Waraji Japanese Restaurant

Lovely dining experience! I came by myself and sat at the sushi bar and exclusively ate sushi, so cannot comment on any other food offerings. You're greeted at your table with a warm towel for your hands. The sushi was delicious. Rice had good flavor and the selection was nice. I wish they had ama-ebi, but if they did then maybe I missed it on the menu. The miso soup was also good and you can tell they make it themselves (vs a packet). I would come back again!

Waraji is one of the best sushi restaurants we’ve experienced. The fish was oh so absolutely fresh and perfectly prepared. The servers were helpful and excited to share opinions. It is our first rated sushi restaurant in Raleigh. Thank you to everyone who helped make that experience be amazing!

I've been to waraji before. This time was a mess. I was seated at the sushi counter, was told it was first come first serve. I had to wait a while until a server noticed me. They had to ask if I needed a menu, rather than giving me a menu. Once I got them in you I was able to order an appetizer as well as an entree. The appetizer came out fairly quickly. The entree took nearly 30 minutes to come out, only coming out once the waiter notice that I had not received my food. While the sushi is high quality I was very surprised that this restaurant has fallen down in quality in recent years. I'll give it another shot, but I was disappointed this time.

Went to Waraji for a little girls’ night sushi dinner with my friend and it was amazing! We started with a sake flight that was hand-delivered by the bartender, who shared the story and theme behind each pour such a cool and thoughtful touch. We tried three different sushi rolls, both of their soups, and the shrimp dumplings and wow, every single thing was phenomenal. The quality and flavor were outstanding. It was a bit quiet inside, but the staff was wonderful and made sure everything I ordered was safe given my tree nut allergy, which I really appreciated. Highly recommend this spot for sushi lovers, I’ll definitely be going back!

My friend and I tried this place for the first time together after seeing it on TikTok and were not disappointed. Our server Kayla gave us so many great suggestions since we didn’t know where to start, and she was truly knowledgeable about the menu, keeping dietary restrictions in mind. She even informed us about the differences in sake based on how it’s made. That really stood out to me because it was way more than what we asked for. And she was so sweet. Per Kayla’s recommendation, we selected the firecracker shrimp to start and asked her to choose our second app to surprise us. She brought us wings, which were good. We were hoping for something a little more fun though. The shrimp reminded me of a better version of the bang bang at Bonefish. Definitely would get that again. I ordered the Finding Nemo roll and it was so good! I’m a crab lover so I was sold immediately. My friend’s Icon of the Sea roll was good too. If I had to pick which one I preferred more it would be the Finding Nemo. We also got the Cloud sake flight because my friend had never tried sake before and I wanted us to have options. My favorite was the matcha, but everything went down smooth. Their sake menu was about 5 pages long, so there’s something for everyone. I love the fact that they had flights because it was a great starting point for people who are indecisive (like me) or sake newcomers. Overall I had a great time. The ambiance was elevated - it honestly didn’t fit the outside environment at all. You could definitely go there for a fine dining experience. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the service was a little slow at times - we had to ask another server for Kayla to come back when we were ready for the check. This was on a Tuesday night and they weren’t super busy. I’ll definitely be back though!

I've been here a few times, but today was my first time sitting at the sushi bar. The sushi chef (I think he was called George? But I may have misheard) was so friendly and kind. I had the chirashi lunch, which was phenomenonal. I continue to be impressed by the quality of fish at Waraji, and attention to detail. I loved how the shiso leaves were layered in! I'll definitely be returning to sit at the sushi bar.

The food was absolutely delicious, and the service was top-notch! I wish I could have tried everything on the menu. I had the spicy seafood udon and some sushi—both were incredible. Our server, Erin, was amazing—so attentive and thoughtful (she even brought me hot sauce, which I absolutely loved!). The sushi chef, Allen, also did a fantastic job—the sushi and seaweed salad were fresh and delicious. I highly recommend this place!