I tried a takeout lunch special and it was stinky, slimy, and inedible. The soup that came with it was packaged in a sauce container and was positively tiny. I hope the couple of bites I tried do not make me sick. read more

Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine - This was my stinky, old sushi. The tuna was discolored and smelly. The salmon was slimy. This went into the trash. - Japanese Near Me - Marblehead, Massachusetts

Service was friendly and appropriately paced for supper. Sushi was basic but tasty. Crab Rangoon was great. read more

Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine - Japanese Near Me - Marblehead, Massachusetts

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Kame is closed for the whole week of 4 July, so we needed to find the second-best sushi on the north shore. This is not it. Sushi was mediocre, limited by poor fish. Tuna was brown. Rice was crunchy and dry - either undercooked or over refrigerated. read more

This review is for takeout. The online order menu is not helpful for identifying gluten-free items, but the person on the phone was very knowledgeable and helpful. They packaged my sushi separately and offered gluten-free soy sauce. Everyone was happy with their food. I really liked the spicy tuna and the fatty tuna rolls. read more

Overcooked chicken. Vegetables served cold. Black pepper was put on the chicken teriyaki and I was not informed. I'm allergic to the pepper. My husband ended up eating my meal . Anyway, Waiter didn't even ask if I'd like something else. I would not recommend this. read more

Visiting Junji for sushi is as close as you'll get to Jiro Ono (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) in New England, perhaps the US. Junji is the real deal, a master at sushi making with over 40 years experience. I have had sushi from Junji probably 3-400 times over the past couple of decades and many dozen times at his Marblehead restaurant and have never had a bad meal. Authentic Japanese sushi is a rare find in New England. Don't come here in search of a long list of Americanized sushi rolls (although Junji will gladly make you anything you want). The sushi you will eat here will have have perfectly seasoned rice, great nori and expertly prepared fish and/or vegetables. Junji takes steps in preparing fish you simply won't find anywhere else in the area. Try a Sake (Salmon) nigiri and see for yourself. Don't forget to try the green tea, it is freshly brewed and equally yummy. Junji's wife Akiko is usually waitressing most nights of the week and the other waitresses/waiters are equally attentive. If you eat fish, my absolute favorite dish is the Oshizushi 3 fish. It is a pressed sushi made in a box with Sake, Hamachi and Albacore with avocado and comes with miso soup. You can order it with just Sake, Saba or anything you want. If you're in a nigiri/sashimi mood and don't know what you want, sit at the sushi bar and ask Junji what he recommends on that day or you can always choose one of the many menu options where Junji picks for you. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, Junji makes a delicious shiitake mushroom maki and because his rice is seasoned perfectly, even a vegetarian staple like an avocado maki shines. Sushi is my favorite food and Junji is my hands down go-to sushi chef. I have tried endless other Sushi restaurants in Metro Boston and across the country during my travels based on either recommendation or Yelp reviews and nothing else comes close in overall quality. read more

Wasn't a huge fan. I ordered basic Teriyaki chicken, which is typically done with white meat chicken. I think it was dark meat, and it was pretty fatty. The salad with ginger dressing to start was really good, though. Regardless, we won't be going back. read more

small place. quaint and not pretentious. the sushi is fresh and the chef/owner knows his stuff. Service isn't always fast, but the food is always great. read more

Sat at the sushi bar, food comes quick and fresh. The sushi is just... super fresh! :) read more

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Wow! What an amazing and authentic spot in the little local town of Marblehead. Got take out from here the first night we were in town, and ended up cancelling our reservations the next night down the street and grabbing take out again because it was so good. First night got a pork katsu with some steamed veggies, second night delicious sashimi and miso with edamame. Fast service as well read more

Amazing sushi...best in Marblehead & Swampscott! Been our go too for years. Great selection, fresh fish and the rice is cooked perfectly! Nice balance of flavors and inventive rolls. Perfect portions and reasonably priced. The sushi chefs clearly know what they're doing :o) love, love, love!! read more

Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine - Sushi rolls - Japanese Near Me - Marblehead, Massachusetts

For mediocre food their service is absolutely terrible. Standing in their restaurant waiting among other people for 25 minutes is probably the last thing anyone wants to do on a Friday night. I do understand it's a busy night, but when my order was placed an hour ago and for one person, I think it's almost impressive to take that long. Go here if u want to wait forever! read more

Best food and service ever. Food is always fresh and cooked to perfection! Never disappoints!

