A great option for a quick Japanese meal while shopping at the outlets. We had the avocado, tuna and salmon rolls. We also had the salmon lunch special. We appreciated the size of the rolls. The rice could have been seasoned a little more but for the price it was a good deal. The salmon was a little on the dry side but they had extra teriyaki sauce at the counter. The staff members were all nice and the restaurant was fairly clean and spacious. read more

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We loved eating at Mot'to Japanese Grill during our Carlsbad trip! The signature sushi rolls were sooo fresh and absolutely delicious -- perfectly balanced flavors and quality that rival full‑service sushi spots. The poke salad was another standout -- I still don't know what magic sauce they use, but OMG it was so good! The kids devoured the teriyaki chicken, which was juicy and flavorful -- just the kind of meal that makes everyone happy. What they're known for: A wide variety of sushi rolls including dragon, rainbow, spicy tempura, and more -- most rolls are typically around $13-$16. Fresh poke bowls made with marinated tuna or salmon over rice. Teriyaki combos and grilled plates with rice and salad -- most entrees range roughly $11-$19 depending on what you choose. There was lots of seating, though we came toward closing time and the staff had to close one side to clean up -- but they were so nice, understanding, and friendly about it. That level of service really stood out! Parking was super easy since it's inside the outlets -- tons of open lot parking right by the restaurant. Best dish? Hard to choose, but the fresh sushi and poke salad were our absolute favorites -- and that teriyaki chicken is a hit with kids! We'd definitely come back the next time we're in Carlsbad! Highly recommend for a tasty, fresh sushi fix -- especially after shopping or before hitting the beach! read more

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First time here! Brought my 9 year old. We stuck with a California roll for him. I got a Las Vegas roll. They were so kind. The woman who is an owner was so kind she actually came over and gave a demo to my son on how to use chopsticks and special green chopstick holder. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Las Vegas - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Mot'to is a consistent causual restaurant whithin the mall. Its the closest to legoland without breaking the bank. We have came here several times. I have always love a place that has kid's menu. The only thing was their Chicken was not that good in the kids menu.v si we have opt to order from the regular menu instead. I had their poke, rolls, ramen, yakisoba, and udon. All was good! We only ate here twice and the other times was to take it to go and enjoy at the legoland hotel courtyard. Casual style seating, order at the register, and then take a seat to wait for n number or name to be called. I. Highly recommend ordering online. They are always busy. Always!. Its probably the good prices. I. Hope they stay that way. The people we have interacted were so kind. Great place to satisfy hungry with reasonable priced food. read more

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Had our lunch 30 mins after opening so there's no line. Combo Bento (Chicken Teriyaki with Cali Roll ) - comes with rice, salad and miso soup also. I wish the chicken was cooked with more teriyaki sauce on it. There's available sauces at the counter but it's different if you had the sauce added while cooking/grilling. Chicken and Cali Roll - 3/5 Cucumber Salad - fresh veggies, well seasoned and dressing was balanced. 5/5 Combo Bento (Steak with Cali Roll) - I wish the steak is more tender. Lacks seasoning. 3/5 Asian Coleslaw - fresh ingredients and tasty dressing. 5/5 Spot to get lunch while shopping. I'll comeback for their salads and great customer service! read more

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We just love our lunches at Motto! We've been coming here for years and just love the Easy Bentos. They are so friendly here and everything comes out fresh, hot, and importantly correct. The restaurant is light, bright, and very clean. Pro tip is you can sub an extra side salad in lieu of the miso soup. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Salmon easy, Bento - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Food is great, service is excellent and ambiance is wonderful... Mom and I we loved the food a lot I will give it 10 out 10 . Service is also fast. We had an amazing meal. read more

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Pretty expensive for what you get. Miso soup was bland and salad didn't have the right amount of dressing. It was ok for a fast food place.

