The ramen here is the worst I've ever had in my life. The pork was dry and flavorless and the broth was watery and also flavorless. I was incredibly upset that I wasted money here. Please do yourself a favor and get ramen literally anywhere else. read more

Incredibly fresh sushi, beautifully plated, and paired with wonderful service--this place never disappoints. It's definitely the local spot to hit for sushi if you don't want to head downtown. A true hidden gem with top-quality food and a welcoming vibe! read more

The food was excellent. Very tasty! The menu is too big! Too much to look at, made decisions difficult. The food delivery was slow. We know it takes time to prepare but food came out in pieces. However, the sushi is perfect. read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - My 2 grandsons chowing down on delicious sushi. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

The staff was super friendly, food was fantastic, the ramen flavor had so many great flavors from the broth and all the way to the egg i fell in love with the dish instantaneously from the first bite. I had the chicken katsu ramen, my wife had the spicy miso ramen. Both again was fabulous. The sushi also was very tasty. The whole environment and experience, the ambiance, the atmosphere, the service, the food everything was 100/10 stars. I will definitely be back as this just became one of my favorite places to eat in Cville. I urge everyone who is a ramen fan to give this place a try. read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Angry Dragon sushi roll 10/10. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I am really surprised at the amount of negative reviews from here, but we may have caught them at a good time or a particularly good day - it seems like they may be inconsistent. Our food was great! We came for lunch and they have a number of specials for sushi, sashimi and bento boxes. Otherwise, their menu is very expansive and lots of options - all kinds of regular maki rolls, specialty rolls, hibachi entrees, ramen, etc. lots to choose from! I got the combo sushi with 3 maki rolls and a side (miso soup or salad). The soup was good and the rolls were definitely the smallest diameter I've ever seen but it was still SO much food! For $18 for the meal I was actually surprised at how mush sushi u got. I picked the eel and avocado, the spicy tuna and the yellowtail. All the rolls were great, and I'm pretty picky about sushi. The presentation was fabulous and each of the 3 rolls gave me 8 pieces - so even though the roll was smaller the amount evens out to a normal amount. I was FULL by the time I was done but it was so good. The yellowtail was SUPER fresh and very good, the spicy tuna had a bit of crunch mixed in which I liked. I loved the sauce on the eel roll, my only note was it was a little avocado heavy. Good balance in all three between the protein and rice. My boyfriend had the pork katsu ramen and it was average. Met expectations. We came for lunch, so we were the first people in the store and probably their first customers since we came at 12 and they open at 1130. The food was really fresh, so we may have just caught them at the beginning of the day when the food is better prepared. Service was below average, server was super shy and pretty awkward and we couldn't hear most of what she said to us. The ambiance is good, the restaurant is quiet and very clean. The food was good so I would get sushi from here again! read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Pork Katsu Ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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My favorite restaurant, it's a good thing I live so far away from it because otherwise I would spend way too much money here. Everyone is always so nice and their Ramen is the best ever, I've never found any of that compares. read more

We came to AKira for my birthday and the place is beautiful, the server was very friendly, they have so much in their menu. I highly recommend it! read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Spicy Miso Ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Take out - ordered a ton of rolls for a graduation party and was fantastic!!! All delicious, great service (I in fact messed up ordering first round (to emphasize I messed up) and they wonderfully cancelled so I could reorder) everything was perfect and delicious. read more

A gem of a sushi bar in Charlottesville. The service is fine and menu extensive. Sea Urchin Sushi is imported from Japan on Thursdays. There are a lot of inventive rolls to choose from, as well as the usual Bento Boxes, Habachi, and try the Crazy Jalapeño starter for a rich and crunchy taste, drizzled with eel sauce. Excellent! read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Sea urchin Sushi next to Fatty Tuna Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Really liked this idea place- solid sushi- the place is spotless and the service was outstanding.

We arrived around noon on a Thursday in January. It wasn't busy. Typical interior for a strip mall restaurant. Nothing fancy, just booths and tables. They do have one big screen that is rotating between various pictures. Nicely designed and packaged menus. The napkins are paper but they are engraved. The service was pretty good, and we got our meals fairly quickly. We were sadly disappointed in the food. My spouse got the eel roll and shrimp tempura roll. The shrimp and eel were tough. The flavor was ok, and they didn't go crazy with the rice. The miso soup and salad were typical. The shrimp Bento box was not great. The shrimp were tough and the vegetables were overcooked. The whole dish was swimming in sauce. The California roll was ok but one of the four pieces was missing most of the good stuff and was mainly rice. The fried rice was bland. It had a few scattered peas and one sliver of egg. The highlight for me was the dumplings. They were light and very flavorful. They offer beer, wine and a full bar. The prices were average for the area. read more

