Cafe Sushi has gotten a bit fancier since its post-COVID reopening. The dining room is nicer, the service is more polished, but the inexpensive yet perfect sushi is gone. The sake collection is excellent, and reason enough to go. The sushi is still very good but the nigiri is garnished with toppings like umami cherry and mint or house preserved yuzu. This is done beautifully but it causes the fish to be deemphasized. Little details like uneven cutting of a maki roll didn't impact the taste but lessen the beauty and the art that is sushi. For non-sushi the cabbage and the five-spice chicken were both amazing. The tomato zuke, a house cured hothouse tomato nigiri was very cool but make sure to use a little soy sauce. Final judgment - the space, the service, and the sake are all great. The sushi is very good but not as good as I remember and of course it's more expensive than it used to be. read more

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Grabbed a table here for dinner one night and had a lovely experience. This place does get crowded so I would recommend reservations. Luckily the restaurant is split for a dine in and takeout area making it easier to wait for a table if needed. We ordered several items from the menu and found all had an air of freshness to them. I especially like the chicken karaage which came with a spicy mayo sauce. The chicken was fried well giving it nice crisp without feeling heavy on the oil. The dipping sauce was also a nice added touch complementing the flavors of the chicken. For rolls I ordered the tomato zuke, seared avocado, shiitake, and tuna taku. Interestingly, the tomato was my favorite. What an innovative way to use tomato that felt flavorful and mimicked the texture of a tuna based roll. I also liked how the avocado was seared with some sea salt - it gave it a nice balance of roasted and salty with just a little rice. For the shiitake, I enjoyed how the mushrooms were prepared the most and would have likely been more ok to eat those on their own rather than in a sushi roll. While I was the most excited about the tuna take, it felt a little more basic to me after having the more innovative vegetarian sushi first. The combo of crunchy and soft from the roll was a bit confusing. The takuan felt more minced and so you'd have a soft bite of the tuna mixed with more crunchy bits of the takuan, but since it didnt seem balanced it felt off from a texture perspective. However, this is also a personal preference and the ingredients individually were all super fresh. Our server was also super friendly and very on top of our ask to let us know which items had shellfish. She consistently checked in with us and on the kitchen to ensure there weren't any issues with my food allergy. I very much enjoyed coming here and would definitely come again. While it was busy, the food still came out quickly and it was still quiet enough that you could have a conversation with your table. In general this place makes a great date spot or place to come with friends. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Chicken karaage with spicy mayo - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Very cute little place between Harvard Square and Central Square but would definitely recommend making a reservation as it's relatively small (probably on the harder side for larger parties of 6+). My wife (vegetarian) and I came on a Wednesday night and we were able to be seated 15min early ahead of our 615pm reservation. The service was amazing, our server Ivy was very knowledgeable about both the sake and food menus. We started with the edamame w curry salt (an interesting and fun spin), cabbage (my wife LOVED it), and the maiitake tempura. Alright, I love mushrooms y'all and this dish was fried perfectly and didn't leave a greasy aftertaste, but there was a lot of batter so it mostly tasted of batter and the mushroom itself was in the passenger seat. Also the yuzu aioli was fine but i would've preferred a traditional tempura dipping sauce. For our mains my wife got the seared avocado sushi (her favorite of the night), tomato zuke sushi (it came out and I legitimately thought it was akami tuna but it blew my mind that it was a cured tomato), and the veggie maki roll of the week (also delicious). Vegetarians you are seen here and there are many options! I got the shrimply the best maki - I mostly got it for the name and was expecting a big shrimp flavor but looking at a cross section of the roll, the shrimp itself was rather small and was a little let down Toro maki - treated myself to some fatty Toro but I feel like there was too much pickled veggie which helped cut the overall fattiness of the tuna but became the main flavor Otoro sushi - my favorite dish of the night by far! An expensive two bites but the flavor of the fatty tuna with a speck of wasabi and the flavorful sushi rice (no soy sauce) . Next time I come back I will probably just splurge on multiple of these or try the hand rolls Expensive but delicious sushi with excellent service, will definitely be coming back! read more

