It's time to thank Genki Ya for perfection AND consistency. I've eaten at the Cambridge location a dozen times in recent years and the miso soup and different types of vegetable sushi are ALWAYS superb. You can count on fresh ingredients, sublime textures, and attention to details like the quality of the pickled ginger. Combined with a walk around Fresh Pond, eating at this little delightful spot will nourish you and please your palate, though the workers may not always be the most cheerful. And....there are other locations! I recently discovered the one on Harvard Street near Coolidge Corner -- fantastic place! My group tried the $70 platter and all five of us left delighted and satiated. This location has a fun vibe and I tasted some of everything, even the fishy ones, bringing my Genki Ya enthusiasm to new heights. So imagine my joy last week when my friend took me to the Wilbur Theater and....there is a Genki Ya RIGHT NEXT DOOR. Our light, delicious meal was just the right bite for before a show, and the servers were nicely attuned to our timing constraints. Now then, can we get a Genki Ya on the North Shore? Please?? read more

This place is god's gift to Cambridge Sushi lovers. I drove past and noticed the organic sushi sign and knew I'd want to check it out soon. Within a week, one of my best friends was telling me how badly she wanted to try it. Glad we didn't wait! Genki Ya has an amazing menu with something for everyone. We started with miso soup, seaweed salad, and the Fresh Summer Roll ($9.95), which is tuna, salmon, cream cheese, avocado rolled in cucumber! Then we had the Hawaii Roll ($11.95), which is mango, sweet potato, banana, avocado, cucumber & cream cheese. We split 2 other rolls and salmon sashimi. I love that they don't dye the ginger and that they have brown rice and a really different multi-grain rice, too. Both were awesome! Everything was delicious. Service was fast and friendly. Location's great. What's not to love? read more

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I've been to Genki Ya a few times now and I've always left happy. They have really good rolls and great combo deals. Between my wife and we, we paid $30 for a great meal of 4 rolls, green tea and an app. The waitstaff is really nice, though one time they did forget that we asked for the check. The best thing about Genki Ya is their delivery. They have amazing deals online and if you live within 5 miles they deliver for cheap! With all the internet deals I think it's actually cheaper to get your food delivered to you. While the sushi is only 4 star (it can be on the bland side) the fact that they deliver good sushi makes them a 5 star place. They are just as good as, if not better than, any of the non-outrageously priced sushi places in the Boston area. read more

Up until recently, I never liked sushi. But my ladyfriend got me to give it a whirl a few weeks ago and I've never looked back. And thanks to Yelp, I found Genki Ya. I'm not going to pretend that I know anything about sushi. I am not an aficionado and I can barely remember the names of the things I had (again, I rely on the ladyfriend). Here are two things I do know about: what tastes fresh and what tastes good. Absolutely fresh and wonder food that is served with excellent presentation. Every single thing I ate was good. For a person that isn't an experimental eater, this is a big step. One item I remember for sure...the Red Sox Bases Roll. Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. I don't recall ever putting something that good into my mouth in my entire life. Order these by the truckload and enjoy. Prices were pretty fair, not cheap, but not expensive, standard Japanese fare for beer (No complaints, because I love Kirin Ichiban). Service was good, but too quick to take things away or just reach on in. It was a pretty loud, but I consider sushi to be one of the most social foods there is, so I was fine with that. All in all, it made me an even bigger fan of sushi and I look forward to more trips or using their delivery! - Number One Juggernaut approves read more

I was very excited to discover this place is open when most aren't on snow days. I had one specialty roll which was the Salmon Torch roll. It was pretty large, and I liked the outer salmon layer, but the inner salmon was a bit overcooked. It sorta tasked like canned tuna. I thought the miso soup and the salad that came with the special roll were delicious. Their lunch maki specials are TOTALLY worth it. We got 3 rolls for 13 dollars. I loved them all. The yellow tail was extremely fresh. The sweet potato and the eel avocado roll were really good, but you know just your standard flavors. Nothing to complain about. Service was great and the waitresses were really nice. Our food arrived at our table pretty quickly. I think we were in and out in like 30 minutes. read more

It is refreshing to be in part of the country with veggie options abundant. It is a sense of being overwhelmed when I can have more than one or two things some times, thus, this part of Massachusetts was a shock. Tyler, Ryan and myself went here after editing video and projects all morning, afternoon and night, our eyes needed a rest. The right door was locked but the left one was open, though it was enough to still spook us. A cop pulled someone over as we jaywalked. (The OED lists jaywalker as first being used in 1917, by the way.) The sushi was great. Alvocado and Bannana roll. Fruit roll with brown rice. Edamame that was nothing too special and touch too moist. Tyler loved his curry, though it was larger than him and Ryan feasted on something else with fish. Tyler's flight was in 6 hours and we all realized we should get back to work. read more

