A Gram-stain-positive, ovoid, lactic acid bacterium, strain LMG 27676T, was isolated from a spoiled sous-vide-cooked rutabaga. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that the novel strain belongs to the genus Leuconostoc, with Leuconostoc kimchii and Leuconostoc miyukkimchii as the nearest neighbours (99.1 and 98.8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity towards the type strain, respectively). Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene, multilocus sequence analysis of the pheS, rpoA and atpA genes, and biochemical and genotypic characteristics allowed differentiation of strain LMG 27676T from all established species of the genus Leuconostoc. Strain LMG 27676T ( = R-50029T = MHB 277T = DSM 27776T) therefore represents the type strain of a novel species, for which the name Leuconostoc rapi sp. nov. is proposed.