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Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese, Caterers
187 Harvard Street28 Choices - $4.50 each sushi roll!
Dine in - Take Out - Delivery
Call us (617) 277-2999…
Coolidge Corner (Green)
Tue-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I've never even heard of Gari until a friend mentioned it and wanted to have dinner here. It's a small restaurant, seating about 25 people or so, located on Harvard Ave. further down from the bustling area of Coolidge corner. Without a sign over their door (maybe they're working on that), you may drive by without realizing it, but they do have a sign stand by the door.
We started off with appetizers of Scallop Hokkayaki and some sort of Tuna sampler which consisted of tuna tataki, fresh tuna sashimi, and tuna maki. The hokkayaki was heavenly! Served to you on a scallop shell, the mix of scallop, the slightly spicy mayo, and whatever else they had made quite a combination. The tuna sampler was very fresh and allowed you to try tuna served three different ways.
They had a few combination plates (sashimi plate, sushi and sashimi plate, etc). I can't remember which one we got (it was the plate for 1 person vs 2), but it had a good amount of sushi (maki, sashimi, and nigiri). Everything was very fresh! And they did not skimp out on the fish and pack the maki with mostly rice!
For dessert, we ordered the fried ice cream and I did not realize how large they would be. Definitely enough for two people to share after dinner or more if you just want a bit of sweets after dinner. Overall, my experience here was worth the 5 stars and I will certainly be back again.
Gari is delicious but the service BLOWS!
Arestia and I came here for their lunch special: two basic-ish maki rolls, soup, and salad for about $8.50. Add another roll for $11.00. I got the spicy tuna roll, eel and cucumber, and avocado, apple, and asparagus.
The spicy tuna was delicious; one large, dark piece of tuna with spicy mayo and tempura crumbs rolled inside the rice (not mixed together).
The eel-cucumber was a nice change from eel- avocado. The eel was delicious; not fatty, flakey, and a great smoky flavor!
The apple, asparagus, and avocado was not very good; quite bland, and I didn't have more than once piece.
The miso soup was particularly delicious and reminded me of the soup from Genki Ya; filled with lots of seaweed, mushrooms, and tofu.
The service really, really blew. We sat around forever waiting to have our order taken, waiting for our food, and reeeeeeally waiting for our check. The place is tiny, so poor service really isn't acceptable, hence the three star review.
They have a really well-priced deal on Sundays: 25+ rolls for $4.50. Cash only. But think about it. They are closed on Mondays, so everything they are serving is old, and they're trying to get rid of it before their day off. EW! Even though it sounds good, I wouldn't do it!
I'd like to come back again, but with better sushi options so close, it's doubtful.
I am a fairly new convert to the wonderfulness that is sushi, and am thrilled to live so close to Gari, which I have been eating at since I moved to Brookline last year. The service is great, always polite and attentive. I love the decor. I wish it wasn't so busy at night on weekends, but I certainly understand why!
Sunday nights they have a deal where you can get takeout of maki rolls for $4.50 a piece! So the boyfriend and I can eat till we burst for under $30 usually, starting Monday on a good note.
I have also eaten in this tiny place several times. It can be hard to get a seat, but it is most often worth it. I love some of the more creative rolls such as the Caterpillar Maki, among others. Some of my favorite makis include mango maki, the spicy tuna, and almost anything with avocado! The shrimp tempura is always delicious, and the chefs do a lovely job of decorating the plates with artistic trees made from sauces. The rolls could be better rolled however, and fall apart very easily, which is disappointing. They still taste good, but a star off for execution. The rice is still good though.
The prices aren't too bad, but I tend to find that for good sushi, especially some of the crazier rolls, you have to pay a little more. And I love saki, which definitely adds to the bill! I would recommend Gari for both dining in and take out. But be prepared for a wait for both, especially after 8 on a weekend night and Sunday night.
BEST SUSHI I'VE HAD IN YEARS.
I'm born and raised in NYC and have had a hard time finding restaurants that serve food at the caliber as my home town. I've tried all over Boston, and Gari is not only as good, but really much better than even the best places I've had sushi in NYC.
They take time with their food. Nothing is over or under seasoned. The tastes are rich, the side dishes are different than most sushi places. ...I don't know what to say other than if you didn't try Gari, you'd really be missing you.
AND, they delivered to my apartment and still everything came warm and really, really delicious. I will definitely be eating here again.
Went to Gari recently and honestly I wasn't too impressed.
First of all, the server seemed like she didn't really want to be there. We felt like we were not there to give her business but were giving her suffering. Her explanation of the specials confused me for than help me.
Finding parking was a miserable task because it is street parking and very limited. Seating is really nice a comfortable. The restaurant is really clean which is very important to me!
