Dashi

A cool little ramen joint. The bowl was huge (really two meals worth) and the food it was super delish. Will go again for sure.

I have visited Dashi approximately 6 – 10 times since their opening. Dashi’s ramen bowls are awesome. I have not had the pleasure of visiting the izakaya upstairs — I haven’t gotten up there because downstairs is so consistently delicious! The wait staff has been awesome every time I’ve been in.
Pro tip — ask for the spicy powder and sauces — they really add to the flavors.
In terms of drinks Dashi has an excellent selection of sake as well as local beers. I’ve perused their wine list and found some awesome offerings there as well.
Another pro tip — you can check the wait time on the app NoWait so you never have to worry about whether they are busy or not — you can see quickly on the app the expected wait time for a table.
I had some hesitations about the restaurant when they opened their doors but I have had nothing but excellent food and customer service.

My wife and I really enjoyed Dashi’s ramen restaurant. We haven’t tried the upstairs yet (it’s a different offering and menu), but plan to. The ramen restaurant offers innovative takes on classic ramen dishes by incorporating local ingredients. Both of us enjoyed our Tonkotsu ramen. We also tried their lamb belly buns which were excellent. We weren’t in the mood for alcohol, but the beer, wine, and sake selection looked great. Lastly, they nailed the energy and décor of the restaurant. We’ll definitely be back.

THIS PLACE ROCK. I loved the food, taste like kitty food. I love my kitties. Also there was a CSI star at the bar, so yay me! Starstruck.lol. love Dashey

Finally visited Dashi over a year after their opening, since I heard the waitlist at the beginning was ridiculously long. We went there on a Monday night, and lucky for us we only had to wait about five minutes.
I ordered the Tonkotsu ramen. The ramen came with roasted pork belly, some greens, bean sprouts, ajitsuke tamago (soy marinated egg), some onion, scallion, and. sushi ginger. When I tried it, it seemed weird and I was… confused. I expected a whitey, slightly creamy/​cloudy broth, but instead it was a dark brown broth. The broth wasn’t bland, but it wasn’t quite tasty the way I’d expected, and not really memorable at all. It felt salty and I felt like the salt kind of masked the flavors it carried. The noodles were alright, they were a bit overcooked, and really reminded me of packaged ramen. I think the collard greens (was it kale? I can’t even remember) were kind of just a hipster replacement for the seaweed. Sushi ginger was just weird. The soy marinated egg was good. The roasted pork belly was also good, but I’d prefer it in thin slices instead of that thick fat chunk. Oh, also, I asked for some spicy sauce, chilli oil or whatever, and I was given two options, a chilli oil and a chilli sauce. Neither was spicy enough at all, they’re at most maybe ½ as spicy as Sriracha.
I’m in no way a ramen expert, but I’ve definitely had better ramen at other places, San Francisco, New York, Boston, even in smaller cities, at roughly the same price if not cheaper. I guess there’s not really a big competitor in the area, so if you REALLY want ramen, you can stop by, but just have low expectations. Service was decent. Didn’t order any drinks so I can’t comment on that. The place tried pretty hard to look… Japanese, they even have the wooden ladles for ramen, but in terms of quality, it kind of fail to deliver.

There’s not a lot of food choice in Raleigh/​Durham, so it’s nice to see a restaurant that serves ramen. The service is excellent, but the food is not so good. Simple is best, and there’s no way to tell what the tonkotsu broth tastes like under the layers of (salty) pickled vegetables and (salty) oil that Dashi buries their food with. The pork was way too thick, the broth too cold and everything just tastes of SALT in any case.
Charging 15 dollars for a bowl of ramen means they need to seriously step up their game.
I will probably be back, as my expectations are more realistic (… and honestly, because there are not many options in Durham). The noodles were cooked to the texture I prefer, and they are sincerely nice, so they get 2 stars for that.

Dashi was like your normal ramen with cooler toppings. Nothing about the food was incredibly noteworthy. I ordered the shio ramen, exchanging the smoked chicken for the pulled smoked pork. The broth was definitely flavorless, the toppings were good. I liked the mushrooms especially and the pulled pork. The noodles were probably the best part in my opinion, I really liked the texture and they were really great ramen noodles.
I also ordered the ginger soda which really was a cream soda, so if you’re looking for the spicy ginger flavor, don’t order this. It was really sweet, and if I consider it as a cream soda, it was good. We ordered the ice cream for desert which was the best part of the meal because it was from the Parlour, and the Parlour always has the best ice cream.
I don’t think I’ll return here, but it was worth a shot!

This place is totally overhyped, or at least at the time when I visited, which is when they first opened. The line was super long, the ramen soup was overly salty, it’s on the pricy side, and you can’t order drinks at the ramen shop downstairs, upstairs you can get food and Ramen but it’s so crowded because all the people waited went up.

