Morimoto Maui

This was an experience that I will always remember. I’ve wanted to eat in a Morimoto’s restaurant for probably 10+ years and it was worth it. We got the Omakase, 7 courses of the chefs choice. Eat one unique and a delight. The house sake is a must as well.

Alright, so we really enjoyed our meal — every bite. It was great. But if we had it to do over again, would we come here? Probably not.
We went to Morimoto Waikiki a few years back and really enjoyed it. Everything was phenomenal, including the location, portions, etc. This wasn’t quite the same. It was really good, don’t get me wrong! But not quite the same.
We got the hamachi tacos and pork belly as appetizers. They were both great. But the portion sizes were VERY small. The pork belly was probably ¹⁄₃ of the size of what we got at Morimoto Waikiki. I wasn’t as into the hamachi tacos (the taco flavor kind of overpowered the hamachi), though my husband loved them. The pork belly was awesome, though, like I said, really small (about 1 bite for each of us, not including the congee).
For our entrees, my husband got the sushi combo, and I got the chirashi sushi. The fish was phenomenal, of course. On par with all the other great sushi we’ve had in other coastal areas. The chirashi sushi had a great presentation with lots of bite-​size bits, which I really enjoyed. The inclusion of a few pickled veggies was a great punctuation to the meal. My husband had a beautiful assortment of sushi, a spicy tuna roll, 8 nigiri, and a shrimp poundcake (? cool!). It was all awesome, though we’ve had sushi that was on par and a lot cheaper. I hate to even say that as this was so phenomenal and we had a fun night there — but it’s true. We’ve been lucky to have a lot of great sushi and this measured up but did not exceed that standard.
The location is interesting… it’s in a hotel. Not like «Oh the door is on the outside of the hotel,» but a «you must enter the bowels of the hotel» sort of thing. This means it’s right on the water which is great, but it also feels like you are part of the hotel environment which cheapens it a bit. Also, valet parking only (unless you park in the beach parking next door and hop over into the lot… like we did. Hey we’re from Montana! It’s how we roll!)
Overall, a great night and fun experience, but I dunno that we would repeat it, and lacking consistency from other restaurant location.

Overall, generally disappointed. I expected to be wowed and finally have an excellent meal in Hawaii but, didn’t happen.
I started with the hamachi tacos which were recommended by the waiter and, I’ve had better and much lower rated restaurants. They were completely eh.
Next course I had the Japanese uni nigiri and the tobiko nigiri — both were excellent. The uni was so good I ordered another but the second time they brought me the Santa Barbara uni — I didn’t feel like bothering sending it back so ate it but, it wasn’t nearly as good.
For my main course I had the «duck duck goose» which was mixed — some parts were great (the duck fried rice) and others were. .. eh (the actual duck — the breast was rubbery and fairly flavorless, the confit leg was again, just okay with not much flavor). The little soup that came with it had a nice broth but nothing spectacular.
For dessert I had the donuts — the donuts were good, not great, and the sauces were all horrible.
Service was good when it was good but it was spotty. They weren’t terribly busy but we waited a good 20 minutes before they came to take our main order (they had taken our appetizer order and we wanted a little more time to decide what else we wanted but 20 minutes was excessive). So, overall, there were a couple of bright spots in an overall average meal.

I hesitated to go at Morimoto seeing some bad reviews but i was surprised, the food was really good and the service amazing. We ordered many kind of Nigiri/​sashimi, everything was great, I love sushis and i’ve tried hundred and hundred places in my life all around the globe especially in Japan and Morimoto is a pretty good one! Flavors were interesting, i personally loved the Oyster foie gras and the doughnut dessert.