But the food makes up for a lot of the minuses. There was a spicy seafood salad that was great. The rolls were great sized and very tasty as well.
The thing is, this place is definitely bit pricey. As compared to Fish Market down the road in Allston, I would say Fish Market is better food at a better price. But the two places are different in atmosphere, so it really depends on what you want. That night we wanted drinks with our sushi so that is why we chose Gari over Fish Market, but other than that, I would pick Fish Market over Gari any day.
Unimpressed! I was really looking forward to trying Gari. I thought our experience would be great. Instead we dropped almost 80 bucks and left hungry, after eating mediocre food.
The inside is very cute, I'll give a star on that. Plus I loved the plum sake, then service was ok the first half of the meal..The menu is very fusion, so thought I be creative and get a large fusion maki roll. I decided on the volcano roll for $16. It was supposed to have shrimp, scallops and crabmeat. I could not make out any scallops or crabmeat in it. I don't think they were put in. It was a big disappointment. Basically it was a shrimp tempura maki presented standing up, then with a syrupy mushroom sauce all over it. Can you say Americanized...
My bf had an appetite for something new so asked the server to have them make him sushi and sashimi platter. She asked how much he wanted to spend, he said $25-30 bucks. Now they have a sushi and sashimi special with a ton of food for 28 bucks so we said something like that but with some creativity. What he got was terrible. They gave 4 pieces of sushi, then used the torch on them to cook them, not even making then sushi at that point. Then a cucumber roll and 5 pieces of another roll which was a glorified california roll. We both were like ok, they are going to bring you sashimi next cause that was small and we knew the cost of the stuff on the plate was lower then his range he said to make it. He finished, still hungry then the server came over to see if we needed anything else, he said is there something else coming for me? she said no. Then he asked for a breakdown of what he got for the price. She claimed it all added up to what he said. He was obviously disappointed and was more to find out she charged him the top of what he would spend when the bill came over ($29). Meanwhile the servers went to the back and started whispering. Totally awkward. Our bill was almost $80 (4 pieces of sushi, and 3 rolls with some sake) and we both left completely dissatisfied!
On another note, the sushi chefs looked extremely unenthused behind the bar. It was a Friday evening with the place a quarter full so there was plenty of opportunity to wow customers.
If you go there (there are such better places in the area but if you do anyways), don't fall for the fusion crap that's overpriced..just stick with the basics and don't ask them to make you something unique. You won't get anything near what you want and expect a rip off!
This review is for DELIVERY in conjunction with their Maki Madness special.
Maki Madness is the bomb. $4.50/roll (6 pieces per roll). Cash only. $15 minimum for delivery... no problem! All good. Their Alaskan Maki with bonito flakes is especially good.
The poor delivery man got lost while trying to deliver to my residence hall on the outskirts of the MIT campus, but he was very apologetic about it (blame the GPS). "Next time will be easy," he assured me.
For the price and convenience, it can't be beat.
I really want to like this place, because it's really close to where I live, so it would be super-convenient to have a great sushi place right nearby. But alas, it's just one of about a zillion other not-so-great sushi places nearby.
I should say first off that in spite of my geographical reasons to want to love them, almost everything else about it turns me off from the get-go: hyperfusion rolls with mango, beef, asparagus, and all manner of other things that I really object to in my sushi, and lately a whole bunch of constant "maki madness" discount hype. It all just feels like desparate trying too hard, and it's not all that flattering. The space itself is kind of swank and hip and had a much more cool-and-steady calm feel when it opened, that "too hip to care about whether you walk in the door" sort of attitude that actually made you want to walk in :)
But anyway, what matters is the food: I stay away from the beef-with-mango type maki madness (umm, "volcano rolls"???), and stick with basic stuff. Boring boring boring. 4 times out of 5 that I've gotten sushi there, the rice was just not cooked right (once too dry, the rest too soft), and the fillings were dull. It's not actually *bad*, just meh. On the bright side, one time I was there I thought to order nabeyaki udon, and it was actually quite good. (For some reason most places in Boston where I've gotten nabeyaki udon have screwed it up somehow, either by putting weirdly inappropriate and unexpected things in it, or by putting practically nothing in it, or by using crummy noodles)
So maybe the moral of the story is: if you have to go here, stick with the nabeyaki udon. (Then again, I haven't tried it again since the maki madness started, so I can't really say if it was dumb luck...)
I live around the corner from this sushi *gem*, and until last Friday had only ordered take out from their restaurant through http://Foodler.com. I became enamored with the sushi from the first order, and decided to finally eat IN the restaurant on a lovely evening before a movie.
