Moco Global Dining

I come here to drink cheap beers during their happy hour and for that, they are great. Food here, however, is not good so just don’t bother. Japanese people run this place so there are a lot of Japanese patrons and the waitresses are all young Asian females. There is something on the second floor called the «Boys Club» where you order some drinks and it seems that one of the girls working there sits with you to chat and drink and what not. Uncertain as to what else they do there since I usually don’t go up stairs. Kinda shady, but whatever. Couch by the window is good for people watching. I’ll probably still come by for the happy hour, but I’m definitely eating elsewhere first.

I’ll never eat ramen anywhere else as long as I live… wow! I ordered the pork ramen and was blown away by how delicious it tasted. The only thing I would recommend is to order it with extra pork.
I had to wait an hour for my food to arrive and I am still giving it four stars. What does that tell you?

I was brought to this place the first time by a friend who uses it just for the bar service — it was nice for that. But then I came for a beer and a meal — and shit hits the fan. Bullet points will be quicker:
1) They forgot my mixed starter dish (which meant I had to go hungry)
2) There was hair in my water
3) I was at the bar and the service was terrible — the tall waitress couldn’t get enough of talking about her whole life to the others and this meant there was no service. By the way, I was the only one at the bar-​and only 2 tables were occupied.
4) The sushi looked old — and tasted very average; the tuna was almost mushy
In a place like NYC-​this joint is living on the edge — forget about it.

Tried the beef ramen… was not salty or heavy… just hit the spot on a cold day

Stopped for one drink. Good service and pricing!

This place has a truly awesome happy hour and that, my friends, deserves 4 stars in my book!
First of all, happy hour last until 9pm, which is amazing– even on Fridays! They have wine, beer, and fun well drinks.
They also have really great sushi ($ 5 for 6 pcs.) — I’d recommend the spicy salmon roll.

Walked by here many times. Looked cool, so I put it on my list.
I noticed that the restaurant delivers on Seamless Web so I decided to order their standard sushi dinner at 9PM. 10:15 rolls by no food. I call the number listed, and it’s been disconnected!
So since I live a quarter block away, I decide to walk there. There’s about 3 people, a few drinks and an empty plate on the bar, and the bartender greets me as I walk in.
I briefly explain my situation and the bartender tells me the delivery guy just left. Strange, because since I live a quarter block away, I probably would have noticed him. Another guy comes out and tells me they are calling him right now, and they didn’t know my food was for pickup. I told him it was not for pickup and again explained the situation. He was unable to understand or give a straight answer so I say whatever and leave.
I go home and there’s two emails from Seamless Web stating they apologize, this restaurant has closed without notice and another giving me a $ 15 credit for my bad experience. strange. all of a sudden there’s a different number listed on Seamless Web for the restaurant. I call it. Someone picks up and immediately hangs up. I call it again, and its busy and has been since.
Unprofessional. Awful. I’m thrilled the food didn’t come.

Didn’t look to appealing from the outside, but once I stepped inside I was quite surprised. funky dark and intimate on the inside, and the menu was difficult to choose from because everything looked so good! Service was good (but we were there on a slow night) and the food was great. Will definitely return!

#7 Talk about pretentious service.
A friend and I were supposed to meet up with others somewhere along 3^rd Ave, but we couldn’t get ahold of them. So, we decided to pop into Moco to get a couple of drinks and just hang out in the meantime. The ambiance inside was pretty decent and there were a couple of other groups hanging out, as well. Though, it was about 90% empty. We ordered 2 glasses of white wine, both of which tasted crisp.
Eventually, our friends made their way to Moco and joined us. They ordered a beer each. By this time, we had been there for about an hour, not too long. However, as time passed, the waitresses started to hover more and more. After a total of 90 minutes, with our drinks still intact, one of them just plopped the check down in front of my face without a word, while the other 2 parties were left alone.
At this point, we were all getting annoyed at their unconventional behavior, so we decided to test out the waters a bit. We waited for another 15 minutes when one of the waitresses came over, grabbed the check, opened it up, realized there was nothing inside, and proceeded to plop it down in front of us again. Now the cat-​and-​mouse game really started.
We all refused to finish our drinks (two of which were more than half full) and kept them waiting — and they came in rotation, one after another after another for an hour. Finally, one of them came over to tell us that they were closing. Um, I’m sorry, there were TWO other parties sitting there and, yet, no one had even bothered to give them their checks and THERE THEY ARE, STILL SITTING AROUND CHATTING AND DRINKING.
We paid, we left, and I was tempted to steal their huge vase of roses on display at the front. Terrible service.

Moco is an oasis from the street-​urinating frat boys and pear shaped brunettes of Murray Hill. Staff is always super friendly, and the food is outstanding.
Only con is the kitchen isn’t always the fastest. But the crowd is pleasant and the knuckheads stay on the other side of 3^rd ave (thankfully).
Want a place where you can drink sake bombs with irritating yuppies who just moved to the city and dare to call themselves New Yorkers? Plenty of places between 33^rd and 35^th to do just that. Want a pleasant meal with a good cocktail? Go to Moco.

