Raku Happy Hour. Off-Strip

Raku is the charcoal grill that serious eaters in Chinatown name first. The robata work over binchotan is the reason to come, turning out skewers cooked with real precision, and the kitchen earns the respect it gets from industry folks who roll in after their own shifts end. This is a late-night place by design. Doors open in the early evening and the room keeps going well past midnight, so it suits an adventurous couple, a solo diner who wants a counter seat near the fire, or anyone who likes eating on a later schedule. Order family-style and share a spread of skewers, which is how the menu is built to work, and look at the housemade tofu and the fresh sashimi too. The space is small and it fills fast, so the counter is both the best seat and the easiest target if you arrive early. You'll find it at 5030 Spring Mountain Rd in the Chinatown corridor off-Strip, with a parking lot on site. Reservations exist but are limited, so plan ahead if you want a table instead of a wait. If Raku runs any happy hour specials, confirm the current details directly with the venue.