Sono Japanese Restaurant

We were recomended to go dine at Sono by few of NC locals, and was it a experience of my life. Pros: looks like nice place Cons: all the thing they call sushi, maki and sashimi more

although it was slighty expensive, that's kind of what i was expecting for the location. all the food was great and fresh, and the sashimi sampler had much better stuff on it that i thought it would. definitely worth a visit for a classy night out, but i'm not sure why all these people are complaining about the valet parking when there are about a MILLION parking garages all around this area that are free if you leave after 7pm. Pros: good fish Cons: nothing really i guess more

The food is terribly over priced with service that is non-existent. Don't be surprised to be sitting for 45 minutes waiting on someone to take your money. The money you just wasted on B grade sushi. more

I don't often post reviews, but this restaurant definitely deserves one. Pros: Excellent Food and Quality of Sushi Cons: A Little Pricey (But Worth It) more

I ate dinner at Sono last night. I enjoyed the food, but the service was disappointing. The waitress assigned to our table seemed in a rush even though, the restaurant was not that crowded. She would whisk by our table without giving us a chance to say our full order. We had to be quick or she would be gone. Pros: Valet parking - however, slow in retrieving cars. Cons: Service more

I love good sushi. I always say, if you have never had it before, go somewhere good first. I have been to Sono several times, and each time I have had their special rolls, I have not been disappointed. Prices may be on the higher end of sushi, but it's worth it, and if you go during lunch, you can get two special rolls for $15. The atmosphere is trendy and the service is pretty decent. I highly recommend the Crunchy Diablo Roll, I get it every time now. Their miso soup and salad with ginger dressing is fine (I love the salad bowls they use) and their shrimp appetizer is also quite yummy :) Pros: The Sushi Cons: Parking more

There are so many Japanese restaurants popping up in the area but none that can compare to this place. This place has by far the most fresh fish around. I'm a little picky when it comes to sashimi in that I don't like frozen products. I don't mind frozen products used on my rolls but I hate it when I get it on my sashimi plate. I tried this place out because a friend of mine told me they have real Japanese snapper and bunch of other fresh fish. I had my doubts but when I got my sashimi platter for 50 dollars I was pleasantly surprised. Even though I did not request anything special I received mostly non-frozen items like the snapper, flounder, kanpachi, etc. I used to work at a Japanese restaurant as a server in my college days so I know my stuff. I also tried their pork belly appetizer because the server could not stop talking about it and found out why. It was probably the best pork appetizer I ever had. It was a little bit on the heavy side but I enjoyed it very much...great flavors and melted in my mouth. I came here expecting pretty much same food as mura (I'm a regular there since I live at north hills) but I realized most of their munu items are totally different. I've also noticed some new and interesting rolls I saw on the menu. I will try them out on my next trip. Pros: Great food, great service. Cons: valet parking can be a wait...it took me about fifteen minutes to get my car back more

Called 3x from PA to obtain a gift certificate for my parents who live in Raleigh. People were nice enough on the phone - but in the end, execution is what really matters. Maybe business is THAT good where they don't need to worry about additional business. more

If you are looking for a fancy place to have a dinner this will be a great area to go. Yestoday I went with my family to have dinner for first time and really love their sushi since its my first time to try it at japan express earlier and believe sushi was pretty good actually. So went to try it at other japanese restaurant and sono done a great job on their sushi everything was made to order. The only thing is you have to wait for pretty long time for it but after I try it it's worth a wait. Place is pretty dark if you wants to hide yourself but I would prefer to be able to see want I eat. Other than that everyting was great but I would recommoned you reserved before you went to have dinner their. Pros: sushi Cons: parking more

i dont see anyone that could possibly complain about this sushi bar. its not one of the best but its THE BEST sushi bar ive been to in raleigh! this place makes all other sushi-served places look like fast-food restaurants! the atmosphere was perfect. it was soo tranquil esp. during lunch hour. The sushi was some of the most freshest seafood i've ever had! and it actually tasted like REAL SEAFOOD..not some standard stuff out of a bag! thank you sono's for A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE! this was my first time going there..and its CERTAINLY not my last! Pros: service, GREAT FOOD Cons: lighting over dinner table more

