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U-Sushi
Categories: Restaurants Sushi Bars Restaurants Japanese Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
1393 Beacon StBrookline, MA 02446
Neighbourhood: Coolidge Corner
(617) 278-1688
- Nearest Transit:
-
Summit Ave - Inbound (Green Line)
Summit Ave - Outbound (Green Line)
322 Harvard St (66)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
Fri-Sat 11:30 am - 11:30 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy, Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Dogs Allowed:
- No
Elizabeth K. said: "Genki Ya always has the freshest sushi. We get takeout from them - a lot - it's always great. Also, the prices are pretty average, so, for high quality, organic, sushi, it's all around a big win. Recently, we dined in because we…" read more »
13 reviews for U-Sushi
13 reviews in English
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Review from Big S.
Boston, MA
4/18/2012
pretty good, had a groupon to try it out. good for takeout, pretty quick and good sushi. tiny inside so not great if its crowded.
spicy yellowtail was really good. great seaweed salad too, I would go back. -
Review from Patrick P.
North Waltham, MA
5/6/2012
I was a huge fan of Ginca and was sad to see the lovely couple who ran it leave. The new owners did a nice re-model. Even though it is small it is quite comfortable. That being said, the food is good. The baby taco(Octopus) appetizer was great and the popcorn shrimp with spicy mayo was also good.
One complaint I had was the spicy tuna roll. The tuna was chopped and mixed with sesame oil (I think). Just too strong a taste for me.
They get two stars because of price. Most of the rolls are from $12 to $16. We went with the lunch specials (3 rolls for $11). They were supposed to come with Miso soup and salad which we never got.
One last thing, the waitress had zero personality. I don't expect her to do a song and dance, but possibly a nice greeting or a smile wouldn't hurt. -
Review from Josh B.
South Waltham, MA
2/9/2012
TL;DR version: The food is quite good, but pricey. The atmosphere's great, and it's solid for take-out, but there's a phone order language barrier. Definitely worth a try if you're not looking for the cheapest sushi you can get.
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Like the other reviewers, I was sad to see Ginga go. I live a block away, and they all knew me when I walked in the door. I'd watch them make my sushi, conversing with them about whatever we had in common - Boston sports, the restaurant business, raw fish, whatever.
So I was pretty surprised when, seemingly overnight, Ginga was gone and in its place stood U-Sushi (or Sushi U... I wasn't sure). Turns out, the owners decided to move back to their native Vietnam. So it took a few weeks, but I decided to give the new place a try.
The first thing you should know is that sushi in Brookline isn't cheap. To get any reasonable amount of food (some might say, "don't order sushi!"), you've got to spend 10-20% more than comparable food in the suburbs.
That said, U-Sushi is probably a bit pricier than the standards of Coolidge Corner (Fugakyu notwithstanding); I consider $6.50 for a spicy salmon roll to be overpriced, unless you're at Oiishi or Fugakyu or one of the other high-end places. Their lunch specials - like those of Ginga before - are a much better bargain, and are highly recommended. So for overall price, I give them 2*.
The atmosphere was lovely - much better seating, much nicer lighting, and just a better overall vibe. Dine-in gets a 5*. The new owners are very, very nice, and chatting with me the entire time I was waiting for my order - definitely did a great job winning me over. That said, as previous reviewers have mentioned, they're Chinese, and Cantonese is their first language - so expect a language barrier over the phone, and be patient. Once their online ordering system is in place - and I do hope that's soon, for their sake - you should consider using it rather than calling. Carry-out got a 5* experience (they offered me water or tea; I appreciated that fact, even though he brought me the one I didn't ask for), but I could imagine that delivery would be tougher because of the language issue. Call that a presumed 3* experience.
Now, the food... that's a different story. The fish was very fresh and tasty - I love the buttery flavor that a good piece of salmon or white tuna sashimi has. The spicy salmon roll was kind of sloppy, and didn't have as much crunch to it as I remember, which was disappointing. I'm told that the sweet potato tempura roll was quite good, and the avocado was definitely delicious and ripe. 4* for the food, although if I'm being totally forthcoming, it's a low 4* because spicy salmon maki is my favorite - and theirs doesn't rank high on my list.
Incidentally, the chefs are the same guys that were working at Ginga - no change there. The menu has changed a bit (mostly it got more expensive), but most of the items remain the same.
So add it all up, and we have 2*, 5*, 5*, 3*, 4* - that's 19 of a possibly 25 points, meaning they're a pretty solid 4*. I will return - but because price is something of which I'm cognizant, I may not return as often as I did before the changeover. -
Review from Mike K.
Allston-Brighton, MA
5/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
I miss Ginga, too bad it closed. This place doesn't hold a candle to the old establishment. Like some other reviews said, the decor choices are odd at best, the sushi is decent, the service pretty poor. We were missing a couple of things on our order and it took forever to get anyone's attention in there.
