Raku Tonkatsu + Ramen

Took us almost an entire day to get our food. Half of our order apparently didn’t go through, so we sat there looking at other people who came waaaaay after us eat and go. The two waitresses were quite blazeh bout their screw up which was the most annoying aspect of this disaster. Not asking for a refund or even something extra but at least give a flying fak when you make customers wait an hour+ for their food… Maybe it was a bad day, but Ima def not recommend this place to anyone. Besides the food was wack! The fish katsu was soggy and the curry was i would say about 3 days old judging by the mushiness of the vegetables. A WASTE OF MY TIME AND AIR!

Place is small and service is great but the food lacks authenticity. A tad bit expensive for the quality given and definitely comes in second to umaido. We got the miso and tonkatsu ramen and asked for spicy broth.
Ended up being not spicy at all but they gave us a pepper paste to put in.
Pork was mostly fat and egg was hard and not soft boiled. Only plus side was the broth and noodles.
Don’t know if I’d go out of my way when there are other options out there.

We discovered raku on a cold, rainy Saturday night after strenuous shopping sessions at both MegaMart and Super H Mart. One problem: we are vegans, and the only veg item on raku’s menu was the dumplings. Not to worry — at almost 11:00pm, the kitchen cheerfully devised a custom veggie meal that was warming, restoring, and just plain yummy. Thank you to our server Vivi for being so helpful and friendly!
PS — The wood and stone décor of this restaurant is beautiful.

Great little spot for some ramen with a friend. The environment was very lively and the service was great. I had the katsu don and my friend had the miso ramen. Both of these items tasted great and i would definitely return for more! The Karage appetizer was also delicious with the spicy mayo sauce it came with. Raku os definitely one of my favorites now!

I came here again, not too long ago for dinner with my best friend. It seemed like this place was falling apart… There was literally no one when we came. Maybe 1 – 2 tables when we were leaving. It was very quiet… They usually have the TV on with music playing, but nothing. It was super awkward…
The price is average I suppose. The food isn’t that great… I’ve definitely had better japanese ramen… I’ve had their tonkatsu ramen. It’s not as rich and flavorful, like some of the ones I’ve had…
I also had their donburi, which is just a rice bowl with fried egg and choice of meat. Also sautéed onions and green onions. Also comes with a side of soup. Once again it was mediocre.
Their don katsu is pretty good in size and was better than the other dishes I had so far there. Also comes with a side of soup and salad.
The service here is ok… Not the best… They could careless… Some like to hang out and be on their phones…
The parking spot is shared with all the other stores around the shopping center. I would go to another ramen spot before I come here again though…

I can’t stop praising about this restaurant! My photos are on my old phone xD sorry. Anyways, the food is top notch and service is great as well.
Raku stands out in the H-​Mart plaza because their establishment has a wooden look on the outside so it gets your attention. When you walk inside there’s a big bar in the middle with tables lining along the walls. I can’t the booths are the most comfortable since their wooden but being a cushion just in case. I’ve been there so many times that the servers know me by name and know my favorite dishes. A very friendly service
I’ve had at least 1 of every dish category. My favorite is probably the gyudon (rice bowl with beef), it’s serves well enough that I take some home!
The cutlets cab be on the bland side depending on your taste buds. The ramen is just as good. I prefer tonkatsu ramen than the soy based ramen because it slides down the throat easier.
Overall, this restaurant may not be authentic but it stands out to me

This review is for the ramen.
Somewhat weak tonkotsu ramen — not nearly as rich and flavorful as others. I’ve tried recently
Way too many bean sprouts. As I neared the halfway point, it seemed each bite was mostly sprouts, not noodles. Small slices of chashu.
Hard banquet-​style seat. I was uncomfortable after fifteen minutes or so.
What sounded like Asian rap playing, not loudly but annoying all the same.
Great service.
Overall, in the category of Atlanta metro ramen spots, Raku Tonkatsu falls short of the pack.

Wonderful food and i love the atmosphere. I love the miso soup too! Raku is definitely worth the drive.

