The Most Scrumptious Japanese in Raleigh

Miyabi Japanese Steak & Seafood House

★★★★☆ 3.7 (186)

New Tokyo

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (19)

"Brand new location, the food was FRESH, and all of the sauces were available, although the ginger was a bit watery. The other locations tend to not even replace mustard sauce when it runs out but as long as they continue the standard of stocking and cooking with fresh ingredients, I'll make this New Tokyo my new go-to for fast-food Japanese style.I ordered the Hibachi Shrimp entree, with one scoop of rice replaced with zucchini (the other locations normally tell me I can't change it out/so I was happy)I'll definitely be back!"

Hibachi China 88

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (87) • $

"Great place to order Asian cuisine. Very few restaurants near us deliver, so we were excited to see that Hibachi China 88 has a delivery option. We ordered delivery online and it was delivered about an hour later. They listed contact free delivery, however, the driver does hand the order to you rather than leaving it at the door. The driver was friendly and on-time and the order was accurate. We enjoyed each of the items: Garner roll ($14.95), sweet & sour chicken ($7.60), and $5 delivery. I do wish there was more of the Garner roll and that the promo codes worked for delivery orders. We would order from here again!"

Hibachi Blue

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (173) • $$

"Phenomenal!! Riaz is superb. I had a large order for our company luncheon. His customer service was awesome. Very pleasant demeanor. He took my order, made sure everything was made correctly. The food was fresh and delicious. Very flavorful. We ordered quite a bit: hibachi, sushi, salads, spring rolls and crab Rangoons. I'm definitely going back in the near future. The prices are great. Affordable. They accept cash, cards and tap/Apple Pay. The restaurant was clean. Plenty of seating. A lot of parking is available. It is handicap accessible with handicap parking in front. Unfortunately I didn't get any pics b/c I was too busy eating. lol."

Koumi Japanese Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.7 (215) • $$

"Got this order from Door Dash and the Hibachi was delicious, and the Spring Rolls were pretty good and you can't go wrong with Bubble Tea to cool you down..I have ordered from here a few times and I have yet to be disappointed....Would definitely recommend this restaurant if you are hungry and the prices aren't too bad either..."

Yummi Japan

★★★★☆ 3.5 (24)

"We placed an order over the phone for pick up. We split an order of crab rangoons for an appetizer and for our meals it was the hibachi chicken with fried rice for my husband and the hibachi chicken with white rice for me. You get one container of yum yum sauce and that was enough for me, I paid 50 cents for an extra and did not use it. It wasn't very good, this would not be my first choice for hibachi in the area."

Tenko Japan

★★★★☆ 3.8 (57)

"Pretty good. It's pretty dead in here and we just ordered off of the tablet computer thing inside. We got a kids tenko chicken bowl which is basically teriyaki chicken and the tastiest of the three things we ordered. The shrimp is okay. I would skip it next time. The other chicken was pretty good too kinda similar to orange chicken or a general tso's kind of fried chicken balls. Decent. They give you a TON of hibachi rice but not much veg. The shrimp dish had the most generous amount of veggies. I can't put my finger on what the sauce is but I don't think it really adds anything to the meal. It's like a watery homemade mayo something. My toddler liked it a lot haha Would come back. Not amazing but decent and portions are large."

Hibachi 101

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (32) • $

"Pretty Good! Very affordable and veggies were fresh. Overall very happy with this place and will go back sometime."

Sono Sushi

★★★★☆ 4.3 (646) • $$

"It's been wayyyy too long since we've been to this gem in downtown Raleigh. Popped in on Saturday night without reservations, but had no problem getting our choice of bar seats or a high top in that area. We chose the bar and settled in for great service and fantastic food.I had a refreshing Battle Royale. This beer/whiskey drink went well with our food. Two of us shared a California Roll with Blue Crab along with one of their specialty rolls, the Umi Kazan. We loved them both and followed them up with a shared order of Pork Dumplings. Excellent dumplings. Even the dipping sauce was on another level.Loved our bartender as well. And for the quality, prices were very reasonable!"

