Raku Hibachi Sushi & Ramen — Restaurant in Ozark

This is going to be a bit of a longer review. My wife and I came in first thing Saturday morning so there was no line, however, less than a half hour later, it was packed with people waiting which is a VERY good thing!

We ordered the following items as a sampling of your offerings:

Avocado Roll Brussel Sprouts Miso Soup Triple Meat Bento Bowl Veggie Ramen Bowl Two fountain drinks

The total bill was $71 and some change.

Now for the good. The Brussel sprouts were the best I have ever eaten! I could make an entire meal out of those alone. My Bento Box was delicious with tender tasty chicken beef and shrimp. The avocado roll was pretty small but it was an excellent palate cleanser. The owner was very happy and enthusiastic. The environment was upbeat and fun. Those factors alone will make sure I return for more. The veggie ramen was great! For everything we got, the price was reasonable for sure.

Now the not so good. First was the process set up for the restaurant. We are led to a table and given a number card and menu, then we are required to go to the front counter and put our order in, then take our drink cups and fill them up and sit and wait for our food to arrive. I did not like that at all. It reminds me of going to a food truck to eat and if it was a food truck, that would be great... but this is a inhouse restaurant. I recommend you either hire servers to wait tables, taking orders and drinks like traditional restaurants OR set it up McCallister's style where we go to the counter first to order our drinks and meal then sit down.

Your process creates two major choke points... which is at the order line and at the service station with drinks and condiments. We were seated right next to the service station (fountain drink dispenser, condiments, silverware and napkins) so if I wanted to look to my left at any given time, I would be facing some random person's bottom less than 18" from my face which is truly not what I want to see when I eat. You had large groups of people waiting at the line and the service station. I recommend two things if you insist on running your restaurant like a food truck... put the drinks behind the front counter to be dispensed by the order takers instead. Also, set up each table with their own napkin dispenser and condiment's bottles. That will free up the choke points of the service station.

Another issue that you need to address is bringing all the table's food out at once. We got three appetizers and two entrees and we got one item at a time with the miso soup and veggie ramen coming out 10 minutes after my meal did. I can write that off to new restaurant jitters but that needs to figured out quickly because that will irritate people quickly having to wait for entrees like that.

Another thing that needs to be addressed are the seating arrangements. If a customer has back issues like my wife does, those chairs are going to seriously aggravate those issues. Add some padding to the hard chairs and the benches.

Lastly, the miso was very very bland. Even doctoring it with Soy Sauce barely made it taste any better. I recommend tweaking that recipe.

I normally don't put reviews in but in this case, I wanted to really offer honest feedback to you. I think once your processes are smoothed out and your crew has a few weeks under their belts, you will have a great little restaurant! I love ramen and miso, hibachi and bento boxes and having one so close to where I live is wonderful! I love having local businesses thrive in our town and I wish you much success in your future!! We will be back again once the new diner rush kind...

I have to say I love the business idea! There are a lot of restaurants like this popping up in larger towns and I’m excited to have one in Ozark. Great atmosphere! Decorations and the layout of the snacks and foods at the entrance is neat.

First thing is the place was kind of cold. I bet it’s because of the criticism of the heat on opening day. I’m sure they’ll get temps right eventually. It’s a different to be seated first and then to walk up to the cash register to order food later. The host/greeter was very nice greeting us and seating us but the table had not been cleaned from prior customer with sticky residue from previous dishes. Had to ask for the table to be cleaned after we ordered our food.

The Thai tea came out fast but even an appetizer item like miso soup took a while. Then the sushi and other appetizer came out shortly after. Bento box took a bit longer on top of that to come out.

While portions were decent I would say they can work a little more on presentation on their bento boxes. It looks a bit sloppy when you mix the chicken and steak in the same spot on a bento box tray when you’re leaving one section of the tray completely unused. No wasabi/ginger came with the bento cali roll. Spring rolls were a little cold. None of the meats were hot like they came straight off the grill. Bento needs some work for a $20+ item. They don’t ask how you want your steak so the steak will vary in cooking temp and texture.

