I haven't been to Izakaya Ittoku since the renovation, and it's great. The interior is great, and…read morethey share a space with Yume Ga Arukara (I also highly recommend). Everything we got was delicious, from the okonomyaki, addicting cabbage, crab croquette and skewers. I will definitely be coming back soon. The lemon sour was ok, a little too lemony and didn't taste like the ones in Japan. Our waitress was great, and very attentive. The entrance is outside the building, off Mass Ave. They also offer a parking discount.

Good-OK. Not great. Can get pricey…read more Food: B-. Some good. Some are ok. Some are not ok. Service: C+. Not well trained. The server walked out on me. Impatient. The owner san is nice. Ambience: B. Very busy and noise which is what it meant to be.

The Sakana roll was so good - definitely the move if you want something more flavorful with a…read morelittle spice. The salmon and tuna donburi is a solid classic meal too. You really can't go wrong with salmon, tuna, and rice. Service was quick and attentive throughout.

Still my GO TO sushi place cuz I love their Cambridge Garden roll. Very unique!!! However, the…read moreportions and their prices are becoming more and more ridiculous. $20 for a tiny roll?! $10 for a small thing of shishito peppers?! Outrageous ... especially during these times. I still fully recommend this place for the taste and quality, but the amount you get for the price is pure heartache. Can't comment on the ambiance cuz I always UberEats this, but for the service, it's always very quick and exactly how we order it.

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!

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.

What a great hole-in-the-wall Japanese food spot in the Shops at Porter food area. We came here for…read morelunch on a weekend, and were seated with no wait. We got the veggie don and the saba miso set to share. Both came with a bowl of miso soup and were filling-but-not-stuffed portion sizes. They both had delicious flavors, which were the perfect balance of sweet and savory, but not too much so. The service was friendly and fast, with our food being made and served fresh very quickly after we placed our orders. I would definitely come back to try more of their menu items!

Cafe Mami is a Japanese comfort food spot that focuses on simple, hearty dishes like curry rice,…read morekatsu, hamburg steak, and donburi-style meals. We walked into a fairly small space tucked away in Porter Square, with more of a functional, casual feel rather than a polished dining room. The seating was tight and the room filled up quickly, making it clear that this was the kind of place people go for a quick, filling meal rather than a long sit-down experience. The standout here is definitely the Japanese curry and katsu combinations. We ordered the pork tonkatsu curry, a go-to for many, and found it came with a thick, crispy cutlet served over rich curry sauce and rice. The curry itself leaned comforting and slightly sweet-savory in a way that felt very classic and approachable. The portions were generous for the price, and the hamburg steak and oyakodon were also solid options if you wanted something different from fried cutlet dishes. The food came out hot and well assembled, and the flavors were consistent with what we were hoping for. Service was fast and handled by a very small staff, so things moved quickly once we ordered. Because of how busy it can get during peak hours and how limited the seating is, there was a bit of a rush feel to the experience. It worked well as a quick lunch or casual dinner, but it was not really a place to linger for long. The seating situation is probably the biggest drawback. It fills up quickly, and the space feels tight, especially when there is a line forming. That said, the turnover is fast enough that you usually do not have to wait too long, even when it looks crowded from outside. Overall, Cafe Mami is a reliable spot for Japanese comfort food in the Porter Square area. The value is strong, the portions are generous, and the curry dishes are consistently satisfying. It is not fancy, but it does exactly what it is meant to do well, which is serve quick, filling, and comforting Japanese meals.

I ordered the black garlic ramen and it was awesome! I loved how rich the broth was! The service…read morewas fantastic. They were quick and very energetic! The ambience was nice too. The price was indeed befitting for the taste.

I thought their signature shio broth was the best: creamy and porky. It tasted like it has been…read moresimmering for hours. As some of the other reviewers mentioned, it was greasy. The miso broth was not bad, but the miso flavor dominated the rich pork broth, so I got less of the pork flavor. The noodles were firm, but I was disappointed with the scant toppings. My bowl only had 1 thin fish cake, 3 bamboo strips, and few wood ear mushroom strings (1 star off). Even the pork piece was small, about the size of 3 bamboo strips. Most other ramen places I have been to include an abundance of toppings or even a soft-boiled egg. I guess the ramen bowl here could fill a craving, but not one I would go out of my way for. One annoying thing that happened with us is that our waiter gave us the runaround to get an advertised $1 discount with a student ID (1 star off). My son showed his student ID and then the waiter said we have to download their app too. I downloaded it, but then he said the app account needs to be in my son's name. I then changed the account to my son's name and showed him. Then the waiter said the email needs to be his school email address. Eh, nowhere on Earth does a *restaurant* marketing app requires a student's school email address. Then he started asking if my son goes to college or high school, and that he needs to clear with his manager if a high school ID is okay. At this point, it just seems like he was trying to make things extra difficult for us. He eventually said he got "permission" from his manager to apply the $1 discount for my son's high school ID. Good Lord -- this is not worth it at this point and left a negative impression about the establishment.

My husband and I came to Momi Nonmi for an anniversary dinner and thoroughly enjoyed our…read moreexperience! As we made our way inside the restaurant, Chef Chris took the time to greet us and since we were the first ones there for our time slot, he gave us the option to pick any table we wanted for our omakase experience. He is very personable and took the time to get to know us and talk a bit about his background. The tables were split into separate sections so that you were seated only with your party which I thought was a nice setup, especially for a date night. We decided to do the Grand Slam Omakase with 16 courses with a specially selected sake pairing. Chef Chris took the time to explain each course, with several of the components being made in-house. I was an especially big fan of the Hokkaido scallop course but everything was phenomenal, especially the nigiri. You can tell that every aspect of every course is crafted thoughtfully and with care. If you are looking for an omakase experience, I would definitely recommend reserving a time at Momi Nonmi!

Outstanding sake dinner pairing rare seasonal sake releases from guest producer with premium small…read moreplates prepared by the chef. Looking forward to the next one!

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.