Only the absolute BEST!!! When I worked there in 2010 I was always treated well. The management is absolutely amazing!! Plus who doesn't love Moto "yum yum" sauce?! They always treat everyone well. As a formal employee. They always treated me with kindness, and so much respect,& much more. You don't see nor get that anymore from ANY job! Every time I come in or place a to-go order I'm always getting the best!! Way to go Moto! read more

I have an oral allergy to carrots. I told them this and I requested broccoli instead. I received a place FULL of carrots, but they still charged me extra for the broccoli. Whoever owns this one needs to speak with the Kingsport location because they would NEVER. read more

Moto Japanese Restaurant - Motos trying to kill me with a food I'm allergic to - Japanese Near Me - Johnson City, Tennessee

Don't bother with call in orders to this locations, they'll never answer the phone. This has always been a problem for them but this time was the worst, spent 20 minutes just listening to their ring back tone. Called twice. read more

VERY DISAPPOINTING! Have eaten here many times in the past. TODAY I brought a friend (after raving about it) and we both had the jumbo shrimp. Instead of the excellent meal we were expecting -- we got rubbery, hard to chew/swallow shrimp. She also had mushrooms which she said were tasteless. No one asked "how was everything... Not at the table, not at checkout. We won't be going there again read more

The Japanese food here is simply delicious. The fresh green tea is flavorful and served hot in a personal teapot, and everything is cooked just right. The staff are incredibly efficient and friendly. read more

There was no appetizers The food was edible. The teriyaki sauce was gelatinous like cold gravy or something. I wouldn't recommend the place and won't go back. read more

Called in for lunch Everything was as requested and hot I've not eat here in a long time and the restaurant is in need of many updates. Staff was quick and very friendly. Will go back again soon read more

Fresh and tasty. At near fast food prices and decor, this is comfort food. Nice 3 course meal from soup, salad and meat/veg/rice combo was delicious. Filet mignon option was good w an approx 5 oz serving chopped up. And the soup was served in a teapot to keep it warm. You pay at the register and service was great. Pretty busy too so good turnover. They even have a drive thru option. read more

Moto Japanese Restaurant - Yum! - Japanese Near Me - Johnson City, Tennessee

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My first and LAST visit there! I was violently ill with food poisoning by the time evening rolled around. Be warned!

We ordered food for pickup. It took almost an hour to get the food. It was on a Monday at 6:30. People were seated and got their food before us even though we ordered 30 minutes before they got there. Was told it would take 25-30 minutes and took an hour. Oh and wonder why the phone rings and rings to get to place your order. It's bc all the teenagers are on their phones! Go elsewhere. read more

I am not sure what you wuld call this cuisine - it is NOT Japanese and it is not Chinese. I ordered shrimp (overcooked & salty) and chicken (dry, overcooked, & salty) and there is a sauce they saute every thing in that makes the dish EXTREMELY salty and overpowers any taste of shrimp or chicken. Evething tastes like a sauce so you will not enjoy a savory bite at all. There are these sweet carrots that are put on the side. They came overcooked and simply were not complimentary to the dish at all. The staff were extremely friendly and cordial. That is why there are two stars. (And, I ate a little and had to trash the remainder.) read more

Moto Japanese Restaurant - Shrimp and Chicken Combo - Japanese Near Me - Johnson City, Tennessee

I don't honestly understand why this place is popular or still in business. The food is a salt block... for $9 you get 3 cups of rice and a few shreds of chicken sautéed in salt and soy sauce. Yes, I'm pretty sure they add salt to their soy sauce. Furthermore, everything is smothered in mayonnaise (that they call yum-yum sauce). Including their SALAD! Really? Mayonnaise on a salad? Now that it's takeout only it's a 45 minute wait. Really? I can get better quality food in the mall within 2 minutes and 18 seconds. Their offerings are not only offensive to Asian cuisine, but food in general. read more

Oh yum! Japanese comfort food! I love this place and their yum-yum sauce. This is where you want to go when your soul needs a little hug! The carrots are so out of place but once you have them, then you'll always want them. Also splurge on getting beef, chicken, shrimp AND vegetables... It's a lot of food but you'll enjoy the leftovers! Service is great and everyone is friendly. Ambiance is basic but clean and relaxing. read more

