Akebono 515

Stopped by on a road trip from Ontario Canada to Midwest. Ordered agedashi tofu, caterpillar roll, dragon roll, rainbow roll, unagi maki. Also a California roll and a chicken donburi. Both of ours came with a miso soup and a salad. The agedashi tofu skin was sort of gelatinous, even where it wasn't in contact with the sauce (see image). This applied to all tofu pieces. The broth was tasty. The cucumber in the unagi maki hand roll was limp, the seaweed was damp and hard to chew through, and the unagi was soft, but not in the sort of melt in your mouth way, maybe more related to quality or thawing process. The unagi sauce was tasty, including in the other rolls.

Walked in for my online order, and a doordasher took my order! I was working so the time crunch definitely existed! They got it out for me in 5 minutes and even got me extra soup & salad for the stress. To customer service, to the food it was great! The atmosphere as well was very warm, great welcome in for my first time. Definitely coming back and referring all my guests at the hotel to come

I came here while visiting from Michigan and was tired of bar foods. The quality of the food is phenomenal. We saw the manager interacting with customers in such a positive manner. Our server was the bartender with pony tail and he was absolutely one of the best servers I’ve ever had!! He checked on us at the perfect moments and just the right amount of times. The food proportions are perfect for the price. And the fried snickers are crazy good!! The next time we are in Des Moines we are definitely coming back here!

We had an amazing dinner! Nic hooked us up with amazing apps of pork belly and zucchini skewers + portobello mushroom tempura. Additionally they serve you a cup of miso soup and a side salad with fantastic gingery dressing. For rolls we had carb conscious, cupid & two with shrimp tempura. Awesome paloma mocktails to boot. So glad to support a local business!

Great service and helpful staff. Was there for party of happy hour which had good prices. Will not hesitate to go back.

I love Akebono, it's my go-to for ramen and their sushi is usually pretty good. However, I ordered sashimi on Sunday night and got food poisoning from it. The red tuna tasted fine, the white tuna was really good, and the salmon tasted fine but the red snapper tasted off. I was down for the count for a good 36 hours. I hope this is just a one-off, but I'm not sure I'll be coming back for sushi, which is a bummer.

I enjoyed my dinner. Thank you Laura! the bartender who served me! The price was very reasonable. I stayed at the Hilton hotel across the street, this place was very convenient.

Well, me being me, I drove around the block 3 times before I finally found it! Hint, it's on the ground floor, corner of 10th & Mulberry and the signs are kinda hard to see. Once I found them, it was a great experience! Very cool atmosphere. We were there for a late lunch around 2:30 so I can only imagine what it looks like for dinner! The appetizers were fast, sushi was perfect, table service was awesome, and dessert was sinful! Order the fried chocolate & you won't be disappointed! We'll definitely be back! Thanks for such a wonderful experience!

This hidden gem was perfection! Outside there is no sign on purpose. Our server said once you visit, you won't forget to its mysterious location. We popped in for a lunch and could not have been more pleased. The modern spacious room was perfect. The cool 80's music was a fun and unexpected touch. Our service was absolutely incredible. Two men assisted us and were so nice. The one guy chatted with us and really made us feel welcome and appreciated. We are from Chicago and found out the owner is as well. The food was fresh and tasty. The portions were very generous. We loved or classic maki rolls and sampled some of their very creative specialty rolls. Wow, every bite was de-lish. I would definitely return.

This place is one of our favorite spots locally! Our go to roll is the nonsense and the seared scallops. One of the few spots in town that offer Uni too!! Convenient location downtown for out of towners that are visiting. Staff is always helpful with the items on the menu if it's your first time there. They have a bar inside as well if you wanted to just stop in for drinks. Definitely recommended for any sushi lovers!

Not the best sushi but not the worse. Thus the three stars. Food came out fast. Server and hostess were friendly.

Great all around experience. Waiter was very engaging and made lots of jokes, there was a sleek ambiance and everyone was very happy with their food. I got the beef yakisoba and It had great flavor and texture. It also came with a salad and miso soup which was nice. Conveniently down town so it was easy to take a little walk afterward and enjoy the sculpture park after our meal.

