Kurama Sushi & Noodle Express

Gross! Didn’t taste fresh at all and left a horrible aftertaste for hours. Even my 13 yo son, who normally inhales just about anything you put in front of his face, didn’t like it. The staff was friendly enough but the food will not make me return.

Nothing wrong with this place, if you like «express» Japanese food.
Places like these are a dime a dozen in west coast cities, so if you are from there (LA, SF, Seattle, Portland, etc) you know what I mean.
No doubt you come for the cheap sushi, but they have other standards like ramen, tempura, and udon to satisfy the cravings.
I found the fish to be fresh and cut properly. The rolls are a little heavy on the rice, but for a couple bucks, what do you expect?
The ramen was a little salty, but hit the spot. The unagi bowl at $ 7 was solid.
I eat a ton, and I can get out of here for $ 12 – 15 at dinner, and that’s what I’m talkin’ about.
It’s not Nobu and I don’t care.
3.5 stars for what it is: inexpensive sushi that tastes good.

Kurama is the most affordable sushi restaurant that I have encountered. For the price, the food is excellent, especially if you elect for the more simple sushi rolls. Four California rolls are $ 1. Four Avocado rolls are $ 1. Most restaurants, including the nearby Akai Hana, charge more than triple that for the exact same product. If you want quick, very cheap, tasty sushi, this is your answer. You can fill two to-​go boxes of sushi for less than $ 10.
As you might expect, the cheap price comes with a cost: service. The service is almost comically bad. I enjoy taking friends there now to see them flounder when asked perplexing questions by the wait staff or struggle to distinguish the various shades of beige of the plates (which determine their cost).
Thus, with the cheap price and bad service (and poorly furnished interior), get takeout! Order it on the phone and then pick it up and take it home! Take it and walk up the street and eat on campus! The price makes Kurama absolutely worth the trip.

Sushi was very inexpensive but I felt like this is an instance of «you get what you pay for» instead of a good deal.

This place is amazing! First of all, they have a conveyer belt that goes around the sushi bar. You just go up and grab a small plate of sashimi or sushi and enjoy the deliciousness. The color of the plate is your sign of how much the roll is. They range from $ 1-​$ 5 each, which is super reasonable. If you want a larger, fancier roll-​they have those too! You just speak up and he’ll make it. The UNC roll was the best roll I’ve had in forever. Tempura shrimp (warm), eel and tuna, it was an exciting dance of yummy flavors in my mouth! Like I said, this place is scary reasonable, but it does add up. However, we were starving, so my husband and I got about $ 18 worth of sushi each, which is the equivalent of maybe 1 and a half rolls elsewhere. Here, it got us about twice that much, your dollar definitely stretches here! It’s a must go to place in Chapel Hill, and my favorite sushi spot in the area.

Due to a bad experience I had with this place a long time ago, I never went back. However, after getting dragged there by friends, I realized the fault was mine, because I didn’t order the right thing!
Turns out the sushi is actually pretty good for its low prices. My personal favorite: eel with avacado and eel nigiri. The eel bowl is also really good! (See the pattern there?) The sashimi is decent, and the spicy tuna roll was also yummy. The fried squid legs are little tough, but it was freshly made, and I did enjoy chewing on them like beef jerky.
Overall, it was pretty good experience. Just don’t order the noodles, to me, they were the dissapointing ones. (Maybe except the udon) Good little place to eat, quick and fill you up fast without breaking the bank!

It was my first time going to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant in NC and it was a refreshing experience! There was no wait on food since the sushi were all premade. Be sure to eat from the conveyor belt only during busy meal times. This way, you will know that the sushi is fresh and has not been sitting around for a long time.
The quality of food was not bad for the price. All of the sushi plates were less than five dollars, except for the special rolls. The white fish tempura was great! The fish was soft and had a good crunch from the deep fired batter. You can never go wrong with the eel as well.
This is a good place to be if you are on a college budget and craving for some sushi. You just can’t go wrong with one dollar califronia rolls!

Confused as to how this place has good reviews. It’s not very good. I suppose if you are a student and have just a few dollars for sushi and don’t want to drive anywhere, you *could* eat there, but if you have other options, just move along.
It is very inexpensive and so, if that is the kind of sushi you are looking for, then go for it. But if you want actual good sushi, try akai Hana.

The Japanese food here is OK. I’ve traveled to Japan, and I eat Japanese food regularly, and this place isn’t mind blowing by any means. However, it isn’t bad (some things are actually really good!), and it’s relatively cheap, so don’t cross it off your list just yet.
DISHES: I’m a big fan of Japanese bowl dishes, so I usually get the Eel Bowl, Beef Bowl, or Curry Bowl. The Beef Bowl is a little sweet in my opinion, and whereas Japanese gyuudon (beef bowl) does have sugar in it, it doesn’t need to be candied. Still a solid choice though. Also, a warning for the vegetarians, the Curry Bowl has chicken in it, and since they pre-​make the curry in large batches, they can’t do curry without chicken.
SUSHI: I was SO HAPPY when I found out that Chapel Hill had a place with kaitenzushi (sushi on a conveyor belt that you just pick up). However, I was a little disappointed in the quality of sushi here. The sashimi isn’t bad– it definitely has flavor. But it isn’t up to standards with what sashimi should taste like. Also, the rolls are ok and not spectacular. Different plates on the belt are worth different amounts, and it can get kind of pricey.
So whereas it’s not the best, it’s definitely worth a try, especially if you want some good food for not too much!