Tasu Asian Bistro - Raleigh

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (575) • $$

"Highlights if this restaurant: Big place with tons of seating areas. Waitress was niceSushi was just okSesame chicken was largeThis one of those basic, bring the whole family out for low grade sushi. It will meet the need for a sushi fix but don't expect fine quality."

New Japan Resturant

★★★☆☆ 2.5 (64)

"I saw so many great reviews for this place, and hopefully I will re-try this once covid is over. i placed an order at the walk up window one afternoon when it wasn't overly busy. Based on the menu, I ordered a teriyaki chicken with extra veggies over 1/2 scoop of rice, with the sauces on the side.Nonetheless, the food was BATHING in the sauces, and was overly salty. I did appreciate the extra veggies in it, as they added a good amount of broccoli, however the amount of onions that were included (that i didn't see until i started digging through all of the sauce) was immense! Unfortunately for me, the experience was not very good, as there was way too many onions, bathing in sauce and was way too salty. It is definitely a good 'quick food' place, if you are into that. Prices were not that bad for the amount of food that you are getting, however, following directions from the customer was definitely not their forte."

Kiko Japan Express

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (48)

"I've eaten here a few times and while I''ve only ordered vegetable dishes, I have enjoyed them. My food has always arrived quickly, fresh and with generous portions. The store was clean and the staff was accommodating. Would return again."

New Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (44)

"I pass this place all the time going in and out of Raleigh. Have always Wanted to stop by but never have. Tonight I was craving Asian food and decided to stop in.I ordered the hibachi chicken and it was absolutely delicious. Food was out in about five minutes and it is so good. I definitely will be coming back again"

YoHo Asian Bistro

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (242) • $$

"Delicious food and great atmosphere! Swung by for lunch one day and dinner another and both times everything was delicious!The bento boxes are the perfect size and have a nice variety of things to try. The sushi rolls are made perfectly and are packed with flavor. The crunchy roll is definitely a favorite of mine now. The atmosphere was welcoming and a lot to look at around the restaurant. The booths a spacious and comfortable.Overall, wonderful experience and I'll definitely be returning."

Yuri Japanese Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (414) • $$

"I had a good experience at Yuri for lunch on the weekend. Yuri is tucked in a corner, between several other shops. The inside is very well decorated with multiple types of seating. Alongside the standard tables and bar seating, there were also more traditional mat seats that you could sit at. The menu was pretty expansive and had a lot of selection. We ordered 3 sushi rolls (speed, fire dragon, and seafood roll). All 3 rolls had very generous portion sizes and fresh cuts of fish. The sushi rolls here are slightly larger and contain more fish than your average sushi spot. Overall great sushi spot, would recommend."

Koi Sushi & Hibachi

★★★★☆ 3.8 (21)

""Sushi & hibachi, and all-you-can-eat option, near Ninth Street in Durham"Right next to the Whole Foods on Broad Street in Durham, and super close to Duke University's east campus, is this new restaurant, just opened a few days ago. It sits in the spot where Vine Sushi used to be, so the theme is maintained. However, unlike Vine, this offers you sushi, various hibachi entrees, and all-you-can-eat options.We arrived on a Friday evening at just before 6pm, and the place was very empty. That said, they did JUST open maybe 5 days ago, so word hasn't gotten out yet.They do have an a la carte menu, but we all opted for the all-you-can-eat options. Their menu says that's $15 for lunch (11-3pm) and $24 for dinner. There is a small catch (often true at other AYCE places)-- if you can't finish your food, you have to pay for what's left on your plate, but it's not much-- maybe 50 cents per piece (and you can then take it home). I ordered only the crabmeat salad, a black pepper tuna roll, and a Mt. Fuji roll. My dining mates ordered a lot more, including the gyoza. Note: you can keep ordering, so my advice is not to order too much at once... you'll have many more opportunities to get more if still hungry.Service was VERY friendly and attentive. We felt really welcomed. We got our first food quickly. The crab salad was very tasty. I LOVED the black pepper tuna roll, and the Mt Fuji roll was fine (the tuna pieces were better than the salmon ones). Everything tasted fresh. All of us noted that the items labeled as spicy on the menu were not particularly so (unless you have a very sensitive palate). My dining mates really liked their gyoza a lot too as well as the hibachi steak & chicken (note, that was a rather small serving).I was smart not to order too much-- the rolls are LONG. I couldn't even quite finish my two rolls, but my son finished off the last few bites. My wife had to buy some of hers off as leftovers, but they were very generous and undercharged-- it was 8 pieces and they only charged $6.Was it the best sushi I ever had? It was good, but not the best. That said, you wouldn't expect "best" at an AYCE place. I think it was better than conveyer belt sushi like Rockin' Rolls (which is fine). And it's a lot closer to where we live than Mr. Tokyo in Chapel Hill.Overall, I'd come back. It felt "appropriately priced" for what we got, and the service was excellent. If I wanted fancy sushi, this may not be my choice, but good place to go if you're hungry and want a lot of sushi and hibachi. Again, don't over-order-- go slow, and enjoy the experience."