This restaurant has it all!! Ambience & great food!!! They have such a unique selection and wide variety of rolls!! So many to choose from the decision is difficult. The fish for the rolls/sushi is always fresh. I have never had a roll that wasn't unbelievably great. Compared to some other sushi restaurants in the area (trust me I've been to quite a few) this is the best hands down!! Skip all the other places & go to Sono!! Service is great but can be a little slow sometimes - BUT they are making every roll to order & fresh. It is most certainly worth the very slight wait though!!! My only wish is that it was closer to my house so I could go more often. more

No reservation on a friday night and still got immediate seating at the sushi bar. Service was very good and the chef recommendations "not on the menu" were fantastic. Free valet in downtown was a nice treat. We would highly recommend this restaurant. I am taking my wife back for our anniversary dinner. Would recommend reservations for prime seating. The acoustics do tend to get loud if the place is full, but not unbearable. We were in San Francisco the week before and would say this quality was on par with the places out there. Pros: Great taste, good variety Cons: A little pricey, and can be loud more

First of all let me begin by saying I enjoy sushi very much. I'm not just saying this..I eat sushi around 4~5 times a week. I can't go a day without a sushi fix. So obviously i've been to every single sushi restaurant in the area...literally. There are some good ones and then there are some that should be burned down. I have to say I dine at Waraji the most and frequently visit Hayashi, Kanki(only at certain hours and certain kanki) and very few other places. I've dined here only twice but both times it was excellent. The freshness and the variety surpasses the other restaurants easily. Like I said...I've only been here twice but so far so good. Their rolls are tasty too but I was especially impressed by the number of fresh fish they carried. I love their fresh kanpachi among other specialty items such as uni and clam. I enjoy fresh white fish, and their flounder and red snapper has been very impressive on both visits. Also..there is not many places in town that carries real fresh blue fin tuna...only other ones that carry them on a regular basis are the ones I mentioned above and couple others in chapel hill/durham area with the exception of kanki..I think they use frozen version...which is on par with frozen yellowfin anyways. You can tell a blue fin because of the dark ruby color it has compared to bright red color of yellowfin and bigeye. I'm a fisherman so I know my fish...So overall I enjoyed it very much...but consistancy is a key to a great sushi restaurant. So I am disappointed to see the review below. If I run into same problem, you can be sure that I will come back and redo my review...but for now I give them two thumbs up and thank whoever is running the place for giving me a great place to dine. Pros: Everything...and the complimentary valet service is nice too. Cons: Gets a little too loud when the restaurant is full. more

Avocado turning bad, mediocre rice, overcooked chicken teriyaki with undercooked vegetables, irregularly cut sushi and greasy tempura. My wife was actually nauseous after this meal. more

This is the best Sushi my wife and I have ever had. Great atmosphere and the valet parking makes it very easy to get to. Will definitely go back! more

The food is great. The sushi is fresh and the variety is nice. I love that they have some items that other places don't have...such as Japanese snapper(yummy) and giant clam among many other fresh fish. Their entrees are not authentic yet very well presented and tasty too. Their special rolls are delicious as well but at time too heavy on the sauces....I always ask the server to tell them go light on the sauces or sometimes on the side. I love this place. I really think this place has what it takes to complete with the top dogs(waraji, mura, kanki). I go here about once a week and haven't had a bad meal yet...even when it's really busy like on weekends. The servers tend to run around a bit when busy but that's to be expected when the place is packed and people are in line. I've tried almost all their menu items and I only found that I wasn't too fond of the scallop appetizer...maybe because I'm not really a salsa person but that's just me. Overall, the place looks nice and the food is amazing....when you get a chance or are lucky to catch him behind the sushi bar..sit in front of the young co-owner that works there..he usually gives you little tastes here and there and sometimes even some desserts. I really enjoyed the strawberries with melon sauce...I told him he should put it in the menu. Pros: Variety and quality of fish. Cons: Service can be off sometimes. more