What can I say" I was floored by how great the quality of the fish was, both cooked or raw!! This place is awesome. The service is fast, the restaurant is clean and spacious. My family and I stopped by after a beautiful experience at The Flower Fields next door. I have never had a poke salad and never ever not used the dressing it comes with until I visited here, the poke salad was on point! Fresh till the last fork. The baked salmon roll was just right, not over riced and sauced like I've had at many restaurants before. The protector what we ordered was very inexpensive. Their bento boxes don't skimp on portion either, over all we all finished everything on our plates!! Definitely making this my stop after The flower fields or outlet mall shopping. read more

Ordered the tonkotsu ramen and very disappointed.I just wanted to share that maybe other foods is alright but don't get their ramen,very bland. Mine a well buy me Ichiban Ramen next time and make it myself. read more

Fast casual Japanese food located at the Carlsbad outlets. Plenty of seating and large menu of rolls and bento combos. This place reminds me of the Sansai franchise near home. I definitely would recommend the bento combos and Yakisoba. I wouldn't really recommend the rolls as the fish cuts were so thin. read more

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On the weekend, it was super quiet. Service is good. They were nice the cashier the food on the other hand was pretty basic. Didn't taste anything like Japan. It tasted more like a cheaper version of Panda Express. read more

Great place to stop while shopping at the outlet mall in Carlsbad. I had the udon soup which had a fabulous flavor to the broth with tempura on the side for a reasonable price. My friend had 3 and rolls of her choice. They were filled with plenty of fish, not just rice like some locations. Easy to order and pick up food. Dining inside or out. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

I went here for the first time today. I was shopping at the Carlsbad Outlet Mall and stopped here for lunch because it smelled good. It was busy but the service was fast so I didn't have to wait too long to place my order. I ordered the Steak & Chicken Breast Combo with Cucumber Salad and Miso Soup and a Sapporo. I was provided a number to listen for to pick up my food when it was ready. The Cucumber Salad and Soup tasted great. The steak was good but the chicken was dry. They give a good portion and aren't expensive. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Steak & Chicken Breast Combo with Cucumber Salad and Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Food was Horrible. FIRST OFF -- the Food on their outside bill board looked Delicious! NOTHING Like the real food they serve you! We ordered Chicken in two entrees, and the Chicken (super SMALL Portion) that was in our entree and salad, was microwave. Tough and dry as could be and they gave us NO sauce for it. Ordered a couple California Rolls, paid for extra ginger, gave us a total of 7 small pieces of ginger, not enough for 2 slices of a roll. The rice in the rolls were disgusting -- hard and dry!! Worst sushi rolls we ever had. we Will NEVER go back. read more

Food was flavorful and service was pretty fast. Staff were friendly and polite. Great spot for a quick bite to eat when you are shopping. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Chicken katsu Curry Bowl With Chicken Katsu, Mixed Tempura (11Pcs), Red Dragon, chicken teriyaki plate - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Good food, good portion, good price, good service, with a very good ambiance as well Definitely coming back.

Freshly prepared. Eat in, take out. Miso soup is outstanding not weak or watery. Food is always hot and fresh. Service is excellent and facilities clean. Mr. Paul is a very kind person. Very helpful if you are looking for certain combinations. I have a lot of stomach issues and he always makes it happen! Thank you Mr Paul! read more

Pretty great quick meal. Place is super clean and immaculate. Got a kids chicken teriyaki over rice with gyoza. And a side of their cucumber salad (amazingly fresh and tasty). Will hit this place up again. read more

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The ambiance is cute and the seating is well spaced out. Ordering is painless and the food came out quick. Not to mention for fast casual dining I would say the quality was great. I enjoyed a poke bowl while my wife and daughter enjoyed the crunch tempura roll and a california roll. 100% would came back though when stopping in Carlsbad to or from San Diego. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Tuna poke bowl on rice 10/10 - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Solid Japanese cuisine for reasonable prices in a relatively spacious interior with relatively quick service (you pick up orders). Recommended! read more

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Nice sushi spot in the middle of the outlet mall. The prices were very reasonable for sushi and the menu had lunch plates, bento boxes, sushi rolls, and noodles and noodle soups. The quality was very good too. Fish was fresh. Docking a star for the timing of the order coming out. The udon soup and salmon lunch plate came out very quickly but then we were told the rolls would take a few more minutes. That actually ended up being 15 minutes. The soup and lunch plate were done before the sushi rolls came out. Would've been nice if all the food came out at one time. read more

