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Start a Top 5 for JapaneseEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in The Boston Globe, The Infatuation, and Boston Magazine. Updated September 2026.
o ya · Leather District
The Globe's near–South Station benchmark. a 20-course prix fixe of sashimi, nigiri, and cooked dishes from Tim and Nancy Cushman.
Wa Shin · Bay Village
The Globe's 2024-opened omakase venue led by chef Sky Zheng. Beautiful seafood and hand-grated wasabi root.
Omori Izakaya ( Brookline ) · Brookline
A casual Japanese-style pub in Brookline built for a night out with friends, pouring crisp Sapporo alongside teriyaki-glazed chicken skewers, crispy chicken karaage, and fried octopus nuggets. For a longer sit-down meal, rich bone-broth ramen and prettily plated donburi rice bowls round out the menu.
Izakaya Ittoku · Brighton
A Brighton izakaya where the food holds its own against the endless flow of sake. Flame-licked yakitori skewers, crisp fried oysters, and omusoba, a noodle-omelet hybrid, headline a massive menu built for sharing over hefty platters of pan-fried pork and kimchi.