Spicy 9

The place to go for Sushi in Chapel Hill. We had a variety of rolls and everything was great. The BOGO pricing makes it even better.

Good not great. The sashimi was quite fresh and the price very reasonable for whole fish and classic pieces; rolls were expensive but creative to say the least. The atmosphere is classic, in some ways quite casual and in others modern and energetic. For food, sushi in a relatively saturated area, it’s a good option. I do wish the draught selection were better but great drink specials help.

As an avid sushi lover, I’m a fan. My only complaint is that NONE of their sushi is spicy. Even the ones that are spicy hardly have any spice at all (keep in mind that I have a pretty strong tolerance for spicy food but still). Sushi does come BOGO however which is very worth it for the quality

Spicy 9 is a great option for sushi in the area. It is always super crowded which is a good sign. Also, if they tell you the wait time is long, it really goes by quick so it’s definitely worth the wait. The sushi bar is comfortable to sit at and there are plenty of TVs to watch sports there. The service is quick and the waiter didn’t hesitate to keep refilling my water.
The menu is huge. I want to try some of the other menu options other than sushi, but they have so many roll options it’s hard to venture to anything else on the menu. I chose the I believe I can Fly roll and the Sin City roll. Both were delicious! The seared tuna on the I believe I can fly roll made the roll crunchy and almost have a warm flavor which was super tasty. The fish was plentiful in the rolls and the rolls are big. It’s BOGO, so the special rolls are definitely worth the cost. The asparagus in the rolls was a good touch as well. The sauces were flavorful.
One downside about the rolls here are that they put so many sauces and tempura flakes on the rolls that it’s hard to really taste the fish. I asked for my rolls without the tempura flakes, which really helped me taste the flavor of the fish and the sauces, so I would highly recommend doing this (or I’m sure you can ask for them on the side).

Spicy 9 is a great option if you’re planning on eating on Franklin Street. Just a few years ago, if you wanted sushi, you had to at least make the drive out to Durham!
Their menu offers many types of sushi (rolls are always at BOGO free pricing), Thai curry and noodle dishes, a host of appetizers and desserts. Prices are super reasonable and the wait for your food to come to the table is never long. Some of their lunch specials are definitely steals if you get a chance to come here during lunch hours.
The place is a comfortable eating atmosphere — often times packed at night with multiple TV’s showing sports games behind the bar, which you should be able to see from your table. The manager is super nice.

My husband and I decided to check this place out for dinner on a Friday night. We went around 7 and the place was packed, but they gave us a pager and we only ended up waiting about 15 minutes. We sat at the sushi bar, which was fun because we got to watch the chefs making all of the rolls.
We ordered the spicy tuna avocado salad as an appetizer and it was delicious! We also both ordered two rolls since their special rolls are BOGO. The rolls were huge and the fish was fresh, two aspects I have found hard to come by when searching for sushi in NC. Our server was very nice and the food came out fast. I can’t speak to any of the other Asian food on the menu, but if you’re in Chapel Hill and craving sushi, I’d definitely urge you to check this place out.

Always impressed with Spicy9. It’s a go-​to for lunch and dinner when I’m feeling something different or sushi (always). The restaurant is clean and good-​looking, prices are very reasonable (BOGO sushi always), and service is consistently good.
The food at Spicy9 is excellent. The Sin City Roll, Hawaiian Roll, Spicy9 Roll… all great. Big portions, what seems like fresh fish, and always presented beautifully. The fact that these rolls are BOGO is amazing. Sushi at home in Charlotte costs more and isn’t nearly as good as Spicy9’s.
Not much else to say. Excellent all around. I’ll keep coming back until something changes.

Average sushi for a great price.
I came during lunchtime on a Sunday (one of the few restaurants on Franklin that was open) and it wasn’t too crowded but I passed it again later that night and it was packed.
My friend and I shared two rolls: the surf and turf and the ultimate salmon. Both were good, but not knock my socks off good. The flavor was kind of lacking and I soaked the sushi in a decent amount of soy sauce before eating (truly good sushi doesn’t need any imo). The surf and turf had a thin slice of lemon in each roll, making the flavor light and lemony. The salmon in both rolls were very fresh.
Because it was BOGO, both rolls came out to be a total of $ 12, which is a pretty stellar price. If you aren’t planning to get dessert afterward though, I would order more because it wasn’t too filling. Service wasn’t a problem.
I was disappointed in the amount of ginger they gave us — it was only a small ball in the corner of the plate… like c’mon, ginger isn’t even expensive?

