It is rare I give 5 stars but this place was exceptional! Â Service is amazing and skilled. Â The food here is so good and the presentation and ambiance were truly excellent. Â The steak and Ginger sauce I had was so delicious that I had dreams about it for a week afterwards. Â This is a place that I was truly impressed with and will come back to soon.
Review Source:I was recently in Chicago for business and my colleague and I had dinner here on our last night. Everything about it was amazing! Â The atmosphere is really cool.....when we walked in Wesley greeted us and when we told him that we were from out of town he proceeded to tell us about the restaurant and recommend some of the signature dishes to try including the black cod and the butterfish tatami. We tried both and they were fantastic. The service was incredible all around! Â Our server Maro, took great care of us and was very personable. Overall everything we ordered was fresh and fabulous...from yellowtail, tuna and salmon sashimi to a grilled salmon from the robata grill. We are from Los Angeles and are used to great Japanese restaurants. I would say this is one of the best and will definitely come back here the next time that I am in Chicago :)
Review Source:Everything in this restaurant is about presentation. There is a cool ambiance to the restaurant; the decor is very modern, and the sushi bar is in a big open space. It looks really nice from the outside too because they have those big glass windows where you can see everything inside without ever having to step into the building.
I think that's why it's a little surprising how empty it was when my family came here on a Sunday night. I think because the restaurant is so big and there were only five tables filled the entire night, it looked kind of dead. But that was okay because that meant faster service and a quieter dinner for us. I guess I would just expect a place that looked so nice to be bustling with people.
Anyway, the food was pretty good. All of the sashimi was fresh. The pork belly was delicious. If I could recommend one thing, it would be the pork belly -- unless you're a health nut, in which case, do not get the pork belly. It's one of those things that's so good yet so bad, and you can tell just from one bite. The cod had a nice texture and was cooked perfectly. The steak was tender. The lamb was alright - I think I was already too full to taste anything by then - but I do remember it had a little kick to it. Regardless, everything looked amazing. I couldn't stop taking pictures. Like I said, it was all about the presentation here.
My only complaint is the price. It was $98 for the Signature five-course meal. They have another five-course meal that is even more expensive than that. And if one person gets it, the whole table is supposed to get the same thing. I mean, the food was great and it's a wonderful choice if you want to try a little bit of everything, but nothing really blew me away. By the end of the meal, I was so stuffed I couldn't enjoy the rest of my $100 meal, so I personally don't know if it was worth it. I will say that our server was very accommodating when I asked about the options in the beginning, and he even offered to come up with a cheaper three-course meal for us, to which I was open but the rest of my family declined...
Overall, I would recommend this place but only get the five-course meal if you're there celebrating something, or if you're rich. Otherwise try asking about a three-course meal instead; that way you're not uncomfortably full by the end and you still get to have a great meal for a slightly lower price than the Signature option.
Amazing food, fantastic service! Ambience is very comfy and modern all at once.
You will be welcomed as soon as you walk in, and this will extend to your server.
So far, on both of my visits here, the servers were very knowledgable and will give great suggestions as far as house favorites.
 I've had quite a variety of food so far and everything was good, if not inventive.
The drink menu is extensive, offering souchu (both fig and pineapple were good) Â specialty cocktails, wine and of coarse sake. The specialty rolls, such as chili Serrano, and dynamite roll were very flavorful and delicious. The crispy shrimp and chirashi could have been good, but was over salted. The king crab, and black cod were fantastic! The corn was also great. I did have the butterfish tataki on my first visit, but this time skipped, it was good but easily forgettable because all of the other amazing items I tried. We also had 2 desserts, the apple fig tart and also the banana dessert, which was sort of like a pound cake. Really though, the dessert was not the star of the evening. The food more than made up for that, and the real star here is the food and drinks. This will definitely be a place on my rotation.
My boyfriend took me here for our anniversary, and we both ordered the Premium tasting. We did not order the alcohol pairing because it was a Sunday evening.
