Raku

This is one if my favorite spot to go in Vegas and it off the strip. Great Japanese food that has different taste pallet. I love the trout sashimi it so fresh and buttery. It tapas style which I enjoy because you get to experience each of the menu they have to offer. Service is also great which is a plus. This it must try if you are ever in Vegas

Basis for my starred ratings (which skews heavily to the food or drink):
1 star: Never again.
2 stars: Poor food, poor experience, extraordinary measures in order for me to come back.
3 stars: Average, nothing really special, nothing particularly bad.
4 stars: Very good, would definitely return.
5 stars: A favorite, one of the best.
Ever since the first time we came, we now make it a point to come here whenever we’re in Vegas. And I’m talking the omakase.
This review is more like 4.5 stars. There are dishes that amaze but always one or two that disappoint a little. It’s not the absolute best or refined Japanese or high-​end izakaya style restaurant, but I am comparing to this to other high-​end and Michelin-​starred fine dining joints, so 4.5 is pretty darn respectable.
The following is a listing of the dishes we’ve gotten over the times we’ve been there, as comprehensive as I can get it:
House-​made tofu — excellent
Sashimi course — excellent
Oysters with caviar — excellent
Grilled cherry tomatoes — fairly weak
Chicken wing — nice, but nothing special
Grilled toro — very good
Asparagus «tempura» — fine
Grilled king crab leg — excellent
Foie gras with black garlic don — heavy, but awesome
Grilled pork — very good
Grilled beef — weaker dish
Whole fish, fried — weaker dish
Toro don — very good
Cheesecake — super light, one of the best
Strawberry sorbet — fine
Green tea crème brûlée — very good
That’s a lot of excellent and very good dishes. It’s worth the money and trip off-​strip to come here.

Your price is way too high you need to cut ittt… cut it cut it cut it. Although pricey, Raku was worth the experience. Just don’t go all cray like I did by ordering foie gras and uni only dishes. Next thing you know you’re looking like a baby whale in a tight dress at Omnia. Not cute for a Friyay fun date with bae in Baegas.
I definitely recommend the seared foie gras with rice. It sounded so basic but the rice actually balanced out the richness of the foie perfectly. It was topped with just a simple sweet soy sauce and it worked. That was definitely my favorite dish of the night. The kobe beef skewer was forgettable. I guess the selling point is the garlic on top but I’d pass on that one. Same for the pork cheek. We ordered a few skewers but none really stood out to me, they were nothing special. I did however enjoy their fresh tofu. I ordered both the agedashi version and the fresh plain version. Both were good, although I wish they also offered some sort of sauce for the plain version. The dry condiments that accompanied the rather large chunk of fresh tofu didn’t do much for it, it just felt like something was missing. The dish needed some type of soup or sauce to help wash down all that tofu.
The poached egg with uni and fish roe was another dish that I enjoyed. The warm egg yolk mixed in with the uni was like yaaas give it to me. However, if you’re going to order this dish or the agedashi tofu, then don’t order their miso soup and vice versa because they contain the exact same mushrooms and condiments which made all three dishes taste the same. I was disappointed by their lack of creativity there. The buttered scallops, I mean scallop (just one) was good. I liked the beautiful presentation on the shell. It was just a taddd bit overcooked but flavor wise it was very tasty. The grilled salmon belly was good, again they chose to serve this fish plain with no sauce, just some grated radish, but I would’ve preferred it with some ponzu.
Their selection of sake is the most extensive that I’ve ever seen. Definitely order a few different glasses to try. And finally, I thought our server was a bit introverted and wasn’t very engaging. When he was going over the specials with us it just felt like he was trying to get through them as fast as possible. I think service could be better given that people go off the strip to come here and are looking to enjoy both the atmosphere and food.

