Raku
Udon noodle restaurant · SoHo ·
Specializes in house udon noodles and Japanese small plates
Specializes in house udon noodles and Japanese small plates
"Order a perfect bowl of udon and tea for under $40 including tax and tip at this neighborhood Japanese noodle restaurant via chef Norihiro Ishiquza, part of Cloud Nine Hospitality Group. The menu includes variations on the hot and cold wheat noodles, vegetables, gyoza, and donburi. There are other branches in Midtown and the East Village." - Melissa McCart
"Listed among the festival’s New York participants and will be part of the collection of over 40 restaurants at the event." - Melissa McCart
"You don’t need a dining partner when you have a steamy bowl of udon from Raku. Everyone at the Japanese spot in Soho has a bowl—really more like a cauldron—in front of them, topped with things like shrimp tempura, wagyu, and oysters, making a solo meal here feel like a communal experience. Except you don’t have to talk to the person sitting next to you. Raku has a second, smaller location in the East Village." - willa moore, will hartman, neha talreja, carina finn koeppicus
"If there was an NBA team made up of the restaurants with the best noodles in the city, they’d be called the New York Noodles and Raku would be in the starting five. This Japanese spot in west Soho is casual enough to sit in your workout clothes without feeling self-conscious about your running fanny pack that was advertised to you as a “belt bag.” Also, every check at this Japanese restaurant comes with several frozen grapes in a small dish. In a hypothetical experiment to incentivize humans to run outside more, we’d advocate for a Pavlovian method using bowls of udon followed by these frozen grapes." - hannah albertine
"For udon, there’s Raku. Everyone at the Soho spot has a bowl of it in front of them, topped with things like shrimp tempura, wagyu, and oysters, and each bowl—really more like a cauldron in size—releases steam into the light wood dining room as if this were a noodle spa. Grab a seat at the bar for lunch, or sit in the big window in the front for dinner. The udon has a flavorful, fish-based broth and silky yet chewy noodles—and the frozen grapes you receive with your check are a massive highlight. Raku also has a second, smaller location in the East Village." - will hartman, neha talreja, bryan kim, willa moore