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    M Izakaya

    4.0 (49 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 9:30 pm

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    Bar area
    Nikki C.

    M Izakaya never misses. I've ordered the X.O. fried rice to-go twice, and it was delicious both times. The serving is enough for 2-3 ppl. Flavorful, filling, and cooked just right. If you're craving comfort food with a little extra flair, this one's a win.

    Corn ribs
    Hung L.

    The hot saki is ok and should been warmer. The sauce that comes with salad is good. Corn ribs is also our favorite even though it is simple dish. Scallop crudo is the best of all. Quite fresh and they go well with the oil. KFC wings are very crunchy on the outside. The sauce on these wings are perfect not like any other restaurants where the outside of the wings have strong favor but inside is quite plain. Charsiu pork is really good and work quite well with the buns and sauce. The 2 disappointed dishes are the fish and fried rice. Nothing special about the way they grill the fish. The fried rice is pretty salty. O would stay away from these 2 dishes. The environment is pretty nice and upscale. Not noisy.

    Torellini Dumplings
    Sydney H.

    I was so excited to try another M restaurant and this place did not disappoint! I came with a friend for dinner on a thursday night and had a reservation. The restaurant was relatively small inside and they had bar seating. We were told my our server that the plates were meant to be shared and each course got bigger as you go on. My friend and I shared a bunch of dishes and they were all delicious. I will say, it was a little pricey for the portions you got. I didn't feel like the shu mai was worth the $15. Loved the sushi roll we got and the dumplings. The ishikaya Bbq was good and we got 5 oz of Wagyu beef. We got a matcha cheesecake to end the meal and it was good. I spent about $65 (this is how much i paid after splitting the bill) with no drinks and that was before tip. I would recommend this place for a special occasion

    Bday girl & mom
    Morgan L.

    I enjoyed this restaurant several times when it was M test kitchen and love the menu they created. It's family style and they recommend 2-3 plates person. The sushi was good but one had huge portions that could be cut in half. Still love the little gem salad and fried rice. My dad and everyone enjoyed the fish. Sake was refreshing but I wish the more expensive options had smaller pours. Of course I'll be back!

    Matcha Pistachio cake
    Anvita S.

    The fluffy tofu on the gem salad was delicious, but the sweet and caramelized pumpkin squash kobucha was the best dish of the night. We also loved the broccolini and arancini and moist matcha pistachio cake.

    Yubie A.

    Food first: Food taste and experience all amazing! Best fried rice we've had, excellent Char Siu, amazing fried chicken skin and salmon tataki. Hamachi Kama was unique with its hot sauce. Not surprised all M Restaurant is awesome. Ambiance: Sat in the bar not the best bar seating we've ever experience but acceptable. Service: Very shockingly BAD. Food came out good timing but the waiter we had was very robotic, asking over and over again if we want our dishes to be taken away even when there is still food there. Person/ sous chef (?) standing behind the bar has a weird "stare" vibe. Mike Lee came out to the kitchen all staff was hands on talking to him and didn't pay attention to anyone eating there. I don't expect him to talk to us but maybe a small acknowledgement to customers would be a good touch. Especially a new establishment for him.

    Sahib G.

    M test kitchen is located in Fenton alongside M Sushi. M Test features a constantly evolving menu that is curated keeping the ingredients and unique flavors in mind. The menu is tapas style so ordering multiple plates or sharing is recommended so you can try multiple items. It was four of us and we literally ordered everything from the menu. Every dish was unique and flavorful. They put their own unique twist on every that you won't find something similar elsewhere. We enjoyed everything we had. And since the menu changes, I can go back and try something new next time.

    Tortellini dumplings
    Jill C.

