South End gem unlocked. Zaku Izakaya absolutely delivered from start to finish. This Japanese pub had excellent food all around and every dish was packed with flavor. The oxtail bites were easily one of our favorites and the Boston Red Sox sushi roll was such a fun must try. Everything felt creative while still being really well executed. Overall food 9/10 If you're looking for incredible Japanese food in Boston, this spot definitely deserves a place on your list. read more

See all

Making a reservation online was quick and easy. From the moment I arrived, I was met with warmth and attentiveness. I was guided to my party right away, offered warm or cold water, and immediately felt welcomed -- the kind of service that lets you settle in and enjoy your evening. Our server was gracious throughout the meal -- answering questions, checking in at just the right moments, and making sure we had everything we needed. Now let's talk food -- because Zaku lets you choose your own experience. If you want to keep it simple, grab some sushi. If you want to take it up a notch, go for sushi and combo plates. If you're in the mood for something hearty, the entrée options deliver. They also offer wine, beer, and other spirits, so you really get to decide how you want to take flight. We ordered a variety: orange chicken with rice, a combo platter filled with everything from edamame to octopus, and I enjoyed shrimp tempura maki with bibimbap (they kindly removed the beef for me), plus miso soup and a Sprite. Everything was flavorful and beautifully presented. The space is cozy yet lively, giving you room to relax and enjoy your meal. The menu is robust -- so many choices my guests had trouble deciding! Zaku gave great food, great service, and a great experience. I'll absolutely be back. read more

Zaku Izakaya - Bi bim bap - Izakaya Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

My favorite Izakaya to date and that's saying a lot since I've tried most, if not all, izakayas within a 10-mile radius of Boston. We were in town this weekend dropping off our big kid back to campus and strolled in for a quick bite to eat after and we left the place a little speechless -- in the best way. The best highlight of our meal was their 6-course special for $44 -- what a steal! We ordered with the ika wasabi, spicy tuna avocado salad, chicken yaktori, saba naban, Buddha Dragon roll, and mochi as dessert, and paired it with a sashimi combo entree, beef takati and an order of Ikura and Hotate nigiri. We loved this option since it gave us a little of everything, and absolutely EVERYTHING was 5 stars. Dishes were beautifully plated, fresh, and tasted heavenly. Even our 2-year-old ate a hefty helping of chicken yaktori and grilled saba. Waitstaff was professional, friendly, and super efficient. Ambience is great for a date night and not as casual as other izakayas. There are also semi-private booths available so I made sure to make a mental note for the future as a larger party option. read more

See all

Zaku Izakaya might've pulled off the biggest heist in Boston...how is this $44 six-course menu even legal?! For the six-course meanu, you get to pick 4 appetitzers, 1 main, and 1 dessert! We picked pork gyoza, takoyaki, beef ribeye yakitori, and braised ribs for our apps. For the main dish, we picked wagyu beef sushi, and matcha mochi for dessert. Please make sure you pick the Beef Ribeye Yakitori. No questions, just order it and thank me later. We also got the $24 Sushi Sampler: 8 pieces of pristine, glistening fish that looked too good for me. Since there is no such thing as self-control, an order of Pork Katsu was added. No regrets. Only crunch. Nom nom nom. I find Zaku Izakaya is by far the most affordable and high quality sushi joint in Boston. A nice little cozy spot. Scratch whatever you have planned this weekend and go get you some sush at Zaku Izakaya! read more

See all

Had a pleasant stop-in at Zaku this evening. There was a bit of a traffic jam with people picking up their take-out orders, but we worked through the crowd and got to the host at the bar. We ordered a ton of food -- our favorites were the Sprong Rolls and the Ungami. So good! Good vibe lighting and mood. We also grabbed wine that was generously poured. Had a lovely evening overall! read more

See all

This is more like a 3.5 but not a 4. So funny enough, we came here for Shun's Kitchen. Apple maps never told us it has closed, replaced (or rebranded?) as Zaku Izakaya. The space is the same but the menu has changed. Shun's made a great salt and pepper calamari and salt and pepper shrimp. That's all we wanted. We asked the hostess if they would still make it and she said yes. We sat down and when we started to order, our waitress said no can do, cannot make anything that's not on the menu. Miscommunication. We requested for the hostess and yes, they did make it for us and we also ordered the chicken karaage. It wasn't bad but for each dish, the flavor was just a little off. The batter for the chicken didn't feel like the light covering that is usually the case with this dish. The salt and pepper dishes were just very salty and somewhat oily. I will say that the seafood was fresh. So overall, thank you to the restaurant for trying but unfortunately it wasn't the same. read more

See all

The food in this place is amazing, the sushi is very fresh and very well done, the Beef Bi Bim Bap is something that everyone should try read more

