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Momotaro Japanese Restaurant - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
46997 Warm Springs Blvd(between Francisco Ln & Shale Cmn)
Fremont, CA 94539
(510) 656-8518
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
37 reviews for Momotaro Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
"They added a lot of new rolls that were very tasty."
(in 4 reviews)
"The miso soup: wonderful."
(in 5 reviews)
"...is the Ninja roll and a close second is the spicy tuna roll."
(in 3 reviews)
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37 reviews in English
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Review from Peter L.
San Jose, CA
2/20/2009
My co-workers wanted to get some sushi so I came along with them. We went in and the place was pretty busy which is always a good sign. We take our seats at the bar and proceed to order.
I went ahead and ordered the Chirashi and for $13.95 it wasnt too expensive. It came in this two layered black serving dish, one part had the fish and the other had the rice.
The fish was really fresh! It came with 3 pieces of maguro/sake/hamachi, 2 pieces of tamago, a shrimp, 3 pieces of squid that had tuna stuffed inside, seaweed salad and the bed of daikon. It was a really fresh and had no complaints about it at all.
I cant comment on the other food my co-workers got but it looked like your standard bento boxes, nothing special. Another plus, the waitress was a cutie. I will be back when the sushi bug hits at work. -
Review from Young C.
Hayward, CA
Updated - 10/2/2008
Had another chance to go here last night.
It felt refreshing for me to go into a place which was familiar and already good. I was surprised to see that they had upgraded a few things. There's a new menu, new flat panel tv on the wall and some new art.
Just as I remembered before, the service and food were great. I think the owner must have a fascination with nice cars, because there's a few rolls which have unique names: M3 Roll, Lexus Roll. I'm thinking his dream is to drive these cars on Highway 50, since he has a roll named as much.
The one dish/bowl that stands out the most is the North/South Roll. It's served in a salad bowl and I think the roll itself might be a crispy roll (Hamachi & some kind of CA roll compote wrapped with rice & seaweed and fried in tempura batter) along with some extra crispy flakes of some more tempura batter in a little bath of flavorful juices. There's probably a better way to describe the dish, but that's the best I can come up with.
Still one of my top places to enjoy beer/sushi with friends.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Terrance M.
Las Vegas, NV
7/26/2008
This place is one of only a couple sushi spots in Fremont which are extremely clean.
We ordered a lot of their most popular rolls but my favorite two were the BSSR roll and the Heart Attack roll which included jalapeno and cream cheese.. YUM! Another item which was real good was the deep fried oyster. Very tasty stuff! I'm not a big fan of Uni at all but I did try it by request of my friend..... WOW! The only reason why I dislike Uni are from my experiences with other Sushi restaurants and having it taste reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally feeeeeeshy. The Uni here had a much fresher taste. Our waters were never empty and the service overall was great. NOMNOM -
Review from Brian S.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/21/2008 1 photo
Only had their 2 item bento lunch (chicken teriyaki and vegetable tempura - see the pic). Nothing too spectacular here, but the food is good - especially the vegetable tempura for me. Kinda wished the miso soup came with more tofu, but that's just me nitpicking. Overall solid place for lunch that's under the $10 mark for 2-item bento!
Service is very nice as well!
The free Korean gum in the end was a nice touch as well! -
Review from Esther A.
7/4/2007
This place is close to my fiance's house and location wise, I really didn't want to give it a try.
However we were very hungry one night and didn't feel like driving far nor did we want to resort to Taco Bell, Dennys or BK.
Once we got in we were welcomed with a warm greeting from the staff. The interior was really nice with cool paintings on the wall. (I really liked the 'fro picture)
Prices were pretty fair for the portions. I hate paying almost $15 for just vegetarian tempura, soup, salad and rice at other places.
We'll definately be back. -
Review from Kristina P.
Mountain View, CA
10/12/2007
Darn good sushi, about equal to its price.
My coworkers and I come here for a "little splurge" - going-away lunches or birthdays or especially something where the company is buying. It's not so extravagant that it makes Finance question the expense, but good enough that we feel like it's a treat.
I'm a spicy person, so I always order the Poki Roll or the Poki Deluxe - garlicky seaweed over a spicy tuna roll. The deluxe also has firm, luscious slabs of white tuna topping the roll. Sushi is an orgy of texture and taste and this is just what Dr. Ruth would order.
If you're with a group of four or more, try one of the deep-fried rolls like the 880 or 680. Crisp outside, warm rice melting on your tongue, and then the yummy center of tuna, salmon, and other goodness. Never order one of these just for yourself or for just two people - it's incredibly filling. Too much will make you overstuffed and groggy, but just a little is happiness itself.
