Aka

Great spot, food was delicious and fun to eat. A hot pot u can mix yourself. Will def go back for more!

3.5
Food:
Duck breast pasta with tom yum sauce:
The duck breast was just ok but the pasta and sauce were very tasty and flavourful.
Beef teppan rice: nothing special and not really flavourful either.
Service was friendly but slow.

It takes lifelong to bring my food to my table. The hotpot is the WORST hotpot I have ever eat in my life, it contains nothing but a whole cabbage with only 5 tiny pieces of beef. The waitress asked me whether I want my change back when my bill after tax was 51 dollars and I gave her 70. Even after I said yes, she forgot to bring my changes to me until I asked for it which is really awkward. The environment is good tho and the food LOOKS pretty.

I came here yesterday as soon as they opened for dinner. It was my first time here at this location and decided to order their supreme beef rice on plate. I also added a raw egg ($ 1) and cheese ($ 1).yes you must pay for add ons usually about a $ 1. However, extra beef is 2.99. Once our food came, you have the choice of having the server mix the rice for you but because I wanted to snap a few pics of my food, I mixed it on my own.
The food was good, the beef was peppery but I didn’t think it was too salty. The rice was flavourful once you mix everything in, especially when you add the cheese in. yum! I also thought the servers were very attentive, asking us how our meals were and pouring water without asking.
For dessert, we tried the tiramisu which looked like a little plant (so cute), and the parfait which had black sesame ice cream, pocky sticks, peanuts, some sort of jelly, and then corn flakes. Both the desserts were great, definitely recommend.

Aka Teppan is a take on popular Hong Kong chain, Pepper Lunch, where meat dishes are cooked on tabletop hot plates. I went to the newly opened location on Bloor St W to meet up with some friends for lunch. Aka Teppan is currently running some lunch specials (ends September 15), where dishes range from $ 7.99 to $ 10.49. My friends, and I were the first customers during the lunch hour on a warm Saturday afternoon. However, service started picking up once we were in the middle of our lunch, and more people arrived. The overall ambiance was clean, minimalist, and bright with wooden tables.
Since pictures of this particular dish has flooded my Instagram feed, I opted for the Supreme Beef Teppanyaki Rice ($ 7.99). It arrived in a personal-​sized teppan that was steaming hot at 300°F, and came with raw beef, corn, green onions, sauce, and steamed white rice. All you have to do is mix everything together, and cook the beef to your liking. The heat from the teppan will thoroughly cook the raw meat, and ingredients. Our server asked if we wanted him to mix our teppanyaki rice for us, which we appreciated. I thought that the sauce mixture blended quite well with all of the ingredients including the black pepper, and the beef slices were tender enough. I also added an extra raw egg (+$ 1) to the mix, and it added a nice texture to the rice.
I have read several reviews that have mentioned the poor service up at the Markham location, as they are often quite busy. However, I thought that the service at the downtown location was attentive, and good. I liked that our server mixed our dishes for us, and quickly took our dishes away when we finished our lunch. My friends, and I were able to continue our conversation after our meal, and never once felt rushed. Overall, Aka Teppan was a pretty solid option for a quick lunch, and I would definitely return.

Got the cheesy rice cakes, deep fried mushrooms and the kimchi udon.
The cheesy rice cakes were really good, I just wish they were cooked longer. They weren’t chewy and a bit firm, but the sauce was pretty good.
The deep fried mushrooms were bomb, the seasoning was great but it’s even better when you dip it in the cheesy rice cakes sauce!
As for the kimchi udon, presentation was good, but like others said there isn’t enough beef.
And a tip: the egg is an extra dollar.
Would definitely come here again — it’s just a wee bit pricey.

