Mura Japanese Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Mura at North Hills is a phenomenal restauant. I just recently attended the restaurant for the first time. As soon as I walked into the door and saw the atmosphere i knew i was in for a great dining experience. My server a young man named Jeff was most helpful. I didnt know what to get and he thoroughly explained some of the great items on your menu. The sushi was the best i have had since i moved from California just about six months ago. The fresh wasabi just topped everything off. The food was good, but the service was even better. Pros: The tatami rooms are great for big parties Cons: wait for sushi more

This is by far some of the best sushi I've ever had, and I've eaten sushi in asian districts in major cities all around the country. Hot entrees are really great as well, but I like to stick to what I know (Though I really think they have the best filet in the area. Not even the $70 Kobe, but the regular $23 8 oz filet. If the cheaper one is that good, I can only imagine what the Kobe tastes Like!), which is sushi and sashimi. They often have more exotic offerings like uni (sea-urchin, my favorite), and Toro tuna. A great wine list, well stocked bar (They actually have my 2 favorite gins, Hendrix and Quintisential!) and waitstaff thats knowledgable, friendly and generally Professional round out the whole experience nicely. The bartender, (I think his name is Gary or Greg) is one of the best in Raleigh. The only downside is sometimes there is a long wait for sushi and rolls, but when I inquired as to why, I was informed that a lot of sushi bars cut the fish earlier in the day, making final asembly faster, but comprimising the freshness due to the fish drying out and oxidizing, but Mura always cut everything to order. That would explain why Sushi blues get sushi and rolls out with the quickness, but it takes places like Mura and Waraji's a little longer. If your concerned about time, go in to Mura early (Before 7pm), but if your patient, the wait for superior product will pay off. Pros: Fantastic sushi, great bar, great wait staff Cons: The wait, but its well worth it. more

I've lived in Raleigh for 4 years and have eaten at almost all of the sushi restaurants-Sushi Blues, Toyko House, Waraji, Sushi-Thai, Kashin, Wasabi, etc...Mura has been the best out of all of these....The sushi that I have ordered has been extremely tasty and while a bit pricey, worth it...The atmosphere is romantic and cozy...The service has been hot and cold, on one occasion we had a server who was very knowledgeable and personable and on another occasion the server had never tried any of the sushi...The first time I came in on a whim with some friends on a busy Friday night....Despite the restaurant being slammed and not having a reservation, the manager sat us at the bar for about 10 minutes and somehow scored us a table in the main dining room...Although the waitstaff could use a bit of work, the food is well worth it and I enjoy the atmosphere... Pros: food, ambience Cons: waitstaff inconsistent more

In the past, I've had good food and good service at Mura. The sushi, while not the best I've ever had, was decent and the atmosphere is nice. With that said, I will never go back to Mura because my last experience was terrible. Pros: Nice looking restaurant in a nice location Cons: Sushi is terrible more

I've eaten here twice, and both times I was astonished at how often the waiter came and chatted at our table. On the first visit, I chalked it up to a strange experience since we got to see his family photos - but the second time it happened with a different waiter. He showed up at the table on average every 3 minutes. Since we were discussing confidential business, we had to stop every time. Water really doesn't need to be refilled every time you drink from the glass. It's unnerving. The sushi was fine - it wasn't as great as some I've had around the country- but it was creative and tasty. The wait for the food on a night when the restaurant was not even close to full, was way too long for the prices they are charging. The staff is familiar with the food so they can give good recommendations. Pros: good sushi Cons: way too long of wait for food and the staff is at the table trying way too much more

I recently stopped into Mura at North Hills. This was my first visit and let me tell you it was excellent. There was a wine tasting going on at the time so we got to mooch a few glasses of free wine. I found out later on that these tastings are quite frequent at Mura and that live music will be going on in the near future. I am very excited to to check it out again very soon. The food was very tasty and well presented. The satff was friendly and very attentive. What a hidden gem in Raleigh. The wait on the food was a little long but to be expected in a place such as this. Pros: staff, decor Cons: wait, parking more

