I have been to Mola countless times. I LOVE coming here because the food is delicious and I guess it's healthy. I've tried quite a few things from their menu and there is not one that I don't like. My go to dishes are their spicy crab salad, organic grilled chicken teriyaki, spicy salmon bowl and sushi. In terms of desserts, their yuzu cheesecake is delicious and I like that the serving size of their desserts is small. Great for a little indulgence. Love love love this place. Pittsburgh needs more of such restaurants. read more

Best sushi I've had in Pittsburgh. Pricey but most definitely worth it. Yinzers will say a certain place in the strip is where to go but that is fake news bro. Go to mola!!!! read more

Exceptional service from the time we walked in to the time we walked out. They just opened but were pretty busy for a Thursday evening! Here's what we ordered: Pork Belly Steamed Buns: absolutely delicious! For those that think Noodlehead has good ones...these are way better and has set the new standard for Steamed Buns in the Shadyside/East Liberty area. Mixed Green Salad with Miso Ginger Salad: heavenly especially since you can really taste the fresh ginger they use in the salad dressing. I would come back here just for this! Pork and Shrimp steamed dumplings: they were good, fresh and 1 order was plenty for a couple of people to share. We got a few hand rolls: tuna, salmon, spicy salmon and yellowtail with roasted jalapeño. Their sushi was simple, good and will fulfill any craving. Although I thought it was a little pricey given that there was nothing special in the way it was made or presentation. Next time I would just order and try the Chirashi bowl. Sake: we got the "cheaper" junmai which was affordable considering we got a carafe; I think it was $15 or $20 for simple and clean sake that complimented our meal. Overall it's a great neighborhood spot, but if you're craving sushi rolls - don't expect to find that here. Your best option would be Umami in Lawrenceville. It's great to have this restaurant option since it is both gluten free and vegetarian friendly! read more

Yummy. It's really a tapas restaurant. Even the poke bowls are real tiny. If they advertised as a tapas place it would make more sense. Extremely overpriced read more

A nice new spot in East Liberty. There was plenty of street parking nearby tonight. I called yesterday to make reservations, I was told they don't take reservations for parties less than 5. The restaurant space is small, the tables are fairly close together. Our waitress was fine but seemed a little hesitant when asking some questions about the menu. They have a pretty sizable list of drinks. The green tea was okay but very sweet. I had a California roll to start which was good but a little awkward to eat as it was one large roll, I wasn't sure if I was to cut it with a knife or just eat it with my hands. I had the Hot and Spicy Chicken rice bowl which was pretty good, decent portion size. Prices are reasonable. One thing I did not like was that our waitress seemed to be rushing us out. While we were still eating our entrees we were handed our check. It was a little off-putting especially given that there were many open tables and nobody was waiting. read more

Mola - Hot and Spicy Chicken - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Probably the best Sushi Bar/Japanese/Asian Fusion place in all of PGH. Everything here is made fresh and nothing on the menu disappoints. We always take our friends and family here whenever they're visiting the city for the first time, because we feel it represents how amazing the cuisine here can be. Staff is delightful. Highly recommend the crunchy salmon roll, pork belly bao, miso soup, and crispy chicken curry with udon noodles, but again, nothing here disappoints. read more

The food is fresh and good. The shape and size of the rolls however definitely odd. Wine list not bad. The service however is extremely uneven. I had wait a ridiculous amount of time for servers to even take my drink order. Hope they work out their kinks. read more

I had dinner at the bar last night when I was in the area. I happened to catch the last 5 minutes of happy hour prices which was nice, which involved some small discounts on selected food and drink items. The fish and other ingredients were clearly fresh and of high quality and the service was excellent. When the sushi chef brought out my rolls he noted that the wasabi was real wasabi so I shouldn't mix it with the soy sauce as that would degrade the flavor. I had learned recently that the fast majority of wasabi sold in us restaurants is not real wasabi, so that was an exciting touch. My only complaint is that the prices are rather high. For example, the regular price on some standard rolls was about $12 which only included 6 small pieces, although their ratio of protein to rice was on the more generous side. After spending almost $30 (even with happy hour specials) on 2 small rolls, a seaweed salad (also quite small) and a beer I was left feeling a bit hungry still. The ambiance was cozy and warm with a small area for tables plus the bar seating and looked like a typical sushi restaurant. The only unusual thing was that they didn't have a clear glass case where you can see the fish being prepared for sushi. The sushi chef worked farther back in the kitchen so you couldn't watch him prepare things, as I sometimes enjoy doing when sitting at a sushi bar, or I like to see the fresh fish to see what looks particularly good. read more