Sorry if i have to give ur guys only two stars. It was not likewhat I expected… The noodle was ok. we ordered Ramen bowl. It was plain w no taste and the noodle was over cook. The seating was cute hip place to be seen. It was full of people though for a wednesday night. I dont think I would go back again unless i have to…

Service was good and quite fast. The restaurant itself was decorated nicely, though it came across as trying too hard to be Asian. In general, food aside, everything was good.
The food was bad. Really bad. It was instant noodles with eggs they were serving to me, not ramen. The broth had no taste and felt like water. The noodles had no taste. The egg and the sides had no taste. They felt put together. That’s not how ramen is supposed to taste! Where’s the richness I was expecting? The food was a failed attempt at imitating something that clearly takes way more time than what was actually produced.

I’m no ramen expert, my only exposure with the dish being at a restaurant in DC last winter and Basan here in Durham. I know that the ramen at Dashi has a local ingredient focus and a broth that’s crafted with authenticity in mind. It’s also still incredibly popular, despite no longer being the newest kid on the block. But the setup (izakaya upstairs for drinks and small plates) provides a convenient place to wait for a table to open up downstairs (where the ramen is served), and an opportunity to try everything the restaurant has to offer (since, sadly, the cocktails and the majority of small plates are *only* available in the upstairs space).
In the izakaya, we’ve tried a variety of goodies. Our favorites included the lamb belly buns (just melt-​in-​your-​mouth magic with pickled veggies to piqué the palate) and spicy squid (in a mouthwatering spicy garlic sauce). I would also put the octopus hushpuppies in my favorites list; I thought these were so unique and packed with interesting flavors. The yakimono here doesn’t have as distinct a grilled flavor as others I’ve had, but that allows the meat’s seasoning to stand out. We had the chicken thighs and heart, and can recommend both. Less impressive, to me, were the NC flounder sashimi special (just wasn’t crazy about this type of fish sashimi-​style; not as supple or sweet as tuna or yellowtail for example) and the thinly sliced steak (this no longer appears to be on the menu; I believe it was served with scallions and something like a honey soy sauce… hubs and I found it ok; just a bit expensive for what it is).
Of the ramen bowls, we ordered the tonkotsu and shio. Of the two we both preferred the shio, which has a more prominently savory broth. The meat and soft egg was excellent in both, and I couldn’t get over how filling a bowl of soup turned out to be. But neither of us was dazzled, finding both bowls a bit on the bland side (both agreed that we’d favor a bowl of phở, bun bo, tom kha, or tom yum over a bowl of ramen); just a personal preference really, and no fault of the ramen itself.
However: Glad we’ve discovered the delights of the izakaya (an unsung hero?); and double score for us since that part of Dashi seems to always have seats available without a wait!

I came back to Dashi a few months after my initial visit for a friend’s birthday. He thought it would be fun and different to put together one of the Omakase dinners. I thought it was a pretty neat idea for a special occasion. The dinner is prepared special by the chef and consists of a bunch of different courses (5?). It was really a cool experience. I would recommend it for a special occasion, business dinner, etc. The food was very good and everything we tried was very different. My one complaint is that it was not nearly enough food for the price point– however– for the Omakase dinner I think you are paying for the special preparation and presentation vs. the actual food costs. I would definitely do it again, but I might supplement the meal with an appetizer or small entrée.

Was really looking forward to this meal after a long week of rain and lower temperatures.
The moment you walk in, it feels like a hipster speakeasy bar. Music is up and brick is everywhere. Very typical, mid-​upscale restaurant bar feel with wood interior.
DISCLAIMER: I lived in Los Angeles for two years. And San Francisco for a summer. I am used to eating at ramen chains including Daikokuya and Shinsengumi.
Food: I ordered the shio ramen. Ohhhh boy was I in for a disappointment. The bowl was fairly large, but the toppings it came included loose meat, enoki mushrooms, catfish circle (?), poached egg, seaweed, and green onions. I tried the broth first; it tasted like wonton noodle soup. I immediately knew that the meal would NOT be as enjoyable when the broth was unflavorful (mostly salty) and what Japanese ramen should really embody. Noodles were soft and tender though.
Service: Service decent. Waitress didn’t tend to us too often and it took a while to get our order in despite the rush that had not arrived yet. When I asked for clarification of the Lamb Steamed Buns, our waitress compared steamed buns to samosas. I couldn’t help but feel super awkward at how wrong that was.
Verdict: Not worth the price. Broth ruins the experience. Not sure when the Durham-​Chapel Hill area will get decent, non-​hipster, and authentic ramen.

Stopped here for an early lunch on a cold, dreary day so naturally ramen sounded divine! We walked in and I immediately appreciated the interior. It was so nice and relaxing, I felt I could spend all afternoon here. I also quite enjoyed watching them prepare all the dishes while we waited for our food. I was also impressed by the pottery they served my tea in. It was beautiful and looked homemade.
For my food, I went with the miso, swapping out the pork for tofu. Let me preface this by admitting I have never had ramen, but I wasn’t quite in love with this dish. The broth just tasted super bland, so I dumped a bunch of chili oil in it, but that just made it too oily. Opps. I did enjoy the contents of the bowl though. The noodles and egg were fantastic. My favorite thing was the slightly pickled napa cabbage! So good! I ended up eating all the ingredients out of the soup and letting my husband finish the broth.
This place was good enough to make me want to seek out ramen places in the future, but I will not be ordering the miso ramen from here again!

