We first visited RakiRaki during its soft opening last month and wanted to check it out again after the grand opening. As I previously mentioned, RakiRaki is a ramen chain originally from Japan that uses alkaline water to cook its ramen, offers complimentary alkaline water to its customers, and specializes in a chicken based ramen.
The menu and signs during the soft opening had stated that the Grand Opening was to be October 25th, but when we went this weekend, it wasn’t clear if they had really had their grand opening. The menus passed out still said soft opening and there weren’t any grand opening signs. One thing was clear though, word has gotten out, and this place was really packed.
We did see additional menu items, including some “Tasting Kitchen” options and Sushi rolls which weren’t previously offered.
Premium
Last time we had ordered the original and found it to be a little too salty with very little chicken flavor. This time we tried the premium one which is supposed to be rich and bold. The chicken broth flavor was definitely more concentrated and more what I had been expecting from the original, but we also felt it was still a little too salty for our tastes. However, we really enjoyed the chicken chasiu. I thought I’d miss the fattier pork one (which you can also choose instead), but the lean chicken was incredible moist and soft and I didn’t miss the regular pork one at all.
Chicken karaage
We chose this from the Tasting Kitchen section of the menu. Large chunks of chicken were lightly breaded and fried and served on top of a small salad. I did wish that the pieces would be smaller as I found the cuts to be way too tall and wide to easily eat. The chicken wasn’t very crispy, but they used cuts of dark meat which was very moist and tender, much like the chasiu.
Chinois Fried Rice
DH loves fried rice and always wants to order it, so we thought we’d give RakiRaki’s a try. This was a big disappointment. Dry, flavorless, we were not fans and took most of it home.
Tsukemen
My favorite item on my first visit had been the Tsukemen and I’m glad it wasn’t a fluke. I loved it just as much this time. The thick noodles are served cold and accompanied with a hot concentrated broth. You dip the noodles in the broth before eating them, which warms up the noodles and gives them flavor. The only bad thing is that the broth cools quickly. It’s almost impossible to keep it warm through the entire meal unless you eat really really fast.
We sat at the bar this time and it was pretty fun watching the kitchen in action. There were so many pots and timers going, I don’t know how the noodle master kept track of them all.
We’ve been pleased with our Raki Raki experiences so far. We still prefer the tsukemen over their ramen even though they are famous for the ramen. I’m excited to see future additions to the menu and we’ll definitely be back for some more revisits. Unfortunately, it means coming back to this plaza with the horrible parking, which I had avoided for almost two years.
The complimentary alkaline water is always a plus too. I really like the cups they use to serve the water in because it has a slight indent, making it easier to grip.
You can read my previous introduction post on RakiRaki here. Here’s the latest version of their menu.
RakiRaki
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
I realize this post is super old, but for the tsukemen, you’re supposed to be able to request hot water that the “add” to the dipping sauce so that you get some “soup” at the end.
You actually get to enjoy the soup also, but it is done a bit out of order (This is mentioned in Lucky Peach). Have you been back more recently and tried something along these lines?
You know I saw the option to add hot water when I went to Tsujita in LA but I have never tried to see if they do it at Raki Raki. I’ll have to ask next time.
Finally went there today with a group of girlfriends. We were actually having dessert next door when one of my friends really wanted to try their ramen. We had the tsukemen and the tonkatsu ramen. The servers were so nice and helpful. My other friend is going back tomorrow with her parents and I plan to revisit later next week with a friend.
I like their serving dishes here, especially the one with the chicken karaage! 🙂
I like their serving dishes too! I saw the tonkatsu ramen on my last visit, but didn’t try it yet since I wasn’t a fan of their other ramen. I still like the tsukemen though.
Hi Kirbie, too bad about the fried rice. Looks too healthy! haha
Haha. I like eating healthy, but this was a little too bland and healthy for me.
I know the manager there and apparently, the grand opening was a disaster due to the ineptitude of the ex-manager, which lead to them actually closing the restaurant on opening day. As for the fried rice, when I ate there a few days ago, a couple ordered it and had the same complaint. They went as far as asking if the recipe had been changed because it was so different from the one they had a week ago. I personally didn’t like the ramen at all but I’m curious about the Tsukemen.
Oh that’s too bad about the ex-manager. But it looks like things are running better now which is good. Def try the Tsukemen. I didn’t care for the ramen but enjoyed the Tsukemen.
Ah I have yet to visit! I am so curious about tsukemen… still haven’t had it yet, ever!
RakiRaki is my first experience with tsukemen. According to Dennis, it’s basically the only place in SD that offers a good one so I definitely would try this one instead of trying it somewhere else. Now I really want to try the one in LA, Tsujita, which is very popular for their tsukemen.
It’s hard to believe there’s several new places in this strip mall with the parking lot from hell. I’m hoping to try this place out for lunch soon.
Yeah it seems like there are better spots to be opening all these places. I’m waiting for them to open for lunch too so I can avoid the dinner crowd.
Hey Kirbie – When I went last night, I was told the Grand Opening has been moved to 11/01 and they will be serving lunch from 11am on that date…. I hope they don’t change it again.
Ah thanks for the info! I realized I should have just asked them when I was there, but didn’t think of it then. I hope they don’t delay anymore either. Would love to see them open for lunch!