Beacon Hill restaurant rolls some of downtown's freshest and most innovative sushi.

(617) 963-0532

156 Cambridge St (Hancock Street)
Boston, MA 02114 42.3612 -71.0647

Get Map & Directions »

Neighborhoods: Back Bay, Beacon Hill

www.masobaboston.com

Hours:

Mon-Wed 11:30am-10:30pm

Thu-Fri 11:30am-11pm

Sat 5pm-11pm

Sun 5pm-10:30pm

Price:

$$

Last updated 8.11.11

Category:

Restaurants, Catering

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Lunch Spot, Business Dining, Date Spot, Group Dining, Dine At The Bar

Cuisine:

Korean, Japanese, Asian Fusion, Vegetarian, Asian, Sushi, Chinese

Smoking Permitted:

No

What People Are Saying About ma soba

The Owner

ma soba

Owner

Ma Soba restaurant has been serving great food on Beacon Hill since 1999. It provides pan-asian cuisine such as Chinese, Thai and Korean gourmet dining. Ma Soba also sets the standard its sushi and has extensive wine list. From September 2004, Ma Soba has undergone new management. We have re-vamped our menu with a selection of West Coast inspired maki rolls. Moreover we have made prices reasonable. Even the local college students agree it's fair priced for their budgets.We do our best to provide you with an excellent dining experience. As you can see, we were rated #1 for Best Sushi by…

Provided by CityGrid

Read more from the owner

Featured Review

Eric Grossman

Contributor

In Short – Area residents and nearby hospital workers fill Ma Soba's airy, multi-tiered dining room to satisfy their sushi hankerings. While the restaurant offers above-average interpretations of familiar Asian favorites (cloyingly sweet pad Thai, savory Bulgogi), it stands out for its innovative sushi offerings. Around 50 different rolls are available, including offbeat varieties like the "disco shrimp" (baked shrimp and scallop atop spicy crab) and "ninja" (albacore tempura, crab and avocado).

