Raku

1 hour waiting to be seated
Udon was nothing special
Karaage no good I prefer Ikkousha ramen
Gyoza average
Not worth it for the money

Delicious udon that rivals what I've had in Japan. Service was great and and food came so fast

Really liked this place! Worth the buzz in my opinion.the fried chicken that came with the toriten udon was great.the broth itself is so tasty and you can tell the noodles are fresh.we got the pork gyoza as well, which i thought were good, but maybe could have stood to be fried for a few more minutes - that said, the restaurant seems constantly busy so it wasn't a huge deal, i enjoyed the food.according to the menu almost all of the udon is made with fish but you can request vegan or vegetarian preparation if you need to.also, note the restaurant is basically unreachable for reservations or the like - you will need to walk in.great experience nonetheless!

I had kitsune udon and the noodles were very chewy and delicious! The soup is rich and, above all, the tofu is sweet and delicious. It feels like a premium version of Japanese tofu cup ramen.
However, there were so few ingredients that I felt a bit bored!

The food slapped, the place is cozy and cute, service was awesome (came super last minute but they still took us and never rushed us) 10/10 would recommend

3rd visit to this restaurant, and they’ve always been consistent in serving one of the freshest udon in the city. The chicken tatsuta-age was nicely spiced and crispy, but found the tempura in the Yasai kakiage a bit soggy and clumped together this time. We went on a Tuesday evening around 6pm and had to wait ~20-30 mins. The restaurant was the most busy between 6-730pm, with people being told to come back in 45mins-1h. I wouldn’t say this place is necessary worth the wait, and best to come during the afternoon when it’s less busy. They placed us at a table near the door (which opened frequently) during a cold evening and we found it too chilly, and had to keep our coats on the whole time.

I can’t stop thinking about Raku after my first visit. It’s a gem of toronto that I could appreciate Japanese appetizers, and I think I don’t even have to mention about their perfect texture of noodle and flavourful soup of udon.the text waiting list was convenient and servers were nice too. I want to visit here at least once a week!

Staff is really helpful, nice and respectful.
Food is better than most Japanese restaurant especially at this price point.
Will come back often.

I've been looking forward to Raku opening in Toronto having been to their NYC location already! The food quality and service has always been consistent and welcoming the few times I've been here.

My top recommendations to order are:
1. Yaki Nasu appetizer for a nice smokey fried eggplant dish.
2. Hot Udon = Niku for a flavourful broth that balances well with the chewy udon noodles and honeycomb tripe
3. Cold Udon = Ja Ja which is perfect on a hot day where you want a refreshing bowl of cold udon noodles with the creaminess from a poached egg and spicy miso pork

Good but does not compare to NYC locations. Tried sabazushi, the mackerel was comically thin and it looked hastily pressed as there were some pieces of rice that had not stuck together. Spicy niku, ebiten, kani ankake and ja ja udon were all ok. Niku was probably the closest to what we had in NY

Nice, relaxing atmosphere with friendly staff. I highly recommend the sabazushi which was amazing. All the food was very good - the udon broth was flavourful and the noodles were light and bouncy. It also comes with a lot, so I was very full and even took a large amount of broth home. The poached egg came in a separate bowl which you can add to your udon. The broth was hot, but did not cook the egg more which was great. The vanilla pudding was a bit thicker and heavier, somewhat like a cheesecake, and the sesame pudding was much lighter, sort of like jello.

The only thing is that they will only seat full party and we were sitting in the back near the kitchen and by a vent, so it was kind of hot.

Cost per person was $40-50 with one cocktail and udon each, shared sabazushi, and two shared desserts (split 3 ways).

The thing I love the most about this place is the interiors and the ambience. Tried their curry udon noodles. The portions are huge, and served piping hot, take your time to savor it.

Good place to eat order niku if you are a meat lover and suggest the servers for your meals to be cooked by Tanh only

So so yummy, udon was the best I’ve had in a while, noodles were so good and the broth was delicious! I loved it all

Tried the Tantan udon noodle soup. The noodles were perfectly cooked and it was a perfect blend of spicy miso and peanut flavors, great umami. Light yet still filling.

Excellent udon and great selection of side dishes. Quite a long queue so make sure to come early to put your number down for the wait. I especially recommend the nasu eggplant as a side dish. The way that it’s prepared is something I’ve not seen in other shops. Nevertheless, be prepared to pay premium for quality Japanese food

I had the kakiage udon, which was their udon soup with a fried tempura batter bound vegetable cake (kakiage). This is the only place I know of in the city with kakiage and I thought it was super cool to eat, and was a good accompaniment to the udon. The udon noodles were chewy and super slurpable. The soup was lightly flavoured but felt warming and comforting. They also had other cool toppings that I want to try when I go back, like grated yam and mochi. The staff were also super friendly and the price wasn't too bad for what I got in my opinion. They do get busy during peak hours though so if you're walking in, you might have to wait.