Raku is a must for aficionados of Japanese food. Just don’t come here expecting to order what you’d find at your «Insert Restaurant Name Here» at the mall food court; as one table found out, there are no rolls with random names served here!
Wanting to sample the best of what Raku had to offer, my friend and I ordered the premium omakase (11 courses /​$ 100 per person). If you’re more budget conscious, there’s a cheaper omakase for $ 75 per person. Our waitress explained the difference between the two in relation to the day’s premium ingredients. Although I suspect you could order the same or similar dishes for a lower price, I didn’t feel like we were overcharged given the quality of the food.
The omakase included the following items: Raku’s tofu (⁴⁄₅), mushrooms and greens (⁴⁄₅), assorted sashimi (⁵⁄₅), crispy asparagus okaki (⁵⁄₅), miso soup with langoustines (⁴⁄₅), Kurobuta pork cheek (⁵⁄₅), butter sautéed scallop /​duck with balsamic soy sauce (⁴⁄₅ for duck), kobe beef filet with wasabi (⁴⁄₅), fried whole fish in dashi (⁵⁄₅), foie gras don (⁴⁄₅), green tea crème brûlée /​tangerine sorbet (¹⁄₅ for sorbet). My favorite dishes were the the assorted sashimi, the Kurobuta pork cheek, and the fried whole fish in Raku’s signature dashi. What made the sashimi great was the quality of the fish (fatty tuna, langoustines, amberjack) as well as the thoughtful garnishes served alongside the fish (pickled chrysanthemum, marinated nori, freshly grated wasabi). Of the skewers, the Kurobuta pork cheek was my favorite, as it was perfectly cooked and had a nice flavor. (I would note that all of the skewers tasted similar to one another due to their soy-​based sauces. The kobe beef stood out for its use of wasabi, but the beef itself didn’t seem particularly noteworthy.) The fried whole fish had a nice mix of vegetables, crispy fish skin/​bones, and tender meat. The signature dashi also gave the dish just the right amount of saltiness.
What nearly ruined an otherwise delicious meal was undoubtedly the dessert. If you don’t suffer from any allergies, you’ll likely get the green tea crème brûlée. Since I can’t eat dairy products, I received tangerine sorbet instead, but the entire dish seemed more like shaved ice than sorbet (too much syrupy liquid, large chunks of ice, etc.) The primary problem with the sorbet was its unappetizing taste, which seemed like a bitter mix of citrus and alcohol (sake?). This was so bad that I left more than half of it in the bowl…
Service was pretty good for a restaurant of this caliber. The servers did a nice job of explaining what each item was and how they recommended eating everything. Although they forgot that I had mentioned my food allergies, they were very apologetic and brought a substitution out promptly. (The substitutions weren’t equivalent in price to the normal dishes, which I felt was a bit disingenuous.)
I would highly recommend making reservations in advance, as the restaurant is rather small and fills up quickly. We called five days in advance for a Saturday dinner reservation, but couldn’t get anything until late that night. We opted to show up sans reservation at opening to ensure we would get seated right away, and we were given space at the bar upon entering.
Despite several missteps, this was a great dining experience, and I would recommend Raku to others! Although it’s a ways off from the Strip in Chinatown, it’s definitely worth the short drive!

Raku is a Japanese charcoal grill restaurant owned by Mitsuo Endo, a Tokyo born chef trained in kaiseki cuisine. The restaurant uses charcoal imported from Japan. Endo has been awarded as a semifinalist for the James Beard Award Chef Southwest.
When you step foot into Raku, the aroma of the food being grilled is alluring. Raku’s charcoal burns at a higher temperature than most other charcoals, creating a crispy finish while bringing out the flavor of the ingredients.
The seating is quite comfortable. There is a bar where you can eat, watching the chefs cook as well as secluded tables where you can have some privacy. The women’s bathroom is worth checking out: there is an aquarium taking up half of the wall!
YELLOWTAIL CARPACCIO ($ 12.00): This was so good. The yellowtail was fresh and melt in your mouth good and the sauce that came with it was slightly smoky with a hint of spiciness. It’s a good, light starter to begin your meal.
ENOKI MUSHROOM WRAPPED WITH BACON ($ 3.00): The mushrooms were cooked nicely and the bacon added a nice saltiness to the dish. It was a nice bite with a great crisp texture from the mushroom. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.
KOBE BEEF OUTSIDE SKIRT WITH GARLIC ($ 7.50): The beef was cooked well to a nice medium. It was juicy and the marinade was delicious. The garlic chips on top of the beef added another level of flavor while giving it a crunch. A good dish overall.
MY FAVORITE DISH. STEAMED FOIE GRAS EGG CUSTARD ($ 10.00): I absolutely loved this dish. My friend who resides in Tokyo was amazed at the flavor of this dish. She was a bit taken back from the lack of ingredients from the usual steamed egg custard she’s had in Tokyo. Regardless, we both agreed it was yummy. The foie gras was not overpowering and the custard was deliciously smooth. A must order!
AGEDASHI TOFU (HALF-​$ 7.50): The tofu at Raku is made in house and was delicious. The exterior of the tofu had a nice crunch while the tofu remained delicately soft. It was topped with salmon roe, which I could’ve done without. The broth complemented the tofu well.
COLD GREEN TEA SOBA WITH POACHED EGG ($ 8.50): This dish was nothing special. The soba noodles tasted like any other soba noodles. I really couldn’t taste the green tea that I was hoping. The poached egg was lovely but still, this dish wasn’t spectacular.
KUROBUTA PORK CHEEK ($ 4.25): This was one of my favorites and a must order. The pork cheek had so much flavor and was so nice and tender. It’s kurobuta! How can you go wrong?
IBERICO KUSHI (SPECIAL): This is also one of my favorites and probably my favorite out of all the grilled meats. The meat was tender and the sauce didn’t overpower the taste of the meat.
Overall, Raku was delicious. The service could’ve used a bit of work. We received one dish and waited about 30 minutes in between dishes until we said something about the food taking forever to be delivered to our table. It’s truly authentic and my friend was able to speak Japanese to the staff. If you’re in Vegas and want something a bit different than the usual Las Vegas Strip food, this is a good spot. For other reviews, check out