After the recent ownership change - the quality has remained. The sushi and sashimi is authentic and beautifully prepared & presented. The large soba and udon soups are made from real homemade stock and and are filled with fresh veggies and shrimp or chicken. Service has improved with the new ownership - seating and paying the bill are executed better than in the past. So, overall the experience is even better than before with no compromise on the food and better service execution. read more

We really enjoyed our dinner, thank you! We ordered a mixed tempura dinner and also a salmon teriyaki dinner and split them. Each dinner came with a salad, which had a very delicious dressing, different from other Asian salad dressings we have had in the past. Miso soup also accompanied the dinner... it too was tasty and traditional. The shrimp and vegetable tempura included broccoli, onion, carrot, green bean and sweet potato. Everything was done to perfection... crunch on the outside and veggies perfectly done as well. The Salmon teriyaki was wonderful, as well. Both dinners came with rice. Delightful dinner for two! Thank you! read more

Some of the best sushi I have had! Super friendly staff on top of that! The prices are very fair and the sushi a sauce was creamy and way better than I had hopped. read more

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Just moved to the area and was in search for a good sushi place. This spot is quaint and a total neighborhood staple. Everyone that came in after me seemed to know the staff. The host, the waitress and the sushi bar chef were very welcoming. But to the important part, the food. I'm originally from NYC and it came close to comparable to my favorite sushi restaurant in Manhattan. I had the crunchy roll, spider maki and the Patriot roll. All were delicious. I had the sea weed salad as well but that tasted a little bit too much of the ocean for my taste. There's always the good and the bad with everything right? I decided to treat myself to some desserts and the restaurant was kind enough to comp one of them. I casually mentioned it was my birthday in conversation with the waitress not expecting to get anything. I will definitely be back! read more

I've been searching for YEARS for a good sushi place in Massachusetts. Hailing originally from southern California, it hasn't been difficult to find a legitimate Japanese sushi bar in Cali. However, when I first moved to Massachusetts, I was greeted by a lot of "Japanese" places that also served Chinese and/or Korean food. All of these places were owned by Chinese and Korean owners. Not to say the food wasn't good--the food was good ... for being a fusion place. I really missed authentic fresh sushi/sashimi; I actually ordered uni nigiri when I was living in western Mass, which was a BIG mistake ... fishy and slightly off. I was so happy to read reviews about Junji and I had to give the place a try. Following recommendations from fellow Yelpers, I opted for the omakase. The omakase was a little more expensive than I anticipated ($70-$90), but well worth it! To note, Junji only does omakase when the restaurant isn't too busy. My first course was monkfish liver. It doesn't sound really appetizing, but oh my .... ever since that taste of monkfish liver, I've been dreaming about it. It's so good--fresh, creamy, sweet, and tasting of the ocean. I forgot to take a picture of this dish, but this will be added to my list of go-to dishes along with uni. Simply delicious and delightful! My second course was marinated and seared baby octopus. This was also very good. The appearance of this dish did frighten my more tame boyfriend and friend, who both decided not to taste this. It's reminiscent of the jellyfish from Chinese cold platters and also kind of like the japanese seaweed salad--fresh, springy, slightly crunchy, and sweet. My third course was seabass sashimi. This was also really good--fresh and sweet, with just the right amount of (ponzu, I think?) and a fresh shiso leaf. The fourth course was an assorted sashimi platter that included: tuna, fatty tuna, salmon, uni, calamari, and two kinds of white fish that I forgot. The sashimi was very fresh and delicious. I'm usually not a fan of salmon sashimi because it's a little too fishy for me, but the salmon here was very good. The last course was an assorted sushi platter that I also forgot to take a picture of. There was black cod nigiri, a tuna roll with radish, tamago nigiri, and tuna nigiri. By this time, I was already getting full, but I still managed to finish everything! The black cod nigiri was something I'd never had before and it was really tasty. Overall, I highly recommend trying the omakase--you'll be guaranteed with something prepared special by the chef that is tasty and highlights everything good about the establishment. Definitely give the monkfish liver a try. My only regret is that I didn't compliment the chef before I left--I think next time I'll sit at the bar. read more

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As a patron of this restaurant, I have to say I have never had a bad experience here. Their food has consistently been excellent and they have great service, I've gotten the California roll bento box generally for takeout and it is great for on the go or for a nice quick meal. As for sitting down in this restaurant and eating there, there is great service and you get to watch the sushi chefs prepare your sushi in front of you, it has great service and is in a nice area in the heart of town, it is a cute and modern restaurant that is great for having a relaxed dinner if you are looking for authentic Japanese food . read more

