Review Akiba - Canberra

Riley our waiter was lovely, he remembered 16 dishes which was amazing. I went with my vegetarian friend and we ordered a regular "Just feed me" and a vegetarian "Just feed me" which is 8 dishes each. My "Just feed me" featured a nice variety of food, and it was great fun to try new dishes, some of the vegetarian version wasn't really my friend's taste, but it offered a nice variety of dishes too - It was a reasonable price considering the high quality of the dishes. The place caters really well to those with dietary requirements. They also have a pretty extensive drinks menu, the drinks we ordered were nice, however, the Lychee martini wasn't to my friend's taste. It was a very fresh and exciting atmosphere with fun music playing in the background, I will definitely come back when I can!

Food obviously appeals to the majority, well made but don't expect big flavors, the skirt steak was the highlight. Service was flawless. On the down side, backless stools aplenty won't appeal to all. Also on the night we visited children ran free, thanks to clueless parents. Happy to return though..

My boyfriend and I really enjoyed this restaurant. We got the luxe menu. I didn't get to take a photo of everything, since I was too distracted by the food 😅 Everything was delicious and the staff were helpful and nice. The only thing I didn't like was the QR code menu.

We did the banquet menu which had a great selection of dishes on it! Great ambience within the venue, I think it was a Tuesday and it was buzzing! 👏🏼 Service was a little confused just not understanding some wines or dishes completely but knowing that many staff are new to hospitality at the moment we totally understood. I would return if I am back in Canberra. Thanks!

Had a really good experience at Akiba. Wasn’t sure what to order but Riley (our server) suggested really awesome items from the menu, which complemented each other. Plus the drink Riley suggested went well with the food too. 10/10 highly recommend.

Great venue for a work dinner, the food was delicious and catered to our different dietary requirements! Kya (our waiter) was so attentive and bubbly/friendly and she gave awesome drinks recommendations. Also so surprised by the tofu cheesecake - yum! Definitely recommend! ❤️🤤

Casual dining for lunch or dinner. The food, staff and atmosphere was fantastic. We had the Luxe menu of 10 dishes. The Thyme of your Life cocktails was a favourite. Along with this menu, there are always specials offered for additional fun. Today fresh Sydney Rock Oysters. Last time we dinned finest fruity Sakè. So make it a feature in your food adventures.

Asian fusion at its best. Fantastic food and the vibe is pretty cool here. Love the deco with some neon and the music curator just nailed every song played tonight. Kudos to Mia who did a fantastic service for us tonight. I’ll conclude stating it’s a must visit restaurant in Canberra 🤤

great service and delicious food! an asian fusion you will love

Simply consistently good food. Flavours excellent.

Great cocktails but very average food and service

Thoroughly enjoyed the vibrant buzz of Akiba. That with the fabulous food & service makes it hard to go passed when in the Nation’s Capital :-)

Pending review with photos! Great restaurant

Discovered this bar as it was near our hotel and decided to give it a try as it was packed on a Tuesday night. The staff were attentive and really friendly. Recommending the must-try items from our order: Kobe skirt, prawn and chicken dumplings and the lychee rose martini.

A highly rated Restaurant that is well deserved. Great atmosphere and well appointed - the real deal. Will be visiting again.

Love their drinks selection and the menu, mainly again fusion dishes, love the king fish sashimi. However is slightly pricey for what they are.

Went for an early dinner here. Really great Asian inspired dishes and the seafood was just fresh as! Felt the serving wasn’t that big so had to order quite a few things.

Excellent service. Tastes are great. Dishes come up very quick. Nice place for people to hang out but a little bit pricy for students. Overall it’s really great.

We had one night in Canberra, and after many research and recommendations by friends, we’ve decided to dine at Akiba. Did not disappoint at all!! We didn’t have a booking and despite being packed, they still squeezed us in. Eggplant is a must try and everything else was just delicious. Service was spectacular and their drinks menu was awesome with lots of variety. Would definitely consider coming back to Canberra just for this!

Did a road trip to Canberra and we walked into Akiba at 8pm as it was loud, packed and looked like fun.<br/>It was exactly that- cocktails were great, food was fun, and those vegan laksa xiao long baos were awesome.<br/>Price for 3 including heaps of cocktails was approx $70 each. I rated this place a 4/5 not because the food was exceptional but rather as it was a memorable place with top notch ambience, food was easy, drinks were fab and staff were funny. Great place to take a group of friends or colleagues.

3/5 had lunch here while on our drive back to Melbourne and decided to order a couple of things. The tuna tartare was delicious and fresh and had a lovely balance of flavours. The mixed mushrooms while it certainly had a kick to it, I found there was a touch too much liquid in this dish. The beef short rib was delicate and soft and melted in your mouth. The laksa dumplings were a major let down, they were dry (don’t know why they are called laksa as there was no liquid at all) and they came with no dipping sauce so you couldn’t add liquid either. The prawn and chicken dumplings were ok, but the balance of prawn to chicken was out. Overall a decent place to stop for lunch but didn’t nail all the dishes to make me want to rush back.

Always loveeeeed to come here everytime im in cNberra! Espaecially the kobe wagyu in teriyaki and black sesame ❤️ and also the salt and pepper squid.. id recommend to make a booking coz theh can be very busy during dinnee time :)

Can't say enough good things about this place!! We were placed in front of the bar initially and my partner was cold and suddenly not feeling it. Not only were we attended to and moved but this was not held against us which I very much appreciated. Love the upbeatness and decor! Food was absolutely incredible, we had heaps and even leftovers for a snack the next day. When we were leaving, it was proper raining and we were given an umbrella, we were so grateful because we'd only been visiting Aus for a few days. Thank you!

3.5 A tale of two restaurants, amazing fit out creates a really funky modern space, however the toilets are a different story. Old, dirty and mouldy with broken inter leading door, I usually wouldn’t comment on the toilets but it was such a stark contrast something had to be said. <br/><br/>The food was good, the pork belly bao and the beef short rib were delicious, but the Peking duck soup dumplings and the fried chicken were just ok. Soups dumps were a little too rich and needed that cucumber freshness that you would get in a Peking duck pancake. Fried chicken tasted like secret Doritos (yum) but could have been a bit saltier for my taste.

It’s an Australian made Japanese restaurant , not the authentic Japanese Japanese, but the fusion style is quite tempting and creative. Personally think it’s not as outstanding as the other sharing mentioned. Prefer the smaller cutlery for dessert and not to go at the busiest time like 7pm, been ignored two times when trying to place an order :(, the staff just pretend not seeing your hands obviously. However The front desk counter service was excellent.

This place looked great; it has a cool vibe, high tables, good music and extremely cute advertisements featuring dumplings. But the food was average, the dumplings were a bit floury and bit over cooked, the king fish toppings were a bit too much- the fish itself was beautiful and didnt need the extras, the octopus was average & the boa was dry; overall underwhelming. The drinks menu was great, lots of different cocktails to choose from and the service was really quick. I would go back and give it another go.

Highly recommend, a very cool hang out place in Canberra. Parkings right outside the restaurant. Bookings got confirmed right away, I had to change and I called up and it was really efficient and easy. Staff were all v friendly. Food all came up quickly , v high standard. Extensive cocktail and sake list, everything v impressive!! The only comment I would make is just not authentic from the Japanese dishes, as the coating was a bit thick for the agedashi tofu!

It was my first exposure to Japanese fusion food and I must admit,it was a good one.<br/>Really busy place and nice crowd.<br/>The options are limited for vegetarians though.

I can tell the way we’re served it’s definitely a popular place in Canberra as we didn’t make reservation (obviously not something you would do as a visitor) so the waitresses kept on pressuring us to place order of the food and telling us you’ve got less than 40mins for the table. As we usually eat our food quite promptly we weren’t concerned at all. Anyway the foods looked really good on the plates and juicy and taste delicious as well. Unfortunately the octopus could have been more fresher otherwise it would have been a perfect dish. Thoroughly enjoyed the fried chicken with sriracha and mayonnaise sauce. Overall it’s a good vibe place to hangout despite the pressure to order and finish our food.

Previously I thought their food has Strange taste, with too much chili powder. Definitely not traditional Japanese food. We visited again last month and reckoned that the food was creative and flavorful! They have updated their menu and released more vegetarian friendly options. I love the eggplant and carrot. Laksa dumplings were tasty as well!

Food was good and alcohol selection better. A modern Japanese izakaya feel. Akiba has a very good vibe and is a bustling place on Friday and Saturday nights. So make sure you book ahead!

We went here for the first time and absolutely love the food! We had teriyaki kobe beef, beef buns, josper octopus, and japanese fried chicken, they were all very delicious. The kobe beef was tender and tasteful, it was definitely the highlight.<br/><br/>At first we did not plan to order the fried chicken, I was thinking what could be special with fried chicken. But I spotted that the fellow customers around our table ordered that menu, so I felt like I had to add that in our order too and it was a good decision because it tastes so yummyyy. The seasoning was perfect to accompany the crispy-outside-tender-inside fried chicken.<br/><br/>Only the dessert was a bit dissapointing. We had miso dome and it was just so-so. I'd love come back to Akiba, but next time I will order the dessert in other place.<br/><br/>Overall, it was a wonderful experience to have dinner at Akiba. Make sure you reserve a table in advance!

Almost a year since I have been here and food and the ever friendly ambience remains the same. Started with Prawns and Chicken dumplings with Momo Ice Tea and Asahi followed by Japanese fried chicken and a kickass chocolate based dessert( can’t recall the name though).This Place is indeed a winner in Canberra sad food environment; the food and drinks are made to perfection and every bite feeds not only your stomach but soul..<br/>See Ya Soon Peeps; PS whoever trains your staff to be so amazin; you are doing something really awesum🤘🏿🤘🏿

We dined at Akiba for lunch on a hit and run visit to Canberra after seeing some favourable reviews.<br/><br/>We elected to go with the feed me option which consisted of 8 servings made up of a combination of smaller and larger plates and a dessert.<br/><br/>The food is best described as Asian Fusion and follows on the same path as a number of these types of restaurants that are prevalent in Sydney and Melbourne. Living in Melbourne I would compare it to Rice Paper Scissors.<br/><br/>From the menu we had the King Fish which was delicious, the Prawn Fried Rice and Prawn/Chicken Dumplings which were serviceable, the Pork Belly Bun which was rich but tasty, The Kimchi pancake which was unusual but ok the Beef Short Rib which was a bit bland and a disappointment and the Chinese Broccoli which was ok. We also had the Tofu dessert which was average.<br/><br/>My wife did have the Lychee Martini with popping candy which she really enjoyed. The general look of the restaurant was very modern and cool and I suspect has a nice atmosphere for dinner service. The staff were courteous and attentive and food was served promptly.<br/><br/>All in all it was a pass but I must admit my expectations were a little higher based on past reviews. Definitely worth a look but maybe a once in a lifetime experience.<br/>

The food is pretty good and it wasn’t crowded for lunch time. We were able to get our food within 10 mins of ordering and the food was good.

Just great food and staff just love it when we get a chance to go .Would go everyday if I could will return time and time again .A must try guys you will love it for sure .

Happening and vibie place. Modestly thumping soundtrack in the background as you eat amongst the local younger set.<br/><br/>They have indoor and outdoor seating (covered with heating)<br/><br/>Staff are ultra friendly and knowledgeable about their menu, almost Melbourne like. Happy to offer suggestions. Our waitress was absolutely top notch.<br/><br/>Highlights were the nori eggplant, pulled pork bun, Kobe skirt.<br/><br/>Low points were the Japanese chicken, but bland and the Korean Chilli sauce was a mis hit.<br/><br/>3.5 for overall food<br/>4 including the vibe and great staff.

