Aki's
Japanese · Berkeley
About Aki's
Aki's, located in Berkeley, is a local favorite boasting a 4.3-star rating from 123 reviews. We offer a diverse menu of comfort food and healthy options, perfect for a quick bite or a satisfying meal. Enjoy lunch and dinner with us via dine-in or takeout, and take advantage of our outdoor seating wh...
Aki's, located in Berkeley, is a local favorite boasting a 4.3-star rating from 123 reviews. We offer a diverse menu of comfort food and healthy options, perfect for a quick bite or a satisfying meal. Enjoy lunch and dinner with us via dine-in or takeout, and take advantage of our outdoor seating when available. We cater to solo diners and provide a wheelchair accessible entrance. Please note that Aki's is currently closed Sunday through Saturday. We look forward to serving you!
What Customers Say About Aki's
Aki's is a long-standing favorite near UC Berkeley known for its affordable and tasty Japanese and Taiwanese food. Customers rave about the friendly staff, generous portions, and free miso soup and tea. Popular dishes include the bento boxes, udon, and pork chops.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Aki's offers great value for money with generous portions and free miso soup and tea. It's a popular spot, so be prepared for potentially longer wait times during peak hours.
Features
What to see nearby
Data from Wikidata
Explore the area around Aki's
Aki's is located in Berkeley, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Historical Heritage
- Hillside Club (A 41m) Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- North Gate Hall (A 63m) Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- Haviland Hall (A 233m) Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- Hearst Memorial Mining Building (A 343m) — building in California, United States Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
Parks & Gardens
- Mining Circle (A 305m) — park in Alameda County, California, United States of America
- West Circle (A 489m) — park in the United States of America
Other Points of Interest
- Mechanical Building (A 172m) — building on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California
- Flora Lamson Hewlett Library (A 192m) — library
- Transportation Library, UC Berkeley (A 196m) — library
- Moses Hall (A 516m) — Educational Building, UC Berkeley
Data from Wikidata
Frequently asked questions about Aki's
Aki's Berkeley Reviews
Came in this small but cozy restaurant for a quick lunch bite and was surprised by the ambiance. I got the pork chop over rice and was surprised on how authentic it tasted. Crispy and homey - good blend of veggies and meat. Definitely a spot for casual get-togethers or a quick lunch. I would come back to try the food they didn’t have in stock (certain foods weren’t available depending on the days of the week or month)
Great Japanese & Taiwanese food 🍱 The portion is satisfying while the price is relatively affordable! They also have free hot green tea and would serve you a cup of miso soup along with your order! (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎) The waiting might take a little longer than fast food restaurants of course, but you’d know they make your order freshly, and it’s worth it! 😌 The vibe in the restaurant is unique and antique. A nice place for people who love hanging out with friends in the special place, or just enjoy yourself 🏮🎏 # Fried Pork Noodle Udon
Very good restaurant. Their beef stew rice is very good.
Self served tea, and a bowl of miso with each order (if you ask for it). Very tight interior space, but the service is nice. The two homies who take orders and bring out food are very friendly and respectable. There's a nice lady as well who will bring out food and clean. They speak mandarin too! The food is what you'd expect from a crowded small japanese restaurant in Berkeley for maybe around or a bit over $10 per entree.
Been coming here quite a bit. Speedy service and nice clean tables inside. Super close location so it’s very convenient if you are coming from Soda or Cory Hall. Personally I do find the tables outside to be a little low in level when eating. I love their Beef Udon and Chicken Katsu! I usually leave satisfied and full :)!
This might be the best value for money in Berkeley. Great choice of delicious meals, friendly staff, and very reasonable prices. I come here every time I'm in the area. Big thumbs up.
A really good dining place with nice decoration and good food (Taiwanese/Japanese style). Price is very fair.
