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    Matsuba Izakaya

    4.3 (59 reviews)
    Open • 1:00 pm - 11:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Salmon avocado and spicy salmon maki
    Kelly Z.

    Love this place for take out sushi! Their sushi salmon is fresh and I really like the size of that spicy salmon roll! The salmon tataki is also really refreshing. Not a fan of the sauce it came with though.

    Meg C.

    Tried the spicy miso on a cold day and it sated my ramen cravings. The chashu was tasty, had the right thickness and fat ratio, and I liked the bits of char on the edge. Broth and noodles were decent, it wasnt very spicy, but it was a touch too salty for me. Space was clean, casual and welcoming, and there was a decent beer list. We had some Sapporos to wash the meal down. Service was fast and attentive. The sushi menu looked good, would return to try other things on the menu.

    Green tea mochi
    Susan P.

    We ordered takeout and were very happy overall. Vegetable Gyoza, Cucumber Maki and Shumai for starters. Main dishes were Spicy Miso Ramen and Stir Fried Ramen. For dessert, the Green tea Mochi. Everything was fresh and flavorful, decent size portions. Fast turnaround from order to pick up. I would definitely go back again.

    Mini omasake Squid Fried oysters Ankimo Takoyaki
    Nie N.

    The food was okay with reasonable prices. There was only 1 waitress working there. She was so unfriendly and unprofessional. I could not bear with her attitude towards us the whole time. She took away our dishes without even asking whether we finished or not. Her behavior ruined my appetite. I won't dine in again if I see her, but I'd give it another shot for take-out.

    Chicken Karaage
    Nina N.

    Enjoyed my experience overall! The layout of the restaurant is a bit different than what you'd expect, not super spacious so I don't know how well they'd be able to accommodate larger party sizes. The workers were friendly but I think our server could have been a bit more attentive as it was hard to get her attention sometimes. I liked the food a lot and will probably go again to try other items! I was happy with the quality of the fish and loved the chicken karaage. Prices were reasonable.

    Spicy Salmon Maki Spicy Tuna Maki Louisiana Maki Spicy Snow Crab Maki
    Yu Ya H.

    My friends and I passed by this new place in Medford Square and decided to give it a try. We went there on Monday around 6pm and it was fairly empty. The place seems small but there were ample seats. We ordered different makis and they were good; some of them better than the other. The spicy snow crab maki my friend ordered didn't seem like snow crab; in fact it was the imitation crab. We didn't order Yakitori because it seems a bit overpriced than the regular price range. A decent place in Medford Square but I wouldn't drive to Medford just for the place again.

    Mini Omakase
    Igor R.

    While not a true izakaya (they rarely are), Matsuba has a diverse menu of yakitori, sushi, appetizers, ramens, etc. If you live in Medford, there's no reason why this shouldn't be a regular lunch or weekday dinner spot. We did karaage, hiyayakko tofu, shiitake soup, and split the mini omakase. All was great - particularly delighted with the presentation, quality and value of the omakase. Service was solid and dishes came out at a reasonable time. The main dining area is awkwardly shaped and feels a little empty, so not really a place to for a nice date night. Just casual.

    Nabeyaki Udon (with chicken)
    Raha M.

    My friend and I came here for dinner, heavily craving some ramen. I ordered the spicy miso ramen and she ordered the nabeyaki udon with chicken. Overall, we both enjoyed our ramen and our ramen cravings were satisfied. However, the noodles in my ramen weren't the best noodles I've had, and my friend's ramen lacked a bit of flavor. The eggs were adorable and tasty. I would love to come back here and try the sushi, as the sushi seems to be the real deal.

    beef teriyaki

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    10 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    7 months ago

    Ordered pickup Ramen on a cold night. Hit the spot, fast service and friendly faces! Didn't dine in so can't comment on that.

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

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    5 months ago

    Stopped in to grab some dinner. Fast service, friendly staff, extremely impressed with our sushi. Will definitely be going again soon!!!

