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!

The neighborhood sushi place in Belmont…read more Is this sushi at a shack on the fishing pier where the fish comes straight off the boat and on to your table with just enough of a pause for the chef to slice things up? No. Is this sushi from the latest Peruvian-Aegean fusion chef whose re-imagination of Northeastern Asian raw dishes is likely to win him a Michelin star? No. Is this sushi for Thursday night when you have a craving for sushi and don't feel like driving into Boston? Yes. The sushi is just fine. No complaints from this Yelper.

I think the sushi was good and the service was excellent with reasonable prices. The shrimp tempura…read moreroll as well as the California roll were very good. We had a spicy tuna roll that wasn't spicy, and it tasted a tiny bit fishy. We ordered the edamame and it was overflowing, although not salted. They were also stingy with the ginger and the wasabi. I think all of the above are likely just growing pains, and I look forward to trying them again.

Oh the cool honeycomb ramen place! I've seen ads for this ramen restaurant on my Instagram numerous…read moretimes, and the big catch that seems to get everyone is the cool honeycomb booths. This was always a place we wanted to try, but still quite out the way where we haven't bit the bullet. When my birthday was right around the corner, we thought, what perfect time! Well, my birthday ended up being pretty busy so we pushed this off a couple of months for a special date night. I saw online that there were only a few private honeycomb seats, and since this was the whole appeal for us, I wanted to make sure we got one of those cool tables. I ended up calling them a week ahead to make a reservation, specifically for a honeycomb seat. They informed me that they cannot guarantee it, but they will make a note of it and try their best.  Fast forward to the ramen day, we managed to arrive about half an hour earlier than our reservation. I figured we'd wait inside just in case our table wasn't ready yet. We were greeted by the hostess, who, was relieved that we did show up early because she had one table left that she was holding for us. Alas, we got top row of the honeycomb! That experience alone was worth it. It was super cool with the privacy and having our own control center to call for a waiter. There were other standard seats in the center of the restaurant, as well as curtained-off seating on the other perimeter, which offered another option of privacy. I ordered the omurice, another popular dish I've seen on Instagram. This place was a lot easier to get to than Japan. My fiancé ordered a ramen. My meal came with a bao appetizer, a Thai tea, and a dessert. The table also had some spices/seasonings and hot sauce. Our food came out fairly quick and we were eager to dig in. My rice was presented by the waiter, who sliced the egg in half, opened up the gooey insides, and poured gravy all over it. I could not wait! It was pretty tasty and the egg was a fantastic consistency. I quickly filled up and was stuffed. My fiancé has mentioned that his ramen was probably one of the best bowls he's had in any restaurant (he still mentions it to this day).  Overall, I think the hype was definitely worth is. The unique experience that the seats offered was accompanied well by the delicious food. We would love to come back, but I fear we may not get the cool table, which is just the cherry on top. The food definitely holds its own so it wouldn't be too much of a disappointment if we missed our chances.

The staff, service, food, and atmosphere are all amazing! I went here for my birthday back in…read moreJanuary, and the staff sang Happy Birthday to me and even put a candle in my dessert, which was so sweet! I've been here numerous times and will definitely keep coming back. I've tried a bunch of things on the menu, and some of my favorites are the Japanese French Fries, Deep-Fried Gyoza Dumplings, Ramen (of course!), and the Matcha Pudding with Red Bean. Everything I've had has been so good, and I always have a great experience here. Definitely recommend!

This place was nothing short of incredible. I don't know anywhere else that is doing such…read moreinnovative and unique omakase. We were considering a few different omakase spots in Boston for our anniversary and I'm really glad we went here instead. The intimate 6-person bar set up allowed conversation to flow and chatting with the chef was a really cool experience. Every bite was SO good and thoughtful. I'm a bit lost for words trying to describe it, and I already want to go back!

Kudos for creativity and the relaxed and intimate ambiance. One issue is that with only one chef…read more(and no assistants) running the whole show, the fish is not cut to order but rather sliced prior to service and left on the counter at room temperature for the entire 2 hr service. This causes the fish to lose some of its pristine texture and moisture and become slightly mealy or mushy (the exception being the fattier fish such as the sanma). I found this distracting and felt it detracted from the overall experience. The sujiko and wagyu were highlights.

A hidden gem. Great quality of sushi. A birthday boy or girl can even create (and save for…read morereorder) a personal sushi roll concoction. Sake selection is great, as well.