Editor's Tips

Parking:
Patrons can park in the Cambridge St. Garage (next to the Holiday Inn) from 5pm-12am for a $5 flat rate.
What to Drink:
Plenty of imported Asian beverages are available, from sweet plum wine to Kirin and Sapporo beers.
Save Money:
Area workers stop by weekdays at lunchtime to enjoy sub-$10 sushi and teriyaki combination plates. Tuesdays offer a five-course sushi-sake dinner for $28 per person.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. good sushi selection, quiet atmosphere, affordable lunch and dinner combo specials
  2. Great decor, very friendly environment and service, and best of all, a great menu.
  3. The place is nice but definitely NOT romantic at all, who said it is.
  4. Great sushi, great atmosphere, great value.
  5. The restaurant itself is very nice, which also includes the atmosphere and music, and they've got good service too.
  6. From the outside it looks fancy - which bodes well two ways, first off you get go in dressed casual for a low key dinner with friends, but the flipside also is true - makes a great date location - and you can dress up as much as you want and still feel ne
  7. However, we like the location and it's clean
  8. Ma Soba - Great sushi, Standard atmosphere
  9. find the atmosphere very calm and relaxing, and this a great place for a date.
  10. great lunch specials, quiet environment, rarely busy, parking can be a problem
  11. sorry guys you have no idea what is a romantic place.
  12. The ambience, quality, and price were really good.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. And when I suggested to my husband in front of her that perhaps we should order dessert, she actually expressed her annoyance IN FRONT OF US!
  2. nice/friendly. I failed to mention that it was our friend's birthdays but staff figured it out, all came out with two bowls of coconut and green-tea ice cream, singing Happy Birthday.
drinks
80.0% positive
  1. cheap wine list, great choice of fresh sushi and a large list of other entrees for people who dont like sushi!
  2. nice/friendly. I failed to mention that it was our friend's birthdays but staff figured it out, all came out with two bowls of coconut and green-tea ice cream, singing Happy Birthday.
  3. If you're looking for great and authentic sushi bar offerings, do not waste your time here.
  4. Needless to say the miso soup was cold and the beers warm.
  5. The atmostphere is very elegant and chic with a suhi bar visible so you can see them making it.
food quality
86.99999809265137% positive
  1. Great sushi, great atmosphere, great value.
  2. The noodles (udon, soba) were not cooked well nor was the soup base very tasty.
  3. The fish was very fresh, not fishy tasting at all.
  4. Ma Soba do have outstanding sushi.
  5. Probably some of the best sushi I've ever had though.
  6. Ma Soba has amazing sushi and sashimi.
  7. The quality of sushi was great for the most part.
  8. That said the food was excellent.
  9. must say I wasn't a huge fan of the combinations of ingredients in the specialty rolls, but oh my LORD, the fish was DELICIOUS.
  10. Amazing sushi.
  11. all were delicious and true works of art!
  12. good sushi on edge of beacon hill
  13. If you dont mind crappy service, the food is good, so you should try it out.
  14. There is good sushi in Boston
  15. so then i call back at 10 pm when im STILL waiting for this food and i ask them do i get some kind of compensation for soggy sushi and cold dumplings> and they said they do not give discounts (after being put on hold while listening to faint cantonese in
  16. The sushi and maki are glorious -- really gorgeous cuts of fish and very fresh vegetables.
  17. The sushi fish was not as fresh as claimed in these reviews.
  18. Awesome sushi
  19. Needless to say the miso soup was cold and the beers warm.
  20. The food is very good and I've never had a bad experience.
  21. oh, and the sesame chicken is amazing!
  22. Concerning the sushi: fresh fish served in pretty standard nigiri, maki, and temaki options.
  23. nice service, agerage food
  24. Ma Soba - Great sushi, Standard atmosphere
  25. good sushi selection, quiet atmosphere, affordable lunch and dinner combo specials
  26. Fantastic sushi.
  27. If you're looking for great and authentic sushi bar offerings, do not waste your time here.
  28. decent sushi
  29. Overall the meal was a positive experience, I would recommend this restaurant to my friends and I would eat here again.
  30. The place is clean and their menu had the usual sushi/entree choice.
  31. Went to Ma Soba on Saturday night - wasn't overly busy, but the food was excellent!
  32. One huge benefit was that they do sushi + a little Korean + a little pan-Asian, so everyone was happy.
  33. They really offer something for everyone, even one of my friends who doesn't eat raw fish got a good fill of delicious non-fish rolls.
  34. can't say this is the best sushi i've had in boston, but it's good enough, and the prices are low, considering the address.
  35. Aren't we supposed to eat cold, raw fish?
  36. Uni was not fresh at all.
  37. They've got some of their own unique special sushi rolls you can't find anywhere else.
  38. My white tuna just melted in my mouth; the salmon was so buttery I almost went to heaven, and the veggies were fresh.