    This review is actually for the M Izakaya restaurant formerly the M test kitchen. I enjoyed dinner here with my daughter and the food was fantastic! We ordered the chicken skins, tortellini dumplings, scallop crudo, screaming O roll, and the pork and shrimp shumai. The drinks were crisp and refreshing, and our water was consistently refilled. Our server seemed to be the host as well as the only server in the restaurant which made her very busy. We were seated and a few minutes later our drink order was taken, we were ready to put our food order in but she advised to let her get the drink order in first. We waited another 15 minutes for our drinks only for another couple to come in and sit next to us and get their food order taken before ours. This was frustrating as we were prepared to order our food at the same time as our drinks but now got to watch food being delivered to the table next to us while we patiently waited for ours. The scallop crudo was amazing. I've never had scallops served with such accompaniments and the flavors and textures were delightful! The chicken skins were not my fave but my daughter devoured them. The screaming O roll was yummy with the fresh fish and ponzu sauce. The XO fried rice was delicious and savory. The shumai was perfectly steamed and delicious. The tortellini dumplings were scrumptious! The sauce that accompanied the dish was addictive! I'll be back to try more but probably won't order the mixed drinks again. I loved that we could watch the chefs prepare the food in the open kitchen, you can see they truly love what they're doing.

    Arancini Ochazuke
    Brian L.

    I've been to several of the other M restaurants, so I have a baseline in terms of quality in food and service that I expect from one of their restaurants. Out of all the locations so far, I would say M Test has the best service. M Test gets the basics done well, but also goes above and beyond and does the little things right. They explained each of the parts of the dish, which isn't critical, but shows that the staff know what is going on and what is being served. I think the biggest thing was that each of the courses were timed incredibly well. By the time we finished eating each course, the next course was ready and out within roughly 2-3 min. Amazing work by the team. As for the food, I was really impressed with some and less so by the others. The tuna tataki and pearl meatballs I wasn't all too impressed by. I definitely have had better at normal sushi spots/dim sum. Also in my opinion just weren't all that creative in terms of execution. The rest of the courses were fantastic though. The arancini was my favorite, the edamame puree was superb and a very interesting concept that I've never had before. The fish curry was cooked to perfection, and as a fan of bamboo shoots I found this one particularly enjoyable. For dessert, we ordered the cherry & chocolate, which is cherry blossom ice cream surrounded by chocolate ganache cake, black sesame granola, and a sour cherry puree. The contrast between the ganache cake and the sour puree paired well with the light ice cream. Overall, great experience and will be back again.

    Spicy Pork Belly
    Sarah M.

    Returned to one of our favorites, M Test Kitchen, and of course she did not disappoint! Our waitress was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the menu, which is always very much appreciated. The timing between courses was perfect. We got the little gem salad again because it is so unique and packs so much smoky, umami flavor. The spicy pork belly was superb - I've never had pork belly prepared cold and sliced like this, and it was surprisingly tender with the perfect amount of spice. The tuna tataki was stunning in presentation, and was a solid tataki dish, but I likely would not order again as it wasn't anything special, especially compared with the other two first course dishes. The loaded tots came out piping hot with the bonito flakes moving on top, which was fun to watch - these were delicious and perfectly fried. The arancini was very mild in flavor - I could taste a bit of green tea, but could have used some salt and more flavor in general. The X.O. fried rice and fish green curry other dishes we have tried before and will continue to order every time we come. The duck with "duck sauce" had a nicely seared duck breast, but what I loved the most was the duck leg confit with the hash. We couldn't decide between the two dessert options, so we just ordered both. To our surprise, the kiwi lime sorbet was our favorite - it was more gooey than a sorbet and the kiwi flavor was superb, unlike anything I have ever eaten before. The matcha pistachio was pretty good - I love pistachio desserts, although the cake could have been a tad more moist and I wish the ice cream had more pistachio flavor, but it was incredibly creamy. 9/10 s (again) *Little Gem Salad: red miso dressing, sesame seed, smoked tofu grated like cheese *Spicy Pork Belly: thin sliced & chilled pork, Szechuan chili, soybean sauce, cucumber, cilantro *Bluefin Tuna Tataki: seared bluefin, ponzu sauce, togarashi, aonori flakes, rice puffs *Loaded Tots: Okonomiyaki style crispy fried potatoes, kewpie, sweet soy, furikake, smoked bonito flakes *Arancini Ochazuke: green tea bamboo rice risotto, panko crust, edamame puree, yuzu red onions, nori *X.O. Fried Rice: Kani crab, bacon, fresno chili, onions, garlic, egg threads, scallion *Fish Green Curry: w/ oyster mushrooms, bamboo shoots, cilantro, Thai basil *Duck with "Duck Sauce": pan-seared duck breast, leg confit, sweet potato kohlrabi hash, scallions, apricot duck sauce, Thai basil *Kiwi Lime Sorbet: fresh kiwi pieces, toasted hazelnut, fresh mint *Matcha Pistachio: pistachio cake, matcha pistachio ice cream, rice crispy crumb, yuzu tea jellies

    Arancini
    Julia W.

