“ Stopped by for lunch around 1pm and the restaurant was absolutely packed. It did start empty out around 1:30 so if you want to come here without a reservation on a weekday after 1PM is probably a good time to come. Service was good as the staff were very proactive at topping off our glasses of water and clearing empty dishes. Right now there's a wagyu sukiyaki special exclusive to the Midtown location, otherwise the rest of the menu is the same as other branches. They had wet napkins on the table yay! This was one part of dining in Japan that I have been missing. I went with the recommended niku udon and my friend got the duck udon. We shared the agedashi tofu and karaage dishes. The chicken was freshly fried and very crunchy while the meat was juicy and tender. The dipping sauce that this came with was quite spicy though, probably the spiciest spicy mayo I've ever had. Tofu was sort of a pallet cleanser and it had a very clean tasting dashi flavor. I also tried a bit of duck from my friend's duck udon and I can't say that I'm a fan of boiled duck meat. I prefer roasted duck for sure. There were many different cuts of beef in my udon and everything was super tender. A few pieces were a tiny bit tough but the pieces were small enough that I could just eat the whole thing in one bite really. Soup wasn't too salty, which is always appreciated. I really liked the noodles here as they have a nice chew to them and don't have that typical udon alkaline taste. Probably one of my favorite places for udon in New York City. Yes it's quite pricey but worth it but the amount of food that you get. ”

“ big fan of the nabekyaki udon-- the broth is rich and more filling than first glance. The kaisen Don was also a very nice bowl to split-- left here quite full, but this would perfect to eat on a cold day outside! Need to try the midtown special next time! Cheers! ”

“ Raku is one of my go-tos when I want a consistently delicious + authentic bowl of udon! Walked in with a friend on a Saturday afternoon and waited only ~5 min before a table was ready for us. We were planning on just splitting one bowl of udon, since we weren't too hungry, but Raku has a one order per person policy, so we ordered an app + udon to share. The Agedashi Tofu melted in my mouth - it's a soft fried tofu with a ginger soy sauce, topped with bonito flakes. The Yasai Kakiage Hot Udon came with a lovely plate of veggie tempura (carrots, sweet potato, onion, eggplant) + the broth was SO YUM! Clear and not heavy at all. Service here is fantastic. This is the only location I've been to where they had a separate dessert bar. If you plan to only have dessert, they give you bar seating at the front of the house. Great experience! ”

“ Udon noodle texture just as good as the other location. Nice decor and more spacious as well. Got the kitsune and the tempura udon - broths had nice depth. Pretty full for a weekday dinner, but service was still quick and efficient. ”

“ Great service! I don't think my water glass was ever empty and I drink a lot of water! We stopped by early when they opened and dined in the communal table as a party of two prior to a show. The fish was fresh and the soup was filling and warm. We elected to have dessert and the basil apple desert really worked together with its flavors! ”

“ Had high expectations for raku but I personally don't think it is anything special. The appetizers were my favourite part and the udon was good but nothing to return for. Would skip the mango cheesecake because the mango flavour was not strong. Love the design and ambiance of the store and our waiter was also extremely welcoming with great suggestions! ”

“ Arrived here on a weekend night with a party of 5 without a reservation and the front staff were so sweet and seated my party right away. Inside has a Japanese modern design, 2 restrooms, and a coat rack to hang your winter coats. For appetizers, I ordered the chicken and the mackerel sushi, which was my personal favorite dish. I liked how they seared the mackerel and gave it a really nice flavor despite its simplicity. For mains, we ordered the JaJa cold noodles and the Tantan hot udon. The Jaja dish was refreshing and had a good flavor and the tantan dish was alittle spicy and I loved the bouncy texture of the udon. Overall loved coming here on a cold winter night with friends, but would recommend getting a reservation if you can. I would come back to try more desserts and coffee! ”

“ Raku in east village is one of my favorite udon places in New York and I was excited to see them open a new location in midtown. This location does take reservations and they are much more spacious compared to the East Village location. In addition - they have desserts and coffee in the front. I would recommend making a reservation online since they do get pretty busy. They will only seat you when your whole party is here or almost here. The staff was very friendly and welcoming and the decor of the place is amazing! For food - I usually either get the Kiku or Gyunan. This time I got the Gyunan, once again the noodles are delicious, perfectly bouncy in your mouth and the soup is so rich and flavorful. The bowls are huge and there is a good amount of noodles and fillings in there. We got sushi to share which was also very good and the truffle wontons are slightly on the expensive side but they are very truffley and good! For dessert we got the Matcha Tiramisu and the Earl Grey Panna Cotta. I thought the Tiramisu was just alright but the panna cotta was really good especially if you are a fan of earl grey! Overall - great vibes and yummy food. Highly recommend checking this place out! ”

“ Great Japanese place in Hell's Kitchen. Everything we had was high quality and exactly how it should taste. We had the trio salad with spinach, hijiki seaweed, and burdock which were all solid Fried chicken which was super juicy and crunchy. The sauce has a hit of spice The shrimp tempura was good but I would have liked it to be crunchier. The broth and udon was superb. My friends got the ribeye udon and it was slightly reminiscent of pho. ”