Akira — Restaurant in Eugene

I came across this restaurant while searching for reviews and recommendations from a friend. The name had a slightly more casual feel, which drew me in. I sat at the bar table, watching the chef prepare sushi right in front of me as Ienjoyed my meal. The meal began with a few simple appetizers: potato, beet, and miso soup. The beet was worth recommending, but the potato lacked seasoning and tasted overly plain. One thing that struck me as odd was the miso soup—it had an oily surface, which felt unfamiliar and slightly off-putting. The nigiri was skillfully crafted by the chef. The rice portion was well-balanced in relation to the size and thickness of the fish, and the wasabi was placed between the rice and fish, with a light soy-based glaze brushed on top—giving it a traditional touch. The chef’s expertise was evident in the delicate knife work on the fish, making it more tender, and in the personalized sauces applied to each piece. These techniques reflected a high level of craftsmanship. However, I felt the rice lacked depth of flavor, and the fresh wasabi had little to no kick. There was no sharpness when biting into the sushi. Perhaps this was an intentional choice to appeal to a broader audience with milder flavors, but personally, I would have preferred a more distinctly Japanese taste. As for feedback to the restaurant: I believe more care should be taken when plating dishes—any spills or smudges around the plate should be cleaned before serving. Also, if a dish is returned due to lack of flavor, the restaurant should be willing to accept it (unless the customer has already eaten more than a third of it). Refusing a return over a single $6 item could prevent a customer who spends over $150 per visit from returning. Aside from the overly simplistic and somewhat rude service from one of the servers, I found the restaurant overall to be quite good. The entrance featured a subtly maintained garden, decorated posters and artwork, and a second-floor dining area with casual seating for groups—all of which gave off a trendy, hip vibe. I do plan to return, and I...

Akira is a beautiful neighborhood restaurant located near Coldfire Brewing in the Eugene Historic District. Paying for food here will not be economic. If that's not a problem, then you'll enjoy their minimalistic yet perfect menu that fills the back of the 3 or 4 page cocktail booklet, also minimalistic.

Akira is first and foremost a cocktail place, and is eponymously named for the tour-de-force, cult classic animated movie released Christmas, 1989, but the restaurant is different. It's the kind of place you go and feel stupid awesome for dining and drinking at because few else know of it except the locals who will fill but never pack the restaurant.

When you first step foot inside, you'll find a calm yet lively energy. Combined with the dim lighting and cozy wooden aesthetic that will make you feel like you've found home for the first time all over again, and in a restaurant no less, Akira's atmosphere reflects a fun night out, somewhere between casual enough to hang out at with a small group of friends , and formal enough to feel special for date night.

I ate upstairs in a living room-sized mezzanine that feels more giant attic than living room. I happily devoured two scotch eggs, beautifully made, and kimichi beef as well as tempura shrimp, all absolutely stunning and mouthwatering, so delicious they flitted from one tastebud to the next until they filled my mouth with euphoria so good I didn't mind paying the $8 each plate cost.

I didn't drink since I'd finished the ale trail that day, but next time you and your friend(s) or significant other look for somewhere to drink and eat, go to Akira.

P.S. The menus were hidden inside old comics from the 80s. I got a window seat next to the bar at sunset. While downstairs was full, I was the only one up there, and had the whole...

We arrived at 5:05 on Saturday and were seated immediately upstairs. The host said there was no menu difference from the sushi counter, just that upstairs was "more intimate.

After we ordered, we were told the chef's special nigiri was only available at the sushi counter because they got slammed. Fine, we pivoted and ordered karaage, two nigiri, and two rolls. Here's where it went downhill:

5:15 - Karaage and first drinks arrived quickly 7:00 - Had to flag down server for second round of drinks 7:10 - Finally got our nigiri (2 hours after ordering) 7:15 - Second drinks arrived 7:35 - Server asked if we were still waiting on rolls, said they'd rush them 7:45 - Rolls finally came out

So we sat there for nearly 3 hours total for what ended up being pretty average sushi. I've honestly had better at corner spots in K-Town.

But we weren't the only ones. The family next to us was complaining about waiting 2 hours for their food. Another table watched their sushi order get delivered to a table that arrived after them - they'd been waiting 2 hours and were told it went to the other table first because "they only ordered 1, not 2." The kicker? As we're leaving, they're serving the chef's special nigiri to the table behind us - the same thing we were told wasn't available upstairs.

I get that Saturday nights get crazy, but when multiple tables are dealing with 2+ hour waits that's a kitchen management issue, not...