If you want to splurge on a sushi experience, Oishii in the South End, Uni in Back Bay, and O Ya in the Theater District will make it a meal to remember. But as former Boston Globe restaurant critic and current food editor Devra First wrote, “[R]egular people don’t eat at O Ya regularly.”
Luckily, for us regular people who do enjoy sushi on a regular basis, Boston doesn’t require you to drop a half a paycheck to have a good sushi experience. Here are four options for quality rolls that will leave your taste buds — and your wallet — equally happy.
1. Symphony Sushi in Back Bay
On the edge of the Northeastern campus lies a hidden gem with great service and even better food. The signature rolls, such as the Fire Maki with shrimp tempura and cucumber topped with spicy tuna and briny eel sauce, max out at $12.95.
Symphony Sushi -- 45 Gainsborough St, Boston, 617-262-3888, symphonysushi.com
2. Avana Sushi in Chinatown
This popular Chinatown hideaway has a sister location on Franklin Street, closer to downtown. There is a $10 minimum for credit cards, but rest assured that ten dollars takes you pretty far at this place. The basic raw and cooked maki rolls run from $4.95 to $5.95 for eight pieces, while the specialty rolls the like the popular Black Pearl maki roll — spicy salmon, tempura flakes, scallion, avocado and black tobiko — ring in between $8.95 and $10.95.
Avana Sushi -- 42 Beach Street, Boston, 617-818-7782; 58 Franklin Street, Boston, 617-423-5000, avanasushi.com
3. Minado in Natick
In terms of bang for your buck, it doesn’t really get better than an all-you-can-eat sushi buffet maxing out at $21.95 for lunch and $33.95 for dinner. The sprawling buffet features more options than you can feast your eyes on, let alone your tummy, but you should try anyway — there are many yummy sushi rolls, plus dozens of other seafood items.
Minado -- 1282 Worcester Street, Natick, 508-647-0495, minado.com
4. New Ginza in Watertown
The Japanese dishes at this Watertown restaurant near the Charles River span a wide variety, with sushi high in quality, but reasonable in price. Most of the basic maki rolls are in the $6.50 to $8 range, with most fancier rolls between $12.50 and $15. Plus, you can complement your maki rolls with a DIY grilling experience — cook raw meat or fish on a tabletop hot stone — more expensive at $22 to $26, depending on the meat or fish you choose, but a platter is more than enough for two hungry people.
New Ginza -- 63-65 Galen Street, Watertown, 617-923-2100, newginzaboston.com
Nicole Fleming is the author of
The Girl Who Ate Boston food blog. Follow her on Twitter
@GirlEatsBoston.