Little Tokyo Japanese Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.1 (200) • $$

"I have been a customer since Little Tokyyo restaurant opened.Always professionals with skilled food preparation and freshly obtained ingredients.Chef's Loyalty treat was the free surf clam.I highly recommend"

Hibachi 101

★★★★☆ 3.6 (162)

M Sushi

★★★★★ 4.5 (683) • $$$

"I wish I had photos to go along with this but I imagine you can find photos on this page somewhere. We went here for a team dinner and all did the Nigiri Omakase and WOW. Probably the best sushi/omakase I've had especially for that price. I truly enjoyed every one of the 13 nigiris which says a lot because I'm not terribly exploratory with fish and haven't like everything in other omakase experiences. I'd seriously recommend this restaurant and especially their omakase if you're thinking about coming. I really hope I come back because it was really THAT good.Thank you M sushi I'll have dreams about this meal."

Sake House

★★★★☆ 3.5 (152)

"We arrived on a busy Friday night and weee seated promptly. Waitress was super nice and efficient. We had our drinks and salads and sushi came in just the right amount of wait time. Sushi was fresh, delicious, just the right sized pieces, perfect ratio of rice to fish. It was outstanding. We will certainly keep returning to this local gem."

Hayashi Japanese Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4 (172)

"I followed the stars and this place loved up to its hype. First, let me say the place is super clean which is important to me. Second, I had a signature roll of the menu which was delicious. Third, the service was awesome and fast. I couldn't have asked for a more attentive and pleasant server.I also ordered the yakisoba with chicken which was good, but couldn't finish. Fourth, I really enjoyed the lighting......perfect ambiance for a calming afternoon. I cannot wait to come back."

Sushi-Thai Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.5 (259)

"Came for the buy one get one free lunch sushi deal. Sushi was excellent, very fresh tasting. Facilities were clean. The lunch time speed of service was excellent. Service was friendly and attentive. Lunch was $23 with gratuity. Overall good experience."

YoHo Hibachi and Sushi Burrito

★★★★☆ 4 (9)

"Yum! I'm a sucker for hibachi. Many places cook vegetables and meat with too much oil or have very lame vegetables, but this wasn't the case at YoHo. I ordered a combo meal with shrimp and chicken, and both were seasoned perfectly! I also loved the range of vegetables--peppers, onions, zucchini, carrots, and broccoli. The white rice was soft and perfectly cooked as well. It looks like YoHo also has a number of sushi burrito deals (buy one get one free and 50% off before 5pm...) as of January 2021."

New Japan

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (40)

"My recent hibachi experience was underwhelming. The rice was undercooked and the vegetables lacked flavor. While it seems like a straightforward dish, it's surprising how often it misses the mark. I'll likely skip this restaurant next time."

M Sushi - Cary

★★★★☆ 4.4 (87)

"I'm so glad M Sushi opened a location in Cary. I came here for lunch on a Wednesday and it wasn't super busy, thankfully. We didn't have a reservation but was seated promptly when we arrived. My wife and I got seats at the bar so we could watch the food being prepared.I ordered the Chirashi Combo while my wife got the Sushi Deluxe Combo. The Chirashi was delicious - the amount of fish was very generous, the quality was great, and the price was very much worth it. It also came with a miso soup.My wife's Sushi Deluxe Combo had 6 pieces of nigiri and a sushi roll, and also came with a miso soup. The food was great, the service was friendly, helpful, and prompt, and the space is nice, new, and clean. Parking at Fenton is convenient, but may be a bit of a walk depending on where you park. We will be back!"