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Exceptional overall experience. Perfect service to complement some of the most creative sushi I've ever eaten - anywhere. For example, the Toban Tuna Handroll is the very best roll I've ever had. The uniquely complex taste profile lingered long after the food was gone. Also recommend the Salmon Aburi, Chu Toro, and the Ceviche. Can't wait to return to see what new delights the chef comes up with. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Everything was amazing. Highly recommend the nigiri & sashimi here over the rolls, they stole the show. Except - the vegetarian eggplant roll was MINDBLOWING. It was smoky and complex, the texture was spot-on, and it was our second favorite item of the whole night, including the meat-based items! read more

Amazing hospitality and best sushi I have ever had. I had a reservation mix up last night but the host at front and everyone there were very gracious and welcoming despite being busy. The sushi was super tasty and very innovative and unique flavor combinations allowing the quality of the ingredients to shine. Definitely try the hand rolls (I got the tuna seared avocado one) and the barracuda sushi. A calpico works great as a palate cleanser as well. I will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu! read more

Everything you've heard is true. Amazing sushi! We moved to the area recently and I finally called in pickup. Each roll was delicious and super fresh. Once you have cafe sushi you can't go back. I wish they still had the eat in but I will definitely be popping by for takeout! They also have a little store upstairs with sake/soy sauce/ snacks. Highly recommend. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Toro! - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Food was awesome - presentation is amazing. Service is spot on. The new in house dining ambience is gorgeous read more

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TL;DR: TAKEOUT REVIEW. Everything was so good! Ikura was the star Ordered takeout/delivery on our last night in Boston for our late night snack. We had gone earlier in the day, but their chef's were not doing ala carte orders yet (they had just opened). But the store has a good selection of grab-and-go items from sushi, to drinks, to other merch like soy sauce and snacks. FOOD: ~Chef's Sampler (5/5) and Signature Set (5/5): each of these sets came with 5 pieces of nigiri, and they were all so good. Each of them were topped with a unique seasoning/sauce, and they accompanied each of the fish so well! Salmon don (5/5): came with a great assortment of salmon, all of it very fresh (salmon belly was my fave). But the star of this dish to me was the ikura and the cucumbers. SO DELICIOUS Great quality sushi, great portions, delicious flavors, and affordable prices! Definitely a must visit! read more

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Got takeout from here (the weeknight platter for 2) and it was just what we needed for our sushi cravings. For $60, we each got 15 pieces of sushi, which was a bit pricey for the quantity, but at least delivered on quality for its price point. What's nice is that they don't just do basic nigiri with fish on top of rice, but also add toppings to bring new flavors to otherwise familiar pieces. My favorite piece was the vegetarian maki (filled with radish), since I've never had such flavors and textures in sushi before, while my dining companion's favorite was the salmon nigiri, since it was leaner and less fatty than typical sushi salmon. All of the pieces were great though. Overall, the food was great but pricey (and not completely worth the price imo). I can't speak to the service or ambiance of a dine-in experience, but would give it a try if I happen to be nearby in the future. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Weekend Platter for Two - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

We were told we got the best table reserved and it was a great table to enjoy the sushi, hand rolls, rolls, carrot salad , sake and fried chicken. The Asian inspired cheesecake and tiramisu were both very good. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Tiramisu and cheesecake - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Great sushi place! I have been long looking for an authentic Japanese sushi place and who knew it would come in the shape of a mainly take out, smallish joint in Harvard square. The hosts were wonderful, and gave my partner and I a little sake tasting when we were picking up our weekend platter. It's fully worth the price! There is a small area to eat (counter seating) on the ground floor where if you were just buying something on the spot, you could eat. It does fill up fast! read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Weekend Platter for Two - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Good but overpriced. Salmon skin handroll $18 had negligible amount of salmon skin and ikura. $18 for 2 pieces of kamasu or 2 pieces of kinmedai is what I might expect for otoro maybe but not those fish. Stick with the (excellent) salmon belly nigiri $11. read more

Very small selection of options but the fish was extremely fresh and I really liked the yuzu koshu dressing on the rolls- it was super light and flavorful. It's a grab and go style place, and it does what they do really well! Would definitely grab a take out lunch from here if I'm in the area. (Most of their boxes are $20, so it is kind of pricey for basically 1 roll) read more

I just returned from 2 weeks in Japan (Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka) and the quality of Cafe Sushi Shoten's sashimi is equivalently authentic to the quality I experienced in Japan. Service was super friendly and expeditious. Currently a take out venue, but they're making improvements to have dine-in very soon. This place is the real deal. read more

Good sushi and sashimi, but INCREDIBLY, unreasonably, stupidly overpriced. You are driving customers away.

