Weekend Lunch experience only: Used to visit here every week for a short time. I don't know about the quality but they make good sushi and I had enjoyed the taste. The price is good too. Catch: I have headache after eating here. It could be me reacting to something in the food or the place. The restaurant is pretty dark. If you pay attention, you can see a lot of dust around and something is really smelly - I suspect cat pee. YELP 365 - 85/365 read more

I wonder if I went in at an off night or what. The experience was okay but there's nothing spectacular about it at all. This place has been around for a while and the decor shows. We were seated upstairs where it felt like we were eating at somebody's attic. The air was musty. Service was a bit slow as it was upstairs too. The menu was fairly decent. It does remind me of Sushi King or Gyotaku. We got a few sets and some sashimi and rolls. Like I said earlier, the food was nothing to write home about. It was okay all around, but I feel like there's better choices out there in the same area. read more

My Dad took my Mom to Akasaka on their first date several years ago. After tasting the Butteryaki Scallops, I have a feeling this decision definitely helped to start their lives together off on the right note. Nice choice, Dad! Don't let the surrounding business establishments deter you away from this gem, Akasaka delivers top quality and a truly memorable dining experience. My absolute favorites: - Butteryaki Scallops - Agedashi Tofu - Hamachi Nigiri (ALL of their sushi is divine!) read more

I love the sushi here! It's fresh and they have a maguro that looks and tastes awesome! The soft shell crab is excellent. Even the chazuke is pretty good here! My typical meal here consists of some maguro/hamachi nigiri, then the triple combo with tempura, sashimi and steak or unagi. Then top it off with some green tea ice cream for dessert. The waitresses and sushi chefs are friendly and will even crack the occasional joke. :) It's good to get reservations since this place can get pretty packed. The only down part to this place is the parking sucks. There are limited stalls and getting out of the parking lot can be a pain if you park on the Femme Nu side. read more

I appreciate sushi places that truly know what they're doing. It's nice to go into a place with a small group and tell the waitress that you'd like to try whatever she (or the sushi chef) recommends and know that the resulting feast will be to-die-for. Akasaka is that sort of place. I was in town for work, staying at the adjacent Ala Moana Hotel, and the hotel concierge recommended Akasaka. We never would've found the place if they hadn't recommended it. It's situated across a parking lot from a strip club along a back alley. Not the typical place I look for dinner, but it was well worth it! We ordered some sort of sushi sampler of the sushi chef's choosing, which was great. The fish was some of the freshest I've ever had. We also ordered some of the specials, all of which were outstanding. They really treated us right here. I went back a couple of nights later with only one other person, and the service wasn't quite as good. I ordered the Nabeyaki Udon Soup, and it was really good. I'm a little obsessed with noodle soups, so I was in heaven! All in all, this place is solid. If I make it back to Waikiki, I'll definitely have to drop in and grab some sushi and udon soup! read more

Their food is tasty (chicken karaage, udon, tempura and agedashi tofu) but I've had better sushi. Their parking is difficult. Few stalls designated for their restaurant. But they also offer $7 paid parking lot right next. This place is hidden behind Jazz Minds and Centerfolds - you wouldn't know it existed if someone didn't tell you it was there or if you didn't know it was there already. I recommend trying this local, family run type of restaurant. read more

Not worth it. For the price you pay I could get much more for what I'm paying. Matsu sushi was weak, sushi is expensive for what you are getting. I'm so over it. Mirugai $20 for two pieces, Uni was abt $18 for two pieces, Chu toro was abt $18... And it was pretty red for Chu toro. Weak weak weak. Won't go there again. Im very picky with my sushi, well actually food in general. If u wanna go check it out, go right ahead. But im likely to save u some money if u know what I mean. go to sushi ii instead. You will be so much happier i promisssseee!!! read more

Since the parking is limited and I went for lunch, I parked at Ala Moana and walked (not highly recommended at night due to the bars, strip clubs and other establishments in the area). Prices are on par with similar sushi restaurants. 2 pc anago (eel) nigiri is about $8, 2 pc tamago (egg) is about $5. Might sound pricey, but it's higher quality than Genki Sushi, so you get what you pay for. Overall a good "hole in the wall" restaurant for Japanese food. read more

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The quality of the fish is top notch! Service is excellent! I have been coming here for 20 yrs! Thank you for a wonderful & memorable anniversary! Gochisousama deshita. read more

Akasaka - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

SUPER rude servers. Not worth it for mediocre sushi in a sketchy alley between two strip clubs.

