I went to Akai Hana on a date several months ago. I only went out with the guy a few more times, but I am still thinking about how delicious Akai Hana was. 😂 It's a good thing I don't live closer because I would literally live here. The food is SO GOOD. I love sushi, but I am a bottomless pit when it comes to food, so usually I feel like I have to order a lot to feel full. The rolls here are humongous, and the bento box portions are massive.

This place offered a wonderful dining experience at a great price. We had a fairly large party and we were seated quickly. The menu had a variety of Asian dishes. The sushi was fresh and everything was prepared well. I will definitely visit again.

Akai Hana, for decades, has been consistent when it came to their quality, cuisine, presentations, menus, service and reasonable higher pricing. Prior to last night's dinner, I dined here pre-covid. Boy has it changed, and not for the better. Presentation on couple dishes were ok, mediocre. I expected better!Other dishes were a shocking disappointment. The quality, presentations and taste plummeted. The prices increased considerably. I'll gladly pay premium prices for quality entrees, but I did not receive quality entrees, just premium prices. 4 pieces of uni was $50. The sushi Chefs claimed it was grade A gold uni. First off, uni is my most favorite sashimi! I order uni from Catalina Offshore Products, Gold (grade A). Look it up and compare to what I received (pictured). It was melted slurry, which would be grade C (Vana), used for flavoring soups and other dishes. Grade A sashimi is never that way, shaped nor formed. It should be in tact completely. The sushi Chefs tried to convince someone with experience otherwise. Very disappointed, very upset, felt they were belittling my knowledge and intelligence. Then there was the $38 hot pot soup (pictured). Terrible and messy presentation, as though they threw together in one bowl, other diner's left over scraps! Overcooked, tough and dry fishes. The proteins were unbearable. Fishes should have been soft and flaky, melt in your mouth. The udon noodles were overcooked and lost its popular whitness and springy texture. There was more cabbage under the sad pile of udon then anything, which was also overcooked. The broth was flavorful enough but was given very little... it's a soup, pour more broth! The smelts were smaller and less amount served since pre-covid. The very small bowls of rice were half full, served with entrees. Not enough rice for entrees and they told me that if I wanted more rice, they would have to charge extra. Compare the rice bowl to my spareribs dinner entrée ($37). It was ridiculous lol, for that price, how about giving at least a full small bowl of rice! 🙄 Our server was very friendly, pleasant, attentive and awesome ($40 tip). Very polite young gentleman. He made this discouraging dinner tolerable. After dinner, went straight to Tensuke Market! Bought variety of sashimi and other delectable food items! Ate some in the car on the drive home (over and hour!). I didnt eat much of my dinner, sadly. As far as the soup and uni... did not eat neither! Left hungry and discouraged. Ended up a dinner out cost twice as much lol (Akai Hana + Tensuke Market) I'm sure other items on Akai Hana's menu may taste fine, however, the cost has risen unreasonably. Quality and Pricing should be a balance. In my experiences in the past (dined here many dozens of times, pre-covid), I ALWAYS looked forward to the drive here (well over an hour!), no matter the long distance, no matter the pricing, it was the quality, presentation and service that made me come back. I'm very disappointed that my favorite Japanese restaurant is no longer that. The dishes, the presentations, the quality do not taste, feel or look AUTHENTIC JAPANESE to me anymore 😔 I'm use to premium quality in real, authentic Japanese cuisine. Japanese chefs and owners take pride in what they cook, prepare and serve. I dont know what happened? I still would, but hesitantly, recommend dining at this establishment. Perhaps your food experience may differ my last visit? Just a heads up, make sure your wallet's fat with cash or filled with credit cards... wait till you receive your bill lol 😆 Enjoy and Bon Appetite! Arigatōgozaimashita! Godspeed everyone 🙏

BEST sushi in columbus!! This tends to be the consensus atound columbus as well, I heard about it many times before I went. Once I had eaten there for the first time, I knew I was never going back to anywhere else! Lots to choose from, I usually get a fee Nigiri pieces, green tea, and a shrimp tempura roll. Their miso soup is also incredible. Akai Hana is also extremely fair priced, and have spent much more at other sushi restaurants for lower quality. I have never had trouble getting a table without a reservation but am usually with parties of 2-4.

Go-to place for Japanese cuisine, and I love the group of restaurants in this center, but this is most formal dining of the ones there. I have quite a few favorites from the menu, usually getting a dinner box, but the Yakiniku is one I haven't had in awhile. I was treated appropriately and the service was prompt, I didn't have time to finish my tuna roll appetizer, before my entree came out.

The food was good but the service was horrible. It's packed for a Monday so I understand the slow service but like 20 for appetizers and then another 20 for my entrees of 2 shush rolls is a little long. 2 stars because of the food otherwise 0 stars. I feel bad for the couple next to me who waited 40 minutes for 2 piece of sashimi. The server was very rude, she did a long sigh when we were choosing between 2 entrees. She set our waters down very hard, every time a plate came out she dropped it off and left before we could even ask her a thing.

Wow is this place great! I was sure to get some nigiri to get a good read in the fish quality. The king salmon was SO good. Super fatty and tender, as close to melt in your mouth as you’ll get in Ohio. The eel was some of the better I’ve ever had, and the yellowtail was equally good. The Tuna Bliss B was perfection. Service and atmosphere get an A+, so happy we were turned onto this place.

Food was good and came out quickly. I got the Sushi 12 piece chef's choice and I wasn't disappointed. I will return

The atmosphere was probably my favorite thing about this dining experience. It feels high end and the decor is lovely. While I’m not a huge fan of Japanese food itself, I really enjoyed my dish! The server suggested the sweet bean dessert which I wasn’t into but my partner was!

