Finally tried akami and to be honest, it was a little bit of a let down. It wasn't awful at all, just not my favorite. The service was very good though and friendly, no complaints there. Parking was very rough, as not many spots to park in, a one way that brings you back to the road was frustrating. I tried several things and they had good flavor for sure, pretty decent quality but some parts weren't for me. For example, one of the rolls had seared fish on top but when they seared it, they seared the whole roll, including the rice so it left a bitter taste in my mouth. The salad also tasted like it had wasabi in it, which j didn't enjoy. The mango roll was very refreshing and delicious though. Overall, it was terrible but I've enjoyed other sushi places more with less parking hassle.

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!

I absolutely love this place! Sushi in a gas station? I know right, I thought the same thing. I found this restaurant on Yelp and put it straight in the GPS based on its reviews. As we pulled up, all I saw was a gas station and immediately felt confusion. We noticed the entrance on the side of the building and parked. The entry to Akami is inviting. We had to wait for a table, but it was not a long wait. The restaurant includes a bar area where you can sit and watch the owners/chefs make your order right in front of you. The menu is full of options for those that like raw or sushi with cooked items. We ordered the Miso soup, Prawn Shumai, Dragon Roll, Spider Roll and the Shrimp Tempura Roll. Everything, and I mean everything we ordered was full of flavor. This place has the best sushi that I have ever eaten! Hands down! Eating sushi at a gas station = my new favorite place! You HAVE to try this place. This is not sushi in a plastic tray, this is sushi made to excite your tastebuds.

We had a great table by the wall with a woman on the mural. It gave us a good view of entire restaurant and sushi bar. Our waitress was super sweet and efficient. The miso soup was delicious. The salad was just ok. I had the ginger dressing and it tasted watered down. Next time I will try the wasabi salad dressing. The cucumbers were good, I had one tiny tomato, the greens were fresh but a bit tasteless. For my lunch special i had sashimi and I added a south beach roll. The sashimi was so fresh and the pieces tasted amazing. I also really liked the tuna roll. The south beach roll was probably my second favorite roll in my life. And I have been eating sushi for 40 years. The combination of the spicy, crunchy and fresh ingredients was just wonderful. I will certainly return. Love this gas station sushi.

Gas station sushi? Akami Sushi Bar in Raleigh, NC is connected to a gas station, but don't underestimate the quality. Lunch bento boxes come with miso soup, mixed greens salad, & a variety of fresh sushi, sashimi, & maki options! Service is attentive, but when peak times hit, expect a bit of a wait. Nice sit down tables & seats at the sushi bar! Would come back!

My partner got the nigiri and sashimi set and really liked the quality and value of the set! The sashimi were a healthy size, tasted fresh, and had a nice presentation. His favorite was the escolar/butterfish(?) which was his first time trying it, though we found out afterwards through googling that you shouldn't eat too much of it or you'll have an upset tummy! I don't eat much sushi but I got the seared scallop, chutoro, and tamago nigiris and I enjoyed them all! It was my first time trying seared scallop nigiri as opposed to not seared, I think I prefer not seared better. It's a quaint place, we got seated at the bar which was nice. And service was good!