We had an extremely memorable experience at Alley Twenty Six, in large part to our amazing server,…read moreAnthony! We made a reservation for a Saturday night dinner and he made sure we were well taken care of all night. We started the night with their James Bears award winning cocktails, and every drink we ordered was a hit! Spiced strawberry mule, Sunset Sipper, and the table favorite: Earl Please. The latter two drinks were mocktails and they were still standouts! As for the food, the Alley burger was perfectly cooked: juicy patty paired with truffle cheese and simple toppings that really highlighted the burger itself. And shoestring fries are always a good choice with a delicious burger. Ricotta gnocchi was also very good. As our server Anthony said, let's get this burger nominated!

It's always exciting to go to Alley26, namely for their food. Out of all the options in a block…read moreradius (with the exception of sushi nearby), I will always chose Alley26. Over burgers, over French food, over ramen, over Indian. Why? Because Alley26 serves delectable oysters, succulent burgers, and incredible tin fish. Yes, tin fish. If you haven't seen their extensive menu of fish, you must! While it's not for everyone, it is a tinned fish enthusiasts heaven! I go here to celebrate milestones with a good friend and we always have a mini feast, paired with a glass or two of wine. My favorite time to go is when the weather is comfortable and we can sit in the alley way, it's soooo chic that it feels like you're sitting outdoors at a meal in Italy of France. Service is always on point and I forget the bartenders name that is super knowledgeable and super kind. When I remember, I'll circle back to update this review. If you're thinking about this place, definitely check it out! The only inconvenience though is that I believe is 21+ over, at least at night it is.

I came here on a beautiful day With one of my friends, they…read moreare very clean and the aesthetic is almost like you walk into this new part of Durham We had the raw Omakase! It was great Everything they explained to me I forgot just as quickly, but I had my softest meats here Our server was very sweet and quick to make sure that we didn't ever have to wait for anything she explained each sushi individually and where the fish came from They ship everything from all over the world And the dessert was to die for This is dining like a princess This is the perfect place to take a woman on a date low effort on your part outside of needing to have a reservation*** The omakase is already chosen for you by the chef all you have to do is sit there and enjoy and experience the plates together! Extra brownie points if you can score going to M sushi then taking her to killjoy on Tuesday for their live music so you guys can dance or sit and enjoy more craft cocktails, and each each other's company!

around Downtown Durham and ended up at M Sushi on 311 Holland St. We just wanted something quick…read moreand ordered a few sushi rolls. The rolls looked pretty nice when they came out -- colorful with different toppings, sauces drizzled on top, and some green onions. The fish tasted fresh enough and the rice was okay, not too hard or mushy. But honestly, the flavors were just average. Some rolls were a bit too sweet from the sauce, others a little salty from the roe. It was creative, but nothing that really blew me away. The place has a nice warm wooden table vibe and the lighting is good for photos. Service was quick, no long wait. Price-wise, it felt a little expensive for Durham -- four rolls and we weren't super impressed with the value. It was fine for a casual meal, but I wouldn't go out of my way to come back just for the sushi. Might try something else next time or their omakase to see if it's better.

Mrs. Helen was our server tonight. She is also the restaurant owner and was an amazing host. The…read moreentire restaurant was very friendly and the food was so absurdly good. 10 out of 10 would recommend. The lighting was great in there and the posters were cool.

First off this unassuming ramen spot on 9th Street, is actually a great place to get a nice warm…read morebowl of ramen and get it quickly! If you have a short lunch break, this will be a great spot to warm up and get out and back to work on time. The service was good and the people were very friendly and attentive. I highly recommend it.

If I could give 0 starts to this place I would. On Monday 30th night, I went to have sushi there…read moreand the next morning I had food poisoning. I've been eating sushi for years and never had this issue. Definitely will NOT recommend. Definitely there's a sanitation issue.

