Basho Japanese Brasserie is an upscale Japanese restaurant in Boston that leans into a more refined, sit-down dining experience compared to casual sushi spots around the city. We walked into a polished and intentional space with a calm dining room that felt better suited for a slower meal rather than a quick sushi stop or takeout run. The lighting was soft, the seating comfortable, and the energy of the room stayed quiet and composed, the kind of place where you settle in for a full dinner rather than a fast bite. The menu focuses on sushi, rolls, and Japanese small plates, with a few standout items that tend to get mentioned often like the spicy tuna roll, sashimi selections, and warm dishes such as katsudon or hot stone pot bowls. We ordered a mix of items and found the sushi quality generally fresh, with clean flavors that worked best when sticking to simpler rolls and traditional items. The small plates and appetizers rounded out the experience, but the strongest part of the menu was still the core sushi selection, with the fish tasting clean and well prepared. What stands out most here is the overall dining feel. Service was attentive, and the pacing was more relaxed, which fit the brasserie-style setup. It felt like a place where we came in for a full meal rather than ordering a few quick items and leaving. Drinks like cocktails and sake paired well with the food and reinforced the more elevated atmosphere. The main tradeoff is consistency and value depending on what you order. Some dishes felt excellent and well executed, while others were more average relative to the price point. It was also not the kind of place that tried to be trendy or experimental, sticking more to a traditional Japanese brasserie identity. The staff moved through the room with professionalism, and the pacing of the meal kept the experience smooth without feeling rushed. Overall, Basho Japanese Brasserie is a solid option for a more formal sushi or Japanese dinner in Boston. It works best when you want a quieter, more composed dining experience with reliably fresh sushi and a full-service restaurant feel, rather than a fast casual or high-energy sushi spot. read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Okay fish, not good rice, and extremely slow service. Came here with a group of friends (total 4 people including me). The employees were nice and polite and seated us promptly. However, we waited 45-60 min from the time we ordered to the time we received our food. Each of us ordered a roll, so nothing out of the ordinary. From what we could see at the counter, it seemed like the restaurant was prioritizing take out orders over dine-in orders. When my yellowtail scallion roll finally arrived, I was underwhelmed. The fish itself was okay- the taste seemed fine, but the texture was a bit off, sorta soft/mushy. The rice tasted old. The size of the roll was also rather small and skinny. The inside decor was very pretty, though. The bathroom was decent. Personally, I would not return to this place. read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - YELLOWTAIL SCALLION ROLL - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We are regulars here at Basho and are obsessed. We come here at least once a week--all the staff, from the manager Mai to the servers are SO friendly, professional, and lovely. I don't know what we would do without this restaurant, as it has become such a staple of our diet. We used to live in NYC and California and my main and primary hobby basically eating at good Asian restaurants, especially at Japanese restaurants. Basho can compete with any of the best neighborhood restaurants I've been to, including super popular and "in vogue" places. Now onto the food: the sushi is consistently fresh and delicious (try the Phoenix Roll or the Nookie Roll). The hot entrees are amazing (try the miso cod - it's out of this world). The lunch specials are such a good deal - particularly the chirashi bow or the bento!! And while it's a more upscale restaurant, it's also extremely kid and child friendly - our picky toddler is welcomed with open arms (they literally know and greet him here by name!) and he loves the food here, especially the gyoza and the yaki ramen! The drinks (both alcoholic and zero proof) are also great - good heavy pours and they do not skimp on size. And finally - the decor is super seasonal and cute, the restaurant is always clean, and it is quiet and romantic enough to have easy conversation. The music is never too loud (which is often an issue with restaurants in this area) and they can accommodate large and small parties easily. Basho is almost a hidden neighborhood gem and secret for us for years--but we love this place so much that we thought it would be remiss if we didn't leave them a glowing review! read more

