Waraji Japanese Restaurant

The best sushi I have found in Raleigh so far. Nothing fancy, but excellent food and service. more

I love this place for all the best reasons. Great quality, best flavor, perfect presentation and fantastic service. This is Raleigh's best! more

This place the BEST customer service!!! Our waitress Natalie was the most patient, and helpful waitress I've ever met... When you eat sushi at a new restaurant sometimes their menu can be alittle confusing, but Natalie was very helpful and considerate... And the top it off the sushi was GREAT!!! The only downfall would be they are alittle pricey, but well worth it :) more

Run, don't walk to this place if you are looking for the best sushi around. These guys are masters at what the do and the flavors are out of this world. more

Twice a week we visit this place. The only down side is eating at other sushi places will make you appear like a sushi snob. The quality can be tasted and the selection of fish is second to none. more

The quality of fish is ALWAYS consistent. The service is good; especially if you sit at the sushi bar. We hardly ever order from the menu and have the chefs prepare whatever rolls they feel like making. I not been satisfied w/ only 2 rolls ever, but I wasnt mad. I mean I am the one that gave them free reign to make me what ever. We love this place and have a hard time going anywhere else. I honestly dont mind paying the $$$. more

# of Visits: several\r \r The Good: This is one of few places in town that still makes good nigiri sushi. The presentations are simple and clean. Their basics are still in tact, as far as the sushi goes. The rolls are good too, but as some others may have also noticed, they tried to sneak in some ""not so fresh"" things in my rolls as well once. This only happened once in lunch so I'm hoping it was a fluke, and not intentional. Keep in mind I am trying to rate the restaurants in regards to the region. NC is not California or New York where fresh fish and vendors are abundant. I know this because my husband used to be in the industry when I was in west coast.\r \r The Bad: Their kitchen dishes seems to have taken a dive over the time. I was displeased with their udon and zaru soba noodle. The noodles were overcooked and so the texture was off. I wasn't impressed by the broths either. The service is on and off. Best to sit at the sushi bar to get the best experience.\r \r Summary: Over all a good Japanese restaurant but a bit on the expensive side. I recommend this place to anyone craving good old fashion nigiri sushi or sashimi. Their fish is good when they have them but I recommend eating at the sushi bar to enjoy their nigiri sushi or all their sushi for that matter if possible. They used to be better as far as keeping their fish fresh and the number of varieties but fear that the slower business has them struggling to save much as possible. I hope that someday I will be back to re-review this place with better rating because it's a shame to see one of the few ""original"" or ""old school"" sushi restaurant that has earned much respect over the years go down in quality and service. I really wish they had 3.5 stars because that would have been a more fair rating. Pros: Good sushi sometimes Cons: Sometimes not so good sushi more

We used to come here every weekend and recently We noticed they increase the price but the food quality is not as good as it used to be and I have never see any high end restaurant sell the fountain soda $2.75 only movie theaters. I some times can buy a lunch $2.75 at burger king. I’ll rather come to Tasu Bristro in Brier creek for quality of services, food, better prices and nice atmosphere Pros: parking Cons: too expensive, food not fresh more

I haven't eaten at Waraji in about 6-8 years. At that time, I was impressed by their variety of innovative rolls (for Raleigh) and fresh fish. I ate there for lunch and was really disappointed by the spicy tuna on top of their Mary Roll-- there was actually brown pieces in there and most of the tuna had a fishy taste to it, even through the majo/sriracha sauce, which BTW didn't have enough sriracha in it. The rice on at least some of the inside out rolls was way too dry. I suspect these rolls and the spicy tuna were probably made the night before. I have to say, I've actually had worse sushi in Raleigh, but only once. On the plus side, the unagi nigiri was much better... saba was ok. My guess is that lunch is not their forte. Pros: Easy to get in for lunch Cons: Dry rice and brown tuna more

If you want a sushi place that is consistent in delivering fresh sushi, this is the place for you. Pointing out the obvious, it's very busy on weekends so plan accordingly or expect to wait. It's worth it though. Pros: consistently good sushi Cons: sushi is slow to be served more

I'm guessing most who've given this place rave reviews have never eaten at a quality sushi spot. I was visiting friends from CA and I was unimpressed by the roll selection and quality. I've never seen a sushi place with no rainbow roll. The crab was fake and the rolls were like something I'd get at a supermarket. The sashimi was ok. The service was friendly but our food took forever. Maybe the Japanese dishes are better. Being from L.A. I was hoping for the best since NC isn't known for sushi. I can literally walk to 5 different places that are all better than this. You guys need to get some better places in town if you think this is great. more

