Ra Sushi

I’ve been to Ra on several occassions with expectations that my next trip will be better than my last. Each time leaving with a much lighter wallet and a less than pleasant experience.

Ambiance

Ra’s ambiance is slightly overdone for my expectations. I do enjoy modern contemporary interiors, although this was taken a little too far with a mixture of modern decor, dark lighting, and loud music. Personally I do enjoy downtempo, electronic, and other music but don’t enjoy music so loud that I have trouble talking to the person across the table from me. Remember it’s no log cabins so tone it down a little bit! I enjoy going out and being able to have conversation without yelling. Expect a wait as Ra doesn’t take reservations either and with such a hot location wait times typically average about 45 minutes. If you are looking for a crazy night out on the town with a fun, young, and good looking crowd then Ra is a great spot.

Rating:
Loud both visually and audibly, but great spot to start night out on the town.

Food

Unfortunately Ra’s Sushi just doesn’t make the mark. The attempt to make this a fusion style restaurant has caused it to lose the spark of the simplicity of Sushi. Everything seems just a tad bit overdone in an extravegant attempt to win over the customer by plate decor rather than flavor or taste. Keep in mind that Ra isn’t by any means a cheap Sushi solution with rolls averaging $5-9 for a two piece roll and upwards of $15 roll for their ’specialty’ sushi. Here is the bottom line, if you want traditional fresh and down right awesome Sushi then Ra isn’t your place. Looking for crazy and eye stimulating Sushi? Then Ra IS your place.

Rating:
Sure it looks pretty, but they should re-examine the extravagance

Service

As stated before I’ve been to Ra on several occassions with extremely spotty service. One time we had fairly decent service, and enjoyed our waitress. Another time it was simply horrible! Taking upwards of 30 minutes before our waitress took our order and we received our first round of drink orders and not a single attempt to ask if we wanted additional drinks or anything else during our meal. We had to basically tackle another waiter to order additional drinks and fix an order that she had messed up. I’ll quite honestly say that Ra’s overall service is extremely lacking.

Rating:
Maybe the loud music is making the employees confused..

Price

In line with the theme of Ra, loud and proud, so are the prices. A typical check for two people with a drink can get upwards of $60.  I’d much rather pay less to have quality sushi with the freshest ingredients than pretty Sushi with less care and pride put into it. For the price you can pretty much go to ANY other Sushi joint in San Diego.

Rating:
As expected overpriced for what it really is..

Summary

To end this I don’t HATE Ra, in fact I think it is a great place to start out the night before heading downtown afterwards. It’s got the energy, look, and feel of a busy contemporary sushi joint. Matched with good looking people and loud music. If that sounds like your cup of tea then Ra really is the place to go. If you are looking for a more intimate experience then I’d highly suggest something else.

Overall Rating: