Momoya SoHo — Restaurant in New York

Ambiance is nice and pretty; the music they play is hip hop which adds a hipster vibe to the restaurant in my opinion. Personally I think some classical or soothing music would make the experience more elegant, but that's just my preference. Our server, Hime, and the rest of the staff were very kind and attuned, so service is definitely 5 stars.

For appetizers, we got the following:

Homemade tofu - the tofu was definitely silky but the flavor was lacking, where the bits of ginger ended up overpowering certain bites. The uni and shrimp did not really enhance the dish, and its quality was not that fresh.

Awabi Shiogama Yaki (abalone) - very cute and gimmicky, where they break the salt crust in front of you. However, taste wise just remember that the uni encased within the salt crust is cooked too, which I personally didn't like but if you like cooked uni, maybe this is for you, since it does come with quite a bit of uni. The abalone has a nice bite to it but it didn't really have much flavor, so it was just okay and not really worth the price tag.

Wagyu and uni soba - this was our favorite appetizer, for the uni cream sauce paired with the wagyu, uni, and soba perfectly, enhancing the high quality ingredients used to make it. The uni was also sweet and fresh, which surprised us since the uni that came with the homemade tofu wasn't. Highly recommend getting this appetizer.

For our main we got:

Miso black cod - this was delicious and the cauliflower rice and miso scallion sauce paired perfectly with the melty and meaty cod! It's rich in its flavor profile and everything tied together beautifully; a must-get in our opinion!

Sukiyaki gozen - definitely flavorful with high quality A5 Miyazaki Wagyu beef and an abundance of fresh vegetables. The only suggestion I have is to serve it with an onsen egg for diners to dip the Wagyu in, like they do in traditional Japanese fashion, which would make the beef even silkier than it already is! The egg they serve is borderline hard boiled, which didn't really add much to it, but that's just my opinion and if you like hard boiled eggs, I'm sure this dish would be perfect for you!

For dessert:

Seasonal Parfait - Koyo - an Instagram worthy dessert for it's incredibly pretty and beautifully constructed! The interplay between its various pieces gives you a delightful experience of differing flavors dancing pleasurably in your mouth! It also comes with a description of what is what and a history lesson of the true meaning behind its creation! Highly recommend giving this a try if they still have it!

Mille-feuille aux banana - very delicious without it being overly sweet; the cream was rich and light, and the banana was caramelized and moist! The hojicha ice cream paired it beautifully as well with its tea flavor to balance out its sweetness. Definitely can't go wrong with this if you're a banana fan!

Despite the hiccup from two of the three appetizers, it was still a pretty good experience. I'm hoping to give Momoya a five star next time I get the chance to come back!

Appetizer - 3.5/5* Entree - 4/5* Dessert - 5/5*

Thank you for reading and...

I visited Momoya Soho for the 2025 NYC Restaurant Week, expecting a fresh and well-executed Japanese dining experience. Unfortunately, the meal fell short in several key areas — from food freshness to service and overall environment.

We ordered two appetizers, two mains, and two desserts. For starters, we had Kanitsu and Matai Nanban Tsuke. The Kanitsu, which featured Alaskan crab, lacked the freshness I would expect from quality Japanese cuisine. Across the board — from appetizers to mains — the seafood did not taste particularly fresh. It felt like the fish had been pre-cut and stored in display cases for too long, losing its natural brightness. The crab had the same issue. The Matai Nanban Tsuke, a fish dish, seemed pre-made and plated straight from cold storage rather than freshly prepared.

For the mains, I had the Sushi & Sashimi Tasting for One, which again suffered from the same freshness problem. While the presentation was neat, the fish lacked vibrancy in both flavor and texture. Overall, it felt very standard and not worth the Restaurant Week price. My friend ordered the Hokkaido Bento, which did include a good variety of items, but relied heavily on sauces to elevate flavor. While sauces can be effective accents, in this case they overpowered the natural taste of the ingredients — something that, to me, goes against the essence of Japanese cuisine.

Desserts were a mixed experience. We chose the Gianduja, a trio of small sweets. The standout was the almond and hazelnut chocolate cake, which had a rich, satisfying chocolate flavor — the only part of the meal that left a genuinely positive impression. The other dessert, Peach, consisted of peach jelly with vanilla custard. It was fine but unremarkable, something I might expect from an average set menu rather than a memorable Restaurant Week selection.

Service was underwhelming. The server who took our order seemed rushed and inattentive, which diminished the dining experience. While another staff member did take a nice photo for us, the overall service felt perfunctory rather than warm or attentive.

The dining environment also left something to be desired. On the way to the restroom, I noticed cleaning supplies and other maintenance items stored in plain sight — something I wouldn’t expect from a restaurant charging $50–$100 per person. More concerning, when sushi was being served, I saw a fly hovering around one of the sushi trays, and no staff addressed it. Details like these, while small, undermine the sense of care and quality I would expect from a higher-end Japanese restaurant.

In short, while the plating was decent and one dessert stood out, the overall experience was let down by lackluster seafood freshness, over-reliance on pre-prepared elements, rushed service, and environmental issues that detracted from the dining atmosphere. Even with the Restaurant Week menu, it did not feel...

Came in at around 8/8:30pm on a Monday of a holiday weekend. Busy, but only a short wait for a bar seat (no reservation). Had two cocktails which were fruity, light, and refreshingly tart. The bartender Tour was so nice and patient as I perused the menu, and added rosemary at my request. He checked up on me once in a while and was never pushy despite how busy it was. I got the wagyu & uni soba. I love uni cooked into a cream sauce whereas it is too strong when raw. This was the perfect blend of sweet and savory flavors and silky texture with the truffle ponzu. The noodles are so smooth and pick/soak up the sauce surprisingly well without getting soggy. The seared beef slices were super tender and added a nice smoky fragrance. Loved the julienned daikon on top - refreshing and also helps to sop up the sauce. The Momoya Box chef’s selection of mini chirashi bowls was so beautiful. Though they seem small, each was well balanced and there are 9, which creeps up on your stomach. From what I remember, there’s a red snapper or sea bream, tamago with shrimp, yellowtail, negitoro with uni, sliced lean and fatty tuna, salmon and ikura, scallop, shrimp tempura, and seared king salmon. The rice has bits of maybe a pickled radish or onions, and definitely notes of ginger, plus bits of shellfish (perhaps crab or crawfish). It promotes your hunger and allows you to keep eating without getting tired or feeling heavy from a dish, if that makes sense. Many of the bowls had a nice citrus tartness either from lemon juice or yuzu kosho. I don’t like tamago because it’s sweet, but this was so light and refreshing in flavor; its texture was similar to a sponge cake. Some bowls have soy sauce, cucumbers, scallion and/or grated daikon. The shrimp tempura wasn’t oily at all. Thick cuts of fish and such a clean taste and texture from each. Got the iichiko flan for dessert. The alcohol definitely adds a nice flavor to the syrup, but the flan is too sweet for me. Delightfully silky and thick texture though. My waiter Nick was so friendly and thoughtful. He asked my opinion on a scoop of soy sauce ice cream too, and which to recommend to customers. I prefer the ice cream - it’s unique and I like how the earthy saltiness counteracts the sweetness, and the accompanying warabimochi helps balance the flavor; it’s plain on its own but in a clarifying way, with a bouncy smooth soft texture (I believe it’s vegan since it’s thickening agent is bracken starch). Such a great place and would...