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Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Back BayBack Bay (Orange)
Copley (Green)
Mon-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mon-Sat. 4:30 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun. 4:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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I heart sushi--I could eat it for every meal, every single day of the week. If all my meals came exclusively from Douzo, I could die a happy woman.
My ex used to bar-tend here when it first opened, and I was a fan then, but the crowds were never really there. I went back for the first time on Friday, and it definitely exceeded all expectations. So much so that I came back the following night.
I came in with a friend Friday night a little before 7, and it was packed (about a 40 min wait in the dinning room). Luckily enough we snagged a table in their lounge/bar area, and ordered Green Tea Mojitos, which were very refreshing. And potent (at least for me). Food-wise, we started out with the Spicy Garlic Edamame, which is freaking fantastic and then got the Spicy Tuna Roll, Caterpillar Roll, Alaskan Roll, and the Spider Roll (soft-shell crab tempura, avocado, cucumber, tobiko, spicy mayo, daikon radish) to share. Their presentation of food is simple but elegant, and we were stuffed, but wanted to order more just so we could continue eating.
The next night my friends and I shared the Spicy Garlic Edamame, Seaweed Salad, Boston Roll (lobster, lettuce, tomato, asparagus, spicy mayo, tobiko), Caterpillar, Spicy Tuna, Back Bay roll (asparagus, cucumber, avocado, wrapped in tuna, wasabi sauce, and wasabi tobiko), and the Philadelphia Roll, and it was all great. I think that their spicy tuna roll is the best in the city--the way it melts in your mouth and how there's a nice little kick at the end...just thinking about it makes my mouth water. If my office were anywhere near Back Bay, I'd be going there for lunch today.
The only downside of this place (which prevented the 5-star review) is that the service at the lounge/bar area leaves something to be desired. Everyone is pleasant enough, but it takes a while to get drinks, order, and even get the check--I felt as though we were always having to flag down people.
No matter though--I'll definitely be back...can't wait!
I love sushi and since moving back to Boston from New York I haven't found a place that I left saying...this was some effing good sushi...until now.
Saturday night was crowded and we were told (party of two) that we could wait at the bar and it would be about an hour and a half to sit. We expected this because reservations cannot be made for parties less than six, but decided it was fine to have a few cocktails at the bar. We ordered two very good martini's, the list was generous, and by the time we had finished that drink the couple sitting at the bar was leaving and gave us there seat. We ended up eating at the bar bar, not the sushi bar which was better than waiting another hour, and we like eating at the bar anyhow.
The bartender was helpful, friendly, and recommended an off the menu item called spicy crunchy tuna, which he described as a tater tot sushi roll, which it was. It was a spicy tuna roll deep fried. Super crunchy and nothing I'd had before, delicious. We added the Torch roll, Caterpillar roll and edamame as well. We weren't quite satisfied so to top things off we ordered a spicy tuna and eel avocado roll. I always recommend sticking to rolls when at a top end sushi restaurant so that is what we went with. The rolls were juicy and the portion of fish was big enough so that the seaweed and rice did not overpower. One really nice touch was the option to add real wasabi sauce. If you like to have some sushi with your wasabi sauce to clear out the nostrils like myself, this is well worth the add-on
The only complaint would be the semi deafening/droning club music, however no one else seemed to mind so maybe I'm just a cranky old man. The energy in the place was high with lots of dolled up 30 somethings and lots of first time dates we noticed. Great experience overall, will be going back for sure.
Went here for a nice evening out to talk more with a nice gentleman I had recently met. We went on a Friday at about 8pm and I was happy to see how close it was to the Back Bay T since it was kind of cold out to walk far. We put our name in and had a quick 20 minute wait so we decided to get drinks in the bar.
I ordered a Ginger Martini which was both ginger flavored with gin alcohol. It was very tasty since I'm not usually a martini fan. They were about $11 which wasn't too bad for the taste and the neighborhood. The host even carried it over to the table for me when the table was ready, so I wouldn't spill any.
When we sat down, we ordered a nice sashimi dish which was a mixture of about 5 different types of sashimi, I would recommend this as a nice light starter while waiting for your meal. I forget what we ordered exactly, but I know we ordered about 3 specialty rolls. All of them were delicious, so I don't think you can go wrong. We finished off the evening with some warm sake and the chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The cake was nice and smooth and something I would recommend sharing with another person since it's very rich.
