Iza Whiskey & Eats

When searching for a late-night dinner option after my brother's graduation in Chapel Hill. I came across Iza! The restaurant was surprisingly relatively busy around 9 pm, but there were still plenty of tables open for us. The interior was nicely decorated and I enjoyed the atmosphere! Throughout our meal, our waitress was so nice and apologized for the wait time for the food even though we didn't have to wait long. The menu had many options from various Asian cuisines, and we ended ordering the shrimp yaki udon noodles, green curry chicken, twisted mango by sammy roll, carolina roll to share, and sweet and sour chicken. We were surprisingly able to finish everything we ordered and it was all delicious! The owner even stopped by at the end of the meal to congratulate my brother on graduating!Overall, I had a great time at Iza and would come back!

Was excited to try this place based on reviews and photos.Made reservations since it was recommended, however, the place was empty.Server was friendly and welcoming.When we sat down and the menus were on the table. They were folded paper and stained. It was disgusting-they're printed paper-replace them!For appetizers, we ordered the tuna tartar and chips which was yummy and pork gyoza which was as expected.Entrees were the miso ramen and the sweet chili noodles. Ramen: the broth was salty, the pork belly was bland and over all a let down.Noodles: stuck in one large clump and the tofu was fried to the point of being inedible. Super disappointing.The bathroom, and this is a pet peeve, had that cheap, nasty pink soap with a hand blower instead of paper towels. That's just my own OCD complaint especially when you have manually unlock the bathroom door to get out.

Good but pricey! Came here for dinner when my parents were in town! The sushi is great. Very fresh. Our waiter was very friendly and excited to take our order. Very small place but it wasnt very crowded when we got there.

I stopped in for dinner on a Sunday evening (before the rush). The parking lot was small so I ended up parking a block down. The main door is not the one by the patio seating, it's the one close to the their parking lot. I was able to get a seat but noticed that most tables had a "reserved" sign. Must be good right?I was here for Sushi so I went straight for the Sushi menu. There weren't many options, which was a plus in my book. I'm not a fan of an overwhelming sushi menu with 100 different types of rolls. The menu had basically less than 10-12 sushi roll options. I went with the "007" and "Spicy Tuna" Rolls.First bite -- was delicious but as I started to eat it, I noticed bits of hard and uncooked rice. I didn't want to believe it at first and thought it may had been from the crunch of the tempura but as 110% Asian brother, I know when I'm chewing on uncooked rice. The texture says it all. I confirmed it at the end of my meal when the rice was stuck to my teeth. Ahh...Overall, I really wanted to like this place. I really did because the customer service was good but I came from the food which quality did not live up to the high price tag. That was my experience $30 later...I stopped in for dinner on a Sunday evening (before the rush). The parking lot was small so I ended up parking a block down. The main door is not the one by the patio seating, it's the one close to the their parking lot. I was able to get a seat but noticed that most tables had a "reserved" sign. Must be good right?I was here for Sushi so I went straight for the Sushi menu. There weren't many options, which was a plus in my book. I'm not a fan of an overwhelming sushi menu with 100 different types of rolls. The menu had basically less than 10-12 sushi roll options. I went with the "007" and "Spicy Tuna" Rolls.First bite -- was delicious but as I started to eat it, I noticed bits of hard and uncooked rice. I didn't want to believe it at first and thought it may had been from the crunch of the tempura but as 110% Asian brother, I know when I'm chewing on uncooked rice. The texture says it all. I confirmed it at the end of my meal when the rice was stuck to my teeth. Ahh...Overall, I really wanted to like this place. I really did because the customer service was good but I came from the food which quality did not live up to the high price tag. That was my experience $30 later...

This spot is alright. We made a reservation and got seated quickly. The place is very small so it would be in your very best interest to make a reservation online beforehand. The interior was decorated very nicely with a Japanese style; there were lanterns, cherry blossoms, bamboo, and dragon masks hanging on the walls. The tables were also cool looking too. I ordered the bibimbap which was alright. Pretty flavorless. They gave minimal beef and a ton of rice. Definitely not one of the most authentic or best bibimbaps I've tried. It was an average experience and I probably won't go again, but I'm still glad I went.