See all

Good but not outstanding. Pretty empty on a Tuesday night. Our party tried a bunch of appetizers and each got a bowl of noodles. I think the appetizers are probably better than the entrees. The best ones were the pork belly yakitori, the ?agedashi tofu, spicy lamb and cumin yakitori, and my friend really enjoyed the shishito pepper. The chicken karaage was oddly like chicken nuggets. The noodles were pretty good size and comforting to eat overall. We were not offered the cocktail menu (only beer/wine) so I was unable to try any of those sadly, despite seeing reviews that their cocktails are really good. I'm not sure if they forgot to offer the menu to us or they were truly not making cocktails at that time. Our server was nice and the decor is cozy and elegant with the dark wood tones. read more

Zaku Izakaya - Izakaya Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

See all

Pretty good food! Service was just okay but I'd come back. Nice ambiance and good menu. read more

See all

This restaurant replaced Shun's Kitchen. It is an izakaya restaurant, but it was opened by a Chinese owner. The menu was overwhelming because it was different from a traditional izakaya restaurant. The menu included Japanese, Chinese, and Korean dishes. We came on Sunday for lunch; the place was empty, with only two take-out orders, and we were the only ones dining in. We ordered the 9 combo appetizers, it was either hit or miss with the flavors. The sushi are fresh and not too much rice. My favorite was the wagyu sushi and the spicy scallop. This is a nice new additional Japanses added to South End area but it needs more advertisment. read more

Zaku Izakaya - Izakaya Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Zaku Izakaya is a brand new Japanese restaurant in Boston that has only opened within the last few weeks. We had a dinner meeting scheduled here this past weekend and none of us knew what to expect. When we arrived, we were pleased to find a trendy, upscale Japanese restaurant with 2 floors of seating. We were sat in the downstairs seating section. Our booth was very interesting in that each person had an individual seat cushion and attached back rest that could be moved along the bench to provide whatever distance between others that you would like. No one at our table had seen this before, but we all really enjoyed it. The menu is quite expansive and so choosing what to order is definitely no easy task. They have ramen, sushi, curry, and much much more. We ended up ordering appetizers of the 9 item Zaku Combo Appetizer and the 6 item Zaku Combo Appetizer. Everyone really loved all of the appetizers, but the favorite was by far the chicken karaage. It was super crispy, and very well seasoned. For the main entree, I ordered the Sushi Sampler. Although I am still completely unsure of what fishes were given to me, it was all extremely delicious. My favorites were the Salmon and the Uni (center). It was all very fresh tasting and presented very beautifully. The servers were all extremely kind and they were basically running everywhere, up and down the stairs to try to get everything moving. There were a few hiccups in terms of when food was coming out. One persons entree came out before the appetizers came and then another persons entree came out long after the rest of had received our food. However, this is a brand new restaurant so this is to be expected as they are still figuring out how their operating plan will work. I am confident they will have this fixed within a few more weeks and run very smoothly. Due to the issues, the staff were also extremely apologetic and even gave us some mochi ice cream on the house. Overall, a delicious meal with a fun atmosphere. I look forward to them being more familiar with the menu and space, and would happily return. read more

Zaku Izakaya - Sushi Sampler - Izakaya Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

I spoke to the owner a week after my review who mentioned that the service charge was erroneously added to our bill (it's typically for parties of 6 or more). The owner apologized and treated us to a Smoked Salmon and Yogurt dish which was delicious! As an update these are the items we ordered today (as of 5/2024): - Chashu Ramen - $20 - Nice clean broth with noodles that were cooked perfectly. This would be great on a cold day. - Zaku Combo Appetizer (9 items) - $27 - This was a fantastic way to try out a little of all their appetizers. This is perfect for sharing with 2 people and everything tasted fantastic! So with that concern resolved, I would recommend this establishment with no reservations! read more

Snow mountain maki was delicious with generous amounts of crab. Nigiri was fresh-- the scallop was the best. Uni and yellowtail were good. Fatty tuna was just okay. Wasn't busy on a Saturday night and service was great and fast. read more

