Morimoto Restaurant

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723 Chestnut St
Philadelphia, PA 19106

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(215) 413-9070
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Morimoto Restaurant - Philadelphia, PA
Reviews
( 76 )
( 42 )
( 17 )
( 9 )
( 4 )

Best

This restaurant is one of the finest. They serve among the most delicious Japanese cuisine in Philly. Great staff and affordable as well.

Worst

this is a fun place. after all, it is a steven starr experience. however, it's not all that. long waits, decent, but not extraordinary food, and the worst seats i have ever sat it...

This Place is Fantastic! 7/25/2004

This is a true dining experience. The presentation, food, and atmosphere are top notch! I highly recommend Morimoto to anyone in search of quality food and a great night out! Pros: Food, Atmosphere, Presentation more
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One of the best - period! 6/15/2004

After six visits, Morimoto continues to delight. The omakase is definitely the way to go on your first visit. Although prices vary, often times it's just a matter of ingredients, i.e. the $80 set course will use maguro while the $120 will use toro and caviar. The sushi served is the best in Philly. It is definitely worth additional visits to try the other dishes on the menu, including a very interesting tofu dish that is prepared table side. The only disappointment was the green tea soba noodles. Other than that, be sure to make reservations early for weekends! Pros: great creative food, decor, celebrity chef Cons: , difficult reservation more
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A dining adventure! 5/24/2004

At Morimoto be prepared to taste some sublime foods, especially if you order the tasting menu (omakaze) We have tried the $100 and $120 ones, highlights of which were fatty toro tuna tartare with caviar (indescribably smooth), thinly sliced kobe beef that melted in your mouth, and sushi that was far and away better than what you'd find in a grocery, especially the toro tuna. Other things to get are crab appetizer, sea bass entree, chicken entree (really!) and soft shell crab roll. The food is generally good with a few misses. The desserts are mosly disappointing, as the wasabi tiramisu and the chocolate temple were not memorable. The staff was kind of restrained and distant our last visit and forgot to bring our sushi roll (odd for a $300 bill!) The restaurant decor was beautiful but noisy. Also, we've gone twice and Chef Morimoto was AWOL both times. more
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Better Than Nobu (NYC) 2/27/2004

We took a weekend trip to Philly to try out Morimoto. We were eager to compare Morimoto to Nobu, one of our favorite NYC restaurants. And the winner is: Morimoto! (a photo finish) Definitely try it out -- it's worth the price. Pros: Innovative, Fresh, Delicious Cons: , Tough to get to more
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best sushi in town 2/16/2004

Best Sushi in town. In fact, the omakase sushi dinner in my opinion is a steal. You can also get lots of exotic tastes and great combinations of ingredients which is not surprising from an Iron Chef. The staff is knowledgeable and very dedicated. Some dishes might be overpriced, 'over-pi-zazed', and youre better off getting your desserts elsewhere. Pros: sushi, top notch staff more
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Good, but not special 11/16/2003

Food very inventinve and fun. Atmosphere cool. Staff very nice. Without a doubt food and wine are overpriced, but that is part of the deal. What was missing was a zing or spark to make this place special. I got the feeling everyone was going through the motions. Morimoto should be striving to give diners an extraordinary occasion dinner. And it doesn't. Food is exactly what you order - with no twists or turns (beyond what is described). There should be hot towels, small tastes/morsels of exotic treats and a playfullness to presentation. Instead, the meal becomes predictable, which is the death knell for place like this. One shouldn't need to get Omakase - chef's menu - to have an inventive, sublime experience Pros: Cool Decor, Good Food Cons: Past its Prime, Not inventive enough more
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Good sushi... yum! 10/20/2003

The Iron Chef knows his sushi!!! I had the Chefs combo which was a great selection of seafood salmon, tuna, yellowtail, needlefish, etc loved it all, except the Japanese custard cake not my thing. Others in the group had the Chilean sea bass delicious!!! Tender and flavorful yum! Another had the Char not too bad either. The only disappointing thing was the appetizer we had the Dote Nabe (miso oysters). It was $15, but only 4 or 5 little tiny oysters, and the presentation was just ok. I would definitely go back, but Ill skip the appetizers and go straight for the sushi! Pros: Cool setting, excellent sushi, large selection Cons: parking, a little pricey, must make reservat more
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Great restaurant 10/10/2003

I had been loooking forward to going to Morimoto's and I was not disappointed at all. The food was delicious and I loved the decor of the restaurant. I had some nigiri sushi and the yellowtail on rice in stone pot. The sushi was so fresh and delicious, and the rice was good as well. I only wish I had more room to try more of the apetizers. Pros: Awesome food, beautiful setup, good atmosphere Cons: Expensive, need to make reservat more
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Sublime in every way 10/2/2003

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Morimotos for a special Food Network promotion. One hundred of us or so were treated to one of the best dining experiences ever! We started with an open bar of delicious sake cosmos, martinis and amuse bouche of tuna pizzas (YUM!) and various sushi. What followed was the famed 9 course omakase menu with Morimoto himself presenting every dish. The toro tartare was sweet & sublime. The Kobe (American) beef with foie gras was unbelievable. And each course was expertly paired with its suitable wine, sake or beer. This restaurant is worth the wait, the price and the trip to Philly. Pros: Food, Morimoto, Ambience Cons: Long reservation wait, In Philly more
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More, Morimoto! 9/16/2003