All in all, it was a great experience. The only down side to the restaurant is that the seats are very close together. I know it gets crowded and more seats help the business, but it was really hard to not listen to the conversation next to me since I was only about 5 inches away. I could even tell they were listening to me by their reactions when I said certain things. The waitress was very attentive and the design of the restaurant with the low lights was perfect for a romantic evening, first date, or even dinner with friends.
If I had an unlimited amount of money, I would eat here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the past week I've been here three times, and I'm pretty sure that soon I will be on the corner of Dartmouth and Stuart Street turning tricks to support my sushi habit. I hope you'll still want to be my friend, and won't judge me because of this.
A lot of the original staff/management is still here from 3 years ago, so they must be doing something right internally. The dining experience itself is exceptional. Note-they do not take reservations for parties under 5 (bummer, I know).
There are 3 unique experiences you can have here, and I feel confident in my 5-star rating. I've been eating sushi from Douzo for the past 3 years, and the quality is consistent, and fabulous.
3 Scenarios of Douzo:
1-take out
Lunch specials are reasonably priced (under $15). I had a spicy tuna roll + salmon w/salad + fruit. The sushi was fresh, and it was ready quickly. There's a take-out section to the left when you walk in. There are grab-and-go items, which I haven't tried, but I'm sure I will at some point.
2-dinner with a friend
Friday night rolls around and a friend is in town, so I suggest Douzo for dinner. We had a 40 minute wait, which we spent at the bar drinking pear martinis (delicious, btw!). Service was attentive, and the sushi was insanely good. We had the Russian Roll, Spider Roll, Crazy Roll, an Eel Avocado Roll, and some sweet potato thingy. Fish was fresh+delicious.
3-romantical date
The lighting, the candles, the music, the food, the ambiance....if you don't get laid after a date here, you've got no game. 'Nuff said.
The location is great for me, which is probably why I keep on going back and subjecting myself to bad service. If I were to rate the service it would get anywhere form one to two stars.
The fish, however, is top notch. The sashimi deluxe dinner has the basics covered but the fish is very good. I would give the food five stars.
Ambiance is very nice and would give five stars.
Host/hostess I would give three to four stars. Always brisk and you almost get the feeling they don't have time for you because they are so packed.
If service would match the quality of the fish, this place would be a knock out. I'm giving four stars when I secretly want to give three because the service has consistently been a mess.
Nice place. Nice food. Nice atmosphere, although the tables are a bit too closely packed, so neighbours' conversations intruded into ours.
I've not been to this sort of Japanese restaurant before. Normally I'd expect to choose lots of little portions of sushi, rather than have big portions of the same.
But it was good food so I was actually glad for the big portions...
I had the Red Spider Roll (have a soft spot for soft-shelled crabs) and the Tiger Rolls (IIRC). Both were lovely and the texture of the former was completely unlike any Sushi I've had before.
There's actually too much choice! Everything was good but I felt completely overwhelmed by the options available (the couple on the table next to us resorted to having their waitress give them recommendations).
Nice cocktails too. Although I couldn't help but think of the phrase 'There's no such thing as a chocolate Martini' (the bulk of the cocktails are 'Martinis')
Wins with atmosphere and service. Hey - It was a business meeting. We had a remarkably sweet and efficient waitress. Hard to believe in Boston, but true.
Food -
Appetizers: baked scallops and ribs were good, but not spectacular.
Sashimi: Set a $$$ budget and asked to skip uni and octopus. Everything else is fair game if fresh. The result was very good. Extremely fresh. Only complaint: the pieces were way too big. A couple more cuts per piece would have made it perfect.
Pricing: No idea as I didn't have to pay. Hmmm, that made it even better.
Summary - Very nice and pleasant atmosphere! Will remain a primary choice for client meetings! May be dates too.
No doubt, one of my favorite places to eat!!! I eat vegetarian sushi and it's always delicious. Veggie tempura is amazing and the drinks are good, too. They also have a chicken teriyaki dish with a size of rice and some type of cole slaw or something on top of the rice which is then topped with crunch onions...I often think about going there just so I can get this dish!! Delicious! I highly recommend! They also have take out which is nice if you don't want to eat out.
