Aroma Korea Sushi & Grill — Restaurant in Cary

Being a hybrid Korean and Japanese restaurant, I was curious as to whether they would serve Korean styled sushi (kimbap) or Japanese styled sushi. If you're reading this, the answer is Japanese styled sushi.

It started out well enough. I saw a sign up front that stated what the fresh sushi fish was for the day. Many but not all respectable sushi restaurants have this, but they should all have it.

Also, I was told that two of the nigri sushi that I ordered was no longer available. Wonderful to hear it! Seriously, I want restaurants to tell me when they no longer have something that is fresh and available anymore, rather than try to rig something shady up to make more money off me. That has happened before.

The problem was when my food finally came. I thought perhaps it was my imagination, but I couldn't help but shake a curiously fishy smell coming from my plate. I went ahead and smelled every piece, confirming that one of the white fish nigri was indeed very fishy smelling. The rest were fine.

A fishy smell does not always mean that a fish is not fresh. However, for any respectable sushi restaurant, that is definitely a screw up. Rather than complaining though, I decided to just risk it, and it tasted fine.

Unfortunately, what was really unacceptable to me was the consistent overuse of wasabi in half of all my nigri pieces. At one point, the wasabi was so overwhelming that I had to pause, catch my breath so to speak, and wait until I finished chewing and swallowing before I could breathe normal again.

Now, is any of this worth complaining about? No, not really. What I had experienced might have been a couple of unfortunate accidents, rather than the norm. However, I will not be returning again as there are other sushi restaurants that serve consistently higher quality for the same price.

Service was excellent, by the way. I don't have any issues there.

As a final note, this restaurant has a lot more to offer that I didn't try. I was only there for the sushi. Solely as a review for their sushi though, if 5 stars is perfect, and 4 is excellent, this restaurant's sushi gets a 3...

Aroma Korea, Sushi Grill and Bar was a great find for me.

The exterior looked clean, with a huge patio seating on the side of the building. Once inside, Aroma Korea definitely had a great vibe with K-Pop music playing in the background. I was not expecting that, which was actually awesome. Aroma Korea is the place that gives a "we are offering more than just food, we are offering a lifestyle" kind of impression. And, so it was!

The service was on point. The sweet tea was flavorful brewed as our drinks were always topped off.

We mainly ordered appetizers to start off, but I had to try out their sushi. We ended up ordering:

-Hyedupbap - Korean spicy sashimi with mixed greens over a bed of rice with sweet and spicy sauce

-Chirashi don - comes in cute little compartment boxes with individual rice bowls topped with fresh sashimi, unagi and fresh wasabi

-Bulgogi fries with cheese, bacon, jalapeños drizzled with wasabi mayo

-Green Tea ice cream - the ice cream presentation was impeccable with pockey sticks, whipped cream

-Cheese Corn in an iron skillet to melt the mozzarella cheese. - I have never tasted corn this good before, with one bite will change your taste buds

-Bulgogi Roll - which is kimbap rolled perfectly

-Pork gyoza - pan fried pork dumplings with a sweet soy sauce base for dipping

Must try: Creme Brûlée Cheesecake!

The food at Aroma Korea had an interesting depth of flavor, combinations of Korean and Japanese fusion blended with tasteful textures. Overall, it was pleasant and I will definitely come back and try other...

WOW JUST WOW. My gf and me have been going here for years now. Let me tell you something ive been to boston, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and South Korea. When I tell you i hadn't found a place that makes food this good with authentic koren cuisine, and honestly better than some places in korea. I mean every word. Everything about this place is hands down the best restaurant ive ever been to with no competition. The absolutely mouthwatering food too the amazing hospitality and the prices of the food. 100% THE BEST restaurant on the east coast with no contender. I give a standing ovation to the chefs you guy's are masters of your craft. The waitresses 10/10 customer service. The owners thank you for sharing a piece of your homeland with us. Your restaurant is the gold standard for all restaurants in the world. Thank you! P.s. I've seen some of the bad reviews, those people are some stuck up (VERY low IQ) individuals who clearly dont have the redeeming human quality of empathy and sympathy. Anything less than a five star is a disservice to...