I honestly don't need to review this food. It always speaks for itself…read more Mazemen with extra broth, chili butter and meatballs... sake or Kirin to wash it down. Give their Izakaya a chance sometime. A little pricey, but worth it!

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.

If you're looking for a meal that'll make you wish you could eat the same thing every day, M Kokko…read moreis the place to be. We went with three people, and, as soon as the dishes hit the table, we were completely blown away. The menu is perfectly curated (thankfully, not overwhelming), and honestly, you can't go wrong with anything on it. We kicked things off with the Nashville hot chicken wings, which packed a punch but were perfectly crispy, followed by the pork belly bao--oh my--it was so tender and flavorful, it practically melted in your mouth. The beef noodles? Unfortunately, we got so caught up in devouring them, we forgot to take a picture, but let me just say they were divine. Tender beef, savory broth, and noodles that soaked up all the goodness--you can't leave without trying them. We washed it all down with some sake and a beer, but at this point, we were eating so fast and in such bliss that we were already planning our next trip before we even finished our meal. The service was also top-notch, which only made the experience that much better. If you're in Durham, you need to make M Kokko a priority. Trust me, it's worth every bite. We'll definitely be back.

My wife and I are local to the RTP area and wanted to try a new place in Durham. Given the reviews…read moreon this place, we were looking forward to try it. However, we were utterly disappointed with our food there. The bao buns had a tender pork in it but the only sauce it included was hoisin which made it too salty. The Korean fried chicken in the 'Spicy' flavor was flavorless. The sauce was extremely bland alongside the chicken meat inside. Don't let the red bright color deceive you, we kept wondering when the 'spice' would kick it (it never did!). We each got a curry udon and added chicken to it. As frequent curry eaters, we wanted the Asian flavors we enjoy however, this udon was bland as well. The chicken we asked to be added felt like it was just chopped and put over the udon with no actual flavor integration into the dish. We left this place feeling like it was a waste of our money. Given their higher prices, I would've expected something A LOT better with some real Asian flavors.

Finally made it to Roses, and appreciate that reservations were offered for lunchtime, because it's…read morealways a gamble venturing out to lunch and making it back to work on time. The food. Not your traditional noodles, bao or gyoza but more like home made versions of Asian fare. I opted for the half salads because I like variety, dishes were served whenever they ready, which worked for us. The pepper salad was sweet yet flavorful, the squash salad even moreso, with a jicama-like texture topped with chili's, seeds and ground black sesame, The bao filling was saucy and sweet, the gyoza mixed with shrimp and chicken savory. Even though we were full we couldn't ignore desert, so split the passion fruit tres leches cake, which was fantastic. You can feel an intention here, as food is made with thought and creativity. I'm already planning my return. UPDATE: Returned the next day and tried the blue fish oni giri, katsu sando and spring rolls. All fantastic!

I have been to Rose's once before this and absolutely loved the food. They are vegan and vegetarian…read morefriendly, so when my colleague was coming into town, I was excited to take her here. I made a reservation for 6:30pm on a Friday. I recognize sometimes exact reservation times cannot be honored but I was a little concerned at how slow the service was and how crowded the already small space was. They could not really give us an idea of when we would be sat and so we had to just kind of shuffle around to keep trying to be out of the way. It took about 15 minutes before a table finally opened up and we were able to sit. From there, the service continued to be slow. I know the staff - both servers and kitchen - were working hard. I don't blame them as much as it feels like they are understaffed and stretched thin. Overall, it took a while for us to get our food, and we were all hangry by the time we had food. The servers were running around so it took a while whenever we needed something or ran out of water. The food itself surprised me. I know the menu was small and curated but I was actually surprised how little variety there was. And I don't know if I would consider this a vegan/vegetarian friendly place anymore. While they do have dishes and options, it is minimal. I got the pork and mushroom dumplings, pork bao bun, onigiri, and the housemade belt noodles. Both the dumplings and belt noodles were coated in a chili oil that made them almost inedible. And I like spicy! But this was too much. My favorite was the onigiri. Overall, between wait, service, quality, and price, I do not think I will be back.

