RUKA Restobar

Looove the food and the ambiance!! 10/10. Sadly to say the host service is TERRIBLE. I've been there 3 times and every single time they are really rude

I have wanted to go to Ruka for a long time and taking a first step inside you realize you're no longer in Boston, that's for sure. The inside is so breathtaking from the multicolored blown glass chandelier at the entrance to the dragon column sculptures that stand tall & mighty around the restaurant.One thing that this company, which also owns Lolita's and Mariel, does right is presentation in the restaurant itself as well as its food. Ruka is a fusion of Asian and Peruvian food which is more common for places like Miami. First impressions were honestly not the best due to the service from the host and waiting quite a while to be seated and for our waiter. However, once he arrived he was very nice and made up for it for the most part.

The food was appealing, truly edible art. The flavors overall were all pretty good but what really stood out to me was the Pork Yakisoba and Japanese Fried Chicken. The yakisoba was very complex in taste but delicious and packed with a small dab of spice. The Japanese fried chicken was not crunchy but had a soft texture that I find hard to explain and the sweet batter was great especially when mixed with the sauce laid on the plate like a beautiful pond. Finally, the dessert was cachangas which basically looked like a pretzel bite but traditionally is a flat bread. The taste was sweet like a fruit but savory and for some odd reason I keep tasting Auntie Anne's lol. I wish there had been more pineapple ice cream which tasted like coconut to me because it was so yummy. They recommend 2-3 plates for a party of 2 but I definitely recommend more because some of the dishes are small. We got 4 dishes and 1 dessert and I was feeling slightly full but dont think I would have been hungry if i had only shared 3 dishes with my friend. I would recommend making a reservation like a week out especially for weekends because they do seem always busy even on weekdays. Definitely worth a visit for a night you want to treat yourself or splurge with some drinks and apps.

Price $$$
Food 7
Atmosphere-10
Service 6

What we got
Grand Kai Cocktail
Ganshi 75 Cocktail
Ruka spicy tuna roll
Phoenix Sunrise
Hamachi Ceviche
Pork Yakisoba- *fav*
Japanese fried chicken *fav*
Fried Dough Cachangas

The ambience was cute and lively. Our server was also friendly, but be careful since they will ask "still or sparkling water" so make sure you ask for tap unless you want to be charged $8 for some water...

In terms of the food, I think you will be wow-ed if you don't go in with very high expectations.

The yakitori bar shrooms were fresh and tasty, and my favorite plate from the night. I don't know why the sesame noodles are named that, because it tasted like chilled peanut noodles with an annoying onion crunch. The wok choy did not deliver the "ginger-lime" flavor. Instead, it was very salty like soy sauce + oyster sauce and did not mix well with the dollops of rocoto cream. Overall slightly disappointed with the food, but I do want come back here to try their makimoni items and their pork yakisoba.

It's a really trendy restaurant; apparently this is an Asian Peruvian fusion restaurant, but outside of the chicha drink, the food seems more Asian. However, the food still is pretty great.

I sat at the bar, and the service was nice. I ordered the lychee cocktail, spicy tuna roll, the ceviche, and the white black thunder. Everything was pretty good - outside of the white black thunder - nothing stood out. But it's a solid place to eat at

Peruvian Restaurant alert!!!!!! Except it is a fusion restaurant and I think the Peru influence is the lowest of them all. Food was super good and flavorful and Service was awesome. Didnt like the dessert that much but I am also not a sweets person and HATE bananas. Dessert was very sweet and contained bananas. Inside of restaurant was a vibe. Would prob come back here again but not when Im craving peruvian food

Did my research with a bunch of other yelp reviews and so glad I did!! All these dishes are a must try! Lovedddd the Japanese fried chicken and ceviche. Each of the dishes we got were so unique and different in flavor! Not necessarily dishes that pair well together, but are a great mix of flavor loved getting different bites of them every time. We loved our waiter! Sad we didn't get his name (but he's from NJ and has been serving for about a year at the restaurant)! Huge shoutout to him, even brought out our dessert in this crazy bowl set up! Made our night, excited to come back again and would want to try out their cocktails too! Great spot for date night or dinner catch up with friends.

Because we were staying at the Godfrey Hotel in the same building, we made reservations at RUKA before heading out to the Depeche Mode show at TG Garden. The online reviews were positive and how could we not be curious about a Japanese and Peruvian fusion? Well let me just say that "HOLY MOLY" does not quite sum up the level of quality, flavor, and service we received.

The wait staff was kind and professional throughout the experience. The food and drinks arrived in a reasonably quick and friendly manner. Our waitress was so helpful and warm, we fell in love with her right away, as she provided thoughtful and delicious recommendations.