Great job Raku Ramen! You fooled us! This isn’t a ramen shop, this is another one of those Youtube pranks, amirite?!
No?
Welp, that’s pretty f*cked up. I mean, how are you gonna charge folks $ 12 for a bowl of seafood ramen that you packed with scrap pieces from H Mart? If I wanted to recreate the food options of the great depression I’d eat beefaroni out of a dirty tube sock.
Also, WHAT ARE YOUR WAITERS DOING?! They seriously just stood there, like awkward middle-​schoolers at the winter formal, trying to muster up the courage to ask their crush for a dance. «Ummm, I wanna ask if you need more water, but, ummm, I kinda, this is my first time, and, ummm, okay, nvm.»
Then again, I should have known that this place would be shit the moment I saw two redheads leave their table, with smiles on their faces, carrying their LEFTOVER RAMEN, sayin shit like, «BOYYY HOWDY! THIS PLACE IS RAD! THIS IS ALMOST AS GOOD AS WHAT MA’ MAKES!»

Seeking out a Japanese restaurant that would live up to my high standards has been a hard task indeed. Raku comes close to fulfilling my needs and that says a lot about the restaurant.
I have been searching for a good place to get okonomiyaki ever since my year abroad in Japan and, since this place does have okonomiyaki on their menu, my fiancé and I decided to stop here. Funny thing is though, we didn’t end up getting the okonomiyaki.
Instead, I was enticed into getting gyudon — an item I have also been craving since Japan. At Raku, they put the egg on top for you rather than serving you a raw egg to crack yourself. Even though this wasn’t what I was used to, I admit that the flavor of the gyudon itself was perfect. Usually I don’t finish my food, but this meal was too good not to finish. They also served a small bowl of miso soup on the side which was a pleasant surprise.
I also shared an appetizer of gyoza (dumplings) with my fiancé. They came out extremely fresh to the point where we could not eat them right away because they were so hot. To be honest, I thought the gyoza was a bit bland for my taste… the pork was not as flavorful as I thought it would be.
The atmosphere of Raku is very pleasant and it seems like it would be a nice place to go for a quiet evening dinner. The wait staff were excellent and very polite, coming to our table just the right amount of times.
Overall, I’d recommend this place to anyone who likes any type of donburi.

When I first stepped into Raku, I didn’t know what to expect but I really liked the décor and the ambiance of the restaurant. It was modern but very windy – there were fans blowing everywhere inside the restaurant! I had to hold on to my napkins to keep them from flying off my table. It was just me eating lunch so I was seated in the middle of the room at the bar.
I was only given a brief moment to look over the menu before the waiter came and took my order. I went for the seafood and pork (don’t remember the exact name) ramen and shrimp shumai for the appetizer. When I got my food, I was disappointed. While I appreciated the amount of seafood, the ramen broth was a little bland and there was ginger in every bite I took, which wasn’t too pleasant in my opinion.
The shrimp shumai was good and it was definitely the best part of my lunch.
Don’t know if I’ll pay another visit to Raku but who knows?

I stopped by after my fight from Salt Lake City back to Atlanta. This restaurant is located in a plaza to the left side of H Mart, on the first floor– closer to H Mart.
The interior design was very interesting. Some tables had unpainted plywood, with red seat cushions, as the seats. I sat at the middle island table, which resembled a bar, where the stool-​seat were wooden planks, ~2.5 feet in length, ~6 inches in width. The condiments where located at the center of the island, in a lowered section.
The menu did not seem too large, but I had ordered the Miso Ramen. My order took about 10 minutes to prepare. My server asked if I liked Kim Chi, which I replied, that I did, but just a little. She brought out a small dish of Kim Chi next to my ramen. Which I thought was very sweet, because usually side dishes were for main entrée orders. I finished the ramen and Kim Chi within 20 minutes.
Altogether, the ramen was good, the soybean paste was just right, and I wish I had added a boiled egg to my ramen. The server was very attentive and friendly.

Came in on a Friday afternoon around lunch time. The place was completely empty. It was decorated really cute so we decided to stay. Bad decision.
We sat down at these wooden tables that i thought was super cute at first glance. Upon examining the tabletop (i enjoy woodwork) i noticed that it had several gaps in between the wooden pieces… no problem right? Well these gaps have created pockets/​crevices that catches all the droppings from all diners. It was filled with crumbs and bits and pieces of unidentifiable matter that probably dates back to when the restaurant first opened. Yuck!
My friend and i ordered the shrimp shu mai and she wanted a coke (free soft drink with 1^st check in). For our meal she picked some cold udon dish and i for the tonkatsu Ramen.
We received the dishes before we received the drink and app… we actually never got them! Not sure if there is a language barrier but that was not cool. I know the waitress is not responsible for the food, but to not even get a drink, again i state, not cool.
The cold noodle was bland. Kudos for using fresh ingredients, but it tasted like a vegetarian salad. The tonkatsu was also subpar. Very weak in flavor. Could not taste the broth at all. It had ²⁄₃ slices of pork which is very lacking for a $ 9 bowl of noodle. Also came with a soft boiled egg that was tasty. Both dishes left much to be desired.
Overall i would not recommend this place unless you dont have taste buds and like to sit at filthy but cute tables. We left hungry and disappointed.

