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    Esmai’s Cafe & Restaurant

    4.3 (50 reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Esmai’s Cafe & Restaurant Photos

    ESMAI’S CAFE & RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Matcha cocktail
    Rachel L.

    The cocktails here are fantastic, I tried the Matchs Colado and the Upper East Side and both were executed extremely well and were worth the money. However, the smoked fried rice I felt was overpriced for such a simple dish.

    Cocktails
    Kristyn C.

    I came here for a date night as I've seen great reviews about the drinks and the food here. I made a reservation for 6 on a Friday night - it was initially quiet inside but began to fill up more once we were seated. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The interior was clean and modern.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Our server was very welcoming and able to provide us with great insights into the menu. The cocktails were refreshing and tasty. I ordered a 'Spill the Tea' with gin and my husband ordered the matcha colada. I'd love to come back and try more out! As for food, we ordered the mini beef wellington, the banh mi & bone marrow, the curry chicken, and the loco moco. I loved the variety of dishes on the menu and was super impressed by the execution of all of them. They were very flavorful and cooked to perfection, with the mini beef wellington having crispy puff pastry and the bone marrow very tender. Overall, I was impressed by Esmai's creativity and would love to come back to try out more of the menu.

    Menu
    Della S.

    I came for a late weekend brunch around 1pm and did not have any problems getting a table for 2. They had a pretty big cocktail menu but I decided to try their coffee instead. I got a medium iced pandan cold foam coffee ($6). The pandan cold foam was vibrantly green, but I unfortunately didn't really taste any pandan flavor. The cold foam mostly just tasted like cream. I also noticed that the coffee was not super strong, so I would recommend getting a large if you are looking for more caffeine. I tried the OG banh mi ($12). It had crispy and fragrant bread and a thick spread of pate. I liked how it was served a little warm which helped all of the flavors mix together better. I noticed that they source their milk bread locally from Japonaise cafe down the street-- I'd love to try some of their egg sandwiches next time.

    Brooke C.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]I love the rooftop brunch here![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They don't take reservations for rooftop seating but they are responsive on their phones so I'd recommend calling ahead to confirm that the roof is open and whatnot. For brunch I got a green tea, soufle pancake, and milkbread sandwich. The sandwich had egg ham cheese and avocado. Everything was delightful. The pancakes were picturesque also. [[HIGHLIGHT]]This is such a cute spot and I could definitely see myself coming back![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

    Mini Beef Wellington
    Sophia L.

    [[HIGHLIGHT]]Creative dishes and roomy tables make this a perfect spot for dates, double dates, and groups.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They serve good coffee and cocktails, and are open for lunch and dinner. I really enjoyed the Extra 99, which is one of the few savory cocktails I truly enjoy. The szechuan pepper infused oil is subtle, but pulls together flavors that make for a delicious drink. They have Loco Moco on the menu! I don't know of another place that serves this Hawaiian breakfast plate, but I find their mushroom gravy with rice and patty to be so addictive I kept eating more despite being full. I also like making my own banh mi, using bone marrow feels so indulgent. The smoked fried rice will surround your table with aroma, and comes through each with each bite. Everything is executed properly and the servers are nice, so it makes sense that my friends have also approved of this recommendation.

    The loco moco dish!
    Reika H.

    I've heard good things about this place and finally got a chance to check them out for brunch. They are an Asian fusion place and have options on their menu that are a blend of Vietnamese, Japanese, American, and French food. I ordered the hot coconut coffee which was very delicious but maybe a little too sweet. Would definitely order it again with reduced sweetness. My friend ordered the classic hot Vietnamese coffee which was also very good. There aren't many places in Boston that serve Japanese hamburger so I ended up ordering the loco moco and was very impressed by the dish! All the parts of the dish tasted very good and the fruit was also sweet and just the right ripeness. The hamburger steak gravy was also well made and the egg on top had the right level of doneness. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The interior of the restaurant was nice and cozy and very well lit.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I would definitely check this place out again especially when the weather gets warmer and their roof deck is open!

    Bulgogi Empanadas
    Kaylin V.