Food:
The beautiful thing about this tasting is it changes based off what is available and what is the freshest/highest quality. That being said, you can tell your waiter what you do and do not prefer. We both dislike Oysters, so those were taken off and replaced with another item.
The second beautiful thing about this tasting - come hungry, they feed you until you are full. We could have kept going on the 11th plate, but didn't want to waste the food.
**** Due to this fact alone, out of all the tastings I've had in Chicago, the Roka Akor tasting has the best price tag. My bf and I agreed that we received our money's worth that evening.
Details on the tasting:
I was highly impressed by the vast variety of fish we had, and the pairings selected. Black Truffles with butterfish, Toro sashimi to experience the entire flavor, kobe beef sampling with 3 types of salt, lamb chops, Fuskie crab, mussels ... on and on ... it was delicious and it just kept coming.
The service through each course was excellent. We had 1 waiter and 3 other servers waiting on us the entire meal. My water glass never dipped below the half way mark.
I would highly recommend the experience for the quality of the meal and service.
I rarely give 5 stars, especially for restaurants that put so much effort on presentation and atmosphere. Yet, I had a well cooked steak and my wife truly enjoyed the Needlefish and 5 mushroom hot pot. Â We started with unique sashimi, that started the food experience off right. Â On top of enjoyable food and atmosphere, the service was great. Â I normally feel like I am being rushed out of a restaurant to flip a table, but my wife and I enjoyed talking after dinner and never felt pressured to leave. Â There are a ton of great food options downtown, and my wife and I have visited most, but rarely does my wife and I experience a restaurant that has figured it out in the three areas of: atmosphere, food, and service. We will be back.
Review Source:Have you been for lunch? Â Their price fixe lunch special is the best deal in the city! Â Plus, I had given up wheat for January and without hesitation or additional cost they chef whipped up a wheat free menu.
A combination of great Customer Service & great Food brings me back and has me recommending it to all of my friends!
I. Love. This. Place!
I love the decor - it feels really sexy and upbeat
Servie is always great and not snobby
Food - never disappoints. And I love how diverse the options are!
Some of my favorites:
Black Cod - This is a MUST TRY. Amazing texture and great flavor
Steaks - I've tried a few in the past 2 months are they are all good (sirloin, filet)
Duck - holy cow! Duck breast is good and the leg might be even better!
Mushroom and rice side - almost a MUST TRY for me :)
Yellowtail sushi - clean and light
I know I will be back here a lot!!
Poor customer service, good food, that's this restaurant in a nutshell. Â I made a reservation for 14 a month in advance and was very much looking forward to this. Â The reservation was at 9:00, I showed up at 8:50, with everyone in our group getting there promptly by 9:00. Â We were told we would be seated shortly, didn't get seated until 9:45. Â I understand the difficulty of dealing with a large group - but don't just ignore us for 45 minutes while you're waiting for the other group to finish their meal.
Anyways, after we were finally seated, we had one server for 14 people. Â It would take 20-40 minutes to get a drink. Â When our server was present, he was helpful, but it was very frustrating for a number of people in our group. I had three drinks over the 2.5 hour meal. Â One of the members of our party started going to the bar to order her own drinks.
The food was very good, fantastic actually. Â That's what saves this from being a 1-star review. Â However, it was insulting when the 20% service charge was tacked on. Â
Bottom line - If you're paying $100+/pp - you're not going to get the service that typically comes along with that price tag. Â The food was very good, but there are much better places visit.
If my parents would have prepared vegetables the way Roka Akor does, I wouldn't have had to spit them into my napkin when they weren't looking while I was growing up. Roka's grilled sweet potato and sweet corn are probably the best I've had. And for one night only, I didn't mind eating brussel sprouts. My favorite part of the meal, however, was the Madagascar Jumbo Tiger Prawn with yuzu kosho chili paste. I'm pretty sure I scared my date with all the sounds I was making while eating it. It was that good.
