Raw Sushi

This place is the second half of a dual restaurant, the other half being Willowcreek Grill. I think they are attempting to ride the wave of sushi popularity and cash in. It wouldn't be the first restaurant that thought, "Hey, I can give the customers a sliver of fish and charge $5.00 and make a mint!" The decor is nice and new which is great, but is an American's view of "asian", having essentially no Japanese elements or authenticity. There is nary an asian person in sight. All the "sushi chefs" (My fingers can hardly type the word) are young white-boys. I would bet $1000 they never apprenticed for 5 years like a real chef would.
We got the usual choice of standard sushi, bluefin tuna, yellowtail, unagi, saba. The pieces were OK sized, not that big and tasted fine, though not superior. The service was sproradic, I had to stand up, walk over to the spaced-out waitress and hand her my wife's bone-dry cup to get a refill of tea. That is the other huge insult, they charge for tea. If the owner has any clue about Japanese restaurants (or Chinese for that matter), he should know that tea is free and they should be jonny-on-the-spot with refills. You and I both know the bulk giant pot of tea costs you nothing, but I know you want to cash in and charge $1,99 for a small cup of watery tea, then have the customer beg for refills.
In the end, this is just a strip mall white-bread sushi fad restaurant with OK sushi and premium prices.

I've been pursuing quality sushi for the last 30 years. Many of the sushi bars and restaurants in the Boise area do an admirable job. I tried Raw just to see what how they compare and was very pleasantly surprised. Their dragon roll was superior, their flavors fresh and consistent. Raw does not pretend to be a Japanese restaurant, and they aren't. The decor is modern and inviting with the service being friendly and efficient. Their prices were comparable to other local sushi restaurants. Being able to order off the Willow Creek Grill menu (the adjacent restaurant that shares the same kitchen) allows me to accommodate sushiphobes for dinner parties. I'll be back often.

I'm pretty sure Raw Sushi never claimed to be a traditional Japanese restaurant. And the idea of having a sushi joint next to a grill I think is a great idea. People can order food from either side, so if you have a large group with a few people who don't like sushi, they can order from Willow. And don't be so quick to judge the sushi chefs. Unless you spoke to them personally, you have no idea what there training is. I have spoken to them, and at least 2 of them have been in the sushi business for over 5 years and have both been apprentices. I agree that the tea and Miso soup should be free, but other than that I am a huge fan of Raw Sushi and will continue to eat there. It's by far the best sushi place in Boise.

I have gone to Raw Sushi many time and the food is absolutely fantastic..Their Philly rolls are the best and their squid salad is awsome. I often go there on my lunch and the workers are always very friendly. I would definitely recoment this restaurant to friends and family. The atmoshphere is not very Japanese like, but it is very nice and very modern looking. I always had a good experience at Raw Sushi

I recently stopped by Raw Sushi to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised. Especially after reading the first review of the restaurant.



The food was amazing. Probably the best sushi I've had in Boise. The prices are comparable to Happy Fish or any downtown Sushi restaurant. The atmosphere was great and the service was wonderful.



I have been recommending this restaurant to all my friends! :)

Terrible service...I had a to-go order for two and spent about 50 bucks ... when I got home I realized that there was no chopsticks, soy sauce, ginger and wasabi with my order. I called the restaurant and explained what had happened when she busted out laughing as if the situation was funny. So I then called back the next day to talk to a manager. She told me that she'd offer a $10 gift-card in hopes of giving them another try. The food was mediocre and the service sucked real bad...I certainly won't be going back!