My friend and I always passed by AKA and wanted to try it out. From looks outside and inside- the aesthetic is 100%. Super pretty and instagrammable and that's what drew us in. However, the experience inside unfortunately didn't match. I mean if you're ready for a Vegas style dining experience this is your place. However, the music is so loud, tables are so small and so close together that you don't have room at the booths. Overpriced craft cocktails and Asian food. On a busy day even the waiters forget you, and only service those who ordered bottle service or the birthday celebrations with the sparklers. I tried the ube matcha horchata and it was a waste of $18+ drink. I had to return it because it was really gross. We ordered the filet mignon but I think that was the best on the menu. It was an 8oz steak for decent price. However, it was slathered in a lot of sauce but it didn't really have much flavor. I really wanted to like this place, but I guess it's just not my type of vibe. For an Asian fusion restaurant I expected more than just aesthetic and vibe. read more

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Wow! Wow! Wow! This restaurant is beautifully decorated. I should have taken more pictures of the ceiling, because the decor changes from section to section. The food is equally beautiful in presentation. This place is pricey, but worth it I think. The garden salad, for example, is not just a garden salad. It has sushi, avocado, wasabi, etc. It may be the best salad I have ever had in my life. I thought it was a bit over dressed. I ordered the fillet mignon potstickers and they were ok. Not bad on their own and delicious with the dressing from the salad. The Blue fin wasabi sushi was delicious and tasted better and better with every bite. The Yuzu Beignets with the mango sauce were ridiculously good. The service is top-notch . If you are in the area and you have the funds, treat yourself. read more

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I had the best experience at AKA. This was an accidental find that didn't disappoint. The V manager went above and beyond to ensure we were having a good time and enjoying our food. read more

AKA - The area near the bathroom is the perfect spot for photo ops - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Diego, California

This place was a little strange. They claim on the website to be the best Asian fusion restaurant in San Diego, it wasn't that great. We started with cocktails and mocktsils. I must say that the mocktail was excellent. We ordered the Thai green papaya salad, Maine lobster garlic noodles, and the miso black cod. Of the three, the black cod was the most successful dish. The lobster was seasoned but the noodles were extremely bland and overcooked to the point of being gummy. The salad was fine but very basic. The service was good and they ended up comping the noodle dish as we couldn't eat it. The ambiance is where the strange part came in. Midway through our meal some seemingly geisha girls appeared and began dancing. It was odd. While the space is beautiful, I wouldn't come back here given the sheer number of excellent restaurants nearby. read more

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Came in on during the week for happy hour. Restaurant is beautifully decorated and was very clean! It was early so it wasn't too busy but they have plenty of seats and take reservations. A few things that stood out was their Geisha-Rita and the orange chicken Kara-age. We also enjoyed the Bao buns. If I'm being honest, I'd skip the potstickers. I found them lacking flavor. read more

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We'll jump right into it with the food: We had some apps from the happy hour menu and found them to be the best part of our meal. The potstickers were outstanding - the meat was so flavorful and the sauce was perfect. The rock shrimp was fried and seasoned well. The entrees were just okay. We got the miso cod - the fish itself wasn't very tender, and the sauce was too thick and leaned a little too sweet. That said, it wasn't bad by any means. Just nothing spectacular. We also got the albacore roll - the rice wasn't gummy and the fish was fresh, but I wish the sauce was more ponzu forward instead of the Dijon. Service started off great. Roberto is super charismatic and very fun. He came over right away, and the apps came out surprisingly quick. Unfortunately it fell off in the second half of the meal. It took about 15-20 mins after our apps were all done for us to get entrees, then another 15-20 to flag him down for our check. Ambiance is modern Japanese - very eye catching and it was what drew us here to begin with. Great decor and seems like it would be a really lively fun place on weekends. read more

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Drinks were ok, sushi was mid. The bartender made it worth coming back which is why I gave 4 stars.

