Aki Sushi

There are a few vegan maki rolls available; I had the large «vegetarian supreme» one that was wrapped in a sheet of soy instead of nori. I didn’t care too much for that, but the filling was alright. Other options included the standard AAC (avocado, asparagus and cucumber) and smaller veggie maki.
I drank a dirty martini with Tanqueray; it tasted watered down. Not worth it.
I love the koi pond! I think I spent more time watching the fish than I did eating.

I’ve been here a few times and sat out on the patio.
The fish has always been very good and reasonably priced. The service is sloooow and not very attentive, but the fresh fish nigiri was definitely worth the wait (and I’m a total sushi snob). Hamachi, Bincyo, Maguro, Sake and Saba were all very very good.
The roll was fine and not too impressive.
i will definitely go back.

This place is good for the buck. I am no fish monger or sushi connoisseur, and I don’t actually eat raw fish, therefore, my review has some limited scope to it. However, I did have the veggie maki, and Bi-​bim-​Bob (a Korean dish), which, was pretty darn tasty. I also received a humongous bowl full of it! My guest and I decided to order the hot Saki, umm… I was not a fan, and I’ve had Saki before.
The atmosphere is dim and it was empty, however, I did go out on a Tuesday night. I agree with a few other posters that it was quite chilly inside, which made me slightly uncomfortable.
Our waiter was fantastic! Extremely attentive. I could say the food came out promptly, but it is sushi and we were the only ones in the place.
I intend on going again at some point in time. I think its definitely worth a try!

The rating is just perfectly suitable for this place. It is exactly that. A-​OK.
Nothing spectacular, it is average sushi for an average price.
I live close by so it is perfect for some lazy evenings when I want some takeout sushi and miso soup. I wouldn’t go out of my way to be here, but if you live close by and want some take out sushi or even dine in with BYOB its a decent option. Just don’t go in with the hope of having your mind blown.

I absolutely LOVE this place. The prices are ridiculously reasonable — much less expensive than other sushi places (three of us ate tonight for only $ 100 + tip). The staff is so friendly and the quality of the sushi is very high despite how cheap it is. Every time we’ve gone, they’ve comped something on the bill or offered us a complimentary roll or drink.
The atmosphere isn’t quite as fancy as other places, but the prices and the attitude of the staff more than make up for that. I’ve always found the music fun and/​or appropriate background noise, and you can BYOB or order off their drink menu. They have a full bar that often includes drink specials (even on the weekends).
I can’t recommend this place enough. Truly, it’s great. When you go, make sure you sit at the bar. Paul, the sushi chef, is a great guy, and will talk to you and entertain you a little while he makes your sushi too.

Sometimes when I am here, I feel like I’m eating in the mall food court after hours– the large fountain in the middle, B96 mix tape on repeat, and lack of other people…
However, for the area and price range, Aki is my pick. The prices are great and the quality is consistent. Sometimes you just want the basics, no wait, and no pretention. BYOB is a perk– you can grab a bottle of wine at the D & D across the street. If you’re worried about eating cheap sushi, get two and finish one before the meal starts.
I do recommend the turtle roll– not only is it a great photo opp, but it was really delicious. C’mon– mushroom eyes? That’s fricking adorable!

With cheap prices (by sushi standards), I would expect lower quality sushi. I’ve here 3 times and have always walked away enjoying pretty much everything we ordered. And its a 1 minute walk from my house.
You’ll definitely walk out of here fuller and with more money in your pocket than their neighbor across the street.

They were very gracious here, giving us free edamame and a little bit of extra free sushi. The staff was definitely trying real hard.
Sushi prices were OK i guess, but a lot of other items on the menu, like udon soups were way too expensive for what you get. I guess they made up for it with the freebies.
Interior is a little dingy and needs a little work. And by work I don’t mean building more into that weird koi pond they have in the middle of the room.

