50 Best Japanese Restaurants near Melrose

“this place is such a cute, amazing spot hidden behind a parking lot. Absolutely loved the food, came back for more. This will be my sushi/poke bowl take out spot from now on. The gentleman in the register is so sweet and made great suggestions. Such a nice atmosphere. Food taste so fresh, and yummy.
They don’t disappoint!!“

“This is my favorite sushi place, bar none. The food is a great value given the quantity and quality, and the customer service couldn't be better. They recognize me when I come to pick up lunch despite only going about once a month, and the staff is always so friendly. I recommend it to all my coworkers, and always look forward to my lunches from there.“

“The best takeout restaurant for sushi and Chinese food in Melrose!“

“A really good, quiet, and friendly environment. They all welcome you and say bye afterwards. Their sushi and ramen are really good and had a beautiful presentation. If you are looking for a quiet place where to read and eat this is your place but go between 4:45-5:30!“

“Amazing place! Got the spicy tuna, spicy yellow tail, and the tuna hand rolls- spicy tuna was my fav the sweet potato was super good. the service was amazing! they refilled the water and changed out the napkins without you even needing to ask.“

“Run don't walk to Pagu for absolutely scrumptious food that weaves together Japanese and Spanish Basques Cuisines! A must order is the Tuna Collar - I've never had anything like it - it's huge, great for a crowd, bone-suckingly good (literally have done that) served with rice and nori! Also make sure you don't miss Tracy Chang's homemade nonalcoholic sparking teas - my favorites are the genmaicha and the hojicha - again I've never tasted a drink like this anywhere else. And then you have to end the night with a Basque Cheesecake - I particularly love when Pagu makes a seasonal Matcha or Ube Basque cheesecake! Pagu's dishes and drinks are across the board innovative but also welcoming and absolutely delicious!“

“Came in on a weekday for lunch. Ordered Lunch Course ($27/person) with Set C meat and garlic spanish + fried dumplings and ice cream, together with 3 2--BBQ-items lunch combo ($14.95/each). There are parking garage nearby with plenty of space. The restaurant is big and have all the same chain quality of this restraint chains. The grill was not oiled and the first set of meats kept sticked to the metal grill, which is very unpleasant experience. However, one thing that is more disappointed is that they don't have green tea ice cream, one of the main reasons I ordered lunch course. This is not quite acceptable for a Japanese restaurant. They can only offered vanilla ice cream; however, the top was freezer burned. That put a bitter end to this visit, unfortunately.“

“Fantastic experience celebrating my birthday with my boyfriend at Mai! All of our food was incredibly well executed. From the hand rolls to the Wagyu Tartare and Toro Tea Cup, you won’t be disappointed. Su also took great care of us and made the experience even better. Highly recommend!“

“This was our second time dining at Ebi Sushi, and just like our first visit, everything was fantastic. The food is fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared every time. Our server, Amanda, was wonderful friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed without ever feeling rushed. It’s service like hers that really adds to the experience. Jose, the owner, has truly outdone himself with this place. You can tell he takes great pride in what he’s built from the quality of the dishes to the amazing team that brings it all together. We’ll definitely be back again before the new location opens, and we’re looking forward to visiting that one as well. Ebi Sushi has become one of our favorite date night spots consistently great food, great people, and a great vibe. 🍣❤️“

“This mazesoba was the best meal my family and I had on our short trip to Massachusetts!! The bowls themselves were gorgeous, and the noodles were perfect to match. The decor of the restaurant is also very beautiful and inviting. The vegan mazesoba is amazing, a must try if you’re in the area and looking for a filling meal!“

“Decided to go out for dinner with a few friends and it was delicious. I liked the citrus dressing on the avocado salad. The filet mignon was tender and flavorful. For dessert, green tea ice cream is a must!“

“Absolutely amazing!! I can’t wait to go back.“

“Overall ingredients + service + ambiance, I give it 3 stars 🌟🌟🌟 (Hawaii's is a bit better 😆🌺)“

“First-class dining right in Chestnut Hill. I’m so glad I discovered this place.