The service is nowhere near as good as the food, but if you're there for a treat (and not in a rush) it's worth the wait.
Parking can be difficult at lunch (though it's better since Togo's closed) but you can always go around the corner or across the street. -
Review from Channon W.
CA
2/16/2007
My favorite sushi restuarant. Don't go here cuz ya'll hog up all the tables and we can't get fast service!! just kidding.
Even though the wait was somewhat long, the sushi is worth it. Great and friendly staff - they actually make you feel like you're part of their family.
If you're impatient, for realz...do not come here. With patience comes great food. (yeah yeah..u like that?? hahaha) -
Review from Mark W.
Fremont, CA
3/3/2008
Unlike some of the other establishments in the neighborhood, this place actually welcomes customers and knows what to do with them! What is it with most restaurants in this area? Most of them have no clue about service. Not here however -- the service could not have been better or more pleasant.
The food was good. The Himachie Lovers Roll was great. The salmon was good. The mackerel was good. The deep fried oysters were good. The miso soup: wonderful. The salads are great, love that miso dressing.
I'll be back for sure. This place is just simply comfortable. They have a very interesting assortment of innovative sushi rolls: Highway 680, Highway 880, the list goes on. -
Review from Mayank R.
Milpitas, CA
10/22/2008
Not a bad place to have some sushi. The service the the restaurant is nice and it's not too expensive.
I thought the Sashimi (Tuna and Salmon) pieces were a bit to chunky and did not taste very fresh compared to other places that I've eaten.
Haven't tried the rolls...so will go again for that. -
Review from Nate M.
Brooklyn, NY
1/31/2007
I love this place! The sushi is great and the servers are really friendly.
The menu is big enough so that non-sushi lovers can still have a good selection to choose from too! -
Review from Kevin S.
San Francisco, CA
3/5/2007
My family and I get takeout from here a lot and the food is usually pretty damn good. They've screwed up on a few orders and left out salads and stuff before but it's never been a huge problem. It can get pretty pricey (about 60+ for 4 people), but that isn't bad for dinner.
You usually get whaf you pay for, so if you like good sushi and decent teriyaki this place is for you. Oh and never get the sea urchin because it tastes like barf. -
Review from Pika C.
Fremont, CA
3/12/2009
We used to go here every weekend..I mean EVERY weekend...the lady was really nice and would always stamp our card and talk to us...then...we started going lesser because we were out of town and whatnot...so when we started going back again...she wouldn't be as friendly...and the tempura seemed refried..and the food just didn't taste so fresh...We were willing to overlook that because we liked her...and we thought maybe the food would get better over time..
But then...she stopped stamping our card..which isn't really a discount..you get like 3 bucks off of a lunch after you buy 10 or something like that..so they are not really losing that much...but she just wouldn't give it to us anymore...she said she used to give it to us bc we were special..but not anymore...
so her unfriendliness + the food getting worse + the not wanting to stamp our card anymore...was the final straw and we haven't been there ever since... -
Review from M T.
San Jose, CA
7/9/2008
I would have given it a higher rating, but two experiences that ended with disappointment and regret with having spent my money here have definitely caused me to change my mind, and thus leave you with this review.
After the first bad incident that was corrected with them giving us a replacement roll another time, we thought, maybe it was just a one-time mishap. However, now that it has happened twice, the only thing that seems to be consistent is their inconsistency to use bad parts of the fish for sushi.
Their fish *seems* to be fresh (it does not smell fishy), BUT it does not seem fresh in color and texture. Also, the main reason why I will not go back: the pieces of fish selected for their sushi rolls are of very low quality, especially the tuna (and sometimes yellowtail).
It may be hit or miss, whether you get good cuts of fish or bad cuts of fish, but no matter what, if there are bad cuts to begin with, it means the sushi chef(s) have no idea how to properly cut the fish and properly leave out the nasty parts.
Examples: One busy Saturday night, (take-out order) I got a roll with tuna fish that had blood embedded in its meat. And it was also extremely chewy and not tear-able with my teeth. The entire roll featured this meat. Really unappetizing.
Another problem: there was no salmon in this roll, when clearly, the menu indicated salmon was included. I called them about all this, and while they seemed to disregard what I said about the fish pieces being dirty and bloody by saying that fish color varies (okay, I know that, but that's not what it was!), they insisted that there WAS salmon in it... Anyway, they were nice and polite, and said they'd remake the roll for us next time. They did, and it was 100% better, which is really strange... So, bottom line is: they are inconsistent and sometimes use inedible parts of the fish, which is offensive... sushi should just not have those cuts of fish in it!
