1225Raw Sushi and Sake Lounge

Cool center city lunch spot with a nice outdoor patio and a lot of indoor seating too. The bento boxes are a great value. You get miso soup, salad, and an assortment of sides as well as a main feature of your choice. I usually go with some sort of sushi, but there are other types of prepared dishes as well.
I’ve never been disappointed — but at the same time, I’ve never been wowed either. Sometimes the service can seem a bit distracted and slow. Usually it’s around $ 20/​person for lunch after tax & tip so it’s not an everyday sort of place. Good for groups too.

Went late Saturday night for a light dinner. The sushi, miso soup, and lobster spring rolls were very good. Wine and service was as well. The atmosphere was very dark, that was the only downfall for me. Looking forward to returning during lunch with coworkers.

Tried this place on a whim, but the food was terrible. The edamame tasted like it just came out of the freezer, the spicy tuna rolls were all spicy mayo and almost no tuna, the chicken in the chicken teriyaki was rough and difficult to chew, and the broccoli was cold. The rice was okay, but how hard is it to get rice correct? Will never go back

I found the spot at open table and am I delighted to have found such place! The restaurant offers a happy hour with extensive hours and the wines & spirits are surprisingly good! We ordered off the happy hour menu – the prices are low but it doesn’t mean that the quality is below grade.
The rolls were tasty and nicely sized. We had seaweed salad, the steam dumplings, sweet potato roll, salmon and avocado and the spicy tuna. We will definitely be returning here and bringing our friends and family.
The patio area is spacious and very clean. The service was friendly and very professional. I highly recommend this location!

The White Tiger Roll is no longer on the menu, but in my opinion, it’s one of their best. We enjoyed all that we ordered, but that was the standout, and we ordered a second (even at $ 20). The Volcano was also very good, made with real crab meat and not the imitation stuff. The ambience is upscale, clean and sleek. (Check out the cool sink in the restrooms.) Prices are higher than other sushi places around, but the food and the atmosphere make it a good celebration restaurant. It made for a fun evening meeting up with good friends.

The happy hour here is pretty good. They have a great outdoor area when the weather is nice out. The happy hour offers good drinks specials including $ 3 beer special, $ 4 wine, and lots of food and sushi specials. The wine is very poor quality (Frontera) but still pretty cheap. The food is full portions and very good, especially the sushi and gyoza. The edamame is very understated but sufficient for the price. The sushi is full size rolls and very good. I’ve had the spicy tuna and the salmon avocado, both are quite good and 8 pieces. The regular menu price was double that. The outdoor seating is very comfortable and spacious. They have a Saturday happy hour from 12pm-~6pm. The regular menu prices are a little high for what it is. The indoor area is nicer appointed and a clean area. The men’s restrooms urinals were all out of order and the sinks were shared with the women’s. Overall, the place is worth it for happy hour, but not sure I would attend for full price dinner.

Raw sushi has the highest quality sushi I have had in Philadelphia to date. I recently discovered the outside section of the restaurant which has an unbelievable happy hour with full size portions. As of now it seems to be a secret outdoor happy hour bar inside center city to enjoy on a beautiful day after work.

I’ve been here a few times and each time I still enjoy it. The vibe here is dark and smooth inside but they have an outdoor area that livens up and makes you feel like you are at a beer garden. The happy hour has excellent prices for 8 piece sets of sushi. My personal favorite is the crunch tuna and jalepeno roll. Not too spicy but just right. The happy hour wine is $ 4 but the bottle for happy hour wine is one of the cheaper you’ll fine at the liquor store. We saw the waitress with our bottle of Frontera which is usually around $ 12 for the double size bottle. Aka still good price but not the best quality. I rate this a 4 because of the great prices, fun vibe, excellent sushi and who doesn’t love a solid happy hour?

