Raku - Cathedral

3312 Wisconsin Ave, Washington DC 20016
$$$ Japanese New

Reservations

Business Info

  • Address: 3312 Wisconsin Ave, Washington DC 20016
  • Cross Street: Wisconsin ave
  • Cuisine: Asian | Japanese |
  • Cost: | Moderate
  • Category: Casual Dining
  • Star Rating:
  • Reservations: Recommended
  • Dress Code: Casual
  • Meals Served: Lunch | Dinner |
  • Parking: Street | Parking Garage |
  • Payment Options: VISA | Amex | MasterCard | Cash |
  • Corkage Fee: N/A
  • Phone: 2022447258
  • Features: Full Bar, Takeout Available, Wheelchair Access, Happy Hours,
  • Occasion: Child Friendly, Dining Alone, Business Dining, Date Night,

Photos

Business Hours

Reservations Available
Monday
Dinner - PATIO 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Lunch - DINING ROOM 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Lunch - PATIO 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Dinner - DINING ROOM 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Tuesday
Dinner - PATIO 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Lunch - DINING ROOM 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Lunch - PATIO 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Dinner - DINING ROOM 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Wednesday
Dinner - DINING ROOM 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Lunch - DINING ROOM 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Lunch - PATIO 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Dinner - PATIO 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Thursday
Dinner - DINING ROOM 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Lunch - DINING ROOM 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Lunch - PATIO 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Dinner - PATIO 4:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday
Dinner - DINING ROOM 4:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Lunch - DINING ROOM 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Lunch - PATIO 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Dinner - PATIO 4:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Saturday
Dinner - DINING ROOM 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Lunch - DINING ROOM noon - 3 p.m.
Lunch - PATIO noon - 3 p.m.
Dinner - PATIO 5 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday
Lunch - DINING ROOM noon - 3 p.m.
Lunch - PATIO noon - 3 p.m.
Dinner - PATIO 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Dinner-DINNING ROOM 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
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Customer Reviews & Ratings

4.68 out of 5 stars based on 1276 votes

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Apr 23, 2023
Laurie B.
Always great

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Apr 18, 2023
Ben S.
Exellent. We sat outside on April 15th. It was just right. Four of us enjoyed our food and the ambiance. Wait staff was attentive, but not intrusive.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Apr 12, 2023
Angela H.
Great food; wonderful service; fabulous patio. I’ll be back.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Apr 02, 2023
Sally O.
Excellent food and service!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Mar 18, 2023
Maria G.
My favorite!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jan 30, 2023
Linda P.
Food and service are consistently great!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Dec 08, 2022
Alan L.
Always a great experience

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Nov 22, 2022
Thomas C.
Consistently excellent!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Nov 12, 2022
Dale B.
Great food.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Oct 27, 2022
Elizabeth D.
Pretty noisy but I love RAKU

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Oct 22, 2022
Margot M.
Food was great, service was great & the heat lamps outside on the patio were great!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Oct 04, 2022
Ellen R.
Consistently good food, ambience is airy and upbeat, noise level moderate and manageable.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 9/10
Sep 07, 2022
Michelle L.
We had a lovley server and the food is good. The rest. could use a little lift. The one in Bethesda, really needs to be re-done. the pandemic has taken its toll on it.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jul 18, 2022
Kelly S.
DELICIOUS!!! The whiskey/hibiscus lemonade cocktail was not very good- everything else was a solid 10!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jun 18, 2022
Jean Z.
The service is excellent and the food is as well - a varied menu with lots of choices. I have never had a bad meal - the sushi rolls are great. The price is very reasonable.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jun 03, 2022
James T.
Outstanding!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 9/10
Apr 22, 2022
Thomas C.
A bit too noisy.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Mar 02, 2022
Barbara N.
My husband and I both had the salmon entree which was excellent. The salmon was cooked the way we ordered it. The glaze they put on the salmon was delicious and the vegetables and sauce were perfect. Our server was also excellent. We definitely will come back.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Feb 09, 2022
Heidi E.
It was a great experience. The food was delicious. We had a big group and the staff was very accommodating.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Feb 03, 2022
Sylvie C.
Perfect as usual

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Dec 05, 2021
Vickie T.
The outdoor eating area is warm and well ventilated, even on a cold day. The food is always amazing. Thank you for being the best possible first-step-back-out-into-the-world after living 21 months in lockdown-mode with a small kid!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 9/10
Value: 10/10
Nov 19, 2021
Monika R.
Our server was extremely attentive and helped us creat a menu with variety and specialties of the chef. We have known and eaten at this restaurant starting 30 years ago.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Oct 20, 2021
Valerie L.
Wonderful