Review Source:Went here on a Saturday night with a group of 4. We made reservations, which was a really good idea, because it was packed! I loved the ambiance and the architect of the place did an amazing job. Our waiter recommended that we order a couple of items and share everything, so we ended up doing that, which was a good idea, because we got to try the steak, fish, sushi, and a bunch of little appetizers. Everything was amazing.. My only complaint would be that I thought it was a bit too pricey, considering the size of the portions and you have to order a few to actually get you full and also the fact that it was way too loud, we couldn't hear a word our waiter was saying, we were making him repeat everything over and over. Nonetheless, the food was still really good so I can't wait till they open it in Old Orchard!
Review Source:I've dined at Roka Akor twice and the second time was this past Saturday night with my wife during restaurant week. Â With that said, I have now have two perspectives of this place. Â
1. Â 4.5 Stars because ROKA is one of the best Pre-Fix deals in the city with the "Decadent Experience." Â When you want or can drop some $$$$, $150+ pp, Â it will seem like an endless buffet of dancing peppers, maki, sashimi and fortunate enough to partake in the MELT IN YOUR MOUTH ....wait for it............................ Australian Grade 10+ Pure Bred Wagyu Beef. Â Yummmy! Â Some of the richest pieces of meat you'll ever have and so full, you'll be rolling your happy ass all the way home.
2. Â When you dine for the second time at a place you love, you want to keep that initial experience with you. Â Unfortunately, that didn't happen with my wife and I dining off the restaurant week menu. Â Each course of the menu was tiny. Â Tiny to the point that another posted a review of root chips that seemed like they were from the "bottom of the bag." Â I think we must have finished the same bag of chips! Â While flavor wasn't the issue, the presentation was not what I would expect from such a do-or-die River North $$$$ restaurant. Â For $44pp plus tax and tip, Roka left us disappointed, losing 1 star from my initial visit and most likely will not see us for another restaurant week the next time around.
Went here on Saturday night with a group of four. Â We had reservations but were somehow put at a really small and low table at the bar. Â I didn't understand the seating as the main dining room looked to have some empty spots. Â I felt like we were in a time out because the table was soo small and the chairs were so low to the ground. Â Also, we shared and had to keep maneuvering things on the table (including our drinks and water glasses) constantly. Â That got annoying, esp when you spending a lot per couple for dinner.
The food we had was good and the portions were a decent size. Â However, I think there is a similar food for a much more reasonable cost in the city. Â We paid a lot per couple (approx $180) with only 2/4 people drinking and the men commented that they were hungry when we left. Â I hate leaving a place and knowing my husband is prob still hungry.
Overall, good food but in my opinion very pricey!
Roka Akor is absolutely amazing!!!
I went there for my birthday with my husband. We had the Tuna tasting as our server recommended. Toro was outstanding, fresh and melting in your mouth. We also ordered fillet, which was the best steak we ever had!!!!!
The service was efficient and welcoming. The prices are reasonable for the high quality of the food. Definitely will go back!
What a wonderful night!
I have been dying to try this place since it opened but it was never in the budget.  Thank goodness for restaurant week.  We finally got to experience Roka Akor.  We had a late reservation, so the place was extremely crowded on a Saturday night.  We were seated  on the side wall near the bar and in line of sight to women's bathroom, so that kind of put a negative tinge for the evening.  It took about 10 minutes for a server to get our drink order.  Once we ordered, things were coming at a better pace.  We first started with root vegetable  chips with two sauces.  The amusez bouche was good but we obviously got the bottom of the bag as most of the chips where broken in crumbs and über tiny ( like what you find at the bottom of chip bag).  I had the tuna roll two ways and the Japanese red snapper with pickled vegetables.  Both were tasty but nothing novel or exceptional.  My boyfriend had the pork and scallop Goya for an app and the roasted short rib with mushrooms. He enjoyed his meal more than I did, so he gave it a thumbs up.  We closed out the meal with their bread pudding, which I actually did enjoy...a lot.  So in short the service was a 5 and the meal overall for a meat eater and an ecto vegetarian was about a 7.  I think we will be venturing to other Japanese inspired restaurants in the city and maybe a little lighter on the pocket book before returning here.
