This is an awesome sushi restaurant that I go to on an average of 2 times a month . I love the employees and the sushi from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Monday thru Friday is $1.00 . You can't beat the prices and the quality experience.
Robert S.
Aki Japan Food Restaurant was my favorite Japanese Restaurant in all of Orlando. I have been going there for a few years, and the only thing I regret is not knowing about the place sooner as I have lived here for 20 years. I should have eaten there more. BEST BENTO DEAL IN ORLANDO $12 ton of food, best potato salad in my life (Aki gave me his recipe on closing day, not sharing unless you're a friend.) Yes the place was a hole in the wall. He was the only survivor of a now dead strip mall, I wish I worked at the old movie theater next store, would have eaten there every day. 20+ years in the same location, off international drive is a testament to a great local Restaurant in a town where turnover of indy businesses is beyond huge. The place was a bit run down, but it had a soul, a life force, it was magical, it made my soul happy. If I was feeling ill or sad or just run down, I went in for bento or ramen and my spirits were lifted. They knew me there as a regular. I wish I had booked the karaoke room at least once (never did). Aki, you will be missed, thanks for the memories.... and my personal bento box. (He gave me one of the old trays.)
Samantha M.
*FYI: Aki is officially closing its doors on May 18th* Walking in you're completely transported to a no-frills, very traditional atmosphere. You won't find any tourists here, even though it's in the International Drive area. My boyfriend and I ordered the Gyu Don ($9.50) and Omu Rice ($8). I personally loved the Gyu Don, but he wasn't a fan of either dish. It was our first time here, so we'll definitely have to come back and try out the happy hour sushi instead. They've definitely built up a loyal customer base, with people shaking Mr. Yoshida's hand knowing that the place will be closing soon. Sad to see something like this go, so hurry in!
Kit W.
Great food. We came across this restaurant when we were looking for a sushi place near our hotel. It looks like the whole shopping center is going under, but there are still plenty of customers at 5:30pm. Even my kids gave a thumbs up.
Linda L.
I love this hole in the wall joint that I've been attending for years!!! The sushi rolls may not be beautifully arranged as in modern sushi joints but they won't fail to tickle your tastebuds!!! Customers who attend are mainly local Asians which indicates the authenticity. There are plenty of other traditional dishes as shown in the images. I often attend the HH (5:30 PM - 6:30 PM) special for the discount sushi mainly for the tamago nigiri. Teehee
Jae Sung L.
Authentic Japanese! I would highly recommend sushi and sashimi combo! Excellent selection of fish and seafood. If you're still hungry for more, try their tempura udon!
S. L.
Not sure why this place has such good reviews. I got fooled into coming here thinking it's a legit Japanese restaurant with good quality sushi and Japanese dishes. I thought I found a dive in this abandoned/creepy shopping center. We ordered the sushi combo, oyako don and tempura appetizer. I've had oyako don at an authentic Japanese restaurant in Maryland. It's my favorite dish there but this place.... Obviously doesn't know how to make it the right way. The rice was soaked in tempura sauce or something. Salty and just not appetizing. I really didn't understand what I was eating. The quality of sushi was nothing to write home about...borderline poor. The tempura was tempura... Lol at least they didn't mess that up. Sadly, this was the worst meal we had in Orlando thus far.
Vladislav I.
Loved it. Was here for a happy hour (mon-fri 5:30-6:30). $1 sushi and $2-3 rolls. Just hard to beat prices. 5 min drive from Universal. The sushi was great. I got 12. I always go a little crazy during the happy hour, because it is very cheap and I just start ordering a whole bunch of everything. They were out of something and I ended up with 9. Thank god, I wouldn't be able to shove more in me. Also I got a house salad and it was disappointing. They have a no takeout policy during the happy hour. Even if you ordered it while being in the restaurant and you did not finish it, you are going to be charged the regular price if you would like to take it to go. The service was fine, friendly. However our server was too busy to refill our drinks. The interior could use some updating, to say the least. I personally do not care at all how the place looks, as long as I enjoy the food, and I enjoyed it here.
Spencer S.
What a great hidden gem! The people are extremely nice and the food is wonderful! I had the sashimi deluxe for $20, my brother had the sushi deluxe for $19, and our other brother had the teriyaki beef for $20.
Dennis D.
The food is so good! Happy hour and non happy hour it's worth it! The staff is great and so helpful. Very authentic and genuine.
Awesome Japanese restaurant serving authentic dishes that you would find in Japan. My sister teaches English in Japan, and after visiting her I have been craving some of the dishes that I had over there. This place without a doubt hit the spot. I had the katsu don which was great. My girlfriend had the shrimp tempura and loved it. Also their plum wine here is amazing.
Bruno Pennes
The best Japanese restaurant in Orlando is also the cheapest. Go there. Try the Ramen.
Santana Sangsurt
The best beef teriyaki in town. This restaurant is where Japanese people goes for their food.
Mike Brady
This is by far my favorite sushi place in Orlando. It's the only place I've found that reminds me of the small, mom and pop style sushi restaurant s in Tokyo. It is also the only place I've found with authentic tempura soba that reminds me of what I used to get when visiting Akihabara. Most places try to pass off some type of ramen noodle as soba. Soba is buckwheat and should have a brown/gray color. Their curry is excellent as well. I highly recommend this place.
Michael Read
Wonderful Japanese food in a half empty strip mall absolutely worth going out of your way for. I had the lunch special (set meal) with soup, teriyaki salmon, veg & shrimp tempura, salad, California roll, sashimi tuna and rice - all excellent quality for a very reasonable price. Needless to say I didn't walk away hungry!
