Morimoto Restaurant

My girlfriend and I went there Saturday night at her request. She'd seen reviews and we'd tried to find it (with no planning) years ago with no luck. We thought this would be a great use of a gift card and it was. There's no overhanging sign. It's a relatively narrow restaurant and the street facing lighted name doesn't give any warning if you don't know it's there. The decor and atmosphere put us immediately at ease, and we were immediately seated (having a reservation) although the table light is a bit phallic. Our waitress was a joy and her recommendations were spot on, except for the ""Mushi Steamed Soup"" which, while different and good, wasn't up to the standards of the decor and the rest of the meal. We'd go back again if only for the Calamari Tempura Salad or just the calamari - the lighter tempura batter and perfect cooking would have allowed it to melt in the mouth if the stomach didn't yell to get in on the action. The Sea Bass was very good but as nothing compared to the Seafood Toban Yaku with lots of crab, shrimp, scallops, mussells, and baby bok choy, all in a lemon butter sauce. My girlfriend kept dunking her sea bass in the sauce and we both probably could have wiped out a loaf of Italian bread sopping it up. We were also served by several others of the wait staff who were very polite and, dare I say it, happy. The only negative I would point to is the hard ceiling that keeps the sound rolling when the place is full. I'm sure we'll go back, once the budget has healed. Pros: Tempura Calamari, Seafood Toban Yaku, service Cons: Noise level when the restaurant is full, cost more

See the full review at --- ericmlevy dot com\r \r The miso soup at most Japanese restaurants tastes and looks like it comes from the same wholesale distributor. Little cubes of rehydrated tofu and pieces of scallion float in a too-salty broth. It?s an acceptable precursor to a meal, but it?s standard, and as I found out today, sub-par. Morimoto taught me that miso soup is actually much better than that.\r \r I ordered food that I?d get at any other sushi place to offer a comparison between average and Morimoto. The ?Yellowtail and Scallion Roll? and ?Boston Mackerel Sushi? came out first. I was off to a good start. The yellowtail was finely minced and there was just the right amount of scallion to boost the flavor. It melted in my mouth. The mackerel was fresh and oceanic with a good texture. It wasn?t too big a bite, which is important in comparison of the giant sized fish slabs on snowballs of rice served at lesser sushi joints. The white pickled ginger tasted fresher and seemed like a natural product compared to the normal pink stuff. Everything looked beautiful on the dark wooden platter.\r \r My miso soup arrived next, in an oversized white bowl, with a heavy shallow metal spoon. The broth was salted, sure, but this is a far cry from the packets you get at Trader Joe?s. This soup has a full, balanced flavor, accented with hits of thinly sliced scallion. But what really makes this dish are the big chunks of fresh silken tofu floating in the soup. I?ve never had tofu like this before. It?s totally different from the blocks of tofu from the store. Wikipedia explains, ?its texture can be described as similar to that of very fine custard.? From now on the reconstituted tofu blocks won?t cut it? bring on the fresh silken stuff. more

I've been wanting to visit Morimoto for quite a while and finally went last night. It was five of us celebrating my sisters birthday and we were all very pleased. Seating was prompt (with reservations) and the service was the best I've had in the city. I definitely recommend the Omakase! We ordered the $120 Omakase and it was sooo good! The lobster was perfect and the kobe beef was exquisite! I have nothing bad to say about this place, I totally recommend it. Oh and the Chocolate Wasabi martini for dessert is a perfect choice. And if you think you're gonna spend $50, go ahead and double it cause it's easy to spend a lot in there! Pros: Prompt seating, service, and super tasty! Cons: Very expensive but totally worth it! more

Eating at Morimoto is always a wonderful experience - especially when you order the omikase. It can't get any better. The service is always polite and attentive, the drinks are delicious, and the ambience is unique. The restuarant is large and airy but still manages to be intimate enough for a party of 2. It's a great place to celebrate something special. Pros: omikase, drinks, great for special occasions more

