Shinmai Moku yakitori izakaya opens at Quail Corners in Raleigh

Shinmai Moku, a Japanese yakitori and izakaya restaurant, opened Saturday, September 26, 2026, in north Raleigh at Quail Corners shopping center, at the corner of Millbrook and Falls of Neuse roads. Shinmai Moku is at 1200 E. Millbrook Road, Suite 126, in the newer section of the center, according to the restaurant’s website and the Triangle Food Blog’s September 25 roundup.

It is the third restaurant from the Shinmai group, which already runs two restaurants in Cary. Hoodline reported on August 18, 2026, that the owners are Jayden Chen, Stacia Zhong and Ming Jin. Citing The News & Observer, Hoodline said the three moved to the Triangle from the Bay Area three years earlier. Chen described Moku as “a place meant for friends, dates, skewers, small bites and conversation,” according to that Hoodline report.

The restaurant’s website says the name comes from the Japanese word moku, which means wood, and that the concept is built around natural materials and binchotan charcoal. Hoodline reported that the skewers are grilled over binchotan, a traditional Japanese charcoal. The website describes Shinmai Moku as a contemporary Japanese izakaya with yakitori, shareable small plates and handcrafted cocktails.

What is on the menu

The food menu on the restaurant’s website is split into 10 sections. Prices listed there include:

• Yakitori from the grill starts with momo skewers at $4 and tebasaki at $5.50, with shrimp and beef skewers at $7 each.
• Sashimi comes in salmon at $10, hamachi at $11, tuna at $12 and kanpachi at $13.
• Nabe hot pots are sized for two or four people, with sukiyaki at $32 for two and $48 for four.
• Sushi and hand rolls include a Moku Moku Roll at $15, a Rainbow Roll at $18 and a spicy tuna roll at $10.
• Fried dishes include tori karaage at $12 and maitake tempura at $14.
• The shime section, the dishes that close an izakaya meal, has plain udon at $12, chicken yuzu ramen at $20 and beef curry at $24.

Edamame is $7, steamed gyoza are $10, and a special section has salmon ceviche at $17 and both tuna tartare and hamachi carpaccio at $18.

The drink menu lists cocktails, mocktails, beer, wine, sake and spirits, with cocktails such as the Rain Woman at $16 and the Karma Police at $17. The same page says the restaurant is still waiting on its alcohol license and is serving only non-alcoholic drinks for now. Those include the Sun Chaser mocktail at $8 and hojicha tea at $8.

Hours, seating and phone

The restaurant’s website lists its evening schedule by last seating:

• Sunday through Thursday, the last seating is at 9:15 p.m. and the doors close at 10 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday, the last seating is at 10:15 p.m. and the doors close at 11 p.m.

The website does not post an opening time, and it lists no closed days. The phone number is (919) 917-7116, and the restaurant takes reservations online, according to its website.

Hoodline reported in August that the restaurant has about 70 seats plus a 10-seat bar, and that a large garage-door window connects the dining room to an outdoor patio.

A July plan became a September opening

The opening came about two months later than first reported. WRAL’s Foodie News on July 10, 2026 said the Shinmai team was getting ready to open Moku at Quail Corners later that July. WRAL reported that the group’s goal is “to bring a more authentic yakitori experience to North Carolina.”

By August 18, Hoodline was reporting a September opening. The restaurant’s website then set the date as September 26, and the Triangle Food Blog listed the September 26 opening in its roundup the day before.

The Cary restaurants behind it

The Shinmai group’s two earlier restaurants are both in Cary, according to the group’s websites:

• The first Shinmai location, Shinmai Shokudo, is at 1904 NW Maynard Road, Suite 102-2, and its signature dish is tonkotsu ramen made with a slow-cooked broth.
• The second, Shinmai Kumo, is at 1010 Tryon Village Drive, Suite 705, and serves itameshi, a Japanese-Italian style with dishes such as sukiyaki linguine and tonkatsu tagliatelle.

Hoodline described Shinmai Shokudo’s menu as Japanese comfort food built on noodles, rice and dumplings.

The Millbrook Road neighbors

Quail Corners’ own website says the center has been family owned since 1969. Its tenant list includes Cristo’s Ristorante & Pizzeria and The Butcher’s Market, and the center’s listed address is 5003 Falls of Neuse Road.

On the same road, Clyde Cooper’s BBQ moved from downtown Raleigh to 1326 E. Millbrook Road and opened there on January 13, 2026, according to This Is Raleigh.