Akai Hana

When we go there I usually have the cod and my son has the chicken teriaki. It comes with a salad and the service is fast. Today the chicken and cod portions were about 30% smaller than before. This is too small for lunch. Lets hope they go back to normal portions.

I ate here at lunch today. My new job is in the area. It took 20 minutes to come ask for my drink order. And 20 more minutes to bring the food. The lady was great! They also forgot to give my utensils for food and soup. I like the ambience of the restaurant! Chicken Teriyaki was great as well as the salad. By the time my meal came I had to pack it up and get back to work. Kyung was my waitress and she was quick with my bill and togo boxes.

* The food was so so. If you’re a sushi person, you can quickly tell that this place caters to the roll-​eating American customers. I was surprised to see that the sushi chefs were Japanese since those sushi roll places are usually Koreans posing as Japanese.
* When I asked if they had things like abalone, giant clam, etc, the server had no idea what I was talking about and had to ask the owner who looked at me and gave me an annoyed look.
* The server was friendly and the service was just ok
* The hostess was very friendly and polite, an extra star for her.
* The décor was plain and the sushi bars looked busy with too many things all over the place making it look a little less than clean.

Depending on what you get, the sushi varies from good to very good, though falls short of the «best ever» nonsense the occasional local-​yokel suggests.
Regrettably, they play the «20 minute wait» charade that high-​end restaurants play, often times with a dozen-​plus empty tables.
With the possible exception of Carver’s, it’s the most rundown restaurant within a 10 minute drive. We no longer dine in, only order takeout. Which would be fine, except:
They don’t have a website, nor do they have a menu online (menuism?!). In 2016. Per the hostesses, it’s by owner’s design.
I have no problem with the owner if he’s a true luddite. But the fact that you do not make a menu available is a slap in the face to your clientele. It’d take 10 minutes to do so.
So how it works is they’ll give you a non-​descriptive take-​home menu, then when you want to order, you either have to ask what’s in every single roll, or guess.
We’re doing sushi tonight. Like so many others in town, guess where we’re going? Elsewhere. Too bad.

Came here during on a busy Saturday night, approximately around 530pm. After telling the receptionist our party size, we were offered to a table in about 20 minutes.
They were fairly busy. We quickly ordered something, so we can stop being starving. Waiting, waiting, and waiting, finally, after about another 20 minutes, my RB sushi roll arrived. And another 10 minutes, my hot undon noodle was served. The roll was pretty ok, with soft shell crab inside, alongside with some mayonnaise. The delightful part was the hot noodle soup. Oh my, the noodle is one of the most authentic ones I’ve tried. It’s very tendering and very flavorable. I would strongly recommend it.
I could give this experience a 4-​stars eating; however, throughout the night, we were not asked to have water. I guess they care more about selling alcohol on a Saturday night? Also, it was so hard to get the server’s attention. Wish they had more consistent service for each table.

Fair price. generous portions! Honeymoon oyster shooters the best I’ve ever had. I will post pictures

I’m giving this place two stars because it was not the greatest experience. The two stars are for the food, it wasn’t bad. This is my second time at this place. Both times I experienced EXTREMELY slow service. It took over an hour to get our sushi rolls out. The waitress forgot a plate, which caused us to wait another 25 minutes for food. The worst was when the check came and the waitress came back to tell us that she didn’t get a big enough tip!!! Sorry ma’am but you need to WORK for your tip! Waiting 30 minutes for her to come and take our order. Then only coming back once to fill up water is not working. Finally, after 20 minutes of us waiting for my credit card; I went to the cashier and asked for it back. I got there at 6:45 PM and we didn’t leave until 9:20 PM because of the service! I will not be returning.

It’s just so so. Nothing special here.

Ok, I love Japanese food. I mean, seriously… LOVE…Japanese food. After a trip to Japan with my wife I got addicted to the stuff. So since then I’ve gotten pretty picky when it comes to Japanese cuisine. What’s great about this place is it’s a cozy little neighborhood restaurant that’s owned by actual Japanese people. Not Korean or Vietnamese people who say «Irasshaimase» when you walk in and then make a poor attempt at making authentic Japanese food for you. Now, that being said, the food here is very… uh…well…average. I ordered the katsu don and it was very mediocre tasting. I had a katsu don in Japan from a convenience store that was WAY better than this. Seriously. We also had the takoyaki roll and some other roll. Both were also just ok. The takoyaki roll was basically baked seafood dynamite on top of rice with minute bits of tako in the rice. Aside from the tako, there was nothing «takoyaki» flavored about it. The other one… honestly, I don’t even remember how it tasted. I think I’m spoiled from the places on Convoy in Clairemont where the quality of the food is significantly better. I think if I don’t want to drive 15 – 20 minutes, then I’d come here.

