Takeout Stakeout: Chinatown plaza offers variety of Asian cuisines, price points

Today’s pick: Seoul Plaza

The sign for this modest-looking shopping complex on Spring Mountain Road, near Decatur Boulevard, identifies it as Seoul Plaza. That name is rarely used, however, by the foodies who flock here to enjoy what may be the best and most diverse collection of Japanese restaurants in the valley and their pan-Asian neighbors. A few tenants, including pioneering ramen spot Monta, remain temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 crisis, but many more are open for pickup. If you need something to wash down your meal, the local outpost of Kung Fu Tea is also open for boba teas, punches, slushes, espresso and other beverages.

Aburiya Raku: The Japanese restaurant that put Las Vegas’ “Chinatown” on the national culinary map is offering curbside pickup from noon to 8 p.m. daily. You can find the limited to-go menu, which includes bento boxes and bowls, on its Facebook page, along with any daily specials. The team advises that some dishes may be modified. A recent email to customers noted that “there might be a slight change in some of the bento due to content availability.” Order by phone, and it’s smart to call a day ahead for large orders. facebook.com/AburiyaRakulv, 702-367-3511

Trattoria Nakamura-Ya: This “Tokyo style Italian” spot, which has long been one of Las Vegas’ most interesting restaurants, features one of the plaza’s most extensive menus and its most convenient ordering system. Most offerings from its normal menu, which include fusions such as linguini and sea urchin in tomato cream sauce and spaghetti miso carbonara, can be ordered and paid for online at any time, with the guest setting a pickup time. “Lunch” specials are available from the 11:45 a.m. until the 8:30 p.m. last call daily. Beer, wine and sake are also available for pickup, along with soft drinks. nakamurayalv.com, 702-251-0022

Big Wong: The plaza’s popular and affordable Chinese-leaning Asian fusion joint is open for pickup from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. But those who aren’t familiar with the menu might have a hard time discovering what’s available. A menu is taped to the door, but we could not find a website. (Reached by phone, an employee directed us to Facebook, where we found little more than posts encouraging people to call.) Nonetheless, there are dozens of soups and noodles available, as well as dishes such as salt and pepper shrimp, steamed fish and grilled eel — with most priced at $10 or less. facebook.com/big-wong-restaurant, 702-368-6808

Kabuto: When Kabuto opened in 2012, it redefined sushi for a lot of Las Vegans by offering a level of quality and skill unlike anything on or off the Strip. In the years since, the only real downsides of this jewel box restaurant have been the difficulty in securing a reservation and sticker shock at the pricing. (Multicourse meals usually run from $48 to $120 a head.) Neither issue is present in the new, more affordable curbside service it’s planning to roll out this weekend. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, guests will be able to call in an order to be picked up between 5 and 9 p.m. The menu is limited to four different presentations of assorted fish (don, chirashi, nigiri and futomaki) priced from $16 to $28. facebook.com/kabutolv, 702-609-4113

Zen Japanese Curry: Nearly everything on the regular menu is available for pickup from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with the notable exceptions of the curry pan (house-specialty dumplings) and a tofu salad. The main attraction is, of course, the Japanese-style curry, which you order in your preferred level of spice, over vegetables or your choice of rice, with whatever toppings and/or proteins you choose. The menu is available on the website, but you need to phone in your order. curryzen.com, 702-985-1192

Sweets Raku: Japanese pastries offered at Aburiya Raku’s sister restaurant are among the most interesting desserts in the city. And while they aren’t re-creating the full menu for takeout, this is still a great spot to order a cake for a special occasion. Call a couple of days in advance, however, to make sure they have one. For those who don’t plan ahead, you can always call or check Facebook for daily specials. facebook.com/sweetsraku, 702-290-7181

Know a strip mall or shopping complex with three or more great restaurants you can hit in one stop? Email Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter.