Raku

An East Village Japanese restaurant that takes no reservations — walk-in waitlist only — which regularly produces a line, especially during dinner hours.

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//The line

Raku is a Japanese restaurant on E 6th St in the East Village, one of a small handful of Raku locations in Manhattan. It's a waitlist-only spot — no reservations are accepted — which is the main reason it builds a line at the door rather than a reservation backlog.

Reviewers commonly report dinner waits in the neighborhood of 45 minutes, with Sunday evenings called out as especially busy, with some reviewers reporting waits stretching to around an hour and a half. Because it's walk-in only, arriving right at open or on a weekday tends to be the more reliable way to avoid the longest waits.

//When the line peaks

Weekend dinner hours (Friday-Saturday) reportedly draw the longest waitlist waits Sunday evenings called out by reviewers as especially busy, with waits reported up to roughly 1.5 hours Early in the window right after opening (weekdays from noon) reportedly sees shorter waits since it's walk-in only

Patterns as reported by press and regulars — not measured by damnlines.

//FAQ

How long is the wait at Raku in the East Village?

Damnlines does not have a live camera at this location yet, so we can't show a real-time line count. That said, reviewers commonly report dinner waits of around 45 minutes, with Sunday evenings singled out as busiest and waits reported as long as roughly 1.5 hours. Since it's walk-in only, actual waits vary a lot by night and time.

Does Raku East Village take reservations?

No. Based on listings and reviews, Raku East Village operates waitlist-only with no reservations accepted — you put your name in when you arrive.

What are Raku East Village's hours?

Reported hours are Monday 5:00-9:00pm, Tuesday-Thursday 12:00-9:00pm, Friday-Saturday 12:00-9:30pm, and Sunday 12:00-9:00pm.

Where is Raku East Village located?

342 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003, in the East Village, Manhattan.

What's the best time to go to Raku to minimize the wait?

We don't have live wait data for this venue yet, but based on reported patterns, weekday afternoons/early evenings right after the noon opening tend to be quieter than weekend dinner hours or Sunday evening, which reviewers describe as the busiest.

Sources: Yelp — Raku (342 E 6th St, East Village) · OpenTable — Raku East Village

Raku Line — How Long Is the Wait? East Village, NYC | damnlines