From the gorgeous atmosphere, to the amazing food, and the best service I've ever had during a restaurant experience. This place surprised me in many ways. The food left me speechless. I'll definitely come back for the Duck Risotto, and A5 Wagyu with the best fries I've had in Boston. read more

Mai - Duck Risotto - Izakaya Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Labubu dolls overhead. Why? I'm not sure. But it adds character. Food: We worked our way through an embarrassment of handrolls--duck foie gras, A5 Miyazaki wagyu tenderloin, miso butter cod, spicy scallops--each one a small, precise argument for why these two culinary traditions (Japanese-French) belong together. The toro and foie gras was exactly what they should be: quietly devastating. But surprisingly the dish that stopped the world for me was the duck risotto. Rich, deeply savory, the kind of thing that makes you go quiet mid-bite. I will be back for it. Probably soon. I'm mentally drooling already just thinking about it. Drinks: The wintermelon milk punch clarified cocktail is worth ordering on concept alone and then delivers on execution too. A Sancerre alongside the handrolls? Correct decision, no notes. Service was warm and attentive without hovering. The atmosphere is genuinely inviting. And then there are the Labubu dolls. Rows of them. Overhead. Staring. I have no idea what they're doing there and I respect that no one felt the need to explain it. It works, somehow, in the way that only truly confident restaurants can get away with inexplicable décor choices. One soft critique: the dessert menu felt sparse with a single macaron service. For a kitchen operating at this level, that feels like an unfinished sentence. A meal this considered deserves a proper ending. But make no mistake: Mai is exceptional. The Labubu dolls are watching, and they agree. read more

See all

This place is typical seaport, more style than substance. The sushi was fine, kind of uninspired and not particularly interesting. The nori was a bit soggy when I got my hand rolls (not inedible but not the best), the fish was fine, everything was fine but a bit salty and not particularly exciting or innovative. I've been to better hand roll places (Mr. Tuna in Portland for example) where the rolls are served immediately which results in a better texture, and the flavors are more innovative and the seafood is more varied. The cocktails had no alcohol that I could detect and were all about $20. Flavors were fine but again not exciting. The wasabi margarita just seemed like a regular margarita to me, but with less tequila than a margarita usually has. I should note that when I visited they were out 50% of the fish options on the menu and 90% of the entrees were also unavailable so I wasn't able to taste as much as I would have liked. read more

A lively and cozy spot in Seaport. The service here was great. I do recommend making a reservation as the place is small. The food was good and I enjoyed the vibe. The hand rolls are a pretty good size individually. I recommend ordering 3-4 per person depending on how hungry you are. Here are the foods we ordered: Appetizers - Seaweed Salad: Typical green seaweed with cucumbers. It tastes lighter and more refreshing due to the cucumbers. I would say there is more cucumbers than seaweed. Chicken Tempura w/ caviar: Wished it was a tempura batter but this came out to be more of a chicken nugget. The caviar added a bit of brine and saltiness to it. Honestly skip this - tasted like a McNugget but paying a $14 for it. Toro Tea Cup: I enjoyed this. Loved the risotto, would order again. Specialties- Wagyu Tenderloin Frites: Wagyu was very soft and delicious, not greasy at all. I normally do not like shoestring fries but these were really good. Handrolls- Salmon: Salmon with avocado what's not to love? Apple Salmon: My friend enjoyed this, the sweetness of the apple with the salmon makes it a bit refreshing. Salmon Gravlax: Beet cured salmon giving that red color. Reminds me of a lox. Miso Butter Cod: Buttery, umami and salty - so good. A must order. Spicy Scallops: It actually has a kick. Normally when you order "spicy (fish)" it is not actually spicy. Eel: A bit salty but not fishy at all. I normally don't like eel but this was pretty good. Duck Foie Gras: A bit too rich for my liking but the rice part was delicious. It soaked up all the sauce. Toro: Fatty tuna with caviar - yum. read more

See all

Hand roll place in Boston. Came for a quick bite and saw all the interesting hand rolls they have. They all look amazing and come with their house made soy sauce. Came in the middle of the day and got seated quick. All the hand rolls came at once. Their rice was solid. The fish tasted fresh. I got the best seller set and added couple of the classics. My favorite hand roll was the apple salmon. Fatty salmon tastes with sweetness coming from the apple. The miso butter cod was also tasty and cooked perfectly. Soft and flavorful. The other hand rolls were more standard. Place is worth a stop if you like hand rolls! read more

