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Mora Japanese Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
820 W Foothill BlvdUpland, CA 91786
(909) 608-1668
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 10 am - 10 pm
Sun 10:30 am - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
About This Business:
Thank you for considering Gyu-Kaku, Rancho Cucamonga. Please call us if you'd like additional information or to make reservations. We look forward to… read more »
74 reviews for Mora Japanese Restaurant
Review Highlights
"I always dine on the teppan side and have never been..."
(in 8 reviews)
"It was a shrimp tempura roll topped with fresh water eel..."
(in 5 reviews)
"Great service, great lunch bento box."
(in 6 reviews)
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74 reviews in English
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Review from Mark Darren W.
Los Angeles, CA
1/31/2012
I have to say this was not the place I intended to go. Actually couldn't find the other restaurant and we settled on this one.
I'm glad I did.
A lot of Asian restaurants like this try and capture the BeniHana's appeal factor. Lot's of flamboyant cooking with food better left for... well... let's just leave it at "left" as in "I left." I'm not a fan of BeniHana's food. So I didn't have high expectations at all.
Well I didn't leave Mora's.
Not only was the cook whipping that shrimp across the grill like it had came home with bad grades, he made the fried rice actually taste like "fresh" fried rice and not rice that taste like it's construction grade material. It was spiced very nicely with just enough heat to let you know your circulatory system is functioning properly.
I'm not big on noodles or vegetables, but I gotta tell you, those were just as good as any I ever tasted my mother make. She would probably look at me funny, but hey you're talking about a kid who flushed her Brussels Sprouts down the toilet til she got the hint. Got a spanking for that, but I painfully made my point.
The service.
The service at Mora's was great. I never had to eyeball the room looking for our waiter. He kept our glasses full and was very attentive. Maybe cause he was the owner's son who still had to go home and do his studying. That's rare because most owners kids who are helping in their parents restaurants have attitudes and waiting tables is not the best "job" for them - or so they think. (I write that with a humorous smile).
But service is always subjective. Certainly from reading some folks complaints that don't match expectations - I wouldn't hold this against them. Just go. Enjoy the decor, enjoy the atmosphere and if you're there when it's Karaoke Night, jump in or cover your ears. There are no American Idol contestants found there. lol
I love Mora's and will be going again. -
Review from Alexandra M.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
1/31/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place is always a good time. Great food & entertainment. The chefs are always comical & definately join in on the fun. I usually order the shrimp & rice combo, portion size is always enough.
Dont forget to order a saku bomb, and bang ur chopstix away.
The only reason I give it a four, is I think its a bit over price. Try at least once, if ur feeling fun & hungry :) -
Review from Sol S.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
1/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Can't speak for the service really. Got my food to go. Lady who took my order was pleasant though. Decor is...colorful. My rating has nothing to do with any of these things, but thought I'd mention it.
Got an order of fried rice, miso soup, dragon roll, special mora roll, and some
Uni.
Fried rice and miso was typical - no better or worse than any other teppan place. Rice was ok - a little heavy on the soy sauce. Very comparable to any other teppan restaurant in the area. Miso was same - typical fare.
Before I get into the sushi, I'd like to caveat that sushi is supposed to be, in part, a visual experience. However, in most teppan restaurants, this doesn't end up being the case. I'm totally fine with that and think that sushi coming from a typical teppan place can still be plenty tasty. But it does make rating it a little difficult.
The Uni was good - sweet and briny and creamy. The roll wasn't cut well though. The seaweed was cut raggedy and wander tightly rolled. Still, just as good as most other places.
The Dragon Roll was good - eel and avocado is always a good combination. Rice was slightly sweet. Not rolled as tightly as it should have been. It was also cut in inconsistent sizes. Otherwise, it was fine.
I liked the Moro Special Roll best. Still some presentation problems, but tasty and the fish and roll were baked which gives it a nice texture.
Moro is a good place for typical EXTREME style sushi with large portions and complicated rolls. -
Review from Helen H.
Riverside, CA
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
My friends took me here for my belated birthday celebration. Mora is an awesome place for teppan yaki and sushi. We sat that a teppan yaki table, but were able to still get sushi rolls. I would love to sit at the sushi bar the next time I'm in town. Service was superb and very attentive with our waiter constantly refilling our waters.