Mola - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I'm from California and have had a hard time finding quality sushi in Pittsburgh. Mola was excellent. High grade fish and ingredients, friendly and attentive wait staff. Highly recommend. read more

Completely amazing food, maybe the best sushi in Pittsburgh. We ate a the bar and it was great except that there was a front of house worker, maybe bus person, maybe server, not our server so I'm not sure what their role was. This person kept blowing their nose and spat outrageously gross phlegm in the trash can right next to where we were sitting and then proceeded to shine and re-shelf the clean glasses without washing their hands! Then we watched them eat food off of a plate they had just bussed from a table. Wiping their hands on their nose and mouth the whole time; never washing their hands and going from one task to the next. There was sink was in view right next to all of this activity so if was very clear what was and wasn't happening while all of this was happened. At one point they were behind the bar with their mouth wide open and another server said "are you about to sneeze?" Is that a common occurrence with this person? That they're going to stand in front of customers, who are eating, behind the bar and do a wide open mouth sneeze? The whole thing was the most bizarre and disturbing thing I've ever experienced in a food service context. The rest of the staff seemed totally fine other than that for some reason they aren't calling this person out, otherwise generally good service, and excellent food. read more

This little restaurant and bar deserves praise. I first discovered them when I arrived at a P & W BMW dealership party and Mola was catering. I got to sample a couple of pieces of maki and a Boa- a steamed bun stuffed treat.Good enough and the staff I met wee super nice and invited me to come to the Penn Avenue location in the heart of transforming East Liberty. Three out door tables, a long kitchen table sushi bar, a full bar designed to eat on, and a dozen tables fill this nicely but sparsely appointed decor. Above our table was a colorful framed jig saw puzzle where the restaurant name was discovered. What is Mola but a very round sunfish. Service was good and very good at promoting the food. We started with salads and miso soup. The miso was wonderful and had a light fresh flavor that was fabulous. The ginger dressing had a simple spicy bite that was addictive so addictive We ordered another. We sat at a large round table in comfy leather chairs and ate family style having small tastes of many things, a great way to sample a menu. The maki rolls were really good. I think it is because they have very fresh fish. It is presented well, No fancy sushi cuts, even the hand rolls are simple but this gives way for the flavors to emerge, the sushi melted in my mouth, the fresh crab stuffed hand roll was perfect. We also were recommended the baby bok choy and a pea pod greens veggie stir fry and both were fantastic. We had the whitefish cooked collar at our servers recommendation. It is served with little dipping mounds of salt, pepper and crunch, I really enjoyed and left nothing but the bones. To finish we tried a sweat Boa stuffed with Nutella banana and Oreo cookie. Very tasty but I felt like Oreo could be left off the ingredients - too sweat and too heavy. Two fresh hot teas were served in mason jars, I really liked the Jasmine Green Tea. I was dining with a tough picky group and we all gave Mola a gold star. I will be returning. read more

Mola - Fish collar with dipping mounds. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I had an excellent experience here at Mola. The service was fast the food was delicious and the bartender was very super friendly and made me feel welcome. I had the sautéed bok choy which was excellent and sushi that were also very well done I will be coming back when I'm back in Pittsburgh. read more

Excellent food and the chef is really accommodating. Will change it up off menu for you. Solid good wine selection. Service is great ! I will be back. A short walk from Hotel Indigo. A great option outside of hotel food. Looks like a locals go to place as well. read more