The sushi here is definitely a little more experimental than the straitlaced OG Mr. Sushi located just down the street. Don't get me wrong, they're both fantastic at what they do, but some people prefer the tradition to the flair. I like both, so I'm going to side with Gari on this one. The specialty rolls are a little pricier than the standard tuna or California roll, but they're also very large and you don't need to order as much. I am in love with their Double Spicy Tuna and the Crazy Monkey Maki - both can do no wrong by me.
The restaurant itself is teeny tiny, but at 7:30 PM on a Friday there was no trouble getting a seat. Being a small space, they really know how to fill it in just the right way. Architects, design gurus, or novices like me will really appreciate their deliberate use of color and texture to create a real modern and bright space in which to eat. The flatware is cool and their plating methods are clever. My friend ordered a sushi platter that came with tuna salad in a martini glass stuck to the plate with a dollop of green wasabi - looked very cool. The bathroom had a sink so modern, it took me 2+ minutes to figure out where the faucet lever was.
We also got a rice milk Saki, served cold which was something different for me, the hot-sake-only drinker. Our server was attentive (how can you not be in such a small place) and eager to please. They offer great coupons on foolder for free rolls, so if you have the opportunity try it. If you're in the neighborhood, DEFINITELY stop by and eat in.
Great place. The service was as good as the food. The girlfriend and I both had lunch here a not too long ago and we were pleased.
The prices are very affordable and there wasn't anything to gripe about..I can see the parking being an issue during the evenings, but we had no problem during the day.
I'd surely go back and try the Sunday specials whenever I'm back in the area. Diane (one of the owners) is a great person and she'll gladly show you her baby pictures if you ask nicely.
The sushi here was great, but like Sara S. said, they service is deplorable. There was only one other table of patrons there, but the just weren't on it. Still, they have a killer lunch special where for $11, you can get 3 rolls and a miso soup - perfection! The sushi was good, too. Place was pretty cute, too. I would definitely come back for the good deal and good sushi, but only if I plan on having a leisurely lunch.
I really wanted this place to be great. When it opened up, I was living right across the street, and was regularly going to Nori sushi about 3/4 of a mile up the road. I figured a sushi joint right across the street from my apartment would make Coolidge Corner an even more perfect place to live than it already is.
In their first week, I went in while the restaurant was empty on a Sunday afternoon. Sitting at the bar, I got the usual (sushi lunch combo). Service was okay. I asked if I could pay a couple extra bucks and order another roll than the standard combo fare, and received a very sharp "no," almost like a mom would say to a kid trying to smuggle candy into the shopping cart. I thought maybe she didn't mean to come across so bitchy, and let it go.
The fish is presented very nicely, albeit the fish was on the skimpy side. Tasted fine. Nothing jumped out, but not bad by any means.
I asked for the check and, after sliding my card into the holder, was told that it was a minimum of $20 for credit cards. No sign, no mention on the menu, nothing to alert me to that fact. I can't stand restaurants that do this to begin with, but at least put a sign up. While it looks like Gari is all about discounted sushi now, their prices were pretty high when they opened. I tend to assume that I can charge it if my food is over $10.
So I tell the waitress that I have to go to the bank and, after exchanging a few words with the hostess and a few glares at me, am told that they'll run it because "I already ate and I might not come back." Really? One week open and you're accusing people of eating and running?
I didn't go back. The food is fine, but it's no better than the rest, and with that service, I'm happy to walk a little further down the road.
I've only eaten here twice with the boyfriend (in the past 2 weeks) and it's become one of my favorites. it's a small place, but i like the decor. i love, love their ahi tuna steak. i think it's amazing..and spicy.
we had:
avocado salad- this was really fresh and tasty.
seaweed salad- it is what it is..seaweed salad. good seaweed salad.
spicy seafood salad- looked great on the plate, and the first bite was great, but in the end it was just okay/good
toro amuse bouche- courtesy of the chef. seared toro topped with kalamansi? foam on top of a spicy sauce. so so so d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.
scallop hokkayaki- this is a must try! i would come in just to get this as a snack. it comes in a half shell covered with cheese and inside are scallops, crab meat? and mushrooms and maybe something else.
wok fried calamari- i don't recommend it. very chewy and kind of hard. even if it wasn't, i still don't think it'd be good enough to order again because the chile lemongrass dressing was not all that
volcano roll- their most popular roll and i can see why. it's pretty good and crunchy =)
ahi tuna steak --my favorite! i like tuna. i love steak. i'm asian and love spicy food. so when you offer a dish like ahi tuna STEAK with sesame in a spicy balsamic teriyaki sauce that comes with sweet potatoes (i love sweet potatoes too) i don't see how i could not fall in love.
half green tea/half red bean fried ice cream- great ending to a great meal. we couldn't decide between green tea(his choice) and red bean(my choice) so she asked the kitchen if it was possible to do half of each...and it is!
every dish comes on a white, uniquely shaped plate. presentation is great. service is attentive, we had the same server both times. she's a sweetie. food is pretty and consistently good. i don't know what else one could ask for...
oh, and did i mention that it's not all that expensive?!