Butter yaki scallops, butter fish, hot sake, cold beer & fresh sushi... yum! This restaurant is very small so reservations are a must. There are a few stalls in front of the restaurant or you can park on Kapiolani Blvd. or at Ala Moana Center. The service is always good, and the food is just delicious!! They have a number of different teishoku's to pick from as well as the usual rolls and sushi and also yummy combination plates. Pretty much everything I've eaten here has been wonderful. Yes, the butter yaki scallops are a must, but don't stop there! Order family style and make a mini buffet. You won't regret it. Yes Akasaka is a little on the expensive side but the food is really fresh and prepared well so I don't mind paying top price. read more

Best authentic Sushi in all of Hawaii. Ray is amazing, great seasoning, presentation, and freshness. Don't expect sloppy rolls of spicy tuna. There's no such thing in authentic Japanese sushi. This place is a hidden gem, it's next door to a strip club. Lol!!! read more

This place was so amazing! The food was so fresh and tasty! Andy our waiter was so knowledgeable and helpful with the menu and my mom's Gluten allergy! If you want Suahi in Honolulu go here!!! read more

Wow - amazing Sushi! It's right next to the Ala Moana, in an area you would never expect a good restaurant like this to be. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is it's in a relatively bad area with about 3 or four gentleman's clubs near by. I had the Rainbow Roll and it was delicious! No fishy taste, and very fresh. read more

Such a long & overdue review for Akasaka. We came here for dinner on Valentine's Day, and since the boys were planning day, they decided to be men & wait til last minute to book a reservation for dinner, which resulted to everywhere else being booked, so we resorted to here. This place is literally a hole in the wall, tucked in between two strip clubs. Parking is okay, they have reserved stalls for the restaurant. We arrived as soon as they opened for dinner & it's fairly small but it surely had a Japanese feel to it. The waitresses were really nice, and suggested a whole bunch of us to try since it was our first time there. Food is GREAT. You can really tell the difference between the fish that they have here compared to Genki, which we go to a lot cause it's cheap. The fish is FRESH, literally melts in your mouth...SO GOOD!!! I'm actually getting hungry thinking about it, haha. By the time we paid for dinner, they gave us chocolates & the owner even gave us a gift certificate for the next time we come in which I thought was awesome of her to do so! read more

Food was delicious up until I saw a cock roach crawling in back of me on the wall! The worst part was that I was sitting on the ground in the back, so I was even more terrified. Then, I saw a dead roach on my left and then another on my right. They were crawling in and out of the craters of the wall. I notified our waitress and she just said sorry. They really need to just close this place down for however long it takes to kill these roaches before serving any more customers. It's not acceptable and not sanitary! At night, I got sick, and I can only think it was the food here. read more

Best lil hole in the wall spot in Waikiki! Flavor was amazing! Andy was great! And this restaurant really knows how to deliver the full pallet of taste! read more

Let's be real guys, who puts a cucumber wrap on their sushi. Be proud of the ingredients you have! Don't hide behind the vegetable known as a cucumber. These guys have some legit Hokkaido uni, but they wrap it in cucumbers. Don't do this. Be true to yourself and your food. Get some. It's pretty good though. read more

Great food, but the service..... omg terrible. The only friendly person is in the front who opened the door and welcomed us in. Chop sticks were taken away from us with out asking, thinking we don't know how to use them?! We needed a spoon for our kid, so we asked for one, instead we received attitude and explanation that soups should consumed straight out of the bowls. We asked for an extra chopsticks and recieved a response "why you need them, didn't we already gave you enough. Our sons pacifier be was on the table upside down, waiter shows up and grabs it by the part that goes into the child's mouth with here hands. Really? We went there because of all great reviews, but know we are puzzled how can a dirty place as this have these reviews. $400 bill for an awful service!!! Very, Very unfriendly, nasty dirty, fealthy place. read more

Everything was delicious. Just be aware they will sell you the more expensive dishes. Recommendation: put a sign, the back door says: use the front door, but who knows Im in the back. read more

Service is always prompt and kind. Food is always fresh and delicious. Don't be put off by its location between two "gentleman's clubs"; it is a treasure! We bring all of our friends and guests here and it is ALWAYS a hit. Try the scallop appetizer - definitely worth it. Garden salad is big enough to split for two. Mushroom miso is yummy! read more

Superb sushi right next to the Ala Moana hotel. Definitely cozy, and the uni is good. I don't rate many places, only the ones I want to come back to. This place is good. The hamachi, makarel, toro, it's all good. Get the scallops! Justin is a good chef. He spent some time in San Diego, so I'm a little partial, but he did good. Will come again. Pro tip: 10% off after 9, and $5 Asahi liters! And get the scallops read more

