I have been going to this place since it has opened, however not until recently it has become one of my favorite go-to sushi restaurants. They always have friendly wait staff, the rolls are always fresh, and parking is free. I tend to park and meet people at the parking lot, car pool for shopping and meet back up at Moonlight for dinner since one of the few public places in Middletown with free parking. It's conveniently located on Main St, walking distance from shops and even the hospital. I love the tiger roll, and the sexy Kimberly roll. But they have an extensive list of special rolls and try to rotate what I try. They never disappoint. My mom always gets hibachi, and raved that in her opinion it is better than the other places we go. Whatever makes mom happy! read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Sushi - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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I went to moonlight sushi bar tonight with my daughter for an early dinner We started with a diet coke and proceeded to order our dinners. My daughter order the bento box with sushi and I had the chicken teriyaki dinner. Both dinners came with me so soup and a salad. The soup was fine.The only complaint I would have was the tremendous amount of dressing poured on top of our salad almost unedible. Our dinners were very good and plentiful.I brought home a large container of leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Chicken teriyaki - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

We enjoyed the sushi hand rolls, sushi love boat, octopus app and cocktails. Service was great! I didn't know about this place. It's pretty big.. 2 floors with hibachi. My gps took me to the plaza with the movie theater. I didn't see the restaurant when I parked so I walked up to Main Street but you can actually get to it from the parking lot. It's just a bit hidden in the corner. read more

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I took the whole family (5) for hibachi (kids all first timers) and on the night of the Fourth of July we had the whole place to ourselves. The hibachi chef did a few egg tricks (in the hat) the typical onion fire volcano, sake squirts to the mouth, and a fire smiley face. The food was great, my kiddos all loved the fried rice. Ginger dressed salads were good, but mild. The soups were good choices were miso or clear onion. I had a lychee martini, my daughter a white chocolate one, my other daughter an ube boba. read more

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Great night out with the family @moonlightsushi! Hibachi is always such a blast and everyone had a great time at this highly recommended local spot. Can't wait for our next trip back! read more

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Came here on a Wednesday night and were seated right away. We had a hibachi table to ourselves. The chef offered saki to those who opened their mouths! This is your typical hibachi experience. Restaurant was clean and spacious. read more

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We all know there isn't much variety in taste when going to hibachi. So when I go for hibachi, I'm looking forward to the show. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. My birthday party of 6 received a little musical with the spatchulas, the Sake squirting & a little onion volcano. There was no catching of food, no singing/chanting, no flipping of eggs, no cool designs with eggs whites. Also, not much communication overall. Even though I was dancing in my seat with the intent of engagement with the chef. There was another party of maybe 10 across from us & it was the same for them as well. The food itself was good. I chose the chicken & salmon. We had indicated the person who couldn't have shellfish cooked near their food & the chef was happy to separate the foods. However, he put shrimp on that person's plate so we had to switch out the plates. I was happy they didn't use multiple mounds of butter or margerine to cook. The drinks were great. Passion fruit margaritas, peach margaritas & something with mango. That one was a bit syrupy. Another couple ordered the scorpion bowl & they raved about it. The waitress was pleasant. The service was ok. My party was able to be seated without everyone present. Initially, we were sitting for a while before drink orders were taken. Someone actually went to check if a waiter/waitress was going to come over. They gave us the option for chopsticks, but not everyone received a set. I'd return to try the sushi, but wouldn't do hibachi again. read more

My family has gone to Moonlight for Hibachi multiple times. The service has always been great. The food is delicious as well.

Time to update my review. More and more we've been going to Moonlight, when we want sushi close to home. The service is quick and friendly, and the food is fresh. I still have favorites outside of Middletown but when I want to stay in town, Moonlight is my choice! read more

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First is the layout. There is a hibachi restaurant upstairs which is also the level of Main Street where we parked. The door was open but there was no one there. A sign said go downstairs for sushi. Took a bit of exploring to find the stairs. Sushi was on the lower level that opened onto the back parking lot. The entire staff was here. Most not doing anything but all talking loudly at once. The decibel's aside the servers were all friendly. While reviewing the menu I commented that other sushi restaurants had more interesting, informative and attractive menus. We got five different rolls. 4 of them tasted pretty much the same-the same flavor profile. Just never found anything special here or particularly flavorful. I did also comment that they had quite a few rolls that were more expensive than other restaurants. I think I've been to all the sushi restaurants on and around Main Street in Middletown. It's just not my favorite or close. read more

