The kind of place that will make you wait 45 minutes for a sushi roll when they aren't even very busy. They also don't seem to know how to properly press nigiri. First time I've had the rice and fish separate. And it wasn't a one off, it was literally every piece. To make matters worse, they also added quite a lot of wasabi to both the nigiri and the hosomaki we ordered. I love wasabi, so in a way, i didn't mind. But it's unusual and really makes me question the quality of the fish, since I can barely taste it over the jolt of wasabi. Why does this place have such a high rating?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Matthew Cully
Fantastic sushi and meal. Best we've had in the last 3 years while living in the PNW.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Javi Chow
We had an excellent dining experience at Akizawa, with outstanding food, drinks, and service. Despite some previous reviews mentioning a one-hour time limit for two people, the staff was flexible and didn’t rush us—possibly because the restaurant wasn’t full. Here’s a breakdown of what we ordered: • Grilled Duck (Appetizer): Tender, juicy, and full with umami flavor. • Pork Tonkatsu (Appetizer): A lean cut of meat that was very tender and not dry at all. The crust was light and perfectly crispy. • Nigiri and Sushi Rolls: The fish was incredibly fresh, and the rice was well-prepared with just the right balance. As a fan of Edomae-style (more vinegary) rice, I found their rice slightly different but still excellent. We only wished they offered chutoro, which wasn’t available, and a wider variety of fish. • Caramel Pudding (Dessert): Tasty but not particularly memorable. • Sake: The staff provided thoughtful recommendations based on our preferences and even let us sample a few options before we chose a bottle we loved.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the experience. We’ll definitely return and recommend Akizawa to anyone looking for a great dining experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
jiahui chen
Don’t come here when you hungry. Foods are ok, but not worth the price and the long long long long long long waiting. 4 simple dishes for 2hours …….
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Jen R
The food was beautiful. Everything was prepared with care and attention. The fish was very high quality and the sauces were a perfect addition.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David
We were excited to try this place after reading so many positive reviews, but unfortunately it wasn’t worth the build up. We made reservations and we were immediately seated when we arrived. The atmosphere of the restaurant was decent, but the amount of time required for our food to arrive was a bit ridiculous. It took an hour and a half to receive 6 pieces of sushi. The sushi pieces were okay, but nothing memorable. Overall it was a disappointing dinner.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Lauren Bedson
Excellent food and very authentic experience. Reminded us of wonderful meals in Japan. Will definitely return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
James Simon
I don't usually leave reviews but I thought I should for this place. The food and service was extraordinary here. The sushi quality was excellent. I highly recommend this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
T
Amazing place. Very small but wonderfully laid out and authentic feeling. Had Katsu, Miso, Miso Cod, Uni Toro Handrolls, Eel Avacado Roll, and some great sake. Highly recommend this place. In house soy sauce is always a great tell for authentic Japanese food. Will be back soon.
This is a small restaurant located in downtown. I came for a quick lunch meal after visiting the portland japanese garden nearby. All the dishes here were very good. My favorite was the egg dish and the tonkatsu. Service was excellent as well. The bathrooms are located in a separate part of the building and you need to ask for a key.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Janee Johnson
Small so make a Rez or get there when it opens but worth it. Lovely small menu. You can tell things are made with care and the staff are very nice. Great same selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kumiko Schow
A very small Japanese restaurant, no advertising, no online reservation, no take out, but oh such a gem!! It has 5 - 2 person tables and 5 counter seats, that’s it. My friend works at adjacent bldg for 2 years even didn’t know it was there. Chef is Japanese, with one assistant chef, with only two of them with two waitresses, this size would be just enough to give customers good service. Their foods are authentic Japanese dishes, but I experienced something I’ve never experienced any other Japanese restaurants I’ve ever been. Their foods are not only tasty but visually beautiful. Each dish is not overly assertive, yet all the dishes create a wonderful harmony, like a philharmonic orchestra. You may feel that dishes that are not very assertive and somewhat lacking. But I was amazed and deeply moved by realizing how this chef is deeply knowledgeable about Japanese dishes. We