The other time (just this Wednesday nght), the fish was extremely chewy (again) in one of the rolls. When I took a bite of each piece, it seemed to be the cartilage part of the fish (rock hard on the inside)...? I don't know exactly what the hard part was, but it was really gross an inedible. I proceeded with removing all the tuna from that $10.95 roll and eating it with just the salmon and rice. The strangely discolored yellowtail in another roll tasted very strange and had an overly soft texture... those pieces also went in the trash pile. It was such a waste of the poor fish and a shock that the chef would still continue to choose such bad pieces for their rolls. That is why we have decided to not come back after this last incident.
Here are the pros... they improved their menus (now they look nice), and they have such creative sushi roll names... Also, one delicious roll, although quite expensive at $14.95, I never had a problem with (maybe because it's just salmon, shrimp, and avocado) is the Mission Peak Roll. I guess if you have to come here, order that. The Firecracker roll (also salmon) also did not disappoint, although it is less in quantity and deep fried, and now it costs $1 more than before ($6.95)... The atmosphere is pretty homey, and the customer service is generally good and friendly. They use fresh seaweed, avocado, and tempura shrimp. Good spicy mayo sauce.
In the end, the price is WAY too much for the inconsistent use of bad quality of fish / cuts of fish. This restaurant has SO MUCH POTENTIAL (of becoming a hit in Fremont AND in becoming a favorite), if they just use some good pieces of fish!! If they improve those two things, I'll be happy to return and reassess my rating. -
Review from Matthew B.
Fremont, CA
1/2/2009
I have been to many Sushi restaurants in my day and I have to say this is in my top 2. Although there is a place in Roseville that my friend tells me is awesome.
At any rate, Momotaro Sushi is one of my favorite sushi restaurants because it always has fresh fish, the service has always been good but sometimes not as attentive as I would like. But it is never hard to find the server if you need something as the place is quite small.
My favorite roll is the Ninja roll and a close second is the spicy tuna roll. I suggest you try them. The miso soup is better than average but I really enjoy getting the hirame here because as I mentioned before the fish tastes very fresh. You can't get sashimi from a place that isn't fresh. -
Review from Tony N.
Hayward, CA
12/24/2007
This is a Korean-owned establishment in a city where Koreans and Chinese practically own the restaurant business (to my knowledge, I don't believe there is a truly Japanese-owned sushi place within the Fremont city limits). I have a reputation among my friends of being somewhat harsh towards non-Japanese run sushi places - G_d knows there are plenty of mediocre sushi places in the East and South Bay. However, my impression is that the owner of this one is trying to "do it right" compared to some of the other non-Japanese run sushi places in the area.
Decent enough place, quiet as hell when I stopped in a couple of times during the early evening. Had some nigiri sushi and sashimi at the bar. The hirame was tasty, with just the right touch of the vinegary/lemony sauce that is usually prepared with it. Friendly chef and good service.
Prices and portions about par for nicer places in the south bay. Not especially outstanding, but not bad in my experience. I would go back... -
Review from Yurige G.
Palo Alto, CA
9/19/2008
Due to the [moment of truth] came, I GOT TO write this.
-- Introduction --
I usually do not want to write any negative comments. I'm busy. There are many good restaurants which I haven't written any reviews yet even
though I should have, due to -- As I wrote, "I'm crazily busy now." Good restaurants review I want to write are: CHAYA (San Francisco), Whole
Fish Company (San Francisco), Minako (San Francisco), Maruichi (Fremont or Milpitas), Ajisen (Fremont).
BTW I am JAPANESE, NOT Japanese-AMERICAN, like my husband who judges Japanese restaurant with [chicken teriyaki] [beef teriyaki] and [tempura], though I don't look like it.
Oh because I don't look like Japanese even though I AM Japanese, I got some problem before -- an employee in a Japanese restaurant in Daly City, owned by Japanese, complained of me and my husband IN JAPANESE, which I COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD WHAT THEY WERE SAYING because I AM Japanese.
Oops, I guess I got too excited remembering things happened before. Chill!
-- End of Intro --
So, Momotaro.
Me and my husband went there because my husband wanted to check this place out. As I wrote above, I am JAPANESE, therefore naturally can't be help being picky. But at the same time, I know how to enjoy [Japanese restaurant]-wanna be. As long as food is good and/or resonable, I enjoy them. Ex. Akagi (South San Francisco), Fuji Sushi Boat and Buffet (Davis).
We ordered $43 dinner set or something, which is for two people.
I found a [bug], stuck to the side of the bowl, just above the surface level of tempra sauce. It was a small bug, which got 6 or 8 (I did not count) tiny legs. I made sure that I was not hallucinating -- My husband recognized it as a bug too. I called the server, she said, she'll change it. We hoped she just didn't remove the bug and brought back the same tempura sauce to me.