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Moonlight is the spot for sushi in Middletown. Go in on almost any night and it's packed, and that's because it's the best! We started by trying a sake that was delicious. We split a kani salad to start and ordered a tuna roll and sunshine roll (salmon based) and an order of fried rice! Everything was delicious! Upstairs they have a hibachi grill if you want to try that as well. Always a solid spot. read more

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The time we were there it was hard to really judge the atmosphere and the service because there was a group of like 18 college kids (?) that we're taking up a lot of their time. Still through that, they were very very good. I had the spicy shrimp appetizer I don't remember what it was called but that was presented so nicely on a bed of lettuce in a large cup. So pretty. Wish I got a picture of that! But I ate it too quick. I tried to alcoholic beverages and both were garnished nicely and tasted good. And the poke bowl was so good. Salmon lovers with jalapeño added I think it was (I was stuck between two the only difference was toppings) SO good. Best poke bowl I've had in a bit. Coming back soon read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Salmon Lover Bowl - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

The food was great they made an onion volcano and the food tasted great, They cooked right in front of us and they were very funny and the service was great, I came here for my birthday and they were very kind and gave me a free ice cream , I would recommend moonlight sushi bar . read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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The ambience here is a little strange, they play pop music and when you walk in, it's a little strange with no typical hosts to greet you, just the waiters running around extremely busy and telling you to a pick a table. The waiter we had was great and extremely accommodating to my gluten sensitivity, even though they wrote on their menu "no substitutions" he was still willing to accommodate me. He substituted the miso soup with a larger salad size and the California roll with another roll (imitation crab contains gluten). The food comes out extremely quickly. The salads were so yummy, their dressing was great. The portion sizes of the sushi boat were huge & filling and the price was not too bad considering how much food they give you. The only problem is that the fish was extremely bland and tasteless, not too surprising given Middletown isn't really known for their sushi. read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Sushi E12A Sushi and Sashimi on Boat - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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Delivery, steak hibachi diner. Half of it on a plate. Omg amazing! The only thing better is steak hibachi from the hibachi grills cooked in front of you. That is number 1. Number 2 is ordering it downstairs or take out. They will say there isn't a different but there is. There's corn in the rice if you aren't at hibachi grille table. There's celery in the veggies if you aren't at the hibachi grille table. read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Half of my delivery steak hibachi dinner on a place. - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Excellent as usual. They're miso soup is wonderful. The ginger salad is crisp and tasty. The yakitori was a real treat!!

I actually have been coming to Moonlight for years when I lived in the Middletown area but only getting takeout or boba. As far as hibachi experiences go, Moonlight is pretty standard - but there is nothing wrong with that. Our chef was quite entertaining and they were willing to accommodate our rather large group of over 20 people. I got the surf and turf and had no complaints about the large scallops and steak. The fried rice had about a knob of butter placed in but that made it taste all the better. I would come back if I'm in the mood for hibachi again! read more

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Moonlight is one of our favorite spots in Middletown. So many places to choose from, but if you're looking for sushi, definitely give this place a try. Owners are terrific as are the rest of the staff! read more

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There are two entrances to this establishment. We entered upstairs, which is where the hibachi tables are. A chalk board tells to to go downstairs for sushi. Ummmm, ok. This was a sign, literally. I almost fell on the floor more than once because it is covered with pure grease from the hibachis. We made our way downstairs to the lack luster basement. But I figured, hey how bad could it be? We sat at the sushi bar. The waitress seemed almost bothered. She kept asking what we wanted. Since the menu is so large it took a while so we ordered our drinks and some edamame. While looking at the menu I noticed every roll had either spicy tuna or spicy mayo. Well, my friend has stomach issues and can't eat spicy food. When I asked if things could be altered, she said no. So out of 3 pages of "secret" and "special" rolls, we had a choice of 2. I kid you not. So we ordered them as well as some sashimi. Once we ordered our drinks arrived. I ordered a glass of wine. It was a 2 oz pour, tops, my friend got a cocktail, it looked good, but they tied the straw in a knot. Seriously, it's an adult beverage, not a balloon animal. All of the food arrived at the same time, which meant the edamame was cold and the sushi was warm. I felt bad for the sushi chef, he was a young guy and really put effort into presentation. He kept asking us if it was ok, I think he kind of knew we weren't thrilled. We were still kind of hungry, and since the waitress keep rushing us out, which I absolutely hate, I decided to order another shot of wine and some take out. To sum it up, one star goes to the sushi chef for trying, the other goes to part of my take out order. The shrimp fried rice was literally rice with two shrimp and some soy sauce in a metal tin, but the fried crab Rangoon was amazing. Save yourself $120 plus tip and go somewhere else. read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Sashimi in a tired looking boat and a naruto roll. - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Huge restaurant inside and then another level of seating downstairs ! They made balloons for the kids and offered strawberry and chocolate milk. The hibachi chef was great and cooked everything perfectly. We would return. read more