I live in NJ and get my sushi fix sometimes once a week at the only place for sushi in S.J. . I consider myself very discriminating because I dont eat sushi or raw fish anywhere else in the Philadlephia area. The place in S.J. is that great - Im always impressed and never dissapointed after 7 years. \r \r Tonight was my first time at Morimoto. I ate at the sushi bar. \r \r Atmoshphere - Cool\r Service - Friendly and Attentive\r Tofu in Miso soup - Outstanding\r Fish selection - Superior\r Real Wasabi - I like the other stuff better\r Ginger - A little sour and not as fragrant yet good \r \r $50 chef sushi selection:\r Portion - good\r Nigiri - very fresh fish as expected. Rice unflavorful and and dry.\r Total Sushi Experience - Average.\r Tokyo cheese cake desert - crazy good.\r \r Will I return? Not for sushi. I didnt go there for good tofu and cheesecake.\r \r Oh I forgot !\r Tanned Legs on Hot Blonde beside me at the bar - to die for\r \r \r \r \r \r Pros: Fresh Fish Cons: Dry Rice more

Simply amazing. I was afraid the Iron Chef would fail to live up his name, but he more than exceeded his... more

By far, one of the best experiences I've had outside of NYC. This place was well worth the two hour drive... more

Do not pay attention to the whiners on this site who said bad things about this place. EVERYTHING was perfect. We even got a signed menu by Morimoto. We had the $100 fixed price, saki and martinis. FAB FAB FAB!!! For those who complain - get a life. For the 2 of use, the cost was $350 including the tip. Definately worth it! Pros: atmosphere, fresh food, creativity, service Cons: price is high, but worth it! more

What an incredible experience! I am very picky about my restaurants and this one exceeded my expectations. The decor is fablous, the service impeccable and the tasting menu was fresh and creative. It was like getting 8 tiny presents for dinner. Can't recommend enough! Pros: Atmosphere, Service, Food... basically everything. Cons: Tourists that kept snapping flash pic while I was trying to eat. more

Morimoto is a place with great ambience, and the decor is absolutely remarkable. Here is my problem: The sushi rice is not cooked appropriately, this would never be acceptable in Japan. I spoke to one of their sushi chefs in Japanese and he told me that he is a student at U Penn. Ok great, this guy never made sushi, and morimoto already allows him to serve customers? In japan a Sushi Shokunin, this is what we refer to as the Sushi chef, has to first work 10 years in the back kitchen before being allowed to serve a customer. This is shameful, especially coming from Morimoto who knows better than that!!!! But I have to say the dishes are very interesting, especially the tofu that hardens right infront of you from liquid form. As a date spot I would recommend it. But as a place to come and truly enjoy japanese food, I would not. This is more of a Japanese Fusion food place than true japanese food. Also, please Morimotosan train your staff for at least one month before letting them stand there and serve customers. My sushi fell apart, because the nigiri of the gohan was not hard enough. the Wasabi was not as fresh as I hoped too. Pros: Location, Morimoto Marketing, Decor, Ambience Cons: Chefs are not trained well more

Food Quality: Absolutely top of the line food. Chef Morimoto does a fantastic job fusing traditional and... more

Possibly the best meal i've ever had. Over cooked my steak on the first try but the waiter was very... more

We got to Morimoto for our 10:15pm reservation on a Saturday night and were told that we would have to wait. We went up stairs to the bar/lounge area and ordered edamame, sushi and soup. I have heard great things about the sushi here, and was terribly disappointed. It was uncreative and unenjoyable... we didn't even finish it. The Dobin Mushi Steamed Soup was also not worth finishing. I think that this restaurant is more of a meat market and a place to be seen. The food isn't anything special, and absolutely not worth the price! more

I came here for lunch and by the decor alone, you can tell that you are in for a modern take on Japanese cuicine. The sushi is fresh but the lunch set offerings seem basic. The hot and cold dishes are more inventive and interesting. The yosedofu (tofu) is made at your table and is mesmerizing to watch and the tuna pizza is definitely for the open minded seafood lover! There is a Chef's choice called ""omikase"" and while pricey, you let the chef create anything he wants for you. Very creative!\r A great place to take your visiting friends to. Pros: inventive Japanese cuisine more

I went to Morimoto on Sunday night for the first time with very high expectations. What an amazing dining experience. I had been told by friends not to expect to see Morimoto, but they were wrong. We had dinner at the sushi bar, and Morimoto was there making the sushi. I had read some negative reviews so I was a little nervous, but the food was definitely worth the price. An unforgetable dining experience. more

