Raku Restaurant
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Thu 6:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
Fri-Sun 6:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
22 reviews
Neighborhood: Palms
"I went here tonight to pick up sushi for dinner. Wow they have great prices. The spider roll was great! This place is so small. I look…" read more »
34 Reviews for Raku Restaurant
My favorite hangout spot! This is where my girlfriends and I would go to have some good food and good conversations. We usually pretty much hang out for hours eating, chatting and yes, of course lots of drinking. Our record hangout was something like 5 hrs! The staff are wonderful. I cannot get enough of their fried camembert. There's so many yummy dishes on their menu; some of my other favorites are the tofu salad, green tea cold noodles, korean pancake, spanish mackerel, albacore tataki. They also have tons of great specials monthly. I don't think I'll ever get tired of coming here.
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Japanese/Korean-style tapas served in a cozy spot with modern decor. We ordered a bunch of things to share:
(1) Bean sprouts
(2) Kimchi hot pot
(3) Tempura flower (zucchini/shrimp)
(4) Combination dinner with chicken teriyaki and Korean BBQ (kalbi)
(5) Korean pancake
(6) Plain soup udon (this wasn't on the menu, but our 3-year-old dining companion wanted it so the server was nice enough to oblige haha)
Some of the food was top-notch, especially the kimchi soup and the tempura flower. The other stuff was only OK. The bean sprouts needed more seasoning, and the Korean pancake only had green onions in it, rather than seafood or other ingredients. The udon noodles were a good texture and consistency. The meats that came with the combination dinner were too sweet.
The main thing that detracted from our experience was the service. Our server was nice and well-intentioned, but he brought out ONE dish at a time, with a wait of anywhere from 5-15 minutes between dishes. Kind of weird! We would eat an entire dish and then still need to wait for the next one. I hope that the service we had tonight was a fluke, because I'd like to go back and try more dishes!
My favorite place for late-night sashimi. Raku is open until 1:30am or later (call to verify). Recommended to me by a great sushi chef, Raku does not serve sushi, but does have an extensive selection of sashimi and other Japanese and Korean dishes.
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to be quite honest, not my favorite izakaya. musha still holds that spot. HOWEVER, this place offers some dishes that musha does not have. such as okonomiyaki, ochazuke, and chijimi....okonomiyaki is super hard to get on this side of town. wasn't crazy delicious, but still darn good esp when you've been craving it ... *tip to enhance the taste of your food...ogle over the cute waiters while you munch : )
I came here late one night after going to that one bar in the middle of J Town that is in a little walkway between two buildings. But anyways, this place had very delicious little dishes.
I had the beef Sashimi, which was very good, but the fact that it was raw, rubbed me the wrong way. All the dishes are enjoyable and tasty. The fish is quality, and the produce is fresh.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you feel in the mood to try a bunch of little dishes. It's more on the pricier side since the bill is around $25 and up per person.
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On a weeknight, it wasn't crowded and we were able to get a table immediately. This is a small place - with maybe 4 tables for 4 ppl and 4 tables for 2 ppl. Here's what I'll get again: albacore takati, kimchi fried rice, japanese pancake. Here's what I won't get again #66 something lotus root, tofu in mountain taro soup.
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I've dined at Raku a few times... most recently with my mom and cousin. Raku is easy to satisfy multiple tastes. My mother likes to play it safe and tends to prefer familiar Korean dishes or very mainstream food. My cousin was seeking out some decent and interesting Japanese food.
Raku has an assortment of small Korean and Japanese dishes.
The plates are small like most izakaya places. The dishes that have been consistently good include the following:
Tofu Salad
Monkfish Liver
Spanish Mackerel
Korean Beef Stew
Kimchi Udon Noodles
A real plus to Raku is that it's open until about 1 or 2am. Also, the atmosphere is casual, cozy and clean.
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ok.. after my first attempt at Raku.. i was going to give it 2 stars.. but it's probably because i didn't know what to order..
There is a lot to order.. let me list what i got to try the second time around.
