Moto Cucina + Enoteca

Where do I even begin? I have been to Moto on 3 different occasions and it’s been amazing every time! Moto is the place where my husband and I go to celebrate so when a cause for celebration came up last Friday night, we drove straight there. We made a reservation online for 930 but decided to go over early to see if we could get a seat at the bar. My husband and I strolled through the bar to look for 2 empty seats but only 1 was available. While we tried to squeeze into the spot, a gentleman asked us if we’d like to have a seat at the «back bar» and I didn’t even know there was such a thing! He walked us through the dining room, past the bathrooms, and down a hallway into a second smaller room in the restaurant with every bar seat completely open! My husband and I took a seat and ordered our cocktails and scanned the menu to see what looked good. We ordered the burrata over panzanella salad, the cheese plate with taleggio, prosciutto, & crispy pig ears, black spaghetti, and prawns with risotto. Everything was FANTASTIC. The burrata was creamy and the panzanella was fresh and bright. The cheese plate was perfect and the crispy pig ears were a standout. They’re served perfectly crunchy in a lightly dressed salad… very unexpected but pleasantly so. Every time I have been to Moto, I order the black spaghetti because it’s one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. The sauce is perfectly balanced and the pasta is perfectly cooked. It’s an amazing bowl of pasta that I dream about often. However, we decided to try something new for our second dish… the prawns over risotto. It was mind blowing. The risotto was perfectly cooked and the prawns had the texture of crab which I have never seen before. It was absolutely incredible and I will never visit Moto again without ordering this dish. The service is wonderful and attentive and the drinks were perfect. All around great experience every time I visit!

Our dining experience as a whole was wonderful. I had booked a last minute table at noon today for my 10-​year anniversary when other plans fell through. The reservation was for 8:15, but in the comments on OpenTable I noted that if we could get our reservation moved up at all that would be wonderful. The hostess was wonderfully accomadating and called to let me know they could switch our reservation to 7:15 — perfect! When we arrived the table was all ready for us. Our server Jordan was very helpful in suggesting items for a cheese plate appetizer. We also ordered a couple of drinks that were brought over promptly as well as focaccia bread. Moments later we enjoyed our appetizer and ordered entrees. One wagyu beef and one spinach fettuccini, potatoes and Brussels sprouts. While we waited and dined on our appetizer Jordan brought out more drinks for us. When the entrees arrived we were both very pleased with our food.
Everything was DELICIOUS! Our experience was wonderful, staff and server very friendly and attentive, and we will definitely reccomend this restaurant to our friends and coworkers.

Food was excellent. Went a group and tasted most dishes — Brussels, lamb meat balls, wagyu beef, lamb, fries, oysters, and pig cheeks… All top notch minus the pig cheeks were a bit tough and lacked much taste. All other meals made up for the one miss. Definitely going back.

Love this restaurant —- the brussel sprouts are to die for, and the service is great. Great place to bring clients for a nice dinner, yet not TOO fancy.

Wonderful meal for date night. The choices were quite varied. In true Italian style they offered starters pasta and main courses. Our server was well versed on the menu and helped us make great choices. The servings were generous but not overwhelming. Try the baby lettuce for a light started. We enjoyed our meal and will definitely be back.

Moto attempts to bring modern Italian cooking to Nashville. Unfortunately the food is underwhelming and poorly cooked.
Each dish we tried had something off about it.
The Calamari was over-​breaded and served with tartar sauce. The tartar sauce must have been inspired by the time Rome invaded Great Britain. I’m pretty sure tartar sauce is not an italian specialty.
The Burata was flavorful once it warmed up. It was pre-​plated and stored in the refrigerator making it too cold until it sat a bit. The cold also made the croutons unappetizing.
The Black Spaghetti was oily and had very little lobster. Three small pieces, less than 2oz.
The Chicken Piccata was bathed in butter, drowning out any lemon flavor.
The Polenta fries were too salty to eat.
The waiter was professional, and was very helpful pointing point out that Mozzarella was a «cheese». Oh yes, Gotcha.
Perhaps the main chef left for the night and the sous chef was filling in. It was 1015pm on a Saturday and empty. And no, they were not playing The Cure.
On an up note, the wine list was great and the service was quick and friendly.
My suggestion, pass on Moto and try Coco’s or City House.