Douzo is my go to sushi take-out lunch spot.
The atmosphere is nice and trendy.
However, they would not seat you until your entire party arrives. Their tables are really close together and going to Douzo for lunch takes FOREVER - that is why i opt for takeout.
The fish and rice is always fresh for sushi. I especially love their Spider rolls (soft shell crab). Even for take out, the crab is always crispy and not too oily. They have a few special rolls that is good as well- Red Spider Roll, Crazy and Salmon Tempura. I've also had their unaju and Nabeyaki udon. The unaju (eel and rice) is good but the brooth for the udon is not that flavorful.
Awesome sushi, beautiful atmosphere and friendly staff. Prices are a little steep, but you're paying for some of the best sushi in the city. I had the Summer Roll and the Philadelphia Roll. The Summer Roll was amazing and I highly recommend it.
My friend and I also ordered some sashimi to start. The fish was so fresh and delicious.
I thought this place was much smaller when I passed it countless times, but it's rather spacious which was a pleasant surprise.
My husband and I have been eating sushi since 1980. Have eaten it all over the world. We live on Martha's Vineyard and wanted to get great sushi in Boston while staying overnight at Logan.
We missed the last two seats at the sushi bar by a hair. It was early, so we didn't have to wait. We were seated at a table that seemed "too close for comfort" to two young women. They didn't seem to care. I'm used to a little privacy. Nevertheless, we were anticipating a great meal. What we usually do is order a sushi dinner and then add things like Uni and whatever we think is special that night in addition.
Because we found the prices high, we both decided to start with the sushi "dinner". I put dinner in quotes as it didn't come with soup or salad, as they mostly do. The "dinners" arrived with small, dried-out looking pieces of sushi. Our biggest mistake was not going up to the sushi bar or asking the manager over right away. We both ate the sushi and an order of Uni, which we had given in advance. It was horrible - the worst I've ever eaten - including what you get from the "sushi chef" in the supermarket.
My husband, out of curiousity, walked to the sushi bar to check out a plate that was being made by one of the sushi chefs. The pieces of sushi were large and gorgeous - very fresh-looking! We realized that Douzo figured they could pawn their left-over pieces on us as we had ordered a "dinner" and sat at a table. Even though we had ordered Uni, we think they thought we didn't know anything about good sushi. I don't know how my husband didn't lose his cool as the manager claimed they gave us the same quality of fish as everyone else. Story short - the manager credited one of the "dinners". I'm afraid it didn't help our bad feelings at all. They ripped us off - clearly. Our food wasn't even worth the price of one "dinner". Will we try again?? NO!!!!!!!!!!! If the manager had been smart, he would have given us a certificate to come back again and told us he would see to us personally.
Be VERY careful if you go to Douzo and you really know your quality of fish.
I came to Douzo in the company of two friends taking me out on the town to celebrate my birthday. The best comparison I know how to make is saying this: Douzo is the P.F. Changs of sushi.
It's extremely expensive (thank goodness I was the birthday girl) - our bill totaled well over $150 for three people (including a bottle of wine though).
We had fantastic spicy tuna (also try the toro rolls - tuna belly - yum), eel avocado rolls, and of course california rolls. We chose a bunch of sashimi as well. I can't say enough about the fresh quality of everything. It was perfect.
we tried to make reservations but they don't accept them for parties of less than 5. so we expected to wait. we had drinks at the bar...i ordered a dirty vodka martini and it was perfect. i am pretty finicky with martinis, only because almost everywhere you go, they dirty them too much. so i was pleased. 40 minutes or so later, we were sat.
we were lucky to get a table for 2 that was pretty private, i don't know if this is something you can normally expect though. we were greeted immediately and from that point on the service was pretty good. the seaweed salad was fresh. we ordered 3 special rolls: dragon roll (yes!!!), rainbow roll (yess!!!), crunchy roll (yesssss!!!!). and tempura shitake mushroom, just for the hell of it. everything was amazing. fresh.
i definitely feel as though i should have tried some sake with dinner but i was so sold on the first drink, i ordered another. the first was better. i might have given this place 5 stars if it weren't for the inconsistency in dirtiness.
the atmosphere is good...if you like a little obsure beat to go with your japanese.
