So impressed - Sushi is top notch and appetizers are amazing - got to give this place a run - everything was darn good. Service was on point. Can't wait to go back - soon. read more

Service was great. Ordered at the bar to go and didn't have to wait long at all. Had a lovely cocktail while waiting. The sushi was great; the yellow tail sashimi was the freshest and most tender I've ever had by far. The bar area was inviting and fellow bar customers were very friendly. read more

Came here after work, and it was absolutely mind blowing how amazing. Nora our server had the best recommendations. She suggested the special holiday drinks, best rolls, and amazing mochi. I can't wait to visit again! read more

Sono Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

definitely didn't have the same experience as everyone else. vibes were so so dead. no music and super weird vibe on a friday night. food was okay honestly, sushi didn't taste super fresh but it was good enough. the ramen was just alright - good broth but couldn't eat the pork, it wasn't even pork just two large pieces of fat in my bowl :(. made my boyfriend sick the next day but i felt fine so that might just be a him thing read more

review is for only for vegetarians... We regularly have vegetarian sushi, and realize options will be few, so that's fine. Salad was nice and enough for two. Sono had a few options for vegetarian rolls so we ordered them but there was no rhyme nor reason to the ingredients - just threw in random veg to call it a vegan roll, but there was no balance of flavor. One roll was so thoughtless and haphazardly made that the sushi fell apart when we tried lifting it with chopsticks. Left mounds of rice and filling we had to scoop up with forks like a rice bowl. Service was more what you could expect at a diner. Not exactly bad, but not warm and attentive. One server for the whole place. We asked if the miso soup was vegetarian and were told it was. Only when I pressed about the stock or bonito flakes, did she ask the kitchen and found out that it was not vegetarian. - When told about the mismade roll, we were told that they had a new person learning and that is probably why it fell apart - no compensation or even apology. read more

Took a day trip to Raleigh after visiting parks and the food halls to try Sono's. The Raw Raw appetizer was refreshing but a little overpowered with spiciness from the Jalapeños, Sriracha, and the Wasabi. Maybe just one spice element would've been perfect! We got the Sono's Choice with 7 select pieces and a choice of a classic roll (salmon avocado roll). All of the nigiri was fresh and buttery except the mackerel which was very fishy. Overall, we would recommend it for sushi in the area and will definitely try different items! read more

See all

Very good, fairly creative sushi -- better than the normal places which simply have multiple variation on the same old rolls. Prices are proper for the size and quality. I've been here twice and no rolls or items were 'outstanding' or extremely memorable but everything was above average in flavor and quality. I recommend the drink 'Death Mule' (yes, not a good name for it) it was very refreshing and had great flavor. read more

Although I wasn't considering it when I walked in, this was the first sushi I was going to have after returning from Japan. They knocked it out of the park. Inventive rolls, fresh nigiri (the ebi has a perfect amount of wasabi), wonderful miso soup. A definite recommendation for anyone in downtown Raleigh. read more

Sono Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Walked in for a late lunch and waited at the host desk next to sign that says "please wait to be seated". Workers walked by, bar tender was observant of my being there, another worker came up to host desk and couldn't bother to even greet me and did his thing and walked away. I stood there for nearly 10 minutes with zero service. Great customer service dudes. Being new to hood, to North Carolina and living around the corner, thought it could be my go to place to grab sushi regularly since it is my absolute favorite food. First time I have been slighted at a sushi place anywhere in the world including Japan. Go figure.... Spending my money elsewhere... went to Sosta - a great little sandwich place run by a very funny and charming French guy Jerome...from Avignon. Great food, warm place to hang regularly. And NOT ignored. Now I need a sushi restaurant in Raleigh ... that has fresh/good sushi/sashimi. Sigh... read more

Headed downtown to try a new food place and stumbled upon this sushi restaurant. The place was packed and you need a reservation but we were lucky because there was space at the bar. I don't go to a lot of sushi places because I'm not a big seafood eater but I know that they would carry a vegetable roll and my husband loves sushi so I was game. The place was nice inside decorated in a modern style with red, black & white colors. I didn't like the drink selection but I suppose I don't need a drink at every restaurant. Besides I knew we were hitting other places so I was ok with just water. My husband really enjoyed his sushi choices and I really enjoyed the vegetable one. If you like Sushi and are downtown, I recommend this place but don't forget to make a reservation. read more

The food is great, the service is quick, the ambiance is new. We have been coming here for years.