I would like to comment on the wonderful experience I had at Mura. First off I was really impressed with the atmosphere of this place. The decor is ultra hip at the same time very romantic. Whoever designed this place did a wonderful job. The service was a little slow (to be expected on a saturday night), but well worth the wait. The food was amazing! There is an extensive list of special rolls and sake. I have yet to run across a sushi place in Raleigh that even comes close. Pros: decor, atmosphere Cons: average ticket times more

My wife and I decided to meet another couple out at Mura after hearing good reviews. Upon our arrival the restaraunt appeared busy but nothing out of the ordinary for a Saturday night. We were able to get a table immediately at the bar area. The waitress took our order, brought back drinks where we then proceeded to order. Then we waited, waited some more, and continued to wait. I inquired what was the hold up and was just told that they were busy. As a fan of good sushi I know that it doesn't take that long for sushi to be prepared esp when they had 4 sushi chefs working behind the counter. I've seen many more people at Sushi Thai or any other place for that matter and never encountered a wait like this. The manager then walked by and I politely asked him if there was a problem and when we might expect a meal as we had been waiting an hour and 45 minutes for our meal. His reply was very short non apologenic just 'we are busy". What I would percieve to be extremely poor customer service from a person in that position. Shortly there after he came over to inform us in extremely rude fashion of what time we placed our order (10 minutes different from what I had told) and that it would be coming. No mention of again sorry for any inconvenience or anything like that or offer to make it better. Regardless of the 10 minute discrepencay it was either 1hr 50 min or 2 hrs wait....you pick . Far from timely if you ask me. Then when we did get our food I was extremely disappointed with it. Two of the rolls were lacking a sauce or topping that should have came on it and just overall taste. As hungry as we all were they could have served us about anything and I probably would have thought it was great. I personally have never wrote a review like this before but after such a terrible experience I thought it my duty to do so that hopefully I could save others from a terrible experience at Mura. Pros: contemporary looking bar area Cons: Service, service, service more

I have a great love for sushi and was extremely excited about experiencing the new sushi place in North Hills. Like most North Hills restaurants I was expecting excellent service and fine dining. Not only did my guest and I have to wait an hour and a half for a table on a Wed night after we were told the wait would be only 20 minutes, but when I spoke with the hostess she seemed uninterested with our concerns. Not only did they seat multiple parties that had come in long after us, but they told me that part of the restaurant was closed because the kitchen was too busy. Minutes after this conversation they sat two other couples in this section and served them food. When we finally got our food, we were very disappointed in its preparation, the sushi was not rolled tight enough making it impossible to eat with chopsticks. Over all, I would suggest staying far away from this restaurant. I have never been treated so poorly by a business in the service industry. It was a highly disappointing dinning experience. Pros: Ambience, Location Cons: Service, Service, Service! more

I just got back from Muras and all I can say is "wow!" I went there because they were voted best in raleigh by citysearch and sometimes they're for real, and sometimes it's just a popularity contest. Muras is both. It was busy, but not too busy, bar is great for people watching. And the rolls, wow, I had the piano, lobster and something with beef on it. So good, very creative. The sashimi was as fresh as anything I've had around here. Comparable to the other sushi places, but the atmosphere and vibe put them over the top. Beautiful restaurant! I've been to sushi restaurants around the US and Canada, but they have it together. If you go on Tuesday night, like I did, you can get the rolls at half off or something. Keep up the good work and you have made a loyal customer out of me! Pros: Atmosphere, food, fresh fish, creative rolls Cons: Too many rolls, i'd spend a fortune to eat them all more

Mura offers interesting variety of rolls and very tasty. If you focus on the details, there are things they do that aren't very Japanese while they presented as if it is (kind of funny). The menu has photos of the dishes which is diner friendly. Overall a great place to have a sushi dinner and the atmosphere is nice as well. more

loved mura. the sushi was very very good. nice presentation. awesome service, not overly formal or stuffy but attentive. decor and atmosphere great. forgo the pork roulade dish (it was overcooked). Pros: atmosphere, service, sushi Cons: panko fried pork roulate. stick with sushi. more