We came here on 4th of July. The restaurant was empty (only 2 other tables besides ours) and it still took a while for service and food to come up. The food itself was so blah YIKES! It was our fault for going out on the 4th expecting to find decent food not to mention that the reviews on Yelp were already less than favorable. That Shrimp dish was nasty and my Chicken Satay wasn't any good either nor was the peanut Thai sauce. With as much as food costs these days I get a bit miffed when the bill is expensive and you barely touch ANY of the dishes and have no desire to take any of it home... to me (as a foodie) that says A LOT. BTW we sat outside it was the afternoon but the interior was rather dark. Respectfully Reviewed. read more

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Always a great experience at Basho and today was no different! Also went here a couple weeks back with friends who had never been. Today with the great weather we sat outside - perfect evening on Boylston street. We ordered the pork gyoza dumplings - perfect - crispy on the outside and soft and delicate tasty on the inside. I got the miso soup which comes in a large clear mug that looks like a measuring cup - it's quite a good portion and lots of tofu and seaweed. I ordered the yellowtail hamachi fish which is a fried fish appetizer. I ordered a side of rice to make it like an entree. It was good - crispy skin and outer layer and tender flaky inside- well cooked. The hubs ordered two sushi rolls the jalapeño salmon and the 1338 - salmon and tuna with spicy mayo. He enjoyed it - he says "tickled his tastebuds, fresh, a bit spicy"! I think they expanded their menu or maybe they added pictures of everything in the menu so it's a lot more pages now. Service was efficient although the sushi took a while to come out. All in all a very good experience as always! read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - Pork GYOZA - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I've had the spicy tuna rolls (you can add avocado for an additional $0.50) and chicken yakitori donburi, and both were excellent. The donburi comes with a small salad and clear mushroom soup. The salad was just lettuce with a single lonely cherry tomato, but the ginger dressing was delicious. The only reason this place doesn't get 5 stars is the soup. It tasted nothing like the clear mushroom soups typically found at Japanese places, and tbh it was borderline inedible to me. And I usually LOVE clear mushroom soup. Overall 4.5 read more

I've been here several times and it has never disappointed me. All of their sushi is so amazing. I personally love the sweet potato roll, spicy tuna handroll, and the nigiri box. read more

This is a great place to get sushi in the Fenway. Quick service and rapid seating got us off to a foot start. This place has a reasonable craft beer selection on tap, augmented by a full bar and cans and bottles. I ordered the sushi and the selection was broad, the fish fresh, and the prices were reasonable. read more

Great food right next to fenway. Great service. Lots of selections. I went with the tasty roll. We also had edamame and the Tuna tempura mango salsa. The Phoenix roll was excellent as well. They have a great selection of drinks. I saw that they had a Japanese whiskey on tap. I need to come back and try that. We ended our culinary journey with banana Nutella gyoza. Just wow. It was served warm and the Nutella with banana tasted amazing. read more

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A good place for sushi and other Asian cuisine. Basho is located pretty close to Fenway. It makes a good stop before or after a game. Has quite a lot of variety and makes it easier for everyone to find something they like. The prices are kind of high but they're not worse than most of these neighborhood places. I think it's a nice place for a quiet evening if the music isn't loud. Sometimes it's played really loud and you can't hear a thing. There's other times it's quieter and you can actually talk amongst yourselves. Has a bar which is good for smaller groups. Sushi is the main thing. Lots of specialty rolls to choose from. There's typical ones and more exotic ones. I like the Sweet Potato Roll the best. It's $7.50 for a good sized one. This is made with a sweet soy based sauce. Good place for Asian cuisine. If there's only a few in a group the bar is a good place to sit. The tools include many vegetarian choices with the sweet potatoes being the best of these. read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - Sweet Potato Roll - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

At that price point and lower I have had better udon with tempura shrimp and vegetables. Noodles were chewy, broth was mediocre, shrimp tempura was crunchy, but the vegetables were sub par with the batter almost mushy. Service was pretty good and attentive. Ambiance was nice. read more

