Friday night I passed by RAW Sushi Bar with a few friends to try the place out. RAW is a new sushi place located in a very industrial part of Shuwaikh and currently opening just on the weekends. Actually up until last week they were opening only Friday evenings but starting this coming week they’ll be opening Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. They’re still in a soft launch phase which was why their menu wasn’t the final edition when we passed by but I liked the place so wanted to post about it.
First to get the food aspect out of the way, we ordered a whole bunch of rolls and starters so we could try a variety of dishes. The worst dishes we had weren’t really bad but they just weren’t anything that really stuck out. On the other hand the stuff we did like we would go back for more. Their Negimaki was the best I’ve had and from the rolls we ordered my favorites were the Cali Wearing Orange and the Pink Ink rolls. Forgot what was inside them but just look for them on the menu if you pass by. One of the things I liked about their rolls was the ability to order half portions so you can order more of a variety without over ordering.
The interior of the place was dim, industrial and trendy looking. It’s not that big with a small bar running along one side of the restaurant and four small tables scattered around. They’ll soon have outdoor seating but I think I’d still prefer the inside more just because of the mood. It’s a local business run by the owners themselves who happen to also be the sushi chefs. I asked one of the owners why he chose to open up in that location and he told me he was actually a bike builder and spent a lot of his time in that area. There literally isn’t anything else around them open that late, there aren’t even any street lights which can be a bit creepy. But, it’s where he feels comfortable and along with all the location quirks I thought they helped make the place seem that much more special.
The only issue we really had was with the service. It was fairly slow but that was to be expected since they had only been open a handful of times and are still working to fix all their kinks. Price wise I found them extremely reasonable. We were four people and our bill came out to KD26. It actually should have been around KD31 since we ordered 4 starters, 5 different rolls, 4 waters and 2 green teas but, they didn’t charge us for two half portions of rolls because there was a mix up and we ended up getting them really late. Still, KD31 add tip plus divided by 4 is KD8.5 per person. That’s really good. As I mentioned, starting this week they’ll be opening Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7PM till midnight. Their instagram account is @eatrawkwt and here is their location on [Google Maps]
12 replies on “RAW Sushi Bar”
Why on earth would you set up a sushi bar in that location!?
I actually like the location a lot, in the evenings there isn’t any traffic there, theres lots of parking, the location adds to the interiors industrial feel and most importantly, it’s better than opening in a mall. You’re also forgetting the most important part of the equation which is the fact the location means something to the owner. Kinda like if I was to open a place I’d open it near the old souk in Salmiya. People would think I was mad but the area means something to me.
Agree.
I also like the idea of an industrial restaurant in the middle of shewikh warehouses, very creative. Kudos to them.
Mark , seriously.. Why do these people come up with every single restaurant in the rest of the world , rather than opening more traditional restaurants. How many kuwaiti restaurants are there?
You see the news paper daily , is there anything postive happening?? Either they cut dowm ministry staff expats @ 50 years, increase fees, shorten validity, increase rent? Limit baggage allowance , every law maker comes up with something new as if this is gonna bring boost economy?? If all the expats leave this place , who will leave in these buildings, who will dress the wounds, who will clean the roads???? . Open that restaurant , open this restaurant , dine there , dine here,, this is all happening here.
1) Kuwaitis are probably fed up of all the Kuwaiti food they eat home so I doubt they want to go out to eat home food.
2) there are a few good Kuwaiti restaurants already and a new on just opened on the gulf road before marina mall
3) I don’t see how baggage allowance or any of the other issues you have has anything to do with people opening restaurants.
Its called free market. If restaurants are profitable (and they are in kuwait) and people want to open one there’s nothing stopping them. There isn’t a law that prohibits people from opening a restaurant just because there are too many of them, thats pure nonsense.
And what the hell does this have to do with expacts? Hate on the gov all you want, but the restaurant owners have nothing to do with your problems…
Raw name, raw food, raw decor….great combo!
will have to give it a try. lets hope they continue to get better at service, food quality, etc. as i noticed the majority of new restaurant start off with a bang then quickly hit the wall.
Strange logic, opening up a restaurant (or any business for that matter) because the location means something to the owner. In that case it seems to serve more as a canteen for the owner, rather than a restaurant to public. Good luck developing a successful business based on such an illogical business plan/model. But then again, we are in Kuwait, the capital of illogical!
I think you misread. Obviously he didn’t build it JUST because the location means something to him. But, the fact that it does makes the concept of the location all that much stronger.
But in any case its normal for restaurants to open in places that are not common. If the food is good people will come. When Solo Pizza opened up in his currently location a lot of people thought that was dumb because of the parking situation and the old shitty building it was in. And now that strip is booming with restaurants (even though parking is still horrible).
Not everyone can afford to open in a mall or in an area with high traffic. Have you seen the rents in Kuwait City? If he does well I’m sure other restaurants will start popping up in that area as well.
I hate to waste my time writing this BUT if there was anything “illogical” it would be your comment. If you hate Kuwait and you disrespectfully call it the above, then why are you here. why bother check the blog, etc. SAD.
OH! Good to know! I’ll need to swing by this weekend!
Mark, you should immediately disqualify any restaurant that puts more mayo than Burger King on a sushi roll.