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Akiba
Review
About
Features
CUISINES
Japanese, Asian, Street Food, Japanese Fusion
Meal types
Lunch, Dinner, After-hours, Drinks
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
FEATURES
Accepts Credit Cards
American Express
Digital Payments
Free off-street parking
Free Wifi
Full Bar
Gift Cards Available
Highchairs Available
Mastercard
Outdoor Seating
Reservations
Seating
Serves Alcohol
Street Parking
Takeout
Visa
Wheelchair Accessible
Wine and Beer
Location
Free off-street parking, Street Parking
Does this restaurant primarily serve Healthy cuisine?
Save this restaurant
Hours
Open until 10:00 PM
Sunday
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Monday
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Tuesday
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Wednesday
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Thursday
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Friday
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
Saturday
11:30 am - 10:00 pm
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4.5
1,755 reviews
Excellent
1,187
Good
365
Average
119
Poor
47
Terrible
37
familytraveler129
Surrey Hills164 contributions
Nov 2024 • friends
We visited Akiba from interstate recently and we chose the 8 courses with a bottle of wine and two desserts to follow. Great way to sample their menu. Staff were friendly and efficient and those that were taking food orders knew their stuff. The only down side was we ordered a bottle of wine and were given something totally different fortunately it was nice but if cost more than the one we ordered. That aside we had a good night. Sitting outside on a pleasant evening. It is noisy so be aware that conversations can he difficult til the after work crew go home
Written 31 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
917Time
297 contributions
Feb 2023 • couples
We literally stumbled upon this place in Bunda Street Civic while searching for that next “Fab restaurant” experience.
So without a booking, we sheepishly approached the maître D after eying a table for two on the sidewalk. “Yeah right” I should have known, the place was busy and unfortunately, we didn’t have a booking and the tables on the sidewalk had been booked well in advance. Despite this, the maître D while trying best to accommodate these “out of towners”, spied a couple a seats at the bar and asked “what about the bar?” Well what about the bar? For we were about to learn these were indeed the best seats in the house!!
So as we straddled the bar stools and fumbled for phones to do that QR code menu thing, the very friendly and attentive bar waiter approached, (obviously noting that we looked a little lost) and recommended we consider the “feed me” option on the menu. This was a choice of 8 items for a set price of $60pp.
Well great but now I have to make 8 choices? No, Leeta, as she later introduced herself, was keen to recommend the most popular dishes and hey, we were happy to agree.
The starters included kingfish sashimi, pork belly buns, prawn and chicken dumplings, kimchi and oyster pancakes and miso eggplant.
This was followed by prawn fried rice, beef short rib and Chinese broccoli.
I can’t even begin to describe how good each dish was. The standouts perhaps were the kingfish sashimi, pork belly buns and beef short rib - but then it was all superb.
Tempted as we were, we finished with hazelnut frangipani tart and chocolate dome (shared of course).
As if the sensational flavours of this modern Japanese style of cooking was not enough - nor the vibe of the bar, the atmosphere and the ambience - there is no doubt our experience was all the more enjoyable and perhaps made just a bit more adventurous by the dedication that Leeta showed to us as her customers.
Fabulous restaurant and exceptional staff. A credit to all concerned. The formula they have is working very well.
Written 23 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gwegwy
Mt Eliza604 contributions
Nov 2024 • family
7th day of our 20-day trip and we'd arrived in Canberra for a 3-night stay at Adina Dickson. Having got ourselves a bit lost finding the Adina, possibly because I'd put the address for Akiba into the GPS when we left Tathra, we decided to forget the car for the night and took a cab to the restaurant.
When we arrived at 6pm, the restaurant was already busy-ish and, whilst we were led to a high table with stools, we asked if we could instead be seated at one of a few booths at the far end of the room. High tables with stools are a pet hate of mine and I really don't understand why so many restaurants inflict them on their customers. Anyway, the welcome from the greeters was very friendly and Ariadne and Emily looked after us wonderfully (and with very good humour) throughout the evening. My two cousins arrived shortly after us and we all thoroughly enjoyed our meal.
Between us we socked away ocean trout tartare, tuna tartare, Peking duck dumplings, 3 serves of prawn and chicken dumplings, sweet & sticky squid, short rib and 2 serves of Japanese fried chicken. All served with a timely spacing between courses. Various cocktails, mocktails, glasses of wine and a bottle of Nick O'Leary shiraz accompanied an excellent mix of food. A great night out and catch-up with favourite family members who we don't see often enough. An amazing coincidence - weeks before we'd booked a half-day ocean kayaking tour for our upcoming stay at Bateman's Bay and didn't realise that our cousins' son is one the guides for that tour.
Written 9 December 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne
Sydney80 contributions
Mar 2025 • friends
Very disappointing. They should not offer a degustation menu if they expect you to eat it within an hour. The dishes are delicious but we were left gobbling down our food when they brought the bill over and told us the next booking was due in 15 minutes. It’s become a feeding barn for him turnover and rushed meals - they’re definitely not aiming for you to enjoy your dining experience.