Honestly haven’t had food like this in ages. Great Asian fusion food with incredibly tasty combinations. Came here alone and felt really comfortable. Staff were really helpful with the menu too, I can recommend the miso eggplant and smokey potatoes - yum!!

Shockingly bad feed me menu. All dishes are substandard. Tries to be Chin Chin and similar but ends up serving food that is worse than any neighbourhood $10 lunch boxes

We come here everytime we stop by Canberra. It may be on the expensive side, but the food and the vibe do pay up for it. You will be greeted by lovely staff and they will very happily fit you in if you haven’t booked (though it is recommended!) Inside is quite loud, but outside is perfect! Our food came quickly and it was lovely. They also walk around with food (chefs specials etc) which enticed us to buy more :) The Bao was fresh and steamed well. All our food impressed us! The only downside is that you have to pay for sparkling water which we were not informed of! Didn’t get too many photos due to happily eating :)

Lovely food, great atmosphere and a spectacular sake menu. Friendly staff, busy night so they sat us at the bar but it worked really well. What else could you ask for!

The downside is the loud music. The upside is seriously nice food. The prawn and chicken dumplings were sublime, the fried rice generous in its ingredients and the beef ribs were tender, sweet, sticky goodness. Highly recommend.

This restaurant has really great reviews, so we decided to come for dinner tonight and even at an early time of 5.30pm the restaurant was buzzing and had a great atmosphere.<br/><br/>Service from staff were friendly and very accommodating when we needed to change the dishes slightly so it wasn’t too spicy for my son.<br/><br/>We started off with the tuna tartare which was a great way to start and then my son loved their corn pancakes that came in 4 small pieces. This was made not spicy for us and he wanted another order after he had the barramundi with rice and Chinese broccoli. We also tried their roast duck with Sichuan and orange. This wasn’t the best duck we have tried and it is a generous serve. <br/><br/>Food is slightly overpriced but the quality is there, while I’m glad I got to try it, I won’t be rushing back when I visit Canberra next.

他们对辣白菜是不是有什么误解？ 我的辣白菜泡饼 竟然是中国式的酸菜 。。😂😂😂😂哈哈哈哈 我真的也很醉。 但是叉烧面 还是不错的呢！ 额 我说的是叉烧而已。 面嘛 就还好啦。 <br/>不过很好的是 他们还有送一张明信片剩下的字我是瞎打的。 <br/>啦啦 akiba 还行 一半就给个3分吧。

When you’re in a new place and you don’t know where to go- Akiba offers a great vibe, food fun and just an all round great night.<br/><br/>We only arrived in Canberra on Friday for the weekend and hadn’t made any bookings, so when we came by at 8:30pm- we could see that the place was jam packed. Luckily, for a table of 2 we only had to wait 20min for a seat.<br/><br/>The point of Akiba is to try lots of different drinks and dishes to share- and they even had a yum-cha style trolley offering off menu dishes that the chefs had whipped up to use customers as taste-testers.<br/><br/>Food and drinks were tasty and definitely a great Japanese fusion style, It’s not a cheap eat- but it’s not extortionate either. As long as you’re looking for a restaurant/bar with pumping tunes, loud vibes and everyone (staff and customers) shouting “eyyyyy!” when the kitchen drops a plate - then you should definitely check Akiba out.

Went here for a late Friday night dinner with friends. We all ordered the Just Feed Me option. All dishes were out of this world. The food was amazing. Kingfish, bao, rice, pork belly, dumplings. Amazing deconstructed cheesecake dessert. The three of us didn’t have one single criticism for the whole night. Service was friendly and efficient. The Long Island was nice and strong.

Asian fusion cuisine at its best. Great food. Great atmosphere. Great service. Good music. A must visit in Canberra.<br/>It's all about sharing.

I have mixed feeling about this restaurant<br/>The best dish ive tried was the kingfish sashimi and barramundi with miso.<br/>The rest was ok. <br/>Their duck dumpling was sweet. The other dumplings was average too. Fried rice was still wet, the flavour is there but its very light. The octopus was my least favourite, it has a weird fishy smell. The kobe skirt, its sad that the meat is drowned with a-lot of teriyaki. If its drizzled with thicker sauce it should be fine. <br/><br/>Service. Was average, I feel like the waitress rushed us, less than 5 minute after she gave the menu she returned to take my order. Im alright with that cause the restaurant seems busy. The kitchen cooked all of our order in under 1 hour. I am super amazed.<br/><br/>If they change the menu I would definitely comeback.

Akiba sits on Bunda Street, Canberra’s main shopping strip. It presents youthful, contemporary pan-Asian dishes, from a raw bar, barbeque and dim sum kitchen. It reminds me a bit of Manly’s Daniel San, though I’d argue the dishes here are slightly better. Akiba also wins on the friendliness of their floor team, who take the time to make friends, as well as serve. We’re seated on comfortable stools at the raw bar. With a large function coming in at dinnertime, the chef is rapidly breaking down whole fishes. It’s clearly a space and menu designed around doing volume, which makes me suspect it isn’t the owner's first restaurant. My inquiries uncover that the Harrington brothers, Peter and Michael, own Akiba. They’re second-generation restaurateurs with Sage and Kokomo (a neighbouring 600-capacity Canberra hotspot) also under their wings. Drinks are obviously a big focus here, so we double-park with The Ultimate Boiler Maker ($38). It teams my favourite Japanese beer, Echigo Koshikikari Rice Lager, with a mild, dry Wakashika ‘Blue Bambi’ sake cup. To avoid FOMO (fear of missing out) we create a second boilermaker ourselves by teaming...

Fantastic! Superbly presently, delicate but full flavours, always incredibly fresh. I've never been disappointed with Akiba, if I had to find a negative it's not about the food, it can get noisy, and the inside seating is stools which isn't to everyone liking.

One of the best pieces of beef I have ever consumed - cooked to perfection, seasoned perfectly and super efficient service <br/>As to be expected at a great restaurant there was a small wait , but great communication from the wait staff in dealing with this <br/>Great variety so don’t be afraid to take picky eaters here - should be enough on the menu to keep them quiet

So I am an Akiba devotee since they opened doors but went last night and it was actually the worst service ever. More interested in covers. Food great as always but I booked, arrived on time and was rushed the entire time. "A 1.5hr cap" which I've not once been informed about, is apparently "normal service. The 'manager' came over to "make me feel better" by rapidly talking at me not with me for 10 minutes and taking no feedback or ideas with ANY grace. Telling someone who has been a regular since they opened what he thinks 'normal' service is, left me cold, #Akiba. The bit about being authentically hopspitable in hospitality, was utterly missing. Eventually arrogance kills any great product or service offering and yes, I have worked in hospitality and know how tough it can be. In this town it's also fiercely competitive. This is #tough love for #Akiba.

The hype of this place was high so husband and I decided to give it a go. To my surprise,it was one of the most enjoyable dinner I've had in Canberra. Food was great, we had the tuna tartare, which I thought was fantastic! It melts in your mouth and the sauce was yum! Next we had spare rib, it was super tender and very tasty! We also tried the pork bun, I'll be honest, I had better ones, but this one's not too bad at all, still enjoyable. Also, we tried the Ume Oyster, it was really good, so fresh and was just amazing. They I tried their cocktail, I forgot the name but it was really nice. Now food aside, the ambiance was quite loud so bit difficult to hear when you're having convo. There was even a DJ at the back which I thought was really cool, environment was lively full of lights and service was quick and people are nice. Would I come back next time? Definitely, can't wait to try other menus! xx

I'm in love with this restaurant, they have good bartenders and service crews willing to give u their best service. The food is definitely good, during this visit I tried their king prawn fried rice (doesnt looks like king prawn to me but watevr) and the softshell crab bun, both very tasty, definitely worth a shot!

I have mixed feelings about Akiba. I do feel they are over-hyped and they get away by serving mediocre fusion food because they're in Canberra (and not in Melbourne or Sydney). The tofu cheesecake (which they should disclose is DECONSTRUCTED) is just a bowl full of goop with crumb over the top and it was very unappetising. Unfortunately that is the standard dessert in the banquet and has been that way for the last 2years. On the other hand, of you order off their menu the Josper octopus is delightfully tender with generous amounts of crisp potatoes and octopus. The Kobe Skirt is also highly recommended as the beef is perfectly rare and has great flavour! Perhaps, they bundle the inferior items on their banquet menu to sell more of them?<br/><br/>However, on my fifth visit to this restaurant for lunch today I was very disappointed. They advertised a $10 ramen lunch special and this is by far the smallest serve of ramen I have ever seen. From the top it looks like it is piled full of ingredients. The redeeming factor is that the pork belly slices were tender and the egg was perfectly poached. However, let's not kid ourselves it is obvious from the photo they serve their ramen in a saucer. The sides of the "bowl" is not much higher than the edge of the green plate that is next to it in the photo and is ridiculously shallow in the middle. Even as a lunch serve it is grossly inadequate. The ramen was very very over cooked and not chewy at all. The texture of it was like the soggy and paste-y noodles you get from cup-a-soup chicken noodle soup packets. There was barely any noodles in the bowl and I left definitely still feeling hungry. Also, the cooked mushrooms on the top were oddly sour for some reason. I'm not sure if they were supposed to be pickled but the sourness was very off putting and odd in this ramen.<br/><br/>I may go back to try their dinner menu but I certainly won't be going back for this pathetic rendition of ramen. Save your money and go anywhere near by like the Asian Noodle House or CBD dumplings and get yourself a human sized serve of noodles.

Not really the biggest fan. Considering the hype and crowd, I was expecting some good food. Was recommended the "king" prawn fried rice which was extremely charcoal-y and tasted quite burnt. The prawns also were in very small pieces, rubbery and overlooked. Veges and egg component was okay. I liked the bao buns, however the soft shell crab was hardly battered and not the best. Agedashi tofu was again just okay, lacking flavour and quite soggy by the time it was brought out. Service wasn't bad, price is slightly steep, ambiance nice yet very busy. On my second visit, I ordered the calamari which I didn’t like, very rubbery and an odd pepper seasoning. Pancakes were average. sashimi and greens were nice. Dumplings were great, scallops also nice. Overall I found its not bad at all but doesn’t live up to the hype.

Asian fusion restaurant with cool decor. Staff are friendly and energetic, but some of them are carelessness. All dishes I ordered were yummy, especially kingfish carpaccia and potato salad with octopus were great. Portion is small, so you will be able to try variety of dishes.

Good vege options, food is yum. Service inside is okay, much better outside (get a table out there if you can). Book book book. Agadeshi tofu - get it!

Great environment and outstanding service. Although the fusion style of food taste good but the portion is too small and pricy. The drinks are nice. But overall not very appealing... maybe on some special occasion I might want to go if my friends feel like it at the same time

Great food, service was poor, my water was never refilled even though I was sitting at the bar - had to request a second drink by waving down staff. We booked for our anniversary so I thought that we would get table seating but unfortunately we got the bar, maybe I needed to request a table ?? The icing on the cake was being told by the bartender that Australian wines are not good hmmm. <br/>I have recommended many businesses and personal friends to Akiba and will continue to for the quality and experience of the food.

