Sono

I was told by my ramen connoisseur friends that Sono had the best ramen in the triangle. I was skeptical at first but one try and this place soon became one of our favorite spots. The shoyu ramen is fantastic, don’t forget to get some chili oil on the side to kick it up a notch. You can also get amazing tonkatsu here if you prefer a richer broth.

Incredible lunch experience The sushi was incredible with best service in Raleigh. Kimberly is well versed foe recommendations and Yung is a super star in preparations. Supreme friendly environment.

As a lover of fresh sushi, I am an excellent critic and can assure that this is the best and the most fresh sushi in Raleigh. To top it off the service is exceptional.

Love this place. Not a huge menu but the creativity of the offerings is pretty impressive. The fresh real wasabi is worth the extra expense. The port buns are amazing also. You would have to be San Francisco to find a better one.
Staff is very friendly and they hustle to keep the beverages filled.
I would definitely return on my future visits to Raleigh.

My husband chose Sono for my birthday dinner. We are new to the area, but found it easily and parking was convenient. Kevin, the manager, made a great first impression as he welcomed us to the restaurant and introduced us to our server. Our server was very knowledgable and friendly, and asked the kitchen to try and replicate a drink I missed from Japan. We asked about the omakase and he recommended it, as it turned out, the owner and head chef was there that night.
We had the most fresh and delicious sushi. A week later and I’m craving more. Chef Michael was very friendly. Overall, it was the best meal we’d had since we moved here 6 months ago.
I saw some hot menu items, and they all looked great. I can’t wait to come back and I’d recommend Sono to anyone.
I’m also looking forward to their new place that is going to be in the Google building, I think.

I’ve been to Sono a few times and always had great experience.
Their sushi are fresh and have great flavor, but I wish there were more options without cream cheese. I’ve had chirashi there once and everything on it was really good, especially tamago.
Last time here we got pork belly buns as an appetizer (holy yum!). Even if you are not a fan of pork belly, try it. It’s crunchy and soft and very flavorful.
I heard good things about their ramen (from Unilocal ramen article) so I had to try it. I got Shoyu Ramen and it was amazing. The broth was light, but full of smoky flavor, the noodles perfectly done, the egg — solid white and soft yolk, oh I wish i could cook the egg to that perfection!
There were 2 large pieces of pork, black mushrooms and bamboo shoots — all delicious. The pork was a bit tough though, and hard to eat with chopsticks. I wish it was more tender, or cut smaller, as I didn’t have any means to cut it.
The bowl was so large that I couldn’t finish my portion, definitely a great deal!
We got a pleasant surprise on our bill — apparently the 2 sushi orders were either half price or bogo due to «happy hour» (we came at 6pm).
I will definitely be back to try the Tonkotsu Ramen, which smelled and looked amazing, and this time will be sure to be hungry.
Update: I went back for ramen on a Friday and was disappointed to learn that it’s not offered for lunch. Oh well, got a bowl of udon. It was just ok, too spicy for my taste and the broth too light, although just right for an udon. It had nice toppings and again the portion — humongous.
Lay week finally made it there for dinner and ordered Tonkotsu. From the moment the bowl was put in front of me I was in love. The savory smell, the thick, creamy, smoky broth without even a hint of oiliness. The soft/​crispy pork and perfectly soft boiled egg. I could go on… Regardless of whether you are a ramen fan or not, if you like rich, smoky food it is a must try. This is definitely my favorite noodle soup now, I will go out of my way to have it again. And again.
And btw, the leftovers reheat nicely. The waitress separates the broth from the rest of the ingredients so they don’t get soggy, which works out great.
Thank you, Sono, for this perfection.

Lovely place and great food!
If you want to try Sushi around Raleigh area, come here!
My favorite is «Red Bull» sushi roll.

After Sono change ownership, the food got legit and ramen was a nice addition. Sushi was fresh, and they have wagyu beef appetizer now.