They have a very interesting way of celebrating birthdays at Mora.. let's just say, it'll be a while before I show my face there again.Listed in: Sushi, Sushi, Everywhere!
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Review from Ritika P.
Claremont, CA
1/15/2012
Sometimes, the service can be a little weird
Hendra is the best Teppan chef here -- he keeps us coming back. -
Review from Monica M.
Upland, CA
12/31/2011
Where to start....?
I went for lunch today, and as soon as we came in, the couple in front of us got a choice to be seated either in the sushi room or the teppan room. When it was our turn to say where we'd like to eat, the hostess/waitress said "teppan right? right?" I kept saying no, because I wanted sushi, so I kept saying the sushi room, but she kept saying "teppan! teppan! we have special offer!" I stood my ground and kept saying sushi, and I guess my frustration showed because she then said "oh honey, you can sit wherever you like!" ...Uh yeah, you weren't letting me...
We are then seated in the infamous sushi room and promptly given menus (No AYCE). The same waitress (by the by, she was a 60 yr old with more make up on than a geisha, and her hair was bigger than my entire head) then leaves. So my friend and I are looking over the menu, and the roll selection (kind of small for a sushi room, but good enough regardless). Like 10 minutes go by, and more people are coming in, being seated, being served water, given menus etc. So far, we don't see our teppan-loving waitress and her big hair anywhere.
She then magically appears and asks us what we'd like to drink. We say water. She then disappears again. Soooooo we're just sitting there, watching everybody get a waiter/waitress, getting their waters (I was dying of thirst.) Suddenly, a random waitress appears, and she asks us if we're ready, so we order udon, 4 rolls, a handroll and edamame to start off. She reads back our order, and leaves.
A solid 15 minutes passes by (no water still, by the way), no edamame, no rolls, no puffy-haired waitress. Did I mention that EVERYBODY (there was at least 7-8 tables full of people) had their water and food before us, and they came in after we sat?
Random waitress brings out the salt-covered edamame, but no water. Well, half-way through the edamame, the salt makes me even more thirsty. Did I forget to mention that the MANAGER was walking around us the entire time, making jokes with every other table, but ours? Anyway, I finally flag down our geisha waitress and ask her if we can have some water. She says "you have no water?" and her face goes from super-happy-fun to severely scary lady. She quickly brings us cups full of ice and water....more ice than water. But hey, I figured after that, she'd be on top of her shit when it came to our waters....How wrong was I...
My friend's udon soup came out first. By first, I mean that from the time we were seated until the time she got her udon, it'd been more than 30 minutes. No sign of any rolls though.
Like 20 minutes go by, and then 2 rolls come out: the volcano and the baked lobster. The lobster roll was good, but it was DROWNED in sauce, and the volcano lacked flavor, and eel is usually very flavorful. I'm halfway through my water, by the way, but nobody once came to check up on us.
When the last roll was served (I don't recommend it; I forget the name, but it had seriously strong vinegar-coated onions on top and spicy tuna inside), I had no water at all in my cup. I put it on the edge of the table, and the manager looked at it like 4 times...waitresses came and went, and nobody refilled my cup. Our puffy haired waitress was nowhere to be found. I even obnoxiously and loudly said that I was out of water, shook the ice cubes, and nothing. Finally, our MIA waitress heard my ice cubes and poured me some water...I knew I should drink it slow and enjoy it, because I probably wouldn't get another refill in the next 40 minutes.
After we were done with all the rolls, we still had a rainbow handroll and an avocado roll that we were waiting on. 20 minutes went by, and nobody stopped by our table to clean our plates, or give us our rolls. The sushi chefs kept looking at us, the people sitting at the bar kept looking at us, the manager kept walking by, but we were invisible. I finally had to flag down a random waitress for our check.
After how PAINFULLY slow and inadequate the service was, I must point out how RAPIDLY our check was brought to our table...
I was expecting them to charge us for the two rolls that we ordered but were never served, but they didn't: $53 for udon soup, and 3 mediocre rolls....I'd rather go elsewhere for AYCE and pay the exact same amount for better sushi, better service, and some attention from our waitress. I've never felt more invisible in a restaurant before.
My favorite part about this whole mess was leaving them a miserable tip, them checking it, and then screaming after us thank you and have a good year....yeah, I'll have a good start to 2012 in a better sushi place, thank MORA very much!
