Bacterial detection is a highly topical research area, because various fields of application will benefit from the progress being made. Consequently, new and innovative strategies which enable the investigation of complex samples, like body fluids or food stuff, and improvements regarding the limit of detection are of general interest. Within this review the prospects of Raman spectroscopy as a reliable tool for identifying bacteria in complex samples are discussed. The main emphasis of this work is on important aspects of applying Raman spectroscopy for the detection of bacteria like sample preparation and the identification process. Several approaches for a Raman compatible isolation of bacterial cells have been developed and applied to different matrices. Here, an overview of the limitations and possibilities of these methods is provided. Furthermore, the utilization of Raman spectroscopy for diagnostic purposes, food safety and environmental issues is discussed under a critical view.