Extremely fresh sushi with a lot of vegetarian options. Seaweed salad is the freshest I have had in the US (excluding Hawaii). Their inari is superb.
Nightclubby atmosphere (though more chic/ quiet) and moderate verging on pricey cost. I LOVED an eggplant dish but can't remember it's name!
Sadly not a fan of the shiitake soup.
Also, did not try the desserts, but they were disappointingly NOT Japanese. Some French/American desserts, ice cream, etc. but no red bean, green tea mochi, or even bubble tea. :(
The food definitely makes up for it!
Without question the best SUSHI in New England. Located right next to Back Bat Station and Equinox gym this place is wonderful. It is very roony and they have a big menu. Everyones taste will be satisfied.
In all honesty, this might not be the fairest of reviews. I am simply reviewing their lunch specials and their exceptional staff. I'd have to go there again and order from their dinner menu to really gain an understanding of how their sushi really is.
But here goes - we walked in here a little past lunch time and the place was fairly empty. I live so close to this place yet I'd never eaten here. I think it's this syndrome I have with not going to places I live close to - I feel like theyre here so I can go to them anytime...nu uh. So anyway, it took a friend in town who loves sushi to go here. We ordered lunch specials which are well priced for a pricey restaurant like Douzo. I ordered the Okaminese Special (I think I might have butchered the spelling of that one...) and my friend ordered the Salmon Teriyaki with the works.
I haven't ever really had the nigiri so I had to ask the waiter - who turned out to be SO VERY NICE!! It was such a pleasure talking to him and he was in no hurry and listened to us carefully. I have shrimp allergies and I made that clear to him and he asked the chefs to substitute any shell-fish with something else. We asked for escolar - and he gladly did it as well. Basically I'm giving this place this good of a review because of the service.
The food was good - but it really wasn't exceptional. My spicy tuna roll was good and so were some pieces of my nigiri. I tried some of my friend's salmon teriyaki and found it somewhat bland. However everything else (the salad and roll) were good and they give you a big portion of food.
Lastly, the place is beautiful. The ambience, the decor, is incredible and I can definitely see myself coming here for a nice night out starting my night here with some friends. I'll definitely find myself back here, during dinner time and trying their douzo specials and really making a judgement on their rolls. Until then - great job on service and good deals on lunch meals.
Try it.
Thinking about this place is making me crave their food, even if it's just a grain of rice. Their decor is amazing, posh, clean, modern. The staff is friendly and attentive. Their food is amazing, a little overpriced - at least their fish is fresh!
I've eaten here a couple times. Eating at the sushi bar was great, we got a couple sushi a la cart and had the Sake Cosmo. That's one way to get drunk fast. The second time I went we sat at a table, which was equally fabulous.
Pricey but good food, friendly and attentive staff, great atmosphere.
Went here this Friday night and was happy with the sushi. For apps we split the gyoza which was delish along with the ribs, the ribs only came with three and didn't have too much meat on them. I'd pass on them in the future. I had the spicy tuna maki along with the crazy maki. I will say the spicy tuna was delicious, the crazy maki I thought lacked any real flavor. Our group split the tempura bananas along with the lava cake for desert. The cake was by far more tasty. The bananas lacked a real crisp coat or enough chocolate sauce. Overall I think this place is very good. Not rock star quality but good.
Everybody and anybody knows that the best place to go for sushi in Boston is Fugakyu. Hands down.... so one of the co-owners of Fugakyu decided to open up another sushi restaurant in Back Bay, which is warmly welcomed. (whether it was on a good terms split or not...well that's to be confirmed as well) They did it again, not exactly bigger, but food worthy BETTER. Definitely a promising and shining gem, for whenever I visit home!
I definitely had my first sushi-gasm in a very long time. Such a gasm... it litererally hurt to shove the last piece of roll in my mouth.... Guess I overstuffed and did it again... oops! Dou-zu, authentic, creative in its set-up and sushi rolls, you are guaranteed to leave appeased. Yeah, it is a bit on the pricey side, but leaving dollar signs aside, the take on quality and taste is beyond superb.