This place is great. Small and modern. Ikea tables and such, very cute first date sushi place. Sleek bar and tables enough for 15-20 people in the entire restaurant.
I eat a lot of sushi, I'm no master but I know good sushi. This place was definitely good. My asian friend agreed.They had some really interesting creative rolls. My friends and I tried a Mango Salmon one that had cucumber in it. It was delicious!
Sunday is the best to go. 4.50 a roll! Nice environment. A little pricey, but good sushi! Girls night out was great!
I've only done delivery from this place and I have to admit it's pretty tasty! I still haven't found a place I like as much as my fave place back in California, but this place was good. I got the 'Red Lady' and it was by far the best roll out of all the ones we got (I got that and some other type of CA roll & tried my roommate's rolls as well). I ordered two, expecting to be starving afterward (I can eat sushi for-e-ver), but they really filled me up.... so that was a bonus.
Also if you sign up on their website they always send coupons out (I'm always a fan of coupons)... and they have this thing going on currently where if you vote for them on the best of Boston on the Boston Phoenix site you get a free roll.... my vote most certainly CAN be bought with delicious food (I suggest all restaurants start sending in their requests/food to me immediately!)!
If my Caterpillar Maki had cheeks, I'd pinch them. This roll looked like it bounced its way from the pages of a children's novel onto my plate, octopus sucker eyeballs intact and all...A yummy masterpiece.
It's easy to go for Miso Soup but I took a chance on Shirome Shiru soup, a white fish soup with herb chicken broth and sake. It turned out to have a wonderful blend of flavors. I highly recommend it.
One word comes to mind: "neat". Everything from the decor to the food is arranged elegantly and with precision. It makes for a wonderful dining-in experience.
Sunday nights they have a deal where you can get takeout of maki rolls for $4.50 a piece! Cant beat that for a nice lunch. The only thing is that the place is small. But other than that, I would only recommend it for their Sunday specials!
I only wish this place were closer to my apartment or i'd be ordering from here every day. I'm a sushi freak. The king salmon sushi was one of the best specialty maki rolls I've ever had! I realized that I need to start asking the waiters which rolls are their favorites and then order those because they know what their chefs' are the best at making. This place was packed on a Saturday until about 9 and then cleared out, we spent over 2 hours here because it was so relaxing (plus we ordered enough rolls to put us in a food coma). The sporadic green lazers on the wall were what caught my eye once I walked in, along with the warped seashell-ish canopy over the chef's chopping quarters. The service here was warm and inviting...the staff are on top of their game and love to make people happy. This seems like a regular spot for the local sushi addicts.
Oh and the bathroom here really is awesome, futuristic in a posh kinda way...hit it up!!
I have to admit, when one of my favorite local Greek restaurant closed and I saw another Sushi Restaurant was coming to the area, I was disappointed. But, after trying Gari ... I've yet to be disappointed!
I get take out here every couple of weeks and everything I've had is delicious! My favorite is a special roll they put together for me (tuna, avocado, and mango). The service is always friendly and fast.
Do you think Gari means good food at a reasonable price in Japanese?
Gari is the first sushi place in the latest outcroping of sushi joints in Brookline that seems to combine excellent quality sushi with some very pocket friendly options.
There lunch menu is a deal: soup, salad and sushi for a fixed price (sorry, I can't remember the exact price). There is so much food, I would suggest going with a summer number of rolls. There are also early bird specials which we haven't tried as yet, but I am sure they will live up to the lunch special.
Thank you Gari for bringing sushi to an affordable level without compromising on quality!
Great lunch special with 2 rolls, a salad and miso soup for under $10. I used to go to Whole Foods and grab a sushi box, but for about $1.50 more, you can get great fresh maki, soup and salad... no comparison, great food and terrific value.
First time coming here from a whim. We were actually looking for another Japanese fusion restaurant but very pleased to have stopped into this.
Dined in around 6:00 PM and we were the first there...afterwards the reastaurant was full. It's a small intimate restaurant with fantasticing looking decor.
On to the food!
My order was:
(Soup) Shirome Shiru
(Sushi) Uni
(Entree) Fusion Rib Eye Steak
My Sister's Order:
(Sushi) Double Spicy Tuna Maki
(Entree) Grilled Lamb Chop
Both:
(Appetizer) Scallop Hokkayaki
We both LOVED the Scallop Hokkayaki it was absolutely mouth watering! Creamy and sizzling on the shell. Absoutely a must try.
The sushi was fresh and delicious!!
The entree was way way way not what we expected. Great food and atmostphere!
