I've eaten here four times. The first time we got one very good dish and one dish that was mediocre. Second time I got that very good dish. The third time was during the middle of the pandemic and it was wonderful. I lost my job so I hadn't been back for awhile, but can now afford it. Unfortunately I had a very disappointing experience this time. I ordered the scallops. The scallops were very good. But it was $45 for three scallops. I realize The prices have gone way up but I think $15 per scallop is a bit over the top I was hoping for at least five. I would not be complaining one bit if that was all, but the side dish was reprehensible. Some of the asparagus was fine but a significant amount was stringy and had to spit out some of it. I love black pepper to the extent that servers have looked at me because I want so much on my salad. But this had several very big chunks of pepper that overwhelmed the pallet such that in most bites that's all I could really taste. Seriously, most meals that I make for myself for around eight dollars I enjoy far more than this dish. I think it is great that restaurants rotate their menus but I was disappointed that they didn't have the amazing soup that they had the last time I was there. I am wondering if there's a new chef? Anyone know? Hesitant to return. read more

Amazing food. Had the Mapo todu donabe and the KFC, it was cooked beautifully. My friends had the balinese chicken and salad and both of them loved their dishes as well. The use of spices was masterful and everything was as cooked to perfection. read more

Went to Akar because they had heated patio dining in February! We got the Duck and Lamb shank. Both were very delicious. If you are looking for a COVID safe dining experience for a special day I would highly recommend visiting Akar's patio! read more

Akar - Lamb shank - Asian Fusion Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

Very good and flavorful. The portions are large. I was pleasantly surprised by the vegan options. The mapo tofu was truly delicious with a perfectly spiced broth. My partner ordered the Cornish hen and kept raving about it. My review vastly undersells the quality of this place. It's worth the price! read more

I have been dying to try Akar and I am so happy I was able to order curbside during quarantine. I tried the chicken tikka masala which was full of flavor! It was actually really spicy, definitely the spiciest version of this dish I've ever had. I love spicy food but this was really spicy. I hate half that night and finished the rest for lunch the next day. I loved the flavor of the food and would definitely love to come back for dine in and experience other dishes. I've been wanting to try their brunch menu as well. I'll definitely be back. read more

Tiny tiny tiny. But very unique dishes. It felt like I was having dinner at a fancy friends house. The staff was great. Everything was delicious. You can't go wrong. read more

Disappointed service. Waited there and no one greeted us even when there's a table open in front of me.

This place is absolutely amazing. Only have been here twice and every time we go we only have great things to say. Let's start by just the staff. I feel like our long lost friends. I absolutely love the intimacy here. The food is upscale but you definitely do not feel like you're at a stuffy restaurant. We chatted with Bernie and he's so amazing, pleasant, just the sweetest person. The food...I can't say how much we love it. We order the same "protein" of the dish and still it is amazingly different. So much flavor but nothing over powering. If we didn't live so far we'd be here so much more often. We will be back to enjoy all the food and pleasantry very soon. This time we won't wait so long. read more

Akar - Lamb Shank and Sea Bass - Asian Fusion Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

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Akar has become my favorite restaurant for 2019. Chef Bernie brings a different culinary spirit to Wydown Boulevard stretch in Clayton. Their menu offers creative Asian cuisine that seems to reflect Bernie's many food journeys. The menu feels personal. My friend and I really enjoyed every dish we ordered. A couple of notes: 1. The space is pretty small and intimate. The inside seats about 12. In the summer, I recommend sitting outside their patio. This would be a great place for a date. 2. The short ribs were delicious. It had a lot of great Asian flavor. The rangoon "ravioli" is just a rangoon. I would ditch the ravioli in the title and call it what it is. It was delicious and comes with a sweet dipping sauce. 3. Our waiter was very friendly and professional. He took care of us and made sure we enjoyed our evening. Overall, I would definitely come back here again to try other items on their menu. I look forward to another summer night at their patio. read more

Awesome spot for a date night dinner! My wife and I are road tripping from NC to ID and this was our favorite spot so far! Service was excellent and the food was next level! We had the Lobster Rangoons, the Fish of the Day and the Lamb Shank special There was a surprising amount of lobster in the rangoons, and the sauce was delicious! The lamb shank fell off the bone, and paired well with the quinoa and broccoli The market fish was sea bass and it absolutely melted in your mouth, couldn't be happier We had the Chocolate Lava Cake to finish it all off, and like the rest of our food, it was to die for... read more

A family member recommended we try this restaurant while we were In town for a visit. Sooo glad we did! We had a table in the heated tent and were very comfortable. We started with a soft shell crab appetizer and the fresh baked bread service. Both were delicious! For entrees, two of us had the fish of the day, which was Chilean Sea Bass. Yum! The 3rd meal was Sweet Potato Gnocchi. A lovely vegetarian option with a little bit of spicy curry. We finished our meal with a chocolate lava cake with fresh raspberry compote. Everything was wonderful and our server was attentive and very friendly! Highly recommend Akar! read more

Wonderful, homemade & different than an average night out! Great for a date night. Cozy quaint & friendly.