Chitown Veg Gal
Went with the Chef's Pre-Fix menu. Â Group of 7 of us did so for a friend's birthday. Â Couple bottles of wine and Sake. Â
The ambiance of the place was cool. Â I've been there for drinks before as well. Â Nice place to be. Â Service was excellent and they were also accommodating to the one vegetarian in our group. Â
It was a fun night, however the food, albeit was tasty, it wasn't worth the price tag. Â Average rating on food. Â The sushi was ok and the rib dish was eh. Â The best parts of the meal were the fish dishes! Â If I was to go back for a meal, i'd order fish.
All in all, fun experience with friends, but for the food? Â I would probably spend elsewhere.
I wouldn't eat here again. The food isn't all it's hyped up to be considering the ultra upscale design and high price tag. In fact, it's very very average quality. I don't remember all the dishes I had, though it was during Restaurant Week a year ago and I remember leaving thinking "wow I would be really disheartened and kind of upset had I paid full price for that very, very mediocre food". Though the sushi was pretty good. I was almost a little upset that I even paid $44 or whatever for it, because it really wasn't even worth that.
The decor is really awesome. Easily one of the best designed restaurants in River North, and I like the bar area as well as it's spacious and casual. I would consider stopping in for a drink to start the evening though they could use some better specialty drinks.
I had high hopes for this place, but unfortunately the food doesn't even begin to live up to the aesthetic.
Ordered the $85 Chef's Pre-Fix menu. Here's my take on it:
1. Pre-fix menu is great - supplies soup, oysters, sashimi, Uni (so good), Toro (so good), steak (the best - melts off the bone), and dessert (apple pie - decent)
2. Service is great - the server is very attentive. She was a bit pushy for getting more drinks, which got a little annoying again, but overall the service is very good.
3. -1 star - we got seated at a table where there was the wall kind of blocking my friend and I. Also, the chairs were not across from each other, which made the seating situation a bit awkward. Not sure why they isolated us in the corner, but it made the experience significantly less desirable.
Had the treatment of where we sat been better, I would have easily rated this restaurant 4-5 stars. It is quite sad that it ruined our experience.
Overall, the bill was over $200, but I would definitely return for a special occasion. Not your daily eating spot.
Can't wait to go back!!! My second visit to Roka drove this place to be one of my leading recommendations for two of my favorite things; drinks and steak....with the perfect amount of Japanese flair. Â It takes a lot to make a table of 4 drinkers all change their orders to "I'll have what she has."
The Journeymen Shiso is my new BFF :) Consisting of Ravenswood Rye, fresh lemon juice, luxardo cherries, fresh shiso, fresh mint and demerara syrup, it was reminiscent of a whiskey old fashioned, but more gender neutral. Â The shiso in this drink makes it progressive and dynamite as this Japanese version of mint and basil keep you wanting more.
The second surprise of the night was the steak. I am always reluctant ordering a steak in Chicago at a non-traditional steakhouse since there are so many places that do it right. Roka Akor added a nice twist by serving their properly cooked and perfectly seasoned fillet with an optional spicy sauce on the side that made this an item I will order every time.
Special thanks to this place for starting my evening off on the right foot. Did I mention that I can't wait to go back!
-Chowhound Chick
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Amazing service! Â We were craving for ramen and trying to hide from the fierce cold; chef made it just for us; service was very attentive and friendly, I think it's a reflection of the superb general manager Mr.Oh that greeted and took care of us from the beginning when we stepped into the restaurant. Â Some of the items are a bit pricey but you can tell the staff cares about its product as evident by the executive chef, himself, checking every item prior to it leaving the kitchen.
Review Source:I would give this restaurant a 4.5 star but no 0.5 allowed so it will be a 4. Great place! Â Love the atmosphere and easy to get to. This is a very popular restaurant. My husband and I came on a weeknight after work. Our waitress was very nice and accomodating.