    The food was absolutely delicious! The service was great and we were easily accommodated despite being early for our reservation. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant has a bar, second floor, and a side with booths.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]It was the perfect ambiance with amazing food.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We ordered two of their appetizers and split an order of the BBH. It was the perfect amount of food for us! I highly recommend Esmai's if you want to try something a little different and elevated.

    Banh Mi & Bone Marrow
    Brian W.

    I came here on a Saturday evening to specifically try the Banh Mi & Bone Marrow because it sounded interesting. We were seated right away in the upstairs portion of the restaurant, but for some reason we were sat at a table for two right in between two other occupied tables when the rest of the upstairs was entirely empty. It did seem strange to be so close to two other couples on either side of us when the rest of the floor was empty, but I was grateful that we were able to order the Banh Mi & Bone Marrow without being pressured to order other dishes since the other meals didn't seem as interesting for us. The food did come quickly and the service was good other than the seating arrangement though! Banh Mi & Bone Marrow ($18) - This was a really interesting dish - I'm used to having banh mi in a sandwich format, but this was in a plate kind of formatted like a charcuterie board. It was actually easier to eat the dish in this form rather than as a sandwich since a lot of banh mi bread ends up being overly crispy - for this dish, you could take a slice of baguette and spoon on the pate, bone marrow, and then add the cold cuts and pickled vegetables. I will say that it wasn't overly filling - it was probably the same amount of ingredients as a small banh mi and it costs $18 so I'm not sure I'd get it again, but it was definitely worth the experience of eating banh mi "deconstructed" if you will. The bone marrow was also a nice addition that added value and it added a nice fattiness to the bites. All in all, I love that this restaurant reimagined what a banh mi could be, and the price tag wasn't too out there for a version with some extra fancy ingredients. Well done!

    Some complimentary birthday macarons
    Sakurako K.

    I can only speak about my brunch experience at Esmai's but what a pleasant surprise! Located just around the corner from Coolidge, this restaurant has a big space (upstairs and downstairs!) and charming ambience throughout. The servers were literally the sweetest and even surprised us at the end of our meal with a complimentary macarons as we were celebrating 3 birthdays that day. The menu is what I was looking for in brunch place-- I was getting a bit tired of the regular old, let's be honest, elevated diner food options, but at Esmai's they have the classics with an Asian twist! With a full cocktail menu (and lots of fun mocktails too if you don't want to drink!) this is my new go-to place for group brunches.

    Croissant sandwich
    Food E.

    Enjoyed a leisurely brunch here on a weekend. It was surprisingly not difficult to get a reservation. Interesting Asian fusion menu. They have a variety of Vietnamese coffee drinks which I recommend trying if you like Vietnamese coffee. Everyone enjoyed their dishes from salads to sandwiches. Pleasant service. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Spacious dining setup.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'd come again.

    Kristen K.

    Came by for brunch on Saturday. Easy to make a reservation online morning of, and they did not look remote full so probably could've walked in as well. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They do have two floors of seating so restaurant is fairly large.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Personally I thought the brunch menus looked better than the dinner menu, and there were plenty of options to accommodate different dietary preferences. The milk toast sandwiches were heavier than expected, but very tasty and the bread itself was a little sweet though the rest of the sandwich was savory. Would skip the coffee here though, tasted very watery.

    Truffle tots - delicious sauce!
    Kasey H.

    Checked out this new cafe recently for lunch on a weekday. There's plenty of street parking nearby, and we were promptly seated. We started off with the truffle tots, which were delicious! The truffle aioli was creamy and not overly heavy - would highly recommend this dish. The OG Banh Mi came with a generous portion of bread, meat and fresh veggies. Not mind-blowingly amazing but a solid banh mi. The chicken karaage milk bread was interesting and tasty, with fluffy buttered milk bread and eggs contrasting against the crispy chicken karaage. Overall, we loved the decor and ambiance of the dining room, attentive service, and generous portions of each dish.

    Croissant sandwich with fig jam, mozzarella, & prosciutto (scrambled instead of fried eggs)
    Logan D.

