Friendly and helpful staff. Delicious, very fresh fish and soup ingredients, well prepared and presented. Serving dishes and ware from Japan, as in higher end Japanese restaurants. Limited hours in April so arrive early. No dinner reservations needed now. read more

This place is ok. I saw the mixed reviews and gave it a shot. The service was great. Very attentive. Nicely decorated, small shop. The prices... are very expensive. Probably one of the most expensive sushi places I've been to. $14 for a Cali hand roll. It was large and the rice had an odd sweet flavor to it? Wasn't a fan. I got the tonkatsu ramen. Only meat, onion, and added tofu. It said it would come with slices but it came with chunks of pork that was boiled.. I wanted the slices. The ramen itself was alright. The gyoza/potstickers were good. Probably my favorite. $9 side of kimchi... it was pretty good. Sadly I don't think I'll be back with these prices. read more

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Felt a bit under the weather today so I decided that ramen would be the perfect pick-me-up meal. We came a little after they opened up for the day and ordered the Raku Ramen with a side of egg. We were told that it came spicy which was perfect because spicy ramen is what I favor. However, we were told that egg wasn't available at the moment and so we weren't able to taste that and saved an extra $2.50 off our bill (expensive for just one egg). We were told that since they just opened, the food would take longer than expected (roughly around 15-20 minutes). However, to our surprise it came in 10 minutes! Now for the food review, it was okay. The ramen was bland and not spicy at all. I had let the server know that it wasn't spicy as was promised and expected and if we could have some spice to add onto it. He came back with a little side of just chili oil, this was a regretful addition because we later found out that it's an additional $1.50 for such a small amount of chili oil, ridiculous. I don't think I'll be returning due to surge in additional prices that we were not aware of and the fact that the food wasn't good. read more

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I was unwisely optimistic even after reading the poor reviews about this place. Our friends had been a year ago and had a good experience. But this was a completely frustrating and disappointing dinner. The restaurant had rules from the get-go: everyone must arrive on time, everyone must order an entree. Very un-izakaya. The website's menu has no prices, so we were a little shocked to see them after being seated and all having to pull up the menu on our phones with one QR code that was taped to a sign by the front door (they had raised the prices since the last QR code had been taped to the table so it was outdated). There are no printed menus. Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling...everything except the bottled beer seemed so expensive ($5 for a small Sapporo was good). I'm attaching some screenshots of the QR code menu. We should have gotten a clue when no one was there at 6:00 on a Saturday. The two-person service team was discombobulated and unsure of themselves. I don't think either server had had much training. We had to ask for plates after several of the dishes had come out. The food tasted good but many dishes were difficult to eat with chopsticks (which were disposable; napkins were thin paper). The dishes either fell apart right away or were much too big for graceful chopstick use. I can't recommend anything except the fried chicken (Tatsuta-Age, $17), the salmon collar ($24), and the pickled vegetables appetizer sampler ($17.50). Everything else was either bland or a mess. The final straw was the bill: $176 for two people (three appetizers, the popcorn lobster roll, one small Sapporo, and two small -300mL - bottles of Sayuri Nigori sake. After all this, we were emboldened to break the entree imperative). They added an automatic 20% gratuity to our bill because we were (in total at the table) four adults and two children. There is a line for additional gratuity on the credit card slip so be aware. I feel like an idiot for not just giving up and paying after the first failed dish (popcorn lobster roll- a mess. $35.) A big fail. I'm an idiot. read more

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This place is so bad it's actually hilarious. Ramen was way overcooked and like paste in your mouth. Ordered sushi rolls, came out like a drunk elementary school kid made it. Wasn't rolled or cut right. See my pic. Did not taste fresh. Food was really expensive. Any modification free at any other restaurant costs an extra fee here and they don't tell you about it. Menus have no pictures. It's like these owners know they are below average and don't care to learn from our reviews. Lazy owners you can tell. Skip and try others. read more

Izakaya Raku - This looks like it was made by a drunk 6 year old. Costs $19. WTH. Owners are terrible and proud. - Japanese Near Me - Grover Beach, California

Arrived at around 7pm on Friday and most of the tables were taken. Steady stream of customers. Appears to be a family run establishment, and they were all friendly. Started with the Hotate scallops. There were 6 scallops - tasty, especially with that sauce that were atop the greens. Next were the agedash mochi. The sauce was good but I would've liked the mochi to be cooked a bit longer to make it crispier to hold up against the broth more. As for the sushi, we ordered the spider roll (flavor of the spider crab came through), Very Salmon roll (fresh salmon but maybe could've used a little citrus to add a depth of flavor), and the Shell Beach roll (hubs is allergic to shrimp so we enjoyed the fried squid). All the fish tasted fresh. Rolls were pricey (about $25/roll). Rate is more like 3.5. read more

