[ r a k u ] izakaya Reviews

Delicious and fresh seafood coupled with friendly service.

Great Japanese food to warm your hert in the midst of cold and wintery Orange.

Exceptional wagyu, sashimi & green tea cheesecake. Local wine supported & super attentive service.

Food really lovely. Wonderful service. Place is very nice.
I would recommend this place to all my friends.

Wagyu is so nice and price are affordable. It s just the sushi a bit dry not fresh enough. Almost a five stars!

Updated.
Was given 4 stars
Went there again on 25 Nov to have the wagyu beef as I told my friend it was so good.
But this time was bad. Everything was burnt, the beef itself and all the veggies...All I tasted is bitter.Lol

Lovely Japanese cuisine in orange, we had some takeaway due to the dine in restrictions. As it was my first time here and it was takeaway my expectation was not high, boy was I wrong!

The food is absolute quality, perfectly packed super fresh and professionally cooked! Will be back again.

Japanese has become my favourite cuisine of late & this place is one of the best

Great quality food and service !!! Salmon sushi quality is very high. It is even competitive with other restaurant in Sydney. Lunch box was bigger than expected. The plain udon is not plain taste udon, definitely tasty. Cocktail and drinks also great. Thanks for good service as well.

Great atmosphere. Food is excellent. You need to book though as it does get booked out. Great Japanese food.

Elegant dining experience. Quality food, wine with excellent service.

Woeful service. Half our table received our meals and the other half received theirs a good 45 minutes later despite already being served their rice. Waitress simply said there was nothing she could do as the food came from different parts of the kitchen. Save your money for other establishments. Food was only average

Waitress / hostess with glasses who is Caucasian working on Sunday night is absolutely so rude. Will never go here again. Terrible and horrible staff!!

This restaurant was amazing! Highly recommended.
With authentic Japanese style and food. This is where everyone needs to go to really enjoy Japanese food, especially if you don't know much about it. We had the 7 course menu and I would recommend it, the dishes are made to be shared (as in Japan), were explained when they came out and and were perfectly timed. Even having been to Japan this was some of the best Japanese food/experience I have had (the Sashimi was better than in Japan. Even our first-timers were not too intimidated. The staff were lovely and very attentive, there is also close parking just around the corner. Sake, Japanese beers and other spirits on offer as well. Do yourself a favour and make a booking!

Awesome dining experience, wide variety of Japanese food to suit any taste. Good sized meals and all reasonably affordable

Amazingly fresh and tasty meals. The service was brilliant. Our waiter was exteemely helpful and enquired about our personal dietary preferences or allergies, he produced a menu with all their vegaterian options available for my wife.
The food service was very swift considering there were 12 people at our table. The Asahi Japanese beer was very smooth and my Wagyu was cooked to perfection.
Remember to leave room for the deserts they were incredible as well.
The pricing was very reasonable.
Do yourself a favour and book in to Raku for dinner you won't regret it

What a amazing Japanese Izakaya restaurant right in the heart of the Orange CBD. The restaurant offer 2 sessions for dinner. We arrived in the early evening session and the restaurant was encouragingly full house. We decided to select our own share plates rather than going for the set menu. From the go-to comforts such as the agadashi tofu to spicy salmon pokes and the more adventurous sushi platters, each served course was a testiment of the kitchen's attention to detail in irs preparation and design. The flavours were authentic where it needs to but also showing hints of adventure, sprinkling some excitement to each plate. The basics were not forgotten as the batters on tempura were light and tofu firm yet silky. The only room for improvement would be for the green tea creme brulee as it didn't quite reach the right texture eventhough the flavours were fine. However by all accounts the chocolate souffle was a hit. Overall I highly recommend this restaurant for high quality Japanese izakaya and an overall great experience.

Ramen broth unfortunately far from great hence the 3 star rating. However, the Yakinuku beef and sushi were great as was the service. I'd recommend a visit but if you are a big ramen fan I'd go with other dishes to avoid disappointment.

Refused to seat me due to apparently being fully booked. The place was half empty. I then asked for takeaway and they couldn t do that either. After I spent 5 minutes looking at the menu outside no one bothered to come out and explain this.
The other Japanese restaurant in town was closed as they were on holidays.
Orange is honestly pathetic for food. Looking forward to getting back to Sydney, where they don t charge $21 for 7 pieces of sashimi mind you.

One of the best in town. variety of quality food and drinks. loved it much!

Got a take away roll for dinner.
1/3 the size of what they are dine in.
Very disappointing

Food was great. Did not expect such a good jap restaurant far away from the city.

Surprisingly tasty and modern Japanese restaurant located in the country town of Orange. Staff were courteous and friendly and the food was tasty.
The reason I didn't give this five stars is the price and speed that courses were served. There was no break. The avalanche of food was relentless and it would have been nice to enjoy each course at a steady relaxed pace. If you want decent Japanese whilst in the middle of nowhere definitely give this place a go.