Sushi was great, price wasn't ridiculous and the service was good! The location is great as well, I would recommend

The ambiance is really warm . Great date night spot. The food is always consistently good other than one time where we had an issue with one of the items and Marika the manager took care of it. She is super friendly and competent. Will go back soon! read more

The food was average it wasn't bad, I just feel like the sushi lacked flavor, our waitress was great. Nice and friendly. Everything came out in a timely fashion. I will say the kfc chicken thighs was my favorite part of the whole meal. read more

See all

This was my first time trying ramen and it was delicious! My I my complaint was that we had a reservation and got seated about 30 minutes after our reservation but other than that, it was a good experience. The food was great and so was the service. read more

Came here for a birthday dinner, and made reservations ahead of time which are highly recommended as it is busy. They had our table set up and promptly sat us when it was our turn in line. We started out with the calamari salad which I very highly recommend. We all shared, and agreed it was the perfect balance with the addition of the tomatoes. We ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen, Veggie Ramen, and the Steak Entree with Kimchi. The broth of the Spicy Miso was incredibly flavorful, though they forgot to add the pork chashu into mine. The waiter brought some out on a separate plate once brought to his attention however. The veggie ramen had the green ramen noodles which I thought was a fantastic touch, so many places use the basic noodles used in other dishes. the steak came out cooked to perfection, though I wish it would've had another veggie in addition to the kimchi. The real icing on the cake was when the owner/manager? came over and asked who was celebrating a birthday, and proceeded to bring out some very delicious mochi to finish out the celebration. Good Waiter, and Management I would recommend to anyone in the area, and plan to come back in the future. read more

See all

**In response to the manager's review, 1. I did indeed mention that it had been a while since I visited. That doesn't change what I experienced at those times. 2. Not quite word for word as on another platform. Interesting that no one thought it was important to reach out to me at that time. 3. Yes, this is a challenging time for restaurants and patrons, as well. I think most people want the most positive experiences possible at the moment and to know that they're spending their money to support local businesses and get a wonderful meal where they're valued as customers. This is a pre-covid review. I've visited twice and to be fair, it was a while ago; however, I vowed then to never return. The only issue the first time is that the sushi simply missed the mark. So much was covered in spicy mayo that it took away from the taste of the fish, which I now realize is probably intentional. The second time was a far worse experience. We made reservations for 7:15pm on a Friday. When we arrived, a group of 5 without a reservation was asking for seating. Apparently, there was only one hostess working and she scurried away to help set the table for the larger group. My friend and I stood at the hostess stand for 10 minutes. In that time, a server came over and asked if we had been helped, we said no, she said she'd get the hostess. Eventually, the same server came back and said she'd just go ahead and seat us. She also seated a table next to us, right after us. Turns out, that table was friends with the manager. My friend ordered ramen and I ordered one sushi roll. The ramen came out without 5 minutes, the sushi roll, I kid you not, 15 minutes later. So my friend was finished by the time I got my food. In this time, the table next to us got sashimi and other appetizers. When my roll finally arrived, it looked horrific - brown, shrimp with tail unintentionally left on, falling apart and the crab inside tasted like tin. I had one piece and was not about to eat the rest. At that point, I asked to speak with the manager and it took another 5 minutes for her to make her way over. I explained what had happened throughout the evening and she apologized, said they were short-staffed and the sushi bar was backed up, to which I then asked why the table next to us got their sushi bar food before mine? She turned deep red and said she didn't know that had happened. After all of this, all I asked was for a different roll and it came out pretty quickly, tasted alright. Wasn't covered in spicy mayo since I specifically requested to leave it off. During our conversation, the manager had offered to take the roll of my bill which I appreciated, considering the hellacious experience we had. But when my bill arrived, it was only discounted by 10%. She came back over (without me asking), and told me she gave me an "industry" discount. I was so irritated at this point that I just paid and left. Who offers to take an item off of a bill and then decides to only discount instead? TLDR; Poor quality food, poor customer service = awful experience and no plans to return. read more

My appreciation post for Sono....we tried an array of things but I only captured pictures of a few of them. My entree dish, the farm grilled chicken served with cucumber kimchi and koshihikari rice. Yum, yum, yum...I loved every bit of it. The chicken was cooked perfectly, the sauce was finger licking good. The dish was just perfect. A little heat, a little, sweet, umami and acid. I definitely recommend if you'll be visiting. Even my super picky friend tried a few things and liked tho (insert slow clap). Great atmosphere, great food, great service. Not a single complaint from me. Also the gyoza and yakitori are awesome!! The KFC is pretty good too and definitely packs a punch of heat. read more