We had been eating and loving sashimi all week in Maui so we were excited to try Morimoto’s Maui. The sashimi plate was presented nicely but the raw fish did not taste fresh, some of selections tasted off.
I had casually mentioned to the server that I was interested in trying raw local fish like amberjack and snapper but the chef’s daily sashimi selection did not include any of these types. The server had an opportunity to inform us before hand and chose not to.
For entrees I ordered a seafood stew dish with lobster, crab, scallops, and some other non-​memorable white fish. This dish was overcooked turning the texture of the seafood elements into something resembeling old rubber tires. The broth for the stew was too salty and the spice overpowering. This caught me off guard because I ordered the dish specifically for the advertised salt and spice but the taste of this broth had me wondering whether the chef had tasted the dish once during the night of service. No balance to it whatsoever.
The other entrée was ginger-​soy glazed black cod but it should be renamed soy-​drenched/​drowned black cod. While there was nothing offensive about the flavor (unlike the fish stew), the fish was just soaked in the a soy reduction (where was the ginger?) and as a result you couldn’t appreciate the flavours of the black cod.
We did enjoy the green bean side dish and for desert we ordered beignets that came with a very good apple banana sauce. The highlight of the night.
While the food was extremely dissapointing what guaranteed this review a 1 star was the service. Frankly it just felt like are servers were ready to leave and go home before we even sat down at 8pm. We sought some initial direction on what to order and received the generic reply «everything is good». There was no effort to learn about our pallets or to inform us about some of the more satisfying dishes. When I told the server we were dissapointed in the Sashimi, he hid from us the rest of night. He did not ask once about how entrees I think because he knew that they were treated poorly.
Morimoto has a tremendous reputation as a chef but after that experience I will be hard pressed to ever seek out one of his restaurants again.

Hands down the BEST place to eat in Maui its expensive but worth every penny! We did it tapa style so we can try different things! We got Toro Tartare $ 29 which is amazinggg it comes on ice with different sauces! Ishi Yaki Buri Bop $ 39 which was awesome they cook it on a hot stone bowl right at your table! Pork Gayoza $ 18 which came with bacon foam on top! What!? Hamachi Tacos $ 16 you can pass on that :) absolutely amazing from the atmosphere to the food don’t miss out! It’s at the Hyatt Andaz hotel!

great atmosphere and location. Although menu looks fantastic the food overall not at par of what you would expect from morimoto. They have fabulous Ingredients, but most of their entrees are salty and over seasoned. Tried about 10 dishes, salty, except the sushi since you control how much soy sauce you use. Also the weighter kept pushing for the 9 course meal and when I asked about sake she referee to the most expensive one. I’m glad all they care about it maximizing profits. The beer phenomenal. Overall I felt I burned several hundred dollars for the food.

Celebrated my birthday dinner here. I loved it! It lived up to its expectations! We started with edamame which was a really good way to begin our meal. We had the kakuni for an appetizer — it was SO GOOD!!! The pork belly was cooked just right, it melted in our mouths. We also got the shrimp tempura roll which was great, as well. For our entrées, we had the chef’s combination sashimi with side sushi rice and the 8 oz tajima wagyu filet. The steak came with a sweet onion and garlic jus which was just the perfect touch! It was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had. Overall, it was a great experience and I can’t wait to go back.
My favs — kakuni, shrimp tempura, and tajima wagyu.

Not hard to see that people ordering random dishes might give less stars but EVERYONE who goes for the omakase has no regrets!
I was there on Valentine’s day (aww so romantic) and did the 10-​course omakase v-​day special menu. We had a 5:30 seating which was perfect. Not too crowded when we started, but definitely by the end when the restaurant was filled, food was coming out slower and was getting a bit hectic. Also, sunset was at about 6/6:15 so that was amazing to see!
Drink: get the Morimoto Daiginjo!!! Sooo amazing I would buy a case for home, but sadly they only serve it at his restaurants. The smaller size comes in a cute little flask, but we quickly upgraded to a full bottle (750 mL wine size) and had no issues finishing that off as well, between 2 of us.
Service: really good. Restaurant got loud so was hard to hear but fine.
Ambience: perfect. The seating is a little awkward but we got over it, focus on the meal and most importantly who you are there with :) oh yeah the view is amazing also. This is only for parties of 2 since they will seat you close together with another pair.
Food: holy cow. Don’t know where to start. Love all the flavor combinations (cucumber cilantro sorbet with gin), something you can’t get anywhere else, maybe only with other geniuses like David Chang.
Have to admit that the sushi itself was really good but not the highlight, at this pricing I would expect fatty tuna and uni but we got medium fat tuna and no uni.
Highlight was the vegetable and chicken tempura in the anchovy paste/​oil dipping sauce. Amazing presentation and flavor.
Also the A5 wagyu beef. Holy cow– do not miss this!
Duck breast was also ridic. Served rare and the best I’ve had.
There was a dessert that was so beautiful the whole restaurant (especially the women haha) craned their knecks and stared as it was being served. A round ball of white chocolate with gold sprinkles on top filled with red velvet layer cake. They drizzled it with fresh melted chocolate at the table and I was in heaven. Their other dessert (olive oil bread) was beautifully presented as well and a great light flavor. Did not expect to get WOW’d like that with the desserts. Also these desserts (along with most of the other courses) were not offered on the regular menu. Again go big or stay home.
It was weird to me that nobody else seemed to order the omakase. We saw so many tables come in for a couple of dishes and leave. Why so soon? Where else could you possibly want to be?!
Another comment is that we noticed the servers acknowledging a special occassion (like a bday or anniversary) but no freebies given. Why is this a complaint? Try Red Robin– free sundae AND they sing!

