Zest Sushi & Small Plates

I would give it 10 Stars if I could! The food, service, and atmosphere is amazing! We went on a Monday, so cocktails were half off. The Lily Pad really stood out among the four we tried. If you like pear, I highly recommend. We got the spicy garlic edamame and ginger salads to start. The edamame had a building heat so if spice isn't your thing I would say try the original or truffle; if you like spice, this is perfect! The ginger salad was super fresh! Great balance of mixed greens, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and a very tasty ginger dressing. Favorite roll of the evening went to Two if By Sea! The tuna melted in our mouths! A close second was Story of the Salmon. It was the pop of the lemon zest that really took it to the next level! Over the Rainbow is a standard rainbow roll, a great litmus test IMO, the fish was super fresh!The flourless torte was spot on. It had a wonderful fudgy quality to it. The strawberry coulis with the homemade whipped cream really balanced out the density of the torte. The dining room was lovely. Very spacious and clean. Our server, Allie, was absolutely fantastic! She was incredibly attentive, made sure we had everything we needed, and was very knowledgeable about the menu. We're both looking forward to returning to try the rest of the menu!

Went to Zest for lunch. My wife ordered the crispy chicken sandwich which was described as a double fried chicken breast. She was served a chicken thigh which she does not eat. When she questioned it she was told that the had changed to a thigh but have not changed the menu.

Service was good and ambiance was nice. The food is just not inspiring. The ginger salad was heavy with sesame oil, the calamari was really rubbery, the flight of oysters was good but the chicken teriyaki was definitely underwhelming. The desserts were good (chocolate mochi ice cream and Yuzu cheesecake). I didn't have the sushi and maybe if we go again we will try that and see if it's better.

I ordered the crouching tiger sushi roll. The sushi roll taste very fresh rice was good consistency. We really liked it. We also ordered the shaking beef, tenderloins, and the pork bellly. The pork belly was excellent! Presentation was beautiful and the seasoning and the taste were perfect. The shaking beef tenderloins look great! It was A little too salty so we returned it, and the second plate came out good The Taste was good but as far as presentation goes, they left out the cucumbers and to me if somebody complains about the food being too salty or whatever the reason I would just go the extra mile to make them say wow when the second dish came out. we enjoyed the experience.! We would definitely come back here again!. When somebody returns to dish, this is in my opinion the opportunity for the restaurant to take it a level up in this sense I would say they failed a little bit, not terribly, but they could've gone the extra mile made sure the cucumber was there and the presentation was on point this would've taken my view from a four star to a five star. I will say our waitress, Joyce was exceptional!!!!one other thing I would suggest is the door to the restroom and the employee only door and even the kitchen door I would put soft closed doors so that whenever an employee goes through them or customer, you don't hear that bang. That would be it because the bang takes away from the ambience

So the food was fine. It was just really small portions (which I know it's small plates) but for a lot of money. Which I'm fine with doing if the quality of food is great. But it's just meh.

My experience here was nothing less than stellar. I stopped for lunch today while I was in the Cary area. I found parking behind the building and walked in to the beautifully decorated restaurant. The hostess was very friendly and I had the option of dining in ladle or out. I chose inside so I can see the restaurant. The menu hit everything that I would ever want to order. Raw oysters- sushi and and small plates. I chose the scallop crudo and tina tartare. The crudo was unique with an orange flavor which I found delightful. The tartare had such a delicious mark are and I loved the crisps that were served with it. My server was excellent and I would dine here frequently if I lived in the area. I thought the pricing was rather reasonable for an upscale restaurant. Highly recommend.

We were very excited to try Zest and it didn't disappoint! Our order for dinner was very basic, so I definitely want to go back and try some of their more intricate options - the menu was way more vast than I expected. Sitting outside was really nice and we had incredible service. My water was consistently refilled before it ever reached 25% full. I forgot to take a photo of our sushi rolls (tempura shrimp and salmon & cucumber), but everything else was beautifully served and quite tasty.

Great addition to the downtown Cary area. Cecilia took good care of us during our visit. Will definitely be back for the bento boxes at lunch!

Woohooo!! Downtown Cary now has a Sushi Restaurant! Some really great dishes on this menu... like Hamachi Jalapeño & a real crab cali roll. They also have oysters & some interesting handhelds & bowls. Soft opening happening tonight & this weekend 8/9/2024. This place is on Chatham Street across from Dom's bagels & near Scratch. It's in a brand new building on the bottom floor. They have tables outside & also a sushi bar. Everything is clean & new. The food was excellent!! Our server Emily was really awesome too. Several others also came by while we ate & checked with us too. Great service here!

Good food but amazing service! Zach was the best server-seriously one of the best servers we've had. They were late seating us and he immediately offered to bring a complimentary bottle of wine. When we had a question about the sashimi, he provided us with a detailed explanation after speaking with the sushi chef. Class act. Highly recommend!