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Five different pieces of nigiri are lined up on a long black rectangular plate on a wooden table.
Nigiri at Ebi Sushi in Somerville.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

The 16 Best Sushi Restaurants in the Boston Area

From simple perfection to mountains of gold flakes and truffles

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Nigiri at Ebi Sushi in Somerville.
| Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

There's no shortage of seafood in the Boston area, and sushi has carved out quite a niche for itself among the lobster rolls and fried clams and crudos of the region. Want to go on a Boston sushi journey? Here's some of the best around, spanning a variety of neighborhoods, prices, and styles. From a quick order of salmon sashimi to an hours-long omakase feast, there's something for every sushi lover.

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Umami Omakase

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Only open since late 2019, Umami Omakase is a fairly new addition to the Boston area’s high-end omakase scene, but the young spot has been wowing diners since day one. Uni alum Gary Lei is at the helm, and plenty of luxury ingredients come out to play, from wagyu to foie gras. Umami is currently offering only 18-course omakase meals for dine-in customers, no a la carte options. A la carte items are available for takeout, though, which you must preorder at least a day ahead of time.

A rare, barely torched piece of A5 wagyu sits atop white rice at a sushi bar
A5 wagyu at Umami Omakase.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Washoku Renaissance at Foundation Kitchen

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Chef Youji Iwakura’s outstanding downtown Boston Japanese restaurant Kamakura has sadly closed, but fans can still experience his sushi skills via takeout at Foundation Kitchen, a shared culinary workspace in Charlestown. Keep an eye on the schedule and plan ahead for modern sushi and chirashi takeout boxes.

Ebi Sushi

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Open since 2011, Ebi Sushi is a neighborhood favorite in Somerville's Union Square, and it got a really snazzy remodel in 2021, making it a great spot for a date night. Order any of the day's specials, especially if there’s torched salmon belly. The owners are longtime alums of the now-defunct Blue Fin in Cambridge's Porter Exchange.

A pyramid of sushi rolls topped with a crunchy coating sits on a large black plank, which also holds several pieces of nigiri
Omakase nigiri and volcano roll at Ebi Sushi.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Momi Nonmi

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Momi Nonmi opened in late 2017 as a cozy little izakaya in Inman Square with just a few sashimi options among items like grilled meat skewers, rice balls, and hints of Hawaiian cuisine, not to mention an enviable sake list. Over the course of the pandemic, though, the restaurant has doubled down on sushi, offering extensive omakase meals — currently available for dine-in as well as takeout, which you need to preorder at least 24 hours in advance — and some a la carte sashimi, too.

Very thinly sliced circles of daikon are arranged in a delicate circle on a black plate with raw black sea bass piled in the middle with some other ingredients.
“The rose,” a dish previously available at Momi Nonmi, featuring black sea bass, daikon, aka nori, smoked tea ponzu, and tsukemon.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Cafe Sushi

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Ask any chef in town: Many will say that Cafe Sushi — open for the better part of four decades — is the best not-so-hidden gem around. In pre-COVID times, the reason to go was the epic omakase, a seemingly endless parade of dishes that alternated between traditional and unusual. During the pandemic, Cafe Sushi pivoted to only doing takeout and delivery, which is how they’re serving up the sushi now, including a variety of chef’s choice samplers, bento boxes, and maki.

Three pieces of sushi are lined up on a speckled blue-ish gray plate. A carafe of sake is visible in the background.
One course of omakase at Cafe Sushi, from left: kanpachi with aged soy, poblano taki-miso, kaiware; o-toro with aged soy, shiso, hon-wasabi; shima aji with wasabi oil, mint orange.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

The Mad Monkfish

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Though this restaurant is no longer named Thelonious Monkfish, it retains other music references: Prepare to eat Mood Indigo maki, Gaga's Monster rolls, and Monk's Dream rolls. Plus, there’s live jazz on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Aside from sushi, the Mad Monkfish menu also offers a huge variety of Asian fusion cuisine.

At Ruka — one of the most attractive spaces in Downtown Crossing — it’s all about Nikkei cuisine, the intersection between Peruvian and Japanese food. On the sushi side of the equation, that means rolls made with avocado, aji amarillo mayo, and crispy rock shrimp, for example, as well as yellowfin tuna with cucumber and puffed quinoa.

A round plate of sushi is garnished with an orchid and chile oil.
A pretty plate of sushi at Ruka.
Ruka

Fish Market Sushi Bar

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Over a decade old, this tiny Allston staple, helmed by a couple of Oishii alums, remains a crowd-pleaser, featuring lovely dishes that push the bounds of tradition (as well as some more classic options). There are some hot dishes from the kitchen, too, for those in the mood for something other than sushi.

Several pieces of sashimi sit on a white plate on a wooden counter
A sashimi lunch combo at Fish Market.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

The ultimate in special-occasion sushi, O Ya will take your wallet, politely squeeze hundreds of dollars out of it, and hand it back to you, along with hours and hours of gorgeous, high-end dishes. Pay attention to the restaurant's sophisticated sake program as well.

