Food tasted cheap like a dollar tree steak the bento box was tiny for 20 $ you only get 3 shrimp tempura service was good but food took a really long time to get to me like 45 min it was cold not impressed at all I well not be coming back here it's awful read more

Akebono - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Dream Come True Roll is not what it used to be. The roll used to be 3 types of fish( tuna, Hamachi, salmon) shrimp tempura. Seems like after the change in owners a few years ago the quallity has gradually deteriorated. What I got today in the roll were the end pieces of fish. The tuna was the scrapings normally used in tuna maki. The salmon was the trimmings from the preparation of the salmon block for nigiri sushi. The other type of fish I could not honestly tell was hamachi. The shrimp tempura was replaced with imitation crab. If this was a AYCE sushi menu item then I wouldn't have a problem with it...but this is a $20.00 roll with tax. This was a take out order..so okay I would allow for differences in presentation vs sit down version. Dream Come True has become a Nightmare. Compare the pictures and decide for yourself. read more

Akebono - Dream Come True from years past. - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

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This was my first time eating here, but based on today's meal, I'll be back. I had the Challenge Ramen (Very Hot), which was Tonkotsu Ramen in a spicy sauce with fish cake and veggies (mushrooms, cabbage, onions, and carrots). It normally comes with chicken, but I asked to substitute pork (no problem). The broth was thick, spicy, and delicious, as was the entire dish - excellent. My DH had a lunch special, Spicy Chicken with Tempura. He said the Tempura was perfect: two large shrimps, and three large veggies (broccoli, potato, and a third one he couldn't remember!). The chicken was all skinless, white meat, and there was a LOT of it, along with half a dozen or so mushroom pieces, and some cabbage. The spicy sauce wasn't nearly as spicy as mine, but there was a small kick to it. However, it did not penetrate the chicken, leaving the chicken somewhat tasteless unless he could scoop up some sauce with it. Service was excellent - efficient, friendly, and attentive. Prices were reasonable. Overall an excellent experience. read more

Akebono - Challenge Ramen (with pork substituted for chicken) - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Akebono used to be the best sushi spot in the city pre-pandemic but after today's experience, it's just ok. Food prices have drastically increased while portions decreased. The overall taste of the food has went down a bit as well. The Hamchi was so cold it was almost still frozen and the ramon was bland. Service was the worst it's ever been. No refills on drinks and we had to wait for our check as our server ate at the bar behind us. Sadly I don't think we'll be back. read more

The great circle of life.... The fish lives, the fish is caught, the fish is enjoyed... Wait that isn't right... The fish swims in water, the fish is caught and pulled out of water, and then the fish is enjoyed with that pristine delicious glass of water. Come enjoy akebono with water so refreshing that it makes you feel like a fish yourself. read more

Akebono - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

The service was fast and the place was clean. The food was ok. Something did not agree with me . read more

Akebono - Tonkotsu ramen - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Super yummy! We had a reservation for 15 people and of course it's a hard time trying to get tables together for that, so we did have a bit of a wait. But as we waited I noticed there was a lot of people waiting, coming in and signing in on the list. This place reminded me of a Izakaya restaurant. Lots of choices. I decided to try their ika gesso, which was super delicious, the soft shell crab, salmon lovers combo and the fish lovers roll. Between my boyfriend and I this was enough food. As we waited we also ordered beer and sake. But the Japanese waiter did was great job! With such a big party as she delivered food she knew where it was going and as for check splits we handled that beforehand. So everything was smooth. I would come back! read more

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We had the boat .Not as good as it used to be . The sashimi didn't taste as fresh like it used to .

