Ordered take out from Iza, and I feel like the highlight of the restaurant might be the physical experience. We ordered the chicken garlic noodles, poke bowl, and tuna sushi roll. The tuna sushi roll and poke bowl were both pretty solid, but the same can be said for many other places that a more competitive price point. The garlic noodles was lacking in flavor and I felt like chicken was a bit on the tougher side. But I can't say for sure that this is reflective of the rest of the menu, will need to go back to try out some of their other menu options, as well as see the physical location and the ambiance it provides. read more

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Excellent sushi and very attentive service. Great little spot in Carrboro just by Cat's Cradle. Will definitely be back for more!!

The sushi was decent at best. Very reminiscent of grocery store sushi as far as fish quality. Although Carrboro is inland I expected the sushi to be good because of the price but I was wrong. Food came out quick but definitely not worth the price point. The host was nice. read more

Lets start with pros! Came here with a group of 6 and were sat immediately. Our entire party was there by 7:30. Food was pretty good! I had the chili garlic noodles with chicken and the shrimp tempura roll. Everyone was so nice! The owner caught wind of a birthday at our table and brought us shots. The ambiance was so cute, moody lighting and cool decor. Cons. The service was so. Slow. We waited probably 15 min for drinks, and we were sitting right by the bar so we saw our drinks sit for at least 5 minutes. Food also took over 30 minutes. We had to grab our server to ask for boxes and checks two separate times when we were finished. All of us are or have been servers so we were really trying to be patient, but we were the only table left. We left right before close at about 9:45 because of how long everything took. Food was prob 4/5, ambiance 5/5, and service 3/5. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Chili garlic noodles and shrimp tempura roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

Delicious sushi and brussels sprouts! The highlight of my meal were the brussels sprouts- the sauce on them were perfectly sticky and spicy and tasted much better than the sweet chili sauce that can be bought in a bottle. I ordered the Iza*Crunch roll, which was delicious as well. I'm excited to try their other sushi rolls. My friend got their ramen and said that it had replaced her favorite ramen (located at some, now irrelevant, restaurant in Raleigh). The only thing I didn't love about my experience was, weirdly enough, the spacing of the tables. We were sat at a two person table right behind the host stand, and too close to another table for waiters (or other patrons) to comfortably walk between my chair and the other table. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - iza*crunch roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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Lovely resturant! Came in about two weeks ago to try for the first time after receiving many recommendations from friends and it lived up to the hype! Our server Alex and the Bartender Gabe were both super helpful and kind. Alex recommended we try the chili garlic noodles which was absolutely amazing and we also got an order of shrimp dumplings and the iza crunch roll. Restaurant itself was also decorated super nicely! read more

Dinner was great--solid cocktails and appetizers. I enjoyed the Okinawa scallops so much. However, I wasn't impressed with the Tonkotsu ramen; I had better. The staff is really friendly. Also, our server was so sweet, and he kept checking on us, making sure everything was good. read more

Iza is has provided us with so many good meals over the years. It was our savior during COVID, providing takeaway ramen. The owner and staff couldn't be more friendly and welcoming. Eat here you wont be sorry. read more

Great service, owner, cocktails, and beer!! Seriously, great prices, great ambiance, food and owner. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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Pros: Outdoor seating, fresh sushi, good dranks, & customer oriented wait staff - shout out to the new gurl & her trainer. :) Oh & there's parking! Cons: you may want to sit away from the bushes, cus a water bug came out to play a couple times. That certainly doesn't speak to the cleaniness of the spot, cus we were outside but beware. Otherwise, highly recommend & I hope we come back. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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Really solid sushi and noodles place. omakase sashimi platter: The fish tasted fresh and high quality. Some pieces were super fatty, which was by design and very good. The noodles with fried tofu had depth. The roll we got was very enjoyable too. read more

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Food was good, not spectacular, but lots of options. Sadly our experience was tainted by the rush out. We had barely paid and the water was taken from our table. Clearly they wanted to turn over our table quickly despite there being an empty 4 top right next to ours. read more

I ordered some sushi and some noodles to see if I might return with other diners. I found incredibly rude waitresses and indifferent food for the price . Despite the colorful kabuki ambiance, I won't be back. read more