I’m not sure why this place has a 4 stars and why it’s always packed. My boyfriend and I have tried Akai four times, including our visit today. The fish quality isn’t great, it’s overpriced and mass produced. I was so turned off by the cleanliness and quality that I stopped eating after one roll and a few pieces of nigiri. Our bill was still over $ 60 even though we both barely ate. Save your money and eat elsewhere. If you want legit sushi, then head to Kaito in Encinitas. As my boyfriend would always say, we should eat less at crappy places and splurge on the good stuff. I don’t mean to be a sushi snob but look at the pictures. It’s not appetizing. The only thing it has for me is the distance from my house.
I gave them a 2 stars for the friendliness of the Japanese host.

I travel 5 days for work and eat out all the time.
This place is amazing. The quality is better than Nobu (I’ve eaten at both in Vegas, Miami, Chicago and San Diego. Hands down a much better value.
Nokumura (owner and sushi chef) is outstanding. This is my favorite sushi place in country. Very hard to beat.
I will add pictures next time.

Made reservation and arrived and we were seated right away.
Food eh just ok
Atmosphere dingy
Service…waiting…waiting…waiting

Large restaurant. Décor is simple.
We sat at a bar w owner, Nakamura. Friendly and funny guy. Come to find out he is from a small town right next to my moms hometown. Small world. Menu has a combination of traditional dishes and more contemporary concoctions. Sushi was fresh. Not quite 5 stars because fish quality is good but not top notch.

Came here on a Monday night with my mom around an hour before closing.
This restaurant definitely gives you that «old people in RB» feel just because it could use some renovation to look more modern.
However, the food is good. The chefs and staff are Japanese, so I feel like that makes it more «authentic».
Ordered Soft Shell Crab roll, and it was crunchy yet soft.
Salmon sashimi was very soft, practically melted in our mouths.
We refused when they asked for last call. but then 5 minutes later we thought we should bring some to-​go food for another family member. We asked the waiter if it was okay to order still, and she said it was okay. So yay for good customer service!

Came here during lunch because i hadn’t tried this place yet!
Service was slow. Although I got seated when I got in (table for one *cries*) it took a while for the waitress to take my order and to check up on me… She apologized each time she came back.
Anyway, ordered the oyako don. Found a pretty big piece of plastic in it. Immediately stopped eating. It took another 10 mins to even get someone to pay attention to me so I could notify them. By then I was angry and didn’t give a damn anymore. When I finally notified someone, he took my bowl. Then my waitress finally showed up after handing me the bill. She took it up with the manager who comped the meal. I left without leaving a tip. Shame on me but that’s how strongly I felt about my experience!

Let me start by saying, the hostess was awesome, kind, helpful & provided good service.
The ambiance of the restaurant was okay.
The location on maps sucked. I got lost. I had to call the host to direct me to wherever this place was located. Its behind urge the gastropub. In the corner of the plaza near cvs and head towards Starbucks, passed the phở place and about 25 yd. you’ll see the sign and its on the left.
Our server, started out nice and as dinner went on she just started to give this rushed vibe & i dont even ask for a full conversation. I would appreciate a «how’s everything?» Or maybe a, «can i get you guys anything?»
I came here on a date with my niece because i love spending time with family & she lives in Poway so i thought i would take her some place new that we both haven’t been to before, my gut kept telling me to go to Rb sushi since i know half the menu but I’m staying true to my resolution of trying new places.
My cousin (14 fresh in high school completely new to dining out late) was a little out of place she read the menu about 3 times trying to figure out what to get. The waitress gave us about a minute and a half to order after she brought us waters & I understand its dinner time on a Saturday but like i said its our first time here. I ordered what i wanted and my niece only picked One sushi roll and was in the middle of deciding her second and instead of helping her out and making a suggestion, she just said «ill let you decide while i bring your other items out». Now. I was not offended By that, what offended me was how every time i tried to get her attention she barely paid ANY attention to us. I couldn’t even order another roll if i wanted, she barely made eye contact and was practically ignoring us. The one time she did make eye contact i asked for the check. & i know what its like to work in the restaurant business so, i still tipped because that’s how i am. Of course it wasn’t 50% like i tip most my restaurants i fall in love with (my boyfriend can vouch for me)
Now, the food…
— miso soup tasted like every other place, but cold. I like my soup really hot.
–the calamari was different. It was served with ketchup … Definitely did not go together… And. The batter tasted. Different than most batters. My niece liked it. Though she ate every last Bite. Maybe because she was really hungry.
–lastly the California roll looked like every other cali roll out there. I didn’t try it. Not my thang.
Now, would i go back here? No. Not because i have other restaurants to try but because i loved nothing about this place.