My review/​rating is mostly for the experience/​ambience and the delicious and affordable happy hour.
A group of coworkers and I went here on St. Patrick’s Day (Festive! :P) and walked into an understandably empty, but sleek and gorgeous space. We requested to sit outside, and had the really beautiful outdoor lounge/​patio to ourselves.
For happy hour, I got one of the beers on draft, and a seaweed salad and salmon/​avocado roll. Everything was tasty — probably not a fantastic representation of their skills as a whole, but an enjoyable experience nonetheless.
The happy hour menu is a real gem, though — with lots of great options, all for mostly under $ 5.

Great happy hour in the city. It was a warm 70 degree day and every restaurant in the area with outdoor seating was packed, but raw has a secret outdoor area that was a hidden gem. They’re happy hour is phenomenal. They have $ 3-​$ 5 sushi rolls (8 a piece) and cheap apps. The ambience is also very fun. This won’t be a secret for long, make sure you stop by and chow down!

After seeing that every restaurant was packed on 13^th street we walked down Sansom and stumbled upon RAW. They had a really nice outdoor area with plenty of tables and a large couch area in the back for larger groups. We were there for happy hour and the prices and the food were both amazing! The best thing we had was the tuna jalapeño roll. I would
highly recommend this. it was probably some of the best sushi I’ve had in philly. The happy hour prices are great and so is the service! I will definitely be returning!

This is a review from Restaurant Week 2016.
With Restaurant Week, some places offer a tasting menu in addition to their full menu, and some places offer just the tasting menu. 1225 offered both, so we both ordered the tasting menu and an ala carte option.
Drinks: We started off with two of the special drinks that were offered — the week had a liquor sponsorship with Effen Vodka, so we obviously decided that was a good choice. Overpriced? Sure. But expected. My drink was the Cucumber — with was vodka, sake, ginger liqueur, fresh lemon. Tasty. Ms. Ley’s was the Pure — vodka, melon liqueur, and fresh lime. I’m sure it was tasty? You’ll have to ask her.
1^st Course: Salmon Skin Salad — Super crispy and larger than expected for a tasting menu. We both ordered this. My thought going into it was that we would get smaller portions because… it’s a tasting menu, and we’re served tastes. But they were actual portions, so that was a good surprise, though with sushi options, it meant getting fuller faster. It was all right, but definitely not something I would order again. It was too crispy, too large, the sauce slightly too sweet. I did like the temperature and texture though — warm and soft [underneath the crisp] — and the balance was nice.
2^nd Course: Zushi — Ms. Ley ordered the creamy crab meat with ebi [shrimp] choice, and I ordered the yellowtail option. The portions were large — almost too large — and it was awkward trying to eat it without making a certain amount of mess everywhere — the plates, the table, my lap, my coat (?!?). There was care made to the plating of the zushi, though, and it was nice to see the care taken even for a week that may not get as many regulars or experts.
3^rd Course: Daylight Combo — An array of tuna, salmon, yellowtail sashimi, spicy tuna hand roll, and I believe a California roll. Again, the temperature and texture were on point — cool sushi (not cold!) on soft, warm rice — so the bites melted in your melt. Typical sushi fare for the typical easy-​going sushi eater. I’m a lover, not a fighter, so while I prefer other types of fish and options for sushi, I’m not going to fight when the option presented is good and the way it should be. The slices of fish were sized well on the pieces of rice — not monster slices on small rice, then having to take multiple bites (the worst) — so that made the love in me happy.
4^th Course: Mochi sampler — The risk that comes with ordering mocha samplers are if the first bite of mochi isn’t terrific, then it’s hard to want to eat the rest, and it goes to waste. Which happened here, for me. I don’t care for the red bean, mocha, or certain flavor levels of green tea — which is exactly what options were given. I used to really enjoy mocha, and then it kind of faded. Probably Trader Joe’s fault. And the other option, tempura ice cream, is just not my forte. I’ll eat it, but I won’t go out of my way to find and order it.
A la Carte: I ordered uni with a quail egg and hamachi sushi — which were very, very good. The hamachi was really soft and buttery, pink and room temperature. The rice was carefully made and slightly sweet, which is always a win in my book. The uni, while a little more robust in flavor than I’m used to, was still enjoyable with the delicate sweetness of the quail egg. I broke one of the yolks before eating it, so it got kind of messy on my plate for one of the rolls — usually the yolks are more sturdy, so it may have been placed without the care the sushi was molded, but all in all, it was a good bite to supplement the tasting menu.