Superior customer service. The Cook came out and talked to us at the table, frequently. Told us about all the specials and was very friendly on explaining everything on the menu. He had a really good customer service and I could appreciate that from somebody who's supposed to be back there cooking but he's making time to chat with guest.The spot itself is kind of big, they have one long bar and then there are some tables there but the bar service is probably where you're going to get the best from the establishment. They have a lot of decorative bottles on the wall so it's really cool to look at to figure out what you want.The food was great. Here's my perspective of what I felt about the food below: Brussel sprouts ... The brussel sprouts dish was kind of small. But I guess it wasn't meant to be a fool plate of brussel sprouts lol. They were fried and had been tossed in a sweet kind of chili sauce and had a little bit of a kick to it I like that.Wayugo beef ... Now let me tell you how good this beef was. You've had steak, everybody has, but this was an amazing experience. It was small in portion because you're paying $20 for 1 oz so you have to keep that in mind, but just to say that you did it, was absolutely worth it. He brought out a little mini grill type situation and you cooked it right in front of yourself. It only needed to be cooked for less than a minute per size so it wasn't even that long. But it melted in your mouth. You can tell the difference between steak you could buy at the grocery store in this state because apparently this had a lot of love into it. Japanese steak is top tier! You're paying every bit of it so you can be assured that it's worth it. Again, melt in your mouth, like butter lol!Shrimp dumplings ... The dumplings were pretty good. They were small and they actually were either kind of mushy or melted in your mouth, but that a good flavor in the sauce I was in the base of the bull dipped really well with it.Shoryu ramen ... I thought that the ramen was absolutely great. And a deep broth to it dark and had a hint of spice. I added some extra chili oil obviously because that's what I do but even by itself it had enough potency enough kick and enough flavor to float without it. I would 102% go back to the spot for ramen if I was ever around the UNC area!Overall, five stars, hands down. A really great experience.