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    2 years ago

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    8 months ago

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    9 months ago

    Absolutely one of the best sushi spots anywhere. Orders sushi boats And sashimi and all just perfect. A hidden gem.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Hit or miss . Got 4 to 1 ratio bad food.it's decent sushi food place that opens late. I will order here then late night Chinese.

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

    food was not bad but my experience was ruined because they played the same 5 sabrina carpenter songs the entire time

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Sushi is much better than what you might expect. Friendly and competent people working hard. I recommend you give them a chance.

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    Sugidama Soba & Izakaya - Torch Toro

    Sugidama Soba & Izakaya

    4.2(500 reviews)
    1.7 mi•Davis Square
    •$$

    The best sushi I've had in Boston. Hands down. I am not exaggerating, my partner and I dream about…read morethis sushi all the time, and we've unfortunately started comparing our other sushi experiences to this one. Soba is also really good. Everything here is really good, but I highly recommend the nigiri - while it's a little pricy (standard pricing comparative to other restaurants), it is well worth it Service is quite fast and we felt like we were taken care of. One time, the server took the soy sauce bottle away from one table without warning and gave it to us, and then proceeded to do the same to us. However, in this rare case, the food quality and taste overpowered the service issues. Inside is lively, and cozy. They also have outdoor patio seating in the summer, which is lovely as well. This is a restaurant I wouldn't mind coming to over and over again.

    stopped in for a cool meal on a hot and sticky saturday. ordered an agedashi tofu, veggie tempura,…read moresushi soba and uni soba agedashi was good, kinda like fried tofu in hot and sour soup. tempura was cooked just right, came out popping hot, crispy, and the veggies inside cooked proper. the sashimi on the soba wasn't exactly the freshest, no concern whatsoever, but was not the freshest. uni soba was good. the uni was a little on the bitter side but the server did warn about that. the soba noodles were a little dried, not sure how the restaurant managed this for a soba place but it's just embarrassing.

    Photos
    Sugidama Soba & Izakaya - Bar area

    Bar area

    Sugidama Soba & Izakaya - Kamo Nandan Duck Breast Hot Soba ($22)

    Kamo Nandan Duck Breast Hot Soba ($22)

    Sugidama Soba & Izakaya - Ebi Hot Soba w/ Assorted Tempura ($18)

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    Ebi Hot Soba w/ Assorted Tempura ($18)

    Izakaya Ittoku - *Nigiri Combo

    Izakaya Ittoku

    4.2(676 reviews)
    2.2 mi•Porter Square

    Ittoku is a great quality of izakaya, that serves a great quality of food plus drinks. From…read moreyakitori, sushi/sashimi, rice, noodle dishes and more... It's meant for sharing. Food is authentic and delicious. Some of our favorite are the cabbage salad, bacon wrapped quaileggs/mushroom/tomatoes, steak, yakitori chicken thighs/green onions, omusoba....and so on. Their cocktail is also also yummy and better price than a lot of bar. Don't forget to try their dessert. The place can get quite busy with a long wait. So true to make reservation or join the waitlist. I have been following Ittoku from Allston to Cambridge as it's the only one authentic izakaya in Boston so far.

