Extremely fresh fish with generous portions in a casual, underground space…read more I think this is a reasonably priced establishment for the level of fish (phenomenal) and service (reasonable and attentive, but not like a fancier sit down restaurant) that you get. I am always surprised at how full I am when I leave! I'm stuffed every time. There is complementary miso soup with all of the bowls I've tried, outlined below. I really loved all of the bowls I've tried but my favorites are probably the Sake Aisuru Don and Kuromon Don. I just prefer more salmon to more tuna though, and they're all very good! Food: - Sake Aisuru Don: their classic all-salmon bowl! I loved the larger cuts of salmon, and I was pleasantly surprised that even the more pulverized salmon was flavorful! - Kuromon Don: loved the yellowtail in this! Each fish comes with two pieces (except the mackerel for which there are four), and I liked the sampler style for the salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and izumidai. - Maguro Toro Don: so much tuna! And all such high quality. The otoro was so fatty that it practically melted in my mouth without chewing. - Sake Maguro Hamachi Don: a mix of salmon, blue fin tuna, and yellowtail. I liked the yellowtail in this a lot and found that it stood out the most from the other two fish in this particular bowl!

Came to Boston for a work trip and really wanted to eat something light and healthier. I loved it…read moreso much I came back twice! I came during lunchtime on a Monday. It was adequately busy but still had seats open. The lunch menu is very affordable! If you can, I'd highly recommend going for lunch instead of dinner. Service was really quick! Received my meal in like 5-7 mins after ordering. Fish was super fresh and I really liked the different textures in the Hoseki Don. I also added in negitoro. They gave me a big clump of it! The second time I went back, I ordered take out so I could eat it at the airport for dinner. I ordered the Sake Maguro Hamachi don, added ikura and negitoro. Again, so impressed with the quality of the fish and the size of it. They didn't skimp out and really enjoyed the thickness of the sashimi despite it only being 3 pieces. It was a very satiating bowl. Cant wait to come back next time again!

This charming little restaurant a few steps down from the sidewalk is a lovely addition to the…read morerestaurant choices in the neighborhood. The decor is bright and cheerful and the room (and restrooms) sparkling clean. The service is quick, gracious and calm. And the food is delicious! I don't care to eat meat, so it was wonderful to have several selections of vegan and pescatarian dishes to choose from. My husband and I enjoyed the soups we chose and want to come back to try the cold noodle dishes.

Nothing beats a place where they have 12-year-old Asian kids from working. The service here can…read morerange from slow to normal considering that the place itself is not very big. The restaurant focuses mostly on soba or udon noodle dishes with a good selection between hot and cold options. It's not going to be the best udon or soba you've ever had. HOWEVER, I tried the cold ikura & uni cold soba and LOVED it. It's seasonal, so I tried that one out and was extremely surprised about how much I enjoyed the bowl. Not too much soup and the uni didn't completely obliterate when I stirred it up. They do use American wasabi though, and I found it superfluous to the dish and wished it was served on the side. But regardless, despite not having some extremely high quality noodles, the flavor and experience of the bowl itself was super pleasant. I ended up coming back the very next day because I wanted to try their clam soba. The clam soba only comes hot, which is a bit unfortunately because I actually think a cold clam soba with some lemon or yuzu would be phenomenol. I've been seeing recipes for it online so I've been wanting to try it, but their clam soba is a lot more standard and hot. They had a very good amount of clams in it, but I generally like their cold soba better. Still good, but didn't give me that feeling of needing to come back the very next day like I did with the ikura-uni combo. Overall, I'd still come back when I'm in downtown!

Shojo was amazing, from the food to the service. I was catching up with my friends but the service…read moreblew me away. All of the staff were so incredibly friendly as well. I love those place and will continue to come here as a patron. Shout out to Elaine for being the best bartender ever!!