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Service was great and the atmosphere was nice. The restaurant is very small - maybe seating for 30 or a bit less. The decorations are nice and the atmosphere was calming. They had a nice selection of Japanese beer. The food was very good - more authentic than many places. The food is not as Americanized, which is to say not sweet the way many Asian food here is. We had gyoza potstickers which were nice and crispy, the vegetable tempura which was also crispy, fresh and not greasy. The sunomono salad was fresh and tasty. The sesame chicken was also very nice and had a good sauce to accompany it. read more

I ordered this ramen came out to 40+ I added extra meat and extra corn but when u do any substitution they charge u and don't tell u this was spose to be like 25 bucks the broth was watery the sliced meat was overly chewy the roasted pork was the only good meat I asked about the charges beacuse I didi t understand the charges the owner came out and was very rude she said its been like that for 4 years and its not her fault I didint t know even tho its not marked anywhere I was going to get a crunch roll but there 25 bucks I used to come here when this place first open in 2008 read more

The food is always yummy. Been going for over 10 years. But now the prices have become insane and they now use fake krab. (Excuse due to pandemic, but that excuse is getting old now) for $86.00 I had delivered. Kinpira gobo, kubochi squash, miso soup, burdock, broccoli, squash appetizer and a very small piece of black cod that was so salty I couldn't eat it. $86.00? Crazy. A few days later, I picked up a to go order. $32.00 for kinpira burdock, squash, small salad with a few Romain, lettuce leaves, and one tomato and a dressing, 3 pieces of tofu and everything was cold that was supposed to be hot as if it was just taken out of the refrigerator. Did someone forget to heat it up so instead of going on my picnic? I had to go home and heat all the food up except for the extremely small salad. After eating all the food, I was still hungry. And the napkin is taped so strongly to the chopsticks that it crumbled as I was trying to take it off, and it was all wet from the liquid from the burdock. I would say they need to change a few things and pay a little more attention to their customers needs. Also fair prices. I won't be back again after these experiences. read more

tl;dr: food was too mid to be accompanied by bad service and lazy servers. came here with my family. got a katsudon for myself and rest had one udon, 2 tonkotsu ramen and one alaska roll. food isnt that brilliant; it will get you filled. service was extremely disappointing. i understand that immediately seating a group of 5 could be difficult, but this was just straight up lazy & bad service. the two servers basically ignored despite having a table cleared up until the owner finally showed up. we came 2 hours before closing and they kept emphasizing that they'll close at 7. the ambiance is nice though. read more

Izakaya Raku - Katsudon - Japanese Near Me - Grover Beach, California

Izakaya Raku is a small family run business on Grand Ave in Grover Beach. Their menu has extensive selections of authentic Japanese cuisine, from appetizers of kabocha and kinpira gobo to entrées of buta-Kakuni to yakiniku, and many varieties of sushi. The restaurant is very clean, orderly, and pleasantly decorated with greenery and bamboo. Our server wore a mask and gloves and was very attentive. We enjoyed the Miso Black Cod appetizer, Vegetable Cut Roll, as well as Zaru Soba and Nabeyaki Udon noodles. The food was delicious and presented in a professional manner. Printed menus are not provided; one must use their own device to view the menu. The premises is quite small, therefore it is not ideal for large groups. read more

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This restaurant is tiny (less than 10 tables) but the interior is beautiful and well maintained! Personally i love their no young children rule, it's nice to know your dining experience won't be interrupted by screaming and crying! My friends had the ramen and all spoke very highly of it, my rainbow roll and short rib were both flavorful and although they didn't blow me away, they seemed fresh and I enjoyed them. I wish they had plum wine as I'm not a sake/ beer lover, and service could have been a bit faster but overall I'd go back! read more

Izakaya Raku - Rainbow roll and short rib - Japanese Near Me - Grover Beach, California

When Hubby and I were in Pismo Beach we were wondering what to eat. We love sushi and have been trying to find a place that will wow us (so far there's only a few places that we enjoy). When we arrived we were the only ones there and were seated right away. The menu is all online, so you scan the QR code and view the menu from there. Hubby and I ordered the California Roll, the Guilty but Happy, and two other rolls that I cannot remember the name of. Hubby got a beer that he really enjoyed! The rolls was yummy! It's not the best that we've had but it was good. One of the two rolls that I can't recall the name was my favorite, it was the one with the lobster on top. That was delicious and so was the one with the eel! Good service and food was good! read more

