Took my friend who was visiting from out of town here and we all loved it! The downstairs space is…read moreintimate, moody, and beautiful--I'd definitely return for a date night. We did the chef's tasting menu, which I highly recommend. It was so much fun (and a little overwhelming) choosing 10 dishes, but everything we ordered was delicious. Our favorites were the ice cream, miso eggplant robatayaki, spicy tuna roll, and salmon sashimi. Great service and an overall wonderful experience. Definitely a place I'd recommend!

P tried on multiple SHEIN tops to go with her high-waisted Levi's before dinner. This was a Monday…read morehappy hour and she didn't want to overdress. She wore heels anyway. Left 25 minutes later than planned. [Fast forward: the guy next to us was wearing a full suit.] We arrived at 5:30 and were told the wait for a walk-in was 20 minutes, so we went to Graffiti Bar next door. P wanted a marg, which was not on the cocktail menu, so the bartender asked what kind of tequila. P said Patrón. We started our happy hour evening with $45 cocktails. The wait was actually only 10 minutes, but they give you a 10-minute grace period once they text you, so we had to chug nevertheless. There is a pipe that says "warm" as you walk in. Touch at your own risk. Now at Double Knot. We ordered the tuna roll and salmon rolls. Good, but not that good. J wanted the yaki soba and liked it. P liked the pork potstickers. J ordered a Sapporo and an argument ensued about how to pronounce "a" in Japanese and/or other Asian languages. A professional woman once scolded J for mispronouncing Wang. We then played odds to determine whether J would turn his Sapporo into a sake bomb using P's sake. Both guessed 5. The sake did in fact "bomb," erupting all over the table and causing a scene. The wait staff did not notice because the ambiance, while "lit," is actually pretty dark. Coast clear. For revenge, we played odds again. P lost and was forced to put soy sauce in her sake and chug it. She took it like a champ. The waitress complimented P's top as we left. Margs at the pourover bar next door: $45. Rolls at Double Knot happy hour: $8. A compliment on a $3.69 top after arriving 36 minutes later than planned: priceless. 7/10.

Been multiple times. Hands down our favorite ramen in the city…read more It's easier to get a seat for one or two at the bar. But if you go with a bigger group you can always sign onto the waitlist and walk around Chinatown until your table is ready. I like the spicy ramen with shredded pork. But all are really good. I usually get the takoyaki balls but their buns are good too. Service is usually pretty timely and you're in and out. Stomach full. Give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Been here twice while in Philly...first time was looking for a place to eat for dinner...and came…read moreacross this gem of place. There was luckily no line for both times we came but seated by the counter. Menus are online, so need to scan the barcode to read it on your phone. Plenty to choose from... Appetizers, main dishes and beverages. Drinks: had cold green tea and hot green tea Appetizers: fried gyoza and potato croquette which were good. Pork buns if you are hungry are filling and good. the chicken katsu don - definitely enough to share...rice with chicken and egg and sauce inside.. you can add additional spices and sauce to flavor as needed. Highly recommend the charsu don which we got the most recent tried - very flavorful with the sauce it comes with and we finished it up. Best dish I had the entire trip in Philly! Thank you!!! Friendly staff and service. Common restroom for customers. Will definitely come back we're back in town!

If you're looking for really good sushi and Japanese food, I recommend this place. I saw Japanese…read morecustomers dining there. It's a good sign that that they serve legit food. Enoki and egg soup is my favorite appetizer. Light broth with umami and perfect saltiness. My second favorite appetizer is agedashi tofu. So silky like pudding with light teriyaki broth. Beef roll up with scallions: beef is tender with some kind of sweet teriyaki sauce. It's pretty good. Eggplant filled with ground chicken. It looks appealing but unfortunately a bit too greasy. The sushi here is very special. The sushi rice is silky and moist. The fish piece is bigger than the rice. The eel is a must try here. It's very big compared to the rice underneath it. It very flavorful too. Mt entree is steamed salmon with seafood broth. I recommend squirting the lemon to the broth to make it taste like yuzu sauce as it lightens the whole dish and makes it less fishy.