Any way, what happened, is what happened. Therefore, we were expecting some kind of [apology], like Japanese often does. Something like, the owner of the restaurant comes to us and say [I'm so sorry. It will never happen again. So please accept this] and give us something OR discount for what we ordered OR totally free meal.
But it didn't happen.
They pretended like, [NOTHING HAPPENED.]
So we got PISSED.
So I ended up writing this.
If they somewhat appologized for the bug, I wouldn't be writing this.
Sincerity was missing.
Therefore, let me write this, in addition to the [bug] problem:
- Shiso was not fresh at all -- black-edged
- Chicken teriyaki was [steamed] and [orange-flavored sauce] on it -- Is this [Orange chicken] or what!?!? It may be called orange-chicken [teriyaki chicken]-wanna be!?!?
- Beef teriyaki was "fishy" tasting (??) like they marinated fish in the sauce. --This is my husband's comment.
- Gyoza was neither [steamed] nor [pan-fried]; usually the flat side is browned and crispy -- I wonder if the chef knew how. If you are
Japanese, you definitely know how.
(Following are not that important though, I'm complaining this much so what the heck, let me say this.)
- The gum that came with the check was Korean one.
- There are NO JAPANESE GUESTS. --As I wrote above, basically I don't care whether Japanese guests are there or not in the Japanese restaurants in this country, but just to warn people, IF YOU ARE JAPANESE and/or LOOKING FOR REAL JAPANESE-OWN RESTAURANT, Momotaro is NOT the restaurant you want to go.
Yes, the name of the restaurant, [Momotaro] is the folk story that I loved when I was a kid and I get nostalgic...;
Yes, this restaurant LOOKS LIKE real Japanese restaurant which serves real Japanese food;
But it's NOT.
Be careful. -
Review from Daniela A.
Fremont, CA
10/24/2007
I am kind of disappointed... this place is totally not as good as I thought it would be. I really loved the spacious interior of the restaurant, with its warm colored walls and cool paintings. When it comes to aesthetics, I thought this place was really cute and pretty cozy. The food, however, is not as charming. For one, a lot of the "house" and "special" sauces that they drizzle on their sushi are, basically, mustard and thousand island dressing. The HIghway 50 roll reminded me of a hot dog, actually. The ninja roll was pretty good except it had thousand island dressing on it. The cherry blossom roll was kind of fatty and lacking in flavor. There was one standout roll though that was really, really unique and very tasty, although I forgot what it was called. It started with a "C" and didn't have any rice. For someone who is staying away from carbs this would be complete heaven- a good sushi roll with crabmeat, avocado and wrapped with cucumber. I think it had unagi in it too. My friend and I both agreed that this roll was the star of our dinner. Everything else was ok, but not great. I'll come back give it another shot, though, I think. It's possible that I just didn't order the right thing.
Update: I have eaten at Momotaro's a couple of times since I reviewed it, and I am noticing that if you order the more traditional items on the menu (as opposed to the California-style rolls) the food is actually quite good. One thing I have noticed through this new discovery is that the fish at Momo's is really fresh, and they actually know how to cut fish properly. The sake sashimi is outstanding, the tekka maki (and sake maki) rolls are really good and the nigiri is great! Either I just ordered the wrong thing when I first reviewed this place, or Momo's has undergone dramatic change (and improvement!) Because of this, I am elevating my rating up to four stars. -
Review from Vicky L.
3/14/2007
The quality of there food here was definately taken a turn for the worst over the years. My family used to come here for their hamachi kama when I was younger. The quality of the fish isn't as fresh as it used to be and they've changed the menu after the original owners sold the place awhile ago. They now tend to bread and fry a bunch of rolls to mask the downgrades in quality.
Listed in: Places I Wouldn't Go Again!
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Review from Kymberli C.
Concord, CA
2/14/2007
I just came here on Saturday night, and they changed their menu. They added a lot of new rolls that were very tasty. Their hawaiian poke is really good. I've been here a few time for birthdays and the service was great but it was really busy on Saturday and they were really shorthanded, so we had long waits for everything. Other than that, the food is great and the staff is super friendly.
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Review from Kevin N.
Milpitas, CA
9/3/2008
this place is cool... the service is quick and attentive.
the sushi is fresh and tasty... the eels rice is really good if you ask them to bake it a little more. Try this place out and you will not regret it. -
Review from Jessica T.
