This place is absolutely amazing! Everything was spot on! Great staff and delicious food!
Intrinsic EATing whilst in Melbourne. Be prepared to wait as seating is communal but constant. Thickly sliced Salmon Sashimi with wasabi and horseradish,cucumber and avocado and pickled ginger condiments was heavenly! This time we got the chef to decide on our plate with 3 tastes - DND!!! ( did not disappoint!) so sad I couldn't fit more in! 1 beer on tap and delicious plum wine! Many non-alcohol options too! Great Vibes from the kool Krew! And groovey tunes to set the mood! Thx Masayuki! You've done it again! Xx
Insta: melbfoodie_mark
YT: MelbFoodieMark
** Check them out for more food reviews in Melbourne!
-
One of my favourite restaurants serving home-made style Japanese dishes! Great ambience and friendly staff - I think they are all Japanese. Love the energy and coziness of this venue. Kara-Age Teishoku ☆☆☆☆ ($16), Gyu-Teki Teishoku ☆☆☆☆ ($19). Kara-age was so crispy and juicy - absolutely delicious and flavorful. Highlight was Gyu-teki! Marinated Australian scotch beef steak sliced into thin pieces with special sauce :) It was unbelievably tender. Highly recommend both
Beat japanese hot food in melbourne.
I love love love love this place so much! The best Japanese home-cook place ever - very authentic. Only one page of food menu but everything is great! Always going back there 💛💛
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
I love Aka Siro’s! Their speciality is the teishoku – set lunch meal which includes a dish of your choice, bowl of miso soup, salad and unlimited steamed rice. I first visited Aka Siro back in 2014 and have been coming back ever since. Lately I visited twice within 3 week’s! The restaurant is only open for lunch and they don’t take bookings on weekends. Both of my visits in the last 3 weeks we arrived early at 11.40am just so we can be there when the doors open so can get a table straight away. This place always has a queue and forever people coming in. Love the buzz and atmosphere at Aka Siro.
🔆LOCATION🔆
Aka Siro is situated on the corner of Cambridge and Peel Street. The building is very subtle dark grey and the window is lined with bamboo screening. There’s bench seating towards the left as you walk inside – facing the window and also facing the open kitchen. More bench seating surrounds the kitchen towards the right, and table seating lined up against the window. Its small and cosy little restaurant and serves its purpose for simple and confortable Japanese dining experience.
🔆SERVICE🔆
As you walk in the Manager asks how many people, and assigns the staff to direct customers to the table. It’s very orderly and everyone working at Aka Siro speak’s Japanese. So all their conversations are in Japanese it makes you feel like you’re in Japan. All the staff are friendly, courteous and very efficient. Orders are taken on a tiny notepad written in pen, and handed over to the kitchen. I love how its so old school and traditional.
🔆MENU/PRICE🔆
Kara-age Teishoku, $17.00
(crispy chicken thigh fillet marinated with soy and ginger)
Nizakana Teishoku, $18.00
(Fish fillet & green vegetable simmered with soy, sake and ginger)
🔆VERDICT🔆
To be honest, there’s hardly much price difference from when I first visited Aki Siro in 2014 to now – only $1.00 to $1.50 difference. The standard and quality still the same and that’s why they still so popular even to this day. My favourite is the kara-age Teishoku. The chicken is tender and juicy and has beautiful crispy batter with delicious flavour from the soy and ginger.
The salad is always fresh and the steamed rice – I need to find out what rice they use because its soft and fluffy. I seem to always order a second bowl of rice when I visit haha.
The fish fillet is fresh and cooked nicely with soy, sake and ginger. I actually had wanted to order their famous Gyu-teki – pan fried Australian scotch fillet, but ahhh decided to get the Kara-age instead. Next time
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
We waited almost an hour for Aka Siro but it didn't seem to bad because concept of a visible wait list also made it very transparent.
Ordered:
🍛 Wagyu Beef Yoshoku: wagyu beef cutlet & fresh panko with beef tail brown sauce ($32.00)
Review:
Incredibly massive portions that match the slightly massive price tag 🤣.
Let's talk about the food. The wagyu was thick, hearty and juicy. Little bits of fat, keeping the flavour in tact. It's all encased in crispy panko crumbs, giving the wagyu cutlet that crunchy texture.
On the side, we have a refreshing serving of seasoned salad and a dollop of delicious creamy potato to contrast against the heaviness. Wash it down with a swig of japan-induced nostalgic miso soup and you're all set.
The interior was very fun and whimsical. We have a couple of knick-knacks here and there, and you have to walk down into the restaurant. The noticeable de-elevation gives you a brief hint of feeling like you're stepping into another world. Subtle, but powerful.
Service is friendly and attentive. They were engaging in giving their recommendations, and quick in helping us pay for the bill. There's no official itemised receipt (they only give you the one coming out of the EFTOPS machine) so take note of the handwritten split!
This is by far one of the best Japanese restaurants I've been to in Melbourne. The moment you step through the door and greeted by the staff, you're instantly transported to Japan. From the decor to the smells and sounds, it really does take us back to our Japan trip days😌
As for the food, we've been a total of 3 times so far within a month, so definitely recommend👍
Their curries are unique and packed full of flavour, the taste is different to what is at the more Chinese style Japanese restaurants. This one is much more hearty and you can really taste the difference.
Other dishes were really good as well, the hamburg steak is a favourite of my partner's and definitely going back again to eat it.
So if you're a fan of authentic Japanese food prepared by Japanese, definitely a solid 4.8/5 for this one😊
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
This place is the secret tunnel to Japan - your authentic Japanese experience starts the second you step into this cozy restaurant in Collingwood. Aka Siro feels exactly like those hidden izakaya you find in the Shijuku alleyways. From the open kitchen design to every detail of their mouth-watering dishes and friendly customer service, you will not find such an authentic Japanese experience anywhere else in Melbourne. We have been a regular here and absolutely loved their lunch menu. On the most recent occasion, we have tried their dinner tapas menu. We ordered the agedashi tofu, stewed rockling, teriyaki chicken skewer, Wagyu steak and houjicha Pana Cotta for dessert. Every dish was perfectly executed but the most memorable was the Wagyu steak which literally melted in my mouth. Their dinner menu is on the pricier side compared to their lunch menu but having tasted such fine dishes I can totally see why. Only advice I have is that this place is usually really busy so be prepared to queue up. But rest assured that the wait is well worth it.
This small place offering Japanese food is very lovely. The food is authentic Japanese. Be sure to try the Gyu Teki Teishoku and the Agedashi Tofu.
My favourite Japanese cafe in Melbourne! A must visit for good quality Wagyu beef and chicken karage! The Higarashi specials are a tasty option too. The place is almost always crowded- service is fast and efficient. The spicy ginger tea on a cold melburnian day is my favourite drink ever, don’t miss out on it ☺️🍵🐣
A small cozy Japanese restaurant at Collingwood. Went there for Saturday lunch and it was a little bit of wait to get seated.
Ordered wagyu steak and teriyaki hamburg. Both dishes were amazing. Portions were generous as well.
Will be back again!
Regina Siena (resatriel)
+5
Quiet pricey BUT the foods are awesome. Fresh sashimi. The pickle is awesome. Complexity of the dish compliment each others. Yes the foods were cold we can understand and didn’t bother us. Worth to try if you love japanese taste.
Delicious and beautifully presented, but a bit pricey.
The place has changed its format most likely due to covid. They only do takeaway bentos although you can always eat at the restaurant. Regardless, the food is as good as ever!!
Make a reservation
Order online
Find the best restaurant in Collingwood
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes