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Sakanaya
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Japanese Seafood, Japanese [Edit]
75 Linden St(between Gardner St & Brighton Ave)
Boston, MA 02134
Neighbourhood: Allston/Brighton
(617) 254-0009
- Nearest Transit:
-
Brighton Ave @ Linden St (193, 57, 57A)
Harvard Ave @ Brighton Ave (66)
Brighton Ave @ Harvard Ave (193, 57, 57A, 66)
- Hours:
Tue-Sun 10:30 am - 7:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
29 reviews for Sakanaya
Review Highlights
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"Best sushi I've yet had in Boston." In 14 reviews -
"...a family run Japanese fish market that sells select grades..." In 6 reviews -
"...can you find Uni (Sea Urchin), Amaebi (sweet shrimp), Ikura..." In 4 reviews
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29 reviews in English
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Review from Grace O.
Boston, MA
5/24/2012
What a neat place - I like that it has fish that you can't find at Shaw's, fish that I'm used to eating (being Asian and all), and a nice display of raw seafood. I have yet to buy/cook their frozen fish (will comment again when I do) but the selection is fairly decent, although a *bit* on the pricey side.
Recently bought some slices of ootoro for $19 and left somewhat underwhelmed. BUT - their amaebi is to die for. Such a great afternoon snack... if you don't mind your fingers smelling a bit shrimpy afterwards.
Also, this is the only place in the area where I managed to find mentaiko. Extra star for that. -
Review from Sue H.
Boston, MA
4/3/2012
Love this place!
I have many good things to say about Sakanaya. Where should I even start? Hmm... Reasonable prices, awesome selection of seafood, Japanese snacks galore, friendly service -- Oh, and don't even get me started on their sushi.
Obviously it's not the best I've ever had, but hey! This is a fish market, so at least it's going to be super fresh. And most importantly, it's CHEAP, like so freakin' cheap that I can stuff myself with sushi and not feel bad for spending tons of money. For the quality and price-range, Sakanaya is probably the best you're going to get around these parts. It's a bang for your buck, that's for sure.
This place makes it hard to not eat sushi every single day... Luckily I don't live in Allston (god forbid.) so I don't have to fight the urge to go into Sakanaya everyday to "browse" -- which actually means, "order take-out sushi".
I'm not very good at fighting my temptations, and Sakanaya very tempting.
I haven't bought any of their seafood yet, so I can't really speak for it. Hopefully I'll have the chance to in the future when I get around to cookin' up a nice dinner or decide to make some homemade sushi for a change.
Oh, right! Sashimi-grade fish? Awesome. -
Review from Heather B.
Boston, MA
1/21/2012
I am so happy to have a go-to market to get excellent sushi-grade fish!
I enjoy the art of making sushi (and perfecting it) and this market is enabling me to feel comfortable using fish other than smoked salmon and shrimp!
Occasionally I get a craving for, and love the marinated mackerel (frozen). When they ran out of it yesterday I decided to buy a more beautiful, larger frozen filet and made it deliciously, myself!
If you are interested in making your own sushi, come by and browse their selection. You will be happy you did!
Also discovered Kikkoman makes 'sushi/sashimi' soy sauce, which they carry.
It helps that Super 88 is nearby for some bulk items like sushi rice and nori. This market serves it's main purpose by dealing in beautifully well-cut packaged fish.
It's nice that you can get sushi 'to go'! Perfect for a quick fix.
My 4 star rating rather than 5 just has to do with the appearance of the shop. It is pared down and I wonder if a boost in appearance and advertising would help their sales. I hope this place never closes! -
Review from Sophia C.
Allston, MA
12/17/2011
Great price, good traditional sushi, nice service.
The selection available is not vast, but what they do have is deliciously fresh - can't beat the price either! -
Review from Zach W.
Boston, MA
Can you say "very traditional."
Sakanaya is really a fish market that also makes some sushi for the white folks like me.
They have all kinds of interesting fish (like the "Idiot fish"....no joke) that I've never heard of. Their selection of fish is amazing and worth the trip alone.
We ordered the party platter A (25 pieces, tuna, salmon, special, uni, roe....solid mixture). The quality of fish was okay (otherwise I would have given them 4 stars). The salmon was great, tuna was not a great cut, the special (some kind of fatty white fish) was good, roe was good, uni was subpar (kinda gross.....and yes, I've had and like uni).
I would imagine like most spots their fish is best and freshest the first day it arrives. Considering they're shutdown on Sunday and Monday I would guess the best day to eat there is Tuesday.
It did take them quite some time to put together the plates but it was worth the wait. $25 for 25 pieces!!!
The worker Mitz (not sure about spelling) and the owner Yoshi were both very nice and kind and I really enjoyed their hospitality. I will definitely be going back, hopefully on a Tuesday, to give it another shot.Listed in: Asian Cuisine in the Bean
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Review from Russell F.
Boca Raton, FL
12/20/2011
I'm giving Sakanaya five stars because they ARE very good but they are also one of the ONLY places in New England where you can get many of the items that they sell.
First I want to address those that have written about Sakanaya as if it is a restaurant. This is NOT a restaurant. As its name states, it is a fish market. They do sell sushi and will prepare items upon request, but you cannot criticize a fish market for a lack of seating or other characteristics of restaurants. It's a fish market. Get over it. They sell sushi as a way of trying to make a living, at the request of customers. They are struggling to make the business successful, so they will not turn away business.
Second, I noticed that there were some criticisms over the size of the sushi. I have a lot of experience with the top of the food chain in the US and in Japan when it comes to sushi and I am sorry to tell those that think that proper sushi is huge that it is not - it should be bite-sized and much smaller than what passes for sushi at most of the sushi spots in Boston. One piece, one bite, and high quality netta (fish, etc.) as opposed to a bigger piece of lower quality. But again, I would not rate Sakanaya on sushi. It's a fish market! (Have I mentioned that?)
Third, I may be wrong but I think that in some cases (or maybe all) the date on the fish was the date it came in, not a supermarket-style 'sell before' date indicating that the fish has gone bad. I have never had a piece of fish from Sakanaya that was not fresh.
Fourth, although this may seem totally wrong to some people, there are many examples of fish that are believed to be better after a few days then when they are killed live in front of you. In fact, there is a Japanese nickname for tuna that means four days, the time you were supposed to wait before eating it for maximum flavor and the best texture. Oh yeah, and they used to bury it in the ground for those four days, I am told!
And now for my general comments.
Sakanaya is the only place I know that sells fresh, excellent grades of 'Boston' bluefin toro, California uni, unprocessed salmon roe, shirako, Maine red shrimp in October, live sea snail, live abalone and many other hard to find items for nuts like me. He gets many of these items direct from Tsukiji. How many other fish markets in New England do this? None?
BTW, I noticed that a reviewer was critical of the salmon roe, but in its unprocessed state, which he offers along with the washed version, it is very different from when it has been washed and salted as is generally the case. I liked the taste and the unique experience.
Regarding the $7.99 sea urchin someone mentioned, it may have been from Maine or elsewhere. In my opinion, this is never as good as California Sea Urchin which is much more expensive. Sakanaya generally has a few large boxes of this for $60 each. Thius may be 3 or 4 times the size of the $8 package, but it is the best that you can get and IMHO it is worth it.
If I am lazy, I buy sushi rice from the store instead of making it myself at home. It's not bad. I buy nori and oba (shiso) leaf and Japanese soy sauce (different from Chinese) and gari and wasabi and various other items from them and I make my own sushi at home. I love their little single serving packages of tamago, conch sashimi, etc.
Please note that the owner, Yoshi, will also try to satisfy special requests. I have asked him for certain items and he has ordered them for me.
This shop is a gem, and since Yoshinoya left Central Square and Kotobukiya was kicked out of the Porter Square Exchange building by Lesley College, we have not had this quality of Japanese fish available in the local area. I am very happy that they are here. -
Review from Humberto S.
ALLSTON, MA
2/12/2012
Good food, fair prices, basic but good selection of Japanese product. Feels authentic
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Review from Sandy W.
Boston, MA
3/30/2011
This is hands-down my most exciting restaurant find so far this year! For $1/piece, the freshness of their buttery hamachi nigiri easily rivals that at Oishi and other top sushi restaurants in town. Also, the $1/piece ika nigiri was crisp and sweet. Though the sushi rice could use a little more vinegar, it had a distinctively homey taste, which was nice and didn't bother me at all. I also bought two trays of Maine uni and they were definitely worth every penny! In addition, I appreciated how the owner showed me the trays and asked me if they OK before handing them to his wife(?) for check-out. What a nice gesture!