Great location with an interior that has authentic Japanese vibes and a good whiskey collection. That's pretty much where the good part stops. Service - we came in as a party of 7 on a Sunday night and were seated at the bar. The servicing staff is ignorant - it's unimaginable that part of our part got our orders through and received entrees while part of our group is still waiting to have our orders taken. Oh and some of us didn't even get our dining utensils until 20 minutes in - what a scene. The price of the food not worth the bang either. Coming into a Japanese style restaurant, I am expecting decent Japanese food Wrong. I had some of the Spicy Tuna Roll and Chili Garlic Noodles that my friends ordered. They aren't too impressive. Especially the garlic noodle that's too heavily seasoned and sweet. I had ramen myself. The noodle is on the harder end and the pan fried chasiu is burnt on one end. The only place that serves worse Tonkotsu Ramen in the area is only Dashi? There isn't a lot of competition and they are almost rocking bottom. Not sure why don't they open open an American bar with a whiskey collection that serves fried food? Maybe that's easier? I still gave an 18% tip for my check when I don't think I have received any quality service, yikes! Can't believe this is what I am coming across from a restaurant that has opened for more than 2+ years. Never visiting again. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Bar area - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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Service amazing, food delicious, and the experience was overall so cute. Totally recommend

The service here is phenomenal. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is fun and lively. It was great for a date night. We liked the ramen and the General Tso's chicken the best out of what we ordered. The prices did seem too much for what we got and we feel we can get tastier or equally tasty food in the Triangle area for less. Overall, we had an enjoyable dining experience. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

The ambiance is typical Carrboro, it's right across the street from Surplus Sid's. The tonkotsu ramen was good (however the egg I prefer to be in the ajitama style and these seemed a little over cooked and not soaked enough in sauce). So now you may be wondering why I gave it 5 stars. It's due to the sashimi and nigiri style sushi. The fish was super fresh and so delicious. For the sushi, the rice was perfect both in amount and in texture. I've had sushi in many spots across the US, in Europe, and in Japan. The sushi at Iza qualifies as very high quality IMHO. Of the best sushi restaurants in the Triangle area, I like Iza the best. The service was good and the owner nice to speak to. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

We went to Iza for the first time tonight, and I have found my absolute favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill (Carrboro, whatever. Not the point.). Our server, Claire, was absolutely phenomenal. I had the tonkatsu ramen, the likes of which I haven't had since I was stationed in Japan. (Everything about this dish is to die for, especially the soy eggs.)My daughter loved the poke bowl, my husband was a HUGE fan of his Korean wings, and we all absolutely enjoyed the shrimp dumplings. My daughter and I had the seaweed salad and the dressing was amazing. Don't waste time at Spicy 9 or basically anywhere else, Iza is the place to go for delicious Asian fusion. We will be back! read more

My wife and I both got the same noodle dish, and it was really delicious. It wasn't overly spicy, but it was still flavorful and delicious and the serving size was plentiful. The real star of the show through was the gyoza. Don't skip that as an appetizer. I think next time I go I'll just order gyoza as my main dish. read more

Stopped in for dinner at Iza on a Friday night. We have dined here before and always enjoyed it. We didn't have reservations, but the host was able to seat us right away, and at our request, led us to a table in their outdoor seating area. The street noise was a little loud at times, but otherwise, the atmosphere was nice. The restaurant was busy, but not overly so. After being seated, we waited at our table for someone to greet us and get our drink orders. After 10 minutes, still no one had come to our table. The couple seated directly behind us had come in about 5 minutes after we did and they had been greeted and received their drinks already. It was really odd because there were two young ladies serving the tables on the patio, but neither of them even made eye contact with us. I'm not sure who dropped the ball, but eventually (over 15 min. later), I had to get up and let the host know that no one had served us yet. To his credit (I believe his name was Freddie), he came out after a few minutes and got our drink orders. I don't think it was his responsibility, but he ended up being our server the remainder of the night. He really did a great job making sure we were taken care of while also taking care of his hosting duties, and if he begrudged picking up someone else's slack, his attitude toward us didn't reflect it. My husband ordered the Lychee Old Fashioned and I had hoped for a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Iza doesn't serve SB by the glass so I went with the Bordeaux Blanc and it was good. The hubby was happy with his drink. We ordered 2 appetizers: the Pork Bao Buns and the Spicy Tuna Tower & Chips. They were absolutely incredible. We ordered 3 sushi rolls: Skull Island, 007, and Hollywood rolls. Our favorite was the Skull Island, but all 3 were very, very good. Food gets 5 stars all day long. Freddie gets 5 stars. The rest of the customer service gets 1 star. All in all, the quality of the food and the actions of the host saved this from being a 2 or 3 star review. read more