In case you didn't pick it up from all my sarcasm....don't go to Mora, unless you want non-existant, crappy service, and subpar rolls. Go across the street to sushi Shiro and experience awesome service & sushi. -
Review from Audrey M.
Upland, CA
1/9/2012
This place is bomb. Love coming here. Free ice cream if it you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary.
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Review from J E.
Upland, CA
1/4/2012
A solid 4 stars. There rolls are good. The sushi tastes fresh and they have a nice set up. It is a bit nicer than smaller places, but the service is hit and miss. If you get a good waiter and chef then your solid. However, I have had a poor waiter one time and witnessed a chef that had no idea what he was doing. I wanted to hop over the counter and show him a thing or two. Very glad he was not messing up my order, but instead he was about to disappoint another group of people. Oh and they where not very happy about the situation. However, they are very friendly the food is a tad bit better than average and I enjoy the environment. I would recommend it to others.
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Review from Frank A.
La Verne, CA
11/23/2011
I had a nice lunch, a bit underwhelmed with the quality of the sushi. I eat a lot of sushi at various places and I have had much better sushi. The albacore almost had a bacon taste to it.
The service was excellent. -
Review from Mallory R.
Mira Loma, CA
1/27/2012
Pretty good food. Pleasant atmosphere. Will go again soon.
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Review from CYNTHIA O.
Claremont, CA
9/20/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This Teppan style restaurant is one of the best in town. They have great service, always greet you with a smile and serve you as you wish. There is no waiting time to be seated, which is a plus when you are starving. The food portions is great and delicious.
Lets not forget about the chefs they have pretty cool tricks which is a really nice way to entertain you while your food is being cooked.This is one of my fave Teppan restaurants. Give it a try! -
Review from Omar V.
Ontario, CA
11/23/2011
The sushi was great, and not over priced. Our sushi chef was fun and charismatic. I went on a slow night, middle of the week. The guy started making us different types of samples to see what we liked and would totally customize our dish. My wife and I had a great time. I will return with a huge group, the sushi bar has much potential for private parties.
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Review from Maribel M.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
9/19/2011 2 Check-ins Here
We used to come to Mora quite a lot in the past and were definitely fans. However, the quality of their sushi has really gone down since the last time we were here.
I have been on the Teppan side only once, and remember liking the food, but it was the sushi that made them shine for us.
Don't get me wrong, they are not bad at all, just not as good as they used to be. On our last visit, the best roll we had was the Aloha Roll. It was nice and spicy. The Spanish Roll, formerly our favorite, was a bit mushy and not very spicy at all.
The Poke Ball (spicy tuna wrapped in avocado), was pretty good, but it was more avocado than tuna...mostly avocado. We also had the gyoza and mixed tempura, which were both good. The standout of the night was their dynamite appetizer - very, very tasty.
The service is always pretty good, but I don't think we'll be back for a long time. -
Review from Jason T.
Ontario, CA
5/15/2011 1 photo
My friend is a sushi aficionado. The truth of the matter is that he made me a sushi lover. He seems to always know the best nearby sushi restaurants. So you might say I entered Mora with high expectations.
Much like Tom Cruise had Renee Zellweger at "hello", Mora had me the moment I walked in. The Japanese decor is quite elegant and intriguing, but what is most majestic is the full bar in the waiting lobby. Its quite incredible.
We arrived late so there wasn't a wait. You are left with a choice upon arrival. Door number one, or door number two? Door number one is the sushi bar area. Door number two is the teppan area. We went with door number two.
The owner of the restaurant greeted us instantly. She was dressed in a traditional Japanese outfit, which I thought was a nice touch. She was very welcoming and said something to us, but sadly I couldn't understand. Her accent was strong. My friend didn't share my communication issue and was able to have a conversation with her.
We were seated and given our menus. The eating area is nice. They have an aquarium tank with exotic fish (I wonder if they become food later; its the equivalent to a chicken coop in the center of an El Pollo Loco) placed in the middle of the area, with all the eating counters facing it. I'm not sure if it was done on purpose, but the fish were yellow and purple. Lakers fans?
My friend decided that he had to use the restroom so I was left alone as I skimmed through the menu. The owner returned and asked me something. I looked at her like a deer in headlights. She was very kind in whatever she was telling me. My friend returned and he ordered some sake bombs and fatty yellowtail sushi as an appetizer.
