A very clean and quiet environment with fast and exceptional service! The food was good for the price but it's definitely a challenge to keep up with other sushi places in the bay area, overall still a great experience with quality sushi read more

Amakai - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Food is rating are overhyped. We order a little bit of everything and it was all below average. Left hungry and with a dent in our pockets. Do better at rating restaurants people. read more

Sushi is never cheap, but I feel like the prices tip towards the more expensive end for this restaurant. The food is decent and I liked it, but I definitely preferred some rolls over others. Alaska (5/5): being one of the cheaper rolls, I really liked it. It was simple and you knew exactly what to expect Geisha (5/5): our favorite roll! The lemon really helps give it a burst of flavor and we love salmon! The base is a California roll and I'd definitely order this again. Phoenix (3/5): it's a spicy tuna base topped with a variety of fish. If you love spicy tuna, this would be a good roll for you, but we didn't enjoy it as much as we enjoyed the other rolls. Amakai (2/5): I've never had a soft shelled crab roll before so I decided to try it and I guess I'm just not a fan. I didn't think that they would leave the entire shell in there, but it was distracting while eating. I don't like the texture of having to crunch down on what feels like shrimp peels. This roll is also one of the most expensive ones at $18. I'd definitely come back to try more rolls, but can only do this occasionally due to the price. If you're looking for sushi, this is a good option since their food tastes fresh. read more

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Swung by the area to check out restaurants and this was one of the less crowded restaurants with no wait. We decided to check out this place. Upon entering, I suddenly recalled that I had the ramen here previously and didn't truly believe that it was so good that I had to get it again. We ordered two sushi rolls instead. If I remember correctly it was the white and green dragon rolls. The rolls tasted ok to me, nothing out of the ordinary. But I still feel it is on the expensive side. This is usually normal for Japanese food. But again it could just be that I'm cheap. In addition, sushi is also lighter meal. When We finished, we definitely weren't too full either. We Would have to spend more money to really be full. The plus was that the staff was certainly very kind though. However my cheapness outweighs the hospitality. If you are cheap and you want to get a more fullness rating for your buck, then perhaps you may prefer to eat @ another location. read more

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Delicious food. Friend and I stayed till almost closing time and they were nice enough not to kick us out. It seems that some fish options get sold out because they're more popular so come earlier if you want shiro maguro read more

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Second time here, came last minute and Hiro was you know what. Shoyu Ramen, was disappointed as was hoping they would give Hiro a run, not close with meat, egg or noodles: 2 stars Spider roll also disappointing:2 stars Salmon sashimi was decent: 4 stars Chicken katsu decent and passable at 3 stars Probably won't be back even to try their signature rolls read more

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Mediocre hole in the wall sushi place. Server was attentive and friendly and always quick to attend but the sushi really was mediocre. Sashimi tastes fresh but not like sweet and rice seemed a little thick. California roll was also savory and a bit dry. The ramen was actually quite good with a nice black garlic oil. Ankimo was decent with the ponzu, but overall nothing special stood out. Restaurant feels like a down to earth quaint place but the tons of signs that says no outside food and table only reserved for 4-6 guests made it a little overwhelming and unwelcoming when dining in. read more

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Got takeout today. Sushi was very tasty and fresh. A little small in the portions. When you dine in and get the combo it comes with a soup and salad. It's a better deal to dine in and get the lunch specials. It's a nice small business with good sushi. Decent read more

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Service: I requested a seating arrangement that would allow me to sit next to my partner, but was denied during a low traffic period. The place was dead at the the time so I was skeptical, but now there are a few more parties, so maybe there was a reason for it. Ambiance: The place is small so it can get mildly loud. It's be hard to have a private conversation here. Not a problem for me because I understand how it is to have a loud voice/having to talk over others. Food: Salmon Sashimi is good, Wasabi could be spicier, and Sake is good. Just tried the Ankimo raw dish and I'm over the Moon!!! So based off what I tried, this place is awesome! read more

