Akira Aptos in Aptos

We’ve always loved Akira, but recently their chefs have been taking their sushi game to a whole new level. Very delicious with big portions of food & we have yet to have a roll that we didn’t like. Highly recommend!

Akira is a very good Japanese restaurant. Above average in every way. They can fill up fast so go early..wait times can get up there around 45 minutes, which says how much people like Akira. I had Hamachi Kama 10$ and Ninja Sticks 6$ and a Bento box with steak and combo tempura $25. Monday is happy hour all day and discounts are given on certain items like apps, beer and sake.You wont be disappointed. Thank you

Went to Akira for my first time and I was VERY impressed! Sashimi and sushi as well as teriyaki steak were delicious! Ordered them in a Bento with 7 pieces of sashimi and 4 pieces of nigiri sushi. You saved loads of $ ordering that way. The only ‘catch’ is that it’s chef’s chronicle the nigiri and sashimi. His choices were excellent! Hamachi, salmon, and albacore tuna! Will definitely be going back!

Rolls and appetizer were “OK”. Server was pleasant, but service was off with rolls showing up well before the appetizers and check getting swapped with another party. Unsettling ambiance - a bit on the louder side with hockey game playing on the TVs behind the sushi bar accentuating the early evening draft coming in from entrance doors propped open to allow customers lined up at the door to peer over your meal as they wait for your table.

We went on a Saturday afternoon, about 3 pm. Thankfully, they dont close in the afternoon before dinner, as most sushi places do. I also didnt realize they have happy hr with discounts every day. They have outdoor seating with umbrellas, which is always nice when the weather cooperates. The restaurant is always clean. Our server was friendly and helpful with recommendations. The sushi was fresh and was really, really good. Portions were plentiful. Pricing is good for the quality, selection, and portions. It was worth the drive over the 152. I will keep coming back!

Pretty terrible experience here. Our server was slow and unattentive. He also delivered our cups and plates with his fingers inside and all over everything. Our dishes would sit on the counter by the sushi chefs for up to 5 minutes before he noticed and delivered them. The other wait person would notice but she would not help and deliver his tables. You guys really need to work together. They were not busy by the way.The sushi chefs worked fast and put out a good product but the servers ruined the experience.The music was loud and terrible. Bon Jovi, Ozzy Osbourne and Guns and Roses was blaring the whole time. 🤮The happy hour does not include any sushi or sashimi but the Sapporo beer was nice and cold.The Dark Side roll and Poke Nachos were decent.I would not suggest this place, you can find much better authentic sushi places in Capitola and Santa Cruz.

Service was really great— really appreciate the servers. They were 10/10.The sushi rolls were disappointing. Maybe we just didn’t make good picks. They took one of the rolls off of our bill because we really didn’t want to eat it (kogan—it was super saucy and mushy) and that was cool of them to do!Over all the vibe was great, appreciate the folks there, just the sushi not to our likingBut other customers w/ different orders seemed happy.

What a nice gem we found on our way south to Pacific Grove. We were hungry and ordered way too much. Our child ordered the kid’s bento box with skirt steak, generous portions. Our child really liked the miso soup, vegetable tempura, gyoza, and rice. The steak was too charbroiled for his liking. For starters, we got the karaage which was okay, interesting sweet, sour, and spicy sauce it was served with. Also, we ordered the edamame and cucumber sunomono which were both good and light. We ordered the namesake fries which were okay but probably could have done without. We ordered 3 rolls and uni. The uni was delicious! The rolls were also very good—ebi tempura roll, stormtrooper crisp, and veggie dragon. We would definitely return on future trips.

We came here back because liked the food first time. Good sashimi, a nice variety of rolls, very tasty dragon rolls. I really like the place but I saw something: they make rice in huge tanks, and then transfer it to smaller jars and while its still hot, cover it with plastic wrap... common! Can you use met or glass lid? Other than that, a good place. Recommended. Oh, and they have plum wine, I remember.

Akira delivered on portion size and value, but it disappointed in almost every other category.The miso soup tasted good, if not a bit watered down. My bigger issue was with the temperature: it was barely warm when it was served.On the whole, I was really happy with my dinner bento box (I chose sashimi and nigiri). The miso salad dressing was exceptional, but the salad was otherwise remarkably simple: just spring mix. Some extra vegetables or nuts would add more color, texture, and variety. The sushi tasted great, and the portions were enormous; actually, too big to even fit in my mouth, but thats not the worst problem to have.Here are my bigger issues with Akira: first, the slowness. It took ten minutes before my drink order was taken, and another fifty before I got my food. I might have been a little more understanding if the server mentioned something about the wait, but he only came to my table twice the entire night.Second, the bathroom was pretty awful. It was severely vandalized, unkempt, and the hot water coming from the sink nearly burned by hand; there didnt appear to be a temperature regulator.My experience really came down to the service, and unfortunately, my server was basically absent throughout my entire visit. I dont think Ill be back...