Raw Sushi Bistro

good service. hip atmosphere. both rolls we got were low on taste overall. spider roll had more breading than crab and the lettuce made for a weird texture. i don’t think sushi should have lettuce. sushi rice wasn’t done well. it should be more chewy and vinegary.

Fantastic place in Modesto!
I am continually looking for great places to try in the Central Valley and as far as sushi goes I am sold on this place being the best in the 209!
The atmosphere is inviting, hip and comfortable. The vibe is great and I have been here multiple times since. It is a great place for date night and the food is incredible.
I will definitely continue to frequent this place for my sushi cravings!

I LOVE RAW. They have the best sushi in Modesto, in my opinion. BUT they have some issues with customer service. Myself and some co-​workers called to see if they could fax us a menu so we could phone in our lunch orders for takeout. The girl who answered told us that she was too busy to fax it and we could come in if we wanted. She told us to look on their website, which lacks descriptions and doesn’t help those who have never ate there before. Unfortunately for them, they just lost several lunch orders :(

This sushi place is absolutely amazing. I had the Dante’s inferno Roll great amount of spicy but not too hot, I also had chicken teriyaki plate all around great dish. Great portion size! you will not go home hungry ! :-)

So so yummy! Can’t wait to go back! The garlic edamame is sooo good! I had the dante’s inferno roll best roll I’ve ever eaten!

The ambiance is great. The sushi is great. The service is great. Everything about this place is 5 stars.

great first experience at Raw last night! I’ve got a few serious seafood allergies, so generally avoid sushi places, but it was date night, so I braved it.
the atmosphere is great at Raw — seems like a nice place right when you walk in. the hostess (who was also our server) was friendly and helpful. we got a seat and water immediately.
we chose an unfiltered sake– and asked our server for that recommendation. she referred to the bartender and the choice was perfect. the menu is comprehensive, and we started with the beef carpaccio. it’s spicy and delicious. next was the tuna sashimi and the shark bite roll. the sashimi was extremely fresh and very tasty. it was plated beautifully as well. the description of the shark bite till in the menu says tuna, tempura shrimp, etc. when it arrived, it was also decorated with caviar. because of my allergies, I would have asked them to hold that had it been listed on the menu, but it isn’t, so nervously I inquired about the roe. our friendly server didn’t hesitate to ask the sushi artist to immediately make another, without the roe. the remake was swift, again, plated beautifully and delicious. I enjoyed our dinner at raw and will for sure be back soon!

This place is in the bldg I work in. It’s easy and accessible. I usually get their chicken bowl. Rice, chicken, veggies. I’ve had their plate as well. The service is great, but I don’t think their food is anything special. But it’s clean.
Lunch time can be super busy so beware. They are willing to seat you in the patio area if you want.

RAW makes some really good sushi. They have an awesome bar which was actually from the last business that was here. They have a lot of options and all of it is really good. Service here is decent, and overall I have nothing bad to say. I’ve been here a few times so far and I’ll be back soon.

So I just had my daughter and have been wanting REAL sushi for 9 months. I’ve had it but just CA roll. So I decided to ask my Mom to pick me up some RAW sushi since I can’t drive yet. I couldn’t find a menu online so I just went off pictures I saw on Unilocal.I ordered Sashimi, because it’s my absolute favorite and it looked really fresh in pictures. I also ordered the tuna steak roll, and rainbow roll. I ordered the gyoza appetizer for my 4 year old because those are her faves.
I called in the order and it was super loud in the background on a Friday night. But the guy taking my order read it back to me to double check if he heard me right. He said it would be ready in 20 minutes and it was.
The sashimi was BOMB dot com! The rolls were good and fresh too but I wasn’t a fan of the rice they used. And because of that I don’t think I’ll be back since I love sushi. On to the next sushi place!