Hibachi Japan

★★★☆☆ 3 (40)

"This place was pretty good. I got the scallop hibachi. The scallops were tender although appeared to have been cut in half and were very thin. Would have preferred them whole. I didn't love all the sauce they used to cook with scallops and veggies in before serving. It was sweet and too much in my opinion. With that said, it was a lot of food, the staff was very friendly and the take out process was seamless. I would go back for sure and maybe ask them to go easy on whatever sauce/marinade they use to cook with."

Kinoko

★★★★★ 4.7 (72)

"It's been three months since I visited during their soft opening and I'm happy to say.....they did a great job maturing the restaurant. The decor is much more cozy and welcoming. And Jackie is just as friendly as ever. The video signage is a great mixture of a sushi pep rally and Japanese news. Don't let the restaurant facade fool you, it's not strip mall sushi at all. The sushi is very fresh, creative, and unique. I had a Raleigh roll (no crunch), miso soup, uni, Ikura, and Seikyo sake (good Goldilocks sake - not too dry, not too sweet). I'm very happy I came back and loved my experience, from presentation to service to sushi quality; this place is legit and shouldn't be missed. Go see Jackie and remember to tip well."

M Tempura

★★★★☆ 4.4 (106)

"M Tempura's kaiseki (Japanese multi-course dinner) was one of the best dining experiences we've had in the Triangle. It's ideal for a romantic date, special occasion, or if you just want to treat yourself and indulge. The food and service were outstanding. That's all you need to know. For details, keep reading.The restaurant opened in October 2018 in downtown Durham, across from city hall. I suggest parking in the nearby Chapel Hill Street Parking Garage at 326 E Chapel Hill St. At the time of writing this, parking there costs $2.25 per hour, Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm. Otherwise, it's free.M Tempura is part of M Restaurants, named after Korean-American chef-owner Michael Lee. He started with M Sushi in January 2016. M Sushi has the best sushi in the Triangle, in my opinion. Then came M Kokko (September 2016), M Tempura, M Pocha (June 2019), M Sushi Cary (September 2022), and M Test Kitchen (April 2023). The latter two are located in Cary's Fenton mixed-use development. The rest are in Durham. These restaurants really helped elevate the Triangle dining scene.M Tempura is a small restaurant with a low-key, intimate atmosphere. The bar and dining room share the same space. That said, it doesn't feel cramped in here unlike M Kokko. The ambiance here is nicer.This place is popular. It got completely full during our Saturday visit. Book your reservation using OpenTable. Unfortunately, I didn't get any dining points from M Tempura. I did get the standard 100 points each from M Sushi and M Pocha. What up with that?I found the name "M Tempura" to be a bit misleading because the restaurant offers way more than just tempura. Only one of the 10 courses in our kaiseki was tempura. During our visit, they offered a $38 tempura tasting as well as tempura a la carte ($4-14 each). There was also an "M Omakase" menu ($75/person) similar to, but not as involved as, the kaiseki ($127/person).Here's what our kaiseki consisted of:* Course 1: Sakizuki (amuse bouche) - NC grass-fed bison tartare, egg yolk, black truffles, sunchoke* Course 2: Otsukuri (sashimi/raw dish) - chef's choice sashimi of the day; for us, it was chutoro* Course 3: Ni-mono (steamed dish) - chawanmushi, steamed egg custard, crab, ponzu, trout roe, walnut oil* Course 4: Atsu-mono (warm dish) - scallop from Hokkaido, Japan, curried cauliflower puree, kaluga caviar* Course 5: Age-mono (tempura/fried) - pink prawns (my substitute was eel), lobster, maitake, asparagus* Course 6: Sui-mono (soup/broth) - shabu-shabu, dashi, ponzu sauce; we were served Hawaiian amberjack and sea bream* Course 7: Yaki-mono (grilled dish) - Wagyu "pave" (a.k.a. "flake steak"), soy-cured egg yolk* Course 8: Shokuji (rice/meal) - blue crab hand roll (my substitute was a tuna tartare with tobiko hand roll), ikura, miso soup* Course 9: Pre-Dessert - monaka, foie gras, persimmon, Fruity Pebbles; paired with complimentary sauternes* Course 10: Dessert - chef's choice ice cream -- yuzu mango ice cream topped with raspberry sorbetDrinks* Born "Gold" Junmai Daiginjo Sake (8 oz carafe for $25)* Glass of the Santiago Ruiz, Albarino, Pontevedra, Spain (5 oz for $15)Every course was delicious, equally fantastic, and gorgeously presented. It was evident that each course was well thought out and carefully executed. The food quality was fresh and superb.Something I appreciated was the substitutions because of my crustacean allergy (see Courses 5 and 8). They weren't afterthoughts. In fact, my wife admitted she was jealous of the tempura eel substitute I received instead of prawns.The tempura was terrific. It was "authentic" tempura where you could actually taste the ingredients. The batter was light and crispy, and enhanced - not overwhelmed - the seafood and veggies. The tempura and other courses came with cute and fun dining accessories. Examples included lemon juicers that looked like fish (for the tempura) and little golden spoons that matched the small chawanmushi bowls.The chawanmushi was phenomenal. Umami to the max, and the temperature and consistency were perfect. The Wagyu "pave" "flake steak" was unique in the how we were able to press our steaks down into ultra thin slices. How'd they do that?The shabu-shabu course had some firsts for us. First, the plates bended in half at 90 degrees. Second, the boiling flame hot pots had paper linings in the broths. We've never seen that before.Though not uncommon on prix fixe menus, we liked that there were two desserts. The monaka with foie gras and Fruity Pebbles was certainly creative and interesting! It hit me with all sorts of flavors and textures. The dessert wine was a nice touch.If M Tempura has a weakness, it's drinks. They don't have any cocktails.Service was excellent. We had a party of four and the courses were paced comfortably with no hiccups. Our server (Woolim?) was great. She was friendly and knowledgeable. She let us sample both wine and sake before we committed to purchasing."