    Wow! This was one of the best dining experiences I've had in a long time. The ambiance of M Test Kitchen was very relaxed but still upscale - similar to their M Kokko location. Service was fantastic. We were immediately seated, our order was taken, and were checked on frequently by our server. Each course came out within 2-3 minutes of each other. The food was outstanding - particularly the arancini and the green curry with fish. Would highly recommend trying these two options - the rich arancini was balanced so well with the edamame purée, and the green curry was a very bright, well seasoned dish. The tuna tataki was fresh tasting and had interesting flavor dynamics (sweet sauce/chili fakes/rice puffs/aonori flake). The pearl meatballs were flavorful but nothing too special. Lastly, the cherry & chocolate dessert was the perfect balance of sweet and sour; a perfect dish to end the meal. Looking forward to coming back again soon!

    Whisky
    Vraj P.

    I've been meaning to try this place for a while now and can definitely it was very yummy. We got a variety of dishes as it is tapas style. The Dan Dan noodles were vegetarian and were absolutely amazing with great spices. The most unique was the curry. It was very tangy and I really enjoyed it but definitely depends on the person. The tater tots were good as well and unique desserts too. A lot of drink options but nothing out of the ordinary. The atmosphere inside is modern and plenty of seating. Definitely want to make a reservation beforehand if possible. Staff was friendly and helped us find the best options for us. Prices were average for an upscale restaurant like this. Overall, really enjoyed this experience and definitely will be back. It looks like they rotate their menu which I really like and can try their new options when available.

    Menu - November 2023
    Sarah K.

    Sat at the booth on a weekend and had a good time. You need reservations to get any type of seating. The atmosphere is trendy and modern, and there are new things on the menu so you can come multiple times in a year and feel it's a "new" place. My partner and I shared four dishes, and our favorite was the Tom Yun Squid ($17). The squid was cooked to perfection and the flavors are familiar and delicious. I wish I ordered two dishes of this. The Rendeng Short Rib ($23) was Okay. It has a nice presentation to it, but I think I would have wanted to try a different protein like the duck. I didn't care for the Pho Salad ($12) at all, because the texture and flavors weren't all pleasing. I would go with a different salad, because you're left with wanting a "salad" still.

    I liked this duck dish with apricot sauce. However it's a very small portion for 25 dollars

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    Noodle Boulevard - Spicy Seafood Tom Yum Ramen (spice level 4, on a scale of 1 to 6)

    Noodle Boulevard

    4.5(1k reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$

    Delicious!! This was…read moremy first time having ramen, and my friend suggested we go here, and I'm so glad we did! Noodle Blvd is located in a spot that you could easily miss, but it's easy to get back on track. I pulled into the gas station parking lot beside the restaurant, then just turned right into the restaurant parking lot. The parking lot is fairly small, so be warned about that. My friend was there when I arrived, and he sat at the bar. When I walked in the door, I was greeted with smiles and waves. It was very inviting, which is fitting for a ramen restaurant. My friend ordered us Lychee Margaritas, and oh my goodness, it was so good! We decided to visit right at opening on a Saturday, so the bartender was still preparing some of the ingredients needed for the margarita. The bartender informed us that it's usually better once a key ingredient sits for a while, but I loved the drink regardless. I ordered edamame for an appetizer, which came quickly and was good! Since I've never had ramen before, I asked our server what he recommended, and he told me about some of their most popular dishes. He told me the N9. Chicken Curry Ramen was a favorite of his and the patrons, so I decided to order that. It came quickly, and I was immediately in HEAVEN upon my first bite. I loved every bite after! I decided to play it safe with the spice and got level 2, but I can definitely go up a level or 2 since I love spicy. Highly recommend, and I will be back! Worth the drive from Clayton, where I live.