See all

I got their nigiri omakase (20pc) to go. For the price ($55), I was impressed with the quality of sushi! They also sell real wasabi! I went a few months ago but at the time, they only had outdoor seating open. read more

I came here last year for anniversary dinner with my family and I was fairly happy. The tonkatsu ramen was Good surprisingly better than koko ramen and any other ramen I've tried in triangle (although there's room for improvement). Sushi quality is very so-so but the price was good last year. Now, we went last week for revisit and we came out of the restaurant pretty disappointed. Ramen was was still alright. But sushi was so so so bad. Shame for $20 uni (2 nigiri) toro is thumbs down. The moment I put sushi in my mouth- soggy rice- what are you doing? Sushi Quality definitely plummeted. Tasted like sushi from the market. Bill was $200. Didn't order much/ if it was good I wouldn't mind but that wasn't the case. As for service, need improvement on checking up on customers, especially when it's not busy. I only saw my server twice. To take order and to ask for check. We are not coming back here. Going to M sushi (former sono chef) or Waragi read more

Get the Sono Roll and spicy miso ramen. Don't say I didn't tell you. Seriously so yum. I'm craving that broth right now. That sushi is the perfect bite. This review is short and sweet, but my meal was the perfect balance of Unami and fullness. read more

See all

Came here for lunch with my daughter and we both ordered hot green tea. The lady brought one tea pot with one teabag and charged by Daughter and I both five dollars each. He would've thought for that price we would've had to tea pots with two teabags. Seems pricey when you're sharing one pot of tea. read more

Food was incredible, Kayla was so personable and attentive! We will be back. The best.

* pre-covid review * Sono is one of my OG favorite spots in downtown Raleigh! It's modern, the service is great, and the food is always delicious. My friend and I like to plan dinner dates here on the occasions our schedules align and we're able to go out. I'm a huge sushi fan so I am pretty picky. I have never had any complaints while at Sono! Some of our favorites are the Calamari Salad (marinated squid, cucumbers, carrots, and tomato) and the Seaweed Salad (marinated seaweed, cucumbers, carrots, and tomato) to start. I have never tried their KFC appetizer but it is on my bucket list! I always order the Sono's Choice Sushi Entree which is 7 pcs. Chef's Choice Nigiri and Your Choice of a Roll. I chose the Screaming "O" Roll and it had Spicy Tuna, Tempura Shrimp, Seared Tuna, Tobiko, "O" Sauce, Sweet Soy, Green Onion. I have ordered a Moscow Mule from their bar before and it was just ok, in my opinion. There are probably other drinks to try that may be better. Coming back here for their Nigiri Omakase has been on my to do list for SO long. I'm definitely coming back ASAP to do that. My friend is a huge fan of their Spicy Miso Ramen (spicy red miso, pork bone broth, pork chashu, with curly ramen) which sounds like something really good to order to-go on a cold night... I think I just made plans for myself this Friday! Bathrooms are always clean. Staff is always friendly. Food always comes out quick. Sushi always tastes fresh. Price points are fair compared to other higher end sushi restaurants in the Triangle but I think the quality is worth the price you pay at Sono. Parking is only ehh but it's downtown, so what do you expect? Overall, I recommend checking this place out if you're in the area and are looking for some good sushi! read more

It is a well-known fact that severe overfishing drives species to ecological extinction because overfished populations cannot participate in their ecological niche (Cushing 1988). Whales, swordfish, codfish, sharks and rays are just some examples of large marine vertebrates that are now functionally extinct in many coastal ecosystems (Bjorndal et al. 2000, Kenyon 1977, Steneck 1997). As Jackson et al. (2001) state in their seminal review of historical data on overfishing, "Overfishing and ecological extinction ... [raise] the possibility that many more marine ecosystems may be vulnerable to collapse in the near future." Not only is overfishing a threat to the ecosystems, but it also effects people that rely on fish as a primary source of nutrition. There is a case to be made that overfishing can actually disadvantage poorer countries, as they are not able to keep up with large commercial entities. In fact, an analysis by Srinivasan et al (2010) found that if overfishing are curbed, approximately 20 million people worldwide could have averted undernourishment in 2000 due to this exact bioeconomical phenomenon. But if overfishing is going to happen anyway, I'm glad that at least some of the fish make it to Sono Sushi. We ordered the Moriawase (chef's choice sashimi) and it was a delightful combination of shrimp, fish, roe, and even tamago. The fish was of surprisingly-good quality and the variety was impressive. In addition, we also tried two of the rolls (Screaming "O" and Hamachi Tale). The rolls were very flavorful, and the quality of the ingredients really shone through. As opposed to your typical take-out sushi, each roll actually had a very distinct flavor and wasn't oxersauced to compensate for lower-quality ingredients. I would highly recommend the Screaming "O" specialty roll. The overall atmosphere is pretty typical of downtown sushi bars, but service was great and I have no complaints. read more

