It's been quite a few years since I've visited a RA Sushi, but I wanted to share this review in hopes that corporate sees what went wrong here and makes changes to protect their remaining locations. When I walked into the Ahwatukee location, I was honestly shocked. For a brand that's known for fun, date night energy and premium sushi prices, the atmosphere just didn't live up. The place looked tired, and it didn't have the same lively vibe I remembered. After being seated outside, it took almost 10 minutes for our server to come by just to get drink orders. By that point, we already knew what we wanted two cocktails each, five rolls, and three appetizers. Unfortunately, after placing our order, it felt like we'd been forgotten. Almost 30 minutes passed before a different server checked on us, and the food didn't arrive until nearly 50 minutes after we sat down. That's the longest I've ever waited for sushi. We thought about ordering another round of drinks, but our server had completely disappeared. Meanwhile, what looked like the manager was just standing behind the bar doing nothing, and it turns out our server was covering the entire restaurant alone. That explained a lot including why so many outdoor tables were covered in old, dirty dishes with birds picking at them. It's disappointing, because I used to love RA Sushi and their upbeat, social atmosphere. I truly hope RA corporate takes this as feedback to make sure their remaining teams get the help and support they need. This experience didn't just feel understaffed it felt neglected. read more

The last time I went to a RA Sushi was back in Houston during my trip in June 4 years ago. It was a pleasant experience, and this was no different. The restaurant was clean and empty, thank goodness, lol! I stopped in for a quick Happy Hour since I was in the area. I took a seat at the bar and Andrew provided exceptional service. He was friendly but not overly chatty, and attentive. He answered my questions regarding some of the menu items and I ended up ordering the Yellowtail Nigiri, Wagyu Sliders, and the Salmon Avocado Sashimi. It was the perfect amount of food and although they tasted great, the presentation left a bit to be desired. The Nigiri was served on a plate bigger than was necessary. I did like the size of the Yellowtail on them because they were pretty BIG!! I don't think they use sushi rice because it wasn't as sticky like Nishiki rice. The Sashimi was served on the same sized plate as the Nigiri. The salmon was fresh and so were the avocado slices, but they were just sitting on top of soy sauce. I ate it all, of course, but I would have liked to see maybe a drizzle of the sauce on the plate and ohhhh idk... maybe some furikake sprinkled on top? It just looked plain, but I'm glad it was fresh and tasted good. The Sliders were so cute, and had great flavor, but the inside of one looked slightly undone. It was pretty pink and almost looked raw. Again, they tasted fine and I have an iron stomach so I'm not too worried about it. Just seeing the "pinkness" kind of freaked me out, though. I told Andrew that if I get sick, I'll know why!! lol Overall, the experience wasn't bad. They were not busy at all, maybe just 4 other parties sitting in random sections including the outdoor patio. Their patio is a pretty good size, too. It's a solid 5 stars for Andrew, but the restaurant gets a 4. Things to note: Happy Hour is ALL DAY Monday 3 to 6 pm & 9 pm to close Tuesday to Saturday 3 pm to close on Sunday Also, the restroom (at least the women's) has only 3 stalls, one of which is accessible. In the other two stalls, the toilets are WAY LOW to the ground. I'm talking crouch down like it's perfect for a 3 or 4 year old who's potty training! Prices aren't bad, and the ambiance is perfect for a date because it's dimly lit. The bar has a good selection of alcoholics, and they also offer mocktails. Thanks to Andrew, I'd definitely come again! read more

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I had the worst outcome here. I ate dinner and as soon as I got home I was extremely sick for the rest of the night. I ordered the steak teriyaki entree which came with miso soup, salad, rice, and veggies. Everything was good and the server was nice, but I was so sick from the food. Not worth the risk to eat here. read more

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Great music! Great drinks! We made Happy Hour and that helped a bit with the bill but irregardless it was worth the price for what we got and experienced. read more

Our experience was very good. The staff was super friendly and our server, Andrew was very attentive and the food came out quick! The atmosphere was calming with upbeat music! Everything was clean including the restrooms. read more