Amazing recommendation and it's easy to see why it's won such high accolades as Australia's best restaurant 2016. We decided to try a number of dishes and share between two people. <br/>The first to arrive was the beef short rib and without any exaggeration was the nicest and most tender piece of beef I've ever eaten and subsequently was the winner of the night. <br/>Next dish to come out was the kimchi pancakes. A simple dish done well with nice flavours. <br/>Next we had the king prawn fried rice which while our least favourite dish in the meal was very tasty. Our meal ended on a high with the divine duck soup dumplings. Again easy to see why these won best people's dumplings. <br/>Food aside, I had to take the half a point off due to our seat being, not only at the bar despite prebooking a table, but was also directly in front of where the barmen mixed the cocktails and drinks. Therefore because of this we had a lot of banging and clashing of glasses in our faces throughout the meal. Loud bar atmosphere for a Saturday evening but would definitely recommend for all to try!

The kingfish tastes special and delicious. Octopus with half-cooked egg is also good. Duck dumplings are just so so. Akiba's atmosphere is excellent but the drinks are a little bit expensive.

Amazing food, fantastic atmosphere and a great selection of drinks. My new favorite restaurant in Canberra. Will definitely be making it a regular outing!

Came here over the long weekend and dined as a group of 4. We made a booking ahead of time which was good considering how busy and popular the place was. <br/><br/>Dishes we ordered included<br/>- miso eggplant: a bit rich but was delicious<br/>- kingfish: yummy<br/>- salt pepper calamari: very average<br/>- papaya salad: very average<br/><br/>

It's my favorite restaurant in Civic! Asian fusion but more of Japanese. I just can't stop eating especially their Bao. Also the deconstructed cheesecake they have is to die for. We did the $49pp course meal. Also make sure to make a reservation. You can do it online. Amazing staff and good ambiance.

Akiba consistently serves up amazing food from diligent and effective staff. I have been to Abika numerous times and the satisfying experience is consistent. They have a great table booking system, and if you walk in when it's full they will give you a waiting time estimate and give you a call when a table is ready. Food is always fresh and delicious. What could be better than that?

A group of us came here for dinner on a Friday night. Music was loud. We had to scream to talk to each other. We waited 1.5 hours to get all of our meals. We received one meal at a time and a long wait in between. I ended up drinking a bottle of wine to myself while waiting. Very disappointing.

✅ Highly recommend the set menu. You get to try out a heap of great dishes — I think it's the best value compared to getting several sharing plates.<br/>✅ The bao is absolutely delicious, as is the fish!<br/>⚠️ The wait is long in the unforgiving Canberra cold nights.<br/>💵 A little on the pricey side, but well worth a try.

Went to Akiba for dinner and opted for the $49 feed-me options. Staff were great and changes to the courses catered to the table's dietary requirements. <br/><br/>We definitely got some tasty Asian fusion however no memorable dishes to mention.

Great vibe, loved sitting at the bar enjoying the 'just feed me' meal. The food came fast and fabulous and was more than we could complete. Friendly fun staff that were always aware of our needs. A great find.

Food was unbelievably amazing! Fell in love on the first bite. Our fave is the noodle, boyfie loved the peking duck dumplings tho. The service was okay. <br/> Worth the trip from Sydney, will definitely coming back!

What a joke. Worst meal ever. ordered 3 shared plates but not enough to eat even for 1 person. So ordered a plate of king prawn fried rice but turned out to be full of charcoal-like rice with smell of burned snake beans. Would have waited to talk to the manager and demand a full refund had I not to rushed to airport.

I've heard many good things about Akiba and it sure lived up to the hype. The setting is a modern take on Japanese fusion street food. It's cool but inviting, along with the staff who were all friendly and knowledgeable. <br/>We opted for the feed me option, at $49 per person menu. The food kept on coming and coming. We were very full and super satisfied. I couldn't fault it. I cannot wait to come back again!

I wan so amazed by the food! Various Asian infused food served in Yum Cha style. All delicious, especially salmon in crispy roll. Will definitely visit again if I visit Canberra.

Nice Japanese fusion dishes. Staffs were extremely friendly.<br/>A bit crowded at night but solo diners should be seated real quick. Groups 'd better make a booking in advance.

The food and service here were just exceptional. Loved every dish we ordered! Especially the beef rib and the agedashi tofu.Would definitely come back for more.

Great atmosphere although make sure you get a table that's not under the aircon!<br/>Food came out so quickly which was great as we were hungry. Great friendly service. Highly recommend the chestnut dumplings and the hapuka. The fried rice was good but probably a bit too charred and the eggplant had WAY too much miso paste on it so it was pretty overwhelming for your tastebuds!

Came in late afternoon, had a selection of dishes. All very tasty, a nice fusion of various Asian cuisines (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai). Everything neatly presented and colourful . Staff a bit of a worry though, a little abrupt and in your face.

If you're visiting Canberra, this is THE place to try. I could see why Akiba was voted number one restaurant for sure. Our table of three came here for lunch on a Saturday as dinner was fully booked out. To start, we had a couple of the fancy cocktails which were a bit on the pricey side but tasted pretty good. As the place wasn't busy, service was quick and staff were helpful and friendly. The decor was hip and funky with a great atmosphere. <br/><br/>All the dishes we had were share plates so this is perfect for big groups too and means you can try lots of tasty little dishes. For entrée we had the tuna ceviche which was really fresh and delicious. We also had the raw kingfish which was the unanimous favourite of the group. It had a nice kick to it and yummy coconut dressing. We also had the pork belly and slaw buns which were a bit too sloppy and creamy for me but the prawn and chicken dumplings were top notch.<br/><br/>For mains we had the supercharged Japanese fried chicken which were covered in parmasan cheese and came with mayo and Sriracha sauces. Deliciously crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. We also had the short beef rib - super soft and tender it just melted in your mouth and had a nice sauce. <br/><br/>Overall, we were stuffed with delicious food and totally worth coming here. It cost us just over $150 for 3 people for 6 dishes and 3 drinks.

Akiba. Think fusion new age Japanese. <br/><br/>This is a hip dining bar scene located near the central Canberra Central precinct. Parking on the street is time limited so you may be better off spending $2 to park at Canberra Centre.<br/><br/>Service here is pretty decent for a bar. You can book online instantly and having only booked hours previously, sat on a stool overlooking the 'raw kitchen'. It seemed pretty busy for a Monday evening! The bar and waitstaff young, vibrant and about as attentive as you'll get in a busy bar scene. <br/><br/>The Japanese whisky selection isn't anywhere near Melbourne bars, and priced somewhat on par from Canberra. That is, overly inflated given the supply and demand problem with Japanese whisky. Everything else was to standard though.<br/><br/>Food. There is a 'vegetarian menu that shortlists all the Vegetarian options on the menu. <br/>Tuna Tartare. Simple, of reasonable freshness. The jalapeño mayo not really spicy, and rather creamy. Topped with prawn crackers for texture and a sweet, ginger ponzu sauce and jelly. Didn't mind that at all. The sweet corn pancakes. Batter was pre-made and only took 5 minutes to come out. Simple, somewhat dense and filling. The wok blasted asian mushrooms were a bit of a 'miss'. The caramel and soy sauce dressing way too salty and overbalancing the dish. We ended up mixing the sauce with the green papaya salad. The roasted carrot. Simple, somewhat soft but satisfying. Agadashi Tofu. Light batter, quite fluffy and fresh. A fun evening. Then I suggest heading to one of the well known nearby bars to round up the evening (though my preferred Canberra bar isn't open Monday evening)<br/><br/>A hip and casual 'bring your friends for a group date' type of place.

Outstanding... a group of us treated in the 'JUST FEED ME' eight course option for an early dinner. Outstanding selection of share plates, outstanding service, and a great jam packed buzzing atmosphere!

As The Dear Luncher strikes off yet another reputable eatery in the nation's capital, it's fair to say Canberra has got its act together in a serious way. Akiba is nicely located near The Dear Luncher's Canberra satellite gulag. As such he was able to escape for a swift lunch with minimal effort or time wasted. Those that follow The Dear Luncher are aware of his addiction to fried chicken. As luck would have it Akiba have on their menu a Japanese fried chicken dish. Not only that, it's smothered in cheese. Parmesan cheese. The Dear Luncher did not hesitate and asked for the supercharged version, which includes spiciness on the side. Not much else needs to be said. The mayo provide was spectacular.  The chicken was crispy and delectable.  Your Dear Luncher was an extremely pleased individual following this experience. Bravo, Akiba.

Service was good, but the food was disappointing. We had the 'feed me' menu which is meant to be some of their best dishes, but asides from the kingfish sashimi we wouldn't go back and order any of those dishes again. All ordinary and completely rushed, the whole 8 courses delivered in under 45 mins. What a shame, it looked so good on paper.

Amazing delicious food. We lucked on this place after a number of other casual eateries committed the ultimate no-no (for us) - no high chairs... but Akiba had two (yay!) so we reserved one for an earlyish dinner. It's not exactly a "kid friendly" menu - spices and string flavours abound - but we managed to feed our little ones with the divine barramundi, Kobe steak and rice. More importantly us adults had a ball! Kingfish sashimi, mouth watering bao buns, surprisingly moreish sweet corn pancakes and so much more on the menu I would easily return to try (I had major food envy spying other tables ordering Japanese crispy chicken, and the duck!). Service excellent especially since my kids left the table and surrounds looking like a rice explosion. So good, words cannot explain - just go. You won't regret it. Have the duck for me.

We came here for mum's birthday and the 4 of us got the Feed Me menu, which was $49/pp and included 8 signature dishes. Our favourite was the Gua Baos, Kingfish (flavoursome), Beef Short Rib (super tender) & the Spicy Prawn Rice. Since it was a public holiday and they were obviously super busy, the service was still amazing and quiet attentive. Overall, great atmosphere (kind of reminds me of the restaurants from Melbourne) and definitely will be back in the future to try some of their other items.

The food is especially good - beef buns and Japanese fried chicken are a must. However on a busy night the service can be slow. Note - I would recommend booking ahead

What can I say about this place!!!! I walked by with a friend of mine and I said I really want to try it!!!!! I walked in at first the waiter said do u have a reservations I was thinking oh no!!!! Well he got us two seat at the bar!!! <br/><br/>This place is amazing the vide is off the hook! The stuff asked us did we want a drink we said yes please we had wine, great selection of wines cocktails and drinks!!!! <br/><br/>They explained how it's works there more for sharing, or u can get a feed me now option where they bring out 6 dishes great option if u asked me, due to my diet conditions I was not able to do that option I wish I could have!!!! <br/><br/>I had sashimi it was amazing so fresh and it was really well balanced with herbs and what ever els they use! If u want a really upmarket place where the food is out standing weather it be a date or a group of friends this is your place, it's a little loud however the vibe is really really good!!! I <br/><br/>I can't wait to go back again!!!! <br/><br/> The presentation was much better then this however my friend was serving it up before I could get the photos :-(

Food was amazing. Kingfish starter was all time. Atmosphere was okay but I couldn't help noticing that only a couple of the staff were actually smiling, which makes me suss on service and particularly management. <br/>That said, I'll be back for the food for sure.

Highly recommend the ocean trout cheviche and the king fish dish. They have a great just feed me option for $45/pp and is great for non vegos. This place is packed most nights and you better book. My fav place to sit is at the bar, you get a free show from the bartenders as well!

Had a great experience dining at Akiba - the menu was exciting, the space had a funky atmosphere, and the service was friendly. We went on a sunday night, which meant if you bought a drink, you could get the left over lunch time yumcha dumplings for $1 each. We got the chicken yuzu deep fried dumpling. It was creative and delicious. Our favourite dish of the night was the miso lemon sole which had my tastebuds singing - miso, lemon butter, sweet pickled green chilli and shimeji, salty fried capers. It was genius. The shirt rib was quite fatty, but the flavours and meat were very tasty. The spicy and gingery salmon firecaker was our next favourite, followed by peking duck soup dumpling. We finished the night off by tucking into the impressive Japanese whiskey collection. If I lived in Canberra, this would be my weekly hotspot. Highly recommended!