My roommate and I swung by Kurama to get the lunch special- two sushi rolls, a soup, and salad with…read moredressing of choice. The soup and salad were both fresh and served as great starters. The star of the lunch was definitely the sushi though. I got the salmon roll and the eel roll. We also got the salmon skin a la carte to go! The fish felt fresh and the rice to fish ratio was great. Since we were in a rush, I appreciated that our waitress was accommodating. I found the service to be excellent. I will be back!

Juju is the perfect spot for a night out. The ambiance is dark and moody, but perfect to enjoy all…read morethe various dishes that are amazing for sharing. It is hard to pick a favorite, I would easily eat all of these dishes again and again. We started with the sweet chili cucumbers, a great combination of sweet and a touch of spice and the crispy brussels sprouts, also on the sweeter side. For our main dishes we enjoyed the garlic ramen noodles and mongolian beef. The ramen had a beautiful presentation, that let's you choose your own combination in every bite. The beef is paired with fingerling potatoes and got rave reviews from the whole table.

Food: 4 Service: 1…read moreWent in for lunch. Place not busy at all -- maybe 6 small tables of 2 or 3. Server interrupted...and interrupted...and interrupted. Friend ordered the Midnight Clove cocktail and I ordered a G&T with Conniption gin. Server returned to interrupt us and say they were "out of" the Midnight Clove cocktail. Friend ordered something else. Server returned to interrupt us and say they were out of Conniption gin-- which is made literally a mile and a half away. Another server interrupted our conversation to deliver something we hadn't ordered.... They just seemed surprised and completely unprepared to be in business. Food was great, though, especially the soup and the best tofu I've ever had. Bahn mi was served on soft bread a bit like ciabatta --I'd have preferred the more traditional crusty bread.

Dashi has been on my list forever, and it did not disappoint. I actually went right after coming…read moreback from Japan because I was missing the food and vibes, and this place really delivered. The ambience is beautiful and cozy, and the customer service was so warm and attentive. We sat upstairs in the izakaya during happy hour (Tuesday). The standout for me was the crispy tofu bao bun. The sauce in it was SO good, I honestly wish I had ordered more, especially since it was only $4. We also tried oysters for the first time (they were around $1.50-$1.99 during happy hour), and they were surprisingly delicious. We tried a few grilled skewers, shrimp, eggplant, and tofu, which were good, but not my absolute favorites of the night. The best was the egg sando. It might sound simple, but it was incredible, honestly tasted just like the ones I had in Japan, if not better. And the fries?? Perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. My new favorite fries in Durham.

We absolutely love this spot. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, the ramen is outstanding, and…read moreevery dish we ordered was thoughtfully prepared and full of flavor. We almost didn't come because of some of the lower ratings, but our experience couldn't have been better. Everything felt fresh, well-executed, and welcoming from start to finish. Our whole family had a fantastic dinner, and it will definitely be on our list every time we're back in Durham visiting Duke.

This is a seat yourself spot with QR codes at the table to order food and drinks. They have few…read moredifferent sections to sit with lots of tables. This was my first time sitting inside since it was such a cold day. Food came out very fast and was good. The Burrito Bowl is a lot of food, and I had plenty for leftovers.

We are all entitled to our own opinions, right? Well here's mine:…read more Parking: 5 Location: 5 Decor/ambiance: 5 Customer Service: 5 This is one of Durham's best-kept secrets. If everyone knew about this spot, then there would be a line that stretched from Durham to Florida.