See all

Just another sushi bar. Service was nice and all but just not anything that really differentiated it. A lot of the rolls were very Americanized and sugar heavy. read more

Beautiful and busy spot. The highlight of the place was truly the excellent service and drinks were good too. We got the sake sampler, and while good, I am not sure I would do it again. The food arrived promptly and most of it was fresh... I was not impressed and they really unevenly handle heat in their dishes. I love spicy and heat, but some of it was "jesus take the wheel cause I only taste jalapeno from this over $10 roll I am paying for." Again, spicy was not the problem. Not cleaning out seeds in a super spicy jalapeno was! So the chefs taste their food anymore (or at least ingredients before using them.) The dining space was not the cleanest... read more

Sono Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all

The staff really shines here. Miso soup was great. Sushi is good. Great place for sushi if you're downtown.

With Valentine's day approaching quickly, I'm sure there are many guys (and some gals) scrambling for something to do. And I'm thinking nothing says love better than some sushi at Sono! Why might you ask? Because while there may be better sushi places, Sono does sushi that's sexy and seductive! Whaddya expect from a place that serves up rolls like the Screaming "O"? In all honesty, I'm not a sushi expert but I do know what I like. Sono is decked out in red and black with mod decor. A great spot for a cozy date or small party. I was at Sono for a quick lunch visit and while it's not cheap, there was a LOT of food. My salmon bento came with a nice side of sauteed veggies, fried rice and three pieces of shrimp tempura roll. Service got off to a late start but was really attentive and prompt once he got rolling, kudos there... If you like Waraji and it's more subdued decor, Sono might not be your cup of tea. But I'll be back sometime soon and if you haven't tried Sono yet, check it out! It's cool, it's hip and it's a great spot for a special evening. And for all the women who end up here on a date, I double-dog-dare you to order up the Screaming O and G-Spot sushi rolls in front of your date with a straight face... read more

See all

"The worst meal of our lives" We just wasted 4 hours of our lives on ONE meal. HOW does that happen. Slow awful service that's how. My previous review was 5 stars just FYI. I had amazing food and service last year. So when my classmates and I wanted to celebrate our graduation with a special meal I suggested omakase at sono! WORST idea ever and I feel AWFUL. My yelp elite reputation is tarnished. I don't know if there was a change in management or staff but the ambiance was totally different. Definitely less classy. Waitress was very unprofessional. Took forever to greet us and to take our order. Took forever for each of our courses to come out. THIRTY to FORTY minutes between some meals no joke. Some came out of order because they weren't ready with the next one in line. WTF?! Not what I was expecting for an omakase. Our waitress never came to check on us or apologize that it was taking forever. The restaurant was super busy so slow food can be understandable. We tried to be positive the entire time. However, by the time of our last course, the restaurant was empty except for one other table. Now there was no excuse. But still, took 20 minutes for her to get our dessert order. I could see her just fooling around in the back. Then when I asked how long it would be she said "oh I think they are taking it out of the box now"......! "Out of the box..." -_- we sat there and waited while I could see the employees sweeping and taking out the trash, arranging glasses. While we SAT there just WAITING trying to get anyone's attention. We have never felt so IGNORED with such POOR service especially when we ordered the omakase expecting a delicious well executed meal. At the end the owner finally came up to ask how the meal was and we were honest. Why didn't he check on us the entire FOUR hours we were there? Totally unacceptable. Thinking back, the food wasn't all that bad, but the service just made the meal seem like a horror film. Highlights of the meal: The uni was amazing melt in your mouth. The fish was all very fresh! Seared scallops were so good! The octopus was like nothing I have ever tasted. The texture was SO soft and melt in your mouth. The chimmichuri was good and a perfect balance with the balsamic sauce. Everything else was underwhelming and not what I would expect from an omakase. Pork buns were dry and overcooked (but last time they were to die for!) Would not go back ever again. Maybe we would have been better off just ordering from the regular menu. Cannot remember the last time I had such awful service and cannot recall a time when I was at a restaurant for 4 hours except Fearington House for their tasting menu but that was well worth it and expected. read more

