14 Best Sushi Spots in Boston

Boston Magazine has published an article of the 14 Best Sushi Spots in Boston.

1. Café Sushi – 1105 Mass Ave, Cambridge – Strip malls are hardly correlated with quality sushi dining or an acclaimed omakase for that matter. But Café Sushi exists in defiance of its location’s stereotype. Chef Seizi Imura, who inherited the restaurant from his parents in 2007, has transformed the menu (and, recently, the interior) of this longstanding Cambridge sushi spot, amassing a dedicated following of sushi aficionados and earning a handful of Best of Boston awards (including this year’s) along the way.
2. Douzo – 131 Dartmouth St, Back Bay Boston – If the modern, chic lounge of Douzo’s dining space doesn’t promptly set an izakaya tone, your first bites here will, with appetizers like sweet pepper octopus ceviche and smoked hamachi mozzarella in grapefruit sauce. At Jack Huang’s Back Bay sushi restaurant, indulge in the toro jalapeño roll, filled with asparagus and layered with torched toro, or the sweet miso yellowtail roll with mango and fried onion. And if it’s a special occasion, start with the XO toro-slices of fatty tuna on a flaming stone, spattered with sturgeon caviar and a spicy sauce.
3. Ebi Sushi – 290 Somerville Ave, Somerville – Somerville’s bustling Union Square attracts new diners every day, and they’ve taken notice of a local darling: Ebi Sushi. Stuck on what to order? Try the raved-about torched salmon belly, a 10-piece omakase for $38, or the box-molded Somerville roll, topped with sesame-sprinkled tuna tartare and scallions.
4. Fat Baby – 118 Dorchester St, South Boston – A sleek wood-paneled interior, yellowtail crudo, larger-than-life powdery portraiture on the walls, and sake sangria-what more could you ask for from an über-mod Asian fusion restaurant? Owner Mike Shaw and sushi chef Mike Sanchez are having a creative field day at Fat Baby with rolls like the Sneaky Russian, featuring butter-basted scallops and jicama salsa in a puddle of black garlic aioli, as well as drinks like a pickled plum mojito dubbed Shiso Fresh.
5. Fish Market Sushi Bar – 170 Brighton Ave, Allston – Though the name may deceive you, this budget-friendly Allston sushi spot is a restaurant, not a retailer. The menu is chock-full of sushi joint staples like caterpillar and rainbow rolls, as well as a host of fancier menu items. If the $55 omakase doesn’t reel you in, the foie gras nigiri with truffle just might.
6. Fuji at Ink Block – 352b Harrison Ave, South Boston – In 2016, the opening of Fuji at Ink Block marked the transformation of the formerly industrial-commercial South End strip into a hot scene for day and night dining, shopping, and gathering. As the 10th restaurant opened by chef Jimmy Liang’s JP Fuji Group, Fuji at Ink Block stands out for higher-touch service and elegant plating, enticing both experts and novices alike for omakase and approachable a la carte menus.
7. Hojoko – 1271 Boylston St, Fenway – At Oya’s free-spirited sister restaurant, funky cocktails and hip decor abound-which explains why Hojoko has turned into the trendiest watering hole in Fenway. Sidecar to stylish drinks like a sesame-tinged Mai Tai, sake bombs, and highballs are create-your-own sushi handrolls, shiitake mushroom tempura, and okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese savory pancake made with cabbage. For the extra adventurous, order the wasabi roulette: an ordinary plate of sushi with a secret – one of the nearly identical bites is drenched in japanese sauces including the wasabi.
8. Laughing Monk Cafe – 737 Huntington Ave, Boston – Sushi chef Nick Korboon’s strictly brown rice rolls buck conventional sushi norms, and may perplex traditionalists. Yet his particularly artful constructions, and his use of microgreens and flowers grown in his personal greenhouse are enticing hungry diners. Though Laughing Monk Cafe also offers a large and authentic Thai food menu, Korboon’s creative maki stars with dishes like the spider roll, comprised of soft-shell crab and shiso leaf, with sauce spiked on the plate in the shape of a gauzy spider’s web.