First time trying Kanki Japanese House . My friend brought me here for my birthday lunch and we…read morewere seated right away and had an option to either sit at a table or where the chef actually cooks all the food in front of you. We chose that part as we enjoyed watching our food being prepared and we wanted a little entertainment while we were having our lunch. We ordered the hibachi shrimp with vegetables, fried rice and salad. The salad came with a couple of options for dressings and I chose the ginger and this was delicious. The salad was fresh and a good portion. The vegetables were cooked perfectly, the zucchini and mushrooms were exactly the way I like them prepared. The shrimp was cooked very well and the shrimp were fresh and plump. I love the sauce that you get when you order hibachi food and they gave us plenty. Our server was very nice and attentive he came back and checked on us brought us drinks when we were running low. They asked if we we we're celebrating a birthday or an anniversary and I said a birthday. At the end of the meal, a group of the staff came out and sang a song in Japanese and played a bongo and served a scoop of sherbet. It was really cute. And we enjoyed the entertainment of our food being prepared. This restaurant is clean and neat and we enjoyed our lunch today. I will be back.

TLDR: Food was good but expensive, I felt included with a shellfish allergy, servers were kind of…read moremeh and the wait took a while, drinks were good. I said I'd never be back but came for a birthday party dinner. This visit was by far better than the last visit. After letting the chef know about my shellfish allergy, he did the correct thing and cooked everything that was non-seafood first so that I could still receive food at the table so I didn't feel left out.He shouldn't get in trouble for it because I'm completely fine and I've had other restaurants do the exact same thing. I will say it took us a long time to be fed. I would say upwards of 20 minutes before we even got a chef at our table. We also ended up bringing in a cake for the birthday party and although we got permission to bring it- when we asked for plates they said that they didn't have any. You're telling me a restaurant not have plates so that we can cut this cake? I think it would've made more sense if they just said no food from outside if they were gonna act like that. It's like they didn't wanna do more dishes. The highlights were the strawberry mango drink that I had which was very good. The steak hibachi was also good and that was my first time having it. Still $27 for about 6 ounces of steak and rice, and veggies seem steep.

This was such a fun new poke bowl place to try! The portions were awesome, and they had a huge…read morevariety of meats, toppings, and bowls. Love supporting the small business, and would definitely come back.

My friend and I came on a Saturday evening for an early dinner. We were the only people in the shop…read moreand we were helped right away. The workers were friendly and eager to help which made the ordering process smooth. There were only a few tables indoors, so we sat at a table outside. I decided to build my own poke bowl, and my friend got a poke burrito. There was a good variety of protein and topping options, and for the price the bowl was decently sized. I usually like to get my sauce on the side rather than in the bowl, but when I asked for the sauce on the side the worker informed me that there would be an extra charge for that. Due to that, I decided to just get the sauce in the bowl, but I thought that was a bit strange since most other eateries do not charge extra for that. Luckily, I ended up liking the sauce I chose and I enjoyed the bowl, so aside from that I had a good experience dining here!

My boyfriend and I made a reservation for their Kaiseki tasting menu and it was fantastic. I don't…read morelike steak but clearly I've been eating the wrong kind of steak because the A5 wagyu was delicious. I was worried we wouldn't be full but both of us left completely satisfied. Our waiter was extremely kind and knowledgeable. It was a wonderful experience and we would 100% do it again!

Had a date night here (sat at the bar- which you can reserve online), and did the "Kaiseki"…read more(Japanese tasting) menu. It's about 10 courses for $130- and I felt it was well worth the price. The quality of the fish was great, the flavor combinations were unique, and each course was different from each other (I appreciated only one course- with 4 items- was tempura/fried). You can add on additional tempura items at one point in the meal, and you can add on a wine and sake tasting. My favorite courses of the meal were the FIRST "seabass sammie" and the brie tempura (get the add on if it's not included in your menu!!!!) Some of the courses were interactive (I.e. cooking lobster in butter) and made for a cool, fun, and unique experiences. The restaurant is small and cozy (limited seating, so make a reservation far in advance), and both the waiters and the chefs were extremely friendly and engaging (sit at the bar counter). Really enjoyed all of the food, and an opportunity to wear something nice, and to eat something different (than what you're used to in Durham). I appreciated they had 2 other tasting menus, for cheaper prices (one was only $38), and that every tasting menu was VERY different from each other (makes it easy to come back multiple times). Would highly recommend M Tempura, and will definitely be back!