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Oh how I miss Shiki Sushi in Durham. They have some of my favorite sushi rolls.
The staff at Shiki were always wonderful, except for the first time I was there but I don't think that waiter lasted long. The manager is a nice guy and is quite helpful. The bartenders, especially the guy with the braids, are great. The BOGO sushi is just fantastic. Plus, they never had any issues if I wanted a special order.
When I lived in NC, I ate at Shiki almost once a week. Many of the staff knew me and I always felt welcome. Shiki was my most favorite sushi place in the Triangle and the next time I can make it back to the area, I'm definitely going to have lunch or dinner there.
YUM!
Went here with friends on a Friday night, and I was VERY surprised. The place looked like there was a concert going on when we pulled up (1 hr wait). At first I wanted to go somewhere else, but I went in to check out the inside of the restaurant and was pleasantly surprised. Reminded me of a glammed out PF Changs.
We had a couple of drinks at the bar while we waited. It was fun, I had a Sapporo and Kirin while I waited. The bartender handily forgot my second beer. Big tip.
A friend had been here before, and expertly ordered all similarly priced rolls, so we had no pricing drama. Not sure why everyone is so confused and angry in so many of these reviews. It's not that hard to figure out.
Overall, the primo rolls were good and fun, and the atmosphere is really hopping. Definitely a great place to go for a special occasion, and to bring friends/family when they come in from out of town.
This is a decent Asian spot in Durham. I wouldn't really call it Japanese, it has all kinds of Asian food (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese) and just happens to have a lot of sushi. They have a bunch of interesting rolls, so it's worth a visit just to try out some of the stuff they have. I'll caveat that with I'm not a sushi/sashimi expert at all, so I can't attest to the quality (though I do know that I didn't get sick).
As a few people have pointed out, their 2 for 1 deal can be a surprise if you don't know what to expect. What they basically do is match the most expensive rolls with the cheapest rolls. So if you only get ones that are similarly priced, then you're in good shape. But if you get two expensive ones and two cheap ones, you'll pay for the two expensive ones and your two cheap ones will be free. That combined with the fact they won't split checks at the table to match rolls, makes it a crappy spot to go as a group since someone will always get screwed.
I came here with a group of friend on a Thursday night.
My first impression... even though it's not Kanki... but has Kanki feeling. Definitely designed for young people to hang out and enjoy each other company.
It's a full bar so a lot of alcohol...this place is not traditional Japanese. Pretty much all the rolls are.. Americanized. Lot of sweet sauces and fried. They please the taste buds. However, it makes the roll less special and the fish couldn't stand out from all the overwhelming flavors associated with it.
The menu is extensive. It's a multi-ethnic restaurant. You can order sushi, thai, vietnamese, chinese etc food here. I mean... it's almost one stop shopping for all the popular asian cuisine.
We ordered a lot of roll... and we were warned about the buy one get one free so most of us try to order things that are the same price in order to get the most out of the bucks. It came out to about 19 dollars for each of us. For sushi, I don't think it's too bad but I would rather the quality be a little better.
I love sashimi but I wasn't sure the qualitiy would match with sashimi quality.
Overall, the restaurant is okie.. a little bit overpriced for each roll if you only order one roll. If you order two rolls, you might get more out of your money this way.
I think there are other better sushi places around...you might not get as really full as you get here but the quality is a lot better.
The service was nice and pleasant... she came to ask us about once or twice during the meal... but not something I would talk much about. :)
Folks,....nothing pisses me off than when they "PLAY" with my 2 for 1 Sushi offer. I even had the Manager come to the table to tell me they "do it this way" . Sorry, but the WRONG way to tabulate my "Savings" is not right.
I hate getting ripped off and wont go back over the "principle" of proper subtraction (Anal, I know) but I can think of better places to spend my hard earned $$$$ - not this place
And the Sushi was So-So . all Rolls should have a different flavor, they put the SAME sauces on each roll, and they basically taste the same! NO Variety in flavour- EEEk! I gotta stop going on I am getting headache
Caveats:
1. I'm a sushi snob.
2. My friend ate similar stuff and did not get sick.
On a business trip, I decided to go to Shiki Sushi because it was close to the hotel and I wanted a quick meal. I knew not to expect much but it got worse before it got better when I discovered the menu also lists thai and chinese food amongst the items being offered. Oh well.
