Food: Salted Saba bento 3/5 This is a pretty straightforward bento. I wasn't too big of a fan of the gyoza so I'd recommend replacing it with tempura when you order. The gyoza is fried well but the fillings is mushy. Miso soup and salad comes with the bento. The Saba was dry but the portion of fish they gave is pretty generous! Service: Service is friendly but slow. This could have been because I came with a large party though so that could have affected the service times. They did end up forgetting some orders at the table but since there was only one server at the time, handling the entire restaurant, it's understandable. Ambiance: Pretty cozy. Japanese decorations here and there. read more

Amakai - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Be careful. The Yelp reviews aren't accurate. They are biased at least 2-3 stars too high. Read the most recent reviews in the last year before going here. And make sure you read the details and filter out the ones with few reviews to account for biasing by friends of the owner and workers. Called in togo order for last minute dinner guests. 2 bentos, 3 rolls. Sat at sushi counter waiting for order to be completed. Upon sitting received angry glare from the grill cook who had the demeanor of a WWE Wrestler. There are 2 cooks, one does sushi wearing gloves. The other is a line cook manning the grill. The wrestler. He is unsanitary. Doesn't glove and doesn't wash hands. Handles raw meat with bare hands then without washing goes to prep bentos transferring bacteria to the serving dishes while plating. Waited for 15m. The rolls were done and one bento was done. Heard a discussion between the cashier and wrestler about there were 2 ribeye bentos and he gave one to me. The wrestler got visibly angry and rescinded the order. He could have cooked one up in 3-5m. He declined and refused to do anything. Make people wait. He went to the back out of view; I assume to a toilet break. I asked for a refund so I could leave. No response. 20m later he appears from the back and has another discussion with the cashier. Now it is clear I am being punished for existing and sitting at the sushi counter waiting for an order to be prepared. . Pretty sure there was a load of feces and and E Coli being transferred to my to go order as an additional punishment. Saw a low grade piece of meat being dropped onto the grill. Never seen a ribeye like that. Seems like a low quality piece of meat. Sinew and thin with layers of sinew interspersed throughout the slice. I just paid 97$ to these people. Asked for a refund again for the missing item. Was clear it wasn't waiting for food to be prepared. Health risk. Low quality fish. The tuna they use is reformed and food coloring is added to give it the tuna color. stomach ache the next day. mild food poisoning. read more

Amakai - Avoid the fish quality here doesn't match the other photos. Escolar, food dye in tuna. Low grade atlantic salmon. Dried out Ebi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

There's plenty of other restaurants in the plaza and parking is never an issue. We got to the restaurant around 7:15 and one of the sushi chefs made eye contact with us and told us we could take any table we wanted. There were three other tables there. Two in the middle of their meal and the other still had their menus and were waiting to order. Looked like there were two servers and two sushi chefs on deck. It took awhile for them to get our order, but the sushi came out at a reasonable time. Oddly enough, it took another 5 minutes for them to grab the water and coke. I decided on the orange blossom roll as they have an all day happy hour on sundays and the menu lists it as $14 during happy hour. The fish was good. The menu also says it's salmon inside and out, but it's actually salmon outside and tuna inside. A happy surprise, I guess. We probably waited another 10 minutes for them to bring the check. This wasn't their fault as the restaurant filled up and I'm pretty sure that they're understaffed. But we just wanted to leave and get on with our evening. So we didn't even check the bill very thoroughly until leaving. We got charged full price for the orange blossom roll instead of the happy hour price. Kind of sucks but I wasn't going to come back to dispute the $6. Overall, service and being overcharged makes me not want to come back. Even though the food was good, not enough to make up for the cons. read more

Amakai - Charged for regular pricing even though it was happy hour. Orange blossom was $14 on the menu, got charged almost $6 more - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Pretty typical sushi for the area. Prices are about what you expect from most places. I got a couple of their special rolls, and the sizes are GENEROUS. Even the salmon nigiri was much larger than I normally expect, so I really appreciated that and would come back for that reason. The inside of the restaurant was very cute. The staff was friendly and my to-go order was prepared fast! Try this spot out if you're nearby!! read more

Amakai - Amakai Roll Pandora's Roll - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I stopped in for takeout. It was close to closing time, and they had started to clean up the kitchen but said they could take my order for take out. Sake roll - the salmon was fresh. California Roll - good crab mixture, creamy, and the avocado was smooth, soft, and ripe. Pretty decent roll. read more