The sushi is super fresh! I recommend getting anything with raw fish. The spicy tuna roll was really fresh and buttery with the perfect amount of spice. We ordered loveboat 1 and ended up taking some of the raw sushi home. When I ate it the next day the sushi still tasted very fresh- which is something that usually doesn't happen with raw fish. The quality of the food is very good, my only reservation is that the sushi is a bit read more

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Positives: prices were ok - I think most sushi plates were $10-$15, with ramen being slightly under $10. The ramen noodle soups were filling so that was great! Wait was 15+ minutes on Friday night but service was good. Moderate sized-interior. Good place for small groups and date nights. Negatives: parking is somewhat difficult in this parking lot. read more

I love this place. It's a consistent and delicious neighborhood restaurant. Everyone's kind and attentive even during the busiest times.

My go-to udon spot! Love this place. I honestly love their sashimi and sushi dishes, but the udon always gets me. I can't find udon in Sacramento that is comparable, so I always end up opting against sushi. Another thing that I can't seem to get over here, is their sake bombs! For some reason their sake bombs are just better. I know it's just beer and sake, but it must be the tap beer or the kind of sake they use? Overall great service and food. read more

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Restroom smells like urine that has not been cleaned for days! If the restroom is dirty and smelly! Imagine, the lack of care and sanitation in the making and preparing the food, nasty! read more

I love eating the sushi rolls here...Probably one of my favorite places to go for sushi rolls. A lot of their rolls here are very tasty and good. The one I always have to order is the "dream come true" roll. I believe its their most or one of the most expensive rolls on their menu...but its yummy! You get 3 types of fish...and a whole lotta other stuff stuffed in the roll. It's a roll where you can't each piece in one bite...it takes 2-3 bites. Staff here are always friendly...i don't believe i've had one bad interaction. Each time I've been there, they're always cheerful, friendly and very patient. They let you look at the menu and are open to any questions you have. The wait time here is pretty crazy during peak hours (roughly between 6:00-8:00). There are times i've had to wait for about an hour for a table...and that was for a party of two. Overall, a great place for sushi. I will be back. =) read more

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This is my favorite Japanese restaurants in town. Unlike many Japanese restaurants and Ramen places with Americanized or fusion menus, Akebono gets the traditional Japanese food right and serve them well. They keep their restaurants environment very Japanese and I really appreciate that. My favorite thing they have is Gomoku Ramen and Champon Ramen - you don't see these ramen at most Ramen shop. Also Chirashi Sushi. Definitely Sushi is great. None like the ones that relies on un-Japanese Sushi like saucey or fried ones. If you want real Japanese food, this is the place! read more

Akebono - Gomoku Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Black garlic ramen is superb! Great flavor and wonderful service! There's a large back room that's not visible from the front. Also tried the curry udon which was tasty too, but the black garlic ramen was impressive! read more

Fast service. Good prices. This place is definitely americanized Japanese food. Got the pork tonkatsu bento box with tempera. Most noteworthy item is their delicately fried, deliciously crispy tempera :) Will be back if I am in the area and hungry after grocery shopping at Oto market. read more

I love the noodles and ramen here! The avocado maki rolls and the Tan Tan Men are my two favorite go tos. My husband loves the challenge ramen and said its close to the hell ramen we used to get in the south bay. The black garlic ramen is also so yummy. Their sushi is all high end fresh ingredients. You really can't go wrong here choosing anything off the menu and they have so many different choices. It can get super busy when they open for dinner, so beware if going in for sit down. read more

It was my first time yesterday at Akebono, and it was such a delight. Everyone was so friendly, the restaurant was clean and the food was very good! Our server was very patient with us and was very attentive after we received our food. I will be coming back!!!! read more

Stopped in with a friend today for lunch. The waiter was able to answer all my questions and since I have adopted a whole food, plant based lifestyle and cannot eat certain food groups, I had a few. If he did not know the answer, he went and checked for me. My friend ordered the dragon roll (the larger roll in the photos) and a couple smaller rolls, green tea, a sparkling alcohols beverage (pictured below as well), and miso soup. She loved the dragon roll! I ordered the coquettes (potato and veggies) and agedashi tofu donburi. The coquettes I could pass on next time, but the agedashi don was so good! I took half of the don and two out of three coquettes home with me. The menu is expansive, with things from appetizers to ramen to udon/soba, to don, to sashimi to rolls and beyond. The place is cute and clean, with a general seating area in front, and a separate room for parties or overflow. Overall we had a great experience here. read more

