We enjoyed the food, drink, and service at Iza Whiskey & Eats in downtown Carrboro. This is a solid sushi/Asian-fusion-type restaurant and bar, especially for the area. If Iza was located in a bigger city, I'd give it four stars, but for Carrboro-Chapel Hill, this place is great (giving a generous five). Having dined out a lot in Carrboro and Chapel Hill over the past three years, we came into Iza with tempered expectations. I'm happy to report that we did not leave disappointed. I like this place and recommend it. Iza opened in November 2020 in the old One Fish Two Fish Poke Joint space (https://bit.ly/40ydINW) in the East Main Square shopping center. Free surface parking is available in the shopping center's lot. That's where we parked, but be sure to read the signs about restrictions. Also, plenty of parking is available in the nearby deck (you can't miss it), which belongs to the Town of Carrboro. I really like the restaurant and bar space here. It's beautiful, as are the drinks and dishes. This place exudes a trendier, upscale ambiance, but still keeps things casual and unpretentious. And it's not all just for show. The chefs and bartenders back up the look with well-executed food and drink, and excellent customer service. Interior features include a prominent kabuki mural (I love it), Asian lanterns and pendant lights, well-stocked shelves of whiskey, and a large illuminated Buddha head. Outside, there's a fairly spacious, uncovered, string-lit patio. During our visit, the menu offered a nice variety of both small and large plates. You can dine here tapas-style or everyone can get their own main dish. The sushi menu consisted mainly of rolls ($9-17 each). There was a Sashimi Platter ($36.90), but to our surprise, no nigiri other than the toro special that our server told us about. Conversely, with "Whiskey" in the business name, the bar's extensive drink menu did not come as a surprise. The drink menu we received contained a list of 111 whiskeys. There were whiskey flights ($25-50), sake, cocktails, wine, beer, and more. Below is what our table of four ordered. I think I missed a drink or two. We doubled up on some of the apps due to portion sizes. This should give you a good idea of what Iza has to offer. Appetizers * Ishiyaki BBQ with 3 oz A5 Wagyu Steak ($60) - cook it yourself on a hot stone, served with Himalayan salt and chimichurri sauce * Salmon Tiradito x2 ($13.90 each, x2) - sashimi-style salmon plated with onion truffle sauce, chive oil, garnished with micro greens * Okinawa Scallops x2 ($15.90 each, x2) - in each, two seared U10 scallops served with uni butter saffron, shiso pesto, and micro greens * Tuna Tartare & Chips ($14.90) - spicy tuna tartare topped with avocado, mango, citrus dressing, spicy mayo, and eel sauce * Tamarind Cauliflower ($10.90) - lightly-fried cauliflower glazed with a sweet, tangy tamarind sauce Entrees/Sushi * Pork Tenderloin Tonkatsu ($19.90) - pork lightly breaded with Japanese panko breadcrumbs and served with steamed white rice, cabbage, and tonkatsu sauce. * Korean-Style Sashimi Poke Bowl ($15.90) - assorted sashimi mixed with Korean "tanguiri" sauce, served atop sushi rice, garnished with micro greens, scallions, cucumbers, avocado, and rice seasoning * Iza Crunch Raw Specialty Roll ($14) - cucumber, tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and shiso inside, topped with spicy mayo and tempura crunch on the outside Specials (not on menu) * Toro Nigiri x2 (each set of 2 pieces for $16, x2) - fatty bluefin tuna belly Cocktails, Mocktails, and Whiskey * Japanese Sour cocktail ($14) - Suntory Japanese whiskey, citrus * Feeling Peachy mocktail ($4) - fresh lemon juice, peach syrup, club soda * Whiskey #94. Suntory Toko Japanese Whiskey ($14) - requested neat In general, everything was outstanding. Fantastic quality all around. In order, my favorites were the Toro Nigiri, Okinawa Scallops, Tuna Tartare & Chips, and Salmon Tiradito. All of the seafood was really fresh and delicious. The chips that came with the Tuna Tartare were creative - they were nori (seaweed) tempura chips. The Scallops and sauce were succulent. If you love nigiri, I highly recommend Iza's Toro. It was legit. The Pork Tenderloin Tonkatsu was appetizing, served bone-in. I thought that was unique because I'm not sure I've seen tonkatsu served bone-in before. Both the Poke Bowl and the Iza Crunch Roll were solid. I couldn't figure out what the Korean "tanguiri" sauce was, but the poke came with tuna and salmon and they were marinated well. The one dish I have to knock, though, is the Ishiyaki BBQ with A5 Wagyu. Simply put, I didn't think it was worth the money. I love Wagyu, but this particular Wagyu was too fatty. I think I would've been happier with the much less expensive Ribeye option ($18.90). The drinks were terrific. As mentioned above, service was excellent, from our hostess Shaye to our server Aurora. Everyone was friendly, warm, and polite. They seem to have a wonderful team here. read more