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We were craving "non-beach kind" of food for dinner while visiting Pismo Beach area. Came across this spot on Yelp and this place looked like good option. Was a little busy for a Monday night- good sign! The free green tea latte with Yelp check in set the tone, and it was delicious! Had evaporated and condensed milk, can't go wrong with that combo in my book. We ordered a deep fried roll, a Pismo Beach roll, and a Raku ramen. Deep fried roll (i think it was called guilty pleasure); good batter consistency, good flavor, overall good. Pismo Beach roll: Consistency of rice and fillings was good, the imitation crab had a slight aftertaste (like when it's not fresh). Ramen: I was surprised to see large strips of onions, carrots, and cabbage in it. Never had a ramen with those ingredients. Initial tonkatsu taste was pleasant. Not as umami as other ramen spots but still good. Adding the parboiled egg will cost you $2! Left satisfied and full! read more

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Our normal go to sushi place is closed on Mondays and we really wanted sushi so we found this place through Yelp. We were having an early dinner so we walked in and got seated fast. We were the only ones in there. The waitress was very friendly and all smiles. We ordered a couple appetizers. Spicy garlic edamame and the tempura vegetables. Edamame was delicious. The perfect spicy to garlic ratio. :) The vegetable tempura was good. Nothing amazing. Then we ordered a couple spicy tuna rolls. I'm sorry but I can't remember which ones but they were both amazing. Rolled perfectly and full of flavor. The restaurant was tastefully decorated with lots of bamboo. This is our new go to place for sushi, especially on Mondays ;) By the time we paid and left, the place was packed. read more

Izakaya Raku - Japanese Near Me - Grover Beach, California

Visiting the area for a couple days and wanted to try sushi around here...not too impressed with the quality. The fish did not look fresh (the discoloration was off). Service was fine. Personally, I would not go back (even if I lived down the street). read more

Kind staff and attentive service. The atomic bomb roll was delicious--would definitely recommend! Small place with nice ambiance. They even gave us a small complimentary chocolate for the holidays! read more

My sister and I were in town visiting her Alma Mater and on such a cold December evening we were craving for something warm and comforting. We look for a nice ramen place and this place popped up and we were NOT disappointed! Absolutely incredible! The service was fast and the respectful. This small mom and pop shop not only make incredible food but their genuine uniqueness will definitely keep folks wanting to come back over and over again. If yall are in the area I highly recommend a visit here where you'll get great food and great service! read more

Izakaya Raku - A sweet gift after the dinner. Not for all customers but this was really sweet - Japanese Near Me - Grover Beach, California

A decent meal gone bad. Things started well. The gyoza, sunomono, ono roll, and hamachizushi were all decent. But we weren't quite full and decided to finish with the chicken tatsuta age. When it arrived, the color was alarming g, but I tried to tell myself maybe their marinade was somehow responsible for the dark overcooked appearance. Nope, this was just burnt. Bitter coating and flavorless dry chicken inside. They were not busy, we were the only people there. They could have easily remade this, and had a repeat customer, but instead chose to serve it. That really is just insulting. Maybe I should have sent it back, but to me that would have been a waste of time. If they cared, it would have never left the kitchen. A mistake in prep can be one nobody knows about. Serving a mistake that is obvious to everyone is how you lose business. read more

service is was very nice servers were polite new sushi spot here! place is so nice quiet and clean

Fresh sushi, super delicious cod, nice hot sake on a cold winter night! Server lady was very friendly and helpful. The entrees in the menu do not do justice, they come with everything: California rolls (4), mixed salad, miso soup, tempura, rice and some appetizers! I had the cod, it looked ordinary but the taste was great. read more

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If I were giving this review 8-10 years ago it would certainly be 5-star, with the location living up to its name as an Izakaya (an informal, fun Japanese bar). But my wife and I have been going to this location for many years and it has sadly decreased in quality since the new owners took over. Still worth it if you want decent sushi, but given the price, quality and overall atmosphere, this location teeters between a 2-star and 4-star depending on personal preference. read more

It was almost closing time for the restaurant but they still seated us. We ordered quickly and food came quickly as well. Good service! We enjoyed our meal! The place is decent size and nicely decorated. read more

Izakaya Raku - Shoyu Ramen w/Seasoned egg - Japanese Near Me - Grover Beach, California