This place is consistently one of my favorite sushi places in the STATE!
The seafood is always so fresh and the specialty rolls are always BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!!! With that deal you can go in and eat some serious sushi for a great price!
Recently we tried the Tuna crackers appetizer as well. This is a unique dish. The «crackers» are actually panko breaded and fried sticky rice patties, with an awesome large serving of minced tuna and sauce, with a jalapeño.
The service here is always fast, and the servers are very friendly! This is one thing I am glad to see the Franklin Street area get!
Ill be back soon and post some more pictures for you folks!
Spicy 9 will not disappoint!

Spicy 9 is a great place if you want some decent Asian food. They have a wide variety of selections such as sushi, curry, noodles, and soups. In summary, they pretty much serve the most popular dishes from every Asian country.
Their $ 5.95 lunch special on Orange Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken, Sesame Chicken, but ESPECIALLY Chicken Pad Thai literally give me life. It’s such a good deal in my opinion, and I know a few people who order two so they can save the second for dinner. The total price comes out to around $ 13, which is pretty cheap for two meals. Their sushi is also good in that it can satisfy any random sushi craving you may be having. They have a BOGO deal which is really nice, considering that one roll of sushi is barely enough food for me.
Their service is actually surprisingly fast. I’m usually seated the moment I arrive, and the food is brought out in a very timely manner. If you’re ever craving some quick but quality Asian food, come here.

I had the pork ramen and I was actually pretty impressed with the quality and taste of it! I’ve had ramen once in Richmond before and it wasn’t my favorite. but Spicy 9’s beat them by a mile.
The flavor of the soup was really good, but I wish they had added more noodles to it because there was so few of them.
Service was eh; they didn’t refill my water at all. But it’s okay because every restaurant has its slow times during the day!

Lots of options! The spicy tuna avocado salad was fresh, filling and tasted great! They have a buy one get one free sushi deal and the drinks are creative too. Definitely worth going a few times to try out the sushi and other items.

Props to them for being one of the few open places in Chapel Hill on a Sunday afternoon. Being a Raleighite, I was surprised at how dead Franklin street is on a weekend, esp since it’s a college town and college kids like to eat!
Anyway, we were seated immediately and service was prompt throughout our time there. The server seemed a little aloof, she pointed at the soda/​beverage menu when I asked her for the drink list which we later discovered was a piece of paper on the table. They seemed to have a nice bar and good drink recipes though. I ordered thai tea, chicken tom yum and chicken pad see ewe. I loved the strong thai tea taste, but it was like 5x the concentration of bojangles sweet tea in sugar, so nonconsumable that I had to water it down. My tom yum was very flavorful and refreshing, so a definite good value. The pad see ewe was very standard and nothing too special.
Overall, meh. I didn’t feel regret eating here, so it’s a step up from fast food but offers nothing unique or standout. Kinda like an asian panera/​café?

I like Spicy 9. I wished I loved Spicy 9. It would make the parking worth it. It would make the noise worth it. But the other night I went and ordered a role with Kani. Now everywhere I’ve ever ordered Kani it meant Crab Meat… not Krab meat. I hate Krab and I ordered two rolls listing Kani and got fake crab or Krab.
I will say this — I told the server there was a miscommunication on their menu and she apologized, let me order new rolls, and told me if I wanted real crab to order soft shell. Now being a girl from the Carolinas, I know and love my soft-​shell crab. But I would have ordered it had I wanted ss crab.
So, now I know why they can afford to do BOGO in such nice digs — or at least part of the reason why — they don’t have real (regular) crab meat as an option.

Why oh why does this place have to be 45 minutes away??? Raleigh sushi restaurants, take note — this place is top notch.
We stopped on Franklin Street on our way back from the Mebane Outlet mall on Sunday and stopped in here on a whim.
Decided to just sit at the sushi bar and get a few rolls. Already off to an awesome start, special rolls are buy one, get one free. :D We also ordered two house salads and they were amazing! Super fresh and only $ 2.50 each.
The rolls we ordered were: CARRBOROLL, SEXY GIRL ROLL, SPICY 9 ROLL and CRUNCHY SHRIMP. All were out of this world good!
The only mistake they made was giving our sushi to the couple next to us and the guy actually ate one of the pieces before we all realized it. :)
BTW, sorry about the half eaten sushi pics. I always forget to take a pic until it’s gone. :D

The two special rolls I had (Sin City and Stop Drop and Roll) were awesome, but the service wasn’t on par.
Our waiter was chatting with other customers for nearly 20 minutes before a second waitress took over our table.
All-​in-​all an okay experience, but I’d give them another shot when they are staffed appropriately during the school year.

