Morimoto Asia – A Disney Dining Review!

This week, we’re heading to Disney Springs to share our recent dining review of Morimoto Asia!

Chef Masaharu Morimoto, acclaimed Iron Chef and Food Network star since 1998, is the creative force and owner of this signature restaurant. His Pan-Asian menu takes inspiration from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisines while seamlessly blending Western and Asian ingredients.

I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews of Morimoto Asia, so I couldn’t wait to try it for myself. This restaurant has been at the top of my Disney bucket list for an evening with my husband. However, vacationing with three kids in tow hasn’t afforded us that highly anticipated Disney date night just yet.

But opportunity knocked as a series of recent travel mishaps meant my husband and I found ourselves in Orlando rather than West Palm Beach. To make the best of our missing luggage and impending 2.5-hour drive, we headed to Disney Springs to shop for essentials, then reward ourselves with an exceptional meal.

Reservations

Morimoto Asia is a very popular, high-demand dining location. This is why I always stress booking your Advance Dining Reservations as soon as your 60-day window opens. To see all of my tips for booking hard-to-secure dining reservations, click HERE!

But because our visit was a spur-of-the-moment decision, when I tried to secure a table, I was met with “No Reservations Available.” But I wasn’t giving up that easy! After shopping, we stopped by the front desk with pleading eyes, and asked if there was a way to get squeezed in.

Luckily, we were informed we could be sat at the sushi bar in approximately 30 minutes. Big win!

Morimoto Asia Atmosphere

Morimoto Asia is a large, two-story venue with private dining spaces and Asian-inspired lounges.

Immediately upon entering, your eye is drawn to the cascading 20-foot-long chandeliers in the center of the room.

The restaurant’s interior has a trendy black-and-white color palette with splashes of red. I particularly loved the striking portraits lining the walls, made all the more beautiful by the dramatic lighting.

Overall, the atmosphere is very modern and chic.

As I mentioned before, we were sat at the sushi bar, also known as the Forbidden Lounge. I absolutely loved sitting in this bar area. Here, we were able to watch the talented chefs make beautiful sushi creations with high-quality ingredients. It was like dinner and a show!

The Menu

Chef Morimoto’s Pan-Asian menu features Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisines such as sushi, bao, ramen, and Peking duck.

Cocktails

To begin our Morimoto Asia review, let’s dive into some cocktails! The restaurant has an East Asian-inspired cocktail menu as well as an extensive sake list, specialty wines, and beers.

Matcha Raku

The Matcha Raku was a sweet and creamy cocktail. I could really pick up on the earthiness from the matcha, with a nice subtle lavender afternote.

Because this drink was on the sweeter side, I wish I had saved this as an after-dinner drink. It would have made a nice dessert drink to end the meal.

East Meets West

My husband ordered the East Meets West, but for the sake of our Morimoto Asia review, I had to give it a taste. This drink was sooo good. The cocktail was perfectly balanced, and the mezcal provided a great smoky note. It was fruity, but also spicy – like actually spicy! My lips were tingly after tasting it.

My husband enjoyed this so much, he ordered a second one instead of trying something new. And I have to say, this was hands down the best of the cocktails we tried. Highly recommend!

Kokuto Old Fashioned

For my second cocktail, I ordered the Kokuto Old Fashioned. The cocktail was nicely balanced, and not overly sweet like some old fashioneds can be. Overall, this old fashioned was well-executed, but nothing really stood out to make me want to order it again.

If you look closely, you’ll notice the large ice cube appears to be stamped with a design. Anyone know what it is? If so, let us know in the comments!

Small Plates

Blistered Shishito Peppers

To kick off our meal, we ordered appetizers starting with the Blistered Shishito Peppers. I’ve had shishito peppers before topped with black garlic, goat cheese, and coconut togarashi, so I was excited to see how Morimoto Asia would execute the dish.

When the plate first came out, I was underwhelmed by its presentation – it just looked like a bowl of plain peppers. But WOW did it deliver on flavor! Buttery, salty, and just all around amazing, not to mention they were cooked perfectly.

The wasabi crème fraiche was a nice accompaniment, but they were honestly so good the peppers didn’t even need it. Why was this dish so good?! I don’t know what magic they worked in the kitchen, but the shishito peppers were absolutely fantastic and something I would order again.

Morimoto Spare Ribs

The ribs at Morimoto Asia have an outstanding reputation, so of course we had to give these a try. We ordered the quarter rack to enjoy with the rest of our appetizers.

After sampling, I have to agree with the masses – the ribs were fantastic. The meat fell right off the bone, while the outside was nice and crispy. They were also packed with flavor, with a smoky and slightly sweet sticky sauce. Another winner!

Sushi Rolls

Morimoto Asia has a vast sushi menu including rolls, sashimi, ala carte sushi, and even sushi towers!

Sitting at the sushi bar, we had to sample at least one of these beautiful rolls for our Morimoto Asia review. So, we opted for the Spicy Yellowtail. This roll was made with Japanese yellowtail, jalapeño, and scallion.

As someone who isn’t a big sushi fan, I thought this roll was fantastic. The fish was very fresh, with a nice level of salt. There was also a hint of spice from the jalapeño, but not overly spicy. I particularly enjoyed this with extra wasabi.

Entrees

Duck Ramen

For my main entrée, I went with the Duck Ramen. This dish did not disappoint! The broth was deeply rich and flavorful, and the plentiful helping of duck meat was tender and savory. The wheat noodles were perfectly cooked with a nice bite to them, and the generous portion of scallion and cilantro added a bright freshness to the dish.

The portion size of this entrée was very generous. With everything we had already ordered, I was only able to finish half. But fortunately, our server did a wonderful job boxing up our leftovers for optimal freshness, so we could bring them to West Palm Beach!

Lobster Singapore Noodles

My husband ordered the Lobster Singapore Noodles for his entrée. He was given the choice of rice or wheat noodles, and went with the wheat per our server’s recommendation.

The coconut curry broth was savory, aromatic, and slightly sweet – I had a taste and thought it was incredible!

Crunchy elements in the dish like fried wontons and crispy shallots provided nice texture to contrast the tender lobster meat and noodles. This was another well-executed and successful dish!

Final Thoughts

To conclude our meal, our server sent us home with origami she had made. I’m not sure if this is standard practice for all guests, or maybe we were just lucky. But we made sure to bring them all the way back to North Dakota for our kids to enjoy!

I know it seems like I’ve done nothing but rave about everything we sampled in this Morimoto Asia review, but everything really was that good. This was one of the best meals I’ve ever had in my life. Chef Morimoto does not pull back with flavors, and each dish is exquisitely constructed.

Now, if you’re not a fan of seafood or Asian cuisine, you may want to avoid this menu. There are no burgers or chicken strips to be found here, just well-executed and elevated Pan-Asian cuisine which is the hallmark of Chef Morimoto’s legacy.

The restaurant is high end and justifiably pricy, and oh so worth it. Overall, Morimoto Asia is an upscale dining experience that is sure to satisfy with the beautiful atmosphere and incredibly executed dishes.

We will absolutely be returning here to try more amazing menu items!

I hope you’ve enjoyed our review of Morimoto Asia! Will you be making reservations at this premier Disney Springs dining location? If so, leave us your reviews in the comments!

Looking for other Walt Disney World dining reviews? Then check out our reviews of Beak and Barrel and Story Book Dining at Artist Point!