Excellent food. Junjis and his wife Akiko are always a pleasure to speak with. My boyfriend Tyler and I go here all the time. Junji gets his fish from the same fish market in Japan that Jiro (Jiro dreams of sushi) does. No wonder it's so good!! Their small plates and apps are really delicious too and authentic. This is the only sushi/Japanese restaurant that I know that's owned and run by Japanese people. Most restaurants will hire Chinese sushi chefs. Not to say they are not as good but in the US, training for being a sushi chef is just not as thorough as in Japan. Junji really respects what he does and has sushi down to a science. Try it out! It's pretty far out - Marblehead, but it's worth the drive. You won't find any sushi as good as this in Boston. Even the whole east coast. Including NYC. They're a little pricey but so worth it. Can't stress how much I love this place. Try the shishamo, agedashi tofu, and omakase. The Takoyaki is good too. But don't get me wrong, everything is yummy here. You can see some of his work in the photos I posted too. read more

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Went in for a nice dinner with some friends and asked for the Mexican sushi roll, which was $5.75 I then asked if I can have some spicy tuna added on top and she said that was fine. No questions asked. I've had many rolls before where I've asked for something extra and paid a few extra bucks for just one extra bit of fish.. When we got the bill she charged me for a full chef special roll at $15!!! I've never had someone up charge me that much for just some tuna on top when the spicy tuna roll is even cheaper than that! When I asked her about the bill she said it's cause I wanted the extra topping. And when I tried to explain the cost difference she said that's just how it is....She didn't seem like she cared and then spoke a different language to her friends two tables down from us which made me feel awkward for even asking as she walked away..Because I didn't know what she or they were saying about us...to me that's just not polite. Was our first time there... little bit disappointed as we were looking for a new local place to go every time I'm in town! read more

My favorite Japanese restaurant in the North Shore (and perhaps all of Massachusetts). A must if you are visiting Marblehead! Personally I am a fan of their lunch (which they serve Mon-Sun) because you get the best of both words - they offer lunch sets as well as their full menu. However, if you are more of a dinner crowd still the same great menu items minus the lunch specials. The hot tapas are a must! Try the broiled fish either salmon or yellowtail collar... delicious! They have a variety of rolled, nigiri and sashimi items and they can make pretty much anything you want as long as they have the fish. I would make reservations on a saturday night and parking is on the street (there's plenty of it). read more

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This is my first time eating here. It's a nice cosy minimalistic space. Clean and modern. Friendly staff. I ordered Hamachi nigiri as usual (it's a good gauge for freshness and taste). It was delicious and very buttery. I also tried the Unagi nigiri and Spicy Salmon Avocado Maki. All were very good. Overall my dining experience was more than satisfactory. I'll be back. read more

Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine - Japanese Near Me - Marblehead, Massachusetts