This place is amazing. The hot food and the cold food are delicious. They always have wonderful specials. And even a tasty wine list. The bruschetta twist is my favorite. And be sure to save room for the fried ice cream dessert!
Are you ready for a total A hole commentary?
Ok. here goes.
Every since I came back from Japan my life has been ruined. Already a devoted sashimi freak, I had a hard enough time finding my "go to" favorite sushi place. Now, I'm screwed. I will never find sashimi and food offerings like we did on our trip. And worst of all? I am now the annoying lady who references "her trip to Japan". AHHHHHHHH!
Sumimasen, So sorry.
The sashimi is fresh and wonderfully presented. The fusion aspect is not my style. I am a purist. The decor is very sparse and minimal but kind of South Beach????
Orange and white.
I really hope they didn't break the bank on the green light image machine on the back wall- because they wasted their money.
the service was good.
I hope that I have learned my lesson once and for all that I do not like "designer rolls". Once I read asparagus and some type of seafood in a salad version- I should put the menu down and stick to what I know I like. Sashimi- all the way! The cucumber salad was good. But the mango compo was a little too fusionriffic for me. The maki rolls were just us being greedy. We knew we should have stuck to a nice spicy tuna roll and called it a day.
The best part was our fashionable artist- lady- friend who befriended us during our meal (take note, close proximity to your neighbor- seating). She rules. With her cabaret writing beau and impeccable style, I believe I have a new best friend: http://karenmoss.com check it check it out!
Over all Gari is a decent place. Great presentation. Fresh as a daisy sashimi. Yeah, that's it.
This place is located somewhere between Fugakyu and Zen 320 sushi and the quality is about the average of the two, maybe a bit better. The standard sashimi pieces (salmon, yellowtail, etc) are pretty good as far as Boston goes and even the mackarel (my favorite and often the worst at some sushi places) is decent. If you catch one of their dinner specials (early dinner 4:30-6:30 = 2 for $35) it's an especially good deal. I haven't tried any of their fusion concoctions yet but I will update when I do.
The table size and placement are designed for small groups of 2 or 4 and given that they're so close together, it's awesome for overhearing first dates. Like any good Japanese place, they also have an eat-at-bar.
Innovative rolls and fresh fish, if you want sushi that tastes like it cost 25 bucks a roll and isn't go here. I would say it is on par with the sushi from Oishii at half the cost. Its a little small but its worth it and the decorating is to die for.
I don't think they'll last, but their great location may save them. Prices are high, fish is so-so, cooked food actually quite good but with a disclaimer on the menu that cooked food will take forever.
You get the feeling here even as you walk in that you're going to pay more than the food is worth.
What could sink them is that there are places with better fish (Shiki, Super Fusion, Oishi, Mr. Sushi, I guess Fugakyu), places with just as good atmosphere (Fugakyu, Tsunami), and places with better cooked Japanese food (Shiki).
Curious to see how they do. I hate to wish them ill, but I don't have a good feeling in the saturated market unless the price comes down or the fish quality goes up.
*~ Hana T.'s Guide to Inviting Her to Sushi at Gari ~*
1. Prepare your wallet.
2. My usuals: 5+ rolls/makis; 3 if I don't know you that well. (Yours not included.)
3. No wine? No way! Love love the plum wine and monkey wine here.
4. Big sushi in mouth= No talking. I'm not small sushi.
5. Let's do an eat-sushi-with-the-most-wasabi challenge(!)
6. IdahoMaki.The http://best.chewy.hot.awesomeness.
7. The FPPP!! I love taking food photos of pretty presentations.
8. O o There's fried ice cream here?! Did I tell you about my ice cream addiction yet?
9. Okay, take a 2-hr break and we go get some pho!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
My friend's friend owns the place so I may be biased . . . bias aside, it's definitely not bad if you have a sushi craving and happen to live in the area.
I took my "big brother" there recently for his birthday. We weren't too hungry so each of us only had an entree, but we both agreed the fish was fresh. We didn't get any of the creative rolls or the fusion-flaired dishes (just the sashimi dinner for me), but other people in the restaurant did so we definitely saw some masterpieces being served. I usually leave a sushi meal feeling hungry, but I was fairly full leaving here.
The place is nice and has a modern, airy feel to it, but it's about as tiny as Oiishi so I would recommend calling ahead for a reservation on a Friday or Saturday night. The service was great and quick. I would definitely go back!
Camera. C-A-M-E-R-A.
Don't forget it!
This place is modern art, both in decor and in the food presentation. A teaming of a top sushi chef and a local architect. Be prepared to be dazzled by the 21st century room with lasers, murals and metal bead curtains. Get blown away by the sheer beauty of every dish presented to you - with delicately drizzled sauce used to draw out flowers around your sushi, and appetizers like toro tartare served in a cone glass on a bed of ice. Even the bathroom is tech, with a funky sink and a robot trashcan.