With sushi, there’s the really high-​end places (which are amazing but very expensive) and there’s the low-​end places (which are generally on par with the refrigerated stuff in the grocery store; cheap and okay). Then there’s the vast middle – reasonable restaurants with a few terrific items.
Aki’s in that middle ground, but what keeps it from being just mediocre is the very kind staff, particularly when I’ve been seated at the sushi bar. Every time I’ve gone, we’ve been offered a little something extra, compliments of the house. The best was a little appetizer number called the Sake Volcano (which doesn’t seem to have much to do with sake). It’s «chopped scallop, crabmeat, shrimp, scallion mixed with spicy mayo rolled up with slices of fresh salmon and baked to perfection topped with black tobiko and unagi sauce.» It was delicious and melted in my mouth.

Returned after months of being away and it was terrible! It was pretty chilly on the inside and I was sat next to a terrible group of people that decided to sing Lady Gaga songs. I could have sworn I was sitting in the cafeteria of Sweet Valley High listening to this conversation they were having. Thanks for sitting me there mr waiter when there were other seats available.
I have never waited as long as I did for sushi as I did tonight. We ordered a bottle of wine while we waited. I noticed a couple that came in 10 minutes after we did recieve their food before us. My waiter did not help by coming over and looking dumbfounded when I brought it to his attention. He came over with some soup after he noticed me constantly turning around looking for my food to show up after sitting there over 20 minutes after ordering. At that point I could not sit there any longer after watching this couple (that came much later than us) chowing. I told the guy to bring the check for the bottle of wine we ordered because I was not going to wait any longer. He looked and said you don’t want any food and I just got up and started moving towards the door. He kept apologizing and I kept walking. He said we did not have to pay for the wine. Where was Shawn when I needed him???

I ate here two times and loved it SO much, I had a birthday party here. They accomodated 25 people and had IMPECCABLE service. It’s a husband and wife team and I was a complete lover of Toro Sushi (and still am) but am now a complete lover of Aki Sushi. I don’t have to drive all the way to Clark/​Halsted to get fab rolls. His rolls are super creative and the sashimi is nice, thick and very fresh! They have ½ price bottles of wine and $ 7 martinis Th — Sun so you can go and have a fab dinner w/​great drinks too. Highly highly recommend.

Keep in mind I’ve only dined at this particular restaurant once. But once was enough.
Now I’m not saying the food was bad, not a single bite provoked a grimaced face or urge to spit. The food was just so so. I think the fish is frozen as the tuna was a dark brown as opposed to the reddish color one usually sees in a Tuna Roll.
I ordered a 6 piece Gyoza dumpling: decent, thats it. Sauce was tasty, sweet with a nice spicy kick
Vegetable Tempura: Nice big squash pieces, a yam and broccoli, tasteless sauce
Unagi sashimi: Pretty big pieces, but at $ 2.50 for 1 it should be.
Boston Roll (Tuna and avocado): weak and thin
Yellowtail and Scallion roll: Thin with hardly any yellowtail.
The food is not cheap and neither are the drinks. There are definitely better sushi choices, probably within walking distance.
Our server was cool though, if that matters to anyone.

Whenever I walk by this place it is empty and I honestly don’t know why. I went on a weekday evening with a friend, and it was a beautiful night so we were able to sit outside. They have about 6 tables for outdoor seating and ample indoor seating.
The interior is very nicely decorated, and there’s a koi pond next to the window. I was definitely impressed.
Onto the sushi… I got the Philidelphia roll (my staple), and the Sweet Potato Tempura roll (AMAZING!) I don’t believe this one was on the menu, if it was, not in English, but they were more than happy to make it for us. My friend got the Sweet Potato roll as well, the Veggie roll, and an avocado roll, all very good.
We also each got 1 glass of Sapporo and the bill came out to almost $ 40 which to me seemed rather high. We hadn’t gotten any specialty rolls, and had mostly gotten veggie stuff. I didn’t see the bill details, so I’m not sure what made it so high. All in all good sushi, but some things are slightly pricey.

I want to continue enjoying you, Aki, but I just can’t do it anymore. We’re breaking up, at least for the winter. The last few times we met it just wasn’t the same. Your rolls got smaller and the fish not as fresh. The presentation still rocked, but rice shouldn’t substitute the lack of fish. Your service was the same, just okay, but I had hoped it would improve in time, or that it would grow on me. Sadly, it hasn’t. And, the few times I ordered take-​out I was almost embarrassed that I had suggested you. Luckily I wasn’t trying to impress anyone with my take-​out ordering skills, that would have been the end of that date.
Alas, I’m sad to say I wish it could have been better. Let’s hope for spring.