I thought about just ordering Chinese food but ultimately voted to give it a shot. Plus, they have a deal where they offer you a buy one get one free on the sushi menu. I knew from reading the reviews here that the offer was a bit more complex than what's stated at face value but we asked the waiter to explain it to us and he gave us the, "just order an even number and it will work out" business. We ordered some nigiri, some rolls and also one sashimi dinner and proceeded to wait.
The sushi itself wasn't terrible. I had low expectations and the fish was warm and soft and the texture wasn't bad. It's what you would expect from your average sushi place. I had no complaints for the salmon, yellowtail and white tuna I ordered. Their pieces are HUGE and so are the rolls. We ordered way too much food.
The big surprise came after the meal.
First in the way of the bill. The thing we did not understand is that they will not separate out the various "sections" of the sushi menu when counting which items are free. Instead, since nigiri (individual pieces) are the cheapest, those will always be free, even if you have ordered two rolls which are priced double. We had assumed that the rolls themselves would be buy one get one free. So consider yourself forewarned. If you want to maximize your dollar, stick to ONE SECTION AT A TIME. Other reviewers haven't blamed the restaurant for this lack of clarity but I am. Shame on Shiki for being shady about this. Our bill was probably double what we would have paid had we known how to order properly.
The only thing worse than being ripped off is getting food poisoning. I woke up at 3am with a stomach ache and a headache to boot. It felt like I'd been drinking for hours when I only had about half a hot sake at the restaurant.
I don't want to rain on the parade of those in the area who enjoy this restaurant but I would definitely like to warn those visiting the area to avoid if possible. You're probably better off eating Falafel next door.
Avoid.
Honestly, I've been to numerous Sushi restuarants. All over the country, okay really, I'm not that well traveled, but I believe myself to be a sushi expert of sorts.
Shiki sushi is amazing. When you are walking up, you kinda expect it to be slightly trashy because it is in a Durham strip mall. However, the inside is actually really nice and modern - I was pleasantly surprised. They run drink specials every night except Fri/Sat. Typical. But the drink specials are pretty okay. My favorites are the 1/2 priced bottles of wine on Sundays. They have a decent amount of Sake and it is also pretty well priced. Their mixed drinks can be on the pricier side and their house is Aristocraps. Balls to that. Their sushi is by one get one free everyday. Their rolls are fabulous. My husband and I's favorite is to order the Nemo, Florida, Blue Sea, and Rainbow Roll. Sometimes we switch it up with a Volcano. Yum! Definately a must see in Durham!
Also, we always sit at the bar. They have decent TVs and it's good to catch a game there.
I'll admit: I, too, at one point, drank the Shiki kool-aid. When Shiki was a run-down single storefront I used to stop in every so often for lunch. Of course, like most others, I was drawn in by the buy-one-get-one special. Also like most others, I generally went with friends or co-workers, which made the BOGO not nearly as good a deal - getting Shiki to split a check is like pulling teeth, even at lunch. And don't even think about it for dinner (it's printed on the menu). Before the renovation, the staff was much more likely to split up the check so that each of the party could actually benefit equally from the special, but I've yet to be able to do that since the expansion.
Shiki definitely has a good selection of specialty rolls, but I really haven't been wowed by any of those I've tried with the exception of the Marry Roll. That thing is HUGE, and the spicy tuna topping is just heaped on. It's almost a meal in itself.
At most sushi places, I usually order one "specialty" (read: pricey) roll and one of the less adventurous rolls like a spicy tuna or yellowtail. At Shiki, though, I'm stuck with ordering two of their specialty rolls. For someone who doesn't really like unagi (eel), it's hard to find a non-eel roll. I guess they're really fond of the stuff.
Since the expansion, I had hoped that maybe the service and prep time would speed up. I was wrong; in fact, it got slower. Even at times when the floor is sparsely populated, it takes nigh forever to get your sushi order.
When I think about Shiki, I feel like that guy who always talks about how he used to listen to [insert band name] until they sold out. I guess, when it comes down to it, I view Shiki as the Mark McGrath of local sushi joints.