I visited during a tasting event, which offered a great opportunity to sample several dishes from across the menu. The fish was beautifully prepared and expertly seasoned throughout. The standout was the black cod, perfectly balancing savory richness with just the right touch of sweetness.

The shiromi ususukuri — Japanese white fish sashimi — was delicate and refreshing, with candied quinoa adding an unexpected and satisfying crunch. On the meat side, the pork belly bao bun was superb: melt-in-your-mouth pork tucked inside a pillowy, perfectly steamed bun.

Every dish felt thoughtful and polished without being fussy. Hands down one of the best meals I’ve had in the area. I can’t wait to come back.“

“Great small plates, gyoza, soft shell crab, maki is excellent Mt Fuji a favorite. Delicious drinks, fried green tea ice cream hard to find in New England!“

“This was one of the BEST omakase experiences I have ever had. The attention to detail was extraordinary. I ate at several two and three star Michelin restaurants last summer in France and I was happier with my dining experience at Umami. The quality of ingredients is absolutely stellar and it is truly a treat for all the senses. Go!!“

“Great place for Japanese food in Chinatown! Best for parties of 2-4 ppl, although we were lucky to not have a long wait for our party of 7.

Excellent ambiance, and the food was delicious and reasonably priced.

We're definitely coming back to Somenya in the future!!“

“Very difficult to get a reservation, but overall a good experience. Aside from the appetizers and couple of nigiri options that I thought were amazing (tilefish with crispy skin, soft Hokkaido scallop, and melt in your mouth saltwater eel), most of the other nigiri offerings were just ok (good, but nothing truly mind-blowing). I think the appetizers were intriguing, maybe a little hard handed on the herbage. As for the price, it's $280 plus 7% kitchen fee, plus tip... It's steep and I think there are better value options. That's not to say that this isn't worth going to, it's good and worth a try.“

“I’m truly impressed by the thoughtfulness and quality of food given the price point. This is better than those expensive omakase in Boston I’ve ever tried.

One comment - the sauce for eel hand roll is way too sweet & heavy - and it covered the natural umami flavor of the fish. Besides this, great experience!“

“I love their food jun our server she is great“

“レベル高いうまさです“

“This is a unique Asian restaurant in the heart of Cambridge - very cozy with exceptional service, many vegetarian options and beautiful decor and ambiance. We ordered several vegetarian options including the fried rice, tofu, edamame, oyster mushrooms all were brought piping hot to the table and devoured in the next few minutes! The entire meal was simple yet extremely enjoyable. The dessert selected was a strawberry tapioca pudding in coconut milk - just sweet enough and extremely flavorful.“

“only downfall too warm. heat rises. otherwise great time and great staff.“

“Great food and great service“

“Great experience! Staff and food was amazing“

“Great selection of products, very nice staff.“

“Chiharu House Roll! Almost too pretty to eat. Almost.“

“Definitely some of the freshest and tastiest seafood and innovative sushi and asian food I've had in a while, very fresh and tasty!“

“fish amazing but also blown away by vegetable roll!“

“Best authentic Sushi I had in the US! They brought Sushi chefs from Japan! 🇯🇵“

“Yoki in Medford is the best Sushi by far Staff is totally awesome and the place is so so clean and their sushi chefs are spot on service is exceptional and very friendly ownership cares about about your dining experience cant miss place you will not be disappointed go and enjoy. we have been a customer for years and love everyone there DiNonna Inc Joe & Rosemary“

“Great food as always, and the staff are really nice once you walk into the restaurant they always say hi to you“

“Thank you to Chef Jon for allowing us to pick up a package of frozen dumplings during our visit to Artifact on Memorial Day. Cooked them up tonight and they were delicious, as was the edamame salad!!“

“Genuinely don’t understand why this place is empty save for my family when we come in - The waiters are attentive, and the food and milk tea are both spectacular. They offer a lot more options than most sushi restaurants as well! Seems like a really lovely family business and I would definitely recommend.“

“Unique, delicious pastry. Best croissants and sourdough bread. Nice people. Can sit inside or outside.“

“Yum!! The sushi closest to the camera was the Southie , the back one is the coco salmon. Both delish but I think the Southie was the winner for me-

We also got the bim bam bop. It was so good I forgot to take a photo!