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My husband and I went on a Friday night around 6 and it was the perfect time before dinner rush. Inside the restaurant it is very small, there are only about 8 tables so if you don't want to wait make sure you don't go during a busy time. I ordered the Atomic Bomb sushi roll and it was delicious. It tasted so fresh and was a pretty big roll compared to other sushi restaurants. My husband had to help me finish it. He ordered the spicy seafood ramen and let me say, this was the best ramen we've ever had. The soup was definitely spicy, but not so much that it was intolerable. We love spicy, so this was definitely up to our standards. The amount of seafood added in the ramen was perfect. The whole bowl was just the right ratio of noodles to soup to seafood. It had shrimp, muscles, squid, and clams I believe. The service was great, our food came out within 15-20 minutes. The owner's son was running around being host, server, and bussing tables. If I could personally give him 5/5 stars I would. I can't wait to return and get the ramen again. read more

Izakaya Raku - Seafood ramen - Japanese Near Me - Grover Beach, California

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This place used to be an actual izakaya, owned and operated by a Japanese-American couple. Currently, it is a sushi and ramen place. The food came almost all at once, with some lukewarm hot items. The place looks ok. The rolls were nothing special. $2 additional charge if you request more ginger and wasabi. 20% tipping policy. For an authentic Japanese sushi place, I recommend Nogi in Atascadero; reservation recommended read more

My husband and my 14month old went today. Was excited to try their matcha, as we had it in the past and it was really good. Sadly they were sold out. Looking at the new reviews, it says there's new owners and it makes sense why their customer service is really bad. They don't have a single high chair. We decided last minute to order to go since our toddler can't sit still. A worker told us we have to sit outside as customers come in, which was odd because the restaurant was empty. read more

Family owned everyone was very nice! I got the miso ramen with udon noodles and it was a large portion and so tasty! We also had the popcorn lobster roll which was a fun switch up for rolls I typically get. We got the mussels and gyoza for appetizers which was average but still good! Smaller inside and felt very intimate which was nice. Overall a good experience and will definitely be back!! read more

Some of the best ramen I've ever had, and the kindest service all around. The team always calls if the order is ready earlier than their estimate, and they're so friendly and wonderful. The food is excellent with fresh delicious fish, especially in the chirashi don. The interior is so cute too, I will one day dine there but I've only ordered takeout so far! read more

Service/ excellent. Heart attack roll good but grossly overpriced for the serving size.Salmon roll -ok - large portion roll served with minute amount of Wasabi/Ginger, (received xtra wasabi/ginger@no charge)messy "presentation" Worth driving to Whole Foods SLO for their salmon roll if you're driving an electric car. With Sake tax & 20% tip, $58. Iin my neighborhood & really wanted it to be better read more

NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY. Our family was excited to try to this place, but we were very disappointed by how not family friendly Izakaya was. First, they do not have any boosters or high chairs. We have an infant less than a year old, so we said that's okay because we were already there. We were seated at a table of 4 and had baby on our lap. However, when we received our check, they labeled our table as a party of 5 and automatically charged a 20% gratuity. When we asked why we're being labeled as a party of 5 when we're seated at a table of 4 without a high chair, and baby ate mostly our own food (maybe ate 5 strands of noodles), the owner/manager said it's because waiters/waitresses asked to be able to charge families with kids more gratuity - as if families don't have enough to pay for as it is. She said it used to be for parties of 6 or more and now it's been changed to 5 to include families with kids. Mind blowing and outrageous. Prices are not cheap here for a standard sushi shop, and we've been to many. Then they give you the tiniest amount of ginger, and charge you for extra ginger without telling you. Trying to price gauge at every point does not make a customer feel good at all. The prices high, just take that and treat the customers well. Otherwise, you'll only end up losing customers. Not coming back here. read more

Excellent service. Staff super attentive. Sushi fresh. Delicious. Had volcano roll and a shrimp tempura roll. Highly recommend the black cod appetizer. Prices reasonable read more

Izakaya Raku - Hamachi roll - Japanese Near Me - Grover Beach, California

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First greeting from an old lady ' if your kids cry or scream, take them outside' lol what an impressive way to greet customers. After I sat down, the kid at the table next to me was screaming so loud lol and the same waitress didn't say a word. On the other hand, she was being so friendly with them. Oh! I forgot to mention everyone at the table was white lmao. So I guess this restaurant is not welcomed Asian . I checked in and got free matcha latte. I would say it's better to call it iced sweet milk drink. I got paper thin chicken teriyaki and my husband got msg soup ramen. I was visiting the city anyway. Don't worry I won't come and won't recommend to anyone. I gave 2 starts because of the young waitress lady was so nice. The way she talked to customer, I can tell she respect others. read more