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I came here for my birthday and honestly I really wanted to try to the deluxe chirashi but they took that out ): they also took out the amaebi shrimp that used to be included in the deluxe chirashi and deluxe sashimi plates. They were also out of uni unfortunately. I was honestly surprised since we went at around 6 and it wasn't that late yet. The fish was still very fresh though and I still enjoyed it much to my disappointment. If you're looking for sushi rolls and nigiri, I believe this place is still good to go. read more

Akebono - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

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I hadn't been here in many years because I wasn't impressed with my last meal but thought I'd give it another try. And was craving some good beef sukiyaki which is hard to find in Sacramento these days. Anyway what a downer! Broth was pretty good but the beef was low quality and tough. For $20? not happy. Don't go here if you want high quality, authentic Japanese food. read more

Had dinner here on a busy Friday night. Has to wait about 10 minutes before getting seated which is not to bad for a weekend evening. We were seated and waited a bit for someone to take our order. Our party of 3 decided to share one of the sushi boats and my niece got the beef udon. Her udon arrived first and it was amazing! The broth was so flavorful with tender pieces of beef and caramelized onions. Poor thing ended up sharing her meal with us. But it was a huge serving and in the end, we couldn't even finish it. Our sushi boat was pretty impressive. It had sashimi, rolls and nigiri along with generous amount of cucumber salad, rice and miso soup. The sashimi was fresh and tender. The spicy tuna roll was a group favorite. My personal fave was the unagi nigiri. I'm not usually a fan of eel because of the little bones but theirs didn't have any. The unagi was perfectly prepared. I just wish there was more than 2 pieces because I wanted more. The restaurant is very nicely decorated. Staff as friendly. Our server ended her shift halfway through our meal so we had to flag down other staff to get refills or water. All in all, a great first experience and can't wait to return again. read more

Where do I start..... U da bomb. I love sushi so much and am so happy to find a place so close to home. Kind of a hole in the wall, hidden in between Rite-Aid and the dollar store. Food: This is my favorite close to home sushi restaurant, either for a quick bite or a whole meal. The chef and servers are all very helpful! Accommodating to whatever my needs will be. Fish is always so fresh and so tasty, I never leave unsatisfied. Service: Shoutout to Huy! Best time is when I get to sit at the bar and he makes me whatever he feels like, always amazing btw... check my pic below :) Service is great, people are always checking up, making sure you've got everything you need. I always feel so welcome! I always recommend this place to my friends out of town. I will be back soon ....... read more

Akebono - Chef Special Mixed Nigiri - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Looking at the reviews of Akebono, I was expecting to have a really nice Japanese food dining experience. "ehhhhhh" is really the only way I can express myself with this restaurant. From what I experienced last night, there really isn't much to rave about. Akebono is located in a strip mall plaza and has a pretty sizable dining area. There is a main dining area that you see when you walk in the door and also a larger extended area further back. I was with a large party so we were seated in the back area where it was easy to push tables together. The servers were nice, but for a large party like ours, I felt like we didn't get a whole lot of attention. The servers came very sporadically. In fact, many of us had to wait for even our menus to be given to us since we hadn't seen our server since we were first seated. I'll chalk all that up to a big group being hard to serve - which is fine, I guess. Akebono serves up a variety of Japanese fare. You can get bento boxes, ramen noodle bowls, sushi/sashimi and the like here. The menu is quite extensive and there is a lot of options, but I none of the food really stood out as being a cut above the rest or a reason to go to the restaurant for. As a group, we ordered a ton of things from the menu. Quite a few of us got ramen, but upon inspection, the quality of the ramen items was quite low. Tastes were bland and uninspired. The same could be said of the rolls. They did not come out tasting fresh - they were more akin to something you could find at a grocery store in terms of quality. The ramen was priced decently, but the rolls were priced at a point that did not match expectations. In terms of the bento box, it came with rice, sesame chicken, and mixed tempura. The tempura was oily while the chicken was... how can I describe this... flabby? It just didn't look good or have a nice texture to it. This was a dish that I decided not to finish as it just wasn't that good. I was disappointed at Akebono's dining experience. There are many, many other Japanese restaurants in Sacramento that are better choice and for a better price. Sadly, I won't be returning to Akebono. read more