10/10“

“Fresh and tasty! Great meal option.“

“Cafe Mami is a neighborhood gem. We've been coming here for years to enjoy their variety of Japanese comfort food. They have probably the best curry in Boston. Love the depth of great fruity curry flavor with their pork and chicken katsu and hamburger. Their gyudon has crispy sliced beef and beansprouts. Couple of our favorites are the Nininku chicken and beef tofu sets. Sauces are great and free refills on rice. They offer great value and quality. Staff is friendly and efficient. So happy they are still in the neighborhood after all these years.“

“Ordered teriyaki chicken, rice, edamame and spring rolls. Everything was delicious! The spring rolls were extra yummy. 😋“

“I really like sukiyaki and mentaiko udon, and I always want to try them out, but the portions at their restaurant are too big. The service is also excellent and very attentive. I've seen someone drop their chopsticks, but before I could even react, the staff had already brought new chopsticks over.“

“Yume Ga Arukara is definitely a spot worth checking out if you love udon. We had to wait around 45 minutes, which felt like a long time when we first arrived, but in the end, it was absolutely worth it.
I went with the signature cold udon, while my sister ordered the hot version. Both were delicious, but the noodle texture was honestly the highlight. The udon was incredibly fresh, thick, chewy, and had that perfect springy bite. You can really tell that the noodles are made fresh, and the texture was outstanding — probably some of the best udon I’ve had.
I personally loved the cold udon because it really lets you appreciate the texture of the noodles. The hot version was also comforting and flavorful, so it was fun to try both and compare them.
The menu is pretty focused, but I actually liked that because it feels like they’re putting their energy into doing one thing really well. The 45-minute wait is definitely something to keep in mind, especially if you’re hungry, but once the food arrived, I didn’t feel like the wait was wasted.
Overall, I’d definitely come back. If you’re in Boston and love udon, I think the fresh noodles alone make Yume Ga Arukara worth the wait. Just come prepared to be patient — and order the udon!“

“M&J Teriyaki is a cute restaurant which I highly recommend if you’re in the area! They offer both dine-in and takeout and have, frankly a very nice atmosphere. The food too was really amazing (I recommend the chicken in particular) and the drinks are also very nice. I enjoyed the flavor of the strawberry smoothie.

I personally went right after having visited the MFA and so, if you’re on the lookout for a bit to eat after a museum visit then please consider it!“

“Excellent salmon bento box!“

“Must-try the sashimi here!! We ordered the Sakura box with miso soup, sushi, sashimi, scallops, octopus, and crabmeat salad for 2 people. The fish was so fresh with a variety of different kinds which makes it fun to try!! They also have bento boxes, rolls, and ramen. I love the cozy atmosphere here and friendly staffs that highlighted our experience“

“Tres velar experience!! Top chef!“

“Awesome Dumplings!! Great Service!☺️“

“Had a really nice experience here. I purchased the strawberry and Oreo shaved snow. Both were excellent.

My party also had a few children with us who weren’t the easiest to tame. At one point, a kid dropped all of our water cups. They offered to come and replace all of them. Even though we declined, the thought was very nice. Additionally, a kid dropped some of the dessert on the floor. They were very kind and treated us well.

I definitely intend to give this place more business. Great establishment and great food.“

“Tried it for the first time at the farmers market, it was super delicious. I will absolutely be buying it again.“

“Very good fish. Fatty tuna was incredible, salmon was pretty good. One disappointment was that they only gave wasabi and ginger with the appetizer, but the maki roll came with none. And I ordered two items was given two soy sauce packets. Will probably go back at some point. If i’m paying over $30 for a small paper bag of food i think those sides could be improved.“

“Love this place, one of the only spots to serve more traditional Japanese dishes. But I wish they would play some music or even background noise. It’s not a super crowded restaurant so I always felt weird talking because you can hear everyone else.“