This place is a hit or miss. Went here the second time and the service was okay. They were just passing by us for a good 15 minutes. Ambiance is great! The Lunch boxes are amazing! for the price they will fill you up. Food is good! I’ll try this again and might update my review

I’ve been to raw sushi a few times including dinner and happy hour. The interior décor is intimate and dimly lit, which makes a great place for a dinner date. The service was wonderful, no complaints there. The sushi I must say is very subpar. Their happy hour menu is actually quite a rip off in my opinion, 5 dollar spicy tuna/​salmon rolls but only about 4 pieces. You inherently can get those rolls at normal price for about 6 to 8 bucks at other tasty sushi restaurants. I even tried their house special rolls during dinner and was really less than impressed. In general, sushi at a nice restaurant should NEVER blend the fish, it really takes away the freshness and makes me feel like I’m chewing on food that’s been manhandled by 10 people before it hits my mouth. Sad to say but Wegman sushi is better than this place. The tiny dancer roll was merely overpriced shrimp tempura roll topped with ground up Tuna (presentation was less than desirable). So that’s all the sushi I am going to try from this place. Overpriced and less than tasteful nor presentable sushi, probably is due to location and décor.
However, I will praise their tempura platter on the presentation and it was tasty filled with numerous vegetables (sweet potato, asparagus, broccoli) along with the shrimps. In addition, their cocktails are tasty and rock shrimp is not bad. Would this be my sushi restaurant of choice, definitely not.

Great presentation of food and decent sushi for the most part.
The atmosphere of Raw is probably what I like most about this restaurant. It’s clean, it’s got great lighting, and most importantly it’s a very welcoming atmosphere here.
I haven’t tried a whole lot of food off the menu, but so far the spider rolls are probably my favorite dish. The crab and avocado are very fresh and tasty, but I didn’t like the sauce that came with them. There was too much of a wasabi aftertaste that sort of ruined it.
Price is also just so/​so. If you come for happy hour deals it’s not bad, but otherwise it just didn’t feel like it was totally worth it for the price.

Used to be one of my favorites, especially for lunch.
But then they went and changed their lunch menu. A once-​amazing bento box deal is now a rip-​off. The sides that come in the box are basically filler (a summer roll filled only with carrots and noodles? A half of an orange???).
I’m sure they’re still great for top notch sushi, but I won’t be going back for lunch.

Stopped in Raw for happy hour and was really pleased! Their outdoor seating is super comfortable and hidden so you get the outdoorsy feeling, without feeling that you’re in the middle of the street like most Center City restaurants (I’m looking at you El Vez). Sushi phenomenal and the edamame was seasoned perfectly. Highly recommend.

What a great value for the money! Loved the bento boxes. Nice presentation, good quality food, attentive service and great service. Raw is one of my Philly stand bys.

Ask for chef’s daily special, you will be surprised. Everything here is amazing!

The sushi is so good, the lunch box is cheap and definitely worth it! I will be here again

A great little hidden spot on Sansom, squeezed in between numerous Irish bars. My friends and I spent the night hanging out in their little outdoor space which was very comfy and well attended by the staff. A great Saki selection along with a great range of sushi and sashimi choices as well. I will definitely be going back here in the future!

They changed their menu. :(
My boyfriend and I would come here on a weekly basis. This was one of our regular spots but they changed the menu. No more Arina roll and they adjusted some of our favorite dishes. Will still go occasionally but we’ll need to find a new regular sushi joint. Too bad…

We visited Raw during the Sips promotion in the city. So drinks are $ 2 – 5 and apps are half off. So we walked in and were seated in the bar section of the restaurant which had seating and everything but it was separated from the actual restaurant. And upon entrance, there is a door guy who checks your id to ensure that you are 21+. We ordered a bunch of rolls, apps, drinks. The rolls were alright, really small in my opinion. The apps were alright, nothing too spectacular. And the drinks were really weak, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
The bar area had fans but for some reason when we were there the fans weren’t on. We notified staff and the fans weren’t turned on until we got our bill which was a total bummer because we were melting in the humid weather while we dined.
I’ll probably give Raw another try. But it won’t be my go-​to place for sushi.