Several pieces of lobster sushi topped with caviar sit on a white plate.
O Ya’s “legs and eggs.”
Bill Addison/Eater

Oppa Sushi

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Fish Market doesn’t hold the monopoly on Allston sushi: Oppa, right on bustling Harvard Avenue, is another neighborhood favorite. It debuted in mid-2014 and serves a giant menu of sushi — including plenty of combos and boats — as well as Korean food, including bibimbap and lots more. Keep an eye out for specials.

Truffles and caviar. Wagyu and quail eggs. At Uni, which expanded into its big sibling Clio's space in early 2016, Ken Oringer and David Bazirgan offer beautiful sushi made with luxurious ingredients and a price tag to match. This one’s a worthy special-occasion splurge — or any night you’re feeling a little fancy.

This Back Bay destination has been charming sushi lovers for over a decade, serving up a variety of sushi, sashimi, and special rolls such as the neighborhood homage, the Back Bay: asparagus, cucumber, and avocado with seared tuna and wasabi mayo. It's an easy lunch choice for those in the area thanks to the variety of sushi combos and bento boxes available.

Its tiny older sibling in Chestnut Hill closed in late 2018 after 20 years of accolades, saddening a loyal fan base, but the larger and flashier South End location of Oishii is still going strong, full of sushi, foie gras, and things on fire.

Raw salmon is draped over a wooden dowel suspended above a fire, which is searing the fish
Flaming salmon at Oishii Boston.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Laughing Monk Cafe

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This Brigham Circle spot has quietly gained a following for its impressive omakase in particular, which can be ordered for takeout and delivery. There’s plenty of sushi on the regular menu as well, and it’s all made with brown rice. (Laughing Monk has a second sushi spot in Wellesley.)

A single piece of sushi sits on a turquoise plate with dots of a yellow sauce to its side
The Golden Naga at Laughing Monk Cafe.
Laughing Monk Cafe

Chiharu Sushi & Noodle

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Open since mid-2017, Chiharu is owned by Mei Pan, of Allston’s now-defunct May’s Cafe, and Qun Li, an alum of Haru and Mix-It. At this Brookline restaurant, the duo is serving up plenty of sushi alongside ramen and more, all the while maintaining stellar ratings across all corners of the internet. Chiharu is the ideal solution when one part of the group is in the mood for sushi and others are looking for noodle-filled soups.

JP Seafood Cafe

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A pre-2000 old-timer, JP Seafood Cafe has been pleasing throngs of Jamaica Plain fish lovers for decades. Filled with aquariums and artwork, JP Seafood Cafe offers a large range of sushi, both traditional and a little outside the box, as well as Korean and Japanese snacks and entrees from the kitchen.

Umami Omakase

Only open since late 2019, Umami Omakase is a fairly new addition to the Boston area’s high-end omakase scene, but the young spot has been wowing diners since day one. Uni alum Gary Lei is at the helm, and plenty of luxury ingredients come out to play, from wagyu to foie gras. Umami is currently offering only 18-course omakase meals for dine-in customers, no a la carte options. A la carte items are available for takeout, though, which you must preorder at least a day ahead of time.

A rare, barely torched piece of A5 wagyu sits atop white rice at a sushi bar
A5 wagyu at Umami Omakase.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Washoku Renaissance at Foundation Kitchen

Chef Youji Iwakura’s outstanding downtown Boston Japanese restaurant Kamakura has sadly closed, but fans can still experience his sushi skills via takeout at Foundation Kitchen, a shared culinary workspace in Charlestown. Keep an eye on the schedule and plan ahead for modern sushi and chirashi takeout boxes.

Ebi Sushi

Open since 2011, Ebi Sushi is a neighborhood favorite in Somerville's Union Square, and it got a really snazzy remodel in 2021, making it a great spot for a date night. Order any of the day's specials, especially if there’s torched salmon belly. The owners are longtime alums of the now-defunct Blue Fin in Cambridge's Porter Exchange.

A pyramid of sushi rolls topped with a crunchy coating sits on a large black plank, which also holds several pieces of nigiri
Omakase nigiri and volcano roll at Ebi Sushi.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Momi Nonmi

Momi Nonmi opened in late 2017 as a cozy little izakaya in Inman Square with just a few sashimi options among items like grilled meat skewers, rice balls, and hints of Hawaiian cuisine, not to mention an enviable sake list. Over the course of the pandemic, though, the restaurant has doubled down on sushi, offering extensive omakase meals — currently available for dine-in as well as takeout, which you need to preorder at least 24 hours in advance — and some a la carte sashimi, too.