Drinks are EXCELLENT, food... not so much. The Tea Garden and Journey to the West cocktails were…read moreboth very very good, no complaints at all. Cool presentation, well balanced, just great. For food, I had the bone marrow and the edamame dumplings. The bone marrow came in a huge bone, but I got literally two small bites of actual marrow. Based on the pictures others have posted, I think I got a little unlucky, and I might have forgiven it if the scallion pancakes were great, but unfortunately they weren't. Weirdly floury and very bland. The edamame dumplings were ok, but I wasn't a fan of the soup/sauce. I tasted more citrus than truffle or corn, and it was too thin to really be a soup. The dumplings were fine but kind of bland too. And both dishes were WAY too small for the price--$38 before tax for five veggie dumplings and two small pancakes??? Service was perfectly friendly, no shade to the staff. But sorry--come to drink, not to eat.

There is a steady line here even when they open. The space is small and you can be seated with…read moreother people. The waitress was really nice and very knowledgeable. There seems to be a lot of take out so if you're at a nearby hotel, it would be easy to order and take it back. TONKOTSU KARA MISO RAMEN - Very tasty with a little spice, the ramen noodles seem fresh. BARA TORO CHA-SYU - pork cheek - very good and very worth the extra money to add it on. The flavor is fantastic and they put it on the side so it doesn't overcook. NEGI NAMBAN - Our favorite of the two bowls ordered. The menu says to beware of the spice, but it is not bad. I added the chili oil that was on the counter. I was very happy with my order and would order this Ramen again. We got a side of the marinated hard boiled egg, cooked perfectly and it was great. We ordered the regular sized bowl and we were both very full and ready for a walk. There was another ramen bowl that was on a limited time menu, but we didn't see it so maybe next time.

Vegetarians have one choice but it's a very good choice . You won't be disappointed. We added…read moreedamame, egg, chili paste and jalapeno on the side. Service is fast and super attentive. We sat in the patio outside and the weather was on our side and couldn't be perfect. It was a dinner with my daughter and she hadn't had anything since the morning. And this is one of her favorite places. The ramen was perfect and so were the vegetables. The protein looked too real like meat but it is soy. Totally a great meal to enjoy. Will definitely be back. Service is fast and quick.

I'm slightly obsessed…read more Randomly ran into this place in a desperate late night hunt for noodles and since then have been there five times. Every time I'm like "where should I go in downtown" I just get stuck on this place like it's worn a groove in my brain. Like one of RFK's brain worms. It's a little confusing to order but basically you pick a soup, pick a spicy level (burn your face or burn your colon) and then add an absurd amount of toppings. Then they deliver a bowl the size of your head (or my head, I have a big head) and you kind of reconsider your life decisions. I like this over the other hot pot tech because my two greatest weaknesses are cooking and choosing. At least this takes out one of those. High marks to the sour cabbage broth - the slight vinegary tang is actually magic. Brain worm inducing magic. But don't go here. Because it's small and I want to make sure I have a seat.

I was really disappointed with this restaurant…read more We ordered the $17.99 combo, and while the portion was large, it was mostly cabbage and bean sprouts with very little beef. The beef itself had a strange taste and wasn't enjoyable at all. When I asked for chopped green onions, they told me they had already run out. The food also lacked flavor, so I asked for chili sauce since it is only chili oil with almost no actual chili sauce. When I mentioned it, they said that's just how they make it. It got even more ridiculous. They serve Coke, but when I asked for a cup of ice, they said they didn't have any ice left!!! We also ordered the crispy pork for $8.99, and the portion was surprisingly small for the price. The service wasn't good either. Our bill came to about $44, and I still left a $6 tip even though I wasn't happy with the experience. Instead of thanking us, the server ( a lady) came over and complained that my tip was "just under 15%" and said their restaurant expects a minimum 15% tip and started to give a nasty attitude after! Honestly, after hearing that, I almost wanted to take the tip back. Tips should be earned through good food and good service, not demanded. Overall, this meal was a huge disappointment, and I would not recommend this restaurant.