I love the ramen and the sushi here. The beef bowl is quite filling for five dollars and the sushi on the conveyor belt is fun. For a college student on a budget, it is hard to beat the prices. I usually shy away from the specialty rolls because of price, but the kurama roll is worth it. Service is fast if you order something off the menu.
Overall, my favorite restaurant in Chapel Hill.

I ADORE THIS SUSHI BAR. I’ve had a lot of fancy and traditional sushi in my life, and this is *not* fancy and quite americanized. There is a lot of mayonnaise sauces and «crunch» to be found :)
But I eat here all the time because:
1. They always have many vegetarian/​vegan options
2. Sushi conveyer belt!!!
3. Incredibly good value — cheap but tasty
It’s such a great simple/​healthy lunch option :)

good place for a quick sushi fix. affordable and pretty authentic. not luxurious by any means but you can’t beat $ 1 california rolls.

Just moved from San Francisco and came with somewhat low expectations after trying out other sushi spots in the area. Eek! But I was so pleasantly surprised and relieved that I finally found a decent sushi place for extremely reasonable prices!!! We also tried the ramen and while it’s not exactly what you’d find in Cali, it was good and we will definitely be back!

I’ve always enjoyed this place. Kurama has never fallen prey to any ~fusion~ trends, which can be enjoyable at times.
The ginger dressing salad and the beef bowl are my favorites. A timeless meal hard to stray from.
Service is friendly, good pace, unique. Not your typical bland uniformed world most restaurants provide. Homey.
Plus, it’s in walking distance so get on that Sake price deal.

The specialty rolls are amazing but the plates are good too and a great deal! I had a tuna sashimi, the Karama roll, a Carolina roll and the Hero and all were on point!

I get takeout from Kurama about once a week because of the convenience, low cost, and consistency. The fish is very reliable and well-​priced. The sushi is basic and not overly-​Americanized (mayo, spicy sauce, etc.). The menu features a solid assortment of nigiri and basic rolls, along with noodles and other dishes I haven’t tried. Kurama doesn’t do BOGO but its prices are probably lower than the BOGO places, anyway.
Also, the young ladies who answer the phones and take orders are super-​nice and helpful when I’ve had questions about the menu!

This is a good place for a quick bite to eat, so long as your whole gang is looking for sushi. It’s pretty average quality, but comes out quickly. The staff is courteous and the wait staff is very fast.
The food is very reasonably priced. If you sit at the bar (which I recommend) you can snag plates off of the conveyor belt as they pass by. There’s a decent assortment placed there, but you can order of course and they’re quite accommodating.
Try the Lava Rolls!

I came in here with fairly low expectations, and came out with those expectations met. I will give this place the fact that their prices are rather cheap for sushi. They have a dish color system where the price of the sushi is shown by the color of the dish. For example, the red dish is $ 4, the green one is like $ 3, and etc. The specialty rolls are more expensive, but overall everything is a very reasonable price. They also have a conveyor belt with a bunch of plates going around the bar. I did not really trust that belt, because I felt like the sushi on that belt would be older since they were left out longer.
My brother and I ordered a bunch of plates, ate till we were pretty full, and the bill came out to right around $ 25, which is not bad at all. The quality, however, is where the rating takes a major hit. Obviously, you get what you pay for, but the sushi quality is simply. just edible. A lot of the fish did not taste very fresh, and even the wasabi had a weird, watery texture that I didn’t care much for. But I think this place does what it does very well: offer mediocre sushi and a low price.
If you have more time and a bit more green to spend, try looking elsewhere for better quality sushi.
David’s VPP (Value per price): ⁷⁄₁₀

Basic sushi and Japanese classics that doesn’t make your wallet cry. Sushi off the conveyor belt is super quick and easy for those people who don’t want to wait for a meal, which is perfect for a restaurant so close to a college campus. I haven’t actually tried the sushi, but it looked like there were very simplistic combinations and a mediocre selection. No brown rice either. You can get some rolls for less than $ 5 though, which is a definite perk, but you get what you pay for.
The lunch special is a good deal — $ 6.50 for miso soup, salad, and a variety of different types of sushi. I had the soba noodle soup, which was surprisingly very tasty and filling, so I definitely recommend that! (Leftovers are given in a styrofoam cup though, so it’s probably best to try and finish your food before you leave). All in all, average food at cheap prices make this college student happy enough.

Amazing food great prices. I come here every time I am Chapel Hill. Can say enough good things!!! Love so much. Get the eel bowl. Tons of food, great taste, very cheap.