Just bumping up my rating now because quite frankly, their prices are inline with today's average dining experience in DC. Efficient, if indifferent service at the bar but the food hits a lot of high notes for pan-Asian cuisine. Solid!
Asel Dav
Raku is a popular Japanese restaurant located in Washington, D.C. Known for its modern and stylish atmosphere, Raku offers a diverse menu featuring traditional Japanese dishes with a contemporary twist. Some of their specialties include sushi, sashimi, ramen, and grilled salmon ( my favorite). The restaurant is often praised for its high-quality ingredients, creative presentation, and attentive service. It's a favorite spot for those looking to experience authentic Japanese cuisine in the heart of the nation's capital.
Bento box was fine but the sushi is nothing special.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup
Mark Abell
Fresh sushi, hot steaming miso soup, cool decor, good service. Bento boxes were a nice lunch but I'd make sure to order noodles or extra sushi rolls to make it a filling meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup, Deluxe Bento Box
Mitchell Cadiz-Perez (Mother Mitchell)
Friday Night??? Looking for some scrumptious sushi??? In the Cathedral Commons Area??? No wait time!!!! Come this way. RAKU is the place for you. The variety of Sushi will not disappoint. Seaweed salad is delicious. Excellent mussels entree. Pumpkin soup was a bonus. Food is on point. Homemade Ginger Beer was the perfect beverage to accompany the meal. Service is knowledgeable, friendly, attentive and quick. Atmosphere is serene, yet lively. Come ready to eat!
My husband and I came here for dinner for our anniversary and it was fantastic! It was super busy, so we are happy we booked a reservation. The sushi is so fresh and delicious and the braised pork belly special with shishito peppers was so good! My husband got the pan chicken and. I got the soup with udon noodles, shrimp tempura, sliced beef chicken and veggies. All of it was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Noodle Soups
Samantha Monteith
Raku is a great option for a casual sushi dinner. Its prices are mid range, nothing crazy, but the quality is still very good. A really great neighborhood restaurant. Decent cocktails and sake options as well.
Love the agedashi tofu! The food is elegant and delicious. Service is good. They have a nice happy hour, but they will not let you take your leftovers with you. Seriously. The server and the management forbade us from taking our four pieces of sushi home. We ordered five small dishes and two glasses of wine, and we enjoyed them until we were full. When I asked for a small to go box, they refused. They say it's to discourage people ordering from the happy hour menu with a discount as take out. I did not order extra rolls to go. This is a management problem not a customer problem. A nice meal was ruined by their unreasonable leftovers policing. I won't be returning.
Kitty T.
Love this place. Their udon is nice chewy- like the bubble tea chewy in a good way. The rice that came with chirashi is slightly warm which give a nice contrast to the fish. The veggie on top give a nice crunch when eat with fish and rice. Last but not least the tamago and the fish roes on the rice also bring out the sweet from the egg and salty nice flavor. 5 stars for food , ambience, price. Service was ok .
Anna B.
Delish! I had the sushi and sashimi combo and tiger tear beef salad. Both were wonderful. I had this same order twice; yummo.
This is a review on the Raku Bethesda location. I am not one to write reviews, be them good or bad. I am so disappointed in this restaurant and I feel compelled to share. This has nothing to do with the food. This food is delicious, which is why I come to it frequently. When people visit from out of town, this is where I take them. They are located in a section of 'neighborhood' businesses; however, I just experienced their absolute lack of desire in being neighborly. I am sick with the flu and the only thing that sounded good to me was their Udon noodle soup. I called and requested curbside service. No, they don't do that any more. I get it, the pandemic is over, so this is no longer standard practice. I called back as this is all that sounded good to me. I offered to pre-pay, I offered to drive right up to the front of the restaurant and maybe someone could run my 'bowl of soup' out to me. No. Not enough wait staff. As I became upset, I was asked to hold on seemingly so approval could be obtained. When the person returned on the phone, I was told the BOWL OF SOUP would take one hour. One hour?? I had already expressed my being ill and the complete lack of caring could not have been more palpable. Mind you, I had just driven to pick up dog food, which I had pre-paid and the staff was kind enough to bring out to my car. Brookville Market is a neighborhood store. Brookville Pharmacy is neighborly. Pets are Home is neighborly, as are many other shops and restaurant's. Raku is not! Go for the food. I know I will return. I also know this is a 'business' with no care/concern/empathy for the people they serve.
julia wang
If you love creamier sushi that still has a little personality/crunch, get the flying smoke'n dragon (extra eel sauce included). Hits all the right spots, everytime.
Teri G.
Raku never disappoints. The food is bursting with flavor. Last night was no different. My curry vegetables with tofu was to die for, especially the broth which my companions raved about. Also, the sushi was similarly amazing. Even the miso soup was stellar. My one criticism, not food related, was that tea wasn't served hot.
Olin Polinski
Food was great and tasty. Service was mediocre.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dumplings
Rebecca Mazur
Had a shrimp and vegetable tempura bento box and every part of it was really delicious! Also excellent service from waiter Ken.