In the Midtown Village area, there aren’t many options for sushi. The majority of Philly’s favorite sushi hotspots are clustered closer to Rittenhouse or Fairmount. But close to El Vez and Chef Marcie Turney’s bank of restaurants (think: Barbuzzo, Little Nonna’s, Lolita, Jamonera), Raw Sushi is hidden away.
So for Restaurant Week, the GF and I decided to stop by to see what they had to offer. The interior is sleek, reminiscent of an Asian-​themed lounge. There’s an outdoor area out back as well — a perfect area to grab an after-​work drink. The restrooms? Interesting communal troughs. I’ll leave it at that.
But on to the food and drink — apologies for the phone pics!
Hara-​Kiri ($ 12)
Gekkeikan sake, Sobieski vodka, wasabi, sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, tomato juice
I opted to start off with a spicy tipple, an ode to that ritualistic self-​suicide administered by Japanese samurai. The booze is hidden by the combo of wasabi and sriracha and had hints of a Bloody Mary with the tomato juice and Worcestershire coming through. Not exactly consistent with sushi, but a fun take nonetheless. Also, I had a bit of a cold so thought it would set me straight.
In any case, on to the meal proper. As most of you know, Restaurant Week is $ 35 per person for dinner, but I’ve provided pricing for some of the a la carte items I ordered as well.
Gyoza Soup
Shoyu fish broth, pork dumplings
The shoyu fish broth had umami undertones from the soy, with the fresh pork dumplings providing some additional savoriness.
Tofu Soup
Tofu, spinach, vegetables, enoki, kombu broth
The tofu soup was a bit lighter, with the delicate soft tofu, fresh enoki mushrooms, and spinach providing some freshness.
Spicy Tuna Tartare ($ 14)
Chopped tuna, masago, scallions, special spicy sauce
I was in the mood for tuna tartare so ordered this a la carte. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy the fact that this was finely ground rather than chopped, and the sweetness (not at all spicy) from the mayo-​based dressing on top really detracted from detecting any flavor from the tuna.
Cracklin’ Calamari Salad ($ 15)
Sweet Thai chili sauce
I did enjoy an order of calamari, which were perfectly crisp, yet had a nice delicate chew. The sweet and spicy sauce came on the side and really complemented the squid.
Uni Sushi ($ 6)
I also went with uni sushi. The server wasn’t sure where it was from other than «out West,» so I assume it was Santa Barbara sea urchin as it was sufficiently creamy and sweet.
Uni Sashimi ($ 11)
I couldn’t get enough so also had the uni sushi, which was interesting in that it took on the essence of the bed of cucumber, which provided a lightness to the butteriness of the urchin.
Sweet Potato Tempura Roll ($ 7)
If we get sushi, the GF always needs to get her sweet potato tempura fix. Sadly, these could have been crisper and needed a bit more salt.
Sushi Red & White Platter
Salmon, Yellowtail, Tuna, Tuna Roll
Restaurant Week purportedly allowed us to choose which roll accompanied our sushi platter of salmon, yellowtail, and tuna nigiri. However, our waitress simply brought us a standard tuna roll without asking. The nigiri was fresh and the rice had a light vinegar acidity with a decent bit of bite to it.
Salmon Volcano Roll
We also had the salmon volcano roll, which came with tuna within and salmon on top, with plenty of masago to provide pop and some panko to add texture. Slightly spicy and definitely crunchy, this is what you expect with Americanized sushi joints. Overall, it was fine, but the abundance of rice and dressing overpowered the fish for my taste.
Mochi
Red bean, green tea
Mochi was nice, with a great chew and gluttonous texture, with the sweetness of red bean and the lightness of green tea coming through.
Mango Sorbet
The mango sorbet was creamy and provided a sweet citrusy brightness that really cleansed the palate.
Overall, Raw Sushi seems to have fresh tuna and salmon for its standard offerings. However, I would expect more of an Asian fusion element to sushi.

