My girlfriend (@militzazik) and I were planning a lunch date via text, and when she suggested “Organic sush,” I immediately replied, “No. If you’re referring to Genki Ya.” So, she let me choose.
So what is my problem?
THERE ARE NO GOOD SUSHI PLACES IN BOSTON! (I wish I could triple underline that for even more emphasis…)
I love sushi. (Maybe even a bit obsessed considering I was a nigiri this past Halloween…) I have explored so many sushi places, but there are none in this whole city that I am crazy about! The In-N-Out effect, as you West-Coasters know - is the feeling that you just got to have it. And there is no sushi restaurant in Boston that embodies the In-N-Out effect… It’s so disappointing!
Just to prove that I am not over-exaggerating, I am going to list all the sushi restaurants that I have been to so that:
- A. people don’t judge me for being narrow-minded (aka not having enough data points)
- B. people can suggest sushi restaurants that I have not been to yet
- C. to show how wrong Yelp can be…*
So here’s my list after being in Boston for almost 4 school years:
- Douzo
- O Ya
- Genki Ya
- Basho
- Fish Market
- Fin’s
- Fugakyu
- Ginga
- Maluken
- Kayuga
- Hana Sushi
- Blue Fin
- Masa’s
- Symphony Sushi
- Minado (buffet doesn’t really count…)
- Some others that I don’t remember because they were that noteworthy…
*Please note that I am basing my judgements on SUSHI (sashimi, nigiri, etc.), NOT ROLLS (Philadelphia rolls? wtf…). And that’s why you find so many of these restaurants rated so highly on Yelp - because people review these places for their exotic/non-Japanese rolls… with cream cheese. It really frustrates me when I’m looking for a sushi place on Yelp, because if these are the highly rated ones, then I wouldn’t even consider the even lower rated ones!
I do admit that I enjoy going back to Douzo, but that’s ONE… in ALL of Boston. Oishii, Uni, and Shiki are still on my list to try, but fusion/contemporary sushi should be in its own category.
I suppose people find me a bit extreme, but I have such a passionate love for this cuisine. You can find great Japanese food like donburi and seaweed salad in Boston, but great sushi? Difficult. This is a public plea for help - do you have any other sushi restaurant recommendations?
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Update Jan. 27, 2015
Since writing this article, I have been to a few more sushi places including my new favorite, Cafe Sushi, but even then, it's hit or miss (for the first time in my life, I found a bone in my sashimi... yes, this happened at Cafe Sushi). Unfortunately, I am still on the search, but maybe it's time I learn to cut my own fish.