    Noodle Boulevard delivered exactly the kind of comforting, flavorful meal I was hoping for. I…read moreordered the Shoyu Ramen with Chashu Pork and an Ajitsuke Egg, and it was outstanding. The broth was rich and balanced, the pork was tender, and the toppings--bok choy, beansprouts, bamboo, onions, nori, and that perfectly seasoned egg--brought everything together beautifully. I did ask them to cut the meat up but they were "not able" to accommodate that request. Every bite felt warm, fresh, and thoughtfully prepared. The service was friendly and efficient, and the overall vibe of the place is fun and energetic. The music was a bit louder than I prefer, but it didn't take away from how good the food was. If you're craving a great bowl of ramen in a lively atmosphere, Noodle Boulevard is absolutely worth the stop.

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    Noodle Boulevard - Inside restaurant

    Inside restaurant

    Noodle Boulevard - Black Garlic Miso Ramen (spice level 4, on a scale of 1 to 6)

    Black Garlic Miso Ramen (spice level 4, on a scale of 1 to 6)

    Noodle Boulevard - Vegetarian Ramen

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    Dashi

    Dashi

    3.4(735 reviews)
    16.9 mi
    $$

    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.

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    Dashi - I mean the ramen which I ordered is salty AF .

    I mean the ramen which I ordered is salty AF .

    Dashi
    Dashi - Front door

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    Front door

    M Sushi - Lunch bento box

    M Sushi

    4.6(734 reviews)
    17.0 mi
    $$$

    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.

    Photos
    M Sushi - Really cool place.

    Really cool place.

    M Sushi - Eel bun

    Eel bun

    M Sushi - Bamboo

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    Waraji Japanese Restaurant - Sushi and Sashimi Dinner

    Waraji Japanese Restaurant

    4.1(709 reviews)
    6.0 mi
    $$

    We celebrated my husband's birthday at Waraji last night and he was absolutely in Heaven. He raved…read moreabout the sushi as did our friends that we went with. They all said it was the best sushi they've ever had. I was super impressed by the expansive drink menu. I ordered a nice red blend and plan to order a Sake flight next time. I loved the atmosphere and didn't realize it was so big inside. Our server was super nice and helpful when ordering. I ordered the teriyaki chicken without onions and our server was so awesome that she let me know that the ginger dressing on my salad contained onions. She wanted to make sure I didn't have an allergy. How amazing?! The chicken teriyaki and the veggies it was served with were absolutely AMAZING! Seriously, IDK what they did to those veggies but this may have been the best meal I've ever had! They gave my husband a scoop of mango icecream with a candle in it for his birthday. Love that! We are looking forward to our next visit to Waraji.

    I'd been craving sushi, something unfussy yet exceptional and wanted to take my husband somewhere…read morenew. Waraji, a beloved neighborhood institution, felt like the obvious choice. Knowing how quickly their tables disappear, I checked for reservations on the drive over, fully expecting disappointment. Instead, a small miracle: an open table. I booked it before the screen could change its mind. Upon arrival, the host greeted us with the gentle chaos that only a true local favorite can produce. Our table wasn't quite ready "just waiting on a few folks to wrap up" so we lingered near the entryway, watching the ebb and flow of diners. A brief mix-up had us nearly escorted to a table before being pulled back, but within minutes we were seated, no worse for the detour. Our spot was perfect: a front-row view of the sushi bar, where chefs moved with the quiet intensity of people who know their craft is being watched and appreciated. The restaurant hummed around us servers weaving between tables, the soft clatter of plates, the low murmur of regulars who clearly consider this their second home. Our server, whose name I wish I'd caught, was a standout. Attentive without hovering, candid about the kitchen running a bit behind, and consistently thoughtful with updates. His honesty made the experience feel more intimate, more human. Cocktails arrived first, followed by a parade of sushi and small plates. Everything was fresh, balanced, and deeply satisfying, the kind of meal that doesn't need theatrics to make an impression.

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    Waraji Japanese Restaurant - Sake Flights

    Sake Flights

    Waraji Japanese Restaurant - Shamoo Roll, Caterpillar Roll, Spicy Tuna Temaki, Tako nigiri

    Shamoo Roll, Caterpillar Roll, Spicy Tuna Temaki, Tako nigiri

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    Whiskey Flights

    M Izakaya - cocktailbars - Updated May 2026

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