Aki’s Sushi

Aki’s was amazing, my favorite sushi restaurant ever! Sadly, Aki has retired and from what I hear he is moving to Hawaii. We will miss you Aki!
There is a new sushi restaurant that opened up, I think the official opening is 12/​15, but they are open now, Sushi by 39 degrees. They are related to I Luv Sushi in lakewood & Sushi Studio. Everyone was really nice there and the sushi is great! They have a great happy hour menu too!

Aki’s is closed. Without so much as a whisper, Aki-​San closed up shop and sold out to a new place called Sushi by 39 Degrees. People were in the restaurant last night setting up, but no word on when they’re going to actually open, although it looks to be sometime soon. The real question though is «Where is Aki?» Is he going to open again in a new location? Did he simply retire? If anyone has any information, please post a reply.
Aki was a quiet man and an extremely good sushi chef. The fish was always fresh and delicious, and he prepared his specialties like only a master can. He, along with his family and staff will be missed. The service they all provided was amazing and a rarity in today’s era of revolving sushi bars. Aki’s son Craig was also a talented, aspiring, young sushi chef. You will all be missed. I hope you only left to open in a new location. May we meet again someday.
Good luck guys, whatever you are doing.

It took forever to get my food; I ain’t got time for that! Especially considering that I paid almost $ 30 bucks for one sushi roll and one chicken curry dish. That’s the shit I don’t like!

Eh the Sushi was okay. Tried a few things on the menu. They were good and the place was very clean but there was nothing really special that brought this place out. The price was a little high for what I got too which wasnt a whole lot. I don’t know if Ill come back to this place.

The only great sushi in Long Beach — Period.
If you like baseball, there’s always a game on. Aki-​San is a huge baseball fan. But more about the food…
Aki-​San in literally a master sushi chef. His son is very good as well! I highly recommend you ask for the salmon skin hand-​roll with salmon roe and quail egg. It’s such a treat. And the place is very affordable! Do not be fooled by other restaurants in the area using the Aki name. Go to the Aki Sushi on Redondo and 7^th.
Aki-San’s fish is always fresh. I understand he personally gets his fish in daily and is very picky about what he selects. It certainly shows when you eat it.
If you call ahead with 24 hrs notice, they will do a special lobster dish that I heard is to die for. I have yet to try it, but close friends confirmed it’s for real and amazing!
Fairly quiet and contemporary atmosphere. Do yourself a favor and sit at the sushibar and not at a table.

Decided to try this place since it was nearby and I always pass it. For the most part, it is your typical sushi restaurant. There seems to be an abundance of open space which is a little unpleasant but nothing to get your underpants bunched up over.
The portions are quite small and the prices are quite high compared to the average. The good news is that the fish is actually pretty good quality; it melts in your mouth and tastes fresh. The bad news is that the menu is highly unoriginal, and anything not containing fish is probably not worth it.
All-​in-​all, I probably won’t be visiting again solely because I think I can get better sushi (with more interesting menus and/​or even better quality fish) elsewhere. The price is really the only reason for my low review.

I really enjoyed the food, but apparently the owners make the waitresses stand in particular places while customers are eating. This made me feel VERY uncomfortable. I felt as if I was being watched the entire time, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the servers.
Not the emotions I want to experience while eating an otherwise enjoyable meal.
If you eat from here, get it to go!

Ordered online through
. We put tip with cash, and like we stated during check out, we tipped with cash.
The next day I noticed the below email. Not only did this restaurant have the nerve to «demand» a $ 10 tip for a $ 40 order, but Eat 24 went ahead and placed the charge without my consent. Unbelievable. Not only will I never eat here, I’ll be seeing the owners in small claims court.
Email
Hi John,
Thanks for placing an order with Eat24 from Aki Sushi Bar & Bai Plu Thai. Your order number is: 4859 – 9309.
We received a request from the restaurant to add a delivery tip to this order. The requested tip amount is $ 10.00. Before we make this adjustment to your bill, we need your seal of approval.
Let us know if you approve by replying or texting «Tip approved» to (415) 754‑7211, and we’ll take it from there. Or you can always reach us by live chat, email or phone — 24 hours a day, every day.
We left you a voicemail about this, but we thought we’d hit up your email, too. Thanks for your help!
Buon appetito,
Tanae
Eat24 Customer Care
Live Chat
(877) 850‑4024
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Not good and bad value.
I honestly think the people that rate Aki’s high are people who have not been to good sushi restaurants. I had the salmon and yellow tail sashimi and both were underwhelming. The cut of the fish was on the small side and both tasted less than fresh. The fish had not turned, but it definitely was a while since it last saw the sea.
At this point we wanted to leave, but got two more things (spicy tuna and spider hand roll) just to be polite. Both were just decent until we received the bill. $ 40 for these four items, overpriced and underwhelmed. The only reason why I didn’t give it a 1 star is that we did not get violently ill.
Save your money, go to Taiko in Irvine, it is worth the long drive and wait.

