Akino (Flushing) — Restaurant in New York

Side note: Arrive early such as 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday or else you'll have to wait in line and the service will be slower of course.

Anyway, I have been to the Elmhurst location of Akino a handful of times as it's one of the very few AYCE spots I am a fan of along with E Sushi II in Bensonhurst. Yesterday, I went here with a small group and as mentioned in the note, go here early as you'll get food quicker among other things. The servers we had were friendly and by comparison to the other location, this one is much larger being more well lit with a lot more sushi chefs. The extra chefs might be the reason why the rice had a better texture and the seaweed was a a bit fresher tasting with some more crunch as I presume there's more turnaround also. In terms of drinks, they give you hot tea or cold water with the sodas not being included ($2 each I believe) with the price point being $47.99 or $2 less if you pay cash which we did.

The special of the month is Abalone which has some ponzu as well as some scallions which has some wasabi mixed into it. A couple pieces were topped with a bit too much wasabi but otherwise, it's hard to complain about AYCE abalone. From the soup and salad section, I liked the Kani Salad which was plentiful without too much tempura crunch mixed into it and the Lobster Salad I tried from someone else was surprisingly good also. Someone had a miso soup which looked a bit watery but hey, it's an AYCE place.

From the kitchen appetizer selection; which I generally stay away from as these dishes are more filler; there are two I would recommend. The Eel Fried Rice is surprisingly tasty with plenty of wok hei and a little bit of sweetness from the eel sauce but not too much. The Sirloin Steak is also good being pretty tender with some grilled onions as well (I would recommend this heavily over the teriyaki equivalent.) I otherwise tried a Fried Oyster as well as a piece of Pork Katsu (don't ask me why someone got this) which were both decent. Someone had udon which they liked it seemed but again that would be filler so I didn't try it.

From the sushi bar appetizers, we didn't order much. I wouldn't recommend the Tataki much was alright as they lacked sear and the tempura flakes weren't expected or needed. The Yellowtail Jalapeño was better with only said fresh fish outside of the jalapeno and a bit of I believe a watered down sriracha or something similar. We didn't bother with the dragon balls having had them prior but they are tasty.

From the sushi, sashimi, and rolls section, we had a bunch. My favorite of anything I tried was the Tuna Hand Roll which surprisingly had two types of tuna inside and was buttery and delicious. The Yellowtail Hand Roll was also good with with the Eel Avocado being decent with some people liking the Salmon Mango one as well. For sashimi, it was pretty good quality with the Red Clam/Hokkigai being surprisingly good and I also liked the Salmon Roe/Ikura as well. The rest of the fish were good as well with the only fish not mentioned otherwise being the Red Snapper/Izumi Dai which was decent.

From the signature rolls, there are a few I would recommend though in general, I don't get these as much as I'm not a huge fan of avocado or having tempura within rolls. The Blissful is my easy favorite with the inside being spicy scallop and cucumber topped with yellowtail and lemon. The Stardust and Lobster are also good with the Rainbow being alright. I also remember liking the Black Dragon even though it had tempura another time.

Someone also checked in on Instagram and we got free Haagen-Dazs which was appreciated but not necessary. The two hour time limit was plenty and we left full. It's not the best quality but it's very much worth it for the price point and certainly better than other AYCE joints....

TL:DR - The table service team was great, very attentive and kind. The food was pretty good, not mind blowing but good enough for an all-you-can-eat restaurant. The ordering and subsequent received plates, terrible.

--

We had a party of 9 people (7 adults, 2 very grown kids) and were seated in the back of the restaurant. The table service team was great and helped us get settled and were incredibly attentive all night. The issue started with the first order we submitted; 3 members of our party had been to their Elmhurst location many times and understood the volume of food we'd need to order as we had a few big eaters at the table. Whilst it took a bit of time for the first order to arrive, we understood as it was a packed house that evening. When it did arrive, we sort of questioned whether it was correct as it was severely short in terms of what we placed and what was received. By this point we were all starving so we started eating expecting the rest would make its way to us shortly. When it did not, we started placing a second order, again with a larger volume when we realized the first order was "done" from the kitchen.

The second order arrived also short of many of the items we ordered but this time we asked for the wait staff who flagged down the manager (she was at the front desk) to speak with us. We questioned the severe volume difference from what we ordered to what we received and these were the two reasons she provided: The chef looks at the order and will only serve full order on first order - this did not happen for us. The chef will not serve full order on second orders (and on) to avoid wasting food.