The natural earth tones are aesthetically pleasing, but count no more than 20 tables max. The high top bar and wide open ceilings can be deceiving!
Memorable rolls include Crazy, Phoenix and Torch... with our choice to substitute for BROWN RICE!!!!!! So we went for it... and it was delicious.... little on the rice, excess on the fish. The tobiko on the phoenix and torch roll was fresh as all hell.
Douzu again... translation means please come in.... again!!
I am torn writing this review. Been here three times before finally sitting down to write.
What I do like about this place is that there is a wide variety of food on the menu, not just sushi and rolls. I love that theres dobin mushi, the soup that comes in the little teapots, one of my favorites, but so hard to find in Boston. Props to Douzo for offering it, though it's not the best I've tasted.
The cons, well, for fusion place, I thought the makis weren't all that innovative nor original. SOmetimes, the fish isnt the freshest I've had either.
3.5 Stars - a good meal, definitely a splurge, but nice decor and usually decent service.
Stop #2
Douzo's modern zen-like interior brings harmony to its overwhelming menu. There's a lot to choose from between jushi yaki, kushi katsu, and tempuras but after reading several pages, I just wanted something I could make comparisons. Lunch is an excellent introduction with lunch sets ranging from $7.75 to $15.75. There are also teriyaki, noodle, and donburi (rice bowl) options. The sushi rolls are creative but sometimes the flavors and textures get muddled with so many ingredients. But overall, the rolls are still very good; in particular the beef and asparagus roll and the crunchy spicy tuna roll. Douzo definitely ranks as one of the better Japanese restaurants I've visited.
Note: In February of 2009, Cindy and I embarked on a 48-hour eating tour around the greater Boston area. I called it the Boston Masticare - a bad pun off the Italian transitive verb "to chew."
[Original Visit: February 14, 2009, 12:19 PM]
I have been complaining about the lack of decent sushi in Boston since I've lived here and finally I come across Douzo. My guest and I just happened upon it as we were strolling in Back Bay and decided to take a look at the menu. Just a side note: I hopped up on the concrete slab next to the menu so I could see over my 6'3" friend. A guy walked past us to go inside Douzo and looked at me with amazement, "I just thought you were wicked tall!". We found this hilarious. Enough of my ADD...
Anyways, so we went on a Sunday, they don't take reservations for parties under 5. We were seated right away and ordered 22 oz Sapporos and edamame. The edamame was really tasty, especially with the beer. It had just enough salt and little bit of lime.
We also order 2 rolls each and 3 pieces of sashimi.
Boston Roll- The pieces of lobster were really substantial, which I appreciated. The rolls were a little bigger than I prefer but I really liked it anyways. I of course had no shame and stuffed the whole thing in my mouth.
Alligator Roll - Eel, crab and shrimp happen to be a few of my favorite things so I was in seventh heaven. For a sushi purist this probably wouldn't fly, but for someone who really likes shrimp tempura and eel this is awesome.
Red Spider Roll- The tuna this was wrapped in tasted really fresh, the sauce was a little different than the eel sauce I'm used to on most of sushi at home but it was still very good.
Snow Mountain Roll - I think this is the one we both went pretty crazy for. The snow crab on top was just delicious.
Yellowtail - I'm not a huge fan of raw fish but this literally melted in my mouth, granted I drowned it in soy sauce.
Salmon - Same affect. Extremely fresh.
Crab stick - I love crab so I always have to get this. Theirs was fresh but nothing out of the ordinary.
As for the restaurant itself I like the interior, very sleek but comfortable. Most everyone was pretty dressed up but being from the Midwest most people who go out to eat on Sundays just wear jeans and sweatshirts so I probably looked like I should have been dining at Burger King but I didn't feel uncomfortable.
So yeah, this was pretty much the most amazing meal I've had in Boston. and now I'm hungry again!
For some reason I always wind up at Douzo... Maybe it's because I work around the corner or because the sushi is pretty delicious? Hmm...
Anyway- I think the bar area is super nice. It looks small but somehow I always manage to get a seat or table when I go. The drinks are so delicious. Definitely get a martini. Douzo makes great Asian-inspired cocktails like Saketinis, my favorite.