Alas, my 100^th review. A worthy institution to mark the occasion. What else can be said that hasn’t been said???
First, call to make sure they’re open. I went a while back and they were randomly closed on a Wednesday. But I would not be denied this time.
I sat at the bar after about a 15 minute wait. Asked for a bottle of sake. Dude replied «glass?» I said no, bottle. I’m not here to play. Actually I was.
I will re-​emphasize previous reviews: if you remotely like tofu or want to try it, get the agedashi tofu. It’s as good as it gets. Kinda crispy on the outside with ridiculously good flavor. Slight nori-​like flavor which I liked.
I got the wagyu carpaccio. Personally I didn’t like it as much as the other dishes. It was a bit too chewy in texture for my liking.
Kurobuta pork belly was ridiculous. Get it. Off the chain, hook and any other fasteners.
Not sure if things were brought out randomly but I had the foie gras egg custard last which was a bit heavy to finish with. Got a few other things, all good. Scallops: gooood. Get it too.
I thought the prices were actually very reasonable for the quality and amount of food. Nowhere nearly as ridiculous as what you would pay on the strip. Definitely a must try.

Amazing food! Authentic Japanese cuisine. I saw the reviews, my friends told me how amazing it was, but of course I was skeptical. Great authentic Japanese food in Las Vegas? Impossible right? Well, I was proven wrong. The food was nothing short of amazing and the service was top notch.
I brought my mom here and she fell in love immediately. They even brought her a menu in Japanese which made my life and hers much easier. Every dish we got here was excellent. I loved the uni ikura dish and I don’t even like uni usually. The house made tofu was an absolute must. The sashimi was super fresh. We had the Kampachi aka Amberjack that was a special for the day and it was amazing.
I can’t say enough good things about this place! I can’t wait to go back and try more and my mom has already declared that we’re coming back here next time she’s in town. It’s a must!

Went here with a party of 8 and ordered the set menu. We were seated promptly and explained to on what would be coming out. I guess I was expecting too much, the food was ok. Half cooked half raw. From what I could remember my favourite dish was the asparagus fried in rice cake. Crunchy outside and firm inside, perfectly cooked. Sashimi was good, but I have had better. The crab was difficult to eat and not filling. The strawberry ice cream in the end was a good finish. Make sure you set aside at least an hour for dinner because service is on the slow side.

One of the best restaurants I have ever been but not for those who do not like to try new things.
Thanks to my Unilocalers friends, for the very first time I decided to order based on reviews.
My husband does not like tofu, which I like but do not love. However, after all the positive comments we decided to give it a try and OMG! This was something totally different to any other tofu I ever tried. My husband even loved it, which was even more surprising. So soft, so delicate and the waiter told us how to eat: first with their special salt with green tea: delicious. And then he told us to tried with the other ingredients included in the plate: bonito flakes, ginger and their homemade soy sauce. Unbelievable!
We ordered what turned out to be a lot for the 2 of us: Popeye salad, Kobe beef skewer with wasabi, foie gras with soy sauce, lamb skewer, fried asparagus, grilled rice balls, ear pigs (looked disgusting it hubby loved them). I did not like everything, I LOVE everything but the rice but maybe it was because I do not like rice very much.
Our server was delightful and he explained how to eat every single dish. How attentive
All I can say I am so grateful for having tried this amazing place.