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Aug 25, 2021
Michelle E.
Always a good experience there. The waitstaff is welcoming and professional.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Aug 25, 2021
Ellen B.
Everything was very good. My first time at this location.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 9/10
Aug 14, 2021
Elizabeth D.
I always love the salmon bento box which is only served at lunch and I do not know why!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jul 02, 2021
Susannah F.
An all-around lovely experience - thank you!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jun 16, 2021
Haley C.
Our waiter was soooo kind and so patient! Food was top notch! I’ve only been twice and can’t wait to go again!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jun 15, 2021
Benette C.
The soft shell crab tempura was excellent!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
May 28, 2021
Jenny W.
They couldn’t find my reservation! Otherwise it was great as always.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 8/10
May 10, 2021
Paul F.
We love Raku. The sushi is excellent and very fresh. Their menu has a vast variety of choices.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
May 08, 2021
Margot B.
Great food, great service, great prices. Loved the little outdoor house!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Apr 29, 2021
Jake S.
Five stars of food and service! Thanks!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Mar 23, 2021
agatha a.
Had a great tine. We always enjoy Raku

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Mar 17, 2021
Elizabeth D.
RAKU is always just great!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Mar 10, 2021
Sharlene K.
We sat outside under a heater, distanced from other diners. Servers fully masked and gloved. As always, delicious food beautifully presented.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Mar 03, 2021
Beth U.
Lovely in a little house with a heater on a cold day with delicious warm food. But their parking validation machine was broken and they didn't offer any other reimbursement!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Nov 27, 2020
Kyle B.
Arrived at the restaurant to find a “Closed in observance of Thanksgiving”. We were depending on that reservation. Simply unforgivable.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Nov 01, 2020
Elizabeth M.
Food and service were good, but it was too cold to be sitting outside for lunch.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Oct 30, 2020
Richard S.
Raku sushi is very good! Tasty, good portions, efficient service. Great to have this option in Cathedral Commons!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Oct 30, 2020
Chrystal G.
Every thing was excellent, thank you so very much.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Oct 04, 2020
Roger L.
Outstanding! Bartender may be best in DC!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Sep 14, 2020
Paula A.
Delicious!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Sep 04, 2020
Evelyn S.
so nice to eat at a restaurant. Thank you Raku for all the safety measures you have in place. We enjoyed our lunch very much!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Aug 22, 2020
Ellen M.
Raku is always reliable -- good food (seaweed salad is one of my favorites), reasonable prices and efficient service.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Aug 20, 2020
Dominique B.
The seabass was probably the yummiest fish I've had in a while. Absolutely amazing. The Tuna tartare is also always my favorite. Keep it up :)

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Aug 16, 2020
Raquel B.
It was a great experience. Raku does a great job of providing seating with distance and plexiglass between the tables. The food was great! We ordered from the happy hour menu.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Aug 03, 2020
Linda M.
Always perfect @Raku!!!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jul 25, 2020
Luis R.
It’s just good to get out and the sushi is great

Overall: 10/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jul 14, 2020
Victoria B.
The sea bass was amazing. As was the green monster roll. Miso soup is always good. The edamame needs more salt. Very bland. Service was great. Overall good experience.

Overall: 10/10
Food: 8/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Jun 23, 2020
Juliana C.
Very great service for this reopening season after covid!

Overall: 10/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Jun 11, 2020
Neha S.
We love Raku and are happy to support them again. Plenty of space, very sanitary conditions, friendly staff and great food!

Overall: 9/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 9/10
Ambience: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Jan 17, 2023
Saundra Y.
Love Raku! Food is FANTASTIC!

Overall: 9/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 9/10
Nov 15, 2022
Gail K.
We sat outside, making ambience hard to rate. Otherwise, we enjoyed the meal, the service was very good and the value for what we ate was excellent.

Overall: 9/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Apr 05, 2022
Lois K.
Consistently delicious food, always well prepared. Great selections. Our go-to restaurant!

Overall: 9/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Feb 20, 2022
Jerald G.
The sushi was fresh and beautifully prepared. The waitress was waitress was very good. The noise level is very loud and hard to make conversation

Overall: 9/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 9/10
Nov 08, 2021
Joanne L.
Very nice Bento box with good variety of items including salmon and California roll.

Overall: 9/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 6/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 7/10
Oct 18, 2021
Maria G.
I would like to have the soy sauce served in a cup rather than in a plastic box. Please contribute to less plastic!

Overall: 9/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 9/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 9/10
Aug 24, 2021
Susan P.
Food outstanding! Extremely flavorful, excellently prepared prepared, and hot dishes served hot from the stove. Waitress needed to listen a little harder. Would appreciate more fans on the covered patio and windows that open.

Overall: 9/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 6/10
Value: 9/10
Dec 25, 2020
Elizabeth C.
Loved the food and prices and everyone was so nice. Only thing was I asked specifically if we could sit in the little glass houses and they were all completely empty and we were not seated there but I didn’t want to make a fuss thank you!

Overall: 9/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 10/10
Oct 04, 2020
Kate P.
It is hard to rate ambiance fairly when the only safe choice is sitting on a "patio" next to a multi-lane major street in a busy city. But Raku does its best, and it is nice to have an on-site dining experience with friends. Food was great, as usual. Thank you.

Overall: 9/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Sep 20, 2020
Lori S.
Food very good but wish the servers could be a little friendlier.

