First time with Aki..omg..best food ever! But chef & crew...unbelievable! My new "every time" caterer.. read more

I have been to so many events over the years. You know exactly what you are going to get.. then there is Akioni's, very unique, great people and great food. One of the best events I went to because of the food. I hope to run into them again in the future. read more

Amazing hibachi-style food (think "Benihana-style"), excellent service & overall unique and FUN experience! Akioni Catering is like no other catering service I've ever experienced--they exceeded my expectations and all my guests were so impressed and wanted to know where I found them (Yelp! So many great reviews!). Not only was the food incredibly delicious, but their down-to-earth professionalism and Aki's (the owner/chef) fun personality (including ukulele & singing skills!) really took the whole experience to another level! This party was for my aunt's 80th birthday celebration with 21 guests, and Aki and his crew really made the event a truly memorable one! They offer different types of set ups and entertainment which I definitely will be looking into in the future (thinking fun party or parties for the under 80 crowd next! lol But this was just as lively! lol) Check them out! I have and they won me and my guests over! Thank you for making my party a great success Akioni Catering! See you again soon! :) read more

Aki catered for our wedding! Although our venue had limited resources for cooking (there was no prep kitchen/refrigerator), Aki and his team were able to create AMAZING sushi (such high-quality, and I am pretty "snobby" with my sushi lol) and appetizers for our cocktail hour, and even some chow mein/yakisoba for our wedding dinner! Everything was so delicious, and I can't believe Aki and his team were able to make everything without a kitchen! In the months before the wedding, Aki came to scope out the venue in order to prepare for his service and map out how he would best serve our guests for our wedding! He really takes his job seriously, and I love that about him. Also, I am definitely one to penny-pinch! And Aki understood that I was stressing about the finances that come with a wedding, so he gave us an option to pay in cash in order to save money! And all the food that was left over was boxed and ready to be taken home by the guests! SUCH A NICE TOUCH :') I loved that, especially since I hate to waste food! Aki was just such a pleasure to work with, so friendly and warm. He even came out during our reception dinner to say hello and make sure everyone was okay with the food! What a wonderful chef. I will definitely coming back to Aki to cater for my future events! Such DELICIOUS food and a lovely person to work with. read more

You must book Aki now! OMG, people are still talking about the food. Aki and his cooks came in and took over my kitchen. Aggi said his grills outside in the back yard. They proceeded to prepare from scratch, past appetizers, including a breaded shrimp that was amazing, delish teriyaki, steak, and veggie eggrolls. Then they brought out a selection of fresh sushi. But wait, there's more! A delicious tri-tip dish and a wonderful broth. Noodles with vegetables, were a huge hit as well. Chicken dumplings better than any Chinese restaurant I've ben to. Not to mention Aki is so fun to work with! His cooks were great as well. I'm so happy I had some leftovers! Mahalo, Aki for making my party extraordinary! read more

This company catered my cousin's bridal shower. The food was excellent and the staff was very friendly and helpful and polite.

Chef Aki!!! He is one of the best to ever do it. We were able to have him and his team cater a college graduation party and they did not disappoint. Leading up to the event, Aki was very good at communicating and answering any questions we had. We were able to come up with a version of the Hawaiian package that best suited the event. On the day of the event, he and his team showed up about two and a half hours before they served and set up in the garage to begin cooking. They then made some of the best Hawaiian food I have ever had! Everything was cooked to perfection and had the guests raving. The food was served on time, and we had more than enough food for a party of 50 to come for seconds and thirds. On top of the great food was amazing service! Chef Aki and his other two chefs were super personable and very nice to all the guests. They offered to help finish setting up, and even brought little flowers to give to all the guests since it was Hawaiian-themed! Once they finished cooking, they went around and talked to all the guests, and even help collect trash. Chef Aki truly cared about the food, making sure everything that was served was fresh and tasted delicious. Chef Aki's food and service were truly amazing and made the graduation party that much better. We are super thankful for him and his chefs and will be sure to hire him back for our next big event! read more

