Samantha B.
Yelp
I pass Akashi almost every day on US-1, and today I finally tried it with a friend because we were both in the mood for sushi. This restaurant had been recommended by a few friends and it's very close to me, so we went there for lunch.
First of all, there's no restaurant parking lot. It's pay by phone to park in a public parking lot in the back. We walk inside and feel way too enclosed. It's kind of dark inside, illuminated with only artificial lights, and there's no windows. It's a pretty small place too, which doesn't help the "closed in feeling." One Yelper put it very well; they described it as a "windowless tube" and I think that was exactly spot on.
The menu was extensive and had a lot of different options that looked quite good. Prices were normal for a Miami sushi restaurant: not cheap, but not really expensive either. The service was average. The waitress was friendly, but lacked a sense of when to check in on us, and left us waiting for a little too long at times.
My friend ordered chicken and shrimp fried rice to start ($7.50 for a small bowl) and then a Spicy Tuna roll ($7.00) and I got the South Miami roll ($11.00). Once again, it was average. My roll (including the fish) was almost warm, which I didn't like. I would've preferred it on the cooler side or even room temp. My friend's spicy tuna roll was pretty good and had some sort of bbq sauce on top; different from usual spicy tuna rolls, but still good nonetheless. I asked for a side of spicy mayo, which is generally free. However, Akashi charges extra for it; not much ($0.50) but it was still kind of off putting after everything else about the restaurant.
Overall, I wouldn't go back to Akashi personally because I think there are far better sushi restaurants in Miami, especially with better restaurant layouts and ambience. Some people like it, but I kindly disagree. I even tagged along with friends who had never been and wanted to try it, and I didn't order anything. But at the end of the meal, they said they didn't like Akashi either. Therefore, I don't think I wouldn't recommend it.