First to our table was the Mongolian Beef. Normally I skip any beef dishes when eating out, but my partner loves this classic Chinese dish. The beef tenderloin arrived atop a bed of crispy puff noodles, smothered in a sweet chili butter, with perfectly cooked snow peas. It had a little heat, but nothing too spicy that the sweetness couldn't balance out. We couldn't get enough and devoured the plate as quickly as possible. 

Trying to remain composed while pigging out, our second dish arrived. The Japanese Fried Chicken. Now when I said the Mongolian Beef was amazing, I hadn't yet factored in just how delicious the Japanese Fried Chicken was going to be. First it was coated in a savory quinoa tempura with a spicy aji glaze. There were hints of lime, sesame, and cilantro. But that sauce (which we kept repeating "THAT SAUCE" over and over like a couple of neanderthals), was so perfect with the fried chicken, it blew our minds. Come to find out later that it was simply a miso mayo, but it was so beautifully paired with the other flavors, that our taste buds sang with joyous flavor.

The waitress arrived shortly before we finished our plates to answer any additional questions, but we just gushed like newlyweds who were marrying the food. We then placed our dessert orders and again were blown away. We ordered the Peruvian Chocolate Cheesecake and the Fried Dough Cachangas. The experience nearly mimicked our dinners bite for bite.

First the Peruvian Chocolate Cheesecake was great. Like a beautifully edible piece of art. It was creamy, covered with purple cornmeal crumbs, guava-lime sherbet, strawberries, and came with these little Peruvian candies called Besos De Mosa. Delish!

But then we tried the Fried Dough Cachangas and again, our minds were blown. It was coated in miso-butterscotch (I guess I really like miso), with caramelized pineapple ice cream, and garnished with a couple dried pineapple chips. This dessert looked like pretzel bites coated in syrup, but with the consistency and flavor of sweet butterscotch French toast bites. Squishing the bites into the ice cream added another dimension of creamy flavor with the citrus of the pineapple rounding everything out.

Overall, we were both very impressed by the quality of food, service, and environment. An absolute must for anyone visiting the theater district.

RUKA gets a C. I felt like the asian-peruvian fusion didn't mesh as well as I would've hoped. There was an ingredient that overpowered the dish and didn't taste like it belonged in a handful of the items we ordered. With so many restaurants in the city, nothing stood out enough for a second visit.

Our server suggested 2-3 dishes per person. We ordered 6 dishes and left quite full!

What we drank: Cocktails were tasty
- Grand Kai
- Aki Sour

What we ordered:
- Crispy Rock Shrimp Makimono: didn't love pickled pineapple flavor
- Yuzu Lobster Makimono: It may just be me, but I don't know that lobster pairs well with sushi
- Hawaiian Crunch Makimono: One of the three sauces didn't mesh with the rest of the roll
- Japanese Fried Chicken: Very tasty, would suggest
- Yucca Wasabi Puffs: This was the best thing we ordered
- Yoshoku Cheese Sticks: Solid, would suggest

This place seems like a good spot to sit at the bar, grab a cocktail and an appetizer before a show due to its proximity to various theaters. Plus it's decor was trendy and the ambiance was clubby.

The ambience at Ruka was lively, hip, perfect for a girls night out or hanging with friends at Downtown Crossing at a place that is more upscale. The food was full of flavor, and in order to get the most of it, I recommend getting 2 plates per person, as the plates are more tapas style plating. The staff were friendly and very attentive. Take a look for yourself and see what you think sometime soon!

Came here on a Thursday night with dinner reservations and it was already super busy for both dining and bar area. Some people also stood and ate since there were no seats.

I recommend stopping by this place for unique drinks at a beautifully decorated bar and getting small apps like the lima style fried calamari. Other than that I wouldn't come back for dinner here, the menu is pretty basic and everything is just for visual aesthetics.

Also our waiter messed up our order, didn't write anything down. Our food came one by one although we ordered everything at the same time. The lobster roll took forever to come out, it came out 30 minutes after we finished all our food, one by one.

For a Peruvian-Asian restaurant the Asian influence seems to be a lot stronger. The only dish that I truly enjoyed is the lima style fried calamari. This was actually super flavorful and my favorite dish. Perhaps this is the only extremely good fusion food here.

The expansive sushi menu seems pretty basic, something you can definitely get at a regular sushi restaurant for way cheaper. I would not recommend getting sushi here if you love sushi and eat it frequently.

Overall, this place is definitely one of a kind. Beautifully decorated restaurant and beautiful presentation in all its dishes. However the aesthetics and beauty of it all doesn't reflect its atmosphere and the quality of food.