Very thinly sliced circles of daikon are arranged in a delicate circle on a black plate with raw black sea bass piled in the middle with some other ingredients.
“The rose,” a dish previously available at Momi Nonmi, featuring black sea bass, daikon, aka nori, smoked tea ponzu, and tsukemon.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

Cafe Sushi

Ask any chef in town: Many will say that Cafe Sushi — open for the better part of four decades — is the best not-so-hidden gem around. In pre-COVID times, the reason to go was the epic omakase, a seemingly endless parade of dishes that alternated between traditional and unusual. During the pandemic, Cafe Sushi pivoted to only doing takeout and delivery, which is how they’re serving up the sushi now, including a variety of chef’s choice samplers, bento boxes, and maki.

Three pieces of sushi are lined up on a speckled blue-ish gray plate. A carafe of sake is visible in the background.
One course of omakase at Cafe Sushi, from left: kanpachi with aged soy, poblano taki-miso, kaiware; o-toro with aged soy, shiso, hon-wasabi; shima aji with wasabi oil, mint orange.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

The Mad Monkfish

Though this restaurant is no longer named Thelonious Monkfish, it retains other music references: Prepare to eat Mood Indigo maki, Gaga's Monster rolls, and Monk's Dream rolls. Plus, there’s live jazz on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Aside from sushi, the Mad Monkfish menu also offers a huge variety of Asian fusion cuisine.

Ruka

At Ruka — one of the most attractive spaces in Downtown Crossing — it’s all about Nikkei cuisine, the intersection between Peruvian and Japanese food. On the sushi side of the equation, that means rolls made with avocado, aji amarillo mayo, and crispy rock shrimp, for example, as well as yellowfin tuna with cucumber and puffed quinoa.

A round plate of sushi is garnished with an orchid and chile oil.
A pretty plate of sushi at Ruka.
Ruka

Fish Market Sushi Bar

Over a decade old, this tiny Allston staple, helmed by a couple of Oishii alums, remains a crowd-pleaser, featuring lovely dishes that push the bounds of tradition (as well as some more classic options). There are some hot dishes from the kitchen, too, for those in the mood for something other than sushi.

Several pieces of sashimi sit on a white plate on a wooden counter
A sashimi lunch combo at Fish Market.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater Boston

O Ya

The ultimate in special-occasion sushi, O Ya will take your wallet, politely squeeze hundreds of dollars out of it, and hand it back to you, along with hours and hours of gorgeous, high-end dishes. Pay attention to the restaurant's sophisticated sake program as well.

Several pieces of lobster sushi topped with caviar sit on a white plate.
O Ya’s “legs and eggs.”
Bill Addison/Eater

Oppa Sushi

Fish Market doesn’t hold the monopoly on Allston sushi: Oppa, right on bustling Harvard Avenue, is another neighborhood favorite. It debuted in mid-2014 and serves a giant menu of sushi — including plenty of combos and boats — as well as Korean food, including bibimbap and lots more. Keep an eye out for specials.

Uni

Truffles and caviar. Wagyu and quail eggs. At Uni, which expanded into its big sibling Clio's space in early 2016, Ken Oringer and David Bazirgan offer beautiful sushi made with luxurious ingredients and a price tag to match. This one’s a worthy special-occasion splurge — or any night you’re feeling a little fancy.

Douzo

This Back Bay destination has been charming sushi lovers for over a decade, serving up a variety of sushi, sashimi, and special rolls such as the neighborhood homage, the Back Bay: asparagus, cucumber, and avocado with seared tuna and wasabi mayo. It's an easy lunch choice for those in the area thanks to the variety of sushi combos and bento boxes available.

Oishii

Its tiny older sibling in Chestnut Hill closed in late 2018 after 20 years of accolades, saddening a loyal fan base, but the larger and flashier South End location of Oishii is still going strong, full of sushi, foie gras, and things on fire.

Raw salmon is draped over a wooden dowel suspended above a fire, which is searing the fish
Flaming salmon at Oishii Boston.
Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Laughing Monk Cafe

This Brigham Circle spot has quietly gained a following for its impressive omakase in particular, which can be ordered for takeout and delivery. There’s plenty of sushi on the regular menu as well, and it’s all made with brown rice. (Laughing Monk has a second sushi spot in Wellesley.)

A single piece of sushi sits on a turquoise plate with dots of a yellow sauce to its side
The Golden Naga at Laughing Monk Cafe.
Laughing Monk Cafe

Chiharu Sushi & Noodle

Open since mid-2017, Chiharu is owned by Mei Pan, of Allston’s now-defunct May’s Cafe, and Qun Li, an alum of Haru and Mix-It. At this Brookline restaurant, the duo is serving up plenty of sushi alongside ramen and more, all the while maintaining stellar ratings across all corners of the internet. Chiharu is the ideal solution when one part of the group is in the mood for sushi and others are looking for noodle-filled soups.

Related Maps

JP Seafood Cafe

A pre-2000 old-timer, JP Seafood Cafe has been pleasing throngs of Jamaica Plain fish lovers for decades. Filled with aquariums and artwork, JP Seafood Cafe offers a large range of sushi, both traditional and a little outside the box, as well as Korean and Japanese snacks and entrees from the kitchen.

Related Maps