Written 22 March 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nanettelf
1 contribution
Feb 2025 • family
I have never written a restaurant review before but was compelled to by the appalling customer service over the phone and misleading information on the online booking platform for Akiba.
My daughter made a booking for our family through the online portal using her credit card. We called the restaurant to request a new time but unfortunately there wasn't another available that worked so she cancelled the booking. After hanging up, my daughter discovered that she had been charged $60 as part of the cancellation policy, this wasn't communicated to her over the phone. I rang the restaurant and spoke with two hostile staff who told me that my daughter was made aware of this on the website.
This is misleading. Yes, there is a cancellation policy box, but you need to click into this box before discovering that there are additional costs. It is deceptive, my daughter has only just turned 18 and new to navigating the complexities of online bookings. If there is a cancellation cost, this should be made clear to the patron before deciding to follow through with the booking. My daughter would not be the only one caught out by this.
The icing on the cake was the attitude of the staff who were profoundly unhelpful and rude. We will never go to this restaurant again.
Written 21 February 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John M
Canberra33 contributions
Dec 2023 • friends
Food is still great, however service has dropped considerably since I last reviewed a few years back. Our table booking was from 6.15pm to 7.30pm, then at 7.15 the waitress refused to take our drinks order telling us we only had 10 minutes left on the table. She then became passive aggressive after we challenged her on that and ignored us until she came and dropped the bill on the table without saying a word. As much as I like the food at this place, it has really done its dash with us and has shown that they are much more interested in churning through tables than giving customers any kind of value or service. Plenty of other good dinning options around the city and Braddon to up with this sort of rubbish from waitresses with attitude.
Written 12 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
santosh k
1 contribution
June 2024 • business
Terrible terrible experience .
Service is slow , Girls are good ,nice and Polite.
Food not worth it , if you are looking for a feed avoid this place , over priced and quantity is less than a baby food.
We ordered feed me $60 per head .. portions were so small an d had to be shared between 4 people and they even missed few dishes .. we ended up going to another eat out place even after paying $60 per head .. Mind 15 + people were in our group and most of us are light eaters still not sufficient .. you can understand the portion size ..
Clean Rip off .. I will Avoid by all means .. Save your wallet .
Written 12 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roel K
1 contribution
Jan 2025 • friends
Not a Good Place to Relax or Enjoy Your Time
I had high hopes for Akiba, but unfortunately, the experience was very disappointing, especially due to the poor service.
Food:
The food is visually appealing and trendy, but it’s overly salty and portion sizes are small. The menu seems to be designed more for drinking than for a proper meal.
Service:
This was the most disappointing part of the visit. While the restaurant has a 1.5-hour time limit, the way this policy is enforced is shockingly rude and leaves a sour impression.
We ordered the “Feed Me” (8-course meal) with a bottle of wine, which naturally takes time to enjoy. However, after 1.5 hours, the staff rushed us out in a manner that was anything but hospitable:
• The bill was brought to our table without us requesting it.
• Less than a minute after handing us the bill, the server returned with the card machine, although we hadn’t indicated we were ready to pay.
• Within a minute of completing payment, we were asked to leave the table for the next group, with no regard for our experience or comfort.
This approach felt pushy and unprofessional. A better practice would have been to inform us of the time limit politely at the start, then gently remind us when the time was up, giving us an opportunity to settle the bill naturally. This rushed treatment ruined the experience, making us feel as if we were being kicked out.
Additionally, the speed of food service was overwhelming. To accommodate their strict time policy, dishes were served far too quickly—sometimes three courses at once—which felt chaotic. It gave the impression that the restaurant prioritizes quick turnover and profit over the guest experience.
Environment:
If you don’t enjoy noisy places, Akiba is not for you. The indoor area is loud, though the outdoor seating is more pleasant, especially in summer. However, the tables are cramped, which can feel uncomfortable, particularly for larger individuals.
Overall:
Akiba is not a place I would recommend if you’re looking to relax and enjoy a meal. The rushed service, noise, and poor hospitality overshadowed the food, and I won’t be returning. Hospitality is key to a restaurant’s success, and sadly, Akiba falls short
Written 28 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sharon
8 contributions
Aug 2024 • solo
It’s 6degrees outside the door is wide open to service the outdoor area and I’m sitting opposite the door. Sure there’s a gas heater behind us but my feet are frozen and there’s a draft swirling in. The food as always is amazing … except it all starts to arrive at once. I got 2 fish tartare dishes and 1 oyster dish sitting in front of me, then the agedashi tofu arrives. There’s no room and I ask that they take it back and delay it slightly. So of course now I’m waiting for food, that would be okay if I wasn’t freezing my tush off. As always so impressed with the food but in winter they need a solution to that open door. PS the lychee rose martini is the best
Written 5 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Road369390
1 contribution
June 2022 • none
Food and ambience was good. But service from one particular staff was rude.