Oh, and they don't have plum wine. What kind of sushi place doesn't have plum wine??? -
Review from Sheila S.
Boston, MA
5/26/2012
Have had fresher, neater rolls. Got takeout after buying a Groupon. Other local places I'd go back to before going here again.
-
Review from Jess M.
Boston, MA
5/21/2012
The rolls are really, really good but a little pricey. It's definitely worth it though, and a great date spot, as it's a small, cozy setting with superb rolls. I went here with a groupon and went back because it was just that awesome. The spicy tuna roll is awesome.
-
Review from Ella P.
Boston, MA
5/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
I loved GinGa and was very upset when I realized it closed. I came here with 3 other people to try it out. I was surprised they didn't have plum wine (how does a sushi place not have plum wine?). The service was on the slower side and the prices are on the higher side (especially for the special rolls). The sushi was good, but I liked GinGa a lot more. I probably won't be back.
-
Review from T A.
Berkeley, CA
4/29/2012
We got takeout from Usushi for dinner tonight using a groupon. Had no problems placing the order over the phone. The food was all packaged up and ready to go when we arrived, and the waitress who took payment was very nice.
The food itself was very good, although the rolls were slightly on the small side. We got the vegetable roll, avocado with cucumber roll, and some miso soup. The miso was larger than expected and tasted authentic. The sushi was fresh and tasty. -
Review from Christy C.
Malden, MA
2/5/2012
My boyfriend and I were walking around the area and trying to find a good place for lunch. We walked in U-Sushi to check out the menu and decided to give it try. It turned out to be a great experience! They even serve lunch specials (which are absolutely great deals!!!!!!) on Sundays until 5pm!
We had the lunch specials of pork katsu box, spicy salmon roll and spicy tuna rolls with two miso soup and salads for only $17.00! and they were all very good: nice presentation, fresh and amazing tasting spicy salmon/tuna rolls, and great salad!
My boyfriend and I are both big sushi fans and have a lot of experience eating out in sushi restaurants. We are both shocked to find it only got 2-1/2 stars on Yelp and decide to give it a fair review. It's a small restaurant (capacity of about 15 people), but the atmosphere is very nice, trendy, and romantic.
Regarding the first review that gave the place only one star, as I can only respond to that based on my own experience (have only been there once and did not have the experience of ordering over the phone). I recognized that the waitress and the manager/owner were talking in Cantonese. However, we did not find any problem communicating in English the whole time (I am a Chinese and my boyfriend is an American). The service is good and friendly.
We don't live in Brookline but will definitely come back here sometime for dinner as they do have a good dinner menu. -
Review from Julie R.
2/1/2012
I was sad to see Ginga go. U-Sushi popped up fast in its place after the owners decided to retire. Thankfully they still retain fresh sushi and friendly service at reasonable prices, so it's a similar win for the area.
The inside got a new makeover. Gone is the long wooden booth and replaced with it are sleek tables with comfortable leather chairs. I always thought Ginga was a little bright, U-Sushi has new mood lighting with special effects that highlight the vibrant walls. Let's just say it has all the modern bells and whistles now.
The food was fantastic. My hubby and I started with the mango salad and sashimi appetizer. The salad was a large portion of mango, avocado and greens with a very addicting sweet dressing. The sashimi pieces were chunky and fresh.
We got the American Dream maki that didn't disappoint. The presentation of all the sushi was artistic. The specialty maki selection was vast.
The menu is simplified with something for everyone. Service was prompt and friendly. The place was busy with customers like us, excited to check it out and they handled the rush perfectly. The owner was there while we dined and introduced himself. He worked hard on his new place and it showed.
We'll be back soon! -
Review from Sara R.
Auburndale, MA
4/15/2012
We had a delicious sushi meal here last night. The only issue I have, was the wait staff seemed extremely overwhelmed by the crowd. I believe they should be ready to be busy if they are going to offer a Groupon. There is very limited seating, but I will go back due to the fact that the food was just that good!!
-
Review from ryan r.
Santa Monica, CA
3/13/2012
I'm very tempted to give a 5, but this is my first time and I am so so happy to have found this little spot. Best thing in the neighborhood for ultra clean fish! Clean place, surprising stuff! We'll definitly be coming back. Get the Temptation roll!
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Review from Karina D.
CHESTNUT HILL, MA
4/9/2012
This has got to be the best sushi restaurant around. The food is absolutely amazing and they finally got their liquor license. Their prices are very reasonable, I'd even say a little too cheap for the quality of food. The presentation is amazing and outdoes Oishii in Boston in a heart beat. Come on a $15.00 bottle of wine, that's awesome! Usually in a sushi place they're 30-40 at least. Anyways, this place rocks and is super clean and tidy. Oh and it doesn't hurt that they use Villeroy and Boch as the place settings. I wish I could give 10 stars!
