Lifestyle & Culture

Lauren Bordeaux: Vienna expats … here’s my review of Mochi in the Second District

If you’re on the search for great sushi and Japanese food in Vienna, then you have to check out Mochi in the second district.

Mochi is a top-rated Japanese restaurant just a short walk from the Prater amusement park. When I read about it, I knew I needed to try it out with my husband. We are both Asian cuisine addicts. We loved it so much we took our friends while they were visiting us in Vienna.

MOCHI IS REALLY, REALLY POPULAR

THE CHICKEN SKIN (All photos by Lauren Bordeaux)

Dinner is reservation-only due to the limited seating and high demand. The reservation slots open up on the first of the month. If you are planning ahead, get on their website early on the first of the month to find a reservation slot that works for you.

When I tried to book a table for four on the second day of the month I could only get a 4 p.m. dinner reservation! (It turned out to be great, though. We used the rest of the evening for site-seeing with our friends.)

Mochi offers a wide range of options for every type of diet. There are plenty of vegetarian and vegan options on the menu. I noted on my reservation online that I am pregnant and can’t eat raw food and they were extremely accommodating.

Our party of four sat down to our 4 p.m. reservation in an already packed seating area. All the tables both inside and outside were reserved. We were seated outside.

The outdoor seating area is a lovely and quaint tree-covered courtyard on the street side of the restaurant. However, there is plenty of space so you don’t feel as if you’re sitting next to traffic. It’s a very quiet street too, so very few cars were passing by.

If you prefer indoor seating, the interior has a hip, easygoing vibe. However, the indoor seating is cozy, so if you prefer the indoors make note of that preference in your reservation.

The wait staff is friendly and helpful. Everyone we encountered spoke perfect English.

SUPER STAFF, AMAZING FOOD

Our waiter was completely willing to adjust my sushi order so that my fish was cooked. He even double checked that it was cooked before I took my first bite.

We started off our meal with the Chicken Skin – fried chicken skins slathered in sweet and spicy sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds, and the Tan Tan Salad, marinated pork lettuce wraps. They were both amazing so we ordered another round.

All four in our party ordered sushi for our meals. Among our orders were the Tiger roll with salmon, cream cheese, eel, and a special sauce; the King King roll with crab, fish tempura flakes and avocado; the Spicy Salmon roll with spicy salmon, avocado and cucumber; and the Dragon roll with shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, truffle mayo and teriyaki.

Out of all the rolls, our favorites were the Tiger roll and the Dragon roll. The Spicy Salmon roll could have been spicier. The Tiger roll was creamy, had a little crunch from the eel and had that delicious umami flavor that you need from good sushi.

I so aprreciate they made the Tiger roll pregnancy-friendly for me! The Dragon roll was the perfect mixture of crunchy and salty with a little bit of spice.

We decided against dessert at this visit. My husband and I have indulged in both the Matcha Creme Brûlée and the Chocolate Mousse at a previous visit, and we weren’t blown away by either selection. We would suggest heading to one of the many ice cream or gelato shops around Vienna for a tasty ice cream treat after your visit at Mochi.

HIGH QUALITY, MODERATELY PRICED

Mochi is a moderately-priced restaurant with prices ranging from 5 euros to 8 euros for appetizers; 4 euros to 8 euros for sashimi; 12 euros to 15 euros for sushi rolls; 10 euros to 25 euros for cooked meals and 2.5 euros to 6.5 euros for desserts.

Our meal was about 155 euros for four people. That included drinks, four appetizers and six sushi rolls.

If you’re craving all the delicious Japanese food Mochi has to offer but you can’t get a reservation, you can check out one of their two sister restaurants. Right across the street from Mochi is OMK Take Out. OMK offers many similar items to Mochi’s menu, including the Tan Tan Salad, which they turned into a meal over rice.

Their other sister restaurant is Mochi Ramen Bar, which is a first-come, first-served ramen bar in the second district. The menu at the ramen bar is quite different but includes some staples from the Mochi menu like edamame and the Chocolate Mousse.

Location and Important Information:

Mochi

Praterstraße 15

1020 Wien

Open from 11:30 – 22:00 Monday through Saturday

Call or visit their website for dinner reservations.

About the author:

Lauren Bordeaux is a freelance writer and Instagram micro-blogger.

You can find her on Instagram at @minivan_memoirs where she posts about expat life, family travel and worldschooling. 

She and her family are from the United States and and are currently loving expat life in Vienna, Austria.

See Lauren’s latest post here on Worldschooling.

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