Great service and food. The standout is the service. Consistent even during busy periods. Well managed! Food is delicious with portion size slightly on the small side. Seating can be a little bit uncomfortable when busy.

My partner and I dined at Akiba on a Wednesday night and it was absolutely packed. We ordered the banquet which was delicious and excellent value at $45 per head. Each dish was carefully considered and really flavorsome. However, the service was erratic and swayed between our main waitress carefully explaining dishes to us as she put them down to people slamming dishes down and running away. In terms of atmosphere, the decor, music and feel of the place was great and the bar selection was excellent. Overall, we had a fantastic time - just don't go expecting super attentive service.

We order the 45pp 8 dish special. The proportion is small and waiting time between courses are long. Taste is okay but not as excellent as expected. The main dish is really small. Will not come back again...

Top food. Top service. Akiba is one of my favourites. <br/><br/>We tried the detestation menu with chef's recommendations and all four of us are content. The menu starts with fresh raw salad type dish, then dumplings, bun, fried rice, vegetables, meat and desserts. <br/><br/>Tofu cheesecake tastes much better than it sounds. Very light texture, fluffy and decadent.

Akiba is always a favourite. On our last visit we stopped in quickly for the pork belly buns, char sui and Asian slaw as a lunchtime snack. They're incredibly delicious and one of the most popular items on the dish as most tables around us had ordered them too. You need about three to make a meal of it.<br/><br/>They also do other great dishes, and we've included some of our past visits below. Highly recommend.

What a great place. Deserving of the awards. Dinner menu provided good choices and staff very helpful. Get there early to avoid the busy times.

Akiba is a standing favourite of mine, and I hadn’t been back for a while, so stopped in with friends for a long weekday lunch. We were seated in the nicely-heated outdoor area, and had plenty of time to peruse the menu before someone came to take our order. We started with the kimchi and angasi pancakes (serve of 4), which were topped with sriracha sauce and bonito flakes. Whilst small, the pancakes packed a punch and whetted our appetites for the rest of the meal. Next up was one of my favourites from Akiba – the fried chicken. Hello mounds of deep-fried chicken goodness topped with a tonne of cheese! Alone the chicken is

Knowing that we were going to Canberra for a weekend getaway, we couldn’t miss the chance to discover for ourselves the buzz surrounding Akiba, winner of the People’s Choice Award in AFR’s Australia’s Top 100 Restaurants 2016. Expecting the restaurant to be busy on a Saturday night, we booked two weeks in advance and the only times available were 6:15 or 8:45pm, reflecting its popularity amongst Canberran diners.

Food was ok but a tad expensive - trendy doesn't need to be expensive! The staff were friendly and quick. Good came out very quick which made the diners feel like we had to rush as they were turning tables

Hmmmmmmmm well I have finally ticked this off the list, and was disappointed (not the experience I expected from a restaurant that gets great reviews and accolades) when I was there for a milestone birthday dinner last night. <br/><br/>We had 2 window stool on the other side of the logs (be warned in Winter you will freeze sitting there as every time the door is opened the wind goes through the logs. Not that I was clock watching but several other tables were seated after us and were served first, and had drinks etc before we were approached. This fits with the 'scattergun' comments in restaruant guides.<br/><br/>The food was good (even if the cutlery is very clunky and at awkward angles - use the cheap disposable chopsticks instead - much easier to use). Though it would have been even better it was hot, let alone warm - as you can see from the attached bill we ordered 6 courses (we actually ordered 8 but the waiter had to come back and ask us what we ordered and then forgot 2 dishes). <br/><br/>Interesting that we ordered Japanese Fried Chicken and we got the supercharged one - not sure what the difference is (being petty I know as there was only a $2 difference but we did not order supercharged but that is what we got).<br/><br/>The S&P Squid was tough, the beef bao was pleasant but nothing I have not seen at a bar at the Opera House forecourt in Sydney - though my partner thought it was going to be a traditional enclosed bun - not an open wrap. The kimchi pancakes were delicious by the kimchi was subtle (also interesting to see it spelt differently on the bill as to the menu - working with Koreans and for a culinary/gastronomy business I am going with kimchi).<br/><br/>The real issue is that all the food was served within a few minutes - so the $33 Kobe beef was COLD when we got around to eat it. The photo of everything on the bar is with 1 plate removed by staff. There was no sense of staggering the delivery by floor staff or kitchen staff. I have the impressionism that this is really a bar with food, not a restaurant. At the very end one of the floor staff apologised for bringing it all out like they did - well really - why do it in the first place??. We could not push plates towards the windows to make room as there is a massive gap and things would have fallen - it has not been well thought in terms of people who order a lot - which is why I feel it is a bar that serves food, not a place for a dining experience.<br/><br/>I have continually recommend their venues in Canberra to people visiting, but Akiba will not be any more - I will recommend their other venues as this was a total disappointment for my birthday in being made to rush eating good food to avoid it getting cold because someone has no idea how to stagger the serving of an order.

I ate a weekend lunch here with friends. Superb vibe and ultra friendly and helpful staff. <br/><br/>Eclectic food with good range of options. Loved the crispy chicken and the beef dish but can't remember it's name. <br/><br/>Shanghai noodles were tasty and the shiitake dumplings were spicy.<br/><br/>Great place

Deserving of its high rating. Obliging friendly and efficient service. Delicious food and a hard to choose menu - settled on the $45 waiter's choice and we weren't disappointed.  Great choice of drinks with some tasty cocktails.

After our afternoon at Bentspoke Brewery we went looking for somewhere for dinner and luckily were able to get a table outside at Akiba, which was obviously a popular spot for a Saturday night feed! Akiba does modern Asian food and is matched by an impressive drinks list including some very tasty cocktails (which we only sampled two of!).

Loving this restaurant and bar! The food here is very nice. The lunch menu is different from the one for dinner. There are more noodle or fried rice in lunch menu. I have been there several times and they never let me down.

Trendy restaurant serving modern Asian food. Best dishes were the grilled eggplant smothered in an addictive miso sauce, the smoky, tender octopus accompanied by more-ish bacon fat spuds and the snowball dessert which was a white chocolate mousse dome with a basil sponge base and a calamansi centre. The calamansi filling was sour and slightly bitter but this flavour bomb paired really well with the sweetness of the chocolate. The sashimi is also worth ordering; both the hapuka and ocean trout ceviche were fresh. Funnily enough, we thought two of Akiba's signature dishes were quite average - the king prawn fried rice was too soggy and quite bland while the beef short rib also needed more flavor. The egg noodles with lemon mushu chicken was surprisingly tasty. Service was mostly friendly and on weekends, the place is packed.

Akiba has a vibrant atmosphere with it's wood and black metal interior encouraging neat casual attire. The open kitchen makes it fun to watch the cooks in action and gives the assurance that your food is being cooked under sanitary conditions. I arrived during its off peak hours so the wait staff were attentive and easy going. It's advised on the menu that they cannot alter any dishes however they have alternative menus to suit dietary requirements, such as a vegetarian menu.<br/><br/>I ordered the wok blasted mushroom (15) and those accompanying me ordered the Kobe beef (33) and flounder fish (34).<br/><br/>The wok blasted mushroom dish was cooked just right - salty with a touch of sweetness and a light crunch. According to the others, the Kobe beef was a little too salty with the teriyaki sauce overpowering the beef but still a delightful dish. The flounder fish was full of flavour, lightly salted and required alot of self de-bone-ing.<br/><br/>If you don't usually season your food with salt you may find the dishes to be too salty, otherwise you're in for a treat.

Travelling back home last year, we made an overnight stop in Canberra and this was our first dinner there after a long day of driving. A modern, eclectic Japanese fusion bar restaurant, Akiba definitely fits in with the new Civic centre in Canberra. I definitely don't remember Canberra being this flashy last time I visited, albeit that was about 5 years ago.

Modern set up, hippy servers & fusion Asian food. <br/>Interesting menu with an Australian twist. <br/>A good place for having a few drinks and nibbles. <br/>Not really a proper restaurant if you're looking at having a full course meal. <br/>Kitchen takes quite a while to prep food, so be prepared to wait. <br/>Would rather recommend trying out their drinks. An extensive list of drinks with some interesting ones for the adventurous.

Been here 4 times - 3x for dinner and 1x for "yumcha". Loved the freshness and punchy flavours for their regular dishes. Service was great too! Yumcha was OK - it's fusion and that's OK but needed more variety.

Thoroughly enjoyed my night. Great atmosphere and a quirky yet chic looking restaurant. Chose a 'feed me' which is a set menu consisting of their top 8 dishes for $45 per head. I received 4 small tapa sized dishes, followed by 3 larger main dishes and 1 dessert. The stand out dish would have to be the pork steam bun and chocolate mousse. Food came out within reasonable time and everything was super tasty. Would definitely return and try other options on their menu.

Fantastic dining... Amazing food <br/>Excellent service and wonderful saki<br/>Recommend this eatery to everyone  !!! <br/>We had the feed me menu ....and it was huge for us <br/>Could barely finish <br/>But finish I did <br/>the dessert was delish

I've eaten here once for lunch and a couple of times for dinner. Although the food is absolutely delicious, the portions are a little on the small side. As I have a big appetite, I tend to incorporate "value for money" as part of my experience. Unfortunately, this part of my experience was not as great.

Reasonably priced. Adequate portion servings. Not hungry when I left. All phrases which could not be associated with our experience tonight. <br/><br/>While the food was actually tasty, the $120 bill for leaving hungry wasn't. It would have been nice if we could order the degustation which I had heard contained enough dishes to leave everyone satisfied. Unfortunately this was denied as an option as - being non seafood eaters - varying the menu is apparently a crime punishable by enforced hunger. <br/><br/>The rest of our experience followed thusly: a parade of approximately 6 mouthfuls each of actually lovely food. It was kind of like they were teasing us. Anyway, it suffices to say we were disappointed with our experience. <br/><br/>Lucky dumpling house was open so we didn't have to die on Bunda street of malnutrition and poverty. <br/><br/>

I absolutely LOVE Akiba! It's one of my favourite restaurants and I highly recommend it to any one who asks me for restaurant suggestions. Everything from the service, the vibe, the atmosphere, the drinks and of course the food are spot on. It gets really busy so if you can't book a table you might have to wait a little but but if there's just two of you and you have the option of eating at the bar then DO IT! It's so fun and you'll be amongst all the action. We also tried the Jalapeño margaritas and wasabi vodka! They were so different but so good and there are heaps of other fun drinks to try. The sashimi and ceviche are delicious as is everything else on the menu. Get dishes to share because it's a great way to try lots of food! They also offer a 'Just feed me' menu and for only $45 you can try 8 of their favourite dishes. For the food you get it's so cheap but it can come out a little fast. Don't eat before you go and ask them if they can space it out as much as possible. I'm always satisfied when I go to Akiba and highly recommend it. A full review will be on the blog soon.