This place is a staple for Franklin St. cuisine and good for anyone who wants some good, general Asian cuisine. The ambiance here is amazing, and at night the place really looks great.
LUNCH: My favorites for lunch are the Bento Boxes. It’s a pretty good deal, especially when compared to the dinner prices. For around $ 11, you get sushi, gyoza, rice, salad, and another small entrée. The Bento Box #1 with Pad Thai is one of the best in my opinion.
DINNER: The BOGO sushi is definitely a great deal. However, the real hero here is definitely the curries. My favorite is by far the Panang Curry, and I usually go for the chicken with Thai Spicy. The portions are filling as well, so you definitely get your money’s worth. The Thai tea here is also amazing, so try it if you have a little bit extra to splurge.
The service here isn’t that great in my opinion, but it’s been getting better recently. Definitely a great place to stop by for a good lunch or a nice dinner. They also have weekly specials on sake bombs as well.

I’m a huge fan of Spicy 9. It’s located right in the middle of Franklin Street, which is very convenient for college students, and it’s great for parties, hangouts and dates. Additionally, you can choose the level of spiciness for all the dishes!
They offer a wide variety of dishes ranging from sushi to noodles and curry. My usual order is tofu pad thai, which during the weekday lunch specials costs less than $ 6! I also really like the green curry. I think their food is priced well for the amount they give you (although they do give a very small amount of rice). Sushi prices here are fairly cheap compared to other places that serve sushi that is basically just a roll of rice with very little amounts of fish in it, and there are always BOGO rolls! I strongly recommend this restaurant for its curry and noodles! The pad thai and drunken noodles are top-​notch, and there are several different curries to choose from. ALSO, I definitely recommend trying the Thai iced tea. It’s delicious and served in cute mason jars.
This restaurant is decorated really well — it’s classy yet cozy. You step in and almost forget you’re still on Franklin Street. Although it’s spacious, it usually gets really crowded around dinner time and during weekends. This restaurant is great for large parties — just make sure to make reservations ahead of time because it fills up pretty quickly on the weekends. The waiting area is very small, so on nights they have waiting lists, you’re either jam-​packed inside waiting or have to step outside.
The service is great but when it gets crowded, it’s harder to get your waiter’s attention. This is common at most restaurants though. Additionally, when you become a frequent customer (oops, guilty), the servers start to recognize you and they have good memory retention of what you usually order! The manager is also nice and very interactive with the customers.

In your world of the multitudes of BOGO sushi/​catch-​of-​all-​trades Asian restaurants, Spicy 9 puts up one of the better offerings with an excellent location right in the center of downtown Chapel Hill. I do enjoy the interior, with around 10 large TVs set up nicely to catch a game (UNC-​Duke this weekend anyone?) while offering a reprieve from the standard sports pub fare. As for the food highlights: the spicy tuna crackers are super delicious, served on a crispy rice wafer that has a perfectly soft crunch texture, drizzled with a creamy wasabi sauce that is so good. Definitely going to be on my staples. I also really enjoyed their Massaman curry. My girlfriend considers their pad thai the best she’s had in the area (higher praise than I would give, but it’s good). Their sushi is pretty standard BOGO fare, which is not a knock, just know what you’re getting here.
Prices are very reasonable. If you go at lunch for a weekday, they offer their pad thai for only $ 5.99. Otherwise, most of their dinner entrees are around $ 10 and sushi rolls being $ 10 – 15 (for 2 essentially, given BOGO pricing). Service has usually been good (don’t typically fight too hard for my diet coke refills). There’s also a parking lot behind the restaurant, if you’re not there after 6 or on a Sunday when street parking is free. Although they’re not reinventing the wheel, Spicy 9 offers a satisfying take on your BOGO sushi establishment, convenient to those of us in the Chapel Hill area.

This restaurant is a good place to go if you’re stuck on Franklin Street and you’re really craving sushi. Convenience is one of the main reasons why I’ve been here so many times.
Their food is decent and their service is okay. The waiters/​waitresses aren’t as attending as they should be. As for the environment, It’s pretty loud in there so sometimes, it’s hard to hear when you’re with a group of friends.
One thing I do like about Spicy 9 is their cheap lunch specials! Chicken Pad Thai for 5.99, I believe. It’s a pretty good deal!