{"id":3183,"date":"2026-06-24T23:05:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3183"},"modified":"2026-06-24T23:05:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:05:09","slug":"one-of-durhams-most-prominent-restaurants-just-closed-whats-taking-its-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=3183","title":{"rendered":"One of Durham\u2019s most prominent restaurants just closed. What\u2019s taking its place"},"content":{"rendered":"

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One of the most prominent restaurants in downtown Durham is set for a rebrand.<\/p>\n

After seven years in the very heart of downtown Durham, chef Mike Lee has closed M Pocha<\/a> with plans to open a new concept later this summer. Replacing M Pocha will be M Nikkei, a fusion restaurant highlighting Japanese and Peruvian cuisine.<\/p>\n

Read more Could NC\u2019s drought change where you see copperheads this summer?<\/a><\/p>\n

M Pocha held its last service Saturday, June 13 and will reopen as M Nikkei in a little over a month, Lee said.<\/p>\n

This week, Lee also unveiled his latest project, M Hansik<\/a>, a more traditional Korean restaurant near Durham\u2019s Geer Street district.<\/p>\n

Since it debuted in 2019, M Pocha has been a lively and popular street food spot, serving Korean drinking food and other Asian small plates. Lee said the restaurant was born as a Korean menu but grew to include other dishes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought it would be our first small introduction to Korean food (for Durham diners) but at the same time we realized it wasn\u2019t quite the full interpretation of what we wanted to do, so it became a mix of Asian foods,\u201d Lee said in a phone interview. \u201cM Pocha was doing quite well, but we wanted to put something there that\u2019s a little bit different.\u201d<\/p>\n

With M Nikkei, Lee said the dining room will be completely changed, with banquettes added along with windows, replacing stools and the communal table and adding a curved sushi-style bar.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018An old house:\u2019 Why WakeMed says it needs Atrium merger to fix Raleigh campus<\/a><\/p>\n

Nikkei will specialize in robatayaki, a style of grilled charcoal cooking, plus sushi handrolls.<\/p>\n

Construction is currently underway at the restaurant. Lee said that M Nikkei will keep some of M Pocha\u2019s beloved dishes on the menu, while adding new flavors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will look completely different,\u201d Lee said. \u201cWe\u2019ll keep some of the fan favorites and add new dishes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 10 years since Lee first opened his M Sushi in Durham, the spark that led to a Triangle empire of seven popular restaurants.<\/p>\n

Read more NC Republicans override Gov. Stein\u2019s vetoes on DEI bans, immigration enforcement<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Downtown Durham's M Pocha closes after seven years; chef Mike Lee will reopen the space as M Nikkei this summer featuring Nikkei fusion, robatayaki and sushi handrolls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3182,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nOne of Durham\u2019s most prominent restaurants just closed. 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