Sweets Raku

There’s something to be said about a place that specializes in desserts that’s more than an ice cream shop or a cute cafe with baked goods. A place that oozes affordable decadence with desserts you’d expect to pay easily double for. A place that prides itself on an ever-changing menu of fascinating edibles so that every visit is a new experience. Sweets Raku is just such a place in Las Vegas.


I’ve been frequenting this tiny, no reservations spot for a few years now. Originally the idea was that $19 would land you a 3-course dessert, as well as a fancy edible menu served with some of the best, homemade fruit sauce imaginable. While gone are the 3-course desserts (replaced with a much more manageable 2-course set for $15 with a la carte extras available) and the edible menus (save for special occasions), Sweets Raku has consistently delivered high class seasonally rotating desserts, an expanded savory menu, one of the nicest bathrooms in town, and just happens to play background music from Ni no Kuni on a regular basis.

Sweets Raku is the brainchild of Chef Mitsuo Endo of Las Vegas’s beloved izakaya, Raku, and Pastry Chef Mio Ogasawara. Ogasawara’s offerings also include various to-go options (such as pound and roll cakes, macarons, and assorted cookies), a wondrous selection of tea and coffee, and my favorite lunch deal in town. While the desserts may be a little bit on the pricey side (a “main course” dessert by itself will run you $12), more care and attention to it you might not find. Desserts are made and assembled to order, and sitting at the bar area allows you to watch Ogasawara and her staff work on them in front of you. An almost sterile white atmosphere allows the bursts of color from the dishes themselves to be overwhelming, and they’re happy to tell you what the dishes consist of and the optimal way to eat them.

The current dessert set offering lands you a daily sorbet (usually seasonal fruit such as mango or raspberry, with the option of blueberry champagne showing up), and a main course dessert chosen from a set of 5. Quick it may not be, but it’s a good way to spend some time relaxing after a long day.


For their lunch special, $23 will get you a 3-course lunch and the 2-course dessert set, a mind blowing amount of well made fresh food that might make your regular lunches seem lame in comparison. The lunch set consists of a tiny amount of soup (their lobster bisque is so good that it’s frustrating you get so little), a green salad with a side of Japanese potato salad, and a sandwich or wrap of your choice. The sandwiches are served on croissants that are made in house, and everything has the same care and attention to detail that the desserts do.

Over the years offerings have included:

The Red Rock: a raspberry lava cake featuring a sugar string veil, with homemade ice cream

The Mount Fuji: their take on a mont blanc cake

The Baton: a chocolate wafer tube filled with fruits, nuts, and cream

Apple Pie: served with honey ice cream and a hollow sugar apple filled with whipped cream and caramel

The Sunset: champagne jelly, whipped cream, assorted fruits and a homemade pastry puff

The Soleil: a hollow orange ice cream ball filled with chunks of fruit and creme de cassis

The Angel Cream: a cream cheese mousse with pear and cookie bits

The Mars: a chocolate sphere hiding a mound of fruits and cookies, which is melted by pouring on fire cognac atop it

The Carib: Panna cotta and various fruits in a wine glass, topped with a chocolate disk and hot mango sauce

The Jack in the Cup: caramelized bananas beneath a chocolate souffle, filled with a cinnamon cream, served with a side of coconut ice cream

The Spring Mountain: a pistachio and chocolate version of their Mount Fuji, served with kiwi and berries

Various seasonal sorbets (the blueberry champagne one is the best)

The Salmon and Ikura sandwich (one of my favorite sandwiches available in Las Vegas)

I can’t recommend this place enough. I’ve taken so many people who’ve come to visit Las Vegas here, and every time has been wonderful. If you’re ever in town, stop by, and be delighted. And if you really want to have a fancy cake, they’ll do custom orders for you to enjoy at home.


-Janette (anarchymarie)

Sweets Raku
5040 W Spring Mountain Rd #3, Las Vegas, NV 89146
M/T/Th/F: 6 pm to 12 am, Sat/Sun: 12 pm to 12 am

Price range: $$