See all

We stumbled on to this restaurant on a Sat night. The intended restaurant was packed. The dining hall is clean. A row of booths with an awning was a nice touch. The lone server was friendly. As soon as we were seated, we received the menus. Once she took those, she laid a stack of paper table mats, chopsticks, small plates & napkins. We set our table. My daughter & I shared an order of Rainbow Roll & Salmon teriyaki bento (miso soup, salad, & veggie tempura. The bento box was what we would have expected. The teriyaki sauce was what we like. The fish toppings were & fresh. Overall it met our expectations. read more

Amakai - Salmon Teriyaki Bento - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Solid, generous sized sushi rolls, friendly service, and a cute, intimate interior makes this a solid 4. It can be really loud inside since the tables are crammed together in one room. If you have 4 people, you get to reserve a booth. There's only 3 booths total, so book ahead. I didn't try anything else but service was prompt, our glasses were constantly refilled, and the we left satisfied. read more

Amakai - Left to right: Geisha Roll, White Dragon Roll, Amakai Roll. Amakai was my fave! - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

unfortunately this spot is closed. My first visit was over a year ago. It is nearby tech companies to meet those asian cravings. but it didn't quite deliver in terms of speed when we are here for a lunch rush read more

Amakai is located in the small strip right before mission college. Parking might be tough during peak hours and the spots are pretty tight It is a small sushi restaurant that gives good enough quality sushi. We ordered 8-9 rolls for 7 males and it was pretty filling. However the fish didn't taste as fresh. A lot of the rolls depended highly on the sauces to compensate for the quality of fish. Service was chill and nice as well. They helped refill our water and tea every so often and took away our plates when the table was getting full. Overall nice chill sushi restaurant read more

See all

By far the worst meal I've had in awhile. A group of us came here after the place we planned to eat a few doors down had too long of a wait and we were hungry. No wait at this place so decided to give it a shot. My Miso Ramen was so flavorless and had only essence of salt. It didn't look or taste like any Miso Ramen I've ever had. Noodles were quite soggy, egg was just an unseasoned soft-boiled egg, and what I could only guess was supposed to be chashu pork was too unappetizing in appearance to even try. I had only 2 bites and stopped for fear of getting an upset stomach later. My SO's Tonkotsu Ramen broth was more flavorful than mine, but wasn't that great either and was very salty. Another person in our group who also ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen tried adding hot water to his to make it less salty. Both of them also complained about soggy noodles. One of our friends ordered the Salted Saba, and I don't think I've seen a drier, tougher piece of fish. She said it was like eating fish jerky. Everybody was dissatisfied with their meal. The server seemed nice enough. I'm sure she was probably doing the best she could considering she was the only server we saw tending to all the tables. read more

Amakai - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

I ordered an orange blossom, mixed tempura, and miso soup to go. My first time here,the food was really great; it was also to go. Fish felt fresh, tempura was good. However, tonight's order was really disappointing. The rice on the orange blossom was hard, and appeared to have been sitting for a while because it had made imprints in the salmon. The salmon itself also didn't feel very fresh and was a dull orange color. I ended up picking the salmon out of the roll. The tempura was warm, however also felt like it had been sitting there for a while. It was hard for some reason. The miso soup I had high hopes for, but it was somehow bland. The person who rung me up was nice, but for the price I paid tonight, this was really underwhelming. read more

This is my second time visiting this restaurant and the first time I felt was decent but this second time has made me realize I will not be coming back again. I ordered the chirashi. It's quite expensive at $40 (tip and tax included) but I decided to enjoy a bit of a splurge. However the quality of everything was very terrible. The rice was hard and very dry as if it was sitting out all day. The flavor was bland and did not taste like sushi rice. The radish garnish looked old and dry instead of springy and white which makes me think it's more than a few days old. The fish cuts were not good. They all barely had any taste and did not seem fresh. I understand you can't expect truly fresh fish but for the price I would've expected slightly better quality. The sashimi I get from the supermarket is better quality than what was served. The ikura looked hazy and dull which usually indicates that it's not fresh. I would be less picky about the quality of the dish if the price was lower, I would not want to pay more than $25 for this. The service was average. The server was attentive when I arrived and she brought my drink and food but after that she disappeared for some time and the people in the booth near me had to yell and flag her down to try to get their check after waiting for some time. Parking can be a slight challenge during "rush hours" because it's shared with other restaurants but I could usually find a parking spot in less than 5 minutes. read more