Hearing the reputation of Shiki, I sought out this famed place out and found it filling expectations for good sushi. The success of Shiki certainly shows when you walk in, its modern design is very nice. Plenty of seating for smaller and larger groups, along with a nice spacious bar with big screens.
The staff was friendly and pretty quick considering it was a very busy lunchtime. Our orders were taken and drinks served without missing a beat. Our rolls didn't take too long and were pretty good. The various nigiri we had was fresh, I liked the saba and unagi. The rolls were equally good, especially the Florida roll.
Shiki's menu goes beyond just sushi, there was other Japanese/asian entrees that looked good. I certainly will be back to try them, if I get past the wide variety of sushi there. Also, the buy one/get one free really helps too.
When I first moved to Durham, Shiki was a quaint little spot where you could get some very good sushi. Now it's an ever-expanding empire where getting a table on a weekend is a guaranteed wait.
I'm never sure how I feel about it when my favorite spots explode like this. Every now and then, I sit and wait for the fruits of my buy-one-get-one ordering (which always includes the a spider roll and a spicy volcano roll - best thing on the menu, kids) to arrive while eying the crowded room with a look that explains to them that this place was mine before it was theirs.
Still, I end up at Shiki more often than not when I want some sushi. Some of the rolls compare favorably with those I've had in some amazing spots in NYC, and I even got to eat them without having to get all touristy on my way to the restaurant. Bonus!
just moved to durham from california and everyone was telling me that there was no good asian food in durham, but i was pleasantly surprised by shiki sushi! my roommate recommended it and boy am i glad she did. we only ordered sushi rolls and their buy one get one roll free is an amazing deal, just order wisely cuz they make the cheapest rolls out of the ones you pick free. i have to say i was pretty excited to see their large selection of sushi rolls and am going to make it a goal to try all of them!
Good sushi...2 for 1 is a great marketing deal. Drinks and bartenders are great. We go at least 2 times a month.
My sushi experience has been set by excellent places in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, so my sushi standards are quite high.
That being said, Shiki was quite good and exceeded my expectations for good sushi in North Carolina. The service was great, the seaweed salad was delicious, and the sushi was very fresh. I highly recommend the Nemo and Floridas rolls.
It has already been said, but the 2 for 1 rolls are a steal.
Check it out when you get chance.
This restaurant would much rather put money toward decorations than high quality food. I eat a lot of sushi, and this restaurant is the ONLY place that has ever made me sick. Their menu is not very creative either, and they are not accommodating to groups. I came there with a large group on their buy-one-get-one sushi night, and they didn't tell us until after dinner that they do not do separate checks, thus splitting the cost was a nightmare.
I'm not sure why so many people like this place; beyond their ambience (which I must admit is quite nice), I have not experienced quality at this establishment with their food or service.
Update April / 2008
This place has seen an enormous expansion. Its popularity is plain to see. Shiki has expanded to take over an adjoining shop front. It now boasts a huge bar section where you could get sushi and wait for a table. They've also put tables in the new section. When we went recently, we did not have a booking and was waiting for about 20 mins. We were happy to just chat and beer ourselves in the bar area. Easily one the better places for Sushi in the Triangle. i would recommend this place more for groups rather than for couples or for romantic dates (this place is definitely good for casual date)
Went to Shiki sushi for the first time this evening. The place was pumping by 8 o'clock when we arrived. Lots of people already seated and a line was forming. Our group of five was seated within 15 minutes.
The atmosphere is pretty good, two large plasma screens adorn the back walls of the restaurant. This place almost has a casual sports bar feel. The atmosphere seems better near the sushi bar. The restaurant has a very busy feel. Lots of student crowd here. The 2 for 1 deal certainly is a crowd pleaser.
Quite fresh sushi and sashimi, presentation was good. A solid Japanese restaurant for the area. The air conditioning tends to be on the cold side.
A small bunch of us from work went for lunch here. Very popular place. The BOGO (buy one get one) sushi makes for a very good value, hence the extra star. This place hits the spot for the casual sushi craving.
We sat at the bar which was great because the service by the bartender was pretty good.