See all

I stopped by for a few hand rolls! The handrolls are very well crafted and good quality. The Salmon Ikura ($13), Miso Butter Cod ($13), Snow Ikura Crab ($14) were all great. The inside was super trendy - neon lights and labubus! The staff are really nice. read more

See all

Out of the three Notoro restaurants, I'd be least likely to come back here. It definitely caters to the upscale Seaport dinner vibe, with a luxe interior and some more casual chairs outside. I wasn't as impressed with the handrolls here compared to Matsunori. We shared an order of the wagyu fries, which were tasty, but also small. The staff were very kind and attentive. read more

Good food, and good Sake selection. Very friendly staff. We way over ordered but everything was yummy. read more

See all

By far the best food you'll get in Seaport by a mile. Everything I've had in Seaport has been grossly overpriced and mediocre in taste, par for the course for the neighborhood, and Mai, located right outside the Alamo, was a very pleasant, unexpected exception. We popped in here for a post-movie snack. Even though we came at a pretty inconvenient time for the staff (right before last call and half an hour before closing for lunch), our waitress was super sweet and checked in on us when we were done to see what our favorite roll was. The food came out very quickly, maybe because of the off-hour. We got the seaweed salad (not bad, very cucumber heavy); and an assortment of handrolls (toro, spicy blue crab, spicy scallop, and California lobster roll). Everything about each roll was sublime, from the delicate crispy nori, the slightly above room temperature rice, and the generous cuts of seafood laid on top. My favorite was the toro with caviar. You almost don't need to dip any of these in the accompanying soy sauce, though they do provide that, along with ginger and wasabi. Extensive drink menu too. Loved the offer of a complimentary Lactaid to go with the matchatini that includes cheese foam - this place knows some of their customers suffer from dairy! Dinner has a few more options, though lunch offers slightly discounted sets of three handrolls. There's a description on the back of the menu for how to eat these. I'd love to try their sister restaurant, Matsunori. Parking is tough for this area: if you can swing dinner and a movie, that might be the best deal, as Alamo offers validated parking for I believe up to four hours. read more

See all

Came here for a light business dinner, and Mai did not disappoint. From the superb food, great service, and warm atmosphere (including the Labubus), it was a really great experience. Christian was also around experimenting with some new cocktails, and we were willing subjects - awesome touch there. The four of us probably downed two dozen handrolls. Miso butter cod was the standout for me, and the snow crab ikura was a close second, but you could honestly not go wrong as they all looked amazing. Solid spot in Seaport. Would definitely go back here. 5/5 read more

Mai - Izakaya Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Not the vibes we were looking for. Typical seaport dining experience-overpriced and surface level. Very small space that felt kind of pretentious and unwelcoming. Don't get me wrong-the A2 wagyu steak was cooked perfectly, and we were a big fan of the shoe on string fries with truffle ketchup. Buuut for a place specializing in hand rolls-not impressed. We ordered 4 and they all arrived at the same time which felt a little odd to me. Butter Cod was tasty, but the nori paper was super soggy when we got it because they had all been sitting for a while. Apple salmon - 8/10, and honestly don't really remember the other ones. We were really excited for the drinks, a virgin matchatini and the wasabi margarita. Unfortunately the drinks didn't live up to the hype-almost felt like they were missing ingredients. We are going to their sister handroll place in Fenway (Matsunori) and hope to have a better handroll experience! read more

