Momokawa — Restaurant in New York

Our dining experience here was a complete disaster. It spoiled our Thanksgiving Eve entertainment. From the moment we were seated, there were ongoing issues that really put a damper on our mood. Although this restaurant is known for its sukiyaki, and each table was provided with a basket for their clothes, we were the exception. This oversight made us feel neglected. Our waiter was also in a constant state of disorder; first, he spilled my water, and then later, he spilled the tofu that was ordered by other customers onto me without offering a single napkin for cleanup. Furthermore, the service was incredibly slow. Other customers who arrived after us and also ordered sukiyaki had started their main course, while we were still waiting for our sukiyaki pot, exactly the cooking pot. We had ordered the expensive Miyazaki beef set meal, but the service we received did not match its price at all.

The dining environment was also extremely cramped. We and the adjacent table both ordered sukiyaki, and after adding small side tables for the pot ingredients, guests seated on the wall side couldn’t even stand up to go to the restroom. It's clear that the restaurant prioritized profits over customer comfort.

Ironically, although this is a Japanese restaurant and 90% of the customers were Asian, I felt that the staff were discriminating against Asians. They seemed to pay more attention to a Caucasian couple at the next table, constantly helping them cook their meat and refill their water. Our server only helped us cook the meat once and didn’t even bother to refill our water afterwards. With such service, they had the audacity to include a default tip of 20%, 23%, or even 25% on the bill. It was...

During my recent visit to Momokawa, I encountered a situation that left me both puzzled and concerned. The food, notably the sukiyaki, although decent, came with a price tag that leaned on the higher side. However, what truly set the tone for my review was not the quality of the food but the billing practices and the perceived service disparity.

Upon receiving our bill, I was surprised to find a mandatory 20% tip added. This practice was unexpected, especially since we were a party of only four, which traditionally does not warrant an automatically included gratuity. The confusion deepened when I noticed that the table next to us, comparably sized, was not subjected to this mandatory tip. This discrepancy led me to question the criteria used for imposing this charge and whether there was an underlying bias at play. While we habitually tip 20%, the essence of tipping lies in its voluntary nature, rewarding service that goes above and beyond. The concern escalates when considering the possibility of prejudice influencing the decision to add a mandatory tip to our bill and not to others.

In conclusion, while the culinary offerings at Momokawa might meet expectations, the overshadowing issues of billing practices and the potential for biased service treatment cast a shadow over my dining experience. I hope this feedback encourages Momokawa to reevaluate their policies and approach to ensure a fair, transparent, and enjoyable experience for all patrons, irrespective...

I made reservation at 20:00, and it’s Christmas Eve, so we arrived at 19:50 little bit earlier, and then we talk to the manager said we have reservation, he told us to sit in the bar first, after that we wait around 10 minutes, during this period of time I saw he lead different 3 groups of people to empty table, and he seems like still not planning to find a table for us, but there is a empty table beside us, so we find the manager to ask why we are still not getting sited, he said”that group of two checked in before us” but what I heard from that group said is group of 2, and they did not have reservation, I have no idea why the manager telling lies and not being honest just because of his misconduct, just getting so disappointed of this restaurant. (If the restaurant don’t have the ability to take the reservation, I prefer you guys just take walk in, that’s what I think. :) )

Yeah, I waited 12 minutes instead of 2 minutes, and your manager lead those customers who don’t have reservation to the table instead of people who have reservations first, I totally understand your restaurant know how to treat people who have...