Everyone told us to try this place. We wandered in here…read moretoday and I see what they're talking about. Everything we tried was absolutely amazing. And what a cute little place.

Cafe Mochiko serves some of the best ramen in Cincinnati, and it's traditional and authentic. By…read moreday it's a Japanese-style bakery, and by night it turns into a casual ramen spot run by a married couple who clearly care about the craft. The service is great, and the staff is happy to explain the menu. A few things to know before you go. They don't take reservations. It's a waiting list, and you have to be there in person to put your name down, so plan for a wait at busy times. Prices are a bit steep for a bowl of ramen. Customizing your bowl isn't allowed, and there's no takeout. Dishes also sometimes sell out for the night, so go earlier if there's something you really want to try. Worth it for the quality, but set your expectations on price, wait times, and flexibility.

I'm from Japan and this is the most authentic high quality sushi. With family we can reserve the…read morerooms in back and can have privacy. I highly recommend.

Disappointing Experience with Flagrant Health Code Violations…read more Rating: 1/5 stars I had high hopes for Mei Japanese Restaurant after hearing great things about its traditional approach and authentic atmosphere. Unfortunately, my visit tonight completely ruined the experience, and I ended up walking out before my meal was finished. Upon arriving, the initial greeting was cordial, and I was seated at an empty stretch of the bar. The restaurant certainly looks the part and feels very authentic. However, things quickly went downhill once I watched the staff in the open kitchen area. The sushi chef stationed at the end of the bar was visibly dealing with a cold--constantly sniffling and wiping his nose with his bare hands. While that alone was concerning, it got much worse when he began preparing food immediately afterward without washing his hands, continuing to touch his nose and face while handling raw ingredients. To make matters worse, his assistant stepped off a phone call and immediately began prepping food without washing his hands either. It is disheartening to see such blatant disregard for basic food safety and hygiene, especially at a higher-priced establishment with an open kitchen where customers can clearly see what is going on. Standards may have slipped in many places, but I expected much better here. I brought this to the attention of the manager and promptly left. I honestly wouldn't recommend eating here until management addresses these hygiene issues.

My all time favorite sushi! In all the US. Quality fish…read morefrom varying waters. Friendly & attentive service. Excellent all around.

The best sushi! Great service!…read more We had dinner here a couple nights ago and it was fantastic. My husband ordered a beer and I ordered a cup of hot green tea. We ordered the Gyu Sashi - Sliced sashimi style raw beef, served with a raw quail egg and a garlic dipping sauce. It was amazing! I could've ordered multiple of this appetizer. We ordered the Sushi & Sashimi for 2 - the premium selection. It's served with a miso soup and salad with ginger dressing. The soup and salad were pretty good. It's the sushi that's the star, though. The sushi was fabulous! It really is the best sushi that we've had around Cincinnati. As usual, great service too. We'll be back soon.

We visited Roji for a birthday celebration, and while the atmosphere and overall experience were…read morememorable, my husband and I agreed afterward that we probably wouldn't recommend it for the price. The meal consisted of approximately six to eight pieces of nigiri and one hand roll. We also had to pay extra for a very small spoonful of uni. Considering the amount of food and the overall cost, the experience didn't quite add up for us. My husband asked for soy sauce, but we were told, "We don't do that here." I understand that the restaurant has a specific way it wants each piece to be served and enjoyed, but personally, if I'm paying hundreds of dollars for a meal, I feel I should be able to request soy sauce. I also found the amount of wasabi on each piece of nigiri to be quite overwhelming, as it sometimes overpowered the flavor of the fish. Also, there were only about eight people at the chef's table, and many of us were celebrating birthdays or anniversaries, but none of the occasions were acknowledged. For a restaurant at this price point, I expected a little more attention to these special celebrations. Overall, it was a cool experience, and I'm glad we tried it, but I wouldn't return at the price I paid. My recommendation would be to go if you can get the reservation for under $80. Anything more than that, I'd personally pass.

Tried Roji for the first time for a special date night, and it was definitely a unique experience!…read moreGetting a reservation is probably the biggest challenge--you have to be ready right at 7 AM when tickets are released, and with only 8 seats available, they go quickly. I really liked how tucked away and almost secretive the location feels. It's hidden in a back alleyway, which adds to the experience and makes it feel like you're discovering something special. The space is very intimate, so you get a more personal experience with your group and the chef rather than feeling like you're in a typical restaurant. The ticket price already includes tax and gratuity, so any additional tip is completely optional. Complimentary tea is also provided, which was a nice touch. The fish was incredibly fresh, and I loved being able to see each course prepared right in front of us. The menu changes based on what the chef is feeling and what's available that week, so there's also an element of surprise throughout the meal. The only reason I'm giving 4 stars is that I was still pretty hungry after finishing all the courses. You can order additional dishes if you want more, but considering the ticket price is already on the higher end, I was hoping the portions would be a little more filling. That said, the overall experience was wonderful and definitely felt like something different from a typical sushi dinner. If you're looking for an intimate, personalized experience and enjoy watching the chef prepare everything right in front of you, Roji is worth trying!