Just returned from Raw for the first time. My wonderful wife of 15 years now (Anniversary dinner) picked it so we went. Décor is quite nice, very modern and stylish without trying too hard. Bar is clean and displays the typical Bar Rescue overhaul «premium liquor layout». Tables and restrooms are clean and modern as well. Our server was very attentive and polite. Thank you for that Lacey.
I always look for daily specials as these tend to be fresh (no, not all sushi is fresh. Not even that Tuna you so enjoy) and totally different fish sourced from exotic locations if you’re really lucky. Raw does not have any specials at all, bummer. You should really consider that.
Refreshments:
House Japanese Beer consists of Sapporo and Kirin, bummer (Both are fine Beers do not misunderstand). I like a selection a Japanese Beers, not one or the other. You should look into that. Yes, I am a proud card-​carrying Goldilocks when it comes to Beer. Sue me.
Hot sake was hot sake. No selection offered. Bummer again. Need a list of Sake if you’re gonna be a real Sushi joint (more on that later). You should look into that.
Appetizers:
1. Garlic Edamame: Good, but the garlic did not really meld with the edamame so it was more of a dressing. A tasty dressing however.
2. Dantes Inferno Appetizer (They have a roll as well): This was the one suggested as it was «the one they are known for». Good, not great. A nice slice of Maguro (Tuna) on a nice tempura jalapeño. Judging from the consistency of heat, they check their peppers (Jalapenos can vary in heat from berry to berry even on the same plant). All were very mild, not my favorite but, at least they were flavorful and Raw is obviously focused on quality control.
3. Tako Kimchee: Nice. Well cooked octopus very lightly dressed with a Kimchee sauce that did not overwhelm the subtle flavor of one of my favorite cephalopods. Raw cucumbers and tomatoes enjoyed bathing in the sauce as well.
4. Albacore Carpaccio: Never understood the whole carpaccio thing in Sushi joints these days. It’s not Italian. it’s raw fish with some bits tossed on top. Not blaming Raw (It’s an epidemic these days), just a general complaint. The «carpaccio» was ok, nothing amazing.
Entrees:
1. Spicy Dragon Roll: A fine representation of the standard Dragon Roll with a spicy addition. Nothing earth-​shattering, just correct.
2. Sake Nigiri: Good quality, not great quality. I like mine when it’s fat and buttery or, fresh from a river. Still a fine bite o’ Salmon
3. Shiro Maguro: Albacore Tuna is good stuff, and theirs is good stuff. I really appreciated that fact that they did not put a ball of garlic on top like a lot of places do. Never understood this practice either as Albacore is a very mild flavored fish. They did have a neutral sauce sparingly drizzled over the pieces. Was nervous seeing it, but it did not really interfere with the Albacore. No complaints on this one.
4. Escolar: Seeing this on the menu made me happy in that they respect their customers enough to call it what it is. Many Sushi joints call this «Super White Tuna» or, Butterfish. Escolar is not a Tuna and there are two species of fish commonly called Butterfish, Escolar not being one of them. Unfortunately, we encountered an entirely different kind of confusion. Our server said that our Shiro Maguro WAS the Escolar (?!). I did not have the heart to correct her as she was really sweet and I’ve never heard that statement in my life. I let it go and did not get to try the Escolar.
All in all Raw Sushi Bistro is an interesting concept provided that you understand one thing. Raw IS NOT a Sushi Bar. They have some Japanese Sushi items yes. But, their menu on the whole is more of a fusion of food concepts. Lots of modern rolls with lots of ingredients coupled with two or more sauces is not Sushi. It might be good, but not Sushi. Two Japanese Beer choices does not help either.
One big complaint beside their lack of specials, their Wasabi is not legit. I’m not asking for OG Wasabi that most Sushi goers have never even seen so much as tasted but damn, there’s better product out there guys. Please look into it.
I get the feeling that they do very well with their Bar sales and probably just as well in food to boot. Location, décor, price point, are clear indicators of their target clientele. I had a quick convo with a manager to inquire about their Escolar/​Albacore snafu. He said positively that they do indeed have Escolar, motioned to it, and I can say that it does indeed exist. I guess our server had one of those moments we’ve all had.
I will probably return to test the manager’s claim that they will special order Saba (Mackerel) upon request. I am, and will always be, a Sabaholic.

Let me say how much I love coming to this place. The atmosphere, the vibe, the best customer service n last but not least the best sushi in Modesto. Every time we come we are always 100% satisfied. A good place to have birthday dinners or anniversaries! So if u have never tried Raw in Modesto u are missing out.

Simply «Outstanding ». From the time you are greeted at the door the experience is exceptional
The service, the freshness of the food, the attention to detail all are impeccable. When in Modesto my go to Sushi, no doubt. Enjoy

In my top five favorite Sushi places around the country. And I travel ALOT.
Modesto Location is much better than Stockton.

First visit at lunch rush today. Restaurant was packed — every seat, so that certainly says a little something! The service was very friendly and quick. Our sushi came out fast and was fantastic.
The first thing I look for in sushi is the rice-​to-​meat ratio. The more rice, the farther I run away. The sushi here is loaded with the good stuff and very little rice. Quite impressive.
Even though the restaurant was packed, no one put any pressure on us to flip the table while we talked business after food was gone. That is classy.
So all in all, great first experience, when business brings me back this way again I will be back.

Great place food awesum especially the asparagus. Wrap with beef, very tasty flavorful, 10 thumbs up

We’ve been several times and the food & service are great. Very attentive and prompt servers. The zaftig blond bartender knows her stuff — drinks are good and strong! I had the soba salad with a spicy scallop hand roll — super tasty!

This place is amazing! Fifteen bucks for all this food? It’s too good to take out, so I decided to settle in for a wine.
Great friendly service, fresh ingredients, killer prices, and a FULL BAR! This spot is dangerously good, ooh sushi.

The Dante Inferno Is my favorite roll! Always fresh and always great friendly service.
I tried the spicy edamame! Messy but worth it.

The atmosphere was great and more towards the fancier end! Everyone was mostly dressed in business casual but my boyfriend and I came in kinda bummy-​ish clothes but no one seemed to care. The waiters and the host were VERY nice, especially the waiter (she was very attentive!)
Prices are really good for 10 pieces of sushi. Regular Rolls were around $ 9-​$ 13 and the special rolls are around $ 14-​$ 15.
Taste was pretty good, maybe around a 3.75 /​5 stars
Best roll we got was the Dante’s Inferno Roll and although the description makes it seem spicy, it really isn’t! (My boyfriend isn’t fond of spicy and he thought it was totally fine!)
Only reason why it’s a ⁴⁄₅ is because the sushi compared to how the place looked, was just «pretty good» and not outstanding. But all in all, we are probably gonna come again :)