Let me tell you the WAYYYSSS I love this place: Quality…read moreSushi & ingredients Delicious appetizers ‍ Friendly staffers who go ABOVE & BEYOND I love sushi, but it can be expensive and spending a lot of money on bad sushi is no bueno! I was having a hard time finding a place in Raleigh that served quality ingredient sushi & was worth the price for the quantity. We found ourselves at O-Ku after a friend recommended this place as her favorite sushi in Raleigh. Immediately was impressed, as we came for my birthday & the staff signed a birthday card for me and gave me a surprise dessert. Excellent service! On my 2 year wedding anniversary we came back again bc we loved the sushi the first time and wanted to have delicious food on our special night. The staff once again surprised us with flowers on the table, a special printed menu that said 2nd year Anniversary & a dessert to go. This place is absolutely stunning inside as well. Beautiful restaurant, they also have an intimate outdoor patio with pretty lights. Highly recommend this place for a special occasion or even just a night out if you're looking for the best sushi in Raleigh! Love ya, O-Ku -- we'll be back!

Great ambience, but…read more.. Venue: great ambience, lively. Food: we ordered gyoza, rock shrimp, toro spoon, various rolls, and some nigiri. insane price for sushi/ nigiri especially uni. If it was great and special, pricing would be understood but not the case here. The toro spoon had old fish taste. Sushi rice was over cooked and very mushy. Sorry but sushi roles reminded me of the ones you get in the grocery store. Duck kushiyaki was recommended and tasted somewhat bland and tough. Came here for family birthday dinner. No body really liked the dishes here. Service: our server was very kind and tried his best to accommodate us. Great ambience but I don't see any of us coming back here for food.

I love this place sooo much! The sushi is amazing. The service is fantastic. The ambiance is…read morelovely! I would get the fired pork belly, poke tuna roll, and mochi for desert!

Today was my 3rd lunch visit at City Market Sushi. The first time I went I ordered the San Bento…read moreBox and loved it so much I've ordered it every time I've been back! Every bite is delicious and fresh - seaweed squid salad, 3 slices of sashimi, 2 pc nigiri, 4 pc spicy tuna roll, eel on rice, and my favorite, the hamachi jalapeño. I think their specialty rolls are on the smaller side for the cost but they're delicious! Unagi Dragon Roll ($21) - the eel on top of each slice is a little crispy. It's so good! Truffle Hamachi Roll ($19) - soft shell crab and cucumber roll topped with spicy yellow tail and crispy garlic chips Service is always outstanding! Parking on the street is extremely limited but there is a large parking garage ($1/hr) around the corner on S. Blount St.

Five stars, no hesitation…read more I heard about Sono Sushi through Resy and finally made it in. It's located in downtown Raleigh on Fayetteville Street, right next to the ABC 11 studios, easy to find and a great spot if you're already downtown. The ambiance is great and fits the food well. There's a nice mix of seating, tables along the windows looking out onto the street, high top tables, traditional dining tables, and a sushi bar if you want to sit up close and watch everything being made. It feels lively without being loud, and works well whether you're there for a date night or a more casual meal. We started with the Aburi appetizer, torched salmon belly, ooba, salmon roe, Japanese seabream, yuzu kosho, and ponzu, and it was outstanding. Everything worked together perfectly, rich, bright, and balanced. I also ordered ikura and ebi, even though I meant to order ama ebi, but no regrets there. Still excellent. We shared the Poke Roll with wakame, avocado, cucumber, mango, tuna, salmon, hamachi, and Sono poke sauce, and it was very good, fresh, flavorful, and well composed without being overdone. My wife ordered the spicy miso ramen and loved it. The broth was the star, deep and comforting, and the pork chashu pieces were massive, in a good way. I went with the chicken katsu curry, panko fried chicken thigh with house curry and koshihikari rice, something I haven't had since Little Tokyo in LA a few years ago, and it tasted like home. Comforting, familiar, and exactly what I was hoping for. For drinks, I ordered the "SONO? SO-YES!" entirely because of the name, but also because I love blood orange. Casamigos Blanco tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, coconut cream, simple syrup, and blood orange juice, it was excellent. My only complaint is that I wanted more of it. My wife got the Okinawa Spritz, a play on an Aperol spritz with passionfruit, and it was even better than the original. We finished with the yuzu cheesecake. I debated between that and the ube cheesecake, but since this is a Japanese restaurant, yuzu felt right, and it absolutely delivered. Overall, everything from the food to the drinks hit. This is a place I would happily return to, and honestly, I'm already looking forward to the next visit.