Tried out AKA recently and overall, it was a decent spot but nothing that really stood out. We ordered the Singapore Tempura Rock Shrimp, Filet Mignon Potstickers, and Salmon Avocado Roll along with drinks -- the Ube Matcha Horchata and Dirty Chai Martini. The Tempura Rock Shrimp was hands down the highlight of the meal. They give you a huge portion, perfectly fried with that light, crispy tempura batter and a spicy sauce that had a nice kick without being overpowering. Definitely the best bang for your buck. The Filet Mignon Potstickers, on the other hand, were disappointing. For the price, you only get three pieces, and they were mostly empty -- barely any filet inside. You get a faint beef flavor, but it didn't deliver the richness you'd expect from something labeled "filet mignon." The Salmon Avocado Roll was solid flavor-wise but small compared to rolls at other sushi spots nearby. Still, I'd probably order it again if I was craving something simple. Drink-wise, the Dirty Chai Martini was more like a coffee martini -- heavy on the espresso flavor, light on the chai. The Ube Matcha Horchata sounded interesting but ended up just tasting overly sweet with no real matcha or ube flavor coming through. Waiter was cool tho, he held it down as 4 other tables entered right when we sat down. He was busy but he paid attention to our table to the best he could It was relatively quiet for a Thursday at 6pm but it's nice cause HH ends at 7 Overall, AKA is fine for a casual drink and bite during happy hour, but with so many great options nearby, I'd probably try another place before coming back. read more

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Went on a Friday around 6pm. We had a reservation, but it wasn't needed at that time of the evening, as it was pretty quiet. The hostess was very sweet and took us right to a table. Our server came over pretty quickly and got our drink order. Even though it wasn't busy, it probably took 10 minutes to get a cocktail. When he came back he offered some suggestions about items we were considering. The two of us opted to get a 4 plates and share everything. As far as the wagyu, yellowtail, and tuna, all were pretty good, but I feel like they shaved them smaller than anywhere I have been before. The dan dan noodles were ok, but I think they were supposed to have a poached egg that didn't come? I felt they were also lacking in flavor, but seemed to be the best portion size of any of the items. The first 2 food items came really quickly, and then there was quite a wait between each of the other two items. We were still finishing the last and had to wave down our server because we had a show to get to. Our server checked on us once during the time we were eating, but he seemed to disappear for long periods of time. He was nice, but not as concerned about long wait times as maybe he should have been. We left around 7:30, which was good, as a DJ was starting. The music was super loud. I felt like it was a little early for the music to be that loud, as that is prime dinner time and it would have been hard to have a conversation. Just something to note if you are thinking about going for a nice dinner vs evening cocktails. While the experience wasn't terrible, and it's a beautiful space, it's just not a place I am interested in going back to. We left with a large bill, but I didn't feel full. We probably needed another dish or two, but the cost or wait wasn't worth it. read more

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This place was incredible. We had reservations but it turned out to be a stormy and windy night so we didn't really need it after all since everyone was pretty much staying in after all. This was our first time here and they left a great impression on us. The inside was decorated beautifully, the dim lighting was very romantic, all of the employees were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. The food was all incredible. We happened to come during happy hour, which we didn't even know they had happy hour, so that was a plus. Bill was only around $300, there were 3 of us, all ordered cocktails, a few appetizers and a few entrees to try. Not bad at all. We will definitely be back and be recommending to everyone read more

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Kelsey was an excellent waitress & our food was delicious! I thought the bottled beer overpriced based on the local market but otherwise was a nice experience. read more

Sushi was good and portion was good! Service was good shout to James! They also take photo and placed it in picture frame for $20.00 it was good. read more

We came to AKA as part of restaurant week and Cru provided excellent service and suggestions for a first timer. All of his suggestions were spot on especially the Surf N Turf roll as well as the Thai Me Up cocktail. We felt consistently taken care of, and had a wonderful time including the food and decor/ambience. The restaurant week menu was definitely "the best bang for our buck" just as Cru stated. I had the Chicken Kara-Age, Filet Mignon, and Ube Japanese Cheesecake. All dishes exceeded our expectations and am glad my fiance and I chose AKA for our date night. read more

AKA - Filet Mignon and Chicken Kara-Age - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Diego, California

Had dinner here last week. This place was formally LAVA. I like the new decor and vibes. Food was good. Service was good. I really like that they had a dj and they do a whole bit for birthdays. I would recommend. read more

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Beautifully themed restaurant. Touristy. Sushi isn't great. Hate that they also try to start tipping at 20% + plus some bs service charge which makes me not want to come back. read more

Had the miso soup and the bluefin poke bites. Both were real tasty and right amount of serving. Bluefin was nice and refreshing.