    izakaya ittoku is a beautiful sushi restaurant filled with fresh fish & amazing service! they…read morerecently renovated, and it does look like a brand new restaurant. very clean, well organized with a large capacity for any group. i came here after a yoga session to get a light bite to eat with a friend, and it was perfect. right down the street from sunbeam yoga studio, it's in porter square in the lesley university building. they share a location with another restaurant, so there are two sides and two separate entrances. they both look top of the line. we started with an ume sunshine and a hokusai sour. i loveddd my ume sunshine, it was perfect! my friend thought her hokusai sour was a bit too sour, but i liked it too. i was so happy they had plum wine, and the ume sunshine was the perfect complimentary drink to our meal. we tried their tuna tartare, carpaccio, 3 kind torched nigiri, nigiri combo, and 4 extra yellowtail hamachi nigiri. everything we ordered came out very fresh and in the perfect order. tuna tartare was absolutely delicious, fresh raw tuna on top of guac, with chips. then we went for the 3 kind torched nigiri, which comes with mackerel, tuna and salmon. my favorite was the torched tuna with spicy chili on top! absolutely insane flavor. then we tried a 6 nigiri combo, with mackerel, tuna, salmon, squid, hamachi, and eel. i had the hamachi & tuna and absolutely loved them, i even asked to order 4 more of the hamachi jalapeño nigiri, it is SO good! i could have eaten 14 of them alone. then the carpaccio is a MUST try! it came with raw octopus, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and hamachi. it is so hard to choose a favorite because everything was so good! i want to try everything on their menu, and they have a HUGE menu! ume sunshine 10/10 hokusai sour 9/10 tuna tartare 10/10 carpaccio 10/10 3 kind torched nigiri 9.8/10 nigiri combo 10/10 yellowtail hamachi nigiri 10/10 great quality food, welcoming staff, all around wonderful first experience (definitely won't be the last)! they saw we wanted to take photos and moved a table closer without us asking. it was a bit difficult to get the right angle because of the lighting, but i'll absolutely return here to add more. prices are very reasonable for high quality! delicious fresh food and impeccable presentation. if you love sushi and you're anywhere relatively near porter square, izakaya ittoku is SURE to satisfy all of your tastebuds! ambiance: 5/5 food: 6/5 drinks: 5/5 service: 6/5 izakaya ittoku: 5/5

    Photos
    Izakaya Ittoku - Inside - great wave

    Inside - great wave

    Izakaya Ittoku - Tuna Tartar Parfait

    Tuna Tartar Parfait

    Izakaya Ittoku - Hokusai sour & ume sunshine

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    Hokusai sour & ume sunshine

    Sushi Kappo Toraya - Chirashi

    Sushi Kappo Toraya

    4.2(460 reviews)
    2.6 mi•Arlington Center
    •$$

    This reallt is a must try spot if you are craving good sushi. It is on the smaller side and has…read moreindoor seating with limited counter seating. There generally is a wait but I wouldn't let that deter you as it is worth the wait. The sushi is always freshly prepared, they have some unique side dishes and sushi/maki offerings too. Ordered pick up on a Saturday. I called 10 mins after they opened and they informed me it was an hours wait. I was a bit surprised by wait time but food was ready exactly when they said it woul be. When I got there place was packed with a few groups waiting for tables. Ordered the crunchy maki, tempura maki and softshell crab maki - everything was delicious as expected. Highly recommend!

    What a gem in Arlington. This restaurant is very small and they don't take reservations. There is…read moreoften a wait, but so worth it! We finally got to try Toraya for lunch when we had the day off. Appetizer -Tempura: light and airy fry the shrimp and veggies. Great tempura if you are craving tempura -Tofu and Yasai Agedashi: deep fried tofu and vegetables in a light broth. The fry is light and airy and the tofu is silky and soft. Very tasty Entrees -Sushi lunch: 7 nigiri and 1 maki roll and miso soup. The sushi was super fresh and delicious. -Sake ikura don: salmon salmon salmon and roe over rice. Super fresh and delicious as well. They do have a takeout menu so I hope to try it out!

    Photos
    Sushi Kappo Toraya
    Sushi Kappo Toraya - Omakase sushi

    Omakase sushi

    Sushi Kappo Toraya - Omakase sashimi

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    Omakase sashimi

    Yume Ga Arukara - Signature Cold Niku Udon

    Yume Ga Arukara

    4.6(867 reviews)
    2.2 mi•Porter Square
    •$$

    Four words: spicy cold niku udon. The signature is also good!…read more I've been a fan of Yume ever since I found out about it when I went to Tufts for college. It was the Asian-American community's go-to spot for dine-in, take-out, or both! This was back when they had their location in the Lesley University food court too - people would be lining up for 30+ minutes to get a coveted seat at one of their humble seats. I look fondly on when they would yell "perfect" whenever I finished my bowl, praising how I slurped every freshly cut udon noodle and devoured every ounce of broth or crispy tempura bit they put in there. The new location is just a few stores down, still in/out of the Lesley University mall area. It has a nice ambiance and feels less cramped. While I miss the "perfect" yelling, the flavor still tastes just as good even if it's gotten an insane amount of hype since then. Would highly recommend ordering takeout if you're in a rush - they do it very efficiently, both at the original Cambridge location and the new Seaport location too. I'm so happy for all of their success!