My friend and I went there for dinner . Nice and authentic Japanese cuisine. We love sushi and have been eating sushi in different places. The sashimi are fresh with good quality, just a little disappointing at the cut . Could have been cut more professionally for a Japanese restaurant. The Hamachi Kama was a little disappointed because it was not exactly fresh . Probably not too many people like to order that in Iowa . Great customer service and good dinning experience.

First off, I had a Fargo and Dragon roll (both pictured) and they were top notch, I'd highly recommend giving either a shot. Bit where this place really killed it was the service, I sat at the bar as I was alone. The bartender, whose name I failed to get, did an awesome job of not only making me feel welcome; but when I seemed a bit overwhelmed (everything looked great) offered to pick out a couple of things to try. I'd generally ask for advice anyway, no one knows the menu like the folks working with it, so I put him in charge and he crushed it. Just sitting there enjoying the food I got to hear banter with numerous customers and see him greet some guests as they came in and overall I'd say this is the kind of person most restaurants and other service jobs wish they had working for them. Definitely stop by if you're able to.

Food was amazeballs. We had a few of the specialty rolls and the ramen, delicious. Service top notch as well.

This is my FAVORITE sushi spot in DSM. Not only is the food amazing, but the staff is so welcoming. I hate to forget his name, but a specific bartender/server (he could be the manager because he's doing it all) is so funny, energetic and interested in his customers. It's always a great experience when friends and I dine here !!!

My coworker & I stopped in with time to kill before she took me to the airport (I'm a DSM visitor). She is obviously a regular because before we sat down, Nick asked her if she wanted her regular drink and what I wanted. I asked what they had and he said "Everything I make is magical". You can't beat that. We had already had lunch, so we wanted drinks. We sat in a booth and he told me not to look at the cocktails in the menu. I said I liked the sound of their blueberry vodka drink and he said he would make me something similar. He did. Amazing. For my second, he asked if I liked cucumber. What he brought was not only picture perfect, but a light refreshing vodka drink with slices of cucumbers. See photo! Before I was finished with that, I slid a new fruity cocktail onto the table for me. All were amazing drinks. We ordered the fried cheesecake that was so different and a great dessert. What a great first visit and he encouraged me to come back. I would like to taste their food next time. Nick is delightful.

Staff was friendly and attentive. Food came out surprisingly fast. Would definitely recommend.

My sister recommended I try the bento box. It was really delicious and was a big portion of food. I had pleasant interactions with multiple servers, which made it a good experience. Our table split a bottle of the white peach sake, super delicious as well. Looking forward to coming again and trying out a specialty roll and some more sake. Service was very fast, friendly, and personable. Really good energy and vibes here. Thank you!

This place just hasn't been the same since Covid hit. Their menu has slimed down, which is fine. But they axed the one thing I always ordered, the anime burger. Sushi is good, nothing special. It's no different than any other sushi restaurant in Des Moines, in my opinion. The skewers are very good though. Overall, not quite the same as before, but it's still a nice place for a small dinner party or date night.

We had such a great evening here with our extended family. Nick decided to take us under his belt and we got the royal treatment! We ordered so many different kinds of foods that we loved it all - the carb conscious roll (tuna, salmon, snow crab mix, massage, avocado, wrapped with cucumber, served with ginger), salmon bento box, yaki nike donburi (marinated sliced beef) and sashimi large and of course, some drinks -old fashioned, cosmo, sho chiku bai nigori and angry orchard draw. Nick sent several sake bombs to the table along with shots! It wa fabulous and it really was a treat to laugh, and enjoy good food with our family! I highly recommend going here while in Des Moines! Take a gander and go here!

Ordered the sashimi small and the chicken bowl. The sashimi prices were super small! I wouldn't recommend it. The ginger also had a weird white residue on it was made it unappetizing. The chicken bowl had a good amount of chicken but could have used less rice and a bit more sauce/seasoning.