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This is your warning. The sushi here is incredibly mediocre. The rest of the food that isn't sushi was dry and tasted like something from my college kitchen. The only reason that this is not a one-star review was because the service was friendly and the food was still edible. I feel so meh about this place that I can't even bother to write a longer review because it really just isn't worth your time or mine. Save your time and money and just go somewhere else. read more

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This is my daughter's and my go-to place for sushi and udon. We love the food and ambience (although some of the banquette seats wobble and you can feel the movement of the person sitting behind you in the banquette). The servers are delightful. Once, when the music was too loud and we asked, they promptly dropped it read more

Ordered this for dinner last night on Ubereats. The dragon roll was pretty good, except it randomly had cream cheese in it, even though that wasn't listed on the menu. Regardless, it was fine. The crab meat dumplings however just didn't really do it for me. I didn't like them nor the sauce that it came with. After I tried one, I didn't want anymore, so maybe avoid this item. If sushi is your main concern, though, this place seems pretty promising, though I've only tried one roll. I will be trying this place again! read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Dragon roll and crab meat dumplings - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

If you are looking for an uncomplicated eating experience Akira might be right for you. I took my grandmother here for lunch and the price is not bad. $10 for Hibachi chicken and $12 for some ramen. Our food was served in take away containers which was a light strange since we were eating in the restaurant but I can forgive that. The Hibachi was a good potion and a simple version of what you might expect. Same for the ramen. Sometimes it is nice to go somewhere that serves just a standard version of something and if that is what you are looking for then I'd recommend giving this place a try. read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Inside seating area - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I was so excited to try Akira and was so excited to see it was in a really convenient location. I got their Spicy Miso Ramen, which was perfect. Also wanted to try the sushi and just got a spicy tuna roll, which was good but wasn't the best ever. Definitely want to try more interesting rolls next time. The only thing is it was clear they aren't fully opened to their potential, they handed us red solo cups to fill our drinks, served the food in to-go containers. I like the casual style of ordering at the counter! read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Spicy Miso Ramen and spicy tuna roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

The bento box lunch is well sized and tasty, and the Love Boat is amazing. Excellent quality sushi and sashimi. Note the dry ice special effects. read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Love Boat - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Found me sushi place! This is a must visit restaurant if you're a fan of sushi! Small, quaint place with great food. It's been awhile since we've had sushi and man this place hit the spot. Highly recommend. read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Eiffel Tower roll, Godzilla roll, dynamite roll and level king roll. Not pictured, but we ate the Crazy jalapeño and a Peking Duck Wrap - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Great service. Super friendly. I came in for lunch. Had udon noodles with vegetables. It was really good.

Best ramen ever! First time coming and we got the scorpion roll to share. Let me tell you that I don't know why this place doesn't have more than 4 stars but this was really good. Also the service and food presentation were on point! read more

Really good sushi tbh, and the restaurant itself is really pretty. Their hibachi chicken was great too. Only reason I'm giving it 3-stars was due to their sushi being pretty regular. I came in with high expectations, which definitely biases this review. read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

First time to try this place. Charlottesville needs more sushi. Great food and decent prices

Literally the worst customer service experience I've ever had. First time coming here and I got food poisoning pretty bad. Got a hospital bill of 500$ and asked for any sort of comp. after having their Salmon Avocado Roll and was literally berated by the manager that claims their fish was "fresh". Save yourself the money and hospital trip and not eat here. read more

Looking for a Sushi place in Charlottesville via yelp search. Akita was near by so chose to pay a visit. Great decision! Sushi was fresh, beautifully presented and delicious! Eel Love, Fall in Love Roll and Tropical Roll. Large menu of choices. Phoebe was our waitress and was top notch! Attentive, patient, kind and answered all our questions with a desire to be helpful. She obviously loves people and where she works! Big plus is great parking. Next visit plan to sit at Sushi bar. A bit hidden but Already looking forward to the next visit! read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - Front to back - Eel love, Fall in Love (notice heart shape) Tropical Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

What a lovely lunch we had yesterday at Akira! Our waitress, Phoebe, could not have been more accommodating. She offered excellent suggestions from the voluminous menu as soon as she learned favorite dishes - and she it perfectly! Everything was beautifully served in this quiet, peaceful atmosphere. The pictures do not lie! Chef Leo prepared the most amazing, colorfully gorgeous dish of sushi we have ever seen. It was a work of art! And - it was just as delic9ous as it was beautiful Everything about our experience was delightful - and we will be back! Annie Rowe, Madison, Va. read more

I got the seafood ramen. I loved the broth and the fish cakes. The service was quick, too.