We enjoyed the food, drink, and service at Iza Whiskey & Eats in downtown Carrboro. This is a solid sushi/Asian-fusion-type restaurant and bar, especially for the area. If Iza was located in a bigger city, I'd give it four stars, but for Carrboro-Chapel Hill, this place is great (giving a generous five). Having dined out a lot in Carrboro and Chapel Hill over the past three years, we came into Iza with tempered expectations. I'm happy to report that we did not leave disappointed. I like this place and recommend it.Iza opened in November 2020 in the old One Fish Two Fish Poke Joint space (https://bit.ly/40ydINW) in the East Main Square shopping center. Free surface parking is available in the shopping center's lot. That's where we parked, but be sure to read the signs about restrictions. Also, plenty of parking is available in the nearby deck (you can't miss it), which belongs to the Town of Carrboro.I really like the restaurant and bar space here. It's beautiful, as are the drinks and dishes. This place exudes a trendier, upscale ambiance, but still keeps things casual and unpretentious. And it's not all just for show. The chefs and bartenders back up the look with well-executed food and drink, and excellent customer service. Interior features include a prominent kabuki mural (I love it), Asian lanterns and pendant lights, well-stocked shelves of whiskey, and a large illuminated Buddha head. Outside, there's a fairly spacious, uncovered, string-lit patio.During our visit, the menu offered a nice variety of both small and large plates. You can dine here tapas-style or everyone can get their own main dish. The sushi menu consisted mainly of rolls ($9-17 each). There was a Sashimi Platter ($36.90), but to our surprise, no nigiri other than the toro special that our server told us about.Conversely, with "Whiskey" in the business name, the bar's extensive drink menu did not come as a surprise. The drink menu we received contained a list of 111 whiskeys. There were whiskey flights ($25-50), sake, cocktails, wine, beer, and more.Below is what our table of four ordered. I think I missed a drink or two. We doubled up on some of the apps due to portion sizes. This should give you a good idea of what Iza has to offer.Appetizers* Ishiyaki BBQ with 3 oz A5 Wagyu Steak ($60) - cook it yourself on a hot stone, served with Himalayan salt and chimichurri sauce* Salmon Tiradito x2 ($13.90 each, x2) - sashimi-style salmon plated with onion truffle sauce, chive oil, garnished with micro greens* Okinawa Scallops x2 ($15.90 each, x2) - in each, two seared U10 scallops served with uni butter saffron, shiso pesto, and micro greens* Tuna Tartare & Chips ($14.90) - spicy tuna tartare topped with avocado, mango, citrus dressing, spicy mayo, and eel sauce* Tamarind Cauliflower ($10.90) - lightly-fried cauliflower glazed with a sweet, tangy tamarind sauceEntrees/Sushi* Pork Tenderloin Tonkatsu ($19.90) - pork lightly breaded with Japanese panko breadcrumbs and served with steamed white rice, cabbage, and tonkatsu sauce.* Korean-Style Sashimi Poke Bowl ($15.90) - assorted sashimi mixed with Korean "tanguiri" sauce, served atop sushi rice, garnished with micro greens, scallions, cucumbers, avocado, and rice seasoning* Iza Crunch Raw Specialty Roll ($14) - cucumber, tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and shiso inside, topped with spicy mayo and tempura crunch on the outsideSpecials (not on menu)* Toro Nigiri x2 (each set of 2 pieces for $16, x2) - fatty bluefin tuna bellyCocktails, Mocktails, and Whiskey* Japanese Sour cocktail ($14) - Suntory Japanese whiskey, citrus* Feeling Peachy mocktail ($4) - fresh lemon juice, peach syrup, club soda* Whiskey #94. Suntory Toko Japanese Whiskey ($14) - requested neatIn general, everything was outstanding. Fantastic quality all around. In order, my favorites were the Toro Nigiri, Okinawa Scallops, Tuna Tartare & Chips, and Salmon Tiradito. All of the seafood was really fresh and delicious. The chips that came with the Tuna Tartare were creative - they were nori (seaweed) tempura chips. The Scallops and sauce were succulent. If you love nigiri, I highly recommend Iza's Toro. It was legit.The Pork Tenderloin Tonkatsu was appetizing, served bone-in. I thought that was unique because I'm not sure I've seen tonkatsu served bone-in before. Both the Poke Bowl and the Iza Crunch Roll were solid. I couldn't figure out what the Korean "tanguiri" sauce was, but the poke came with tuna and salmon and they were marinated well.The one dish I have to knock, though, is the Ishiyaki BBQ with A5 Wagyu. Simply put, I didn't think it was worth the money. I love Wagyu, but this particular Wagyu was too fatty. I think I would've been happier with the much less expensive Ribeye option ($18.90).The drinks were terrific.As mentioned above, service was excellent, from our hostess Shaye to our server Aurora. Everyone was friendly, warm, and polite. They seem to have a wonderful team here.

Delicious sushi and brussels sprouts!The highlight of my meal were the brussels sprouts- the sauce on them were perfectly sticky and spicy and tasted much better than the sweet chili sauce that can be bought in a bottle.I ordered the Iza*Crunch roll, which was delicious as well. I'm excited to try their other sushi rolls. My friend got their ramen and said that it had replaced her favorite ramen (located at some, now irrelevant, restaurant in Raleigh). The only thing I didn't love about my experience was, weirdly enough, the spacing of the tables. We were sat at a two person table right behind the host stand, and too close to another table for waiters (or other patrons) to comfortably walk between my chair and the other table.

This is an amazing restaurant with very unique fusion foods. The owner/chef came out to check on everyone which is very nice touch.

Dined here last night after work with my co worker. It was walking distance from our hotel which was great. I enjoyed our meal. We ordered a ton that wasn't included in the pictures but I will say the spyder roll was amazing. I will say the hot stone steak small plate was not really worth it but everything else was delicious. Chili garlic noodles so so good! Overall nice spot as our server was super helpful and accommodating.