Roka Akor - San Francisco

Trying out this restaurant during the SF restaurant week was a really good idea, especially because $90 for a 4-course meal was a little pricey but a good deal nonetheless. Our 4-course dinner included - Course 1 - • Wagyu beef and kimchi dumplings • Shrimp tempura and sweet chili aioli Course 2- • Hamachi serano roll and wasabi aioli • Chef selection sashimi Course 3- • wagyu sirloin with bone marrow and sweet garlic soy Course 4- • Chocolate cake, almond caramel, and vanilla bean ice cream Wagyu beef dumplings were decent and had mild flavors. The dumpling shell was thin with decent filling portions. The shrimp tempura was good, and the sweet chili aioli sauce really elevated the flavors. Hamachi serano roll was good, but the wasabi aioli was very overpowering and strong. It was personally my least favorite dish of the night. The sashimi was fresh. The wagyu sirloin was a bit overcooked and dry, but the bone marrow was sweet and delicious. It was a very good portion size for a 4-course meal. The chocolate cake was the highlight of the dinner. The vanilla bean ice cream had a smooth texture, and it paired really well with the hot chocolate cake with caramel filling. Every item of the dessert paired well with every other item of the dessert to provide an exquisite and mouthwatering experience. Overall, it was a great dining experience.

Absolutely amazing experience all around! The food is incredible. Great flavors, seasonings, fresh quality, made / prepared to perfection. The premium blue fin tuna flight is a must! The only disappointment was that they ran out of bluefin o toro but made up for it with extra chu. The snake river wagyu filet is some of the best I've had. We loved the bone marrow and spicy corn. Portions are good for the price. Lots of indoor dining and we were seated right away. There is also a really nice bar downstairs. The open kitchen makes for great entertainment and adds to the atmosphere. All the servers were friendly and attentive! We loved the chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream to finish the meal. Parking was difficult to find there are some garages a few blocks away. Overall, I would highly recommend and can't wait to return!

Roka Akor feels relaxed, warm, and welcoming with a wonderfully elevated modern touch. The mood lighting seems almost perfectly matched with the smells and sounds emanating from the robata grill and the space feels open, yet cozy. Our service from James was absolutely exquisite. He took the time to help us find a delicious bottle of pinot noir at the start of our meal and we did not once feel rushed to make our decision. The wine selection is approachable but extremely memorable, with reds that pair well with seafood and red meats alike and have flavor profiles pungent enough to linger on your tongue after the smallest sip. The Wagyu Tartare is one of the best beef tartares I’ve ever eaten —it’s a decent portion and comes with deliciously thin taro chips. Not to mention its perfect amount of saltiness from the truffle caviar on top! The truffle flavors really brought a level of depth to such a refreshing dish. The Shishito Peppers with bonito flakes were beautifully charred and had the slightest bit of punch from the pepper’s seeds. We kept this on the table throughout our meal and it served as a great transition between the other dishes! Then we ordered 2 maki rolls — the seared king salmon and dungeness crab roll as well as the himachi serrano chili roll. This ended up being the perfect accidental pairing, as the creaminess and fattiness of the salmon & crab roll was a delightful turn from the mild, but sharp heat of the himachi roll. If you order a steak or the lamb, which I highly recommend you do, do not forget to add bone marrow as a side. The marrow is cooked to perfection and melts in your mouth, as it should, but the most interesting element of the dish is the sweet garlic soy sauce. It blended excellently with the fattiness of the marrow to produce a deeply savory experience that made my eyes roll back in my head. My partner’s mother recommended we go for the Omakase, but we were so eager to try the Wagyu Tartare and Shishito Peppers that we just decided to make our own journey —it’s incredible either way, no doubt, but we will definitely give up our trust to the chef next time!

Came here for NYE/anniversary dinner. The food was exceptional and I was very happy with the portions of the Omakase menu. The dishes were so tasty and carefully curated. I also enjoyed the cocktails. The dessert felt like an afterthought and the inside of the cake was overcooked, as if it had been reheated. Our server was not as attentive as I would have hoped. It's also a bit loud in there but some may enjoy the fact that you can watch the chefs in the exposed kitchen. Overall, this was a nice experience and I would love to return to try more of the menu.