Came in this small but cozy restaurant for a quick lunch bite and was surprised by the ambiance. I got the pork chop over rice and was surprised on how authentic it tasted. Crispy and homey - good blend of veggies and meat. Definitely a spot for casual get-togethers or a quick lunch. I would come back to try the food they didn’t have in stock (certain foods weren’t available depending on the days of the week or month)
Great Japanese & Taiwanese food 🍱 The portion is satisfying while the price is relatively affordable! They also have free hot green tea and would serve you a cup of miso soup along with your order! (⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎) The waiting might take a little longer than fast food restaurants of course, but you’d know they make your order freshly, and it’s worth it! 😌 The vibe in the restaurant is unique and antique. A nice place for people who love hanging out with friends in the special place, or just enjoy yourself 🏮🎏 # Fried Pork Noodle Udon
Very good restaurant. Their beef stew rice is very good.
Self served tea, and a bowl of miso with each order (if you ask for it). Very tight interior space, but the service is nice. The two homies who take orders and bring out food are very friendly and respectable. There's a nice lady as well who will bring out food and clean. They speak mandarin too! The food is what you'd expect from a crowded small japanese restaurant in Berkeley for maybe around or a bit over $10 per entree.
Been coming here quite a bit. Speedy service and nice clean tables inside. Super close location so it’s very convenient if you are coming from Soda or Cory Hall. Personally I do find the tables outside to be a little low in level when eating. I love their Beef Udon and Chicken Katsu! I usually leave satisfied and full :)!
This might be the best value for money in Berkeley. Great choice of delicious meals, friendly staff, and very reasonable prices. I come here every time I'm in the area. Big thumbs up.
A really good dining place with nice decoration and good food (Taiwanese/Japanese style). Price is very fair.
Shrimp udon was so delicious and healthy!
This is my favorite restaurant on the north side of UC Berkeley and I’ve recommended it to several friends already! Super affordable and all orders are served with a free tasty miso soup. The guy taking orders is super nice and speaks English & mandarin. Not to mention the environment and decoration is very nice and sets the restaurant apart from other places nearby. I come here on a daily basis between classes and order the same item (beef sukiyaki don with tofu), but all other items I had at this place were good too.
Aki's has become a once weekly destination for myself and friends. I love the food, and the employees are wonderful. My buddy loves the Fish Bento (very crispy), and my favorite is the minced pork and udon! They have self-serve hot tea indoors. Recommended heavily if you need a meeting place over dinner near campus.
Best fried pork chops and Taiwanese style noodles around! Great miso udon. I left my backpack here by accident and they kept it safe and sound until the next day. Can’t say enough good things about these amazing people!
There's a reason that Aki's has thrived for decades at the back of the little food court on Hearst, just uphill a few yards from Euclid—fair prices for excellent food served by friendly and competent staff. My favorites are the bento boxes, most of which come with tempura, yakitori, miso soup, and rice. I avoid carbs, so they kindly leave potato out of the vegetable tempura and give me boiled cabbage instead of rice. I particularly like the sashimi bento and fried fish bento. Meals include self-service tea.
Fair price for around campus. Good size meal that fills ya up with real chicken. Friendly staff .
Hidden away in the back of a little food eatery strip, is this place. Lots of atmosphere, with cool wood, lanterns, and little nick nacks. There are paper sliding windows that they usually open, and when they do there is a great breeze and the sunlight shines in just right. I usually get a Sushi Bento box and it is always great. It comes with tea and Miso soup prior to your meal. Good place.
This is my favorite restaurant on the north side of UC Berkeley and I’ve recommended it to several friends already! Super affordable and all orders are served with a free tasty miso soup. The guy taking orders is super nice and speaks English & mandarin. Not to mention the environment and decoration is very nice and sets the restaurant apart from other places nearby. I come here on a daily basis between classes and order the same item (beef sukiyaki don with tofu), but all other items I had at this place were good too.
Fair price for around campus. Good size meal that fills ya up with real chicken. Friendly staff .