Organic Sushi? I was skeptical, but it was pretty darn good! We had: Beef negima Doomsday Genki ya Nigiri Scorpion Red bean tempura ice cream The presentation was unique and the fish was fresh. Definitely a good find in Boston. read more

Went with Yelp Deal and what a deal it was. For $50 the wife and I stuffed ourselves silly with sushi. I ordered the sashimi special and the wife got the sushi special. The quality of the the sushi is fairly good and very good value. Bottom line, this is one of my favorite sushi places in Boston for quality and value. Will definitely go back. read more

Two years ago, my boyfriend promised to take me to Genki-ya knowing how much of a sushi lover I am. FINALLY, he took me to Genki-ya because he had given me a gift card from them as a Christmas present. The place is small and located in a strip mall. We went at 9:30pm, so it was definitely not going to be busy. But even at 9:30pm, there were a few other people coming in for food (sitting in or taking out). The menus were HUGE, but I can see why. They had pictures for almost everything on their menu. I think it's great, b/c you can see what you'll be getting. It was hard to choose what I wanted. After running 8 miles before dinner, I was definitely hungry. So I ordered the Avocado Salad, Genki Ichiban, Ikura, and Spicy Tuna Handroll. The Avocado Salad came out first. The presentation was really nice. The salad itself was ok. Not a good first dish impression for me. I've had this dish at several other places and I wasn't a huge fan of it at Genki Ya. I felt like it was missing a lot of the cucumber and crab sticks to balance out the avocado. If you want mostly avocado, then this is the dish for you. Otherwise, you should save your money and try out another dish. Next came the Ikura Sushi and Spicy Tuna Handroll. The Ikura was nice and fresh. Salty. Just the way I like it. Thumbs up. The Spicy Tuna Handroll is bigger than other handrolls I've had. And handrolls are generally more rice than the filling. But Genki Ya's handroll had a good amount of the actual filling. So I was pleasantly surprised. :-) By the time I finished my handroll, my Genki Ichiban had already came out. I was getting full by then. But I still ate my last dish with satisfication. I'm not sure how to describe this dish. They took seaweed sheet and rolled it with a layer of rice. It had slight fried tempura fried batter layer. On top was spicy tuna with a dab of flying fish rose and a sprout. It was good. In the end, I would happily have given up my Avocado Salad and would've been completely satisfied with the remaining meal. This is not my most favorite sushi place to go to, but definitely a place I will continually come back to for fresh sushi, beautiful presentation and for healthier variety of rice options. They offer 2 other types of rice, so you're not just stuck with white rice. :-) BTW - for those who complain about the price... 1) This place is organic sushi, 2) The portion sizes for entree is huge (at least for the curry rice - that my boyfriend ordered). It was delicious (from the 2 bits I had) and the portion size was huge. We have leftovers from that dish. read more

Food that's noticeably fresher than other Japanese places in the region. Prices are higher than average, but that was expected given they say it's organic. I've only gone there a few times, but haven't experienced this rudeness a few have claimed. I think some of the 1-star ratings are unjustified, eg Chelsea on 1/21/2013. The "final straw" for a 1-star rating was them not being open when she wanted to go there? Seems excessive. read more

I wish I could give this a 4.5 star rating (based on sushi, its a 4, but gets slight bump for pricing). The sushi itself is good, the portions are very good and the prices are very good. You can easily find better sushi but you'd have a difficult time finding something better at this price. The service is good. The food comes fast. Every time I go, there are about 4 sushi chefs preparing orders. The Cambridge site has a parking lot that also hosts a Chipotle, a liquor store, a CVS, a Dunkin Donuts, as well as a Trader Joe's - very convenient. read more

Very disappointed with their delivery. We have been ordering from this place for over a year now and every time it takes them over an hour to get here (Somerville). Today its been 1 hour and 40 minutes and we are still waiting. When i called them the lady said "our guy is on his way"... thats it. Though their sushi is good, we will no longer be ordering from this place. If they are unable to uphold the time frame of delivery because of distance they should not offer it. read more

