Raku Reviews

This cozy, authentic little space delivered the best udon I’ve had in NYC, fat and away. Excellent service, wonderful menu, and reasonable pricing. I will return often.

This place is a literal hole in the wall. There is not much seating and it’s very warm inside but the portion is large and these may be the best noodles I’ve ever had. The broth was good but it wasn’t The highlight of the dish, the noodles were so fresh they definitely stood out to me. We also got the fried chicken since everyone raves about it. It was good, and I would order again, but I’m from the south so It wasn’t anything too special to me.

Get the cold udon on those hot summer days and share the katsu don- everything is delicious. Great spot for a date, small, very friendly service and comfortable decor.

Top notch udon! I got the zaru, and it was absolutely perfect. Beautiful light but flavorful dipping sauce, perfectly chewy udon. Simplicity at its finest. The restaurant is very Japanese, and the service was great. Don't miss this!

This restaurant is delicious. I thought I used to eat good udon, but this is so much better. The kitsune was full of flavor, the broths were so rich and the meat was cooked to perfection. The noodles were chewy and spicy just right. This will be my favorite place.

It's hard to tell this place is a restaurant from the outside. You'll just see the typical Japanese noren, a piece of fabric that is used as a door. You can put your name down on Yelp and they'll message you when your table is ready. The food was hearty and abundant. The udon soup was really good, and so was the katzu pork rice. Don't plan to spend too much time at the table, as you'll get the check minutes after finishing your meal. Cash only.

The food was delicious with hearty portions, good service, and provided a subtle yet nice experience. It is well located though it is a bit tiny.

Totally HEARTBROKEN!!! I read such great reviews on this place and it was AWFUL service. Our reservation was 5:30 and we were kept waiting about 10 minutes or so. The booth was not ready for me to sit and I didn't like that the bathrooms were down a steep flight of steps. Anyone who is handicapped must avoid it. Next we ordered the meal. We were told the steak-dish was already sold out and do keep in mind it was only 6:20. We had Chicken tatsuta-age, 6 fried chicken in a dish that came with a piece of lemon slice and very hot mayo. When I asked for more lemon... I actually got another small slice. For $8 give me LEMON! Next we got the big bowls of udon with a huge wooden spoon. The 3 bowls were NOT brought to the table at one time. The soup was good a bit to salty for my taste buds. The noodle texture was fresh and soft. Nameko Udon, Chicken Udon with lots of dark meat which I am not fond of, and Udon with fried shrimp that was served on a plate so it didn't get soggy. I am also accustomed to taking my udon from the larger bowl into smaller bowls to make it easier to consume and I had to ask for BOWLS. The waiter returned with 1 bowl. Well, guess what He had to walk back with 2 more. Is it to hard for this waiter to be a tad more into his customers. He didn't introduce himself, we started with a waitress who never returned and it was like asking anyone who passed by for Service. My son totally told the waiter it was my birthday and to serve the desert with a candle. Well, they handed us the bill without even asking if we wanted anything else. My son-- gave the waiter a stare-- which I didn't understand and asked for the desert list. Well $10 later getting this cake with whisky ice cream, there was no Candle and he was very very disappointed. Food was fine. But for $70 worth of food I didn't like the service. Silent and rude!!!

Raku is great. They have a nice lunch special that comes with a soup or salad. Sushi was super fresh and each roll was a nice size. Ginger dressing was the best I’ve ever had. Service was excellent and everyone was friendly. Definitely a solid find on the Upper West Side on 76 and Columbus.

I ordered from Caviar, and we waited for more than an hour, and suddenly our dasher called and said that our order has been canceled by the restaurant without letting us know. And we’ve been waiting for hours! This is unacceptable and very unprofessional!

I strongly recommend this place Good quality of food with modern deco and excellent service. Th crab salad is highly recommended among others

This place is cash only, takes no reservations, and is a very small space. And while all of this can present a challenge, it's worth planning to eat here. Go with a few friends and order everything!! My friend and I ordered as much as we could eat, and I wished I had a second stomach.