    Yume Ga Arukara came highly recommended by some friends who go to Harvard. This place is extremely…read morepopular. The line wasn't even that long when we arrived, but we still waited nearly an hour to get seated. As we were waiting, more and more people arrived until the line snaked around the entire corridor on the first floor of Lesley University. They specialize in udon, and they do it well! I was worried the whole experience might have been overhyped, but the food is great. They have options for the hot or cold udon, and with it being a hot day, I opted for the Signature Cold Niku Udon with an extra portion of noodles. The udon texture was chewy in the best way and the thinly sliced beef and other toppings were yummy. They have a surprising amount of space and seating inside. That was unexpected because the line was moving slowly and I initially thought that meant that there was limited seating. Service was good; our waitress came by multiple times to check if we needed anything. We did feel extremely rushed though, which I understand that they have a line of people out the door. However, it's still not a pleasant experience and I hope they do get a new place soon that's larger based on their continued popularity. They have some cute merch for the restaurant. I also liked the vibe of the inside, just bustling with energy and people catching up. If you're a solo diner, they have a bar seating area and some workers came out a few times to ask if anyone was dining alone so they could be seated immediately once those spots opened up.

    Photos
    Yume Ga Arukara - Interior seating

    Interior seating

    Yume Ga Arukara - Spicy Hot Niku Udon

    Spicy Hot Niku Udon

    Yume Ga Arukara - Spicy Cold Niku Udon (to go)

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    Spicy Cold Niku Udon (to go)

    Tampopo

    Tampopo

    4.4(394 reviews)
    2.2 mi•Porter Square
    •$$

    This was such a cute mom-and-pop shop run by a husband-and-wife team who were both incredibly kind…read moreand welcoming. The restaurant is located inside a shopping center and has only a small amount of seating, giving it a cozy, homey feel. We ordered the shrimp tempura udon, pork cutlet curry, and a side of vegetable tempura. My favorite part was the tempura. The batter was incredibly light and crispy without feeling greasy. The udon broth was comforting and well-made, though its flavor was fairly simple. Overall, the meal reminded me of a home-cooked dinner, making it a cozy spot if you're looking for comforting Japanese food.

    This small Japanese husband-and-wife business, which has been running for 34 years, is closing down…read morethis June due to retirement, so I rushed over for a meal. Pork Cutlet Curry: The restaurant specializes in fried foods, with the pork cutlet being their absolute signature dish. Although the cutlets were on the thinner, leaner side, each one was fried to order, resulting in a crispy exterior and tender, juicy interior, fragrant but not greasy. The breadcrumbs were especially fluffy and light, bursting with flavor on the palate, which was incredibly satisfying. The curry was authentic Japanese curry--rich, mild, and slightly spicy with a distinct fruity aroma, perfectly suited to my taste. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask for a runny egg for the $2 additional egg; otherwise, it would have been even better. And at only $15 a serving, including a salad/miso soup, it's incredibly good value for money, perfect for lunch. Fried Oysters: Also crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the oysters were fresh and juicy. The lemon juice and salad dressing were refreshing. I felt they were even more delicious than the pork cutlet. The place is located in Lesley University's Main Hall and has only four tables, so you may have to wait.

    Photos
    Tampopo
    Tampopo
    Tampopo - Today's Lucky Menu ($6.45 including salad and miso soup): Karaake Chicken

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    Today's Lucky Menu ($6.45 including salad and miso soup): Karaake Chicken

    Matsuba Izakaya - sushi - Updated September 2026

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