My husband and I ordered 4 rolls (salmon roll, spicy tuna, dynamite scallop, and one of their special roll that I forgot what it's called). The salmon roll was really good, spicy tuna was okay, dynamite scallop wasn't as great because it has the scallop on top but the roll itself is just mixed crab salad, and the special roll was some kind of serrano..it was decent). I enjoyed the tastes of the sushi, but they are small. The salmon roll was $12..at most other restaurants it would be under $10. It was good, but small.
We also ordered the spicy tofu with mixed green entree and a miso soup and several nigiri pieces. The spicy tofu was yummy. Very hot (temperature) and the mixed greens was a great combination to go with it. Miso soup was okay. The 3 types of nigiri pieces we had was salmon, hamachi, and toro. The salmon and hamachi was really realy good. The toro (which was $10 each) came with salt..the sushi chef suggested we dont add soy sauce to the sushi but the rock salt, which we did and it was really good.
Overall it was a good time. I wish the portions were bigger for the amount you pay. Our tab came out to be $123 for these items. They were good though, just pricey.
Great Food! Â Great Service! Â Used <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gdine.com&s=cb731bb689931cbd3ba7f75496e71209698a4a1742bebec3ff3dc18d1c84fbda" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.gdine.com</a> to book my reservation... Great combo!!!
GDine offers excellent fixed menus!!!
I might have enjoyed this place a little better with a different party. I went with a large group and we ordered the chef's recommend items. Unfortunately, many of the items presented weren't things I would choose. Next, it was a large table and it was very loud, so half the time I couldn't hear what new dish was being presented.
With all that being said, most of what i tasted was delicious. I would love to go back with a smaller crowd and order my preferences off the menu.
It was quite loud in there too, making it less suited for larger parties.
The atmosphere is excellent and the authentic coal grill greets you with a nice aroma when you walk into the restaurant. The service was great. The host and support staff were nice, well trained and quick to assist. Those were highlights. Our server was knowledgeable but was pushing the special items a little too hard. We took his suggestions on some of them and were unimpressed. The KingCrab Maki was soft and lacked taste and the super-white tuna appetizer, while very good, could have used a little more meat.
To end on a good note, the Dynamite Scallop roll was out of this world good!
Roka wooed me once at a past Yelp event with its mood lighting, smoky robata bites and intoxicatingly potent house-infused soju. I've since returned for dinner and we left sufficiently satisfied.
DELUXE SASHIMI PLATTER
One word: beautiful! But...for something so wonderfully plated, there were some major amateur mistakes. Some of our cuts (namely our toros) were tendonous and brittle-- immediately fell apart with our chopsticks. I may not be a connoisseur, but I can say that neither of the above are supposed to happen. Although I did enjoy the ebi and uni, also the tableside wasabi (the real root, folks!) and Himalayan salt prep.
WAGYU BEEF & KIMCHI DUMPLINGS
A revamp of the traditional dumpling-- I decided to revisit an item I'd tasted previously. I liked it but probably wouldn't order it again. My dinner date noted that he wouldn't have noticed the wagyu if it wasn't explicitly titled on the menu. Pricey for only six dumplings. Â
WILD MUSHROOM RICE HOTPOT
This is a must-order! Our server likened this dish to an "asian risotto"-- came piping hot in a nice wooden cast-iron presentation with an assortment of Japanese mushrooms. I liked digging around the bottom for the crisped parts. My favorite thing here!
Jon L's review does a really good job of recapping the complete dining experience. For such a flashy-stylish place, Roka puts your money where your mouth is with a fair execution of beauty and brains!
I really wanted to like this restaurant but it just didn't do anything for me. The sushi grade was expected to be finer than your BYOB sushi spots - which they did deliver. But Roka didn't have any outstanding signature dishes, cocktails, or small plates. It was a disappointing $85 bill.