Came to Aka in Gaslamp for a friend's birthday and had an awesome experience. We had a group of 9 and sat at the bar, and the staff handled it really well. Everyone was attentive, friendly, and quick without making us feel rushed. Shout out to Kelsey and Giacomo! The drinks were great, the vibe was perfect for a birthday night out, and the food was honestly better than expected. Everything came out fresh and tasted amazing. Overall, great service, great atmosphere, and a perfect spot for a group. Definitely coming back. read more

We came to AKA with a group of 11 to celebrate a bachelorette and unfortunately had a really disappointing experience. Our server told our group he was bringing out celebratory shots "on the house" for the bride. Because of that, we all participated in the moment thinking it was a kind gesture from the restaurant. However, when the bill came, we realized we had actually been charged $90 for those shots, including mocktail shots for the two pregnant members of our group. When something is clearly presented as complimentary and then appears on the bill, it feels extremely misleading. On top of that, the menu states there is an automatic 18% gratuity for large parties, yet our bill included 20% gratuity instead. We emailed and called the restaurant afterward to give them the opportunity to address the situation privately, but the manager has still not responded, which is disappointing. No one answers the phone either and no one responds to the multiple voicemails we have left. We understand mistakes can happen, but communication and accountability matter--especially when guests raise a concern after the fact. I would encourage future guests to double-check their bill carefully, particularly if anything is presented as "on the house." read more

I feel like you pay for the ambiance here . That's about it. Service wasn't bad, other than the fact the waiter gave free shots to the couple next to us. The food though, was sad it was a set menu as when I booked it there was no saying it was a set menu. The food was just ok. The filet was sweet with the raspberry sauce and the chicken the bf had just tasted like any other curry butter chicken. The deserts tasted like they were just reheated You could get certain sushi rolls if you did ask, but not their entire menu. Not worth it at all. read more

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Anniversary dinner before going out in Gaslamp. We had very tasty food from, the Spicy garlic to the pad Thai. The drinks were also very tasty. Our server Kelsey was super cool, very fun, friendly and attentive They have good music in the background keeping the vibes going all night, with a surprise on your bday! Overall great experience, highly recommend read more

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Five stars for the service! Troy was our server and he was fantastic. He made sure our food and drinks arrived quickly and checked on us just the right amount of times. Great food and even better service. read more

AKA - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Diego, California

Connected with friend while she was in town for a conference. This was minutes from her Airbnb. The service was good and they had a good selection of asian dishes. The speciality cocktails were nice and but the best part of the meal was the server. He was attentive and offered up great suggestions for dinner. read more

Not really a fan of this place even though I really try to like it. Its definately on the expensive side for sushi and looks like everyone there was there for a special occasion. Regardless on the price, the food was just okay. The best thing there was the poke. The presentation looked good. The server was very nice. I couldnt see myself going here again, the price really doesn't justify the taste of the food. It is a fusion restaurant but the combination of the ingredients just didn't match up. Even the drinks were a lil off. read more

AKA - Poke - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Diego, California

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Very fun, almost club like atmosphere. Our sever provided excellent service and helped us celebrate a friend's birthday properly; complete with handheld f Fireworks (of sorts). The food was all delicious and sake was very good. read more

I went on Sunday around 7pm. The service was quick. Ambiance was beautiful. I had the Bluefin Tuna roll. It was fine. I was expecting much more flavor in the sushi rice. The fish was fresh. I'll add that i loved their Sriracha! read more

AKA - Bluefin Tuna Roll - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Diego, California