I visited Mai, a French and Japanese restaurant located in Boston's Seaport area. I visited during lunch hours and on a Friday during the noon-3:00pm window. There is a 2 hour break before dinner service at 5:00 PM. There was limited street parking as expected for this part of Boston but plenty of public parking lots in the area to park your vehicle. Their Japanese hand rolls made up their entire lunch menu, so keep that in mind if you want something other than hand rolls, visit during dinner service instead. You'll have to come during dinner service when the restaurant open again 5:00 PM onward for their full dinner menu and expanded alcohol selection and French inspired dishes. You can view their lunch and dinner menu on their website. My husband and I tried a selection of hand rolls. My husband ordered the Best Sellers hand rolls. This set included three hand rolls, the toro, the miso butter cod, and the spicy scallop hand rolls. I ordered the toro, the duck foie gras, and the salmon with added ikura hand rolls. Our sets came with a complementary miso soup. Of the six rolls that we tried, my favorite was the toro hand roll. This is followed by the scallop hand roll and the salmon a with added ikura. The duck and foie gras hand roll was dripping with duck fat. I wouldn't say that it wasn't tasty, but that it was very rich and very messy to eat. My least favorite was the miso butter cod. I dislike the taste of cod fish in general so there is that to consider. The interior space is rather crowded. This was not expected as the online pictures made it look more spacious, likely a wide angle lens/filter was used. I felt as though there was barely enough elbow room between tables and it feels like even less room when I was trying to put on my oversized winter coat (a must for the cold New England weather in Boston) to leave. It was much cozier than I liked. Hence, not recommended for large groups. Because it was Valentine's Day weekend, the restaurant was decorated with heart shaped balloons. If you look up toward the ceilings, there are tons of Labubus on top of the wooden beams. I thought it would be cute for a lunch date or date night with my daughter who is currently into the Labubu trend. I'll definitely be back with my young daughter to try more items. See my pictures. read more

See all

I swear hand roll spots have been opening left and right lately & I fear I was traumatized for the longest time by this one place I tried a while back. So, I was a little hesitant to try Mai, BUT I can't even lie, we had such an amazing dinner here! The restaurant is on the smaller side but was so cute inside. We arrived with a party of 3, no wait time. Menu mostly consisted of hand rolls, some entree dishes & a few apps. We stuck to 3 hand rolls each & shared one appetizer. The hand rolls we tried: -spicy blue crab (x2) -spicy tuna w/ fried sweet potato (x2) -spicy scallops (x2) -miso butter cod (x2) -salmon w/ avocado Appetizer: -Wagyu fat fries All the hand rolls we tried tasted super fresh & they did not skimp on the fish at all. In terms of the size of the rolls, I would say they are decently sized but not as big as Matsunori's (for reference). Our favorites were the spicy blue crab, miso butter cod, & the spicy tuna w/ fried sweet potato. I loved the crunch the fried sweet potato gave, for the spicy tuna hand roll! All rolls had good flavor, w/o overpowering the fish so I honestly really enjoyed the experience we had here for dinner. I think the prices were reasonable, especially for it being in SEAPORT... very similar prices to other hand roll spots. Could totally see myself coming back, maybe for their lunch handroll set specials!! read more

See all

The food and drinks were delicious across the board, and you can tell a lot of care goes into both quality and presentation. We started with the Wagyu Fat Fries, Chicken Tempura, and the Hokkaido Uni Toast--all great, but the uni toast was especially rich and indulgent. The handrolls were the star of the night. We tried the Spicy Tuna, Toro, Spicy Blue Crab, Spicy Scallop, Uni, Eel, and Miso Butter Cod. The eel was my personal favorite, perfectly balanced and full of flavor, and the uni was incredibly rich and creamy. Drinks were also well done, especially the nonalcoholic options. The Melon Kanso Highball stood out as the better of the two highballs with more flavor compared to the Lychee Kanso Highball. We also enjoyed the Matcha Yuzu Sour and the Strawberry Matchatini, both refreshing and thoughtfully crafted. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable, happy to explain the menu and offer recommendations. The space itself is small but clean and well-kept, which adds to the intimate dining experience. The main downside was the long wait, since the restaurant doesn't take reservations and relies on a waitlist, which can be tough during busy hours, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. That said, the food, drinks, and service made it worth it, and I'd definitely come back again, just prepared to wait. read more

See all

When I found out one of my favorite handroll spots, Matsunori, was getting an elevated sister restaurant, I was very excited to try it. Especially for the price point, I found this experience lackluster compared to Matsunori. The layout of the space is quite cramped and it gets loud, which I think made it difficult for servers to check in on guests or refill water or clear plates efficiently, leading to below average service. Not necessarily the servers' fault. I was most looking forward to the miso butter cod handroll (my favorite dish at Matsu) and was very disappointed. The sugary marinade lacked miso and soy flavor, it wasn't very caramelized/broiled, and the pieces of fish were small. The drinks were good, but good drinks are easy to find in Seaport/Boston. read more

