very tasty. Unfortunately, I was surprised that it didn't have any tofu. Not one tiny little spec. On the rolls, the ratio of rice to fish was off. Way too much rice. I am suspecting they are trying to cut costs here because even the chop sticks seemed well below the normal standards. Now for the kicker...the spicy tuna roll was no more than a tekka roll with what appeared to be tapitio dumped on top! That is not a spicy tuna roll and those two flavors DO NOT belong together. It was actually inedible. My husband can eat just about anything but this, he could not eat. And the nail in the coffin was the waitress really appeared not to want to be there. No smile and not friendly. All we could really do was chuckle about the whole experience. Needless to say, we will not be coming back.
Shane Atkinson
Food, service, price all great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
John S.
Some of the food like the steak was delicious. However I went with a group of friends and one got food poisoning from some of the sushi while the another one had his chicken undercooked. I did not like how people read over our table to see the menus since they are on the wall.
Alex C.
Be prepared to wait a long time for your food. Don't take a date here. People will be reading over you to see the menus on the wall, super awkward and hard to read. If there wasn't food served here I'd have thought I was on a set for the movie Saw.
Timothy J.
We haven't been here for 10 years and I agree with the other commenters, it has gone downhill. The server with the glasses was standing in the corner and there were NO customers. Never once did he check up on us. My teriyaki steak wasn't medium rare, I couldn't see any red. The portions are alot smaller. The sashimi were 4 small cube slices. The place does need an upgrade, it's dark and the carpets are dirty. The bathroom was tight, very small. I'm 110 lbs. and I could barely get my body inside to close the door. The other Japanese restaurant in SF we went to two weeks ago was much better value, they give 4 shrimps! And the service was better. It ruins the dining experience when a server stares out in space and never checks up on the customers. I can see that happening if the place was full house, but there were no other customers. He's lucky we didn't tip him 50 cents. Sends a message about the bad service.
Came here with my sister for dinner. This is one of our favorite Japanese restaurants for my entire family. We love coming here because the entire staff is so nice. The cook/owner will come out and check on the guests. It's awesome to watch. We love their miso dressing. And to know that is home made makes it even better. We always ask for extra. Their beef teriyaki is amazing. Perfectly cooked to medium with enough pink in the middle. Their tempura is so crunchy and good! It's not over battered so when you dip it, it keeps the crunchiness when you bite into it. The place is a little hole in the wall. They don't have many seats but if you know what time to come, you'll always get seated. If you come during prime time, be prepared to wait outside to be seated.
I was wondering why everybody was going here instead of the place next door. I went to place my order and it was packed. There were people even waiting to be seated. They had to servers/waitress and they were just busy tending to everyone. It took a few minutes until someone took my order.As I waited for my order, I couldn't help but look around. They had the menu everywhere around the walls. They had a small section in the back where you can sit and order sushi. While you're there, you can watch them make sushi. They were even conversating with the customers. Usually some places just ignore you and make sushi. Not here.I was handed the bill and I was shocked at how affordable it was. I figured we'll see with the taste test.We ordered:Amaebi roll - so fresh and sweetCrunchy roll - my oh my this is definitely crunchy. You gotta make sure to open wide for this one. The cream cheese gives it a perfect creamy balance with all the crunchinessDragon roll - Deeeeelicious, this one is made with the seaweed on the outside which is different from what I've had at other placesCalifornia roll - I was surprised how something so simple tasted so goodSeaweed salad - I recommend this. It goes with every item I orderedGyoza - Tasted flavorful and fresh. Like it was homemade. You didn't even need the ponzu sauce they provided2 item dinner - double beef teriyaki. The beef was so tender. My husband couldn't stop eating it.3 item dinner - tonkatsu, momiji, short rib teriyaki. Short rib, you can taste the char. Nothing I expected from a Japanese restaurant. Tonkatsu was crunchy, not overly battered. Monmiji was something different for me. It was super tender.Honestly, I highly recommend this place. It is reasonably priced and the food was AMAZING!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Beef Teriyaki, Deluxe Bento 3 Items
I was wondering why everybody was going here instead of the place next door. I went to place my order, and it was packed. There were people even waiting to be seated. They had to servers/waitress, and they were just busy tending to everyone. It took a few minutes until someone took my order. As I waited for my order, I couldn't help but look around. They had the menu everywhere around the walls. They had a small section in the back where you can sit and order sushi. While you're there, you can watch them make sushi. They were even conversating with the customers. Usually, some places just ignore you and make sushi. Not here. I was handed the bill, and I was shocked at how affordable it was. I figured we'll see with the taste test. We ordered: Amaebi roll - so fresh and sweet Crunchy roll - my oh my, this is definitely crunchy. You gotta make sure to open wide for this one. The cream cheese gives it a perfect creamy balance with all the crunchiness Dragon roll - Deeeeelicious, this one is made with the seaweed on the outside, which is different from what I've had at other places California roll - I was surprised how something so simple tasted so good Seaweed salad - I recommend this. It goes with every item I ordered Gyoza - Tasted flavorful and fresh. Like it was homemade. You didn't even need the ponzu sauce they provided 2 item dinner - double beef teriyaki. The beef was so tender. My husband couldn't stop eating it. 3 item dinner - tonkatsu, momiji, short rib teriyaki. Short rib, you can taste the char. Nothing I expected from a Japanese restaurant. Tonkatsu was crunchy, not overly battered. Momiji was something different for me. It was super tender. Honestly, I highly recommend this place. It is reasonably priced, and the food was AMAZING!!