I’m not sure it’s fair for me to write this review since I haven’t even tried their sushi! But I can speak for the other items on the menu, which were all impeccable.
The first time we came was during triangle restaurant week, so i got to try a great sampling of what sono has to offer. Some of these were special items that aren’t on the regular menu :(
1. ikura don: basically a small chirashi bowl with delicious tuna, wasabi octopus (i would not typically eat octopus but the wasabi flavor was amazing) and some roe over perfectly cooked sushi rice.
2. scallop credo: a beautifully presented dish of scallops, very very lightly seared. So has the texture of raw scallop. YUM
3. the tonkatsu and spicy miso ramen: boyfriend and I both agreed the tonkatsu ramen was better. Spicy miso was sort of one-​note in that the spice was all you tasted. Not as much depth.
4. Pork belly buns were amazing. Reminds me of the famed ones in nyc…
Now, we come back often for that tonkatsu ramen which thankfully they have regularly. Again, I’ll have to try the sushi and update my review. :)

Best sushi in Raleigh. They have two AWESOME (and huge) veggie rolls that I dream about. Their house salad dressing is amazing as well.
Great ambiance — welcoming and cozy inside. Located smack in the middle of downtown with lots of shopping and sight seeing nearby. Service was wonderful. My server, Courtney, was just lovely!

Went here for a farewell dinner before sending the girls off to college. Being a new place for us we decided to give several things a try. After starting with edamame and a house salad, hubby had Tempura with lots of shrimp and broccoli, onions, red pepper and potato. The tempura sauce was extremely tasty.
I tried the grilled octopus which was tender but the chimichurri and balsamic (?) drizzle mixed odd for me. The plating was beautiful!
We had two rolls– the piano roll lived up to its reputation and was delicious. The green giant roll said it was made with acorn squash but I’m pretty sure it contained a Japanese sweet potato instead. It was tasty but way too large. I was downright unladylike trying to eat that!
Youngest daughter ordered the tonkotsu Ramen which was beautiful with wood ear mushrooms, roasted pork, bamboo shoots and other yumminess. The pork was tasty but a little thick for me.
I tried the Ishiyaki Barbecue with skirt steak (we were already spending a fortune lol). It was fun and delicious but again, the chimichurri disturbed me so I avoided it.
Overall our meal was delicious and our service by Charlotte was spectacular. At $ 125 with sodas and tip for four people, it’s high but OK for special treats or occasions.

I went here for the first time a few days ago for lunch. I ordered the ton kat su bento box and pork buns as an appetizer. Let me just say the pork buns were amazing. Perfect way to start a meal. The atmosphere was sort of dark even for lunch time.
The bento box was one of the best ones I’ve had at any other restaurant. It really fills you up and I couldn’t finish everything. I definitely recommend this place but it is unfortunately, very pricey.

Great sushi. Just because the location is trendy doesn’t mean they try to get away with less than really really good food.
They offer REAL wasabi for like 3 or 4 bucks, I love that.
The service is a half-​step slower than I’d expect, but they’ve been consistently good over the 3 times I’ve visited in a 3 or 4 year span.

On the rare occasion my job has me downtown for court, I like to get some of the best sushi in the triangle here! I got there about 12:15 and it was busy, I even contimplated not going as I assumed it would take forever to get a couple of rolls! I was seated in a booth in the back, my first thought, «oh it’s easy to be overlooked here!» Well much to my surprise the service was great. Various servers and even the hostess refilled my glass of water. I ordered the screaming o and the sift and surf rolls, both of which were delish! It was a treat to take myself out to lunch here as it can easily get to be a bit pricey-​I really try not to spend as much as I did, for two rolls-​$ 17 and some change. It was a great meal with great service during a very busy lunch hour. Keep up the good work!

«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 Unilocal 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.

I guess I’m on a Japanese food kick during this Raleigh trip. So after two nights’ Japanese dinners, I was in the mood for ramen. I saw other Unilocaler’s pic of the tonkatsu ramen looked pretty decent, so I figured «Sono it is!»
This restaurant is a lil hard to find, I had to circle the block to first spot it and then find a parking spot. But once you’re inside, it all goes uphill from there.
I ordered the tonkatsu ramen. It took a while to come out but I’m not complaining. My server was very attentive, the ramen tastes pretty good. The broth was rich and their marinated egg was done quite well. Overall a happy dinner experience, and I’d definitely come back again!

On a whim, I dropped by this place on Thursday night 30 minutes before they closed. The staff was very friendly and accommodating and made me feel welcome. Can’t say too much about the overall atmosphere because with the exception of two people at the bar it was empty.
What I ordered
— Korean Fried Chicken appetizer — Crisp and tasty with a soy glaze, although a bit more batter than I’m used to for korean fried chicken.
— Angry Tuna and Crunch Diablo rolls — Both were large and higher quality than what I’ve had a lot of the Raleigh area restaurants.
— Uni nigiri — ok quality, I probably wouldn’t order it again.
I really wanted to try their ramens, but they were already out for the night. Their omakase also sounds intriguing and I’ll definitely be back to give it a go.

