The "Grand" Omakase at M Sushi is the best dining experience my wife and I have had in North Carolina to date. Curate in Asheville is close. Japanese cuisine - specifically, sushi - is my favorite type of food. I've had sushi at multiple places in Tokyo and my fair share of sushi and omakase in the States. I say that because M Sushi is up there with the best I've had. I can't say I'm surprised either based on everything I heard about this place. Everyone who's been to M Sushi gushes over it. Add me to the list. The Triangle is lucky to have this place.
In 2022, this restaurant was the only restaurant in North Carolina to be named to OpenTable's top 100 places to eat in America. It opened in January 2016. According to a January 2022 article in the Triangle Business Journal, chef-owner Michael Lee (Korean descent) "is planning two new locations to open in Cary this year."
You can check out Michael's Instagram account at @m_restaurants. Before dining here, I could tell Michael knew good sushi just by looking at his posts. He's not out to operate just another run-of-the-mill, trendy, and/or Americanized sushi joint. He knows what's truly good and "authentic" and has brought that to the Triangle. Simply put, this place is legit.
The M Restaurants also include M Kokko (next door, casual Korean/Japanese chicken), M Pocha (Korean small plates), and M Tempura. I guess the "M" stands for the obvious, Michael.
This place is popular. They use OpenTable for reservations. I'm a longtime fan of OpenTable because of the free dining points you earn from reservations. I recently used my points to redeem Amazon gift cards. I think less newer restaurants are using OpenTable these days, probably because there are cheaper options for restaurant owners (e.g., Resy).
I was able to book our reservation same-week, but only because we went on a weeknight (Thursday at 7pm). Unlike some Japanese restaurants, no special reservation is required at M Sushi if you want omakase. If you want a weekend reservation, you'll probably have to book weeks in advance.
The restaurant has a low-key storefront that's hidden from the main streets. You can drive right up to the entrance, but parking nearby is limited to a small pay lot. We street-parked for free less than a block away on E Chapel Hill St. Metered street parking is enforced Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm. A couple parking decks within short walking distance are the Durham Centre Parking Garage and the Chapel Hill Street Parking Garage.
The vibe here felt like eating at a basement restaurant in Manhattan. Low, exposed ceilings, brick walls, sort of a confined space. The occupancy certificate on the wall showed a 127-person max capacity. Due to the pandemic, the sushi bar had clear partitions in between every two seats. My wife and I sat at the bar. We liked the partitions because they gave us some sound privacy.
The menu was well thought-out. They don't hit you with pages of Americanized rolls, but instead with gems like Ishiyaki BBQ made with A5 Wagyu ($46) and Lobster Shabu-Shabu ($27). Below is what our omakase included plus the drinks we paired with it.
Grand Omakase ($89 per person):
* Course 1 of 7: Premium sashimi - salmon (sake), bluefin tuna (akami), and scallop (hotate); includes two types of fresh wasabi and ginger
* Course 2 of 7: Crudo - Japanese flounder (hirame), Japanese black sea bream (kurodai), amberjack (kampachi), and yellowtail (hamachi)
* Course 3 of 7: Nigiri - Japanese black sea bream (kurodai), red sea bream (tai), striped jack mackerel (shima aji), tuna belly (otoro), and sea urchin (nama uni from Hokkaido, Japan, topped with sustainably-farmed kaluga caviar)
* Course 4 of 7: Chilled squid ink soba, panko scallop from Hokkaido, Japan, and pickles
* Course 5 of 7: Mero sea bass marinated in shoyu, nori, ikura, greens, pickles
* Course 6 of 7: A5 Wagyu strip, miso sukiyaki, black truffle, ponzu dipping sauce with 63-degree egg yolk
* Course 7 of 7: Dessert trio of raspberry macaron, coconut cream tart with pineapple, and mochi doughnut
Sake:
* Manotsuru "Four Diamonds" Junmai Ginjo Genshu sake (3 oz for $14 or 500 mL bottle for $80)
* Yukikage "Snow Shadow" Junmai Tokubetsu sake (3 oz for $11 or 300 mL bottle for $36)
* Dassai "45" "Otter Festival" Junmai Daiginjo sake (3 oz for $10 or 720 mL bottle for $90)
Cocktails:
* Ginger Peach Mule ($14) - Tito's Handmade Vodka, ginger, peach, lime, Fever-Tree Ginger Beer
* Purple Haze Hot Sake & Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur ($14)
Each and every course was phenomenal, magical. I love the unique varieties of fish here as well as the fine attention to detail, such as in the high-quality wasabi. The quality and execution is truly top-notch and it's what makes M Sushi so good.
The only thing we didn't like was the Purple Haze Hot Sake & Chambord. To me, It tasted cheap, like hot Dimetapp.
Service was excellent. Our server Daniel and sushi chef Peter were both terrific.
We'll be back to try the Nigiri Omakase. read more