The owner returned with the sake bombs. She then took my hand and shook it in a vibrant manner. I looked at her and smiled the smile an elderly person suffering with hearing loss gives. I believe she was warning me about the heat of the ceramic sake shot cup. Either that or she thought we should dance.
We soon received the fatty yellowtail sushi. I was amazed that the strips of fish were placed on a block of ice! I've never seen that before. Proof of this was needed so a picture was taken. (Unlike the US Government, I posted the picture.)
The salad and onion soup were delicious. The cook then came to our counter grill and did his routine. The routine is similar to the one at Shoguns. As always its amusing. I ordered the shrimp and chicken entree and will say that grilled shrimp is my new favorite. I think I've only had boiled and fried shrimp. Grilled is the way to go.
The food was excellent; the ambiance was excellent; the service was excellent and can you believe it? I've finally given a place five stars. -
Review from Christine N.
Upland, CA
9/18/2011
I have been driving past this place for years and can not believe I have never tried it. Recently a friend who eats here often recommended I try it. The staff was extremely welcoming, friendly and attentive. The food was really delicious, the chef put on a great show with a few tricks I have not seen before.....always fun to watch your food being cooked. Ginger salad dressing was best I have ever had, shrimp and fillet cooked perfect. Great place to come for special occasion, slightly pricey for family.
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Review from Karen K.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
12/29/2011
Wow, wow, wow, what a great sushi place. I love sushi but not type you get at a grocery store or at a fast food place. This resturant is authentic and seems to be family owned. The food is great but the service really tops it. If you like sushi and live in this area, you must try Mora. Last time I was there, I was avoiding carbs so tried their Route 66 role which used cucumber instead of rice, loved it!
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Review from Naomi G.
Upland, CA
1/27/2011
Great food that is always fresh. We have only eaten on the sushi side so far, but the Teppan side always smells so good.
Staff is attentive and welcoming.
Good lunch specials.
A few creative rolls and all of the standard ones.
Always clean and smells fresh, something I personally look for in a restaurant!
Try it, you'll like it. -
Review from Sonia S.
Claremont, CA
8/26/2011
This place is amazing!!! Service is amazing, drinks are strong, beer is cold, and sushi is yummy!!! A must!!
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Review from stephanie m.
Ontario, CA
8/25/2011
Wonderful restaurant with great food! They always make us feel welcome and are always ready to recommend something extra special. Cannot say enough good things about this place!
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Review from Jadira R.
6/16/2010 12 photos
I came here with my mom on memorial day when I was in desperate search of Asian food. The Thai place we were trying to go to happened to be closed, so I was really cranky and REALLY hungry. This is the first place we came across and thank god it was open! Better yet, they had lunch specials!
The place was really empty. Probably only 4 customers max (it started to get more business when we were getting ready to leave).
The lunch specials were pretty damn cheap! I opted for the beef terriyaki since I've been craving beef lately and my om got the Bulgogi beef bowl.
I'm knocking two stars off for the service because we seriously wait about 30 minutes for our food in an EMPTY place. It didn't help that I was already starving to begin with because when I'm hungry I get angry lol. My mom kept on talking to me about things, but I was so fixated on my hunger and how long it was taking them to bring us our food that I didn't even listen to anything she was saying.
Finally the food came and It was really good. We both completely finished our plates.
I ordered the banana tempura dessert and the lady came back about 5 minutes later and said "i'm sorry, we're out of bananas." I don't understand why it took her 5 minutes to to figure that out, but whatever. At that point I had no more time to order dessert since I had a meeting to go to.
If they just work on their service and timing A LOT MORE, then I'm sure I'll give them 4 or 5 stars.Listed in: Oriental Dining - San…
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Review from Ji O.
Upland, CA
teppan is pricy...
sushi is okay..
service is good!!
their green tea is tasty with brown rice!! -
Review from Jubee J.
Upland, CA
7/27/2010 3 Check-ins Here
Came here for a mid week feast. The only complaint I really had was the wait. We had to wait about 15 minutes on a Wednesday night and the place did not look busy. It was a little disorganized and the communication between staff members seemed discombobulated! Three different people asked us if we've been helped, another two told us that our tables were just being cleaned and prepared, and they weren't even the same table numbers. Service after that got waaaay better. Waiter got our orders promptly. Soup, salad, drinks and my sushi (which was mediocre) was brought out quick and the teppan chef was fun and talkative - I wish I remembered his name!