The sushi is very, very good. A friend and I got the chef's omakase a few weeks ago and it was incredible! Basically the sushi chef arranges a large sampling platter of his specialties. If you have the budget, go for it. You will not be disappointed.
I knocked a star off the review because I think some of Douzo's menu items are overpriced. The spicy seafood rolls, etc are pretty standard fare but they charge you way more than most places would for the same quality dish. The restaurant's more complicated rolls and sashimi selections are worth the price, however.
This is my first review and I wanted to dedicate it to Douzo :)
"Love at first sight"
The ambience, the location & the FOOD are wonderful.
I recently started eating sushi and this is, hands down, the best sushi I've ever eaten. My favorite roll is the Phoenix Roll. YUM! So fresh & delicious. I recently tried the crispy shrimp as an appetizer and I was definitely impressed.
I'm usually always in the mood for Douzo, but the only setback is the bill can get expensive.
Definitely a place for a romantic date or an outing with the girls!
Whoa, Nelly! Stop the fishing boats AND the press.
So, I've been so proud of myself since I started eating sushi about 6 months ago. Seems like an addiction, I just can't get enough. Mmmm, salmon and tuna. MMMM. I think I thought I was a pro at this.
Well, after reading fellow Yelper's reviews, and realizing how close this place is to my gym, I decided to pop in for a solo lunch. Beautifully trendy setting, love the colors, the music, etc. All of that was wonderful. Would make a great date spot, IF you like the rest of my review.
One issue with the layout: what's with the communal seating?? The tables are so close together that it's like you're sitting at one giant, long table (like Durgin Park at Fanueil Hall). I am not exaggerating. When the place fills, you're basically in conversation with the folks next to you, as you're all at one table. This is not the place to go to have a private conversation or business lunch where trade secrets may be discussed.
Here's the deal: this IS the place for SUSHI PRO'S, not novices like me. The fish was so fresh, it was still swimming on my rice. Not really, but dang, this fish was RAW. Errr, umm, I mean, FRESH. See? Sushi Pro's will appreciate that. If you want fresh, fresh, fresh, right off the boat, off the hook, out of the net- this is your spot. The fish was so "fresh" that at the end of the taste/bite, it was chewy- not good (I'd never experienced that before, didn't like it. Yuck.)
I had Toro (watch out for M/P on the menu- means Market Price. ASK before you get it. Imagine my HORROR when I saw my check and I paid $17.00 for TWO pieces of Toro), king crab, and some other type of nigiri, and the lunch special. Yeah, I was hungry.
Anyhoo, I guess for the Pro's, this place gets a 4 star rating (lose a star for the HORRIBLE seating arrangement), but for the newbies like me, the sushi was a little TOO fresh (if that's possible), so I'm going with 3 stars.
Awesome high-quality sushi with unique & interesting rolls that aren't too funky. Try the duck appetizer, it melts in your mouth. It's cooked to perfection, not to rare and has an unbelievable hoisin-based sauce with shitake mushrooms.
The vibe is very modern & urban chic, they're always spinning great lounge-y house music. You do feel like you have to dress up a bit to come here, it's not a "roll in with your sweats" kind of place.
The service is impeccable and it has a good bar scene area that's separate from the dining area. Definitely a great place to visit if you're looking for a fun dinner in the City. If you don't like the chic scene, come for lunch where you get the same great sushi when it's not packed with the beautiful people.
Douzo is great. I pick up take out for lunch, which is normally ready right when they say on the phone. No waiting necessary.
On the other hand for a table, you have to be dedicated and willing to wait a decent amount of time during the evening hours. Sometimes there is a wait during lunch but not too too bad.
I wish the bar area wasn't so crowded with tables, but I guess its a double edged sword because if it weren't you would have to wait longer. I love that you can just grab one of the bar tables rather than waiting for the buzzer to go off.
The lack of space at the bar is most unfortunate when you are happy to get a drink at the bar while waiting to be seated, but are constantly worried about spilling because you need to manuever around all of the other waiting for a table or moving to and from the hostess table.
Sitting at their sushi bar is a good time. It is a nice way to mix things up.
The miso soup is great, love the little mushrooms. The edamame is a treat (better when eating there rather than takeout) with the perfect balance of salt and the option of fresh squeezed lime. I had never had lime on my edamame before, it was a wonderful compliment to the flavor of the beans.