This is been around for a while and I can't believe it took so long for me to actually eat here. Basho is a good fusion Japanese restaurant. I had the spicy miso udon noodle soup. It was good if you like miso soup but I asked for beef and they just added some cut up pieces of beef but nothing great...very average. The pork USA was good and the spicy tuna Maki roll was good too. I ordered two orders of uni they were good except I didn't really like the quality of rice. The tempura ice cream was very average. It was a little soggy and not enough ice cream. The mochi ice cream was okay too. The service was fine but it looks like a kid is too larger parties. I also sampled the sirloin beef and that was really good. I would come back here to try other things on the menu but my first impression was fine. read more

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I loooove basho in Fenway! At first I wasn't willing to try their restaurant because I usually get their express sushi and it's not that good. However, the restaurant has a ton of options and delicious food. I got the Alaskan roll, seaweed salad and udon. It is freshly prepared and served quickly. The food is reasonably priced. All the waiters are kind and friendly. I usually go to Basho on weekdays for lunch and there's not too many people which is a huge plus. The restaurant is incredibly spacious with plenty of tables and it is located right next to Fenway park. Street parking may be hard to find but the restaurant is accessible by the green line. Overall rating: 9/10 read more

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We are from San Francisco and heard good things about this restaurant so decided to try. It was our first time dining at BASHO. Our friends and we had a very pleasant dining experience. The food was fresh, authentic and delicious! The restaurant was clean, neat and tidy. First, we'd like to thank the manager Forbes for his help in satisfying our seating arrangement requests. Second, we'd like to thank our server for taking our order so carefully. I have a lot of dietary restrictions and he was very informative and knowledgeable. Last, we wish BASHO success and we'll definitely be back next time we are in Boston. read more

Food is nasty. Fried rice had no flavor and beef was inedible. Sushi was not bad but not memorable.

We came here for dinner and it was pretty empty but service was still little bit slow. The inside is more spacious than how it looks on the outside. There's a lot of menu options to order from. We got Rice Cakes, Fried Rice, and Donburi. Food presentation and quality are mediocre. If you are planning to dine here, I'd suggest ordering sushi/rolls. read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - Fried Rice, Rice Cakes, Donburi - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

We arrived on a Thursday evening and was seated right away. Shortly after, most tables were taken. Our server was nice and communicated the menu items very well. Not bad pricing for Boston, though the portions were smaller than expected for sushi. Overall great experience and vibe. read more

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This place has turned it around - great place for takeout. It is one of our go-to for quick, moderately priced sushi.

Ordinary food that is neither great nor terrible, but overly glamorized and overpriced with no real reason.

