We were craving ramen so we came to this place after seeing all of the great reviews. The restaurant itself is lovely and the service was excellent. The ramen was...different. I ordered the tonkotsu ramen which is my standard order when I'm trying a new place out. For a soup broth that is supposed to be based on pork bones, it surprisingly lacked any depth. I also got pickled red onions as a topping, which was not what I expected (normally it comes with red pickled strips of ginger called benishoga).
Overall, the ramen itself was tasty enough to finish but, if you're looking for traditional ramen, this isn't the place for you. The ramen here has a more fusion/Westernized flair to it which can serve as an introduction ramen to those who are new to it.
Monserrat Banda
Aug 26, 2023
5
I got the Tonkatsu Ramen with spicy butter , ot is very tasty. The egg was marvelous. I also got the nori popcorn and bun of the day, neither disappointed. Nori popcorn is slightly salty but good nonetheless! I wasn't a huge fan of the house made gingerale but they also give you water generously.
Nick GZ
Aug 18, 2023
3
Been here before, had some apps, and thought it was just ok. People swore to me that I was missing out on the ramen so I went back and tried it. It was pretty good but didn’t stand out among some of the other places in the area I’ve had
Duanne Punpiputt
Aug 7, 2023
3
Ordered Tantanmen with additional chilli butter and pork dumpling. Both were on the salty side. What I liked about their ramen is that there's a lot of veggies in it.
Sanga Poonia
Jul 23, 2023
5
Food was phenomenal. They have the meats! Our server was very efficient too. Great place for dinner. Tonkotsu Ramen w/ Chilli butter and pork belly was bomb!
Fernanda Kirk
Jul 16, 2023
4
We got there right before they closed, so I was prepared for it to be rushed. They brought the desert before the food and since it had ice cream it started melting right away. We ordered the crispy tofu bao buns, but there was definitely too much bun for not enough filling. The dessert was amazing though, we got the yuzu olive oil cake with the vanilla ice cream and it was incredible.
Victoria Owens
Jun 19, 2023
5
Best ramen and most authentic I've ever had.
The gyoza was amazing, and the stinger cocktail was fabulous! Also the miso soup with tofu, scallions and seaweed was perfect, exactly what we wanted.
We did get edamame and boiled peanuts and were disappointed because both dishes were chilled which just didn't make sense for dishes that are normally hot. So we didn't enjoy that.
We got the shoyu and added pork belly. No wait on either of the two times we went.
Sayali Tungare
Jun 17, 2023
4
Went here on a weekday evening as a group of 4. Would recommend reserving a table before going. Wanted to try this place due to the popularity and the hype.
To share, we ordered the spicy miso chicken wings, crispy tofu buns and grilled chicken liver skewers. All three items were good, nothing out of the world as such. For entrees we tried the tonkotsu ramen, the shio ramen and the chicken katsudon. Having tried ramen from authentic Japanese restaurants across multiple cities in the US, the tonkotsu ramen was very average and the broth lacked the depth in flavor. In comparison the shio ramen was better tasting but again nothing out of the world. The katsudon was good. To enhance the taste we ordered the chilli butter and chilli paste. Trust me the chilli butter is game changing, I put it in the rice, the ramen and tried it with the wings and it elevated the taste of all preparations, especially the katsudon rice! I ordered some chilli butter to go, but unfortunately the kitchen had closed already, so couldn't get some.
Sarah Deuel
May 14, 2023
5
Amazing food, friendly attentive staff (Carol and Selena were the best). We will be back very soon. Highly recommend.
Han Stw
Feb 11, 2023
4
Great experience overall. Had the tonkotsu ramen and it was good- tasty/smoky broth and good noodles. I also enjoyed the ginger ale drink which was refreshing and warming. Tried the miso caramel ice cream and it was also really good. The grapefruit sorbet was quite bitter however. In terms of appetizer, our table enjoyed the cauliflower (kfc), the tofu and the sweet potato. The miso chicken was well seasoned but the meat was dry and quite tough. The boiled peanut was also too salty
Olympus_Travel
Jan 8, 2023
4
Never tried Dashi before even though have heard about it and been in Durham for ever! Not disappointed at all! Ramen broth was rich and flavorful, tons of noodles, so will order Xtra broth next time. Buns were good, chicken wings were good though one was a little under cooked, the Dumplings were amazing. Beer was a tad warm for my pleasure, but over all will be a Ramen spot I visit when I get that craving!
H G
Nov 27, 2022
3
Dashi serves good Ramen with an authentic look and feel of Ramen shop in Japan (very small). Lack luster service, appetizers, and parking. Good experience, but likely won’t be back again.
Parking: if you can find parking in the deck across the street, take it! It’s free during nights and weekends. Be mindful it’s usually completely full and there’s limited street sparking.
Dashi look and feel: this is a great place for smaller parties, under 4 people ideally. It’s a tight space and every inch is thoughtfully utilized. The wood features and exposed concrete/brick is a great example of minimalistic, yet functional design and architecture.
Service: we showed up to Dashi 15 mins before our reservation, but the hostess wasn’t there until 5 minutes after our reservation was scheduled for, and didn’t get seated until 15 mins after. The person waiting on our table was a better experience, although we felt they had more tables than what they could comfortably handle. Not a lack of waiting skills, but simply too many tables to effectively tend to.
Food: We ordered the Takoyaki Hushpuppies and Tuna tartare to start, and the Hushpuppies were dry and couldn’t taste the Octopus whatsoever. The tuna didn’t have much fat, and tasted like the regular tuna you could pick up at your local grocery store.
We ordered the Tonkotsu and Mazemen ramen bowls (with broth), which were much better than appetizers. The Tonkotsu broth isn’t as creamy as you’d expect from a pork ramen, but it was very tasty. The serving of pork belly was tiny. The eggs were pickled just right, and they were my favorite piece of the dish. The Mazemen does not come with broth, but the person waiting on us suggested to add broth, which we did and it was really good. The pork meatballs were very small and didn’t have a whole lot of flavor. It tasted like the meatballs were frozen and heated back up in the soup.
The drinks were ok. Nothing spectacular, but not bad either. Priced at around $15-$20 per drink.
Daniel Block
Nov 25, 2022
5
I sampled some of the small plates and appetizers. The katsudon and fried vegetable balls were very good. Miso skewers were kinda mid. Overall I enjoyed it and the ambiance was nice. Prices are good as well. It has the feel of a nice restaurant but entrees are only $15-20.
sparrowmedrama
Oct 6, 2022
3
We visited Dashi for the special omakase dinner. The food was good, but not spectacular. It was good, simple, Japanese food. The Wagyu suriyaki was the best dish of the five courses. The service staff were friendly. The rating is 3 stars because it was good food, but it was not great value for the price— $90 meal per person and only 1/5 dishes was exciting.
