Shinmai Shokudo

I had to travel from WF on a Tuesday morning to try Shinmai. I was their first customer shortly after opening at 11:15am and was greeted warmly and told I could choose my seat. The restaurant isn't very big, but it's quite airy with tall ceilings and tasteful decor. After perusing their varied menu I decided to order the agedashi tofu and tempura appetizer and the spicy tan tan as my entree. I appreciated that my server brought my dishes out as they were prepared. You can tell from my photos that my dishes were delicately prepared and plated so nicely. My daughter and I went to Japan last summer and this is the first restaurant in the Triangle that even remotely compares to the food we ate there. Thanks for bringing your delicious food from CA to NC! I can't wait to bring the rest of my family this weekend to try more of their dishes.

This is *the* restaurant you stumble upon by chance, fall in love with, and then feel compelled to tell everyone you know about. Trust me, there's no gatekeeping when it comes to Shinmai; it's too good not to share. Expanding all the way from California to NC, they've brought with them a level of culinary excellence that's hard to find anywhere else. Let's talk about the food--wow. I started with the Bao Buns filled with tender, juicy beef. The buns were perfectly fluffy, and the beef was packed with savory goodness, melting in my mouth with every bite. Next came the Moro Q, a simple yet absolutely delightful cucumber dish that was refreshing and flavorful, a perfect palate cleanser. And then there was the Gyudon (with onsen egg)--easily one of the best I've ever had. The thinly sliced beef was so rich and perfectly seasoned, nestled over a bed of fluffy rice, making each spoonful a comforting, umami-filled experience.The food was nothing short of amazing. The flavors are so rich and well-balanced that you could taste the authenticity in every bite. It's as if they transported the vibrant food culture of Japan straight to our backyard. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting. The staff was incredibly friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu, making the dining experience feel special from start to finish. If you're in NC, this place is an absolute *must-visit*. Whether you're a ramen lover, udon aficionado, or just someone who appreciates exceptional food, Shinmai will blow you away. I'm already planning my next visit, and I can't wait to bring friends so they can see what all the hype is about!

Food: good tasting menu, i like the fact that they have & change up the special items. We liked the grilled mackerel, octopus, carbonara udon & tonkotsu ramen. Service: one female waitress who speaks Mandarin who waits all the tables. She's really quick (too quick) to take orders, clean your table (when we're still eating & talking) followed by asking if we want our check. We can't helped but feel rushed. Ambiance: cute & simple decor. I do have to mention & suggest that they change their napkins to a bigger size. Their napkins are more appropriate for appetizers/cocktails that restaurants used to put underneath their drinks. They're too small to wipe your mouth/hands in one sitting. All in all, the food is not bad for not having a lot of options in Cary but portions are small for the pricing $$. So, it wouldn't be a place we'd go regularly.

First real ramen spot in Winston Salem? Oh I'm there!! I honestly did not have high expectations going in but the Black Garlic ramen broth was so rich it was TO DIE FOR! I highly recommend. The only bad remark is that the egg itself was not poached as it normally is for ramen. It was hard boiled. I would stick to just the ramen, the fried oyster appetizer was ok. Service was kind and quick! Definitely will be back for winter!

BLUF: Lovely spot with delicious noodle dishes and friendly, attentive staff.Rarely do I point out applause to the wait staff. As busy as they are, they made sure our two infants (14M and 7M) had high chairs, their own plastic plates and utensils, and sippy cups for water. It was very thoughtful to have made sure the two babies had a good experience as well.The kitsune soba came out piping hot! Perfect! The soup base was good. I'm sure the inari was frozen and the soba came out of a package, but the whole of the dish was enjoyable.We had all three noodle types represented on our table: soba, ramen, and udon. All three with a distinctive spin and all three worth getting again.

After reading other great reviews about this place I made a trip out to come try the food, not sure if I just got an off day or maybe the staff is still working through some changes but I felt like my experience was subpar compared to the other reviews. We ordered a variety of menu items: ramen, bento, side dishes, and even a dessert. The ramen I felt like was missing something? I can't quite explain it, other than lackluster. I can confidently say the ramen here does not compete well at this price point. Same for the other menu items, none were particularly bad but just didn't compare well to other places that offer more food or better quality at a more competitive price point. The service here was great and the food came out relatively quickly. The plates were nice and clean and I feel like the ambiance of the place is great. I just think some work needs to be done on the back end to get this place competitive with other Japanese restaurants.

They are still in their soft opening so they need some grace for their service and timing of things but the food was so delicious! The staff were very kind and friendly, they welcome you happily with an "irasshaimase" and as you leave you will hear an "arigato gozaimasu"I admit I was skeptical about a restaurant claiming to provide authentic Japanese in Cary, but I was happy with the food and plan to come back! We had the chilled tofu app and beef katsu (an app not a meal but you can order rice on the side and make it a light meal), and carbonara udon. We also got the frozen custard for dessert. I thought the flavors were delicious and the food was cooked really well. I didn't find the experience here to be 100% authentic like you're dining in Japan but it wasn't too far off. Highly recommend!

Small cozy restaurant with good quality Japanese food! I didn't realize what a lack of good Japanese food there is in this area until I visited this restaurant, and I'm so happy that Shinmai is here! We sampled a bunch of different things, including the agedashi tofu, okonomiyaki, tokatsu, seafood shoyu, unagi don, and tenzaru soba. My favorite was the tenzaru soba, which I've never had before but our waitress was kind enough to inform me how to properly eat it. It's a cold soba that comes with a dipping sauce on the side. After adding in the green onion, radish, wasabi and everything else that was provided to the dipping sauce (as instructed), the sauce was SO GOOD. I couldn't get enough of it! The tempura was yummy as well and crunchy in texture! I'd say my second favorite was the unagi don as the flavors stood out to me and it was presented nicely. The ramens were decent, noodles were definitely al dente and chewy. The agedashi tofu was ok, but I did like the okonomiyaki! We ended the meal with the raindrop cake, which tasted a lot like the jelly they put in boba, surrounded by a brown sugar syrup. It was delish and sealed the meal nicely. Would definitely recommend whenever you're in a Japanese food mood!

I was so excited for something that was a little more authentically Japanese! I've never been to Japan, but I'm from Hawaii and the Japanese food there set the expectations high due to the large influx of Japanese tourism and population overall. We tried this place in February and had an overall positive experience. They have a limited menu but I personally think its a good sign if they know what they want to focus on and do it well. The tempura and the tempura sauce were delicious, would get again. The kimchi carbonara was good but I think it could use more kimchi, it was otherwise way too creamy for me personally. The ramen that is not pictured was really good, especially the noodles! It's so hard to find good ramen here, and it has to do with both the noodles and the soup. I would say when we had it it was on par with miso ramen bar, but a little bit different. I'm not sure what happened since February since the reviews on it after February did not like it, and I haven't tried it since.The waterdrop cake was cool and refreshing. The flavor comes entirely from the sauce. Overall it was a quaint space. I would go back again to check out other items on their menu.

We got the corn croquettes, the tempura, the spicy tan tan, and the salmon carbonara udon. Honestly everything was so good we couldn't pick our favorite! And the service was very warm and friendly.