REWIND by Akai: the 70s, 80s & 90s music dinner above Brussels

Every Thursday · Dinner from 6PM · DJ from 9PM · 30th Floor, Cardo Brussels Hotel

There is a very specific feeling that comes with hearing a song you forgot you knew. It arrives somewhere between the first note and the second — a warmth, a flash of something real, a sudden certainty about where you were when you first heard it. REWIND by Akai was built around that feeling.

Every Thursday evening, on the 30th floor of the Cardo Brussels Hotel, Akai transforms its Japanese-Mediterranean rooftop into something rarer than a dinner reservation. It becomes a soundtrack. An evening with a tempo. A meal that moves.

How the evening unfolds

REWIND is not a party with food on the side. It is a full evening with its own rhythm, carefully architected from the first course to the last song.

From 6PM, the kitchen opens and a curated 70s, 80s & 90s ballad playlist sets the tone — warm, intimate, nostalgic. The perfect backdrop for an aperitif or a first course above the Brussels skyline.

At 8PM, the DJ takes the decks. The set draws primarily from the 70s and 80s — the golden era of vinyl. Think Bowie, Prince, Chic, Blondie. The music becomes the guest of honour.

From 10PM, the volume rises and the rooftop finds its full energy. REWIND becomes Brussels' most unexpected Thursday night destination.

Sushi last orders are at 11:30PM — the kitchen closes its counter then, so plan your evening accordingly. The full kitchen closes at midnight. The music continues until late.

Japanese cuisine, rooftop views & a menu built for the evening

REWIND takes place at Akai Brussels — a high-end Japanese-Mediterranean restaurant on the 30th floor of the Cardo Hotel. The views are panoramic. On a clear Thursday evening, Brussels unfolds in every direction below you, a skyline that very few restaurants in Belgium can match.

But Akai does not trade on altitude alone. The food is the reason guests come back.

Every fish on the menu arrives fresh each morning. The sushi — nigiri, maki, and signature rolls crafted with morning-sourced fish — is among the finest you will find in Brussels. Alongside the sushi counter, the full à la carte menu is available throughout dinner service: Japanese-Mediterranean plates built around precision, texture, and honest ingredients. Small plates, sharing dishes, the kind of food that holds its own even when the view is competing for your attention.

The bar offers a curated sake list, Japanese whiskies, and cocktails designed for a long Thursday evening above the city.

DJ Gally & the music

At the heart of REWIND is its resident DJ, Gally. His set moves between the soul and funk of the 70s, the synth-pop and new wave of the 80s, and the euphoric energy of the 90s. This is not background music. It is the architecture of the evening.

From 6 to 8PM, a curated ballad playlist fills the room — quieter, more intimate, made for conversation over dinner. At 8PM, Gally steps in. By 10PM, the rooftop has become something you will not easily find on a Thursday in Brussels, or anywhere.

Why REWIND?

Brussels has exceptional restaurants. It has rooftop bars. It has music venues. What it rarely has, until now, is all three in one place — executed at the level Akai brings to everything it does.

REWIND was born from a simple conviction: that the music of the 70s, 80s, and 90s deserves more than a playlist on a streaming app. It deserves a room, a proper sound system, a crowd who remembers — and a kitchen that matches the occasion.

The 30th floor of the Cardo Hotel has become, on Thursday evenings, the most distinctive table in the city. Above the rooftops, above the traffic, above the ordinary.

Practical information

When: Every Thursday, from March 2026 Dinner from: 6PM DJ from: 8PM until late Last sushi orders: 11:30PM Kitchen closes: Midnight Where: Akai Brussels — 30th Floor, Cardo Brussels Hotel, Brussels

Tables with a view go first. Book early.