Let's be honest there is no shortage of sushi places in the Bay Area ranging from relatively inexpensive to fancy ones. This place is a hole in the wall - it doesn't host much in terms of ambience to justify the prices on the menu or the portion size. The sushi in itself is very good - we tried the spicy California roll, New York roll and spicy himachi roll. The portions are definitely smaller than a lot of restaurants, however, the taste was good. Overall, it's a decent sushi place but May not be worth a second visit read more

Amakai - Hamachi and New York rolls - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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We ordered sashimi platter, Agedashi tofu and White Dragon roll. Sashimi was really nice. We enjoyed the most. Agedashi tofu tasted that it's missing something. Maybe it's the sauce missing the flavor. Either way, I didn't like it so much. White dragon could have been better if they didn't put store bought Unagi sauce. It's way too sweet and ruins the flavor of the roll. It's not authentic Japanese restaurant. I don't think I'll come back here by choice. read more

Amakai - Agedashi tofu - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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The lady that served us wasnt too welcoming to us and took our food away when we wanted to take a to go box. Not coming back here again.

So.... moving from South Bay to Colorado burbs.... I would joke that gas station sushi in San Jose would be better than most sushi restaurants in the Denver burbs. Today, in the area and seeing good reviews, I went here and was proved wrong. This was worse than gas station sushi. It was actually worse than what I could get at Safeway or King Soopers in the burbs. That sucks. I ordered two rolls, two rolls that are hard to fuck up, a spicy tuna roll and a cucumber roll. The cucumber roll wasn't even on that janky menu. I order a cucumber roll to see how they prepare their rolls and how the rice is seasoned. Poorly rolled and the rice.... Was plain rice. Absolutely no seasoning like rice vinegar sugar and salt. The cucumber tasted like an English cucumber and was very thickly cut, the skin's bitterness really coming through. Bad sign for such a basic roll. The spicy tuna had no flavor, despite pairing it with spicy greens and thickly cut cucumber. I understand spicy tuna is not something a purist would order but it's a staple and if you're a foodie, you need to pay attention to the small things to get a feel how they would do bigger things. I paid for my bill and left. I had enough room for a third roll but wasn't wanting to pay 16+ for a specialty roll if the basic rolls weren't very good. So disappointed. read more

What a gem this place is. The staff treated us like family and the food was some of the best Japanese cuisine I've had in a long time. My girlfriend and I were headed to Great America's fright fest and stopped in for a quick bite. Spoke with the waitress who recommended the spicy Tiger roll. So fucking good I got another one right after finishing. My girlfriend loves Cali rolls and they had a spicy version, she ended up getting another one as well. Mixed tempura and miso were on point I've never had fried ice cream and I was definitely surprised how good it was. All around they killed it!!! We returned a week later. Staff recognized us and already knew our order!! Just an amazing time first and second time around We will definitely be back again!!! read more

Amakai - Tiger roll, miso and tempura - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Caring customer service, very diligent staff making sure everyone is socially distanced, tables, utensils are sanitized after each customer, delicious food and cute little shaded cubes for each party to dine in. We ordered numerous staple specialty roles. They were on the pricey side but very well made with great quality fish. Our orders came in late so they offered us some complimentary edamame. We understand the delay since it's pandemic and like many restaurants everyone has downsized their workers to survive. I think with full number of chefs and servers and the pandemic gone once and for all, all the places including this one will do great! Will definitely revisit if traveling to the Bay Area again soon:) Thanks Cindy for all the recommendations and taking care of us along with your other colleagues:) read more