Akebono - Sashimi. - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

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The service was great and loved the sushi. Got the Nancy Roll and the Gyoza. The place is big but has a small feel to it. Highly recommend. read more

Lunch items are affordable.. more so than dinner. They have a plenty of indoor dining. Sushi is more expensive than what I'm used to. I got the Sukiyaki udon but chicken was very dry. Broth and veggies were good. Kids got sushi which was good and well-presented. read more

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One of my favorite sushi spots off the grid. Tucked away on Freeport is a sushi experience worth trying! The menu is diverse with sushi, teriyaki dishes and very generous bowls of ramen. They also have sake and beer available to go along with the sashimi. You will notice how friend the service is as each one greets you. The service is prompt and quick. It is also a very clean establishment. Be aware on the weekends, it get very packed. Be ready to wait a little bit but not too long as they have seating in the back as well. All in all I love this place. I'm here at least once a month. read more

Akebono - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Although I've given them three stars on my previous visits, Akebono has grown on me! I've visited on many occasions and I'm a believer! The menu is extensive, everything to my Japanese hearts desire! We've ordered the Sushi Lover's Boat, quite impressive! Not sure what I was more impressed with? The expediency of the sushi chef or the beautiful display of sushi and rolls. Surely, it's more than enough sushi for two. So fresh, delicious! Oh lord, the slices of sashimi, are melt in your mouth, fresh! Damn thick slices too! The bento box lunches are generous and cooked to perfection! The Bento box lunches are a good value too. I used to think that the many food choices were a fault, but now I think it's a good thing. There's sushi, lots of noodle choices, (from ramen, Yakisoba, udon, sukiyaki, soba), tempura, curry, lunch and dinner combinations. So many choices, and all of it is satisfying. Plus, the service is on point, with so many employees, you're never neglected. The place is always busy but we've never had a long wait time for our orders. I love Mikuni's but I'm beginning to love Akebono's more! Wish there were more Akebono's everywhere! read more

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I've been here a couple of times, but my most recent visit was just okay. We were seated in the other room, which was for the most part empty. Not all of our food arrived at the same time. We were nearly done eating when my sister received her dinner. I had the Spicy Chicken with Tempura. Not a fan of the dish at all. It's very rare that I don't finish my entire meal, as I hate wasting food. I wouldn't recommend this plate to anyone. You'll be disappointed. The mixed veggies with chicken was underwhelming, not the best spices. My parents are frequent visitors here. Even they were a bit disappointed with the service. Our waiter was decent, but she didn't come back to fill our waters until the very end of dinner. I think it's comparable to most Japanese restaurants. The restraurant's decor is average and nothing over the top. If you're there, you're there for the food. Great parking, with no hassles. read more

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That's right. I am a regular and how many updated reviews? Who knows? I came in with a PART OF 2 I ordered the Curry Chicken Japanese Style and the person I was with ordered the ZARU SOBA. MY DISH Oh boy. It was delicious. I ordered this dish because it was on special and when the waitress mentioned that it was the special, I couldnt help it. My mouth was watering. The dish came in that nice curry sauce drenched over the chicken, some potatos, charrots, and onions with steamed white sticky rice. I didnt want anything fancy that evening. I just wanted to taste what was familiar to me. CAME FROM HAWAII and yes this was the dish that was memorable. Grew up in Hawaii and that place has connected ties with Japan, so the way they cook certain foods....it always reminded me of home. CONCLUSION I enjoyed my Curry Chicken. It was delicious. Here is for those people who are from Hawaii. You miss the curry dishes? They cook it similar. Feels like home. read more