Fun, vibrant and great atmosphere, this place has it all to go along side the wonderful food they create in the back kitchen.<br/><br/>A modern take on yum cha is on the menu and boy do they reliever.<br/><br/>Yes it's a little pricey but I don't mind considering you get in return a great night and good memories

Akiba has been the name I've heard most in town. Everytime I walk past it's booming with customers. I think it was inevitable that I had to dine here. I dragged a work mate and off we went. Give me the "Just Feed Me" deal... 8 of their favourite dishes to share.<br/><br/>Beef Short Rib, Tamarind Caramel and Thai Basil - The serving came out small, but the quality was supreme. The sauce combination paired with beef that just dissolves in your mouth was a spectacular sensation. <br/><br/>Chinese Broccoli and Lemon Penang - I was a bit disappointed with this being in their 8 choices to sample.. as Chinese Broccoli usually screams quite a boring dish. The Lemon Penang provided an unusual base flavour/sauce that however did carry the dish but still it was slightly underwhelming. On the bright side, at least I got my daily intake of vegetables.<br/><br/>King Prawn Fried Rice, Snake Beans and Chilli Fried Egg - The rice was well cooked with a touch of smokiness to it. The aromatic flavours presented made the dish and the touch of an egg brought it home.<br/><br/>Kimchi and Angasi Pancake, Kewpie Mayo, Sriracha and Itogaki - First up Itogaki is a blue fin tuna thats dried, salted and smoked... then served on top as a bonito flake like substitute. It offers a subtle smokiness and lighter flavours than bonito. The pancake was a nice balance of fluffiness and dense-ness... and paired with the beloved Kewpie... how can you go wrong.<br/><br/>Pork Belly Bun, Char Siu and Asian Slaw - The bun was fluffy, the meat was tender but the overall flavours was a tad on the sweet side. The slight chilli kick resonating from the sauce was a nice touch.<br/><br/>Steam Prawn and Chicken Dumplings, Ginger and Black Vinegar Dressing - The dish presented well and sounded fancier than it tasted. I could barely appreciate any extra efforts if any to make these dumplings stand out.<br/><br/>Kingfish, Coconut, Nam Jim and Coriander - Nam Jim is just a Thai dipping sauces to offers a salt, sweet, spicy and sour flavours. This drizzled on a fresh, soft Kingfish was a great start to the meal. It even had a little bit of a chilli kick to get the appetite roaring.<br/><br/>Steamed Chocolate and Passionfruit Bun - This had to be the biggest let down of the night. I didn't appreciate the super sour passionfruit then combining with an overly sweet chocolate oozing from the asian style bun... it just felt like two worlds colliding on my plate. After a few bites, I literally pushed it aside.<br/><br/>They had a nice collection of beers and wines to help pair up with each dish. I noticed the food came out rather fast, one after the other like it was already sitting in a queue waiting for us to finish.<br/><br/>Since this place packs out faster than a boxing day sale, I highly recommend a booking. Book through Dimmi's and collect some points along the way. The service was top notch, very friendly and had decent knowledge of the food they were serving. Depending where you were sitting, the room volume due to chatter can get quite loud. <br/><br/>I suppose the question of would I go back again... umm maybe... the food was good, the price tag is a bit high to make it a regular occasion but I'd definitely take WifeOfSnackingBear when she's in town.

I went to Akiba with a few friends for a late Valentines Supper. The cocktails are excellent especially the clover with Tanqueray and Raspberry. Good atmosphere, sharing plates and solid customer service from all the staff.

Not the best place for asian food. <br/>Expensive for what you get, the flavours and ideas of their dishes are interesting but needs more thought put into it. <br/>I had their dumplings and it was really disappointing.<br/>Their baos were good at least.<br/><br/>Customer service however was good, waiters were friendly and did explain the dishes as they were bought out. <br/><br/>Not a drinker but i tried couple of their drinks from the menu and i believe they were poorly mixed.<br/><br/>Dis place does not call for a muzz

The décor is appropriately captured in the bright sign depicting the lit cities of the world. Akiba is bright, colour and international, though with a distinctly Asian twist. I can’t exactly call it subtle but it’s certainly effective and eye-catching. The open displays of fresh seafood, fish and produce also underlines the quality of their product and adds a sense of seaside freshness rarely found in inland Canberra.<br/><br/>Known more as a bar than a café I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by the coffee

Dinner last night - great food. No booking but arrived 6.20pm & told had to be out by 7.45pm which we agreed to believing there to be plenty of time to eat & enjoy our meal. Then another waitress informed us had to be out by 7.30pm. Contradiction but still felt comfortable with time to order & eat although confused re change of time. Ordered 7 courses & couldn't believe how quickly they were placed in front of us, so much so we had 6 courses delivered within 15' & when the 7th arrived a few minutes later we actually sent it back to the kitchen and requested it be held until we had eaten what had already arrived. Meal completed by 7.05pm and out the door by 7.15pm. Food really good & I will probably go back but staff need to learn to either not accept walk-ins or treat them with a little bit more respect - we still pay the same price as the customers who book & have a right not to feel rushed & enjoy our meal, especially when there was ample time to do so! Food 4/5. Staff - friendly but lacking in service industry knowledge. 2.5/5

Nice play for a quick work/business lunch. It's clean and quite spacious. Delicious food for a reasonable price. Service is good, food was served pretty quick after ordering. I'll go back.

My husband and I received a voucher as a gift from some friends. We had $200 to spend so decided to take another couple with us who were visiting from interstate. Without drinks, we ended up only spending $150 for a party of four, and had $50 left over to spend on our next visit (which we did for lunch a week later!) The service was friendly and efficient, and the interior is impressive with ample space away from other diners. We ordered a selection of small plates and some mains and sides to share. The food was great (maybe a little salty at times) and as we had ordered too much, was too full for dessert but the options were sure tempting! We will definitely come back to try more items on the menu.

Yet again I have been blown away by this place. We went for the "Feed me" option of 8 courses selected by the staff. Outstanding! Akiba is now clearly in the lead as our favourite place to eat and to take visitors to Canberra.

This funky fusion Asian bar/eatery was bustling when we visited. Apologies for the dim phone photos!<br/><br/>Service was a little slow, our food came out weirdly spaced out and we had to order more food because we weren’t full. Surprisingly, our favourite dish was the fried rice. It had some sort of chilli powder element to it and more flavour than your average fried rice.<br/><br/>The cocktails had some Asian/Japanese twists too!

Think asian fusion tapas. Nice atmosphere, the food was moorish. We just kept on ordering one dish after another and all were very satisfying. Last but not least the service was lovely.

Even in my very short (and first) visit to Canberra, I heard a lot about this place. Its riding on lots of hipster hype. We had a booking (which in true hipster trend you can only do with 6 or more people), arrived early happily waiting for a spot & attempted to just have some drinks before starting to eat. The pressure was on from the massively quirky and annoying staff to order food from the get go. Uncomfortable park table seating means by the end of your night you need physio on your back just to stand up. The food was good, even great, but I struggled with the service and I think its too hip for itself & its big ego.

I can see why this buzzy hipster joint is popular. Trendy and vibrant with nice staff (although one of the waitresses really needed to brush up on the menu and be more aware of tastes and palates). For me the food was too rich and flavours clashed so I left feeling very full and bloated even though I didn't eat loads. If I went back I would order the salmon again as it was delicious and well balanced and I would order a few things off the raw menu which are fresh and tasty. The buns looked good too. The pancake was awful-stodgy with no flavor so steer clear. The soba noodle salad was nice but share with a few others as it is heavy and saucy.

I've been wanting to go to Akiba for quite some time based on my other people experiences, and has lived up to its expectations. The fusion of Asian flavours within each dish was extraordinary and consistent. Food came out of the kitchen really fast as well as being presented exquisitely. There were a lot of bold and new flavours that I have not tasted before which amazed me greatly. With Akiba's bright, colourful atmosphere and a great selection of music, it will always be defined by its amazing food and ambience.

Always amazing and inventive food. The kingfish and pork belly buns are favourites. The food comes out fast and fresh. A definite winner for any night!

Love it here! Food is always perfect and atmosphere is great! Staff are very attentive and always willing to make suggestions/ recommendations! Have been to Akiba many times and every meal is always of a high standard! My taste buds can't wait for our next visit!

Akiba has become Canberra's hottest eatery with its bright neon lights, earthy wooden colour with fast, affordable and vibrant atmosphere. Serving Asian-inspired fusion food, be prepared to line in a long queue if you come after 6pm. <br/><br/>We came around 5.30pm for a quick and light dinner as we're too full and decided to start from their raw bar menu.<br/>Kingfish is a popular sashimi choice, thinly sliced and served with coconut cream, nam jim and corriander dressing. It's simply sweet, fresh, tangy and definitely addictive. <br/>Their Beef Short Rib was served boneless and drenched in tamarind caramel sauce and topped with fresh basil. The meat was so tender and nice to be eaten with the not so sticky sweet and tangy sauce.<br/>A perfect snack for our light dinner were their Pork Belly Bun served with Char Siu and Asian Coleslaw while the Soft Shell Crab Bun was served with pickled baby gem and ponzu sauce.

Excellent food. Good friendly prompt service. On trend interior. Central location. Buzzing atmosphere. Will be back soon. Highly recommend<br/><br/><br/>

This week’s review is our first ever review of a restaurant in Canberra. Our choice went to Akiba, a restaurant located just outside Canberra Centre. Despite the Japanese name, the restaurant is a mashup of Asian dishes. It also seemed to be one of the more popular destinations in Canberra. Our dishes for the night comprised of Thai, Korean and Japanese cuisines.

Akiba – if you haven’t been there yet, you don’t know what you’re missing out on, man. And I feel for you, I really do.<br/><br/>If you’re keen for a fun night out; just chilling at the one joint from dinner ’til dawn – Akiba is the place to go.

Akiba’s opening in December 2014 was greeted with much anticipation from Canberrans. The concept, the location and the marketing (who didn’t walk past the 2m high decals spanning the whole width of its windows at some point or other?!) was a breath of fresh air and reminded us that it was worth detouring from Lonsdale Street or the Kingston Foreshore to dine in Civic once in a while.

Soggy oily fried rice no impressed the food and over the price!! but funky venue and varieties of drinks list also good entertainers on Friday Saturday night

Great food <br/>Fun food <br/>Eat all you can <br/>Party for your senses <br/>The food was a real joy <br/>Sat at counter and watched chefs weave magic with the food <br/>Had a great experience <br/>

Lol 7$ for steamed rice?! What a joke. NOPE.<br/><br/>I suppose "kwai lou"s are willing to pay for the "authentic Asian cuisine experience"<br/><br/>Not an Asian restaurant.

Yum! Great place for a casual dinner. Friendly staff. Deal with requests gracefully. A few veg options. Service too quick for a leisurely meal though!

Went there on the weekend, food was good though on the pricey side. Atmosphere, ambience and décor was very cool. Friendly service. The food is fusion however so it may not be for everyone's tastes and despite the name I'd say the cuisine borrows equally from Chinese, Japanese and Korean. I'd recommend it more as a place to have tapas and snacks (try the Yum Cha on weekends) as opposed to a full meal.

One of my favourite places to eat in Canberra! Never disappoints! 😍

Let me just say one thing about Akiba..... If you think that food here is good, you know NOTHING about Asian food. <br/>Which is a shame because I like the place and the drinks.

No wonder it's rated so highly, definitely the best Asian cuisine I have ever had in Canberra and Sydney. Get the soft shell crab bun if you are going here, you won't regret it. To top it off all the guys here are great service and super friendly and make you feel comfortable in the busy environment it is. Add this to your bucket list, it's worth it!

Finally a great place: Unpretentious service & gastronomic delight!! <br/>You guys are awesome. Please keep up your standards in not just making mouth watering food but also the outstanding service you provide! Ada you were incredibly helpful & fantastic in helping me organise my partners birthday dinner event. I'd love to bring my interstate friends & family who visit here, to your restaurant alone!