I'd go here again. It's a nice local spot that's right down the street from the casa.
FYI - They do have a seperate dining area for sushi only. -
Review from Michael G.
Upland, CA
7/9/2010
What a great little place right by the high school.
When I first came here a few years back it was 11:00 pm and they were closed. However the manager saw me and my girl outside and rushed to the doors and unlocked them to let us in. He warmly accepted us into the restaurant where a few customers were still chowing down. Nice!
That night we ate at the Dining side and we both ordered rolls, a bottle of sake, house margarita, and calamari appetizer. It was all very good. At a 50 dollar,range, I was a little bit disappointed with the rolls (they were good, but not 12 a piece good considering I can head over to Kishis and get amazing rolls starting at 4 bucks, and if I really need to kill my hunger, 1 dragon roll at 12 bucks will end it). The appetizer was good, and so were the drinks so no complaints. The waitress was semi-rude, probably because she was tired, but she made smart remarks. Don't worry sweetheart, it reflected in your tip. Overall still a great night.
I've also ate there in the Teppan side for lunch a few times and it is great. One of the chefs there, Art, is amazing with the knife. I usually order shrimp with fried rice and it never fails to disappoint. And for shrimp at lunch the price is reasonable (12 bucks? not bad) but is still a bit more expensive than other lunchtime venues.
So I recommend coming here at least once to experience the very friendly management and warm hospitality. I come back here every now and then.. But it isn't a monthly stop for me. -
Review from Nikol P.
Fontana, CA
8/24/2010
My husband and I have date night on Monday nights and we try to find new places to eat in our area. We love Japanese BBQ and were recommended by a friend to try this place.
For a Monday, it was not busy and we were sat right away. We actually had our own grill which was nice to sit alone. We let them know that we wanted to get sushi too and they gave us a sushi menu full of really unique rolls. I should warn, that I am a real chicken when it comes to sushi and normally get cooked fish. My husband though, loves sushi but always seems to stick with getting Spicy Tuna rolls. We both loved our rolls. (I got the Spanish roll - which was a shrimp tempura roll, topped with spicy. YUM!!!)
The salads were great - something about their dressing is really unique. The clear onion soup is ok, nothing to write home about. We got the steak and shrimp, and the show was typical but friendly and enthusiastic. The shrimp was tender and very flavorful. The steak was decent but tasty. I should have gone with the better steak. The veggies were delicious!
The price is a little more expensive than I thought it would be, but the food was really good. The staff was OUTSTANDING. Our drinks were never empty. The ice tea is fresh brewed, and when they noticed that my ice had melted, they promptly brought me a glass of ice.
We will be going again. I think they are one of our new favorites. -
Review from Jennifer L.
Orange County, CA
4/12/2009
Why the heck would I drive all the way out to BFE to eat at Mora when I could just go to Benihana? My best friend's bf's family owns this place, and she insisted that we make it out to give this place a shot. I came with an open mind, not expecting authentic Japanese food at all. Before entering, you will see a bunch of banners proposing all these neat specials they have going on. I was so sad to find out they no longer have AYCE sushi, but let me tell you. This restaurant is freaking gynormous!
They have a waiting area with a bar. I was told after hours, the staff like to gather around the karaoke machine and belt out tunes. I saw a few people lounging around there eyeing the machine. The restaurant is separated between sushi and teppan. I wasn't feeling up to teppan so we decided to sit on the sushi side.
What was ordered:
Volcano Roll
Baked Lobster Roll
Hamachi sashimi
Filet Mignon
Their rolls weren't bad at all. I wasn't expecting anything out of this world, but I really enjoyed my volcano roll. It was a shrimp tempura roll topped with fresh water eel and a splash of sriracha on each piece. I requested for no avacado, so they replaced it with crunchy cucumber. The roll itself was pretty big, so I was only able to finish half. I only wish I got bigger pieces of eel, they were tiny!
The yellowtail sashimi was great. I was a little hesitant as I've been scarred from my last sushi experience *ahem* Sushi Momo. The yellowtail here looked wonderful and fresh. After a few pokes and sniffs, I chomped down. Excellent! They're probably in the top tier on my fresh sushi list.