Popped by during a recent business trip at the recommendation of the hotel concierge. It’s dark in here and reminds of a NY basement bar. I sat at the bar and serve by the bartender vs sushi chef. Verdict is out on the sushi as in waiting for my order now. I hope it’s great because I’m craving yummy sushi.

We stopped in after having a couple of drinks across the street. We only ordered a few pieces of nigiri, so my review is based on a limited selection. However, my 4 stars is based on the freshness and taste of that same selection. We had 2 pieces each of sea urchin, hamachi, and otoro. The sea urchin, I was told, is from California. Melt in your mouth, fresh, and lightly sweet. Truly the ocean in a bite. The otoro was perfection. Perfectly fatty and fresh. Same with the hamachi. I wish we had walked in with a bigger appetite, because if what we had is an indicator of the rest of their offerings, we woulda been in for a real treat. Delicious delicious sushi. Go and ENJOY!!!

Raw Sushi and Sake Lounge was recommended to my boyfriend and I by the hotel we were staying at while in Philadelphia. Since I was craving sushi and Raw Sushi received decent reviews, I made reservations for us to come here for dinner the night we were staying in the city.
What I loved about this restaurant was how hit and cool it was on the inside. The lights were on low, candles all about and it was so quiet inside (compared to the noisy city outside). I was surprised that they weren’t very busy the night we came in and we probably could have done without reservations, but better safe then sorry.
For food I ordered the Rainbow Roll, a side salad and I split Edamame with the boyfriend. My boyfriend ordered a couple of Avocado Rolls and Miso Soup. We both really enjoyed our food and it was fresh and tasty.
Service here was great and I liked our server.
I’d recommend this place if and when you’re in Philadelphia!
Cheers!

I love sushi and eat it almost everywhere I go. Raw has AMAZING FRESH SUSHI! Come here if you can! Also lovely fast service and a great drink selection!

Loved sitting in the covered outdoor space tonight with a party of 5. The watermelon sake was INSANELY good, tasted just like watermelon with very little alcohol flavor. Do yourself a favor and get a carafe of it, complete with sake infused watermelon garnish. Yum!
My table had various sushi rolls-​crunchy tuna was really good for the average, non adventurous sushi lovers, and the dragon roll and the nights special roll (all I remember is yellowtail inside and some fish on top) were the surprises of the night. Even paced service and overall great experience!

Above average sushi rolls, tempura, and dumplings in this high-​design center city location. With outdoor seating in warm weather. And hipster bathrooms.

Raw sushi came highly recommended by a friend and so I felt obligated to try it!
When you enter, you walk into a sort of antechamber that is separated from the rest of the restaurant by a curtain.
It is set up sort of railroad style with the sushi bar immediately to the right upon walking through the curtain and tables to the left. This opens up as you head further into the restaurant. The bathrooms are located downstairs.
I started with green tea which was perfect given the chilly weather outside. It was just the right strength (right in the middle). I requested sweet n lo to be served with the tea but that didn’t come as the tea was served but several minutes after and the tea had gotten less warm. Thankfully the green tea was bottomless so that I was able to refresh it while I had my sweet fix.
The menu was very typical of a typical sushi restaurant. I did not notice anything overly creative that caught my attention.
I ordered the miso soup (which apparently I’ve taken a liking to in recent months), a tuna avocado roll and a sweet potato roll.
The soup was very good and standard fare. The tuna roll was super fresh with large pieces of tuna inside. As for the sweet potato roll… Typically this comes tempura style but I requested it to come only steamed/​boiled. Generally this roll acts as a kind of dessert for me. I was unfortunately disappointed. The sweet potato lacked any sweetness and was a bit too firm. I have ordered this (without tempura) at other venues and did not have this problem so I don’t hesitate to state my disappointment.
While I enjoy the ambiance of the restaurant I am not sure that I would be willing to spend the money here again. I would likely try another venue.
FYI: If you’re interested in checking this place out they will be part of restaurant week at the end of January 2015