San Jose, CA
12/28/2006
I went there for my 16th birthday. The caterpillar roll was cute and the other foods were opk, but my cousin told our waitress it was my birthday so she brought out a cup of ice cream for me singing happy birthda to me XD
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Review from Luan N.
5/22/2008
Came here for lunch with some co-workers. The wait to be seated isn't as bad as the wait to be served... replenished... and bill payment. That was one of my serious complaints. We had to flag down 2-3 waitresses before we were even helped. Sushi was aight. It wasn't remarkably fresh but it was ok. For a sushi joint its ok. You get rice, fish, wasabi, tea... Sushi of this caliber is really starting to run bland on me.
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Review from sammy z.
San Leandro, CA
7/29/2008
This is an average Japanese place to the core. it's not bad but it's not great. I've gone there a few times for lunch and ordered the bento box most of the time. Their portions are average, the prices are average and their service is average. Their 2 item bento is a good lunch deal at $8.95. I've tried the beef and chicken teriyaki which is decent. Their tonkatsu is a bit dry. Their tempera can be overfried but it taste pretty good. There are better Japanese places around but if it's convenient, I would come back again.
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Review from Peter L.
Milpitas, CA
2/19/2008
ate a bento box here once and did 2 takeouts here on some of the rolls. all three times, the food was excellent. service was good since we were the only ones there.
never been here during rush hour so, i dont know how the service would be.
on my last visit, there was a new hottie korean waitress though! -
Review from Jennifer S.
San Jose, CA
4/30/2009
Closed. Very tasty sushi. I'm sad. Come back! I used to come here for my sushi fix on weekdays for lunch because it was close to my work.
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Review from Dave C.
Los Angeles, CA
1/21/2010
I honestly can't stand eating at a sushi restaurant not run by Japanese. This place is run by Chinese which would be ok if the food was incredibly good. Unfortunately this place wasnt great. Chicken was bland and not marinated. Rolls were standard but nothing great to make me wanna come back. sorry
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Review from R T.
Fremont, CA
Updated - 3/26/2009
UPDATE: They've been evicted!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/14/2007
The food is ok. Prices are fair. Just overall a mediocre place.
I think its funny that they have art… Read more »
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Review from Bubba G.
Union City, CA
11/23/2008
The salad was okay, nothing special, just some iceberg lettuce with dressing. blah. Teriyaki beef can be described as beef jerkey with gravy. Ugh!
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Review from Dee H.
Oakland, CA
10/3/2009
Momotaro has closed and this place has now become another Japanese restaurant called washiku.
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Review from Josh T.
Fremont, CA
Updated - 4/27/2009
The place closed down! Drove by the other day and there's a "For Lease" sign on the front door. disappointing!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/6/2008
Overall, this place is pretty good. Service is good for the most part, but can be occassionally… Read more »
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Review from Jennifer D.
Sunnyvale, CA
Updated - 5/19/2009
Drove by yesterday on the way home from work.... for lease sign is not in the window, a couple weeks ago there was plastic over the windows, and last night there was someone working around in there.... hoping for yummy sushi to return.... (loses one star for being closed, I'm an optimist.) and will check it out again tonight...
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/16/2008
My favorite sushi place-- relaxing, well-priced, and of course good sushi. Been a regular customer… Read more »
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Review from Shannon R.
Fremont, CA
Updated - 4/13/2009
My goodness...they have closed...RIP Momo Sushi...we will miss you!!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/26/2009
This has been our hot local spot since we have been living in Warm Springs for nearly 6 years now.… Read more »
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Review from teresa b.
Milpitas, CA
9/24/2007
i havent ate here in a while...if i remember correctly, their sashimi bowls are very good...
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Review from Victor B.
San Francisco, CA
5/17/2006
the first sushi restaurant i ever went to. back then i fell in love with sushi instantly. now i look back and don't really think too highly of the place. it prob. needs a revisit for a rerating.
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Review from Kenny W.
San Jose, CA
9/21/2006
got a lunch sushi combo from here. needed to find a good local sushi spot in warm springs area. actually its been awhile since i been here and i have a hard time recallin whether it was good or not but if it was 4 stars or higher, i think i woulda came back again. it isnt cheap either.
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Review from Tejas D.
Fremont, CA
Updated - 3/20/2009
Really sad to see Momo close. Hope they reopen somewhere close by.
Listed in: The Places I Go Out
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/24/2008
I have to admit I am biased about this place ! I eat here once a week. And it always feels like I… Read more »
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Review from Maiko D.
Fremont, CA
1/25/2010
This is just ok Japanese Restaurant. Presentation is poor, and I felt really expensive with that food quality. If you go here, just go to Sushimaru in Milpitas which is a couple miles away from this restaurant.