Food :8/​10
Service ⁴⁄₁₀
Atmosphere 7.5÷10
Overall 6.7÷10
Went on a Sunday evening around 6:30. It was only half full when we got in. placed our order and 10 mins later the waiter came to me and my friends asking if we can move to another table as they JUST got a call for a reservation for a huge group. There were 3 empty tables beside us, so I asked her
How many people is the reservation for and she said its for 10 so they need at least 5 tables to push together. Ok that’s fine but when I look over the girls a few tables down were already finishing up their desserts and the table beside them look like they are almost done too. so I asked the waiter if those tables are almost done. I asked twice just to confirm and both times she said yes those tables are almost done. so then I asked her why she wants us to move if those people are almost done and she can use those tables and push them together. She just said ‘Oh’ and walked away. now we been sitting there for almost 15 mins and still didn’t get our water. I had to ask for our water and nobody came to refill the water at all during our whole time there nor did they come to check up on you. TERRIBLE SERVICE
Me and my 2 other friends ordered a hot plate each and an appetizer to share (Tom
Yum shrimp). Our food came we were almost done our hot plate (totally forgot we even ordered appetizer) then FINALLY our appetizer came. The sauce was SUPER salty. Shrimp was ok in general but the sauce ruined everything. Would not recommend this plate.
my friend ordered salmon spaghetti with tomato sauce. The fish was super fresh, really yum! My other friend had duck spaghetti with tomato sauce, didn’t try her plate but she said she liked it a lot! Both spaghetti doesn’t come with too much sauce, if you are the type that likes to have more sauce, you can add on more sauce for $ 1. I ordered the beef curry udon on hot plate. This one came with a lot of sauce, I enjoyed it a lot! I added an egg and mushroom to my order and it came up to almost $ 15
I would definitely go back to try their dessert and other hot plate but they seriously have to look into improving their service, not impress with the service at all this time I went.

Went here today to try their food since I heard a lot of good reviews. My overall experience was okay, I like the food but the service is kinda bad. You need to raise your hand so they can serve you or Else you’ll wait forever. But overall I think you should try their food. Pretty unique food selection and fairly okay price

Our group of 10 came in to celebrate a birthday. We ordered a few appetizers and the standout was the okonomiyaki fries. The other appetizers we ordered were wings, Tom yum shrimp and mushrooms. All were pretty tasty.
Our mains ranged from their regular hot plates of reef and pasta to the premium steak and chicken dishes. My husband ordered the angus steak and I ordered the house special chicken. Both were ok but a little too peppery and salty.
Service was good. Everything was ok but looks like overall they are still fixing some kinks in both menu and service.

Food: ⁸⁄₁₀
Atmosphere: ⁸⁄₁₀
Service: 7.5÷10
Overall experience: ⁸⁄₁₀
We stepped into this place just before it was to close for its post-​lunch/​pre-​dinner break. The wait staff had no attitude about this, however, which was a pleasant surprise.
The interior is clean, tidy and modern. They were even blasting some top 40 music, which was slightly strange but fine.
Our dishes came out quickly and sizzling hot. I had the spicy udon — very tasty, would highly recommend!
Tip — the portions are a bit on the smaller side, so if you’re the type that likes to pack it in at dinner, I would recommend Aka as a lunch spot for you.
THE BOTTOM LINE: great spicy udon in a clean and modern spot.

Went here for lunch — only two tables were occupied. I had the duck breast with rice, which was mixed with corn, butter, black pepper, and onions. While it was tasty, I don’t think this place is somewhere I would recommend to too many other people.

I came here with a few of my friends when it was just opening. The entrance has a cool AKA circle light shining on the floor, similar to what’d you see at a downtown clubbing event. Maybe because it just newly opened, but the place was kept extremely clean. The interior designing is filled with polished marble. Even the washrooms had a nice sink in the middle of an open room for both genders to use and separate enclosed stalls on the side, which was something I’ve never seen in Toronto!
It took awhile to get a seat, and even so it was in a spacious area. The servers were very polite, but would not seem to follow up with anything unless we grabbed their attention (eg. getting a menu, glass of water, ordering).I could give it a pass because they’re just opened and perhaps they’re still in training.
The menus were really cool. I developed a curiosity for almost everything on it so we had to try a little bit of everything. They specialize in hot plates (spaghetti with customized sauce OR rice and gravy + meat) as well as hot pot (2 soup bases available), and of course specialty drinks/​desserts.
We ordered 4 items. All were superb:
Okonomiyaki Fries ~FREE — This was complementary from the soft opening. It was actually one of my favourites of the night, because I have a bias towards potatoes. Anywho, the sweet sauce, japanese mayo, bonito flakes and seaweed pieces made them flavourful and was surprisingly amazing. Don’t expect octopus pieces in there though ;)
Duck Breast with Rice Teppan ~$ 12 — The dish came out in a sizzling plate with paper wrapped around the circumference indicating that it’s 200C. The duck was smoked and chewy in texture, and the rice was seasoned with corn, onions, and black pepper. Flavours aren’t overwhelming and is good for a non-​lethargic meal. I recommend not only mixing the rice (since there is a ball of butter and gravy in the centre), but also patting down as much of it to the plate as soon as it comes out so that it crisps up.
AKA Sukiyaki Hot Pot ~$ 14 — The setup was cute, since the propane stove and bowl they used were miniature in size. The soup base was very good (if you think of ordering hot pot GET THIS INSTEAD OF THE HOKKAIDO MILK SOUP BASE). It was like soy sauce, but so much more, and I haven’t tasted anything like it before. The waiter informed us of the cooking time for each section, as well. Even though we had a lot of fun bonding over this particular dish, I felt I could do something like this at home too on a grander scale for about the same price.
AKA Tiramisu ~ $ 6 — The tiramisu came in a flowerpot presentation, which was instagram-​worthy. I could taste oreo crumbs for a lot of it. The majority of it was heavy cream, with only a small corner hid a delicious cakey-​crumble. It was served with whipped cream and strawberries. Still worth to try :)
If you’re looking to impress your friends with some cute Japanese creations, this is the place to go.