See all

I will start this review by saying that this was a Sunday night. The place was nice and the ambience was of my liking. As I got started, the service was a little lack luster, even though there were 4 to 5 tables seated. I took a seat at the bar, hoping that service is usually faster there. I start over with a nice cold beer, which was nice and refreshing on a chilly night. I'm a fan of trying small plates. That way I can sample the best restaurant has to offer. I was finally able to get my order in and start it with the Izakaya sampler. Which consisted of a giant shrimp, cumin spiced lamb, pork belly, chicken thigh, ribeye steak and some zucchini. I was very excited for this particular dish because it has a few of the things that I really like notably seafood, pork belly, which I think is a staple for any Izakaya place. I was a bit disappointed because the giant shrimp although the presentation looks beautiful was really difficult to eat and lacked in flavor and taking off the shell was quite messy and I don't know if it was worth it. The pork belly was definitely overcooked, which I was very very disappointing as it's usually my favorite and so was the steak. I absolutely have to say the flavor was really great so maybe it was the Sunday chef that was a bit overzealous in their cooking. The chicken thigh was the highlight of that particular dish. It was juicy flavorful and absolutely delicious. Definitely get that if you visit this place as a separate dish. I also tried Shishido peppers which I love in general and they were cooked perfectly and delicious. I definitely ask for something spicy on the side , and I had the spicy chili sauce as well as the spice to season my dishes which really helps the flavor. Then started with the sticky pork ribs, which I have to say or probably my second favorite of the night and they were absolutely perfectly cooked and delicious. That is something I would order again for sure. Leslie, I got the Saba Nanban at the recommendation of the server, which was pretty delicious. I'm not quite sure what kind of fish it was to be honest, but it is definitely fish forward and with the lemon juice it tasted pretty good. At an Izakaya place, my goal is to eat as much as possible because I can never try everything and it is one of my favorite things. I would definitely visit this place on a weekday to see if things change because the flavors were great. I think the execution was not so great. But overall the presentation and the staff was really nice and I had a great dinner. read more

See all

Wife and I come here all the time, it's our hands down favorite Izakaya in Boston. Wonderful sake selection and great small bites and skewers. read more

Came here on a Sunday night with quite the appetite and left full and satisfied. Street parking might be difficult because there are a lot of spots reserved for residents only. Host greeted and seated us immediately. Interior was cozy and spotless. Good selection of cocktails (not shown in photos) if you're into margaritas/lemon drops-- they make their own version of traditional cocktails. FOOD (for two) Grilled Saury (part of the mackerel family)-- 10/10 every bite was delicious. Yakitori sampler-- included pork belly, lamb, chicken, beef, shrimp, and zucchini 9/10 Takoyaki-- filling to batter ratio was perfect, crispy on the outside 9/10 Combo App-- included squid in wasabi (was hesitant on this but the texture of the squid was phenomenal, and the faintest flavor of wasabi, just perfect), shishito peppers, edamame (meh), gyoza, tofu (meh), eggplant GREAT, karaage chicken (crispy and juicy), beef tataki, and salmon carpaccio-- overall 9/10 Sushi combo-- 10/10 for price and variety Service 10/10- waiter was attentive and always had our waters filled, food came out promptly, checked on us a few times if we wanted to order anything else... no complaints at all. Overall will be coming back! read more

See all

Before I start, I want to clarify that I am not the type to write reviews on restaurants, even though I have worked in the food industry for over 5 years. I have NEVER in my entire life of going to restaurants or working in them experienced the service or lack of care from a server before. While I was there with my friend for a nice dinner around 6:00 PM, we were sat, and everything seemed normal, but while ordering, I felt very stupid and talked down to because I didn't know what Maki was, which was one of the only things I could eat since I have Celiac. I specified the severity of my allergy while ordering, but when everything came out on the same platter, the soy sauce from my friend's food seeped into the rice of my roll, thus making me very sick later on. Because I already felt uneasy while ordering, I forced myself to eat my food. I ordered more afterward since the small portions left me still hungry. I finished my meal with my friend, who was also still hungry. A server cleared our dishes silently, and then another server quickly brought the check, dropped it without a word, and left. Absolutely unacceptable and strange; something I have never experienced before. By this point, we were fed up and ready to leave, so when the server came over and asked if we had paid, we requested to split the bill, which caused complete frustration and agitation from the waiter. He then split our check, and when I tried to pay and select a tip, he said, "we don't do anything below 10%". I shouldn't have tipped anything, but I left a $2 tip, which he later told another server about and pointed at me as my friend and I walked to the bathroom. When she went to pay, he kept the device in his hands, and as she was about to pay, he clicked 25% tip, making her pay more than she expected and leaving her no way to change it. We were both left in utter disgust and frustration. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to my worst enemy, and have found that others have dealt with this "expected tip" that they are running. If this business continues this expectation, they are headed down a dark path, and I hope they stop pushing this onto their customers. I wish I could give negative stars. -10/5 read more

Im sorry, I really don't understand how this place can rated as a 5 stars. Must be friends or related to give such good ratings. I can only give it a 2 stars unfortunately. The sushi wasn't that good or authentic. We ordered the wagyu beef sushi, but the beef was like paper thin slice and so much rich on it. It is like we eating a big chunk of rice instead of tasting the beef. Definitely a rip off for the price. Then we ordered the Unagi, same thing. Loaded of rice underneath and not much eel on top. The agedashi tofu was not authentic. The flour outside tasted so hard. The beef sukiyaki is depressingly small and thr beef was so paper thin that all thr meats crumbled together. We were like what the heck man. Sorry, giving them a 2 stars im being nice already. Definitely will not go back again. read more