The food was good overall but if you are looking for a traditional sushi counter experience this might not be the right place. The place fills up so it’s a good idea to make reservations.

So crowded. Things we liked were the sashimi catch of the day, the tempura and tofu. Some misses were the volcano sushi, it was drenched in mayo. Salmon skin hand rolls were really tough to eat and flavor was kind of off.

When you want Japanese food this is the place to go! Everything was delicious! The waiters were on it. The sushi was great and the Ramen.... Yes! The Udon was excellent! Another win!

Went on a Thursday night for the first time. I was, at the time, surprised to see there was a wait for a table for two but soon found out why. The sushi was amazing. We ordered 5 specialty rolls and they were all wildy different and delicious. There was one called explosion that was served warm and was unique and tasty. The Akai Hana roll and Tororossa were larger rolls wrapped in a light radish covering and were nice and light. The pixie roll was wrapped in pink soy paper and the mango inside made it refreshingly bright. It was an overall wonderful experience and all the sushi looked and tasted amazing.

This place was amazing and had a plentiful amount of food. I would definitely recommend the ramen. For $18 I truly received a delicious meals worth and had to leave with leftovers. The servers are also very polite and tentative. If you happen to find yourself in the Columbus area, do yourself a favor and stop by here. Did I mention they have absolutely amazing saki??

The whole area around this place was great. It was surrounded by a Japanese bakery, market, and gift shop. The food at this place was delicious. I ended up with the Oyakodon which was a ton of food. Some friends got the Sukiyaki and really enjoyed it as well. I honestly think 4 off us could have shared it and been very satisfied afterward. We also ended up getting some sake which is highly recommend if you like sweet drinks.

Sushi taste good but expensive. Order the Akai Hana roll which is $30 for 5 pieces. It use radish as the wrapper which is kind a odd, but the sushi roll looks really pretty. AC was turned on quite high and the place is chilly.

The food was very delicious and our server was very attentive and pleasant. We had two kids with us and he asked if we wanted little chopstick helpers for them and of course the kids were excited to get them. I got the bibimbap and that was excellent. I got it in the stone bowl and that made the rice on the bottom crispy, which gave it a nice texture. The vegetable tempura was great too. My children loved the gyoza and my girlfriend got the oyakodon. She loves that dish and whenever we go to Columbus, which isn’t very often, she gets it from here because this is the best place to get it from. Overall, we had a pleasant experience with great food and great atmosphere.

The salmon don and miso soup were fine. The grilled salmon head and red dragon roll were tasty. The veggie and shrimp tempura was a little too battered and oily, and the dipping sauce lacked flavor. The service was excellent - friendly and efficient.The overall experience was perfect for an SF native craving Japanese food after a couple months in a small Ohio town.

staff seems to speak Korean, the hostess speaks fluent Japanese. Regarding the food, very fresh, never disappointed with the quality or chef recommendations. Highly suggest knowing what fish is in season for the best, always go with what the waiter suggest for which o-sake pares best with your taste buds and the fish you’re preparing to eat. One thing, traditionally, ramen or fried food is not served in a sushi place. But I understand catering to the community.

Always the best fresh sushi in UA, sit and watch them for yourself.

Best sushi in Columbus, hands down. We came for a nice dinner date, were warmly greeted by friendly hosts who offered to seat us at the sushi bar which was such a treat. We enjoyed watching the masterful sushi chefs practice their craft as we waited. Our waiter was very professional, polite, personable and offered great menu recommendations that we followed and were not disappointed. The sushi was delicious and very high quality. It's a little on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for here. Definitely coming back again soon....

Akai Hana has been one of my favorite go-to places for the past several years. Their spicy scallop roll (one of the rolls pictured) is a main reason that keeps me coming back to this place. They have a lot of other great items on their menu as well such as the katsudon, kalbi, and a wide assortment of sushi, rolls and other entrees. I hope this place never closes down during my lifetime.

We had a fantastic experience and meal at this restaurant. The food was great, the service was speedy and friendly, and everything was reasonably priced. We would absolutely recommend this restaurant.

Absolutely authentic Japanese, not fusion. Perfectly prepared dishes. I've eaten here ever since the management of YSK and their friends recommended and found it to the cuisine to be like being is Sapporo or Tokyo. Prices are reasonable for the quality and the service is very good!

Amazing food, sushi was just right, had a nice dab of wasabi on each. The squid was just right, grilled with a nice char and crispy ends.

Best sashimi place ever! Besides high-class service and ambience, the food was sooooo fresh and awesome! Sashimi is expensive, but you get what you pay for! Will definitely go back for special occasions.

Beautiful decor, food, service. We had a sushi platter and a sashimi platter. Everything was fresh and good, though portions are quite meager for the price. I wish the sashimi cuts were a bit thicker. Nevertheless, very good. Rolls are delicious. Their Tuna Bliss was one of the best rolls I've had. Also quite different - I don't think I've had anything like it. I think I'd come back just for these. (despite me being in keto!) Tempura shrimp was ok. Just exactly what you'd expect. Overall, great experience. Not like the best ever, but great. We paid a pretty penny for it though.

Wasn't super pleased with our service, ordered $70 worth of food for dinner for two people. Sushi was 10/10 but one person got their sushi almost right away and the other waited +20 minutes just to have to take it to go. Also ordered the chicken katsu which did not taste good. Service was great, food a bit disappointing.

Akai Hana is the only place in Columbus that I trust to get quality sashimi and nigiri. Their sushi rolls are exquisite as well and properly priced for the quality of ingredients that you can enjoy. The service is incredibly adept at taking care of customer needs and is the perfect level of attentive. There is always a sushi boat in the mix for any celebratory event that comes my way!