Review Source:Went here for their $25 business lunch and it was totally worth it. You get several courses of food, all of which tasted amazing. There was soup, dumplings and a maki roll and then an entree. We didn't have to wait for a table which I almost don't like. This place should be more busy. It's pricey but definitely a value for the quality and portions.
Review Source:I came here the night of my birthday with my parents and boyfriend. It would have earned 5 stars, but the portions seemed small for the price (and yes, I am aware of food cost, ingredient quality, etc. I'm a cook).
Our server was extremely friendly, attentive, and helpful in terms of navigating their wine and food menus. We split a bottle of wine, and had a meal of a variety of sushi and fish dishes. Their pork belly was particularly flavorful and well cooked. Going back to my comment on portions, it was mostly the size of the "main" we ordered- it was barely bigger than the apps which seemed odd to me.
I don't always get desserts, but my boyfriend and I split the banana cake with coconut sorbet and ginger-chocolate sauce. The cake and sorbet were delicious, the ginger in the sauce was undetectable. My parents split some sort of pineapple/mango cake with sorbet and garnish. It wasn't anything to get overly excited about.
I love the decor, and the variety of dishes, and everything we had was flavorful and enjoyable. I particularly like the open kitchen which added to our dining experience.
I don't mind paying for a great dining experience, but this is the second time I've been to Roka Akor and both times have been lacking.
The Dynamite Scallop roll, the roll recommended by our waiter, was yummy. We also got both types of miso soup and both were average. In the tataki sampler, the butter fish tataki was good, tuna average and beef very good. Hamachi chili roll was okay, but nothing special.
They seated us at a very dark table where there really shouldn't be a table - it was directly next to the order kiosk for the waiters. I asked for a different table, but of course they couldn't accommodate us. I would have not even have made a reservation if I had known we would have gotten such terrible seating. Service was very good and the one saving grace.
I think maybe you're better off getting the steak there, but I'm unlikely to try this place again.
I shared an excellent meal here with the bf last night! Â We were seated by the window, so we got a view of Illinois St, and those on Illinois got a view of us making faces at each other. Â
The kitchen really puts out some fantastic dishes (and you can watch them do so, as it's so open)! Among the offerings we tried were the hamachi chili roll, chirashi roll, beef dumplings, lobster tempura, brussels sprouts, and new york strip loin with truffle aioli. Â The hamachi was meaty and had just the right level of serrano peppers, though I found myself enjoying the prawn and chirashi roll even more. Â Both rolls were light and didn't leave you feeling like a blobby sushi monster. Â Combine lobster and fried batter, and you have me popping those battered babies like candy! Â Mmm! Â Great wasabi aioli and yuzu soy sauce pairing too. Â
The robata grilled steak was tender, and who can turn down truffle aioli? Â I made sure some was packed into my to-go container too. :o] Â Top the meal off with a new cocktail (it has mango chili shochu with sesame rum) and house-made blueberry/raspberry/maple cinnamon ice cream, and you could read "happy camper" all over my face.
Service was very attentive. Â Manager Steven oversees a fine establishment, and Roka Akor is going to be at the top of my recommendation list now for any and all occasions!
Very good sushi quality and good service. Â Roka Akor is definitely one of the fancier Japanese places you will find in Chicago or anywhere.
The mushroom hot pot rice is fantastic. Â Everything I have tried here is expertly prepared with high quality ingredients. Â The couple grilled dishes I have tried on my visits here have been disappointing, but everything else I would recommend. Â As long as you don't mind high prices, definitely a place to try out!
My wife and I visited this restaurant again on a Wednesday before Thanksgiving and we were pleasantly surprised by a much better dining experience. Instead of ordering a la carte this time around, we tried their signature collection omakase for $100/each person paired with a bottle of Loimer Riesling (~$75).
Being the night before Thanksgiving, the restaurant wasn't super busy, so we had the chance to chat with the wait staff and food runners to learn more about the food & the restaurant. These are really professional, hospitable, and knowledgeable people, they certainly made the dining experience much more enjoyable.