Aki did a fantastic Job from planning to clean up. Very clean, well organized, and an excellent showman with a charismatic personality. Food was delicious, his dim sum and sauces were so good, and his sushi was so beautiful and fresh, and the steak and chicken with the fried rice and vegetables noodles was exciting to watch being prepared with a just as tasty and satisfying. Treat your family and friends to his awesome experience. 5 stars. read more

We hired aki and his crew to cater a big birthday party for about 30 adults and 10 kids. They were super professional and went out of their way to ensure each and every one of our guests felt comfortable and engaged! Aki is super friendly and personable and his engaging personality really helped set the tone for a fantastic birthday celebration. The food he prepared was delicious and the portions were enormous! The servers were very pleasant and personable as well. Overall this was one of the best catering services I have ever hired. Great food and even better staff! I highly recommend them and look forward to booking them again in the future! read more

We had such an amazing experience with Aki. His staff is amazing. It wasn't even just the food we loved - they were so fun and so sweet to all our guests. Everyone wanted to know who they were. The next time I am having a party, I will absolutely use them and if they were booked, I would change the date of my party before I would go elsewhere. read more

Aki was awesome! We had a small wedding 50 guests, and we couldn't have been happier to have worked with him. We hired him for hibachi and sushi and everything was just delicious! My family was excited and everyone loved it. Not to mention, Aki is a total people person and was approachable, kind and lovable. We can't wait to hire him again for or future events- thank you so much Aki! read more

Aki and his staff did an amazing job for our office party. The food was delicious and the service was great. We will definitely be using him again! read more

Everything everyone has said is true! We had a memorial reception for my mom for 75 people and everything was perfect. We are Japanese American and so were most of the guests, and everyone raved about the food. It was fresh, high quality and had an authentic taste. Everything was beautifully presented and served. Aki and the assistant chefs were friendly and attentive. They were constantly cutting fresh sushi rolls and making little platters that were convenient for people to pick up and take to their table. They made small bento boxes for people to take home and were spotless in their cleanup. Aki has a warm and engaging personality. He showed great ingenuity when there was no onsite cooking permitted at the reception location. He cared so much that the food was served hot and the fried food not soggy that you will have to ask him about his creative solution! He just exemplified a person doing whatever it takes to please his customer while maintaining his high standards. Many people asked me how I found him (his #1 rating on Yelp for "Japanese catering") and I hope he gets many new customers as a result of our gathering. read more

I had Akioni's Catering cater my 30th Birthday. My guests raved about the food. Akioni was great about developing a menu that would satisfy all my guests, came to our home and oversaw all the cooking. Would defiantly use Akioni's again in the future! read more

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We attended a dinner party that Akioni's was facilitating. We all created sushi and have the best time! Aki was so much fun, kept the entire experience entertaining and at the end of the sushi lesson, we all ate like kings. I would highly recommend Aki to cater my next event!!!! read more

Akioni's Catering - Sushi making party! - Caterers Near Me

Aki is an old family friend, and I am so thrilled that we decided to hire him as our wedding caterer. Not only is he kind, funny, and easy to work with, but he and his team members are top-notch chefs! They served sushi rolls and tempura shrimp during cocktail hour and then dinner was a buffet of teriyaki chicken, fried rice, chow mien, egg rolls, and crispy shrimp, and WOW! It was a delicious meal, and we had plenty to go around plus leftovers. Aki's set up is very professional and elegant as well. If you hire Aki as your wedding caterer, you will not be disappointed! read more

I live in the S.F. Bay Area, but needed to arrange a bridal shower for my daughter down in the L.A. area. I found Aki through Yelp, and was so glad I did! Number one-- he's a first-rate chef, and prepares a meal that he himself would enjoy. Number two-- he goes above and beyond meal prep, i.e., slicing and plating my mother's homemade sushi and preparing to-go bento boxes for guests to take leftover food home. Number three-- he has a winning personality, and mingled with guests in a friendly, but non-intrusive way. He helps create the kind of happy, welcoming party vibe that any host strives to achieve. Number four-- he and his helper cleaned up after themselves superbly. And number five-- you get the impression that the party's success is as important to him as it is to you. You cannot go wrong with Aki. Great food, prepared with sincerity and earnestness, prepared by a warm and friendly man. That's an impressive skill set, and it was worth every penny. read more