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Outside seating area - Japanese Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Our waitress was sweet, prompt and professional. I believe that she said her name was Payton/Paige. My apology for getting it incorrect. Going here on a weekday has the perfect vibes since it's not a busy as on the weekdays. I ordered the California and Las Vegas rolls which were OK but the Vegas roll didn't taste that good as the rice paper tasted very chewy and, some of the rolls looked as if, they had been sitting out for a while. After our waitress offered to have the kitchen to remake the dish, I noticed that they didn't remake any of it but instead, that they only added 2 pcs that were already eaten because the dried out ones had a distinct appearance and were still on the plate! Smh ‍ ‍ We didn't complain as it was pointless but come on now guys! I feel like their happy hour food taste better honestly, and should've stuck to that menu but because they gave me a bday coupon you can only order from the regular priced items . Not cheap but, love a great deal! I'd return but I prefer the Scottsdale or San Tan location instead. I recommend going only during hh since hh is a vibe and because the Hh menu has shrimp tempura dumplings which you can only get during hh. Bummer! On top of getting a bday coupon they also provided me with a free bday dessert. I'm not a fan of their dessert menu as they only offer ice cream and creme Brule as dessert options. The Creme Brule was good though! There's plenty of free onsite parking. Perfect location! read more

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I used to live around this area and this used to be our go to Ra. We went back for dinner the other night and it felt very empty very run down. I mainly feel that area is dying out. They Didn't even have straws. My food was decent and I liked it. However my boyfriend didn't finish his chicken and rice saying it's not the same as it used to be and it tasted weird, he also couldn't drink his ice tea as it had a really weird taste to it. The employees didn't look happy. But I don't blame them. Don't think I will be back there read more

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

This was a pretty good place we are at. We arrived here on Thanksgiving Day but itch was closer to dinner. Staff were friendly and attentive. Food was excellent as always!"come here if you want a good lunch/dinner! There's something everyone will enjoy. The AAmbiance is nice and relaxing. read more

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The only great thing about our dinning experience was wagyu sliders and the drinks. The sushi wasn't the best. I haven't been to this RA sushi location, came in for their HH. I do like when restaurants have late night happy hour. We ordered the mango margarita which I really enjoy. The wagyu sliders were the best thing I ordered. Medium well and juicy, apart from that nothing else was good. The sushi was lacking in flavor and cold. The service was okay as well. Nothing outstanding about our dinning experience, just irritated with wasting calories on food that isn't great. read more

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We popped in for an unexpected Saturday eve happy hour after our movie. Wow!!! First off, it's clear there's been a management shift that n the best way. Milan was our server. She is phenomenal. Great service. Nice. Genuine. Knowledgeable. The food was super good. We had a rainbow roll, a spicy shrimp roll and a few orders of garlic edamame. Oh my. Give RA a try. You will be so glad you did. Ask for Milan. She rocks! read more

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We 2 adults came here with a toddler. There were more than 10 tables available when we arrived. The host assigned a table with a lot of food (vegetable and rice) on the floor. Why she did that??????!!!!! Because we brought a kid or because we are Asian and we did not deserve a table with good environment? We requested to change another table. Food were disappointing as well. The teriyaki beef was extremely salty!!!!!! The ramen had very few ingredients. Our server disappeared when we wanted to check. Will never come back. read more

RA has a great happy hour! You can get all the sushi and appetizers you desire at a great price! The California roll is so good and edamame! Every time I've gone the staff has been so nice and attentive! The restaurant is pretty big too so it can accommodate bigger groups which was nice for our table! read more

Gabriella and Eric were terrific hosts!! Sushi was very good - especially the tempura appetizer!! Gabriella thanks for sharing your playlist to make dinner even more enjoyable! We'll be back!! read more

Man this place used to be THE SPOT! All of your servers are busy doing nothing, talking or standing around. Customer service is terrible. Got my food before my drink. My partner got their drink. Wrong food placed on our table. ICE COLD Vegas roll!! Management needs to be fired. Or who ever is training. Hire a hospitality couch or an actually experienced trainer! Sheesh. -Certified Trainer for Fox Restaurant Concepts Do better I've had better service at dennys read more

Came here on the way back to the airport. Great spot for food nearby. It was not too busy when we arrived but filled up quickly for a Saturday at 5 pm. Out waitress was nice and took off a miso soup that didn't come. Inside was similar to another SR I had been to. Pros: Very long Happy hour Sat quickly Food came out fast Cons: Ordered drinks and didn't come out in time Food came before drinks Fish didn't taste as good as I expected read more

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Had the worst sushi "chef" behind the counter, Jorge, today. Most chefs would be friendly, and would be glad to take your order. Jorge was a rude, unpleasant man who only said that "I don't take orders...ask the servers"....then continued to look down and ignored me and my son...What????? In my many years of going to sushi bars, this was the first time this ever happened!!!! The server was very pleasant. However ...I will never come back here again. Bad marketing, Jorge...try working in construction instead!!! read more