Raku is the Taylor Swift of Udon. The Andre Agassi of hangover food. The Denzel Washington of rainy-day meals. We came on a day were it was a torrential downpour, one of those days where you can't get a noodle soup-like dish off of the mind. My thought process was that since it was raining so violently, that there would be no wait. I was half right, as the wait was only 5 minutes at 1pm on a Saturday. We sat in the beautiful outdoor space that is fully covered, and I swear to the good lord Jesus Christ it is made for the rain. There's no better place to watch the rain attack through glass panes while feeling fully safe and covered, knowing a bowl of noodles is on the way. A spiritual phenomenon really. We ordered the fried chicken, pork dumplings, deep fried eggplant, and the niku(beef short rib) udon with chili oil. I was expecting nothing from the fried eggplant (wasn't my choice), but it really blew me away. Breakout player of the year performance from the fried eggplant. The MVP was obviously the niku udon, as it quite literally cured my hangover (along with a joint and a nap). The broth was perfect. The noodles were electric. The short rib was eclectic. Tried to find something to rhyme with "electric" there but it didn't really work, but the short rib was sensational. I can't emphasize enough how ELITE this ambiance was for a rainy day. I swear only the Japanese could pull this off. IG @jnov_ Tiktok @jnov__

Have been waiting to try this restaurant for a long time since I first heard all the great reviews. Even with all the hype, everything was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. We had an assortment of appetizers and they all exceeded our expectations. Their dishes are very authentic and reminiscent of my recent trip to Japan. The udon noodles though were DEFINITELY the highlight. We had the Niku and the Gyunan and they were both super tasty. The noodles they use are unique and just the right amount of chewiness. Their broth is complex and savoury. Can't wait to come back again.

Last night my table and I asked for a sake recommendation and our waitress recommended a bottle, so we ordered it. We were shocked when our bill came and the bottle cost $285 (it costs $40 to order the same online). She did not give us any warning and as it is not listed on the menu, we assumed the most it could cost was in the $70 range like the ones actually listed. We are just 20-somethings trying to have a nice affordable dinner. This is completely unacceptable. We will NEVER come back again. Taking advantage of your customers is terrible terrible customer service and a truly horrible management policy. And, the udon isn't even that good.

Had a fantastic meal here, well worth the wait. Very simple traditional Japanese interior, very homey. It was a rainy day and some friends and I wanted udon. I highly recommend the Niku Udon and the Chicken Tatsuta-age. Both exceeded my expectations and were very harmonious and flavorful dishes. Would return!

I can't say enough good things about friendly little Udon noodle joint. The price is affordable, despite being cash only to keep costs down. The decor is simple and it is a small restaurant, but the service was good. The restroom was clean. The food was excellent. We tried the fried oysters and chicken, which were both excellent. I had the niku udon, which is basically udon with short rib & honeycomb tripe, while my friends tried the wagyu udon and katsu don. The size is sort of small for big eaters, so you need at least one appetizer and one udon, or one udon and one rice. I highly recommend it and will be back a lot! PS. For vegetarian and vegan eaters, they have specific vegan and vegetarian broth.

This had only been open a few weeks when I first visited in February but was already popular and understandably so. Although it headlines as an Udon restaurant, when I visited with my son we liked the small dishes so much we ended up making a meal out of just them. They have a couple of good cold sakes too. I've been to Japan over thirty times and would say this is about as authentic as you can get, though of course the prices are much steeper than in Japan. The owner speaks Japanese, which is always a good thing! Random facts: apparently they have another restaurant with the syllables swapped (Kura) and the furniture was custom-made, I think they said out of walnut. I've been to Japan more than thirty times and I would say this is one

I heard about Raku from an East Village bartender and decided to check it out the next day. I had a bit of a hard time finding it as there is no sign out front, only a curtain covering the opening to the street. Once inside, I was greeted to a small and cozy dining area. The server was friendly and I found the menu full of more good options than I knew what to do with. While Raku is famous for their udon, I decided to order the Katusu Don (deep fried pork cutlet & egg rice bowl). I grew up eating katsu in Hawaii, but never had anything this flavorful. The complexity of flavors in this dish was what really amazed me. The katsu was well seasoned and tender, and the rice really well cooked, but there was another ingredient I couldn't figure out that took it over the top. It might have been a seafood ingredient as there were hints of the sea that found me while I ate this dish. My only regret is that I was only able to eat there once.