They are very flexible if you want to add or remove certain elements from a roll. If you opt for a roll with brown rice, be aware that they will charge you extra. Our waiter made it seem as though it was a free option.
Favorite rolls: Dragon Roll, Scorpion Roll, Alligator Roll, Alaskan Roll
The Douzo sushi tasting is a letdown. $18 for 6 pieces of sushi! At $3 a piece you would expect heaven in your mouth, but it was very similar to many of the other types of sushi I've had before. Nothing special.
The lunch rice dishes are filling and taste great. I'm a fan of the Unaji and the Guydon.
The martinis are pretty good. The fruity ones were better than the dirty martini. The sake was a fun experience. The cold sake that was melon flavored was surprisingly great, especially with the cucumber garnish.
Overall a great experience and friendly waiters. Probably my favorite sushi place to go to in the city.
As many people have said, the interiors are sleek, elegant, and modern, and the food was certainly fresh. The luncheon specials are OK deals for upscale Japanese food in the Back Bay, but you can't substitute any of the sushi in the sushi lunch special. (I know, I know, but I have texture issues, I need my sushi firm and I just can't take the white fish. Sorry.)
My husband had the unaju, which was delicious and not too fatty. The sweet potato tempura in my dragon roll balanced out the other flavors, the unagi lived up to my expectations, and I was full for the rest of the afternoon. But for a 90-degree day I wish I had brought a sweater because I was uncomfortably cold in the dining room. Our waitress was nice enough and quite enthusiastic about the place.
I know it's upscale, but I sadly felt a little underwhelmed. But I would come back because there are some really different rolls I'd like to try. I think it would be fun to come with a group and try a bunch of different things and split the bill many ways. And yet there are enough places in the area to choose from for sushi that it would have to be a special occasion or an unagi sauce craving strong enough to divert me from other errands.
I am regular at Douzos and I don't just like it, I love it.
Hands down the best sushi in Boston metro, comes close to London and San Francisco scene.
Much recommended, 5 out 5.
Amazing Sushi Restaurant on Back bay / South End line ..... the sashimi is so fresh and perfectly prepared !
I have stopped in several times for lunch but would love to have dinner there ... one of these days ....
The menu is eye catching and creative - I have tried several items on the menu and can't wait to try it all !
The restaurant is clean, warm, modern and inviting !
If your a fan of Sushi ... stop what ever your doing and give Douzo a visit !
Probably our favorite sushi in Boston.
It gets really busy for dinner and the bar area gets really hectic and crammed so its kind of annoying waiting there for your table.
Usually get a combination of sushi and regular menu items and have never had anything we didn't like.
The service is sterile but attentive.
Perfect place to have dinner before going out because your right in the middle of everything.
Good atmosphere. I guess you could call it "Urban chic". However, many of the people eating there thing they are way more fabulous then they really are.
Trendy, minimalist design. Kind of a scene-y place. Limitless menu. The specialty sushi is pretty good, but not worthy of rave reviews.
Interesting takes on 'it' dishes from other sushi hotspots (i.e. spicy tuna with crispy rice and yellowtail sashimi with jalapeno)
Good to try if in the area. The mango and lychee sorbets are delectable!
This place is definitely classy and the food was great. I came here with my beau and it was a very wonderfully designed restaurant with a good selection of unique sushi items. It is on the upper end for sushi, so don't expect this to be a cheap date. If you are going to spend your money here, look to try some of their specialty rolls as they're pretty worth it compared to the regular rolls (cali/ebi/etc) prices.
Service was good, but I wouldn't say perfect. Based on so many tables, it's understandable that they don't have enough servers for customers. Our server had some suggestions on her favorite rolls and we did take her up on them and were not disappointed.
I'd love to come here again if I am ever in town.
if you sit at a table you may want to bring a megaphone or a flair gun to help get your waiter's attention. neither of those items fit in my purse so i just choose to sit at the bar. i would sit at duozo's slick, dark bar every day for lunch if i could.
9.95 sushi sample plates and an asahi the size of a human head. yes i'll take both. duozo has an extensive, creative, moderately priced menu that anyone will relish. their fish is fresh, their rolls are inventive, and everything is finely executed every single time.
certainly this is one of the top sushi spots in the city if you're looking for something moderately priced, consistent, and equal parts dressy/casual.