We were in town from California for my daughter's gymnastics competition and she wanted sushi. Found this place on Yelp and decided to give it a try since it had good reviews, and it did not disappoint! The restaurant had a really cool vibe and we were welcomed and seated right away. Nick was our server and he was super nice and made every point to ensure we were having a good time. He made some great recommendations and we loved everything. Tim also came by bc he heard my daughter was a gymnast and shared that his daughter was one too! He talked with us for a while, and my daughter loved sharing her gymnastics stories with him. Service was great and food was delicious! We'd definitely recommend! Thanks for a great time Nick and Tim!!

We've been here a few times, but we dog in so fast that I forget to take pics. Here are some from our visit last weekend. The food is amazing! Service is always great, and atmosphere is very fun and inviting! They offer great drinks and the prices for their menu is very reasonable. We love this place! Highly recommend!

Met a friend for dinner here. We had a great time! The restaurant has a good atmosphere and the booth was clean and comfortable. Everything came out really quickly. We split mushroom tempura and edamame. Both were fresh and tasted good. They were generous portions. My friend ordered one of the rolls and liked it a lot. I got a sashimi platter and was pleasantly surprised by how fresh and high quality the fish was. I think it was a good price for the quantity as well. The only think I wouldn't order again is hot tea. The cups they use are boiling hot... by the time the outside has cooled off enough to drink the tea the tea is room temperature! Just a heads up if you were thinking of ordering tea you might lose your fingerprints in the process. Otherwise, I will definitely come and enjoy sashimi again this is a great date night or meet up spot.

Modern ambience. Excellent service. Outstanding food - something as simple as the Akebono edemame (cooked in soy and garlic) may make me not be able to eat any other edemame / the tonkatsu bento box was excellent / the Rising Sun roll was full of flavor!

The sushi was really good and the chicken katsu sandwich was disappointing. I ordered the spicy scallop nigiri and the torched salmon nigiri to start off. Both were phenomenal and out of this world. The chicken katsu sandwich was not good and dry, but the fries were amazing. The seasoning on the fries were really good and crispy! The chicken sandwich was dry and not good. The chef did apologize for the delayed arrival of my meal and gave me an order of gyoza on the house which was really nice of them. I also ordered a Taz salmon nigiri which was good and unique. I also ordered the Akebono roll and it was good. The fish were really fresh and the tempura shrimp was well cooked and crispy. Overall, my meal was delicious, the staff were nice, and the ambiance of the restaurant was nice! I liked the music and my waiter was very hospitable! Next time, I will probably just stick with the sushi, but I will be back!

Came here on Valentine's Day, reservation for 2. They were busy. However, we were attended to, served food and beverage - all the way until our actual order was served. Even better than Flemings! Not to take lightly. Come anytime you want great service, food, atmosphere, and be an appreciated customer.

Nice Japanese restaurant right downtown. Many compliments: -Nigiri was awesome, yellowfin very fresh -Rolls fantastic , especially the surf & turf and crispy salmon skin -Decent beer selection, nice to see local brews -Wife never has had sushi- enjoyed the captain crunch and spider rolls Service was impeccable, 5 stars for the service alone! We will be coming back regularly!

Phenomenal service with sushi and sides that are fresh and beautiful! If you are looking for delicious food and an experience look no further. We had the caterpillar roll, dragon roll, and seaweed salad. Speciality rolls came with miso soup and salad for dinner.

Hands down the best crab puff/ragoons in Des Moines. I would honestly go back just for these! We also got 2 rolls and ramen. The rolls had plenty of fish and were very fresh! The ramen was also delightful since it was a cold day. I would recommend everything we got! The meals also came with salad and miso soup. I also had some green tea with our meal. We'll definitely be back.

If you are looking for the best Sashimi and creative specialty rolls - this is your place! They feature a new special roll every month, and it never disappoints. I've tried several other sushi restaurants in town, and they have the best Sashimi I've had yet, and I'm incredibly picky about it being fresh. They also have the best edamame (Akebono Edamame) in town. So much flavor! When an order leaves the kitchen, you smell it through the restaurant and everyone also wants to order. Very cool location and vibe inside.