Excellent Japanese Udon dishes. Love the Niku bowl, the beef short-ribs is perfectly cooked and the udon noodles are the perfect chewiness.

For my first visit, I kept it simple with the nameko ($16) where it arrives with a clear refreshing broth that’s still richly flavoured so it’s like you’re sipping on consommé. The bits of delicate Nagasaki nameko mushrooms were perfectly paired with the soup and I finished it to the last drop.

Adding on a poached egg ($2), it arrives on the side to keep it from cooking more but also means it’s absolutely cold. I threw it back into the hot soup to attempt to warm it up a bit, but at least it was done quite nicely where the insides were solid but still has a bit of runniness to it.

But, it’s the noodles… oh that udon … that makes me realize I should have added an extra serving to the bowl ($3). While most udon is cylindrical, these are oval. Maybe it’s something to do with this slightly flattened shape, but it has such a lovely silky texture while still incorporating a chewiness that’s retained to the last bite.

The broth is also amazing and what makes Raku different is that with so many options, the soup actually varies as well. Having a sip of my friend’s bowl, the niku ($20) is salty and beefy complementing the short ribs and tripe. It’s one you’ll like if you enjoy Shanghai braised beef noodles.

On a follow-up visit, I went completely in the other direction with the kani ankake ($26) where the broth is made of a thickened egg drop soup with pieces of crab strewn throughout. It’s a bowl for those who are sensitive to salt as I found it much blander than the other soups. I was really hoping for something savoury but all the toppings – spinach, scallions, and even the crab – were also rather tepidly flavoured.

Maybe it was the mochi ($4) I added to the bowl… it just sounded so intriguing that I had to try it! The two large rectangles of rice cake were soft and sticky, but really doesn’t go with this soup. I can see it working really well with the tan tan noodles: topping one of the cubes with my friend’s spicy miso pork really helped to give it a much needed saltiness.

Raku also offers a great selection of appetizers to tide you over as the noodles arrive. Of course, there’s the traditional gyozas ($8). The wrapper is nice and thin and arrives with a lovely crust. However, both the vegetable and pork ones are too delicate for my liking. The vegetable filling is made from micro finely shredded vegetables that would be better if they incorporated some meaty mushrooms. Meanwhile, the pork was forgettable and needed something (chives or scallions) to give it pizzazz.

I literally cannot believe how great this restaurant is. The food, the ambiance, the tea, the bowls - they're all fantastic. らく indeed!

Really underwhelming udon - not worth the hype and certainly not worth over $30 a bowl after you add all the sides, which ranges from $2-$7. Ordered the Gyunan Udon - $17 base price, which comes with AAA grade beef (beef tasted very hard and dry). It is not the traditional udon broth based I am used to. If you like the sour taste, maybe it's your cup of tea. The noodles are thick, doughy, but springy. I prefer the traditional round-ish ones, to be honest. Basically my bowl of udon was like $30 after I added the sides. For that price, the udon better taste like "OUT OF THIS WORLD. " And sadly, it doesn't for me. One word of advice, DO NOT and I repeat do not ORDER the WAKAME SEAWEED SALAD for $12.00. It's really nothing special, just a spring mixed lettuce salad, several slices of cucumbers, tomatoes, and a few pieces of wakame seaweed thrown on top (the ones you can find in the stores and soak at home) + yuzu dressing - also the one you can buy from a bottle and make at home. SO NOT WORTH IT. The braised burdock root was also very underwhelming for $6.00. I expected the dishes I ordered to be a bit more innovative for the price and the "name" behind it, but sadly, it was all pretty "NORMAL", if not sub-par to me. Just sadly a trend, I think, will die down sooner or later.

Got katsu don. The eggs and katsu were very delicious, though the rice seemed pushed to the bottom so pieces were stuck together.not the type of rice I like or maybe it's a Japanese thing. Friends ordered udon with mochi and it was super chewy and fun to eat. The soup that came with my katsu don was a little too salty

This place is conveniently located on Queen St.

There is the Yelp waitlist function so no need to wait at the restaurant. But be warn the place is quite narrow and small.

We ordered the niku udon and the kani udon. The niku udon came in a clear but rich broth. The beef was very flavourful, and the udon very tender. The kani udon came in a thick and light broth. Some people will complain about its thickness, but it was quite refreshing. And it dilutes when you mix the udon and gets even watery when you add extra udon. Also, they use real crab meat so that was a plus. And the udon is just as tender, but if only the soup was richer and they cooked the udon a bit longer so that it absorbed more of the flavour of the broth.