Below is a summary of what we had:
* Japanese shishito peppers - good ingredient, grilled to perfection and seasoned with just the right amount of salt
* Tuna tatami - the dressing went well with the tuna, very refreshing. The tuna was very fresh. I think we also had a super white tuna tatami as well if my memory is correct.
* Sashimi platter - nicely decorated and presented. You can tell the fish is very fresh. Having oysters and seaweed as well is a nice touch to change up the flavor. The rock salt went well with the toro and the freshly grinded mustard really elevated the flavor, especially for the raw shrimp. The shrimp heads were fried nicely as well. I would suggest making a more generous cut (thicker) to make each bite more satisfying. (some sushi chefs actually change the size of the cut based the gender of the diner, males tend to like thicker cuts)
* Miso soup - nice touch putting ginger & a chopped shrimp in there to create a deeper flavor. It did taste a bit too shoyu (soy), but still good. The shrimp was a bit overcooked and dry, so less time in the soup would probably be better.
* Yuzu black cod - easily the best dish of the night. My wife and I were speechless after the first bite. It was juicy, fresh, and flavorful. Grilling it inside a lotus leaf is a very nice touch. Pairing it with red onions is outstanding.
* Brussels sprouts - my wife and I don't even like Brussels sprouts and we loved it. Grilled & seasoned perfectly, great side dish to go along with the cod to balance the flavors.
* Japanese wild mushroom rice - we loved this the first time around and it didn't disappoint us during this visit. We would come here just for this mushroom rice with a few drinks.
* Short ribs - if possble, see if you can switch this one out for the NY strip wagyu. It was cooked nicely, tender and juicy, but it just lacked flavor because of lack of seasoning.
* Desserts platter - the raspberry crème brulee is marvelous - flavorful without coming off as too rich and the top was just burnt enough. The sea salt & raspberry ice crème flavored just right, goes very well with everything in the platter.
Don't miss out on this place if you love sushi! Better than the London one!
Food: 9/10 very tasty sushi specials!
Sake: 10/10 fantastic selection
Service: 10/10 very friendly staff - suggested great specials
Atmosphere: 10/10 great decoration. great crowd! pretty buzzy even on a monday night! Â
un abrazo ;)
I was looking forward to trying this for the first time since I've heard so many great things about the food. Unfortunately when we showed up for our 9:00 p.m. Friday night reservation we were told there would be at least a 45 minute wait. Yes, a 45 minute minimum wait for our RESERVATION.
One of the greatest things about Chicago is that its flush with quality restaurants. That being said, our party decided to take our dinner somewhere else
I came here last week for Sunday brunch. I think for the month of September, they have buffet style brunch? I was brought here by friends, so I didn't really know the details. But to the food!
When we arrived, there were 3-4 tables of people. Other than that, the rest of the restaurant was empty. It was a nice but breezy day, so the windows were open. We pretty much got one of everything. Out of everything that we ordered, I liked the ribs and the sashimi the best. The ribs were flavorful and practically falling off the bone. The quality of the fish in the sashimi were pretty good and actually surprising for a buffet. The salmon was good, but then again you can't go wrong with salmon. It was a pretty good portion size as well. The dessert was nice. My friend really liked the cream with the red bean pancake. It was so good, she wanted to take it home!
Some drawbacks are that although the restaurant wasn't very busy, we juggled a lot of empty plates on our table, even though 3 people were seated at a 4 person table. Also, I don't know if it was chicken leg or something else, but we were a little suspicious about whether it was fully cooked or not so we decided not to risk it.
The ambiance was nice. They were playing Bob Marley and the open windows made everything very casual. The waiter was attentive, friendly and smiling the entire time.
This one barely squeaked by with a 4 because although I had a good experience, there wasn't anything offered that would bring me back. But I liked the easy-going atmosphere and the sashimi. Plus the waiter was cute.
Last thing is that if you bring your receipt to your next brunch, you get 50% off!
EDIT: The "chicken leg" is actually a braised duck leg.