My friend got the baked lobster roll which is baked "lobster" with california roll inside. I never ever get baked rolls, so I didn't know that they really use crawfish instead of lobster for the baked "lobster" rolls. My friend says that's the case for all restaurants. I never knew that! Well if that's true, then thumbs down on that.
The filet mignon came with a medley of vegetables. It was cooked in some yummy sauce, because I just kept picking at my friend's mushrooms and zucchinis. I tried the filet mignon. Super soft. It also came with a salad, bowl of rice, and miso soup. This dish can fill anyone up!
We got to try their tempura. The batter was a little thick, my friend started ripping it off. Still decent nonetheless.
Their raspberry lemon drop is GOOD here. Sourness with a dash of raspberry. I must've gulped that thing down in a matter of seconds! I heard their blushing geisha is the most popular drink. Give it a try if you're thinking of trying one of their signature cocktails.
Their green tea ice cream was average. I'm not your green tea ice cream connoisseur, so it tasted like every other place I've tried. They top it with whip cream and chocolate syrup.
We got a tour of the restaurant after our meal. They have a VIP room on the teppan side that seats approximately 50 people. I sh!t you not, this place is big. This place is cozy and has a family feel to it. It's one of the few places I've been to where I felt like I could totally relax after I finished eating without being rushed to leave.
If you come on your birthday and eat on the teppan side, they make you wear a kimono and dance around with an umbrella. Fun stuff! We're coming back in a few months when it's my best friend's birthday. And we're definitely sitting on the teppan side! -
Review from Kate G.
Riverside, CA
1/6/2009
I was EXTREMELY disappointed with this place. My boyfriend and I decided to try it after reading the good reviews it had on here. We were also intrigued by the $20 AYCE.
There was ONE other couple in the entire restaurant. That should have been the first warning to turn away now. As we walked into the sushi side of the place, I immediately smelled dirty fish tank.
We were seated and given the AYCE menu, which is very very limited. Our waitress served us salad and miso soup. The soup was good, but the salad was terrible.
For our first round, we ordered a rainbow roll, a shrimp tempura roll, salmon sushi and yellowtail sushi.
The rolls have a lot of rice. This is an easy way to tell you are getting ripped off. The sushi also had A LOT of rice, with a very very thin sliver of fish. On the menu, it states that you will be charged for uneaten items, including any extra rice. SERIOUSLY? The sushi and rolls had DOUBLE the rice I normally see in AYCE.
The salmon on the sushi had a really bad texture, out of the six pieces we ordered, I could only get one down. The yellowtail had a terrible color and hardly resembled what I usually eat. It tasted alright, but it looked so unappetizing that it was hard for me to eat it.
The shrimp tempura roll was about the size of my fist, making it nearly impossible for me to get it in my mouth. Again, this was due to a far too large portion of rice. It was also only cut into four pieces, which I found to be really odd.
The rainbow roll was the worst. The salmon on it was slightly more tolerable than the regular sushi salmon. However, the tuna was AWFUL. I had to spit it out in my napkin. After that, I was done. We quickly asked for our check. At this point, we had three pieces of salmon and two pieces of yellowtail left. The waitress made it seem like she was going to charge us for the uneaten pieces, however, I made a remark about how unpalatable it was and I did not see it on our bill.
$48.90 for two people, drinks included, and an expected case of food poisoning. It has been 4 hours since our meal, and I'm still feeling really queasy.
Overall, if you are an avid sushi eater, AVOID this place at all costs. You will be disappointed. I eat a lot of sushi and can handle some pretty sub-par cuts of fish. This, however, was too poor for me.
I do not understand why this place has such good reviews. -
Review from Meri S.
Upland, CA
8/29/2011
First time at this restaurant and the service was excellent! The servers are super friendly and the sushi chef even gave us a free appetizer. I don't do a lot of sushi, but what I did try was delicious. We went on a Sunday afternoon and, unfortunately, they were out of a few of our sushi choices, oh well, I guess that means it must be fresh. Very clean on the inside, fast service, good food. Definitely worth a trip back.
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Review from Bren G.
Bellflower, CA
12/15/2009
I love Mora. When I moved to Upland everything looked sketch and very "909" to me, and so my then-boyfriend and I would only scope restaurants over by his place in Bellflower. Too bad the only sushi place near him is a Kapuki.