See all

Came here bc the sushi looked good, and reviews were great. Upon coming in, I was already thrown off bc we were seated at a sticky table that felt like it hadn't been cleaned. The waiter passed out water, and when I asked for straws, she gave us all unwrapped straws with her bare hands which felt unhygienic to me. Besides that, service was good and the waiter was really nice about accommodating us. We ordered seaweed salad and the KFC for appetizers and it was okay. Wasn't anything amazingly good. For entrees, we ordered the rainbow roll, dancing eel roll, and tonkotsu ramen. The rainbow roll had bits of crab shell still in there, and the ramen was so bland and tasteless, the broth was comparable to charcoal water. Japanese tonkotsu ramen is usually pretty flavorful so I was pretty disappointed. Dancing eel roll was okay. Not sure if I just came on a bad day, bc other people had rated this place pretty high. read more

Very nice and cozy restaurant, staff is also friendly. Food was fantastic. I definitely recommend this place. read more

Sono Sushi - KFC, Yakitori and Green Salad - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I order sushi from this place weekly and my order is always near $70. The past two times I've ordered I've gotten low quality fish. The time before now I gave them a pass because it was always good. However I can't continue to let them slide. They couldn't or didn't even cut off the stringy part of the tuna. It's disgusting. Now I have to find a new sushi spot :( read more

Sono Sushi - I - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The quality of the fish used for their nigiri is very fresh. Service was wonderful. The restaurant presents itself as an intimate, but high end sushi experience. read more

Waited 40 minutes for 2 sushi rolls and 2 orders of sashimi. No one came by to refill drinks, when we asked about the food they immediately brought the food out. Who knows how long our sushi meals actually sat in the kitchen unattended. When we asked wait staff about it they were extremely rude. Find another sushi/ramen place. Don't waste your money here read more

We came in around 12:30. No wait. We were promptly seated and given water. Our server, Scott, was attentive and pleasant. We started with a spicy tuna roll and a house salad. Both were delicious. We split two ramen bowls. Both were delicious, but I think I prefer the spicy one. Everything was great as far as food. And service was even better! I highly recommend Sono. I think it's the best ramen in the triangle! read more

See all

Man oh man, let me tell you about the best, most authentic sushi restaurant located in the heart of downtown Raleigh. I've been coming here for years, probably since I was 16 years old. It was this restaurant that was a deciding factor for moving to raleigh. A few years later I would attend school and have my first date with my now boyfriend. This place is incredibly special to me and I feel that I have grown up along side of sono raleigh. With that being said, this is not just a restaurant- memories are made here. And with each dinning experience I am left incredibly satisfied and blown away by the art Japanese cuisine. Like I said before, my boyfriend and I had our first date here as freshman in college. Flash forward to today, four years later, and we dined at sono to celebrate being done with undergrad!!! We each ordered the omasake nigiri dish- 16 pieces of nigiri well crafted by a very experienced sushi chef. It was something I have never experienced before and it was awesome to say the least!!! Our server Andrea, whose one of my good friends, took very good care of us. She was incredibly informed with each type of fish! She even paired sake with our meal for us to enjoy. Guys, if you haven't been to sono, PLEASE PLEASE do your self a favor and go. You will not be disappointed. Sono raleigh is a hidden gem in DTR. Lastly, thank you to the sono raleigh team for making each visit more memorable and delicious than the last. read more

See all

Lunch comb, (soup,salad & roll), is a bargain and was delicious! Micaela waited on us and was awesome! She has a great personality, very professional and attentive. Food and Micaela were both perfect! I'll be back asap. KH read more

My go-to when I want some Japanese style ramen! The broth is deep and rich and flavorful, and it is very filling. They are generous with their portions in regards to the toppings and noodles, and I appreciate that so much! I've never ventured out beyond the original tonkatsu ramen, and that's because I've never felt the need! The tonkatsu ramen satisfies my Japanese ramen craving every time. Honestly, the rolls don't surprise me in any way; just regular rolls you can find at any sushi joint. But my husband says the sushi quality is pretty good compared to other sushi places in the RTP area! It's fairly pricey considering it's not as moody and aesthetically appealing (in my eyes) to other fancier places, but I mean, for a quick sushi craving, not bad! read more

Everything about this place is awesome. The sushi, drinks, service (Zuayi) and atmosphere. I believe they have the best sushi in town. The Gyozo was so good, I could have had two more orders. My friend had a bowl of yummy and ate all of it. The grand piano suggested by our wait-person was the best. Even a simple tempura shrimp sushi was made of high quality ingredients. read more

Sono Sushi - A bowl full of yum - Japanese Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

See all