Ra has a lot going on during happy hour. It's offered Monday thru Saturday from 4-7 pm and Sundays have their own special going on. I like the long hours and it's one of the few happy hours in town that runs until 7.
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| Drink menu- beer, wine, and cocktails |
The specials are pretty phenomenal with two separate menus for food and drinks. Everything is between 2-7 dollars, so not putting too much stress on the wallet.
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| Food menu, lots of options to make a substantial meal |
This wasn't my first visit to Ra and while I'm always partial to the sake bomb, I tried to be slightly classier on this visit. My friend and I both went with the sake sangria, red for her and white for me. The drinks have a nice mixture of sake, wine, and fruit juice, so they're sweet, but not cloyingly so. The white is a bit lighter than the red and more summery, perfect for the Tucson heat.
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| There was some fruit in the drink, and I'm always down for a cherry. |
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| Good, but I prefer the white. |
The food is really the main attraction of the happy hour. There's both sushi and appetizers offered on the menu, and I always walk away pretty pleased with the meal. We decided to order the vegetable tempura, shisito peppers, and the Viva Las Vegas roll.
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| Tiny serving of vegetable tempura, $6 |
We both thought the serving size of the dish was a little puny, and it's one of the more expensive dishes on their happy hour menu. I've ordered it before and it's definitely gone down in quantity. The food was good, but I'm not sure if you can ever go wrong with deep-fried anything. The vegetables were composed of asparagus, onion, squash and sweet potato. Two of each piece, so it's perfect for two people, but it wouldn't be substantial for a larger group.
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| Viva Las Vegas roll- kani kama crab & cream cheese rolled in rice & seaweed, lightly tempura battered & topped with spicy tuna, kani kama crab mix & sliced lotus root; finished with a sweet eel sauce & spinach tempura bits |
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| Close up on the roll |
The Viva Las Vegas roll is one of Ra's signature items. There's really a lot going on in the roll- crab, cream cheese, tuna in a nice tempura fried package. The roll is normally $12 dollars, but is 7 during happy hour. My friend enjoyed the roll, but said she wouldn't order it unless it was discounted.
The shisito peppers might be my favorite thing on the menu. They are sauteed with "asian seasoning," I think it tastes like a mixture of garlic, ginger, and soy sauce and served about 15-20 in an order. They're mainly mild, but some of them have a bite to them. These are only 4 dollars during happy hour, which is pretty normal for a side dish.
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| Shisito Peppers... yum |
I'm a fan of Ra in general, but there's a few things that bother me. One, the dim lighting. They have a nice patio out front (my favorite place to sit), but it's always packed. Basically, to make happy hour timing, you sit inside where it's so dark you can't see your food. I know they're trying to create some ambiance, but it would be nice if they could turn the lights up a little. Second, the food always comes in a strange order. We got the sushi roll right away, while the peppers came 5 minutes later, and the tempura after that. It's fine if you're sharing everything, but when you're not it's a bit awkward for the person to look at their food pretending that they don't want to eat it.
I wouldn't suggest eating here regularly as the bill tends to stack up. But, the food is consistently good and you can't beat the variety of the food and drink during happy hour.
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| Enjoying my sake sangria in the dim restaurant. |
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Overview:
Time: Monday- Saturday, 3-7 pm.
Specials: Large selection of food and drink priced between 2-7 dollars.
Rating: 4.5/5 shots
Ra
2905 E Skyline Dr # 289,
Tucson, AZ 85718