I don’t understand how many low reviews this place gets. This is one of my favourite places to bring friends or anyone I’d like to impress in the downtown Toronto area. The place is super nice, with a modern décor peppered with personalized touches that I’m impressed with. They’ve got wood blocks carved with their logo, napkins designed with their logo elements, and a cute projector sign for the restroom, all wrapped in a cool sleek interior. What’s not to like?
Food-​wise, I think you have to know what are the awesome items to order. Here are my favourites, and I promise, promise, PROMISE you, you won’t go wrong with these. Don’t say I never did anything for you ;)
— Deep fried mushrooms: Hands down the BEST deep fried mushrooms I’ve ever had. The batter is not just crispy, it’s also light and nicely seasoned. Not too oily too!
— Okonomiyaki fries: A perfect marriage of lightly battered fries, sweet teriyaki-​like sauce, Japanese mayo, and just a hint of seafood from the bonito flakes and crisp seaweed. It really does remind me of the fantastic Japanese dish reflected in its name. Better than Banh Mi Boys’ kimchi fries (OHNOYOUDI’NT, yep you read that right)
— Tomyum shrimp: I don’t know why more restaurants haven’t developed a sauce version of the tomyum soup. This sauce, capturing the essence of the Thai dish, goes nicely with the fried shrimp. Seasoned perfectly, as always.
— Mentaiko kimchi with beef udon: If you want a bold flavoured main dish, get this. Chewy handmade udon mixes beautifully with a lightly spiced kimchi sauce, on their sizzling skillet which cooks your beef. Delicious.
— Supreme beef with rice: If you want a more subtle flavoured entrée, opt for this. The rice comes with some garlic butter, and the whole thing mixes well with the beef. Flavours are softer but nice, but don’t expect bold tastes on this one
All of these dishes are pretty cheap too! The only downside that I have to point out is that, perhaps partly due to the relatively lower price point, the quantity of beef in the main dishes itself is not that much. In other words, it is quite carb-​heavy (though of excellent quality), and is something you may want to take note. But honestly, it’s so good that I would love to come here once a week if I can.
Service was super pleasant and polite, and I would definitely recommend the place. Oh, and in case I didn’t make it clear the first time around, seriously, take your pick from the dishes I listed above. You’ll love it (or at the very least, like it).
…and you can take THAT to the bank! (sorry I’m in a Running Man mood for some odd reason)

I just tried the Milk Hot Pot and it’s really nothing special, super expensive and tastes like you put some salt in milk, and then boil everything inside. It’s just… not worth it and nothing special… Dunno about the teppan and other stuff though.

I really liked it. My friend and I went on a week day, there was a handful of people there but wasn’t packed. They still seem like they are trying to figure things out even though they opened a few months ago. But food was tasty.
The premise is that everything comes on individual teppenyaki plates, that comes sizzling hot and rim covered by a paper trim. Makes me wonder how many plates they much have and how much paper they waste, but a necessary evil to protect from the hot plate. You can get it on rice or noodles (like beef, vegetables, chicken, duck breast) and it comes to you sizzling. Servers can mix it for you and it becomes like a fried rice. It’s a little difficult to get out with a spoon. Or you can mix it yourself. A little gimmicky, but it tastes good.
They also have hot pot (milk or sukiyaki).
We ordered the Kimichi Udon (which I thought was the best). It was creamy and spicy with bits of beef. A good sized portion. $ 12
We also got the duck breast rice. After she mixed it, the duck breast looked the texture of cured bacon. It was good, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell it was duck. The rice became just a fried rice to me.
We also got the Chicken Wings with brown sugar. Super yummy and easy to eat.
Okinomiyaki fries were tasty, but a bit heavy because fries.
For dessert we shared the black sesame panna cotta. Sesame ice cream, on top of a cold black sesame custard. It was good but hard to share given that it’s a in small bottle with a narrow neck. I couldn’t imagine finishing this myself, would be too much.
I just realized that utensils are fork and spoon and no chopsticks, which I would a little odd. I also a suggested they need a place to put utensils when not in use. The small eating plate given wasn’t the ideal place because it keeps falling off and making a mess of the table.
Was good, and might consider coming back if in the area.

