Some of the best udon in NYC! While the wait can definitely be long during peak hours(1hr 30min on a Sunday evening), Raku SoHo is a cozy spot that delivers authentic noodles and thoughtful dishes once you’re seated.
For an appetizer you must try the chicken tatsuta-age which is wonderfully fried and seasoned. We loved the dipping sauce which perfectly compliments the chicken. We tried two hot udons, the tantan and the nabeyaki.
The tantan offered a rich and flavorful broth while not being too overwhelming. My only complaint would be that most of the pork and other components were under the noodles so I didn’t discover them until I was almost finished. The nabeyaki was a nice light soup with the same perfect noodles. It offered a lot of protein and a nicely balanced fishy flavor. The stand out of this dish was the shrimp tempura which was fried to perfection.
My only complaints would be of the tight seating arrangement. You will be practically sharing a table with the people around you if you are seated near the front. Overall, I cannot wait to come again and try more of their udon!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Yubo Su
Yummy! Great texture on noodles, and yuzu in appetizers was so good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Peter Sikorski
The curry udon was such a hit, everyone please get it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wesley Gan
Raku is known for its udon, but that will be a separate review for me. This time I was craving Katsudon which I decided to order. The flavor was good, I wish that the pieces of meat were a little larger and most crispy, however everything mixed together really well. It came with a small soup which was delicious. And the pickles were solid as well, I wish there was more.
I did have a big group, but I felt like the service was not as good as I expected. It was busy but also clear that the group next to us was getting more attention and care than mine - when it came to ordering, getting the attention of the waiter, drinks, etc. they also sat down after us…
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Eden Hillel
So good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
J L
I’ve been visiting here regularly cuz I love their food. But in my most recent visit I had their Maguro Yukke(the portion is small for the price btw..) and Kamoman udon and had a diarrhea after a couple hours. Also there is this weird smell coming from the downstairs. Hope they somehow fix this, cuz I love their food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Xia Luca
Not a very good experience. The udon tastes pretty bad and does not worth the 24 dollar price. Like it taste nothing special and is overpriced. Like three to five small pieces of duck meat that tastes very mediocre. They also forced us to order a second dish. We already ate something prior so preferred sharing. Just overall does not worth the one hour wait.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Angela Frazier McTair
The wait was long but thankfully we planned for it. The udon was exactly like we had in Tokyo and Osaka. Top notch. My daughter said it was the best chicken she had in life period. The vegetarian options are delicious but somewhat limited.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Erica Y
Udon noodle is great. Service is off and the staff is very mean to us. They told us we were 12 mins late and they won’t give us a table right away. Could it because that when we headed back, we were waiting in line and they only had one person assigning seats? We were also asked to toss our drinks right away or place them next to the trash bin if we still wanted to keep them…… They could have informed us while we were waiting for the next available table. They made them look like the best and only udon place in New York and it’s our “pleasure” to be seated there…. Bye Raku, won’t bring any friends here again :/
Food: 5
Service: 1
C A
Delicious udon with a large menu where everyone can find something they enjoy. I was very impressed with the quality of the food. The noodles tasted freshly made and the broth was comforting. The restaurant was clean and the service was prompt. The bowl of udon was large and you’ll definitely leave satisfied!
Had the Oyako Don and absolutely loved it! The presentation and authentic taste won me over! The best I've had here in the US so far! When I'm in the area again, I definitely will be back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yitong
The food is quite good, especially the udon. However, the service is almost nonexistent, and the waitress who served us was very rude. She disappeared for long periods without even bringing us water, and she stared at us when we left a tip. I really hope this restaurant can improve its service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Avery Fisher
Exquisite meal, great value.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mia Yu
Been going to Raku for years but had a terrible experience with takeout at this location.
(1) MISSING ITEM - I order one ankake and one chicken curry udon to-go; however, when I got home and opened the bag, there was only one bowl of noodles. Again, I've dined at Raku multiple times previously and know that the amount of noodles that go into one bowl. The one bowl I did receive was definitely not enough for two servings.
(2) EGGSHELLS IN MY FOOD - I usually always order the ankake when I dine at Raku and this was the first time I had multiple eggshells in my broth.
(3) NO RESPONSE FROM RESTAURANT - First off, nobody picks up the phone for this location. I contacted them by email a few days ago and did not receive a response (even though their website states they respond within 48 hours).
Originally, I wasn't planning to write a negative review especially since I've only had great experiences previously; however, I felt it was necessary especially since the restaurant will just ignore customers even with all these mistakes.
