This is the place that I would recommend for people who love grilled Saba(mackerel). I ordered this dish at least twice a week. They did a pretty good job with delivery, never took me over an hour to get the food so far. But, the bottom line is they open until 2am. So, what are you waiting for? Order it, before they run out of Saba. read more

I LOVE Kayuga! I live just a block over and ever since my boyfriend and I went there for the first time a few months ago, we have become regulars. The food is absolutely exceptional! I have everything from the miso soup, many different sushi rolls, udon noodles and my boyfriend the Saba. The staff is always so nice (explained how to eat Mochi even though we knew how to eat it), and goes out of their way to cater to their loyal regulars. The owner is so thankful to have our business and truly makes us feel wonderful and loved every time we go in. The decorating and atmosphere is contemporary and relaxing. Kayuga is definitely a place to go for a WAY better meal than the nearby Super 88 and much cleaner! So worth going to! read more

Considering how many good Korean spots exist in Allston, Kayuga doesn't really compare but they're open so late that you may find yourself here on a random Wednesday at midnight (true story). They're very strict about checking IDs so you need to show your license/state ID AND a credit card or something proving that the ID in fact belongs to you. After that process, we ordered a yogurt soju to share amongst 5 of us and it was good, a fair mix of yogurt and soju, nothing too sweet or too strong. As for food, we ordered edamame, chicken wings, seafood tofu stew, and the stir fried udon with seafood. Edamame was the same as everywhere else but their chicken wings were crispy, freshly fried, and nicely spiced so I would recommend that. The seafood tofu stew was just okay; they didn't use fresh seafood and it was obvious since there was little to no seafood taste, but the stew was good enough to satisfy a craving. As for the udon, it was a lot lighter than most stir fried udons I've had before, which I personally didn't like because the dish didn't have much going on. Even though I don't like overly salted or saucy foods, I think udon dishes need a little more than just salt and pepper to be good, but that's just my preference. Although there are a lot of good places around, if you find yourself craving for Korean food late at night, give Kayuga a try. read more

Love this place mainly because it's open so late!! It's definitely pricy but if you're craving sushi it's definitely the most bang for your buck. Wouldn't recommend for when you're looking for a really nice sushi place but it definitely hits the spot when you want sushi. Super casual, always friendly service, always a good time read more

I started off loving Kayuga. The rainbow roll, red sox roll, spider roll, dragon roll, gyoza, seafood pancake, everything was delicious. Absolutely looked forward to yummy and affordable sushi as take out. Then, a few weeks ago, I got take out from Kayuga, and got horribly ill after I ate the sushi. Thought it was a fluke--maybe I was getting sick anyway? Nope. Next time, I got sick again, WORSE than before, and realized, it might not be me. Got sushi from another restaurant, then another, and have had no issues since. No more ordering from Kayuga. Not sure what changed in their menu or ingredient list but never getting food there again. read more

The sushi here is to die for. The presentation is wonderful and the prices are modest for the location being right across the street from BU. I've eaten here numerous times and gotten take out. There has never been a bad experience. Great spot to take a date or go for a business lunch. read more

I live nearby and I go eat at Kayuga pretty regularly, usually Friday or Saturday nights. The food is great and the hostess, Sue, is really awesome. My friends go there even more often than I do--and some times when Sue sees use there, they'll surprise with a special dish on the house. The Rainbow Roll here is great--I can't even eat rainbow rolls from anywhere else anymore. I would recommend this place. And if you like it, go there often and get Sue to recognize you--they're really good to loyal customers. read more

I really liked the food and drinks - the staff was super nice and treated us well. The fried sushi was excellent

Went for food and drinks and the staff was extremely accommodating. Highly recommend the crispy chicken

Slooooowest service you will see. Comfy booths, but I can't handle waiting this long for sushi that is just average at best. Also, ordered items that were never brought. And had to finally leave without getting items we paid for, since we paid our check before our dessert was brought because we were trying to get to a show. read more