I am so happy to finally see a great sushi restaurant in the area. A great addition to the downtown dining repotoir along with Mint and Fins. This is a fabulous restaurant with great food and awesome sushi. I've been here multiple times and only had one sketchy experience...even then, the manager handled the situation very nicely and turned the situation around to make it a great experience for us. It does get a little crowded and loud in the weekends but it is a small place...definitely make a reservation on the weekends or come in early because this place is packed at peak hours. I hear that this place is owned by the same person that owns Mura but I think this place sets it self apart. Don't get me wrong..I've been to Mura and had a good experience most of the time, but overall... this place is a step above in taste, presentation, and service. Great to have you guys here. Pros: Wonderful food and sushi Cons: Way too cold inside...but let them know and they'll turn it down. more

After looking at the menu for the first time and found lots of non-traditional items I was a little worried that this was just another "NOBU" wanna-be but decided to sit at the sushi bar and try them out. I was surprised by the extensive sushi items on the sushi menu and that they carried so many fresh fish. So I began by asking the sushi chefs what was good and they recommended surprisingly large number of things...usually they will either say "they are all good" or just mention one or two things. I had the kanpachi, japanese snapper, blue fin tuna, toro, flounder, giant clam and few of their special rolls along with risotto that the server recommended for my companion. I was very satisfied with the quality (extrememly fresh). The sushi and sashimi was one of the best I've tasted in these area in a long time and their screaming o roll was great...a must try for roll lovers. And the risotto..I didn't have much expectation since it's a Japanese restaurant but wow..it was delicious and my companion loved it. I'm a sushi freak and I dine at japanese restaurants frequently...around two to three times a week. I usually dine at Waraji or Mura but this is a great find. I am anxious to visit this place again soon and If it's as good as the first time... they'll be seeing me alot more often. Pros: Very good sushi and sashimi selection and the freshness. Risotto was a delightful surprise Cons: I bit chilly inside...valet parking service(slow but atleast it was free)...little loud for my comfort more

\r This place is run by the same successful duo who own Mura in North Hills. Very nice interior with stylish bar in front, booths, tables and sushi bar in back.\r \r Got off to a rocky start when I ordered my usual Gibson and the waiter returned from the bar saying they had no cocktail onions. Choose a bottle of sake instead.\r \r The menu presents some items I doubt are on most Japanese menus you've seen before: sauteed foie gras with sweet ginger glaze and butter poached lobster tail with saffron tofu cream sauce---to name just two.\r \r Seaweed salad with frisee, cucumber and mustard vinaigrette is large and very satisfying.\r \r I had one of the sushi bar's special maki (roll), Tuna Ecstasy: crab salad and tempura shrimp topped with a salad of spicy tuna and cherry tomatoes. Very good.\r \r Pan seared sea bass with truffle soy reduction was cooked perfectly with a wonderful buttery crunch on one side. But, the overall dish was way too sweet and a turn-off for me. Served with a very good risotto (and plenty of it!) plus some asparagus.\r \r Although dinner was okay, I really think I want to return to Sono for lunch. The sandwich menu looks great: kobe beef burgers, pork tenderloin burgers, Korean bulgogi Philly cheese steak, panko white fish filet with wasabi tartar sauce--- all served with sweet potato french fries.\r \r Total bill: $100 for two, before tip, booze included, no dessert.\r \r Next time I'm in the neighborhood for dinner, I'll go to Fins instead! more

Excellent sashimi. Also, their specialty roll is the Screaming O. We had it, and it's definitely worth the risk, as it was very nicely prepared. Free valet parking is nice also. However, it took 15 minutes to retrieve our car maybe because it was 9p Saturday when we left. Service was good. Quite a romantic evening downtown, and sushi always makes us a little randy. Very nice place. Pros: Great sushi. Great location. Quite romantic for a sushi place. Cons: Kinda high dollar. Valet took 15 minutes or more to retrieve our car. more