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Montreal, QC

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RAKU

4.4 (38 reviews)
Closed • 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 10:30 PM

Order RAKU Takeout or Delivery

RAKU Photos

RAKU ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Good for kids
Dogs allowed
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - RAKU

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Tonkatsu
Gabrielle L.

My friends and I came here Friday night. First of all it's BYOB so bring something to drink! It's not advertised online. When I asked for a drink menu the waiter said we could bring our own! So a friend walked five minutes in the rain so that we could have some wine. I love that it's BYOB! This restaurant has been opened for only a month. The name of the previous restaurant is still everywhere and there's things that still need to be done in terms of decoration and electrical work. The food is good! My boyfriend and I ordered the edamame, karaage, tonkatsu and the roast beef salad. My favorite was the tonkatsu and then the karaage. Anything deep fried is good. The portions are pretty big which I liked. I think the edamame could have been more salted. The tonkastu is breaded pork with rice ands side of salad with a bit of mashed potatoes. You can pick 3 different sauces : original, RAKU, and garlic avocado mayo. I couldn't tell if there was any avocado in the mayo but that sauce was the best. I would put it on everything if I could. I left feeling full and satisfied and the price is very affordable! The owner came to talk to us and he was really nice. He was the one cooking in the back. They were only two people working at the restaurant which is really impressive! Especially since the service was good.

Kathy P.

Good price. Good service. Good food. We were 2. One appetizers and 2 main dishes. Less than 30$ tips in! The tonkatsu and chicken katsu were good! It was crispy! The presentation somewhat looks like what I had in Japan! Would definitely come back and try their beef dishes! I haven't tried other katsu in Montreal, but this one isn't bad at all. The chicken could actually be a little more cooked! The Raku sauce was also tasty. If you're on a budget and want a decent portion food, give it a try!

Xue L.

I had the chicken katsu and tried all 3 sauces (raku, original and garlic mayo avocado). All 3 were delicious but the garlic mayo was my favorite because of the strong garlic flavor. The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. All 3 sauce complimented it pretty well. The service was quick and the guy was super nice and friendly. The outside is very dark and it was hard to find the restaurant but the inside is very clean and cozy. Would definitely come back.

Chicken curry
Lance L.

I've spent a lot of time in Asia, including many months in Japan, and this hands down one of the best Japanese curries I've had outside of Japan. You're unlikely to find better in Montreal.

Chicken katsu
Chelsea L.

Came here for dinner and it was amazing! The place is super cute and it was a very relaxing dining experience. We ordered the karaage to start and it was extremely really good and juicy. The katsudon was tasty and it was great that the katsu and egg weren't super mixed together so you still had the crunch from the katsu. The chicken katsu with avocado garlic mayo was delicious and super generously portioned. The piece of chicken was quite large and each bite was crispy and juicy. The owner/chef came out to check up on us and to ask us how we enjoyed our meal which was thoughtful and really shows how much he cares about his customers. Overall it was a great experience and I'd definitely come back and bring my friends!!

Takoyaki (4 pieces)
Heidi P.

Excellent place with a chill vibe. It's a bit hard to see from the outside, but you'll see it if you just look for the black metal railings. The inside is beautifully decorated and the owner is awesome to talk with. We ordered the edamame, Takoyaki, Chicken Karaage, and Chicken Katsu with Raku Sauce. Everything was so delicious that we cleaned our plates. Will definitely be returning to try the different dishes.

Recommended to this place by a friend. We came here around 230AM. Place was pretty empty except for mine and another table. We ordered: chicken katsu curry Gyu Don Karaage Food took a little while to come out but it was worth the wait! Smaller portions than expected, but it did the job! The staff were friendly and made conversation with us!

An T.

Came to Raku with my bf for dinner on a friday evening. We ordered the karaage (fried chicken) as our appetizer and it was really yummy - the chicken skin was super crispy and the meat was moist/very tender. As for our main dishes, we had tonkatsu and chicken oyakodon. We really enjoyed both dishes! The owner was also super friendly _ We will definitely come back to try the rest of their menu!