A wonderful and rare gem for Boston: somewhere small with style, with panache, with excellent food and service - somewhere you could take someone from Milan, London, NY, LA and show them that Boston has it too.
Now go check out the photos I took.
A small space with chic/artsy decor is Gari.
The service is friendly but a a tad too pushy when it comes to selling particular items. We took her first sell of the tuna belly (she made it sound like it was toro or blue fin) which we found out was albacore. We were a tad ticked off. Then:
"Do you have spicyy crunchy tuna rolls?", I ask.
The waitress replies, "Yes, but how about the GARI Bruschetta Twist?"
"No thanks, just the spicy crunchy tuna."
"But it's REALLY good."
"No Thanks."
"Are you sure??"
Annoyed look on my face and my friend's.
"OK" she says with sagging shoulders.
I was almost afraid that she was going to get a beating for not selling us that item.
We also ordered the broiled sea bass and sushi dinner which both were excellent. The sea bass was marinated in miso so it was a bit sweet and the fish melted in my mouth. My friend said his sushi was super fresh,
Great food and good prices. A good choice to go before going to the Coolidge Corner Theatre.
I spend a lot of time looking for an awesome sushi restaurant. To truly say that one stands out from all others is definitely an accomplishment. I was a BIG fan of Oishii and OGA frequented both on a weekly basis. Now I have found the best Japanese Fusion \ Sushi restaurant, bar none.
Starting with the decor and the architecture of the restaurant, though small in size, the impact of the design is flawless.
We started with their "Lobster Tempura Roll" with a wonderful spicy mango sauce and the "Escargot East style" which is sauteed Escargot with roasted garlic in a spicy black bean sauce and served in a pastry puff. The presentation was superb and tasted wonderful, especially the escargot!
My dinner companion the "Grilled Chicken" served w\artichoke hearts, potato hash, pineapple in a green curry sauce. I tasted this dish and it was so great, I went back two nights later and ordered it. Absolutely Fabulous!
I had the "Sushi & Sashimi Platter for one" which is an assorted Chef's choice. I would have to say the freshest tasting sushi that i have had, period.
We had the green tea cake and the creme brule, both wonderful finish to a great meal.
I had a wonderful bottle of sake to accompany my meal and their green tea with desert.
Overall, the service and the fare was A+ all around. The pricing is just where it should be for the service and the freshness of the food.
Gari is a place that won't stay a best kept secret for too long.
A++
I am glad this place opened, because I was thinking..."Ya know what Coolidge Corner needs? MORE SUSHI SPOTS!"
But seriously folks, it is Sushi corner over there, so to set yourself apart from the likes of Tsunami (no atmosphere and great food) and Fugakyu (sushi megaplex) and everything else, you need something to stand on.
Gari went face first into the high-style angle, with an amazingly modern and crazyily decorated spot tucked into an unassuming nook on Harvard ave (the Brookline side, not the Allston side). The space is pretty awesome to look at, with great color, art, a sweeping mod style sushi bar and funky furniture. However, it pretty much heads downhill after that (sort of).
The problem with Gari is that it is all style, and very little substance. I for one love Tsunami, which is around the corner, and it's completely minimalist style...there, you only go for the food and to hell with the atmosphere, and at the end of the day, it is the food that counts. With Gari, take away the robotic trash cans, the low backed bar stools (which are terribly uncomfortable - we moved to a table), the cute waitresses, and the slick presentation of the rolls, and you are left with very average sushi. And in Coolidge Corner, there are just too many damned alternatives to settle for average food.
A couple of specific notes on the good
- The space is an A+, very cool.
- Presentation is also an A+, every plate was beautiful
- Service was on point, very good
- Specialty rolls are where its at, creative and tasty
A couple of specific notes on the bad
- The sashimi was meh, and that is a bad sign. Again, take away the fancy pants routine, and the fish was just so so
- They WAY overuse the roe. Piles of it on everything. I was scraping it off after a while.
- The plates they use (again, for style) are giant compared to what they hold. The tables are not. Get two items, which is fairly standard, and you won't fit them on the table very easily.
- The specialty rolls are expensive, coming in at $16-$20
Long story short, Gari is a one time shot for me. I've seen it, it was slick, now I am going someplace else for some good sushi.
Consistently great - the quality rolls, the fresh ingredients, the whimsical plate presentations, the service, the intimate-casual ambiance, the specials - Gari's pretty much got it all. They're a bit limited on the number of vegan options on the menu, leaving me to order the same few things over and over, but I do so quite willingly!