I took 2 kids (6yrs & 3 yrs old) on a Tuesday night. This staff took us to a table (setting was bar style with high tables/chairs), which I knew it wouldn't suit us. When I asked him: "do you have tables that are lower please?" He squinted his eyes and said:"what do you mean?" Am I asking for a private room? So I said:" well, look at this, they don't suit small kids, do they?" Then he said there's kids highchair or we could sit outside at bench table. So why not just offer that in the first place, but instead the attitude?
During meal I asked if we could have 2 extra plates and 2 extra serviettes. Once again, he squinted eyes and asked:"what do you mean??" Am I asking for free food here?? Any parents taking kids out to eat would understand above requests.
Not sure if he had a bad day, had a fight with his partner or didn't like parent with kids or simply didn't like me, but for a restaurant that charges a premium, I'd expect much better service than this.
Written 30 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Doc_au
Australia51 contributions
Oct 2022 • couples
Very helpful staff fitted us in when we phoned for a reservation for later that evening. Ordered the $70 Feed Me menu. All started well, but then they served us our 2nd course of hot dishes before we had finished our cold “appetisers”, and then our 3rd (hot) course soon after. We had to either eat the hot food before it got cold, or finish our first course first. This ruined the flow of what would have probably been a very nice meal, and food.
When I sent the 3rd course back until we had finished the 1st & 2nd courses, the reaction was not good and the waiter got quite hissy. Especially when I said that rushing us our food to try and fit more people in was not appreciated. From then on, we had a 15-20 min wait between each course, and were about the last to receive our desert (after another 15-20 minute wait, and leave the restaurant.
Good food, we think, because some of the food was cold when we got to eat it. The kitchen rushing us our courses and stacking up several hot dishes in front of us at the same time from different courses ruined what would probably have otherwise been a very enjoyable meal out. The stools to sit on were a little uncomfortable with no back support. And the petty “go slow” staff/kitchen pay back for complaining was unprofessional and unnecessary, and ruined our evening.
There are other better restaurants in Canberra.
Written 13 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John D
6 contributions
Oct 2023 • friends
It deserved 5 stars. A busy and very popular place with some spectacularly tasty dishes. Since we had not been there before and were not that familiar with the cuisine the very cheery and informative server suggested the tasting menu. Believe us, it was a treat. A whole series of small dishes, complex deliciously different tastes, textures and main ingredients, both marinaded and cooked..
Highly recommended.
Written 4 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RenAlmighty
Canberra49 contributions
Oct 2024 • couples
Akiba is a must if you live in or visit Canberra and have an adventurous pallette. The atmosphere in this Asian-fusion restaurant combines modern and rustic elements, reminiscent of the fusion of traditional Japanese cuisine with a contemporary twist. Service is impeccable and friendly (Olivia) allowing to order at own pace. We had dumplings, fried rice, pork bun and Agedashi Tofu: all of which we devoured with great enthusiasm.
Written 4 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Louise A
4 contributions
Feb 2022 • none
If you want a quick bite of reasonable standard food then Akiba is fine. I was so disappointed though having contacted the restaurant many weeks ago to make a booking to celebrate a very special occasion with 10 of my family and friends. We were coming from Melbourne and I spoke personally to the owner who assured me everything would be looked after on the night. I emailed and requested a written confirmation which I received and then a text message confirming my booking. Booking was for 7pm and at no point was I ever advised I would only have the table for a limited time. It wasn't until the waiter advised me at 8,30 that we would need to be out by 8.45 after an extremely rushed meal. We had all waited a long time to come together for dinner and I couldn't have tried harder to communicate with the restaurant. it really put a dampener on the night. I would never have booked had I known. Spoke to manager on the night who meekly apologised So if you want fast furious reasonable food Akiba is fine but strongly recommend you avoid it for a special occasion .
Written 20 February 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jane
2 contributions
Aug 2021 • friends
The vibe is cool, nice music and atmosphere so with some friends we decided to book in for dinner.
Worst choice ever made! We had 4 Feed me Menu and 2 Feed me Laxa or whatever it’s the name of the sharing menu. All dishes seems to be rolled in over melted garlic . The smell of each single dish was so nauseating that we couldn’t even touch some of them . We are used to Asian restaurants and one of the guys sitting with us it’s a chef so we know how it feels like having an Asian dish. Calling food this kind of sugar glazed/garlic dipped ingredients it’s an insult to not only the real food but to people who really love catching up with friends and enjoy a good glass of wine with something nice to eat during their time off . The fact that the food was such a rubbish ruined all our night out and our moods. 4 people out of 6 at the end of the night had stomachache and when we told the lady at the counter that we weren’t feeling weel all she said was “oh I am sorry it’s ok maybe next time will be better” . I would avoid leaving comments about the customer service cause its pretty much so insulting and ridiculous that doesn’t even deserve the time to get left a review. $500 after we got sick, disgusted, disappointed and so frustrated. Canberrans stop supporting this little low quality kinda - take away shops cause the have a nice location and good vibe only , give yourself the right to deserve quality!
Avoid !
Written 7 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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