Stopped in here last night, and wow was it amazing. First off, the decor is incredible. The people who created this place really did their homework. The ambiance is very nice and the staff were incredible.
Now onto the food. I started off with the red miso soup with lobster. UNREAL. The noodles were very thin and the broth was amazing. All of this was topped off with chunks of really tender lobster. Just an unbelievably awesome starter. Then I moved onto the sushi rolls. I got the hamachi (yellowtail) roll and I must say I have honestly never had a fish so insanely fresh in my entire life. This was INCREDIBLE. The rice also didn't fall apart nor get stuck in my teeth, and the seaweed wrap wasn't dry. I also ordered the hamachi sashimi which is presented to you on ice surrounded by greens. The presentation of this dish is beautiful and tasted even better; so fresh and tender.
I will absolutely be back here again without a doubt. Ask for Patrick H. when you arrive. Very knowledgeable man, especially when it comes to bottles of wine.
So I guess Roka Akor is known for their sushi and seafood, but I decided that since the trendy, pricey atmosphere this of place was practically daring me to spend money, I would skip the Dragon Rolls and go right for the Australian Wagyu. Â At $18 per ounce this was no easy decision, with each bite I thought about what else that one little just-consumed morsel of Wagyu would have bought - a new pair of trousers, movie tickets for two, a full meal for the family at Steak-n-Shake. Â But was it worth it? Â Yes indeed it was, it melted in my mouth like meat-flavored butter. Â It was served with three different sea salts, a small dip of the meat into the salt was all that you needed to make each bite perfect.
The other folks at my table seemed to be enjoying whatever it is that they had, but because their dishes were nowhere near as exquisite as mine, I felt sorry for them. Â That is, until the check arrived and I saw that the charge for my meal exceeded the total for everyone else, then I started feeling sorry for myself. Â But really, it was nice to splurge on something that was worth the splurge, just this once.
River North has been invaded by a number of generally indistinguishable upmarket corporate chains lately, but the Chicago incarnation of a Scottsdale-based division of a Japanese-ish restaurant with locations in London and Hong Kong merits attention. Billed as "Sushi and Steak," Roka Akor is like a stylish, modern-day Ron of Japan or Benihana for the capitalist class, but with really fabulous food.
If you ignore the offensive prices and garish clientele, Roka Akor excels in each of its varied roles: sushi destination, serious steakhouse, and contemporary Asian eatery. We've sampled much of the menu at both lunch and dinner, and at this point, I'm generally more excited to eat at Roka than I am at Sunshine Café, Renga Tei, Arami, or Katsu, at any number of the places around town where you can a very good steak, or at Slurping Turtle or either of the Bellies.
The restaurant offers an impressive selection of raw fish, including daily specials (last night we had some variation of aji that I had never heard of plus some cousin of snapper that were doubtless endangered and soaked in radioactive cesium), all accompanied by real deal wasabi grated before your very eyes. Any of the steaks are great, cooked exactly as requested and with a fabulous char, exactingly pre-cut in chopstick ready slices. Simply grilled fish is exactly that, and right on each time. (A rare food-related misstep is the disappearance of grilled mackerel from the menu.) Other entrees, like the barley miso chicken, are worth a detour. The quality of everything they serve is extremely high, and the preparation accurate and consistent. Even the miso soup exhibits remarkable depth of flavor. At $8 for a bowl of the red variety--with lobster, natch--it better.
Roka Akor may be the rare place where self-professed foodies and cocktail-swilling culinary philistines in short skirts and untucked buttondowns can coexist. It takes some effort to subjugate the ickiness of the restaurant's corporate provenance, the waitstaff's shameless upselling, and the obnoxious scene. Cheap, it is not--although there are deals to be had, including a four-course executive lunch and a happy hour appetizer omakase. But even at full price and considering all the foibles that may make the restaurant a less than ideal destination for the most discerning diners, Roka Akor should be near the top of any good eater's list of places to visit.
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