Decent sushi, but like everyone else has already said, this place just seems *way* too loud and *way* too up its own ass for comfort.

Great place to go to find a date...Not a great place to eat.

All in all a disappointment.

The music is a tad loud for conversation but the food is good and the staff rocks. The decor is tres chic. you can get great take out as well

Great space and nice staff, but overall a pass if you're looking for a relaxing time or the ability to converse with anyone you're dining with. It often felt like I was eating on the set of rap video as the music was INCREDIBLY loud. Maybe a good place to go with a large group of people but I wouldn't recommend it to couples or small groups.

Sushi was passable. Space is beautiful. Location is phenomenal. Fashionable young Harbor East crowd is intensely poseurey. Staff is persistently harried and hurried. Avoid Happy Hours like herpes from a leper.

The Food: OK. Good fish, good presentation.
The people: This place is "SCENE HEAVY" on Friday nights. if you like picking up Realtors and/or cougars this place is like shooting fish in a barrel. If not, there are better spots.
The Drinks: Fairly generous pours. Good bartender skills.

Overpriced and way too Loud... This is more an American Sushi Bar than a Japanese one! Meanwhile the decor/place is warm and the service is good.

A few weeks ago I asked all my readers to give me their favorite places to eat in Baltimore. Several people recommended Ra Sushi, not only for the wonderful food, but for the great atmosphere and chic decor. So after asking Baltimore, What’s To Eat?… I ended up standing in front of the large glowing RA sign. I’ll be honest and say that I was really excited. I hadn’t bothered to eat much sushi lately and as I spent the majority of my college years only eating sushi. So after all the recommendations I got, I figured it was time to pick back up the chop sticks.

We had a reservation for 7:30 on a Wednesday night but ended up arriving a little after 7:00. We apologized for the early arrival and the wait staff quickly adjusted. We were seated immediately and received several smiles from passing restaurant staff. My eyes immediately went to the “schwank” decor, and the modern art. They had a separate sushi bar and a regular bar. There was also a TV for the sport fans. Modern music was pumping out of the speakers, making it feel more like a Las Vegas night club then a traditional sushi bar. The majority of the crowd was young beautiful hip professionals, but don’t let that fool you… there were some family’s dining at RA as well.

Nathan and I were seated at a table, and started out the night with some drinks. Nathan had a Sapporo and I a signature Ice Tea.

For appetizers we tried the Pineapple Cheese Wontons.
They were quite tasty being filled with scallions, cream-cheese, and pineapple. They had pineapple dipping sauce with a nice sweet yet spicy flavor. It also came along with a large portion of Asian slaw which complimented the dipping sauce well.

Next we reviewed the menu for RA’s specialty… SUSHI! After much debate, and thorough reading of the immense amount of sushi options, we opted to go with two Signature Ra Sushi dishes. Minutes later, they brought out the Mango Lobster Roll and the Ultimate Shrimp Tempura.

Nathan and I both expected to get about 4 rolls a piece, but we were pleasantly surprised at 8 rolls for each dish! Luckily we came prepared with hunger and were up for the challenge. Unknowingly, we had picked two dishes that were great opposites (but perfect compliments to each other). Sort of like our relationship, but that’s for another day and another blog.

The Mango Lobster Roll not only had the two obvious ingredients but also had cucumber slices, avocado, and came with a lovely kiwi-wasabi sauce. The rolls were served with a cool rice, so they were very refreshing. My favorite was the kiwi-wasabi sauce, which was sweet with a subtle hint of spice. It was the perfect flavor combination. Nathan used some of the extra wasabi because he likes everything “ultra-hot.”

The Ultimate Shrimp Tempura also had crab, seared tuna, and avocado. The rolls were served with a pleasantly warm rice and were quite savory. The tempura batter gave this roll a crunchy texture that worked well. Both rolls were great to eat alternatively. That way you didn’t get overwhelmed by just one flavor. So I encourage you to order a few different types of Signature Rolls and share them amongst friends. With the specials that RA Sushi has during Happy Hour, this would be a fun and relatively cheap way to end your workday or start your night life.

Once we finished conquering the sushi, we went onto my favorite part of any meal… dessert!

Nathan had the Fried Banana with Kahlua Ice-Cream and I the Coconut Creme Brulee.
I would have like Nathan’s dessert to have had a little less fried and a little more banana. Since they fried it in tempura, it tends to be a little thicker of a crust. The taste of the outside seemed to overwhelm the taste of the banana. I easily looked over the lack of banana after tasting the Chocolate Ice-Cream that was served on the side of the dessert. It was to die for. So my advice is to skip the Fried Bananna and order a double helping of ice cream!

My Creme Brulee was excellent. I love the flavor of Coconut, but hate the texture and my dessert delivered just that. It had properly set, and had a nice even sugar crisp on top. The coconut flavor was there, but it was not overwhelming. A perfect ending to a great meal.

The staff was friendly and attentive. It appears that RA draws a very diverse crowd. I would like to point out though if you are looking for a quiet dinner, than RA might not be the place for you. They like their music loud and their sushi fun.I can’t fault them for it either, because it all works together. RA is the perfect place to have a dinner with friends or large groups. So if you are looking for a hip, and lively place to have a good meal, I recommend you take the drive (or walk) down to Harbor East and check out RA Sushi. You won’t be disappointed. And that’s What’s To Eat in Baltimore!

While the veggie tempura was great, and the sake selection seemed pretty decent, the sushi did not seem like it was super fresh. With really loud music and ok service, it seemed a little overpriced.