So, the crux of the matter is – Aki is not worth what they charge.
The quality is akin to what you can get at Dominick’s or any of those fast food sushi places but the prices/​portions are equal to a normal sit down sushi place. They would not be overpriced if the sushi was good, but because the sushi is acceptable minus (if that is an option — I mean, its not quite bad, but its not quite acceptable either) I felt ripped off.
I’d say either pay more for fancy sushi or find a different, reasonable place.

I am always up for trying new Sushi places even if I usually stick to the same two, Blu Coral and Blue Fin. I have been to Bob San down the street and am not a fan. I have been wanting to check out Aki and Mirai for awhile. Mirai across the street is said to be more expensive then Aki and if thats the case yikes. Most of Aki rolls were about $ 12-​$ 16, which seems pretty normal for sushi. I think each roll had about 7 – 9 pieces in them, which is a decent size. My fiancée and I ordered four rolls to share which was a lot for the two of us. One of my favorite rolls was the Green Turtle which looked just like a turtle when it came out. To go with the rolls a couple $ 7 martinis made the dinner excellent. Overall I thought all the fish tasted very fresh. The service was ok but wasn’t anything bad like some other Unilocalers have experienced.
Even if the reviews of Aki are mixed I had a great dinner and I recommend giving them a try.

I thought the sushi was good, but overpriced, especially for a newbie. If you are trying to set a standard, by charging $$, then you better be able to back it up. The décor is way too dumpy to try and play itself off like an upscale restaurant. AND, some of the waitresses were wearing flip flops. In my serving experience (and even retail) that is a huge violation. And just plain gross. I don’t want to see my server’s stank feet that have been sludging through a restaurant all day.
I think someone else commented on having too many choices and I agree. It was a bit overwhelming and they should just stick to a few things and work on perfecting those. However, we lucked out and everything we tried was good, especially the I Love Chicago roll. The Spicy Tataki and Tataki Tuna were also good, but everything kind of tasted the same.
If you’re in the neighborhood and Bob San or Mirai or too busy, this place will satisfy your needs, but don’t make a special trip to come here.

I have been living in the neighborhood now for two years, and on my search for the most amazing sushi place I came upon Aki Sushi. Although the first time I went to it it was called «A Touch of Sushi.»
The first time it was just OK, and I overlooked problems with it due to the price of the sushi– it was dirt cheap. I guess you get what you pay for…
I hate to say this, but my fiancé had a former roommate that worked at Aki for two weeks before he quit. He told me a story that makes shudder when I walk by the place. I guess it was (maybe still is) common place to re-​use the uneaten fish. He saw the sushi chef plucking out the fish from old rolls and adding it to the rolls that he was making. Gross.

This is a decent alternative to the always packed and pricy Mairi across the street; however, I would not go out of my way to come here. I simply go because I live nearby. The sushi is good, but nothing that stands out from the crowd. I do enjoy the Caterpiller roll, and I tend to get it every time as I think it is one of their best options.
There are always empty seats, and takeout is quick, but service can be very slow when dining in (which can be good or bad depending on your schedule). The décor is a bit odd as well — a mix of industrial simplicity with Asian garden.

I love that they have a koi pond right in the place. So you can watch fish… as you eat them!
We had the spicy/​crunchy (maybe vice versa… yes it was actually called that) appetizer roll. AWESOME. and I hate spicy, but I still liked this!
Then I had the soft shell crab and philly rolls. They were really small but very delicious. My friend got the salmon teriyaki which came w/​two huge salmon fillets.
The waiter was nice but a little hard to catch his attention. He also got confused when my friend asked for extra rice and teriyaki sauce to go w/​her leftovers when he wrapped them for her. He actually made her a whole new order to go along with it. Luckily she liked it a lot so we didn’t complain, but she still had to get more rice and sauce for later.
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