We were so honored to have Aki and his superb crew at my beachside wedding. Aki and his crew delivered great service that makes you feel as though he is part of your own family. In the midst of the busyness that comes from a wedding, Aki made sure that my bride and I had something to eat. Our guests truly enjoyed having Aki and the team cater at our wedding. Many of our guests raved about the appetizers and the entrees that were served. At our wedding we had the ahi tower, vegetable egg rolls, edamame hummus and for the main entree we had chicken and steak which were amazing. The selections were are all around so delicious that we had a hard time picking at first hand. You definitely won't be disappointed with any of the selections that you choose. If you are looking for a catering service for either a party, wedding, or birthday, I would definitely recommend Aki and his team. read more

I have coordinated events with Aki for the past year. He was so much fun to work with and his food is AMAZING. He is so kind and very personable with guests. The hand rolls he makes are fantastic. I wish I could hire him to cook for me every day of my life! read more

I cannot say enough about Aki... He catered our Hawaiian-themed wedding reception this past June and guests are still raving about his amazing food. There were so many options- sushi, poke, salad, egg rolls, stir-fry, BBQ and dessert - everyone went home pleasantly full :-) He was extremely thorough in his planning to create a seamless evening full of wonderful food & drinks, and for a great price. I would highly recommend his services for any event! read more

We hired Aki to cater my wife's 60th birthday party and I cannot praise him, his service and most of all, the FOOD - enough. All 25 people at the party raved about the food, from the sushi appetizers to the teriyaki chicken. Everything on the menu was a hit. "Michael" was our chef. He arrived three hours in advance and prepared everything fresh in our kitchen and everything went off without a hitch. I would recommend Aki without reservation to anyone looking to cater a small or large event with a "difference". Most of our friends are now sushi crazy, so having freshly made sushi at a small event like this was truly unique. read more

I have hired/worked with Akioni's Catering on several events. I keep referring them to my clients because of their excellent service, delicious food and lovely presentation. Aki, is a creative chef and desires to deliver the best he can to the client always keeping in mind their budget. His staff goes the extra mile! read more

Akioni's Catering catered my parents 40th anniversary party and they did an amazing job! The food was amazing we had shrimp, chicken, sushi, potstickers, salad and rolls.I was afraid that since my family is Mexican they might not like some of the food ( like the sushi) but they loved it all. The staff was very helpful and accommodating to the schedule changes. After everything was done the staff cleaned up everything and left my kitchen as good as new! I would definitely book them again and you should too! read more

My sons and daughters-in-law hired Aki to cater my 70th birthday party and it was delicious. We had appetizers and dinner. Everything was fresh and wonderful. I especially liked the raw tuna in little cucumber cups.. Aki and his assistant were prompt and friendly. They took care of everything, even saved the fruit tarts I had in the oven from burning. They even sliced the tarts, put the slices in plates and arranged them very nicely. We had 36 guests. read more

I have worked with Aki on many occasions & have always loved his food & his personality. I recently hired Aki to cater at my home for 18 guests. Everything was AMAZING! We had 5 different hand rolls, fried shrimp, pot stickers, ahi poki, edemame hummus (YUM) & then onto dinner. WOW! So much food & delicious!!!Everyone kept saying "This is the best party ever"! Aki presented all food beautifully & he kept us all laughing! I highly recommend Aki for any type of party or wedding. Thank you Aki! Can't wait for the next one!! Leslye read more

