Good food and friendly service. Nice neighborhood restaurant. Appreciate that they play sports on TV.

Akebono has been one of our frequent date night destinations for some time now, and it is quickly becoming a reliable favorite for me. The one thing I would recommend above all else would be their take on the California Roll. They make the crab mix themselves from actual crab, not imitation sludge. It's so addictive! In addition to that delicious twist on what I usually classify as a boring roll, Akebono has several unique vegetarian and vegan choices that utilize a refreshing variety of different vegetables and fruit. One of them has sweet potato, of all things. Akebono offers more traditional sushi and sashimi as well as other Japanese dishes such as soba and ramen noodles. If you take someone here who is not into sushi but likes Japanese food, Akebono will please everyone. The only issue I've ever had here is service on the slower or hurried side. The last time we came one of my water refills was filled about two thirds of the way to the top, with no ice. None of this is enough of a deterrent for me to skip out on good sushi, and especially on these good portions of fish for the price! This place is popular so my advice is to plan for wait time. Keep in mind they have more tables in the back, though. Party Rooms are available and so are these gigantic sushi boats. Parking shouldn't be an issue due to there being a large lot outside. Great Place for: vegans, vegetarians, and people who like ample parking and good sushi. Also attention, seaweed salad fans. It is so good we ordered two last time! read more

Akebono - They have a huge back room for big parties - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

I ordered Shoyu Ramen, Tonkatsu Ramen, Caterphillar Roll and California Roll. The two rolls are very small portion. The Ramen soup base is MSG plus water. Very tasteless. The two pork chashu are very thin. Not worth the money to go there anymore. Has the cook put the heart to the pork based soup? Thank you. read more

Don't bother. This is the second time this has happened with this restaurant! I arrived 45 minutes before the published hour of closing, yet they would not seat me. I arrived at 8:45 PM. The sign on the door said they close at 9:30 PM. The hours listed on the website also said 9:30 PM. There were people dining in the restaurant, but when I asked for a table (and there were plenty to choose from), they said they were closed, and they were rude about it. I am all about supporting local restaurants, and I have tried to support this restaurant... and I now give up. It is very disheartening when you're trying to support local, and specifically locally owned restaurants and they clearly don't want the business. This place sits in a horribly dilapidated strip center and doesn't even want to serve people during their published business hours. Sad. Very sad. Won't ever go back and will make this situation known to all my friends. One time and I can sort of understand, especially if it was a slow night and there was no one in the restaurant. Two times (and with people actually in the restaurant)...unforgivable. read more

Went for dinner around 7pm on a Saturday night, no wait to be sat and our sushi came out so fast. It was of course delicious, Akebono is by far the best sushi place in Sacramento in my opinion. The fish is always fresh, the rice is great, the staff is nice and everything is always smooth, quick and efficient. I have an avocado allergy and they're always very accommodating. I love the low key environment, there were a lot of small families in there on a Saturday but it wasn't loud or crazy packed. I will return again, and again. I haven't tried their ramen yet but I would love to in the future. read more

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First time I ordered from here it was to go and I had the most amazing sushi roll, but cannot remember the name of it. When I went back and dined it, tried to have the amazing roll again, but was disappointed, not because of the food, but because I failed to order the same amazing roll lol. The second roll was good, but I'm still hunting down that great roll I originally had as it was one of the best I've ever had...it had a light green wrap...crazy crab maybe??? Anyway, would recommend this place for sure and if anyone figures out this roll, let me know :) read more

Good sized portion, good flavor, but a little light on the fixings, minus the noodles & red ginger. Also, on a positive note, the customer service was pretty solid. read more

Akebono - Tonkotsu Ramen. - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

I always love the place before and go often. But lately the prices increased so much. And the Salmon Karma I always ordering, all the sudden the size of it getting ridiculous small. I almost think they were joking me when they brought it out to me. For $12.95 I am paying... just gave me a crappy tiny piece? See pic below. I am speechless. I almost wanted to talk to them but my son stopped me. Ole me just don't come over anymore. read more

Akebono - My pricy but crazy super tiny salmon karma. It must be from a baby salmon!!! - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

My fiancé and I come here pretty frequently. Other reviews complain about the wait. Maybe it depends on the day of the week? Usually we do not have to wait more than 5 minutes for a table. To be fair, we go during the week for dinner. We almost always order a sushi boat for two. We love the sushi boat, because it offers a nice selection of rolls and sashimi. The fish tastes fresh too. Depending on how hungry we are, we will also order edamame and tempura veggies for appetizers. The spicy edamame is no joke, so beware! It gets hotter as you keep eating the edamame. I think the prices are pretty reasonable compared to other places. Service is always on point. It's definitely my favorite sushi spot in Sacramento. read more

Fresh sashimi, tasty chicken teriyaki. My favorite is the salted fish - saba. Over time I've stopped going to Isakaya and Sushi Cafe.

