“Iron Chef” Morimoto Opens Momosan Ramen & Sushi At Foxwoods

It was technically about 17 years in the making, but Masaharu Morimoto officially has a restaurant in Connecticut. The renowned Japanese chef and restaurateur, known globally as the star of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America, officially opens Momosan at Foxwoods June 26

Momosan at Foxwoods, in the resort casino’s Great Cedar Food Court dining area, blends casual ramen and izakaya-style dining with what representatives call his “most expansive sushi program to date.” The menu features sashimi and nigiri, specialty sushi rolls, rice dishes like poke and bap, assorted ramen varieties and small plates.

Morimoto made an appearance at his latest location during a press preview Tuesday, playfully bantering with guests while he prepared signature dishes like hot oil-seared salmon carpaccio, sticky ribs tossed in hoisin chili sauce and a surf and turf sushi roll with A5 Wagyu beef, seared tableside with a torch.

Foxwoods president and CEO Jason Guyot said the resort casino’s leadership had initially spoken to Morimoto about coming to the Mashantucket destination back in 2008. The timing didn’t work out for the chef then, but Guyot said talks resumed again about two and a half years ago, as they brought Morimoto to the property and discussed what sort of concept might work in Connecticut.

“It was really a natural fit for us to build a relationship with Chef Morimoto,” Guyot said. “It didn't work out then, but everything's about timing, the right time, the right location, and the right team now to be able to execute Momosan here.”

Morimoto said he was attracted to Foxwoods in part because of its culinary partnerships with other celebrity chefs, including David Burke and Gordon Ramsay, whose Hell’s Kitchen restaurant opened at the property in 2024 (and was also the filming location for Ramsay’s FOX competition show in its 23rd and 24th seasons.) Foxwoods will also welcome The Bedford in the fall, a dining concept by Martha Stewart modeled after her 1925 country farmhouse in Bedford, N.Y.

The Momosan menu is designed to appeal to a wide audience, Morimoto said, with more casual options among the higher-end items like the imported Wagyu. Shareable appetizers include plates like popcorn shrimp, soft shell crab bao, spicy wontons, kaarage chicken and his signature “tuna pizza,” built atop a crispy tortilla with raw tuna slices, serrano peppers, red onion, olives and anchovy aioli. 

The ramen selections include classic tonkatsu, tan-tan and chicken paitan varieties, as well as a vegan spicy miso option, tsukemen (dipping ramen) and brothless spicy dan-dan. Morimoto and the Momosan team also demonstrated a chicken katsu curry ramen, a blend of two classic Japanese dishes featuring a rich curry broth,a crispy katsu cutlet, mozzarella cheese and poached egg. 

Another of Morimoto’s signature dishes, Peking duck, is served as an entree with hoisin, apricot sweet chili and flour tortillas, and a duck taco appetizer features the house-roasted poultry wrapped in crispy gyoza skin.

The dessert options complement the rest of the menu’s bold tastes, with a miso panna cotta featuring soy-poached pineapple and a jelly made with Morimoto’s Junmai sake; a citrus pavlova with pink peppercorn meringue and passion yuzu curd, and a chocolate cake soaked in Morimoto’s single-malt whiskey with hazelnut pop rock feuilletine. Cocktails meld tequila, vodka, Japanese whiskey, rum and gin with flavors like yuzu, lychee, mango chili, cucumber and green tea. 

Momosan Foxwoods opens to the public June 26 at 11 a.m., with a live demonstration from professional sumo wrestlers and the ceremonial breaking of a sake barrel. More information at foxwoods.com/momosan.