-fried zucchini flowers (stuffed with this shrimp stuff) nothing like you can imagine.. they are HUGE.. actually flower buds stuffed then dipped in tempura batter and fried.. i repeat.. HUGE! did not expect it.
-tofu salad.. they use the silken soft tofu that comes in the tubes.. not the cubes. i like it better but they are hard to eat with your chopsticks
-fried oysters.. we didn't intend to order it but i liked them a lot. i love the side garnish cabbage salad too.. it comes on most of the plates.
you have to ask for extra tarter sauce though. they are super HOT and well cooked and HUGE. haha.
-sauteed enoki mushrooms in some sauce but in mini bunches they were good
-sauteed oyster mushrooms i think the same flavor as the enoki mushrooms
-black cod in miso - i'm not a big fan of cod.. but it's super light and well seasoned, it's a bit small
-korean pancake- it's a little too green for me.. too much green onions. but thin and fried well.. but i prefer korean stuff from korean places..
-Fried cream cheese with crab.. and we also had deep fried camembert cheese wedges.. and i really know i don't like fried stuff.. and deep fried cheese especially.. unless it's itallian..
-tofu steak.. just fried tofu.. you get a lot. but we got at the end of the meal and i only had room for one but i felt sick so i can't comment too much about it.
there's more but i can't remember.. i do know i was sad they did not have yellowtail belly sashimi.. then we asked for yellowtail collar.. and they were out of that.. so basically they were out of yellowtail.. =( no hamachi.. the first time i went i had fried garlic.. it was just really stir fried garlic.. i thought it was like garlic chips.. but it's just whole garlic.. it's ok.. but the beef tataki is good.. pricey for the quantity but how can you mess it up?
they do have pipinbap.. (bibimbap) haha... i'll have to try it and report back.. but i doubt it's all that great.. i'm scared to eat korean food at non korean places.. i am a korean food snob in a small sort of way.. ok.. i lie.. i'm a BIG korean food snob.. haha.
join the smokers outside in between their small dishes.. or join the red faced asians running to 7-eleven to buy more cigarettes in between the meal.. haha.. i've been a smoker standing outside.. and i've also seen the drunk asians running to 7-eleven..
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Clearly Raku doesn't need another positive review. That said, Raku is an amazing place and makes me want to move back to LA.
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My Korean-born sis is in town for the weekend and we both looooove Korean food, so I hit up Yelp for a place on the Westside that would make our taste-buds sing.
Raku is a narrow, modern decor-ed, isakaya style joint. The servers were friendly enough, but not nearly as attentive as I would have liked. I would have added an additional star to my review, if ... our waiter hadn't left us sitting for so long without offering beverage refills, hadn't addressed the fact that we'd need to wait an additional ten minutes for one of our dishes, and hadn't leaving us sitting waiting for the bill for so long.
My feelings about the food are a little bi-polar. We ordered Korean BBQ, which was a mixed-bag even as it sat on the plate. Some pieces were HEAVEN. I swear to you that I wanted to make them into candy and suck on them all day long ... they were well-marinated and cooked to perfection. Yet, on the same plate were pieces that were so overcooked, they might as well have been beef jerky. I like to base my opinion on restaurant food in regard to what I'd feel good about sending out of my own kitchen ... those pieces would not have made it out the door.
We also had to order our all-time fav ... Kimchi fried rice. It was tasty, but I was personally disappointed that the usual "kick" was not present. It tasted like Kimchi, but a very mild version. That's personal preference only, so I would still recommend it.
We enjoyed several options off the a la carte portion of the menu and they were all tasty. I ventured out and order some unfamiliar items
and although they didn't fit my palate, they were still very well seasoned, prepared, and presented.
Although the restaurant itself wasn't overly crowded, parking can be a bit dicey. The lot is so small, that if you're meeting a group here, parking will be a challenge. On our visit, we were meeting my hubby straight from work. Thankfully both of us arrived just as one of the local businesses was closing, so we were both able to snag their allocated parking spots. Later in the evening, I imagine the lot is filled to capacity.