Man, this is one of those places where I forgot to take a photo before I ate my full entree because…read moreas soon as I saw it I was ready so ready to devour it, I couldn't help myself. The ramen here is AAAAMAZING! Easily the best I've found in the area and every time we've been here (which is 4 times) my brain shuts off and my ramen becomes my entire focus and I dive in. They have a great selection of sushi rolls as well. The servers are so sweet and they are ready to go as soon as you are. Another one of the reasons we love coming here. Appetizers are all great ways to start your experience. Literally everything you order will be served fresh and hot. The spicy garlic edamame and tonkotsu garlic ramen are my favorites. I get a side of chili paste and add it to my broth for an extra kick and it never disappoints. Sake and soyu choices are limited, but everything else about the place makes up for that! A dining session here will not disappoint! :) interior is designed well, booths slightly uncomfortable but the quality and service make you forget. Another random thing I have to say is that they have mouthwash in the bathrooms so that's an automatic 5 stars for me because most of the time when you get those rich broths and spices, our breaths can take a beating. It's there to freshen you up!!! I love that. See? Another way they look out and are there to assist their customers :)

Very nice experience at Hokkaido Ramen House this week!…read more Great menu, really good tasting entrees, and service is incredible. We ordered a Ramen Bowl and a Rice Bowl. Both tasting, and served to order. Our server was exceptional! On point, friendly, helpful, thorough. Such a great service!

Finally had a chance to try Wheat this week and boy was it worth the wait! We had minced beef…read morenoodles and braised beef noodle soup. Also got some pork dumplings. I tried a lemon/lime drink that was very tasty and refreshing. The restaurant was super clean. We were seated and orders taken quickly. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful. Our food was very delicious and flavorful! Portions were perfect- not huge but not too small either. The waiter talked us into dessert since they make some homemade on site. I tried the tiramisu cake- yum! Prices were about what most places are charging for entrees now. I'll be back!

I've visited Wheat twice now, and honestly had mid experiences both times…read more During the most recent visit, there was no host at the front of the restaurant, and it was unclear whether someone would seat us or whether we seat ourselves. We waited for a bit, and eventually someone approached us, but that was a little annoying. Service after that was fine and relatively fast. Food-wise, I got the Home-style braised tofu and Mango pomelo sago. The tofu had a savory sauce that didn't have a ton of flavor other than braised soy, but did have lots of well-cooked veggies and large tofu pieces. At some point they ran out of rice, and the rice they did give me a lot later was unfortunately overcooked. The mango pomelo sago was really good actually, perfect amount of sweetness, strong mango and pomelo flavors, nice texture from sago. Ambiance is nice. Parking in this area is a little limited. 6.5/10 would maybe recommend.

I came in here to get some dinner for 1 to go. I got an order of fried pot stickers and a spicy…read moreramen. I prefer steamed pot stickers but they didn't seem to have that in the menu. There was no wait as I was the only person inside although they were working on orders for door dash and phone orders but even still I had maybe a 10 minute wait at most. It was very quiet as I waited, no TVs or anything like that inside making noise. For my tamen I got the spicy Malay ramen which was very good, very full of various toppings and meat etc. the broth had a good spicy heat as well. My only complaint would be they the ramen was pretty lemongrass heavy and I'm not a super big lemongrass fan but if you are you're gonna love it!

Urban has been on my list of places to try for quite some time and I finally made it! Let me tell…read moreyou it did not disappoint! The location was great and the restaurant itself was cute with IG worthy background. The staff were patient, helpful, and really nice. I ordered the spicy beef rib soup with hand pulled noodles, you literally watch them make the noodles through a small window. The soup was hot and flavorful with a hint of spice. They are not stingy with the rib I got 3 big pieces and had some to take home. I also tried the Bang Bang bun. That was equally as tasty. The bun was soft m, shrimp was crispy and the cucumber added a nice crunch. I ordered the pickled radish but it wasn't my favorite. It wasn't bad but not what I'm use to when I think of pickled radish. Overall I t was worth the hype!

Absolutely one of the best places to eat. The food is amazing and the price point is very…read morereasonable. The owner is a delight to talk with and he cares a lot about his food. I have eaten here many times and have NEVER had a bad dish. Honestly, an underrated gem in Durham. The noodle bowls are wonderful and the mango dessert is amazing. If you don't want too much heat, they'll adjust to your taste. The appetizers are just enough not to "ruin" your meal but exquisitely made. Delicious.