Over the weekend, I went to NC to visit a dear friend. We came here on Friday night when I arrived in Durham. The restaurant was packed at 9:45. All the rolls are buy one get one free. It has to be equal of less of value. The rolls are not too bad for NC. I think they had too much rice. We ordered rainbow roll, shrimp tempura roll, spicy tuna, bagel roll, and crazy roll. We also shared a fried tempura udon. The broth was too sweet for me. It did come with 3 shrimp tempura, broccoli, and sweet potato tempura. The service was good.
Good atmosphere, good variety of sushi and non-shushi items.
It can get pretty crowded, so we try to go early or call for take-out. As most mentioned...all the rolls are buy one get one free when you dine in only. When we order take-out we order shashimi and one of the noodle or hibachi dishes. So far, we've never been dissapointed with any of their rolls or quality/freshness of the fish.
I admit it, I was drawn in by their sale: 2-for-1 sushi all summer long! I'm definitely glad I took the bait. (Pun intended.) Although it's not the best sushi I've ever eaten, the 2-for-1 deal made it an awesome value. Don't get me wrong, though, there's nothing bad about the food. In fact, I'd even categorize it as delicious.
The atmosphere was nice, very casual. Typical Japanese-influenced decor and fairly low lighting. From where I was sitting, I could see two TVs, which didn't really matter to me, but could be a draw or a turnoff for some.
Two of us went between 6:30 and 7 p.m. and we didn't have to wait for an inside table. They have nice outside tables, but it was a hot day, and air conditioning seemed nicer than strip-mall sidewalk dining. There's also a small bar inside.
Overall, I recommend Shiki Sushi, and I will eat there again. (Hopefully before the end of the summer!)
Funny-sounding menu items of note: Eel fashion roll, Pickle D. Radish
I really like this place and everybody that I have brought here, likes it as well. They chance the menu a bit, and removed the sweet potato and shrimp appetizer that was a favorite.
The sushi is good, but sometimes it isn't rolled very well, so it tends to fall apart. The Thai and Chinese dishes are really good, try the General Tsao Chicken is superb, it has a delicate sauce, not that most of the heavy sweet sauce you'll find in other places. The house fried rice is also good, but then again so it everything that I've tried.
The main attraction is buy-on-get-one (BOGO) free sushi, but be careful you have to make your selection wisely. Let me explain, if you pick two rolls each costing $12 and two orders of sushi for $6 each, then you are getting the two $6 for free, so your bill would be $24. What they should do is group the sushi by type and offer the deal with a group. That way your bill in the previous scenario would be $18.
The bar area is nice, they tried to get it to function more like a bar that people would stay out late. That didn't work. If they would have divided the restaurant in half (left and right) then it might have worked, but to have the bar right in front of the restaurant seating area doesn't make for a club/bar like setting.
I miss the pre-expansion Shiki. I used to pop in here for a girls' get-together or a pre-movie date, but that convenience is long gone. Despite the extra space and added tables since expanding, Shiki is crowded and there's nearly always a wait. I guess I couldn't expect buy-one-get-one-free sushi in the Southpoint area to stay a secret for long. I'll admit I'm less likely to come here now because it's become such a trendy place to go for sushi (accredit that to its location, its BOGO deal, and the lusted after sushi boats [wooden boats that your sushi is served on when you order a large quantity]). But I also think the service and even the sushi is on a downward trend. The pros are free green tea, an enormous list of sushi rolls, and swanky atmosphere; but for a bit more quality and a lot less traffic, you'll find me grubbing down on sushi in Raleigh or Carrboro.
I come here more for the hibachi specials than the sushi, but the 2-for-1 sushi is a great deal! The hibachi lunch deals are all less than $8 I believe, and you get a ton of food for a great price. The sushi is better than many other establishments in the area, so it's not a bad stop for a sushi fix either. Service is fast! I can come in, order my hibachi, and have it in 5-7 minutes. Prices are cheap, the staff is friendly, and their location is near Southpoint mall if you want to avoid the rush of the food court.
The fish seems to be pretty fresh and the service is pretty good. They have a large variety of rolls (aka "specialty rolls" where they can charge a lot). This is probably the best sushi I've had in this area.