I love this place! I have been here quite a few times and each time just as good as the previous.
Pros: excellent variety of sushi (I recommend the Oh! Spicy and Laker Roll), amazing thai entrees (Crying Tiger), the service is very welcoming and they definitely cater to their guests! Big screen to watch the games. Pretty much my favorite local spot to go to.
Cons: Parking. Depending on what time you come in, you’re battling w/​getting a good parking spot. I never really had a problem, maybe once or twice. Obviously it doesn’t effect my opinion of Aki.
Great place to go!

So I’m a little bit of a snob when it comes to sushi. Well, then again, who doesn’t want their sushi fresh and tasty? Well this is the place to go if you want just that. I usually get the spider roll, crunch roll and of course, the tuna roll. Everytime I go, its the same great tasting food. The service, well the service is awesome, the servers are always attentive and alert. The overall restaurant is so clean, you can eat off the floor, but I wouldn’t recommend that! :)
Bottom line, go check it out if you want tasty rools, good service and a clean atmosphere!

I have been on the big hunt for a good sushi place in Long Beach. I don’t have crazy expectations for sushi, just that it must be authentic, fresh, and not fusion. I found out about Aki from Unilocal and I was excited to try it, since I heard that this place is an authentic restaurant, run by a Japanese chef: Aki.
I came here for dinner and immeditately noticed that the sushi bar had 3 stations, run by different sushi chef. Aki’s station was full and the other station didn’t have anyone. Since I was super hungry and couldn’t wait, I just sat at one of the available station. That was my first mistake.
I can be critical on who my sushi chef is. I find that those with years of experience will know how to create delicious sushi. Truthfully, you can find a fish slicer anywhere, but a skilled craftsman will make a big difference to your sushi experience.
My sushi chef was really young and must have been in his early 20’s. I later learned that he was a novice, as he had to ask Aki questions about sushi several times. He even had to ask Aki to cut the albacore to make albacore sashimi for him.
The other disappointing fact was that the sushi was not fresh at all. I literally tried most of the specials (blue fin tuna, red snapper, bonito etc) and was not happy with any of it. The funny thing is that I kept ordering… I was super hungry! I should have stopped, but I really wanted to give Aki the benefit of the doubt. The last straw was the albacaore sashimi. The sashimi was not fresh and it tasted frozen. I never had frozen sushi before.
Despite my bad experience, I am willing to give Aki a second chance. Next time, I will make sure I sit at Aki’s station.

I really wanted to like this place because it was so close to my apt.
I got a dragon roll and it was the first and only time I had ever had eel with the BONES still in it! I was choking the whole time trying to chew and swallow that stuff.
never again. sorry Aki’s.

I love sushi, I have loved sushi since I was 8 years old. This is my sushi restaurant that I compare all other sushi restaurants to. Actually, that isn’t true. The sushi chef is the sushi chef I compare all others too. I have been eating sushi served by Aki for 20 years and I have followed him to 3 different sushi restaurants.
Aki always gets the freshest fish and is always up for recommending something you should try. I recommend you eat one of everything on the special board. Some other must haves are the yellow tail cheek, oysters and green mussels.
The staff is always on top of things and are quick to clear plates and refill drinks.
When I go to Long Beach, Aki Sushi is always a must have.

I agree that this place is very clean and inviting. The staff members are very helpful and everything’s freshly prepared in a quick manner.
For you boys who don’t want to miss the Laker game, this is the perfect place to take your date for a fair compromise. They have two flat screens so you can look up and check the score every now and then… lol.
Edamame is served hot here and compliments well with a large bottle of Sapporo beer! I enjoyed their yellowtail tuna sashimi, crunchy rolls, long beach rolls, and spider rolls.
The downside is that parking’s a bit scarce and the table for two is too small for large orders since they bring it all at once.