This location is further away from the LV strip. Based in Chinatown. It is pretty empty when we arrived at 11pm on a Monday. Customer service was excellent. The man serving us was very accommodating explaining the dishes very detailed. Each dish is a small portion, and to some people it’s expensive. For me, I think the portion size is great because we were able to try the different types of dishes they have. Taste was really good, but eventually it got tiring to eat. The flavoring is almost similar to each other because of the creaminess.
Must try their tofu and the poached egg with uni and fish roe. Those two dishes left me with a big impact on my taste buds. As for the other dishes we ordered, I don’t really remember much.
P.S their restroom is soooo fucking nice

I scream for Raku, you scream for Raku!
Make reservations for a weekend or Friday night or else you maybe denied the chance to eat at this one of a kind place. If it’s a weekday you maybe able to get away without a reservations when you come at opening time.
Special: Blue Fin Tuna Japan $ 35 was good and delicious, prepared with some salt and seaweed but oh so delicious and cleansing to the palette.
Poached Eggs w/​uni and Ikura $ 9 was pretty good. The consistency is one of a kind with a crunch yet gooey consistency.
Juicy Deep Fried Chicken $ 10 was probably by far my favorite dish and always a must. One bite and you will be hooked. I love this dish so much i could probably order another one
Special: Wagyu Beef Tataki $ 30 was pretty good and finely cooked. Reminded me of Japan quality
Enoki Mushroom with Bacon $ 6 pretty small so order 2 if your going to share, but the consistency is amazing
Kurobuta Pork Cheek $ 4.25 is as always fatty and delicious
Small parking lot so make sure you account for that in terms of timing to make it to your reservations. If your looking for a one of a kind dessert experience, I would also recommend checking out Sweet Raku (japanese dessert) after dinner.

I had this placed bookmarked for sometime. I wanted to go for a special occasion and decided that our last meal of 2015 would be a Raku. We ordered a plethora of items as we wanted to try as many of their unique items as we good handle. We started our with the Asparagus and Enoki mushrooms both with bacon. Their were both very good. Next item up was the pig ears which were tough and not worth ordering again. The butter Scallops were perfectly cooked and delicious. The grilled chicken with skin was just ok.
We truly came for the Foie Gras Custard and it did not disappoint. Creamy deliciousness and well worth ordering again — which we decided to do. The beef tenderloin with Garlic although slightly overdone for my taste was pretty good. The Karobuta Pork was a real treat and everyone enjoyed it. Our next item we came for was the Foie Gras with Glazed Soy Sauce and it was also very very good. I love Foie Gras and this was done just perfect. The Yellow Carpaccio was also very delicious. The stuffed portobello mushrooms and Salmon Belly were very tasty and cooked to perfection. The Sea Urchin and Salmon Roe although a unique consistency was pretty good.
Despite not being a fan of tofu I did enjoy the Agedashi Tofu which was so creamy and amazingly delicious. We finished the night with the cheesecake and Crème Brulee with Green Tea Ice Cream and they were both very nice. I have to say the food did not disappoint. But what did disappoint was the service. The waitress was flat out rude and made for an uncomfortable evening. The waiter helping here wasn’t much better. She actually grabbed a menu out of my hand and put it in the holder on the table. Never said a word to me and walked off. I was looking at the menu to choose our next item. I was startled and really pissed. I composed my self and decided to tough it out as this was not way to end the year by being upset.
I was glad I got to try Raku as they have very good food but so do allot of places in Vegas. Some of them have much better prices and honestly much better service. I do not recommend Raku and will not be returning. I do not like snooty rude service. This would have been a five star night but the horrible service makes it three star.

