Akashi Japanese Restaurant

04/26/2008 Posted by markuwp

We love Akashi and go there more often than any other restaurant in town. I think their sushi is as good or better than anywhere else in town. It is without question the best sushi value I've ever encountered-- good quality at a great price. The servers are generally hardworking and nice and the manager is very friendly. I think the service and speed are usually very good, but on weekend nights they sometimes get very busy. My only knock on the sushi is that it isn't as consistent as at higher-end sushi bars. The taste is always great, but sometimes the rolls aren't cut into perfectly even pieces or the level of wasabi in the nigiri differs. If you're looking for sushi-as-art and don't mind spending a fortune, this is probably not for you. If you want tasty and creative sushi at incredibly low prices, this is the best sushi place I've ever seen.

Pros: value, friendly service, great variety and taste

Cons: sushi is not 100% consistent

04/07/2008 Posted by spinningninny

Akashi has become a quick favorite of mine. It is BY FAR the highest quality sushi and the most varied selection in the area. Everything is delicious...and nearly everything is half off. To celebrate their one-year anniversary, they cut most of their prices in half. You can pretty much stuff your face on some of the most delectable, beautiful pieces of sushi that you will ever see for a fraction of the price. I highly recommend the Romeo Roll, and the Carolina Sunrise and Sunset Rolls. There are many, many others but those are particularly awesome. The service can sometime be a bit slow, but the outcome is worth the wait.

Pros: Amazing selection

Cons: None...

09/16/2007 Posted by kmg73

I used to be a regular at Shiki from the time it first opened its doors. Now I tend to dine more often at Akashi due to the great sushi and very affordable prices ( I dine there at least once a week). All rolls and nigiri are 50% off of the listed menu price (rolls range from $2.25 to $5.50; nigiri is $1-$1.25). Specials are not subject to the 50% pricing. The free edamame is also a plus. I guess I am not a wasabi connoisseur but I don't think what is served at Akashi is that much milder than other places I have tried. I will admit that the atmosphere is basic, but I don't go there for the atmosphere. Service can be slow at times, mainly during the very busy lunch crowd and if they so happen to be down a waitress or two (it does happen at even the best restaurants). With that said, more often than not I have been very pleased with the service and the food. To avoid a wait, go early or late for lunch (11:30 or after 1 or 1:30 p.m.). Lunchtime on Friday is particularly crowded.

Pros: Quality sushi, affordable prices

Cons: Busy at lunchtime

09/07/2007 Posted by firehawkno41

My wife and I eat at Akashi easy three nights a week, just discovered it on Citysearch and were shocked at the low number of reviews and criticisms! They have taken us away from Kanki all together - we just tried Shiki down the road. Here's the real deal: the sushi is always fresh, the people are nice and the tepanyaki (sp) is good as well. Whatever Yung lacks in decor compared with his old employer Shiki they make up for in GOOD FOOD and value. Shiki shows a lower average price on their review, but we were put off by their rules for half price and still spent more... for less sushi. I disagree with a couple of the other reviews. Akashi went "half" price all the time a while back so we don't wait for Thursdays anymore. Dinner for two, four rolls, misos, endame (free) a coke and a beer- about $19! We're a little worried about the business based on the dinner crowd during the week and wanted to support a local favorite- I 've never seen their lunch crowd around RTP and hope it's good for them. Recommend trying it- big parties come there a bit and it might be good for a hidden secret kind of date, but it isn't flashy or pretentious so if throwing money around is the key to a good first date... now you have your second date place!

03/08/2007 Posted by j123123

This place has so much potential, but I give them a low rating for low-potency wasabi (just isn't as hot as it is elsewhere) and the dipping sauce (teriyaki?) that's watered down. Service is slower than it should be.