See all

Quick eats at Mai's for the first time where most hand rolls aren't 20+. Hand rolls range about $8+ so definitely some good buys. The size of the rolls are a decent size, it's not large or dinky with no filling. We ordered: (2) spicy blue crab (2) spicy tuna with fried sweet potatoes (2) spicy scallop (2) Miso Butter cod (1) salmon avocado And a wagyu fat fries appetizer Our orders came out timely, they did forget 2 orders but when we flagged our server down, the kitchen got started on it. The proteins were fresh, nice bite thru and flavors blended really well. Wagyu fries were crispy, taste was good, haha reminded me of potatoe sticks chips though. My favorite was probably the miso butter cod and the spicy tuna with crispies. I think our bill was like 140 for 3 people. read more

See all

Disappointingly not worth the price tag - or even the trek to Seaport. I've been to the sister location, Matsunori, which is in Fenway. That's a slightly less expensive and higher quality meal with improved service over the new location. Though Mai is small, the setting was the highlight of our visit. It definitely feels like a pricey cocktail bar, with dim lighting casting a glowing blue, romantic ambiance over the handful of tables. However, we noticed a string of labubus hung up around the store, which were... odd. We eschewed the apps and each ordered 3 or 4 handrolls, which are the specialty. I was intrigued by the toro tea cups, but was turned off by the $19 price tag for, you guessed it, a single bite. Unlike Matsunori, table service at Mai was lacking, as all the handrolls came out together. That meant that even the second handroll I ate was soggy. I first tried the salmon gravalax, which the server lauded as a highlight and an incredibly unique dish with bold, innovative flavors paired together in a new way. In fact, it felt like a plain, albeit satisfyingly thick, slice of salmon wrapped in nori. I couldn't taste the "beet cured salmon" and there was absolutely no kick from wasabi at all. I wouldn't recommend it if you're hoping for a new experience. Similarly, the eel handroll was served with a solid slice of avocado, but was also frustratingly average. I ordered the miso butter cod because I tried and loved it at Matsunori, but I certainly remember it being better. Finally, the toro had a good amount of tuna, but otherwise did not knock my socks off. Overall, I would not recommend Mai, especially not for the price tag. read more

Mai - Handrolls - Izakaya Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Great addition to the seaport food/drink scene! It's a small spot, about 30 seats, so you'll probably have to wait a while during peak hours. We snuck in right before lunch ended and it was totally empty though, so pick your time. The duck foie gras roll is a can't miss, it's dripping with oil in the most decadent way. The salmon apple is also exceptional and showcases the excellent quality of fish Mai has. Personally I would skip the yellowtail hand roll next time--nothing wrong with it, but the texture is a little smoother than I prefer, and it's just a little bit simple with everything else on the menu. Don't skip the free miso soup either! For drinks, the Tokyo 75 would be a good but not crazy take on the French 75 but for the blue "electric dust" rim, which will make your mouth deliciously tingly and change the flavor of the drink as you sip. The Wasabi Sour is also delicious -- the kind of spicy that will clear out your sinuses without causing you pain, even if you're a spice baby like me! Prices are pretty standard for seaport (which is to say, high), but this is one of the few places in the area that I would say make them worth it. read more

See all

Mai has been on my list of places to visit as soon as I saw it was opening. I am a huge fan of its sister restaurant Matsunori and I was very pleased to see that Mai exceeded my expectations in being similar to Matsunori with its own unique twist. This location does not take reservations so be prepared to wait or get there early. My party of 4 arrived about 15 minutes before open on a Saturday night and a small line was already forming. The interior is quaint and intimate with small tables for patrons. I really like that Mai offers cocktails - I went with the wasabi sour and absolutely loved it. I also really enjoy that in addition to handrolls, there are heartier appetizer and specialty options. My group decided to split an order of wagyu fat fries and duck risotto before ordering our individual handrolls. Everything was phenomenal - I really loved the duck risotto. It was rich and flavorful but the cranberry sauce it comes with perfectly cut the richness of the dish. As far as the handrolls, I tried some familiar rolls from the Matsunori menu like the miso butter cod and snow crab but also the Mai-specific rolls like the salmon gravlax and lobster California rolls. I ordered an extra lobster California because I loved it so much. Everything was absolutely delicious and I left very happy and very full. I will definitely be coming back to dine in at Mai in the future. read more