Since the COVID hit most of the sushi place we usually go is not open for inside service. We call moonlight and they open for inside Setting. Place was not to busy inside. We was serve quick . Sushi dinner was great in Moonlight. I order spicy edamame and a rainbow put on my husband order many different sushi rolls . We had a great time read more

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Came in during their happy hour under the recommendation of a local who's a frequent customer here. The place has two entrance doors on the lower level and street level, both were unmanned and there was no sign whether you're supposed to wait to be seated or not. When I arrived, there was already another customer waiting to pick up her takeout, she said she had been standing there for awhile and nobody ever came. The female waiter was standing a few feet away and completely unaware of us despite the fact we were talking and making a lot of noises. A guy came from downstairs and immediately helped the first customer, thankfully the female waiter also finally came then seated me downstairs. She was clearly overwhelmed as she was running down and up the stairs and complained to the sushi chef about it. She asked me four times if I wanted water or hot tea, to which I clearly answered water each time but she still asked repeatedly in a matter of 3 seconds which left me feeling so confused. I ordered the medium steak teriyaki bento which came with fried shumai, side salad, and california rolls. After she took my order, another waiter (male) delivered my order and provided good service for the remaining of my time there. The dressing of the salad was good and good portion, fried shumai was good as well, they don't use imitation crabmeat for the cali sushi which I'm happy about. The steak was cooked perfectly and the sauce was average as what you'd expect from standard teriyaki joints. The age tofu was very good. It was lightly breaded and lightly fried, that you bite into a soft tofu on the inside. I enjoyed my meal. The female waiter came wanting to pick up my tofu plate which still had one left and she asked if I still wanted it, I said yeah and since she waited standing there wanting to pick up the plate, I obliged and took the tofu but as I was dipping in the sauce, she abruptly left.. uh what? Also a locale warned me that she has a habit of charging full price even though appetizers and other certain items are supposed to reflect happy hour price. I informed the male waiter who then corrected my bill. To summarize, good food, very good portion with good price, nice and clean place, service is a mixed depending on which waiter you get. read more

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The food here is amazing. It is their attention to detail that they are slacking. Put in our order and called to confirm. During phone call requested yum yum sauce be added to the order. Person on the phone stated no problem. Added it to the bill. Upon arrival to pick up order again asked for sure that it was in the bag was assured yes it was. Forward to arriving home. You guessed it. No yum yum sauce. Ok better luck next time. Begin to eat and look at my roll. Hmm something shiny. Someone forgot to take the plastic wrap off of the roll before putting the drizzle over it. This could have been a scary situation if I had not seen it. Then could not get a refund for anything as it was ordered online. read more

Ordered vegetable pulled noodle and I found maggots in my food this is unacceptable from any restaurant!! There is no reason flies are inside and blowing your food !! How can you not see or did your cook just raise off some and not get all and served anyway!! Would have got negative stars!! Cook should be fired and an inspection is a must!!! read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Maggots in my vegetable pulled noodles - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Horrible service. They were late on my order and gave ME attitude for it. I ordered 2 hrs in advance, came in, and the staff was not welcoming. read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - I never post negative reviews, but this was a horrible experience. - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

It's been good when I've been there in the past, but after a visit yesterday I cannot recommend the Tofu. Two people in our party of five decided to try it since they hadn't seen hibachi tofu on a menu before. The tofu came out after everything else had been cooked and served, so it was prepared on a grill covered in leftover gristle from the meats. This did not make it particularly appetizing to the person who had ordered it because they were vegetarian, but more significant was the fact that it was seemingly on the grill for all of five seconds so they could add sauce before being served. The tofu was precooked and cold from the refrigerator, and had not sat on the grill long enough to be at all warm. So the people who ordered tofu were left paying a full hibachi price for a meal which had a pre-cooked, cold, and unappetizing main ingredient. To be fair to the chef, our table was almost full and it seems only one person was actually acting as chef that night. Perhaps if they didn't have to work two grills simultaneously they might have time to properly warm the tofu or clean up the meat gristle (which remained on the grill the entire time we were there, though I'm sure I've seen it cleaned at the end of the show in the past). But for whatever reason there was only one chef on a Saturday night, and the tofu dinner was served with precooked ingredients. Make of that what you will. read more

