Rakar Dumpling House — Restaurant in Leawood

I love dumplings. I was originally introduced to them from friends from China while in college and have sought them out ever since. I was very excited to learn of Rakar from a friend and took the opportunity to introduce them to my wife. We ordered the Boa Buns, Fried Lamb Dumplings, Soup Dumplings, and a tea. Ordering is via computer screens and very easy. I also really like fast casual dining and other restaurants that want to move to that model can look at what they are doing here and imitated it.

I will describe each food item from worst to best.

The Boa Buns were good, but these had been fried and I have found I prefer mine steamed, soft, and pillowy. Both I and my wife felt the filling was a little bland. The bread was of very high quality and they were perfectly shaped. I wouldn't get them again, but primarily because the other options make it not necessary.

The fried lamb dumplings were perfectly browned on the bottom with the wanton crisp to the bite. The filling occupied the entire inside ensuring that each bite filled your pallet. I felt they could have used a little more seasoning in the filling, but my wife assured me that I was wrong. I will likely order these again. Dipping them in the sauces was sufficient to make up for my incorrect perception of missing seasoning.

The mango green tea was very nice. We ordered the semi-sweet variety and were very happy we did as I don't feel I could have handled any more sweetness than was present. I wish they would have used a normal size straw instead of a Boba straw as consuming it felt a little like being attacked by a fire hydrant. The tea was refreshing and well brewed.

The star of the show was the soup dumplings. Just order these and enjoy. For anyone not in the know, they are dumplings that contain soup on the inside that have been steamed. These have a great wanton that holds the soup well and still has a good flavor. I have had wantons on soup dumplings that were very bland and was pleasantly surprised how good these were. I would make a full meal out of just...

I’ve been waiting for YEARS for something to replace the old Winsteads. I tried a lot of the menu and here is my thorough review:

OVERALL: Would return. Reasonably priced with at least a few “wow” dishes, and a good atmosphere.

FOOD: Shrimp - incredible. Like a honey/walnut taste but also with mayo. There was also a salad/slaw thing underneath that was very good, too.

Soft-boiled egg - incredible. I only got this because it came included in another dish, but it was the best thing I ate. It was steeped in some type of sauce that made it really flavorful.

Fish dumplings - Very unique, and pretty good. I would expect the beef and pork dumplings to have a fuller flavor, but these were very light and not too fishy. I like that they are fried in extra virgin olive oil.

Steamed Fried Bun - simple and delicious. These are basically really fluffy, really crispy donut-things.

Chicken Thighs - really good flavor, I wish the skin had been a bit crispier. High quality cut of meat though.

Edamame, Broccoli, Rice - fine, nothing special. You know what to expect.

Sauces - The traditional dumpling sauce was good. The SideKICK sauce was very flavorful but SPICY! Be careful with it.

Bubble Tea - Solid tea, but the bobas were really good and chewier than other boba I have had. There was no option on the menu for choosing to make it less sweet, but I told the person making the tea and she added less sugar for me.

Mango Smoothie - surprisingly amazing. Tastes like it could be at Rita’s.

SERVICE & ATMOSPHERE A sign by the register said it was a “soft launch” and the food might come slowly. Timing was not an issue for me, but maybe because it was not a lunch or dinner rush.

The food was self-order and the menu was decently big. I needed to scroll across the top sections to find the drinks. There was also someone taking orders at the register.

The inside of the store was really cool. I have not seen something that sells antique furnishings and food. A very relaxing atmosphere, and something to do while...

I had been meaning to try this restaurant for a while and finally popped in about an hour ago for take out. I ordered Beef Lo Mein, Hot and Sour Soup, and Pork Dumplings. The food was ready in a quick time. I immediately noticed small portion size. The Lo Mein was a single serving (12$) and the dumplings were bite sized, not the usual size. The Lo Mein noodles were not a wheat noodle, but appeared to be boxed linguine. The sauce was under powered and did not deliver nearly enough flavor. A good Lo Mein sauce will have Lite and Dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and water. based on the color of the sauce, I don't think it had any of these things. The beef in it was tender but sparse and very small. For 12$, this was a joke. The dumplings were inedible, mushy texture with almost a bitter taste. The hot and sour soup had an awkward light color and the consistency was not what I would have expected. One spoonful had me running to the sink. It was just awful. I had been hopeful considering this area is in dire need of good Chinese food. But this was bad, and for the price (26$) it was not remotely worth the visit. If I had dined in, I would have asked for my money back. It...