Have been coming to this restaurant for years. I usually order the regular combination lunch or the akagi California lunch (which I got in the picture). Each of their bento boxes also come with miso soup and salad. I have tried different meat options but my favorite will always be the short ribs. It is a casual sit down restaurant that also has a small sushi bar with limited seating. The servers are always very nice and friendly.
This is a great spot for a cheap dinner. This place is so cute. Small authentic Japanese restaurant run by really sweet folks. Prices are so good. They have daily bento specials with 6 or so items for about $15. Can't really top that these days. I will say, I'm more accustomed to a sweeter teriyaki sauce and their's is more salty. Their deluxe sashimi seemed super fresh and worth it. I'll be trying that next time!
Everything was good and a very reasonable price. I'll go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Great value for
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great deal for a casual lunch bento box. Prices are affordable - you can get a Bento Box and it comes with six items, rice, soup and salad.If you're looking for something a little better sit at the counter, in front of the chef and order individual nigiri pieces.I've been coming here for years and the staff is very friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I recently visited this restaurant after 25 years. Since I was a kid I've loved bento boxes at Japanese restaurants, this was the first restaurant that I was introduced to bento's. I used to eat at Akagi with my family and it brought back old memories. I thought that the food was good and considering how inflated the economy is with pricing, their food was priced fair. We ordered the akagi California bento boxes, was satisfied but since I've been eating bento boxes for 25 years, I've had better california rolls. I would definitely visit with my family again for lunch. They are a good restaurant!Vegetarian options: You get a salad and miso soup with the lunch bento's, which was terrific.Parking: Parking is limited, not sure if you can park in the lots present without getting towed.Kid-friendliness: My daughter loved the misp soup.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chicken Teriyaki, Chicken Teriyaki and Shrimp Tempura, Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box w Modified Beef, And Salad, Fish, Beef Teriyaki, Deluxe Bento 3 Items, Miso Soup and Salad, Spider Roll
It's like a secret hole-in-the-wall with awesome food and people. Shhhhh... don't tell anyone j/
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Teriyaki, Roll
Restaurantji Recommends
I really do not like to give places a low rating, but sometimes it is unavoidable. The good news is there is ample parking. We ordered pretty basic food such as tekka roll and a spicy tuna roll. On the plus side, the miso soup broth was very tasty. Unfortunately, I was surprised that it didn't have any tofu. Not one tiny little spec. On the rolls, the ratio of rice to fish was off. Way too much rice. I am suspecting they are trying to cut costs here because even the chop sticks seemed well below the normal standards. Now for the kicker...the spicy tuna roll was no more than a tekka roll with what appeared to be tapitio dumped on top! That is not a spicy tuna roll and those two flavors DO NOT belong together. It was actually inedible. My husband can eat just about anything but this, he could not eat. And the nail in the coffin was the waitress really appeared not to want to be there. No smile and not friendly. All we could really do was chuckle about the whole experience. Needless to say, we will not be coming back.
Food, service, price all great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Some of the food like the steak was delicious. However I went with a group of friends and one got food poisoning from some of the sushi while the another one had his chicken undercooked. I did not like how people read over our table to see the menus since they are on the wall.
Be prepared to wait a long time for your food. Don't take a date here. People will be reading over you to see the menus on the wall, super awkward and hard to read. If there wasn't food served here I'd have thought I was on a set for the movie Saw.
We haven't been here for 10 years and I agree with the other commenters, it has gone downhill. The server with the glasses was standing in the corner and there were NO customers. Never once did he check up on us. My teriyaki steak wasn't medium rare, I couldn't see any red. The portions are alot smaller. The sashimi were 4 small cube slices. The place does need an upgrade, it's dark and the carpets are dirty. The bathroom was tight, very small. I'm 110 lbs. and I could barely get my body inside to close the door. The other Japanese restaurant in SF we went to two weeks ago was much better value, they give 4 shrimps! And the service was better. It ruins the dining experience when a server stares out in space and never checks up on the customers. I can see that happening if the place was full house, but there were no other customers. He's lucky we didn't tip him 50 cents. Sends a message about the bad service.