Amakai - Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

We started off with the agedashi tofu and orange blossom roll from the happy hour menu (all day Sunday). I'd only had agedashi tofu served in a broth, and was surprised that the pieces were dry with a dipping sauce. It came out fresh and piping hot, and the breading was flavorful. I would eat this again despite it being different from what I'm used to. I'm not a huge fan of raw salmon, but my fiancé thoroughly enjoyed the orange blossom roll. He said the fish was fresh. We also got the Samurai roll and a Saba bento with gyoza. I like spicy tuna and the roll hit the spot. The jalapeño was really spicy and went along well with the tuna. I was surprised by the options for the bento. It was either gyoza, or for an extra $3, you could get one of three other items instead. Definitely wasn't used to this setup since I've normally gotten multiple sides included when ordering a bento. We later heard another table inquire about this as well. I'm presuming they're often asked the same question since the photo on the menu for the bento seems to be misrepresented. There was only one server for six parties during our visit. We didn't feel any lack in service though, so kudos to her. We left with full tummies, and would come back to dine here again :) I wouldn't recommend this spot for a first date. It's well-lit and quiet - doesn't feel private or intimate enough to have a genuine conversation. read more

See all

3 stars. Service was great but the sushi/ sashimi was a bit underwhelming. I ordered the sake don, which is salmon sashimi with rice. I also got an Alaska roll. The rice that was used was plain and not sushi rice. The salmon sashimi was cut a little irregularly and didn't feel that fresh. The quantity of salmon was pretty decent for the price, though I just wish it was more fresh. The Alaska roll was passable. The rice distribution was a bit uneven and it was plain rice rather than sushi rice. Miso soup was fine though. Overall, the food from this place didn't quite hit the mark but the service was good. read more

See all

Kitchen nightmares in silicon valley, not an exaggeration but I have yet tasted food this bad since I moved here. The rice was not fresh, very hard and dry, btw, shouldn't nigiri uses vinegar rice? I don't think I am asking too much from a $22 sushi set. The service was ok, the restaurant decorations were cute, but why the food can be this bad? I highly doubt the original owner sold this place to someone else. Long story short, do no go to this place, avoid it at all cost. read more

Amakai - Sushi combo - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I came here on January 2025 during a lunch hour. There was one younger Chinese girl who seemed to be the senior employee and a Latina lady who seemed to have been learning the ropes. That Chinese lady gave me angry vibes the time I came in. I just ordered a sushi combo and tea, but made me feel like I was asking food for free? She started smiling once I asked for the check. I honestly don't remember whether the food was good or bad (I do believe the spicy tuna roll was good, but it usually is anywhere). Maybe it was an off-day. It happens. But it's hard to forget that impression. Not coming back for that reason given how many Japanese restaurants there are. read more

I came here with a friend for dinner on a Wednesday evening around 6:30 pm. The restaurant wasn't crowded and there were plenty of open tables. We were seated in the middle of the restaurant. We were in the mood for rolls so we got several rolls and shared. We tried the Amakai roll, Sakura, and a rainbow roll. The dining room started to fill over the next hour while we ate our meal. We enjoyed our sushi rolls and the restaurant was calm and quiet enough to easily carry on a conversation. read more

Food: rating on food only Agedashi tofu: 1.5 tastes like tofu with batter but not authentic, wouldn't say is agedashi tofu.... Tempura: 3just ok nothing special but most acceptable of all my orders Soft shell crab: 1 the batter is way too thick and hard, couldn't rlly taste the crab Love roll: 3the taste was ok but wasnt sure if it was normal the roll falling apart, the roll was came smaller than I expected for $20 Sake Kama: 0the fish was raw and the taste wasn't good either so... (doesn't eat raw fish) read more