Initially long wait and they wouldn't call to let you know when table was ready, had to wait in small area by the bar - we were a walk in. <br/>However the food was amazing. It came quickly. The wine was great. <br/>Probably a bit pricy for the size of each meal but overall enjoyed the food. <br/>Would suggest booking next time to ensure you don't wait too long for a table.

New fusion place in Canberra.great to try in

Great food terrible service. The food is wonderfull but the experience was a complete let down due to the service. We might get our wine before we leave. Staff tried to impose the banquet service upon us without letting us know we had to comply with it when we made our booking. The waitress seemed like she was Eva Braun in a past life.

Delicious food, great ambiance. Went for dinner during Easter weekend and we could not have picked a better place! Yam food, great atmosphere, good music. There was nothing not to love and we will come back if we visit Canberra. We had a great night out.

Customer service was top notch and the food was even better, pricey but so worth it. Would definitely go again.

Akiba, Akiba!. It was love at first sight and then love at first bite! Akiba obviously employed a great interior architecture or stylist before fitting the joint out. The pop-culture, comic-book styling and references absolutely kill it. Juxtaposed against a timber cut-off wall and I had died and come to eye-ball happiness heaven. We argued over the menu (small bites, raw dishes, share plates and sides) for a while before deciding on something from each. <br/><br/>Out first was the kingfish sashimi with sambal, coconut and coriander. No words can describe the absolute ambrosia of this dish. I wish I could eat it every day. No word of a lie. Other standouts included the pork buns, braised beef, and chinese broccoli with penang. My colleagues also raved quite strongly about the tuna tartare, although I wasn't a fan. The only let down was the crispy soft shell buns which did not go down well. <br/><br/>Wonderful service, the cocktail menu looks amazing, killer tunes and great ambience. Can't wait to go back and try the 45pp 8 course tasting menu!

Newcomer  Akiba  is all about modern asian share dishes.  The space is modern and trendy, with plenty of outdoor seating; perfect for a sunny day lunch.  The dishes at Akiba are best described as modern asian - the menu has a mix of flavours, inspired by Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Thai etc. It's a hard decision to choose what to have for lunch; everything on the menu sounds delicious. Kimchi and Angasi pancakes The pancakes were tasty, served with the spicy kick of Sriracha and kewpie mayo. The Angasi was barely discernible though.  Beef short rib Perfectly cooked short rib that just falls to pieces with a nudge of the fork. The flavours are lovely with the addition of tamarind caramel and Thai basil.  Yellowfin tuna Served with organic japanese soy and wasabi panna cotta. Good produce does not need much fancying up, and the tuna speaks for itself. The wasabi panna cotta is an interesting concept, though is quite mild and does not really add much in the flavour department.  Cocktails - Summer Spritz and Gaijin Fizz The Summer Spritz was a refreshing blend of sake, bubbles, lychee and coconut - very easy to drink. My Gaijin Fizz included Tanqueray gin, aloe vera, pandan and bananas; sounding great on paper, but this combination just did not work for me.  I left wishing I had room for more dishes and dessert as there were quite a few dishes I had my eye on - definitely will be back again!

Friendly service but over priced for the portion sizes. Flavours are average at best and we would have expected better for the high price they charge.

Yeah, it's pretty damned good! - try it for yourself.

Amazing food, excellent staff. Been multiple times, so far its proven to be an absolute winner.<br/><br/>Hot tip to punters out there - Try the BBQ pork bun and the soft shell crab bun - TO DIE FOR!!

Modern and Trendy fusion Asian restaurant. Food above average. This is a new addition to Canberra's trendy culinary scene. It's modern and trendy. Service was wonderful. The bar looks great. Atmosphere appeals to young professionals.<br/><br/>When it comes down to food, it's a fusion of westernised Japanese, Chinese, Cantonese and Taiwanese food. It's well cooked, some good and some average and again it will appeal to the younger generations. Choices of food are limited and again this is the modern way of restaurant scene these days.

Fabulous service and yummy food!. We just had dinner at Akiba - family of 6 - 3 adults and 3 teenagers/young adult, 15, 16 & 20. We all thought it was fabulous. The service was excellent. Each dish has it's own unique flavour and distinctive presentation - in some restaurants you feel everything comes from the same saucepan - not here! We all enjoyed the food immensely - there is something for everyone - the vegetarian in our group also happy.<br/>The service is excellent - all waiters are friendly and professional - they move quickly abut their business - yet don't make you feel rushed when you're pondering the interesting menu. The drink's list contains excellent options for wines. Apparently the sake is very good and the Japanese beer interesting!<br/>A welcome addition to Canberra - we will be back! Thanks staff of Akiba for a lovely evening.

Best meal out I've had in years. Flavours were spot on, service was great and the meals came out so quick we were shocked. <br/>I highly recommend to anyone that enjoys an adventurous meal

50 50. This place is a hot and a miss.. been there many times now .. but always get mixes feelings. well its like playing on a casino .. sometimes you are lucky and sometimes very lucky

Best place out. Definitely love the vibe food is amazing Japanese fried chicken was amazing. The staff are a great bunch of people. Best place I've been to in Canberra for a long time

Couldn't be happier. I have been looking forward to eating at Akiba since it opened in December. The staff who greeted me were friendly and full of energy. I sat at the bar so I could watch the chefs at work in the open kitchen. The decor is clean and consistant with elements being reflected though out the entire restaurant. After the first night I decided I needed to try the entire menu, this eased the burden of having to choose from the array of incredible sounding dishes. I have yet to find a dish that is dissatisfing, the stand outs for me so far have been, the Pork Bao with it's tender, juicy pork, soft Bao and crunch of the Asian slaw, I also loved the Sofa noodle salad, I actually neglected to read that it was a salad and the favours were so invigorating that I didn't realise till half through that it was a cold dish, the kingfish with its creamy coconut was light and refreshing. I suggest eating with friends to make the most of the experience or trying the 8 dishes for 45pp. As you can tell I enjoyed eating at Akiba and am looking forward to returning to try the rest of the menu.

Best service in Canberra!. Just had one of the best meals I've ever had in Canberra! The service was absolutely amazing! Everyone was friendly, they knew what they were talking about, they were attentive and so down-to-earth and helpful. The food was amazing and delicious! <br/><br/>I have never had such amazing service before in Canberra - guys - you were great! I'll definitely be eating at Akiba again!

New to Canberra. Great vibe and service, with brilliant flavoursome food. Would highly recommend checking it out!! I'll be coming back for the chicken and prawn dumplings and everything else on the menu I didn't get to try :)

Terrific!. Visiting from Melbourne & had just finished<br/>a terrific meal when fire broke out in the kitchen!<br/>All patrons meals were then complimentary!!<br/>Hope you guys get up & running soon!<br/>Top spot!!

Akiba, Canberra City has an a la carte menu with some delicious choices, but on weekends a short version is still available, but it complimented by rotating options on the Yum Cha trolley.

Akiba on Bunda Street in the City, is a relative new comer, having only opened it’s doors late last year. Connected with Sage Restaurant in Ainslie, it is hugely popular for lunch during the week and it pays to book (which is easiest on-line).<br/><br/>The fit out is appealing, casual with style. Service is slick and attentive (you need to be a bit assertive if you want to linger and savour tastes, pacing dishes more slowly).

Next time I would order the same Soba Noodle Salad, Beef Short Rib and Korean Lamb Ribs. I'd consider trying the Sweet Corn Pancake or Prawn & Chicken Dumplings. 4 oysters for $10 is very cheap even for natural oysters so that is tempting. Something raw would be nice for variety so it would have to be the Kingfish or more likely shared Salmon Belly. I'd finish with the Sticky Rice dessert also.

Wow watch out supernormal in Melbourne you have competition in the taste wars

Missed the mark with flavourless dishes, despite looking gorgeous. We went on the long weekend and had the yum cha they offered from 11-3pm. We were very excited to eat here as people have had made good comments about it so we definitely had expectations. We decided on the ocean trout ceviche and crab bao of the regular menu and then chose two dumplings off the cart and a pork belly plum salad. <br/><br/>Firstly the ceviche and crab came out and they looked great. The trout was very slimy (i know it's cooked in liquid but it was a slimy texture like it perhaps was sitting around for a while) and there wasn't much of a flavour to it. The bao was what we were looking forward to the most but it was just a piece of lettuce, crab and mayo in a bun. Dry and hard to swallow. <br/><br/>Next the dumplings came around and for me, dumplings are my all time favourite. However, I was really let down. The dumpling filling was a mince and all the potentially delicious flavours of prawn and veggie had been ruined in a mushy mince which had ZERO flavour. The dipping sauce however was nice so we had to smother our dumplings in that which is a major shame. <br/><br/>Lastly we had the pork belly salad and another disappoint here! The pork belly was way too dry and chewy.<br/><br/>Our bill came to $90 including two drinks (one alcoholic, one not) for lunch so overall we will not be going back. I honestly was excited to have another asian restaurant that would serve delicious dumplings but they have definitely missed the mark and really let the dumpling community down. <br/><br/>I will not be telling any of my friends to go there as it is expensive and the food is just not worth it.

Must visit in Canberra. A friend recommended I visit here while in Canberra. Sat at the bar and I couldn't be happier with the service and drinks. Food and cocktails are on point and Eddie took great care of me, ask for him at the bar!

Great food great staff excellent cocktails. The service was very friendly and quick. We are having a fun night but please please turn the music down 🙏

Good for being new, but eh.. This place is great for Canberra, that's for sure. Our city's been waiting for these flavours and these vibes for a while, we tired of suburban Chinese and Sammy's oh so long ago and a reinvigoration of asian flavours has long been overdue. All other major cities in Australia have been on this wave for years now, so i'm sorry, but Akiba is not unique. <br/><br/>In fact, i'd go so far as to say that it's a rubber stamp of.. Chin Chin? Supernormal? A little bit of Ms G's maybe? But with a rather bad playlist to boot. <br/><br/>I've got no real issues with Akiba. I've been half a dozen times, but every single visit has had enough significant mistakes to make me want to go back less and less. The vegetarian items that weren't in fact vegetarian, and then the waitress that argued with me over what being a 'real' vegetarian was. Having all 5 dishes that we ordered at the table in 15 minutes, even before we'd barely started our first cocktail was a bit much. Perhaps maybe it should decide whether it's a bar or a restaurant? <br/><br/>The oh so surly door girl is an interesting feature. Makes me feel like i'm at a proper, highly organised restaurant. But really, what's the point of booking when my waiter, or the kitchen, can't be bothered to organise their service speed enough so that all the plates we ordered aren't in front of us getting cold?<br/><br/>Also, the JFC is the most nothing dish i've ever paid for. <br/><br/>Actually, so many aspects of this place are so contrived it makes me cringe. The loud, awkward Drake club beats, the gross AKIBA snapbacks, and the staff trying so hard to be something they're not. Take it down a notch, who are you trying to impress..<br/><br/>But really, it's good for Canberra. The drinks are awesome, a good part of the menu is great, and it's something our city needs. <br/><br/>It's a good injection of trendy, but still don't take us for stupid, uncultured Philistines, Akiba. Don't treat us like silly punters because we've eaten your kind of food before, and we've seen the others who've been doing a far better job of it for longer.

Not Yum Cha. Saw the big red sign saying they did yum cha and we were quite excited. We were at our table for 30 min and in the time the cart came around twice, once just after we sat down and as we were leaving. Both times the cart only had 1 or 2 things on it. We tried the prawns which as they were cooked, I assume they were meant to be hot or already warm but were stone cold and didn't taste of anything.<br/><br/>When they said yum cha they actually mean order from the menu like anywhere else and occasionally a cart with no food will come around. <br/>Will not hurry back.

