Best sushi I've had in the Boston area. Initially went with friends without realizing how tiny the actual restaurant is, but service was still great and we had a great time. Since then, I've gone back for pick-up multiple times, and we've liked everything we've gotten. I do wish they were open earlier on weekends, and that they delivered, but it's such a small operation that I completely understand. As a warning, sometimes they do take longer to finish prepping your order. I consider it a small price to pay for great sushi, so whenever we order from them, I just assume it'll take longer than expected and that's worked out fine. read more

Great sushi! Easy to call ahead and pickup. Highly recommend the steamed gyoza and spicy tuna maki, but the you HAVE to get the crazy maki!

Pretty good / ordinary sushi. Nothing fancy. Took a while to get our food. Not recommended for kids. Super small restaurant so Prepare to wait if you are going there during peak hours. read more

The sashimi is fresh, but the dessert (fried ice cream) and the maki are a bit overpriced. read more

Kaiyo Sushi - Nice quality - Sushi Bars Near Me - Belmont, Massachusetts

Very friendly people, and sushi is UNREAL. The tuna taco was my absolute favorite thing I've had at a sushi restaurant in a long time, and I eat a LOT of sushi. All their sushi/sashimi is the best cuts available (usually the belly), and their gyoza is fresh and tasty. The quality of the fish is unlike any other restaurant in the area; the owner was saying that they go to pick out the fish every day (because delivery fish is too unpredictable in quality). That's why they don't open for lunch, because they are picking the fish!! Just FANTASTIC, we will be coming here very often. One note: the restaurant is quite small (and very clean). If you want to sit come early, they do a lot of takeout too. Two tables of four and 6 bar seats. read more

I really love this postage stamp-sized sushi joint. It's super cheap compared to most. I read the first review...which said it seats 20 people. Maybe I missed something when I blinked, but there are only 3 tables, so it's better for takeout. My friend and I did score a table here though a few weeks ago. Generally, as you know...whenever you go to a sushi restaurant you don't expect the waitresses to have much to say beyond "you ready to order?" and "more tea?"...so here we were surprised to have such a knowledgeable waitress who made multiple recommendations of her fav's on the menu (like ahi tacos and dynamite shrimp, which are now our fav's as well). Another surprise were the tunes....not often you hear Eminem and Snoop busting out tunes as you're downing your edemame. The sushi was really good, the restaurant was clean, and the service was fast. Another surprise was the free pineapple with our bill. You always get an extra star in my book when you give me free stuff. Let that be a lesson to all. read more

This review is long overdue as I have been coming here for a number of years -- and have always had a great meal. The sushi chef uses quality fish and other seafood, offers good portions, and his skill makes for a beautiful as well as delicious meal. He and his wife are professional and pleasant and take time with each order to make it just right. I feel badly reading Alice L.'s review and wish she'd had a better experience, but reading hers prompted me to share my experience with Gen Sushi. read more

Hi, my name is Emily, and I am a sushi addict. (This first paragraph is more or less repeating what Jessica L's review begins with since we went together.) So my friends and I made reservations at Gen Sushi on a Friday evening around 6:30. The woman on the phone told us to show up at 6:15 or she may not be able to seat us. Fine. We blast down Alewife Brooke Parkway and through Fresh Pond as fast as one can during rush hour, crammed ourselves into their tiny seating area and let them know we made it! The hostess looked at us funny and said we came too early, they weren't expecting us yet, and it would be a bit before we could sit. It was awkward. We waited for maybe 5-10 minutes, trying to be out of the way which is pretty much impossible at this place. Gen Sushi only has four or five tables and a tiny sushi bar and even then I don't know how hey fit it all in. Don't expect much for ambiance here. Finally we were seated. When the waitress saw I had brought a bottle of wine, she grabbed us a bottle opener and some glasses before taking out orders. We had some time to people watch (we could reach out and touch them if we were creepy like that, the place is that small) and noticed that there seem to be regulars that come in. Regulars are a good sign. And then it came. The most mouth-watering, delicate, divine sushi arrived on our plates. Caterpillar rolls, snow rolls, spicy tuna, unagi, salmon . . . all so good. My friend bought me toro (fatty tuna). It was the first time I ever had it. It was an experience to be savored. The presentation wasn't anything special but who needs that when you have a mouth orgasm? The sushi chef was grouchy. He got all pissy when my friend mentioned the roe might not be good. He said something in Cantonese, shook his fist and stuffed a wad of rice in his mouth. Whatevz. Ever since Gordon Ramsay started getting paid millions to destroy people's self-esteem it's ok for chefs to be cranky, right? We may have overstayed our welcome a bit but we did order seconds and that's more $$ for them. I have since done takeout through Gen Sushi and will probably just do that in the future. Have a sushi craving? This is what you are going to do. You are going to order a few rolls of the ocean's bounty from Gen Sushi, brave the Fresh Pond traffic demons to pick up your grub, open a bottle of sake, sit your butt down on your couch, kick that begging cat away from your food, queue up "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" on Netlfix, and begin the divine experience that is Gen Sushi. Now go forth. read more