The quality of the sushi and sashimi here makes me drool just remembering. We came in for lunch on Feb 13^th.
The bartender was amazing. My son wanted something tropical and obviously booze free and he whipped up an amazing spritzer for him. I am a fresh ginger fanatic and had more than one Molokini Mule… best drink I’ve had on the island, ever.
I’ve never had gyoza served in bacon foam before. It was a real treat, and I loved cracking it in the center like a crème brûlée. For entrees, I chose the Chef’s sashimi, and we also had some rolls, ramen and a sandwich. The quality and presentation of the sashimi was incredible. Everything was very, very good.
It was nice to sit inside, it’s tranquil, quiet and very well air conditioned. You’re away from the madness of the pool and have an ocean view.
Free valet parking at the Andaz (tip, of course). It’s lovely to get a view of this beautiful hotel, but be prepared for a bit of a hike.

Solid 4 stars. We did not stay at the Andaz but wanted to check out the hotel so decided to go to Morimotto. Saw the Luke warm reviews on Unilocal and trip advisor and I was worried. Read the reviews seemed like most complained about the prices so decided to walk in and forget about the price tag. Order dishes recommended by the server such as the signature dish hamachi tartar, the red miso seafood dish, steam king crab legs in spicy mayo, a few nigiri — all were fresh and excite the taste buds. The fav of the night is the uni carbonara! Delish! Corkage is $ 35. Waive if buy a bottle.

Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it’s a celebrity chef. Does it meet the hype? YES! Went today for a valentine’s lunch for our family. Nice setup at the Andaz, not too over the top or large resort, simple and elegant. The restaurant fits in perfectly. Service was top notched and the food was excellent. Started with two appetizers: rock shrimp and the gyoza. Both were tasty and well prepared, the gyoza has the bacon infused foam. For entrees had the Mori Christo which was Hamachi in a sandwich perfectly deep fried with shoestring fries. Great unique choice. Shared a 20+ piece sashimi combination and it was excellence. Very good salmon and tuna pieces. Ended with the spider roll which was simple and the crab was perfectly fried. Would definitely go back. It’s a special treat so keep that in mind.

Been here twice, once last May 2015 during Restaurant Week and once a few weeks ago for lunch.
Both times were amazing and the views are incredible; sat outside both times and during the evening, the atmosphere is romantic and intimate and during the day, it’s a beautiful getaway next to the pool.
This review is primarily geared towards lunch since it’s most recent:
We were seated right next to the pool and it wasn’t distracting even though there were plenty of guests using it.
Things we ordered:
hamachi tacos (super good, it comes with two so it’s a splurge appetizer)
pork gyoza (very cool because of the bacon foam and it comes with four)
Ishi Yaki Buri Bop (cooked at the table, so it’s fun to watch and it was really good. If you have a big appetite, go ahead and get starters but this was filling on its own)
Chirashi Sushi (a sushi lover’s dream, this was also filling and delicious)
Shrimp Tempura Roll (great! Nothing special just a must whenever I go anywhere that has it)
The road to matcha & malasadas were our desserts and these are the best malasadas in Wailea.
Overall, it’s a lovely atmosphere with delicious food.
Highly recommend for both lunch and dinner.