My group chose Sono for our dinner prior to attending a show at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium…read more This hole-in-the-wall restaurant carries a distinctly Japanese vibe with umbrellas hung on the ceiling, sake bottles on display, samurai wall art, and an active sushi bar. The crowd was not bad for a Friday night, though I recommend reserving your table if bringing a large group. We came fifteen minutes after Sono opened. I tried the hot sake on offer tonight, and it was refreshing. It kept well in the jar provided. My sushi roll was presented well. The wasabi has a strong kick to it, and so does their spicy ginger. Others in my group ordered ramen. The bowls are generously sized, comparable to what you'd receive when ordering in a Japanese ramen joint. Sono's broth is rich, and their noodles are done the way they should be. I had the opportunity to visit Japan in 2023. I can say that my meal at Sono brought back memories from the trip, and the food was of the quality I saw in Japan. Well done.

Had a phenomenal experience from start to finish. The interior is darker, decorated with sleek…read morebubble accents that created a romantically modern ambiance. Even the restroom reflected an impressive attention to detail- immaculately maintained and elevated with amenities such as lotion, Q-tips, and climate control. This spot is good for a fancy date night! My husband opted for the lunch special, which included soup, salad, curry, and a side of sushi. He absolutely raved about the curry. I chose the fish wontons alongside the Raleigh roll, which was exceptional; the addition of mango on top was perfect with the lobster tempura for me. I am also always appreciative when a sushi place can accommodate my addiction to add cream cheese to any roll- they made it work! Service was prompt and attentive. The green tea leaned slightly earthy for my taste, but it did little to detract from an otherwise outstanding meal. I would gladly return and recommend this spot to groups seeking high-quality sushi in a polished setting.

I've heard lots about Ajisai and have walked past it many times…read more It was a gorgeous Friday evening. Many were seated outside, but since I was a party of 1, I decided to sit at the bar. Bin was my server, he was great. I started with the grilled scallops, they were small, but were grilled & seasoned perfectly. I then ordered the Alaskan Roll & the Ajisai Roll. Both so fresh and delicious. I enjoyed the experience. There's great ambiance, it's vibrant and modern. There's plenty of seating at the bar. There are plenty of tables inside and several outside.

Umiya is hands down the best all you can eat (AYCE) sushi spot I've been to, and it's not…read moreparticularly close! What sets it apart is the quality of the fish. You're not getting tiny, low-effort pieces. The cuts are generous and fresh. I leaned heavily into the AYCE sashimi (tuna, salmon, red snapper, yellowtail, etc.), and every round delivered. It felt much closer to a traditional sushi experience than a typical AYCE setup. Service was also a big plus. The staff was very attentive, consistently checking in and bringing out orders quickly, which kept the experience smooth and enjoyable without long waits between rounds. For the price and quality, it's an incredible value and a place you can really enjoy without feeling like you're compromising. We will absolutely be going back!

For the money and the wuality of the food you get this place is an absolute slam dunk. I love…read morecoming for the lunch sushi special and its a great spot to try a number of different things. If Hot pot is your thing they have you covered and you cant go wrong for the all you can eat price with the food being higher quality then I would expect from an AYCE place. Get the jalapeno mushrooms and the texas roll which are my favorites!

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.

Got the quesabirria taco and the let's roll. Roll was good, but there was no tail on the tempura…read moreshrimp which surprised me. I'm guessing some people would like that, but I missed it. It was drowning in the sauces so I just wiped it off, but good nonetheless. The quesabirria taco was SO good. So crispy. Flavorful. I'll be back soon and continue dreaming of that taco!!! Service was professional and polite.

Here's a polished version of your Yelp review:…read more Their sushi and sashimi is great. We go back at least monthly for their amazing and unique rolls. The only thing on the menu I would not recommend is the Birria Bun - It's a bit bland to be nice and they don't serve it with any consommé, which is a huge bummer

This is a little hidden gem. If you live Ramen this is a quaint little spot off of Wake Forest…read moreRoad. They have a limited menu but the food is good and always piping hot. The Tonkatsu Ramen is yummy. I get extra broth. The Edamame yes! And you must have an Asahi to wash it down. The staff always delivers excellent service. Check them out.

Ohhh yes to this Ramen spot! My first time here and I can't wait to return. It's located in a…read moreshopping plaza tucked in the back. When you enter, it's a cute, quiet setting with a relaxed, laid back atmosphere. The service here immediately made the experience start off strong. Everything was so fresh. The hot sake was delicious and certainly pure. My starters were great portions and filling as you can tell from the photos. I couldn't pick one, I started with three lol And my Tonkotsu Ramen was chef's kiss! This is my new absolute favorite Ramen spot in the area. I've traveled to Okinawa a couple of times and truly enjoy Ramen, and honestly, this location has the best tasting food that makes me feel like I'm right back.