Maybe oyakodon and Karage
Chuxian W.

Really good taste and environment, I tried many Japanese food in Montreal, this one I like the most.

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7 years ago

Food is super over priced and they LITERALLY have a tent in the middle of their dining room.to think I made an account just for this

Business owner information

Photo of Hyun Woo L.

Hyun Woo L.

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8 years ago

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8 years ago

The food was pretty good! And the attention was really amazing!! They pay attention to the costumers

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8 years ago

Delicious food and attentive staff with good music. Brand new restaurant, but definitely a place to check out.

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7 years ago

Great food. Chill atmosphere. Pleasant owner. Always a good time. Did I mention the great food? It's seriously delicious.

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7 years ago

Very good place, nice staff and great food. Quick service and authentic dishes. Highly recommend for locals or for tourists

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8 years ago

This place was pretty good! Me and a friend got curry and a karaage side. Would come here again and try something else!

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7 years ago

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RAKU Reviews in Other Languages

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Kazu - Chicken Skewers.

Kazu

4.3(755 reviews)
2.8 km•Ville-Marie
•$$

My dad and I have eaten at this restaurant maybe 3 times now. It's a must for us anytime we're in…read moretown. This little spot opens around 5 and I recommend coming early, or expect a wait. You can also order to go here I believe. They really operate efficiently, expect fast service! Tables are tightly situated and there's a cozy bar situation where I sat this time, able to watch the chefs cook right in front of me. The daily specials are posted on their Instagram page, as well as written on pieces of paper around the restaurant. My server quickly helped me to water and a glass of sake. I placed a to go order for one of the daily specials, the grilled sea bass with sushi rice and salad, with some kimchi. I also ordered the BBQ chicken with tortilla and salad, as well as vegetable gyoza. Everything was incredible. Truly. The gyoza came topped with green onions and was SO crispy and hot and was perfect with their soy sauce. I thought sea bass was wonderful with a unique almost smoky flavor that melted in my mouth paired with the slightly sweet sticky rice. The barbecue chicken was great as well and better the next day. One thing I don't really understand is why they served plain flour tortillas cut into quarters with their food. We didn't utilize this, nor the white butter/mayo sauce that came alongside it. I hope to eat here often, for years to come and am so happy to see this iconic Japanese restaurant still thriving years later.

This was a highly recommended place so we weren't surprised to find a line up when we arrived. We…read moreweren't sure if it would be worth the wait but the family in front of us raved about it so we decided to stay. No regrets! We were a party of 3 and waited about half an hour to be seated. There is not a ton of seating in the restaurant. It is small and the tables are quite close together. We were a little disappointed that they ran out of salmon so we couldn't order any salmon sashimi dishes. We got skewers which were absolutely delicious! We also ordered takoyaki and okonomiyaki but there was nothing special about those. Wouldn't really recommend the okonomiyaki either. Would definitely recommend trying the Shrimp Burger and the Salmon Calcium (salmon pate).

Photos
Kazu - We made it!!! The wait is not long!

We made it!!! The wait is not long!