I Love Kayuga. This is one of the better Sushi places in Brookline. Always clean and the decor is as fresh as the fish. Plenty of other dishes are on the menu for friends that don't like Sushi. This owner operated resturaunt has always delivered fresh fish and excellent service. Sue seems to run the show here and she recognized me the second time I went in. She always makes sure everything is perfect. If it isn't perfect it would get fixed right away I am sure of it. I definitly recommend this to anyone who likes Sushi or Korean dishes like Bibimbob or Kimchi. If you don't know what asian foods you like, then this is a must try. read more

Excellent food! i recomend this place. The sushi is very authentic, and they have amazing specialty maki rolls. Parking was an issue though it took us about 20 minutes to get a spot. Although it was definately worth it! read more

Meh. So I went to Kayuga for the first time last night. I've walked by it plenty of times and noticed it had a really nice sign. I thought a nice sign would correlate with a nice inside but that was not the case. I mean it had some nice tvs and stuff but the restaurant itself isn't anything special. Clean. Simple. But hey, the sign is really cool! I had the Nabeyaki Udon cause I was cravin' me some noodles. There couldn't've been more than 10 customers in the restaurant, so I was really surprised that the food took so long. It's noodles--c'mon! But my friend informed me that it's always slow (--that doesn't make it okay!). Anyhow, the bowls come out super hot so you have to be really careful. I found the broth to be a little too salty but that's fine since the waitress kept refilling my water. Maybe I'll come back again sometime to try the sushi... or their korean specials. read more

It's been a while since I've gone there, but they have a very reasonably priced lunch menu. For under $10 you get a huge bento box with good stuff like cod. The place has been empty every time I've been, which could be good or bad depending on what you like. read more

Sashimi not very good at all. This is all I order when I go to sushi restaurants so I can't speak for other items on the menu.

Ok food and drink with ok service. In fact, i should say the service was not really that good at all--sorry guys but even though it's in the neighborhood i'd rather go into Brookline for some quality and good service. read more

I came here just last night to see what the Kayuga hype was about. I sat at my table with only ice waters for about 10 minutes before a waiter finally came to take our order (mind you there were only 3 other tables at the time). I proceeded to order the sashimi sampler ($9.95), avocado tuna tempura salad (~$9), tempura spicy tuna maki (~$7), and 2 hot green teas ($0.75 ea). I was expecting my green tea to come out first, but in fact our waiter had forgotten about them and we received them after 2 dishes had already been brought to us. The first dish brought to us was the sashimi sampler. It was utterly disappointing with its 3 types of fish (tuna, salmon, and yellowtail) and its measly 9 slices of fish. The fish were not vibrantly colored, were cut very thinly, and were folded to seem as though there were more pieces. Then came the avocado tuna salad. This dish was all right, though it could have been a slightly larger portion. There were small nearly quarter sized pieces of avocado and tuna thrown into a mix of tempura flakes, cucumber strips, thin imitation crab stringy pieces, and some kind of mediocre dressing (I can't recall what it was). Finally came our maki, which was only 6 pieces of sushi that looked as though they had been premade and packaged in a box for a while. Though the food was bearable, I would never recommend anyone to eat here. The portion sizes, quality of fish, and service was not worth ~$30 for two. I could pay that much for two at Bon Chon in Allston for so much more and for better quality food. Save yourself the money and trouble. read more

This place is perfect for groups, where else can you find a decent enough restuarant that serves many different dishes from thai, korea, to japanese. Everything is delicious and prompt service. oh yeah don't forget the lychee SOJU! read more

Have been going to Kayuga for last 8 years and its at its worst now. Last night visited again after a concert in the area to get a drink with my mother, but the bartender kicked us out after ordering 2 drinks because the "manager policy" is that you need to order food to be served even at the bar, even though the restaurant was completely empty including the bar area. I can't imagine the anyone with a reasonable sense of business and a brain bigger with a pigeon coming up with this policy. Probably never going in there again. read more