See all

Truly an incredible meal, I'm already excited to go back! It may have helped that we ran into an actor from on of my favorite TV shows, but we had a great time here regardless. It's a really small space with a decent wait time, but there are plenty of spots nearby to get a drink and wait. Service was super friendly and helpful, and the food came out so quickly. Wagyu is tender and flavorful, but the fries and truffle/pate ketchup were the best part. I could've eaten them all night. The fish is such high quality and generous servings for the price. I personally thought the miso butter cod was a little overrated (still great), but the scallop and toro are a must have. read more

See all

The place was okay, but felt a bit overpriced for hand rolls. I had 3 and a water that came out to $53 and still was hungry after. 2 star because my food had a clear hair in it. I pointed it out to the staff and surprisingly they didn't offer a partial refund or complimentary item considering the price paid. read more

the service was very kind. the space is small and good for date nights. the fries were cut thin however had great crunch and the rolls were delicious with good portions. the drinks were good and i would definitely come again. read more

See all

Disappointing sushi not enough variety on the menu nice staff, but I don't think I'll go there again

This place reminded me Matsunori Handroll Bar in Brookline. Got their few minutes before 5pm, there were people waiting in line. When I went in, I needed to join their wait-list which was around 45-60min wait since they don't take reservation. Lobster California ($15) - bland and lack of lobster Eel ($12) - I should added foie gras, don't know why the eel taste a little different than the eel avocado maki that you eat at other restaurant. Duck Foie Gras ($16) - My favorite, a little messy since is oily Toro ($19) - High quality and generous portion This is a place for a drink and snack since the portion for the handroll will not fullfilled my stomach but I do enjoyed eating their handroll. read more

Mai - Izakaya Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Food was amazing. Flavors combined to achieve dramatic results making simple dishes take over the top good! Excellent cocktails and service made this hidden gem a must return experience! read more

Amazing place! Great spot in the seaport. It's a bit small, so be prepared to wait... not sure if they do reservations yet. I was there for the soft opening. It's very cute inside. Modern and the seating is well spaced for being so small. There is counter seating by the windows, if you want to people watch. The food is so good. Handrolls are among the best I've had. Everything was good. There wasn't a single dish I did not enjoy. The Hokkaido Uni was sweet and fresh. I could have eaten so many. The best part of the handrolls are the fact that the fish is diced, NOT minced. Too many places mash the fish into a paste style and mix with things. This was either a whole slice or fish or diced like a Poke bowl. I very much prefer that. For appetizers, the Uni toast was tiny and you only get one. For the price I would have expected maybe two pieces. Be prepared to spend alot for small portions. It's the seaport and it's sushi... those two things automatically mean high prices. I would say you might run $160 per person with drinks, food and tip. You might have seen the bubble drink on IG, but it's pretty cool. It was very popular that night. I think for the ability to film the bubble and smoke. Staff was awesome. They came around to make sure everything was ok on several occasions. For a brand new place, the staff was pretty good. A couple of items from my order were forgotten, but the staff made sure to make it right and get the order in again. Overall this place is pretty awesome. I enjoyed it so much. I will likely return when the new restaurant excitement settles. read more

See all

A small intimate spot serving delightful dishes! A French inspired Japanese Izakaya had me more than intrigued on what I might expect. Mai took the heart and feel of a traditional Izakaya and elevated it in a way that maintained the essence while delivering a bit more. We each ordered 3 handrolls and shared 2 apps which felt like enough food to be satisfied but not stuffed. I ordered the apple salmon, spicy tuna, and miso butter cod - while all 3 were delicious, I found the apple salmon to be the most unique with a nice blend of sweet from the apples and savory from the salmon and spicy mayo. The miso cod was cooked extremely well making it my second favorite. The spicy tuna was good but felt very much like a typical spicy tuna roll. For apps, we ordered the wagyu tartare which felt unique from the usual beef tartare on menus. The toasted bun had a slight sweetness to it with a abundant helping of shaved parmesan cheese. It almost felt like the wagyu was hidden between the bread and cheese which I thought made for a great bite of food, however, if youre looking for more of the wagyu only then this might not hit as well well. The wagyu fries were super crispy and thin making it easy to breeze through. Our server was friendly enough and gave recommendations when asked. I did notice some tables getting more attention than others but personally I wasnt bothered as much by this. When an incorrect dish was delivered to us, they were quick to get us the correct dish, which I appreciated. Overall I would come back here and try more items on the menu. read more