Since our cafeteria food is of sub-par quality, I often try to get food elsewhere. This place is just about a 5 minute walk from my work. Their lunch specials are great. Though they are pricey for a lunch meal, the money is well worth shelling out for. I get the 2 Maki rolls special that comes with miso soup and salad. Oftentimes I cannot finish all the rolls so I would keep some for a mid-afternoon snack and sometimes even dinner. So even though it costs about $10, if you can split it into two meals, it's definitely a bargain. Tip: Order your meal online. Not only do you get a 10% discount if you do so but you also save some time waiting around for your food. It takes about 15 minutes before it is ready. read more

Bottom Line: Best sushi I have had in the Cambridge area. But expensive for dinner. I went here with a Yelp deal and a friend. We used the whole Yelp deal plus another 25, without alcohol. Wow? The rolls were delicious, and the Volcano roll (a mound of everything bad for you, served warm) was amazing. It's a good thing my friend eats 3x as much as I do, because the Volcano roll alone would have done me in. The yellowtail roll was delicious, and the sashimi also. Our waitress was extremely awkward the entire time (though, to her credit, my friend loved giving her a hard time, and she didn't quite know how to take it). Service was sort of slow, but this place was slammed. Apparently, it normally is not. ... Yay Yelp coupons! I would get take-out from here, and I hear their lunch specials are actually more reasonably priced. As for their "organic" slogan... I would argue that most sushi is organic. Just throwing that one out there. read more

Awesome service, free dessert and white Rubatelli, sashimi was super fresh. Amazing for the price. read more

This sushi hits the spot. The menu is fairly mainstream as far as sushi goes, but the ingredients are always fresh, and they have multiple rice options to keep things interesting. The prices are alright, worth it mostly because of their consistency. The restaurant is sparse but efficient, and their delivery service is top notch. A must try: the miso soup. I don't know what they put in this to make it so good, but its unlike anywhere else. read more

this place was good! I looked up on yelp the best sushi place and this is what I came across. I have tried a bunch in the area but with so many different sushi spots its tough to find a favorite. I thought it might be a bit pricy with the organic label but it was right on target. Food was really good, I was actually full after eating sushi which never happens either. Good portions and good food, def go back here. read more

There are these days when I just crave sushi. Most big cities actually do have good sushi places, but most come at a steep price (for a good reason). As a result, I am typically willing to pay a higher price for good sushi but not as much for anything else. Ultimately I wish for slightly less expensive sushi where I accept that I would most likely not try their sashimi (for which I have awfully high standards). Genki Ya is the perfect 'somewhere in the middle' thing, conveniently located close to our place. We got the alligator rolls (scrumptious!), tuna maki, salmon avocado maki and two shrimp nigiri. All in all for ~40 dollars, it was definitely worth the money. Everything was presented nicely and prepared in a good way. Service was also good, as our waters got refilled swiftly. As it is probably the case at most places, this place is actually owned by Chinese people. Considering that and the strip mall location of this restaurant, the place is actually well-decorated although I would probably not recommend bringing a date here. I know for certain that I wouldn't get anything else besides their sushi - 7 dollars for a few gyoza, 20 dollars for a katsu entree... I don't think anyone in this world would ever want to order any of those dishes which you can get at half the price at other places. I would certainly come again if I feel like splurging a little on sushi. read more

Genki ya is tasty, and that's why we keep coming back, but there are things that bother me (some about this location and some universally about their locations). First is the layout of the menu. Less pictures and more text please. Organize it in some way that makes sense. Second is, the decor of this location is a little bit bland and kind of dirty. I can appreciate what they were going for with the glass bamboo holders as a divider from the entrance, but as with a fish tank, you have to keep them clean and lush. It is a little sad when all the bamboo is missing and there is cloudy murky water in the vases. I do love their maki rolls and will continue to frequent this establishment, but maybe more for take out than eating in. read more

I used to work a short walking distance from Genki Ya in the Fresh Pond area. The sushi is fabulous, and they have some of the best deals on takeout sushi in Cambridge (go to their website, http://www.genkiyasushi.com/ and check out their cash-only deal). Eating in is also very pleasant. All that writing this short review has done is make me crave sushi, so I'll leave it at that. read more

Stopped on the way home from the airport. Order green tea, miso soup and 2 rolls. Looks good so far. read more

Genki Ya - Cambridge - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

This sushi place is great. I had two organic sushi rolls with soup and salad for 12.00 with tax included... The miso soup was incredible and had organic mushrooms floating in it, the salad was nice spring greens; not just iceberg lettuce. The rolls were delicious and fresh. I has spicy yellowtail and salmon avocado. I believe for a sushi lunch you dont get a better inexpensive to quality ratio than here! read more