Nice handout place:) foods are amazing .must try the kayuga udon and the dry fish I will comeback

1. Our Party of 3 arrived in happy moods and greeted the server with happy smiles - we were there to celebrate! 2. The server snickered and said the requested seating area was CLOSED, even though it was an empty restaurant. (For a reason...) 3. My friend asked, "Would you recommend the mango or the pina?" Server snickered again. "That depends on you." No smiles. Dead pan face. 4. Food came with no smiles. Annoyed like we made a mess and called her names. Server filled my other friend's soda cup with water. "Oops, sorry," she said. "But not refills. You have to pay." 5. The server snickered some more. 6. Two out of three of us got sick the next day. 7. The End. Highly NOT recommended unless you have the personality and stomach of a rock. And desperate for Asian cuisine. Why not go across the street to Brown Sugar Thai? Unfortunatetly, they were closed for renovation yesterday :( read more

This place is great, though not open for lunch. High quality fish, wheat free soy sauce, and the ginger/citrus salad dressing IS gluten free. read more

I used to come here all the time when I lived closer. They don't ID so it was good when I went to drink with friends who were still underage. The food and sushi is pretty good and I like getting the room. Anyone up for some sake bombing? hahaha... VERY VERY heavy college crowd... read more

Sushi. I am officially obsessed. I'm attempting, successfully poor wallet, to eat at as many sushi places around my apartment as possible. Kayuga is a bit of a hike, but for good sushi that's acceptable, right? For Kayuga, unfortunately, it's not. I've only eaten here once and had take out twice. It's incredibly precise and sloppy. I know, oxymoron, but it's well...it's that. When I've had take out, it's packed so precisely into the box I can't tell if a person did it or a machine. And the rice on the rolls doesn't really even look like rice it's packed so tight. It makes me think of those industrial machines from 20s movies. The man who puts the screws on, the man who tightens the screws and the guy who takes the whole thing off the conveyor belt. Creepy. Sometimes though, they're not so precise and I end up with a TON of spicy mayo. Eww. I mean, I like the stuff, I don't need a slathering of it, thanks. I'm also not really into the crowd in this place. There's a whole lot of BU students all the time who like to get rowdy and scream. And drink. A lot. I know, I was with a group of them one night. I'm sure we ruined everyone's sushi. On the up side this place has a million and one rolls. And it's not to pricey. It fills a demographic. Just not my demographic. read more

So this past year I have relied on Kayuga for my random hour sushi cravings and more recently cold weather pick me up (Nabeyaki Udon) since 1) I was crazy busy and couldn't find time to eat until 9pm, 2) they deliver, and 3) they actually have pretty good food. I have about the same amount of delivery orders as dine in orders with them, and aside from their flat rate delivery charge (applies even if you live two blocks down the street =\), I have come to prefer the delivery if I am only getting food (their drinks aren't bad or too expensive). The reason I am giving them 3 stars despite my consistent return visits and orders, is because of a few things... 1) Their food is pretty good, especially the Nabeyaki Udon, but their sushi isn't out of this world and it is more expensive then a place or two I've been to that had wayyy better sushi. 2) Consistency in some of their dishes is questionable. The delivery salad dressing is different then the dine in dressing, and the delivery dressing is kind of odd tasting so it always ruins the salad that comes with my orders. 3) The Service. I have maybe received genuinely pleasant service twice EVER. Hence, why I prefer delivery, where they will fix a mistake if they made one promptly and with some kind of decency. Almost every time I dine with my friends I receive overall mediocre to terribly poor service. Their attitude is variable many times everyone that works there looks miserable, unpleasant, like you just ran over their cat or something and you only asked them to refill your glass of water that had been empty for 20 minutes. I understand they might be grumpy because of rude customers giving them a hard time/hassle, and I feel sympathy for them at those times, however this one instance was almost unforgivable. This girl who I know for a fact is new (so I was cutting her even more slack than other times) was a complete jerk and more than that she was completely incompetent and kind of creepy as she stared from literally in dark corners and me and my girlfriends. She came to the table maybe 3 times in the course of the 1.5 hour meal, to take our order, when my friend flagged her down, and to give us our check (FYI if u have more than 5 people be prepared for them to smack on the 18% gratuity without telling you and treating you like crap cause they know they have a guaranteed tip anyways). She never cleared our empty dishes at all during the meal nor did she ever refill our waters or really did anything. Then, when we get the check we are just trying to literally split the bill between two CCs and she looks like she just had a mental breakdown and said she could not do it, we had to do it ourselves, she got overwhelmed when I just asked her if I could check off which dishes to be charged to which CC, but she refused said that was too confusing and ridiculous and told me to tell her the exact dollar amounts... like IS SHE SERIOUS? Did she not pass 2nd grade? Or know how to use a calculator? She was not only incompetent but just outright rude, I didn't ask her what 38 to the fifteenth power was, jeesh. Then she gave us dirty death ray stares and continued to stalk us from the corner until we left. I really can't tolerate such poor service like that, and I made sure we did not have her as our waitress the next time we went (out of late night sushi desperation). Final Verdict: Good (not great) food. Mediocre (and sometimes awful) service. Recommended dishes: Nabeyaki Udon and almost any of the house special maki (my favorite is the black forest maki). read more