Pleasantly surprised by salmon poke bowl. Fresh fish, lots of avocado and tasty mayo side sauce. I thought it would be like mall fast food court quality but the poke bowl was a step up from that! read more

This place is so good ! I got chicken bento box that came with a side salad and california roll . Hubby and got a poki bowl with ahí tuna We were super happy with our food . Plenty of parking in the Carlsbad outlets Clean restaurant and friendly staff read more

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Cafeteria style restaurant. You walk in. You queue then order it like fast food. Get a ticket and find your seat. When your number is called, step up and grab your tray back to your seat. Drinks and food mainly served in cardboard bowls. Some exceptions are bigger plates- these are ceramic plates. The soup is also served in paper containers. The place is clean and the tables and seats look a little tired. We were here a year ago and nothing seems to have changed in regards to the seating. It's a no frills kind of place. Drinks are bottled, including beer and wine. And even requests for cups are met and provided with paper cups. The utensils are also all disposable. Plastic forks and spoons and wooden chopsticks. I ordered an unsweetened iced tea and was given a bottle of cold pure leaf unsweetened tea. My husband ordered Asahi beer. And was provided with a bottle without a glass or a cup. I requested for a cup of ice and was just given a paper cup without any instructions of where the ice machine was. My husband had to go back and ask for ice. And was pointed to the ice machine that is included with the drinks fountain. When the number was called, my husband went to get the food. It came in two separate trays. One for each set of food. My hubby ordered the steak and shrimp combo plate and requested for miso soup and Asian green salad. The salad was fresh but the mandarins on top appeared to be canned mandarins. The steak was thin and overcooked. And the shrimp tasted old. A recommendation would be to get a thicker slice of steak and cook it and slice it thinly. The effect would be better. I ordered the katsu chicken curry. The katsu chicken was nicely fried. The meat in it was a little thin. The curry gravy was a little dilute. And the pickled ginger on top was more savoury than anything else. The miso soup was very salty and it wasn't very good. It did have seaweed and tofu in it. Overall, we didn't have a great experience. But this is the only asian sitdown restaurant here in the premium outlet area apart from the little bao kiosk. And maybe that's why they are surviving. Hope they improve in the future. read more

The food was delicious ! We met m.r Paul and he was so happy and jolly! We will definitely go there again.

Expectations were low being a restaurant in an Outlet Mall. But we were pleasantly surprised. We each had a plate...I had the salmon while my husband had the spicy pork. Portions were large. Food was fresh and hot. We enjoyed the miso soup as well as the Asian Slaw, which we chose from the various salad options. Counter service was very friendly. Restaurant was somewhat busy and the ambiance is perfect for the setting. Next time we are at this outlet mall, or visiting the Flower Fields, we will for certain choose Mot'to Japanese Grill. read more

I work part time at the Outlet Mall and go to Mot'to often. I usually call in to pick up. The manager here is wonderful and runs an efficient and clean ship. I was waiting for my food last week at a slow time of day and watched him going around the soda machine cleaning and wiping down every inch - even the front of the cabinets below. I was really impressed he cared about it that much. I appreciate this so much. It's always clean inside. The food I've eaten here has been great as well. It's quick and nutritious. I usually get a child's Teriyaki Chicken with Gyoza and add brown rice instead of white. It's a great price and plenty of food. AND it's one of the few places that offer Diet Dr. Pepper. Haha The salads are great as well. Haven't tried the sushi, but the other entrees are right on. I like that there are no servers, just order from the counter and pick up your food at the counter. Quick and easy. read more