They definitely see a decent flow of traffic, especially during dinner, but I've never found it to be overcrowded or to slow the service down too much. The service is really very wonderful. They are all so nice and make sure you're taken care of. Even if you just go in to order take out, they'll seat you at the bar and ensure you always have a full water glass (definitely clutch in this heat wave we've been having!).
With so many sushi joints in a 5 block radius, Gari remains a neighborhood favorite. Also, you get 15% off on days of Celtics games if you pay in cash ;)
As Erik G. has mentioned, this place is about to be on everyone's list. The Globe did a piece on Gari last weekend, so I hastily grabbed the hubby to go to Gari. The menu says that they open at 12:30 on Sundays so we stood in front of the door, reading the menu when they motioned us to enter. Turns out that they open at 12. We were the first patrons that day. The space is small but such a delight. The calla lily design is so dramatic. I adored the bathroom and the funky sink. I'd kill for that sink.
On to the food. . . the miso was nice. The waitress asked me if I wanted salad, so I gamely went for it, thinking that it better be worth $5. The salad was in a small, awkward container with a yummy dressing (that was too thin and stayed mostly on the bottom of the "bowl") and some friend onions. Later, I was happy to learn that I got the $2.50 salad instead of what I thought would be the higher-price salad (that would have been the micro-greens salad). Our sushi was beautiful, delicious, and filling. The roll with the sizzling olive oil was pretty and unusual. We skipped dessert though I was interested in the green tea cake with chocolate ganache. Oh well, next time!
Service was OK. They weren't terribly busy, yet the waitress forgot to bring the soy sauce. We sat there for several minutes, just gazing at the sushi before I caught her attention. I was surprised that she hadn't read the Globe article. I'm not sure if she was going to be prepared for the onslaught of sushi goers.
I'm not partial to hyperbole, but this was one of the worst Japanese food experiences I've ever had. Regardless of how nice the interior is, or how innovative the menu, a sashimi restaurant should first and foremost be judged on two things: the quality of the fish, and the quality of the dashi. Once they've got that right, they can feel free to gussy it up in whatever manner they'd like.
Ordered a 10-piece sashimi plate, chef's choice. What we got: 2 slices of hamachi, 2 slices of madai, 2 slices of tamagoyaki, and 2 pieces of crabstick.
First: the obvious problem. That's only 8 pieces. I mentioned this to the waitress and the chef, and they both apologized, but did nothing.
Second: not only was the madai less than fresh, but it was served warm. 1 1/2 pieces of that were still on the plate when the waitress cleared it.
Third: tamagoyaki (a rolled egg omelet) is a strange choice to put on a sashimi plate to begin with. What makes it even stranger is when the egg is not even cooked on premises. The sashimi 'chef' opened up a cryo-vacked package of pre-cooked egg, sliced some off, and put it on the plate. If I want to pay for pre-cooked eggs, I can get two Egg McMuffins for $3 at McDonalds
Fourth: Crab stick is not sashimi. Crab stick should not even be recognized as food. It is pulverized white-fish scraps that have been cooked, sweetened, and dyed red. I couldn't believe it when I saw it on the plate. I kept waiting for the chef to announce that I was on hidden camera to see my reaction, but it never happened. Instead, he sincerely asked me if everything was ok. I stared back at him, dumbfounded.
At least the hamachi was ok.
After sashimi, we had some tempura, which asides from being slightly greasy, and not too crisp, was surprisingly edible.
Finally, we had the miso soup, if it can be called that. The miso was obviously of very low quality, and the dashi literally tasted like salt water. Making a good quality dashi is very simple. All it requires is good ingredients. Apparently Gari would rather spend its money on flashy interiors than quality food.
This place is an insult to japanese food and should be avoided at all costs by anyone who enjoys foood more than atmosphere. If it's any consolation, the staff was very friendly and smiley, though not too useful.
On another note, wasabi mayonnaise and spicy mango rolls is about as innovative as this place gets.
My bro Erik G. (note: not a blood-related bro, more of a soul bro) has been talking up this place since it opened, and we tried to make plans to go several times, but I finally ended up visiting tonight with the boyfriend. (Sorry Erik!) I gotta say, I was impressed.
We made a reservation for 5:30, because I'd heard the place was small and got crowded fast. When we got there, it was totally empty. Whoops, don't I feel stupid. I said something sheepish to the waitress and she was like, "Oh, actually we have 10 reservations tonight, you're just the first ones to get here." She was very nice and attentive, let us mull over the menu and took our sushi and sake order.
We ordered the mango roll, the fried yam roll, some tuna rolls, yellowtail, and Japanese red snapper nigiri. The red snapper definitely stole the show -- so light and wonderfully textured! -- but I have to say the classic tuna and yellowtail were also well executed and very fresh. The mango was... a little weird, and I felt like the mango inside could have been riper, but there was a nice sauce on it and it was creative and unique.