My PhD advisor ordered a bunch of sushi and other food for delivery from Gen for a party after my thesis defense. The presentation was surprisingly good. The non-sushi food included edamame and gyoza and it was still warm. The sushi was fresh and delicious. I have not gotten sushi for delivery very many times but this is definitely the best sushi I've had delivered so far! read more

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My friends and I decided to come to Gen Sushi on a recommendation from my roommate. We booked reservations ahead of time, knowing that they only had 4ish tables. As they asked, we showed up 15 minutes before our reservation time and was mildly chastised for showing up early. They were genuinely confused as to why we showed up early. We sit down at our table and waited between 20-30 min for them to take our order. People who got there after we did had their orders taken before us. However, we just waited, drinking the wine that we'd brought (it's byob). Finally, the waitress comes and takes our order. Our food actually came out pretty quickly. I got an avocado salad and a snow roll. The avocado salad was so-so. At this point, you're probably wondering why I'm giving this restaurant 4 stars. Well...that's because their Snow roll was totally worth the awkward beginning to the evening. It was totally worth the long wait. And, it was totally worth the $15 I spent on it. It was probably one of the best rolls I've had in the area...And I LOVE my sushi. The flavors all melded together, and my mouth watered for the next bite. My friends and I even got seconds. The one thing we got that was a little iffy was the salmon roe. It seemed a little sour and off. When we tried to explain it to the waitress and chef, they didn't react very well. I'm not sure if they knew that I understood Cantonese and knew what they were saying...regardless, they took the roe off or check, which was very good if them. The rest of the evening passed without issue. We paid or check and we're just hanging out...I was finishing my glass of wine. The waitress/owner came by and rushed us out, saying that there are people waiting to eat there. It was a little awkward to be buried out of the restaurant, but we were almost ready to leave anyways. Overall, it's a great place for sushi; however, it might be easier to just do take out instead of eating there. The sushi is definitely worth it, but it's not worth the hassle or the added expense of eating in. read more

The best sushi in Boston is in Belmont! Gen is a former Nobu chef, and he brings his extraordinary culinary prowess to Boston. Gen Restaurant is a BYOB Japanese place, where the laudably resourceful meal (White toro, yellowtail jalapeño, Uni, old-school (as well as new age) sushi plates more than makes up for the cozy and intimate footprint. It's the kind of place where you can rely on the chef to keep send you food until you throw in the towel. Every plate manages to exceed the expectations set by the previous one. You will not be disappointed, and will likely find yourself coming back here repeatedly. For a few years now, whenever we think of Japanese food, Gen is at the top of our short list. read more

Okay so I heard all the good raves about this restaurant and came here one night with my girlfriend, but we left after 5 minutes of sitting down. Since I didn't sample their food I can't really give it a high or low rating. I'm assuming their food is great but yah... First off, sushi does not equate to sashimi. Sashimi is all fish, Sushi is not always fish. Gen Sushi only serves sushi and entrees that have shrimp or fish in it. If you are allergic to seafood or have high cholesterol, then this place is not the place for you. Maybe this place should add a little subtitle... Gen Sushi - Seafood Restaurant... Oh and the drinks on display above their sushi bar? They don't serve any of those as the waitress explained they're for decoration... (Shucks! I thought I could at least grab a Ramune, which is a traditional Japanese soft drink with a glass marble in the neck of the glass bottle...) read more