3 of us went to Morimotos for dinner. When I made the reservation the hostess asked if there was a Special Event which I answered with yes as it was my wife’s birthday. They took it no farther than that about the Special Event. The hostess did not acknowledge my wife’s B-​day nor did our server so I don’t know why they asked in the first place.
Dinner was fantastic! Small portion but none the less great presentation & flavors.
We had the Chef sushi app, came with a different sauce for each piece of fish.
Fresh Upon noodles with Uni, great as well.
Angry Chicken, Fried Whole Fish & Seafood Stew. All terrific…
We were so happy with dinner that a week later we went for lunch with a couple of friends… It was less than good, two meat dishes overcooked, lobster roll was inedible & the Chichen flatbread was minus Chicken…
Seems like hit & miss…
To bad!

Only «good» sushi. Very! poor service. Lots of staff, none with responsibility.
Overcharged two dishes on bill & added 20% gratuity when it was not deserved. Other places near by, a far better choice.
When you pay top dollar, expect better.

Morimoto is fine dining at its finest!
Always a must on our dining plans for a romantic dinner.
Everytime, it has always been a good experience except for last night, which knocks them down a star.
Maui, Hawaii is known for it’s beautiful sunset sky. As my fiancés birthday celebration, of course i wanted him to have the best of everything. Best seat, best service and of course best view.
So knowing that Morimoto is a hot spot, i made reservations on Open Table with a dictated request for a front seating. Granted, i know that a request is no guarantee but they could have done a better job.
So we weren’t late for our reservation, of the bat, the snooty little hawaiian chick and maybe hispanic chick hostess already had this sour face when checking us in. So i checked in with the hawaiian girl and remind her of my outside seating request. Then the Hispanic girl took the ticket & walked us into an inside table. UHM OKK, so i tell her i requested for an outside table. She tells the hawaiian girl and got another ticket. So she walked us outside and seated us at the stupidest 2 person table in the middle of the patio where my fiancé was facing me so he could not enjoy the sunset!!! And please note there were 4 person tables along side the patio to enjoy the sunset and had only couples sitting in those tables so it wasn’t like they were reserving those for people of only parties of 4. There were at least 4 empty ones
So i requested to move again, they refused to move us until i was so upset that i was «accidentally» rude to our server Dustin because i was not happy. (Which i later apologized about) he was so nice to make sure to move us to a 4 person table. Although it was the only 4 person table left and at the end of the patio, at least my fiancé didn‘t break his neck trying to watch the sunset.
So moral of the story: we made a reservation for a reason. I get that request are not guaranteed but at least try to accomodate us as much as they can especially if it was a celebration of some sort. I mean, we are expending quite some money eating there, i should at least have the seat i want.
I didn’t appreciate the hostess’ attitude either. First Bad experience in Maui, not the traditional hawaiian hospitality that we are used to.
SERVICE: Our server Yuko was amazing! Attentive, sweet, and accomodating. She made everything better after that horrible ordeal. She even gave us 2 free champagne. I had a shot of vodka to calm my nerves down.
FOOD: amazing as always and just as i remember everytime i go there. This time, we had 2 toro sushi and 2 albacore sushi. For appetizer: we had the kakuni and sea urchin carbonara. Both were amazingly delicious. KAKUNI is to die for as it is a 10 hour braised pork belly sitting on rice congee. YUMMMM!
For our entrees: we ordered the wagyu beef and duck duck goose. Fiancés favorite was the wagyu of course but mine was the duck. OMG! If you love duck, this is it for you. Duck rice confit with foie gras! Wow, wow, wow! Melts in my mouth. Oh and i’m a big rice person lol
Dessert: donuts donuts donuts!!! Comes with 3 sauces: waialua chocolate, sake caramel, ‘apple banana’ cheesecake! To die for!