This wasn’t my first time here, but I never wrote a review since I haven’t been writing Unilocal reviews long.
We came in on a Sunday early afternoon to enjoy a ramen lunch. My friends quietly noticed that the Japanese restaurant was managed by Koreans, but hopefully it wouldn’t affect the authenticity of the food. The back tv played YouTube videos that kept us pleasantly occupied during the unusually long waits, even though there weren’t many customers in the restaurant.
I ordered the miso ramen, as reviews claimed this ramen had the most flavorful broth. The menu showed «spicy sauce» could be added for 50 cents, which I asked the server about. He pointed out the chili powder I could add to my ramen on the side of the table, which saved me 50 cents!
My ramen came out in a colorful array of vegetables, meat, and sauce. The miso was literally a huge wad of miso paste that was dug out of a container of miso paste. Not impressed, I wished they could have mixed that in for me, not show me the deconstruction of their ramen ingredients. I dropped in some of the spicy sauce, which gave it a nice kick.
Overall I was not very impressed. But this ramen, along with their other rice and noodle options, is always a nice alternative to driving up to Suwannee’s Umaido.

This review was started in 2014 along with 20+ others that were never finished mainly due to the fact more than one visit was needed to write a proper review.
Raku has been booked marked forever. I just happened to be shopping in the area and looked at the Unilocal app for restaurants nearby as it was getting late and didn’t want to go home and cook. Low and behold Rau was in the same parking lot literally 50 feet away according to the gps done.
Decoration seems simple at first then you will to notice little things that make a big statement. The lamps over head are made of brushed metal and have pink silk with butterflies inside, bamboo is used as screens and the bathroom sink had black stones all around it with an old fashioned water faucet.
The ramen is solid, the broth lite and creamy and served with the proper accoutrements like boiled egg, two thick slices of roast pork, scallions and roasted seaweed. For those of you with a bigger appetite or even sharing a bowl extras like egg, noodles and veggies can be added. Plan on rolling your sleeves up, grab a few napkins and get to slurping.

Walked in thinking the place was a legit Japanese place but turned out be owned by koreans. nothing wrong with that, I just thought I would point that out
the service was pretty good and food was ok too. I got this seafood pancake… the pancake itself was not the best but it had these ginger flakes on it when it first came out from the kitchen it looked like the flakes were dancing from the heat.
Their broth was not as good as some others I have tried but it’s not horrible.
nothing was terrible but nothing was outstanding either.
I may try them again when in the area but my experience here was just ok.

This Ramen house is located in the H-​mart plaza in Duluth (left-​hand side). The restaurant ambience is pretty cool. Once you enter the restaurant, you’re immediately greeted by a waitress who will seat you. I have tried the donkatsu (deep-​fried pork cutlet), cheese donkatsu, tonkatsu ramen, and some of the deep-​fried items such as calamari, shrimp, vegetables, etc. The food here is all A-​ok. You will leave feeling satisfied, but it isn’t anything amazing. If I’m craving japanese ramen, I’ll come here because it’s close by (convenient). Oh, and if you like spicy, don’t forget to add the spicy paste into your ramen! ;)
Many people say that this place has one of the best donkatsu’s (pork cutlet) in Atlanta. Must try this place if you’re a big fan of donkatsu!
Also, they’ll serve kimchi if you ask.
Happy ramen eating!

Very artistic design on the inside with comfortable seating options and a friendly staff
Not a bad spot for a late night bite, but prefer the ramen at Umaido over here. The noodles are pretty standard and the broth lacks the flavor.
Katzu was good and comes with soup salad and rice. Been here a few times and think it is worth a visit, only if you are craving ramen you should go to Suwanee for Umaido!