Was not pork it was chicken. Service was okay. Sushi was mid. Only good thing was the style of the restaurant very fancy very mid food.

Excellent customer service matched only by its quality, flavorful food. Highly recommend giving it a try!

Remodeled and looks great. Still love the spicy miso ramen. Hot Ramen Spicy Miso Ramen Spring Rolls White Tuna Toro was high quality. Service was good. read more

The only good thing at Akira is their ice cold tap water. You might wonder why - I ordered Ramen soup - they have a lot on the menu so you'd assume they know what they are serving. What I got was tasteless noodles swimming in hot water. All the ingredients are tasteless as well Ramen stock should be flavourful and enjoyable on it's own. Not at Akira. My partner got sushi - slathered in thick layer of pink mayonnaise. I know the place opened just recently but that should not be an excuse for subpar food. read more

Overrated for the price. The first time I went I wasn't greeted for about 3-5min. The next time I went is when I got the pictured food. The broccoli needs to be cooked longer. They don't give you real fried rice (it's rice with scrambled egg yolk pieces) the rice and meat/veggies come in two separate containers. The YUM YUM sauce taste like sweet ranch. It's more so like getting beef and broccoli or chicken and broccoli from an Chinese restaurant but paying the price of a Japanese hibachi. By the time we got the food home the bag was dripping, full of juice from the meat im assuming at the bottom. Same with the yum yum sauce those ended up spilling as well. read more

Akira level sushi & ramen - 56. Steak Hibachi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Clean facility which offers sushi, ramen & hibachi dishes. Service was amazing! We had udon noodle soup & hibachi! I always enjoy udon noodles, which came w/ shrimp tempura, broccoli & fish cake. I wish the broccoli was bok choy or mushrooms. Broccoli in ramen isn't my fave. And I wish there were a few more pieces of fish cake. My hubs enjoyed hibachi and the stand out was the chicken, which he said tasted very fresh. We may try sushi next time! There aren't too many sushi choices around, so this place is worth a try! read more

This place was a great stop for saki and ramen. I will be back. The service was fast and friendly.

Wish I could give a stronger review. My sushi was 100% flavorless. That screen has to go- it's completely too big and bright and detracts from the whole experience. The space isn't bad but it's freezing in there and just feels empty (aside from the 100 ft screen). Overall a depressing meal. read more

It's ok; not bad but not the best I have had. I'd go again but not 1st choice. A little pro

I have only had take-out from Akira, so I can't speak to ambience, service, etc. But this was some of the worst, and possibly THE worst sushi and sashimi that I have ever experienced. The fish was stringy and tasted like it was way past its sell-by date. The rice was really not prepared properly as sushi rice at all, it was dry, tasteless, and oddly crumbly. (Note to Akira level -- get a chef who actually knows how to prepare rice for sushi.) The octopus was virtually inedible, way too tough and chewy. The tuna was tasteless and had a weird and very unpleasant texture. Great sushi involves much more than cutting a slab of raw fish and slapping it on top of a mound of rice. That's why great sushi chefs train for many years, and can command a top-drawer salary. At any rate, I won't be back any time soon. Two stars because at least it LOOKED like sushi. read more

Wonderful surprise. Learned about it from a flyer in a mail pack of flyers. One of the few real restaurants open on Sundays in Charlottesville--a HUGE plus. I have attached a photo of our dinner bill. Sort of mid-range, definitely not cheap eats, but quality, service and presentation make it well worth the price. While we ate dinner, about 15 folks entered to get their take-out orders. The two duck appetizers were outstanding. The Peking Duck wrap was like eating Peking Duck already to eat without assembling the pancake one's self. The Duck Bao was a new one on us, and it was superb. The Cha Shu (pork) Ramen was so much more than I had expected: hardy al dente noodles, tasty pork broth, and succulent slices of pork loin together with half a hard boiled egg steeped in the broth. Spouse said that her salmon sushi was the best that she had tasted in Charlottesville. The Live Tree was beautifully and artistically presented, though not overly impressive to sushi aficionados. Service was great. Forget whatever you might have read in earlier reviews about food served in take-out containers. The plates and presentations were artful and first class. We will return there for sure. read more

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GREAT Valentine's dinner. They had roses, rose petals on the plates & flowers. And as always a great meal. This may be our new weekly dinner spot! read more

The sushi roll and hibachi lunch specials are great! I usually get the three roll special- spicy salmon, white tuna, and shrimp tempura. The wonton soup is really good but be sure to ask for the crispies. The mushroom soup is good too. Right now the seem to be closed for construction. read more

Not very good, over priced and there is literally no service. I ordered tonkatsu with pork and it had a breaded fried pork schnitzel in the bowl. Wished I'd had just got a hotdog at Costco. read more