As you see, the wait time could be seen as a CON, but I've been a regular for many years now and the wait time actually gives you the anticipation of a good meal... and time enough to finish that bottle of sake. The service is amazing, if you are a regular you may end up getting freebies like my group did last night. Yun San is especially kind and an exciting member of the staff. Give her 25% minimum. I'm going to be asininely selfish and say stay away from this establishment because you're going to dig into my quality of service and wait time :) All in jest, the best in town, even in big cities a place like this could only be dreamed of... yet another reason to visit Raleigh. Pros: Quality of food and service Cons: Wait time more

Used to be so good when it opened - I have been over 20 times and I will never go back...nothing like below average service on more than one occasion to turn me off to a restaurant. The sushi chefs are aloof and focused on preparing the take-out sushi before anything else. The sushi bar is crowded and the chairs are extremely uncomfortable. It is strange in that you wait forever to get served and to get sushi but then the wait staff is focused on bringing you the check before you even finish. They need an infusion of true Japanese hospitality. The magic of Waraji is long past... Pros: Raw fish Cons: Customer service, wait staff, chairs and atmosphere more

When we're hungry for sushi, it's always Waraji that we choose. We've never been disappointed. Make sure you either call first or know they are definitely open. We went twice when the restaurant was closed because the owners were on vacation. Pros: Always good! Cons: Nothing more

Don't be put off by its location in a strip mall--It's a Great place for a date. Waitstaff was extremely friendly and informative. On the expensive side, but totally worth it when you taste their sushi. Recommend the Scari Jeri (not sure about the spelling) roll--also great basics like Spicy Tuna, Spider, etc. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu. Definitely worth trying if you've never been--I'll definitely be going back soon!! Pros: Best sushi in the triangle Cons: Small dining room--sometimes there's a wait more

I don't know what the last reviewer is talking about. Waraji has THE best quality sushi in the area, hands down. Period. They are busy, but that is a sign of success. Don't listen to anyones reviews, just go and try for yourself. You won't be sorry you did. more

Good Sushi and service but be prepared to wait for a table! Due to the small size and popularity of this location you may have to wait for a table. Overall very much worth the wait. more

I like the fact that everytime I dine at waraji the quality of the food is consistant. I've been dining here for a while and they deserve a high praise for their work. Their menu is nothing out of the ordinary but is traditional and always good. Tuna here is almost always fresh, not frozen, and very tasty. I notice that their rice is also very well seasoned and of good quality. I enjoy nigiri sushi the most, and I notice that the shari is one of the best in town. If you want some funky, fushion sushi there are other places that might better suit you but when it comes to traditional food and sushi, I don't think you can top waraji in this area. Over the years I visited many and almost all sushi restaurants and narrowed my sushi dining to three places. Waraji, sono, and haru. Each places has their unique take and flair. Take it from a guy who's been around. If your looking for good sushi, stop by waraji. Pros: Top notch quality food served consistantly Cons: Service can have ups and downs more

Well Friends,\r \r This was my 3rd attempt at a good meal at Waraji. I was reluctantly persuaded by some friends in a rather large group to visit Waraji again this past Saturday night. As I suspected it had not changed. In fact, it was worse than ever before. Reservations were at 7:00. Arrived 15 minutes early and waited as the others arrived. No place to even get a drink as we waited. That in itself is not the real issue, so here it is.\r Ordered drinks at 7:30 Got them at 7:45. Ordered food at 7:50. Finally got the food around 8:30, but had to wait another 10 minutes for the little dish to mix the wasabe and soy. Food was as usual very expensive. Ordered a deluxe sushi platter, the soup was cold, the salad was actually good though. The sushi was however no better than I could get at Kroger in the deli. Also the portions were very small. Most of our group had to order additional rolls to fill up. Most ot the rolls went for arounf $10.00 which is really high. Finally got out of there at 10:15. 3 hours and 15 minutes!!!!\r \r Based on these things: atmosphere, price, quality and service, Waraji is at the bottom of the heap.\r For 2 Sushi platters, 2 rolls and 2 beers the cost came to $79.00. Since the decided we were in a group and required an automatic 18% gratuitiy that brought our cost to over $93.00. Could have eaten Kroger 5 times for that amount. Service is the worst anywhere. Can't even get a refill on water without asking for it.\r If possible (and it wasn't) I would have tipped $1.00\r \r I've eaten at most every sushi restaurant in the Triangle and Warajis is by far the worst in all categories.\r \r Hope you experiences here have been better more

My family and I absolutely LOVE this restaurant. The best and freshest sushi in the Triangle, in my opinion. Nice atmosphere, great service, good place for families or for a couples dinner out. The only disadvantages I can see are that they are not open on Sundays (last time I checked) and that you sometimes have to wait for a table. I recommend avoiding peak hours, especially on the weekend. But, even with the wait, it's well worth it! Pros: Fabulous sushi! Cons: Wait for tables at peak times more