Overall, I was impressed enough to come back and give them another shot. We enjoyed the food, but between it and the service it wasn't as good as some of the other Korean restaurants we frequent.
I hate eating in restaurants right next door to a seven-11...I don't know why...it just is unappetizing...know what I mean?
So sometimes I order take away if I'm working late. The food here is pretty good. I haven't had the okonomiyaki but I would like to.
I've had the Korean pancake, which is pretty good. Seared yellow tail with ponzu was standard fare, the ponzu was the same as the one I have at home in a jar. Tofu salad is refereshing with a nice texture.
The people who work here are all really nice, but it takes a little longer than expected to get your food, but not too bad really, I'm just a little impatient.
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I had gone to Raku a few years ago and enjoyed everything I had. My ex hated it but I always meant to go back with someone who enjoyed izakaya style dining.
My friend asked me to order which was very hard for me to do since the menu is so extensive and huge. Since she had gotten her wisdom tooth pulled the other day, I tried to stick to softer dishes.
We asked for the negi tuna, black cod with miso, eggplant with ponzu, bimbimbap and shrimp and avocado salad from the daily specials menu.
The negi tuna was very good, though probably too salty from liberal pouring of soysauce on the chef's part. The black cod was amazing but black cod tends to always be amazing with miso sauce. The eggplant was very good with grated daikon on top. The bimbimbap was pretty amazing how it managed to sneak in the spice at the end but I loved the shrimp and avocado salad best. It was pieces of shrimp mashed into the avocado with mayo. It was like the lobster salad served with deep fried shrimp wontons of my childhood but better because of the avocado! Oh yum.
We enjoyed the hot tea, service and cute restaurant quite a bit. I can't wait to take a few more people here so we could try more items.
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I tried to hold back on writing a review for this place since I've only committed myself to write reviews for sushi, HOWEVER, this place is an exception.
I love homecooked meals. Don't you? This place has a daily specials board in addition to its regular menu items. I always ask for recommendations because the waiter will be honest and tell you what's fresh and what's pre-made and frozen. I watched my kim-chee fried rice being made before my eyes, saw the man cutting my avocado for my salad and stared at the umeboshi jar sitting in front of me. Yum! I love Korean and Japanese food, so this is a perfect place to eat both at one time. There are a few regulars and the waitstaff has always been consistent with us--typically we get the same waiter and our last visit, made him drink sake with us. It made the night more enjoyable for everyone.
Parking is a bit of a pain, but well worth it. We usally park on Olympic. It is an izakaya with great quality food. They do serve some sashimi, not sushi and your basic ochazuke--simple but tasty.
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I love Japanese izakaya food and finally got a chance to try Raku last night, which is just a stone's throw from my home here on the Westside. Situated in a dumpy looking 7-11 strip mall (would never have noticed this place if I hadn't been recommended it), Raku is a small, cozy spot that serves up pretty decent Korean and Japanese influenced izakaya dishes (izakaya is like Japanese tapas, basically). My buddy and i ordered eggplant in ponzu, fried calamari, the black cod and the salmon and garlic fried rice. All the dishes were pretty satisfactory, especially the black cod, which I really enjoyed. I take off a star for the spotty and inattentive service (and the place wasn't even that busy!) and for the freezing cold A.C. (I had to down hot green tea like a maniac to keep warm)!
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I love Raku!
The food is quite good and I was very surprised because I did not expect a little Japanese-Korean strip mall restaurant to have such good food. A lot of the dishes were unfamiliar to this Korean so I assume most of it was Japanese (my friend is Japanese and he seemed to most of them). Most of the food comes tapas-style so you can share with your entire group. My group literally ordered every single dish off the "a la carte" portion of the menu. And I have to say, every dish was quite delicious. The only dish I didn't like was some sort of salad with fish (I think it was seared yellowtail?). The combination of salad with salty fish wasn't my cup of tea. The "dinner" dishes also have relatively large portions where you can comfortably share with about 3 other folks. I had a spicy tuna bowl and it was tasty. The menu is BIG so you have lots o' options.