They were lovely and food was delicious. I sat at the bar while waiting for a friend. Glad I ordered 3 small dishes - a bit too much food for one guy. read more

We found this gem while looking for a restaurant to go to for a birthday dinner! We did not have to wait long for dinner on a weekday and the service was great! The only thing is it's hard to find parking in this area because there's limited street parking. We ordered a variety of dishes from their menu, there's so many things to choose from! We got their sushi party boat, a bunch of skewers, uni, and scallop nigiris. Their sashimi was so fresh and literally melts in your mouth! They had the best uni I've ever tried!! There was no fishiness at all! Their skewers were also very flavorful! We also got some of their cocktails which were good but also strong! At the end they also gave us complimentary shots! This is definitely also a good date night spot! I would say the pricing is pretty reasonable compared to other places as well especially for how fresh and delicious everything was! I would definitely come back here! read more

See all

Had dinner here as part of a Timeleft (dinner with strangers) get together. The menu had many choices. I had a shishito pepper appetizer and then spicy tuna. Both were very good. The server was efficient. Food took a little while for prep- understandable as we were a party of 7. The servers were friendly and the staff all thanked us as we left. Would definitely go back on my own or with a small group to try some other menu items. read more

Maybe 4-. We had several rolls, hamachi Kama, and a few yakitori (chicken thigh and beef rib eye). The sushi was nicely rolled. Everything was pretty good. read more

Phenomenal meal at Zaku Izakaya. We each ordered the prix fixe menu which was 20% off (maybe at weekday lunch?). That meant 10 dishes to share plus mochi ice cream for dessert. There were no fails. Wagyu beef sushi was a standout, as were the eggplant and edamame. But everything was amazing and the service was super attentive. Definitely coming back. read more

Zaku has quickly become my go-to spot every weekend--and honestly, I could go any day! The place is beautifully designed with a modern Japanese theme that sets the perfect vibe. But what truly stands out for me are the drinks. The bartender, Allan, is a master at his craft. I've tried cocktails all across the country, and I have to say, Allan makes the best I've ever had. I had my first Ramos King Fizz here, and it was absolutely out of this world--seriously, it's on another level! I tried four other drinks before that, and every single one was phenomenal. Allan, you're a cocktail genius! If you're a fan of expertly made drinks, Zaku is a must-visit. As for the food, the presentation is top-notch, though the quality could be improved, especially when it comes to the sashimi and grilled skewers. We had the Sushi combo (the fish wasn't that cool and fresh, the urchin texture wasn't that good 7/10), the Sashimi (still has some "fishy" taste in it where we though it should be stored or served on cold ice a little bit more), the Yakitori grilled skewers (all the skewers tasted the same, no different, nothing special), and the fried rice (good flavor but the rice was kinda wet). Besides that, the adamame was tasty and the dumplings were sooo gooddd!!! Still, we had a great time, and I'll definitely be back. We had a 3 hours dine-in but Allan made me wanted to stay for longer. I'm looking forward to seeing the food catch up to the incredible drinks! You earned a customer, Zaku. read more

The sushi was only so-so. Few patrons there on a rainy night. What bothered me most was the attitude of the server (maybe the owner). When I didn't leave an exorbitant tip, he was quiet ungracious. No reason to return. read more

The drinks!! The drinks guys!! You must try it!! I would love to come here every weekend for the drinks. Food was ok, thought it could improve a lot more. But the drinks are what made me want to come back. Come to their bar, get yourself a lichee martini and relax!! Amazing!!! read more

Delivery service always. Good. Shu Mai and spicy tuna maki horrible. Shrimp w black bean sauce - the best dish on the menu Basel chicken fried rice and brocolli beef - average. Everything else is eh Bland. read more

I've been using Yelp for forever but this is the first time that I've had the impulse to write a review. The service was amazing. Our servers were very nice and welcoming. This was the first time that we liked and cleaned up the plates of everything we ordered at a restaurant. We ordered the fixed menu of 6 dishes, which was honestly very worth it at only $55. I'd recommend the salmon on fire! It was smokey and soft. The vibes were cozy, intimate, and inviting. The decorations and designs on the walls were sophisticated and very pleasant to look at. This is such a hidden gem! I'm surprised that not a lot of people knew about this amazing place. read more

See all

Food is alright, but too expensive for the quality. Ingredients are not the best and the taste is not the most authentic

The glasses were dirty, lots of the meat in my meal was fat that was not that wasn't edible