I had an overall great experience at Sono. The food, service, and atmosphere were all great. For appetizers, we ordered the pork belly buns and the Ishiyaki BBQ. The pork belly buns were big with a huge peace of juicy pork belly, a very generous portion. The Ishiyaki BBQ was very good. The meat cooks table side on a hot rock and comes with a very tasty chimichurri sauce. The presenation alone was phenomenal.
The sushi came out very fast and was presented elegantly on the plate. We ordered the French Kiss, VIP, twisted mango, and two pieces of eel. The assortment of fish in the VIP was very fresh tasting and had great color. The mango roll was unique and sweet from the mango, and the shrimp tempura inside was fried perfectly. The VIP had a good crunch on the outside, and the soft shell crab and tuna on the inside were the perfect combination, We ordered the fresh wasabi too, and it is a lot spicier than the regular wasabi. I like it a lot more and thought it was worth the extra money.
Overall, Sono is a great place to get fresh sushi and has really good service. I would highly recommend Sono as the go to sushi place in downtown Raleigh.

Best quality sushi in the raleigh area!
Although they don’t do BOGO like many of the Japanese restaurants in the Raleigh area, I’d invest in their rolls because they’re fresh and super savory!
At all sushi restaurants I’ve been to, I ask for extra spicy mayo because a lot of rolls tend to be a bit dull for my tastebuds.
Out of habit, I asked for extra spicy mayo on the side (because I always do) but they surprised me– their rolls were so flavorful that I barely touched the extra spicy mayo!
To me, that says so much.
Anyhow, we ordered both the magma roll and the red bull roll, both of which were top notch!
The shoyu ramen was good in the sense that it’s nothing like the $ 0.10 instant ramen you could get at a grocery store. However the broth was pretty bland and they only give 2 pieces of braised pork for it. I will say that they are generous with their noodles!
The atmosphere is romantic and classy– perfect for date night!
Service was nothing spectacular. Our servers rarely came to us and only refilled our drinks when all two cups at our table were completely empty.
It was a pretty busy day so I will give them that.
When I come back, I’ll dedicate my stomach solely to their rolls~

Everything from the food to the service to the ambience was excellent. It was a great choice for our Valentine’s Day date.
Once again, I have to thank the Unilocal reviews. We would not have ordered the Ishiyaki BBQ if we had not seen its raving reviews. It was a fun and unique experience to be able to cook our own food in a way that can’t be done at home. I loved being able to grill the skirt-​steak beef to our own liking and I recommend liberally topping it with the amazing chimichurri sauce. The steak tastes great on its own but the sauce puts it over the top. I agree with the other reviews that this is a MUST when dining at Sono. We also ordered the Pork Buns. The dish comes with two perfectly steamed, fluffy buns packed with flavor. They do not skimp on the pork belly and it was melt-​in-​your-​mouth juicy.
For the sushi we ordered the V.I.P, the Twisted Mango, and the French Kiss. And we also ordered the 2 piece eel roll which was delicious. If you like a lot of fresh fish in your sushi, then the V.I.P is the perfect choice. The Twisted Mango was also good and I loved the crunch of the French Kiss. So many sushi places in the area have more Americanized sushi with a focus on shrimp tempura, tuna, and crab, but Sono had a wide selection. Also, if you like wasabi, order the Real Wasabi. The relish wasabi is something that you cannot get anywhere else.
The service was also outstanding. There was rarely a moment when we were without our food. In fact, we waited less than 10 minutes for the Ishiyaki BBQ to come out and the Pork Buns followed shortly after. Our server was very attentive and helpful. She showed us how to cook the Ishiyaki BBQ and let us know the different ways we could prepare and season it. As soon as we were done with our appetizers, the sushi came out. In my experience, sushi takes a bit longer than ordinary dishes to come out since they are being freshly rolled and assembled, but they came out immediately after we were done with our appetizers.
Normally we would stick to just ordering sushi, but I am very happy that we decided to take the Unilocal reviews into account and order a greater variety of food. This is a perfect date place. I can’t wait to come back and further explore their amazing menu.