I hope this place sticks around for a while because I know I'll be coming here at least once a week! Word to the wise--call and order ahead or else you'll have to wait around for 30 minutes plus. -
Review from Philip K.
New Orleans, LA
6/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place was surprisingly GOOD. Super fresh, super tastey, and super simple. Don't come here looking for fancy rolls, Sakanaya is all about the classic sushi vibe with fish that is still jumping along with delicious sushi rice and a huge variety of fish choices.
This is an only to-go place and actually is a Japanese fish market, there are no seats or anything. The sushi however is REALLY CHEAP and wicked delicious. I got a few rolls (spicy tuna, rainbow roll) and a bowl with assorted fresh fish and it came out to... wait for it... only $11. I am in love.
The workers were very friendly and the market was super clean. I looked around in the fridges and freezers at the variety of Japanese products they have on display while my sushi was made. Everything was super good and super satisfying. If you are too lazy to cook and want a quick, delicious bite for dinner swing by Sakanaya. They also do party platter too relatively inexpensively and I'm sure they are super good. COME HERE INSTEAD OF GRABBING GROSS GROCERY STORE SUSHI, ITS CHEAPER, FRESHER, AND OUTRIGHT DELISH! -
Review from Glaiza Lyn T.
Boston, MA
1/2/2012
Their sushi is really cheap and good. Although I've tasted better, it's a steal for the price you pay. The service is great, too. He was really nice and answered all my questions. I might come back, not for the sushi, but for the raw fish!
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Review from Joseph D.
Brighton, MA
5/5/2011
Love the donburi ($4, including Toro!!) and nigiri ($1 each!). Like one of the previous posters, I loved the uni. It was one of the best I've ever had.
Don't like how long it takes to get the food, so questionable place for take-out.
Hint: Order first, then shop around the store.
I would definitely go back. -
Review from Justin N.
Boston, MA
1/14/2011
Best sushi I've yet had in Boston.
I had the privilege of visiting Sakanaya on opening night, and it was totally worthwhile. The owner, previously the owner of Cherry Mart on Newbury St, once worked in Tsukiji, the world-famous fish market in Tokyo, and is returning to his love: preparing and selling quality fish!
The scallop (hotate) and sea urchin (uni) morsels I had were exceptional; if you have the chance, try the Maine urchin, it's much sweeter and palatable even for someone who doesn't normally like uni.
I'm giving Sakanaya 4 stars only because I haven't had the chance to try their food out at full capacity. The promise of various donburi definitely has me looking to return.
Bottom line: Very good, authentic, reasonably-priced sushi and sashimi. Four stars. -
Review from Henry C.
Allston, MA
1/21/2011
The staff is SUPER friendly, and it's right around the corner. You cannot beat their price for the quality you get. It's actually a lot better than 'actual' sushi restaurants. They don't have a dinning area, so it's basically all take out.
I love the Uni here, very flavorful. I'm looking for the opportunity to do a party set or something like that. I would go far as to say best sushi in the Allston area, and many in Boston as well. The selling point for me is the thickness of the fish, and how fresh it tastes.
If you're in the area, definitely give it a go, you don't need any groupons, etc... hella cheap and totally awesome. -
Review from Mini S.
Boston, MA
1/16/2011
I just stopped by at Sakanaya today and I was very excited
about this new opening in my neighborhood!!
I think they just opened recently.
Sakanaya means "Fish Market" in Japanese and
they sell fresh seafood, mostly Sashimi and Sushi quality fishes.
They also sell ready made, take out Sushi.
You can place in order sushi fish for pick up for Temaki Sushi party too.
I am really hoping that this business will be around longer!
By the way, it is cash only store for now. -
Review from Kittery R.
Boston, MA
10/9/2011
They swapped my sashimi (sea urchin) with an expired one to get rid of their old inventory. Be very very careful with this store. The guy behind the counter has some serious ethical code of conducts!
I stopped by the store on a Sunday evening. It was so empty, but the people seem so nice. I saw the great price and was so excited. I pointed to this pre-packaged sashimi grade sea urchin for only 7.99 and ask the man behind the counter to get that for me.
As he was reaching for the package I pointed to, he stopped and said let me get another one for you. I just nodded and wasnt paying much attention as I was busy looking at some other stuffs on the shelves. When I got home I saw the package labeled 10/6/11 (4 days expired) raw sashimi sea urchin!
