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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Momiji

Posted by Salem Man
Great location, good sushi, awful service, that's how I would describe most of my visits to Momiji on Commercial Street South. This is one of those places that you really want to be good but the reality is disappointing. If you go in, your best bet is to sit at the sushi bar where the chefs are entertaining and prompt with your order. If you sit at a table, eat at you own risk. I can never figure out who the server is. It's one of those places where everyone is doing everything and nobody is doing it well. Take out is a good option but double check the bag before you leave, to make sure they got it right.
at 11:30 PM
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18 comments:

  1. Ugh. During the past month, we've had occasion to order their takeout. On one occasion the food was horrid. My wifes food was cold and just didn't taste good and our portions were smaller than "normal". We called the manager and they offered us a free trip.

    We used the free trip a week or so later and the food was the same. We will NOT go back. I'm with you though, I so wanted this place to be delicious and successful.

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  2. I disagree, my husband and I eat there about once a month and we always enjoy it. The service might be a bit slow, but we would rather have that then be rushed through like most other restaurants. Remember, all the sushi is made to order. I would recommend Momiji to everyone, be sure to try the miso soup and mango mochi ice cream!

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  3. I love Momiji & eat there often. I recently moved from Portland and was glad to find I could find good sushi in Salem.

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  4. i love sushi and trying all the places in salem that serve it... and have found momiji to be inconsistent with their sushi rolls. that aside, they are probably one of the best values in town for japanese food. their lunch plates start at around $5.... the same thing would start at $13 at fuji rice time. pretty good deal. their miso soup, teriyaki, udon, tempura etc is delicious, so i guess its just the occasional soggy sushi roll that bothers me.

    i agree though that the service is terrible. i remember ordering a diet coke once visit and the girl server brought me a diet pepsi in a bottle. i dont drink diet pepsi, i drink diet coke. i told her i didnt want it, and she responded, "you just want me to take it back??"

    as they serve their sodas in plastic bottles with a glass of ice on the side, i didnt think she should complain about taking back the unopened soda and sticking it in the fridge for the next diet-pepsi ordering customer.

    anyways, a server ALWAYS needs to tell you they serve pepsi products if you order a coke, and not leave it as a surprise for later. very uncool. she could have said so when i ordered my diet coke and saved the trouble of the whole thing.

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  5. Momiji is wonderful. Try the Salem roll and the Spicy Salmon Tempura roll. Delicious. The prices are great, the food is always fresh, and the wait staff is always very friendy, if not super fast.

    And who complains that much about Pepsi? Sheesh...

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  6. This place is so great! I love their Salem Roll and the tofu appetizer. So yummy and wonderful service!

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  7. Salem Roll=Amazing

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  8. The service has gotten a lot better now that all the putzy people have left and one of the sushi-chef's bought the place from the original owner. Rachel and Melissa run herd on the bussing staff and cooks and if it's not fast, they get mad for you. I agree it was very disorganized at the beginning because it was this guy's first venture into restaurant life, so he was pretty lost. But the new owner is consciencious and fsat and has dismissed all the putzy staff. The thing I like about them is that they take special care now to make everything right. However, I can't stand people who order a huge plate of sushi (which is all handmade) and then complain about the wait. If you want real handrolled sushi that fast, then you need to visit a cheap place with a conveyor belt and color-coded plates. If you would like your sushi made with care, then shut up and wait patiently.

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  9. Allow me to start by saying this incident happened quite a time ago, so with the benefit of the doubt the establishment may have improved. I went there with a friend during the lunch hour and the place was fairly empty. We were sat after a couple minutes at a table near the window which was pleasantly away from the only other occupied table. We sat there for about five minutes or so with no attention paid to us by the wait staff. A group came in of about 7 or so. The wait staff began moving tables about to accomodate the larger group. My friend and I were asked to move to another table. I have never been asked move in this sort of fashion. My friend and I stood up and walked out of the establishment. This was the first time I had ever walked out. I still to this day have not returned.

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  10. I ate here recently. I was impressed by the sushi and other food we ordered. The portions were large and the quality was good. I will say the service was a little on the show side, but overall, it was a good experience and I would go again.

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  11. Love Momiji! They have the best sushi rolls and miso soup. The portions are NORMAL size. People are just gluttons. If you want SUPERSIZE go to McDonalds!

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  12. i get a discount since i have hook ups what now i don't care if service sucks christmas roll is freaking amazing

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  13. Another great dollar sushi night at Momiji. The place was packed. We met a very nice couple who'd just moved here from Corvallis, and referred them to Eatsalem.com for recommendations on great places to eat!

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  14. Love Momiji's and eat there regularly. I've never had a bad experience (and I'm a fussy type!). Best sushi in town, and ranks in the top that I've had in other towns. Recently I booked the whole place for a party of 50. Food was great, service was great, and we had a fun time. I highly recommend it to everyone.

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  15. I love the soft shell crab and the salem rolls!!

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  16. Best Sushi in Salem. And super friendly staff.

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  17. Like an uncooked fish out of water..

    Is how I feel in this kind of place. I don't know what I'm looking at. And I, evidently, don't know how to eat it. I thought I was being pretty safe ordering Shrimp Tempura served with Miso Soup,Salad and Rice. The soup came first along with a small dish of what I think were slices of not very crisp cucumber in a slightly vinegary liquid. The only utensils were a pair of bamboo chop sticks in a paper wrapper. I told my server I was at a loss as to how to address the soup. She told me to stir it with the chop sticks then pick it up and drink it. My shrimp came with a dish of cold liquid (presumably for dipping) and a small bowl of rice. I ate the shrimp, which were very good, with my fingers and scooped the rice directly into my mouth with the chop sticks.

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  18. In Salem, Momiji's is one of the best sushi bars. I love it. Everytime I go there the service is fantastic. I have no complaints and haven't heard anyone in the area complain about them.

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What do you think? Please keep your comments civil. Personal attacks are not welcome and do not lead to constructive or even interesting discussion. If you believe a restaurant is in violation of county ordinances please bring that matter to the county health department at (503) 588-5346

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