There’s a lot of choices for sushi but they are on the pricer side. Both rolls broke apart when picked up which can happen. Sushi men just needs more practice rolling tightly to hold everything together nicely. Possibly less sauce on some of the sushi rolls with raw fish on the top? It was hard to really enjoy the taste of the salmon, tuna, white tuna with the amount of kiko sauce smothered on the fish. The quality of the fish was also questionable because they had the particular taste of raw fish when it has been thawed for a while or possibly thawed and refrozen multiple times. The tuna almost tasted like smoked salmon with a slight pungent aroma.

The Raku poppers were good and the miso soup was also good in flavor and quite a good portion for its price. Maybe their soup/ramen is their specialty? I’ll have to try all of them eventually next time.

Their communication is not a strong suit which will require some work to get the opening kinks out. No clear time of when is lunch time and when it’s dinner. No explanation that a drink you ordered is self serve at the fridge next to the soda machine until you ask about your drink. No explanation that the silverware and napkins are self serve or where they are located until you ask.

For a place that is not truly a sit and dine restaurant with a full server it feels slightly weird for the tip option to be 15 20 25%. Especially when you get your own drinks, plastic silver ware, and have to ask for a box at the register. The location of the silverware and drinks in the corner with seating surrounding that crucial area creates a traffic jam and unpleasant pathway for patrons to take. The concept of ‘order at the front’ and combination of ‘self servicing most of the necessities minus the food’ is a bit foreign and doesn’t fit with the higher prices of their menu items.

Since this is just the beginning I wish success to the restaurant and hope when I return things are more stable and...

It was our first time dining at this newly opened restaurant, and overall it was an interesting experience.

We started with the Naruto Ramen with beef ribs. The broth was flavorful and comforting, and the noodles were cooked just right—not too soft, not too firm, just the perfect bite. Unfortunately, the beef ribs were on the tougher side and very difficult to chew. It took away from the overall enjoyment of the dish. I would really suggest that the kitchen cook the ribs longer or use a different preparation method so that they turn out tender and easier to enjoy. The potential is there, because the soup and noodles themselves were really good.

Next, we tried the takoyaki, and I must say it was outstanding. Perfectly cooked, with a creamy center and a nice balance of flavors—it was one of the highlights of our meal. This is something I will definitely order again the next time we visit. If there’s one item I would recommend to anyone trying this restaurant, it’s absolutely the takoyaki.

For drinks, I had the Thai tea, and it was both delicious and refreshing. It paired well with the food and was just the right balance of sweet and creamy.

We also decided to order the chef’s signature roll. The shrimp in the roll was fresh, tasty, and definitely the best part of it. However, overall, the roll itself felt pretty average and not particularly unique when it came to flavor. What stood out was really the presentation—it arrived on a platter with a small fire on the side, which was visually eye-catching and fun to see. Still, taste-wise, I didn’t find it as special as I had hoped, especially compared to the price.

Speaking of prices, I think the ramen and takoyaki are very affordable and worth what you pay. On the other hand, the signature roll is a bit on the pricier side, especially given that the flavor didn’t really stand out.

The ordering process here is something diners should know about in advance. It’s set up more like a fast food system rather than full table service. You go up to the cashier, place your order, and pay immediately. After that, you simply provide your table number, and the staff will bring the food out once it’s ready. It’s a straightforward system and works fine, though it’s a little different from what some people might expect in a sit-down restaurant with this kind of menu.

The restaurant itself has a nice atmosphere with subtle Japanese-inspired touches in the decor. Since we visited on a weekend, it was quite busy, which is understandable—being a newly opened spot, a lot of people were curious to try it out just like we were. Even with the crowd, the vibe inside was lively but not overwhelming.

The only downside for us personally is the location—it’s a bit far from where we live. That being said, it’s fairly convenient for those who live closer, especially around the Ozarks area.

In summary, I think this restaurant is worth checking out. While not everything we tried was perfect, there are definitely standout items—particularly the takoyaki, which I would honestly say is one of the best I’ve had. The ramen also has a lot of potential if the beef ribs are cooked better. The atmosphere, the curiosity factor of it being a new spot, and the affordable prices for some of the dishes make it worth a visit. For us, next time we come back, the takoyaki will definitely be the star...