I'm generally not a huge Asian fusion fan, but this new Japanese fusion place had some great hits and I can see it becoming a very popular place in Seaport. It's from the creators of the Matsunori handroll place, which I'm already a fan of, so it's quite an easy sell if you enjoy similar tastes. I went to the soft opening and the interior is already giving upscale vibes. I personally enjoyed the labubu decor lining the upper beams, and the lighting definitely sets the mood for a fun date night. We had a larger group so apparently they bought a bigger table that day to accommodate, what great service! We were given a set menu and the first dish knocked our socks off. It was a chicken tempura topped with mayo(?) sauce and caviar, similar to the $100 chicken nuggets being served at the US open and it was SO good. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, but the meat was very tender, the tempura perfectly crispy, and I'm not particularly a bougie eater (as in I don't believe things taste better just because you sprinkle caviar), but I thought the caviar here was a great touch. Honestly putting this appetizer first may have been a mistake because everything after it couldn't compare haha. Also don't make the same mistake as I did, the little bowl of cabbage isn't a salad, it's a palate cleanser. The other dishes were great, particularly enjoyed the eel hand roll, duck hand roll, steak and fries. I'll be honest, the duck risotto was a bit too salty/heavy for me by the end of the meal but I'd def recommend the truffle fries. read more

See all

Visited Mai with a party of four on a Friday during their second week of soft opening. It was surprisingly easy to get a table before the dinner rush. We sat in the back corner near the bathrooms. The dining area is a little bit cramped for the space so difficult to maneuver to your table but cozy enough where you weren't on top of the table next to you. We ordered a round of Kanpai Time shots and the Spirit Bomb - a real cute cocktail with a bubble filled with smoke. Was disappointed that they weren't able to make a highball. For food, we ordered Wagyu tenderloin frites and chicken tempura with caviar for the table. The shiso chimichurri was a real nice touch of freshness to the steak frites. The chicken tempura was fine but wouldn't get again. Make sure to flip it upside down when you eat it to get that caviar on your palate. I ordered the toro, black cod, eel and spicy scallop hand rolls. Four handrolls was pretty aggressive, but the black cod was the highlight of the meal. read more

See all

Honestly I didn't want to like this spot as much as I did since I had to wait over an hour to get seated after showing up at 10min before opening time for a walk-in (they don't take resys) for a party of 3 on a Wednesday night. But the food and drink I got was delicious. The matchatini with cheese foam was sooo good. It had stronger matcha than some lattes I've had in the area. They gave us cabbage salad as a palate cleanser and I had the beef tartar as an app. It comes on top of a crispy batter and under a snowfall of shredded cheese. It definitely flavorful and fun with the different textures but don't expect that much beef tartar. The handrolls were fresh and balanced in terms of seasoning and rice ratio. They are a bit small though and our waiter recommended 3 per person if that was going to be your entre. I split the risotto with duck confit with a friend and it was just ok. I would recommend sticking to the handrolls as they have a large variety to try. That said the restaurant itself was pretty small and we were seated directly in front of the open door so it was quite a cold dining experience. They're new so operationally still a challenge but it took a while to flag down wait staff and their reservation system sends out 'Test' as the text message when you put your name down read more

See all

Make reservations. They were able to take the 3 of us exactly at 5pm when they opened for dinner but let us know reservations were coming in 45 mins. It's a small place with some window seating like a cafe and maybe 8 small tables with capacity for 2-4 people. The labubus on the beams are so cute! The food was delicious and fresh. The sushi had no fishy smell at all. The cocktails were delicious (although small). The whole menu is pricy but worth it. We had the madai sashimi, wagyu tenderloin handroll, toro teacup, duck risotto, and short rib melt. I would absolutely eat each one of these things again in a heartbeat. The risotto came with a perfectly crisp and tender duck leg on top! I really wish this place continues to do well because I need to try the rest of the menu! Also, they use real wasabi and high quality soy sauce. read more