I love the noodles here. Since developing food intolerances, I have to be more careful with my…read moreselection though. Today when I called to ask about if the coconut noodle soup had any pork broth, garlic, or onion (things I have to avoid or I will get sick), I could hear a man on the other end of the call being very rude towards me and the girl asking about the ingredients on my behalf. Stuff like this is what steers people with intolerances away from eating out or asking more information about the food we might want to buy. I didn't want a recipe as he suggested, I simply wanted to know if it had anything that is a common allergies or intolerance. Even when I provided the specific things I have issues with, this man continued to be rude. He had an attitude and was saying, "it's coconut" with a rude tone, as if I was dumb for asking if it has any type of broth in the soup. Meanwhile, many restaurants can make soups with chicken broth and other broths and it still be "coconut" or another flavor so I found that really aggravating. Food is a five a star but the man with the attitude bumped it down to three. 4/20: In response to owner's response-- Let's remember that people can develop food intolerances and allergies as they get older. I was having consistent issues before because I did not know what foods gave me issues and pain. However, now I know and am trying to be careful with what I eat. Additionally, recipes can change over time, just like people and their health. I was just asking and you were very dismissive and rude to both me and your staff.

Really enjoyed the food. But every time I go it takes about 20 minutes for it to be ready. So plan…read moreaccordingly if you want Korean fried chicken.

100/10 experience truly amazing that a place like this exists here!! We love Korean food and…read moreespecially Korean fried chicken but it's difficult to find halal options so we're so happy this place exists. The food was truly phenomenal and left overs heat up perfectly in the air fryer so we had chicken for two days because these portions are huge! The service was super kind and even brought us extra sauces when we wanted to make the fried rice more spicy. All in all excellent menu with lots of variety and great experience, can't wait to be back!

Not sure how I have lived in Chapel Hill almost 5 yrs, have driven by these place almost daily and…read morenever tried it. I must admit, the outside and parking lot leaves a lot to be desired but the inside is a secret garden! So, I am so glad a friend asked us to meet here for lunch yesterday. No greeter and the main entrance and different parts that don't appear to be part of Namu but all are ‍. So, if it's your first time know this. All food is ordered by a QR code which is fine but again if it's your first time, there's no one even walking around that you can ask questions to. But, let's talk about the main star-the food. I like Korean food, have had the widely known bulgogi, kimchi etc. My eyes were startled to see gimbap on the menu. After watching Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix and becoming obsessed with it, IYKYK; I had to try the gimbap. I loved, loved the shrimp tempura gimbap. It was generous portions so I got to bring some home. And, the six different homemade sauces were delicious too...I tried them all. Definitely I will be back and I loved the ambiance!

This is such a cool place to pop in for coffee, lunch, work time or just to hang. I barely found…read morethis place as it's kinda hidden off the main road but once inside it seems to go on and on with many spaces to hide or be seen. I met some friends for lunch and we landed in the outdoor space which is super nice. They have an efficient ordering system - scan QR code and not long after our order arrived. They have a system to flag a staff member if you need additional service. I ordered one of there popular dishes as I love poke bowls. Bibimbap with chicken. Lots of veggies and served over rice or not. This was interesting and good. The ambiance is cool and I loved the vibe here.

On our anniversary trip, my husband and I wanted to try something exotic and we figured, why not…read moregive Filipino food a try! We were not disappointed! We arrived at 8p on a Friday night to a busy but fun scene in a smaller but chic restaurant. The waitresses and waiters were all very pleasant and sat us quickly. I had a lychee limeade mocktail and my husband had a San Miguel beer. We ordered crispy Brussels sprouts and Lumpiang Shanghai roles.....one word....delicious! Do yourself a favor and order these rolls! For dinner, I had a tofu fried rice and my husband had a chicken stir fry, which both tasted so light and fresh! Definitely worth the visit!! Food quality: 4.5/5 Customer service: 4/5 Value for cost: 4.5/5

This was a wonderful place to try Philippino food! My first time trying this type of food and what…read moreto pick. My friend is from that area of the world and on her recommendation we tried this new place in downtown Durham. It was terrific, what a find! The restaurant's unique handmade paintings on walls and other Philippino decor was very eclectic and cool. They had a hand painted mural of the famous Chef Anthony Bourdain Which was cool but he's from New York so I'll have to ask the owner about that next time I come back. Lol The place was packed and we were walk ins but the owner was at the reception desk and told us to wait and she might be able to find us a table. We were in luck and she directed us to the back room. The server was extremely knowledgeable about all the dishes. Since I had my Philippino friend along she told us what she liked as well as the helpful server. The food was delicious and had a beautiful presentation. What I ate I can't pronounce so look at my pics of the menu ;) I had a bowl w beef filet, onions, tomatoes, cucumber lining the bowl w Jasmine rice and a fried egg on top. My friend had oxtail and the other had an appetizer of Lumplang Shanghai and entre of Pancit Behon, all food was extraordinary and large portions. No doubt that was why the place was packed! It's a great place in downtown Durham to check out next time you want to have some adventurous dining. Kain Po Tayo! (Enjoy your meal!)