Flavor of the Week: Spicy 9

By: Sophia Alem

Spicy 9 Sushi Bar and Asian Restaurant is located in a recently-expanded space at 140 W. Franklin St., and is the place to go for sushi, noodles, hibachi and more in Chapel Hill.

Owner and UNC-Chapel Hill alum Mike Vikisreth grew up in food service watching his parents as they ran many different kinds of restaurant locations. The story of Spicy 9 begins on one of Vikisreth’s visits back to Chapel Hill after graduation, when he saw the empty space on Franklin Street and immediately thought about its potential as a restaurant space. He called the leasing office, and from there began the restaurant that still stands in the same spot today.

To a certain extent, the base menu of Spicy 9 was already established, building from offerings at restaurant ventures Vikisreth and his parents had been running for years. From specialty sushi rolls and fresh sashimi to pad thai to hibachi and ramen, Spicy 9 is the perfect place to get a wide variety of different kinds of Asian foods inspired by the popular dishes of different countries on the continent. The sushi rolls are definitely the standout menu on the item, partially due to the pricing: they are buy one, get one free, all day, seven days a week.

Many new customers are intrigued by the idea of such a great deal on a food like sushi, which is traditionally thought to be much nicer, higher-end and expensive. This was Vikisreth’s intention with opening this kind of restaurant in this location, sitting right in the middle on the main street of a popular college town. He wanted to bring college students access to nicer foods like sushi on a budget that was accessible for them.

Beyond the college-budget friendly sushi, the menu boasts a wide variety of flavors so every customer is sure to find something they love. Vikisreth’s personal favorites include the Philly Roll, the Spider Roll, the Rolls over Flowers and the Thai massaman curry. Other popular menu items include the pad thai, crab wontons, spring rolls and fun UNC-themed sushi rolls such as the Tar Eel roll and the Franklin Street Fire roll.

Becoming a Chapel Hill staple that alumni will stop by on their visits back is important for Vikisreth. Alumni like the familiar feeling of returning to Chapel Hill, he said, and want to revisit all of the places they once frequented during such a fond time in their lives. Eventually, the idea is that Spicy 9 will be one of those places for generations of Tar Heels.