Delicious tonkatsu ramen. I arrived at 8:30 pm, a half-hour before closing. Take-out only was offered. They did an amazing job of keeping the savory broth separate from the ramen noodles. The gyoza is fried and is served with a green salad and a carrot ginger-like dressing. Their kim-chi is red and has been fermented with bok choi cabbage. Finally, the miso paste and asparagus is really tasty. I was very impressed with the quality, taste, and portions. The woman who took my order was very nice. She walked my food out to my car where I was parked and waiting. The service was also fast. Highly recommend this Japanese ramen/sushi restaurant on Grand Avenue. read more

We stumbled upon is Izakaya Raku years ago when we moved to Grover Beach. We have tried other sushi places, but nothing compares. Besides, having their food be terrific, it is a family run business. read more

Well we figured out why this restaurant has the best reviews for sushi in the area. Absolutely delicious food, with ingredients that you can tell are fresh. The avocado roll was the best I've ever had. The avocado was ripe and fresh and was a great bite sized pieces. The gyoza came out nice and hot with a side of yummy ginger salad, and the cucumber sunomono was a delicious vinegar based cucumber salad. The service was absolutely fantastic and we able to get street parking right in front of the restaurant. Highly recommend this place for sushi and don't forget to check in on Yelp for a free green tea iced latte! read more

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I took my 18YO daughter out last week for a daddy/daughter dinner date and she picked this spot. First impression is the online only menu. It took several tries to get it the qr to work on my phone, but I got it eventually. There are almost no pictures which was dissapointing. We spent quite a while staring at our phones trying to figure things out and make a decision. We each got the Raku ramen with egg and 1 sushi roll each. The spicy tuna roll was $15 and I figured it must be some special version, but no, just a standard spicy tuna roll, normally sized. The flavor was ok, but a little on the fishy side, not super fresh. She got the Shell Beach roll and it was just ok. It had an oddly sweet flavor to the fish, not coming from the sauce. Maybe it was supposed to taste like that, but I wouldn't order that one again. The ramen was better than just ok, but not great either. I had water to drink and she had a Coke. The bill was $96 before tip which was way more than it should cost for each of us to get one ramen and one roll each. They are only open from 5-8 and we got there around 6:30. At 7:00 they came and asked if we wanted anything else from the kitchen because it was last call for food orders. There was a blue collar guy sitting behind me and he was asking why his ramen doubled in price when he got his bill. The waitress was very condescending and snarky in the way she was explaining the final price. He had made some substitutions and additions to the ramen and he was upset that the waiter didn't inform him that all of these things would be a significant extra charge. He wanted extra meat, thin sliced pork and instead of adding it to the pork chop that came with the ramen, they only gave him the thin meat, no chop. She kept saying there were no substitutions and he said he understood and that he wanted extra meat, not just the thin pork instead of the fried chop. They went back and forth uncomfortably for a while before he said fine, he'll just pay the bill, but lamented that the ramen was costing him 2 hours ($42) of wages at work. The waitress straight up laughed out loud in his face at that statement, very rude and uncalled for. We will not be going back. I just glanced over on this web page as I was typing and see that the young man, Cody, left a review of his experience that we witnessed. read more

Found this cute place on Yelp when we were craving for ramen. We came on a Thursday after it just opened so we were the only table. We ordered a spicy seafood ramen for me and miso ramen for my husband. We added an egg to each order ($2 more). We checked in and got a free iced green tea latte. Noodles were cooked a bit on the softer side but still okay for us. Soup was piking hot, love it! My spicy seafood was like a medium hot and taste was perfect. It came with two mussels with shell, 2 shrimps, a handful of squid and baby scallops and cabbage, carrots, and onions as veggies. My husband said his miso ramen was tasty but the pork was a bit salty. I took a bite and I agreed. The eggs were perfect if you like soft boiled in the runny side. We were the only table so the server was attentive, checked on us couple times. The free iced green tea latte was a perfect touch after a hot bowl of ramen. We will like to try their other dishes when we are in town again. read more

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This appears to be a family run business, so I made a point of stopping in. Fantastically fresh, fantastic tasting, some unique dishes and don't expect fast food. They can't work any harder. I will go back again and recommend you try it out. This is city quality sushi. Thank God. I am so sick of mediocre hamburgers and Pizza in this area I could puke. read more

Food is amazing. The shoyu ramen is so good and clean tasting and the meat is always tender. The sushi is always fresh. It's the best I have found in the area so far! The service is fast and they are always gracious. read more

Izakaya Raku - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Grover Beach, California

My first review was about 7 years ago. Time files! We had a fantastic COVID-style takeout dinner tonight, the best I've had during the course of the last year's quarantining. The Spicy Sushi Bowl & Katsu Combo Dinner were both awesome - the ingredients are insanely fresh and well prepared, and everything was better than I was hoping for. Extremely kind and very sanitary service clenched it on this one - looking forward to future visits!! read more