This is another example of the Unilocal reviews not at all matching the quality of the place, in my opinion, though in the other direction of the criminally praised Mesa Latin Kitchen. (
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It’s been a little while since I’ve had the ramen downstairs, so I can just say that it’s «top notch» without going into more detail.
However, I was just upstairs, where they don’t serve Ramen since it spills in the dumbwaiter. (There’s a Japanese word for those snacks I just don’t know it)
We LOVED everything we got:
–Spicy miso chicken wings
–Halibut sashimi
–Lamb buns
–Beef hearts
–Beef tongue
They had a fantastic Belgian-​style sour wheat from Idaho on draft, I need to track that beer down.
Bartender was a cool dude who was spinning Pavement.

Flavor is the missing ingredient of this momofuku inspired ramen house. They get a lot of things right but don’t deliver on the sensual experience that good ramen is supposed to deliver.
The noodles were limp, no bite to them, no chew. The broth was neither sticky on the lips, nor flavorful. The egg was tough.
They just need to tweak a few things to get 5 stars from me, but those things are major.

As my first ramen noodle joint, I don’t have much to compare Dashi with, but I think I can still provide some decent input.
Of course, eating ramen noodles here is an enormous step up from the $.25 ramen noodle packets you can get at the grocery store. Visually, the food has amazing presentation, and as for the taste, well, I expected better. I ordered the Tonkotsu and the pork belly was on point but it was not a large piece so, once it was gone, my enthusiasm for the meal decreased. I did try my boyfriends order, the Shio, and I was a bit food-​envious; it tasted much better. The portion seemed reasonable to me as we both left fulfilled, but the price is a bit steep for what it is, at around $ 13 – 15 per bowl. The saki was very good, but also expensive at $ 20 for what I would consider just a single serving.
This won’t be one of my regular go-​to spots but it was a fun new experience at a place that provides something unique.

The overall bowl of ramen I got here — tonkotsu — could have been better (probably a 3-​star), but it was not catastrophic as some of the earlier opening-​week reviews have suggested. The noodle texture and egg I thought was fine, but it was more the broth that needed flavor and richness. I’m giving 4 stars though, because despite its room for improvement, Dashi features a lot of cool additions aside from ramen on their menu. And I’m also a fan of the variety of Japanese drinks on their alcohol menu and some of the izakaya items.
The ramen add-​ons feature a lot of cool unique/​foodie ingredients, and the ramp butter in particular was pretty special and added much-​needed body and a subtle ramp (light green onion-​type of flavor) flavor to the broth. The Dashi-​exclusive Parlour ice cream flavors were also incredible — miso caramel (loved this more than Parlour’s classic salted butter caramel) and matcha were my favorites.
Many of the izakaya items seem overpriced. The takoyaki hushpuppies were alright, but not worth the $ 8 for a few pieces. Same for the chicken wings. I would love to try the more exotic items off the meat section though, as well as some adventurous-​sounding Japanese-​American fusions like nori popcorn and mochi smores. I also had an amazing sake here (Hou Hou Shu), which I liked so much that I’m a quest to obtain more of it in stores/​online.

Honestly I was kind of disappointed by this place. Interior décor was cool, the service was friendly, I liked the open ramen bar where you could see your food being made, but the restaurant didn’t deliver on what I think are the two most important parts of a bowl of ramen — the noodles and the broth.
I tried the tonkotsu ramen (pork broth, piece of pork belly), and the broth was creamy and rich, yes, but it didn’t have a memorable flavor. The noodles were also overcooked because they were mushy when I bit down on them. Besides the piece of caramelized pork belly (that was really good, actually) and the soy sauce marinated soft boiled egg, none of the other side ingredients stuck out to me.
This place has potential to become a really great ramen place — it’s just not quite there yet. The prices are okay — not particularly good, but I don’t feel like I’m quite being robbed yet.

Went here during lunch on a typical Wednesday because my friend was craving ramen. I decided to look past the bad ratings and gave this place the benefit of the doubt but it proved me wrong. I ordered a bowl of tonkatsu ramen and my friend ordered the shoyu ramen with a side of pork belly for an extra $ 4.
For me, the most important element to any good bowl of ramen is the broth. Needless to say, Dashi did not deliver what I was looking for. My tonkotsu broth was way too salty while my friend’s shoyu broth barely had any flavor. The noodle itself was decent compared to its entourage of toppings. The pork belly was way too thick and way too dry. I would recommend Dashi to revise their pork belly cooking method because simply placing a piece of pork belly on a griddle over fire is not sufficient. Their soft boiled egg has the right consistency but again, way too salty. Other toppings are pretty mediocre (mustard green, nc catfish kamaboko, pickled ginger, and sweet potatoes). I didn’t think they contributed any taste to my bowl of ramen.
Overall, I would not reccomend this place to anyone who have eaten ramen before and know what REAL ramens are supposed to be like because you would be disappointed. My friend and I barely finished half a bowl even though we were starved before we started eating.