Raku

I have been going to Raku for several years now and the food has been consistently good albeit a bit truffle heavy and just a tad over dressed. One of my favourites is the tenaga ebi (scampi sushi with foie gras) and the kumogani (soft shell crab roll). I also highly recommend the jidori karaage - probably one of the best fried chicken I have ever had. The menu is quite extensive but an express set lunch during weekdays is also available for a minimum of 2 people. I have tried this and the portions are adequate so you don't leave hungry. During my last visit, I was disappointed to discover that the oysters are not freshly shucked to order :(
The service at Raku has always been a bit lacklustre but it was at its worst during my last visit. Service was slow and inattentive. I had to wait 15 minutes for someone to take my order after having asked them to do so several times. The drinks took another 15 minutes and was delivered to our table after 3 dishes have been served already. The service is just not commensurate with a fine dining restaurant.
The restaurant can get a bit noisy and I don't like the idea of communal tables, at least not in a fine dining restaurant. The booths are quite cozy and the private dining room at the back is very nice.
Would I come back here? Probably... if only for their nigiri and fried chicken. I'll just overlook the poor service. Its such a shame, this restaurant could be a lot better.

Stopped here for a quick cocktail after dinner with our kids. We sat outside so we wouldn’t disturb the other diners because our kids are still very young. The staff were very accommodating and spilt an adult ‘Mocktail’ into two glasses for our young kids to share so they didn’t feel like they were missing out. It was a really nice time. I can’t wait to go back and have dinner there alone with just my wife. The atmosphere was really nice.

Amazing high standard of Japanese cuisine. Not surprised to learn it is rated amongst the top 20 restaurants in Australia. Could not fault the food, service or atmosphere. Worth the trip to Canberra alone!

My first time dining at Raku and it was exceptional. The atmosphere was great, I sat in a private booth with 5 friends.
4 of us had the Royal Tasting Menu for $160.
Each course was different with outstanding flavours.
The waiters all knew the details of the food or drinks (different waiters for each)

We had their Hao San’s tasting menu for dinner, food tasted decent with interesting fusion-ish flavourings. Love their tempura zucchini flower and the scallops. Staff are also quite attentive. Overall an enjoyable experience.

Went for my girlfriends birthday, food and drinks were amazing. Service was also superb, server was about to explain what she thought was going to be enough food as both me and my partner were about to seriously under order. Everything was perfect and came in good time. The desert weren't to my tasting but it was extremely hard to compete with the main courses. I will be back again at the next special occasion. (As someone who doesn't eat fish there is alot of meat and vegetable dishes you can order)

We enjoyed a lovely lunch at Raku. We ordered the royal tasting set. The meal was beautifully presented and fresh. The scallop was slightly over cooked, but everything else was exceptional. Fantastic flavours. The service was good, the girls were friendly, however, for the price you’re paying for this dining experience I would expect a higher level of professionalism, perhaps more training is needed. We will happily return.