If Akebono doesn't have the best sushi in Des Moines (and it might), it's still the best sushi RESTAURANT. Owner, Nam Tran, has been rolling here since 2001 and has remained the same tireless, attentive crowd pleaser the whole time. It's Nam and his personable staff that have always made Akebono (and his previous place, Taki) such a treat. They remember names and faces, visit tables, bring sake bombs, and serve up special items based on individual tastes. We've been to most of the other sushi restaurants in the Des Moines metro, and still venture out to them from time to time, but we always end up wishing we'd just gone to Akebono again. Try the tuna cucumber salad, the Naminator and Cupid rolls, and if you're lucky, the fresh scallop dish (only available occasionally). The special edamame is fantastic. Cocktails here are mostly forgettable, and at some point they'll land a special bartender who will revamp the cocktail menu, but it's not hard to keep it simple with a lemon drop and a Manhattan, or with some draws of Kirin, and have a wonderful night. Park in the adjacent parking garage and Akebono will validate your ticket. Can't go wron

Fun place to sample Asian cuisine. I had a bento box which included sushi and seaweed salad. I loved the seaweed but unfortunately it was placed on a bed of greens which was partially frozen... The service was great and enthusiastic. The warm saki was delicious. I'd try it again.

I love this place. Great energy and service. I love to come for happy hour. The mules are delicious and good food discounts too. The bar is intimate and the lighting is good with the shades down in the evening. The rolls are really beautifully presented and taste delicious also. I really recommend the captain crunch roll. It takes just a minute for them to prepare,but it's soooo delicious. I never have trouble getting a seat and the parking nearby on the street is pretty simple. The restaurant is clean and tidy. The bartenders are all friendly and answer questions without any attitude, even for newbies like me.

I frequent this place. It is always so good. On this occasion, I had Overload and Cupid. I sat at the bar, and Laura served me. She was very nice and great at her job. All the waiters that passed through the bar were also very kind.

First off, the food is definitely worth the price! We got a few sushi rolls, the octopus and seaweed salad, and a mushroom bomb I think it was called? I loved all of it. For desert we got fried cheesecake, which also comes with ice cream scoops, and it's enough to feed two people. The service... well, I didn't know this but you should definitely make a reservation! When we went in (me and my mother) we waited in line for a bit and when it was our turn, we were asked if we had a reservation and of course we didn't. He looked at us like we'd spit in his cereal and got us seated as if he couldn't believe we hadn't had a reservation. It was very humiliating and rude, especially because he then seated us in the worst seat I'd ever been in (far corner of the restaurant, in front of the windows, right next to the bar so it was cramped), though that was probably because it was the only one left. It was a very full place, but we honestly didn't know it was going to be that way. Anyway! Our waiter was a GEM. He was super nice, patient, and attentive. He really turned the night around with his service, and the food definitely helped. My disappointment was completely gone by the time we were halfway through the meal, and I really would recommend the place, just with a reservation! Avoid being treated like you broke and entered just to pay for some food there.

Oh how life happens and suddenly it's been four years since I came here. For this visit I brought along a friend who enjoys sushi but considers herself a novice (although I'm no expert either). We had plans to drop by another downtown location for dessert so came here on a Saturday at 5:00pm. We were hopeful to miss the dinner time rush. I had looked online but didn't see anything stated about reservations so I assumed they no longer took them. Upon arrival, they did ask if we had a reservation. Thankfully, we were seated right away. The empty tables filled up quickly. There was a large party that took up a good amount of the dining room. It's good to see them very busy. Our waiter came quickly with our waters and came back shortly to check on other drinks. Thankfully he was patient because my friend and I need to catch up after not seeing each other for a while. We did order drinks and I was excited for my white peach sake. It was perfect! Delicious peach flavor and went down easily. Knowing we were getting dessert after, I opted for a couple pieces of nigiri and a specialty roll. I had Maguro nigiri (always a solid choice) and the Twister roll. My friend asked for recommendations for rolls without shellfish and although it took the waiter a moment to roll the menu through his memory, he landed on one for her. She also ordered seared salmon nigiri and another roll. Our nigiri and two of the rolls came out in good time. She was almost finished (and full) when her second roll came out. My Twister roll was a bit challenging to eat. Since it was tempura fried it was structurally well constructed and wouldn't collapse to fit well in one bite. It had a good amount of height to it. I, personally, like to take as few bites of a roll piece to get the full flavor. The end piece was especially massive and took multiple bites to finish. I'm sure I looked hilarious fitting the rolls into my mouth. The Twister roll tasted great! Our waiter didn't check on us a lot but there was no need. He likely saw from across the room that we still had our water, sake, and sushi so we were good. Once done, they promptly presented the check and when I asked about parking garage ticket validation, our waiter handled it. A good experience and a sushi location that will remain as a top choice for me.