First visit to Gen was for lunch. Had the special: soup, salad, two rolls for $10 with green tea to drink. Ordered the spicy tuna and shrimp cucumber rolls. Everything was outstanding. Fresh, colorful, and delicious. The restaurant itself is cozy. Service was excellent and attentive. Even gave us some fresh peeled orange and pineapple for dessert. A beautiful light yet substantial lunch. Can't wait to go back read more

Went there last night. It's a tiny place at the side of the road. I was not impressed until I tried their caterpillar rolls. It's soooo delicious. I am extra cautious not to eat raw meat since I am pregnant, so I went for the eel dish which is generally cooked. My husband order wasabi roll, it was good too. We also ordered black dragon rolls to share. It was so tasty that I could not stop talking about it on my way home! Definitely going back! read more

Superb sashimi for a quiet lunch. Simple, well designed and prepared. My rule of thumb? If you're getting that green plastic 'leaf' with your sushi, you need to stop going there and come here. Good miso soup, pretty standard salad of mesclun and dressing, but the fish.... and a lagniappe of diced mango totally sealed the deal for me! read more

I went to Gen Sushi for a late Sunday dinner with a companion. The place is tiny - you could easily miss it if you aren't paying attention. Many bottles of sake decorate the area above the sushi bar but we were informed by our waitress that they do not have a liquor license. Too bad we didn't know this in advance because we were looking forward to having a few drinks with dinner but we were told that we were welcome to bring in our own alcohol next time! We ordered a dynamite roll, snow roll and the beef teriyaki entree. Our waitress brought us two miso soups instead of just the one that came with the entree without us asking which was very nice. Ingredient-wise the rolls were pretty typical but HOLY COW there was a lot of fish in the rolls. It was almost as if the rice was an afterthought. For the price (~$15/roll), it was almost an absurd amount of fish. We didn't complain though, the fish was fresh and tasty. This was our first time eating there so I'm not sure if this is typical or if it was because we were there an hour before closing. The beef teriyaki entree came with red rice (nice change from plain white) and a side of broccoli and carrots. We ordered the beef medium rare and it came out perfect. The beef was sliced thickly and was a bit unladylike to eat without a knife but it was very tender so I managed. Service was slow but that's expected. There was one chef and it looked like one of the waitresses was helping in the kitchen as well. Tea was refilled often and the waitresses were attentive. Bonus: The bill came with pieces of fresh pineapple! read more

Best hidden gem in Cambridge/ Belmont area! Extremely affordable for the quality of fish and sushi they deliver. I have had way more pricey sushi that is not as good. Kind of don't want so many people to know about them lol but obviously highly recommend ;) read more

Small hidden gem. Fresh fresh fresh. Tuna taco, miso soup, shumai excellent starters. I saw their salads but not had them, they look great. If it's your first time here get triple spicy roll it is with shrimp tempura, avocado, spicy may(secret recipe) and some other stuff. I'll keep adding here if possible, I gonna come here for more sushi.. read more

Definitely a hidden gem. Great quality sushi and very friendly service. BYOB is a great added bonus. Ive gotten takeout and been in multiple times and have never been disappointed. I have had Sushi all over (including Japan) and this is probably the best quality nigiri I've ever had in the Boston area. They take pride in their fish selection and it shows. I read more

OMG THEY ARE OPEN AGAIN!!! Thank whatever deity is out there!!! When they closed during the pandemic i hoped and prayed that if any restaurant was going to make it thru and re open it would be Gen Sushi. Today they reopened and we immediately ordered takeout and we were glad to see they were super busy!! So many people also walked by and remarked "oh my god theyre open!!" So they have many other fans. First bite of their sushi in months and it is as good as ever. Amazing rice which we ate every single grain of, and generous, DELICIOUS fish. Gen Sushi please don't go anywhere or I'm going to finally run out of reasons to stay in the area read more

The best sushi around. The absolute freshest, most buttery fish. Far better quality than Genki Ya down the street. Family-run restaurant with kind people. read more