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"Small but clean" Ended up here after seeing the sign in sheet at HiroNori craft ramen was two pages long.... parking can be a little challenging in this narrow strip mall of restaurants. I got seated right away - small but clean. Had green tea and ordered promptly. Agadashi Tofu - very good - excellent crispy batter but light and not overdone. Served hot - six or seven flat squares of tofu. Hamachi Sashimi - my go to measuring stick. Fish quality superb. Portion size weak. My steak bites are bigger. I never felt like I had to take more than one bite and not look like an oaf stuffing my mouth. In fact, with premium sashimi, you're better off savoring in multiple, smaller bites. Problem is, the cuts were just that - smaller bites. Small, but at least it was clean. Bento box - I had chicken teriyaki (sorry was not feeling creative) hard to mess up, nothing spectacular. Tempura was above average - batter to food ratio was perfect. They seem to be good at frying batter here. Presentation was unremarkable. It took quite a while to get my check and a to-go box. Slightly annoying, that's all I'll say. Prices are lofty for what you get - particularly the sashimi. I wouldn't object to returning but would definitely opt for the new ramen place two doors down if the wait isn't long next time.... read more

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The line to HiroNori was way too long so out of desperation to make it on time to my daughter's next soccer match, we came here for soup. My daughter got the tempura udon. That was good. I got the donkotsu ramen. Don't do it. Noodles were mushy. The charsiu pork was okay. The ramen eggs. The ramen eggs. Argh. Just look at my photo of the egg. No, no, no. The broth was also bland. Update: it should also be noted that the owner doesn't like it when a patron critique them about the food. Apparently, he does not appreciate that patrons critique their hard boiled eggs (vs ramen eggs that everyone typical assumes they would get). And despite him admitting that people have commented about the egg and he likes the eggs that way, he can't deal with someone complaining about the egg texture. Enough to private message a patron and berate them. However, nothing was noted about my critique of the rest of the low quality ramen. read more

Amakai - Donkotsu ramen - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Placed an order through yelp and it was ready earlier than expected! They followed the instructions I left in the notes so I really appreciate that. I like more simple rolls and this place had really fairly priced stuff. Saw in older pics that they have a sushi cake?? Interesting!! Will be back to try more! :-) read more

Amakai - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

So happy to find a close by sushi place for when we want a quick sushi fix. We had the spider roll, Phoenix roll, rose garden, and spicy tuna. The rose garden was interesting as it had a sweet finish too it. I think when I want a fix for sashimi, I would go elsewhere but their rolls were solid and scrumptious. We'll be back. read more

It is my first time to eat around this area. I requested to add sashimi for my bento, but they didn't . I ask for Chirashi, they didn't have, then I ordered sashimi cost over $17 for just 7 pieces regular sashimi which is over priced. The chicken bento, we won't finish it because they taste bitter. Very disappointed. read more

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

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I am from out of town and tried this place based on the reviews. I would not recommend this as a stop for flavorful fresh sushi. The serve Monica was nice. read more

Quality of service is very important to me which is why this place gets 3 stars. I was dropping some things off to my sister at work and wanted to grab a quick and healthy lunch before heading home. Saw that Amakai was only 4 minutes away so that was why it was my first choice. My sister said she typically refers her clients/guests here because it's close and has decent reviews. Upon entering, the vibe was very mom n pop. I was welcomed in but offered either the sushi bar or a janky loner table at the front. I asked if it was okay if I could switch the seat around and push the table up a bit (so I wouldn't have to awkwardly stare at the two other diners right in front of me) while I waited. It was totally possible but the waitress seemed pressed about it and said I'd be trapping the other guest in. It was ridiculous so I just opted for the sushi bar. The sushi chefs were busy and kindly smiled. This is a family owned business for sure because the waitress at the sushi bar was whining to her dad (one of the sushi chefs) about being hungry. Then I asked her if there were any rolls that were wrapped in cucumber so I could avoid eating rice. She looked at me puzzled and said it would probably have to be a special order. So I just went with the sashimi combo because it's simple and convenient, however, I did not like that it didn't come with a soup or a salad especially ringing in at $32. I just ordered a side salad. Overall, I enjoyed the sashimi because it didn't have a fishy taste and the pieces were sliced pretty thick, but it's safe to say that you'll likely find much better places in the area. read more