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My husband and I went here as we saw a reel from Instagram about this place and decided to check it out. We came on a Saturday night with a reservation for 8:30pm. Parking in front of the restaurant is ok if after 8pm otherwise it's only for 20 minute parking. Surprisingly for a Saturday night it was not busy just a few tables occupied and a couple tables outside. Food was ok we would rate about a 3.5 would go to other restaurants for sushi. Ambiance was ok we sat by a big Buddha face in the corner read more

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Great food & drinks. Sushi is king here but their selection of ramens & small appetizers make it a complete experience. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Noodles Galore! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

Ate there last night for the first time. The sushi was the best I've had in a long time. The quality of the ingredients is far superior then any other sushi restaurant around. Chef Yung also has an amazing selection of whisky. The whole experience was a huge treat. It is definitely my go to for sushi now. read more

Attentive service, delicious food, and inventive drinks but a bit on the pricey side Blueberry smash and lychee old fashioned were different and yummy. The 007 roll was good but a little difficult to eat. Hibachi was good and nicely portioned, tasted more like a Japanese fajita with peppers and onions on a sizzling plate vs traditional veggies served with hibachi. Excellent selection of whisky, including high end choices. read more

To me, this is the most challenging restaurant in the Triangle. There are some things I truly love about it, and I picked it for my birthday dinner. I am still giving it five stars but it is sometimes quite frustrating. Tonight, I went for my birthday. Things started off a little challenged. They forgot to tell the waiter I was his table (he was apologetic). They never asked for a drink order (I was driving so not an issue, but it's nice to be asked. I ordered the Wagyu special, that you cook on a rock. Actually reasonably priced for Wagyu and it was the promised quality. Unfortunately, I don't know what to look at with the flame under the rock and the waiter hadn't checked; it had gone out so my first two pieces of steak that I cooked were almost raw and cold, with only a tan on the outside (from when the rock was first lit before it went out). I finally realised what had happened but had to wait ten minutes until I could finally catch the waiter's eye, it would have been nice if he checked how the $60 appetiser was going. He did fix it once I got him, and again the quality of the meat was excellent (cold wagyu is not, too fatty so not a tartare like experience). The avocado salad was good but not great, wasn't as complex or flavourful as some avocado salads I've had at other Asian restaurants. The Iza Roll was excellent, nice presentation and tasty. Unfortunately, I had to wait about 30 mins for my sashimi omakase. This is the second time this has happened to me at Iza (I've ordered it three times); my guess is they have one sushi chef and he gets backed up but it really breaks the experience (this time at least I wasn't with two people who were bored out of their skulls, I had my iPhone). When it arrived, it was great. I find their sashimi among the best I've had and reasonably priced. Still giving them five stars because the sashimi is so good (and the other food is also good) but eventually people are going to get fed up with these hiccups, especially as they expand the business. read more

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This was such a pleasant surprise! I'm honestly usually skeptical of places to eat on Franklin but I'm realizing the Carborro part at least had some great options. Iza is definitely on the pricier side but the food was fantastic. The scallops in particular stood out. My date got the miso salmon and he really enjoyed this. A more affordable option that I got was the poke bowl. It was delicious! The fish tasted fresh and so flavorful. It was a nice ratio of fish to rice as well. Would recommend! read more

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Stepped out for my bday and the owner was awesome! His wife was bartending and recommended us some great drinks! The husband came out and introduced himself, he was great! He ended up getting us a round of shots and took us to his neighboring restaurant. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Lychee old fashion: not your usual old fashion. It was on the sweeter side but was amazing!! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

Nice atmosphere and polite service. The sushi and the pork bao buns were just fine but we were disappointed with the chilli garlic chicken noddles. You couldn't taste the chilli or the garlic. The worst part it that the chicken had a horrible taste, so steer away from it and maybe opt for the shrimps. read more

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Visited this spot after seeing it featured on Instagram. The restaurant was slow on a Saturday night. We ordered the wagyu, tuna tower, and a special to start. The wagyu was incredible, the presentation and the quality was amazing. The tuna tower was also great! The special appetizer was good as well. For our main we had the omakase sashimi and two rolls. The overall theme was that the quality of the food was fantastic. Our disappointment came from the slow service, again the restaurant was pretty quiet, and the portions of food being very small. In total for 3 people including food and drinks the meal was $300, we didn't think the price point aligned with the presentation and service. read more

Decided to end Thanksgiving weekend trying a new restaurant and they did not disappoint!! Started with drinks which were great, the blackberry smash and whiskey sour. Tried a few appetizers, the fried Brussel sprouts, firecracker shrimp and goyza. They were all delicious and the sweet Thai chili sauce on the Brussel sprouts were a very nice touch. For main dishes we got the grilled ribeye and the bi bim bap. The owner came over and brought a third homemade yumyum sauce for the ribeye and gave suggestions on combining the different taste bites. Every bite was better than the last. Will definitely be back for the ambiance, drinks and food! read more

