My trip to Ginza was made out of sheer curiosity. I was just hanging out at my buddy’s place on the south side of the Boston University campus one Friday afternoon when he mentioned that he had never tried the Japanese place on the corner of his block. “What’s it called?” I asked. “Ginza”, he replied. Now, I know the Zagats guide for Boston practically by heart so I knew that a trip to Ginza would definitely be an interesting way to spend a lazy afternoon. We headed over shortly after the doors opened at five o’clock and stepped into another world.
I’ve never been to Japan but I would wager that Ginza is as close as you can come to authentic Japanese eating in Boston. Despite Ginza’s rather bland exterior, it’s interior is quite beautiful. Surfaces are of blonde wood and there is a plethora of Japanese artwork on the walls. There is a sake bar and a sushi bar as well as tables and booths. The restaurant itself is fairly small though and by six o’clock, or shortly thereafter, every table was occupied.
At five o’clock, though, we were some of the first people in the doors and were seated immediately. One of the kimono clad waitresses immediately brought us two hot towels. I have a feeling that the staff at Ginza gets a kick out of watching unsuspecting college students try and figure out what to do with a hot towel! Oh well, no hurt feelings here. We were promptly given waters that were kept topped off by the attentive waitstaff throughout the meal. The next area of confusion came when we opened our menus. Of course, I fully expected this to be a little traumatic. Ginza has pages of choices all of which seem new and confusing to someone who has had no experience with Japanese cuisine. I finally located the tempura (lightly breaded and fried items) section and we decided to split an order of shrimp and vegetable tempura. We then turned our attention to the sushi menu. Now, I had never tried sushi in my life nor am I a seafood lover of any kind. In fact, shrimp is the only seafood I’ll actually eat. But, my buddy wanted to try sushi and I figured that since I was in the top Japanese/sushi restaurant in New England, I had better try it. I ruled out sashimi (cut pieces of raw fish) of any kind and decided to try two types of maki (rolled sushi with rice, seaweed, and other assorted ingredients). The sushi prices seemed very reasonable for such a renowned restaurant. Rolls, which consist of 6 relatively bite-size pieces, cost anywhere from $3 to $7 on average.
Our sushi was brought out just as soon as the sushi chefs could make it. Both types that we ordered came stacked on one platter with a generous mound of wasabe and thinly sliced ginger. Soy sauce is already at each table in a small pitcher. After I figured out that the small little dish I was brought along with my regular sized plate was for the soy sauce and after by buddy gave me a quick crash course in chop stick use (no other utensils are provided) I was ready to take the plunge. I definitely didn’t hate my first bite. The first piece I tried was a tuna roll, which consisted of a piece of tuna with rice rolled in seaweed. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t really do it for me. The next piece I tried was an Alaskan Roll, which consisted of a piece of salmon and a piece of avocado rolled in seaweed with rice on the outside. This piece was actually quite good, though it was an entirely new taste for me. We finished the entire platter trying different combinations of sushi, wasabe, ginger, and soy sauce as we went. Along with our sushi came a bowl of miso soup and a small salad. The salad was quite good. The miso soup was excellent! Again, it was a totally new taste and we both enjoyed it immensely. I was glad that I had done a little research on Japanese cuisine in the past so I knew to drink the soup from the bowl and not to inform the waitress that she had forgotten the spoon.
Our entrée was brought out just as we finished the sushi. It was a very generous helping. Even though the tempura platters are meant for one person, they are more than enough for two. Now, tempura is a more familiar dish to us novices. Everything is cooked, for one. The tempura batter is very light and crispy and the oil it is cooked in is also quite light. The shrimp was excellent and the vegetables were delicious. The batter added just enough sweetness to make even the vegetables I normally don’t like taste fantastic. For dessert we had fried green tea ice cream. This was also large enough to share and it was also delicious. A quick note to those of you who refuse to ever try sushi: Ginza has plenty of beef and chicken dishes that I hear are fantastic so you can go and eat while you make fun of your raw fish eating friends.
All in all I was greatly impressed with Ginza. The service was great, the food was outstanding, and the price (our total for two people came to $35!!) was just right. I highly recommend visiting Ginza whether you’re looking for great seafood and sushi or you’re looking for an entirely new culinary experience.


Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: No
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Everything at Ginza is fresh and delicious. Order with confidence and don't be afraid to try something new...you may be pleasantly surprised.
Best Suited For: Friends