At first I couldnt though it was an accident and maybe they just gave me an expired product by mistake. Then I remembered how as the man reach for the packaged I pointed to, he put it back down and said he will grab another one. I guess he wanted to get me the older ones and save the fresher ones. BUt 4 days expired raw seafood! That could kill people!
This is seafood! expired raw seafood. This can cause severe food illness!!! I cannot imagine the ethnical and morality behind this store.
Its was unlikely that this was an accident because store was so empty and there wasnt much products, so I its not like this could easily be overlooked.
If it was an accident, it shows that the store might not follow the proper food code for santiary and cleanliness. I wouldnt risk it with this store, especially with the all the food illness that can come from consuming raw seafoods. So somewhere else for your raw seafoods, saving a couple bucks isnt worth having worms in your blood and stomach. -
Review from Philip H.
9/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very high quality at a budget price point. Finally, a family run Japanese fish market that sells select grades of fish and the basic cuts at very high quality. Salmon is almost everyone's benchmark when it comes to sashimi. The salmon here is from Scotland, not the light colored farmed-raised Atlantic salmon. It was a darker, cherry, orange with a more exquisite flavor. I ordered the Chirashi and it also had a piece of octopus that was extra fresh. I tasted it in the flavor and texture. Then I ordered 4 pieces of nigiri. How could I not at $1/piece??? Where can you find Uni (Sea Urchin), Amaebi (sweet shrimp), Ikura (Salmon Roe) for $1/piece? As long as is fresh, it doesn't matter to me too much how small it is. They were petite sized, but REALLY fresh. I felt like I was getting a sample size of really fresh fish on a budget price. Honestly, I'd take that any day over jumbo-sized portions of mediocre quality fish/sushi.
I will be back to order to the bluefin/yellowfin tuna. They also sell party platters at a really good deal. I will be coming back very often because of the select grades of fish that is offered here. Super rare for Boston. -
Review from r k.
Melrose, MA
2/23/2012
this place is good and cheap though the selection could be better. I do not like paying for appearances and so this place makes me happy as it is spartan but scrupulously clean.
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Review from May D.
North Waltham, MA
2/7/2012
I love this place. Since this store opened, I haven't been to any other sushi places. Their fish are really fresh, best quality and people work there are very nice. Another thing I like is this store carries rare fish I always ate in Japan. All I can say is this place is GREAT!
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Review from Gulcan E.
Cambridge, MA
7/30/2011
I read about Sakanaya at Yelp and finally decided to try their sushi today. The fish was't fresh, the maki cuts were messy and they filled it up with the useless parts of the fish. Maybe I walked in on a bad day, but will most likely not go back to find out.
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Review from Tiffany L.
Chestnut Hill, MA
9/14/2011
Severely cheap for good quality fish. However, more can be used with the huge amount of empty space they have. Some chairs and tables would be nice.
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Review from kim s.
Boston, MA
4/23/2011
Very nice people working here but the worst sushi deal I've ever eaten anywhere for the price. I've been to this interesting place before but only order now after hearing raves from so-called experts here and chowhound. I ordered the basic 2 salmon, 2 uni, and 2 tobiko nigiri just for test. The sushi piece was HUGE but the it was virtually 95% rice. On each huge chunk of rice, there here was either a small razor-thin piece of salmon, a sprinkling of tobikos with rice still showing through, or two tiny pieces maine sea urchin with rice still showing through. Put it in your mouth and all you taste is rice!!! You get for what you pay for here, which isn't much other than overpriced rice. I regretted not taking a photo cause it looked nothing like the other photos I've seen here.
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Review from Dela B.
Westford, MA
4/25/2011
I recently stopped in after walking past it daily for two months. The ads for cheap sushi and donburi drew me in and I'm glad it did. I thought that it was going to be one of those "Japanese" shops run by chinese or korean people again, but I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by two Japanaese shopkeepers. The store is like a little japanese convenience store. Prices of retail items like drinks and snacks are pretty typical of japanese products in America but you really can't beat the price of their sushi or donburi. For 4.99 you get an unagi donburi and for 3.99 you get an unagi roll which is almost half the price of a typical unagi roll. Everything's made fresh on the spot and the taste didn't lag behind either. It's definitely the best you can get with the money.
They accept debit and credit card now although there is a minimum for the credit card. They are open everyday except Monday so schedule your visit accordingly :) -
Review from Michael B.