Hot damn! The Scallop Butteryaki is amazing! More to follow on this little gem... Last night Yelp led us to this interesting little sushi spot sandwiched between two strip clubs. Now, if lap dances aren't your thing that fine, because you are there for the food. We were pleasantly surprised by the warmth and service of the small establishment. The service was on point and the food was very delicious. Our server was extremely knowledgeable about the menu items and made great recommendations. I also feel as if the menu was priced appropriately. Okay, back to the scallops. An order consist of 4 or 5 jumbo scallops. The pieces are lightly breaded and then pan fried in butter. That's right, I said butter! The dish is served on a sizzling cast iron platter accompanied by a creamy sauce on the side. The bowl holding the sauce is placed on the hot plate to keep it warm. The scallops were not overcooked or greasy. It was prefect. This is real Japanese food and my husband and I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

My second time visiting here was much better. My favorite piece of the night was the sake nigiri wrapped in thinly sliced white onions and daikon radish sprouts. read more

Walked here from ala moana (due to the limited parking in front) a little after 5 and the restaurant was completely empty save for the waitress and the sushi chef. It's a small restaurant with a cute, traditional interior but limited seats. The waitress was very sweet and patient (totally great cause we had no idea what to order) and our food came out very quickly (we were the only ones there...). Based on other reviews, we went with the butter yaki scallops, and also chose the soft shell crab roll (cut into 6 pieces) and... the natto roll! The scallops were AMAZING but a bit overpriced, and the soft shell crab roll was also delicious. The waitress raved about the natto roll but I just couldn't do it. It was my first time trying natto and, according to my friend, was lucky to try it here, but never again. We were actually going to get the nigiri combo but decided otherwise when we learned it came with only 8 pieces of sushi for over $20. No no no! However, cause the food was so good, it's something to definitely consider trying next time. Overall great place with yummy sushi. A tad expensive, but very much worth it. Will come again soon!! read more

I feel sorry to leave a 2 stars for this place that I might had too much high hope for this sushi restaurant because of all fellow Yelper's positive reviews. Simply said, Disappointed !! I don't want spend more than double $$ for a same quality as Nijiya sushi combination. Especially I don't like Sea-urchin come with cucumber hidden underneath. Sorry this gonna be my last visit here, and I'll stick with Gaku or ii. read more

Still learning to eat sushi because my wife loves it, let me start with the staff who opened the door to us. He was very welcoming and was happy to serve us they were all very attentive. The food for a beginner like me it was great, enjoyed every food we ordered, staff will explain how the food will be served what comes with it, if they see or feel your a newbie like me. The place is small but has a 2nd floor, go here exactly 5pm if you want to eat right away and it's less busy for 30mins to 1 hr place will be packed really fast. I would highly suggest this place to any sushi lover. Stop eating fastfood kind sushi go here! read more

My first dining experience after landing in Hawaii. The atmosphere is classic, Japanese style sushi bar. We ordered a medley of things, including the sushi. The positive about this restaurant is that it is OPEN LATE. A girlfriend and I had wandered all over the place on June 12, 2009, looking for a place for late night eats. I think that for the sushi ordered, the price is moderate. There is nothing really fancy and the food is pretty classic and simple. For 3 individuals, we paid $84.40, not including tip. read more

When you're craving sushi and scallops, this is the place to go! Overall the ambiance, service and food here was quite impressive. The specialty here is the butter scallops, which I would highly recommend. We also enjoyed the chefs sushi selection, but the butter scallops were the highlight of the meal. The sushi here was definitely top notch, and the variety was also impressive. I think it's also worth mentioning that it did take quite a while for our food to arrive, but I suppose sometimes good food takes time. One opportunity for improvement at this restaurant is the price point. I don't normally have an issue with expensive food, but i have to admit I nearly panicked when I opened the menu. This place is definitely at least a $$$ shop, so don't be surprised when you are spending around 100$ for you and your date. Enjoy! read more

Small but comfy little place Waitresses are nice and attentive Food is good but like all the J rest... Is quite pricey Try the soft shell crab... 2 thumbs up!!!! read more

Akasaka is one of my family's favorite Japanese restaurants. The food is delicious. My brother and dad like to get sushi platters. The sushi is made with fresh, tasty seafood. I love the teishokus, especially the tempura one. A lot of the meals come with miso soup. The atmosphere is cozy and homey. The owner knows my dad because he has been going there for so long, and always greats him warmly. Overall, I definitely recommend Akasaka if you are looking for a great Japanese meal. read more