I had dinner tonight at Moto to celebrate the birthday of two dear friends. The person who helped me make the reservation for 11 was fantastic, the drinks were flowing, and the food was wonderful.
When I made the reservation, I mentioned it was a birthday dinner and asked if I could bring cake. She said I could, but that a dessert is complimentary for the birthday boy and girl. As we neared the end of the night, I waited for the birthday celebration to happen. Our waiter came out with two candles… in empty bowls. He placed them in front of my friends and rounded us up to sing «happy birthday.» We all looked around wondering if it was a joke. My husband and I spent $ 250 on the evening, multiplying that for the table, our party spent well over $ 1,000. And they brought us empty bowls with candles. I would have happily paid the $ 10 for each of my friends to receive a real cake. Or, I would have brought in a cake and paid a cake-​cutting fee. I am truly speechless, and embarrassed I ever recommended Moto for this special dinner.

This place is OVERRATED. Been twice now and I felt a review was necessary.
Pros: Birra Morretti on tap, sexy menu, chic décor, good service, octopus appetizer, squid ink pasta
Cons: Carpaccio is one of my favorite foods and this was not very good at all (no crostini, horseradish or arugula for one thing… and I don’t know where the «Italian kimchi» was but of that is a play on words regarding the roasted capers then I’m not sure I follow their line of thinking — kimchi is fermented cabbage after all), sticks on sticks on sticks of butter is used in preparation of the Carbonara which totally drowned out the taste of the guanciale and I didn’t see the value at all in adding corn to the dish, Brussels sprouts are just okay but what’s worse is that you smell like them for 2 days (I didn’t even eat them the second time around and I still smell them today!), mushroom/​fontina/​truffle pizza and the Quattro formaggi/​pancetta were too rich for my blood. This seemed to be the theme: too much burro.
If I go back, I will be getting Chicken Piccata because it’s a great dish and very difficult to mess up. Something tells me though that it will be a little buttery…

I always enjoy my time at Moto, even if nothing really stands out.
The space is gorgeous and swanky. The service is very professional, if a little stiff.
Their food is generally tasty but not amazing. This last go around, my husband and I split a Caesar salad, which was a great version of one. They grated dry aged egg yolk over the top for some extra salt (I guess?). Regardless, it was tasty and interesting. For dinner, he had the Orecchiette Carbonara with a soft egg on top, and I had the Blueberry Lasagna. He loved his orecchiette, but I thought it was too rich. My lasagna was good, but the top was definitely burnt. Personally, I love the taste of burnt cheese so I didn’t mind, but I could see other people sending this back. We also had a side of Brussels Sprouts, which were tasty.
I feel as though the service and atmosphere outweigh the quality of the food. I’ll be happy to return because I do always leave feeling like I had a great experience; however, when I break it down, I realize that it is just okay and the charm of the place is doing tricks on my memory.

I really wanted to love Moto but it just didn’t live up to the hype!
My husband and I split:
— Olive oil flight: Loved it – the infused olive oil was my favorite, and their focaccia bread is amazing.
— Pork meatball: Unfortunately not a lot of flavor
— Oreccihette carbonara: Was way too salty, didn’t finish
— Offerte del Giorno pizza (had tomato, sausage… I’ve forgotten what else): Not bad.
That being said, our server was very pleasant and the atmosphere was nice. If you’re thinking this is a romantic date spot, though — look elsewhere.

I cannot say enough about Moto! We stopped in for Moto Monday, which features unlimited wine samples, pizza, and charcuterie selections for just $ 25 per person. Our server was very knowledgeable about the wine and brought us fresh pizza to try. Upon learning I’m a vegetarian, he promptly had the kitchen cook up the most amazing risotto for me — at no extra charge! We definitely will be going back.

What a treat… this restaurant made for a great end to a nice few days in Nashville. Unilocal had good reviews, so we thought that we would give it a shot. As soon as we walked in, our senses were overwhelmed and we knew we came to the right spot.
As we asked questions, we found that our server, Jordan, was really excited about the menu, so we made the great decision to let him make all of our decisions for us. He found a 2004 Camerona for us… two great pasta dishes, artichoke heart appetizer, lemon budino, cocktails, etc. We had a fantastic meal and really enjoyed the exceptional service and ambiance.
Next time, we will make sure to bring more people so that we can try more items on the menu.
See you soon Moto!

Bumped from Kayne Prime, but things happen for a reason, and I like to think I’m an optimist. One of many Kayne hosts was gracious enough to escort me next door to their sister restaurant Moto Enoteca — explaining they serve some of the same cuts of meat. Again, southern hospitality at it’s best. Thank you. I was greeted by many Moto hosts, and immediately seated. I had to order what I was craving. Wagyu filet! Cooked to perfection! A porcini crust, medium rare, and just saying its tender is an understatement. One of the best cuts I’ve ever had!
I can’t say enough about the service. My server was excellent as well! Thank you!