The love boat ($69) for 2 was EXCELLENT. We both left dinner completely stuffed to the brim, and I…read morewas thrilled with both the value and the quality of the meal. It comes with 2 bowls of miso soup, which were perfect on a cold winter night. The boat also includes a martini glass with seaweed salad, providing a refreshing, upscale palate cleanser when you need a moment's break from the fish. I was very impressed with the thick cuts for the sashimi, and the toppings on the nigiri also gave a tiny twist to the meal - while yuzu and jalapaeño are common pairings with raw fish, for example, the strawberry-on-salmon was a novel combo for me! The rolls also add appeal for any eating partners who enjoy their fish in another form. There isn't a lot of natural light/windows in the main seating area, so the lighting is dim and gives off an intimate ambiance that's perfect for a date night - no complaints about the service!

**November 2025: Saturday Night Visit**…read more My friend and I had been driving all day and were staying at the Hyatt Medford Hotel just down the street. The Medford/Boston area seemed to all have limited parking so we were looking for a dinner option that didn't require us to drive since we were sick of circling around. Matsuba Izakaya was just a 5 minute walk away from the hotel so we we braved the cold for some delicious food. When we arrived at the restaurant we were escorted toward the back of the restaurant which was very warm and inviting. I ordered the mini omakase for $55 and was super impressed with the presentation and variety of seafood. I was presented a box of 9 different seafood offerings: uni, toro, salmon belly, fish liver, raw shrimp & fried shrimp head tempura, scallops. yellowtail, and squid. The uni and toro were fantastic, and I enjoyed everything else except for the salmon belly. For some reason the salmon belly wasn't ultra creamy - maybe it wasn't thawed enough, which is a shame because I love salmon sashimi. Nevertheless, for the presentation and price I was really impressed with the variety. It also came with a miso soup which really warmed me up quickly.

Matsuba Jzakaya is a Japanese restaurant located on 38 Riverside Ave, Medford, Ma. There is plenty…read moreof street parking in this area of Medford. Matsuba is probably one of two Japanese restaurants that is located in Medford. If I had to compare the two, I prefer Matsuba over its rival. Customer service and more importantly, quality of food is better at Matsuba over the neighboring Yoki Japanese Restaurant & Bar. Customer service was top notch when I visited for dinner with my family. The sushi was very fresh. I do regret not trying their yakitori since it is an izakaya. When we visited, we ordered monkfish liver, agadasi tofu, Naruto, katsu curry, broiled yellow tail collar, salmon ikura don, and fried tempura. See my pictures.

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!

Finally got to try the famous cold niku udon at Yume Ga Arukara! I've heard so much about this…read moreplace, so I was really excited to finally check it out. We came around 4pm and luckily it wasn't too crowded, so we were able to get seated right away. I ordered the cold niku udon and overall it was really good! The noodles had a great chewy texture, the beef was flavorful, and everything tasted really fresh. We also tried the hot udon, which was really good too and definitely worth trying if you prefer something warm. Service was also super quick, which I appreciated. I will say I had pretty high expectations because of how hyped this place is, and personally I don't think it completely lived up to the hype for me. It was still a really good bowl of udon though, and I'm definitely glad I finally tried it. Would still recommend checking it out at least once!

This place was very nice! Atmosphere was great, there was a jazz band when we went. I thought the…read moremusic was a bit loud and we had talk over the music. Service and food was very good! Evrything cam out fresh. The was cold and hot japanese tapas. Ka arage chicken, Yakitori, chicken thigh & breast, pork belly and picanha. Vegetable tempura. stiry fried chicken ramen and tonkatsu pork. Everything was delicious! Would go back and try other food! Price range $$-$$$

My husband & I first visited Hanami on NYE. There was live music, it was busy, but the service and…read morefood was amazing. We ordered apps, drinks, and sushi and for a busy night we never had to wait too long. They have booth seating, table seating, and bar seating! I recently ordered for takeout and it was ready for pickup quickly and absolutely delicious. Top quality!

Updated review, the seventh stop on my "Eat the Distance!" tour!…read more Daikanyama has become something of a local establishment for us and so far maintains the title of freshest sushi (and the uni e.g. really is exquisitely fresh) within the Lexington area. Of course this sentiment may be amended in future but for now remains. Service is predictably superb and quick which, paired with the clean modern interior, sets Daikanyama apart as a relaxing almost restful interval. Tastefully done, and I'm grateful to have you so nearby. Can't wait to sample your omakase!

Does below look like 75 dollars worth of sushi? Some pieces have microscopic amount of fish. 4…read morepiece was decent but 18 bucks. Teryaki chicken had no teriyaki sauce, just pan cooked chicken breast. Terrible. Been coming here in the past, but this was the last time.

So friendly, fresh tasty noodles, great prices…read more Out of the way, but glad I happened across it...I'll be back often

Slurp-worthy Ramen Pikaichi in Medford, MA…read more What we tried: Yuzu Shio = light + citrus broth Pika Miso = rich, savory, deep miso Homemade Japanese pudding = smooth, creamy, jiggly!!! If you're in Medford and love ramen... this is your new spot!