    We stopped by with a group for brunch and tried a Banh Mi, soufflé pancakes, croissant sandwich, and milk bread sandwiches. Everything was great! Standouts were the Vietnamese coffee and truffle fries. Our server was great and the chef's partner also kindly stopped by to introduce us to the place and the menu (the croissants are made in house and the milk bread is from neighboring Japonaise bakery).

    Banh mi

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    1 year ago

    Went there for my girlfriend's birthday and it could not have been better. The beef wellington slider thingies were great

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    Food was amazing. Great service, chill ambience and the food is well prepared and unique.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Esmai’s Cafe & Restaurant

    Is the restaurant accessible?

    There's a downstairs and an upstairs (that's only accessible by stairs as far as I could tell), so as long as downstairs is ok, yes :)

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    Maguro

    Maguro

    4.3
    (394 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Free WiFi

    First time here and it was great! We did the AYCE all-you-can-eat on a Monday (they only do it…read moreMonday and Tuesdays) - got there around 7:30p and even though it was very full, we got seated quickly with a table for 3. It's $50 for the regular AYCE or $80 for the Premium AYCE. We opted for the former, and it was plenty great. We have done lots of AYCE sushi and I will say this is the BEST of them - I think it's because it's the same grade sushi as they would normally do Ala carte on other nights. The $50 menu had plenty of sashimi and regular nigiri (sushi with rice) options and some Thai too. We had mostly the sashimi Salmon, Tuna, Yellowtail, Octopus, a few rolls, some edamame, gyoza, shumai. My favorites were the salmon, as the cuts were large, thick and amazing silky, and the gyoza, as it was perfectly crispy. The Pad Thai was bit way too sweet for my taste - a skip for me next time. The decor is very nice - reminded me of a dive Tokyo bar. Service was quick and very attentive. We will be back!

    Have been hearing about their Mon & Tue AYCE, so went on to try it a month or so ago. With what…read moreseems to be a recent price increase, now $50++ allows access to a good variety of sushi/sashimi, on top of apps, ramen, poke bowls, and cooked rice/noodle dishes. Whereas $80++ offers diners a set of amount of uni, plus unlimited amount of everything else, wagyu included. Sounds like a good deal, especially when one can eat a lot. Even as we are no longer Team Eat Till You Burst, we went for the premium, mainly for the nicer cuts such as toro and wagyu, and because uni!! Jumping in shortly after 5pm, we were promptly seated, marked a bunch of stuff on paper, and soon after submission, we got food brought to our table. It was a decent meal overall, so why 3 stars? Let's recap. Menu variety is fantastic, though of course we didn't get "one of everything", coz that's simply impossible. While the premium did cover a lot of grounds, it would have been nice if they also included anago (sea eel) which is currently only available on the a la cart menu, and maybe even offer couple lesser-known items such as monk fish liver app, sea grapes, off-the-beaten-path fish cuts, what have you. Would be happy even if we only get an allotment of those like we do with the uni. Now, service - great overall. Servers circulated around and were alert of customers' needs. Approached at appropriate times to take our order sheets, refill water, provide new order sheets, and ask if we wanted more food. So kudos on that. Their denotation of serving "regular portion" of cooked food had us hesitant in ordering, since we didn't want to be wasteful (or use our limited stomach space for dishes we can easily get elsewhere). But from other tables' orders as well as the one noodle dish that we ended up getting, it seems that the portion size was what I would like to see at AYCE places -- about 50-60% of regular Asian dish size, where 3-4 people can each have a couple bites "just to try". However, to think if that is what they call "regular portion", then it is definitely "Brookline pricing" on a la carte, which I would not recommend one to do such things on these items. Food is fantastic in general; we got a variety of stuff, and everything was really of top quality and taste. The meal would have been a "highly recommended" if they didn't serve the uni that we got. Out of the 12 pcs of uni sushi, all of them were... while not "foul" to a point where one cannot safely consume, they were definitely more sub-par than "ok but not great". Colors aside (which I understand there can be a range depending on origins and such), the uni was a "splat" of yellow stuff on rice, without distinct shape of the flesh. On top of the fishy smell (I'm talking about slightly ammonia-ish), the presentation and taste-texture upon them hitting our tongues... really left the ENTIRE room to be desired. In retrospect, we should have sent them back even if they weren't going to replace them. But instead, we stupidly forced ourselves to shove them all down in cowardly silence, then ordered another round of wagyu just to make us feel a little better about it. Yes, we weren't smart as customers. But if the restaurant is going to charge $100++ per person (after tax and tip), someone from the kitchen should have known better than pushing this thing out for customers to deal with. In their defense, yes, the uni itself was still "edible" in a sense that it didn't make us sick, but I'd maintain that better judgment should have been made. Once the shell was cracked open and you see this pale-gray yellow mush, it should have been decided that it is better repurposed, than be served straight to your customers as your star/featured product. As seen in other diners' experiences, it could just have been a one-off mishap, so I'm not knocking them entirely. But I do hope the restaurant would improve on their QC accordingly. It was such a disappointing low point in an otherwise wonderful meal.