I'm so glad Middletown has another Japanese restaurant, and I'm hoping that they will prove to be a solid choice and a go-to for when I'm in the area. My family recently gathered here for my birthday, thanks to the positive Yelp reviews and the spirit of trying out the new place in town. Its been years since I've done hibachi, but it seemed like a fun thing to do with a group including my young niece and nephew. Aside from some slightly shaky service (we frequently had to flag someone down) and a questionable bar menu (two members of my party sent back their "Cosmos" stating they had a cherry flavor and tasted "nothing like a Cosmo" ((I concur that they were bright red and had maraschino cherries)), it was an excellent time. We loved the show put on by the hibachi chef and had fun with him, and loved the food even more. Seriously, even a day or two later, I found my mind drifting off to the flavorful fried rice and perfectly prepared shrimp, salmon and veggies. Everyone in my party went with the hibachi meals and were super happy with it. Spoiler alert- if its your birthday, they will put an Asian hat on your head as the dessert comes out, and put a picture of you in the foyer. I noticed the collection of photos as I came in and completely forgot about it until the hat made an appearance later on. I was a blend of mortified and amused, and my first reaction to seeing my photo was, wow, look at that culturally insensitive jackass. But hey, they put it on me, so whatever, I guess. Anyway, this was a good visit that left me wanting to come back. There is a sushi bar and alcohol bar downstairs that I want to check out, and there are a few tatami tables behind privacy curtains that are oh-so-fun. Plus, a sign advertised happy hour specials- my favorite. Moonlight, I think you and I could be friends! read more

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Be prepared for a weird dinner if you make the trek, All night our waitress was breathing down our neck. Sushi was good but Teriyaki was nasty, We wanted to eat and get out of there fasty. Came with a Groupon to try out this restaurant under new management. We ordered drinks. When the waitress brought them over she asked us if we were ready to order. We said we needed a few more minutes to peruse the menu. Instead of saying OK and walking away like any other waitress would, she awkwardly stood next to us and pointed out her favorite items on the menu for about 5 minutes. She then stood there in silence for another minute or two. It was ridiculously uncomfortable, but looking back on it I can kind of chuckle to myself. We got beef skewers for an appetizer and they were nothing special. Girlfriend ordered the Teriyaki Shrimp. Not enjoyable. We had to peel the tails off of the 6 measly shrimp we got. The vegetables were undercooked and excessive. The flavor of the sauce was off. Never again. The reason for the 3 stars, however, was the sushi. I got the Godzilla Roll and it was 8 pieces of heaven. Spicy, crunchy, fresh, and very appealing to the eye. Price was average. There are also some great Happy Hour specials every day of the week except Saturday (see my photos for specifics). HH includes $2 beers, but unfortunately they only have bottled macrobrews and Asian beers. Will be back for sushi and cheap beers...and that's it. read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Happy Hour specials. - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Definitely recommend this place! Been here a few times and each time was good, the food is good, especially the sushi. My personal favorites are the sushi. I've notice that the service is a bit slower during the winter considering that there would be a lot more people dining in and ordering take out since the Wesleyan kids are back in town for college. So if you're order is late at any business just be patient and give them some time. The staff are really welcoming! Will be coming back here really soon! read more

Food is always good but hibatchi chefs are terrible. No conversation, no throwing food, no sake just terrible. AND waitress followed us out complaining that no tip was left for chef. Even said, "I have to pay my chefs." Will not be back. read more

Dancing in the Moonlight....okay I ate here and there was no dancing. I'm not a Hibachi fan which is upstairs but those who like communal eating make happy noises so I am sure it is good. Our group started with spicy edamame which lived up to its name; tuna tataki which was excellent and pork gyoza which my dining companions liked. I ordered Sushi Regular which was plenty of food. Other entrees at the table included Unagi Poke (they now serve Poke bowls) and the other was a sliced pork ramen. Drinks were good sized and reasonably priced. There are other choices in town but this is always a consistent stop. read more

Went check this place out today, loved it. It's a very nice environment. Upstairs is habachi, and downstairs is tables and bars. Other than sushi, they also serve Thai food, and of course the amazing bubble tea. Other than and appetizers, we ordered 2 roll, shrimp tempura and the eel, it's delicious. I would definitly recommend this place and come back , the bar area seems like a nice place to hangout with friends. read more