The price is pretty cheap (ranging from about $5-$9 per dish if memory serves me correct) and the service was very attentive. I went on a Wednesday night and the place was 75% full. The waitstaff always filled our cups and while the food service itself was slightly slow, it wasn't enough to complain.
The cooks work in the front of the restaurant sushi-restaurant style. The restaurant is VERY small and narrow but it does have a back area for large parties. Apparently the back area gets reserved often so if you know you want a party there, I'd book it pretty fast. It still won't fit a whole heck of a lot of friends - maybe about 20-25 - but it's a cozy area.
I only wish the decor was a little more attractive - it's quite plain. It reminds me of the hole-in-the-wall restaurants in K-Town (i.e. Nam Dae Moon Jeep) but just a notch above since it has a touch of Japanese decor to it.
The majority of patrons were Japanese and they do have single seating at the bar up front (where the cooks work) so you can stop by after work and dine alone.
Parking was ample (but it was a weekday) and street parking is also ample. There was lots of parking on the west side of Barrington. Just cross the street and you're there.
This isn't the place to wow a date at but if you're just hanging with some friends or even family, it's definitely worth a stop for good food and good people.
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i've had one of my best dinners here! great casual date and late-ish night dining. i highly recommend the korean pancake as well as most of their sashimi. perfect portions to share and leave satisfied! sapporo, rice & kimchee, korean pancake, sabal/hamachi/albacore sashimi, some veggies & maybe a cooked fish and you are leaving happy. total reasonable prices too!
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Always up for an izakaya on the westside... came here last night for dinner. This place is located in an unattractive strip mall next to a 7-11. (What is up with LA and weird strip malls???)
The cuisine here is not a Japanese place trying to be Korean, and not a Korean place trying to be Japanese... the waitstaff were Japanese and so were the majority of the clientiele as I heard Japanese buzzing in the background.
My eyes shooted at the Kimchee fried rice upon glancing at the menu and I got obsessed with it in a tunnel visioned manner. We also ordered the Tofu Salad (prepared exceptionally well), Miso infused black cod (perfect!) and the Okonomiyaki (thin, Tokyo style the way I like it) The menu is very, very extensive for such a tiny little place... everything sounded mouth-watering.
My only disappointment was the much anticipated Kimchee fried rice... I think they make it to accomodate the J-clientiele. It was sort of bland. They should just go for it like at an authentic Korean place (Dong Il Jang in K-town's Kimchee fried rice rocks the house)
The service here was very warm, courteous and very helpful with recommendations.
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Raku is a small isakaya style restaurant located in a mini-mall off Olympic blvd. The decor is pretty modern and cozy. As you walk in, the chef behind the sushi bar greets you and you are met by friendly wait-staff whose first language is Japanese but speak English just fine as well.
I ended up at Raku fairly randomly and so didn't know what to expect. We ordered items we thought would taste good and they did not disappoint:
Fried oysters - I loved these. Oysters tasted great but I think they could have used a slightly different breading. Not the best I have ever tasted but definitely worth eating again (especially at that price).
Korean pancake - Good but didn't have kimchi, which we expected.
Egglant dumpling - The first bit was good but it gets dull really quickly. I suggest passing on this.
Monkfish liver - Huge helping of relatively good monkfish liver at a very reasonable price.
Salmon & garlic fried rice - I've never had this anywhere before and I will be sure to have it again. I love the giant pieces of garlic. I can see how not everyone would like this, though.
Squid pancake - This was pretty average - would not oder again.
Overall, the food was very good. I had a great meal and we had a nice hot sake with it. The restaurant wasn't crowded so I can see this as a place to go to when you just want to eat out during the week. It's probably not the greatest special occasion thing. This is one of those restaurants where I wish I could give it 3.5 stars... I will definitely be back at some point to try their other dishes.
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Oh... Hell ya! I stuffed me up with some FRIED goodness!