I was in Philly for a fun night out with friends and we came here first for dinner.
There were 7 of us and since it was pretty busy, we opted to sit in the outdoor lounge area. It had ample room and comfy couch-​like seating, however the table was as low as the couches therefore making it a little difficult to eat when the food arrived. I tried one of their specials, kampachi, as well as a yellowtail roll and rainbow roll. The fish was fresh and delicious, the presentation was great and the service was friendly and prompt! The ambience of the outdoor lounge was also really relaxing and chic. I just wish the seating was more comfortable without me having to worry about spilling soy sauce on my white pants!
When I’m back in central Philly I will make sure to return!

great spot for lunch!
we come here occasionally when we’re in the sushi mood. restaurant week menu didn’t appeal to us so we stuck to the regular lunch menu~ IMO, the finest deals are the lunch boxes (bento)! it serves a great variety (and not to mentioned a well balanced meal lol) like veggie tempura, tuna tartare, salad AND it comes with a sushi roll! the portions are pretty big– i always have left overs to take back with me. my favorite part is the mini tuna tartare! it’s well seasoned minced fish packed in this little patty form served with some spicy mayo on top~ it looks delicious and it IS delicious lol
we like to order the rock shrimp to start~ it’s served with 3 dipping sauces: wasabi mayo, sweet chili and their bbq sauce. the tempura shrimps are like popcorn sized, nom-​able in one bite! it’s perfectly fried~ super crispy on the outside and piping hot and not overcooked on the inside, which can be a major challenge for some joints. the portion is great for sharing with a table of 4. sooo many shrimps in one order!
this place is slightly pricier for your everyday lunch~ but def a go-​to when we’re looking to get a hearty meal!

Very nice lunch specials at RAW: spicy rolls featured one salmon and one spicy tuna roll along with miso soup and a salad.
The space is very pretty: tucked away in a mostly unsightly strip of Sansom Street. Next time I’ll have to sit outdoors.

Dunkel, dunkel, dunkel — wenn man das auch von außen eher schlicht und schwarz gehaltene Raw betritt, ist man im Dunkeln angekommen. Das ganze Ambiente ist sehr dunkel und edel gehalten — ohne negativ düster zu wirken. Die Mischung aus rot beleuchteter Bar /​Theke, die schon fast an «Rotlicht» erinnert, und kleinen warmweißen Hängelampen sowie Teelichtern an der Wand ist stimmig.
Ich war zum Lunch da und habe mich aus der Lunch-​Karte für eine Sushi-​Box entschieden. Die Beilagen (Miso-​Suppe & Co) hatte ich nur schnell überflogen und mich dann für die Lachs-​Box mit 2 Lachs-​Sushi und 6 Teilen Lachs-​Avocado-​Maki entschieden. Den Preis von 14 $ fand ich nicht günstig, aber ok. Die Überraschung kam aber dann, als die Box nach der Standard Miso-​Suppe auf dem Tisch kam: Eine wirklich große Box — hätte ich nur mal die Beilagen besser gelesen ;-) Dazu gehörte auch noch: 6 große Tempura Teile, Gurke-​Maki, ein Thunfischtartar, kleiner Salat und angebratene Rindfleischrollen. So sind die 14 $ wirklich eher auf der günstigen Seite angesiedelt.
Alles war frisch und gut, auch wenn es mich geschmacklich nicht vom Hocker gehauen hat.
Insofern alles in allem gute vier Sterne von mir für ein schickes Ambiente und ein (Lunch) sehr gutes Preis-​Leistungsverhältnis.
P. S.: Es gibt auch noch einen kleinen Innenhof, der zumindest bei Tage heller ist…