In one of my first conversations with John, he asked me if I have watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi. He told me of a tiny restaurant in Marblehead owned by a man who reminds him of Jiro, named Junji, that serves up wicked fresh and wicked tasty sushi. John took me to this restaurant last night, and it was incredible. Junji is, in fact, a tiny restaurant, very quiet, and sparsely decorated. I felt most comfortable speaking softly, almost at a whisper, with John for the duration of our dinner, and the restaurant was less than half full on this particular Saturday night. We ordered the miso, uni nigiri, baby octopus, monkfish liver in ponzu, 5-piece nigiri omakase, negihama maki, negitoro maki, and green tea tempura ice cream. Aside from the waitress never bringing to us our miso, and the marinated tuna, seabream, and squid nigiri being quite tasteless, I had some of the best sushi of my life last night. I never expected to have such a life-changing experience in a ex-sub-shop in Marblehead, MA, but here we are. The baby octopus was the first dish to be served. (2 babies for each of us). I had a good feeling about Junji as soon as I tasted this. It was a flavor explosion of octopus, sauce, and sesame oil -- a wonderfully delicious start to our meal. The negihama maki and uni nigiri came next. The first bite of negihama I took, I think my eyes rolled into the back of my head, and I remember thinking, "I DO NOT want this bite to end!" The hamachi and green onion combo was the most intense I've ever had in a negihama roll, so I took care to slowly savor the other 2 pieces. Minimal wasabi and soy sauce needed. I'm not a huge fan of uni, but I it tasted was I anticipated -- like sea urchin innards. While browsing the menu before we began our meal, John mentioned that he wanted to try a selection of the chef's selection. We didn't want to go crazy and order the full omakase since we wanted to try other dishes, so we decided the 5-piece was a good compromise. It consisted of marinated tuna, jack, madai (seabream), squid, and black cod. We were somewhat surprised by the mild flavor of the tuna (maguro), especially considering it was marinated, but mildness is kind of to-be-expected from seabream and squid. I would definitely come back to order the jack and black cod nigiri, separate from an omakase. We weren't quite full at this point, so we perused the menu and added the monkfish liver and negitoro maki. These dishes were both excellent. The monkfish liver was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting it to be good, based on the recommendation of another Yelper, and I wasn't disappointed -- it was light but fishy, liver-like but not dry. The negitoro was kind of a no-brainer. Who would turn down fatty tuna? I usually prefer maguro over toro, but I was really glad John suggested we order this. It was amazing. Honestly, this roll and the negihama, with a small pat of wasabi soy sauce...that's all I need in life. I can't believe we had room for dessert, but Japanese food usually isn't very filling. The dessert menu offered ice cream, mochi ice cream, ice cream served tempura style, and a homemade flan. We shared the green tea ice cream served tempura style, and it turned out to be a larger serving than I was expecting. A giant ball of tempura-battered fried ice cream cut in half and topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. It was a great ending to a great meal. TL;DR Try the negihama and negitoro maki, baby octopus, jack and black cod nigiri, and monkfish liver. Junji is no longer with us, but his memory and his legacy lives on in his namesake restaurant. read more

Junji is our absolute favorite. There is no better sushi in the area. The noodles and other non-sushi dishes are amazing as well. The host is amazing and makes sure our order is perfect every time. 10/10 THE BEST read more

Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine - Japanese Near Me - Marblehead, Massachusetts

The order arrived quickly and was well packaged. The sushi was fresh and delicious. Excellent garlic noodles!

We have been here a few times since the new ownership and the quality is still EXCELLENT! We love to sit at the Sushi Bar and enjoy the new owner as he prepares things and greets his guests. The staff is very pleasant and accommodating! The sushi is really just awesome, very fresh and if you ask for the "birthday special", you will not be disappointed! Thank you for the such a yummy time! See you soon! Kind Regards, Christine C. read more

As someone who was born in Osaka, Japan, I have some what snobbish expectations for sushi. Sure, many places in the Boston area have solid rolls...but NONE of them come close to being as authentic and fresh as Junji. The sushi is fantastic (go for the omakase) and their appetizers/comfort foods really set them apart from the standard "sushi" place. Must haves when I go: *agedashi tofu - lightly fried tofu in a ponzu style broth *soft shell crab *shumai *vegi tempura *hijiki For less adventurous eaters, their standard rolls are delicious too! Definitely get the spicy crunchy(I think that's the name)! read more

Where do I start? Word of warning- I'm a huge restaurant snob, having been in the biz for years, I have high expectations which are thwarted most notably by poor service, thoughtless ambiance and disappointing food. Rarely do I give a restaurant 5 stars, Junji however is a place a frequent at least once and sometimes twice a week when I need my yummy sushi fix and ego filled. Perhaps it's because I'm a local and like I said, i practically live at the place, but the servers greet me with a hot cup of tea and my fave cold bottle of sake which I can never remember the name of, but they do. Chef Junji and the boys behind the line always welcome us with a smile and by name offering explanation of the daily fish specials, and making suggestions based on what I like. It's like having a Japanese sushi chef uncle in town- seriously, everyone in the place prides themselves on making their patrons happy and full. Sitting at the sushi bar will give you the best vantage point of sushi making art form, while chatting with chef (if it's not too slammed) and learning about Japanese culture and food. The ambience is minimal but super relaxing and zen-like. Bottom line: junji has spoiled me and I won't go anywhere else locally for sushi. But please don't tell too many people about this place unless they are foodies, junji should be frequented by those who will appreciate the little gem that it is...... Just sayin read more

Junji is hands-down the best sushi restaurant on the north shore, and one of the best in the state. My fiance and I have been here at least six times and have never been disappointed. Sit at the sushi bar if you're feeling sociable: Chef/Owner Junji, is always behind the bar and wonderfully friendly. The sushi and maki are all excellent and they have a great variety: Madai, Shima Aji, Hotate (scallops), Seared Black Cod, Ika Shiso, in addition to all the usuals. Hot food is excellent, especially the Hamachi Kama Shioyaki - a broiled Hamachi collar with sea salt, but my current favorite on the menu is Wakasa no Izumi - thinly sliced raw white fish with yuzu dressing, it's served in a martini glass and is completely addicting. read more