Love Gen Sushi! What a great addition to the 'hood! Miso soup is chock full of seaweed and bits of tofu. The fish is fresh, the rice is perfect, and the rolls are interesting. They are a bit slow for take-out, but it is totally worth the wait. Some standouts for me: Final 4, Tuna Lover's Roll, and Dynamite roll. I will definitely be back and plan on being a regular! read more

Picked up some food for a Wednesday night in. Food was on time and correct, which was quite nice. Shared all the food w my girlfriend. We started w seaweed salads and avocado salads. Both were good, no complaints. Ginger dressing was light and tasty. We then moved onto the tuna tacos, black dragon maki, and spicy tuna maki. Tacos were quite good, with thick fried shells and a tasty raw tuna/avocado mix. The maki were both quite tasty. Good sushi. Overall quite a solid sushi place. Prices were reasonable. Good times read more

The sushi was amazing! The place itself is super small only 2 tables of 4 to sit. Plus a bar with another 5 chairs. So of you're dining in. Come prefaced to wait! They staff was very nice and accommodating. I had the shrimp tempura with crab in soy paper ( i don't like seaweed). And baked salmon roll. Also the firecracker shrimp is very good and lives up to its name. No liquor license, so bring your own, they allow it. You can even put your name on the bottle if you frequent there often and they will store it for you for your next visit. The fried ice cream was the perfect ending to the meal. It actually came to the table still on fire!! So cool! read more

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This was my first visit to Gen Sushi and it was awesome. The sushi is top notch and the staff really cares. What surprised me is how super small this place is. Two 4 tops, a 2 top and about 6 seats at the counter. They do a ton of take out business which may be a good idea for the future. It's BYOB so you can pick a nice chablis or other minerally white and enjoy it. I'll be back. read more

The range of sushi available today could make one wonder if there are any fish left in the sea. Sushi for every budget. The options for sushi range from generic -- and unimaginative -- grocery story sushi to the trendy places that reservations a year out. Gen Sushi, which I think is fairly new, looks like a small place offering low-to-mid range sushi. Try it and you'll find out it is not just your average neighborhood sushi place. It's arguably the best sushi I've ever had. Most of the offerings are standard. Regular maki, some creative maki rolls, sushi, sashimi, miso, seaweed salad, and other traditional Japanese dishes. But the sashimi! Oh the sashimi.... it's melt in your mouth. They offer sushi and sashimi on both the standard menu and the daily specials. Most recently I had kampachi and big eye tuna. I should have gone back for more. While I was waiting for take-out, I ordered oysters. That night they had blue point oysters. As the sushi chef delivered them, I was impressed with their size. But where was the cocktail sauce? They came with a mignonette. Despite trying mignonette countless times, in a variety of places, I just don't like it. I briefly considered asking for cocktail sauce. Then I decided to try it. I've now found the only mignonette I've ever liked. If you love sushi, Gen Sushi is a must-try. But if you want saki or Kirin with your dinner, bring your own. read more

The best delivery sushi I've ever had. They were really nice, and communicated really well how long it would take. ("We have a big order ahead of you, expect 45 minutes to an hour") Definitely will order from again. read more

Hi, After driving by this place for four months last Friday I decided to stop. I was surprised by how small the place is. They have four table tops. Two for a party of four and then two deuces. The wait staff was very nice and the food was VERY fresh. I love sashimi and this place is great for that. Did I say that the place is small, they have one chef so on a busy night I can see how there might be a wait. However they do a great takeout business so if you live in Belmont you got to go here read more

So good! Quality, freshness, presentation and service were all top notch. We got there right when they opened with our own bottle of white wine and had the whole restaurant to ourselves. Seaweed salad and tuna taco to start. Both were amazing. Also had the snow roll, triple spicy roll, salmon nigari and another roll (I can't remember the name) that had big pieces of cooked salmon in it. They were all great. This is now my go-to sushi place. Can't wait to return. read more

You can always tell when the chef takes great pride in his creations. Every item we have tried so far is fresh and delicious. read more

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Wanted to try it out, so we sample quite a few different rolls. We were not disappointed by anything. Im in love! read more

Kaiyo Sushi - From the top: California roll, Unagi Maki, Montauk roll, spicy tuna, Philadelphia roll, black pearl roll, cucumber avocado. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Belmont, Massachusetts