Aki catered our June 21 wedding at the OC Sailing and Events Center, and we could not have asked for a more wonderful caterer. Aki met with us several times before the actual day to go over planning details and the timeline and so many other things that he knows from experience need to be gone over. The food was absolutely delicious. Aki and his team were just plain awesome: friendly, professional, and on top of everything! Aki and his crew truly helped to make our special day perfect. Everything ran so smoothly. My husband and I had to tear ourselves away from the delicious food to go make our rounds and say hello to all our guests! :) (My husband even had seconds!) So many of our guests raved about the food - it was just awesome. I would absolutely recommend Akioni's Catering for any event without any hesitation. Thank you so much Aki!!! read more

Aki and his crew catered our wedding, and we couldn't have made a better decision! Well before the wedding, Aki met with us several times to discuss the fine details of our event. He brought up little details we would have never thought about. During the event, Aki and crew were timely and worked very hard prior to the start. The food was fabulous! Everything was timed perfectly and the food was hot and FRESH! He brought plenty of food (I was recently at a wedding where the caterers ran out before serving everyone) and it was delicious! Well over three moths past our wedding, I still hear from so many guests how delicious the food was. I highly recommend Akioni's Catering for your wedding or special event. Next time I'm ordering the hula dancers too! read more

Akioni is the owner/chef of this fantastic full service catering company. Not only is his food delicious, he has a wonderful personality and really cared about pleasing all my guests. His serving staff was super friendly and worked very hard serving and bussing. It was hard to find a full service Japanese caterer. I found him by Googling and really knew he would be great from our first meeting. There was plenty of food and my guests loved all of it, especially the appetizers. He cooked on the premise where the party was held and displayed everything beautifully. At the end of the night all the leftovers were wrapped up in trays and the kitchen was left spotless. I wouldn't hesitate to hire Aki for my next event! read more

We had a great experience having Aki prepare a wonderful meal, including sushi, for my brother's 50th birthday party. The food was amazing, the service as well and Aki was very professional and a pleasure to work with. Highly recommend! read more

Absolutely Amazing Food----Sushi, noodles, tempura shrimp, and everything else! . Aki is fun, but very professional. Him and his staff made my 50th birthday the best ever. He is very passionate about his food. It could not have been a better menu. We were all very impressed! Thank you for making my event memorable... read more

Aki created a Friday August evening to remember for our 24 guests! From our first phone conversation, I knew Aki was a detailed caterer and knew how to enhance an event. Upon meeting him, it was an instant connection and we had fun creating a menu for our audience. Upon seeing the back yard with the pool he suggested we include some live music and had the perfect duo...his auntie and uncle! With that I created a Japanese/Polynesian infused plan for ambiance complete with a tiki bar. Aki arrived with full catering detail...and immediately went to work creating incredible sushi to pass for appetizers. He provided the most wonderful server, Mardee to keep everyone happy with delicious passings and also keeping drinks flowing. Then with his sous chef, Michael on board he made a beautiful spread of heavier fare to enjoy plated. Many of the guests admit to being sushi snobs...and were raving the entire evening of the quality, attention to dietary needs, timing of service, variety of menu, perfect background music, service staff...all complimented by Aki's beautiful personality. Akioni's is a wonderful way to provide a meaningful guest experience. Aki is on my speed dial as a preferred caterer in Dana Point!! read more

Aki and his team did a simply fantastic job catering our family reunion recently. We had a group of 25 people and Aki and his team made a variety of delicious appetizers, some incredible sushi and tasty chicken and steak teppanyaki. Aki was a huge hit and we will definitely use him for future gatherings! read more

Aki was great to work with and the food was amazing. He catered my mom's memorial service and the guests loved the food. Everything was fresh and delicious, and it was prepared and served at the perfect time. I would highly recommend them. read more

Aki is The Man! We couldn't have been more pleased with the job him and his team did for our wedding. We had 150 people at a private residence and Aki and his crew knocked it out of the park. The food was delicious, the staff was super friendly and professional, and Aki is super easy to work with. He ironed out all the details beforehand. Did I mention the food was delicious? We did teppan chicken with rice and salad, a handful of different appetizers, and sushi and all of it was amazing. Our guests are still raving about it. Highly, highly recommend Aki and his team! read more