Just bumping up my rating now because quite frankly, their prices are inline with today's average dining experience in DC. Efficient, if indifferent service at the bar but the food hits a lot of high notes for pan-Asian cuisine. Solid!
Raku is a popular Japanese restaurant located in Washington, D.C. Known for its modern and stylish atmosphere, Raku offers a diverse menu featuring traditional Japanese dishes with a contemporary twist. Some of their specialties include sushi, sashimi, ramen, and grilled salmon ( my favorite). The restaurant is often praised for its high-quality ingredients, creative presentation, and attentive service. It's a favorite spot for those looking to experience authentic Japanese cuisine in the heart of the nation's capital.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chicken & Pork Dumpling, Dumplings, Raku Sashimi Assortment 15 pcs, Noodle Soups, Deluxe Bento Box
Bento box was fine but the sushi is nothing special.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup
Fresh sushi, hot steaming miso soup, cool decor, good service. Bento boxes were a nice lunch but I'd make sure to order noodles or extra sushi rolls to make it a filling meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup, Deluxe Bento Box
Friday Night??? Looking for some scrumptious sushi??? In the Cathedral Commons Area??? No wait time!!!! Come this way. RAKU is the place for you. The variety of Sushi will not disappoint. Seaweed salad is delicious. Excellent mussels entree. Pumpkin soup was a bonus. Food is on point. Homemade Ginger Beer was the perfect beverage to accompany the meal. Service is knowledgeable, friendly, attentive and quick. Atmosphere is serene, yet lively. Come ready to eat!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seaweed, Raku Sashimi Assortment 15 pcs
My husband and I came here for dinner for our anniversary and it was fantastic! It was super busy, so we are happy we booked a reservation. The sushi is so fresh and delicious and the braised pork belly special with shishito peppers was so good! My husband got the pan chicken and. I got the soup with udon noodles, shrimp tempura, sliced beef chicken and veggies. All of it was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Noodle Soups
Raku is a great option for a casual sushi dinner. Its prices are mid range, nothing crazy, but the quality is still very good. A really great neighborhood restaurant. Decent cocktails and sake options as well.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Miso Soup, Seaweed, Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll, Raku Sashimi Assortment 15 pcs
Love the agedashi tofu! The food is elegant and delicious. Service is good. They have a nice happy hour, but they will not let you take your leftovers with you. Seriously. The server and the management forbade us from taking our four pieces of sushi home. We ordered five small dishes and two glasses of wine, and we enjoyed them until we were full. When I asked for a small to go box, they refused. They say it's to discourage people ordering from the happy hour menu with a discount as take out. I did not order extra rolls to go. This is a management problem not a customer problem. A nice meal was ruined by their unreasonable leftovers policing. I won't be returning.
Love this place. Their udon is nice chewy- like the bubble tea chewy in a good way. The rice that came with chirashi is slightly warm which give a nice contrast to the fish. The veggie on top give a nice crunch when eat with fish and rice. Last but not least the tamago and the fish roes on the rice also bring out the sweet from the egg and salty nice flavor. 5 stars for food , ambience, price. Service was ok .
Delish! I had the sushi and sashimi combo and tiger tear beef salad. Both were wonderful. I had this same order twice; yummo.
Restaurantji Recommends
This is a review on the Raku Bethesda location. I am not one to write reviews, be them good or bad. I am so disappointed in this restaurant and I feel compelled to share. This has nothing to do with the food. This food is delicious, which is why I come to it frequently. When people visit from out of town, this is where I take them. They are located in a section of 'neighborhood' businesses; however, I just experienced their absolute lack of desire in being neighborly. I am sick with the flu and the only thing that sounded good to me was their Udon noodle soup. I called and requested curbside service. No, they don't do that any more. I get it, the pandemic is over, so this is no longer standard practice. I called back as this is all that sounded good to me. I offered to pre-pay, I offered to drive right up to the front of the restaurant and maybe someone could run my 'bowl of soup' out to me. No. Not enough wait staff. As I became upset, I was asked to hold on seemingly so approval could be obtained. When the person returned on the phone, I was told the BOWL OF SOUP would take one hour. One hour?? I had already expressed my being ill and the complete lack of caring could not have been more palpable. Mind you, I had just driven to pick up dog food, which I had pre-paid and the staff was kind enough to bring out to my car. Brookville Market is a neighborhood store. Brookville Pharmacy is neighborly. Pets are Home is neighborly, as are many other shops and restaurant's. Raku is not! Go for the food. I know I will return. I also know this is a 'business' with no care/concern/empathy for the people they serve.
If you love creamier sushi that still has a little personality/crunch, get the flying smoke'n dragon (extra eel sauce included). Hits all the right spots, everytime.
Raku never disappoints. The food is bursting with flavor. Last night was no different. My curry vegetables with tofu was to die for, especially the broth which my companions raved about. Also, the sushi was similarly amazing. Even the miso soup was stellar. My one criticism, not food related, was that tea wasn't served hot.
Food was great and tasty. Service was mediocre.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Dumplings
Had a shrimp and vegetable tempura bento box and every part of it was really delicious! Also excellent service from waiter Ken.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5