Roka Akor | Scottsdale
| Address: | 7299 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85258, USA |
| Phone: | +1 480-306-8800 |
| Site: | rokaakor.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 4:30–10PM 4:30–10PM 4:30–10PM 4:30–10PM 4:30–11PM 4:30–11PM 4:30–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Emily Garcia
I came here for Restaurant Week and even though I know RW is often not indicative of the restaurants regular performance and offerings, I couldnt justify paying so much for Roka Akor on a regular night. Overall we had great service and a pretty flawlessly executed meal. Here is what we ordered: (1a) Bone marrow with black garlic: this was the best thing we had all night, 99.9% because of the amazing black garlic spread. It was pungent, aromatic and bursting with flavor. A perfect match for the fatty bone marrow that always tastes so good on plain toast. A great start. (1b) Butterfish Tataki with Yuzu Shallot: this was just 4 small bites of butterfish, served very cleanly and fresh. The fish was fatty and delicious, with the yuzu shallot dressing barely present. (2a) Grilled Skirt Steak with Shiso Chimichurri: I enjoyed this chimichurri because it was served with a hint more spice than what I am used to, but besides that it was very traditional. The steak was served rare (as requested) and had a good chew to it. The fried rice ball that came with it didnt really go well with the dish, but it was something that was attached to all entrees for some weird reason. (2b) Honey Glazed Salmon: The salmon was cooked perfectly and after drowning it in some lime juice, the flavor of lime and honey was pretty spot on. The picked cucumbers (not sure why they didnt just call them "pickles") was a refreshing side. (3a) Lemon "souffle": I actually envisioned a souffle when I ordered it but instead was faced with a disappointingly short and dense tart with toppings on it. The server told me that they used quotation marks around "souffle" because they were all made in advance instead of to order. I dont think Roka Akor knows what a souffle is, but it was most definitely nothing near what this dessert was. (3b)‘Purin’ with Smoked Almonds and Mango: This was a great dessert. It tasted similar to a flan with pieces of sugar brittle and nuts. It was creamy, not overly sweet and very satisfying. At $40 a person, we had a pretty satisfying meal worth the price, which is often a hard thing to accomplish. I would consider trying Roka at another time, when I feel like spending the cash.
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Alexandrea Walsh
Restaurant was under par and waiter was not attentive whatsoever. When we were seated, we requested a table but were told since we didnt have a reservation that we had to sit at the bar. There were 5 open tables. We requested the manager and told him we were not comfortable sitting at the bar since we would both face the same direction and was not good for conversation. Did I mention we had our daughter with us that sits in a booster chair? Anyways, manager accomadated us after my husband said if we were not seated at a table that we would be on our way. Once we were seated, the waiter rambled about their specials and pricing. My husband became annoyed and interuped the man and said he was ready to order. He ordered a Macallen on the rocks and when I asked about sweet red wines they had, the waiter said he didnt have any knowledge of any so I ordered a Manhattan with Woodford instead of Knob bourbon. He warned it may be a dollar more who cares if you are already spending. $15/drink... We also ordered a dozen oysters, 2 orders of sashimi, and miso soup as appetizers. After that, a hostess and restaurant manager had to wait on us after the so called waiter never returned until we had to ask for our tab from the hostess. The waiter came over the manager brought the bill to us of $259.00 for 2 and a baby... The waiter heard me say how Ive seen the manager and hostess more than the waiter. All the waiter did was walk away. I didnt want to leave a tip, but my husband did of $10 in case they split tips. The food was okay, but not worth their pricing. It was not real Japanese. All of their kitchen staff was Hispanic not very professional either. The manager offered his business card for the inconvience. Said hed buy us a round of cocktails next time. No discount. Do you think after spending over $250.00 that we would return for a cheap drink?? Baffoons! We will never be back. We spend a lot going out since we both work many hours in the medical profession. We didnt care about cost, but we did expect a great experience with the food and cannot emphasize good service!!
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A Private User
If you like Japanese food, this is the best restaurant in Scottsdale. The rice dishes are excellent - with wonderful texture and complex taste. Everything weve had off the charcoal grill has been wonderful. Yes, the yakitori came up a little short but weve been spoiled by the real thing in small dives under the elevated train tracks in Yurakucho, Tokyo - its impossible to simulate that atmosphere and taste! Everything else is so tasty and authentic that youll wish you were born Japanese and could visit a robatayaki-ya like Roka Akor every week. Start with the kimchi and edamame as it should be prepared. Outstanding sho-chu drinks. All the grilled fish - heaven. Weve been over 10 times and we were only slightly disappointed once. On our last visit we watched someone actually clean the entry area 3 times while we ate. Its that attention to detail - including the pure water ice block used in the drinks - that makes Roka Akor several steps above anything else. In London, Macau and Scottsdale. Dont delay - highly recommended.
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Samantha Berg
Super delicious food, cozy ambiance, great service. Came here with my mom on a Monday night around 6:30pm. We were seated immediately and ordered some small plates to share. We got some kind of special octopus roll, the brussels sprouts, pork belly, and scallop nigiri. Octopus roll - just ok, nothing special or superbly delicious. I was hoping for more - the octopus got lost with everything else in the roll. Brussels sprouts - topped with bonita flakes. Really awesome, well caramelized and dark flavors. I wanted bowls of this. Pork belly - super crispy and fatty, perfectly cooked. Scallop nigiri - they were out of fresh truffle so they subbed truffle butter instead. The scallop was very rich in truffle but not so much so that it was overpowering or took away from the scallop flavor. My only disappointment was how tiny the dish was - just two bites of scallop! It wasnt quite enough food for both of us, but Mom wasnt too hungry so that was where we ended the evening. Id love to come back another time and try more.
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Rich S
Excellent quality and service. However, why is it that the more you pay the less one gets? This has become one of THOSE restaurants. My wife loves sushi and was so looking forward to dining here. Unfortunately, the ridiculously high prices and extremely minimal quantity basically ruined our experience. The tuna sushi pieces and rolls were about half or less of what we are served when dining at most other sushi restaurants. Sensei in the Hawaiian islands is world renown but still maintains quality and quantity at reasonable prices. If they can do it why cant Roka Akor? Akai Hana in Goodyear serves huge portions. Really, it just is not worth it unless money is no object for you.....sorry but its true.
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A Private User
I was looking forward to going to this place, and Im not one to write negative reviews but we were charged $4 for an ice tea and $7 for a lemonade. $7!!! Not a hard lemonade...just a lemonade. Seriously? Food had very good flavor but very small portions for the price. Salmon Sushi appetizer was very good, but there were 4 bite sized pieces for $12. $3 for one bite. I was just very dissappointed in the pricing. If youre a rich scottsdale cat who doesnt care about money, this is the snooty place for you. Like I said, food was flavorful. But for reasonable people who think lemonade should be no more than $2.50 tops, and you shouldnt pay $40 per person and leave hungry, look elsewhere.