Fried Camembert cheese, crab and mochi spring rolls, black cod, tofu salad, fried garlic with mayo dipping sauce (tasted like garlicky french fries!), sauteed mushrooms, and some super sweet short ribs were some of the highlights from a night of many indulgences for me...
Yummy...
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Raku is my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles.
Oh, you want more than that? Oh, alright.
It began when I first noticed it had opened, replacing some other Japanese grill place. I stopped in just to pick up a menu and perusing it, I noticed one thing right away: bibimbap and soon doobu. Korean food. Three blocks away from me.
Turns out the owner/head chef is Korean Japanese and the menu, though primarily Japanese, has a Korean-inflected twist to it. Not a Japanese attempt at Korean, like Gyukaku or Manpuku, or a Korean attempt at Japanese, like Yokohama Sushi, but something that is its own, something that isn't *trying* at something else, but just is both at once. These distinctions are probably not significant to most people, but to me, they make a big difference.
The format is izakaya-like, but there are more substantial entrees too. In addition to the printed menu, they also have a long "specials" menu that changes from time to time. Items range from the typical (their chicken karaage is the best I've ever had), to the delicate (the shiso-wrapped shrimp and enoki is a treat), to the simple (the eggplant in ponzu has inspired numerous attempts to recreate at home to no success), and the homey (Raku is the only place I've seen on the Westside with okonomiyaki).
And throughout all of the menu, you see the Korean influence sprinkled here and there. Kimchi appears in several dishes; there are a few variations of Korean "pancakes"; and of course the soon doobu and bibimbap.
What I like about Raku goes beyond just the food, too. The main cooking area is right there at the head of the restaurant and they greet you warmly as you walk in. When they seat you, they bring a little appetizer to get you started. The majority of the patrons are Japanese and on any given night, English stands out as unusual amidst all the voices, rather than the other way around. The decor is spare but I love the little light boxes that adorn the wall with variations on the character for raku/happiness.
I even love the chopsticks there- not your paper-wrapped disposables sticks, but real chopsticks, with little porcelain rests too. Little touches that I love.
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OK, I've never been to this restaurant but the name caught my eye. When my uncle received Japanese citizenship, he had to change his name from Chinese to a Japanese name. My aunt (who is Japanese) took on the new name. I guess in Japan it's pretty complicated in that you can't just become a citizen, but it's an elaborate procedure whereby you have to take on a Japanese last name. If the last name is not already in existence, you have to 'create' one, register it and then you can become a citizen.
To cut a long story short, Raku is my uncle's last name and he's the first person listed to have that last name in Japan. Other Japanese last names have had a history centuries long, but Raku belongs to my uncle! Now that's cool!
When he visits next I'll make sure we visit this restaurant!
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Japanese/Korean Tapas Restaurant!
Since i used to come to shabu hachi all the time, so i noticed this place for a while, but never did come around to try.
When i first walked in, the deco is very nice and clean. We sat right in front of the LCD which shows that they are on top of the technology too. *another star*
the waitress was very mellow and patience with us. She handed us the "written" menu on a board and a regular menu. i assume that the dishes might be differerent everyday or else why bother to be hand-written instead of printing it on the menu.
I spot some Korean food off the "board" menu right the way. kimchi pancake, beef stew, bibibop *excuse my spelling* etc......we ordered 5 dishes at the first round. * kimchi pancake, beef stew, tofu salad, albacore sashimi* . they all came fast, and the portion is decent not as small as orris. I like the tofu salad a lot. The japanese tofu tastes very soft and the sesame dressing is very good. the beef stew is okay not as soft as i expected and it's a bit salty.
The food is not bad , and it's good that you can try lots of differernt dishes with many people. The waitress was very attentive and nice. the meny contains Japanese/ Korean food as well with wide selection.
If you have a craving for some Korean food and don't want to drive all the way, then this is the place. the taste of the food might be a bit "japanese" fusion since ithis place is a combination of both. However, the taste is not bad. It's not too crowd and it's good with a big group .
