Momoyama Japanese Restaurant - Florence, Italy: Now, typically when I am in, Florence or Italy for that matter, I am all about finding the best Italian restaurant. But on my recent trip to Florence, we were in the mood for sushi, really, really good sushi and if it could be in a hip and trendy sushi restaurant, that would be all the better. We wondered, could any sushi, let alone great sushi, be found in Florence?

We checked with our concierge and he recommended Momoyama, a Florence sushi (Japanese) restaurant which not only was supposed to have remarkable sushi in a trendy atmosphere, it was actually the first sushi restaurant in Florence, 13 years ago! It sounded exactly like what we were looking for and had him book us a table for later that night.

That evening we headed out of the Four Seasons for the ten minute drive to the Florence sushi restaurant and right on time, not normality by Italian standards, we arrived at Momoyama for our first experience of sushi in Florence.

As we walked up to the restaurant door, we took in the trendy looking sign and then as we waited for someone to open the door (you need to be “buzzed” in), we peered in to see the even trendier interior. A long, chunky, off-white table set in front of a green wall with geometrical gold circles set the mood for this Florence sushi restaurant – super chic and trendy. My only concern was with how small the place was. From what I could see, there was only the one table and a small sushi bar!

A few seconds later we were welcomed inside and quickly had our jackets collected for hanging in the closet and escorted upstairs to their other dining room. This dining room was a bit larger with room for about six tables. The best part of this room was the exposed brick arches and view of the top of the matching arched window at the front of the dining room. It had similar big, chunky tables and matching chairs and of course, it too had quite and uber cool feeling to it.

The only negative was that the low ceiling and small area made for a noisy atmosphere as the sushi restaurant started to fill up (with mainly locals, this wasn’t a tourist trap), which did happen shortly after we arrived. Good thing we had made reservations! If you can, book ahead and request the two-top table located in front of the window. It’s not a great view to the outside, but I think it’s the best table at Momoyama sushi restaurant.

Once we got settle in we took a look at the menu and found that while it was not extensive (the regular sashimi options, about eight “inside-out rolls”, six special rolls, plus a variety of Japanese soups, salads and fried prawns, vegetables and octopus), we easily found enough dishes that sounded like they would hit the spot. There were a couple red flags for us though: the crab was frozen, and it seemed cream cheese and avocado were prevalent in a lot of their dishes.

With a bit of hesitation, we placed our order: tuna, yellow tail and salmon sashimi (ranging from 7-10 Euro for five pieces), unagi sushi and some rolls: the Maryann roll (named after a regular customer’s favorite specially made roll), made with salmon, avocado and cream cheese; the dragon roll with avocado cucumber, smoked salmon and creamed cheese, and the spider roll made with (frozen) soft shell crab and topped with avocado. Plus, we ordered a special-made roll with shrimp tempura, tuna, salmon, spicy mayonnaise and roe on top which they gladly agreed to make for us.

From their mainly Italian wine, wine list, we ordered a bottle of 2008 Jermann Vintage Tunina white wine.

As our orders came out we were impressed with what we saw, except for the rather small pieces of sashimi. However, looks are one thing, taste is another. Taste? Well, impressive! Fresh tasting fish with the all important freshly-caught texture, flavor filled rolls and perfectly prepared unagi. Even the soft shell crab (which was made with frozen crab) and the rolls with cream cheese hit the spot. I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised; a sushi restaurant in Florence probably wouldn’t last 13 years if they didn’t do sushi right.

Service throughout dinner at this Florence sushi restaurant was attentive, welcoming and geared to make our experience enjoyable.

We ended our dinner with their homemade green tea ice cream. And, just like the rest of our meal, it was first-rate.

The best part of the night was knowing that on my return trips to Florence, we now knew of a bombastic Florence sushi restaurant. Our rating for Momoyama Japanese sushi restaurant in Florence is Bombastic!

Share this review on Facebook.

What I liked: The food, the décor, the service.

What I didn’t like: The noise level, but it was easily overlooked.

Rating: Bombastic

Address and Telephone Number:
Momoyama Sushi Restaurant
Borgo San Frediano 10r
50125 Florence
Telephone: 055-29-1840
Join us on Facebook!

5 Star and Luxury Hotel, Resort,
Restaurant, Airline and Travel Reviews,
Advice and Information - Independent and Unbiased