Aka Tombo

Cute and quaint little Japanese restaurant, more designed for a sit down meal than your grab-​and-​go style sushi.
I came here for lunch on a weekday and found it a bit too expensive for what you got, but that wouldn’t stop me from coming back to try it at dinner. If you are considering it for lunch, go for the lunch set menu items around the $ 20 mark.
I often find with these small Japanese restaurants in Melbourne that you really need to go for the main meal options to get better value, and I always find up ordering the sashimi or sushi anyway! I liked the flavour of their spicy tuna roll but it was a bit cumbersome to eat (rolled very large!) and at $ 16 I wouldn’t order it again.
Probably closer to 3.5 stars in rating. The venue is peaceful, staff are friendly and its a good option if you’re looking for Japanese on Greville.

We were super impressed with our dining experience at Aka Tombo.
First impressions were of it to be a small authentic Japanese restaurant. Wait staff were very knowledgeable and very helpful.
We started with our standard edamame and Sapporo (on tap) and worked our way through the entrée’s of gyoza & salmon sashimi.
We even had some Sake. Wow, it was delicious and such a creeper! We kind of stumbled out onto Greville street on our departure!
I thoroughly enjoyed my wagyu steak and potato salad as a main dish with tempura vegetables on the side.
Aka Tombo is a super fave now. Highly recommend.

Recently renovated Aka Tombo both the restaurant and the menu have changed. Although you can no longer sit at the bar and watch your food being prepared the quality of the Japanese cuisine is still exceptional.
So a year later, and the team is still producing quality Japanese cuisine. The walls dorned with paper cranes and the lighting dim but perfect for that intimate dinner.
If you love tofu you can’t go wrong with the agadashi tofu!

Aka Tombo. Just wow. I was incredibly impressed with the quality of the food here. Ended up coming here out of chance — I was in the area and looked up nearby Japanese restaurants on Unilocal and this one stood out. I’m glad I decided to check it out!
~ The staff are amazing. Inherent to legitimate Japanese restaurants, all the staff welcomed us when we entered. The young boy who served us was professional and courteous. My dining partner is vegetarian and questioned whether one of the items on the menu were was meat-​free, and ultimately decided to order something else because it wasn’t. Then, the waiter came back a few minutes later to let him know that the other item he ordered also contained fish, wondering whether my partner would like to change his order. This attention to detail is what more restaurants need.
Similarly, when presenting us with edamame, the waiter asked us if we knew how to eat it properly. Being Japanese cuisine experts, naturally we did. But it was a nice thought anyway, and the fact that the staff are prepared to teach customers how to eat the cuisine in a traditional fashion is noteworthy.
~ Each table had a candle. I love candles. I love tables with candles. A+.
~ As mentioned above, the staff here are legitimately Japanese. There seems to be an increasing trend in Melbourne for quasi-​Japanese restaurants that are actually run by Chinese or some other oriental people assuming that no one would be able to tell the difference. This is not the case at Aka Tombo, and you can certainly tell by the quality of the food, the presentation, and the mannerisms of the staff.
Downsides:
~ Pretty expensive. Japanese food always tends to be on the higher end of restaurant pricings, but just be warned: I had the chef’s special (5 best pieces of fish that day) I feel that $ 21 for five pieces of sushi is quite pricey, and it wasn’t particularly satiating.
~ Small food portions. For the price you pay, the serving sizes are horrible small. Amongst getting quite a few dishes between the two of us (and simultaneously breaking the bank) we still left the restaurant feeling like we could eat more.
If you are an authentic Japanese experience, this is the place. But be prepared that it will also most likely break the bank. A great place to bring a friend or go on a date — the atmosphere is divine. Not sure how well this place would be able to manage a group, though.
NB: Came here at 20:00 on a Saturday night and there was only one other group of two people here. Not sure about Samantha H.‘s comments about «bookings necessary», but we certainly didn’t need one and from my experience you won’t need one either.

Much respect to you sir for opening your restaurant and sharing your pride and knowledge with the rest of us! Ive never enjoyed better sushi or any of the fine food created here. The best!
Enter into small and comfortable Aka Tambo and leave the trendy, shiny sushiramas behind. Here you will see a simple and functional kitchen in the corner and a knife skills master directing the flow of beautiful dishes about to come your way. Smiling and soft-​spoken servers help you get started into a great experience. Please, order some saki (the Jozen is exceptional) and slow down as everything is made to order here. I can recommend;
Chefs Special– 5 best pieces of fish that day.
Kingfish nigiri– too smooth!
Japanese sardine– a first for me and a pleasant surprise.
Hotate Shumai– scallop dumpling, a house specialty.
Chawan Mushi– an eel custard that is savory and amazing. Don’t burn your tongue!
Ive tried alot of new things here and never was disappointed. You should too…
Aka Tambo is the new standard for me. After many meals here I always feel as if I’ve just had a special treat. Also, take a friend or a date but I think a group spoils things and isn’t the best fit. Enjoy!!!

After hearing my friends rave about this genuinely Japanese restaurant in Prahran, I decided a visit was indeed in order. Incidentally, one of the best decisions I’ve made this week!
First off, I was glad that the staff and chef were true-​blue Japs and not just oriental people assuming that no one would be able to tell the difference. Secondly, when the sashimi arrived, I literally started grabbing my partners hand because it was so fresh, so delicious and so authentic that I felt like I was having an out of body experience. In fact, I really felt I was in Japan!
Okay you might call me a drama-​queen now but for a little eatery like this to dish out such amazing quality, I really was speechless at the time and all I could do was savour the moment.
Must try dishes include the wide assortment of light, delicious tempura and and the fried eggplant. Keep in mind however that the prices are a little steep when compared with some other Jap places but the quality outweighs this hands down.

Aka Tombo is a tiny little authentic Japanese restaurant tucked away at the end of Greville Street.
The menu isn’t enormous, but what they have is very tasty. They also have an interesting selection of saki.
If you like your sushi fresh and prepared under your nose and your soba noodles fragrant and slurpable, pick up the phone and make a reservation now. But don’t try going without a reservation. It won’t happen.