I have ordered food from this restaurant three times. Today was the last strike. I had the chirashi (raw fish aka sashimi over sushi rice). Just like with my previous orders, there were several problems: (1) fish tastes watery and has a horrible texture, I suspect it was frozen for a long time; (2) fish is either flavorless or bad-tasting (3) the rice is poorly seasoned - too sweet (4) the pickles are disgusting. I have never had pickled ginger that I thought might be expired until today, if it can even expire. My friend had the unagi don (cooked eel on sushi rice) and complained that his eel was burnt and generally tasted bad. Additionally, he picked several bones out of his eel. Finally, despite this being some of if not the worst sushi I've had in the Boston/Cambridge area, it costs as much as the more expensive sushi restaurants in the area. In my review of Thelonious Monkfish I mention that I'm willing to pay for pricey sushi if the quality is worth it. This place is as expensive as Thelonious, one of the best sushi places in Boston, yet the sushi here is terrible.

Written November 29, 2017

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GL726

United States603 contributions

Ok, not bad, not great but ok...

Dec 2016 • business

Came here for lunch. Saw it from walking by and decide to try it. The other reviewers' comments about the service is understandable as the employees don't seem very aware of how to provide good service. That said, the food is ok. Would come back.

Written December 15, 2016

Annabelle F

78 contributions

It's all right

Nov 2018 • friends

Had hot pot with a friend who absolutely loves this place. She would give it 5+ stars, I would give it 3, so it averages to 4. The good: very flavorful, good ingredients, good spice. The not so good: service, a little pricey.

Written November 10, 2018

Holly M

Boston6 contributions

Good for drinks

Feb 2018 • friends

One of the most underrated spots in Boston. I now always go out here with my friends before we go out. Never knew this place existed before I came across it on Seated, food is tasty and the drinks are yummy. Come check it out!

Written February 21, 2018

K P

Boston57 contributions

Really good off the beaten path asian restaurant

Jul 2017 • none

This place is downstairs below the dunkin donuts on Mass Ave. It doesn't look like much on the outside but the menu is extensive and the food really good. The portions are large. I had a simple meal of chicken and veggies, and veggie fried rice (It's also a great hot pot place but I wasn't in the mood to do that whole thing). The food came out fast, and was very fresh and good tasting. The portions were so large that I brought home enough for 2 more meals. The servers were friendly and attentive, once they noticed me... I recommend this place and I'll go back.

Written July 12, 2017

Sehrish V

2 contributions

Food is okay but Service and Staff are Very Rude!

Mar 2017 • family

The food was decent, but the staff turns a cold shoulder as soon as you mention you in your reservation that you will be using a groupon. I took some of our out of town guests to this place and was completely embarrassed as the staff was very disrespectful and downright arrogant! The groupon has a lot of restrictions, but they fail to list it on the groupon itself and then when you go there, that's where you find out what you can or cannot order. We were looking forward to the food but the service and disrespectful staff made the whole experience terrible for us! We would definitely not be going back there again... and I would not recommend it to anyone. The humiliation is not worth the food or the money you might save!

Written March 11, 2017

Jenny H

1 contribution

Worst restaurant and rude owner

Feb 2017 • family

This is a shady restaurant in the basement with really bad service. We had few very unpleasant experiences there. I have purchased a Groupon for 4 to use there. The owner first mentioned that it needs reservation while the restaurant was half empty. When I asked if I can just make the reservation then and was told has to be before 4:30pm which was not mentioned any where as a requirement. Then he said the kids do not count towards the 4 people therefore we can't use the Groupon. We ended up paying cash instead. Today I tried to make a reservation with 5 adults at 1pm, as soon as the owner heard I have mentioned Groupon, told me there is no availability at all. This is switch and bait practice just to lure people in and make the Groupon unusable. With all the restaurants in Cambridge, I'd recommend going somewhere else. I would much rather throw away the Groupon I paid than going back there. Be aware of the fake good reviews on Groupon. Btw, Groupon's customer service has gone down as well. I could not get a resolution to this issue after 2 20 minute calls. They have never called back as promised. Their customer rep seems unable to do anything and the supervisor seems either be at lunch or on the phone. Very disappointed with both and will not use them anymore.