Yoho Hibachi and Sushi

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (30)

"We were craving sushi and decidedly to check out this stall. They had a bogo deal on rolls. My son ordered the rainbow roll and a tuna roll. They had a nice amount of fish and he liked how fresh it was. I had the salmon sushi burrito. It was packed with tasty fillings and the mango sauce was the perfect accompaniment. Sushi is made to order but you do not have to wait long."

Oishii

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (86)

"This was my first trip to Oishii, and felt a little pressed for time because of a movie we wanted to catch in an hour... and rushed is no way to feel when you step into Oishii.Frankly, I'm relatively new to the world of sushi, and have a lot to learn. I was initially overwhelmed by the menu choices - and that's a good thing, I guess? I can talk about the wait staff - friendly, courteous, helpful, and willing to help us get to the movie on time. The restaurant was clean, and quickly filled up almost to capacity - it seems to be a favorite for the pre-movie crowd.I wound up selecting a wasabi-glazed sashimi that was just terrific. I'm looking forward to revisiting this place when I have more time, and can begin to expand my horizons."

Ichibar

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (67)

"So, this exceeded our expectations. We walked in, and saw that there are some tatami rooms, there are paper lanterns hanging from the drop ceiling, and there's a sushi bar. There's a weird, dark event room which we walked by, and where the servers seem to congregate between services. If there were specials on the boards, we got hustled by them by the host, so we missed them. Oddly, we seemed to be the only people that got a paper menu. Everyone else around us got asked to scan the QR code taped at the end of each table. The menu is full of Japanese-y looking items, sushi and the like. I went "Bento Box," which included a bag salad with "sesame ginger" dressing, tempura prawns, and "hibachi chicken." The Mrs. got the "Joy Roll," based on our server's recommendation. And then we waited. The salad came out. I ate. We then waited some more. We'd been told the service here was slow, the kitchen slower. We were curious to see how bad it might actually be. While we waited, we received a big (really big) squeeze bottle of "the white sauce" for the table because "most people like this on their hibachi." The hibachi chicken (different from the teriyaki chicken because "it doesn't have teriyaki sauce") seems to have been cooked in this white sauce. It was okay. The tempura was crunchy on the outside, not bad. The "spicy tuna" roll was spicy and orange. I'm not sure it was tuna, maybe salmon. But, it wasn't bad, all in all. I'm not sure that the wasabi was real, as the greenness of it just didn't look right. The Joy Roll was fine. Nothing transformative, but, and as I find tempura-fried sushi rolls as some sort of conspiracy to try to get Southerners to eat "sushi," it was still alright. The service wasn't as bad as others have made it out to be here or on the Goog. Our server was attentive, kept our glasses filled, and kept assuring us that the food was going to hit the table, really it was. TLDR; this is Japanese style food in Vance County, NC. It's not fantastic, it's not as bad as you might suspect."