Pros: Reasonable prices

Cons: Wimpy wasabi and watered-down dipping sauce

02/15/2007 Posted by ncdining123

Claims to hold half off sushi, but 50% off=30% off the very small, very warm sushi roles. 30% is close to 50% isnt it? Id rather pay full price and enjoy the meal

Pros: location

Cons: food, value, service, quality, overall experience

01/28/2007 Posted by mesporas

After reading all of the great reviews for this restaurant and since Shiki Sushi has become so crowded, we decided to try this out. We had visited Akashi when it first opened, before they had their liquor license. We weren't impressed then, but thought it might have improved over time. We went on a Saturday night around 7pm. The bright lights in the dining room and the placement of the tables did not make it very welcoming. There were about 15 tables with 12 filled. The only floor staff were the hostess, who appeared to be exhausted or distracted, and one waitress. The sushi selection was overwhelming - not a bad thing. Complimentary edamame is brought to your table as soon as you're seated. It didn't look particularly fresh. We ordered our drinks while we read through the menu. The waitress brought two beers and one glass saying she'd bring another one...we had to wave her down to remind her. We finally decided on our order - tuna tataki and several sushi rolls. The tuna tataki came out first and, again, the waitress said she'd be back with plates, which never came. The sushi was brought to us by the sushi chef himself - which was actually a nice touch as he pointed out a few things we might want to try next time. Unfortunately, the sushi sat there without soy sauce dishes. The hostess was busy wiping down tables and the one waitress was running back and forth shouting orders to the hostess. It took about 10 minutes for one of them to finally look in our direction. The hostess brought the plates, (she actually brought them to the wrong table at first) slamming them down on the table as if we were inconveniencing her. It's too bad because the sushi was very good, but with the extremely poor service, I doubt we'll be back. Again, it may be worth checking out around lunchtime since it is on the edge of RTP, but be prepared for poor service if you choose to dine at night.

Pros: Good quality sushi

Cons: No ambiance, awful service

10/25/2006 Posted by hollylama01

I'm fortunate enough to work directly across the street from Akashi and it has become my favorite place to eat lunch. I can't comment on the rest of the menu but the sushi is great! I typically go between 1:00 and 2:30pm for their half-price sushi menu and they're constantly adding new sushi rolls to the menu. I've been to some sushi bars and their wasabi tends to taste sweet but Akashi's is perfect! Akashi...where have you been all my life? Arigato!

07/13/2006 Posted by chilke41

We followed Yung from Shiki Sushi, and we haven't been back. Yung and his staff make great, GREAT sushi! You must try the ESCOLAR (white tuna) -- it's like heaven to me and I haven't found white tuna anywhere else that is even close to it! We love the 1/2 price sushi nights (Thursday - Saturday) and the 4/$20 nights (Monday - Wednesday). The $1 nigiri is well worth it -- nice thick slices of the freshest and most gorgeous fish I've seen. The rice is seasoned perfectly (something many other sushi restaurants fail at, in my opinion) and is always fresh too. I recommend: the San Fransisco, Zen, Marry, Jade Dragon, Lotus Blossom and the Crunchy and shrimp tempura rolls (the tempura is really crunchy!). The Volcano roll is good Nice touches -- free edamame when you arrive, really good sake selection, and it's really fun to sit at the bar. The waitstaff are very attentive and friendly. The decor is looking good (many improvements in the last few months). We visit an average of 1x per week (would do more if we could!). You should too!

Pros: Really fresh fish, amazing escolar/white tuna, good prices and fun staff

07/12/2006 Posted by phtr

I heard about Akashi for awhile, but didn't have a chance to visit until recently. We were impressed when we saw Akashi's sushi menu; $1.00 nigiri, half price sushi rice, and buy any four rolls for just $20. We tried the alaskan roll, dragon roll, seabree and five other rolls which we couldn't remembered anymore. All of those rolls are not big, but each has very unique taste which I had never have at other sushi bars in triangle. All fishes were fresh, and delicious, especially white tuna and yellowtail. Service is quite prompted. It took Akashi chefs less than 10 minutes to finish our 8 fancy rolls. Akashi head-chef, Yung, not just kept us entertained, but educated us about his fishes and his sushi style. We enjoyed our trip to Akashi very much and looking forward to be there again. This is one of my best sushi restaurant, could be better than warajji in term of price and services. Absolutely recommended!!!!!

Pros: Best sushi selection, price, great service

Cons: parking