We use to love this place but it has went down to eatable food only!! We should of known when we arrived on a Sunday & only 2 other table were taken!! You use to have to always wait to get a table here. The place is ran down, dark, floors are awful.. . My oldest son wanted to eat here for his birthday or we would of left because of the service & changes they made. A total of seven of us counting my 1 year old grandson. The soup or Ill say overly salted water use to be good but no mushroom floating in it anymore, no green onion or anything. Just sodium!! We had menus that had different prices on them. Updated by having a black permanent maker blocking out the old prices & writing them in with the marker. Prices have increased twice since the writing of the markers. We were also informed that Mushrooms did NOT come with meals any longer. They were "too expensive"!! You will now pay $3 for a small amount of mushrooms!! We eat many Japanese & Chinese places & HAVEN'T heard this before. Big turn off. Food came & portions use to be generous is now ok. Not even a fair amount of rice. The Filet was extremely tender, food Lacked flavor other than sodium. My oldest son got the combo & as some others have mentioned the chicken Was so fine they couldn't even find any to give to my grandson!! Theres other places in town that give more, include mushrooms & have better wait staff. Waitress was very inattentive!! No refills, didn't ask if we wanted anything else just brought our checks. Wasn't very friendly. Even my son was very disappointed!! Will we go back? Maybe when or if we forget.. read more

Moto Japanese Restaurant - Filet Mignon & added $3 Mushrooms since they no longer come with the meal.. - Japanese Near Me - Johnson City, Tennessee

"Hello Moto" The value of the lunch special at Moto is truly impressive. For six bucks, I had a plate bigger than my own head loaded with teriyaki steak, rice, mushrooms, and sweet carrots. See my pictures for reference. I didn't know what to expect when I walked in, but as I sit here at Moto I feel satiated and I'm ready for a Sunday nap. 5/5 Only critique would be to go easier on the carrots, I tried but just couldn't finish them all and I hate to waste food. read more

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After not living in the area for nine years, I returned thinking Moto's would be just as good as I remembered before. Unfortunately, that has changed. The check ended up coming to $40 (with a $5 tip) for 2 meals and one drink. (The unsweetened tea was like $3.25). My wife just ordered the chicken and I ordered a combo with chicken and opted for the upgrade for the jumbo shrimp. I received 5 shrimp and maybe 1/8 a cup of chicken. No kidding, I ate all my chicken in 4 bites. The menu also stated that every meal comes with zucchini and onions. The waitress asked if I would like carrots and I said no, thinking I would receive the latter. I did not. My wife also didn't receive the zucchini and onions but got carrots without ordering them. The soup has definitely changed and is now just broth only. The shrimp sauce provided to the table was water down and had no thickness like it used too. It's almost like they mix it with water? The gentleman at the front was super nice and the waitress was nice when we saw her. She seemed to running behind, despite a light crowd. (I.e. I never received a refill until the end). Overall, I don't think I'll be returning and I'm actually pretty bummed about it. I didn't bring any of the issues up while dining, not wanting to cause a ruckus. Maybe it was just an off day? Still, price was pretty steep for what was provided with some rice. read more

Well... I used to enjoy Moto's when I was younger in colonial heights. I decided to run by and get some to go. It was beyond bland, and full of terrible rice. The vegetables were also incredibly bland. I was sad, and didn't eat hardly anything. Maybe it was an off night, but pathetic. read more

I got me and my wife lunch Teriyaki Chicken and Shrimp and Hibachi Fillet Steak and Chicken. Chicken is finely chopped into tiny and I mean tiny pieces, basically chicken crumbles. Shrimp is XS shrimp that isn't even deveined. I asked for Medium cooked steak and received well done. The outside is Moistened due to sauce but the insides is grey and dry. Majority of our take out is rice. Literally I have to scoop the chicken because it's so finely chopped. Never ever coming back to this place. Lastly they have permitted any delivery companies like DoorDash. read more