A-​OK describes this place pretty much to a T. The décor is dark and intimate. Its got an upstairs which sometimes has live jazz. The sushi is nothing to rave about and over priced, a hole in the wall around the corner has the same quality for far less. The servers are always nice, but really hit or miss in terms of efficiency.
In general nothing really stands out…

Just ok, nothing to rave home about. Average sushi, drinks were fine, like the ambiance for an afte rwork drink or meetup with a friend.

the place is ok. only reason really to come here is the ramen which is a really beautiful thing.
the story is a lot like minca. the ramen chef is a jazz drummer who went back to japan to learn the art of ramen making — that is serious dedication. the broth is so rich and not at all oily. the fixings are perfect too. best to come on the weekend when the chef makes the broth fresh.
nothing much else to say about the place. if you like shiso you might want to try the karage shiso — interesting creation.

Happy hour from 7 pm — 11 pm? That’s very strange, right? I know we’re in New York, but that is stretching out happy hour to a whole new level! So take advantage of the bargain.
My roomie is Japanese and he says that most of the Japanese places are owned by Chinese people. Moco is a cute little bar/​restaurant in Murray Hill that is owned and staffed by Japanese. The bartenders, I have to say are super HOT and the menu is authentic and cheap!
Also noteworthy has an all you can eat and drink on their happy hour menu. Closes at 11 pm.
The ramen looked good! I’ll be back to try it! Stay tuned…

This review is mainly of Kubo-​chan ramen, which is a great addition to the New York ramen scene. The ramen is served in the Moco kitchen but cooked by a dedicated, new ramen-​loving chef.
I think Moco in general as a cool, low key, great-​for-​happy hour vibe (but it is in Murray Hill, so boo, hiss). Just make sure you only order drinks (like sake, or my favorite, sweet potato shochu) and get a few cooked apps (some eh, some ok) plus the ramen. Stay away from the sushi at all costs (cheap, and you get what you pay for). I’ve had the ramen twice, and I really like the broth (combo of seafood, chicken, pork), which has great depth of flavor, and the consistency of the noodles (one area that Ippudo doesn’t do well!). The pork in the ramen was great the first time (2 pieces, nice charred flavor while retaining a moist consistency), but the 2^nd time, the pork was not great (one piece, dry). I’m hoping the first time was more typical, but the broth and noodles were still awesome.
Regarding the service — the two times that I’ve been, the bartenders/​waitstaff have been extremely friendly and have actually taken time to strike up a conversation with me. The ramen came out slowly on my first visit, but I had gone the day right after they had their grand opening, with half off drinks and the ramen.

This place sucks ass. with a straw!. MY RATING? MOCO GLOBAL DINING = 5 ASS SLURPEE’S!!!
My friends and I totaling a party of 15 were all very anxious to come try their «all you can eat + drink» deal for 30 bucks. and most of us were starving.
My friends had arrived first and had already ordered the first round– they all assured me «yea we ordered a LOT of food so wait for the first round to come first». so I sat patiently thinking id just drink some good ol sake while time passed by.
For our group of 15. they decided it was a good idea to bring out 1. ONE. UNO. small bottle of sake at a time! we filled our sake cups and ask for another. then another. …annnnd another. then we finally said to our waitress… ugh. aren’t you tired of walking? Isn’t it common sense to bring us MORE at a time? So they decided now we get 2!.. TWO!!! DUES! yay! IDIOTS!
After 20 minutes in– we decided since it takes that long for food to come out. I’m gonna order my 2^nd round. where I order at least a minimum of 24 pcs of sushi.
Another 20 minutes pass by and the first round comes out… tiny dishes of sushi came out. we probably got about 12 pc’s .which we gobbled up in 2 minutes.
another 10 minutes go by and we start asking um. why is the rest of the food taking so long? to which they say. «that’s all you ordered»… WHAT?!
From that point on we were completely fed up. we ordered a third round of food which was really. the second round of food. and TA DA! the food came out in 5 minutes. well. 2 dish of another 14 pcs.
It became a runaround of excuses. from telling us the system was broken. the sushi chef got the order mixed up to (there were 3 tables including us!). just saying we already got all the food we ordered. I mean are you kidding me? We had 15 people starving and they looked at us like we were all imagining this. its almost as if they were saying: NO WE DID A GOOD JOB– YOU GUYS ARE FULL. WE GIVE YOU THE CHECK NOW. –it seems Moco’s staff thinks each grain of rice is a pc of sushi?
This entire time we received no apologies… and honestly after an hour and change into this our asses did not want to wait any longer. we left and vowed never to return. I ended up grabbing a cheese steak across the street.
I’d normally vote to give any new restaurant a fighting chance but if I had to choose one that needs to be shut down. THIS IS THE ONE! (the last one I voted for –Carne Vale already closed down d (^.^)b)