Overall: 9/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 8/10
Sep 09, 2020
Marc B.
We felt just a little rushed. Otherwise the experience was great

Overall: 9/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 9/10
Value: 10/10
Aug 21, 2020
louise g.
I'll be back. Although I've lived in the neighborhood for over 1 year, this was my first visit to Raku. Food was innovative and tasty. Wait staff seemed a little annoyed that we were there. But overall a good experience.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 7/10
Ambience: 9/10
Value: 9/10
May 24, 2023
Michael M.
Usually service is exemplary. Last night we felt the servers were spread too thin; consequently we were often forced to track our server down.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 6/10
Service: 9/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 9/10
May 24, 2023
Cynthia A.
It was a pleasant evening to sit on the patio, but very noisy. I had the beef dashi udon noodle soup, but I’ve had better ones elsewhere. Service was attentive.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Service: 5/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 8/10
May 22, 2023
Steven G.
The servers were running very fast, but not very attentive. We still have to wait for a long time for services and checkout. I don't know if this type of rushing service is helpful since the cooking would take a longer time. I've been to more crowded restaurants with better servers. The food was not that great for me to come back

Overall: 8/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 6/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Apr 15, 2023
Thierry D.
Excellent food, tasty, fresh, innovative.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Apr 08, 2023
Ravee K.
The AC was blowing directly over me so it felt a little cold. A wine I ordered from the menu was unavailable even though I saw it in the display. The food and service was excellent.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 8/10
Jan 30, 2023
Janine H.
I love the food and ambiance at Raku! I think they are struggling with staffing, like many restaurants these days. Our dinner was very "leisurely". We waited for more than a half hour for our entrees to arrive. The staff there was friendly and doing their best.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Jan 05, 2023
Kramer L.
Always delicious., our go-to restaurant

Overall: 8/10
Food: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Nov 22, 2022
Judith C.
We love Raku and eat there once a week. The only problem this time was that we tried several of the "special" rolls and found them not as fresh as our usual "ordinary," which made me wonder if the special rolls were made ahead of time.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 10/10
Aug 31, 2022
Viviana S.
Solid sushi restaurant, reasonably priced

Overall: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 9/10
Aug 30, 2022
Peter S.
Dined outdoors.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 9/10
May 07, 2022
Marnie W.
Wonderful visit to Raku on May 5! We were on the patio, which we really like, but the only problem was that it was very loud -- acoustics must not be great on the patio. Other than that, very satisfied customers!

Overall: 8/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Apr 13, 2022
stanley s.
Food is very good

Overall: 8/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Mar 28, 2022
Kate B.
Always love Raku, but dessert came out when dinner plates were on the table and was tough to get the server's attention during dinner.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Jun 06, 2021
Sandra R.
Had salmon. It was very good. Could have been warmer. Generally attentive service but took forever to get the check.

Overall: 8/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 10/10
Nov 17, 2020
kelly a.
All was great, except for how the little plastic house’s window kept shutting. I really don’t think that seating arrangement is Covid appropriate. You are basically trapped in a bubble with no ventilation with Dinning guests

Overall: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 5/10
Value: 8/10
Nov 14, 2020
Warren I. C.
My online reservation for patio table was received as inside. I am forbidden to eat inside. Fortunately, I was able to get table on streetside, but noisy and windy

Overall: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Ambience: 6/10
Value: 9/10
Nov 06, 2020
Anne R.
As usual, the food was great. The ambiance is less than great outside, but we appreciated being able to go to one of our favorite restaurants, so that was not so important. We will probably be back, at least until it gets too cold. Thank you

Overall: 8/10
Food: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Ambience: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Oct 06, 2020
Steven R.
Great job with your Covid Safety elements. Appreciated!

Overall: 7/10
Food: 9/10
Service: 5/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 9/10
May 05, 2023
Diana P.
waitress was not friendly.

Overall: 7/10
Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 8/10
Mar 17, 2023
Susan M.
Servers seemed disinterested and never checked back with us seeing if we needed drinks or ??? When I asked to be moved because I was concerned about the noise, server/host seemed to be annoyed and said that where I wanted to go wouldnt be any quieter because the restaurant would fill up (which it never did.) and it was appreciably quieter than where she had originally seated us. FYI - we are all over 80

Overall: 7/10
Food: 4/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 5/10
Jul 11, 2022
Fiona S.
Got an upset stomach after my lunch. Will not be ordering sushi again if I revisit.

Overall: 7/10
Food: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Ambience: 7/10
Value: 6/10
Jun 16, 2021
Belinda L.
It's my neighborhood restaurant. Couldn't wait to come back as soon as we were vaccinated. But found the food disappointing. in fact, I had the runs after wards which is a sign the food was not very fresh. The service I understand will take a while to get up to speed. It's forgivable. The food not forgivable, unfortunately. I will come back later again. I hope this beloved restaurant will get it self together

Overall: 7/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 5/10
Value: 8/10
Jun 11, 2021
Laura G.
Excellent food and service. Unfortunately the inside dining room was extremely noisy, with tables ver close together. Combined with diners next to us who spoke very loudly, it was difficult to carry on a conversation.

Overall: 7/10
Food: 10/10
Service: 7/10
Ambience: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Oct 24, 2020
Abby K.
Waitress was very pushy to get us to order. We had literally just sat down had to tell her twice to give us more time