Good service however they have a Limited bar menu, food was good and portions were notable.

Great service and great sushi! Server was charming and showed us many options. Sushi was above average in size and taste. Will go again.

Thanks for an awesome dining experience. Salad and two rolls I chose were really good. Service was spot on and very friendly. Highly recommended.

Excellent ambiance, amazing food, great place to come with friends, family, or a date Tim really has a great place here very warm & welcoming highly recommend. We started with Miso soup & Karaage chicken, then I had the chicken katsu bento box with the ginger salad & house sushi amazing highly recommend & wife had Sumo Ramen she was very pleased.

The wife and I were excited to eat here, but sadly the food was nothing to be excited about. My ramen came out luke warm and the noodles were not properly cooked. My wife had some meat skewers which were good. We shared the rainbow roll which was fine but a little fishy. The service was good. Everyone was nice. Would love to go back if the food was better.

This place was so amazing! The atmosphere is awesome!! We had the surf and Turf roll and the rising sun roll and both were amazing. Service was awesome as well!

We made reservations for 6:30 on a Friday night, and when we arrived we were seated right away. The ambiance is really welcoming and fun, and our server was absolutely amazing. He had great recommendations, and was just a delight from start to finish. I started the evening with a glass of plum wine which was absolutely delicious. My husband said it was like juice, which we both loved. Our server then brought out some miso soup and salads, which were also both very good. On to the main food! Tempura Mushrooms - Absolutely WONDERFUL. Juicy and plump mushrooms in a light and airy tempura batter. Highly recommend!! Kara-age Chicken - This was flavorful and delicious as well. Perfect for dipping into the sauces that come with it. For sushi, we ordered the Akebono and Dragon specialty rolls and they were both I would absolutely order rolls here again! We also got some nigiri (fish with rice) and it was good. We usually frequent Wasabi Chi for nigiri so our bar is pretty high for quality fish. It was good, but I would stick to the specialty rolls in the future. Overall, we LOVED our experience at Akebono 515 and would love to go back. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for some good sushi at a downtown location. Superb service!

Went out for a sushi sister date here, first time trying sushi there for the both of us. It was your typical busy Friday night so we decided to sit at the sushi bar, needless to say we made the right choice. The sushi bar welcomed us with sake bombs and they took great care of us! The sushi was amazing! I believe we ordered about 5 rolls and they each were so flavorful. We are definitely going to be coming back for more! A great experience all around!!

Their lunch special is the best. From the seaweed salad to all of their sushi options, they all taste great. The service is always friendly and speedy. 10/10 recommend

Our food was very yummy, but the stand out of the night was our server Josh. He was kind and personable and could not have done a better job. He made sure our glasses were always full and handled our orders easily. It was a celebratory night for us and without asking he brought out special drinks for us! Thank you to Josh for making our night perfect.