LET’S PLAY YOU SAY, I SAY.
Ready…Go!
YOU SAY:
Welcome to Butai2
I SAY:
Nay. Your décor sucks. No comparison to the OG one.
You serve super cheap shit
YOU SAY:
AYCE sushi 5−10pm w/​2hr limit for $ 25
’No more’ after 1hr and 15pcs
I SAY:
You are sofa king we todd did
You serve super cheap shit (((DO I HEAR AN ECHO O O O O)))
YOU SAY:
Add wine/​sake for $ 30 (+$ 5 supp)
I SAY:
The cheap shit makes me get drunker faster. No Thanks.
You serve super cheap shit (((YOU U U U U U)))
YOU SAY:
Sushi selection good
I SAY:
Where is the hotate, uni, ikura? It’s not even offered on the menu.
You serve super cheap shit (((SERVE ERVE ERVE ERVE ERVE ERVE)))
YOU SAY:
Sushi fresh
I SAY:
The sushi rice wasn’t even served room temperature. It was COLD.
The only thing edible was the salmon and eel.
The saba and spicy tuna roll made me want to hurl.
Mike d. on crack rocks with his 5 star review.
You serve super cheap shit (((SUPER ER ER ER ER ER)))
YOU SAY:
Wasabi fresh
I SAY:
That shit looked like olive clay that’s been sitting around.
They should use that shit to spackle cracks in my wall.
You serve super cheap shit (((CHEAP EAP EAP EAP EAP EAP)))
YOU SAY:
Good service
I SAY:
It took 90min for my friend to get his order
You serve super cheap shit (((SHIT IT IT IT IT IT)))
YOU SAY:
Staff professional
I SAY:
The one with the mole on her face made Right Guard turn left.
I’d rather eat ass.
You serve super cheap shit (((*CRICKETS*)))
kthxbye
Total came out to $ 32 after everything
Note to self: General rule of thumb is any place in which you cannot see the cooked food anywhere, be skeptical. Very skeptical. They should have at least a sushi bar here where you can see the fish, but not even.

I’ve been here a few times since last summer and while the menu has changed a little bit, the drinks are still very good =) And where else does a trip to the bathroom turn into an adventure?

First let me say I love MOCO GLOBAL.
I love NOBU the Manager.
And I want to keep a solid sushi place in my hood.
I’ve been 2 times.
The Pulpo Cevice is solid, the sushi has been excellent.
NOBU turned me on to SHOCHO — they have a great selection of this Rice Spirit.
Sapporo on tap.
NOBU gave me free sochu both times I have been there, plus excellent advice on where to get Sochu and Sake in NYC.
HINT — SAKAYA.
I WANT THIS PLACE TO SUCCEED.
The menu is a bit funky I agree — order sushi, order drinks and forget the fusion part of this place.
Great Music as well — sit at the bar

If Gordon Ramsey ever does an episode of Kitchen Nightmares in New York, this should be his first stop.
Which is to say that Moco has one redeeming feature (a fantastic cook), and a bunch of things gone horribly wrong:
Décor: The sad, scavenged interiors of gone-​bust, flashy restaurants in the area. Gordon would strip it down, keep the nice, open layout, and fill the place up with simple, minimalist small tables and lots of chairs.
Location: God, Murray Hill. The locals here like cheesy faux-​Mexican food, and burgers. Horribly overpriced and incredibly dumbed down is the way to make it in this area. Think spring rolls and pitchers of Sake-​tinis…
Menu: The silly, large menu folded up into little squares says it all. A dozen completely mismatched, deliberately obtuse appetizers and entrees, then a giant page of sushi rolls. Really, the chef studied over 120 countries to make a bunch of tackily deconstructed Japanese dishes and bunch of Americanized sushi rolls? You can see the genius, but also the deep hatred behind the menu. The deep hatred, that is, that the chef must have towards whoever is forcing him to cook this contrived nonsense.
Examples:
«Nagoya» style chicken wings. Now, I’ve been to Nagoya and considering that the wings aren’t slathered in the only thing Nagoya is famous for, red miso, I can only conclude that there’s a joke in here. Culture-​less, industrial Nagoya=chicken wings cooked simply in oil, soy sauce, and salt and pepper?
The Moco Hawaiian «Hamburger». Turned out to be a deconstructed hamburger donburi, which is to say: strange tasting hamburger, cooked egg, and rice in a bowl.
Ricotta Gnocchi: delicious and very simple, and for 10 gnocchi for $ 16, very «overpriced new York restaurant». Sorry, I almost forgot, there was a smear of dried black olive ash on the side of the bowl.
Puffy Puffy: Actually pretty good. Probably the first thing to fit the attempted theme of authentic Japanese food with an American twist. Layers of fruit, chocolate, ice creams, and coco puffs, topped with cotton candy.
Whether I recommend this train wreck of a restaurant is of little consequence. The very furniture whispers to you, ‘I’ve been in a dozen failed, trendy restaurants and I’m going to be in a dozen more…”