Always wanted to try this place so restaurant week seemed like I great time to do it. I was greeted…read moreand immediately seated when I arrived. My waitress was awesome, she checked on me regularly and made sure I was comfortable with using the grill and made sure I knew how long to cook the different meats. Everything was seasoned really well and I had more than enough to take home. I will definitely try this place again

We had not heard of Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ before, but we were looking for a place to eat before…read moregoing to a movie, and they are right by Kenwood Theater, so we decided to check them out. Bonus was they were participating in Cincinnati Restaurant Week and it was the last day of that promotion. The first impression of the place wasn't great. As we were led to our seats, we passed two bins of dirty dishes laying on the floor right at the main entrance to the dining room. The server brought over menus... three for both of us! First was a large, two sided menu for Restaurant Week, Second was a multi-page menu, and third was a hard back menu with a bunch of pages. It was all very confusing. We ended up ordering the Restaurant Week deal, which was a ton of food for $36 each, a really good deal but way too much food for 2 people. The food came out quickly, too quickly to be honest. Within a 3 minute timespan, we got our salad, soup, appetizer, and sushi. Four minutes after that, all the meat and veggies were delivered to our table (I'm looking at photo time stamps for exact timing involved) The proteins and veggies were good and grilling our own meat at the table was a fun activity. The soup was just bad, to be honest. I didn't recognize what type of sushi was included, so asked the server- it was a little slice of roasted beef atop of a little mound of rice. Roast beef sushi?? The menu included our choice of 3 small desserts, so we ordered the vanilla ice cream and green tea ice cream. The server came back and said they were out of that latter, so we both got vanilla ice cream, which was disappointing. All-in-all I'm giving 4-stars, mostly due to it being a fun activity but I'm not sure we'll be returning.

Kawa Revolving Sushi was such a fun experience! We were seated right away, and since the sushi is…read moreready to go, we got to eat right away as well. Our server was very kind and helpful - she walked us through the process. There's sushi available on the revolver, but we can also order additional menu items from a screen at the table. It was great for someone like me who doesn't typically stray from my regular sushi order - it made me try different types of roles and only have a few pieces if they weren't my favorite. All the revolving plates are $3.45, so low risk if it's not your favorite. But all the rolls we tried were good! And the dessert we ordered at the end was good too. Great time and we will be back!

Waiter was kind…read more Food was great!. Ocean Fin Roll (3) The ocean fin roll was pretty good! Angel (3) Avocado, Salmon, Cucumber (?) Salmon The salmon was fresh and the mayo tasted like kewpie. Place was nice and clean. Bathroom was clean.

Love this place for hibachi. The chefs were entertaining and the food was delicious. You also get a…read morelot for the price you pay. Also, the alcoholic drinks were strong and delicious which is always a plus!

It's good, not my favorite but I've never had un-tasty food. I wish their yum yum sauce was a bit…read moresweeter. It would make a huge difference. Service is always good. I sit in main dining room due to food allergies and anxiety. They do have the fun traditional hibachi seating option and it looks so much. It's a good balance that I appreciate. They are very accommodating.

This place is a delight. Awesome ramen and apps. I had the miso ramen and my wife had veggie and…read moremy daughter had the chicken. All wonderful. We also had shrimp dumplings, chicken sausage and some kind of fried potato cakes. It was all excellent. Worth a trip into OTR.

We decided to try Zundo Ramen & Donburi prior to a show at Memorial Hall. We arrived at 6 pm on a…read moreFriday. All seats at the bar were open, but we hoped to sit at a regular (not high-top) table. As it turned out there were a few options in the back. That said, it wasn't long before the place was packed. Our server Tyra was fantastic. Down to earth and helpful with recommendations. She made us feel welcome and comfortable. We started with Jumbo Ebi Shumai. Tyra asked if we wanted a fourth (the dish comes with three) so we wouldn't have to rock-paper-scissors for the third dumpling. I thought they were delicious. I loved the spicy mustard that came with them. I admit they had a slight fishy flavor. I mean it was shrimp and I enjoyed it. Mark is less of a fish fan in general. The dumplings didn't really hit the mark for him. If you like seafood and you like shrimp you should enjoy the Shumai. I opted for Tonkatsu Ramen - Ramen and thick creamy pork broth with roast pork, soft boiled egg, bamboo, wood ear mushroom, ginger and green onion. I added black garlic oil and did not go spicy at all. I thought it was very good and I ate literally every drop. Mark had Spicy Miso Ramen - Ramen and spicy creamy soybean paste pork broth with roast pork, soft boiled egg, bamboo, wood ear mushroom, and green onion. He said it was spicy, which was perfect for him. He also enjoyed his meal and finished every drop. We still had time to kill before the show so we opted for dessert. There were two options - Green Tea or Red Bean Ice Creams. Tyra recommended Red Bean and I'm glad she did. It was sweet with just the slightest crunch from the beans. It was a good size serving, hand dipped by Tyra. The proximity of Zundo to Memorial Hall or Music Hall makes it the perfect pre-show stop for dinner. We will definitely be back.