  39. highly recommend Ma Soba for large parties who order sushi boats; it's the best way to enjoy the variety of rolls in an affordable manner.
  40. She loves sushi but I have been avoiding it.
  41. Charles/MGH. It has oodles of choices, ranging from rice, noodle, veggie, and meat dishes to an extensive sushi/maki roll menu.
  42. Bad service, bad sushi, worse management.
  43. The food is good, I can not complain about it.
  44. some of the best sushi on beacon hill.
  45. If you live in the area, number of good asian/sushi spots are far and few.
  46. The sushi was unbelievably fresh and variety resulted in a harmonic balance of freshness+flavor+texture, that pleased even the most finicky of pallets.
  47. This sushi place fits for you if you're really looking for fresh fish and good sushi rolls.
  48. fresh sashimi
  49. Anyway, the sushi selection is pretty extensive, and the sushi is quite yummy, especially the baked rolls i.e. the volcano roll.
  50. cheap wine list, great choice of fresh sushi and a large list of other entrees for people who dont like sushi!
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. Charles/MGH. It has oodles of choices, ranging from rice, noodle, veggie, and meat dishes to an extensive sushi/maki roll menu.
  2. good sushi selection, quiet atmosphere, affordable lunch and dinner combo specials
  3. The sushi was unbelievably fresh and variety resulted in a harmonic balance of freshness+flavor+texture, that pleased even the most finicky of pallets.
  4. highly recommend Ma Soba for large parties who order sushi boats; it's the best way to enjoy the variety of rolls in an affordable manner.
  5. Great decor, very friendly environment and service, and best of all, a great menu.
  6. Concerning the sushi: fresh fish served in pretty standard nigiri, maki, and temaki options.
  7. The place is clean and their menu had the usual sushi/entree choice.
  8. I've eaten at ma soba many times and absolutely love the variety of options.
  9. Anyway, the sushi selection is pretty extensive, and the sushi is quite yummy, especially the baked rolls i.e. the volcano roll.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. All of this without the customary smiles and hospitalities one expects when waited on in a nice restaurant.
  2. find the atmosphere very calm and relaxing, and this a great place for a date.
  3. Ma Soba is a nice Japanese restaurant on Beacon Hill close to
service
63.88999938964844% positive
  1. Service was impeccable, staff incredibly
  2. The service absolutely sucked.
  3. cheap wine list, great choice of fresh sushi and a large list of other entrees for people who dont like sushi!
  4. but nice service.
  5. Lunch time service isn't too bad.
  6. The restaurant itself is very nice, which also includes the atmosphere and music, and they've got good service too.
  7. nice/friendly. I failed to mention that it was our friend's birthdays but staff figured it out, all came out with two bowls of coconut and green-tea ice cream, singing Happy Birthday.
  8. Great decor, very friendly environment and service, and best of all, a great menu.
  9. The waitress was very friendly and did not make me feel awkward because I didn't have a clue what to order.
  10. Bad service, bad sushi, worse management.
  11. Edamame comes in a small wooden basket that is only good for max 2 people --- if you're only interested in about 12 edamame each.
  12. Never in my life had I had such horrible service.
  13. nice service, agerage food
  14. If you dont mind crappy service, the food is good, so you should try it out.
  15. Pretty Good Sushi, absolutely terrible service
  16. it was really superb, i can higly recommend it; it was a nice evening with nice people.
  17. The service is absolutely the worst I've ever seen.
  18. In fact the service was so bad, it prompted me to get off my lazy a&%, join city search, just so I could write a review for this restaurant.
value
80.0% positive
  1. Price is expensive.
  2. good sushi selection, quiet atmosphere, affordable lunch and dinner combo specials
  3. DO NOT order the vegetable dumplings, it's just not worth while.
  4. cheap wine list, great choice of fresh sushi and a large list of other entrees for people who dont like sushi!
  5. highly recommend Ma Soba for large parties who order sushi boats; it's the best way to enjoy the variety of rolls in an affordable manner.
  6. also got the kalbi which was good and moderately priced (though on a huge bed of broccoli which I couldn't finish for the life of me).
  7. got the sashimi deluxe which was great though a little on the expensive side for the portions.
  8. Even if money is not an issue for you, you should not squander your pretty pennies here.
  9. can't say this is the best sushi i've had in boston, but it's good enough, and the prices are low, considering the address.
  10. One huge benefit was that they do sushi + a little Korean + a little pan-Asian, so everyone was happy.
  11. The price was quite good.
  12. The ambience, quality, and price were really good.
  13. great cheap asian lunch boxes on beacon hill
  14. Great sushi, great atmosphere, great value.
  15. must say I wasn't a huge fan of the combinations of ingredients in the specialty rolls, but oh my LORD, the fish was DELICIOUS.
3 Star Rating: Average