We used Aki for a sushi bar during our cocktail hour and he served spicy tuna rolls and salmon avocado rolls. Trust me when I say that the sushi was some of the best I've ever had! Aki was a dream to work with - he was so sweet when meeting with my mom and I and helped us decide how many pieces we should order per person (and even helped walk my mom through how to eat sushi). People still rave about Aki's sushi to this day - the fish is fresh, he made a beautiful presentation, and Aki is so personable and so much fun to work with! read more

Aki is amazing! We asked him if he could provide an affordable cuisine for our son's beach wedding reception for 150 people. He surpassed our expectations for a fabulous meal! He served us teriyaki chicken, fried rice, asian dumplings and a delicious salad . Everyone was raving about the onolicious meal!! It not only tasted wonderful, it was beautifully prepared. Aki has a great sense of humor - he was warm and friendly to all the guests. I don't usually write reviews, but this time I had to, we were so happy with his services. We highly recommend Akioni's for any event! read more

It's funny how we found out about Akioni's catering. We were surfing at San Onofre, and here come's this big Hawaiian looking guy out into the water. It was the dead of winter and he was the only one without a wetsuit in mid-50 degree water! I knew this guy could handle anything! So we met up with Aki and soon discovered that besides not having a fully developed nervous system (who surfs without a wetsuit in winter in SoCal?) he was also an accomplished Japanese Chef. We talked to a few folks who had used his catering and also read some reviews and all agreed that we would not be disappointed. So we arranged for a tasting and all I can say is we were blown away! Aki is an artist and his cuisine is not only unique in its elements but the appeal to the palate is beyond words. I love fish and my bride does not. Aki was able to design a menu to appeal to both of our tastes. The day of the event brought a small army of servers, cooks, and a 3-piece Hawaiian band. All were professional and attentive. Our guest all agreed that they had never been to a wedding reception were the quality of the food and the appearance presented rivaled an upscale restaurant catering to discerning diners. Aki just nailed it straight up. We were actually married on Kauai in August and wanted to bring back some Polynesian culture back for our guests and Aki and his group was the icing on the Hawaiian cake. We are already planning our next event (post wedding gathering of the family for picture/video viewing) and Aki will be our chef. So if you need a wetsuit, don't ask Aki, but if you are looking for a unique, tasty, visually appealing meal, Aki is your big Kahuna! read more

We hired Aki to do a sushi making and sake tasting event for our company's staff holiday party. He definitely exceeded our expectations. The event ran very smoothly at our office, as Aki does a great job planning ahead and thinking of every detail. As the event planner, my job was easy - Aki is the perfect combination of professional and fun. The staff had a great time learning about sushi and sake, and then enjoyed a delicious teppanyaki dinner that he prepared for us. He brings all of the supplies and ingredients and then cleans it up. Did I mention that Aki is a ton of fun too?! Thanks Chef! read more

Aki & Mardee - we can't thank you enough for the outstanding job you did in providing superb Hawaiian cuisine for the Burial at Sea reception held at the Dana Point Marina Inn on 9/10/17. In celebration of the life of the decedent, who was of Hawaiian Portuguese descent, the entrees were perfect. The fact that you prepared the food on site contributed to the freshness & delicious flavor of all menu items, placing your service a a notch above other caterers. Your professionalism, the courtesy shown guests was evident throughout the two hour reception. You much deserve a "5" star rating & we would definitely recommend you in the future. read more

Aki catered my mother's 90th birthday party and he and his crew did a fabulous job. The majority of our guests were Japanese American so they know good quality Japanese food. All the guests raved about how delicious the food was and great the service. In fact, one of our guests already hired Aki to cater another event. The appetizers, sushi, chicken and beef were fabulous. Also, Aki has a great personality which added to the festive event and his chef and servers were great. I highly recommend Akioni's and will not hesitate to use them again. read more