Don’t be cheap. Allow yourself to enjoy this. Don’t look at the prices. Fast for two days after if necessary. You won’t regret it. We went in with the intention of playing it safe with a prix fixe restaurant week menu, but things escalated quickly as soon as we opened the holy bible (the Morimotos menu).
We started with hamachi tacos and bone marrow to go with a sake flight. The bone marrow was a life changing experience. Don’t ask questions; just enjoy it. It has a panko crust to add crunch to the texture. The tacos were fish tacos but they were like butter inside a tortilla. The sake flight was 4 different distinctive varieties. One sweet, one dry, one with a sambuca-​like flavor, and one special reserve that was just super smooth.
I had the seafood toban yaki at the recommendation of our server, and it was the right decision. The flavors of the lobster, king crab, mussel, clam
diver scallop, and red miso sake broth coalesced into a tidal wave of rich flavors. I didn’t care how formal the place was, I drank that goddamn broth when I was finished.
My friend had the sashimi selection, which gave my dish a run for its money. You just have to look at those generous cuts of devastatingly fresh fish to know that your life won’t be the same again after you cross that rubicon of high quality consumption.
My other friend had the ishi yaki buri bop: yellowtail on rice cooked at your table in a hot stone bowl. One of my favorites from the Honolulu location. The aromatics are a joy for the whole table as the food runner (I am not doing them justice with that term) goes into tremendous detail around the origin, selection, and interaction of the ingredients.
We are American men, so we had steak for dessert. As the 8 oz Wagyu filet was delivered on the hot skillet with the sweet onion/​garlic au jus, a sense of urgency overtook the table. Forks descended upon the red hot hunk of cast iron at a frantic and torrid pace. We laid waste to the sashimi-​like slices of perfectly marbled filet like Norsemen sacking a village. We chewed when necessary, but the god-​like texture of the literally sacred cow allowed us to swish at times.
Was it 3 times as much as I usually pay for dinner? Yes. Was it way more than 3 times better quality? You bet your ass it was!

Absolute best meal in Maui. You MUST go here! Highly highly recommended for lunch.
I’ve been to Maui a number times, and was SO excited that Iron Chef Morimoto opened a restaurant here a year or so ago. I was expecting fresh sushi – I got that… and so much more!
Let’s start with the food, the most important part.
–Mori Cristo ($ 19) — once you have this, you will subsequently crave it. This is Morimoto’s take on a Monte Cristo sandwich. Yellowtail, avocado, aioli, in a brioche roll – then tempura battered – with a herb soy sauce dipping sauce… and a runny egg on top. The way to eat it is letting the yolk run into the sauce, then dipping the sandwich into the yolk/​sauce mixture. After raving about and hyping up this sandwich to my new husband, he tried it months later and said it is one of the best sandwich he has ever had in his life – THAT’S saying something! Comes with fries, house made ketchup, and pickled Asian veggies – these are fantastic too. (Side note: If you’re ever in Vegas, you need to go to Yonaka’s, and try their foie gras sandwich. This comes close.)
–Assorted sushi — very fresh, and large slices of fish. No gobs of rice filler here! They put real wasabi inside the sushi – just a warning for those who are like me and hate wasabi, to ask for it on the side only! Hubby loved the real wasabi – that’s how you know it’s a quality sushi restaurant.
–Miso Lobster Roll — decent, but pass on this. Miso flavor is not prevalent. Good amount of lobster, but this is a cold lobster salad type roll. Having spent 1.5 years on the East Coast, I prefer warm lobster rolls with just while lobster claws and butter. Comes with fries, house made ketchup, and pickled Asian veggies – these are fantastic.
Appetizers are ALL good. Really good, actually.
–Spicy King Crab Legs — it is actually very spicy, and tasty. Sauce has fish roe in it, for a nice texture contrast. Portion is not huge, but it’s good to share with 2 people. I also like that the meat is so readily accessible – don’t worry, you won’t need to get messy.
–Pork Gyoza — I didn’t get this the first time because gyoza just seemed so normal – but this is far from normal, and just delectable! The gyoza here sits atop a savory tomato jam, covered by bacon foam and a crispy cheesy cracker. Not your typical gyoza, and so tasty you’ll want to eat the whole thing by yourself.
–Rock Shrimp — Morimoto’s take on buffalo wings, served 2 ways, covered with a wasabi aioli and covered with a Korean hot sauce (gochujang), served with ranch dressing and celery sticks. These are not very spicy – they’re just tasty. I do not like wasabi at all, but the wasabi aioli here is not strong, and the flavor is good.
Dessert:
Everyone talks about the malasadas here – and there’s a reason why! They come with a salted caramel dipping sauce, that I could just drink up. So good. Malasadas are a Hawaiian-​Portugese version of a beignet, or cinnamon sugar donut hole. Morimoto’s has the best malasadas I’ve ever had. (Side note: Pass on the malasadas at Ka’ana Kitchen upstairs in the Andaz.)
Drinks:
I don’t prefer alcohol, so as for non alcoholic drinks, they have a good sparkling POG with a cute garnish. The winning drink is a sparkling strawberry lychee Calpico concoction – which is pretty and slightly sweet but still refreshing.
Service:
The service was consistently fantastic every time (yes, it’s so good I had to go here multiple times :). The manager, Jelana, is so nice and accommodating, whether it was just me and a friend or me and my husband, or a lunch party of 22 people. We had our rehearsal luncheon here, and Jelana arranged a fantastic menu for us, complete with our names printed at the top of each custom menu. Wedding planner said that she was the best person to work with.
Besides being a foodie and trying out so many good restaurants the other times I’d been to Maui, my wedding planner and I had a separate trip to try out practically all potential spots for the purpose of our luncheon, and Morimoto’s was hands down the best choice on the island. Beats Mama’s by far in terms of food and service, however the location is not the best – there’s an ocean view but it’s slightly blocked by the outside bar, and it’s right off the pool. Luckily the Andaz is not as much of a kid friendly hotel, and otherwise Maui is big on honeymooners, so the pool-​restaurant ambiance isn’t too bad.
Love this restaurant, and I am so happy it didn’t let me down with the big name, unlike some other food network chefs’ restaurants. The pricing is nowhere near what I would have expected for this quality and creativity of food. Best sandwich ever is only $ 19 – compared to a lame-​o lobster grilled cheese at the adjacent poolside bar for $ 24 – it’s a no-brainer…Morimoto’s has the BEST LUNCH in Maui!
TIP: Dinner does not have all the hot food options that I listed above (dinner menu is more sushi), so be sure to try out the lunch

