Akeno sushi bar and thai — Restaurant in Virginia

Akeno is located in the recently renovated Pinecrest Plaza, next to Taco Rock. They definitely revived this area - the parking lot was relatively full near the storefronts, but plenty of parking further out.

Inside, Akeno is very cute. They have a flower wall with couch at the entrance for ig photo sessions, pretty wallpaper on one side of the restaurant, and a bar on the other side. The lighting is low and it's perfect for a date. The restaurant is very small with limited seating so I'd recommend reservations. You're also seated veerrrrry close to your neighbors (no covid precautions here) and the tables are tiny and unable to accommodate multiple items, making for cramped eating that can be unconfortable if you like ordering a little bit of everything. Our waitress was nice and gave great service but was a little hard to track down at times.

They have a great sized mocktail menu, which is excellent for zero proof drinkers like myself. I ordered the midori punch but wish I'd gone with the mojito or lavender spritz. The midori had a very fake candy like taste, almost like Laffy taffy, but not in a good way. I felt it could be a kid's drink, like those Hugs they used to have. It was pretty though!

I started with takoyaki, which was good. Very little octopus in it - maybe two tiny chunks per ball - but taste was fine. The sushi was great, probably one of the better ones in the area. If you order a specialty roll, they come on beautiful custom made wooden platters. I found the fish to be very fresh and I enjoyed every roll I ordered.

Price wise, everything was on the average side. The takoyaki was $9, my mocktail was something like $12-14 (which I think is a bit expensive given there's no alcohol in it), maki roll was $8, and specialty roll was $15.

Overall I enjoyed my experience and would...

My husband and I went on a date and had a wonderful experience! The restaurant is beautifully decorated with taste and the owners and staff were all so amazing!

Food: Hats off to Chef Jack for a spectacular display of sushi, sashimi and nigiri. Impressed is an under statement. The sushi selection was vast - we tried their special rolls and the Titanic sashimi/nigiri. It was so tasty and fresh. They have a unique selection of white fish, as well as, top notch seasoning/ searing of the fish. Perfectly sliced and so well presented.

Ambience: Beautiful low-light setting. The decor is Asian and high class. Lots of Asian art and we loved the selfie floral backdrop. We briefly talked to the managers and learned “akeno” meant sunrise and the restaurant goes from a darker setting (by the booth seating) to a brighter setting (at the bar).

Definitely beautiful place for date night but also, great place for gathering and family dinners.

Menu: Wide variety of food to please every palate. From picky kids to adults, there is something for everyone. My husband enjoyed nigiri and sashimi while I enjoyed pas Thai and special rolls.

The drink I got was “virgin Akeno” and it was so beautiful! I really recommend it!

Sticky rice with mango is a Store delicacy and we loved it! Not overly sweet and well paired with mango. Yum!

Kid friendly? Absolutely.

Parking: Yes

Price: $$ Well priced and I felt the food’s quality and presentation matched the cost.

Recommendation? I’d definitely recommend this to friends and family for regular gatherings and special events. We look forward to coming back!

Thank you for helping us have a...

Lets be honest here. This place focuses more on their aesthetic then the quality of their food. (serving a dragon roll on a set of stairs lol frankly is pointless and makes it harder to plate for the kitchen)

4 things were ordered at my visit. Pad Thai Shrimp, Dragon Roll, Otoro Nigiri, and a California roll

Prices: Pretty expensive for the quality of food. Yes I get it, the distributors in the area jacked up their prices but 8 dollars for a California roll that Wegmans could compete with was pretty disappointing.

Pad Thai Shrimp: Shrimp was great, but the noodles themselves were slightly undercooked and caused me to chew a lot more thoroughly than usual. Its probably better on most days

Otoro Nigiri: Oh boy, this was the most disappointing piece. 15 dollars for two pieces of “Otoro” served with gold flakes on a dab of wasabi. The fish appearance looked waaaay off and the taste and texture were really disappointing (and kind of gross)

Would I recommend this place? Nope. If you like to waste money and don’t really care about sushi quality or any of that then sure

Lastly, Check out Rawr Sushi in Springfield for better quality fish at more affordable pricing or SushiJin in Alexandria for a better experience overall. Even Wegmans or Whole foods sushi is...