Some of the best udon in NYC! While the wait can definitely be long during peak hours(1hr 30min on a Sunday evening), Raku SoHo is a cozy spot that delivers authentic noodles and thoughtful dishes once you’re seated.
For an appetizer you must try the chicken tatsuta-age which is wonderfully fried and seasoned. We loved the dipping sauce which perfectly compliments the chicken. We tried two hot udons, the tantan and the nabeyaki.
The tantan offered a rich and flavorful broth while not being too overwhelming. My only complaint would be that most of the pork and other components were under the noodles so I didn’t discover them until I was almost finished. The nabeyaki was a nice light soup with the same perfect noodles. It offered a lot of protein and a nicely balanced fishy flavor. The stand out of this dish was the shrimp tempura which was fried to perfection.
My only complaints would be of the tight seating arrangement. You will be practically sharing a table with the people around you if you are seated near the front. Overall, I cannot wait to come again and try more of their udon!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
Yummy! Great texture on noodles, and yuzu in appetizers was so good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The curry udon was such a hit, everyone please get it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Raku is known for its udon, but that will be a separate review for me. This time I was craving Katsudon which I decided to order. The flavor was good, I wish that the pieces of meat were a little larger and most crispy, however everything mixed together really well. It came with a small soup which was delicious. And the pickles were solid as well, I wish there was more.
I did have a big group, but I felt like the service was not as good as I expected. It was busy but also clear that the group next to us was getting more attention and care than mine - when it came to ordering, getting the attention of the waiter, drinks, etc. they also sat down after us…
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 4
So good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve been visiting here regularly cuz I love their food. But in my most recent visit I had their Maguro Yukke(the portion is small for the price btw..) and Kamoman udon and had a diarrhea after a couple hours. Also there is this weird smell coming from the downstairs. Hope they somehow fix this, cuz I love their food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Not a very good experience. The udon tastes pretty bad and does not worth the 24 dollar price. Like it taste nothing special and is overpriced. Like three to five small pieces of duck meat that tastes very mediocre. They also forced us to order a second dish. We already ate something prior so preferred sharing. Just overall does not worth the one hour wait.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
The wait was long but thankfully we planned for it. The udon was exactly like we had in Tokyo and Osaka. Top notch. My daughter said it was the best chicken she had in life period. The vegetarian options are delicious but somewhat limited.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Udon noodle is great. Service is off and the staff is very mean to us. They told us we were 12 mins late and they won’t give us a table right away. Could it because that when we headed back, we were waiting in line and they only had one person assigning seats? We were also asked to toss our drinks right away or place them next to the trash bin if we still wanted to keep them…… They could have informed us while we were waiting for the next available table. They made them look like the best and only udon place in New York and it’s our “pleasure” to be seated there…. Bye Raku, won’t bring any friends here again :/
Food: 5
Service: 1
Delicious udon with a large menu where everyone can find something they enjoy. I was very impressed with the quality of the food. The noodles tasted freshly made and the broth was comforting. The restaurant was clean and the service was prompt. The bowl of udon was large and you’ll definitely leave satisfied!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
My fav udon in NYC. Can be a bit of a wait so make a reservation ahead of time or go at off peak hours.
Had the Oyako Don and absolutely loved it! The presentation and authentic taste won me over! The best I've had here in the US so far! When I'm in the area again, I definitely will be back again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food is quite good, especially the udon. However, the service is almost nonexistent, and the waitress who served us was very rude. She disappeared for long periods without even bringing us water, and she stared at us when we left a tip. I really hope this restaurant can improve its service.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Exquisite meal, great value.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Been going to Raku for years but had a terrible experience with takeout at this location.
(1) MISSING ITEM - I order one ankake and one chicken curry udon to-go; however, when I got home and opened the bag, there was only one bowl of noodles. Again, I've dined at Raku multiple times previously and know that the amount of noodles that go into one bowl. The one bowl I did receive was definitely not enough for two servings.
(2) EGGSHELLS IN MY FOOD - I usually always order the ankake when I dine at Raku and this was the first time I had multiple eggshells in my broth.
(3) NO RESPONSE FROM RESTAURANT - First off, nobody picks up the phone for this location. I contacted them by email a few days ago and did not receive a response (even though their website states they respond within 48 hours).
Originally, I wasn't planning to write a negative review especially since I've only had great experiences previously; however, I felt it was necessary especially since the restaurant will just ignore customers even with all these mistakes.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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