Well, Mora is like, 3 blocks away and one day we felt adventurous, so we tried it out. Love, love, love it. The sushi and sake have GREAT prices and are DELISH, and I've never encountered that "funky fish" smell at this restaurant. I haven't yet tried the Teppan grill, but Mora is always great. Good food, great service, everyone is always really nice and attentive, we've NEVER waited in line (nor experienced obnoxious crowds), and they always ask us if we'd like to sit near the TV to watch whatever sports game might be on (no thanks).
Definitely recommend it. -
Review from Jason S.
Costa Mesa, CA
9/4/2010
I came here for a friends birthday and all I can say is we had an amazing time. I have been to many other teppanyaki places like Benihana but this place was way bettter. The food was excellent. The beef, chicken and shrimp were cooked to perfection. Each bite was juicy and filled with flavor. A major bonus point was that Mora had a full on sushi bar!!! Our chef for the night was an amazing cook. He did many of the tricks I have become familair with but he also had a few extra tricks I have never seen before. The servers at Mora were also very friendly and helpful with our menu selection.
I will definitely come back to Mora because the food, price and cook made it a wonderful experience. -
Review from Suzi B.
Camarillo, CA
6/30/2010
Really good miso soup. Really good dressing on the salad.
Nice staff. I was happy! -
Review from grace k.
Diamond Bar, CA
12/30/2008
YUMMMM i LOVE this place!! (:
Mora was very good the first time i came here. I've been here a couple of times now and the food is always great and so is the service. I've sat at both the teppan and sushi side.
The teppan is great...the chefs are very entertaining and the food is as fresh as can be because they cook it right in front of you! It is a LOT of food for the price you pay..especially with their lunch and dinner specials. I usually always have leftovers because the portions are pretty big here.
As for the sushi side..im not a HUGE sushi fan but i do enjoy cooked rolls. It is very good here and they don't stuff you with TOO much rice like some other sushi restarauants i've been to. My friend gets the all-you-can-eat here. Its same as a lot of other places but this place is awesome because its also the cheapest. Totally worth 20 bucks to get all you can eat here. Of course they have the usual rules but so does every other all you can sushi place so i always recommend this place because of the price (: they also have happy hour which is great too.
If youre looking for a place to go on a date or a fun family gathering this is the perfect place to go! the food is great the price is just right and the service is great too. I have recommended this place to my friends and coworkers and they all had positive reviews about it as well (: -
Review from Judy J.
Upland, CA
12/31/2008 3 Check-ins Here
I have eaten at this wonderful restaurant about once a week for several months now. The staff are terrific and attentive to every need. I always dine on the teppan side and have never been disappointed. One misdirected reviewer wrote, "First, the Chinese staff is pretending to be Japanese." Lynn and many of the staff are Korean--not Chinese--and don't pretend to be anything other than what they are. Their salads are fresh (order the "mixed dressing" for a special treat) and the fish, chicken, steak, and vegetables are tasty, well-seasoned and cooked to order.
Great food, ambiance, and superb customer service brings me back time and time again. -
Review from Jason J.
Upland, CA
1/10/2010
My sushi buddy took me to the Mora recently, and I had a good experience. Mora is a larger restaurant that has a sushi bar and teppan grill, but as we went only for sushi, this review will not reflect the teppan grill part of the restaurant.
Firstly, the wait staff and service are wonderful. The staff is very polite, very attentive, and demonstrated a clear desire to serve and satisfy our table.
The food at Mora was good. Some have complained it's pricey. I would agree, but only to a degree. They are not unreasonable, and for what I got and quality of food I received, I felt it was an equitable exchange. We ordered a couple of rolls and miso soup, all of which were good. Especially good was their Baked Scallop Roll, which had delicately sweet scallops, garnished with orange fish roe that was flatly the best I've ever liked it in my life. Their California Roll was also good (this is an important metric for me, as this is the baseline roll by which I figure to judge a sushi place).
In the end, I still prefer California Garden Sushi, but just slightly. This restaurant was appealing, and it's about as close to me as California Garden Sushi, so I guess it breaks down to a contest of what one actually wants to eat and who does it slightly better.
I recommend it. I have gone and enjoyed myself, and shall do so again. -
Review from Janet P.
Fontana, CA
11/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
THIS REVIEW IS ONLY TOWARDS THE TEPPAN AREA. sushi area is yet to come.