One of the best sushi places I've been to! Their cocktails are great and they even have happy hour on Saturdays which is normally unheard of elsewhere. The sushi is so fresh and delicious! They have a huge selection on their menu and the price isn't too bad. Even their wasabi tastes fresher than normal restaurant wasabi. This is a great place to grab sushi regardless of the occasion! read more

I was in town for five days and ate here four times. The tuna poke was delicious,nicely flavored with a generous portion. The spicy salmon poke was unbelievable. The fish was fresh, the spice was spot on the taste was great. Would recommend to anyone anytime. Top notch. read more

By far some of the best sushi I've had in the US! I rarely ordered sushi in Pittsburgh (because it was never fresh enough), but now this is my go to place! Everything is so fresh and delicious! I haven't ordered other dishes on their menu, so I can't speak to those. If you love sushi go to Mola! read more

Mola is a great new addition to the east liberty area! Came in with a friend on a Friday night around 6:30 and we were able to snag the last bar spot. I ordered a JPOP Grapefruit to drink and was pleasantly surprised, it was sweet but not too sweet and tasted great! For my food I tried the blue crab salad hand roll and 2 different bao. The pork belly bao was my favorite, it had the sweetness from the peanuts but still was smoky and delicious! The crispy chicken bao was a close contender for my favorite as well, it was baked so it didn't have the grease that some fried chicken does, and the slaw was delicious inside! The hand roll was good, but kind of awkward to eat. I wasn't sure whether to use chopsticks or pick it up like a burrito. Either way, still good! I wish they would have cut it up like a more traditional sushi but I guess this makes them different! I wanted to give this place a 5, but the service was off and I could tell they're still working out some kinks with the kitchen. All to be expected with a brand new restaurant! read more

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I love this lil place! Great service and even better food. I have only had the sushi - not so much a fan of hand rolls in general, but the nigiri is super with large pieces of fresh fish. They are also pretty well-priced. I do wish they had uni (sea urchin) though. I haven't had any of their unique cocktails yet, but they do have a good variety of sake. I will definitely be back! read more

I've followed Alex, the owner of Mola, from Jimmy Wans to his own location. At Mola, Alex has bursts with creativity. The Miso Soup, Pork Belly Bao, Mola Tuna Poke, Sea Weed Salad, Tuna Tartare are only a start of our favorites. It's hard to pin down a singly wonderful dish. The sushi is so fresh and often so unique that it will be like eating sushi for the first time in your life! I wish Alex and Mola a long life as they add to Pittsburgh's great food restaurants! Lee read more

Mola is a cozy little spot with a friendly staff and comfortable seating. We got miso soup, a few rolls, and a bowl to share. The miso soup was great with large chunks of tofu and wasn't too salty. My boyfriend loved his bowl and the Mola rice blend. We got a tuna roll, crab roll, and the steak / guacamole roll. The steak roll was AMAZING and the fish rolls were good too, but I think the sushi is a little over priced. It's truly just rice and a piece of fish (nothing else - no veggies or sauces) and it wasn't anything spectacular in terms of freshness that it was worth $7-10 per roll. We will most likely be back, but will probably stick to Ginza for sushi for the same quality for a much lower price. read more

I ordered a dish that was very reminiscent of a chicken teriyaki. It was cute but very bland. I loved the establishment. It was very modern and quaint. The meal I ordered simply didnt measure up. read more

AMAZING vegetarian bao and vegetarian dumplings are both vegan and were incredible! i got the dumplings steamed but they are also available pan fried. also had a cucumber avo roll, which was great. had to get a second bao, it was so tasty. go! read more

My boyfriend and I go to Mola all the time and we love it. The food is amazing and the staff are always super friendly! The pan fried pork dumplings are our go-to appetizer and you can't go wrong with any of the sushi rolls. My recommendations are the Yellowtail jalapeño roll and the sea bream and black truffle roll. Incredible! read more

A great sushi experience, very fresh fish. The service could use some fine tuning otherwise this may become a real destination for quality sushi in Pittsburgh. read more

I've been living in New York City for a year now, and I am so thrilled that Pittsburgh has a good mid level sushi place that won't break your bank. The fish is incredible soft and the ingredients fresh. The wasabi is not synthetic (it has little chunks) and the ginger isn't processed pink - all signs of fresh and quality products. The staff is so friendly, and very willing to strike up a conversation. This place is legit. read more

