Raku Sushi: Expensive, But Worth Every Penny

I was having a “me day” on this Sunday afternoon.  I had a massage and pedicure scheduled for the afternoon and told my husband I was leaving a few hours early to take myself out for lunch.  I deserve it!  So I decided on sushi.  No one in my family eats it, and I love it, so it’s a rare occasion that I can get it.

My “normal” sushi place was closed at 11:30 a.m. on a Sunday, so I had to try some place new which is why I ended up at .  Boy, am I glad I did!

The outdoor décor may not lure you in, but what the owners have done to transform the inside is amazing.  The ambiance is inviting, clean, and calming.  Being right on Ogden Avenue, it is so conveniently located when you don’t want the hustle and bustle of downtown Naperville.

I did not order a lunch special (available Mon-Fri) or a plated meal.  I went right for the individual sushi (which is what I was craving!).  This is why my meal was on the expensive side…but it was so worth it!  I highly recommend their house special—the Fire Dragon Maki Roll.  This tempura topped roll with scallops, tuna, and crab mixed with cucumber and avocado.  It came out with flames—literally.  The presentation was to die for.  Maybe that’s why it comes with a $13.95 price tag—but there are also about a dozen pieces for that price.

Next we ordered Unagi (eel – 2 pieces for $5), Hamachi (yellowtail – 2 pieces for $5.50), Caterpillar Maki Roll (barbeque eel topped with avocado and eel sauce for $9.95 which gets you eight pieces) and Spider Maki Roll (soft shell crab, avocado, smelt roe, cucumber and spouts - $9.50 for six pieces). The sushi was so fresh and literally melts in your mouth. Again, the presentation was beautiful. They really do it right here!

Can you believe after that we had room for a few more pieces!  We tried the shrimp crunch (shrimp tempura with a special sauce for $8.50 for eight pieces) and sake (salmon) sushi (two pieces for $5).

Raku has more than just sushi.  There are plenty of plated meals to choose from, such as tempura dishes, Japanese style curry over rice, fried rice and more!

Every detail of the restaurant is amazing - down to the ceramic soy sauce containers—with regular and light available right at the table.  Service was just okay.  Not that it was bad, but they didn’t come around too often.  Maybe they were just letting us be to enjoy the mouth-watering meal on a quiet Sunday afternoon.

This is definitely a place I will head back to.  Maybe I’ll go during the week and try their $9-14 lunch specials.  That would be a little easier on my wallet.