Overpriced. Pay way too much for what you get. King prawn fried rice should just be called fried rice and their 'share plates' are about the size of an entree.

Fantastic flavours and friendly service. Loved the atmosphere and especially the food! Highly recommend trying both bao buns- soft shell crab and pork belly. Couldn't get enough of the king fish sashimi- yum! If dining alone or as a pair- I highly recommend sitting at the raw bar- with a good view of the busy kitchen. Remember not to order too much on arrival- leave room for food trolleys that routinely venture out of the kitchen to entice you to extra nibbles!

Great service and GREAT food. Try everything! Ask for recommendations!

Oyster Ume Mignonette. Delicious :)

Tofu cheesecake - who'd have thunk.... My husband hasn't stopped raving about this place! We were there for a group lunch of 12, complete with a few special dietary requirements. The staff went out of their way to accommodate my coeliac friend. Food was delicious - pork belly buns, kingfish sashimi and believe it or not, tofu cheesecake were great. I wasn't keen on the kangaroo, but others seemed to like it. The two standouts for me have to be the beef short rib (which was amazing) and the chocolate tart - which definitely isn't for the faint hearted (by I don't think I've ever eaten a dessert too rich for me).

Immersive sensory and emotive experience. My first visit I stumbled solo into Akiba needing a coffee. Warmly welcomed I selected a seat at the bar, affable and deftly confident and competent hospitality professionals were apparent and actively engaged with their craft and their customers all around. The food was creative, thoughtful and fun. Each of the four dishes I had was an experience in and of itself. <br/>I came back in the evening for dinner with my family, now we've just spent two hours post meal cogitating the joys and wonders of great dining experiences.

Great service and outsantidn food! Every dish is a journey to new and fantastic flavours. I've been in canberra for about 3 months from Melbourne and being to many restaurants and this one is definitely the jewel of the civic. Great atmosphere as well. Totally recommended

I'm vego and the staff went out of their way to accommodate. They even have a separate menu. It was delicious food. The pancakes were a favourite of mine. My partner has a serious sweet tooth and she loved the espresso chocolate dessert. Thanks Akiba, we'll definitely be back.

Everything is true. All the reviews I read were spot on, interesting food, great drinks, attentive staff AND super quick service. We ordered two rounds of food after 6:15 and still made it to the ticket booth for a 7:00 movie at the Dendy. <br/><br/>Dish we went back for: Kimchi pancakes.

Sun lunch. Spent 50 on lunch.<br/><br/>Got four oysters, two pancakes, a bowl of fried rice and a glass of white wine. <br/><br/>Food was ok, the serving size of the rice was laughable, touted as a "share plate" (share something, don't quote me), there was barely enough for a side dish for a single adult. <br/><br/>Service was at best, poor. <br/><br/>Summary, won't be going back.

Love it!. Tried tofu cheese cake the other night and it was pretty damn good! Love how funky and modern everything is. The waitress that served us provided good service too. Will definitely go back1

Oh so that's what it is. I was to meet friends there for dinner and didn't know where the place was, I was told it was near gusses. When I found it I had an 'oh so that's where it is moment' as I'd walked past it many a time figuring it was just another tonge and groove. <br/><br/>We. We're seated at one of the large tables and recommend the banquet menu. After a few minutes deciding what we wanted we waved down a waiter and was told that we could only order the banquet menu and didn't have a choice as there were to many of us. <br/><br/>I'm a vegetarian so I got some mushrooms. Dumplings and a noodle salad. The raw fish was apparently nice. I also tried a bit of the curry cauliflower which didn't impress much, I could do that at home I thought, and the corn pancake things were pretty meh with some sweet syrup stuff on top. My dumplings were OK, but not to much flavour, and the noodle salad was alright but nothing to right home about. You do get a lot of noodle salad though. <br/><br/>All in all the place was ok, a little uninspiring and probability not worth lining up for. But as something new you might as well give it a go. It's expensive and very loud though to. Be warned. <br/><br/>They also don't like anyone leaving negative reviews online about them obviously, even though we are all entitled to our own opinions.

A refreshingly delicious addition to the Canberra restaurant scene. I went for dinner with a group of friends and we opted for the $45pp tasting menu - heaps of food and every mouthful was a treat. They do gluten free well, and the service was pretty good for such a busy night.

Great service, and delicious drinks!. I had a few cocktails with my girlfriends there last night, and loved the interesting cocktail and drinks menu. I loved the fact that the list had none of the usual suspects - There are so many new things to try! The drinks were delicious and the service was great!I I will definitely be back. Highly recommend.

What the City needed!. If you don't like great food, service and wine don't go. I've been back twice and will be there again over the weekend. Not only is it great value the food is AMAZING!.<br/>Love the atmosphere, the music is on point and the staff are welcoming and friendly.<br/>Akiba will be my go to place, this place will definitely be around for a lonnnngggg time!<br/> <br/>If you haven’t gone there yet, GO!<br/> <br/>Good work boys!<br/> <br/>KD

AkibaaaaaaaaaAaaaamazing. WOW! On par with some of the best restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney! Canberra is definitely winning with Akiba! We had the oysters (extremely fresh and tasty), Pork Belly bun, JFC chicken with hot sauce and roast broccoli with blue cheese yum yum yum - along with 3 bottles of beautiful Shiraz. Service was fast. Such a great vibe - definitely a regular one hunnnnnnid. <br/><br/>Shut up and take my money!

New menu items. Good to go back after a couple of months and see some new menu items. Smoked potatoes were great, and sirloin was divine. Service a bit hit and miss, but mainly around timing of wine orders.<br/><br/><br/>-----12 Jan, 2015-----<br/><br/>Good food, awesome space. Awesome space, clearly designed with a younger, hipster crowd in mind. Food was mixed, too much mayo on the crab bao. Pork bao was great. Beef short rib was sublime. Good list of wines by the glass, including some locals. Overall really good for Canberra city.

Bao wow!. Great interior design, hip and happening atmosphere and creative menu. <br/><br/>Akiba is something totally new to the Canberra dining scene - make sure you check it out!

Ms T Russell. Love it love it love it. ... we weren't disappointed at all.. fabulous food and wonderful service, when we go back through Canberra again we will be making a detour or should i say "B" line straight back. .. and we will be informing our family and friends to do the same. ..

Glad I dropped in.. Great food, awesome staff. Ate and drank too much. A great night out. Loved watching the kitchen in action.

Kiwi Diner.. Vaneece. Unexpected visit to Canberra. In time for the opening of a new eating house. Delightful food wonderful service and be suggesting to many others to sample this amazing experience.. Thank you AKIBA..

Fresh flavours, great service and plenty of atmosphere. Loved a mid-week catch up here, sampling a range of beautiful plates including Kingfish Sashimi, Wagyu and roasted broccoli with blue cheese. Every dish was faultless and full of complementary flavours, and the service was efficient but not intrusive. Both interior and exterior are well designed, with plenty texture, interesting blends of materials and a thoughtful layout. Will recommend widely and return soon.

Went here for my birthday dinner tonight with hubby. Booked online, got seats watching the kitchen and sashimi area which was great! The service and food was fantastic. Wasn't really sure what to expect as this place hasn't been open long but we were both blown away. Will definitely be going back for more!

Excellent dining experience!. Booked a table for two for dinner and we were sat at what was probably the best table there (had an up close view of the sushi chef).<br/><br/>What appeared to be the owner took care of us for most of the evening, full of great suggestions and knew not only the menu inside out, but how all the ingredients complemented each meal.<br/><br/>Amazing share plates. I will definitely be a returning patron! Thank you!

Went to Akiba for a spontaneous weekday lunch and loved it! Excellent food, great fit out/vibe, and helpful and friendly service. Highlights were the kingfish sashimi, asparagus and beef short rib. Would love to see more gluten free dishes on the menu so I could try more yummy food - maybe a GF soy sauce option? :)

Will be back as soon as I'm back in town. Was in at Akiba before Xmas in the first couple of weeks of opening and was really excited to see something new in CBR. <br/><br/>We had a reduced menu whilst they ironed out the opening kinks and it was heaps of fun. The kitchen turned out some really interesting and delicious morsels. They were packed full of flavor for the most part and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in to the full menu as soon as I'm back in town.<br/><br/>No doubt the usual teething process will be well and truly done. Can't wait. Yay CBR!!

Coeliac or vego? Don't go here!. I dined recently in a group of 6 at Akiba and was seriously disappointed with their efforts. In our group, we have a coeliac and a vegetarian so will usually ring a restaurant in advance to be sure they can cope with those requirements (and understand completely when someone is upfront that they can't). I rang Akiba to book and they assured me they could cope as they had many gluten free and vegetarian options. In truth, they really can't cope with either of those requirements. When we asked the wait staff what was gluten free, they said "pretty much everything, there's no flour in anything". Pity soy sauce contains gluten and is in almost everything. The reality is that there are two gluten free dishes on the menu, both small servings designed to be shared. They are meat dishes and don't come with any real veggies. No vegetable dishes are gluten free. There are two truly vegetarian dishes and two or three other vegetable dishes. Most vegetable dishes can be modified to be made vegetarian, but this often removes the main part of the dish and seems to defeat the purpose. The dishes are small and expensive. Akiba do not serve any rice or noodles so there is nothing to pad out the meal. Needless to say the coeliac and the vegetarian left hungry despite a hefty bill at the end. The place is also insanely loud and I had to yell at the person right next to me for them to hear me. I couldn't hear our waiter who was at the other end of the table. We left hoarse, hungry and very disappointed!

We had dinner at Akiba and absolutely loved all the food. Great beers and the beef short rib and soba noodle salad were standouts. Slightly disappointed by service - we were seated with menus and ordered drinks which came quickly, however we were then left for 20 minutes or so with no water or cutlery and needing to order food. Waiters walked past us over and over again, not even looking at our table. Had to ask to order, and then again for water and cutlery separately. We were still so happy with our Akiba experience and would definitely come back!

Finally a restaurant in Canberra that's nailed it!. Ive dined at Akiba twice now and can't wait to return. <br/>The beverage list is a ripper. Great beer selection and a stand out cocktail list. Even the house infused 'akipops' sodas are a creative touch and go down a treat.<br/>The food is a refreshing change for Canberra. Each dish is packed with flavour. The ceviche from the raw bar was a perfect way to start. Followed by prawn dumplings and the chicken bao which you have to try. Its amazing! Then you'll choose from the meats and fish and you can't really go wrong. We went for the kangaroo and was blown away. The meat was so jucey and tender and the Masala sauce complemented the dish perfectly. <br/>Our waiter recommended we try the tofu cheesecake for dessert. So glad we did. It was the perfect note to finish on.<br/>For those who understand Korean, this food has a 'gamchilmat'. (it fills the whole mouth with flavour). <br/>The prices as very reasonable starting at $3-$4 a piece. <br/>Keep up the good work Akiba.

Ok food, but a little too cramped. I probably would go back, but for a drink and tapas (their cocktail menu looked amazing), and not for a full dinner.<br/><br/>Service was great and super efficient for such a packed restaurant. However some of the staff need to work on their knowledge of the product - there are some tricky foody words on that menu, but it's the simple things like checking what the fish of the day is that go a long way! We were seated on one of the large communal tables which is usually fine if there is enough space. I recommend removing at least one pair of seats. I'm pretty short, but kept bumping elbows with the diners next to me and the wait staff couldn't fit more than one plate in front of us at a time. <br/><br/>The food was OK. Ceviche featured some lovely fresh fish and the Bao were a nice tidy snack. The kangaroo was bizarre - huge chunks of meat in a watery curry sauce we were expected to tackle with chopsticks or a fork and spoon (and when we asked for knives we were only given one). The potato skin dish was as big as my thumb for $5 - at first we thought it was funny until we were saddened by the sight of our neighbour's potatoes which were easily twice the size of ours. While most items were under $20 we still left hungry. I recommend adding some noodles or something to increase the carb content of the menu. We do like our vegies and noticed there weren't many options if you're a vegetarian... and they had fish and other animal products included...