My Japanese mama took me here last night for the first time. The restaurant is in a little ghetto (ish) shopping center but inside was nice — had a relaxing ambience. The host (tall Asian male) was rude to us but made a reservation to come back in 35 min which we did. Guess it’s normal for him to be rude since it happened with Japanese mama before .
4 stars for the food and our helpful server even though the evil host later tried to kick us out for another arriving party. No way Jose are you gonna kick us out when we are still eating and are paying a hefty bill. Japanese mama complained to the head chef (she’s loud) and got it straightened out. So don’t pay money and get treated wrong as I see some have had the same problem in the past .
Now the food — izakaya style Japanese food .
We ordered a lot of food and I enjoyed tasting everything except the grilled yellowtail — I will always prefer it raw. always .
— Adekashi tofu — the tofu was soft and very flavorful with the sauce. Comes with tiny crunchy mushrooms that I loved !
— Kobe beef liver — liver is high in iron which I need so I ordered this. It was so soft and good. Think it’s left a little raw inside .
— Eringi mushrooms — juicy and succulent .
— Asparagus and okra — asparagus was in a rice breading it was so delicioso. I was not a fan of the okra it didn’t have good flavor .
— Salmon with ikura oroshi– was delicious but I’ve had softer melt in your mouth salmon .
— Yellowtail — outside sauce was good — wish the flavor soaked into the fish because it was dry .
— Shrimp — we had a plate full of shrimp with the full shell still on. I tried to eat it whole and its edible but not enjoyable so I sat there peeling shrimp lol. But it was worth it; very tasty shrimp .
— Other food items I didn’t taste that we ordered — Kobe beef with wasabi, pork cheek, and pork ear .
— For dessert we ordered their sorbet. Waitress remembered I’m abstaining from dairy and came back with one without condensed milk. Kudos to her for helping me out with the menu and being so attentive !
Next time I come I’ll try some more items like the foie gras or blue fun tuna everyone raves about or maybe I’ll dish out some dough and try the omakase since it looks like a good deal compared to other places.

Raku is an unexpected surprise off the Vegas strip. I wasn’t expecting it to be so intimate or delicious!
Raku Tofu– half portion was plenty between me and the hubs. Silky and smooth tofu accompanied with ground ginger, fresh chopped green scallions and what I think was thinly fried onion pieces. The waitress told us to start off eating it with a bit of the green tea salt available at the table. Then to eat it with all the toppings and drizzle some soy sauce on top. So good with the ginger, scallions and onions!
Agedashi Tofu– half portion. This tofu is exactly the same as the raku tofu in consistency but came in some delicious sauce and lightly fried. One of my favorite dishes of the night.
Juicy Deep Fried Chicken– nom nom nom! Super juicy chicken with the perfect amount of crispy, oily skin.
Kobe Beef Outside Skirt with Garlic– tender with a great charcoal flavor. Couldn’t taste much of the garlic or seasoning. I probably wouldn’t get this again.
Kurobuta Pork Cheek– I could eat ten skewers of these myself! Packed with flavor, tender, with a good amount of fat that made it even better.
Foie Gras with Glazed Soy-​Sauce– delish but oh so expensive! Small little skewer for about $ 17. Was it worth it? Yes!
Pork Belly– I was expecting seared pork belly but this was more like a braised dish. The pork could have been more tender. Don’t get me wrong, it was good but just not what I was expecting.
The hubs and I shared everything and was crazy stuffed by the end of the meal. Extremely attentive service and the staff took their time in explaining the dishes when they brought them out. It was a bit hard to make reservations. I had to call a couple times before someone answered. I tried multiple times after in attempts to change my reservation time, but was unsuccessful. Wish they would make the booking process a bit easier. Nevertheless, can’t wait to come back to try more dishes!

Ever have one of those meals that make you stop for a moment, put your chopsticks down between bites, and savor every moment ?
This meal tasted so amazing. The Soboro Don rice dish in a clay pot honestly made me want to cry because it reminded me of something my grandma used to cook for me when I was a child.
The scallops and yellow tail carpaccio was just flawless and melted in my mouth.
The warm ambiance and service with Japanese formalities added to the whole experience here. I only wish I could experience it for the first time again.

Raku is a must-​go izakaya at Las Vegas!
I go to Raku every time I visit Vegas. It is located in Chinatown. Their food is exquisite with exceptional quality. Any of their Uni, Foie Gras, and Toro dishes are great. My favorite dishes are Poached Egg w/​Sea Urchin & Salmon Roe and Foie Gras Bowl.
Poached Egg w/​Sea Urchin & Salmon Roe has an interesting slimy texture with the diced Mountain Yam in it. You mix them all together to eat it. The Foie Gras Bowl is just heavenly. The rice is mixed with Foie Gras oil, and the Foie Gras is fat and just perfectly cooked. Negitoro sashimi is seasonal today’s special. I would definitely order it if they have it available that day. They have the freshest Negitoro! I also order their Ken (square) Salad every time. There’s something magical about their salad. It must be their secret salad dressing and their choice of ingredients that blend in harmony.
They open very late till 2am. Remember to make reservation!