I was really surprised from the quality of the food. Great place, even when bringing a toddler.

Authentic fare, very good service, appropriate atmosphere, highly recommended.

Nice place to eat in Orange, I d suggest booking as the night we went many guest got turned away. Tempura Prawns, Sashimi Yontenmori, & Wagyu Beef were delicious.
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Amasing food and service as always. Timed to perfection for collection. Meal was delicious and hot. I miss dining in but this is nearly as good. Highly recommended.

As good a Japanese meal as we have ever eaten. Food, service and wine list were all excellent. Brilliant, an absolute must if you are visiting Orange. We love Japanese food and this as good or better than any we have had before.

Very quality of food, modern japanese with quality service and ingredients.

Well worth the stop over. Had a delicious meal sashimi was delicious! Will recommend this to anyone.

You must book ahead for this popular restaurant.
Miso soup was the best I have had. Wagu beef dom amazing.
Service good. Tap water served. Toilets available.

Ramen is only available at lunch time. It was disappointing. If you have had Japanese ramen I wouldn't order it.

Book in advance as it is so busy here....and for good reason! The service is friendly, welcoming and efficient. Our waitress engaged our teenage kids, suggesting food and drinks they might like to try. The food arrived in good time and was absolutely delicious. On top of that, the restaurant itself is stylish and has a great vibe.

This was a very satisfying meal. I was able to have a happy time thanks to friendly staff and excellent food. I will make sure to revisit.

The Japanese-style izakaya owned by the Korean boss, except for sashimi, has a strong taste and may be more in line with Australian tastes.

Great meals, great presentation and great service. Best meal i've had in the past five years.

We had to go to a very early sitting to have dinner here but it was worth it. The food was superb. Professional and polite service in a stylish setting.

We can't stop talking about this restaurant! The wagyu was cooked to a perfect medium rare and I haven't had such good steak in a very long time. We also had the chefs special fish, kingfish sashimi and chicken karaage. I couldn't fault any of the dishes and I'm over the moon that we have excellent Japanese food in Orange!

Friendly, quick service. Crunchy prawn tempura and Wagyu beef cooked to perfection. A terrific selection of local wines by the glass, loved the Phillip Shaw Pinot.

We had the bento box. Teriyaki chicken had a lot of sugar. Price a bit expensive.

This is the second time I have been here. The food from here is what I would expect from a food hall. It s sloppy, overcooked and cold. I picked up takeaway after ordering 3 dishes. The Teriyaki Chicken, Pork Belly & Korean Fried Chicken. The KFXPC was waiting for me on the bench. 5 minutes later the Teriyaki Chicken arrived so was put down next to it. Finally the pork belly arrived after another 5 minutes. Naturally it was all cold when I got home 5 minutes later.

The Pork Belly was burned to a crisp. I don t mind it a bit over, but this was black and charcoal. The Teriyaki Chicken was sloppy and tasted nothing like any Teriyaki dish I d had before. Was really just a stir fry. Finally, the KFC was tasty. Definitely the winner and had a bit of chilli to it. Unfortunately it was not at at all crispy, and seemed like it had been sitting in a Bain-Marie for half an hour or so.

The sides were expectantly average. Rice cold and in inviting, pickled veggies were rubbery.

I Will not be returning for a 3rd time. Not worth the $70 I paid for it. No idea why I gave it a high rating of 2 stars.

Cozy, well spaced out and lovely service! Wagyu beef (pictured) was amazing and the spicy edamame didn t disappoint (not suitable for sensitive palate s). Would definitely come back when I m back in town!!

Outstanding dinner, flavors were fantastic. Highly recommend.

Having been here before and enjoyed wanted to take my son here for tea as he lives away. No response to my booking requests. Unfortunately will not be back or recommend to others as this is extremely rude.

We thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful meal at Raku last night. In particular, the agedashi tofu was spot on, vegetable tempura had a crisp outer and tender centre, the wagyu was cooked perfectly and served with delicious veg. Great service and a cute little setting. Highly recommend Raku for delicious modern Japanese.

a good fusion japanese restaurant in Orange. Food was great but very pricey. Few pieces of Agedashi Tofu for $12 was extremely high (did not take photo). Wagyu beef was the star of the dishes, beef was tender and juicy. Pork belly Kimchi was ok, would be better with some crackling and more kimchi (can barely eat the kimchi). There are not many food selections, would love to see some noodle options. Staff was friendly. I would have given more star if the prices are better.

On a short visit to Orange so unable to book a sitting. Had a takeaway instead. We had six servings and all were excellent. On our next trip we will book in advance. It's a must go to experience. If you can't get a table get a takeaway.. don't miss out.

I love eating here of course you MUST BOOK your table but it's a wonderful Japanese restaurant.
The menu has sufficient choice for most people.
As you can see the food presentation is excellent. Portions are also reasonable when eating 2 courses.
The choice of wine is good.
They also serve Asahi Black
The only improvements I can imagine is offering a flight of sake or matching sake to a few dishes.
It's a small establishment which I highly recommend.

