Shogun Japanese Restaurant

Loved the tasting menu!

Amazing food, one of the best fine dining Japanese restaurants I’ve tried. Would recommend the set menu if you haven’t been here before. Was a good amount of seafood and protein, the only thing I thought might be one to leave off the menu is the tomato salad

Exceptional food! We went here last Saturday for dinner and went for the set menu. My friend and I were absolutely happy with our dining experience. Place has got that warm and positive ambience. Staff has good knowledge of the foods they are serving. Flavours spot on and just delicious! A must when you're in Canberra.

Raku deserves each of the 5 stars. Absolutely wonderful. My husband and I were lucky enough to grab a late booking for dinner. A very full restaurant even on a Tuesday night is a good sign. The waiter recommended the banquet menu and it was a fabulous meal with a great variety. Service was attentive and friendly. We’ll be back next time we’re in Canberra for sure. I highly recommend Raku for a superior Japanese dining experience.

Great Japanese restaurant in Canberra. Lovely food, great friendly wait staff. Service can be a little slow if you don’t tell them you are in a hurry but excellent if you do. Sake flight was amazing, one of the best I’ve had.

I have been there twice and on both occasions the experience has been amazing. Amazingly fresh food, well made cocktails and a great range of Sake. I would recommend the set menu along with the Sake Experience. It is so good I would easily drive 3 hours from Sydney for lunch and return.. thanks once again.

Had such a wonderful experience tonight at Raku, Anna was so lovely and attentive. Such lovely food, drinks and service. Thank you for your cocktail recommendations and attention to detail. Absolutely superb !

In the land outside the Greater Sydney lockdown, RAKU attracts two full sittings, even on a Monday night. Seated at the sushi bar sipping on Asahi Wakamatsu 'Omachi & Nihonbare' sake ($70/720ml) that has been made by the same family for 11 generations, I’m in my happy place. Aged for three years, the textural, wine-like sake gives my palate something to contemplate as I eagerly await my sashimi nanaten ($75). Chosen by the chef, this dish gives you seven sorts of seafood presented over ice, with Aussie entries running from nicely dressed Merimbula oysters to Tasmanian salmon and lovely firm kingfish. However, it’s the imports that really impress, from Japanese bluefin tuna to flavoursome New Zealand snapper. The best being bluefin otoro with its long flavour length and meat-like complexity, and Hokkaido scallops that offer great texture and a wonderful sense of the ocean lacking in most scallops I’ve eaten before. Sashimi paves the way for the menu’s highlight—Raku’s signature nigiri selection—ordered by the pair. Tenaga ebi ($27/2 pieces) is the must eat, with delicate New Zealand scampi teamed with truffle oil and soy jelly under a fluffy dusting of shaved foie gras. It’s an all-of-mouth experience that takes me as close to religious ecstasy as I’ve ever been. By the end of the meal, we’ve eaten the whole signature nigiri list, working our way from the standout tamago ($11/2 pieces) to charcoal-seared aburi wagyu ($25/2 pieces) made on Kagoshima A5 (9+ marble score) wagyu beef. This menu has been updated since my last visit, with newcomers like unagi foie gras ($18/2 pieces) topping Taiwanese eel with a pat of foie gras butter and a puffed potato crisp, joining old favourites like otoru toryufu ($$27/2 pieces) where diced bluefin otoro tartar is spiked with truffle. While we do eat a few other things, from wagyu gyoza ($24) accentuated with truffle oil, white ponzu, pickled mustard and sesame to Canadian scallops ($24) with jalapeno, green apple and garlic mayonnaise, these hot dishes pale in comparison to the sushi bar’s nigiri delights. The only kitchen misstep was teriyaki jyagaimo ($12.50) where duck fat confit Kipfler potatoes arrived slightly undercooked in an overbearing teriyaki butter. My suggestion is, exhaust your dining budget on the nigiri range that makes Raku famous, and supplement at home with a toasted sandwich if your belly outweighs your budget.

For someone who loves Japanese fine dining - absolutely amazing food and time spent at Raku! Everything we have tried from the menu was to die for… great fresh selection, combination of food…We decided to try different things rather than a set menu and the food just melts in your mouth. It is a bit pricey comparatively speaking but Raku is worth it for everything it offers, food, ambience, great staff and service combined. I specifically choose Raku again for my partner’s bday as I was sure they will not disappoint and it was amazing again!

Raku is my first go-to place for Japanese cuisine in Canberra. In my first visit, I thought it was quite pricey. But the more I visit other places, the more I think Raku is the best and worth the money. Very nice service and the food tastes amazing. The range and quality of sushi can vary depends on the day but overall its quite fresh. Never disappointed with their food.