Words can’t even begin to describe how good it is here.
Raku is located off the strip in Chinatown– parking is terrible so I suggest you take an Über here. Seating is limited, so I highly suggest you make reservations beforehand.
My friend and I shared the following dishes:
–kobe beef with wasabi ($ 12): a skewer of seasoned kobe beef with a touch of spice from the wasabi. Oh so good. The meat was tender and flavorful.
–chicken breast wrapped with chicken skins ($ 3): tender, and incredibly juicy chicken breast with a dash of salt. The chicken skin added an extra texture to the juicy meat. This was so good that we had two orders of it.
–butter sautéed scallop with soy sauce ($ 7): scallop sautéed in a bath of butter, served on its shell. This dish came out sizzling hot. The hot butter and soy sauce complimented the sweet scallop flavors.
–agedashi tofu ($ 7.50 for a half order): in house made tofu, lightly battered, fried, and served in a super concentrated bath of dashi. The tofu takes on a nice creamy texture contrary to what you perceive as a tofu texture. It’s also topped with salmon eggs, so each bite is an explosion of flavor.
–foie gras bowl ($ 18.50): a generous portion of seared foie gras served on a bed of rice + lettuce. This was so decadently delicious. The foie gras was buttery and unadulterated. I would recommend ordering this over the foie gras skewer because the rice from the don mitigates how rich the foie gras is.
Last, but not least, I came here for the poached egg with uni and ikura ($ 9). This was unlike anything I have ever, ever tasted in my life. The smooth, creaminess of the uni combined with the silky texture of the poached egg was mindblowingly good. There are added crunchy components to the dish as well, so it provides a medley of textures and flavors in one bite.
Come here if you’re looking for an alternative dining option in Vegas.

Raku gets 5 stars for the uniqueness of some if it’s dishes. Perhaps my expectations were a little high but many dishes we tried didn’t have that WOW factor that a truly exceptional restaurant would offer. However, there were a few standout dishes that would bring me back.
If you are able to get excited over tofu, then you’ll love Raku. You also probably have a low threshold for excitement. Yes, the tofu was the creamiest and freshest and bestest tofu ever, but it was still just tofu – not the most flavorful of foods. The Raku Tofu, versus the fried (agedashi) tofu, is the one to get.
The pork cheek was flavorful and a highlight. The skirt steak was better than the beef tenderloin. Know that each order comes with two skewers and if you want to do it up, you’ll want several orders, not just one or two.
The cheesecake was unique and amazing – so light that it probably shouldn’t be called «cheesecake.» It was more like a fresh meringue that tasted like cheesecake.
Service was helpful and friendly. Despite being told that «we have to leave after two hours» when we made our reservation, we weren’t rushed or reminded of this policy – then again, we didn’t stay longer than two hours.
I like that this serious foodie place is open till 3 am and I can see how chefs and other folks would come here after they close up their kitchens.

Raku is exactly what you would expect. Thoughtful in execution and presentation; fresh ingredients; balance of subtle and robust flavors.
It’s an izakaya, so japanese tapas style if you will. A large portion of the menu is yakitori or from the grill. We opted out of omakase because we wanted to order a lot of yakitori and thought that both would be a bit excessive. Staff was attentive albeit a bit intimidating, but they described each dish and the best way to eat it. I think the atmosphere kind of threw me off. Not gonna lie I felt out of place and was lowkey stressing cause I didn’t know what or how to order. We got a random variety of dishes and all of them were pretty enjoyable.
Standouts:
Daily special blue fin tuna — smooth, and tasted amazing with the house nori and wasabi.
Kobe Beef Fillet with wasabi — perfectly cooked and just the right amount of wasabi.
Chicken breast wrapped in chicken skin — can’t say no to chicken skin, sleeper hit right here.
Kurobuta pork belly — very tender and juicy, intense flavor, great texture.
Oyaji Tofu — mix with the mustard greens and spices, super fresh.
Overall, the food was delicious but not outstanding. I’m glad I experienced Raku but it probably wasn’t the best I’ve ever had. If I return, I will try omakase!