This is an awesome sushi restaurant that I go to on an average of 2 times a month . I love the employees and the sushi from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Monday thru Friday is $1.00 . You can't beat the prices and the quality experience.
Aki Japan Food Restaurant was my favorite Japanese Restaurant in all of Orlando. I have been going there for a few years, and the only thing I regret is not knowing about the place sooner as I have lived here for 20 years. I should have eaten there more. BEST BENTO DEAL IN ORLANDO $12 ton of food, best potato salad in my life (Aki gave me his recipe on closing day, not sharing unless you're a friend.) Yes the place was a hole in the wall. He was the only survivor of a now dead strip mall, I wish I worked at the old movie theater next store, would have eaten there every day. 20+ years in the same location, off international drive is a testament to a great local Restaurant in a town where turnover of indy businesses is beyond huge. The place was a bit run down, but it had a soul, a life force, it was magical, it made my soul happy. If I was feeling ill or sad or just run down, I went in for bento or ramen and my spirits were lifted. They knew me there as a regular. I wish I had booked the karaoke room at least once (never did). Aki, you will be missed, thanks for the memories.... and my personal bento box. (He gave me one of the old trays.)
*FYI: Aki is officially closing its doors on May 18th* Walking in you're completely transported to a no-frills, very traditional atmosphere. You won't find any tourists here, even though it's in the International Drive area. My boyfriend and I ordered the Gyu Don ($9.50) and Omu Rice ($8). I personally loved the Gyu Don, but he wasn't a fan of either dish. It was our first time here, so we'll definitely have to come back and try out the happy hour sushi instead. They've definitely built up a loyal customer base, with people shaking Mr. Yoshida's hand knowing that the place will be closing soon. Sad to see something like this go, so hurry in!
Great food. We came across this restaurant when we were looking for a sushi place near our hotel. It looks like the whole shopping center is going under, but there are still plenty of customers at 5:30pm. Even my kids gave a thumbs up.
I love this hole in the wall joint that I've been attending for years!!! The sushi rolls may not be beautifully arranged as in modern sushi joints but they won't fail to tickle your tastebuds!!! Customers who attend are mainly local Asians which indicates the authenticity. There are plenty of other traditional dishes as shown in the images. I often attend the HH (5:30 PM - 6:30 PM) special for the discount sushi mainly for the tamago nigiri. Teehee
Authentic Japanese! I would highly recommend sushi and sashimi combo! Excellent selection of fish and seafood. If you're still hungry for more, try their tempura udon!
Not sure why this place has such good reviews. I got fooled into coming here thinking it's a legit Japanese restaurant with good quality sushi and Japanese dishes. I thought I found a dive in this abandoned/creepy shopping center. We ordered the sushi combo, oyako don and tempura appetizer. I've had oyako don at an authentic Japanese restaurant in Maryland. It's my favorite dish there but this place.... Obviously doesn't know how to make it the right way. The rice was soaked in tempura sauce or something. Salty and just not appetizing. I really didn't understand what I was eating. The quality of sushi was nothing to write home about...borderline poor. The tempura was tempura... Lol at least they didn't mess that up. Sadly, this was the worst meal we had in Orlando thus far.
Loved it. Was here for a happy hour (mon-fri 5:30-6:30). $1 sushi and $2-3 rolls. Just hard to beat prices. 5 min drive from Universal. The sushi was great. I got 12. I always go a little crazy during the happy hour, because it is very cheap and I just start ordering a whole bunch of everything. They were out of something and I ended up with 9. Thank god, I wouldn't be able to shove more in me. Also I got a house salad and it was disappointing. They have a no takeout policy during the happy hour. Even if you ordered it while being in the restaurant and you did not finish it, you are going to be charged the regular price if you would like to take it to go. The service was fine, friendly. However our server was too busy to refill our drinks. The interior could use some updating, to say the least. I personally do not care at all how the place looks, as long as I enjoy the food, and I enjoyed it here.
What a great hidden gem! The people are extremely nice and the food is wonderful! I had the sashimi deluxe for $20, my brother had the sushi deluxe for $19, and our other brother had the teriyaki beef for $20.
The food is so good! Happy hour and non happy hour it's worth it! The staff is great and so helpful. Very authentic and genuine.
Restaurantji Recommends
Awesome Japanese restaurant serving authentic dishes that you would find in Japan. My sister teaches English in Japan, and after visiting her I have been craving some of the dishes that I had over there. This place without a doubt hit the spot. I had the katsu don which was great. My girlfriend had the shrimp tempura and loved it. Also their plum wine here is amazing.
The best Japanese restaurant in Orlando is also the cheapest. Go there. Try the Ramen.
The best beef teriyaki in town. This restaurant is where Japanese people goes for their food.
This is by far my favorite sushi place in Orlando. It's the only place I've found that reminds me of the small, mom and pop style sushi restaurant s in Tokyo. It is also the only place I've found with authentic tempura soba that reminds me of what I used to get when visiting Akihabara. Most places try to pass off some type of ramen noodle as soba. Soba is buckwheat and should have a brown/gray color. Their curry is excellent as well. I highly recommend this place.
Wonderful Japanese food in a half empty strip mall absolutely worth going out of your way for. I had the lunch special (set meal) with soup, teriyaki salmon, veg & shrimp tempura, salad, California roll, sashimi tuna and rice - all excellent quality for a very reasonable price. Needless to say I didn't walk away hungry!