Fantastic dining experience at the Andaz Wailea. We were in the mood for sushi and saw that Morimoto actually had pretty reasonable sushi prices and was ocean front. We arrived at 5:30 when they open and were seated outside facing the ocean.
The one issue to be aware of is that Morimoto is literally surrounded by two pools. One large pool and an infinity pool, both of which had loud kids and adults in them which can affect the ambiance if your trying to have a quiet dinner. We opted to stay outside and it did quiet down after sunset.
Our waiter Terry arrived and greeted us. We ordered some drinks and he explained the menu and specials. We started with the pork gyoza. 5 dumplings with bacon foam, very good. We also had the Kakuni, a 10 hour braised pork belly. This was an excellent dish that was presented beautifully. The belly was tender and delicious.
For our entrée we ordered several different sushi rolls and nigiri. Although they offer many entrees (priced much higher) we were never pressured to order anything expensive. The sushi and maki rolls were excellent, all reasonably priced for being in a Maui hotel. The service througout the dinner was amazing. Terry checked on us during each course and made sure our drinks were always full. He was a great server and we enjoyed talking with him. Morimoto also makes their own soy sauce which was delicious.
The food, service and views made this a fantastic dining experience. Watching the beautiful Maui sunset while enjoying a drink and sushi will not soon be forgotten. We will definately return when back in Maui.

We went to Morimoto on the second last night of our honeymoon. I ordered the omakase, my husband shared it with me and ordered several small dishes,
we had:
spicy tuna roll and spicy salmon roll — ⁵⁄₅ both were delicious
Braised black cod — ⁵⁄₅ another winner
omakase — ⁵⁄₅ each course was creatively prepared and beautifully plated. Some standout dishes were the vegetable /​olive oil and anchovy paste fondu.
The duck in the surf and turf and turf
chef Morimoto’s specialty sushi roll.
the corn chowder that had the consistency of gelatine.
We had one of the in house sake’s. It was $ 26 for a medium carafe and it was fantastic.
Morimoto’s is not cheap, though the sushi options are quite reasonable. Both my husband and I agree this was the best meal I had on my honeymoon.