04/28/09

what happened?

by meesch1

what happened here? i haven't been to raw in several months, and was looking forward to sushi with a very good friend...i'm fine with their prices, but the sushi (and everything else we ordered) lacked the luster that i was expecting. moreover, our waitstaff was slow and aloof; when we told him our dumplings weren't hot, his response was "oh", and he walked away!! i wished i had gone to vics - may not have raw's atmosphere, but their sushi is far better....

• Pros: atmosphere
• Cons: everything else

02/18/09

HORRIBLE SERVICE WILL MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR APPETITE!

by Petradakia

<3 sushi live 1.5 blocks away from Raw been wanting to try it for some time. Passed by before & looked chic/good quality & menu seemed reasonably priced. Proposed Raw to my friends on a special occasion, called & got a reservation for table inside at 10PM. Despite the late reservation we were all (7 of us) excited & arrived by ten oclock with an appetite! Informed our table wasnt ready we were asked to have a seat. We were never told how much longer the wait would be, indeed we hardly had the opportunity to ask the girl who welcomed us as after about 20 minutes she avoided us like the plague when she must have sensed our frustration rising. The only explanation we got was that there wasnt a table available yet because the reservations before us were still eating. By half past ten our patience was tried & we asked to speak to the manager about our socalled reservation. She gave a halfhearted apology but said there was nothing she could do (though we could think of a few things such as seat us at the bar for drinks/appetizers). Finally we were asked if we'd mind sitting outside though in the middle of winter & were assured of heat lamps; eager to be seated we said fine imagining that we were agreeing in order to be seated immediately! On the contrary another quarter hour passed before we inquired into our table again & after some time we were led to the patio where we watched the waitstaff haphazardly clean the table...& observed there was one heatlamp to heat our table of 7! In the time we stood waiting we realized how freezing it was & that we would not be able to eat in that temperature. At 11PM an hour after our "reservation" with no idea when "our table" would be ready we walked out empty-stomached with no intentions to ever return. By that time it was too late to find anywhere else to go so we got takeout from the pizzeria around the corner. Our fancy dinner plans were utterly ruined! If you plan on an enjoyable experience out w/ friends don't go to Raw!

• Cons: Worst service ever!!! (e.g. as you wait for your nonexistent table you're completely ignored other than to be told you're in the way and to please have a seat); reservations don't count for anything

12/14/08

Not worth it

by lotus15

It food was less than mediocre. It food wasnt worth it and overprice. (who charges &12 for two shrimp tempura. And there was no indication of it). So not worth it.

• Pros: Nice ambience
• Cons: Food, price

11/07/08

Great sushi

by mw202

Creative and delicious rolls, nice environment, and fantastic service...I will definitely be back! I didn't have reservations but I was still seated promptly. The booths along the opposite side of the restaurant seemed much more comfortable than the more crowded tables where we sat though.

• Pros: great daily specials
• Cons: crowded tables

10/21/08

Inept Managers

by HawaiiBabe

I had high expectations for this place given the ratings....I was so wrong.

Ambient: dark and narrow in the inside (waiters bumping into you as you eat - no apologies ), chilling outside (if you're like you get to sit near a heater, otherwise bring a blanket)

Food: good, but below POD

Service: OMG!!!!!! we get in with a reservation, we wait 25 MIN to sit (I remind you: we had a reservation), while the girl at the entrance clearly avoids our faces everytime she steps into the room. We finally get the food, and after less than 45 min the manager comes and basically urges us to wrap up!!!!! Why? apparently, they screwed up the reservations and there's an angry mob at the entrance (my guess: with reservations).....

Friendly advice: price/food quality but especially /service quality VEEEEEERY below par

10/19/08

worst customer service ever

by frastellina

Worst experience ever. I've never been treated so badly in my all life. We reserved a table for 10 PM and at 11 PM we were still waiting and they didn't offer us anything...no drinks, no appetizers...we were starving!!!

How is the food?I cannot tell...we left after more than one hour of waiting. They should learn how to treat customers!!

10/18/08

Speechless - worst dining experience ever

by filodemos

I reserved a table 3 hrs in advance.

I waited for 1 full hour with no drinks, water or apologies from the staff.

I left embarassed after they were trying to kick out a table to have me sit.

Just don't get into the restaurant business if you can't sit clients.

06/02/08

r-love

by rjl85

I've been here several times and have always been completely satisfied. The bartenders are fantastic and are exremely knowledgeable about the drinks--I reccommend trying the sake they often have themselves infused with fruit--quite tasty! As for the sushi--party in my mouth. Best I have ever had, and that's quite a bit for myself. All in all, I'd have to say that combined with the atmosphere and variety offered, this is not just my favorite sushi place, but my favorite restaurant/bar in the city!

• Pros: menu tour-guides, variety of food/drink, great spot
• Cons: can get rather busy

04/29/08

Excellent Unique Sushi

by POSWO2

This place serves outstanding sushi. My only complaint is some of their sushi specials are HUGE (size of the sushi, not the serving)! Everything is priced moderately well. The drinks were OK, not really too strong. Overall it was a great restaurant and we really enjoyed ourselves!

• Pros: Sushi
• Cons: A little dark, drinks not that strong for the price.

04/21/08

Great Sushi & Ambience

by colleensarfino

First and foremost, the food is excellent. I most recently tried the "Green River" special, which was a spicy tuna and crab creation with a grean tea sauce...instant foodgasm! Everything I've ever eaten at Raw was excellent. The ambience is somewhat sultry, and with a narrow, trendy Manhattan-type feel. The only drawbacks are the upper level seating where you're practically sitting with you neighbor, and that the bar is too close to the booths behind it...basically your bumm is practically in the faces of the boothees (I think narrow tables may have been a better choice here, save the booths for the back area).

But, it's a small price to pay for everything else Raw has to offer, and I'll be back again and again!!

• Pros: Food/Ambience
• Cons: Cramped seating in certain areas