M Izakaya - Formerly M Test Kitchen

Name: M Izakaya - Formerly M Test Kitchen
Address: 4 Fenton Main St suite 120, Cary, NC, United States, 27511
Telephone: (919) 729-5662
Price range: $50 and over
Rating: 4.7

4.7 (316)

$50 and over

Asian

4 Fenton Main St suite 120, Cary, NC 27511

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 3, 2025

11:00 PM

Booked 7 times today

About this restaurant

Good for special occasions
Innovative
Great for creative cocktails

Located in Cary’s Fenton shopping center, M Izakaya redefines upscale dining with its innovative approach to classic Asian cuisine. This newest concept from renowned Chef Michael Lee and the acclaimed M Restaurant Group blends timeless flavors with contemporary flair, creating a dining experience that’s both refined and approachable.

M Izakaya is our take on Japanese tapas style cuisine in an upscale environment. Our goal is for you to sit and relax with a great glass or bottle of sake and the best Izakaya food that Cary has to offer. Our food is meant to be shared and coursed out so that you have time to enjoy your dining experience. All our M Restaurants pride themselves on using fresh quality ingredients and never sacrifice quality for quantity.

**PLEASE NOTE** At this time we do not accept reservations for seating on the patio.

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Asian, Contemporary Asian
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
(919) 729-5662
Website
https://www.m-restaurants.com/
Dress code
Business Casual

Location
4 Fenton Main St suite 120, Cary, NC 27511
Neighborhood
Cary
Parking details
None

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What 316 people are saying

M Izakaya - Formerly M Test Kitchen reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.7Food
4.7Service
4.5Ambience
4.3Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill
Innovative
Raleigh
Innovative

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

M Izakaya, formerly M Test Kitchen, offers a "wonderful experience" with "incredible" food and "attentive" service. Guests rave about standout dishes like the lobster shumai, scallop crudo, and charsiu pork buns. The restaurant's ambiance and creative Asian fusion menu make it a must-visit, despite occasional service hiccups.

316 Reviews

V
Violeta
Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill5 reviews
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food was excellent! Every dish taste really good! I had wasabi martini and I like it a lot! Service was great! I really enjoy small plates so the overall experience was really nice! Highly appreciated and will recommend.
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J
James
Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill6 reviews
4.0
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Food and service was great, space felt a little small.
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C
Christopher VIP
Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill19 reviews
5.0
Dined 7 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food, ambiance and service were excellent. Our favorite dishes were the miso sea bass, x.o. fried rice, little gem salad and chicken skins.
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D
Donny VIP
Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill21 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 26, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Excellent experience overall. Every dish we had was delicious. Highlights were: -Scallop crudo -Tortellini with truffle -Charsiu pork buns -Izayaki wagyu (grilled tableside) -Sea bass Service was super friendly as well (Kudos to Addison!). We will be back.
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L
Ling
Greater Boston1 review
5.0
Dined on June 21, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had an absolutely wonderful experience at M Izakaya! The team went above and beyond with their hospitality, especially in accommodating us and our 18-month-old daughter. From the moment we walked in, we felt so welcomed and cared for. The food is absolutely incredible, especially the lobster shumai and shrimp tortellini with shaved truffle. We can’t recommend M Izakaya enough, we’ll definitely be back!
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K
Kate VIP
London6 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 20, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Being familiar with other M restaurants, I went in with high expectations. Those expectations were met and exceeded. Both the service and food were exceptional and we can’t wait to return. It was worth the drive from Chapel Hill!
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R
Riju VIP
Washington, D.C. Area2 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 15, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Decent food.. not everything was great. However to be expected since the menu is about experimentation so not everything will work out great! The sea bass and salmon appetizer were the best!!
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r
ravi
Washington, D.C. Area2 reviews
1.0
Dined on June 15, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 4
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 4
We had a mixed experience. First off, having two restaurants operating under one setup was confusing and poorly explained. The service left a lot to be desired — the waitress was rushing us to order and seemed unfamiliar with the menu. There was also no high chair available for our baby, which was disappointing. On a positive note, the food itself was quite good.
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D
Danielle
Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill1 review
5.0
Dined on June 9, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Most amazing experience. Our waitress was amazing and the food was 10/10. Will 100% be returning
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M
Michael
Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill1 review
3.0
Dined on May 23, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
I don’t get the hype. Food was just ok. The server was nice but nothing special.
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FAQs

M Izakaya - Formerly M Test Kitchen is rated 4.7 stars by 316 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 3, 2025

11:00 PM

Booked 7 times today

Google Map for M Izakaya - Formerly M Test Kitchen

4 Fenton Main St suite 120, Cary, NC 27511

Additional information

Neighborhood
Cary
Hours of operation
Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–9:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
$50 and over
Cuisines
Asian, Contemporary Asian
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
None

Website
https://www.m-restaurants.com/
Phone number
(919) 729-5662

M Izakaya - Formerly M Test Kitchen

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Ask Concierge
AI Beta

Menu

What 316 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is M Izakaya - Formerly M Test Kitchen restaurant rated?

Is M Izakaya - Formerly M Test Kitchen currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information