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Kuki – Best Sushi in Town

Kuki, located off of Wake Forest Road in North Raleigh, has the best sushi in town. I’ve tried almost all of the other places: Sono, Sushi-Thai, Sushi Blues, and countless more, and while most of those places were good, none have left the impression on me that Kuki has. Kuki’s food beats anywhere else in town hands down, and is wonderfully free of the pretension and edge that plagues most high quality sushi bars.

To make good sushi you need two things – a talented chef and quality ingredients. Considering that, it amazes me that most of the hipster sushi joints put their effort into everything else (marketing, decor, fishnet clad waitresses). Nevertheless, on any given night you will find quite a crowd outside of these places, waiting in the cold for mediocre sushi.
Everything about Kuki is personable and friendly. The decor simple and tasteful; there are no gargantuan Tokyo-Modern prints screaming from the walls, no cast-resin faux antiquities. The inside feels comfortable and warm, like the owner decorated it instead of hiring a design firm. The service is formal and un-hurried, and very friendly; there’s no sense of being rushed so they can seat the next table.
Nam Jun (aka James Bond), the chef, delivers an excellent presentation and prepares all his dishes perfectly. One of his special dishes is Sushi Pizza, a flat roll with the seaweed on the bottom and the ingredients on top.

The staff of Kuki – Nam Jun, Eric, Hannah, and Alex.

The ingredients are by far the best in town. Whether you get sushi, sashimi, or tempura you can be certain that everything will be excellent and fresh. The next time you want to get sushi, remember to check this place out. Between the lack of pretension and the quality of the food, I guarantee you’ll find it as excellent as I did.

6611 Falls of Neuse Rd
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 676-9881

11 Comments:


adam
01/12/2009

thanks for the tip on this one. my favorite sushi is still sushi tsune on hillsborough. they’ve had the same staff there since the beginning of time, and the chef is always on the line and very personable. he’ll remember your name, your order, everything. great ingredients too — the sashimi melts in your mouth.

i look forward to trying this place out though..!
Jason!
01/12/2009

I know this isn’t Goodnight, Cary, but I’ve got to plug for Asahi in Cary (Magnolia Marketplace across from the Galaxy Cinema). According to reports, the chef there has the best line on fresh fish in the triangle, and the vegetarian stuff I’ve tried is excellent. I can also recommend a lot of the Korean stuff on the menu as awesome.
Ben
01/12/2009

This sounds awesome. I assume, though, that you’ve tried both Waraji and Haru, and rate Kuki superior?
Mike
01/14/2009

I’m with Adam on this one. Sushi Tsune FOREVER!! This guy needs more props. If not the best in Raleigh, by far the best in downtown. People: show him some love. Kills me to see Sushi Blues get “Best Sushi” time in and time out in polls.
John Morris
01/14/2009

I just started eating fish again after being a vegetarian for around two years. Looking forward to trying out both Kuki and Sushi Tsune.

and Jason! – we’re certainly not biased against Cary, I appreciate the tip. In fact, I worked at a restaurant in Cary for a couple of years. For many in Raleigh, Cary is closer than North Raleigh.
Ryan
01/16/2009

I have to disagree. Just a few blocks north of Kuki on Six Forks is Tokyo House, which is BY FAR better sushi than Kuki. Tokyo House has a quiet, unpretentious attitude and the quality of their food is top shelf. From the freshest sushi I’ve found in Raleigh without the Waraji wait or the pretense and expense of some others, to the quality of their curry or tempura dishes, Tokyo House gives you all of the quality without the non-value added hype of some of the others. I sound like an ad, but it’s just an honest opinion.
Lupus Yonderboy
01/19/2009

Sounds like we need to have a Sushi tour Ben ;)

How about we start at noon on a Saturday and hit…

Waraji, Haru, Kuki, Sushi Tsune, Tokyo House, and Asahi.

Those are out of order, but when sequenced correctly, would work North Light to Umstead. How convenient.

The taste test will be on 4 items, 3 of which will be chosen by iloveomakase.com . The 4th will of course be Omakase.

Results posted on this thread.
James P.
01/22/2009

This place is awesome and the staff and the dining experience is by far the best in town. The fish is really fresh and the food (especially specialty sushi) reaches culinary art status. I highly recommend Kuki!
Rick Burnett
01/27/2009

I am now going to have to try Kuki a I have not been there yet.

I will say, I’ve gone to A LOT of places to have Sushi in Raleigh and Cary, and my personal favorites are:

Sushi Thai IN CARY (not Raleigh, BIG difference)
Waraji (expensive though)
Kanki in Crabtree (amazingly fresh, I’d say better than average)

I’ve eaten at the Tokyo House in Raleigh and will agree, it was pretty good. Not my favorite, but I’d go there. Sushi Tsune I got sick on bad fish there the second time I ate there and haven’t been back. I was just not impressed with their quality of fish. Sushi Blues was NOT that good. Same with Mura, Shabu Shabu, or the new place downtown that I cannot remember the name.

I will say, however, that THE MOST amazing fish I have had is from Fin’s in downtown. They usually have a Sashimi appetizer and William (the chef) has the best fish, hands down, I’ve ever tasted. Granted, I would not go here for Sushi because it is a pacific rim restaurant so you cannot get all the different sushi or sashimi pieces you want, what you do get will astound you. The only place I’ve had fish even remotely close to williams was in Bermuda, I had fresh caught Wahoo that was amazing.

Of course, Sushi differences to me are a matter of taste (no pun intended!) so what I like, others might not. What I love is how many good sushi places we DO have!
Mojo
01/30/2009

I was underwhelmed by Tokyo House. The food there was good, mind you, but for $40 (with no bar tab) I shouldn’t leave hungry. Mizu out in Wakefield Commons is worth a stop if you’re in the area. The Sushi for Two is around $36, includes three rolls and 14 pieces of nigri. I wish I could get more excited about Sushi Thai in Raleigh because it’s only a half mile from my house. It’s good, but not great. Sono on Fayetteville Street has a roll combo that’s outstanding, and not terribly spendy, but I’ve only been there once so consider that along with the recommendation. Tasu is next on my list to try because I'[m going to be in the area and because their sister house – Shiki Sushi in Durham – impressed me. Haru is also on the list, and now I suppose Kuki is as well. Haven’t tried Waraji, Sushi Blues or Sushi Tsune.
nathan
06/20/2009

Do NOT try TASU in Raleigh. I’ve been twice…first time was a real pleasure and we loved the place. The second time, I took my entire family visiting out of town and spent over $300 only to be squashed into a table that could not fit my party, have the manager disrespect us to our face, and have him physically handle my son…which obviously did not go over well. Even the second time, I did enjoy the quality of the food but our server and the overall customer service…or lack there of, was absurd for a party of that size spending that kind of money. And the part that puts this over the top is that I politely addressed the issues w/ the manager who was clearly way over his head and chose to be disrespectful instead of admitting their shortcomings and fixing it. Again, food was good, but we as paying customers deserve more respect than what this place provides. I highly recommend avoiding this place at all costs…even if it means buying your sushi from Harris Teeter!!!

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