Genki Ya - Cambridge - Miso soup with mushrooms floating mmmmmm! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Good sushi, for a decent price. WARNING: Never go to any sushi place on sundays, usually fish deliveries don't happen on Sundays so the fish is never really fresh. This might not apply to the more expensive sushi places. Pros: The sushi is good (not amazing, good) and the price is okay. Some of the rolls are delicious, but they are the more expensive ones so I don't really include them. It's usually not very crowded. Pretty good location, you can go after or before buying groceries (MUCH BETTER THAN WHOLEFOODS SUSHI). Friendly servers. Everything is good (although some rolls more than others) but don't expect mind-blowing awesomeness. We used to go pretty regularly, but no regularly enough that we would be, well... regulars. The servers were always friendly and after a few times they started recognizing us! Although, that might just be the power of a decent tip... Cons: Decent sushi, not the best. You can be a little disappointed with some of the rolls. Also, don't get the mushroom and salmon soup (I don't know what it's called...) to go. It's good but has very little mushroom or salmon in it. Conclusion: GO here for good sushi at decent prices in a friendly environment! read more

We were there yesterday again for a early dinner, we ordered s Sushi and Sashimi combos, a dragon rolls and Udon chicken noodles soups. It's not too bad, only wait for less then 12 minutes, we got our orders. Sashimi is super fresh an taste amazing, the sushi is so good. read more

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Sushi quality is good, but prices are high and service is horrible. $15 for a spicy salmon roll? I can get the same thing for $10 at other places. The real turn off was the service. My friend and I were there during lunch. There was another party of 2, so 4 of us total inside. I ordered sushi, and it took them almost 25 MINUTES to prepare two maki rolls and a spicy salmon roll. COME ON THERE WAS ONLY 4 OF US THERE. It made me ever more mad that the waitress knew I was getting pissed after 20 minutes of waiting and she just stood there and didn't even ask the sushi guys WTF they were doing. SLOW read more

I love Genki Ya! It is my go-to place for sushi, whether I feel like dining in or taking out. They have a good selection of sushi and sashimi, and have a few creative rolls that I really like. My favorites are the spicy tuna---actually the spicy tuna, yellowtail, and salmon combo---and the Red Sox Bases roll. Service is great and prices are what you would expect for a sushi place. read more

This place is such a pleasant surprise. I was nervous because of it's location on Fresh Pond Parkway but it definitely surpassed all my expectations. All organic, plenty of veggie options and a friendly atmosphere. I would definitely recommend the sweet potato tempura roll. I only wish it was nearer to my usual stomping grounds. read more

When we lived in the Brighton area, the Coolidge Corner Genki Ya was our go to place for sushi. Now that we're in Cambridge, we've frequented the Alewife Genki Ya and there's no difference in quality or selection but there is free parking vs Brookline meter parking. Bonus. If you order out, it's worth ordering from Genki Ya's website because there are freebie offerings if you order over $35. My favorite roll is the Naruto roll which is simply delicious--I'd never had a roll wrapped in cucumber before. The light vinegar that they use adds a subtly to the flavor that I deeply enjoy. Look for it on their appetizer section. There is a wide variety of standard and creative rolls to select from. We are never bored or disappointed at Genki Ya. Also, ordering a side of sushi rice is recommended because of the light vinegar seasoning. read more

This place is great!! Pros: - Great parking -Quick Service -Friendly Staff -Great food -Organic -Great dessert Cons: -Small restaurant I reccomend getting the fried ice cream, I dont recall what sushi I got, but it was all soo good!! read more

The sushi here is decent and the main reason it's a go-to is because of their cash deal ($14 for 3 rolls, salad, and miso soup). Yesterday, I decided to get an extra order of scallop sashimi (had never tried the sashimi here before) and it was super not fresh. I ended up just throwing it away :( TL;DR: decent place for "americanized" sushi but not the freshest fish. I would suggest Fish Market in Allston or Hana Sushi in North Cambridge for delicious sashimi :D read more

Consistently good. Every. Single. Time. And even after two years of regular sushi (every month or so) I was still amazed by how excellent my last meal was: My last order was a combo platter in which (surprise!) I discovered their sushi with sweet potatoes (I cannot recall their name). They were simply delicious. I did not think that vegetarian sushi could be that tasty! read more

Food was pretty good, but the waitstaff is abominable. There were few words, dour faces, terrible attitudes. I would not return to this restaurant again. They really should develop some decent skills. It was a very unpleasant experience for me and my party. read more