A joy! I am a woman who has seen the world, and I've been a sushi enthusiast since I was a little girl. If you're a person who has discerning taste buds, and if you love yourself, you will treat yourself and hopefully many others that you love to this fine restaurant. If you appreciate the finer points of service, they've got it down. See for yourself! I wish many wonderful and happy years to Gen sushi for their beautiful efforts. They have good energy and it shows. That goes a long way in my book. read more

Delicious, quality food. We were very impressed, exceptional flavor and freshness, and basically loved everything we ordered, from the shumai to various salmon things, caterpillar, tempura mushroom maki and Kani Naruto. We are not very adventurous sushi eaters but tried a few new things and were excited to expand our repertoire and loved it all. Ordered takeout at 6:15 on a Tuesday night and told it would be an hour wait, which it was, so plan accordingly. Great covid precautions in place, they are still closed for seating in their tiny space. Friendly staff. read more

This place is good...but their biggest redeeming quality is that it's BYOB with no corkage fee. It's slow, but that's excused because the one sushi chef is making everything to order. It's tiny, so you get to see what other people are eating and can consult with other patrons if you'd like. The fish was not so fabulous last time we were there. The color of the tuna was kind of dull and the roll my husband got was really dry (but that was his fault for ordering baked salmon...it was just really over cooked). My chirashi was good, but again, the fish didn't seem super fresh to me, which was weird because typically it is. We'll definitely go back, and we'd like to bring our friends to take advantage of the BYOB, but it would definitely be a whole night commitment. read more

I think this was an excellent sushi restaurant trying new combinations of fish, spices, and textures to create new types of sushi, Although the shop is a little small, I like the atmosphere of it. Plenty of parking out front. BYOB although the green tea was very good also. read more

Excellent fresh sushi. White tuna was very soft and melted in your mouth. Sashmi pieces were delicious but not as big as other restaurants. One star deduction for not serving ice cream mochi on a cold plate and very small restaurant. There were only about 4 tables plus the sushi bar so there is almost always a wait. read more

Oh Gen, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Your service and speed of preparation were exceptional. Your maki is of the highest quality, your tuna taco was delectable, similar in concept to a superbly marinated ceviche. When you have cilantro and fresh tuna and citrus on a crispy shell, it is a marriage of flavors that transports the unsuspecting diner into culinary bliss. The shitake mushrooms in your mushroom maki are filled with an array of exquisitely delicate flavor. I have had shitakes quite a bit, but these tasted so different than what I'm accustomed to that it was like trying shitakes for the first time. Gen, I love thee in so many ways that I have to conclude by saying that Gen is a gem. I would give thee five stars, but I can't say a whole lot about the ambiance: only a few small tables and a sushi bar for a small family. I know your small space is not a reflection of anything beyond how costly it is to operate a small business. I hope and pray that with time, you expand and get a wee bit bigger so us Belmont denizens can have a cool place to experience such stellar fare. read more

Very tasty and fresh! Came here and got the sushi and sashimi dinner for 2, which we split evenly - one of us was full but the other could have eaten more! Wouldn't call it a super value at $57, but also didn't feel ripped off since it was excellent quality. Would have given 5 stars if it was just a tiny bit less pricey. Picture from 4 years ago shows it coming with uni, which unfortunately we did not get but what we did get was delicious. Small place, lots of regulars dropping by for takeout. Would come here again for another special occasion. read more

Kaiyo Sushi - Sashimi & crazy maki part of sushi and sashimi dinner for 2 ($57). - Sushi Bars Near Me - Belmont, Massachusetts

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Excellent service and amazing food! The seaweed salad was great, Toro, sabbath, rolls, miso soup and the top everything the Mochi Icescream: mango and green tea! Really loved everything. The place is very cozy, it's small but very comfortable. I highly recommend it!! The food is way better than any other fancy sushi place! And it's affordable! I will definitely come back!! read more

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I am a very picky sushi lover and I have eaten lots of sushi but without a doubt this is my favorite. The staff are super friendly and the food is great. They have a very small place to eat but luckily they do takeout. Great for special occasions with family and friends. I especially love the ikura which is hard to get tasting just right. Overall delicious I would recommend it. read more