The Cowfish Sushi Burger Bar

Reviews 3

JA

Jamal John

The Cowfish Sushi-burger-bar is a nice, small, trendy restaurant chain with a location in Raleigh, North Carolina that has great food that is just creative as their name. They have a lively bar type atmosphere with music, great service, and TVs to watch sporting events while you eat if you choose to. The menu is very creative with lots of choices that could appeal to almost anyone. I would recommend this place for groups of friends and family, couples or for a solo venture if you looking to grab a bite to eat. We started off with the Seared Ahi-tuna and edamame for an appetizer, the edamame was steamed just right and had a good clean, crisp taste. Im not a huge fan but it was actually pretty tasty, its also pretty good for you. The Seared Ahi-Tuna was my favorite out of the two, it was amazing! The tuna was coated with sesame seeds,seared to perfection and served on top of a fresh seaweed salad with a very flavorful soy-ginger dipping sauce. The tuna was so flavorful and fresh tasting that I was almost positive that they had just pulled the tuna out of the ocean. The taste was very mild and pleasant on your palate; paired with the seaweed salad and the dipping sauce gave this dish that amazing oriental flavor! I hate to say it but this Ahi-tuna would put some sushi joints tuna to shame, with this not being your typical sushi spot I was a little skeptical thinking it was going to be Americanized versions of sushi but once again I was put in my place, Id recommend this to anyone who enjoys seared Ahi-tuna. After enjoying our appetizers it was about time to get to the main course, which ended up being just as pleasing as our starters. Everything that came out looked very delicious and I heard not one complaint just compliments on how good the food was, the only reason some to-go boxes got used was because some people couldnt finish their food. Out of our table I was the only to get a burger and after my first bite I did not regret my choice one bit. I ordered the Mediterranean Lamb Burger which was served on a soft brioche bun topped with feta cheese,Taziki sauce, lettuce, and tomato. This was one of the best Lamb burgers Ive tasted in a while and I love lamb! The patty was a 1/2 pound of ground lamb which made for a healthy sized burger; this well seasoned patty with all those fresh toppings, meshed together for an explosion of flavor. The lamb burger was well seasoned, juicy, moist, tender, and grilled perfectly. A burger gets a big plus in my book when you can taste the grill smoke in the meat and the patty has those beautiful grill marks, long story short this burger had all of that! Now, the spin that Cowfish put on this burger that in my opinion is what sets it apart from other lamb burgers Ive tasted is that on top of that juicy, flavorful, well seasoned lamb patty they put a piece of flash fried feta cheese and fried capers! These additions not only added another level of flavor to this burger but also gave it a little crunchy and salty pop, my mouth is starting to water just thinking about how good this burger was. All in all we enjoyed our meal and I would definitely be willing to come back to The Cowfish.

GR

Gregory Martinez

I have to say the bloody marys and the service really stole the show on this visit. Bert and Logan were on point, friendly and informative. My mezcal bloody was just what I wanted and if I didnt have to work later, definitely warranted a reorder. The food ranged from mediocre to good. The problem with the restaurant in my opinion is the size of the menu. Holy cowfish, what a massive selection of food! Between small plates, burgers, sushi and a fusion of the latter two, there must be over 100 selections, which makes deciding difficult and Im sure for the chefs, executing difficult. The raw yellowtail was tasty and fairly fresh, but the presentation was comically ill-conceived. A large (much too large) square bowl, filled to the brim with flake ice with strips of seaweed as a lillypad for the yellowtail and a bowl of sauce for dipping just seemed cumbersome on the bar. The fried shrimp was more sensibly plated. The flavor on that dish was good and the salad the shrimp sat on top was really tasty. We would have finished the whole dish if we didnt have a lamb burger on the way, recommended by Logan. The burger was not impressive. We got it medium, which it was and the bun was not dripping with grease, a plus. The condiments were neatly dressed on the burger, but they lacked pop and didnt add much. The burger itself was also just kind of there, not being the hero that it should. The only thing that improved the burger, funny enough, was ketchup. I place no fault on Logan as Im sure depending on whos in the kitchen, well see some quality highs and lows. This was a Saturday around noon and the place was pretty much full by the time we left so I know those guys were working hard back there and sometimes seasoning and quality checks can fall by the way side. Well definitely be back for some bloodys and a snack sometime soon, just wanted to share my thoughts and concerns. I know this a fairly small chain and that paring down a menu restaurant wide is a crazy undertaking, but it just seems to me that doing less and improving quality would alleviate a lot of problems both in execution and upkeep. I feel for whoever has to do inventory.

NO

nono namen

3 of 4 stars (good, casual dining). (see explanation of ratings below) This could, technically, qualify as fine dining. But, the frenetic feel and volume are more along the lines of "posh casual". Allow about 40-50 minutes-- 15 minutes to read the menu! Price: $20-$30 per person (no dessert, one drink, gratuity not included). This is another in a growing list of places that does not take reservations for dinner (they will reserve a table for you before 6pm). Also, you can download an app which will get you on the waiting list faster than if you just show up. Owner Marcus Hall is happy to be returning to his roots in Raleigh after two very successful ventures in the Charlotte area. The first, eeZ Fusion Sushi, is in Huntersville (near Lake Norman). He later opened his first Cowfish in Charlotte. This second Cowfish, like the first, has a huge aquarium sitting in the middle of the restaurant. The menu here is big. A little too big. Theres sushi, theres burgers, and theres "Burgushi" which tries to combine the first two. Recommended: any of the sashimi plates. The cuts are HUGE and thick. My nine-piece was so big I could not finish it (and priced at $19). But, others in our party were not as impressed. Turkey burger was lost in an over-sized bun which looked just plain comical. I will return, but the others in my party said they will not. Love the whimsical artwork on the walls. About my ratings: I divide restaurants into three categories. 1) fast food and "fast-casual" (no table service). 2) casual dining (table service, average entrée price: $10-$20). 3) fine dining (linen napkins, no plastic cups, no TVs in dining room, average entrée priced at more than $20). Fine dining can earn a max of five stars. Casual dining can earn a max of four stars. Fast food can earn a max of three stars.