It was abundantly clear at 5:30 PM with only one person sitting in the dining room that sitting me in the dining room was going to cause some kind of disruption.??? They actually had to discuss it on a Wednesday night. They must be super Duper awesome. Hopefully for them it stays that way. They offered me an uncomfortable bar seat, and I simply said have a nice day. No restaurant is worth feeling this slighted over. And,, they were happy to turn away my business. Absolutely amazing! best of luck. read more

Kind, attentive waitstaff greeted us from our arrival. We had a very short wait for our table inside but were seated promptly at our reservation time. Everything we ate was incredible. The potstickers were especially succulent. I ate the duck special which was so tender and served with an incredibly flavorful cilantro chimichurri. I can't wait to come back again soon and try more of the menu. read more

Wow! This place is just amazing and made me leave full and happy. I was like wow! This place definitely ups St. Louis's food scene game! I live in LA now and every time I come home to St. Louis I feel the food can't compare, but this hit the spot. We got the soft shell crab and the Haka stuffed peppers for appetizers and they were just incredible. We then got the short ribs, the fish of the day (halibut), noodles, and the hen. Every bite was just amazing. My favorite was definitely the short ribs; it was tender and juicy and the meat just fell off the bone. To finish off, we got three desserts to share because we couldn't decide: bread pudding, green tea creme brûlée, and green tea cheesecake. My personal favorite was the creme brûlée and it was topped with figs. It was absolutely genius. This meal made me rethink about moving back to stl just to be able to enjoy this more often haha. Will definitely come back!!! Thank you to my new favorite stl restaurant. read more

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One of the best restaurants in St. Louis - if you can get table! Get reservation or go early. The lobster appetizer is fantastic as is the wine list and the cocktails. TWO THUMBS UP! read more

We drove to Clayton specifically to dine here and didnt realize it would be so tiny - we were lucky to be seated at the bar without a reservation; besides that, there are really only 3 tables in this intimate space. The menu features a variety of different offerings, with some Asian inspiration - e.g. we started with delicious roasted shishito peppers that were perfectly tender and well seasoned. For the mains, I ordered the lamb shank and reveled in the juicy, flavorful meat that gently fell from the bone in the very best way. Everything seemed thoughtfully crafted and we felt totally spoiled by our meal. Memorable dining experience that we are still talking about months later! I highly recommend! read more

Akar - Shishito peppers - Asian Fusion Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

Great service and atmosphere for a special occasion. I had the seared tuna and it was wonderful. I will definitely be back.

We had a reservation. Ambience was nice. Had the lamb shank and it was delicious! We got our food quickly and waiter was great.

First time ordering. Husband in rehab & needed a meal because I didn't want to cook & didn't want fast food. My stepson & I ordered the potstickers, Rangoon, kabocha bisque, KFC, sweet potato gnocchi & the mini baguette. Everything was delicious. Gnocchi were perfect- not gummy or dense. Rangoon with real lobster was amazing. It was a perfect meal ( with leftovers , woohoo) after a very tense week. We are now spoiled. We will be back. Thank you Akar for a wonderful experience. read more

Great spot for fusion food and great service. Had a dinner for 5 for business outside on the patio and enjoyed it. The escargot special was a highlight as were the lobster toasted ravoli. Delicious Barolo. read more

We had such a great experience from top to bottom at this fabulous new restaurant in Clayton. We started with a couple of well thought out cocktails then went on to a few of the small plates all of which were amazing. We ordered both of the specials. The pork chop was cooked perfectly and the market fish of the evening was amazing. We spoke with a table next to us and they said the short ribs are the best they have ever had. The wine list is top notch and is perfectly appointed for the menu. This place is a great addition to the neighborhood that you must try. We will be regulars. read more

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Small Clayton eatery with big flavor! Get the soft shell crab and the Cornish hen, save room for a desert and order from the cocktail list! read more

Akar - Cornish hen / garlic green beans / sticky rice on bottom. - Asian Fusion Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

Went last night. Service, food and drinks were all outstanding! Our servers Veronica and Mark were excellent and fun! The soft shell crab appetizer was ridiculous. We had the Lamb shank and Chilean sea bass. Never tasted anything so amazing. If you want a remarkable dining experience Akar is a must. read more