I spent a few summers in LA and was spoiled by the fresh delicious hand rolls of Sugarfish and KazuNori, and could not find anything that compared here in Pittsburgh until Mola! I shared this with the owner and he said he even uses higher quality ingredients, nori especially (seaweed wrap) than they do, and gave me a sheet to try :) love this place! read more

We had a superb experience! The sushi was as fresh as you can get. Totally unexpected to have such a great option so close to us. We had a couple of appetizers, couple of boa's (the crispy chicken was awesome), sushi regular, and the tuna poke! The chef even came out and explained how we should eat the sashimi...we are glad he did because it tasted so much better without the use of so much soy sauce. We will definitely be going back. A must try!!! read more

Simple and delicious. Unassuming dining room with friendly staff. I had the pork belly bao , crispy chicken bao, and pork and shrimp dumplings. Everything was cooked just right and tasted great! read more

Mola - Sushi Bars Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This place tastes sooooo goood very good sushi. Best i had in pittsburgh. The staff are very friendly too. Their sake selection is awesome. Will become a regular read more

Mola was awesome. We went for a weeknight dinner, had a sushi combo platter and some baos. YUM. Everything was flavorful, fresh and carefully combined. This is the best sushi I have had since moving to Pgh. read more

This has quickly become my husband and I's favorite sushi spot and we find ourselves here about once or twice a week now. Not only is the fish amazing and great quality, but all of the other dishes, like the bao and the spicy crab salad are amazing.The sushi rice is hands down the best in the city. read more

Loved the steamed dumplings with fresh, savory minced pork filling. The Boa is light and fluffy stuffed with delicious, tender pork belly slice and pickle. The grand sushi pkate is great to share--6 pieces of sushi including tuna, a six piece roll and a hand roll with creamy crab. Paired with glasses of crisp Sauvignon blanc, it made a delicious, memorable late night dinner. read more

A fine top restaurant. The food is always delicious. Freshly cooked with top quality taste is apparent. It's enjoyable to eat at Mola. Thank you and keep up the great work. read more

Had a gorgeous takeout sushi meal--came packed in the most beautiful boxes, and every bite was delicious! The blue crab hand roll was super yum, just like all of the other reviewers have said. Would love to hear here again! read more

This is place has the absolute best, freshest sushi ever. We sat down and asked Alex to bring us his favorite dishes. We can't say enough about the quality of the food and the friendliness of the entire staff. We will put this on the top of our go to list. We highly recommend you make a point of visiting Mola. read more

The food, drinks and atmosphere are amazing!! Fresh, simple, clean and super tasty describes the food and drinks. The sushi is super fresh and I love their take in rolls-that also have the freshest seaweed I've ever had! We tried a bit of everything-veggie and crispy chicken bao, sushi, chic soup, spicy rice bowl, dumplings and the Mola 75 drink-SO good!!! The chef and his team were awesome!! read more

Love their food! Bao rolls, sashimi and sushi rolls and bowls are excellent! The Tuna Tartare with Guacamole is fantastic!

I've eaten here a million times. It's amazing. But this review is for the amazing Olivia, who has the greatest customer service abilities and voice ever. And for Lauren who braved the snow to make a tiny error right. Give these girls a raise please. They're amazing. 6 out of 5 stars - David read more

Went here on a Monday night-party of 5. Called ahead to find out what the COVID procedures were and was greeted by a very warm host. She told me that it's all takeout but she can put out table and chairs for us to dine outside when we arrive. It was a pleasant nite. The food was fantastic. The MOLA rice is perfect for sushi and rolls. Fish was so fresh. Portions were very good size. Everyone enjoyed their meal. "Service" for our takeout meal was attentive and friendly. I love this place and wish I lived closer. read more

The shrimp tempura udon was not to my liking last night. I've never had such leaden, tasteless tempura before. Maybe they need to hire someone who knows how to make a tempura batter? I was very disappointed since their food is always so good. The noodles and broth were very good, however. read more