Oh my god!!! The food is DELICIOUS! DELICIOUS! Seriously, I ordered lunch, and of course it came with a soup. I never eat those in Japanese restaurants, never understood the taste, but today I JUST COULDN'T GET ENOUGH!!! Sushi rolls were amazing, BEAUTIFULLY made and packed (seriously, even the container was a masterpiece) and enough to make me full (even a little too much haha). The quality of food is also top notch! Staff is friendly. HIGHLY RECOMMEND the place! :) read more

Just when you didn't think that Marblehead Massachusetts could not get any better, Junji moves in!!!! Chef owner Junji and his lovely wife have created a Sushi / Japanese restaurant that just rocked our worlds! We ordered our basic items. Spice tuna, crazy roll, rainbow roll and so on. The food was fresh, artful and delicious. The prices are so reasonable. The service was enthusiastic and friendly. The setting is beautiful. I love this town and I love this new addition! Way to go Junji!!!! Domo x 1000 read more

I LOVE Junji. I come for lunch at least once a week and have never had less than a perfect lunch. I just moved from NYC where there is sushi on every corner. That's not the case in Marblehead BUT we're very lucky to have the best sushi on the north shore. The fish is fresh, the portions are perfect and the family running the restaurant are so lovely. I've tried all the sushi spots around the north shore and no one comes even close to Junji. If you come with a group for dinner, let the chef make a boat for your group. Our family loves coming for dinner and having him decide for us and it's always amazing. read more

Junji recently changed ownership, but it's still really great. The fish is super fresh, and the services is even better than it was before. We were really pleased to see that the quality hasn't gone downhill. Definitely our go-to sushi place on the North Shore read more

Probably the best all around on the North Shore for sushi, sashimi and the like. That's not to say it could quite hold up to a higher-end place in a larger urban area (like Boston, NYC, LA) but it's definitely a cut above anything else in Marblehead, Salem or Beverly. It also has the best decor as well. The location is fine for Marblehead but a little harder to get to form the other nearby towns, but that's just the nature of the town itself. read more

Have only tried delivery as they currently don't have dine in, but everything we got was delicious.

This restaurant is so good that I come here by myself sometimes and feel no shame even with enough sushi to feed a family of four in front of me. (Seriously, the best sushi I've had in my 5+ years living in MA, and extremely kind service to boot.) read more

Junji recently moved his sushi restaurant to Marblehead after many years closer to Boston, and Marblehead is very lucky for it! Junji is a very serious Japanese chef (rare in the U.S. sushi world where Korean and Chinese chefs dominate.) and he may appear grumpy but the truth is that he wants you to have the very best sushi possible. He has many unusual daily specials that he brings in from Japan. I happen to LOVE his ankimo (monkfish liver) with Ponzu (citrus and soy sauce) that tastes like foie gras of the sea- creamy. mild, distinctive. It is, alas, only available in certain seasons. He also makes an excellent 'Yamakake', fresh tuna and mountain yam, with quail egg, which is hard to find in other Japanese restnts. Also noteworthy is his mackerel with ginger, tobiko and scallion-- very refreshing. Junji is at heart a very traditional Japanese sushi chef who believes that sushi should be served the simple traditional way, not all dressed up with dressings and sauces that mask the delicate flavor of the fresh fish. He offers some of the more youth-popular makis, but only because he feels pressured to offer some of these. Put yourselves in Junji's capable hands and you can have a really 'WOW!!' sushi experience! read more

Always a great meal! The toto is always excellent. Fried tofu is arguably Junji's best dish. Junji himself is always there making the sushi and keeping everything ship shape. Quiet ambiance. A relaxing healthy dining experience. read more

Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine - My favorite, fried tofu! - Japanese Near Me - Marblehead, Massachusetts

I've been to Junji many times since the original owners and never had an issue until now. It's gone downhill with the new ownership. Too expensive to be served this low quality. Hot sake = cold Shumai = a watery mess Seaweed salad = not fresh, soggy Celtic, Junji, rainbow rolls = not one piece of fresh fish. I could not finish any of it with the bad fish taste. Mr Junji would not approve of this quality. Please improve. read more