We have eaten here twice. We have been happy on both occasions. One caveat: we have only had the sushi here (I can never order anything but sushi at places that have sushi).
The good. Good location. Good atmosphere. Good decor. The fish has always been exceptionally fresh. The menu is rather extensive (beyond sushi) so there is something for everyone. I really liked the 'Crunchy Roll' weekly special.
The bad. No serious complaints. The menu is currently rather unagi intensive (I am not particularly into unagi). The rainbow roll was very basic and skimpy on the hamachi.
Conclusion. If this place were in San Francisco it would be a place to seriously consider.
This place is a perfect ambiance for getting together with friends, grabbing a bite to eat, and having a drink. The waiters are super nice and extremely attentive. I went with a couple other people and they rave about it all the time. Their menu had great variety. A little of something for everyone. It's very clean and relaxing at this place. I'd highly suggest it for many occasions: date, friends, large groups, small groups. The only thing I'd say about a larger group would be to make reservations.
So it's a little difficult/unfair to write a review of a sushi place when all you tried is the veggie options, so I took my bf's input on my 100TH review...after all he's been around for like 80% of the things I've reviewed.
We were meeting another couple here on a Friday night; to our delight, as soon as we got there, they happened to have a table ready (our friends had only waited 10 min). Another sign of hard times on Bostonian's pocketbooks? Perhaps, but we were excited and ready for some sake.
Edamame and cocktails later, we finally ordered. The other couple was also veggie, so the 3 of us went in on a bunch of maki rolls. The bf got eel, tuna, and something else. We all thought it was high-average/good. (except DO NOT get the bean curd maki roll. It was so gross...had the consistency of boogers).
The service was fine, good I guess, and the atmosphere was fun and trendy. Nothing as fancy as Nobu, and thank goodness - when we got the bill we were floored as to how cheap it was!! $120 for all 4 of us (and that included 3 drinks and sake). Definitely enough money left over for a cocktail or two at minibar afterwards.
((Yay 100!))
*** 4.5 stars ***
This is very high up there on my list for best sushi in Boston. The atmosphere is chill and trendy, but most of all, the sushi is inventive, adventurous, and DELICIOUS! The menu is not really extensive (*ahem* Fugakyu's 28 page menu), so it made it really easy to decide.
The appetizers we had were very different from any other sushi restaurant I've been to. We had salmon spring rolls, grilled duck, and edamame (how could not have edamame at a sushi restaurant?). The yummy starters definitely set the tone for the rest of dinner.
Sushi finally came out, and it is one of the best combinations and interesting rolls I have ever had! Honestly, it was soo good and at that point I was in heaven that I can't really remember what exactly were in them, but I do remember the names - Phoenix roll, Coconut Eel roll, Rainbow roll, Sweet potato roll, and king crab sushi. Everything was AMAZING! So fresh, and the most important thing about the right sushi is getting the temperature right, and Douzo's got that down.
Another great thing about this place is parking.. believe it or not, parking was a piece of cake. They valet $5 in the garage next door, so coming into the city is not a bad idea anymore... Will definitely be going here again!
Mmmmm!
I've been here a few times!
Place has a modern setting and darker lighting to add to the look.
I've had the sukiyaki and sushi here .... very good!!!!
My parents came one time, and they were like yea it's good HAHA - maybe the sushi was alright and it's the setting that gets people to like the place more? I definitely thought they had a higher quality of sushi than a lot of places. I think this place supposedly branched off from past employees of Fugakyu and started this place up. I definitely enjoy this place more than Fugakyu, but I still like Fugakyu as well.
Only thing about this place ... it is difficult to find parking. Although, every time I have gone, I found street parking within 10 minutes.
Cut back on how long the rice sits in the cooker, do not suace up the special rolls so much and let the place get a little skuzzy, then pass the savings on to me the consumer and I'll be happy.
they do have really good service, fresh fish and attractive dishes, even if everything else is a little overdone.
Neighborhood: Back Bay
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Back Bay
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Back Bay
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: South End
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Back Bay
Category: Sushi Bars
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