Somerville, MA
8/7/2011 2 photos
Very simple and genuine store. I'm not a sushi expert, but I was blown away by the creaminess of the salmon sashimi. I also ordered uni, tuna, and yellowtail nigiri. Slices of fish for nigiri were the same size if not bigger than the usual restaurant fare, and amazing value for $1 each.
The owner is just as nice as everybody has been saying--he was very helpful in explaining how the ordering process works, and was extremely courteous. If you are ordering sashimi, keep in mind that you need to order from their already-packaged fish, and the owner can cut it for you. He explained that this was due to city/state regulation. It's great because you get to choose your desired fish, but on the other hand portion size is trickier depending on how many people you have eating.
They had toro today, but not as individual sashimi--the owner said they sell by the pound, not as individual orders.
All in all, I ordered a large portion of salmon sashimi, 2 tuna 2 yellowtail 2 uni nigiri, and everything came out to $15. Pictures are in the photo section. Incredible value as far as sushi goes. No fancy crazy rolls, but also no nonsense, no dine-in tip, no tricks here. Definitely my top choice as long as I'm not looking for the restaurant dine-in atmosphere. -
Review from Kendall H.
Babson Park, MA
7/8/2011
TREMENDOUS respect for the small business owners of Sakanaya who pretty much do everything in their power to offer GREAT quality for an even better price. Not pretentious, keeps things simple/clean, honest and not too Americanized (against my taste preference in sushi) ; in addition, unlike other several other Japanese restaurants, you won't find the really friendly workers bluntly speaking another non-japanese language thinking you won't tell the difference.
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Review from Jessica H.
Boston, MA
5/26/2011
Omg this is my new favorite place. I am a huge fan of uni, and this place has thus most amazing uni donburi bowl which is less than an order in a restaurant of a few pieces. I take it home and add a raw egg with ponzu sauce, lemon juice and minced garlic.... So yummy! I think I'll have another one today!
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Review from Adam B.
Brookline, MA
2/26/2012
This place is a fish market specializing in sushi grade fish from all over the country and the world. The variety of stuff they had when I went in was awesome! Prices were average for sushi grade fish. Half of the items I didn't recognize but I'll be back to find out! My only complaint is that they have all the fish pre packaged so you can't choose the exact poundage. With that said I'm still giving them 5 stars. The yellow tail and tuna were unbelievably good. I liked the red tobikko more then the black. I got some salmon belly which was pretty good. There were 4 or 5 types of tuna to choose from I got the regular bluefin. It was melt in your mouth delicious. The yellowtail was farm raised from Japan - another winner. I like that the labels say where everything is from and whether it is farm raised or wild. I will be back, I hope this place is successful, I don't think they have been there that long. They will also make sushi for you and the prices are cheap. I didn't get any and doubt I will - it's a fish market!
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Review from Sarah K.
Brookline, MA
5/31/2011
Having been raised in Japan, I had great expectations for this place when I found out not only that it was run by Japanese people but also that the owner used to work at the Tsukiji Fish Market. I went in today and they didn't have any toro items so I got a salmon bowl and three pieces of ikura nigiri. I had to take it to go since there isn't anywhere to eat within the store. First of all, the salmon pieces I got were so thinly sliced, all together it was more like 2 pieces of salmon than the tiny 4 pieces I got. Secondly, the fish was NOT fresh, he gave me some weird sinewy part of the fish that had the gross brownish part on it and had a really awful texture. I had to throw it away immediately. Even the rice didn't taste good. The ikura was also very awful. It tasted like it had been left out for way too long, had a weird gummy texture (which fresh ikura NEVER has) and didn't even "pop" in my mouth like ikura should. Seriously the most awful sushi I have ever tasted. I can't believe these people would serve this shit! I am ashamed for my people. I don't care how cheap you're selling it, if it's not fresh DON'T SELL IT AT ALL!!
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Review from viv s.
San Francisco, CA
1/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
For being open for only 2 wks this place has amazing business. They sell an assortment of Japanese items and fresh sushi! But what I really love is their Donburi bowls as they are exceptional and you really can't beat their price ($3.99)!!! Wished that dining-in and delivery were available as well!
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Review from R W.
Beverly Hills, CA
2/13/2011
check it out, you'll like it. actually run by a Japanese who really, really knows fish.
