Akira is the only restaurant I know of to take a transition from a Polish restaurant to a pan-Asian restaurant. Remarkably, owner Kelly successfully did this by keeping the very best features of its precursor restaurant, the Butt?ry. The first feature to jump out is a huge oil painting of Polish rustic scenery. The second feature is the lunch menu. The bread is prepared exactly the same way as the previous owners had it. This lunch menu, like the previous owner?s, is affordable. The major changes in the restaurant are in the dinner menu, which is pan-Asian. The dinner is slightly pricey, but the food is worth the price. For instance, the dragon maki is the best dragon maki I have ever had. The other observable change is in the choice of music. The current owner plays a light jazz piano.
Besides the lunch, the other thing I?m glad has not changed is the service and the quality of the food. I never ceased to be impressed how quickly my food is served. The owner knows every one of her customers by name and has, from time to time, dined with them. Most of the nearby restaurants don?t have this feel. Many of them are chain owned. These considerations make this restaurant the best restaurant one of the best in Wilmette. I might wager the best on the east side of Wilmette.
Pros: Food, service, atmosphere, cheap lunch
Cons: Slightly pricey dinner menu (but it's worth it)
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