Akai — Restaurant in Saint-Josse-ten-Noode - Sint-Joost-ten-Node

I came to eat at your establishment last weekend. We were served by a friendly, dark-skinned girl with shoulder-length hair. After we finished our meal, she kindly asked if we were ready to leave the table, as the next guests were about to arrive. My friend and I agreed and asked if it was okay for us to have another drink at the bar. She assured us that it was no problem at all.

So, we got up and moved to the bar, where we calmly looked at the drinks menu until we were suddenly approached by a man. He turned out to be the bar manager. Without greeting us or any sense of courtesy, he asked us to vacate our seats because the bar stools were reserved. Surprised, we turned around and explained that the waitress who had served us all evening had told us we could continue our drinks at the bar. In a very aggressive tone, he asked us twice who had given us that information.

Not wanting to get the waitress in trouble, we responded that we no longer remembered who it was. He then reiterated that other customers were waiting for our seats. However, we were also customers, yet he offered us no solution and walked away angrily. My friend and I were in shock at how he had spoken to us. Even the bartenders apologized for his behavior. I felt humiliated, treated like just another number that had to vacate space quickly—despite us having just spent €200 at this establishment and not wanting to start looking for another place to end our evening.

We had come from Antwerp, and I had originally made a reservation for Friday evening, which I canceled because my friend was no longer available. Instead, we booked for Saturday evening—showing that we had planned to have a pleasant night at Akai. Anyway, I saw the bar manager walking back and forth several times, speaking to different people and pointing at us while talking. Meanwhile, my friend asked if she should look for another place, but I was still too shocked to respond. She then went to the restroom, and the same waitress who had served us came to tell me that a spot had become available, apologizing for the manager’s behavior.

I thanked her and told her that she was not the one who should be apologizing. Even if she had miscommunicated with us, a responsible person should never have treated us that way. We stood our ground and continued to have several more drinks. After about an hour and a half, we decided to leave. However, I felt the need to speak to the bar manager and tell him that I did not appreciate how he had treated us.

I approached him subtly and politely, but he immediately became defensive, claiming that we had taken the bar seats without permission and that no one had given us the go-ahead to sit there. In the middle of my explanation, he suddenly walked away when he spotted the waitress with her short, dark hair. He aggressively pulled her aside in front of the entire room, speaking to her in a demeaning manner. I saw the confusion and fear in her eyes and immediately regretted ever speaking to this clearly disturbed person. I apologized to her right away and expressed how unbelievable I found the entire situation.

I also tried to tell the bar manager that it was completely unacceptable to speak to staff that way—let alone physically grab someone like that. His response was, "Come on, she's my friend," while still gripping her arm tightly. My friend and I left in complete shock. We absolutely did not want to create a scene and even refused to escalate the situation with security.

I told him that I would post about this online because this was absolutely unacceptable behavior. His response was: "Go ahead." As an HR manager myself, I was appalled by how we were treated and how I witnessed the staff being treated by this so-called...

First - negatives, then - positives

Negative - nothing beyond sushi is good.

We ordered edamame beans, bao buns, 5 kinds of sushi, salmon, steak, wine, water, dessert and espresso.

Bao buns and dessert were a complete disaster.

Literally, it's a shame to offer it and charge money for it.

Chocolat fondant that "takes 15 minutes to make" arrives not very hot, and clearly re-heated. Nothing fresh about it.

Bao buns - not a dish, but just ingredients thrown together. Stiff pork, soft tasteless bun and that's all, nothing combines and ties those ingredients to become an actual delicious dish.

Water is by default ice-cold, no room temperature.

The AirCon is freaking cold in the beginning.

The overall vibe is off - looks like a touristy trap. Design is not of a high quality. Lots of red, carpeting, design is just very-very subpar.

Also, we waited for the check for 1 hour 20 minutes, and asked 3 waiters for it. This completely killed it off.

Also, when you book a table, you have to link you credit card and you will be charged in case you miss your reservation. That immediately gives a vibe of rip off. Good places don't need that kind of security.

We were late and I called in advance (10 min before our reservation) to let them know what time we will arrive. They then called me back to ask why I'm late. So - no communication and proper system among stuff.

Positives - really really good sushi, very tender and fresh. Literally nothing else is worthy of your time and money, but the sushi.

We spend around 320 euros for 2 people, and given the experience it was...

I had high expectations for Akai, but unfortunately, the experience left a lot to be desired. First, we had to wait far too long for our table, only to find out that it wasn’t even ready when we were finally seated. Service didn’t improve from there—our waiter was somewhat rude and made unnecessary comments about my allergies, which felt dismissive rather than accommodating. Throughout the meal, the waitstaff kept hovering around our table, attempting to take our plates away while we were still eating. It felt rushed and intrusive, as if they were more concerned about turnover than our dining experience. Another major downside was their policy on outside cakes. The charge per person just to bring a cake was extraordinarily expensive, which felt excessive for an already upscale venue. To make matters worse, when I inquired about doing something small for my birthday, I was told they couldn’t accommodate special celebrations. Yet, just minutes later, the table next to us had a full birthday song and candles brought out by the waiters. The inconsistency was frustrating and left a sour taste in an already underwhelming experience.

For the price point, I expected much better service and a more welcoming atmosphere. Unfortunately, Akai didn’t deliver, and I wouldn’t recommend it for a special occasion. I will note that the view is stunning, and the place is pretty for...