    Photos
    Two favorites ..
    Two favorites ..
    Variety is good ..
    Variety is good ..
    Combos ..

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    Combos ..
    Genki Ya

    Genki Ya

    4.1
    (792 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    I've been to Genki Ya a few times, and it's one of my favorite sushi places in Brookline. The fish…read morealways tastes fresh, and I've never had a bad meal there. I usually try a different roll when I go, and everything I've had has been really good. The restaurant is clean and relaxing, and the staff have always been friendly whenever I've visited. I also like that the menu has a lot of options, whether you're really into sushi or just looking for something simple, you'll find something. I've ordered both takeout and eaten in the restaurant, and the quality has been consistent every time. There are a lot of sushi spots around Boston, but Genki Ya is one that I keep coming back to. I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you're in the Brookline area.

    I have been a die hard fan for several years now and order from here at least twice a month. But,…read morethere have been a few instances that are getting hard to look past. I ordered from there last night and ended up having some leftovers, pulled it out of the fridge to see GREY tuna (see below). I regularly cook sushi and work with raw tuna myself and not once has this happened. I did also have an incident a few months ago where there were small bits of hair in my roll. It's so sad because I genuinely love it here and it's so close to me but I can't bring myself to keep testing faith if they're keeping their quality so low.

    Photos
    Genki Ya
    Genki Ya
    Salmon and white tuna sashimi with squid

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    Salmon and white tuna sashimi with squid
    Super Fusion Cuisine

    Super Fusion Cuisine

    4.2
    (328 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    this is my favorite takeout sushi spot! the staff are super friendly, sushi is fresh and tasty, and…read morethe prices are very reasonable. my personal fav is the snow mountain maki roll and they have great deals on the combos too

    Yet another Brookline restaurant I regret not trying sooner!…read more This past weekend I stopped in for a quick solo lunch around 1:30. I happened to be the only one in there, but could tell the staff was working on some online or takeout orders. I was nicely greeted and shown to a seat. After giving me water they took my order. I got the crab wontons, their take on crab rangoons, as well as three different rolls (yes my eyes are bigger than my stomach). I went with the eel avocado roll as well as the spicy tuna and yellowtail rolls. I was REALLY impressed by the quality of all the food. I was given the wontons first and they were perfectly crispy and filled. I dislike when the ratio of filling to wonton is too heavy on the filling side and things get messy. They were also SUPER hot which is a personal must. My only qualm is I would've loved a bit more sauce, there were a lot of wontons for that small dish of sweet chili sauce. In terms of the sushi I surprisingly loved the spicy yellowtail the best. Normally the other 2 are my favorite but I might've found a new go-to. The others were great as well, though. You could seriously tell the tuna was JUST cut from the fish (I watched the sushi chef do so!). Notably, the ratio on the eel-avocado roll was great as well as the amount of eel sauce. No need to pay for extra on the side! I will most definitely be ordering or dining in from here soon, this time bringing friends along!

    Photos
    Sushi bar seating
    Sushi bar seating
    Rolls
    Rolls
    Hmmm bathroom lol

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    Hmmm bathroom lol

    Esmai’s Cafe & Restaurant - modern_european - Updated August 2026

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