So yummy. Best sushi and hibachi you're going to get in the area. Very affordable compared to other…read moreplaces. The service is great and they always treat us great. Environment is always clean as well, which I can appreciate. Definitely recommend!!!!

Excellent service, great food, and very good prices! This is a great place for lunch or dinnerread more

If you think you love sushi, but you have not been to Tokyo,…read moresave yourself $9,000 and a 22 hour flight, and just come to Nagomi. Besides superb sushi, the agedashi tofu and soups are divine. Serene ambiance, attentive service. It is a cultural experience of the highest order.

First of all I may have not been the star patron and I understand the work that servers do. I was…read morein Cincinnati for the first time and wanted the best sushi experience I could find. I passed up all the local places because I want toro and uni. We accidentally discovered this place and it seemed like I might expect if I went to Japan and found a brick building with Sushi. There was no one in it nor did anyone come in the entire time. I figured the price may be high but for a true Japanese experience I would do it. I know the Japanese like to serve their sushi their way and I get it they don't provide sauces. They had no spicy sauce. I was excited though they had fresh fish flow in from Japan. I have been to a number of top quality sushi places and have an expectation of good sushi. I ordered 2 orders of toro, 2 uni, 2 sweet shrimp, 2 fatty salmon, 2 fatty yellowtail, 1 founder, 1 mackeral, 1 tuna. plus two salads 2 soups and a couple appetizers and 3 rolls and vegetable tempura. Maybe 3 teas. A pretty long list, but ready for the best. The soup was good, the salad was barely 3 bites though good dressing. The appetizers were fairly tasty but bland without some spice. The tea and tempura were good. Must have been 45 minutes before sushi arrived and another 20 for the 3 rolls. The sushi expectation was high but the fish was unremarkable. Fatty salmon for 10 dollars was the same as the salmon I get for 4 dollars, not fatty, no evidence of skin, not very big. The yellowtail belly for 15 was barely different than the prefrozen kind at my local place. The toro was ok, but not OMG! The Uni was tasty but very small. The flounder had not to much flavor, the mackerel was pretty good but small and the sweet shrimp was pre frozen. I ordered and paid for a dragon roll and received a rainbow roll which was 9 dollars cheaper. The salmon skin roll was tiny and the rainbow roll had nothing in it, just rice rolled up with basic fish. The softshell crab roll was pretty good but was a heavy in rice. The base price of this meal was 348 dollars. The last time I order this much from a really good japanese restaurant with excellent fish and rolls it cost 250 and I left a 20% tip. I asked for extra wasabi since they gave me enough to put on my toothbrush. The brought a tiny bit more very watered down and charged me for it. I also paid for a tiny but of eel sauce. I normally don't do this but I was a bad tipper. 350 for what I got I figured they could be happy with the sales. But, then, we were out at our car and the wife who did the serving, came across the street to find us. She said I need to sign and we forgot to leave a tip. I told her the food was ok and we spent far more than I had for dinner so I apologized and signed the paper. She said do I think its right to not tip her, I said no but this is where i have decided to leave it. She than insisted I leave a tip and tried to hand me the papers to write it in. Then, the sushi chef showed up. He demanded we leave a tip. We said we would like to but under the circumstances I was losing my patience and said we were sorry but we were going to leave. He stepped into the door and handed the paper to the driver and said we must write down an 18% tip and would not accept no. She said ok we will go to the atm and get a tip. He demanded we leave our driver license. About this time, I was at my end, I said look its not a requirement to leave a tip and the feeling of being slighted by the food was driving my decision to not tip. He said he would not let us leave and would call the cops. I then stepped out of the car and said your going to have to step back from the door so I can close it. He said he would not. I then stepped against the door and started to push him away, he pushed back but I was stronger and cleared him of the door and closed it. His wife then ran to the back of the car and was trying to open the trunk. To what end I don't know but she took our license plate. Then she stood behind the car and wouldn't let us leave. The driver then called the police, and when he saw we were talking to them he left. The police showed up and I explained my point of view and the result. He said. The other officer went to get the story from the sushi chef. When she came back, she said he had written in a tip and was getting ready to charge my card. I get that they felt slighted, but so did I. I paid the bill but I did not try to steal anything. I wonder why there is no one in the place.