ordered gyoza appetizer, tuna roll, Akizawa futomaki roll, chirashi sushi and pork katsu. I chuckled about Katsu that they use a good grade meat with no fat, it even killed its junky katsu taste that Japanese katsu should have, yet it was tender and flavorful. Akizawa roll and chirashi were my favorite. Their sushi rice too, I didn’t taste vinegar nor sugar, considering the amount of rice chef uses, sushi rice didn’t scream its existence at all but perfectly supported variety of fresh seafoods, the way it supposed to do. Wow! Totally hats off to the chef’s sense of art of both visual and taste beauty. He’s a true magician of Japanese cuisine! FYI, they said lunch time is very busy too as well as dinner time, they have chicken or pork katsu or katsudon (katsu bowl) lunch set all under $20. Reservation is a must regardless if it’s lunch or dinner. I’m glad I found this gem. You should visit to experience the chef’s beautiful magic of the art of authentic Japanese cuisine that only this restaurant has, nowhere else.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nichelle S
Positively the best Japanese I’ve had outside of Japan!!! And moderately priced to boot! The 3 of us enjoyed tako karaage, gyoza, salmon maki, negi hama, salmon nigiri, and the caramel pudding. Everything was amazing! My photos are half eaten dishes because I was too excited to take photos and instead opted to eat! Reservations are a must! There’s only 14 seats in the restaurant so seating is very limited!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Choi
My girlfriend and I checked out this place on our anniversary trip to Portland because she loves sushi and the reviews here were glowing. Outside, the place is a bit unassuming but it felt like we were in a sushi restaurant in Japan upon walking in.
I will start off by saying that the service was great. We were seated promptly according to our reservation time and had a seat at the sushi bar which was fun. Our waters were never empty and recommendations were on point.
Unfortunately, the food is where we faced some disappointment. The chicken katsu was AMAZING. Probably the best I have ever had. It was cooked perfectly. The premium omakase was overpriced in my opinion but the real downfall is that my girlfriend cannot have wasabi so we asked for one with wasabi and one without. What we received was some of the nigiri on my plate having wasabi and some not, some on her plate being the same way, but it’s not like there was one kind of nigiri with one piece having wasabi and one not. It was a whole mix so my girlfriend ended up not being able to eat like half the plate. When we brought it up, we honestly thought they would fix it or something but we just ended up getting a small discount at the end of the bill (not nearly enough to account for her not being able to eat the majority of what we ordered).
I wish we did not have this kind of experience because it started off so good.
Delicious meals, very long wait time.
The kind of place that will make you wait 45 minutes for a sushi roll when they aren't even very busy. They also don't seem to know how to properly press nigiri. First time I've had the rice and fish separate. And it wasn't a one off, it was literally every piece. To make matters worse, they also added quite a lot of wasabi to both the nigiri and the hosomaki we ordered. I love wasabi, so in a way, i didn't mind. But it's unusual and really makes me question the quality of the fish, since I can barely taste it over the jolt of wasabi. Why does this place have such a high rating?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Fantastic sushi and meal. Best we've had in the last 3 years while living in the PNW.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had an excellent dining experience at Akizawa, with outstanding food, drinks, and service. Despite some previous reviews mentioning a one-hour time limit for two people, the staff was flexible and didn’t rush us—possibly because the restaurant wasn’t full.
Here’s a breakdown of what we ordered:
• Grilled Duck (Appetizer): Tender, juicy, and full with umami flavor.
• Pork Tonkatsu (Appetizer): A lean cut of meat that was very tender and not dry at all. The crust was light and perfectly crispy.
• Nigiri and Sushi Rolls: The fish was incredibly fresh, and the rice was well-prepared with just the right balance. As a fan of Edomae-style (more vinegary) rice, I found their rice slightly different but still excellent. We only wished they offered chutoro, which wasn’t available, and a wider variety of fish.
• Caramel Pudding (Dessert): Tasty but not particularly memorable.
• Sake: The staff provided thoughtful recommendations based on our preferences and even let us sample a few options before we chose a bottle we loved.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed the meal and the experience. We’ll definitely return and recommend Akizawa to anyone looking for a great dining experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Don’t come here when you hungry. Foods are ok, but not worth the price and the long long long long long long waiting. 4 simple dishes for 2hours …….
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
The food was beautiful. Everything was prepared with care and attention. The fish was very high quality and the sauces were a perfect addition.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were excited to try this place after reading so many positive reviews, but unfortunately it wasn’t worth the build up. We made reservations and we were immediately seated when we arrived. The atmosphere of the restaurant was decent, but the amount of time required for our food to arrive was a bit ridiculous. It took an hour and a half to receive 6 pieces of sushi. The sushi pieces were okay, but nothing memorable. Overall it was a disappointing dinner.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Excellent food and very authentic experience. Reminded us of wonderful meals in Japan. Will definitely return!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I don't usually leave reviews but I thought I should for this place. The food and service was extraordinary here. The sushi quality was excellent. I highly recommend this place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing place. Very small but wonderfully laid out and authentic feeling. Had Katsu, Miso, Miso Cod, Uni Toro Handrolls, Eel Avacado Roll, and some great sake. Highly recommend this place. In house soy sauce is always a great tell for authentic Japanese food. Will be back soon.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
This is a small restaurant located in downtown. I came for a quick lunch meal after visiting the portland japanese garden nearby.
All the dishes here were very good. My favorite was the egg dish and the tonkatsu. Service was excellent as well.
The bathrooms are located in a separate part of the building and you need to ask for a key.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Small so make a Rez or get there when it opens but worth it. Lovely small menu. You can tell things are made with care and the staff are very nice. Great same selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A very small Japanese restaurant, no advertising, no online reservation, no take out, but oh such a gem!!
It has 5 - 2 person tables and 5 counter seats, that’s it. My friend works at adjacent bldg for 2 years even didn’t know it was there.
Chef is Japanese, with one assistant chef, with only two of them with two waitresses, this size would be just enough to give customers good service.
Their foods are authentic Japanese dishes, but I experienced something I’ve never experienced any other Japanese restaurants I’ve ever been.
Their foods are not only tasty but visually beautiful. Each dish is not overly assertive, yet all the dishes create a wonderful harmony, like a philharmonic orchestra. You may feel that dishes that are not very assertive and somewhat lacking. But I was amazed and deeply moved by realizing how this chef is deeply knowledgeable about Japanese dishes.
We ordered gyoza appetizer, tuna roll, Akizawa futomaki roll, chirashi sushi and pork katsu. I chuckled about Katsu that they use a good grade meat with no fat, it even killed its junky katsu taste that Japanese katsu should have, yet it was tender and flavorful. Akizawa roll and chirashi were my favorite. Their sushi rice too, I didn’t taste vinegar nor sugar, considering the amount of rice chef uses, sushi rice didn’t scream its existence at all but perfectly supported variety of fresh seafoods, the way it supposed to do. Wow!
Totally hats off to the chef’s sense of art of both visual and taste beauty. He’s a true magician of Japanese cuisine!
FYI, they said lunch time is very busy too as well as dinner time, they have chicken or pork katsu or katsudon (katsu bowl) lunch set all under $20. Reservation is a must regardless if it’s lunch or dinner.
I’m glad I found this gem. You should visit to experience the chef’s beautiful magic of the art of authentic Japanese cuisine that only this restaurant has, nowhere else.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Positively the best Japanese I’ve had outside of Japan!!! And moderately priced to boot! The 3 of us enjoyed tako karaage, gyoza, salmon maki, negi hama, salmon nigiri, and the caramel pudding. Everything was amazing! My photos are half eaten dishes because I was too excited to take photos and instead opted to eat! Reservations are a must! There’s only 14 seats in the restaurant so seating is very limited!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My girlfriend and I checked out this place on our anniversary trip to Portland because she loves sushi and the reviews here were glowing. Outside, the place is a bit unassuming but it felt like we were in a sushi restaurant in Japan upon walking in.
I will start off by saying that the service was great. We were seated promptly according to our reservation time and had a seat at the sushi bar which was fun. Our waters were never empty and recommendations were on point.
Unfortunately, the food is where we faced some disappointment. The chicken katsu was AMAZING. Probably the best I have ever had. It was cooked perfectly. The premium omakase was overpriced in my opinion but the real downfall is that my girlfriend cannot have wasabi so we asked for one with wasabi and one without. What we received was some of the nigiri on my plate having wasabi and some not, some on her plate being the same way, but it’s not like there was one kind of nigiri with one piece having wasabi and one not. It was a whole mix so my girlfriend ended up not being able to eat like half the plate. When we brought it up, we honestly thought they would fix it or something but we just ended up getting a small discount at the end of the bill (not nearly enough to account for her not being able to eat the majority of what we ordered).
I wish we did not have this kind of experience because it started off so good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 3
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