Magical soup! It was a light brown liquid that smelled vaguely of onion but only tasted like a mouth full of warm salt, I think I had this soup when I went swimming in the great salt lake. Magic as it made all of the water and hydration in my body disappear. And then, it was time for the entree! Billed as the Moto Especial, it was Shrimp and Yakuniku which is supposed to be meat cooked on a hot stone table side. Mine was served on a cafeteria plate. Of the ten shrimp I got, none were larger than a nickel, but the amount of salt more than made up for the lack of food. I'm pretty sure it should have listed sodium as the second ingredient. Small, salty and tiny they reminded me of my ex. The Japanese vegetables (carrots, just carrots) had about zero flavor, unless you count sugar as the flavor. Disappointing... this is my sad face. On top of that, I had the privilege of paying a 3.5% processing fee for using my credit card, too bad I don't sell dope and have a pocketful of cash at all times... Pretty sure it's safe to say, I won't be heading out to the "Far East" anytime soon. read more

One of the reasons I hated moving away from home (Tri-Cities) is because I had to leave Motos behind as well! I say that jokingly but only halfway. This place is cheap but so good... and the servings are huge!!! These carrots are so good you could eat just those. read more

I love this food it's like having American and Japanese all at one and a huge portion of rice they fill up the box.

Food was good and service was fine but when you increase food prices and charge if you use a card to pay. Then don't expect much for a tip for wait staff or a high review. If you have cash is the only time I would ever be back. read more

I have eaten there before a few years ago. I didn't care too much for it a few years ago.But my coworkers swear by this place and I decided to try it again with a better mindset. I stand by my review. It's not that great of food.I think that it's cheap. I think quantity has taken the place of quality. I ordered the sesame chicken. Honestly it was just chicken and rice with some mushed up to Zucchini and stir fry onions. Now they give you a ton of food. But the quality of food is not that great. Lacks in flavor. But you're having to douse your food with shrimp sauce. For even a hint of flavor. Service was great and everyone was very nice. I guess it's a hibachi style restaurant. I don't know. I am from a bigger city so my palate are definitely higher than most locals here. If you want to cheap quantity food with no flavor other than shrimp sauce then this is your restaurant. read more

I've been shying away from Moto because it seem just like fast food hibachi. Last night, my family and I were craving hibachi, but didn't want to spend an outrageous amount of money so we decided to give Moto a try. We walked up to a packed restaurant so we took that as a good sign. Wow. They far exceeded my expectations. The menu is much smaller than what we have in a traditional hibachi type restaurant, but there wasn't anything else that really would make me want to pay the price difference. Service was perfect. My daughter is a very picky eater and doesn't like her food touching. I asked them to divide up each item and they went even further to send it all out on separate plates. The shrimp sauce is superior to others I've tried. This sauce has a bit of a bite to it and not so much sweetness. I can see why so many people are buying bottles of it. It was a ton of food for right around $10. I had to take it home and was laughing at the weight of the take home boxes. The server was so sweet that she even brought more shrimp sauce in our take home boxes. Really a winner and they will get my hibachi business. read more

Moto. One of the only restaurants that I have ever jumped off a plane and almost got a speeding ticket to get to before it closes. Few meals are closer to my heart than their hibachi platter of filet mignon, sweet carrots, and rice, all drizzled with the addicting shrimp sauce. No. It is not authentic Japanese to those coming from afar. But does it really matter? The prices are low (below 10$ for a meal), the portions are large, and the waitstaff is always attentive. It is also true that I am always asked by my family to bring a bottle of shrimp sauce to them whenever I visit. Heir to the great tradition of TN Japanese food started in my life by Mikado (RIP), I look forward to a long and happy future eating here. read more

Loyal customer I have been for years. They have continually gotten my order wrong in the drive thru and I ve lived with it. After yet another failed experience with them leaving out items, I am done. They take no responsibility and will not accomodate you for their mistakes. Not everyone is trying to take advantage of them. There are those who patronize their establishment who just get screwed when they get back to their house and find out items are gone yet again. When you train your staff to just say no to empathy and responsibility you have lost your customer base. The food might taste Ok but there are plenty other establishments in JC that are just as good and will take responsiblity for their mistakes. So if you like driving to a drive thru twice while your original order gets cold, this is the place for you. read more