The buy one get one free sushi is a bit deceptive. They will charge you for the more expensive roll and make the cheap roll free. For example if you ordered two specialty rolls for $12/each and had two simple rolls for $5/each. They would charge you $24 bucks. I know that's how it works but it always gets me when I get the bill.
Pros:
- BOGO sushi, and not just on a few different kinds of rolls.
- trendy atmosphere
- never a terribly long wait
- good service
Cons:
- Beware that the BOGO sushi is for the entire list. And what I mean by that is, if you order a few rolls of sushi at $11 or so and then a few orders of nigiri at $4, you'll pay for the sushi rolls and the nigiri will be free. Of course, you would expect the cheaper one to be the free one (as with any BOGO sale), but for some reason we thought the nigiri and the sushi rolls would be handled seperately. It's not Shiki's fault, really, but a meal we thought would be $30 or so ended up closer to $50. Be warned.
- We've had the edamame only once, but it tasted really odd. I don't know what it was exactly, but it wasn't what we expected. Not enough salt? Dunno.
I've never really had what I would consider 'bad' sushi, so I can't give an honest review of it. We have enjoyed every roll we've tried and look forward to trying all the others.
I have been here pre and post expansion. Think I have been here atleast 10 times but probably more. I live in Raleigh but grew up around the Southpoint area and used to go to this restaurant for lunch when I worked in RTP or made the hike from Raleigh for dinner. In addition I have taken friends here who were visiting from out of town. The BOGO (buy one get one) sushi every night is a great deal. One thing to keep in mind, as with most BOGO, the least expensive rolls are the free ones. So make sure you keep that in mind when ordering or the BOGO is really not worth it. Their volcano roll is my favorite and the California on Fire is great as well. I wasn't too impressed with their edamame, crab rangoons and spring rolls are good though. I have never ordered an entree from here but a few of my friends have and they really like them. Lunch portions of the entrees are still large and a good value. The outside of the shopping center can be deceiving but the inside is very modern and the restaurant is large. Never had bad service here. There are people that solely fill your water, take empty plates, etc to help the waitstaff. I highly recommend this place, one of my favs for sushi and a value.
Newly refurbished space, tasty sushi and both indoor & out-door seating. Watch out for MONSTER TV's and possible cigarette smoke at the bar...
When I lived in the triangle area, I frequented Shiki Sushi. I have not tried the sashimi because I'm more into rolls. Their rolls are tasty! I went with a Japanese friend who is picky about sushi, and her reaction was quite positive. They had buy one get one free for lunch and dinner (don't know if that is still the case). Price per value, this place is one of the best in the area. They have a bar, and the decor is clean, woody, and modern without being overly so. When I went with a group of around ten people, we asked for the sushi to be served on a boat, and it was very pretty and yummy.
The 2-for-1 sushi deal can't be beat!
I LOVE SHIKI SUSHI! Their prices are great when the have the 2 for 1 sushi (which I think is all the time...I live nearby and I have never seen this sign not in place). The best time to go is during the week if you want dinner. If you go on the weekend, it gets busy very quickly. The good news is that they're expanding the restaurant (it's expanding into the empty retail space next door).
I love one of the rolls they have (that I can't remember the name of); it's basically an inside-out California roll with a very fresh sliver of lemon inside. The lemon makes it refreshing and delicious. The rest of their rolls are wonderful. All of them are very fresh with very good ingredients.
This is a bad place to go with large groups, as the waitstaff will not give you separate checks.
We there today for lunch to check out 2 for 1. Not the most authentic Japanese food but good nevertheless. Atmosphere is better near the bar - towards the tail end of the lunch hour, they stopped seating people in the main area. Theres a roll with spicy tuna inside and tuna on top that was awesome. All the fancy rolls look nice too. We didn't have the volcano roll but our neighbors did and it looked good. Calimari was so-so, edamame was good.
Durham, NC
Category: Sushi Bars
Durham, NC
Category: Japanese
Chapel Hill, NC
Category: Sushi Bars
Durham, NC
Category: Sushi Bars
Morrisville, NC
Category: Sushi Bars
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