Pros: The staff is all very friendly The environment is beautiful The sushi was good Cons: The music was so loud I couldn't even talk to the person sitting right next to me The sound system was not mixed properly so the loud music was grating at certain parts The chairs by the window where we were seated are so uncomfortable to sit on because they are rounded that I kept feeling like I was going to slide off. I am short also, and with no good foot rest that lined up for me. It was incredibly difficult to stay in my seat It's pretty expensive for what you get This place is getting two stars from me because I really have no interest in going back ever. I would give it one star except for the staff was really great and attentive. read more

We will definitely go back to AKA. The restaurant had great Asian decor and the food was DELICIOUS ! We particularly liked the Poke Bites as a starter and the lobster fried rice was EXCELLENT, as well as our other dishes. Lastly our server Martin was GREAT! He was very friendly, attentive and all around great server. read more

Came here for my birthday and ordered the filet mignon medium rare. Unfortunately, it was cooked medium instead. For a cut like filet, that difference matters -- medium rare should be tender and juicy. This was noticeably overcooked and much drier than expected. I was really disappointed, especially for a special occasion. At this price point, attention to temperature is basic execution. Hoping they tighten this up, because it took away from what should have been a great night. read more

Might be my new fav restaurant in all of California! 10/10 experience - the food, atmosphere, and service was all amazing

We really enjoyed our time the Food was great and Martin was a great server! The vibes were really cool and I could see it being a fun place on a weekend night read more

I like that they call themselves a boutique - gives your t-shirt that bourgeois feeling. Fantastic assortment of shirts, hoodies, patches, tumblers, doo-dads, etc. Some of the funniest North Park themed t-shirts can be found here - like the one on 'Urban Camping'. Friendly staff too - really helpful with ideas for that ultimate print job. And reasonably priced - I think most of the local businesses uses AKA - which means their rep is solid. Like the 5 star rating I'm leaving. read more

AKA just opened in November and finally had a chance to stop in. I got a seat at the bar at the tail end of happy hour, and ordered the, garlic edamame with butter soy ($5) - it was very flavorful and generous portion. Then salmon and avocado roll ($11) - did not love this - was a bit slimy and too fishy. I initially ordered the Geisha Rita, but it was just too acidic for me today, so my friendly bartender let me switch it out for the dirty chai martini, which was very tasty. Liked the kind of funky but still comfortable ambience. Wish the sushi had been better. read more

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I've seen instagram posts of this restaurant and was excited to visit and take photos of the decor, specifically of the shrine (pillars) from Kyoto. We arrived at 6pm on an early Friday evening, and there were only 2 tables aside from ours. As the night progressed, the restaurant was starting to get somewhat busy. We ordered a bunch of items to share. Ming Sling drink (3/5): tasted alright, but my drink had soo much ice and wasn't filled all the way (see photo, as I hadn't even taken a sip). Yellowtail scallion (3.5/5): good and fresh, but overly priced. Rock Shrimp COCO MAYO (3/5): not bad, but the shrimp were small and also quite pricey. Chicken Kara-Age (3/5): alright. Australian Wagyu drunken noodle (1/5): beautiful presentation, but super bland and flavorless. The meat didn't taste like Wagyu... Would NOT recommend. Dry dan dan Noodle (2/5): better than the Wagyu drunken noodles, but still bland. Kung pao SSC Roll (1/5): so dry. It tasted like store bought sushi. Also would NOT recommend. Fatty tuna (Sashimi) (2.5/5): mushy; didn't taste fresh. The following are some of the better items compared to what's been mentioned. Black Cod (4/5): super tender, per usual. I love black cod for its rich and buttery taste. This dish was sweet and flavorful. Lamb Chops (3.75/5): pretty good. I also enjoyed the green curry it came with. However, one of the chops I had was very tough and inedible. Filet Mignon (3.75/5): pretty good. Quite tender. 20% gratuity was automatically applied to our party of 8. They also added a 3.95% service surcharge. I made a reservation online 6 weeks in advance, and they emailed me asking to select a pre fixe menu and to provide my credit card information to secure our res. I replied to their email 5 TIMES (not exaggerating) and didn't receive a single response! TERRIBLE COMMUNICATION. I was worried we wouldn't have a secured dinner reservation due to their lack of communication... hope they get it together. Anyways, nice atmosphere and decor, but substandard food. Pricing is what you'd expect for downtown. Our server, Mando (?) I believe was his name, was awesome. read more