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!
I first heard about this place about two years through a former coworker of my wife and fellow Unilocaler, Eric B. He told us this place makes its own tofu and its Agedashi Tofu is an absolute must. Since then I’ve been arranging trips to Vegas just to try this place out. Unfortunately, my last two attempts failed because I kept getting sick just few days before my trip. This time I was determined to make it whether I was sick or not. Strangely enough I was still sick but it didn’t stop me from enjoying one of the most enjoyable meals of my life.
Everything about this place is unique and well put together. It’s an intimate setting with clean, modern décor. It has an upscale look even though it’s more of an izakaya style establishment. It’s sort of like the Asian version of Animal (in LA). Most of the items are appetizer portions with few full size options. Most of the items my wife and I tried didn’t look too complicated but its choice of quality ingredients and perfect cooking technique made each item stand out. Raku even has its own condiments at each table with detailed description of each. Raku’s Green Tea Salt, Soy Sauce, Yagenbori Shichimi, and Koregusu were all very unique.
Fuefuki Dai (type of snapper fish) prepared two ways. This was one of the specials for the day. We got one as sashimi and the other portion was grilled. The fish was extremely fresh. I think it was still alive when it was cooked because it was bent when it was served to us. It looked like the fish was fighting for its dear life as it was being cooked. Poor thing. Sad but delicious. Even without adding any seasoning the fish was flavored perfectly in both versions.
Pork Ear. This was great with Raku’s Green Tea Salt and Koregusu. The spicy pepper and sake in Koregusu helped balance out the fat from the pork ear. The flavor was quite good with three different textures to keep it interesting.
Foie Gras with Glazed Soy Based Sauce. I’m not a fan of foie gras in general but I still ordered it since I saw several people rave about this dish. It’s a great dish if you like the taste and texture of foie gras. It just wasn’t my thing. However, it was better than foie gras I had in the past at other places.
Agedashi Tofu. Now this is the dish I came for and it definitely lived up to the expectation. Excellent texture and taste, and the sauce that accompanied the tofu was great as well. I always thought tofu tasted bland and boring but this one proved me wrong. This one had much more depth and flavor.
Butter Sauteed Scallop with Soy Sauce. It was cooked to perfection and even the soy sauce was incredible. I drank some of the leftover soy sauce afterward because it was so good.
Kobe Beef Filet with Wasabi. What a perfect combination. The beef was cooked to perfection because it was super tender and tasty, and the wasabi added just enough heat to balance out the fat. I’ve had Kobe beef before but none quite like this. The others taste like impostors in comparison to the ones served here.
Juicy Deep Fried Chicken. It was basically like chicken karage but less batter and more chicken. It’s called juicy for a reason — IT’S JUICY. This was the most tender/​juicy chicken I ever had. The flavor was good just the way it was. It seemed like they soaked the chicken in sake or rice wine vinegar. This actually looked like a full order because the portion was much bigger than other items we tried.
Wagyu Sukiyaki. This was another one of the special items for the day. This was a full size meal, not appetizer portion. The Wagyu beef was absolute heaven. It was so tender and soft even when it was cooked completely. The sukiyaki broth was sweet and salty with added flavors from onion and fragrant green leaves (which I do not know the name of).
The menu is extensive, but what I learned from my first visit, is to stick with any dishes made with house tofu and anything with Kobe or Wagyu beef.
The service seemed inflexible when I called to make a reservation. The person who took my call said we had to finish our meal within two hours and they can only hold the reservation for no more than 15 minutes past our reservation time. However, the actual service during our dinner was friendly and attentive. Someone constantly came by to refill our tea, and everyone was helpful in explaining the menu.
My wife and I had such a positive experience here, we want to make it a tradition to return every year around this time to celebrate our birthdays.

Incredible fine Japanese food … large variety of sake … I would like to go back soon !
Restaurant incroyable une qualité hors du commun … Un choix de saké très vaste … J’adore et j’y retournerai volontiers la prochaine fois que je vais a LV

wenn man von neonlichtern, dem klingelingeling der slot-​machines und überhaupt dem ganzen bunten kitsch auf dem strip so richtig die schnauze voll hat, heißt es taxi nehmen richtung wüste bzw. chinatown. nun ist chinatown in vegas nicht, wie in anderen US-​metropolen, hübsch begehbar oder auch einfach nur hübsch. es besteht aus wenigen versprenkelten asiatischen restaurants entlang der spring mountain road, die ansonsten nur autohändler, möbelläden und doofe strip malls zu bieten hat.
auch das fantastische aburiya raku befindet sich in einer dieser strip malls, gut versteckt in zweiter reihe hinter einem parkplatz. wer nicht weiß, wo es ist, findet es auch nicht. und das ist ein echter verlust, denn das essen ist großartig & darüber hinaus bezahlbar.
hier gehts weiter (
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