We love Moto's. We switch out our salads for broccoli - it's delicious. It's not an upscale authentic Japanese restaurant, so skip out if that's what you're looking for. However, the service is always great, the food is tasty, and one plate is enough to share with another adult. We're locals and we love it. read more

Customer service here is AMAZING. I ordered rice and noodles, and they forgot to put the noodles in my bag. So when I went to get it corrected the manager profusely apologized and then committed seppuku. The food was very good. read more

The experience was life changing to say the least. I walked into the Japanese cuisine establishment not expecting a lot. But as we spent more time in the sanctuary of delicious food and aroma I began to transcend into something more than myself. I was no longer a yelp reviewer I was a majestic eagle. As our food arrived I felt my eagle senses tingling and sure enough a heavenly dish of shrimp and chicken was placed in front of my eager eyes. I immediately dove into the delicious food. After I was finished with my meal I sat back full and happy. A definite comeback for sure!!!!!!! read more

Moto Japanese Restaurant - The aroma of this heavenly dish really opens your pores and makes you love the world. - Japanese Near Me - Johnson City, Tennessee

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Don't really like the food. The rice is bland and zucchini is kinda salty. I ordered the Hibachi Shrimp and my friend got the scallop one, both are disappointing. The scallop has a weird after taste. It comes with soup also, but it is just a plain both with a tiny piece of mushroom. They just serve hibachi stuff, no sushi or any other japanese food read more

You get what you pay for. Honestly - I think a 1 Star is fair. I'm not troll. I love giving good reviews. I came here because it looked so highly recommended. I realize it's dirt cheap. Which was a redeeming quality. However, this might have actually been the worst Japanese food I've ever had. I ordered the filet and fried rice. The fried rice was just rice. No flavor. No egg, onion, carrots or anything. The filet was very tough. The people were kind. Though I wasn't given a fortune cookie either and that was just the cherry. There is lots of room for improvement. read more

Yummy and quick Japanese food. Zucchini and onions is a must. The soup is great too. Chicken, steak and veggie options. Plenty of food to share. read more

I want to start out by saying that our waitress was great and this is why I bumped the stars up to 3 instead of 1. If you want non-authentic cheap Japanese food this is the place for you. I'm not quite sure if the sauce had the odd flavor or what. I ordered filet...not what I got. Not sure if this is was on purpose or by accident. We are not from the area and have never eaten there before. The steak was ok. They give you a half a plate of carrots and a half a plate of rice and about a cup full of steak. I'm not a carrot person so the amount was overwhelming. I would much rather have the zucchini. The rice even had a odd taste. It's just not the place for me. read more

I have always enjoyed going to motos.The food is delicious and it always has friendly service until tonight.The waitress was very rude even went as far as slamming food down in front of my one year old. Then as soon as she brought the check she said she would wait there so we could pay it we wasn't even done with our food. Then immediately asked in a rude tone do you want change back. Im usually a regular but after tonight i may stop visiting. read more

Shrimp is absolutely terrible...and super expensive!! Go to Yamatos...much better food and definitely better priced.

Not the absolute best Chino-American food in the Tri, but a solid #2 spot. Never had a bad meal.

If you are looking for any authentic Japanese, well I don't know if this is THE place for you, but in the Tri-Cities, Moto is a must go! I cannot resist the sesame chicken dinner with their sautéed carrots! Their shrimp sauce made in house is absolutely delicious too! I could put that sauce on anything! Being from the Tri-Cities, whenever I go home, this is the first place I have to sit down and grab a meal. Go ahead, give it a try. read more

Moto's food is great and served super hot! Every thing on the menu is delicious and affordable. The staff is really nice and accommodating, also. I only wish they would bring back the soy sauce bottles on the tables, instead of the little packets... read more

Always love this place. Even the dinner portions are enough for two people (or one person with leftovers). I've always had a great experience here. read more

I always go for the sesame chicken and never disappointed. And usually go thru the drive thru. Always hot and fresh with HUGE portions. Plenty of leftovers and they always get the orders right with plenty of shrimp sause. Good! read more