Kazu - 48 hours pork bowl

48 hours pork bowl

Kazu - Sake

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Sake

Biirū - corn croquettes

Biirū

4.1(209 reviews)
1.8 km•Centre-Ville, Ville-Marie
•$$

Came here for a reservation with a big group of 17 for a friend's Bach dinner during our trip to…read moreMontreal after doing research and I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint. I wanted to share my experience because their online and in person menu is quite ambiguous and doesn't do justice in explaining their tasting menus. What I really like about this restaurant is that unlike many, they don't make everyone order the same thing. It just requires a minimum of 2 people for the tasting menu and everyone else can order what they please otherwise. The $55 tasting menu is pretty worth it imo. The fact that a drink alone is about $17 as is makes it worth, because it comes with multiple tapas and a drink of choice. The server tried his best to explain everything to us beforehand, but we couldn't help but start to worry during the meal when a few plates came out and we hadn't seen anything for a while. Basically, there are 3 courses, and each course contains multiple items which come out pretty quickly all at once. We started off with lighter apps like edamame, karaage, gyoza, and Japanese pasta. There will be a waiting period before the next course comes out (but don't panic like we did, it doesn't end here). The second course contained tuna poke, a vegetable dish, beef tataki, and takoyaki. There is another waiting period before the third (and heaviest) course comes out. We received pork ribs (a crowd favourite), salmon, and a watermelon salad to end. There were definitely more dishes that I'm forgetting but by the end of it we were all stuffed and pleasantly surprised with the variety we received and unanimously thought it was pretty worth. The restaurant environment is also such a vibe... just a great social setting overall. We had some people in our group that opted out of the tasting menu and decided to share à la carte style, and they also enjoyed their meal and thought it was worth it too. I'd highly recommend this spot as it was a highlight during our trip.

Nice ambiance bar and sitdown. Was seated after confirmation of reservation. Staff was very nice…read moreespecially the recommended that sit at the bar since that seems to be where everything is happening. The only issue is that the bar seat area was pretty tight against the seated tables around so whenever someone passes by I usually get my back brushed or sometimes pushed so be aware. The lighting is somewhat dim to keep that sort of cozy vibe. Bartender was friendly and patient with my drink order, which ended up just being a beer. 4/5 SAUMON BONBONS: Salmon well fried but dtill moist. The sweet sauce mixed well and definitely goes well with beer. 3.5/5 Bacon mochi good and super chewy but def will fill u up quick. Coleslaw nice offset and tangy. I liked the first couple chews but then started getting really filled so was experiencing the too much eats before being able try anything else. Overall great place to go with date or group. Its a bit noisy so plan accordingly.

Photos
Biirū
Biirū - Takoyaki

Takoyaki

Biirū - Food: Korn Korokke and Kaisen don Drink: Totoro

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Food: Korn Korokke and Kaisen don Drink: Totoro

KINTON RAMEN UNION - Spicy garlic pork ramen

KINTON RAMEN UNION

4.0(45 reviews)
2.0 km•Quartier International de Montréal, Centre-Ville, Ville-Marie
•$$

Cute well lit ramen spot in downtown MTL good for family and friends. The service was nice and our…read morefood came out in decent timing. We got the repas pour quatre set with végé gyoza et edamame. I got the Jalapeño épicé au poulet with an œuf assaisonné & a coke. I would've gotten the limonade however only boissons gazeuses are included, so be aware of that. The ramen itself was good, the chicken however was a bit dry and that's where they lost half a star. The other half was when I found out gratuity was already included after tipping. I only found this out because I happened to see the restaurant check (the one they give you has that price on there, but it doesn't say tip). Well played. The food was good enough to return for, but not the games.

While I was in Montreal, I had to check out the FAMOUS Kinton Ramen (yes, I know about this spot…read morefrom their graphic t shirt collaboration with Uniqlo LOL). I stopped by around 8:45 PM, 15 minutes before they closed, but the staff were so kind and lovely, let me dine in, gave me a free drink on the house, and even told me to take my time and not worry about closing. I ordered the spicy garlic pork ramen with thick noodles, and I was blown away with how flavorful the broth and QQ (chewy) the noodles were. I didn't like the pork that much and found it a bit tough and gamey, but they do have two other types of meat (chicken, beef) as well as a vegetarian option available, as well as seasonal menu specials. If I was at McGill, I'd probably visit this spot a bit too often LOL, and I highly recommend checking them out for their comforting ramen bowls and incredibly kind service!

Photos
KINTON RAMEN UNION - Inside

Inside

KINTON RAMEN UNION - Spicy garlic pork ramen

Spicy garlic pork ramen

KINTON RAMEN UNION - Spicy garlic pork ramen

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Spicy garlic pork ramen

RAKU - japanese - Updated October 2026

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