We like noodles. We like home-cooked Japanese. We like(d) Raku *a lot*. had a kombu udon and a mushroom udon... arrived hot, on time, with beautiful chopsticks and napkins. can't wait to eat in, at some point. noms.

This small restaurant at the corner of 6th street and 1st Ave seats 25 people. Udon is specialty; and a few donburi. The simple, discolored wooden signage on white washed wall is easy to miss. Cash only. Their udon noodles are flatter & chewier than normal ones. Serving size is good. We started with chicken karaage. Curry with beef came in thick and hot soup. The Niku (short rib), Ebiten (shrimp tempura), Kitzune (bean curd) were nicely done with tasty broth. Both cold noodles we tried Ja Ja (spicy miso) and Yamakake (yam with small quail egg) were very good. Wait staff were curt and non cheerful.

Walked over on a Tuesday afternoon after seeing my local haunt, Udon West, was closed (hopefully not for good!). Raku proved to be a pleasantly surprising alternative at the next price point up, and we were happy with the service, experience, and quality of food. Upon arrival, the server/hostess seated us with a contact tracing form to fill out. I don't particularly remember if they checked temperatures - I've been eating out a lot and all my weird 2020 memories are blending together. There are bottles of hand sanitizer at each table and the butane heaters keep the outdoor structure mildly warmed. Ordered the yaki nasu (eggplant) to share as a starter. Beef udon for me and tantan udon with a side of shiitake mushrooms for the guy. The eggplant was lowkey fire - the sweet/savory softness of the eggplant with the spiced miso pork on top mixed with a silky quail egg yolk: divine. The udon was fantastic - the noodles looked knife-cut rather than extruded (like the frozen packs at the supermarket). Broth was mild but beefy - I added a shichimi pack to taste. The tantan was deep with sesame flavor and moderately spiced. Completely different flavor profiles for each udon, but both very well done. Will definitely be going back for another chill lunch!

Can't believe there are only two reviews - Raku is truly a hidden gem. Ramen (thin noodles in thick pork broth) is all the rage these days, but I have never come across a Japanese place specialising in udon (thick noodles in a light broth). The noodles are hand-pulled in-house and the portions are generous. The restaurant is staffed by Japanese. The interior is small but well designed. Expect to wait - as a party of four, we waited for about 15 minutes to get in at 4pm on a Saturday afternoon. A solid five star meal.

A little gem in the east village. We found excellent reviews on this and wanted to try it. It's very small so there may be a wait as you cannot book. It was well worth the wait. Tasty and simple udon dishes. Try the cold udon. Lovely place.

Oh my god. This tastes so good, especially the Udon! PS: a review from a Hong Kong traveller. We tried the fried chicken, monkfish liver, which taste really good. The fried oysters didn't meet expectation, it's not juicy enough inside. The restaurant doesn't take reservation, so have someone to get there early and get on line. They will text you when your table is ready.

This is a fantastic place to go to for udon. The noodles were chewy and tasted authentic. We had to wait for a table but it wasn't a problem as it was a short wait (20 minutes).

Note - this place is cash only. A lot of friends highly recommended this spot, and it was indeed a tasty choice. Came here for dinner with a friend on Saturday evening and put ourselves on the waitlist about 40 minutes in advance. There’s indoor and covered outdoor seating available. We shared a chicken Karaage (you have the choice of 6 or 10 pieces) and I opted for the Chikara udon, which came with chicken, 2 big pieces of mochi, and udon in soup. The bowl was quite filling, even though it didn’t look like much when it first came to the table.

This is a japanese noodles shop and place is small. I like their noodles so much as I am a noodles fan and this is one of the best one in my list. Reasonable price and walk in only.

Lots of lines outside usually is a good sign and for good reason. Their udon is as good as advertised - chewy noodles and tasty broth with lots of great options on ingredients. Also great is the chicken tatsuta-age which is both crispy and juicy. But don't sleep on the donburi the kaisen don being our favorite.