Overall, this is the best place for udon I've been to ever since the place that used to have the best closed down.

The springiest udon noodles that you can endlessly slurp live here at Raku. I wish there was a bottomless bowl of these noodles for me so I never have to stop.

Their udon noodles are unique from the normal rounded noodles that you will find elsewhere. It is a more flat-ish ribbon. Their udon noodles are exclusive to Raku and no where else. They are prepared especially bby Japanese udon noodles experts and flown in straight from the land from udon.

The restaurant storefront and interior feels like they plucked a store from Tokyo and plopped it right in the middle of the Queen West neighbourhood. It’s a wonderful thing and I am so glad that Raku is here.

The inside of a restaurant is cozy and everything about it reflects that Japanese sensibility. The cozy booths and bar seating, the quick service by the staff, and the way they let the food speak for itself.

Their take on the karaage, the chicken tatsuta-age, is really awesome here. The chicken pieces are generously sized and they are juicy af when you take a bite. You can dip it into the slightly spicy mayo to add a little more spice to your life.

I really had a hard time picking which udon bowl I wanted but eventually settled on the nameko due to my love of mushrooms. I couldn’t resist trying nameko mushrooms flown in from Japan.

The udon broth they use is really light and flavourful. The udon noodles really hold their own in the broth regardless of whether you are a fast or slow slurper. I ended up ordering a kaedama (extra serving of noodles) because I knew I was going to want to keep enjoying the experience.

Simply put, the whole thing was delicious. I didn’t even leave a drop of broth left in the bowl.

Overall, Raku is a really welcome addition to the food scene here in Toronto and offer a very unique udon noodle experience.

Atmosphere:
Went there today for lunch with a colleague. Sat in the front part. The over all feel of the place is very serene, tranquille, nice contrast to the hustle and bustle of Queen Street. Only few other tables were occupied. Not sure how it feel if its full given the tight quarters.
The one downside was the A/C which was too loud and too strong. Perhaps it's different elsewhere in the space.

Service:
Attentive but lacking at the same time.

Food:
Had the fried oysters for appetizer. Very good. Plump oysters. Could use a bit more flavour perhaps in the dip.
Had the shrimp tempura udon. Tempura and broth was mediocre, but the noodles were some of the best I've had in Toronto.
Would come again.

I got the nameko udon with a topping of chicken. The chicken came in a separate bowl to preserve the original taste of the nameko. The udons are so delicious. The texture is nice and chewy. I had left the noodles to eat at the very end and their texture still stayed nice and chewy, very not soggy at all. The soup was very light, flavourful and was not very salty. The seaweed and mushrooms were very flavourful as well.

Went here with my gf. First time trying Udon for me. The broth of my dish was distinctively sour. And I was told it wasn't supposed to be like this. So we sent it back. It came back with the message it should be like this. Then sent it back again, it returned exactly the same. In the end we had it taken off the bill.
Really weird, will not return.

Long waiting times since the place has limited seating. Book in advance using Yelp app. The Udon here is nice and fresh, taste is at par with other japanese places in the area. Food service. Definitely worth checking the place out! Karage chicken was my absolute favourite.

I've been looking forward to Raku opening in Toronto having been to their NYC location already! The food quality and service has always been consistent and welcoming the few times I've been here.

My top recommendations to order are:
1. Yaki Nasu appetizer for a nice smokey fried eggplant dish.
2. Hot Udon = Niku for a flavourful broth that balances well with the chewy udon noodles and honeycomb tripe
3. Cold Udon = Ja Ja which is perfect on a hot day where you want a refreshing bowl of cold udon noodles with the creaminess from a poached egg and spicy miso pork

Excellent noodles, decent broth and meat/other condiments, good service, but a bit overpriced. Would definitely go back, especially considering there doesn’t seem to be any other good udon options downtown.

Really authentic place with great udon and exceptional service. There's a reason they have a line out the door most nights.

Great udon noodle, but for price I found the topping was little lacking. Duck breast udon was good, but the mixed vegetable udon was pretty plain.

This place was pretty hyped up so I think it was unfortunate that it wasn't particularly great. We got the monkfish liver, agedashi tofu, and the mountain yam cold udon.

None of the dishes were particularly memorable and in general, things tasted very underseasoned. The texture of the udon is raved about but I didn't find it particularly special.

The plating of the dishes is great, but I'm sad to report that none of the flavours were striking, innovative, or really just interesting. The word that comes to mind about every dish we got was simply "bland". I would spend your money elsewhere.

Cute, small restaurant. Service was limited. Udon was very delightful but katsudon & gyoza were extremely extremely salty, definitely took me by surprise. Will give it another shot whenever in the neighbourhood again because udon was delish.