There's a reason that Aki's has thrived for decades at the back of the little food court on Hearst, just uphill a few yards from Euclid—fair prices for excellent food served by friendly and competent staff. My favorites are the bento boxes, most of which come with tempura, yakitori, miso soup, and rice. I avoid carbs, so they kindly leave potato out of the vegetable tempura and give me boiled cabbage instead of rice. I particularly like the sashimi bento and fried fish bento. Meals include self-service tea.
Best fried pork chops and Taiwanese style noodles around! Great miso udon. I left my backpack here by accident and they kept it safe and sound until the next day. Can’t say enough good things about these amazing people!
Aki's has become a once weekly destination for myself and friends. I love the food, and the employees are wonderful. My buddy loves the Fish Bento (very crispy), and my favorite is the minced pork and udon! They have self-serve hot tea indoors. Recommended heavily if you need a meeting place over dinner near campus.
Solid quantity and quality of food for its pretty reasonable price. Ordered a shrimp udon and though the noodles were not true udon, it was a solid quantity of food and came with six shrimp. And a bowl of miso soup. A nice environment too. Tastes pretty good.
Solid quantity and quality of food for its pretty reasonable price. Ordered a shrimp udon and though the noodles were not true udon, it was a solid quantity of food and came with six shrimp. And a bowl of miso soup. A nice environment too. Tastes pretty good.
The taste and portion size is great! However, there might be long waiting times during lunch time, be aware and plan a longer lunch break.
Went there almost every day last semester. Good value - $5 for a solid amount of actually good sushi. The bento box is great for $9, with tempura and everything! The downside is that the chicken that comes with it is never very good.
Consist Japanese-style food, albeit a bit pricy compared to the surrounding stores. Wait times can be quite long for some items; not a place to go for quick meals. Chicken tempura bento set is tasty, although very heavy; it makes me want to sleep afterwards.
Good university food, and free self serve tea! The only thing that could make this place better would be if they cleaned their outdoor tables. Also more veg options.
Good university food, and free self serve tea! The only thing that could make this place better would be if they cleaned their outdoor tables. Also more veg options.
Consist Japanese-style food, albeit a bit pricy compared to the surrounding stores. Wait times can be quite long for some items; not a place to go for quick meals. Chicken tempura bento set is tasty, although very heavy; it makes me want to sleep afterwards.
Went there almost every day last semester. Good value - $5 for a solid amount of actually good sushi. The bento box is great for $9, with tempura and everything! The downside is that the chicken that comes with it is never very good.
At 11-16 a plate, the place doesn't really stand out much as a value, like it once did. The quantity of food might be large but that's about it, and the food itself isn't very noteworthy either. Seems fine if you live very close by, good atmosphere if a bit cramped. Nice staff, they're most of the stars I'm giving.
Teriyaki chicken served tepid. Tempura veggies pastie. College acceptable since students usually have no pallette. Salmon seems to be gone, ALWAYS. Miso Soup is good
At 11-16 a plate, the place doesn't really stand out much as a value, like it once did. The quantity of food might be large but that's about it, and the food itself isn't very noteworthy either. Seems fine if you live very close by, good atmosphere if a bit cramped. Nice staff, they're most of the stars I'm giving.
The food really isn't good. The sushi tastes like it was made the day before and refrigerated. The sushi rice very sour for some reason. The vegetable tempura only had potatoes in it. The udon didn't even have traditional udon noodles. They use some sort of Chinese noodles. The rice was hard. I left my bento box half finished and I'm not even a picky eater at all. Genuinely do not come here.
The food really isn't good. The sushi tastes like it was made the day before and refrigerated. The sushi rice very sour for some reason. The vegetable tempura only had potatoes in it. The udon didn't even have traditional udon noodles. They use some sort of Chinese noodles. The rice was hard. I left my bento box half finished and I'm not even a picky eater at all. Genuinely do not come here.
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About Aki's
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2505 Hearst Ave C, Berkeley, CA 94709
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2505 Hearst Ave C, Berkeley, CA 94709
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