9. Oishii – 1166 Washington St, South End Boston – As a kid, chef Ting Yen’s father put him to work in his restaurant, fostering a respect for the culinary art that has persisted to this day. Of particular importance to Yen and his father was the freshness of their fish, which he picked up from the market each morning. Yen devotes the same careful attention to his own restaurant, which has earned multiple Best of Boston awards. Experience Yen’s mastery of the craft with creations like savory seared hamachi and truffle maki, or a California roll elevated with real snow crab.
10. Oppa Sushi – 185 Harvard Ave, Allston – This tiny restaurant stowed in a basement on Harvard Ave. continuously exceeds expectations. When in need of affordable, fresh sushi in Allston, pop in for impressive rolls like the Fire Bruins Maki, a shrimp tempura roll tucked in an aluminum foil boat and served flaming hot-literally. Even with folding chair-style seating and eclectic decorations, this humble sushi restaurant has earned its spot as an Allston staple.
11. O Yan – 9 East St, South Boston – When newbie restaurateurs Tim and Nancy Cushman opened their first eatery in the leather district in 2007, they could never have imagined it would be named the best new restaurant in the U.S. As their company continues to grow with New York City restaurants, Hojoko, and a forthcoming concept in Chestnut Hill, their original sushi bar is still the crown jewel. With an extensive sake menu and a hefty price tag (the grand omakase will run you $285), chef Tim Cushman’s sushi menu is packed with opulent bites like house-smoked wagyu nigiri, scallop sashimi with burgundy truffle, and the renowned “legs & eggs” nigiri with Maine lobster legs, white sturgeon caviar, and tomalley aioli.
12. Pabu Boston – 3 Franklin St, Boston – This voguish izakaya at Millenium Tower is run by internationally known chefs Ken Tominaga and Michael Mina, and boasts some of the freshest seafood in Boston. Executive chef Ben Steigers spearheads the Boston outpost’s omakase, which is a popular date-night draw. As are the impressive Japanese whiskey and sake lists, featuring the blue-bottled Tsujizenbei Tobingakoi, which isn’t available at any other restaurant in the country. If you’re in the mood to try something new, Pabu’s luxury sushi platter features rare cuts like ishidai (spotted knifejaw), kinmedai (golden-eyed snapper) or kamasu (Japanese barracuda).
13. Ruka Restobar – 505 Washington St, Boston – The ultra-modern yet earthy decor of Ruka dining room creates a compelling contrast, just like the Japanese and Peruvian fusion cuisine, or nikkei menu. Dishes like blackened octopus skewers in a spicy harissa mayo are sure to ignite the sense. The sushi menu, initially designed by chef Ting Yen of Oishii, features rolls distinctive for their South American touch, like the Phoenix Sunrise, with spicy surimi crab hot from chili oil, and Hawaiian salmon ceviche sweetened with tropical passion fruit.
14. Uni – 370A Commonwealth Ave, Back Bay Boston – Since expanding their small, basement sushi bar into this chic izakaya in 2016, chefs Ken Oringer and Tony Messina have earned multiple Best of Boston awards and national accolades, including a James Beard nomination. Just steps from the Hynes Convention Center MBTA station, sample innovative rolls like the Lobster BLT, arced with crunchy pieces of just-burnt bacon; or slurp a luxurious spoonful of fresh uni nestled next to a creamy quail egg yolk and sprinkled with inky ossetra caviar.

As you plan to check out the 14 sushi spots in Boston, give us a call to get there in a style — and don’t worry about how much sake you enjoy.

Have a favorite sushi restaurant not mention here? We’ll gladly get you there. Just let us know how many you’ll be traveling with and we’ll make the arrangements.

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Source: Boston Magazine Author: Simone Migliori