Coworkers and I were lured here on «Ramen Day» to discover that only the Atlanta Raku location was running the promotion. The website wasn’t specific, but oh well. We were already there, hungry, and wanted some ramen.
One of my coworkers and I both ordered the Tonkotsu ramen, which was very bland. It doesn’t even begin to compare to the ramen I had at the Atlanta location. My friends who have been here also made the same comment that the broth was lacking. However, another one of my coworkers had the Shoyu enjoyed her meal and says it’s somewhat comparable to the ramen in Japan.
Our ramen was accompanied by [Korean] banchan — kimchi and radish, with a side of perky k-​pop music. I thought it was weird, but I did notice some Korean patrons there, so I guess it works for them.
Service was also lacking. After a while, we were the only ones there but the waiter didn’t notice us at all. We were done eating, but stayed to talk. Our bowls weren’t taken away, nor were our waters refilled.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the tables. I know, it’s a weird detail to discuss, but the unevenness of the wooden table made it an issue while we were trying to eat. I could not pull my full bowl close enough to me since the part of the table I sat at had a downward dip. This made me nervous that the bowl would slip and spill all over me.
My recommendation is to look elsewhere for ramen.

It was a relaxed Sunday evening in suburbia, I just about recovered from my hangover from previous night. I was thinking, what more I can get out of this weekend before Monday turns on me. Something comforting, with flavors, may be bit spicy and I didn’t want to wait around too long. Since I’m reviewing this restaurant, you might assume I was thinking about ‘Raku Tonkatsu’ but actually I was thinking Korean soon-​tofu and some galbi. That’s how it started at least. And we headed to ‘Book Chang dong tofu house’ near the H-​Mart, but when we got there, number of parties were already waiting for table. I was hungry, so we decided to walk around the complex and pick someplace not too crowded. And that’s how we ended up at Raku Tonkatsu.
From outside it may not look like much, but it has a nice modern interior. We were greeted and seated immediately. As soon as we sat down and picked the menu, a waitress came to ask if we are ready to order. She probably thought we were regulars here. We asked for few minutes, and before a minute passed she was at the table again, «are you ready to order now?». we asked for few more minutes and then ordered (she was back in another minute but we were ready by then). Even though this annoyed me a bit, the waitress never showed any face and had a very friendly appearance.
We ordered,
1) Karaage
2) TonKatsu
3) Tonkotsu Ramen
Karaage is Japanese version of fried chicken, usually made by marinating chicken in soy sauce, ginger and garlic and then dredging lightly on potato starch before deep frying it. The potato starch reacts with oil to form a thin golden crust that retains crispiness longer. And because this has only thin layer of potato starch not thick batter, it’s also easy to overcook Karaage. And that’s what happened to ours — it was very dry inside and not flavorful.
Then came the Tonkatsu — It’s basically panko crusted, deep fried pork cutlet. They gave toasted black and white sesame seeds in a bowl, with wooden pestle to crush it. Then sprinkle it on the cutlet while it’s still hot. It’s served with bowl of miso soup and rice each. It’s not the most flavorful Tonkatsu I have tasted, but I liked it — it was crispy outside and tender inside. And I liked it more when I dunked it in my Tonkotsu Ramen soup. Perfect.
Tonkotsu Ramen is all about it’s broth. It is usually made by boiling pork bones for an hour, then by grinding (or chopping into small pieces) those bones and boil again for about 12 – 15 hours, allowing the collagen to completely dissolve into the stock. The resulting broth will be thick, whitish and very rich (and salty). And usually served with various toppings like Chashu — compressed braised pork belly, cut into thin slices when served, Ajitama — Boiled egg seasoned in soy sauce and the yolk is typically runny, Nori — Seaweed paper, some restaurants even add wakame (rehydrated seaweeds), bean sprouts and picked ginger.
At Raku, the soup was thinner than any ‘Tonkotsu Ramen’ I have tasted at other restaurants. Don’t mistake, it was still a thicker soup than shio, shoyu or miso but only thinner by ‘tonkotsu ramen’ standards. And I think it’s for the best — it was still quite flavorful and rich but not too salty like it usually is. Also the Chashu was delicious but it was just two thin slices. The noodles was perfectly cooked and very delicious. I also liked the hint of ginger in the soup. This dish was the best part of my meal at Raku, definitely a must try here.
The service was good at Raku. The wait staff were very attentive (if not too attentive) and always checking to see if we needed anything. There is also a Unilocal check-​in offer going on right now — free soda for a check-​in.
4 stars.