Dashi

Specialties: Dashi is a Japanese ramen shop and izakaya (Japanese pub) in Downtown Durham, North Carolina. Centering on exquisite ramen noodle bowls, their menu also features innovative small plates and a unique sake, Japanese whisky, and shochu list. Enjoy steaming noodle bowls and small plates in their first floor ramen shop or upstairs in the izakaya. Established in 2015. Kelli and Billy Cotter, owners of the Durham paninoteca, Toast, and Rochelle and Nick Johnson, owners of culinary incubator and event space, The Cookery, joined forces to create a casual restaurant and bar with an exceptional menu and stellar service. Their partnership rooted from Hakanai, a Japanese pop-up restaurant at The Cookery in 2013. The pop-up was only open for 3 nights, but the media attention far exceeded expectation - in fact, the day the reservations were available, so many people attempted to access The Cookery's website that it crashed! Once the website was restored, all 300 seats were reserved within 15 minutes. Hundreds of people signed up for the waitlist. After catching their breath from Hakanai and many glasses of wine later, the foursome, realizing that their varied talents complemented each other perfectly, decided that a permanent restaurant should be the next adventure. Focusing on ramen as the ultimate nourishing meal and comfort food, Dashi was born!