If you are looking for a conveyor belt (sushi kaizen) restaurant serving fresh yet affordable sushi in Kanazawa, then head on over to Mori Mori Sushi. This popular local chain has locations all around Kanazawa including the one I recently visited at Omicho Market.
Mori Mori is one of the most popular sushi restaurants in Kanazawa. Not surprisingly, if you arrive for lunch, you will have to wait.
On my visit, I arrived around 11:30 AM. There was already a line of people waiting on the benches outside of the restaurant.
If you want to beat the crowds, go early. Mori Mori opens at 7:00 AM, even before the market gets busy.
Adding my name to the wait list was easy. Out front of the restaurant was a touch screen used to add names to the wait list.
Here is how to use the machine:
- Press “Please push reception”
- Enter the number of guests in your party and press “Enter”
- Select type of seat: Top option (any seat), middle option (counter seating), bottom option (table seat)
The machine will then print out a piece of paper with a number on it.
With ticket in hand, I patiently waited. Every few minutes, a worker would call out in Japanese. Since I don’t speak Japanese, I decided to show my ticket to the worker so I woulnd’t get skipped. After 30 minutes, the worker notified me that my seat at the counter was ready.
Table of Contents
Interior
The interior of Mori Mori was bright and open. The conveyor belt running through the center of the dining room was surrounded by counter seats. While there were a few tables, the majority of the restaurant was counter seating only.
The restaurant was quiet with the light sounds of a guitar playing in the background. Everyone seemed to be eating. The only voices I heard were that of the servers and the chefs in their white suits and hats.
Mori Mori Sushi Menu
At Mori Mori, you could either pick and choose from the conveyor belt or order freshly prepared sushi through the tablet. While ordering fresh sushi is quite common in Japan, orders are usually done by asking a server who then notifies the chef. Using the tablet made things easier, and quicker, especially with the language barrier.
On the tablet, there were eight different options: Today’s Specials, 3/5 Piece Sets, Sushi, Ship Rolls, Rolls, A La Carte/Desserts, Sushi Sets, and Drinks.
One other thing I should mention. Mori Mori is cash only. No credit cards were accepted.
Before you start grabbing plates off the conveyor belt, you should know that each plate varied in price. Plates started at 120 yen and went all the way up to 1,300 yen. So how do you know the price of each plate? It’s simple, just look at the color of the plate.
The color of each plate corresponded to a certain price. Use the guide posted at the counter to figure out the price of each plate.
You will find everything you need on the counter. You had chopsticks, soy sauce, sweet sauce, ponzu vinegar, ginger, red chili peeper, salt, green tea packets, and cups for the tea.
Boiled Shrimp
First up was the Boiled Shrimp (180 yen).
Though thin, these beautiful pieces of shrimp were quite large, almost obscuring the rice underneath.
While the pieces of shrimp were thin, they were somehow still meaty. Each piece had a good bite to it, consistent with being boiled.
Though simple, the shrimp tasted delicious and fresh with a salty, slightly sweet taste.
Quickly-Seared Salmon Belly
Next up was the Quickly-Seared Salmon Belly (240 yen) topped with sliced white onions and mayonnaise.
The salmon was tender and fresh without any stringy bits. It had a strong, briny flavor along with a wonderful smoky aroma from being seared.
On its own, the fish might have been too strong for my liking, but the onions and mayonnaise balanced everything out. While mayonnaise might sound strange on fish, it was creamy and rich while the onions added a crunchy texture. The mayonnaise and spicy onions helped cut through the strong salty flavors of the fish.
Minced Fatty Tuna & Yolk with Scallion
I have an obsession with sushi with egg yolks added. So, when I saw the Minced Fatty Tuna & Yolk with Scallion (240 yen) on the menu, I knew I had to order it. There was also an option of tuna that was not minced for 480 yen.
If you’ve never had sushi with an egg yolk in it, then sure, it might seem strange. But it’s something so delicious that you need to try it.
On its own, the minced tuna was fresh, salty, and creamy. Adding the raw egg yolk took it to the next level. The luscious yolk was rich and creamy. Salty, crunchy seaweed (nori) held everything in.
The fresh tuna, creamy egg yolk, and crunchy nori and scallion was the perfect combination. I highly recommend the Minced Fatty Tuna & Yolk with Scallion.
Scallop
Next up, the Scallop (240 yen), yet another one of my all time favorite types of sushi. I order it every time it’s available.
These fresh, salty pieces of scallop were just as delicious as I was hoping for. They were thick and creamy like butter melting in my mouth.
Even better, I went for the version with wasbi giving it an extra kick of heat. The spicy wasabi worked well with the fresh, creamy scallop.
Sweet Shrimp
Next up was the Sweet Shrimp (280 yen). The shrimp looked beautiful.
Sweet shrimp is often expensive. So when I ordered it, my expectations were low. Sure, there was a lot of rice, but the pieces of shrimp were quite large also. Definitely a steal for the price.
The shrimp was sweet and salty with a fresh, almost creamy texture. The shrimp was so good that I was trying to suck every remaining bit from the tails.
I enjoyed how the spicy wasabi added a kick of heat to the sweet and salty flavors of the shrimp.
Raw Sea Urchin
Uni, or Raw Sea Urchin (380 yen), is a delicacy that is often very expensive. While the uni was the most expensive piece of sushi I had at Mori Mori, per piece, it was well worth the price.
This uni had a beautiful golden hue, typical of high quality uni. It tasted even better than it looked. The uni was creamy and rich with a strong, distinct briny aftertaste.
The seaweed (nori) surrounding the uni added a crunchy texture along with additional salty, umami flavors.
For the price, the raw sea urchin exceeded all of my expectations.
Fatty Bluefin Tuna
Out of all the sushi I had on my visit, the Fatty Bluefin Tuna (700 yen) was probably my favorite. And it was the most expensive plate I had.
Not only was the fatty bluefin tuna beautiful, but both pieces were massive, eclipsing the rice underneath.
The tuna tasted even better than it looked. Each fresh, salty piece of tuna had a meaty texture. While thick, the pieces were so tender that they melted in my mouth. No stringy bits to be found. It was like I was eating a perfectly cooked steak.
If you feel like splurging, I highly recommend the fatty bluefin tuna.
Service
At many conveyor belt (sushi kaizen) sushi restaurants, interaction with staff is often limited. At Mori Mori it was no different. Freshly prepared sushi plates arrived quickly. The staff seemed friendly and I had no complaints.
Conclusion
While Mori Mori Sushi at Omicho Market was not the cheapest conveyor belt sushi restaurant I have ever had, for the quality, I had no complaints. I enjoyed the range of options from seared salmon to uni to fatty bluefin tuna.
Everything I tried was fresh and delicious. This was the reason why there was a line out front.
If you are in Kanazawa and looking for an affordable sushi restaurant, then I highly recommend Mori Mori Sushi. Just remember to bring cash.
Pros
- Fresh, affordable sushi
- Friendly staff
Cons
- Cash only
- Often a line out front of the restaurant
Hours
Monday-Sunday: 7:00 AM - 4:20 PM
Address
Located inside Omicho Market
88 Aokusamachi
Kanazawa, Japan
GPS Coordinates: 36.571597,136.656267
Map
Last Updated on January 22, 2023
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