And another three years have passed, another excuse to catch up with old friends. Sagami worked…read moreout well again. PRO: I will say, if you want a place where you can sit and have a conversation, dark mood lighting (especially forgiving if the last time you saw each other alot was 20 years ago! - LOL), Sagami is an excellent choice. PRO: They don't rush you out - take your time. It was a Thursday night, so not especially busy when we came at 6:30 PM. CON: I could not find an updated menu online - I'm one of those people who like to peruse a menu in advance. I started with a vegetable tempura appetizer ($10) - excellent, light, airy, tasty. My main was the dragon roll - very tasty. Service was quite nice. Appetizers came out almost immediately, the rolls took a lot longer to get to our table. This is the kind of place where you're not paying to fill up your belly - but if you do, expect to shell out some bucks.

We chose it because it's one of Chef Morimoto's restaurants, and as an Iron Chef fan, it was worth…read morechecking out. We were seated at the sushi bar, which ended up being one of the best parts of the night. We got to watch the sushi chefs prepare dishes up close and even chat with them a bit, which made the experience feel more personal and fun. I would recommend requesting this if you are a party of one or two. The restaurant itself has a very clean, sleek look, with mostly white decor. It feels modern and upscale without being cold. The space is large enough that it doesn't feel crowded, but still intimate enough for a nice dinner. Our server was fantastic and gave great recommendations for cocktails, sake, and dishes. I tried a sake flight and ended up not enjoying it, and he kindly brought me something else with no issue and didn't charge for the flight, which I really appreciated. The sushi was fresh, and every dish we had was seasoned perfectly. They have seasonal tasting menus if you are more adventurous. The dishes are beautifully plated. Overall, this was a great experience and I'd definitely recommend Morimoto for a higher-end dinner in Philly, especially if you're a fan of TV chefs or just want a memorable sushi experience.

The food here was absolutely... acceptable. I had sushi and my husband had katsu and both were…read morecertainly in the upper 50th percentile of Japanese food we'd ever had. That being said, it was expensive for what it was. We came in a large group, some of them being particularly excited that they offered gluten free ramen. However, I don't think any of us expected to pay what we did. Philly is a city with SO many food options, so if I want good food at a cheaper price, I think I'd pass on Morimoto again. Side note. Very interesting lighting fixtures at the tables.

The best omakase we've ever had. This was fine dining to the crazy extreme. Book at least a couple…read moreweeks in advance and bring a bottle of wine. It's a small spot, I think 10 guests at a time can fit. The chefs go over every part of the meal and explain everything. It's awesome. Not everything is for everyone (fish liver was *interesting*), but the tuna and the wagyu, DAMN. This was an incredible birthday dinner. Highly recommend.

Surprise from my son for Mother's Day. We went the Friday night before Mother's Day. We arrived…read moreat this restaurant which the lights were focus all in the middle where the chefs were preparing each sushi. I loved this restaurant. Yes! It is pricey. Each piece of sushi had it own texture and taste. This place is BYOB. We had good seating neighbors. They shared their bottles of liquor. We had Rum, white wine, red wine, and 3 different kinds of saki. The drinks were good with our sushi.

first time here and it was AMAZING food was so fresh and…read morecame out so quick 10/10 will be back

I went on a solo dinner outing to Chubby Nori, and it was a 10/10 experience! They specialize in…read moreJapanese hand rolls, and while it is on the pricier side, you can get surprisingly full from just a few rolls because they're definitely not stingy with the fillings. My favorite rolls were the Miso Butter Cod and the Mango Salmon. Both were incredibly flavorful, and the fish tasted fresh. Paired with wasabi, soy sauce, and ginger, every bite was delicious. The ambiance was relaxing and made for a great solo dining experience. The chef was also impressively quick, preparing each hand roll fresh right in front of you. The presentation of each roll was beautiful and definitely photo-worthy. If you're craving quality hand rolls and fresh fish, I'd highly recommend giving Chubby Nori a try!

