Sushi Raku Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Agoura Hills

Sushi Raku has been my “go-to”sushi restaurant for the last 16 years. I’ve seen the ownership change hands a few times, but the food and service never suffered. I have been a loyal, “regular” customer, who has truly enjoyed hundreds of meals here, recommending this restaurant to many friends and neighbors over the years. I would say that in the last year or two the food and service had become even better. We were probably eating there or getting takeout once a week. My partner and l loved to sit at the sushi bar, we would engage with the chefs for their recommendations and really make an event out of our meals. We regularly spent $$$$ and always left feeling beyond satisfied. So good, I would spend the next few days obsessing about my meal, and could not wait to go back. Sadly something has changed there. I first noticed this in late August 2023. Our takeout orders were increasingly incorrect, and did not taste as though they were prepared with care. The rice taste strange, and the rolls we loved to order were not being prepared the same, or as described on the menu. The Spider Man roll, for instance, one of the pricier rolls on the menu, but so worth it, was once a favorite with it’s delicious tempura soft shell crab on the inside, and a few delectable morsels to garnish the plate. It seems they forgot how to make this roll as the last few times it came with an inedible California roll center, not in the description on the menu. Side note; The California roll preparation needs a complete overhaul, which is serious since this has become the staple ingredient at the center of almost every specialty roll in the menu, and it is not good at all. The last time we went Sushi Raku,, we specified to our very loud waitress, that we wanted it prepared with tempura soft shell crab like in the menu, not California roll filling. She seemed confused so we clarified with her more than once. Unfortunately the roll arrived with an odd tasting cornmeal-like texture of a warm breading around what may have been crab. What is the real deal breaker here is the rice! What is going on with the rice? It looks to be brown rice, it is heavily seasoned at that. Prior to the final Spider Man Roll incident We ordered takeout. The order was upwards of $200, and it was inedible! The rice looked brown, and tasted heavily seasoned. The entire meal was disgusting! We peeled the fish off the sushi, while saying we should have just ordered sashimi. Such a waste! I regret not calling the restaurant at that time, but it was late, we were exhausted, and honestly we didn’t know where to begin, as this issue had become a pattern. The final time we went there, the night with the loud waitress, we could overhear other tables ask the waitress the same question about the rice. “Is this brown rice?” She assured them it was not, and explained that it was seasoned with rice vinegar. When our order arrived, we experienced the same. The quality of the fish has gone way down, tasting like chemicals, and with a rubbery texture. Also, the wasabi they are using is odd tasting , almost as if prepackaged like at the grocery store, or not real, and sadly tainted every piece we put in our mouths until we realized it wasn’t just the fish or the rice, it was also the wasabi that was creating a harsh tasting cluster that no ginger could cleanse. No more “Heaven in Mouth” at Sushi Raku. This is heartbreaking and such a loss! As for my family, this is the end of an error. My daughter ate her first rice at Sushi Raku as a baby, and this became our number one favorite family restaurant. We’ve spent a lot of money there over the years, but we just have not been able to gear ourselves to go back for one more try. It has been about four months for us. We are now trying the many other local sushi restaurants in the area. None compare to Sushi Raku when this place was in its prime. Such a shame and a tremendous loss...

Once in a while you stumble upon something special and unexpected. My daughter and I went to Calabasas to try a sushi restaurant recommended by a friend. There was a two hour wait...so we decided to give up and go home to Agoura Hills. There are a few sushi restaurants around here and we've tried several. They're pretty so-so, with medium grade sushi that for the most part, tends to be a bit chewy. There was one, however, we didn't bother with as it was in a mini mall next to the Shell station and didn't look promising. After a recommendation for Sushi Raku from the same friend, we thought we'd give it a go. We couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised. The sushi was of "Nobu" grade! It all melted in your mouth and was clearly created with love, pride and incredible skill and artistry. It was ALL delicious! A small, unassuming restaurant, the staff are very friendly and the sushi fantastic! It's not cheap, but then when you're eating this grade sushi, prepared so beautifully...you wouldn't expect it to be. We can't wait to go back!

UPDATED: We go every two months or so and it gets better and better. Sae is a phenomenal sushi chef. We ask him to surprise us and it’s always mind blowing!! I dream of it...

Mediocre sushi and terrible service.

I ordered take-out and they said to come in 35-45 min…I came after 50 and I had to wait another 27 min for my order. Part of the order was ready when I got there…and it sat on the counter for 27 minutes while I waited for the rest. YUCK!!

When I got home, nothing was labeled and ALL the rolls were squished in boxes with other rolls - a NIGHTMARE for people with allergies. It took us about 10 minutes to figure out what everything is and In the end they completely forgot 5 of 15 rolls. When we called to ask for a refund for the missing rolls the manager LAUGHED at us and said we could come back and get the items they forgot. At this point our kids were starving and falling to pieces…what a mess.

A proper manager should have given us a complete refund and apologized profusely for our meal being ruined. Last time we ordered here two years ago they bungled our order just as bad, too. Honestly, most of their specialty rolls are 90% crabmeat and sauces anyway…so next time I think we’ll go for something nicer and head to the super...