Pros: Very attentive service, good cocktails. Cons: bland food, filthy service items, high price. We’ve been going to Moto for years. We would come for special occasions, or if we were headed to an event downtown. Up until tonite, we never had a bad meal. Though, I must add, we haven’t been back since right before Covid. Service: our server was friendly and attentive. However, they were new, and apparently being shadowed by a seasoned server. This made for awkward service; when our server came by to take our order, and the senior server would come by and try to repeat the process. It was clunky, but they were both committed to giving great service. 5 stars for the effort. 4 stars for the result. Facility and service ware: despite being unaltered since opening about a decade ago, Moto is still clean and well kept. The feel of the place is still hip, and it’s a popular destination for bachelorette parties. 5 stars for facility maintenance. What was disappointing however, was the condition of the utensils and the menus. The wine list had gobs of marinara over the insides of the pages, and an oil stain from the back through all of the pages. The main menus weren’t much better. Paper is cheap. Print some new menus. No one wants to be reminded that their menus have been handled for an untold number of days/weeks. Also, on a service refresh, we were given a fork with a glob of dried green substance on it. I handed it to our server, who promptly replaced it. However, on a later service refresh, we were presented with the same filthy fork! How did it end up back in service?! Zero stars for filthy menus and utensils. Disgusting. Drinks: we had cocktails before and after dinner. All were very good. 4 stars. Food: this is where we both decided that we don’t ever need to come back. Let’s start with the menu. It’s been pared down substantially since before Covid. There are notably fewer mains. The menu used to cover the front and back of a sheet. Now it’s down to just 1 page face. That’s not a problem if all of the items are fantastic. But from what we tasted, nothing was fantastic. It feels like they dumbed down the menu to account for either slumping sales, inexperienced/untalented kitchen staff, or both. The salad we had was great (Caesar). Everything we had after that was pasta, and all of it was uninspired. The Bolognese, which we loved so much, has been turned into tangy marinara meat sauce on top of under, and over, cooked ribbon pasta. Not sure how they managed to get al dente and soggy on the same pot of pasta. I’m guessing no one stirred it while cooking, leaving pieces to stick together and not thoroughly cook. Bolognese is not meant to be tangy. It’s supposed to be rich and savory with the flavor of the meat dominating. Uncooked pieces of carrot highlighted the slipshod preparation of the dish. The whole plate felt like something you’d get at your grandpas Knights of Columbus fundraiser dinner. Our main pasta dishes weren’t much better. Despite having shaved white truffles on it, my dish barely tasted of truffle. Only an unhealthy amount of grated cheese help save my dish. My wife’s lobster pasta tasted of old lobster: too fishy to be fresh. I should also note that we were apprised upon seating that they only had dough for 6 pizzas that night. We arrived at opening, and they couldn’t make more dough? Odd. Overall food: 2 stars. Value: the prices aren’t bad if the dishes tasted as good as they once did. They don’t anymore. I don’t know if it’s lack of direction or lack of talent, but the kitchen is not delivering where the rest of the restaurant is. The strange thing is that neither me nor my wife discussed our meal at the time. But once we got home, we both agreed that it wasn’t worth the money, and we wouldn’t be returning. This is a sad development, as we loved Moto for upscale Italian in Nashville. But if I’m going to carb load, I’ll save it for Alleia in Chattanooga, where I know my meal will be outstanding.
The food was very wonderful. We had a large party - and the service was excellent. We decided to go family style, so we had a chance to try many dishes. My favorite appetizer was the meatballs. The Caesar salad was great. And then we enjoyed a few of the pastas, as well as the steak. All delicious. Overall - I would highly recommend this restaurant
Food was good. However … our reservation was for 8:15and the first we got food was 9:15 and that was just appetizer. More than 2 hours to finalize. Ordered champagne…. 15 minutes later sever comes back with apology that “that’s all we have”…it was actually what we ordered
Was in town for business so I sat at the bar. I had a Caesar salad and black spaghetti. The bartender was friendly and provided wonderful service. The food was really good and were large in portion size. I saw several pizzas going out and those looked great as well. Cool vibe on a quiet street. Don't let the web site fool you about needing a reservation. The bar was open and there was several tables available.
the lobster strozzapreti was amazing! They sure didn’t go easy on seafoods for black spaghetti dish. burrata + beets was surprisingly delicious. their appetizers were really tasty, i can’t even describe. Definitely try their side of crispy Brussels sprouts ? more reviews @eatevrywhrwfern (instagram)
Found this place on the internet. Searched for something nearby and different. What a find! Beautiful decor, great playlist! Bar service was outstanding! Our server, Don, a man our age was excellent. The food... I had their Cacio a Pepe. Not being a big pasta guy and wanting to try this dish for a long time, boy, did I make the right choice! Others had the pork chop, amazing, and their Bolognese was perfect. Oh, and the bread is hard to stop eating. The crispiest calamari ever. great sauces for dipping. I highly recommend this spot. (In The Gulch.)
The food was great, sadly the three hostesses may need to review the definition of hospitality. Though they were not unfriendly the less than lack luster greeting at the door set an uncomfortable mood over the dinner. The restaurant was not too busy for St Patty’s Day around 8pm. The entrees were properly cooked though the server mixed up the dishes when bringing them to the table; I would not note this except the same thing happened with drinks causing us to have to switch/share a drink- which is again, uncomfortable during COVID protocols. As we were leaving, we sat in the lovely leather chairs beside the bar for a moment to admire them (not a sole was sitting in any of the seating areas) and again felt uncomfortable as the hostess hovered over us. Having spent the better part of $400 on the meal and drinks, I must say it could be improved upon. Another note, the sticky floors in both gender restrooms should be addressed. Compliments to the chef and our waiter for an amazing meal.
Excellent service hands down, make no mistake, it's very attentive and top drawer. I must add, it's very very pricey for what you get. There were 4 of us and it was over 300 dollars, we had wine but not a bottle. Also we're Italian from a large expensive city, not sure why spaghetti with marinara should be so expensive and it was a kids portion in my neck of the woods. I totally recognize Nashville is growing so prices are creeping up but not for 90 cent box of spaghetti and we're hungry. The fish and the veal were not enough, tasty but skimpy. Normally we walk out of Italian restaurants with left overs.... not here, no way. I hate to write this review because our server was amazing but he doesn't control the pricing.....so sorry.
Best Italian food I have ever eaten. You will need a reservation if you want a table. However, Madeline at the bar will make your night. She has beautiful personality and, if it is your first visit, she has fabulous recommendations. Madeline made our Nashville trip very memorable. Bar seating is first come first served. Don’t look anywhere else in Nashville for Italian food. Prices are reasonable given the outstanding quality of the food.
Can not say enough good things. Fantastic service by a wonderful young woman named Holly (she went above and beyond). Her support team was also very attentive. The food was excellent and its a beautiful atmosphere. Highly recommend!! We were celebrating a young couple getting married this weekend and Holly was amazing… provided champagne and dessert. WOW