Absolutely top-notch vegan ramen. Coming from Vancouver, BC, where we have a killer…read more(vegan-friendly) ramen scene, I am a tough customer for ramen when visiting elsewhere. But this place completely lives up. 6 different ramens, $17.95 for the regular bowls. I was recommended the red hot miso ramen, a spicy option. You order up at the counter, and they give you a buzzer that buzzes when your ramen is ready to grab at the counter. The ramen was ready in under 10 minutes. First, the broth was remarkably complex and rich, with an endless depth that never became too overbearing -- perfect. The noodles were perfectly cooked as well, served up in a decent portion. Toppings-wise, you get tofu, soy crumble, corn, arugula, and sprouts, along with plenty of sesame seeds. I would've liked some proper greens (other than a few raw arugula leafs), but that's the most minor of complaints. Service was decent enough -- informative and helpful in describing the options. All in all, top-notch vegan ramen. Highest recommendation.

I have been dreading writing this review, because as much as I wanted to love this place - I…read moreprobably had one of the worst eating experiences ever. Swung by this place on a weekday for lunch to avoid the rush - most weekends I pass by this place and the line wraps around the street! My friend and I stepped in and were immediately greeted with a sour attitude. We were confused on the menu whether our ramen included chili oil or not, and the staff did not help explain anything and just quickly dismissed our questions to get us to order quicker. Once we sat down, the food was done relatively quickly. However I was very surprised on what we had gotten. Now I admit - I am not a vegetarian. However, I have enjoyed many vegetarian meals and this was quite upsetting. We both got the garlic miso ramen. The ramen was not temperature hot at all. The chili oil was not flavorful. The "soy meat" was simply just mushed tofu with awful texture, and it soaked into the soup and created a pretty unpleasant texture (I took a picture which makes me sad and unappetized). I was unable to finish my bowl. The food combined with the service made for a pretty negative time for me. I really wanted to love it - a place with a full vegetarian menu is amazing for all my friends who have that restriction! Maybe if they tried pan frying the tofu create a better textural experience? I will not plan to come back, and will highly recommend you go to any other restaurant in Back Bay.

was craving hotpot after a long day while visiting boston from out of town -- came in with a group…read moreof five and three on the way, and got seated pretty much immediately. service was wonderful -- the woman serving us was super accommodating and answered all our questions, and the food came out in a timely manner. for our side of the table, we ordered a split pot with the pork bone and the cilantro broths. both were delicious; we were halfway done just drinking soup before the meat and vegetables came. meat portions were generous and quality was good, plus the vegetable offerings seemed fresh and plentiful. we also ordered a few appetizers: spicy fries, shrimp pancake, and crispy pork jowl -- all lived up to and even exceeded expectations. was a great experience all around to end the day off, and prices were affordable for the group.

This is a basically a bibimbap review. I ordered the beef bibimbap. The beef was baaaaaaad. The…read moreveggies were super lacking. I actually shoved the dish away. must have been the worst b'bap I've had. Decor waitstaff, fine. Buildings always been a bit odd, but that's not bad.

Went here with a large group for a quick convention lunch. Our group had a diverse set of tastes,…read moreso a place like this with a wide variety of noodle dishes and soups was perfect. Everyone was able to order something that they really enjoyed for a reasonable price. The atmosphere was perfect and the staff handled our large party with ease.

If you're wanting some amazing appetizers, you gotta stop in this place for one of their munchies…read more The day we happen to pop in, there was a 50% off munchies happy hour and we were delighted to take part in that! I really love pho so I was happy to see pho ga on the list for noodle soups. It comes with a little bowl of sprouts and basil, if you ask, you can get a little more basil, our waiter was very accommodating. They have some amazing vegan options and we also got the curry laksa, roasted mushroom dumplings, and also the green beans. WOW, the green beans were ah-maz-ing. I could not stop eating them. The mushroom dumplings were HUGE and very filling. One of the waitstaff was wearing a red oil dumpling shirt, and so we decided to order one of those as well. All in all, loved the experience, ambiance and seriously the food came out so fast.