Shopping next door at Oto's Market, we were peckish for their ready-made bento box/sushi combos at their station but was closed =( thank our lucky stars for Yelper's recommendation of Akebono. Sunday afternoon @1330, 5th on the list, wait was fairly quick and we sat down after 20mins. Large large menu...appetizers, sushi, sushi boat combos, bentos, ramen, udon, soba, drinks specials...the list goes on. We ordered very many things to try. Two appetizers, sushi boat combo, cheese and corn ramen for the kid, cold soba noodles for me, and the hubby got a curry combo, surprisingly authentic Japanese food by Chinese cooks/sushi chefs. Delicious, filling, and very generous portions w/ decent prices. Sacramento has not let us down and we're surprised at all the local hidden gem restaurants in the area. Absolutely we'll be back. Service was pretty good for a busy Sunday lunch. read more

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Our favorite sushi in town! Fish is so fresh, thick slices, rolls are on point. Fish lovers, ichiro and angel roll are my favorites. My teens don't want to go anywhere else. Service is always good as well read more

A friend recommend this place and it was indeed worth it! I had tonkatsu and it was delicious! The ramen portion was bigger than I thought! Will definitely come here again! read more

Akebono is my family's go-to Japanese restaurant in the area. The quality of the food has gone down a bit over the years but we keep coming back because it's generally pretty solid. However, the to-go orders are not put together with much care. We ordered takeout today and they did not give any dipping sauce for the tonkatsu, did not give the requested side of teriyaki sauce, no soy sauce, and no napkins. Normally that would be fine if we were eating back at home where we have all those items, but this time we weren't so the experience wasn't great and the tonkatsu and salmon were very dry. It's also a bit frustrating that they do not provide you with the side of miso soup when you order a combination for takeout since you're still paying for it. We'll keep on coming back, it's just a bit frustrating since we've been customers for so many years. read more

Great service. The servers were friendly and attentive. Our food came out pretty fast. Price is reasonable for the serving size. I recommend the Dream Come True Roll and the Deluxe Sashimi Combo. I will come back here again. read more

Akebono - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Best sushi in town, such a good quality spot with good service, good vibes, and a cozy family feeling. The honeymoon roll is FIRE as is everything else on their menu. It's a regular for us read more

Akebono - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

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they have a wide variety of options on the menu for you to try! my favorites so far are the fire salmon roll, ichiro roll, and hiyashi gomoku ramen. their chicken katsu curry is also pretty rich and they gave us enough rice to last two days! lots of seating available and the staff are very attentive. read more

Akebono - hiyashi gomoku ramen - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Came here for dinner with the family. Haven't been back since pre pandemic. Reason for the two star is due to service. Service today was seriously disappointing. The front room of the restaurant was pretty empty. The back room where we were seated had its fair share of customers. When we arrived we put our name down on the list. We were literally top on the list. We were eventually seated in the back and given menus. We ordered our food and waited. Literally waited 30 minutes for part of our order to come out which were two bowl of ramen, Agedashi Tofu, the side miso soup and salad that came with the sashimi dinner. My order was the ramen so I ate my bowl of noodle. We feed the little ones with us the other bowl. I finished eating as they also finished the side dishes. We sat there literally for another 30 minutes after that fact that I've already finished my food and the rest still did not come out. We waved down a staff and per her remarks, due to us not at the sushi counter our order is taking longer. Totally BS. After saying that to us the big party behind us that arrived after us, their sushi rolls came out and was served to their table. Family members were getting upset and pretty much said if their order doesn't come out within the next 10 minutes after the other table got theirs they were going to cancel the order and leave. Their order finally came out after an hour putting in the order. They ate and we left. I don't plan to go back anytime soon since service was so poor. read more

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My favorite sushi spot in Sacramento. Most of my friends love Mikunis but I prefer Akebono when I have the chance. It's a little bit of a drive for me to get to Akebono but it's worth it. read more

Always exceptional service and food. Cannot make a wrong choice with anything on the menu :)

I'm providing an extra star (for 2 total) because the miso soup was very good and the server was friendly. I ordered the dream roll. First, each individual maki is about 3" x 3", far too big to fit into any human mouth. It requires a minimum of 4 separate bites. A big part of the sushi experience is the mix of flavors in a single bite, however, that's impossible when the piece is so large it can't hold together let alone fit in a mouth with two bites or less. For the first time in my life I only ate half of my meal. Sadly it was the most expensive roll on the menu. Sometimes more is definitely less. There was way too much going on with this roll. read more

My favorite ramen. Always great service, too. The space is cozy, but spread out enough to have plenty of privacy. Highly recommend!

I found a pubic hair in my roll. I asked for the restaurant to review the issue. They said no one had curly hairs. The manager Mr. Ho charged me for the roll. . Disgusting! read more

Akebono - Pubic Hair in Roll - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Hands down the best tan tan men ramen in Sac. I frequent here regularly and with many different groups of people. No one has not loved this place. When I think of Sacramento dining over the years Akebono holds a very special place in my heart. I have never left unhappy and in some strange way brings a lot of comfort upon visiting read more

The Katsu Don was delicious. The service was good. They have a large dining area split up into 2 rooms. Highly recommend.

