Two executive chefs, 87 dishes and three dining spaces (restaurant, pubby izakaya and private event space) mean that diners here have a dizzying number of choices before chopsticks ever move towards tongues. Have no fear. Even though this buzzy, massive place—all reclaimed woods, bronze and bustle—can feel overwhelming when you enter the door, the waitstaff are genial ambassadors, with seemingly unlimited time and patience to walk befuddled diners through their many options. In fact, being in the care of these soothing "food nannies" is a great part of the fun of dining here—the staff must be among the most genial, knowledgeable and witty of any I've ever encountered in a restaurant.

It helps, of course, that they've got superb products to push: foods from around the Japanese spectrum, from truly unusual sushi items (purple sea urchin was a special on my last visit); to skewers flash-cooked over coals (most go for the scallops wrapped in bacon, but the garlic-and-citrus-glazed chicken hearts are a more unusual, and very rich, treat); to cooked food of all sorts. And though the flavors are Japanese, they're not what you likely had recently at your neighborhood sushi joint. The chefs here let their imaginations flower, serving up dishes that often have unusual touches (like the cedar-smoked mackerel that comes with the smoke still on it, wafting upward when the waiter removes the lid) and the spaghetti with just barely cooked egg yolk and fish roe.


The only disappointments are the cocktails (too sweet), but with a sake menu this unusual and wide-ranging, you're better off going in that direction anyway.

Tip: Momotaro is often sold out, but there are usually seats at the bar upstairs or the Izakaya downstairs (that space is more of a pub, with a slightly different menu).