New French inspired Japanese food spot in seaport next to the grand. Still not opened to the public but follow their instagram page for soft opening opportunities! Upon arrival we were warmly greeted and given introduction of their concept and set menu tonight. We were offered a welcoming shot. The alcoholic version is off their menu called Tokyo75 and the mocktail was yuzu based as well. We loved both! Next came the appetizers - chicken tempura, sea bream sashimi and uni toast. All were so fresh and delicious but the chicken tempura was definitely the one that caught our attention. The batter is so light and fluffy, chicken juicy and the house sauce and caviar adding an extra touch of flavor. Handrolls - similar to the ones at sister restaurant Matsunori, but of higher quality ingredients and of course, better flavor! Favorites were the uni caviar, miso cod and eel foie gras. Entree - we got the A5 wagyu tenderloin and duck risotto. The wall behind the bar is lined with certificates of authenticity of the A5 Wagyu used in the restaurant. Risotto was cooked al dente and duck confit reminded me of what I had in Paris. The wagyu was just perfect and the chimichurri sauce on top was lovely as well. Fries were fried in wagyu fat and crispy on the outside and soft inside. Even though we were pretty full at that point, we still couldn't stop ourselves from finishing all the fries. We also got some sake Jell-O shots to share and it was such a fun drink. Personally I like the yuzu over peach over mixed berry. Overall the food was amazing and highly recommended. Servers were attentive and communicated well with the kitchen when some of our handrolls were missing. Would definitely come came when it's open and full a la carte menu available! read more

See all

Soooo good! Fresh hand rolls and authentic wasabi (I think?) at a relatively good price. My favorite is the salmon hand roll with the avocado and the scallop hand roll! Service is friendly and quick, great cute spot for a date night or meeting up with coworkers/friends in seaport. Will be back again! read more

Great ambience. Food here is delicious. I enjoyed every item ordered. Server and wait staff are all very friendly and helpful. read more

See all

Really enjoyed the food, especially the handrolls and uni toast -- tasted very fresh! My server, Jorge, was friendly and helped us decide what to order. One of the managers, John, stopped and checked in on us as well! He gave us wonderful drink recommendations. I would definitely return! read more

See all

Located in Seaport, Mai offers fresh and delicious bites. Location is super small so it's perfect for a date night or a girls night. Hand rolls are a must here - the toro was absolutely delicious with the toro melting in my mouth. There was also a generous amount of toro. The next best hand roll is the butter cod followed by the crab and then the duck foie gras. My fellow dining partner and I shared the wagyu steak and frites entree. We were obsessed with the truffle fries! The steak had some chew but cooked perfectly otherwise. With great good comes an expensive bill. For two people that ordered a steak entree, 4 handrolls and two mocktails, the total came out to be $140-$150. Service was great and our server was very nice. read more

Mai in Seaport absolutely delivered. The food was incredible, especially the hand rolls -- fresh, perfectly balanced, and some of the best I've had in Boston. I went all in and added uni, foie gras, or caviar to just about everything, and every bite was worth it. Rich, indulgent, and executed flawlessly. Huge shoutout to Joey for the amazing service. Attentive, knowledgeable, and made the whole experience feel special without being overbearing. He had great recommendations and kept everything flowing smoothly. If you're in the Seaport and want top-tier hand rolls with next-level add-ons and standout service, Mai is a must. Can't wait to go back. read more

See all

BOMB! For a simple menu of "just" hand rolls, they do not play when it comes to the combo of flavors and freshness/quality. Staff were attentive, chill, made great suggestions even though I could've just ate everything it all sounded so good. Loved the size of the restaurant and the decor. read more

See all

The food was good but given the price, I was expecting a little bit better. This restaurant specializes hand rolls but I found the seaweed was a little damp and selection of fish is limited. We had Hokkaido Uni toast (excellent) and Toro tea cup (good) to start, then we selected eight hand rolls: Akami (good), miso butter cod (excellent), snow crab ikura (excellent), lobster california (good), spicy scallops (good), eel (good but too salty for me), duck foie gras (good but duck was overcooked), and wagyu tenderloin (wagyu was a little overcooked). The service was good and the setting is attractive. read more

I am SO impressed by the food here wow! I got the chicken nugget with caviar, avocado handroll, and duck risotto. Every dish was top tier excellent, I can't even pick a favorite! I also got the showstopper to drink which tasted so good. The only disappointment was that the decorative bubble popped as soon as the waiter put the drink down so I never got to take a pic with it :( anyway the ambiance is great and the walk-in only situation is stressful but its worth the stress! I will definitely be back! read more

Mai - Izakaya Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all