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Alrighty, I'm kinda late writing this, but it's been a hectic week. So, as an early birthday present to myself last Saturday, I treated my fat ass to Raku (I was planning on going with a friend, but with the holidays there was flakage). Probably would've been better to go with more people, so as to properly sample their menu.
Alas, I am a loser and dined alone. Dining alone on a Saturday night for your birthday? Sad, I know.. what are you gonna do. Anyhow, there wasn't a line or wait, but all the tables were filled in the tiny restaurant. The staff was very warm though, and welcomed me to sit at the (empty) bar.. naturally, as a party of one I did so.
I think they assumed I was Japanese, because the specials menu they brought was scribbled in hiragana/kanji gibberish. Fortunately, their regular menu is in English (they do have a specials menu in English as well, but I had no idea until halfway through my meal when they brought the English version to the Caucasian patrons seated next to me). Flattering, yet annoying at the same time?
Good thing I already knew what I wanted! I thoroughly examined their menu anyway.. Most everything is grilled, fried, or cooked in some manner, but they did have beef sashimi, and some sushi-esque things. Beware, if your'e looking for sushi, this is definitely not the place to go!
There were two things I had to get: Monkfish Liver and of course, the Japanese-style Pancake. I had seen pictures and heard rave reviews, so of course, I ordered them. With just me, I wasn't sure if this was enough food or too much. So, I asked them for an additional rice or noodle dish that was approporiate for one diner.. They suggested a rice ball thing... Both the Monkfish Liver and the Pancake were absolutely DELICIOUSO!! LOVEDDD ITTT!!! The rice ball thing was stupid. Basically, it's a baseball-size wad of rice with flecks of salmon wrapped in a sheet of nori. Do not get it! Or any derivation thereof, haha
I totally love this place. The service is excellent, it's right down the street from me, and of course the food is unlike anything else I've had! The little touches (real chopsticks, porcelain rests) that Harry mentions definitely add to the experience. If you notice, there's a tiny "good" written next Raku on their signage/business cards.. "Good Raku," get it? Hahaha, so punny.
For sure going again to try the rest of the menu. THE BEST!
***** UPDATE 05/05/07 *****
I've been back twice now, and BOTH TIMES the food was subpar. The 2nd time especially, it was beyond bad. I still stand by a few of their items, but wow they have some stinkers on their menu. I'll only discuss the worst offenders.
For example, the Ox-Tail Stew.. you expect lots of flavor and tender ox-tail. Not so much. The BOILED ox-tail was tough and tendony. As for the soup? Perhaps it was meant to be delicate.. but it was so delicate I couldn't taste anything!
Next, the Kimchi pancake. Garbage. Stick to the Japanese-style Pancake (okonomiyaki).
That last meal was basically a total waste of money. If I go again, I'm going to have to be a lot more judicious with my selections. Bah.
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We had a going away party in their big booth near the back of the restaurant. Tapas style dishes were sooooo tasty. My favorites were the fried camembert cheese, the crab and mozzerella springrolls, the sauteed honeycomb, the raw beef sashimi with egg yolk and pinenuts, and beef tongue!
Ummm, they offer onion pancakes. I ordered the one with beef tendon, and it was quite good. The yakiniku(short ribs) were bursting with flavor. Yummy yummy to my tummy!!!
For dessert, I had my usual green tea ice cream, but noticed they also served "creme bruree". ;)
The waitstaff was courteous and helpful, and overall I had a phenomenal first visit.
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Hi, this place was so good that I grabbed a friend and returned the following night! This time we tried the fried garlic(served w/mayo& salt&pepper), sauteed garlic scallops, jumbo oyster mushrooms, spicy tofu & spinach, which were all GREAT, followed by the sauteed udon noodles w/pork & veggies(so-so), and the salmon and garlic fried rice(so-so).
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Recently tried items, the sauteed peasprouts(spicy, crunchy, fibrousy, and deelishus), sauteed asparagus in butter with bonito flakes(yummy), and salmon skin salad(perfectly crunchy salmon skin, a bit heavily dressed, but still good), and their miso cod was quite remarkable. I'll have tried their whole menu soon. Mwahahahahahahaha.
