Akira - Santa Cruz

Besides the fact the hostess stated it would be an hour wait.. I laughed so hard it made me forget about dinner!! My date mentioned that the teriyaki steak was what he was waiting for.. Not too sure if we did wait for an hour.. but it was well worth it!! I had the hamachi collar and the Bahama roll. Accompanied with miso soup, we ordered sparkling sake to top it off. One of the most enjoyable times ever! Our server is beautiful! She was so accomodating! I'll have to get her name next time. We enjoyed every bite! Definitely on the top for sushi/sake time!

One of, if not THE absolute best sushi places in Santa Cruz. The sushi, specialty rolls, bento meals and 'sake bombs ' are out of this world! The place (in physical size) is kind of small, so expect a wait even on some random Tuesday night, but it 's worth it. Beautiful art and cool skateboard designs on the walls, but mostly, it 's the staff. The hostesses, waitresses, sushi chefs, bus staff etc are friendly, experienced and incredibly pleasant. I recently moved around the corner and I am so excited to be so nearby. In less than two months I 've already been there 4 times. I couldn 't recommend this delightful yet small restaurant enough. Two thumbs up!

Best sushi I've had! Usually I find one or two things on a menu I really like, but here I'm always trying a new roll. I've never been disappointed with anything I've ordered. The service has always been great and the staff is very friendly. My fiance and I just went and checked out some of the lunch specials. Great price and very filling. I always love coming here and now will be back more often for lunch and not just dinner.

Akira has the best sushi and such amazing people. We go every Saturday, I swear it just gets better and better every time! Highly recommend Akira to everyone.

I don't eat sushi, but the other 7 at our table do, and they all enjoyed it. Each platter was presented beautifully. I had the teriyaki salmon and assorted tempora and it was outstanding. They offer very generous portions!