My husband and I LOVE Aki’s Sushi, he offers quality fish. Aki’s is a traditional Japanese style sushi restaurant. The restaurant is clean, most reviews complain about the plain walls (no art), but we go for the sushi not the décor.
** They added decorations!
*Pompano, Spanish Mackerel, Salmon and Halibut are our favorites. Our favorite rolls are the Sam’s Special, Alaskan and the Spicy Scallop Roll.
It’s rare finding Sushi places that are traditionally Japanese, many are Korean and Thai infused (but they are tasty too).

A friend of mine told me about this place and as I am always looking for a good sushi joint and this one is right around the corner from me, the boyfriend and I decided to check it out.
First impression — this place is SPOTLESS. The boyfriend used the restroom and said that it was the cleanest one he’d ever seen at a restaurant. Always a plus.
Not only that, but the waitstaff was on top of it when it came to clearing plates. Not seconds after we ate the last roll off a dish, a waiter/​waitress would magically appear to take it away. Seriously, I don’t know where they came from because there was no one next to me when I ate the last Spicy Tuna roll and then BAM! there she was right next to me taking the plate. Color me impressed!
Now, you might be asking yourself, «Self, if she’s so impressed, why is she only giving the place 3 stars?». To which I would reply, «Hold your freaking horses, I’m getting to it!». Then we would laugh and laugh! But really though — there were some things I wasn’t impressed with. Namely — the food.
Every (or at least most) sushi restaurant has their list of the standard rolls (CA, Spicy Tuna, Philly, Veggie, etc) and then their list of specialty rolls. We tried a little of both and while the specialty rolls were very tasty (the Hawaiian was my favorite), the standard rolls left a lot to be desired in my opinion. They were small and relatively flavorless. Not BAD, but definitely not at the same level as the other rolls were. Perhaps this is a sales technique they use to encourage people to order the specialty (and more expensive) rolls?
The other thing I didn’t care for (and this is strictly a personal preference thing) is that I felt it was way too quiet. I don’t mind a peaceful setting, but this made me feel like if I had a conversation, not only would everyone be able to hear it easily, but I would be disturbing the peace. We sat at the sushi bar and the chef that served us, while efficient and knowledgeable, said nothing to us. When he wasn’t making the rolls for us he was standing there watching the game on TV. No attempt at conversation was made, not even a «how are you». I’m not saying I need to become best friends with my sushi chef and swap dark secrets — but can I at least have a little eye contact?
All in all, it wasn’t bad and the prices were reasonable. It definitely hasn’t made my favorites list but I may come back if I’m in the mood for some quick, cheap sushi.

Hm, I rarely give sushi joints a bad rating but this place just didn’t make MY cut. I’m comparing Aki’s to all the sushi places I have ever been to. For reference, I lived in Westwood for four years meaning I got a little spoiled; there are delicious sushi places at EVERY corner.
Why this place didn’t make my cut:
1. It’s overpriced
2. The menu lacks variety
3. The rolls I had were –ok.
4. The teriyaki chicken tasted like one of those microwavable dishes you get a trader joe’s.
The positives:
1. Big screen TV
2. Good amount of seating
3. Parking lot

I have been wanting to try Aki’s for some time now, so we finally went to check it out. I’m happy to announce that we were not disappointed! There is an actual Japanese sushi chef who speaks Japanese (bonus!) and the staff is very courteous.
We looked at the menu, but decided we wanted the traditional sushi, so we just asked Aki: can we start with né omaguro and one ika?
Since it was a Tuesday night, there wasn’t much of a crowd, so we received our orders quickly and with a kind smile. One after the other we ordered more sushi until we were full, and for a party of three, our final tab was around $ 110. Not bad in my book for a few hungry people wanting fresh, quality sushi!
Within walking distance of my home so… ya, I’m a fan!

No, no, no. I LOVE the other Aki’s on 7^th that I reviewed. I’d heard that this one was run by a guy that left the other place and that it wasn’t that great and it REALLY ISN’T.
I tried this out two nights ago and it was not amazing. I should have turned around and walked out when I walked in and smelled what might have been week old fish odor. BLAH. We ordered a spicy tuna roll to get started cuz that’s what my friend craved and it was awful. SOO fishy tasting. We thought… hmm…you can’t really get a crunch roll wrong, right? Wrong. You can and they did. I layered the sriracha sauce all over the pieces so I didn’t taste fishy fish. We should have learned our lesson at spicy tuna.
Never again.
Shame, too cuz it’s like a few steps away from home.
BLAH.
I give one star for the smiley service.