Many times when you go out, you see a specific eating spot over and over and, despite never eating there, mentally generate the exact experience you would have if you ever decided to stop in for dinner. It has been a few years since I had first seen Mot'to at the Carlsbad Outlet Mall and I knew I wanted to eventually dine here. Walking by it when clothes shopping for the kids or meeting my mother for breakfast around the corner, it was always given, "next time we're in the neighborhood" status and put out of mind. And when we finally decided to give it a shot, it turned out to be pretty much what I expected it to be. First off, the rolls are bad. It's basically a step above the pre-packaged stuff you get that's been shipped in to your local grocery store. It's not inedible, but it's not that good in any stretch of the word. It has nice color and looks fresh, but it's warm, a bit stale, and reminds you that there are better places that specialize in sushi right up the street. The salad selections are ... odd, to say the least. While I could have had a Seaweed or Grilled Salmon Salad, my options were limited with the side options and I settled for a Pasta Salad. And while it was very serviceable, with a nice dressing, tasty peppers, and firm noodles, the corn sprinkled throughout made me wish I had chosen something else. My wife had the Cucumber Salad and liked it quite a bit. Also on my plate was a small cup of Miso Soup, which I've never been a huge fan of. It always just boils down to lightly salty broth with a possible leaf of seaweed or mushroom in it. Every sip makes me shrug and think of going somewhere else to get that umami flavor I really want. For my entree, I had the Bulgogi, which was truly a saving grace. Lightly sweet, plenty of onions, with tender beef and crispy vegetables, it's quite good. There are quite a few other places with better versions of this, but Mot'to will easily do in a pinch. I honestly doubt I'll ever come back here, nothing really screams with the drive to come down to the beach and back out for second try. But, you could certainly do worse than giving this Japanese Grill a chance. It won't replace anyones' idea of a great noodle restaurant, but it will do for a simple lunch. read more

We vacation in Carlsbad once a year. This our 10th trip but our 2nd time at Mot'to. I had the chicken bento box with a side of gyoza and my wife had the chicken/cali roll combo plate. It was busy but we're we're served quickly. This is a nice cafeteria style spot with friendly staff and good food. Is it sit down 5 star? Nope but it's good for the price. read more

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The food is good and portions are a nice size. Service was excellent, he was patient, courteous, and explained the menu well. We got the bulgogi with cucumber salad, and miso soup. The ambiance is booth seating and table chair. My sister got the salmon and tempura combo. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Bulgogi with rice, cucumber salad, miso soup. - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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It was okay. Fast food Japanese, order at the counter, pick it up at the counter, take it to a table or booth. Food was edible, not exceptional, but not bad either. It was pretty empty when we went on a Wednesday evening at the Outlet Mall, plenty of available tables. Casual seating, 4-5 people behind the counter, get your own drinks at the fountain. read more

Nice quick eat at the outlets. Good food, fast service. We came lunchtime on a Sunday and found seating pretty easily. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Dragon roll - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Good food, casual, and informal on the inside. Really a 3.5 but 4 on the food. Good for takeout or informal dine in. They call your number when the food is ready whether dining in or out. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

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Ordered the chicken surprised it was not hot. Plus we ordered 2 entrees the second didn't come until 10 mins later. Orders should come together. Would not try again read more

Friendly and prompt service. Reasonable prices. Fresh sushi. Good location. I'd absolutely come back to this place. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Bomb - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California

Japanese food for the masses! Ordered the bento box with chicken. Teriyaki sauce was relatively bland but the kicker was the cucumber salad.....it was just that! A plain salad with no vinegar, but it included red peppers, onion, broccoli and cilantro! No sesame seeds or seaweed. Very plain and definitely non-Japanese. Served with a spoon and fork too. People were nice but the food, not so much read more

Came for a late lunch around 3, not busy. Staffs were friendly. Ordered a chicken and California roll combo which comes with 2 sides ( miso soup and Tai pasta) lot of food for $16. Food ok, rice little hard. The Kastu bowl only comes with 1 side, portion is small for $15. A food choice at the outlet if you want Asian food. read more

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This is our go to spot when we head to the outlets. It's on the left side of the outlet near Under Armour. Parking is easy here. Decently priced, fast service, and restrooms available. read more

Horrible, dirty place. New owners suck. Here's my $13 steak plate. Been coming for years sad to see it go down hill. read more

Mot'to Japanese Grill - Japanese Near Me - Carlsbad, California