Sometimes, if you order delivery late, the food/sushi is not that fresh. Have tried about 6 different types of sushi from here. The only thing that i liked was the shrimp tempura maki. Anything with raw fish, just tasted strange/stale. Also, delivery took 45 mins even though they are only 5 or 6 blocks away. read more

i'm korean so i feel obligated to point out how much this place reminded me of the awesome time i has in korea. this place had legitimately authentic tasting korean food, with the perfect menu for chatting with friends, drinking, and having some tasty morsels to snack on to fuel the party. the owner is a sweet korean lady that definitely made me feel at home and welcome. would put 7 stars if i could because she definitely enhanced the experience for me. read more

I had the snow maki, spider maki, and shrimp tempura maki. The only decent part of it was the order of steamed rice. The snow maki had a burnt torched taste to it and I ended up tossing it out. The amount of fish in the roll was pitiful. The batter on the spider roll was really greasy, not to mention it was almost all batter and one itty bitty crab leg. Hands down the worst sushi I've had from anywhere. read more

Sushi was decent, price was good and service was ok. More a sports bar then a restaurant. Painfully loud for the entirety of our visit (midnight on a Thursday). Students totally took the place over cramming in to tiny booths and spilling out in chairs blocking much of the egress (hello fire code!). Had to speed our exit because the atmosphere was so unpleasant. No inch of periphery not filled with flashing sports action (from four enormous plasma screen TVs). If you're a drunken BU student, I'm sure you'd feel at home. read more

Got food poisoned here will never go again. I used to go all the time till the day they gave me some old sushi and ruined a week of my life.

The sushi looked like is was prepared by the dish washer, not the chef. I've been to many, many sushi restaurants and their sushi has always had a uniformed look. The maki rolls looked like they were hacked by a dull machete. Absolutely horrible. We ordered the fried pork dumplings and it was clearly evident that they were fried in old, heavily used oil. We went there on a Friday and it was almost empty. The service was friendly and I felt bad, because a negative experience = no customers = no tips. read more