Went for dinner and it was all amazing! Started with the lobster Rangoon ravioli - it was so fresh and the perfect amount of lobster. We also had the chicken satay - the peanut sauce was delicious. My boyfriend couldn't get enough of the Cornish hen with sticky rice and mushrooms - it was extremely tender. The Brussels sprouts were a wonderful pairing to the whole meal. We cannot wait to go back! read more

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The food here was delicious. I had the short ribs which was cooked perfectly. We had the chicken satay for appetizer which was also really good. My dad got the fish which was also tasty. The dessert was also phenomenal especially the goat cheese cheesecake. read more

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So glad our friend recommended Akar. What a neat dining experience. Darling restaurant, great ambience. My short ribs were uh-mazing. They were recommended by our fabulous waiter Curtis. My husband had the fish special which was sea bass. He loved it. We didn't have time for dessert, but Curtis brought us a scoop of the most delicious vegan ice cream while he got our bill together. We shall return! The only thing that would have made it better was if we had gotten to meet the chef/owner. We really enjoyed his episode on "Food is Love". read more

Bernie Lee has outdone himself yet again. Such a very thoughtful combination of his roots and fresh cuisine. The menu is so unique and well priced. I love all of the Vegan and gluten free options to choose from. We started w a fresh tomato and mozzarella salad w crab chunks over the top and chimichurri, followed by the fresh fish of the day. For dessert we a banana foster bread pudding w @clementinescreamery vegan ice cream. It was awesome. read more

Have had the pleasure of dining here twice. Top notch. Delicious, unique, well-prepared food; excellent service. The lamb shank, Balinese chicken, sweet potato gnocchi, and tempura soft shell crab made our two visits worth it. Looking forward to trying the Ma Po Tofu on our third. read more

Everything sounded fantastic- so we ordered most of the menu to split between the four of us. We nearly licked all the containers. It was food coma worthy. read more

Both the food and service were incredible. The space is very quaint and beautifully done. It's likely Clayton's tiniest treasure. read more

Akar - Short rib - Asian Fusion Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

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Went about a week ago during COVID, they were very accommodating, allowing us to call ahead to ensure we could get a table. Like most places, they're offering outside seating on the patio. Food was amazing, had the burrata salad (I think it was a special) and the lamb shank which was DELICIOUS. The lamb shank portion was huge. Our waitress was so kind, provided several menu recommendations to our group and overheard that we had a birthday and gave us a dessert. Highly recommend, definitely a gem in St. Louis! read more

Akar - Lamb Shank with cous cous - Asian Fusion Near Me - St. Louis, Missouri

This truly was one of the best dining experiences of my life! The food was incredible, the staff was incredibly knowable about all things! This place is a gem, it is tiny and had a quaint dim atmosphere. If you haven't been in to check them out it's a MUST! Can't wait to go back. read more

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Go early if you don't have reservations and get the lobster appetizer it's fantastic!

The dining experience started with Jordan and Angela serving us. They were bright and helpful since it was our first time there. We wanted to get the full experience so we ordered the snapper, the pot stickers, the lobster Rangoon The cabbage slaw, and the roasted carrots. Each of them were unique in flavor and prepared to pre-fraction. The wine which often times is a problem for me because I like a dry rose was perfect. I can't wait to go back read more

Wow! Extraordinary! Delicious! The service is superb. The dining experience is amazing.

Must try Clayton restaurant on Wydown. Small and elegant restaurant that presents craft and fusion cuisine. Good place for date nights and reservations are must! Chicken meat balls and Gnocchi are my favorite read more

Great food and wonderful owner. Nice outdoor dining experience. Parking is tough in the neighborhood.

I'm not a chicken n waffles kinda dude, but this was savage. The service was great, the drinks delish. Come get some!

Wow! We were staying for one night at the nearby Le Maredien and Yelped for nearby restaurants. Akar came up with plenty of great reviews so we came here. So glad we did! Unique takes on every Asian inspired dish....and everything was a hit. My ma po tofu was different than any other I have had....in the best way possible. The vegetable potstickers were elevated....so much so we ordered another round. My wife's sweet potato gnocchi was completely unique and perfect. We sat in their outside enclosed patio on a cool and rainy evening, but it was well heated and very comfortable. Service was pleasant, attentive, informative and friendly. We have been in the road for a week doing college visits for our daughter (and in this Covid era, that means dining is of course somewhat different).....but so cool that even now gems like Akar are out there and delivering a great dining! read more