Amakai - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Incredibly...OK. Not bad, not good, just OK. The tea they serve has a weird aftertaste, so OK, I'll just get diet coke instead. The fish is OK, standard nigiri and maki and roll are all edible and fine I guess. The premium rolls are OK too, nothing really pops up in my mind. If you just need a place to eat in the area, or are getting take out, or just don't care then its OK to come here. read more

Great service with a very well decorated and inviting ambiance and good food! They had fresh salmon that tasted great. Definitely recommend. read more

Amakai - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Came here for the first time, it wasn't busy. There are 4 booths and two were empty. Plus two people sitting at the regular tables, everything else was empty. We wanted to sit at the booth and the server told us, it's only for 4 people and over. We had to tell the server we are going to spend money for 4 people to have her sit us at one of the booths. I understand if the place was busy, yes have this rule, but the place was empty. Every time we ordered more food the server wouldn't hear us, and we had to keep repeating ourselves every time. The food was good, standard, nothing fancy. Design of restaurant is cozy. It's a bummer we had our experience start on the wrong note, I would have given this place at least 4 stars. read more

An out of town visitor here on business. What to expect from an off the beaten path strip mall sushi place? I hoped for better.

Arrived around 5:30pm on a week night - nobody in the place, the first thing I see is "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone". Look, I respect that ppl (especially during and after covid are rude and businesses should not tolerate this). However, its not the most welcoming thing to see at first impression. Also, I asked to sit in a certain table because there was no one else in the place. The lady told me that was a table for two. The entire time there was only one other person there. I ordered a udon noodle soup and it was okay. Pros : parking lot and not crowded, decent service Cons: not very clean and certainly not a place I would order raw preparations. This is my own standards. But if it is a later night and you are consuming beer or sake then maybe its okay. I lived in Japan for years and I know my sushi. I could not bring myself to order any raw items because this place does not meet my personal standards for cleanliness for a restaurant that serves raw items on the menu. If everything on this menu is fried or hot -okay but that is my own comfort level. read more

The food was fine but the service was so awful and the radio station was so loud that it was a bad experience. I asked to be seated at a table after a brief stay at the sushi bar because the guy next to me was so loud. (Not the restaurant's fault!) I was taken to a table where its one chair had me facing a date night couple who were uncomfortably close. So I moved my chair to the other side and ooched the table forward. Not allowed! So I relocated to another table and was ghosted for a long time. I had to remind the waitress about the sake and water I ordered from her at the bar. It arrived a long time later (the place is mostly empty!) and among the items I then ordered was a hamachi make. They have other yellowtail preps on the menu, but it's not specifically on the maki menu. She doubted it was available. "Really? You won't make a hamachi make?" She said she'd ask the chef. Time passes and the food finally arrives, including your standard hamachi maki. It's a lot, and thankfully all tasty. I ask for water again with another small sake. The water arrives but no sake. Eventually I walk up to her and ask if my sake is ready. Oh, she forgot. Wow, it was a lot of shabby treatment for one meal, tasty as the food was (if I wasn't so irritated!) read more

Amakai is a cozy sushi place with a small number of tables and a sushi bar. It was crowded (always a good sign) so my colleague and I sat at the sushi bar. We were focused on the sushi, even though they have a nice range of non-sushi appetizers and dishes as well. Maybe next time! We went edamame first with sushi - hamachi, saba, maguro, with a final choice of amaebi. I've never had amaebi (with the shrimp heads) but I highly recommend it. Tasted like shrimp with a popcorn like crunch. Tea was served in a thermal insulated cup - a little modern but hey, the tea stays warm. And, of course, Sapporo beers. Next we went rolls and were hankering for spicy. At the chef's recommendation, we went with the spicy Pandora's roll and the Samurai roll. If you like spicy, they came with the perfect level of heat. Service was good, with a few speed bumps but everyone was very nice - hence the 4 stars. I got the impression from the chef that the restaurant is a family affair with his son helping him cook. That's always a good reason to support a local restaurant. I will definitely be coming back! read more

