Zest Sushi and Small Plates — Restaurant in Cary

My wife and I needed a night out and decided to try this restaurant that I was excited about. Unfortunately... We won't be returning.

Here are our thoughts:

Service - No major complaints. Friendly, attentive, knowledgeable. The tables are so close together where we were (2-top by the bar) that when a server at the table next to us had to clean up a broken glass, his rear end was in my face. Not his fault, because the tables were just that crammed in. Hosts and everyone we interacted with were really lovely.

Atmosphere: it's a stunning restaurant, truly. The design and color scheme are complimentary and inviting. The new trend of high, industrial ceilings isn't my favourite due to noise levels but it is the current vibe so I just roll with it. However it's worth noting if you're looking for a quiet spot, this isn't it. The menus are massive and tables small, making it hard to eat at times due to overcrowding, especially if youre intended to graze as our server told us.

The big miss for us was the food. I left extremely disappointed and we spent a considerable amount on dinner. We ordered 3 small plates to begin, and started with the Salmon Poke Crunch. The wonton chips had a nice crunch but that's about the only good thing I had to say about this dish. Fish was low quality and the flavor profile was missing something - it was very one-note. Secondly we had the spring rolls. They were fried in oil too hot - it browned the outside way too quickly, leaving the inner wrapping raw. All night the veggies were prepped far too small, and that caused issues here because they mixed with the starch from the raw wrapper and turned gelatinous. Lastly we tried the Thai lettuce wraps. This dish came with sweet & sour sauce for some inexplicable reason but the chicken mixture was so saucy that nothing more was needed. Since it was served on the lettuce itself, there was no dignified way to eat this. The lettuce was soggy after 2 minutes, and I was covered in sauce and sticky from trying to eat. Because the plates they give you are entirely flat with no ridges or slopes, the sauce ran off onto the table. I said to my wife "well... I hope the sushi is good!" At this point, both of our cocktails were done and no one offered a second or asked anything about my empty glass. It just sat on the table the rest of the night.

We started with 3 rolls and eventually added a fourth. To begin, we selected a spicy tuna roll, the hidden dragon roll, and the screaming O roll. The spicy tuna roll was not spicy at all in the least. Literally just tuna and rice and cucumber. The tuna was so mushy and had zero texture other than "squish". Because the cucumbers were so finely julienned or chopped or however they prepped them, there was just nothing to the texture except mush and rice. Usually something is added to give a little resistance to the bite! And where was the spice? The hidden dragon roll was fine but again we felt like there was a flavor missing. Fully cooked rolls aren't my favorite but I didn't mind this one, it just didn't wow me either. Lastly we had the screaming O. This was by far the best of the night. The tuna on top was wonderful. Not the same as was in the spicy tuna roll. This had a perfect texture.

Curious as to whether the texture & taste balance of the spicy salmon would be better than the spicy tuna had been, I decided I wanted to order one last roll and asked for the spicy salmon.

I was so confused when they brought me this dish and it looked so bizarre I honestly asked what I had been given. The spicy salmon roll had a thick drizzle of siracha all over the top in a vivid neon red color. I was so surprised! I went ahead and tried it but honestly the fish was so bad, it tasted absolutely awful. I am still confused as to what that was because I have never seen or tasted anything like it.

I know how hard it is to operate a restaurant so I hope they figure it out. Unfortunately it will be without us. A smaller menu, better command of flavor & texture, and fresher ingredients would be...

Finally tried Zest on a date night with my husband because we were looking for a new spot. Unfortunately, it was not a great time despite some of the good reviews we saw. Both food and service were lacking. I don't think we'll give it another try based on the service alone.

We sat at the bar, which has comfortable stools and nice views of the restaurant. We arrived pretty early on a Saturday evening so service wasn't quite in full swing yet, but we saw various servers and a man who seemed to be the manager chatting and generally not paying close attention to guests. After a bit of a wait, we were served by a bartender, though another one had been standing chatting with the manager and on his phone for about 5 min right in front of us. Apparently, he only made drinks for the rest of the restaurant, not bar patrons.

Once we ordered drinks, we were served water and our order for appetizers was taken. And our oysters started arriving before drinks and not at the same time- raw for my husband and chargrilled for me, but they seemed like they were just warmed in a micro wave or something. Not a bit of char, grill, or even broiled- just lukewarm and not very appetizing. Drinks were okay, but nothing special.

Our salads came out at different times as well, which was odd. My ginger salad was just plain gross. Spring mix with mushy tomatoes, chopped cucumbers and spiraled carrots which tasted old. And then it was drenched in sesame oil, so much that I could see the pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl. When I left it uneaten and pushed aside on the bar, not a word was said, nor were we asked if everything was okay. Veggie tempura was delivered right after salads and while it was hot and the asparagus was good, the squash was cut too thick, mushrooms were also soggy, and the rest was just onion rings.

We waited another 10 min for anyone to check in to see if we wanted to order more. All the while, the second bartender stood nearby on his phone. Another couple was also waiting for their bill for about the same time. We decided to cut our losses and got the check, $82.00 for that pretty awful experience.

Went home and ate cheese and crackers with a nice wine for the...

We recently visited this spot, and honestly, we chose it based on the photos. It didn’t look like your typical sushi café—it had more of a restaurant vibe, which was exactly what we were looking for: a cozy, beautiful place to enjoy a nice evening with my wife.

When we got there, it turned out to be just as lovely as the photos suggested. The tables were well-decorated, the interior was stylish, and the space was bright and inviting. I really loved the ambiance.

However, there were a few things that stood out—not necessarily in a good way. First, our server quickly went over some promotions, but it felt like a rushed, memorized script. She went so fast that I didn’t catch a word of what she was saying. I might have ordered something, but I just couldn’t understand her. I’d suggest having servers slow down a bit when explaining specials.

Another thing—right when we arrived, we were immediately reminded that the place would be closing in 45 minutes. They asked us to order quickly, which felt a bit rushed. When the sushi was brought to our table, we were reminded again about the closing time. Based on my experience with restaurants, it’s rare for guests to be rushed like this. Even if the restaurant ends up staying open a little longer, it’s usually not a big deal. Of course, I can’t say for sure if they would have asked us to leave if it hit closing time while we were still eating, but the whole situation felt a bit uncomfortable.

Overall, though, I really liked the place. It’s beautiful, and the food was good, but I think they could work on these small service issues to improve...