05/19/11

MSG Alert

by Amodamo at Citysearch

Had dinner there last night and the food was fine, but woke up this morning with big MSG eye puff. If you have issues with MSG be sure to ask them to omit it...I forgot!

2 Star Rating: Below Average

11/18/10

Was expecting better.

by lbn13 at Citysearch

Below average dining event.

As always, even though there were plenty of tables in the restaurant, we sat at the bar - first, bad idea. We sat down to an abrupt "are you going to be ordering food?" by the female bartender who, once we said yes, was outwardly embarrassed of how she greeted questioning us. We were rushed into ordering because "the kitchen is busy" and we should order all at once. When we finally did, the food came out in a better/faster than average time.

The food was fine.

During our time, we requested the TV be changed to something other than CNN to which we were given the remote control. Continuously through out the night the wait staff would come back behind the bar to drop off used glasses which I found strange and distracting. The bartender seemed very uncomfortable in her position and was getting more and more flustered as the evening went on. She and another female server were obviously frustrated by events in the restaurant as they were speaking angrily to each other in Japanese (assumed), which I found uncomfortable and rude.

With all that said, I'm glad we went and maybe it's our own fault for sitting at the bar and not inside the restaurant which was very nice - but if they do not want people at the bar, they shouldn't have one.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/20/10

Has improved tremendously

by Backbay at Citysearch

I enjoyed lunch there today and hadn't been for about a year. I was surprised at all the smiling faces on the Servers. The food was excellent. The restaurant was busy; however, people were being seated without reservations. Prices are reasonable.

I don't understand why Boston will not issue full bar licenses to restaurants. All they can serve are wine, beer and weak cordial cocktails. No straight hard liquor. It doesn't make sense.

  • Pros: Food, service, cleanliness
  • Cons: Boston will not issue a full liquor license.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/23/10

I would like a plate of everything

by Meghan Christine , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

Fantastic sushi. If you are in the Beacon Hill area, hands down best sushi around. From the outside it looks fancy - which bodes well two ways, first off you get go in dressed casual for a low key dinner with friends, but the flipside also is true - makes a great date location - and you can dress up as much as you want and still feel neither dressed up or dressed down.

Onto the food. If you are a philly roll fan like myself - it is the best I have ever had - the salmon is on the outside with avocado and cream cheese inside.

Other rolls to try:

-rainbow roll**** soooooo good

-fuji roll

-calamari roll

-eel tempura (cooked eel form of philly roll) *little heavy on the tempura but if you peel some off it tastes better. b

  • Pros: best philadelphia roll
  • Cons: slightly on the pricey side
4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/13/10

Ma Soba - Great sushi, Standard atmosphere

by juliacantor , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

Ma Soba is a nice Japanese restaurant on Beacon Hill close to Charles/MGH. It has oodles of choices, ranging from rice, noodle, veggie, and meat dishes to an extensive sushi/maki roll menu. I've gone in small groups and everyone has always enjoyed their meals. My friends have tried miso soup, salad, entrees, veggie shumai, and numerous maki rolls; all have been excellent. Recently I tried spicy salmon, lobster, and crunch dragon rolls... all were delicious and true works of art! They tasted very fresh. While there weren't many other patrons at the restaurant, I still think very highly of it and would definitely go back.

  • Pros: Many dinner choices
  • Cons: Standard restaurant

The Details on ma soba

Place Categories:

  • good special sushi
  • great place
  • excellent agerage food
  • nice lunch time service
  • worst service
  • nice japanese restaurant
  • fresh fish
  • fantastic special rolls
  • really good quality
  • quite good price
  • great sashimi
  • great standard atmosphere
  • enjoy variety
  • great sushimaki roll menu
  • chic atmostphere
  • true works
  • authentic sushi bar offerings
  • not like sushi
  • cold beers
  • fantastic maki rolls
  • affordable lunch
  • pretty maki
  • very fresh vegetables
  • great dining experience
  • like date location

As Seen In…

Message from ma soba

  • Birthday Party / Biz Event
  • Great Lunch Box (Bento)
  • Very Reasonable Prices

Ma Soba restaurant has been serving great food on Beacon Hill since 1999. It provides pan-asian cuisine such as Chinese, Thai and Korean gourmet dining. Ma Soba also sets the standard its sushi and has extensive wine list. From September 2004, Ma Soba has undergone new management. We have re-vamped our menu with a selection of West Coast inspired maki rolls. Moreover we have made prices reasonable. Even the local college students agree it's fair priced for their budgets.

We do our best to provide you with an excellent dining experience. As you can see, we were rated #1 for Best Sushi by Citysearch. We use fresh and fine fish, meat and vegetables. You will appreciate outstanding food created by the high-end skilled chefs.

ma soba
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