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Totally dig the place. It serves Japanese/Korean Tapas style food. We ordered several items such as salmon belly (seasonal), cabbage roll, marinated tuna/yellow tail from the special and they were delicious. For big eaters like myself, you probably need to order some carbs like Japanese pancake or uni bowl.
Parking can be pain in the butt sometimes since it's located in a small plaza. But there are some meter parkings on barrngton as well as olympic.
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Good place for a tasty meal among friends. Japanese Tapas dominate and everything I have ever tried has been really good.
Recommendations: Salmon Fried Rice, Lotus Root and Chicken, Kim Chee Noodles, Tuna with Sesame Oil and Green Onions, Korean/Japanese Pancake
Bring minimum 2 friends along with you and you are guaranteed a fun night with good food, beer and sake. All for a very reasonable price!
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Caveat: this review is for their Korean food which, in fairness, is likely not their forte.
So I was craving spicy Korean soup the other night but was feeling too lazy to trek over to K-town. Lamenting, yet again, about the lack of Korean cuisine on the westside, I recalled I saw a few Japanese/Korean places reviewed around Sawtelle, and decided Raku might hit the spot given the high marks.
Now I understand a primarily Japanese place will not serve super authentic soon tofu. But c'mon man. First, the servers seemed a bit snooty that my dining companion and I both ordered the tofu stew. The soup came out looking suspiciously un-red. No egg to crack in yourself, either, since they do it in the kitchen (booo). The lesson: if you order soon tofu here, you'll just get miso soup with a jalapeno slice.
On a positive note, I noted that their menu was quite extensive and I'd likely go back to try their izakaya style items.
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GREAT place to go on the Westside for okonomiyake (Japanese pancake), deep-fried shrimp and enoki mushrooms wrapped in shiso leaf (Japanese herb) dipped in tempura sauce, and octopus balls.
Ambiance is nice, clean, with an authentically Asian feel to it. Service was prompt and friendly.
Down sides were: I thought the marinated black cod with miso sauce was VERY tasty and savory, but there was so little of it! The two pieces were tiny, and one of them was half bones, so it was really like 1 1/2 little pieces. The batter for the octopus balls and the okonomiyake were a tad mushy, but perhaps that was because they were served fresh off the oven. I think if you let them cool off and firm up a bit, they taste better.
We got there at 7:00pm on a Friday night and got a seat right away... but 15 minutes into our meal, the crowd quickly formed and there was a line when we left around 8:30. So get there early (they open at 6:30pm for dinner) to find a parking spot in the teeny lot and to beat the lines. Nice thing was the waitress didn't make us feel rushed to leave.
$17 per person for those 4 dishes split between two. I left satisfied, not stuffed. It was definitely good, though I do feel there are other slightly better izakaya-style restaurants in the area. But if you crave okonomiyake, this is the place to go!
Casual Japanese Izakaya style restaurant.
I actually went back there after 1st time experience wasn't that great. I think food is pretty decent but the service is always horrible. I usually give 2nd chance to places if I like the food even though service wasn't great.
I don't think this place deserves my hard earned money. I'm not that hard to please, but I'd like my water filled when it's empty etc. Also servers are always unfriendly.
Great customer service is very important to me but you don't really see that around here. I always take care of my servers. I tip them 30% and up if I like them.
But if you don't care about that, I'd suggest korean style fried rice and kimchi soup.
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A little gem tucked away in an easy to miss mini mall, Raku Restaurant surprised us with its simple yet flavorful small dishes. I've passed by it so many times, yet because the outside looked so blah, and I never really see anybody going in/coming out/waiting, I just never gave it much thought. My boyfriend and I decided to try it on a whim, since our original destination was packed.