Akebono - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Sometimes a girl just needs some good sushi. Having tried numerous sushi/Japanese places all over Sac, I have been sampling some of the offerings in the Land Park, So. Sac area. Which brings me to Akebono, located in a mini-mall right off Freeport Blvd, it is easy to get to and near other restaurants. I have been here three times, but the last dining experience was the best! This is really a 4.5 star review.....combining EXCELLENT customer service with fresh, delicious food. While I love carbs, my butt does not, so I go easy on the starches. I miss having sushi rolls with traditional rice, but I usually order other items when I hit a Japanese spot. I was craving a roll so bad, and I had seen (in pics only) that a good sushi chef can make rolls without the rice. It is harder, but can be done. Having asked at 2 other places if the chef would do this, and being told, "no", I was a little discouraged. What is the point without rice you might ask? I get the fish, the filings and everything a roll has to offer without the starch. I asked the server if there was ANY WAY they could make me a roll without rice, using soy wrap or just seaweed. She asked the sushi chef, and told me I could order ANY roll I wanted, and he would wrap it in cucumber. SERIOUSLY? I was so excited like a kid in a candy store! ANY roll? WOW! I ordered the Ichiro Roll (Seared tuna & avocado roll topped w/ salmon, green onion & special sauces) and the Cali Roll (real crab!) and they came wrapped in cucumber. I encourage anyone, even those who love rice, to try it this way. It is so fresh and delicious, the fish melted in my mouth. The crab was real, not imitation. The SO got his fave, the Tan-Tan Men and it was spiced to perfection and filled with the traditional noodles, pork, and veggies. They do not skimp on their ramen here. He also ordered the Philly roll ,one of my faves. I have had their soup, bento, and now rolls. All are amazing. The prices are reasonable, and the customer service was A+. The only reason this is really a 4.5 review is due to our previous experience, with spotty service. During peak hours there will be a line, sometimes spilling out the door. I try to get there before or after. Top notch food with great service! read more

Akebono - Holiday decor - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

They are finally open for dine in. We've eaten here numerous times already, before Covid hits. Place is always busy. As expected their food never disappoint me.. Everyone is seated on every other table which is great. read more

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First things, first - don't expect to cash out small amounts of money for eating here. There are some good deals, but if you want delicious and unique tasting rolls, I would advise against being conservative with money here .. be daring and open to trying something new. What really caught my eye as well as taste buds were the caterpillar and "dream come true" roll. The caterpillar roll resembled an actual caterpillar , except in a much more tasty and edible version. I actually took pictures of it, so I will post it onto to Yelp soon. The next roll that made my taste buds do a back flip in my mouth was the famous "dream come true" roll that was also tried by many other fellow Yelpers. This roll had bits of sashimi in it, and even my friend who couldn't stand raw fish, fell in love with this roll. Beware, though, if you do try it, it's a big roll! I really wanted to give this place five stars, but my wallet will probably bite a chunk of my thigh off the next time it's in my pocket. I mean, the service here was excellent and the waiters were always attentive. My friend and i sat at the bar, and they literally checked in with us every 3-5 minutes, asking if we needed anything else or if the food was good. You can bet we tipped well for the attention. read more