Stunning Japanese dishes and a lovely restaurant atmosphere

The food was fresh and tasty, the service could have been slightly better.
The restaurant looks relatively new and modern

Raku Mr Lim and Sushi king are 3 places worth visiting while you are in Orange

Had a great lunch there today. Fast service. Yummy and very healthy. Will definitely be back. I had the poke which was amazing.

I only had the sashimi moriawase and a beer. the food was very good. however near the end of my dinner, and with the bill still on my table, i had to visit the bathroom, leaving a half full glass of beer that intended on returning to, considering it was 9$ for that beer (kirin). when i returned the beer was gone but my bill was still there. i asked the female waiter but she had not taken it - nor would i assume she did as she was fantastic all night, very attentive. the male waiter admitted to taking and apologised.

i left a tip as i was impressed with the female waiter but i provided feedback about the male waiter who removed my beer. the owner seemed to understand but i m not sure how much he understood. he offered no discount nor did the waiter. i would have politely declined but they didn t even offer. being a wait staff before i know quite clearly that i don t remove anything from the table unless i am sure the guest has left. my bill still on the table was an obvious indicator that i was still here.

also, this isn t an authentic japanese restaurant either. the food may be japanese in style but the owner is Korean and most likely his chefs, in fact let s go ahead and say that his chefs are koreans too, koreans dont hire japanese chefs. and unfortunately you get this kind of service from Koreans. removing my beverage that i paid for is unacceptable just as it would be unacceptable if i decided to not drink it all and request a refund for half of the price.

i would give 4 stars but the fact that the owner either didn t understand what i was saying or didn t care means that he is either not concerned at all by what happened or he didn t understand what i was saying - either way it s a 3 and it s japanese food made by koreans.

Gorgeous food, prompt professional and polite service. We went for lunch on a Saturday and loved it. Definitely money well spent. Highly recommend.

Food was not good as their price... tried Wagyu bento last time, it was served in cold and not cooked ... won t recommend this.

Had the six course menu, every single one of them was just as phenomenal as the rest. Great service from Amy, we will be back.

Went wirh a group of 5 other friends for dinner. Do yourself a favour and go!!! The food is super high end and fresh. The fact that Orange has something this good surprises me! We got the 'tasting menu' so got a bit of everything and it was perfect

Outstanding restaurant in Orange - traditional Japanese fare but the chef has one or two modern dishes on offer - fresh sushi and good value

Fantastic! What a lovely experience- amazing food! We will be back!

This is Korean made Japanese food. Very average given the price.

Ramen was DA BOMB! Broth was amazing and authentic - came for lunch and wished we could've stayed for dinner just so we could try everything else on the menu!

Just a great meal
You must try it

Enjoyed our dinner here last night nice atmosphere friendly staff ,delicious food and quick service,would have liked a just of fresh water but was offered only bottled water which really is expensive our table of 8 needed 3 bottles $24 and that was just for water,found the prices of the food reasonable will definately return but will give the water a miss

Delicious food, friendly and punctual service,
Great atmosphere and yummy Sakes

Quality of the food was good however the portion size for the price was terrible.

Great food and service.
Dishes were fresh and tasty . Def try the chocolate souffle for dessert

A precision night !!! From the abundance of staff and service , fresh seafood , sensational mains , deserts and cocktails (yeah we had it all) I know all 3 of us rate this 5/5 . All wrapped up in an atmosphere that considering it completely open was surprisingly intimate and cozy . Perhaps we were all just in heaven with the food . Haven t had a bad night yet .

Raku was an absolute treat. To start with, the level of service is incredible especially during covid when there are booking and space limits. The staff are attentive and helpful, and the speed of service is stellar.

The food is absolutely incredible, the sushi is fresh, and the Udon noodles with seafood is incredibly tasty and great to share.

Best Japanese dining in the area. Highly recommended.

Had dinner there today with my family amazing staff and food love the place will be going back 100%

What a hidden gem. This modern Japanese restaurant is owned and run by an all Korean team. Don't be discouraged as they have all worked in numerous Japanese restaurants.
The food was astronomical. They do offer sashimi and sushi, but seriously, why would you bother. The mushroom with tuna and cream cheese was an absolute delight. King fish carpaccio with raspberry etc amazing. Then came the sous vide duck, wow, and the pork belly. WOW WOW WOW.

This restaurant is not cheap yet the food is great value! The cocktails are worth ago too. Both my wife and i said it was the best food we have ever had! And we have been blessed to eat some fine food in our time!

Fantastic food and service in a very pleasant environment. Nicola was superb. The attention to our dietary requirements was first class.

Wow, awesome food and great aptoshere.. would highly recommend to anyone

Absolutely fabulous place.
One of the few eateries open on a Sunday night in Orange.
Have the tasting degustation.
I lost count of the courses. But every one had something to offer.
The staff were excellent.
The restaurant was warm and inviting.