The place is really nice to atmosphere is nice. The presentation of the food was really good. Some of the food was good. I did have an appetizer and that was overcooked. The service was absolutely horrible. The lady we had we could never find her she kept forgetting to bring things that we were asking for, so overall, I would go back and try a couple of things but I would probably sit at the bar or somewhere in the bar area Food 4/5 Food quality 5/5 Service 1/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Parking 4/5 Return factor 3/5 read more

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Upon entering, there were serval tables with customers but no one at the hostess stand. A waitress made eye contact with me several times with no acknowledgment. A young man who after making eye contact with me over 10 mins prior approached me for seating. The server definitely made up for this with her friendly attentiveness. The food was decent, and I did not dislike it, however when thinking of sushi this will not be a place I'll return when visiting Phoenix. read more

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Had the Chicken Katzu Bento Box which would have been plenty for lunch. But I indulged in a Tootsy Roll and a Monkey Roll too. All was very good and the place was really quiet during lunch hour. Bella provided great service. read more

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Ambiance is very relaxing/moody. We were seated quickly and our server was very attentive. Sushi was good and they're known for the viva Las Vegas roll and it's a must when dining here. I didn't try the raw sushi, cause I don't eat raw sushi but our other dinners were enjoyed their meal Overall, a great experience and we would come back to try other dishes. read more

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I came here for lunch after traveling for awhile and wanted to have some fish and a sit down lunch. I opted to sit outside albeit today was one of the cooler summer days as only 109F as the high temperature. I really wish I could give this place more stars but the service was really lacking and here's why. Waitress was nice, however, that can't be your only skill when waiting on people. They had no draft beer options, so when I ordered an Orion beer, I wasn't expecting a 21 oz big bottle and I thought the waitress could have at least given me some fair warning of how big it is, considering it was lunchtime and I am a woman. I ordered a sashimi bento box which comes with miso soup. When my miso soup came, the waitress spilled the warm soup all over me. Luckily, it was not very hot. It got on my shorts, down my leg and foot. She did bring out towels to get my leg and table cleaned up. Bento box came exactly how I expected. The sashimi pieces were fresh and fatty. Salad was good, salmon teriyaki tasted fine and tempura was exactly as expected. Portion size is pretty large and I had enough for another meal. When the bill came, I was a bit surprised my beer was $11 (it was 21 oz though) and waitress didn't bother to take anything off for spilling miso soup all over me. So, in return, I left a much smaller tip than I normally would. Don't think I'll return again for lunch but I may come back for HH to see what's on offer and hopefully the next time, I won't have a very large beer to drink or miso soup in my lap. read more

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Large Orion beer (21 oz), be prepared! - Japanese Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Excellent service and experience. Our server Andrew is amazing. Super attentive and fun. Very sweet to our kids. The manager Daniel is so tuned into hospitality and making sure we have a nice time. Highly recommend! read more

Tyler was an awesome server and the food was amazing !!! We will definitely be back. I loved the crazy monkey roll :) read more

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - CRAZY MONKEY ROLL* - Japanese Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

As best I can put it into words, Ra is like an Asian Denny's, but with less comfort. And my server was snotty. So, serve more fresh vegetables, hire cooks that actually know Asian food, and waitstaff with fewer psychological problems. read more

The food was good and the restroom was very clean! A clean restroom is important to me! Our service wasn't the best. I think they were under staffed. We needed more water, wanted to order more. Our waitress wasn't available. The edamame without the garlic was delicious. We also had the shrimp tempura and the crunchy shrimp tempura. read more

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Came here on a Friday night for happy hour and considering it was a holiday, the service was good overall. The bar, however, could have been cleaned off better. I have been here many times over the years and Ra usually doesn't disappoint. This location is in a great location off Ray Road. I had the Paloma cocktail which was delicious! For food I had my favorites: seared tuna, chicken skewers, and California roll. I noticed the portions got a lot smaller with the chicken skewers. I would come back here but only for happy hour. read more

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - CHICKEN SKEWERS - Japanese Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