Best. Sushi. In. Boston. No exaggeration. Fresh, delicious, and also very unique options. I miss the fact that they used to have a real sit-down restaurant and now they are focused on takeout with a small specialty store. Don't get me wrong... the store is adorable and well-arranged with a lovely selection of sake and some Japanese gifts, Japanese staples/treats. However, I miss being able to go have a nice sit-down sushi dinner with my husband and friends. I hope that someday they reopen that space! I am lucky I work right in Harvard Square, because it's really easy for me to pop over and snag some yummies to bring home for dinner on those nights we don't feel like cooking. Sushi time! read more

Fantastic chirashi. The sashimi was very fresh with no fishy smell or aftertaste. I was also pleasantly surprised by the sushi rice. It was seasoned with ginger and nori and different from other bowls I've had. Lastly, everything was packaged very nicely. 5/5 for taste and presentation read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Chirashi - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Yummy but do not get the $40 sushi bowl . Overpriced. Very kind service and cute inside but small

This place has been hyped a lot. I thought the takeout experience was okay. Maybe the dine-in and omakase experience is better? They have a weekday platter for two deal where for $60 you get 12 pieces of nigiri and 2 rolls. The nigiri come topped with different sauces. I actually wasn't a big fan of the sauce pairings... I'd much rather prefer dipping "plain" nigiri in classic soy sauce and wasabi. The two rolls were good. Don't order from here if you don't like takuan/danmuji (the sweet yellow pickled radish) because one of the rolls was packed with this stuff! The takuan flavor kind of overpowered everything else which was a bit of a letdown. The fish was very fresh and the presentation was great. I wasn't a fan of the flavor combinations though, and I feel like that was what I was paying for. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 seems fair. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Weekday platter for two - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I ordered the weeknight sushi box for one- Great sushi quality and selection, definitely on the pricer side tho read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Sushi Week Weeknight Box for One - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Apparently this is the best Sushi Spot in the Cambridge area, so I had to give it a try. I ordered via UberEats as they had some discount going. We decided to order Vegetable Gyoza, Spicy Salmon Roll, and a Teriyaki Salmon Bento Box. The veggie Gyoza tasted really good. I'm not sure what was in it but it was delicious. The sushi roll and bento box were also fresh. The salmon was hot when arrived and everything was packaged well. Definitely the better sushi I've had, though it is priced like a fancy high end space, which it isn't. If you're feeling like splurging on good sushi takeout then definitely is worth a try. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Gyoza and Spicy Salmon Roll - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Seems like they only do takeout/delivery since Covid, which is the only downside in my opinion. Sushi is great - specifically the chef's sampler platter. To be honest, that's all I've ever ordered from here, and it's some of the best sushi I've had in Cambridge. You can't go wrong with the fatty tuna and the mackerel. read more

There are parties of Cafe Sushi Shoten that are disregardful, not proper and that have several times demonstrated for practices that are deceptive, dishonest and abusive. Especially, Zach Lieberman, whom in the past has attempted to silence and impede the communication presenting the concerns. I have wanted to share recommendations for those wanting for a proper experience: Sugidama Soba & Izakaya Nagomi Izakaya read more

