Akame Nigiri and Sake

hungrytommy

Dec 10

December 10, 2023

One chef, six seats, that's it. You can hardly call it a restaurant, but Akame Nigiri and Sake is one of the best dining experiences in Boston. And if people ever find out about this place, you will need to make a reservation six months in advance.

Michael Monaco is the owner and only employee, though he let me know his brother helps him out sometimes. Before starting a place of his own in 2022, he worked at Jasper White's Summer Shack and more recently at Uni under Ken Oringer and Tony Messina. Raised on the North Shore, he might not be what you expect in a sushi chef, but the man knows his fish which he sources mostly from Japan's Toyosu fish market.

Akame is located in Lexington, just off Mass Ave, tucked away in a parking lot in little building that also houses a nail salon and a frozen yogurt shop. But when you walk inside, and sit down at the sushi counter, you might as well be in Tokyo.

There are two seatings each night, 6:15 and 8:30, Thursday through Saturday. The cost is $180 for fifteen courses that includes mostly nigiri, but also A5 Wagyu beef and foie gras. (One course was we were served was Berkshire pork dumplings in a spicy broth which was good enough to build a an entire restaurant around.) For an additional $60 you can get sake pairings. That might sound like a splurge, but it is well worth it, and here's why. Most sushi restaurants are going to serve you primarily tuna, yellowtail, and salmon. Even o ya, the venerable Boston sushi mecca, allows those three fish to dominate their omakase. But Chef Michael presents you with truly unique and special fish, perfectly prepared and expertly garnished.

I cannot say enough about how great Akame Nigiri and Sake is, but I'm not the only one. Every single one of the sixty-three Open Table reviews is five stars. Google Maps, seventeen reviews, all five stars. Yelp, all five stars. All of them. Every single review. And I agree completely.

Below is a photo essay of our omakase at the 6:15 seating on December 2, 2023:

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