3.5 stars The bar top is so neat! Cool atmosphere and vibe, great cocktails and fried oysters (not the best I’ve ever had but very good)

Amazing experience!!! Impeccable service and everything we ordered was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend the black spaghetti. Our server Jordan was extremely knowledgable and offered great recommendations.
Can’t wait to visit again.

I really like Moto! Very interesting menu! Great place for groups. I went to dinner with work colleagues. The restaurant has a cool vibe and was pleasantly busy! We were served by Jason and Jordan! Both full of energy, very excited about the menu and delivered great customer service!!!
Jason volunteered to order a few appetizers on our behalf but promised not to over order so that we could enjoy more wonderful food!!! He did a great job! We had the calamari with an anchovy mayo, grilled octopus, deep fried oysters, artichoke hearts and Wagyu beef meatballs. .. I know it sounds like a lot, but they were small plates and a lot of us at the table so the amount ordered was perfect!
For dinner I had the black spaghetti with lobster and calabrian chilies. It was really good with a «kick.» Pasta was cooked perfectly.
I highly recommend this restaurant!!! Thank you for a great evening.

Inconsistent. The service tried, but the kitchen was holding up.
We came here with a party of 17 (split between two tables), and food was average. We tried everything, and nothing was exciting. 4 people ordered the Black Spaghetti, and each person appeared to have a different version of it. Some with sauce and some without. This definitely as good look and ambiance, but food was a definitely let down.

Top-​notch service and great food… you can’t ask for more than that!
Came in on a Friday evening– actually, we had put our name down at a place across the street and after being told we would have an hour and a half wait, decided to wander around and see what our other options were. Checked out the menu at Moto Cucina, and decided maybe we would get a drink and a snack. This place is really deceiving– we walked in to a packed dining room and front bar area, and the hostess told us there was another bar in the back of the building, and we could order food there as well.
When we entered the back bar, it was like another world. It was quiet, empty, perfect to sit with the girls and have conversation while enjoying cocktails. Thanks to the sweet hostess for the tip!
We were warmly greeted by Dominic at the bar, who guided us through the cocktail and food menus. We decided to just get a couple dishes and share. since we had plans after dinner that involved lots of alchohol. We shared the Wagyu Beef meatball and the cheese platter. The burrata and proscuitto on the cheese plate were favorites.
Since it was such a comfortable atmosphere and Dominic was taking such good care of us, we decided to continue our food and drinks at the bar. We ordered the sausage, onion, honey, fontina pizza (so good!), and the gnocchi with green apple. For some reason, we also decided we needed the olive oil tasting, which came with a mountain of foccacia and three different house-​infused olive oils. Maybe all this was overkill for 4 people trying not to overeat, but it was well worth it!
The gnocchi was the stand-​out dish of the night. The soft, salty potato pasta with the crunchy apple was the most perfect combination. Every time I said I was done I had to have another bite. The pizza was great as well, but the gnocchi will definitely bring us back!
The back bar area looks like a garden, with grass up the walls and mirrors that resemble windows. It was a very different vibe from the front area. There were a few larger parties that came in while we were dining at the bar, but it was still a more quiet, relaxed space, especially compared to the hustle and bustle up front. This is definitely a hidden gem, and I can’t wait to come back!

Server was great
Jordan
Filet was great med rare with black truffle butter only
Sprouts were wonderful
My husband had the king salmon that has a skin that was lightly crusted.
It was excellent
Lobster ravioli started the night and a chocolate cake with coconut sorbet ended it.
We loved it all and the people watching was good.

After 2 visits, I do not have one negative thing to say about Moto!
Both times we were seated in the front of the restaurant, in a corner booth on the window. I recommend trying for a table in that area if you want something a little more private/​quiet!
The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful, and during our second trip they somehow «remembered» us from our first visit months earlier — commenting on the date we were last there and seating us at the same booth. I couldn’t quite decide if it was creepy or impressive. We’re obviously in some kind of database, no one has that good of a memory of a one time guest!
The food was fabulous both times! I had the blueberry lasagna the first time because I was just too curious not to. Don’t let the name fool you, it’s a mushroom lasagna with a blueberry balsamic drizzled on. Delicious, but incredibly rich. But I wouldn’t have been able to finish it anyway since I stuffed my face with Wagyu beef meatballs as a appetizer. (Same beef as Kayne Prime. Just as delicious.) Also proven to be delicious: the prosciutto crostino, black pepper tagliatelle, chocolate mousse cake.
The food is so rich that I could never be a regular, but it’s perfect for an occasional indulgent night. Prepare to leave there fat & happy and maybe wear something with a stretchy waistband.