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It was blah. If the weather had been nicer for outside seating it would have been 3 stars. Unfortunately, it's probably the best sushi you will get in Carrboro. read more

My good friend's dad came in town to visit and took us out for dinner. We didn't have a reservation but they were able to find us a spot inside on a busy friday night. Had a big collection of Whisky but limited beer. We got the oyster and sprouts for appetizer and ordered a bunch of different specialty rolls. The appetizers were yummy but had very small portion. Rolls were awesome and authentic. It was a great fun for us sampling different rolls and playing the guessing game of which one is which (my friend's dad was awesome for getting us so many sushis to share!) We ended our lovely dinner with two pieces of giant cake - one red velvet and one chocolate hazelnut. Service was great. Overall, we have a 5 star for quality and 3 star for quantity. We want to come back to try the noodles soon! read more

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I love fresh fish, and the fish here is just wonderful. Always flavorful and the preparation is interesting, but never overpowers the flavor of the fish. Chef's work is a joy for me. The staff is terrific--friendly and knowledgable. In a town with several really good restaurants, this one is easily in my top tier. read more

If you are going to get a drink, order the Open Sesame! I would have never thought to add sesame oil to a drink, but the flavor works. Everyone I was with tried it and we all agreed it was the best of the 3 drinks we ordered, by far. We got the pork boa buns as an appetizer (I forgot to take a picture!). They were good, but nothing out of the ordinary. I ordered the Ramen. This will be controversial, but it was mediocre in my opinion. Lots of other reviews have positive things to say, but I would recommend trying something else. The pork was overcooked and the flavor I was hoping for just wasn't there. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Open Sesame - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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Beautiful restaurant and ambiance. Service is kind and efficient. Food isn't truly the most authentic Japanese but it's easy and recognizable and the menu has enough range for anyone read more

Great Japanese restaurant serving some of the best sushi and sashimi dishes in the Chapel Hill - Carrboro area. The ingredients are very fresh, and the food is delicious and well presented. Best is to make a reservation as this place gets busy, even during weekdays. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Sushi selection - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

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Haven't been to the area in awhile and was looking for something away from the hustle and bustle on Franklin... definitely found a little gem here. Sat at the bar and was instantly greeted with outstanding service. Both the tuna and Korean chicken wing special appetizers sounded so good that I had to try both. Absolutely lived up to my expectations from the descriptions given. For the main I had the Beef Bulgogi bowl and it was good but not the best I've had. A little salty soggy but overall a decent meal. Their old fashioned was sweet and tasty and the real experience here is the service. My water glass was never more than half empty and there was never a pause of looking for a server for the next thing. I pile definitely recommend and I'll be back next time I'm in town. read more

Iza Whiskey & Eats - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrboro, North Carolina

Awesome food and service. Owner talked with us and explained his strategy and how he approaches customer service. Highly recommended!

We had a great time visiting Iza Whiskey! The decor is beautiful, we went on a day it was cold and raining so we were able to get in...I suggest making a reservation as it's small and they are following all Covid guidelines. Great unique drinks. The owner came over and said hello which was very nice and glad to see a familiar face! We first tried the HAMA CHILI - Yellowtail, Jalapeño, Scallion, Cilantro with a Chefs Special sauce...highly recommend and fresh with some spice! SPICY TUNA CRUNCH - Cucumber, Spicy Tuna, Topped with Spicy Mayo, Tempura Crunch. Very tasty! CHILI GARLIC NOODLES - Stir- fried egg noodles with chili, garlic and veggies. We added chicken. Good portion size to share. MISO SALMON - Salmon miso marinated for 24 hours, grilled with sauteed asparagus, mushrooms, chimichurri, rice. It was so buttery and just fell apart, very delicious and flavorful. When I go back I must try the RED CURRY SPARE RIBS - Red curry with Lemongrass and fresh herbs and spare ribs in a clay pot. I saw it at another table and it looked amazing. read more

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So disappointed. This used to be my favorite place but they served me an overheated, overcooked Ramen. The egg was overcooked, the pork wasn't fresh, the noodles were soggy and broken up in little pieces. When I asked for a new bowl, they just gave me the same. The kitchen KNEW their ramen was subpar and over cooked and still served it and charged for it. You know that feeling when you have found a reliable restaurant that you liked everything you've eaten there and then they serve you something they know it's not good and that you've had before and was amazing? No bigger let down read more