If you are ever in Ewa Beach, be sure to check out The Raft Neighborhood Kitchen. Rokaru Shabu Shabu Owners Reid Watanabe and Mark Ishii opened the new restaurant with two of their friends in August of 2019.
The Raft Neighborhood Kitchen, located in the Ewa Villages Golf Course, was previously The Ville, a sports bar with live music. Why make the change?
“We wanted to fit into the community more and be more family orientated,” Ishii explained. “The Raft is a place to have fun, talk story and enjoy comfort food.”
Comfort food like lobster mac n cheese, chicken and waffles and loco mocos, just to name a few of their mouthwatering dishes.
“My favorite dish would be the braised short ribs,” said Ishii. “But I love the fish tacos.”
Ishii, who follows the keto lifestyle, says the menu can easily be tweaked to be keto friendly.
“Instead of flour tortillas with our mahi mahi fish tacos, you can enjoy them in lettuce cups.”
Not into fish? “ You can also have a bunless burger, ” said Ishii.
The Raft Neighborhood Kitchen opened on August 16, 2019 and serves more than just comfort food. The owners of the restaurant hope to lift your spirits, which is where the name Raft Kitchen came from.
“You know when you boil something, the brown stuff that floats on the top of the pot is called the raft,” explained Ishii. “The raft is basically all the impurities removed from the food and floating on top of the broth. The analogy is that we are getting rid of the impurities in your life and making it positive.”
The Raft can also be taken literally. When you get on a raft you are floating rather than sinking. The Raft Neighborhood Kitchen strives to uplift everyone who drops in for some delicious food and drinks.
Ishii’s favorite cocktail is the Guava Mojito. It’s only one of several hand-crafted drinks served up with aloha from The Raft’s full bar.
Diners can also enjoy a game of darts, or sing their hearts out with karaoke daily. What can be more uplifting than belching out your favorite songs with your friends, all while enjoying onolicious comfort food!? It can’t get any better than this!
To learn more about The Raft Neighborhood Kitchen and view its enticing menu, visit their website. You can also follow them on Instagram.
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