[3.5/5] I like Basho for their vast variety in fish offerings and specialty rolls. Before a Paint Nite (yes they host those here too if you sign up), my friend and I met up to get some dinner beforehand. A boat between 2 people for $44 is actually a steal. I've never had anything but sushi here but the sushi boat was awesome although a little hefty on the slices of sashimi. The Crunchy Roll (tuna, salmon, ikura, tobiko, fried onion, spicy crunch, cucumber, & mango) is damn tasty with great textures. If you get a basic roll though, they do come with veggies and not the fish. I ordered the spicy scallop and it came with cucumber which wasn't noted. I'd also recommend the Torched Squid sashimi, little bit of smokiness and all deliciousness. My friends and I shared one of their fish bowls and it was really sweet and felt a little light on booziness but still easy to drink nonetheless. Overall, pretty solid spot for sushi in Fenway and quite affordable given the high-traffic touristy area. read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - crunchy roll, spicy scallop roll, torched squid sashimi in the back - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Atmosphere 5/5 Service 5/5 Food 2/5 This place looks small from outside, but inside is huge and spread out. Comfortable seating and nice ambiance. I came in at 7:30pm on a Friday and it was 80% full, but I was able to get seated right away. Server was nice and attentive. The food however was underwhelming. It looks beautiful, plating is great, but taste is *meh* Salmon roe: supposed to be very bold salty bursts of fish flavor, but these were very bitter tasting. 1/5 1338 Roll: Not real crab, should be spelled "krab" or specified as imitation crab. Black tobiko on top of the salmon and tuna was a nice crunchy texture along with the sweet mango, but the fish itself tasted bland. Did not taste fresh or good quality. 2/5 Fenway Roll: Looked so delicious, but it was sooo bland. Again, not as fresh as I was hoping. The asparagus in this roll was the star, when it should be the fish and sauce. The sauce just tasted like mayonnaise. Not seasoned well. 2/5 I ate about half of each roll, but it was just not good enough to finish. read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Started with pork gyoza, *not pictured in my review* which was really good. I feel like you have to go out of your way to mess that up. Do NOT, and seriously I mean it, DO NOT order it the chicken teriyaki dinner. I was extremely disappointed, it didn't even taste like much of anything let alone chicken teriyaki. Teriyaki has such a distinct taste and it almost tasted like someone watered down actual teriyaki sauce. Back to the good stuff... Highly recommend everything else I ordered: Pad Ka Prow - which is a spicy ground chicken served with rice, a fried egg and its cooked with thai basil and a spicy garlic sauce. Nookie Roll - Torched Toro, Shrimp Katsu, Avocado Katsu, Tobiko, Kabayaki Yuzu Yellowtail Roll - Seared hamachi, avocado, tobiko, cucumber, spicy mayo and yuzu. Phoenix Roll - Seared salmon, kani, tobiko, spicy mayo and kabayaki. the only thing holding me back from a 5 star review is how disappointing the teriyaki dinner was. Never have I ever seen it prepared that way or taste so bland. Even down to the chicken. Reminded me of cutting up a rotisserie chicken and putting gravy on it. read more

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This was another great place to eat , Even the spicy tuna roll was really good, Fenway roll was my main roll it was great lots of veggies. My pork belly bun was off the charts! Service was really great, water was always full. The sushi was definitely delicious. I also like the music and vibe.. I would with out a doubt recommend this place. read more

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An unexpected and pretty much perfect late dining experience. Truth be told, my dining partner and I were looking for a different Asian restaurant and there was no parking to be had so we headed to the nearest parking garage and walked around the block. Basho definitely caught our eye and the hostess was very pleasant when we stumbled in out of the cold. The menu is very diverse. There's, of course, a lot of sushi choices. Really unique ones too and I'm kinda kicking myself for not trying some sushi (reason to go back). Drinks are also really interesting. I tried the house mai tai and really enjoyed it - nice punch of alcohol. We ordered a pork belly bun. You need to try this! Perfection. I wish I'd ordered five more! For mains, my dining partner went with the salmon and he loved it. Didn't even offer me any so you know he did love it. I went with the wagyu fried rice from the specials list. I've actually never had wagyu beef before. It was good (not sure what all the fuss is about as it tasted just like good meat to me) and the real star was the fried rice. Loved the added peppers and spices. Very yummy and didn't leave me feeling greasy after eating. Our waiter was also nice. Very attentive. The whole experience - atmosphere, food, decor, price was just fantastic. I'm very glad we stopped in out of the cold! read more

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Basho is another solid powerhouse of an eatery. great service, quality, speed, ambiance, and a quietness that's great for lunching with coworkers and meeting business partners for lunch. read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie is A-OK. It is a definite 3 1/2 star place that I would be happy to go back to. It is good but unremarkable. Basho features a very nice atmosphere and ambiance in a big space right on Boylston. I received better than average service on my visit. I ordered sushi for my meal. The sushi was good to average quality. I went with my usual spicy tuna and yellowtail. I ordered a Scorpion Bowl to start and shared with my daughter which was pretty poor. They should take the Scorpion Bowl off the menu ...or learn how to make a proper one. All in all, Basho Japanese Brasserie is perfect if you are Jonesing for decent sushi while in the Fenway area. read more