Definitely miss the days where you could sit down and order sushi at Cafe Sushi but nonetheless the take out sushi from here did not disappoint. We ordered online and the order was ready very promptly. We got the Weekend Platter which was more than enough sushi for two of us. The fish were all fresh with good amount in each nigiri. Not a bargain price for the platter but the sushi was definitely better than most offerings in Boston. To go with our sushi, we had to grab some sake as well. It was super convenient to be able to go next door, which is associated with Cafe Sushi, for Japanese brews and sake. There are a lot of options but you will have great assistance to help you choose what your palate desires. Overall, this is a sushi place I can rely on day in day out. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Weekend Platter - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Nigiri has never come close to Cafe Sushi's Signature Sampler in terms of freshness, creativity and value - highly recommend! I have been here several times and tried many of their menu items and have always walked away extremely happy. The place itself is very small and generally packed due to it's popularity with the locals. So once they do reopen for dine-in, reservations are recommended. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Ordered sushi through DoorDash earlier today. Got 3 tuna rolls with 1 salmon roll. I've been a long time customer but have never been as screwed over as I was tonight. There was basically no tuna in any of the rolls which is incredibly disappointing. Will no longer be ordering from cafe sushi going forward. No issue with the salmon rolls which is why I'm giving 1 star. read more

Always friendly. Efficient service and tidy space. Food is delicious, with some interesting combos.

Cafe sushi serves more authentic style of sushi and of great, fresh quality. Not surprisingly, the restaurant seemed to always have a line of wait, especially during weekends where many people chose to dine out. I had a chance to try their omakase sushi and thought it was good. It's just a simple set of sushi along with a bowl of miso soup...so the meal felt light and didn't make you feel super stuff like other restaurants would after you ate. I'd personally consider returning to this place again. It's not cheap but not too expensive either. Just that you have to try to time it and come perhaps a bit before lunch/dinner closing time so you wouldn't have to wait in line for a long time. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Chef's sushi lunch (6 premium maki and 6 premium sushi of chef's choice) $17 - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Have been wanting to try this place for awhile, but not sure we'd come back. We stopped in, and our daughter was really hungry. We ordered right away, just 2 veggie rolls, salmon roll and yellowtail roll. We were the only 3 people in the restaurant, and it took half an hour to get our food. I'm pretty sure they totally forgot about us, because when I came up 25 minutes after we ordered, they were filling up the fridge with sushi plates they had just made, and said they were "working on" our order. Five minutes later, they brought down our simple order. The veggie rolls and salmon roll were good. The yellowtail roll was not great, especially for $20. read more

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**TO GO Review** Worth it? Yes Repeat? Yes!! Fresh, authentic sushi. No frills, just great nigiri. This place has been touted as the sushi place other sushi chefs go to eat and I can see why. The Ikura... is the best I've tasted in all the US sushi joints... and I ate it TO GO!! Can't imagine how much better it can be. It's that good. The perfect amount of soy seasoned and tout plumpness of the roe. Every other Ikura across the US just disappoints me. It's ruined me. Ate it twice in 4 days. It's on the pricier side but worth it x2. Maybe x3 when I factor in the ikura read more

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TO GO REVIEW: The sushi here is over priced for what you're getting. The quality is good but I've never had such bland sushi in my life. It lacked flavor and was just blah. I've had gas station sushi that's way better. Wouldn't try this again read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

I got the 5 piece chef's selection. Unfortunately I have no idea what these pieces are. Would have been good to know what the chef's selected! I thought they would give more variety, I got 3 white fish that tasted very similar. Would be nice to have variety of different fish profiles (like a salmon?) I absolutely loved the tuna piece. It was delicious. If I knew what that one was, I would order it 10x read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Chefs selections (no idea what these were) - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Service here is always very good! The waiting staff are attentive. I definitely recommend making reservations because this place is very popular! The quality of food and presentation is generally good! I really enjoyed everything as I was eating. Unfortunately, my friend and I both came down with food poisoning after our meal... This was the only meal that we shared that day, and our doctors both diagnosed each of us with food poisoning. I may not come back, which is sad -- I thought I'd finally found a decent, local place to satisfy my sushi cravings. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Spicy salmon roll and futomaki - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