Akebono - So cute and yummy! - Japanese Near Me - Sacramento, California

Next door to one of our favorite Chinese places Akebono was well overdue a visit. There was a short wait for a table as the place was packed for Saturday lunch. The fact Akebono offers its lunch menu on the weekends was probably one of the main reasons it was this crowded. With sever tables and a sushi bar there is probably room for 50-60 people max. The menu offered a variety of ramen noodle, udon noodle, rice bowls, bentos and sushi. The lunch specials were your standard teriyaki dishes with soup, salad, rice and vegetable tempura. For $1 more you could have combo tempura which included two shrimp. My wife tried the shiyouki style grilled shabu aka mackerel. Although tasty there were only two very small slices of mackerel. The miso, salad and rice were all well executed and tasty. The tempura was very fresh and probably the best thing on the plate. My daughter had the teriyaki salmon and her portion of fish was a little bit larger than the shabu. Although the food was good I dont believe it was worth $8.95. I tried the Nabeyaki Udon which was a boiling hot bowl of soft tasty udon in a pork broth served with two tempura shrimp, one shitake mushroom, chicken and nappa cabbage. The broth was pretty much too hot to eat our whole stay and I burned my tongue trying to chow down some of its goodness. Although priced high at $12.95 I would order it again. Vanilla Sky Roll $8.50 a sushi roll with thinly sliced cucumber, spicy scallop and crab salad. This roll was solid but needed some kick to add another dimension. Lobster :something" a roll with mango, crab salad, avocado and tiny pieces of lobster. At $13.95 the amount of lobster on this roll was embarrassingly small. Overall this place rate 3.5 Stars, the service was fast and adequate but the prices are a little on the high side considering the amount of food you get. The highlight of Akebono was definately the Udon, everything else was just average. I recommend coming here for the Udon. read more

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The food was really good. The staff was also very kind and they did a good job. The place is pretty big. We had a party of 10 and they had no issue getting us seats. Also, there is a lot of different food option for any one who is not into sushi. read more

I've been to this Japanese restaurant a few times with family and friends. If you're planning to go with a large group of people, I recommend that you make reservations in advance. They get busy, especially on the weekends. My friends and I went there last night, and we ordered a couple appetizers. We got the Shrimp Balls and Cucumber Wrap. The Shrimp Balls were good. The Cucumber Wrap was gorgeous, but it was very difficult to eat, because everything kept falling out (it was messsssyyyy.... ). I got the Nancy Roll and I was a bit disappointed. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't memorable. I will try a different sushi roll next time. read more

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Covid dine in option with front and back room options. The back room smelled weird...maybe from cleaning products. Food: I had a lunch bento box with Saba and sashimi. The grilled Saba tastes great and the sashimi was thick especially for lunch special standards Awesome roll: delicious. Spicier than I thought even though I think it only had 1 pepper next to it...order if you like spicy! Overall a good little sushi place in pocket minus the smell. read more

My top authentic Japanese restaurant! The employees were super respectful and accommodating. We went a few times and always get the boat. We love the variety it comes with and the quality of the fish was perfect each time. I love the cozy and homy feeling when we go, it feels like we're in Japan! The price is typical for a boat and we don't mind having leftovers to take home. I recommend this for anyone that would like to try legit Japanese food! read more

I have ordered a bunch of stuff on this place's menu and I think I have pretty much liked all of it. I have had several of the ramen bowls but the best one I think is the spicy miso. It's really flavorful and has a great spiciness to it. The last time I went I got a bento box with teriyaki salmon. That was really good and they left the skin on. I kinda have a thing for skin. Chicken skin, salmon skin... It's all so fatty and tasty. My b/f likes to order the different roaster collars on fishes. If you haven't tried roasted fish collar, you don't know what you are missing out on! It's pretty darn tasty. Another thing I like are the squid fries! They are fried squid tentacles. I love those. All the sushi rolls I have had there are only okay. I feel like it's pretty pricy and not necessarily all that good. Although the one roll that I did find here that I have never had before was one that contained fried unagi. It was pretty good. I think I would order that again, but probably not any of the other rolls I have gotten there previously. The fish always seems fresh though, even if the sushi recipes are not all that tasty. read more