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Picked this place out for the 13 of us to go out to for my brothers birthday. My brother arrived before us and couldn't be seated without the whole party (1st thing) the rest of us arrive , we get seated. I tell the young man there are 3 more on the way, he said okay. We sat ordered drinks, looking over the menu I notice the owner? Maybe manager ? Not too sure anyways. She was speaking to our waitress and the young man that had sat us she rolled her eyes once the waitress told her we were waiting for 3 more. (2nd thing) The way the hibachi table is set up we were sitting across from maybe 6 other woman, the manger/owner literally trying to rush them out of there seats so she could seat another party RUDE! They still had food and drinks really ?? (3rd thing ) So my sister texts me she's about to pull in, the manger/owner approaches us and sees that my brother had an open seat next to him and asked us if we could all move down to get closer so she could seat another party. We all move down and I then tell her those 3 seats at the end are for us they just pulled in and are coming up , she says okay you can move down so I can seat another party... (keep in mind the 6 woman across from us were still sitting there so we had 4 chairs left and 3 belonged to us) WHAT SIZE PARTY ARE YOU TRYING TO SET IN ONE DAMN CHAIR!? So the owner/manger and I go back and forth. I am trying to explain that my sister is here 3 of those chairs are taken , she wouldn't listen she was very rude and pushy. She sees them walk In and sit next to us and wow what do you know one chair left ! To seat that huge party ! Smh (4th thing! ) One good thing about this place was the chef. The chef that took care of us was awesome that's the only thing that saved the night, the waitress gave us our one drink each at the beginning but then disappeared (5th thing) we had to ask another waitress to get ours so we all could get at least a 2nd drink. The food was okay, the show he put on made it fun. If it wasn't for the chef our experience would have been way worse. The one star is for him and the food. We will NEVER go back and I will tell everyone I know and related to to never come here. Go to a customer service class or something. read more

I would definitely go back. I've been for the hibachi and it was good. It's just nice having hibachi in Middletown. Last trip we ordered sake bombs and meals. Mango Chicken was eh. Not horrible but sometimes I try new things and it doesn't work out. Sooo if you like mango and chicken, maybe it will work for you. My mom ordered tempura and it was amazing. Our waitress was really sweet and had us cracking up when she gave us the sake bombs. Check them out. Also Hibachi at lunch is a great way to enjoy without paying too much. read more

My family of 5 came to Moonlight on Sunday at 12:30 for lunch and it was awesome! Sushi was excellent. Servers were nice and helpful. Prices were reasonable for a nice Japanese meal. When we need to pinch pennies we'll come on a Mon-Sat instead to get the lunch special pricing... and hold off on the $3.50 Bubble teas for everyone! read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - My kids loved the octopus sushi! Servers were kind, helpful and efficient on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. Will def be back! - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

I've been to dozens of sushi places all over the country, and this was hands down one of my best experiences I've had with a sushi restaurant. The service was great and the sushi/sashimi was absolutely delicious and super fresh. The restaurant had a really cool layout and was very clean. I purchased the Groupon to try it out, and I will definitely be back. read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Sashimi deluxe and salmon lovers poke bowl - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Made reservations for hibachi (2nd floor) for my birthday with 10 guests. They asked in the beginning if we'd like to split checks, which was great and avoided any potential hassle. The food, scorpion bowls, and service were great! Everyone tried a different combo and enjoyed it (chicken, salmon, steak, filet mignon, scallops, seafood special, etc). You also get salad, soup, fried rice, veggies but can ask for noodles as well. Can't forget about the sake! At the end, they sang happy birthday and took our picture with a polaroid camera, which added a nice touch. Even gave me complimentary ice cream which was so good. Love this place! Will be back to try out their regular menu on the 1st floor. read more

I have never left a yelp review before, but I am going to SOLEY for the purposes of this one server there. I can't remember her name but she's the best server I have had in AGES. I am a frequent carryout customer of this establishment and anytime I place my to go order she already knows what I want. She is so kind and honestly just the sweetest person. On top of that, their sushi is absolutely amazing I love this place! read more

Love their sushi! Sometimes when I need a quick bite before work, I'll come here and order my usual - California roll and shrimp tempura roll. Service is great, and I still need to check out their hibachi service one day. The only thing that I didn't care for was their teriyaki sauce. Other than that, a very nice place to eat! read more

Food is pretty good! I would recommend. Wouldn't change much. I got the steak and noodle habachi. If you like it try Sakura too. read more

Moonlight Sushi Bar and Grill - Japanese Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut