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All Reader Reviews of...

Morimoto

88 Tenth Ave., New York, NY, 10011
nr. 16th St.
212-989-8883

Avg. Rating

8
Food: 8
Service: 8
Décor: 8
"Recommended"

Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10.

64% would go back.

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Awesome every time

By hoopster on 3/6/2009

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

I have been to Morimoto three times and the food has been awesome every time. Service is great, attentive but not rushed, and atmosphere very cheerful. We went there for dinner on a New Year's Eve and Mr. Morimoto was there himself with an apron on! Many restaurants of this price range serve miniscule portions. Not here.

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108 out of 475 people found this review helpful.

Wow Wow

By hoshea on 4/30/2008

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

This place was excellent. The food was extravigant, and the service was delightful.

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28 out of 63 people found this review helpful.

A Little Less-i-moto

By martin_chamois on 5/15/2007

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 10
  • Décor: 9
  • Yes, I would go back!

Morimoto was a clear winner in 2006. The question is does it have legs to remain a top place. Based upon a recent vist, the jury is out. The decor remains cool and outstanding, and the menu invites one to expect an outstanding Japanese fusion meal. Unfortunately the food is hit or miss - not consitently poor, good, very good or excellent. Service was very good - although the front desk has a real attitide conveying that the customers should be pdelighted to have the good fortune of being able to dine in this shrine of hippness. Unfortuately the tourists and BAT crowd has now claimed Morimoto as their own and that may quickly make it Less-i-moto. Attention to details is lacking and the warning signs are out.

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330 out of 633 people found this review helpful.

One of my favs!

By Mushy32 on 5/9/2007

  • Overall Rating: 9
  • Food: 10
  • Service: 8
  • Décor: 10
  • Yes, I would go back!

I LOVE this place. The food is delicious and very fresh. Everything on the menu is great, but the King Crab Legs and Crispy Shrimp are some of my favorites. The Tuna Tartar is yummy and also fun to eat. The drinks are good and the atmosphere is great. I've been three times and always offer this as an option to my out of town guests. Love it, love it, love it!

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282 out of 558 people found this review helpful.

Great Experience

By norikogirl on 6/22/2010

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 9
  • Service: 6
  • Décor: 10
  • Yes, I would go back!

I was in town visiting and a friend, who lives across the street from Morimoto, she recommended we eat sushi for dinner. We are from Japan so, if anyone knows good fish, it's us. We were quite pleased with this restaurant. The atmosphere was chic however the service could have been more warm but we think this is part of the whole "manhattan" vibe trying to be cold but cool. This was a good experience, if you are from a state or country that does not have access to fresh fish, you will like this place.

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85 out of 173 people found this review helpful.

I'd go back, but...

By eothdl on 5/7/2007

  • Overall Rating: 8
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 6
  • Yes, I would go back!

would not order the Omakase. Omakase was good, but didn't challenge me as I'd hoped it would. Two of the courses were too salty (kobe beef and sashimi w/ a sauce that I can't recall.) The seared scallop was amazing. Lobster was good, but the seasonings might as well have been Old Bay. I like Old Bay, but if I'm going to pay $120 for a tasting I want flavors that don't remind me of the grocery store. The sake we tried was the best I've ever had. I think it was the house junmai. If I go back, I would order from the menu. I could have put together a more varied and challenging dinner from the menu and probably not paid as much. Our waiter was perfect. The most exciting thing, and I don't know what this says about the restaurant, were the toilets. Automated seat covers, bidet with pressure and direction control, heated seats, and much more. After a two hour dinner, the toilet made the biggest impression.

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233 out of 493 people found this review helpful.

Took 3 people for my Son's B'day this past Friday

By wmw322 on 7/30/2012

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 6
  • Service: 7
  • Décor: 8
  • Yes, I would go back!

Not one to suffer sticker shock, but I surely did when I was presented with the $878.78 (b4 tip) bill for 4 persons. Okay, we did have drinks & the tasting menu, but common, does excessive ring a bell? The food was just okay. I was not wowed by the presentation & sadly the flavors escaped me on the whole. Honestly, my man walked out feeling hungry, & well, you know that's never a good thing. They were very attentive & sensitive to one of my guests who had been to this location a few weeks back & were certain she had a different tasting menu experience, VERY, VERY NICE INDEED! I have visited this restaurant a few times before & truly enjoyed the vibe & food, not so much on this visit. I've never been impressed with the "who's my actual server" style of table service. I don't care for the bar being downstairs. There was no crowd at all & Mori was not in house. I missed that atmosphere a lot. Front desk reception was ice cold upon entry as was their total lack of acknowledging us as we left. When I spend money with you, it's nice to be bid a good evening, doncha think? I mean if you're gonna be in the hospitality biz & @ the front desk, don't look at your feet as if we are not right in front of you!For G*dsake be hospitable. Is that too much to ask? Going forward, based on this experience, NO MORE TASTING MENUS! Sorry to say, The food was not worth the price of admission.

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19 out of 32 people found this review helpful.

I don't understand...

By CynicalSunshine5 on 2/27/2009

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 7
  • Service: 6
  • Décor: 8
  • No, I would not go back!

why they have tables next to a drafty fire exit. For such a nice place, it's shocking that they would seat anyone in this dingy section where, on one of the coldest nights of the year, we had to request for our coats back because we were freezing. Security kept moving in and out of the door. We all ordered soup, for obvious reasons, and found the food to be mediocre. If we do go back, we'll stick with the lounge and small plates, as sushi seems to be something they can manage to do very well.

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90 out of 187 people found this review helpful.

I'll take my cash elsewhere

By themicah on 8/6/2007

  • Overall Rating: 7
  • Food: 8
  • Service: 6
  • Décor: 6
  • No, I would not go back!

We had great sushi and interesting appetizers. I also enjoyed the foodÂ’s presentation. But I was otherwise unimpressed. Our waitress wasnÂ’t very knowledgeable (couldnÂ’t tell us much about the oysters and didnÂ’t know how big the sake bottles were). The guys who brought out the food also had a hard time explaining what was what--when our sushi arrived, the server twice changed his mind about which was snapper and which was mackerel, eventually grabbing the platter off the table and holding it up to a light to see better. I loved the water bottle wall in the middle of Morimoto. But the facility seems neglected. White walls are scuffed. Glass and Lucite surfaces are scratched. It looks more like a well-worn nightclub than a high-end eatery. Finally, both my yellowtail rice bowl and one companion's Kobe steak were oversauced. The sauce was delicious, but drowned out the flavors of the fish and beef. All in all, I wouldn't say Morimoto's bad, but the total experience drags down the food. At this price point, I expect more than just above-average food in a pseudo-nightclub atmosphere.

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272 out of 540 people found this review helpful.

Disappointed, ripped off

By irenelo on 8/3/2011

  • Overall Rating: 6
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 9
  • Décor: 9
  • No, I would not go back!

I come here for good food - so let's not focus on the service and decor for now. We ordered the $120 omakase dinner for both of us. There were 5 appetizer courses and 1 main course, 1 dessert course. The sushi appetizer was disappointed - 6 types of sushi, none is outstanding, and ika was not fresh (chewy). Oyster fois was excellent thou. Main course - surf & turf, beef was overseasoned. Sweet potato fries was soggy. Lobster was ok, but doesnt match w/ the lemon foam. Dessert - tofu cheesecake with shortbread and red bean pastry puff on side - I think I can make a better one than that. Overall - this is a good meal, but good is not good enough for Morimoto and the price of $120. I have a "ripped off" feeling walking out the restaurant after dinner... I saw the tables around me ordering from the a la carte menu and those looks better - maybe i'll try the a la carte menu next time.

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42 out of 80 people found this review helpful.

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