Akiro Hand Roll Bar — Restaurant in Madrid

Where to start. This restaurant deserves the recognition it has received. It is the perfect blend of my two favorite cuisines: Peruvian and Japanese. I have been to many Peruvian and Japanese fusions and I also have regularly eaten at hand roll bars but Akiro is something special. The quality of the ingredients are amazing (the fish is always fresh), and the flavors are perfectly balanced and authentic. My parents and I ate here 3 times during our trip. We couldn’t get enough. Our top three were the Acevichado roll, the Cangrejo roll, and the Pulpo Nuevo roll. Our first time we also tried the calmar and tuna nigiris and the Tiradito de corvina. They were amazing, especially the calamar nigiri, but the rolls outshine them completely. The last 2 times we just stuck with the hand rolls. Besides the food, the atmosphere is modern and hip. It is not a place to take your time with eating and having long personal conversation. You are sitting next to strangers which is common at hand roll bars. The service is great and the bathrooms are in amazing condition. One thing to note is that they do not take reservations, they operate on a “first come, first serve” basis. Be sure to come early or be sure to be prepared to wait or even be...

Great restaurant was an authentic Japanese vibe. The food was great, however - I thought the handrolls weren't the best, despite the restaurant being called a "hand roll bar". The reason is that the rice they used was not authentic Japanese rice and was too sticky, vinegary, and mushy. The other dishes I had were excellent - especially the sashimi and the nigiris (where the rice quantity was minimal). Nigiri sizes were on the small side but otherwise quality and freshness of the fish was great. Definitely try the Wagyu as well - it's amazing.

Beyond the food, our waiter spilled the coca cola that was on his tray over and messed a bit on my partner's scarf and earmuffs that were on her chair. It tipped over when he removed an item from the tray whilst serving. I found this a bit disappointing as this is a basic waiter training skill. Fortunately we were able to clean the scarf and earmuffs - but for a high-end restaurant like this, it isn't something I would've ever expected.

Overall, I'd come back again to have the sashimi and the wagyu next time that...

For a restaurant that claims to offer cuisine of this standard, the service is thoroughly disappointing—bordering on outright rude. Waiting hours for a table is understandable at a no-reservation establishment, but one would at least expect an experience that justifies the effort. Instead, the staff here are astonishingly rude, rushing guests through their orders with irritation and treating customers as little more than an inconvenience.

I arrived before opening to secure a spot, I was first in line. However, when my turn came, and my friend was just two blocks away, the hostess insisted I leave and rejoin the back of the now 100-person queue—an unnecessarily rigid and ungracious response. An appalling lack of respect after having already waited 30 mins.

Frankly, the hype is laughable, Madrid has far better Nikkei or Sushi restaurants where service the guest experience are priorities.

If you value your dignity steer clear of this establishment and get yourself a reservation at a...