Akasha
Culver City, CA 90232
Phone: (310) 845-1700
- Price:
- $$$
- Cross Street:
- Watseka Avenue
- Hours:
- Mon-Sat 7am-11pm
Editorial Review for Akasha – by Martha Burr
In Short
Like moths to a flame, celebs, artists and foodies are rushing to make this eco-friendly haunt the hottest spot in Culver City. Just try to get a reservation on a weekend--then ignore Jason Bateman or Alicia Silverstone as you saunter to your acid-washed copper table and hemp banquette. Owner Akasha Richond (former chef to Barbra Streisand) goes full-throttle with organic and sustainable food, wine and decor--the hot young waiters even wear organic-cotton Levis. Non-vegetarians will enjoy dishes like wild pepper scallops, rustic mushroom tart, and pork chops with sambazon acai.
Hits: As Culver City's energy approaches white hot, this is a place to look good and feel good with food that's healthy, organic, artisanal and sustainable.
Misses: Reservations are scarce, especially on weekends, and the evening chatter can get a bit loud.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Where to SitFor those without reservations, the long and lively bar--which overlooks the scene--offers 30 wines by the glass ($9 to $18), and serves the full menu. The patio seating on Culver is lovely for al fresco dining and preening, especially in nice weather.
The ExtrasThe smaller side of the restaurant houses the bakery counter and satiny teak communal tables, where you can get fair trade coffee and organic teas along with a wide array of organic baked goods including lemon bars, apple tart, carrot cake and assorted cupcakes.
What to DrinkArtisan boutique wines from small estates form a medium-sized wine list that focuses on organic and biodynamic producers. Corkage is $25. House cocktails feature fresh juices and organic spirits like Juniper organic gin and small batch tequila.
User Reviews for Akasha
05/06/2008 Posted by sipandswirl
My husband and I took his parents to this place, expecting it to be so amazing. Visually it is stunning, but the service was embarrassing, the food was either bland, cold, or too spicy. Nothing went right the entire evening. My husband ordered wine and it was corked. The second glass was terrible too. The server had no personality, no wine knowledge, no menu knowledge. When the manager came over to see how our night went we told him honestly of our experience and her just walked away without any attempt at making the situation better for us. We were not interested in any financial freebies, we just wanted to be honest in our experience - it was the worst. We will never come back.
Pros: bartender was great!
Cons: service, food, overall experience horrible
05/04/2008 Posted by cherylstar
I feel compelled to write a review because I've been hearing and reading nothing but good reviews from good sources that I have discovered were mostly false, at least in our experience. Last night (5/3) my husband and I decided to check out our new Culver City hot spot on a whim and there was very little to rave about. Without a reservation, we were seated outside in the wind with perhaps the least effective heaters imagineable, but we were greeted quickly and our waitress was funny and sympathized with our situation. She suggested a few nice sounding things, but I found the menu to be small and on the boring side for the price ($20-$30). We ordered a decent bottle of wine on the cheaper side (the wine list is good and priced reasonably), a completely boring salad, a completely boring pizza, and the tiny and more "meh..." than "wow!" shortribs. The only reason I'm giving it two stars is because our waitress was great (ask for Bren if you want to be taken care of) and the wine list isn't shabby (although being around the corner from Bottlerock, it's not something I'd really come back for).
Pros: Service and wine list
Cons: Tiny bland portions, outside seating, too expensive for its worth