Very nice lunch - will definitely go back. I was hungry for sushi and had their lunch special with stashing and a roll, just the right amount of food and very fresh. read more

we ordered the tofu, a few rolls and deep fried crab... I thought is all ok. super busy on the weekday lunch. parking can be a pain pushing noon. we got here at 11:40am and get a table right away.. others a few minutes after us had to wait. restaurant is small and cozy but you don't feel as you are rubbing elbows. as stated, food is average and nothing stood out to me. read more

Food is mediocre; service is terrible! The waitress had an attitude and we were charged 20% service see. Not coming back.

We were at a dance convention and stopped by about 8 on a Saturday. I think they close at 830 or 9. But the place was busy and we were treated very well. Service was great and our rolls and ramen bowl was great. Would definitely eat here again. read more

This is our favorite neighborhood sushi spot! They are family operated and serve up sushi that is just plain excellent without being too fussy or pretentious. Service is always quick and we usually don't have to wait for a table. We always love the Geisha roll, Rose Garden, Pandora's, and Mango Salmon. Their nigiri's are great too. Also, Amakai helped us out with a last minute platter for a party that we hosted recently. They got the order out super quickly and the sushi was a hit at our event! We would definitely order from them again. Parking can be a little tough sometimes in the strip that they are at. Make sure you don't leave any valuables in your car at night, I was at the Tea Top nearby when someone found their window smashed in . read more

Amakai - Geisha Roll - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Fantastic sushi! I was very impressed by the quality of the fish and the value. The chef recommended the hamachi nigiri, it was amazing. The father and son owners are very personable. read more

Amakai - a variety of sushi - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

The service was really bad. We were sat at a table for over 20 minutes and no one came to take our order. After 20, they instead moved us to a different table and made us wait another 10 minutes before taking our order. There were two servers working, and one of them kept staring at us and walking past our table without acknowledging. read more

Came here for a late lunch after work and we were the only ones. Parking and access to Amakai is easy. It's located in the same small plaza as Iguanas, as well as other shops. I love that there's a Japanese place (good for specialty rolls) in the Great America area. It's still pretty new, but I can see Amakai establishing themselves pretty well in the area. They don't skimp on portion size or sashimi cuts. I enjoyed my Pandora roll, which was the perfect amount of slight spice and so beautifully crafted to stay together as I carried the sushi into my mouth. I'm a sushi roll kind of call, but I saw that they also serve specials and more selective pieces like nigiri. Our sushi was well made, rice was the perfect Japanese texture'd rice of QQ and softness at the same time. They also have hot green tea if you ask! I'd totally come back here again. Prices are a bit more on the higher side ($13+ for specialty's), but so are some of my favorite spots like SenDai or TGI's in Campbell. There is plenty of seating, no wifi, and alcohol too. read more

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

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Don't go to this place. Sushi is so bad!!!!! The fish is not fresh, sushi rice to "soft"cannot hold. Just so so, don't know why people come. Maybe bento is ok I guess. But ramen and sushi is terrible. read more

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Great food and service! Ordered the sushi here - salmon nigiri and a few maki rolls like the spicy tuna, scallops and hamachi. They were all freshly made and delicious. We also had the spicy ramen which was flavourful and just the right amount of spicy. They have a quaint and cozy setup and I really like how much effort they have put in to make it look authentic. I would definitely go here again. read more

Amakai - Salmon nigiri, scallops, hamachi and spicy tuna roll - Japanese Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Came here for lunch. Cute little place parking is hard to find. Grilled squid was really good. Lunch specials prices were good. I got my usual chirashi. It's $24 here but the fish slices were smaller here. Salmon had hint of skin on it, definitely not the ideal cut. Altho it was fresh it's not the value you get at my regular sushi places. I would only come here for the lunch specials next time. read more

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