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we went here for the first time for my birthday weekend and everything was fabulous. The ambience was great very upbeat and vibrant energy. The service was excellent. The food was excellent and everything was good. We'll definitely be back next time we come to San Diego. Roberto was an extremely good waiter very attentive, great personality very friendly. We loved him. He made our experience extra special. We will definitely be back. read more

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Kelsey was very good, she made sure we were taken care of. The food came out very quickly, and it was fun watching the birthday activites. Great ambiance. read more

Food was great. Would recommend the filet mignon and salmon skin salad. Most importantly our server, Cru was on point. He was quick with anything we needed. read more

Came here for our friends birthday! We didn't come with any reservation but the staff was extremely accommodating on a Saturday night for our group of ten. We do recommend to get something on the books in advance. A special shoutout to the hostesses Kelsey, Noelle and the bartenders (Rae, Jacomo). Really awesome vibes! read more

AKA - Asian Fusion Near Me - San Diego, California

We finally came last Friday. Since we were going all over Gaslamp we just. Same for drinks and an appetizer. We've been coming to this location for many years. Since it was Searsucker and Lavo. They have an outstanding location and bar. We get there close to 5:30 and sit at the bar. We ordered a Azaela mocktail and Geisha-Rita. The mocktail had an apple sort of taste to it. My wife liked it. The Geisha-Rita tasted just like a jalapeño Rita that Searsucker used to serve. It was very delicious and had a good amount of heat to it. We ordered the Filet Mingon Potsticker's. I am used to Boston/NY style which have a thicker dough. These are thin dough but are very good. The filling reminded me of exactly on how a potsticker filling should be. Couldn't taste the Filet Mingon however it was delicious. The bartenders were great and very informative. Pablo took care of us and was very nice and quick to serve. We were there for about an hour and it was still kinda dead. They told me it picks up later in the night. That makes sense since it's nightclub oriented. The place is very well designed. It will remind of you of Tao in Vegas. It is very instagramic lol. The bathroom was beautiful as well. Almost didn't want to leave. The damage for a couple drinks and Potstickers was close to $60. We will be back for sure. read more

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Came on a week night and got the Karaage, Dan Dan noodles, Braised short ribs and miso black cod. The karaage was very crispy and juicy, the ponzu aioli was a tasty dip. The Dry Dan Dan noodles were my favorite item of the evening. The noodles were very chewy (in a good way) which I've found only in a handful of restaurants. it came topped with a flavorful ground pork, the noodles were coated lightly with a cream (maybe mayo) based sauce. The cucumbers added a nice freshness and crunch which was a nice contrast to the chewy noodles. The short ribs were very tender and delicious, and the mashed potatoes were creamy, but I didn't really feel it had much of an asian influence despite the black bean curry sauce. Short ribs are usually my go to dish, I'd still recommend them if you're craving short ribs but they don't have a strong asian influence. Maybe if it came on some sort of rice like asian influenced risotto or something. The miso black cod was also good, very tender and moist. Pretty standard at any high end asian place these days. AKA did a good job of it. The place is modern and new, AKA means red in Japanese and the place has a red backlit shelf which reminds me of TAO in Las Vegas. The hallway to the restrooms look like the gates of the iconic Fukushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto. Its a definite photo op that's IG or FB worthy. Service was friendly and attentive, the place is new and modern. Being downtown parking can be tough and the prices a little higher than normal but not unexpected in the Gaslamp. read more

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Loved this place! Went this past weekend for dinner. Had some of the best pad Thai I've ever had. The waitresses/hostess were so nice and attentive. Not to mention the atmosphere is very well done. Will definitely be back! read more