Been hearing about good things about this Japanese restaurant so we decided to give it a try.
Saddest chirashi bowl ever for $ 20. You get: 1 piece of salmon, 2 pcs tuna, 1 pc Hamachi, 1 octopus, 2 pcs of egg, 2 pcs of imitation crab, 1 ebi, and 1 artic clam. Many of the pieces are not even sashimi! it was such a cheap chirashi bowl.
shrimp tempura was bad, the shrimp did not taste fresh and the batter was just not the authentic tempura batter. The udon broth was tasteless, it was so watered down.
No I don’t need to go back to Akai Hana ever again.

This place is nothing short of impressive. Walked in to a dark dated place with some unique flare to see 2 sushi bars to instantly know Akai Hana is a serious establishment. Greeted by lovely Japanese women even a bigger plus and reassurance of a great experience. I love their menu. The apps, salads and soups are what I came here for. Their seafood apps will blow away even the most pretentious seafood lover’s expectations.
Very tough decision because everything on the menu looks outstanding and I wish I came with a large group to sample everything. I ran with the Sunomono combo app, Nabe Udon and an iced tea. The Sunomono comes out first and looks absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous presentation with fantastic cuts of seafood and the most perfect butterflied shrimp I’ve ever seen. They were perched upon chopped seaweed and Kyuri no Sumomi with a nice drizzle of subtle vinegar. I love this dish because the vinegar worked perfectly with everything, enhanced flavors and didn’t over power anything.
Out comes the soba in the coolest metal bowl with an old school handle. I can smell amazingness immediately. The soba looks beautiful. It came out piping hot and broke down the tempera on the shrimp quickly. But the flavors in this bowl just make me melt. I hung my face over the hot bowl so my beard could absorb some of these aromas for later. Impressed on the quality of noodles and how they weren’t over cooked by the bowl being served so hot. The dark chicken in this bowl brought out some magical flavors. They even brought me my favorite Nanami Togarashi to spice this bowl up. I’m coming back this week to try more dishes. This is my New Year’s resolution, to try every dish they make by the end of the year.

We’ve been here twice in the last two days and LOVE this place! Very homey, traditional, Japanese restaurant, tucked away in a shopping center filled with shops and restaurants.
On my first visit, we ordered take out since we weren’t in the mood to sit in a restaurant after driving for eight hours. While deciding what to order, I heard many of the workers speaking Japanese (good sign). The service here is pretty much the same as you would expect at a restaurant in Japan.
The food I ordered for take out was delicious, it had been quite some time since I last are broiled calamari. So it was quite welcoming and enjoyable. It was a whole squid, broiled with a soy ginger sauce. The sushi here is incredible! You can really taste the freshness of the fish and the perfectly seasoned rice. One of the sushi sets I ordered came with a side of CA roll. Yeah sure, boring! Not this CA roll, it had stood out to be one of the most noteworthy CA rolls we’ve ever eaten. The crab mix along with the avo was so creamy, it left a lasting impression.
On our second visit, we dined in. Our friend who’s also Japanese and lives in this town, brought us here. She wanted us to try the best Japanese restaurant in the San Diego area. We didn’t have the heart to tell her that we tried this place the night before. We were seated immediately in a private room. The food and service was incredible again. The tempura was fried to perfection. I could sit here and describe all that we ordered, but I won’t. Hope you get the picture.
Akai Hana has got to be one of my favorite Japanese restaurants I’ve come across. It’s very homey, neither upscale or a hole-​in-​the-​wall. The prices were surprisingly cheaper than what we are accustomed to back home. From the superior service to the impeccable cuisine, I can’t give lower than five stars. I’m going to miss this place when I return to SacTown!

I was expecting big things based on reviews but I was really shocked when I went in. It was filled with a LOT of super old Caucasians eating here. I initially thought I went to the wrong restaurant since old Caucasians tend to be more careful about what they eat and usually they don’t to eat Japanese food due to its exotic-​ness and concept of eating raw seafood.
Then it all made sense, as we were waiting for our food, a LOT of them were pulling out some coupon from those coupon magazines. There was an incentive to go eat here.
We ordered just two sushi rolls to share and boy they were so expensive. Definitely surprised me a bit there. We ordered a Seattle roll which was priced at $ 17! Also got the Albacore roll for $ 14! The rolls were okay at best, not the best I’ve had and clearly not the freshest.
I was eavesdropping at the table next to me at their conversation and they did not enjoy their experience either, I saw them writing on the receipt that their dining experience was really poor. Just shows you the kind of vibe here. The main thing that bothered me was they were serving people the food using cart strollers. They had 3 levels and the bottom level was almost close to the floor. That’s very not hygienic, people walking past the strollers could easily have touched the food with their dirty shoes/​sandals or put bacteria just from air transfer/​wind to the food from walking. Luckily our dishes were on the 2^nd level where it’s was better positioned but not the greatest.
I’m sorry but this place is not a 4 stars establishment. Unilocal reviewers have let me down. 4 stars is way too generous here. Probably won’t be a returning customer.