See all

Returned to Amakai after a year (annual convention). We arrived when they opened at 11, on a holiday weekend. For a while, we were the only ones there. Others followed. Amakai service has always been exceptional. I had to be in a scooter and they accommodated me greatly by moving chairs and signs to get me situated. Much appreciated. We ordered tea and four rolls. I got the Niners roll and the Samurai roll. Both were very good, very big and nicely seasoned and spiced, just like I like them. The Niners roll was my fave. It was silky, spicy, savory and huge. My daughter noted how impressed she was each time I ate a whole slice. She actually laughed at me when I unhinged my jaw for the last bite. The Samurai was extra spicy, with the slice of jalapeño on top. I noted that it was the only roll with two spicy indicators on the menu. Amakai always comes thru with quality food, great service and equally great value. I'll be back, probably tomorrow. The only bummer: they were closed Sunday and Monday (Presidents' Day). I get it that they like to close for the holiday but they miss out each year, since our convention has 2500 attendees and many were outside that little strip mall both days (both years), yearning for more delicious sushi. read more

Amakai - Niners roll (top) and Samurai roll - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

This place is at a plaza located next to Mission College! There is limited seating so make sure you come at an earlier time! The agedashi tofu was good, but wished that it had bonito flakes instead of cabbage! The Chirashi was overall good, but the maguro seemed not fresh! Presentation was amazing though! Also, the miso came out cold, but I love the different styles of plates! read more

See all

I am from Dallas in town for work and ai walked over here. The food is amazing and so fresh. I can tell ya that I will most likely come back before I leave for sure. The Hamachi roll is so tasty and the jalapeño was fresh. read more

Amakai - Some awesome food - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Tried their version of a bento box which had a decent amount of food! The teriyaki chicken wasn't dry and had a lot of flavor, would add the gyoza again, it had a good crunch. The spicy tuna roll had jalapeños on top which added a nice kick. Would definitely come back! read more

Amakai - Chicken Teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Went in Fri dinner, will not return. Lone server brought her child to work, service was crap. Food was two mexicans copying what they think japanese food should taste/look like. Nothing was terrible but it's a far cry from actual japanese fare. My 4 top all agree this place is a skip. read more

I was here for dinner twice in one week. The first time I had the sushi combo box. The fish is so fresh. The second time I had the temp on and the spicy tuna roll. Both were out of this world. Highly recommend this place as a staff is very friendly. read more

Food was great, good taste and very special. A place to go back. Service could improve. It was a little slow. read more

Amakai - Mixed Sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Good food with cozy ambiance! Perfect for a date or a meet up with friends. They carry sake and beers as well. The bar seating is fun! You can see chef cutting fresh fish in front of you. read more

Amakai - Hamachi nigiri Hamachi Nigiri Saba Unagi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Great hole in the wall spot for a quick lunch on a work day. Plenty of options and decent quality fish at a reasonable price. If you are coming at lunch, I would recommend coming before the noon rush. The parking lot is super small considering how many shops are in that plaza. read more

Amakai - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I ordered a spicy tuna roll and a tonkotsu ramen. The spicy tuna roll was just okay, not really spicy and kind of plain. Tonkotsu ramen had noodles that tasted like they were cup noodles, and the broth was incredibly watery. Didn't come with meat either. Service was bad. Got the wrong order and receipt, and didn't get my card back as it was mixed up with someone else. read more

Went on a Saturday night around 6pm and there was no wait! We quickly got seated which was great. Servers were attentive and nice, and the food was great. The chirashi bowl I ordered tasted fresh, and there was a good variety of fish. Would recommend! read more

Amakai - Chirashi bowl - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Ordered the Katsu Don and it was superb! I paid extra for the curry and it was absolutely worth it. I stopped in for an early dinner, I was the only person there (at the beginning) and received great service. I sat at the sushi bar and enjoyed myself. read more

Amakai - Don Katsu with curry - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Definitely would skip this place. Poor quality food, awful in so many respects. Fishy, not properly prepared and just all around very poor tasting, subpar ingredients and a table that constantly kept moving very cheap restaurant but overpriced and it showed. read more

We've been coming to Amakai for years and it's one of our favorite Japanese restaurants. The food was good before, but it seems to have improved even more! The sashimi was among the freshest I've had. It melted in your mouth! Service was kind and attentive. They didn't hover too much and got us everything we needed. The tea was especially good. Ambiance is quiet and peaceful. If you go during what is the usual dinner rush, even on a Saturday, you may be the first one there. We sat down to eat around 6:30 and were alone but by 7 it had started filling up. Tempura ice cream was a nice surprise. Very unique and tasty! We love you Amakai. Don't ever go away! read more