Very tiny, authentic Japanese restaurant located on Kona St. Stopped in for a post work weekday lunch with the hubby around 1:30. The restaurant was empty when we first arrived however 3 other patrons trickled in while we were there. They close at 2:30 and reopen for dinner at 5 but we never felt rushed. We were able to enjoy a nice, relaxed meal. We ordered one teishoku tonkatsu/tempura combo plus ama ebi, maguro, hamachi and tobiko nigiri sushi. The tonkatsu was ok but we wouldn't order it again as it was bit on the tougher, drier side. We are fans of Kimukatsu so that is the standard by which we judge katsu. The tempura was very good with a nice crunch, not heavy or oily. It featured 2 good sized shrimp and a nice variety of veggies. The nigiri....ooooooh the nigiri...THIS was definitely the star of our show! Nicely sized pieces of fish and ebi, not too much rice and fresh, fresh, fresh. OISHI! At Akasaka, it's all about the quality. Our bill inclusive of one beer came out to $75, without gratuity. A bit steep for an weekday lunch for 2 but the food was so fresh and delicious and the service was wonderful so it was well worth the splurge. read more

Akasaka - Japanese Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

A better than average Japanese restaurant but you can say the same for many others on this wonderful isle. Having access to amazingly fresh fish is a big plus so the stand outs from this restaurant for me was the udon suki and the butterfish. Maybe I was looking for more of an izakaya place with a greater selection which would explain why I wasn't completely blown away but out of everything we ate, I could only point out the miso soup and the yakitori as a litle disappointing. Special mention for the al dente edamame. The simple things are the hardest to get right and class is all about the details. read more

Excellent sushi, very traditional Japanese food. BUT more like $$$$, rather than $$. Be prepared to spend.

I think I might have dreams about the food I ate here. After going through some restaurant listings on the GPS I yelped this place and while there were some reviews that put some doubt in my head about this place the reality had my stomach wanting more of their food. The BF and I started with an order of the hamachi and the toro. The fish was really fresh but the toro was beyond superb. I had the butteryaki scallops and BF had the miso butterfish and both, as recommended by a few yelpers here, were great. The butterfish melted in our mouths and the scallops were cooked perfectly. It's not a fancy place, it's not a cheap sushi joint but it's a good hole in the wall Japanese restaurant if you're willing to forgo fancy and cheap for flavor and freshness. read more

We had the omakase here, it was very good! Not the best, but definitely above the cut. Fish was fresh and nicely cut. Our chef tended to do a lot more cooked/grilled items than nigiri, which maybe had to do with that day's catch? I usually prefer more nigiri as I am at the sushi bar after all! All in all, a good experience. read more

Food is ok but not what it used to be. Sushi chef very unfriendly and had little baby roaches crawling over my napkin!....Mimi, the nice waitress been there for ages..service is good but won't return again. read more

This little restaurant is hiding in plain sight behind the Ala Moana mall. A Pearl City local recommended it, or else we'd never have given it a glance though their back parking lot faces a busy street. Inside is quite the Japanese gem (I'm sure it represents a certain region... I never though about the differences until some real Japanese were giggling about a little girl's cute Osakan accent 25 yrs. ago) crammed into about the space of your average Yoshinoya. Our party of seven dominated the room, and I felt so sorry for the other couple there. They created a sashimi salad for us which was terrific considering the waitress's apparent hesitation (could have been the language barrier). HG appreciated the beauty of his chirashi bowl and the seasoned rice. Some of the fish was extremely fresh - very evident in the taste, but I wouldn't say it was melt-in-your-mouth quality (we didn't order any toro). I had the butter scallops on a sizzling platter which were delicious. I wish they'd allowed to spread the sauce on myself because I found it too mayonaisey, so I would have gone lighter or not used it at all. One of the elders treated, but I felt the prices were a little high relative to quality and portion size. Definitely not a tourist trap fail though! read more

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It was hard to find at first since it's sorta hidden in a back alley looking area. It's located behind 678 restaurant and has exotic dancer places nearby xD so this place is in a weird location. Parking.... fricken small. We parked behind the restaurant but the parking infront of the restaurant, you basically have to reverse your way in because that's how the stalls were made. Strange. Food was delicious tho. Made to order. The place is small but I this is how I would imagine Japan to look like hehe. We got spicy Ahi rolls, and Tempura rolls, amaebi, and chirashi. The workers there are really nice and tentative! Kinda pricey tho but the fish is fresh!!! read more

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Some of our friends recommended this place. It's in this little dodgy street next to the strip clubs so they come outside sometimes on their breaks. But I loved this restaurant. I wasn't much of a raw fish eater before I came here, but their menu was more limited to raw sushi and I forced myself to give it a try. We ordered some sashimi platters and I thought the fish was really fresh, the kind of melt-in-your-mouth fish. I look forward to going back here everytime we go back to Honolulu. I can't really find that kind of good sushi quality at home. read more