Written March 4, 2017

nyarasha

Somerville65 contributions

Expensive, tasteless / inedible, and unfriendly

Feb 2016 • friends

I went here tonight because a friend hosted a gathering. I have not left a restaurant feeling so grumpy and annoyed in a long time. We waited about 20 minutes for anyone to come by and ask for our orders. Then they asked if any of us wanted hot pot, and proceeded to tell us that they needed us to get up so they could plug in a few of the hot pot tables, without apologizing or interacting much at all. We mentioned that we wanted both of the end tables plugged in since the people getting hot pot were sitting there, but they ignored us and plugged in two separated pots. We ended up having to shuffle around and squish in together a couple of times. The scallion pancakes were delicious, and the best thing I had tonight. I shared the chirashi (a pile of sushi fish and rice). It was okay, the sushi fish tasted like fish when seasoned, the rice was not sushi rice - no vinegar. Bland and boring. I ate it anyway because I was hungry, and could not make myself eat the soup. The szechuan beef soup tasted like cilantro and hot chili pepper, and was full of what tasted like linguini noodles. The beef was gristley, full of cartilage and hard to eat. I gave up. No one ever came by to ask how anything was. At the end, we all waited around about 20 minutes for the check. Someone finally got up and paid for their portion and left. They mentioned they would come with our checks. They asked all of us what we had, again, to make sure they got it right. Ok. Well, another 20 minutes and nothing came. We asked the host for the check and they came out finally. Then, when I asked them to please split the bill on two cards, they said, sure, then said, no, can one of us pay with cash? I understand not wanting to pay fees, but then they split the bill for others so they obviously can do it. And with the prices they charge, making me feel stupid was not a good end to the night. I said fine, and paid with my card. I have not had this bad of an experience at a restaurant in a long time. Please pay attention to your guests, plug in hot plates before guests arrive (we had a reservation), get checks out promptly, and don't force people not to split a bill on cards. Expensive, tasteless / inedible, and unfriendly. I want to wish them well since they're new, but... I won't be back.

Written January 16, 2017

Oliver B

1 contribution

Get out of my restaurant."

Nov 2016 • couples

Hi everyone, Please take note - at least two of the people who work here behave in ways that I think most of us would not want to put ourselves in the position to experience. Due to not being happy about our service for multiple reasons (most of which have been touched upon by other reviewers), my partner and I left a tip that was smaller than the suggested amount of 15%, 20%, or 25%. Upon seeing this, our waitress approached us as we were walking out, pointed at the receipt, and said, "the tip amount is here." I responded that a tip is something that is discretionary to consumers based upon their experience. The waitress threw up her hands and said "fine! fine! fine!" A man, whom can be assumed to be the restaurant owner, took the receipt and held it about a foot and a half away from my eyes and said "don't you think this amount of tip is ridiculous for $50 worth of service?" I responded in the same way that I did to our waitress. The man pointed to the door and said, "get out of my restaurant." He repeated himself two more times. I have attempted to write this review without wrapping much emotional detail into it, as I think that the factual parts of our experience are the most important parts to share with potential diners. This is the first negative review that I have written for any restaurant, as I view unpleasant experiences here and there as an inherent part of eating out. Especially due to having worked in restaurants myself for years, I know that the work is tough. I feel impelled to share the conduct of the people that we came into contact with at this restaurant, because, in this case, I do not believe that silence is the greater good.

Written November 9, 2016

atasharm

1 contribution

Rude, horrible service

Oct 2016 • family

Made a reservation to use my groupon a day before. Came on time with my family was told reservation is only for 2 people we were 4. The waitress talked to the manager and the manager was even worst. He told me we cant use our groupon because our groupon is for 4 person. We were 4 person 3 adults, 1 child. When did a child not considered a person?! He could have just easily let it go if he wants to afterall the place is not busy when we came only 2 tables was occupied but he would rather let us walk away with his rudeness than gain a customer. I will never go back.

Written October 10, 2016

Yongda H

1 contribution

Good value for money!

Jun 2016 • couples

Lunch deal for $8 which gets you a soup, a main dish and bowl of rice - definitely worth it! Quality of food and service are decent

Written June 30, 2016

JUE H

Chicago3 contributions

HORRIBLE service

Feb 2016 • friends

The MOST HORRIBLE service I've ever got. Went there in Feb and have been so furious that I decide to write a bad review anyway. I went in at 17.30 and asked for seats for 10 persons but told them that the rest of us will be arriving at 18.00. They treated me with extreme impatience--especially a waitress. As I sat down reading a book while waiting for my friends, the horrible waitress said to the man at the counter in Chinese, "我看他是书读太多读傻了--He must have read so much that he became stupid."--And I did nothing that offended her. She EVEN INTENDED TO LET ME HEAR IT as she spoke her foul language so loud. Flame, REMEMBER THAT.

Written May 1, 2016

KRiSTeN R

West Wareham199 contributions

Conflicting interior, but decent food and good prices

Mar 2016 • couples

I went here on a whim on Saturday night and was happy that we did. From the street this place seems like it will be like any other walk-in joint--but once we went down the steps the inside was quite nice. We were able to get a nice little table and have some space to our own. The interior, though, was a bit conflicting. It seemed nice in spots, but there was a weird bit of manga decorating on the walls and on the waitresses shirts that didn't really seem to match the setting or the food. The food was good and reasonable, though. I think that hot pot would be quite good here, and I hope that I will be able to go back and try it sometime soon. They were also still waiting for their liquor license, so I they are just a new restaurant, trying to get their feet wet and settle in. If I am back in the area, I would definitely stop back in to check it out and see how it was doing--and try the hot pot next time around!

Written March 28, 2016

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