Raw Bar

Raw Bar Restaurant Review:

Raw Bar’s head chef Shintaro Honda has suppliers who find him their best-grade fish each day. His style is simple and modern, geometric and colorful with delicate Japanese flourishes. Options include an inside-out soft shell crab roll with a devilish jalapeño sauce; lightly fried sand whiting with tempura sauce; and a marinated seaweed salad. The signature Raw Bar bento box (regular or vegetarian) contains an array of assorted sashimi, inside-out rolls, ohitashi (the deep-green braised spinach salad with tangy roasted sesame miso dressing), tempura, tender teriyaki chicken, miso soup and gohan (steamed rice) and works well for a beach picnic. The basics are available --- sashimi, nigiri, gyoza, edamame, udon, tempura and à la carte sushi --- but each hits the table cooked with precision, chilled at its freshest or properly ripe. You’ll find Bondi Beach residents and other locals here. They know it’s good for a date or just to recharge the batteries after a little too much excess. Drinks to match at the fully licensed bar. There’s takeaway and delivery, too. The minimalist restaurant (styled with wood, stainless steel and Jensen bubble lights with floor-to-ceiling windows) is quite magical at night.