They would get a higher star rating if it was just based on the food itself but their delivery is absolutely abysmal. I have waited over 2 hours for delivery with 90 minutes not being uncommon either. They do not manage expectations on delivery time at all - it could be 25 minutes or it could be 2 hours. They never answer the phone when they are busy either. Please give some kind of time estimate on your website. All the other food delivery services can do it! read more

I was too excited not to stop for some sushi when I saw that Genki Ya was open yesterday. The spicy tuna was delicious as well as the Alaskan roll. Miso soup was a full pint for $3 and the salad I ordered was huge. Plus, it's convenient for those driving home on route 2, especially since it's easy to park at. It was quiet because it was the first day, but it took less than 10 minutes from when I walked in the door to place my order and when I was back in the car to leave. Now that's some fast service! The restaurant is very small, so I'm sure it will fill up quickly on weekends. There isn't really a good place to wait for takeout, because the main desk is at the back of the restaurant. read more

Genki Ya - Cambridge - 3 roll cash-only special (half eaten!) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

If ever a beacon shone brighter heralding wayward travelers to the oasis called Cambridge, Genki Ya is it my friends. It's been awhile, but I am BACK and I have Genki Ya to thank for my reinvigorated yearn to review on Yelp! I will keep this brief mostly because I am out of practice and I dont want to sprain anything but also because its plain and simple - - Genki Ya does everything right. The space is perfect for eating sushi, pretty, clean and bright with tables spaced a good distance from eachother. The waitstaff are all very friendly and presentable and super efficient. The food. The heavenly food. All of it. Each and ever thing I have tried. The gods have kissed each and every dish. By far the best sushi you will ever eat. Fresh, nothing fishy, nothing sketchy - - EVER. And the for non-sushi things, you must try the agadashi, shumai and edamame. I cried the first time I tried them and I am welling up now. beautiful. On to drinks. I am pleased with the affordable and yummy sake (cold and hot). Do it. Finally, order online and get 10% or a free spicy tuna roll or edamame!! read more

Clearly I'd be lying if I said I knew of another local sushi joint that I liked better. And I'd be lying again if I told you there was a better deal out there than their lunch special. For me, this place is awesome because: fast service great, organic food TONS of veggie sushi options awesomely cheap lunch special The downside: small, cramped space, weird strip mall location (not that it ever stops me from going!), and if you're not getting the lunch special, it is pretty expensive. But damn, the sushi is good! read more

Got the $13 special (3 rolls, miso soup and salad) for lunch today and WHOA, it was great. The rolls are huge, you get 8 large pieces not 8 small. It was very tasty, the rice was cooked well without being too hard. I got the crazy roll, California roll and spicy tuna and it was all very nice. I also said no tobiko or fish roe in my order (ordered online) and they got that right no problem. The price is amazing and the sushi is great. All packaged up and ready to go right at my requested pick up time. What more can you ask for. read more

I wanna like this place because it's close to my house and you can order online, but something about their sushi is just off. Dont get me wrong there sushi is horrible, I find it a little bland and well a little "too fishy". This is some of the more expensive sushi around to. But there is ways around this. Their lunch special is what saves this place for me, because $9 and some change I can get 2 maki rolls, a large bowl of miso, and a small garden salad with fresh ginger dressing. I can order it online with their awesome website and when you do you get 10% off. read more

Best vegetarian sushi options and extremely fresh and delicious! Quite possibly my favorite sushi joint (I love Fugakyu and New Ginza too). I love the multi grain and brown rice options. My only confusion is that you can't order the same add-on options in the restaurant as you can online, yet it's made at the same place. (Online offers a list of items you can add to each item your ordering, for example, I have tofu added to the spinach maki, and it's great! But if you order that same roll when dining in, they say they don't have tofu. (Is there a separate kitchen in the basement for online orders only perhaps?) If anyone knows, I'd love the answer to this mystery. Highly recommended. More options by ordering online (plus 10% credit on your Genki Ya account with every online order). Must try: Sweet Potato Tempura maki (recommended on multi-grain rice). Spinach roll with tofu added with brown rice...if you're ordering online. read more

This place is really excellent and totally authentic. Portions are generous and are accompanied by all appropriate fixings. I had the Nabeyaki Udon which was definitely the best I've had since I was last in Japan 20 years ago. My companion had Tonkatsu which looked really good. We also shared a Sashimi appetizer which was not only excellent, but also plenty for two. They even had craft beers, as well as Japanese beer of course. Overall value for money is really good for the main dishes (which are few in number) - I can't speak for the sushi offerings which are legion. Don't be put off by the rather informal premises. It's typical Japanese. All that's missing are the sampuru in the window. read more