Chopstix Gourmet and Sushi Bar

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (262) • $$

"All I can say it Wow! How have I never been here until now? They have some really cute outdoor seating and actually use Chinese style plates and such when you dine in. As usual I got the Hunan Chicken and an egg roll. Easily ordered online and it was ready in 15 minutes. Got in the car and began to smell that this was gonna be a spicy delight! I added on spicy chili oil and that took the heat level from 5 to a 7. It's the way Hunan Chicken should be, but most places are afraid to make it too spicy! Definitely a re-visit in my future."

Hibachi Poke

★★★★☆ 4.1 (72) • $$

"If you're looking for great poke with plenty of options and good portions at a decent price, you need to check out this place. They had quality ingredients and didn't skimp on any of the fish or toppings. The ordering to pickup time is also very quick, we had our food ready within 5-8 min (your time may vary depending on how busy it is). Overall great food, good customer service, good price, will be seeing us back there again for sure ."

Umami Asian Bistro

★★★☆☆ 3 (26)

"I was in the mood for sushi as Saturday's have become sushi day for me as of late so I wanted to try a new place. Umami is literally 10 mins away and I always wanted to try them. After leaving target and checking online and seeing that they were supposedly closed it was a nice surprise that they were open (opens @12 on Saturdays). They are offering dine in services so I decided to stay and dine in there. I guess since it had just opened for the day or people don't know they offer dine in again, there were little to no one in the place which was completely fine with me. The unique part about ordering at Umami is as soon as you walk in there is a screen where you order from. It's pretty easy and the menu is as big as day right next to it. You select from the categories of food they offer and you pay and the ticket is sent over to the cooks so it's all contactless in that aspect. I ordered the Tempura Calamari ($8.95), I picked 2 (Jalamachi & Braza) rolls for $15 (Jalamachi is a spicy roll with salmon, spicy mayo, crunch, topped with yellowtail, avocado, fresh jalapeños, shichimi, kaiwari & ponzu dipping sauce; Braza is a spicy tuna roll with shrimp tempura wrapped with tuna tatami, jalapeños and comes with teriyaki and umami sauce) and I also ordered a steak and shrimp Teppan Bowl which also comes with mixed veggies and noodles and rice. Given that there weren't many people here at the moment it didn't take long for my entire meal to be prepared and brought to me (about 7-10 mins). Now I've been to a few sushi/ Japanese restaurants in Raleigh and Wake Forest and I feel like Umami might have the best Calamari hands down. It was crunchy and golden and covered in a sauce (that I don't recall unfortunately) and they were a nice size which put the icing on the cake. As for the sushi, I had no complaints. Everything taste fresh. The Braza was my favorite between the two. The shrimp only came on one roll so I was bummed about that but the rolls still were good without them. The umami sauce that came with the rolls is extremely good as well. The combination of dipping the rolls in the umami sauce and teriyaki sauce makes the rolls sensational. Last but not least, the steak and shrimp teppan bowl was so good. The steak and shrimp were both seasoned and hot and once stirred in with the vegetables and rice and noddles it makes a great bowl. It was my first time having a bowl with both rice and noddles and I was very satisfied. Overall my experience at Umami was amazing and I definitely see myself coming again to try other rolls and bowls. I recommend this place to any sushi and Japanese food lover."

Umami

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (98)

"Great experience at the restaurant! Headed for a birthday and the child deemed it better than Christmas! He said it's a sensory overload in a good way. Our chef was on top of it all and had a great demeanor. The food was delish and the sushi top notch! We will be back!!!"