At one point Elliot got up to wash his hands, and came back with an incredulous look on his face saying "Go to the bathroom. Right now." So I did, and man, that bathroom kicks ass. The boldly colored walls, the awesome sink, and the ROBOT TRASH CAN! What more can you ask for?
Our fairly light dinner plus a small sake set us back $32 (not including tip), but you could drop way more on a meal with appetizers, more sushi, fancier drinks, and dessert. I'll definitely be back, so Erik, I'll get ya next time.
Another online review I found had suggested Gari for "best mid-priced nouveau sushi". I was craving sushi, and I'm cheap besides, so I was really excited to try this place.
Four of us went for lunch on Sunday. The place is indeed cozy tiny, the sushi bar takes up about a quarter of the restaurant. The decor didn't blow me away, but then again it was lunchtime, so no showy light effects or ambient music. I don't really care about decor anyway, if the food can deliver.
We all chose off the lunch menu, an overall good deal when you consider how much you get for the price. All lunch specials come with the typical miso soup and a small salad with gingery dressing and a couple of pieces of fried onion. The miso soup was nothing to write home about, the pieces of tofu and seaweed were miniscule. The dressing was tasty, but only covered the very top layers of lettuce. Sad :(
I chose the $9 luncheon special which included 4 fat rolls of tekka maki and 4 pieces of nigiri, chef's choice. My nigiri consisted of a piece each of tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and mackerel. The plating was pretty, the selection was a pleasant surprise, and they were ample portions, but the sushi tasted just "o.k.", nothing remarkable.
My husband chose 2 maki rolls (off the lunch menu 2 rolls for $8 or 3 for $11): a boring cucumber roll, (but the boring was his own fault for choosing, I didn't waste any stomach space on trying it. Sorry, cucumber is cucumber); and a philadelphia roll that had potential, if only the cream cheese wasn't so thick that it overpowered the taste of salmon.
For the record, our friend had the una-don (grilled eel on rice), which he apparently really enjoyed, though I didn't taste it myself. If I give this place another try I'd definitely like to check out their bento lunch, which includes a variety of tempura and, according to the waitress, the chef's selection of maki.
This place would have gotten 4 stars from me just on the basis of food quantity/price, but it sits firmly at 3 because of the service. They forgot one of the maki rolls a friend had ordered, and they didn't bring out any soy sauce (come on, this is basic!). We had to ask for the soy sauce twice. At some point we weren't sure which was going to come out first, the forgotten roll or the forgotten condiment. I wouldn't ordinarily make a big deal about this, but from start to finish, we were the *only ones* dining in the restaurant, so I don't really know what to pin the flakiness on.
My wallet says it's worth it to give Gari at least another try (lunchtime specials plx, until I'm convinced it's worth it to drop my dime for a pricier dinner), but I'm not itching to do it anytime soon.
I'm going to preface this review by stating that I've only had the takeout sushi from here and have not eaten in at Gari.
Shannon B. and I ordered some last night for our pre-"Blades Of Glory" hangout. I went fairly simple (since I was po', dang paycheck only coming every 2 weeks!) and got the Philadelphia Maki and the Tuna Sushi. I was not disappointed. Like all sushi, though, it went too fast and left me still feeling a bit peckish. I love me some sushi and could probably eat it at any time, but it's certainly not for those tummy-grumbling, "I need hearty food to fill me up, stat!" moments, but it's one of my favorite foods nonetheless.
I think my only problem with Gari lies in some of the sushi selections. Call me simple, but it seemed like the menu was....lacking? in basic sushi/sashimi/maki choices. Then again, Gari is considered fusion, so I shouldn't be surprised to see all sorts of crazy elements in their sushi offerings.
In my quest to discover more of Brookline I will most likely be in here at some point, because their sushi is yummy, if albeit somewhat too artsy for this sushi n00b.
UPDATE (10/13/07): Oh my god oh my god oh my god. I officially lurve Gari. I finally went in there last week to eat in. To say that I was impressed is a vast understatement. I love it all: the food, the atmosphere (extremely impressed with how they've adapted such a small space), the service, and the IKEA space-age sink. Seriously, the bathroom is something to behold. Yay for robotic trash cans!
This place is awesome. Gorgeous interior design, from the sushi bar to the bathroom. (Don't forget to check out the bathroom, its sweet). And they are all about presentation here. The sushi rolls are beautiful creatures. Everything is good - and there's no wait like at Fugakyu. The place is tiny though, but how else are you gonna no what to order if you can't see what everyone else is eating?
Brookline, MA
Category: Asian Fusion
Neighborhood: Coolidge Corner
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Coolidge Corner
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Coolidge Corner
Category: Japanese
Brookline, MA
Category: Sushi Bars
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