Went there at 5: 10 on Sunday, got the last 2 seat before being on a wait list that can be a half hour wait. Liked the texture of the noodles but the soup wasn't anything too memorable. I got the vegetable tempura udon which both my husband and I agreed the best part was the vegetable tempura.
Would not go back if there's a wait time. Don't think it's worth a line up.

This place is well known for its udon noodles, and it definitely shows. Noodles were freshly made and had a better taste than ones usually available store bought. The texture in the udon noodle compared to other places is evident once you bite into it. Cold or hot soba noodles is a good option either way.

Sides were fairly decent as well. The agedashi tofu was well flavored.

The restaurant is small, so seats can be limited at peak times. However it is worth the wait for one of the different noodle places in the city that's not ramen or pulled noodles.

Great place for udon! The owners are super nice, the interior looks very authentic Japanese, and the service is very friendly. The udon noodles themselves are very chewy, the broth is very flavorful, authentic, and made with care, and they come in giant portions. Highly recommended!

Best udon on the city. Sad that so many reviewers are obsessed with price instead of quality. This is why Toronto can't have nice things.

The restaurant is impeccably clean and aesthetic. I ordered the udon with thick egg broth. The portion was slightly large (which is good) and the flavours have a noticeable depth - the ingredients are imported directly from Japan! The noodles were like nothing that I've tried before. They were chewy/bouncy yet soft. You get what you pay for here. You must try this place out if you're looking to treat yourself/others.

Amazing! My friend saw Raku in one of her feeds and we just had to try it.
Came in for lunch around 1pm. Used the Yelp waitlist and we got a seat right away. The place is small so it's not good for groups of more than 4. The booth seat we got at the very back was cozy and it was right beside the opening of where the servers picked up the food so we got to see a preview of most of the dishes.they all looked yummy! Service was quick, answered all our questions and friendly.
We each got and udon bowl and shared an appetizer. The price is on the higher end but the quality of the food, space and service reflects that. And it was worth it!

Ankimo - love monkfish liver and the ponzu sauce was so refreshing.
Niku udon - had to go with the classic for my first time here and it was delicious! The broth was beefy and the noodles were fresh and chewy.
Tan Tan udon - got to try th broth.definitely a must try for my next visit.

And yes.there will be multiple visits to Raku so I can go theu the whe menu. 5 stars all around!

Saw this new udon restaurant online and thought we would give it a try. The decor and eveything is very nice It reminds us of Japan. Food wise the quality is ok, it wasn't as great as we were expecting. The food were a bit salty, not sure if it is always like that or not. It was an ok experience. Probably won't be going jng back since the price is a bit high as well.

Serving took a little long, but both cold and hot udon were very good. One of the best udon I’ve ever had. Love their online line up system. Every restaurant should have it.

Delicious high-end and FRESH udon! Would definitely recommend if you're in the area. I loved the atmosphere too, lovely interior design, and the servers were also really nice.

Good service but a very small and crowded restaurant.

Expected more of the food, although the noodles themselves were delicious, the fish based broth was mediocre/not for everyone, making it lacking in flavour. A hard no for the chicken rice bowl.

The appetizers were also underwhelming- Agedashi tofu as standard as it gets, and the deep fried chicken, though cooked beautifully, were quite bland.

Very good udon! The noodles come from Japan and they are truly amazing. Definitely recommend. The broths are also very tasty.

Wonderful decor and the noodles had good chew and delicious broth. Had the chikara and having mochi in my soup is definitely a new experience. The service was also good, but was slow.

I visited Raku before the dinner time which was around 5pm. It was only half full of customers and not busy at all. But still, server forgot to bring water and hand towel so I had to ask them twice. I have not tried hot udon yet but, having cold udon is one the best way to waste your money. I could not taste any flavour and the portion was so small I had to go other place to fill up my stomach.

Got the carb meat in thick egg soup udon, really like it a lot. Will definitely go back and try more different udon and appetizers!

Best udon in the city. The noodles were chewy and the broth was very rich. The decor was very minimalist and plesant. Highly recommended.

Super happy something like Raku has finally shown up in Toronto! I love noodle dishes and udon is definitely up there. I got the mochi and chicken udon soup.

The mochi was super soft and chewy, quite authentic. It's not sweet like what people normally expect, it's actually not sweetened at all but it's quite tasty with the broth. The broth was quite flavorful but the downside was I felt it was too salty by the time I finished the dish. The udon noodle was soft and seems like it was recently hand made but not as fresh as Udon West in NYC. Udon West had slightly fresher noodles but also more interesting choices and more reasonable prices.

However considering I don't want to go to NYC every time I want fresh udon noodles, I'm very grateful for Raku as it's a great alternative. Would go again if I'm ever in the area and I'm craving udon.