Akebono has been a favorite of my favorite dining companion and I for years. They have very fresh fish, which is the cornerstone of good sushi. We typically each get a Sashimi platter and then some appetizers. The Sashimi is always top notch. My favorite is always Yellowtail. It's so light yet so flavorful. I could eat Yellowtail Sashimi from Akebono every day for the rest of my life and die a happy man. I'd probably be broke, but boy would it be delicious. Our absolute favorite item though, is one that you cannot get at every sushi joint in town. That dish? Hamachi Kama aka Yellowtail collar. This delicacy is absolutely mouth-watering. It comes out with a crispy exterior from brief but very high heat. The meat is so light and flaky it will absolutely blow your mind. You may want to order two. I could certainly eat an entire order all by myself! It is a limited availability item, because as soon as they're out of collars, there's no more Hamachi Kama. Get it while it lasts! I cannot for the life of me find the picture that I took of it, but pictures honestly cannot do justice to the juicy, succulent delight that is Hamachi Kama. If you're in Des Moines and you want some sushi, they're always a great bet. They're also an awesome option for a nice lunch if you work downtown or want to wow some clients.

Hello management In case you didn't know, it's a slap in the face to your customers to advertise being open til 10, but lock your doors at 9:15, and tell me to go away you are closed, when your Restraunt is packed full of people. Fix yours hours!

High quality sushi (both rolls and nigiri) and great ramen. Some of my favorite Japanese food in Des Moines. They have a great bento box too and great appetizers. A gem of downtown dining!

Akebono 515 has a cool vibe and a great location. Just a little west of the Court Ave district makes it easy enough to find a place to park, but still in the center of it all. The service staff is great and super knowledgeable about everything on the menu. We came in for ramen since my date isn't a huge sushi fan, and in my opinion sushi is more fun when it's shared! The ramen was good - it could have used a bit more umami flavor but I'm not too knowledgeable about Japanese cooking so I'll leave that to the experts. The drinks were great - fantastic cocktail menu and a lot of great beers to choose from. Great atmosphere, great location, service was fantastic -- will definitely return to try the sushi!!

Look, I get it... This is the Midwest, right? I'm not expecting sushi like that I'd find at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. I'm not expecting ramen you'd find at Ivan Ramen in New York City. This is the Midwest and getting fresh fish to Iowa is much harder than getting it to San Francisco or Los Angeles. I get all that... But in my humble opinion, if you've chosen to run a Japanese/sushi joint, you should be mildly informed as to what you ought to be serving. Ramen eggs, aka ajitsuke tamago, are marinated soft boiled eggs with a custardy yolk and a brownish white due to the mixture of Mirin and Soy sauce used to season it. Ramen eggs are most certainly not hard poached eggs. Togarashi is a spicy powdered assortment of dried chili peppers and other seasonings. You can add this flavorful seasoning to your noodle soup dishes or any other dish that needs an extra spice. You gave me Sriracha. Really? I've been here a few times now... I've tried to stay open minded but, I'm sorry, I can't do it anymore.

Oh dear lord. I'd come back to Des Moines just for this restaurant and our waiter Nick! He's a blast! All of the food was hot, fresh, and delicious. Plus they were really nice about my dairy allergy. The service was pretty quick and we left feeling pretty full too.

Service was good. The bartender was attentive. The restaurant definitely caters to the Des Moines demographic. My only complaint was the karaage chicken. Take that disgrace off the menu or redo the recipe. It's basically Chick-fil-A nuggets with a side of ponzu. Don't waste your money. It's not hard to get a nice batter on chicken that's really crunchy. That's half of the dish; the crunchy outside of the chicken. Seriously, google karaage chicken. It looks wayyyyyyy different from what I got. 3 stars for good service.

Amazing. You should try the Yakisoba it's really good! They have really good and nice staff that are super duper incredible. The place itself is wonderful the have a fish tank bar that are decorated neatly

Partner and I had a weekend in DSM, and considering we're both sushi lovers we chose this place. We were super dissatisfied. First, they forgot about our edamame appetizer. We also were supposed to get "complimentary" miso soup and salad...but never received the miso. The sushi.....4/10 at best. Spicy tuna was EXTREMELY fishy, to the point we did not want to eat it. We chose a "carb conscious" roll because it was wrapped in cucumber and we love cucumber. Holy hell was the cucumber incredibly bitter, it made me gag. The other rolls, were just bleh! We were both very surprised at how poor this visit was considering the price and reviews. Our waitress was very sweet, but seemed to forget about us as we had to flag down other staff for refills and for the edamame. I would not recommend this place, find another sushi restaurant.