This was one of the restaurant in Philly that I promised myself I would try before graduating from Penn. It did it four times. For the beginner coming here, you should definitely try the medium prized sampler option. This is such a great way to taste the different variety of dishes that this restaurant offers. The best part is that if you come back again and still want the sampler, all you have to do is tell the waitress this is your second time around. She will make sure to tell the chef and he will use more exotic ingredients in your dish. Everything is so fresh and delicous. They also have their own beer and sake. Of course this is definitely on teh expensive side but hey this is one of a very few 5 star restaurants in Philadelphia. Pros: Food, service, ambience Cons: pricey more

I dined at Morimoto for the first time the other night. I had never seen a sake list so extensive. Our waitress was very knowledgeable and patient while guiding us through our options. We both had the Morimoto Omakase. We chose to have each course paired with wonderful premium sake. The service, food, and beverages were all excellent and we can't wait to return! Pros: service more

Having heard of Morimotos for years, I had to pay a visit to the famed restaurant (along with a few other places in Philly) on my recent visit to town. The ambiance was nice and comfy. The second floor bar seemed like a cool place to meet people. Once we were seated, the waitstaff had an attitude that they work in the finest restaurant anywhere and were not very helpful when asked for an explanation. It was interesting to see the bottom of their shirt scrape over my food when they lean over to put the plate on the table. The tempura looked nice, but tasted ok. There were no implements to hold the leftover bamboo sticks, neither did the waiters offer to clean up the sticks. The Kobe beef carpaccio had no marbling and was too salty. The noodle was also too salty, but an okay relief from the rest. The rock shrimp was the highlight of the night and highly recommended if you had to go there. My Sake steamed seabass was undercooked and not fresh. I did not taste anything special with the preparation. My friend ordered the BiBimBop variation, and it was terrible. Neither myself nor my other Foodie buddy thought the food was as expected. The price was on par with other places in town, but not worthy of the quality of the food we had. I considered the suggestion to order Sushi as others on this website, but anybody can cut a piece of sushi. Yes both of us had long bathroom breaks the next morning. In conclusion, it's a nice place to be seen, impress your friends...if they don't care about how food taste. With money not in the equation, we had better food at ""Vietnam"" and ""Continental."" Pros: Cool bar, cool atmosphere, nice place to be seen Cons: The freshness and taste of food, the attitude of the waitstaff. more

First time I went I was amazed, the sushi was terrific and the service great even if the decor and atmosphere ridiculous.\r I've been back basically once a year now, and each time seems to be disappointing.\r The last time was last week, for a friends birthday. Aside from the 30 minute wait to be seated the sashimi/nigiri chefs selection we ordered was really disappointing. I guess it wouldn't have been as bad if my expectation hadn't been high. But then again, that sort of the point of a place like this. You pay for guaranteed, dependable quality. More concerning is that this last experience was NOT an outlier.\r I suspect this is the last time we will visit Morimoto. Pros: Good food, great service Cons: Food quality no longer on par with cost more

First, I have to tell you that I did my research on this restaurant before I actually stepped into the door... I knew what I was spending and what type of surrounding I was going to be getting. From the time that I stepped into the door, I was spoiled. We had our car valet parked, Coats were taken at the door, the upstairs had lots of ambience...Very different pieces of Art Work that surround you... I ordered a Bellini which was a very tasteful Drink. I would recommend that as a starter and you could also finish with anotrher Bellini...\r I ordered the ROCK SHRIMP TEMPURA which is mouth tasting good and the design is awesome that it comes out on...\r For my dinner, I had LOBSTER 'EPICE' EIGHT SPICE LOBSTER( AWESOME) again, decorated to taste..\r The whole experience was one that I will never forget. The waiters and waitresses were exceptionally spoiling me. They wait on you hand and foot...Go if you have lots of monet to spend or for a special occassion.\r Betwwen the six of us, the bill came to $700 bucks........$230 per couple Gratuity was included\r A night to remember... Pros: Customer Services, Ambience, Parking, Location and the Food...................... Cons: Bathrooms in basement more