Tonkotsu ramen was great, take was a bit weird in a styrofoam sandwich container but maybe ran out of take out bowls. Flavorful.

My most favorite Japanese restaurant in Sac! Everything is quality and authentic. Japanese curry is amazing and sushi rolls are always good. Wasabi is perfect too! read more

We came about 5 minutes after they opened on the weekend and so many customers were already seated!! It was our first time coming here and it did not disappoint! SO WORTH THE MONEY! My boyfriend got their sashimi and it was thick slices! He ordered two rolls instead of one thinking the sashimi slices would be thin but it was filling him up before touching his rolls! However, I do wish their rolls were more different from each other. It seemed like some rolls were the same and maybe only the sauce or one filling was different. (Only reasons why I'm not giving it a 5 star.) The customer service was perfect! They were kind and friendly, we left a generous tip! It was so good that we even ordered take-out! The restaurant was also clean and the atmosphere and decorations was just amazing! We will definitely be back! read more

Katsu Curry: Rice was slightly cold. Pork was slightly over cooked. But otherwise, plating is excellent, portions are large. Pickled vegetables on the side were a nice touch. Takoyaki: Perfect. read more

Akebono - Takoyaki and Katsu curry. - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Rude. We showed up hoping to dine in. We stood at the door waiting to be acknowledged. The restaurant was not busy. 3 tables occupied. The waiters and waitress saw us standing there. No one greeted us. One waiter walked right past us, said nothing as he helped a pick up order carry out. After a good few minutes past one waiter informs us they are closed. It was 820pm, online says closes at 10pm. With as many employees that were working, whether the restaurant is closed or not, they should of acknowledged that customers came in and greet them. Even Walmart greets customers as soon as they walk in. Thanks to the rudeness and turning us away, we went to Sushi Cafe, and had the best experience there. Even though Sushi Cafe was full, we still had great services. We had multiple employees take care of us and they were all so friendly and amazing. Yay Sushi Cafe. read more

Akebono - Sashimi and Sushi at Sushi Cafe. Yummy yummy yummy. - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Been going here for years and years. The pandemic changed how things were served...take-out only. You really didn't get to see how the quality of the food was until you got home. One bad take-out and I chocked it up to a fluke. Gave it 2 more tries, and I'm thinking this is their new normal. Their sushi has avocado slices that are so thin and have brown spots from breaking down; not enough rice in the rolls; and the fish is marginally fresh (no longer glistening with a clean ocean smell...I get the Hamachi-Lover). The prices have gone up by 20% across the board. Time to find a new Japanese eatery. read more

I like their food. I usually go to suki sushi in elk grove. But it's pretty far for me and my dad recommended this place and their food hits the spot. And it's very authentic inside. I like all of their oriental pictures on the wall. Their portion size is really big. I'd definitely recommend this place if you live in the neighborhood. read more

had the chicken katsu curry and it was served in a very big bowl, which i didn't expect. It was alright, it wasn't the best, it wasn't the worst. read more

Akebono - the wall - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

I was surprised by the quality of the fish. It was very fresh and the pieces had great appearance and texture. The sushi rice was good, though I've had better. Just lacked a bit of vinegar tang but it was still very good. Portions were generous with large pieces of fish. Toppings were well proportioned. No drowning the fish with sauce that has begun to be more prevalent IMO. Furthermore, the rolls had some unique cpmbos and the service was fast and courteous. All-in-all, it's my new fave in the area! Ordering again RN! read more

We got a dream boat and chirashi bowl. Loved the dream boat roll, but the chirashi bowl was pretty small for what we paid for.

I haven't been here in a long time, mainly because I don't live near the restaurant. But my wife and I stopped by today for lunch. The server was very friendly and gave great service. I got the croquette curry and my wife got the teriyaki salmon and sushi lunch special. The portions were very big and everything was delicious. I forgot how good the curry was. We'll be taking our son there soon for ramen. read more

The food and service was good. People are nice there. Depending on what you like. This spot is not bad. I would say, it's a bit more on the traditional side of tasting versus the more modern style of tastes. It's definitely a thumbs up!! read more

I think we had high expectations due to the 5star reviews. Tonkatsu black ramen was good, Chicken karaage was served late and the rest of our order is ok. read more

Akebono - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

I've been here multiple times and keep forgetting to right a review. This is my go to spot for sushi in Sacramento. You're going to have to wait if you come right at lunch or dinner, but believe me the wait is worth it. Their staff is very friendly and always making sure everything is right. The fish always seem fresh. Quite frankly everything here is on point. Wait until you see the size of the rolls! The prices are reasonable. It's hard to top this place. Their vegetarian options are limited so beware! read more

Akebono - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Fish very fresh tasting! Had chirashi enjoyed it and the atmosphere. The service was also spot on