Not sure about the low reviews, I enjoyed my experience and left happy. This place is still in the midst of their soft opening, so it’s reasonable for them to take this time to find their groove. Service was super friendly, though admittedly sparse at times (but they’re hiring too).
We went with friends so we shared the dishes. Started with the curry powder chicken wing appetizer — very flavourful seasoning. They say it’s one bone and 8 wings, but it’s really 4 wings cut down the middle. Still very good.
The beef rice was good; beef comes out raw on their tepanyaki plate (over 200C!) and it cooks in front of you. Pretty good! But the real winners were the Duck Breast pasta with Tom Yun sauce (spicy Thai). The duck was consistently red throughout (sliced for you), and appeared to be sous vide. Very tender and smokey. The pasta had a great kick to it (you’ll be warned that it’s spicy) but it was very tolerable. The Kimchi udon with beef was amazing too. Udon was chewy and the sauce was good. You can taste the kimchi but it’s not too heavy. The beef that came with it was good, but if would’ve gone well if they had duck breast too.
For dessert, we ordered the Tiramisu and Black Sesame panna cotta. The tiramisu had a beautiful presentation (looked like a small planter box), though it was very light. The black sesame ice cream was very good, as was the panna cotta portion, It may be difficult to share as it’s served in a tiny jar.
The place is well designed and very spacious (lots of room between tables). I would come back. 1 app, 3 entrees and 2 desserts came out to around $ 60 ($ 20/​person). Not bad! Sure, service can be improved but they are working on it.

The food is great actually. Servers are friendly but one waiter screws up our orders and nobody came to check on us as to why we have been sitting for so long without food on our table. I feel this is a very poor quality of service because I was expecting so much more when I saw the price of the food (spoiler alert: everything is overpriced). It has been 1 hour and we just got 2 apps lol… It’s a good thing we aren’t that hungry. Avoid this restaurant if you’re looking for a restaurant that pays attention to you. Otherwise, if you have spare money and time to spend, it’s not a bad restaurant.

I was really excited to try this place… when I arrived it seemed decent. The menu was pretty simple. We ordered fries, beef supreme and the duck pasta. We waited for about 40 mins… and still no food. We looked around and the table that ordered AFTER us got their food first. We asked the server how much longer… and he said he’ll go check and come back. He didn’t come back with an answer. So we left and had banh mi boys instead. Which was a much better choice.

I wish I could have given it a 3.5 stars. Overall Its like a more expensive izakaya, with decent food. I would return for the desserts alone, I loved loved loved the tiramisu and every one else loved the black sesame panna cotta. I Also enjoyed the wagyu beef, milk hotpot, okonomiyaki fries a lot. It came to about $ 35 after tax and tip, and hubby said he’s only about 75% full. I do understand they’re in the trial mode with soft opening and definitely would return to check out the more complete menu.

My friend and I went during their soft opening period. The space is quite large and open with mostly comfortable seating along one side of the wall. The other larger, semi-​communal tables have large benches that are more difficult to maneuver into and sit comfortably.
There is a lot of variety in the menu, ranging from the more Asian style rices to the more wafu-​Italian style pastas. Almost all menu items come on a sizzling teppan (hot iron plate), where you mix the ingredients together at your table yourself before the plate cools down too much.
We ordered the brown sugar crispy single-​boned chicken wings. They were tender and deliciously spiced, albeit small and a bit pricey. For mains, I ordered the duck breast rice, while my friend had the Atlantic salmon pasta. The mountain of rice has corn and sweet sauce soy inside, and the duck breast to rice ratio was surprisingly adequate. My friend also enjoyed the salmon pasta. The experience of mixing all the ingredients on a hot plate in front of you is very enjoyable as the food stays piping hot for a while and the aroma is heavenly.
I definitely enjoyed my experience at Aka Teppan. The service was good, but the food came out a bit slow, which is understandable during the soft opening period of the restaurant.