Neither of these reasons make any sense. It is not at the whim of the chef or any staff member of the restaurant to decide what a patron should or should not receive when they place an order.

As this entire situation was playing out, we were already at the 90 minute mark for our 120 minutes allotted time. We were still hungry and preemptively had taken a picture of the second order form. The manager proceeded to ask us what else we wanted - wouldn't it make better sense to look at our order form, compared to the served dishes (untouched BTW) then whatever is missing just have it served as requested?

The entire situation was completely unnecessary and was clearly a tactic the restaurant employed possibly for larger parties. The usual vibe would be a large party with the order spread out across parts of the table, everyone is talking and not entirely paying attention and counting whether the number of pieces ordered matched. Then it takes roughly 25+ minutes for each order to come out and you have the perfect playbook for how to not serve all the requested pieces while giving the party the illusion of having an all-you-can-eat experience whilst not really receiving all you can eat.

I do not write unfavorable reviews, as restaurants can have bad nights and it's not a big deal overall. However this did not feel like an off night for them, but rather a tactic for cost savings for the restaurant. This was a Friday night and they charged $45.99 per person for a total of $413.91 before tax. While we did visit during their location's grand opening month promotion and received a discounted % for our meal, that does not mean we as patrons do not receive what we ordered especially when there is a time limit to the evening and it takes time to prepare them.

Side note - as we were walking out, we noticed that smaller parties would most likely receive their entire order. There was a table of 2 right next to us that had just received their order. I'll just quote from the person who'd been to the Elmhurst location "now that's how 40 pieces of sashimi looks like". Not as easy to cheat 2 people when they order, they will sit there...

We visited Akino’s new Flushing location on their soft opening day, and it’s already clear that this place has potential to become a local favorite. The restaurant filled up quickly right at 5 PM, and the buzz in the air was undeniable. This is their second branch following the popular Elmhurst location, and while there are still some wrinkles to iron out, the quality and vibe are definitely worth noting.

The all-you-can-eat dinner is priced around $47 per person, which is fair given the freshness of the fish and the wide menu selection. It’s important to know that most of the nigiri and sushi orders are done per piece, so you’re able to try a variety without overcommitting a big plus for sushi lovers who like to sample everything. Rolls, both regular and specialty, are served in full portions.

What really impressed us were the rolls. There’s a thoughtful balance of fish and rice something many AYCE spots get wrong. The rice is subtly seasoned and not overpacked, allowing the fish to shine. You’re not getting rice bricks here, you’re getting well composed bites that feel light yet satisfying. The sashimi was fresh and thinly sliced, which not only looked elegant but also allowed us to enjoy more without feeling too full.

That said, there were definitely a few hits and misses. The appetiser section felt more like filler than feature nothing bad per se, just not memorable. If you’re coming for sushi, you’ll want to focus your appetite on the raw bar and rolls. We did try a few hot kitchen items like the sirloin and vegetable udon and while the flavors were mild, everything came out hot and clearly made fresh to order.

One of the thoughtful touches that stood out to me was their dishware. I loved how the plates were beautifully designed, with the embroidery of their name and symbol it gave the experience an extra layer of care and identity. It’s a small detail, but it made the dining feel more curated and elevated.

There were a few bumps in communication. Some items we ordered never came, and we weren’t told they were unavailable until much later when a server asked if we were still waiting. That small lapse in transparency made things feel a bit disjointed. It’s understandable during a soft opening, but I’d recommend clearer communication from the kitchen or having servers flag unavailable items sooner to avoid confusion.

As for condiments a small but important detail for sushi the soy sauce is house-made, and it leans on the sweet side. It paired nicely with some of the rolls, but felt a bit off with traditional nigiri or sashimi. If you’re used to saltier soy sauce, it might throw you off. The pickled ginger was very fresh, almost too raw ,it had a sharp, spicy bite that some might find overpowering.

Service was friendly, though still finding its rhythm. The staff seemed a bit overwhelmed at times, but they were trying. Orders got slightly mixed up, and it looked like they were still figuring out table tracking. Adding visible table numbers or a digital ordering system could make a world of difference in helping the service run smoother. One major plus there’s no time limit, and we were able to stay nearly two hours without feeling rushed, which is rare for AYCE spots.

In all, Akino Flushing offers a solid sushi experience with clear attention to quality. While there are areas to improve particularly in service flow and communication the food speaks for itself. With a little more refinement, this spot could easily become a go-to for sushi...