It was a special occasion and was quite expensive. But it was also possibly the best dining experience I have ever had. The food and service were excellent. The decorating has won several international awards and was very interesting and fun. My children (8 + 11) were treated like visiting royalty though it really isn't a standard kids' venue. We were all charmed when Chef Morimoto himself came out of the kitchen to pose for a photo! A very memorable night out. more
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Eel and avocado bliss 8/16/2003

Having eaten Japanese cuisine from Tokyo to San Francisco to New York, I have to say I was very impressed. I went for lunch and had the yellow tail lunch set, which was prepared perfectly. My lunchmates and I shared two rolls, the spicy tuna roll and the eel and avocado roll. The spicy tuna roll was pretty standard, but the eel and avocado roll was the best I've ever had. The decor is extremely trendy, maybe a bit too much as it does not create a very comfortable atmosphere. I doubt I'd bring a date here. Pros: Trendy, Superb Food Quality Cons: Price more
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Allez Cuisine!!! 8/13/2003

This was one of the best meals I ever ate. The tuna tartare was amazing. The miso encrusted cod was outstanding. The sushi was good, but lagged a little behind the quality of the other dishes. I recommend going for lunch. Its the same menu, but half the price. I felt like I was on Iron Chef eating all the wonderful/beautiful dishes. Definitely worth a visit if you're in Philly. Pros: Food, Ambience, Service Cons: Price more
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Art of Subtlety 8/6/2003

This really was a great experience. You can stare at the dining room for hours. Subtle flavors delight the senses. I had the $120 Omakase menu. The highlights were the tuna tartar, the yellow tail with wasabi vinaigrette, kobe beef with foie gras and the finishing sushi. Lobster was good but not as impressive as other items. Desserts were less than stellar. It could just be that I dont like subtle desserts. A great dining experience for those with a refined sense of taste. Pros: dinning room, hip, great food Cons: expensive, small more
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Morimoto's place in Philly--fabulous! 6/16/2003

My friend had the omakase dinner. Course after course of dainty, gorgeous little plates, some had caviar and fois gras on top for decoration. He was slightly disappointed with the sushi, the rolls were very small. I had the tofu appetizer, with a ssmall dollop of caviar. Entree was the King Yellowtail, prepared tableside on a stone bowl. The rice was so delicious. Moromoto has his own brand of beer and we were able to bring home the bottles. I was disappointed in my Wasabi Tiramisu; I thought it was extremely tiny, practically flat and not worth the price. All in all, a truly fabulous evening, very hip and the neon table dividers were very interesting to watch. The food was absolutely perfect. Pros: hip, modern, gorgeous Cons: expensive more
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This Is The New Standard 6/6/2003

What really impressed me was not the food (which was world class) but the service. The place looks so hip you kind of expect a certain degree of snottiness to come your way from the service. Not true at all. The place has an unusually warm vibe and this is because the people who work there from the host to the Morimoto himself are all really nice people. I think this is because of Morimoto who is really down to earth and funny. The bathrooms were the cleanest I have ever seen in a restaurant too. Pros: world class food, the best service, clean bathrooms more
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The best. 6/1/2003

Morimoto is the most exciting restaurant in Philadelphia, perhaps the country. The food is off-the-charts! The rest of the Starr group's food is assembly-line in comparison. And they're not bad!! It is a second mortgage to eat there, but take the plunge. It is worth every penny. Pros: fantastic food, exciting atmosphere, excellent service Cons: Phila clientele, Main Line patrons more
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A++++ 5/30/2003

Morimoto is amazing. His food has no comparison. And added to that, there is one very cute perfect waiter who able to accomidate my tofu request into the chef's tasting menu! Thanks!!!! :) Pros: great food, hip, great service Cons: $$$$$$$$$, loud more
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Hip & Pricey 5/28/2003

Not your typical Japanese fare. The food is wonderful. If you want to go one step up beyond the sushi and rolls that you are used to, this the place to try something new. All the hype and light can be uber expensive. Pros: Inventive Cons: Pricey more
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Paid too much for the name 5/27/2003

We came to Philly just for this restaurant. We both had the omakase (middle and top level) and it was decent, but just so. When you drop $250 for two, you expect more. There were some hits like the lightly seared yellowtail and the tuna tartare, but a lot of it was just average. The sushi plate was passable, but nothing special. The hostesses were obliging and courteous and our main waitress was great and attentive, but one of the serving waiters kept slurring the dish descriptions so we didn't know what was being presented to us. All in all, not worth the hype. Pros: great hostesses, I like the decor Cons: unimaginitive sushi, overpriced sake, not a good value more
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food 5/22/2003

the best sushi i've ever had in my life. try the Chocolate Pagoda for dessert! delicious more
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Menu for Morimoto Restaurant


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Editorial

  • In Short
    Just beyond neon-chartreuse glass doors, Chef Morimoto's elongated culinary theater welcomes diners with undulating bamboo ceilings, color-changing booths and the Iron Chef,...

  • 7/6/2006 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Sat: 5pm-12am, 5pm-10pm, Sun: 5pm-10pm, Thu: 5pm-10pm, 11:30am-2pm, Mon-Wed: 11:30am-2pm, Fri: 5pm-12am, 5pm-10pm, 11:30am-2pm
  • Payments: American Express, Diner's Club, Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Center City East, Center City
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