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I ate here a couple of years ago (February 2019), recently found the pictures, and needed to post a review. This is one of the best meals in my memory. I had an amazing time eating here. I started off with the kani sunomono salad, which is cucumber, wakame seaweed, vinegar dressing, and topped with snow crab. There was so much snow crab. Amazing. Next, I ordered the signature sampler. This came with 5 pieces of nigiri. Maguro zuke: house-cured tuna, yuzu kosho, and scallion. Hiramasa crudo: yellowtail kingfish, basil oil, balsamic, tomato, and lemon. Madai fresca: wasabi oil, lemon, and west virginia salt. Salmon aburi: seared salmon belly, aburi ponzu, and scallion. Branzino gomadare: branzino, iced onion, and sesame sauce. All of them were fantastic. I needed more of the amazing food, so I ordered a selection of nigiri pieces. I chose more salmon belly, king salmon, tuna, snow crab, and avocado. The avocado nigiri was torched with truffle oil and SO GOOD. My favorite out of everything was the salmon aburi, but I would be lucky to eat anything from this establishment again. read more

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I came here on a Monday evening after work. We were a group of 3 with a reservation. It was empty when walk in but the tables and sushi bar were full by the time we left. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful with deciding what to choose / what's the most popular dishes that customers order. She was very prompt throughout our time there. When she wasn't in sight, one of the hosts would walk around and top up anyone's water glass. We ordered the Chef's Nigiri Sampler. I wish I could tell you what were the selections that night but I can only remember the barracuda with pickled cabbage and swordfish- I had this one and it. was. delectable! We then ordered a Crunch Roll which was my favourite, Spicy Tuna, Spicy Salmon and Futomaki (without egg). The Futomaki was 5 rolls but big. All in all it was a very nice ambience with good service and good sushi. I have to come back and try a chef sampler for myself next time! read more

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This is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants. I come often but because the food is so good I often get distracted by the eating and forget to take photos (maybe that's how eating should be though: enjoy the here and now rather than be preoccupied with taking a photo of the meal :-D). I've never ordered anything off the menu that I didn't 100% love. I suggest the unique and super fresh and tasty omasake experience. For regular dinner I like the hamachi kama (broiled fish collar, with daikon & lemon which takes about 20 min to make) and any of their signature sushi creations because they're all awesomely fresh and tasty. Try their crudo, ikura, Maguro Tataki, and seared avocado. Whatever you get will consistently be high quality and uniquely delicious. I'm glad that they now have reservations online because they're pretty awful with phone reservations as they had a very odd policy which I never quite understood (eg they put my name down but needed me to leave by a narrow time window). Service issues existed in the past. I've always overlooked because the wonderful food made it worthwhile to me. read more

Cafe Sushi Shoten - Japanese Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

Walked past this place many times, and finally decided to give it a try. We went around 7pm on a weekday and did not make a reservation, but were seated right away. I would recommend a reservation. The restaurant has a nice ambience with simple interior design. It looks better in person than in the pictures. I also don't think it's particularly noisy or loud. Overall we enjoyed the food! We got seaweed salad, Umi Masu (irish ocean trout), Seared Hiramasa Maki, and Unakyu Maki. The fish are fresh and the sushi rice is not cold (which I preferred). I personally think the Umi Masu was cooked with too much oily. Service was a bit slow, but I felt like the food was prepared with care. read more

Gluten free sushi HEAVEN! We ordered here for our anniversary dinner and it was perfect -- a few rolls, the signature sampler, and sake. I loved the GF stickers + GF soy sauce, which made me feel super comfortable eating without any stress. Delicious meal and perfectly paired sake. My boyfriend is not GF, so he could order anything on the menu! He got the crunchy roll and loved it. read more

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The lunch menu (served on weekends too) has a lot of good options for a decent price. Sushi bento comes with 5 pieces of sashimi, 4 pieces of sushi, a crab roll, seaweed salad, rice, shumai. Not to mention miso soup and salad. Sushi lunch is a good option if you'd rather more sushi and less bento sides. We also tried the salmon tosa maki, which has an interesting "iced onion" ingredient. Lunch hours are limited and often packed, but if you can get there by 12:30pm, it's little to no line. There's actually a good number of seats inside, despite looking like only a bar area from the outside. If I ever craved sushi again while in Cambridge, I would definitely try to come here. read more