Great atmosphere but food was a bit of a let down. Went tonight with a girlfriend after reading great reviews but although its a very cool and trendy looking place and our waiter was great the food itself was a bit of a let down. Ceviche was lacking flavour / salt and the mayo was an unnecessary addition. The sauce for the dumplings also lacked flavour and the pork pancakes were thick, dry and needed an extra sauce or something to help wash them down. Luckily we asked for some soy sauce which helped the dishes that needed some extra kick however the strange serving of it in a water glass left us wondering why? Softshell crab and chicken 'Buns' where the highlight but buns they were not more like soft shelled tacos. But overall a pleasant experience and glad to see Canberra is growing and getting some trendy new places just take our advice and even your waiters and fix the pancakes!

Paying exorbitant amounts for an image as opposed to for food.. This restaurant/bar has apparently made a discovery of astronomical proportions: that booming bass from speakers makes you hipper and youthful, at least if both the midlife crisis-ridden clientele and the sound equalisation are anything to go by. However, what youthfulness is gained is quickly drowned in the oncoming swathes of sauce, used as a cheap tool to swallow up not only the mediocrity of the cuisine but also the newfound lightness of your wallet by appealing to the equivalent of the subtlety of a rock's palate. <br/>I would instead recommend purchasing a jar of mayonnaise and a foghorn, and throwing a hundred dollars into the furnace; you'll definitely have a more subtle experience for about the same price. Also you will save from having to buy a microscope to be able to observe the serving sizes.<br/>(Picture attached to demonstrate effects of eating here on one's image)

Just what Canberra needed ! Love the atmosphere, food and service - very Melbourne!

EAT HERE. My wife and I ate at Akiba tonight, the food was amazing, the cocktails suited all the food we had. The Tuna and Kingfish sashimi were fantastic. The service was quick and friendly. Definitely going back for more.

Don't believe the hype. This is your standard trendy pan-Asian cuisine, swimming in sauce. Not to mention tiny portions, which was probably a blessing in disguise.

A definite must go!. Fabulous service, fantastic food and great atmosphere! What more could you want? Oh and all at a great price. <br/><br/>The service<br/>Service was nice and quick. A casual setting and casual staff to go with it - not pretentious and there to look after you and let you know what's what in the land of asian fusion. <br/><br/>The food<br/>The pork and soft shell crab baos are to die for!! Along with their enticing cocktail menu - I tried a few and let me tell you they are out of this world (so smooth it'll keep you coming back for more)! <br/><br/>The atmosphere<br/>If you're like me, atmosphere and similar people hanging out at the place means it's bound to be good! The mood was casual chic and the people friendly. Whether you're out for a nice dinner or a drink and dance, Akiba has it all. <br/><br/>You will not regret going here. The Harrington brothers have done it again and I love it.

New favourite place! Omg I.... New favourite place! <br/>Omg I have been here 3 times already, twice for dinner and once for lunch, just keeps getting better. Great food options and very well priced, means if there a few of you you can pretty much try one of everything without breaking the budget. Stand out favourites are the kingfish sashimi, the kimchi pancake, the chicken bao and the oysters. Have tried a few of the cocktails, snap crackle and pop and the spritz one that I can't quite remember the name of. So good. Love the staff and how they all appear to have a fun time at work, clearly they are happy. Get in here if you haven't already, so so good.

Let down. Service was good nice and friendly however running out of 2 types of beers was a sign i was not going to enjoy my meal on top of that they ran out of Kingfish as well which was a big suprise seeing as the menu has like 20 items to chose from.<br/>you would have thought they would have been stocked up with everything for 12:30 busy lunch time period.<br/><br/>Also price were pretty expensive for you get

Uncomfortable & Overpriced. On visiting Akiba tonight, I found the whole experience just a bit uncomfortable. When we arrived, the place was 3/4 empty so in asking for two seats in the restaurant we were sat right next to two girls on a tiny bar bench in front of the chef. I asked one of the staff kindly if we could be seated somewhere else. The manager walked toward us but then began talking to the two girls already sitting and eating at the bar as if they'd requested to be seated elsewhere...we were the ones standing on our legs (weird?). When I took 2 steps and let her know we were the ones looking to be moved, she laughed it off and we were given the choice of two different seats which seemed a pain in the arse for her as they had many big gatherings coming in tonight so it was a bit tough. <br/><br/>The drinks menu. Overpriced. $20 for a cocktail which contains mainly fruit juice and one shot of alcohol. To be what we assumed was safe, I chose a Zierholz Wheat beer and my girlfriend chose a glass of sparkling. Bad choice. Both drinks - flat with little to no fizz. <br/><br/>The food menu. We ordered the Kingfish Sashimi, 1 pork bun, 1 soft shell crab bun & the salmon belly. The Kingfish Sashimi was quite delicious. A fresh hot flavour and it was really enjoyable. The pork bun was not too bad but they do better at Ippudo in Sydney. The soft shell crab bun was a complete let down. It was all bun and mayo with a tiny bit of crab that was 70% batter - avoid that one if you can. The salmon belly was really just like a basic salmon fillet - we could've done without it and the flavour wasn't anything to write home about, especially for the price. <br/><br/>Other than that, 50 minutes later I took a quick walk to the other side of the restaurant and there were no massive groups covering any of the big tables so the awkward moment at the start of the night was fairly unnecessary as they weren't even at 50% capacity when we left. <br/><br/>I honestly don't mind or care paying a high price for a good experience, pleasant staff and well prepared food or drink but I know I won't be going back to Akiba at all. BTW, don't forget to bring cash if you visit. There's a 1.5% surcharge if you want to pay on eftpos. Plus one of the staff had no idea they had an ATM in the corner of their restaurant, hardly observant but putting the pressure on people to pay cash just seems dodgy to me.

Not worth hype or price. So noisy (crap music) table of 6 couldn't have a conversation.<br/>Tiny portions at high prices $5 for half a potato skin. Nothing substantial (rice, noodles) to fill you up in an attempt to keep you ordering little meat dishes at $20 a hit.<br/>Claimed on net they could do vego and GF (allergy). Menu had 1-2 dishes each that didn't have an inappropriate ingredient (fish in the vego dish's butter) and didn't require substantial modification <br/>Made mistakes with our order. <br/>Lots of work and a 25% price reduction required to make this worthwhile.

Disappointed. Staff and atmosphere were good, however the food was extremely disappointing, particularly for the price. Left feeling still hungry and wishing I went to soju girl. The flavour and quantity didn't match up to the price.. Left and had sushi on the way home..

Incredible venue amazing drinks and great food.

Akiba - the best in Canberra!. The service here is fabulous, Mike and the guys are personable, fun and know their menu inside out. The best food in Canberra and cocktail list that goes on for miles. Our new favorite place for any night of the week!<br/><br/>-Jess

Daaaaaaaaaaamn!. Get up in this joint, deep! So good, thanks to Kat for making our experience all the more awesome. Great food, good beer selections, 10/10.

One of the most esteemed new eateries in Civic has been AKIBA, who proudly push out Japanese-fusion cuisine. As soon as the place opened, AKIBA’s walls were bursting with patrons eager to indulge in the new fare... I was impressed. In addition, our servers were prompt, kind, and knew their stuff. I’d even say that the service at AKIBA is the best I’ve had in Canberra to date. While the service may be brilliant, whoever designed AKIBA’s accessibility needs a swift kick. The restaurant is entirely inaccessible for wheelchair users and I’d reckon arduous for walking stick users or elderly patrons.

Akiba recently introduced yum cha on weekends between 10-3. I was interested to see what it would be like so I booked an outdoor table with some friends.

Last weekend I finally got the chance to visit the hotly anticipated Akiba restaurant and bar which opened up in mid December. I’ve been wanting to visit Akiba since I first heard about it and saw the massive red sign go up over the ActewAGL Building in Civic back in mid 2014. Like any good Canberran, I normally get really excited to try out new restaurants when they come out in Canberra but I was especially psyched about Akiba opening up! I think Canberra has a lot of really good restaurants but there are still lots of areas where Canberra is still lacking and Japanese is definitely one of those for me. I absolutely love Japanese food, it’s the one thing I always crave for and the first thing I seek out whenever I go to Sydney. So when I heard the new restaurant was named Akiba, I knew we were getting something Japanese related and then my hopes were confirmed in a Good Food article. To make things even more exciting, Akiba is the brain child of the crew behind Canberra’s much loved Sage Dining Rooms in Braddon, that I’ve eaten at twice before and absolutely loved it!

February 20, 2015 12:52 pm , Leave a Comment , Lauren I have this list, a literal list of places to eat. Obvs. I start one every year but this year feels like a good year. For one thing, I have a job, which always makes eating out easier. First one crossed off is AKIBA, a newish Japanese fusion restaurant in Canberra. I love Japanese food and have missed terribly my old local Japanese eatery, so I was very keen to try Akiba out. As I do with all exciting events in my life, I had planned this and my outfit (which I am oddly proud of) out so long in advance that it was all organised two weeks before the actual dinner date. I was a bit surprised by the size of the restaurant, it is HUGE. The large space avoids being cavernous by the division of areas with warm wood walls and big neon lights. It was a very pleasant atmosphere, slightly dimmed by the fact we were seated looking out over a service lane… Regardless it’s all about the company and the food. The very relaxed and friendly staff explained the kitchen was made up of a number of stations for each cooking type, so there is a fry station, a raw station etc etc. As a result the food comes out in an ad hoc nature. Naturally, we ordered dishes from each of the stations. The first dish to arrive and the best was the pork belly bun, char sui, asian slaw. Little pork/duck pancake/buns are very popular at the moment and can be a bit hit and miss as a result. This was fortunately not the case at Akiba, these were so deliciously good I almost stole some from the Birthday Boy. Seriously. It was like my favourite pork belly in chilli jam from Spice I Am with my favourite pickles in a bun. The pickled cucumber and cabbage cut through the richness of the chilli jam crunchy pork belly. I would recommend you go and get this now! As a snack. Any day. Every day. This was followed by the Supercharged Japanese Fried Chicken that proved parmesan and Sriracha go with absolutely everything. Karaage aka JFC aka Japanese Fried Chicken is

AKIBA, a trendy Asian fusion restaurant, opened in December last year in Civic. And now they are doing yum cha on the weekends. This was the third week they had been running yum cha, so I decided to check it out!

Possibly the most hotly-anticipated new restaurant in Canberra in recent months, AKIBA invited the first 100 people through its doors on Saturday night to have their first six dishes for free. AKIBA is a vibrant and fun casual dining establishment that has a lightning strike for a logo, always spells its name in capital letters and is named after a fire-controlling Japanese deity. Located in the ACTEWAGL building in Civic, and inspired by Akihabara, the electronics precinct of Tokyo, there is a definitely an electric vibe to AKIBA!

I did intend on returning to Akiba but not this soon, this was all TimmyC’s doing, he was super keen! Despite the bad weather, we head in with enthusiasm and we giggle when we are seated in our previous seats with the same server from our first visit (see my previous blog post here).