I wonder if we hit this place on a very, very bad day. Or maybe since Kayuga is open so late, people don't notice how bad the food is because they're intoxicated. In any event, I knew we should have turned back when we saw all the ripped up booth seats. My friend and I were seeing a concert across the street at the Paradise. We had some time to kill and we were very hungry. We walked into Kayuga and were seated promptly by a very nice waiter. He was just lovely and as we looked over the menus., warned me that a dish I was going to choose was very spicy. I appreciated it. We went with a calamari appetizer for starters. My friend ordered a meal that came with miso soup and a salad. All three items came out together. The salad looked as though it had been sitting in the fridge because the dressing was sort of coagulated and the lettuce was limp. The soup seemed fine. But the calamari was just gross. The cooking oil clearly needed to be changed. It had a burnt taste to it and was served with - MAYONAiSSE. What? I couldn't eat more than a bite. We should have sent it back. I don't know why we didn't. Soon after, our meals came. My friend got shrimp and vegetable tempura. I got spider maki. His tempura was pretty tasty. My maki came in four pieces, only two containing the shrimp that makes spider maki what it is. Again, the shrimp batter seemed burnt and overcooked. The sushi itself was dried out and I never would have guessed it was rolled by someone who knows what they are doing. I have had better sushi from the grocery store. I mean that sincerely. What a bummer and a big waste of money. Yuck. We will never go back here. read more

This place is pretty good for sushi. My favorite place is too small for larger groups, so it's nice to gather with friends here for dinner before we head out to trivia close by. The eel is TO DIE FOR and they have a good selection of decently priced rolls. I can get a tsingtao beer, edamame to share and a few orders of rolls all for under $20. It's not the greatest atmosphere, but that's not what I go for. read more

Excellent maki and miso, tasty tempura and rice -- I was thinking I could make a full meal of their rice... And now I know they deliver to Cambridge. Pretty fly. read more

Ordered delivery this afternoon. Food was fine but tiny portion size - 6 small pieces of sushi for about $5. What wasn't fine is that I just got a call (yes, at midnight - my order was placed at 4 in the afternoon) asking to add a dollar to my bill because the delivery was in a different zone. This charge wasn't advertised at all nor mentioned upon delivery. And seriously, who calls people at midnight asking for a DOLLAR? Should've just paid in cash and been done with it. Never ordering from them again; no idea what they're up to. read more

Booooo. I'll be honest - I didn't order any sushi. That aside, two stars. Our androgynous server (still not sure of gender) stood there and WAITED for me to finish my last bite, then snatched my plate. My seafood pancake was a plateful of grease, my tempura was bland and too crispy, and I was displeased by the lack of ambiance and the rude server. What a disappointment. read more

mediocre. nothing to rave or complain about. prompt and attentive service (granted, it was surprisingly empty when we went for a late thursday night dinner). reasonable prices. their sushi rolls were enjoyable but definitely not memorable as i cant recall what we ordered. kayuga exudes a sit down and take your time vibe rather than a quick lets wolf down our food feel. (mediocre places equate to such bland reviews. consequence of being simply indifferent to kayuga)! read more

There were a few issues that just made the experience not so great, which is sad because I was really excited after reading the reviews! I got delivery and when it arrived, it was absolutely ice cold...which is sad because it was 60 degrees out so it wasn't really due to the elements. With that, the prices were pretty expensive for a really small portion size - $7 for 3 mini spring rolls and $13 for a relatively small portion of mediocre bibimbap is kind of absurd. The most unfortunate part was probably the fact that when we bit into the spring rolls, they literally squirted out grease (it went out like 4 inches, I guess that's kind of impressive in a gross way) ...not appetizing! read more

I somehow lucked out when I moved directly across the street from this hidden gem. I first discovered Kayuga through grubhub when I was craving late night sushi and they did not disappoint. After coming in a couple times for dinner I can confidently say this is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Boston. The service is great. Everyone is so nice! Especially the woman who made my drinks... Chocolate espresso martini is to die for. Even comes with a square of ghiradelli dark chocolate. YUM. I'll describe the food in one word : excellent. I love Kayuga!!! read more

Kayuga - Japanese Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This place is one of the reasons I really miss living in Boston. I lived around the corner and had been there countless times before I finally moved back to MD. A great place if you're a vegan, vegetarian, or have any special dietary requirements. I've been there with a carnivore, vegan and a gluten-free friend at the same time and they were able to accommodate all of us with different rolls and dishes. The sushi is always fresh and delicious and I've honestly never had a bad meal here! read more