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This place is ok. It's more about the ambiance and location than it is about the food. I've eaten there in-person and ordered delivery. Sushi is mediocre. Soups (ramen, miso, etc.) are mediocre. Dumplings are mediocre. It's mediocre food. The service is pretty good when you eat in the restaurant. Overall, if you enjoy the taste of food and you're looking to spend $30-$40 per person not including drinks, you can do much better even considering the location. Delivery is a non-starter. So many better options. read more

I read the yelp reviews before trying this place and still decided to go. What a MISTAKE. To start, the service was incredibly slow, even with there being virtually no tables to wait on. Next the food was awful. We ordered appetizers such as edamame, gyoza, and the pork buns. The edamame and gyoza were actually not half bad but the pork bun was a complete waste of money. Totally overcooked, it was like eating sand. I had the Katsu Don as my main course as well as the snow mountain roll. The Katsu Don had the same problem as the pork buns, OVERCOOKED. It was not good and a waste of money. Getting to the sushi it was the definition of the word mid. Not absolutely terrible but also not good. The roll had tempura in it which was also overcooked and was like eating rubber. Atmosphere 0/10 hardly any one else in the building. On top of it all it was very expensive for a really disappointing experience. Would not recommend. read more

Horrible service! Sushi was all bland. If you're in the area & want sushi go next door to Blue Ribbon Sushi

The best place to eat sushi in Fenway. It's my go-to sit-in restaurant and we went on a Saturday night. Tables are spaced out so you're not eavesdropping the table next to you, and food is amazing. For a packed Saturday night, service was a little slow at first to get our main course, but drinks and apps came on time. Highly recommend! read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - Spicy Scallop Roll* Crunchy Roll* Summer Roll* Phoenix Roll* Tiger Roll* Crazy Roll Eel sashimi - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

The decor and prices present Basho as an upscale Asian restaurant but the quality of the food did not match this standard. I tried the nookie roll, uni sashimi and spicy miso ramen with tontoro. The nookie roll did not match its menu description, which mentions "torched toro". Instead, what I got looked and tasted like tempura-battered spicy tuna. Still very tasty, but not something I would have paid $20 for. Some of the torched bits were also a little too burnt for my liking. The uni was quite good and well priced ($6 for sushi, $8 for sashimi). It was nice and fresh, though not as sweet and flavorful as other uni I've had. The spicy miso ramen was the biggest disappointment. I've gotten much better ramen for cheaper. The broth was very one-dimensional in flavor. It was salty and spicy but not much else (no richness). The noodles were floppy and not at all springy. The egg was undercooked and had runny whites, though to their credit, the ramen came with an entire egg rather than just half. It also had a bunch of vegetables that aren't traditionally put in ramen (broccoli, cabbage, oyster mushrooms, carrots), but since the dish wasn't authentic ramen anyway, I didn't mind. All around, pretty mediocre; I don't think I'll be back. read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - Spicy miso ramen with tontoro - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Friendly staff and fresh, tasty food every time. I've ordered a wide variety of dishes and they are all exceptional.

4/10 is generous. The restaurant was dead on a Saturday night so I was confused as to why the service was so slow. Food was just okay - not worth the $$. Waited 35 minutes for an appetizer that ended up burning our mouths. Had to ask for the check multiple times.. Won't be back. read more

One of the best Japanese restaurants in Boston. Great food and attentive service. You know this is a good place when the majority of customers are Japanese. read more

