Raku

"Raku serves up kurobuta pork cheeks, bacon-wrapped enoki mushrooms, chicken thighs, and sake to visitors and local celebrity chefs alike. The Chinatown restaurant, which has been nominated for multiple James Beard awards, is helmed by chef Mitsuo Endo, who hails from Toyko." - Krista Diamond, Maddy Sweitzer-Lamme

"Every chef in town stops by Mitsuo Endo’s tiny restaurant in Chinatown for small-portioned Japanese robata dishes cooked over a charcoal grill. Diners can order a variety of items since most start at $3, or try the omakase with a flight of food chosen by the chef for $75 to $100. Inside the moody restaurant with sleek metallic details, order the agedashi tofu with salmon roe and a vinegary dipping sauce. The green tea soba noodles with poached egg and bonito flakes are texturally satisfying and the hot skewered yellowtail is seasoned in all the right ways." - Janna Karel

"Raku is one of the top Japanese restaurants in Vegas, with a menu of oden recipes and robata cooking. They import binchotan charcoal and condiments directly from Japan, and you can often find other chefs and hospitality workers eating here late (they’re open until 3am most nights). Call at least three days ahead to reserve a premium or deluxe omakase, which is the best way to have a meal here. Both tasting menus start with homemade tofu before the mixed appetizers, sashimi, grilled meats, a daily fresh fish, and dessert. Pair it all with something off their long sake menu." - Emmy Kasten

"Aburiya Raku, which specializes in robata cooking and oden recipes, is hands-down one of the top Japanese restaurants around. The Chinatown institution imports binchotan charcoal and condiments directly from Japan, and you can often find other chefs and hospitality workers eating here late (they’re open until 1am most nights). If you can, call at least three days ahead to reserve a premium or deluxe omakase, which is the best way to enjoy what the restaurant has to offer. Both tasting menus start with homemade tofu before the mixed appetizers, sashimi, grilled meats, a daily fresh fish, and dessert. Pair it all with something off their long sake menu." - Emmy Kasten

"From its location at the strip mall on Spring Mountain Road (Las Vegas' Chinatown) , you wouldn't expect much. Raku is teeny-tiny inside (so call ahead, especially if you're ordering omakase), and basically unadorned, but it's bright, minimalist, and super clean—and filled with serious diners looking for a high-quality meal. The fish is the absolute pinnacle of sashimi quality, and Mitsuo Endo (a James Beard "best of the Southwest" finalist in 2014 and 2105) treats it like the treasure it is. Otherwise, most of the menu items are grilled over a robata grill over binchotan charcoal on skewers. Come and dine next to chefs from the highest-end restaurants on the Strip." - Andrea Bennett