The atmosphere is somewhat strange. It's sushi bar without the typical sushi fare, and authentic Japanese home cooking (with Korean touches) with a flat screen, so you feel like you're eating at home...if you're Japanese. We ordered 7-8 dishes, since they're all small, tapas style, good for sharing. The yellowtail sashimi was creamy, melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The grilled beef liver/heart was way yummy, just like the ones off the street in Peru...tender and flavorful. Can't quite remember what else we had since we were glued to the TV (the Lakers were missing their shots!) But everything was really tasty! We'd definitely go back and try other thing. Oh, and you know it's good and authentic when everyone else eating there (and it was 90% full at 8pm on a weeknight) were Japanese!
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it was an ok place to go for me. i was impressed by the menu, but the outcome of the food was overall average..so 3 stars
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Raku is one of those restaurants you don't want to tell other people about. The restaurant is tucked away in a shopping mall and you would drive right past it on Olympic/Barrington, if you don't know it's there. I first noticed the place because they had a sign that read "Japanese & Korean" food, I, being Korean and all, thought this was interesting. After the 8th time of driving past the restaurant, I finally decided to go in and check it out.
The menu is a tapas like menu for both Japanese and Korean. And it dish ranges from $4-$10. The Korean dishes are very simple and clean and this is why I perfer it over Korean restaurants in K-Town. If you want real Korean BBQ, this is not the restauraunt for you. The Japanese tapas dishes offered are more authentic than some other Japanese restaurants. This isn't a sushi restaurant, although they offer sashimi & some sushi dishes, but if that's what you want, this isn't the place for you. My Japanese relatives really like this place and if they are in town for a long period of time, they will eat here when they miss Japanese food. The atmosphere is very clean and zen-simple and is nice for a restaurant that is located adjacent to 7-Eleven. I introduced 5 of my pals to this place and they introduced their pals to this place and there's about 14 of us who frequent here often now.
Here are the dishes that I like to order, tapas/appetizers: Korean pancake, marinated yellow-tail w/scallions, grilled squid w/ dipping sauce, fried shrimp w/shiso leaf, kimchi with mountain of taro, pork fried in egg w/dipping sauce.
For entrees/medium dishes: The black cod w/miso, Uni Bowl (Fresh Uni w/Rice, they don't serve this at any other Japanese place), Spicy Tofu Pot (in Korean it's called Soon Tofu & it's served simple & fresh here), Beef Stew (aka Kalbi Chigae) & ox-tail soup.
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Raku is another small dishes restaurant which has lately been an obsession of mine. The menu is ridiculously extensive with seriously over 100 items including the specials here. Honestly, it takes about 5 minutes to really read over all of the items they have here. I guess this can be good if you are into variety, but it can also be scary because honestly how good can eat dish be, right?
Small Dishes are perfect for groups of 4-6 who want to try a little bit of everything. Our group decided to order a crap load of food. We had:
* Tofu Salad (very delicate and silky quite tasty) topped with bonito flakes. Recommended.
*Tofu Steak (fried tofu) which was not very good. I wouldn't get this
*Korean Stewed Short Ribs (Kalbi Jjim) too salty and the meat was still not fall off the bone tender as it should be
*Kimchi Jun (Pancake) Very standard, full of vegetables. Nothing spectacular
*Scallops with Butter (it was basically 3 scallops cut into pieces but the flavoring and marinade was delicious)
*Croquette with Ground Beef, Potato and Cheese (it looked like 2 huge ass balls doused with tartar sauce. Not one of my favorites. It lacked flavor)
*Enoki Mushrooms in Butter (expensive and not worth it... tastes like... enoki with butter)
*Spring Rolls filled with Mochi, Cheese and Crab (this was gross. it was very gelatinous and gooey. Not a fan)
*Albacore Tataki (generous portion and very nicely made. The albacore was seared.) recommended
Overall, it's alright. The prices are much less than most small plate places in the area, so that is a plus. The service was descent and the waitress was cute with a nice attitude.
i hate to give the place a 2 cuz the food was actually passable, but i have to cuz i don't think I'm going there again.
the Japanese pancake had too much cabbage, not enough yam...
the fried lotus root was under cooked and
the pickles were marginal
not really bad food, but in a place like LA there has got to be better and when i find it why go back here?
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