RA Sushi: User Reviews

So close and yet so very far away
By KSD from Chicago, October 18, 2009

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Trendy place. Loud music. Red and black contemporary interior. The fish was actually good, but was ruined by the poor quality of the sushi rice. The rice had too much vinegar, was cooked improperly (mushy and undercooked at the same time), did not hold up (kept breaking apart and falling into my soy sauce), and there was just too much of it on the nigiri pieces. The presentation of the dishes were also seriously lacking. My husband and I ordered upwards of 20 individual pieces and they all came on one long white platter smashed up against each other. We also ordered three makis and all were unimpressive. All quite colorless and plain. The spicy tuna roll was too spicy, detracting from the tuna. Disappointing. The service was also lacking. Our server was either new or he was clueless. He was unable to answer relatively simple questions about the menu without checking with others, brought us our bottled beer but never poured them into our glasses nor did he take our empty bottle. Overall, he was not attentive and not helpful. The only reason why we went to this restaurant was because we were out in Glenview. Will not be returning. If you want excellent sushi, go to Hachi's Kitchen or Sai Cafe in Chicago.

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Excellent!
By Lola from Glenview, March 15, 2009

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Ra Sushi is the best dining experience in the Glen. Try the toro belly, the Dragon Rolll, the Spicy Crunchy Tuna Roll and even the Viva Las Vegas Roll. The wonton soup is a great appetizer for 2 or even 3, and the mango sorbet is yummy for dessert. Even my non-sushi eating daughter likes to come here for the Crunchy Shrimp Tempura Roll and the teriyaki beef. We love it - sophisticated and kid-friendly.

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average
By justanotherguy12 from skokie, February 28, 2009

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The ambience is good I"ll give it that. But I wasn't expecting much with the food when I saw how tiny the portions are for the price! The chicken terriyaki was quite dry as well. The service was nothing out of the ordinary. I will not be going back in the future, I'll try my luck at other Japanese restaurants.

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I love the Ambiance
By Italianck22 from Albany Park, September 22, 2008

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I love the Ambiance of this place. Its red and black inside. This is the greatest sushi place I've been to so far. The taste and flavor of their sushi is so fresh. I love their Caterpillar Roll, (I could just eat that alone) You can seriously finish all 8 pieces by yourself. The Fashion Roll is good, and some others as well. This is a very nice place.

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best place to be on the north shore
By foody1 from Lakeview, April 30, 2008

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a lot of fun, great music, good food, hot staff. i'll be back!

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Portion too small
By day-v from palatine, February 20, 2008

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Average sushi joint featuring small servings and large prices! Decor is of the trendy variety. Hope they learn to concentrate more on their food products and less on their image.

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I'm sorry, I had high...
By Not so good, but at least it's pretty. from Des Plaines, IL, August 27, 2007

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I'm sorry, I had high expectations for this place. When you walk in, you see a very beautiful, contemporary restaurant, but the WOWs stop there. They say on the menu to be aware that if the place is busy, sushi orders may take a long time. Well, it wasn't busy (there were still open tables, no wait), and our orders took a LONG time. Our chicken teriyaki was delivered first (20 min.), and our sushi 10 min. thereafter. That may not sound like a long time, but when you have hot food sitting in front of you, it's hard to wait that long not eating (as a courtesy to your friends waiting for their food). Even the teriyaki wasn't anything special -- I'm able to make the same thing at home, yet I had to pay $15 for it here. Well, at least we got free edamame for our troubles. I would only go back just for a drink from Japan. For food, regular beers, and such, I would go elsewhere.

This place was horrible from...
By RA from Glenview, IL, July 30, 2007

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This place was horrible from beginning to end. The service was probably one of the worst I've experienced. Not only were we rushed to order but the food came an hour and a half late because "the printer broke by the chef's kitchen and he never got our orders". The food was HORRIBLE. very bland. The waitresses were rude and we waited an extra twenty minutes for our check. Will NEVER return.

The food was pretty bland....
By ChiGrrl from Chicago, IL, July 25, 2007

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The food was pretty bland. We had the lobster spring rolls, veggie tempura, mango cheviche, Salmon salad, and two signiture rolls. All were tasteless. The sushi fell apart after dipping in the soy sauce. The sushi stuck to the plates so you had to mangle the pieces to get them off. I'd never go back or recommend. My husband said he like the one in the city but this one not so much.

I am extremely surprised by...
By Alex from Glenview, IL, December 31, 2006

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I am extremely surprised by the poor reviews.

Ra is excellent, and I have never complained about the food. I specifically go here over many other more-highscale sushi restaurants, as their rolls are bursting with so many different flavors----exTREMELY fresh and moist! Maybe to a middle-aged adult the atmosphere might not be ideal, however to anybody in their 20s or 30s the atmosphere is perfect. Their drinks are delicious, and the decor of the restaurant is set up to a chic "after work" zone, though not loud and smokey at all.

I can agree that the servers are extremely young, and we did have to wait too long for our check. However, they were never rude to us, and always offered their recomendations.

Ultimately, a great place. People reviewing these things need to step outside the bubble of the north shore, and set their expectations below that of Charlie Trotters.........