We've been to Ra in Encantada before so we expected quality service. This was the complete opposite. First they gave us chairs that were too dirty to sit and menus that were sticky and gross. Service took forever! At least 15 to just order our appetizer and another 30 for food which took even longer. The server kept blaming it on a big party. If a restaurant is going to have a big who calls in for reservations you would have expect them to plan for it and have more servers.. The drinks took forever to get refilled. They messed up on the fried rice. Took long time to refill our drinks. The price was typical we ordered a lot of food , it was $150. Food was delish, but not sure if it was good enough for us to be returning. The server was nice. But it was just not an overall good experience for us. I could hear that other tables were not happy with their wait time either.. read more

Terrible Service.Food was amazing but the lack of service was so disappointing. So maybe think about only doing take-out

I try and give places the benefit of the doubt, and after coming to this location a handful of times I always left unsatisfied with something. If you're in the mood for sushi, I strongly urge you to seek other places or wait until the next day when other places are open to try them. They have a lot of options to choose from, but the sushi never really felt fresh and some rolls were lacking in flavor. Other times I'd elect to go for an entree, but those would be even more bland and LOADED with salt. In summary, I think for the quality and taste you get, this food is very overpriced. Next was the service. I'd often go on weekdays when it wasn't packed but was met with uninterested servers. Most the time, It felt like I had to get up and actively seek the server for the bill. All in all, I would strongly urge you get food elsewhere. I have this place multiple chances, but unfortunately I can't anymore and am writing so that others can hopefully not waste their time or appetite as well. read more

Food was excellent and service was top notch! I HIGHLY recommend RA Ahwatukee for their sushi rolls and poke bowls. Thank you Giovanni and Nina for the most amazing customer service. NVC read more

Jaqueline was such a sweetheart and did a fantastic job. all the food was phenomenal and my party had a wonderful time will definitely return!! read more

Been here over a handful of times and never disappoints, have gotten a new server each time and they are so kind and attentive. Bright side is we have never had to wait for a table. Food is amazing, I did not know they're owned by "Benihana" and it makes sense with the hibachi they offer and the cute style of their rolls! I always start with a miso soup, spicy edamame & saki bombs. My goal is to try all their rolls with every visit. This last time we came April 2023 we had a Brian take a photo of us! Which I never knew they did and he printed it out and brought it over to us for my birthday, we chatted for a few mins very personable!! Highly recommend whenever in the area. They also take reservations & have outdoor seating which is very spacious along with the interior. Happy hour is Monday - Thursday 3-7! Also sign up for their email list! They give you $20 towards your birthday month & $10 for your half birthday! read more

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Went into raw to grab a drink with the wife and stumbled upon their happy hour menu our server Torrence was very knowledgeable with the menu and went above and beyond with his fantastic service. We will definitely be returning soon read more

What a fabulous experience. I've been feeling a little to treat myself to sushi and dined as a party of one. Every staff member was kind and attentive the moment I walked through the door. Georgia was quick to greet me. She provided excellent customer service took my order brought me my amazing dinner chicken fried rice and avocado sushi. The chefs did not disappoint. I enjoyed a wonderful meal. Next time I come, I will bring my family very nice to know. You can have great service and great food at the same time. read more

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Amazing fried rice and the best Avacado rolls I have EVER had.. Coke and water to wash it all down as my Grandmother would say! Best ever - Japanese Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Ra had great sushi lunch specials even on the weekend. Sarah was our server and was fantastic - for sure will be back for Saturday drinks and lunch. read more

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - Shishito Peppers - Japanese Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

New Limited menu and the staff was clueless. Our waiter had no idea what was in the very common rolls. Had to ask if they still had the Tutsi Maki and spicy yellow tail roll. Average roll was $20. Quality is meh too. Wait staff was waiting around for closing time. 2/5 read more

Update: they led me on for months like they were going to fix the issue and never did. They ended up just never getting back to me. $75 lesson lol read more

Came here on a Sunday night for their happy hour, the overall ambiance is cool and the Japanese theme is a nice touch. Regarding their happy hour menu, the price is worth it. However the quality of the sushi itself and the service was just honestly not great. Waited 20 minutes for food and overall just not a good experience. I probably wouldn't come back to be honest as there is plenty of great sushi spots nearby. read more

RA Sushi Bar Restaurant - CRUNCHY CALAMARI ROLL & SPICY CRISPY RICE - Japanese Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Went in a couple nites over the break and the bartender Shannon was great, could add more but great will get me back again.

Took my family there for our birthday celebration. Showed up and place was empty, perhaps less than a quarter of the restaurant was filled, told me they were on a 30 minute wait, short staffed servers, and cooks. This was on a weekend night. Used to be the place to go!! haven't been there in a while and was hoping for a better experience, very unfortunate. read more