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ma soba

156 Cambridge St
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617) 973-6680

Ratings & Reviews Summary for ma soba

What Users are Saying:

  • Prompt seating
  • Romantic
  • Good for groups
5 Star Rating
 
(15 reviews)
4 Star Rating
 
(8 reviews)
3 Star Rating
 
(3 reviews)
2 Star Rating
 
(4 reviews)
1 Star Rating
 
(4 reviews)

User Reviews for ma soba

Citysearch (31), Judy's Book (1), InsiderPages (1), MenuPages (1), All (34)

2 Star Rating: Below Average

12/21/2007 Posted by foodaddict39

I consider myself as a pundit when it comes to Japanese cuisine. Tonight was my first time at Ma Soba and let's just say after paying $100 for just food for 2 people, I was horrendously letdown. Service between average and a tad below average. Portions are small for the price but apparently Ma Soba thought they could make it up by piling each roll up with rice. Restaurant had both mango and avacado but refused to make mango-avacado roll on the spot for a first-time vegetarian guest. Sweet shrimp hand roll had two pieces of shrimp and more rice than a rice ball plus the seaweed tasted rubbery and old. Uni was not fresh at all. The pieces of sushi were cut unevenly. Overall, there's no real skill in sushi preparation. If you're looking for great and authentic sushi bar offerings, do not waste your time here. Even if money is not an issue for you, you should not squander your pretty pennies here. It's just not worth it. FYI, the soy sauce is extremely salty and the wasabi tasted like the kind made with powder. 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. I'm disappointed with the quality of the food. I don't mind the price, but for the price I paid, I felt like I was not getting my money's worth in both quality and quantity. The one thing that I could not complain about was the miso soup. DO NOT order the vegetable dumplings, it's just not worth while. Most importantly, the Baked Lobster Roll tonight tasted not like lobster at all but crawfish. I don't know how Ma Soba made it to the top 10!

Pros: Ambience

Cons: The food!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

12/19/2007 Posted by k1peters

Look, I love Ginza. I LOVE Fugakyu. But there was something just impeccable about the sushi I had last night that i actually felt compelled to write a review. This was, by far, the freshest raw fish I've ever eaten...and I've done my share of sushi joints in Boston. I 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. My white tuna just melted in my mouth; the salmon was so buttery I almost went to heaven, and the veggies were fresh. What a treat!!!

Pros: Freshest seasfood in Boston; great cheap price

Cons: Initial slow service (for a Tuesday); all the food came out at once

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

12/01/2007 Posted by sunshine1985

Amazing sushi. Nice resturant and great service. A little on the expensive side, but definately worth it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/24/2007 Posted by mweine01

We have been here 3 times. Each time we have tried different maki orders. Here some of our favorites: ROCK & ROLL -Tobiko, Spicy Tuna, Baked Scallop, Gobo, & Cucumber; T.N.T. ROLL- Shrimp Tempura, Tobiko, Special Sauce, & Cali.Roll; NINJA ROLL - Albacore Tempura, Crab, Tobiko, & Avocado; BAKED SPICY LOBSTER ROLL - Baked Spicy Lobster, Tobiko, Cali.Roll; DISCO SHRIMP ROLL - Baked Shrimp, Tobiko, Scallop, Spicy Crab, & Avocado;

Pros: Huge variety of creative sushi

Cons: Can get pricy if not careful

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

3 Star Rating: Average

08/27/2007 Posted by looxor

Let me say a couple of things before: This is my first review but many others will follow. I like reading the reviews here but the people seems to forget that there are 5 different rate to choose from, not only one star or 5... (Sorry for any grammatical mistake, I am Italian). OK, I went to this place last Friday, I reserved (I recommend doing it) and we were promptly seated immediately. The place is nice but definitely NOT romantic at all, who said it is...sorry guys you have no idea what is a romantic place...This is way to bright, and the table (all in one room) are too much close to each other to be romantic, you end specking with the table next to you...and listening... The food is good, I can not complain about it. But overall I found the price way to high, bottles of wine almost start at 28$, for nothing special and I ended pay 100$ for two, eating a mixed tempura, 6 California rolls, and a mixed sushi and sashimi, with a bottle of France risling (I don’t remember how to spell it) that was nothing special at all. 70$ could be a fear price.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

08/09/2007 Posted by princessork

I had a great dining experience here. Great food and atmosphere. Although we had to wait for a table it was worth it. parking is a plus too!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

06/16/2007 Posted by jet777

I'm new to Boston. but I've been to enough to know that this has to be one of the best! Everything from the appetizers to the sake exceeded my expectations. I'm not a fan of big restaurant, preferring the smaller one that have the owner's exclusive attention, but is the exception to that rule. Great decor, very friendly environment and service, and best of all, a great menu. I went with a couple of friends and let them order and there wasn't one dish I didn't absolutely love. Great!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/01/2007 Posted by cdub4ever

i 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. great lunch specials.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

2 Star Rating: Below Average

01/22/2007 Posted by kimski

I read all these great reviews on citysearch about how great this Sushi is. Honestly not good Sushi at all. I live in Quincy and there are two local sushi restaurant that smoke this place. I went here a week before Christmas in 2006, there was almost nobody in the restaurant. If you are a avid sushi eater, this is not the place.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

3 Star Rating: Average

01/11/2007 Posted by susansoussan

We went to Ma Soba after hearing Rave reviews and reading about how it was rated Best Sushi Restaurant in Boston (2006). We walked in and there was only one other couple seated in the restaurant. We figured it must be because it was a Monday night. Anyway, the sushi selection is pretty extensive, and the sushi is quite yummy, especially the baked rolls i.e. the volcano roll. My only complaint is the service. The service absolutely sucked. 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. The waitress we had acted as though she was doing us an enormous favor by acknowledging us, let alone taking our order or getting our food. 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!!! I feel so much better now that I have expressed my opinion. If you dont mind crappy service, the food is good, so you should try it out.

Pros: Sushi

Cons: Service

Editor's Review

Beacon Hill restaurant rolls some of downtown's freshest and most innovative sushi.  See the full editorial review.

Insider Tips

Parking

Patrons can park in the Cambridge St. Garage (next to the Holiday Inn) from 5pm-12am for a $5 flat rate.

More Insider Tips

Restaurant Information

Smoking

  • No

Parking

  • Street
  • Lot

Hours

  • Mon-Wed 11:30am-10:30pm
  • Thu-Fri 11:30am-11pm
  • Sat 5pm-11pm
  • Sun 5pm-10:30pm

Dress Code

  • Casual

Cuisines

  • Vegetarian
  • Asian
  • Korean
  • Sushi
  • Japanese
  • Chinese

Payment Types

  • Visa
  • MasterCard
  • American Express
  • Discover

Meal Price

  • $$

Amenities

  • Dine at the Bar
  • Date Spot
  • Lunch Spot
  • Business Dining
  • Group Dining
  • Carry Out
  • Catering

Recognition for ma soba

2006 Audience Winner - Japanese Food
2006 Audience Winner - Sushi

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