Akami Sushi Bar

Food Been to akami twice now and love the quality of sushi everytime. Top 3 sushi spots in the triangle area for sure. Love that they have salmon only options! Service Dined in once and had takeout once. Loved the service both times. Ambiance Different from your typical sushi spot since it's connected to a gas station, but overall surprisingly cozy!

This place hands down is the best Sushi I have had here in the Raleigh/Durham area. The place is small and very busy. Well worth the wait.

This place looks unassuming from the outside, since it's attached to a gas station, but that's why you don't judge a book by its cover! Akami has great quality sushi for a very reasonable price. My wife and I came for lunch on a Monday, and the place was relatively quiet, but there were already a good number of take out orders being prepared. We were promptly seated at the bar (by request) and given drinks. I ordered the Sushi & Sashimi from their lunch menu: 3 piece Nigiri (I ended up with Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi / Yellowtail), 6 piece Sashimi (Tuna, Salmon, Escolar), and California Roll. The fish was all very tasty, good quality, and generous portion size. It also included a miso soup and salad. My wife ordered the Rainbow Roll Combo from the lunch menu: Rainbow Roll (Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi, Escolar on top of a California Roll) with 4 piece Nigiri (She ended up with Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi, Escolar). She also enjoyed her order and was very full (I helped her finish her sushi). The service was very quick and friendly. The space is small, but very clean and good for smaller groups. The bathroom is shared with the gas station, so that would be my only critique - it was a typical gas station bathroom. But overall, I enjoyed the food and the dining experience here. I hope to come back to try some other things in the future!

Another Yelp Winner! I've been reading the reviews and wanting to visit Akami for quite awhile. Yelp reviewers have never let me down! My husband and I ordered the Premium ($42) Sushi -15 piece, chef's choice. The pieces of sushi were super fresh, melt-in-your-mouth soft, and sliced thick! We ordered 2 nigiri, toro and hamachi. Incredible!! Great service. We will be back!!

I used to get sushi every Friday at Kumo in Fuquay because it was close by and pretty decent and then I stumbled upon Akami a few years ago right after they opened and I've never gone back to Kumo. The quality of the sushi and the portion sizes as well as the flavor combinations at Akami are far superior than any other sushi restaurant in the triangle...and I've been to lots of sushi restaurants such as Osha, Cowfish, Ajisai, Sushi Iwa, Sushi Thai Cary and dozens of others. Akami is hands down the best. I have literally tried everything on the menu, and yes, I'm one of those regulars who has been given his own chopsticks by the owner Bird with my name on them. Where else does a regular get their own personal chopsticks? And as far as the menu goes, I keep track of it all on a note and often make suggestions to new visitors. I always sit at the bar and recommend you sit there as well, but only if you like talking to the chefs and the people around you. Please don't take over the bar if you're just gonna sit there and have your own party and ignore everyone else...this applies to all sushi restaurants as good etiquette. Anytime I bring someone new I bring them in through the gas station...that's not the preferred entrance, but it's fun and starts the night off great as it really makes you feel like you're entering a secret speakeasy. I always buy the fish jerky which is made in house and served hot for anyone that's new . The uni shot is also something unique to try on your first outing at Akami. The best items on the menu are gonna be the rolls....all of the rolls are carefully crafted to have unique flavor profiles and textures, you can't go wrong with any of them. And I'm talking about the house rolls, not the standard rolls like the tuna roll that you can get anywhere else. Same goes for the regular nigiri and sashimi. The quality of fish here is exceptional and that stuff is great, but to me you can get tuna or salmon anywhere...be adventures, get the Hamachi Torch or the Geisha Dragon or one of the many other unique combinations on the roll menu. The parking can be difficult because they don't have a lot of spaces and a lot of parties of 4 show up in their own cars...please carpool if you can. You can park along the curb near the entrance to the gas station and by Bojangles. Akami has about 10 spots with their name on it but it's not a lot if everyone drives separate. It's also super popular and might be a bit slow if they are busy but please just chill and enjoy your meal, don't rush it. If you're in a rush just order your food to go (no take out on Friday and Saturday nights due to being so busy). Once a month on Sunday they open up 3 Omakase dinners that are 13 courses long and costs about $135 + $45 for a sake pairing. I do this at least once a year and please get a designated driver if you do the sake pairing. The courses are legendary and served one by one and the menu is different each time. It usually sells out within a few hours of being announced on instagram and Facebook so keep an eye out if you want to do it. I didn't review this place for a long time because it's already busy and I wanted it to stay a bit secret, but the secret is out now so I might as well throw in my two cents. Enjoy!