See all

Ambience: Nothing eye-opening about the interior. Mom and pop vibes. Service: Relatively on-point. Neither friendly nor indifferent. Server just did her own thing, which is fine too! Food: Dragon roll was not evenly distributed in terms of the unagi and avocado spread on top. Assorted tempura was scarce and the dipping sauce was on the watery end. Assorted sashimi was not impressive, and one of the fish tasted unpleasantly fishy. read more

Amakai - Assorted Sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

See all

Amakai sushi restaurant is the best place for a family meal sushi fresh Bento and ramen noodles sup and more delicious food like this one

Have lived in this area for 8 years and this has been our go to sushi and ramen place because of the excellent food and staff. However, things have changed in the last few months. The chefs and servers that used to be there for years don't seem to be there anymore. Here's the current experience. Sushi - rice was unseasoned(!), fish was pretty fresh but wasn't cut very well. Too much fish in some nigiri so that I can't actually eat it very well in one bite. Salmon was farmed Atlantic salmon which I find to be unpleasingly fatty. Spicy tuna roll wasn't spicy at all and tasted really bland. Ramen - broth is not as flavorful and the pork was tougher and not as smoky as it used to be. They used to do a spicy ramen and now they look at you like you're crazy for ordering it. They did serve it with shichimi on the side and extra jalapeños but the sauce or paste they used to use (maybe just Sriracha?) was way better. Salad - dressing not great, very unevenly cut carrot Miso - bland Service - forgot part of our order, seemed annoyed about clearing tables for customers when their groups wanted to sit in the booths. Changed from the larger flip thru menu to a torn up paper one that has print alignment issues. Overall feels like a lack of experience and attention to detail. Sadly we'll be looking for another Japanese place even though this one is less than 5 minutes from home. read more

A rather small but cozy establishment, Amakai boasts simplicity and fast delivery. There wasn't much in terms of interior decor, and the shop is on the smaller side of brightly lit and tightly packed. Still, its staff manage the place well, and I never found anything lacking. As a hamachi enthusiast, I had to go for the Rose Garden, and it was surprisingly simple and rather small--or at least smaller than what I expected. That is to say, the amount of fish contained in the rolls wasn't exactly plentiful, so if you have a bigger appetite, ordering something else on the side would be good. I came out not entirely stuffed, but full enough to not need another dish. Overall, a fine experience. Not anything I'd come back for specifically, but something I wouldn't mind returning to if I was in the area and craving sushi. read more

Amakai - Rose Garden - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

So many things I could say about Amakai. Sashimi Yum, fresh and delicious always. The miso soup, so flavorful and rich. The rolls are unique and fabulous. Their Futo Maki is so tasty. If you are looking for scrumptious sushi and great service come to Amakai in Santa Clara you won't be disappointed. ​ read more

Came here with a large party about an hour before closing time. We just finished a dance competition and we were craving sushi. Half of our party were kids burnt out and the parents were mentally drained by this point, everyone was hangry! The staff was very patient with us and in no way were we ever felt rushed. Our orders ranged from ramen, bento boxes, and sashimi bowls. Everything was delicious! If our kids enjoy the food that makes it even better. The music had us vibing, our kids did not even want to leave! Even 10 minutes after they were closed they asked if we wanted dessert. The staff was more than welcoming, accommodating, and awesome! I don't write reviews much anymore but I needed to show them our appreciation. They absolutely ended our day on a high note, just what us parents needed. For that, on top of their delicious food, I HIGHLY recommend this place. Our kids will be begging to come back after our next comp. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! read more

Very delicious and fresh considering it was take out Absolutely loved it Nice customer service tok read more

Amakai - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Came in for lunch to go and was not disappointed. I work down the street and I'm glad this Japanese spot is close by. Their bento boxes are good and fairly priced. Bento boxes come with one entree, salad, miso soup and a side. The side is gyoza by default but you can swap out for California roll or another side for additional $1 or $2 depending on the substitution. I ordered a salmon teriyaki that was cooked well. The teriyaki sauce came on the side, which was great so I could add as much or as little as I wanted. Everything came packaged neatly for a to go order, nothing spilled out on the drive back. I'll definitely be back for lunch. read more