-Atmostphere: 4
the atmosphere here is really nice actually. I love the fact that they had a huge fish tank in the middle it almost entertained me more than the cook did. ha.
-Food quality & Taste: 5
omg so so so so yummy! I had ordered the filet mignon! Delish!!! ughh! it just melts in my mouth! i love love love it! my boyfriend had also ordered the steak and chicken which was also yummy!! ahh my mouth is watering haha.
Service: 4.5
the lady was so so welcoming! not to mention almost everyone else there. there was only one other chef who didn't seem that entertaining. he wasn't even talking to the people he was cooking for. I mean isn't that like a requirement or something? to make eye contact at least? haha thank God he wasn't OUR chef! our chef was the best. I wish I caught his name though. you'll see what I mean if you go! only thing that kinda bugged me was that I wasn't really done with my miso soup. but she had assumed that I was and said in a high Asian accent "DONE?" and well I felt like I had no choice but to say "ohhhh uhhh yeah sure.." she did the same for my salad too. but it was cute because the people that were also sitting in our area had a birthday and they had the birthday people dressed up as geishas with a fake sword and a Japanese fan just to entertain the customers. they sang and gave them a cute little ice cream. they are very nice and involved with their customers!
Satisfactory: Definitly would have to be a 5!!!! it is way better than benihana. chefs know way more tricks. food quality is just to perfection. for a cheaper price!
I do do do recommend this place! -
Review from Casey S.
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
5/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
This review is for the teppan side...
This is probably the best teppan style restaurant in this area. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the food is REALLY good. I just wish they weren't playing Christian music...the last thing I want to hear about is Jesus while I'm eating my butchered animal. The service is pretty good although they will lag your service to fill a table (having only 2 chefs on hand at peak dinner is pretty dumb). It also feels like you have to pull teeth to get your check. Twice now I have had to seek someone out to get my bill paid. Despite the few quirks this is still a solid restaurant with above average food.
UPDATE:
I felt the need to update my review because of some recent changes they made to their lunch specials menu which completely takes the value out of those deals. They have raised the prices of their lunch specials $3-$5 dollars. In addition to this they have removed scallops from the lunch menu completely. They used to offer Filet Mignon + Shrimp or Scallops but now the Scallops option has mysteriously disappeared. When asked about this change on the menu the owner played completely dumb and said "Oh you can get the dinner with the scallops". If I wanted to pay full price I would have shown up for dinner. Not giving any sort of upgrade option for this is completely stupid. I wouldn't have minded paying a few extra bucks to upgrade to scallops but I am certainly not going to pay the dinner price. I am not going to too harshly change my rating but doing things like this is just sneaky. I understand the need to adjust your prices according to rising costs but completely removing an option from the menu and raising the price to boot is just wrong. Definitely going to re-evaluate how often I visit this place. -
Review from Donna l.
Inland Empire
6/4/2011
Mora is a nice Teppan place. The service is great, the waitresses nice and the teppan chefs are highly entertaining. Based on food alone, I would say Tokyo Kitchen in Montclair is definitely better. Mora is very inconsistent, sometimes is great and sometimes, everyone we dine with says its sub par. The cajun salmon in decent. The sushi rolls are ok. Nothing spectacular. I prefer Omikase in Rancho for rolls or Arigato in Upland. But, we go back to Mora a few times a year for the atmosphere and slightly above average cuisine.
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Review from Sarah M.
West Covina, CA
3/6/2008
Mora, AKA the former Sakana is good. The sushi chefs are freakin' hilarious and the prices at the Bar aren't too bad either.
It's too bad they no longer have 1/2 price sushi and rolls. -
Review from Marcy M.
North Hollywood, CA
9/5/2010
Best Teppan I have ever had. Filet mignon and lobster tail with fried rice was awesome and they have the best miso soup on the planet.
Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Kevin M.
Montclair, CA
3/25/2011
Didn't really get into the sushi, I stuck with the basics chicken and California roll I thought it was pretty good. Nothing out of the ordinary.
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Review from Danny Y.
Irvine, CA
12/21/2007 14 photos
Mora, formerly Sakana Restaurant, is under new ownership and is undergoing a vast amount of changes to reflect a swanky and modern atmosphere. Please visit us and engage in our teppan style grill or our fresh selection of sushi.
Sincerely,
Dan
P.S. We would love to hear from you YELP'ers! Please critique and let us know how we are doing!