We have been met with perfection. I can leave this planet…read moreone day happy in knowing I have had The...Best. Royal's announcement on they starting to take reservations, a few months ago, immediately had me in stalker mode. I set a calendar reminder, waited for the day, hopped on & bang- success!! Another Philly weekend awaited, Yea! We arrived at Royal (apologies on review delay, circa April 11), for our 8:30pm high top table reservation. We were greeted and seated immediately- right side corner table ready. It's very dim in Royal, small but mobile and a bit noisy. Nothing unexpected. Skating over service, but they are so noteworthy. Our server was attentive, kind and helpful. They HUSSLE here to bus and clear tables. Timing for patrons arriving and being sat was like it was scripted, it was so flawless. No one waiting at the entrance corridor on arrival. Machine precision. Now, our meal- I'm drooling in my daydreams over it. We tried many plates & loved the portion size to be able to do so. The chicken wings- crisp, thick golden fried and tender. The toro with caviar- silk. A touch of brine, a melt in your mouth pleasure. The grilled octopus had an unassuming spice, mellow char and just the right consistency of chew. My husband ordered a surprise- I was scared. Fish heads. WTF, ok here we go. The plate came- heads on heads, quite the portion. This fish- first bite down, intimidation gone. This is one of the best things we've ever eaten. Succulent, moist fall apart whitefish. Didn't even taste like it was battered, no thickness to the breading. It tasted fried but so clean it didn't make sense how good it was. I don't have words. And now we get to the sushi- and I go completely mute.... There is no description worthy here. We had the Dragon Roll and the Spicy Crab Tempura roll. Can we call them the "Die and gone to heaven rolls". Fall apart fresh. Quality. Restrained, but pronounced. Pure. Insane. How can you describe food you will always remember. Except in having passion and a simple happy heart. This is what Royal gave us- in a sushi roll and a fish head. Thanks Jesse and team- simply the best!

I've always loved the Queen Village area, so I already liked the location of Royal Izakaya going…read morein. One thing though, the restaurant was surprisingly hard to find because there really isn't much signage on the entrance/door. But there's a paper lantern outside, so if you see that, you're in the right place. I had really high expectations coming here and thankfully I wasn't disappointed, although nothing completely blew me away except for the Aka Taka roll. The chirashi bowl was solid overall and had good quality cuts of fish for $52. Everything tasted fresh and balanced, but next time I think I'd personally just order the sakedon instead. The chasu bao also wasn't really worth the $14 in my opinion. It was still good, just not something memorable or mind blowing. Same with the wagyu steak, for $38, it honestly just tasted like a really good steak, and the portion was a little smaller than I expected. My favorite appetizer was definitely the miso eggplant. Such a unique combination of flavors and the eggplant was cooked incredibly soft and well. It almost tasted like a sweet potato with the miso on top, and I would absolutely order it again. But the standout of the night was easily the Aka Taka roll. For a $27 roll, I had very high expectations and somehow they were all met. The roll was stuffed with different cuts of tuna that were unbelievably soft and buttery, and there was this crunch in the middle, maybe daikon? Whatever it was, it added the perfect texture. Honestly, it's something I'd go back just for.

A little unsure how I feel about this place but here it goes. Cute little neighborhood spot with a…read moredivey hipster atmosphere. Came for HH after seeing what a large variety they had on the menu for the 2 hour special. Few hits and more misses, but maybe I was expecting more traditional than a fusion take on Japanese cuisine. Great cocktails and good selection of drinks. Service was on point and friendly. The food was just okay sadly, though we only tried a few things as we weren't too hungry, a lot of them missed the mark. The mini spicy chirashi was decent, but unfortunately everything else we had was subpar. I may have a pretty high standard for sushi as I'm from NY so maybe I'm being a little too critical but they just didn't work for me, maybe I just didn't order the right things. Anyway it's just my opinion and what do I know, maybe find out for yourself if this place is worthy of all the high ratings. Stay hip mother suckers

Beautiful space, ridiculously great food, lovely staff, anime on the tvs, what more could you want?…read more Pro tip: come on Monday for unlimited happy hour!! Should it be called Happy Day? Idk but it was great. I ordered the Yuzu Margarita, the pork gyoza, a tuna roll, miso soup, spicy karaage, and ramen! I was so full and happy with everything that I ate. Fantastic--no notes!! Special shout out to Christine for being a great server!