We Loved it!!!! I can't believe there are less than 5 star reviews about this place...Went here last night before Deadmau5 Cube 2020 and it was amazing!! The restaurant is gorgeous and very clean...we went in early and it was quiet. The place is huge! We were greeted by friendly staff and sat right away. The wait staff service was very good and accommodating. I started with a Mai tai and my friend got the beat drink we have ever tasted called the Yuzu Mango Gimlet. I'm craving it as I type this. The spicy seafood salad was sushi Beautiful and as delicious as it looked! The miso soup was very good...The sushi was my favorite part! The Nookie roll is a must have!! So much flavor! We also had the 1338 roll and the caterpillar roll it! All amazing...you gotta try this place! read more

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We came here for dinner with a large group and it was mostly empty. We had a great time and everything was delicious! We got the Matcha Matcha and Mango Whisky drinks, both of which were super good, looked beautiful, but weren't very strong. For apps, the tuna tartare was the most tasty. We got an assortment of the special sushi rolls and honestly they were all super delicious. The service was prompt and knowledgeable; the ambiance was hip. I would come back here again! read more

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Since Basho was open, my husband and I have come here from time to time, and we have been always satisfied with their food. Yesterday, we came for dinner again and realized that they just changed the menu a few days ago because they had a new chef. After trying the new menu, I have to say we are very disappointed. Some items we like were missing, e.g. spicy seafood noodle soup. The other dishes we always ordered before were different as well. The sizes of the rolls definitely got smaller -- another way to raise the price. We didn't see any squid or shrimp in its original shape on the new version of seafood pajun (Korean seafood pancake). The description said they used "grounded" seafood. And the size also became smaller and thinner, not as thick as that was before. It was too crispy. As a kind of fried appetizer, it was not bad, but it was NOT seafood pajun. They put mayo on the top of shumai, which was just simply odd to us. Unfortunately, it didn't make the shumai more tasty at all. As for bimbimbam, they only changed the name but also added new ingredient, mozzarella, into it. Maybe that's why they needed to change the name. Bimbimbam is just not bimbimbam anymore. And I had bimbimbam so many many times in many different places, including Seoul, South Korea, but I just never had one with mozzarella cheese inside. What's more, I had to pay $4 or $6 extra than I did before for the unauthentic/new version bimbimbam. Well, actually, I didn't pay for it in the end, because they didn't bring me what I ordered in the beginning. They didn't charge me for that. And that's the only thing that didn't change, the service. Our server was nice and friendly, and checked on us all the time. I need to give them credit for that. Too bad, Basho used to be one of our favorites. I think we won't come back anymore. And we also need to look for a new restaurant for Korean and Japanese food. read more

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Wonderful experience! We came around 5pm and ordered takeout. Order: * Takoyaki * Nookie roll * Red Spider * 1338 roll * Snow Mountain Food all excellent. Service was exceptional. We asked for box of ice to go in the bag so that the sushi could stay fresh, and they did. They gave us cups of cold water to drink while we waited, and everyone was very friendly and nice. The restaurant itself looked very clean with a really nice atmosphere. The only thing is that it was kind of expensive, but a very nice date spot. read more

Used to order online to pickup, but every time I would go in it was always busy and loud inside! The food is great every time, though a little pricey. Looked fun inside and will have to try the dine in soon! read more

It's been awhile since I've been here and I was craving Volcano Roll so I thought, Basho! I grabbed a seat at the bar and was kind of surprised it was completely empty around 5pm on a Friday. People are just getting out from work so maybe it gets busier later on. The bar area is pretty spacious. I liked the lights under the table which was probably the only thing that stood out for me. I'm assuming they are going for the fresh, clean and simple look but lacking a little bit of the Japanese look. Volcano Roll- Cucumbers, avocados, crab meats, unagi sauce, spicy mayo topped with fish roe! Delish! Braised Pork Belly Steamed Bun- Oh Belly! The steamed bun was light and fluffy and I loooove the pork. Braised Pork was the way to go! Except... I didn't like the taste the of the pickles together with the bun. Overall Service: The bartender was really shy. The best time to practice being more sociable is when it's slow. So take advantage of it and engage the customers. We don't bite. read more

Basho Japanese Brasserie - Volcano Roll - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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