I've been to Mura three times and had a wonderful experience everytime. I work in North Hills and Mura is becomming one of my favorite spots to take clients. It isn't cheap, but the atmosphere is fabulous. The service has been incredible. The manager even played Phantom of the Opera on the grand piano for us. Pros: Beautiful setting Cons: Somewhat expensive more

I recently took a group of 10 people there and was glad I did. The food, service and atmosphere were all outstanding. It was a Wednesday Night and there was a comfortable crowd there and the speed of service was great. We all appreciated the wide variety of food options and really enjoyed some unusal Sushi choices like Surf & Turf with Filet Mignon. My favorite by far was called the Hard Rock roll. Even our non-sushi diners loved what they had and the desserts were amazing as well. I had heard great things about this place and it definitely lived up to the hype. I will go back soon and also tell others about it as well !! Pros: Location Cons: Location more

For my birthday this year, my friends and I reserved a tatami room and had so much fun. You get a buzzer so you can page your server whenever you need something, and the rooms are beautifully appointed. The food is very good, I personally like the Nippon Spider and Hard Rock rolls. If you're looking for somewhere special to dine, I would definitely recommend spending the $27 for a tatami room more

My husband and I were very excited when we found out that Mura had Kobe beef after we had just experienced this exquisite beef in NYC. However, the steaks they served at Mura were nothing like we expected. They were "good" steaks but I can't imagine they were actually Kobe Wagyu beef as advertised. The price was outrageous for what was actually served. One of our friends decided to get seafood instead of the beef and was also disappointed that it was all over-cooked. And the Uni sushi we were served was not fresh even though we were told that it was when we inquired. The service and atmosphere were nice, but the food was way below par, not what we expected. Cons: Kobe beef, seafood more

I was excited to try this highly recommended restaurant, but the overall experiece was just so-so. Service was good, but my entree of the miso lamb rib chops was undercooked and cold. I ordered medium rare, what I got was a quick sear as one would do with a tuna steak, seems to me that the kitchen has one way to do things. The side of vegetables was lukewarm..I am unsure if it was to be a hot or cold side. The panko potato cakes were okay, but no big deal. I may go back for sushi sometime, but forget the dinner deal, not worth it. Atmosphere was confusion between Cheesecake factory and Enoteca Vin, trendy chain vs real deal. Could be much better. more

Okay, so my husband and I made this our restaurant of choice while in Raleigh for our 5th yr wedding anniversary. Only negative of the night, the server. Host was very pleasant with great attitude, but server left lots to be desired. He was very cold and unwelcoming. However, our food made up for that negative. Started out with California Rolls as that is all the sushi we know. Ordered one roll, then after it was devoured, ordered the second. GREAT. Wonderful. My husband ordered the filet, it was great. I opted for the terriyaki chicken, which was awesome! If I had my choice we would have ordered another Cali to go for later that night.... but we didnt. Anyway, for the two california rolls, filet, and chicken along with two beers. Our meal was less than $60 not including tip. Going we were expecting to spend more than that so i was definately nice to get a great meal for that amount of money. If I had one tip Mura, it would be to send the waiter to some "how to meet friends and influence people" class. Otherwise A+ from us! Pros: Sushi, Great Romantic Setting, and Ambience. Cons: Server was very cold. more

When I first walked in I was blown away by the decor. Definetly not something I thought I would find in Raleigh! My experience there was wonderful. The food was excellent and the service was as good as any I've had in this area. What i was most surprised to find is that they run specials Sun thru Wed. The specials vary from nite to nite, but they are really good deals. I happened to be there on tues when it was buy one roll get one half off, five dollar martinis and 2.5 japanese beers....I couldn't beleive it! I'll be back.... Pros: service, suhi, specials Cons: non smoking more

While the sushi is okay, the atmosphere, service, Kobe steaks, and sake selection are the real winners with this restaurant. This is a great place to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. I miss Shin Kai -- now they knew sushi. Pros: Atmosphere, service, sake selection Cons: Mall location (ugh!) more