JP Seafood Cafe
Categories: Sushi Bars, Japanese, Korean, Seafood [Edit]
Neighborhood: Jamaica Plain730 Centre St
(between Burroughs St & Harris Ave)
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 (617) 983-5177
- Nearest Transit:
Green Street (Orange)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
57 Reviews for JP Seafood Cafe
The wasabi pork shumai are really tasty, and the sushi is done pretty well, too. I particularly enjoyed their spicy salmon roll. Did I mention that the wasabi pork shumai taste fanstasterrifically crackerjackommendable? Oh, I did? Well, I didn't really like their kimchi, but the wasabi pork shumai
IS FUCKING TOP-NOTCH!
So, I don't do sushi, and never would've chosen this place for dinner, but I got outvoted in a group.
Nice place. Very nice waitstaff. A menu with something other than sushi, for those of us who choose not to indulge. The place is pricey, though- bring your plastic.
Loss of stars is because we waited over 40 minutes for our food. Service was just s-l-o-w.
Seems like a nice place, if you like sushi. If you want seafood, skip this and go to Legal's.
p.s. my friends did get me to try a piece of sushi- I STILL DON'T LIKE sushi!!!!
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We eat here a lot, this lace is great particularly good for people who like sushi and more than enough options for those who don't. The shumai is really good. The wait staff are always excellent and sometimes there is a wait on the weekends but they turn over tables pretty quickly without rushing diners.
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I'm a JP local.... and because there is no other choice in JP for sushi, JP seafood is it.
the sushi is pretty good. I would say 7 out of 9 times it is good. My two biggest complaints are that --- occasionally you will get a sushi roll with raw fish that has gone bad. Yes, there is a warning about eating undercooked and raw food but it happens a bit to frequently here.
Second, they have have the same old menu year after year. The sushi rolls are not that interesting...boring...
They have a pretty big menu of other Japanese food and the Bibimbop is excellent!
The food is a bit pricey.
The wait for a table and for your food can be very long,,,especially on weekends.
This place is cute. I like it. It's rather small but we managed to squeeze 6 of us in the back.
Started out with the Edamame (of course) and we also got some fried pork dumplings which were very tasty.
They had some interesting combinations of Sushi. We shared the following:
Mango Tango Maki (Fresh Mango, Shrimp Tempura, Cream Cheese and Cucumber) - I could barely taste the mango, but the Shrimp Tempura was crispy and delicious
Shocking Maki (Spicy Tuna, Japanese Mayo, Scallion and Tempura Flakes) - Not as "shocking" as I thought it would be. But still good nonetheless
Futo Maki (Spinach, Avocado, Cucumber, Japanese Squash, Crabmeat, Burdock Root, Oshinko and Masago) - This one was interesting. It was kind of hard to eat because it was so big and round, but the flavors meshed nicely together.
Sake-Avo Maki (Salmon & Avocado) - I don't remember tasting much Avocado. I love avocado, so I was disappointed
The place has a really nice atmosphere and the service was nice. They gave us our space, which was nice, but they still showed that they cared. Not the greatest sushi (one of Paul's maki rolls were squishy....weird) but definitely a gem in JP.
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Excellent Sushi!! Very busy little place but seems to move smoothly. Expect to have to wait on a Friday, Saturday but well worth the wait. Their Mango Tango is incredible. I have gone many many many times and never have been disappointed. Love to call in an order and pick it up on the way home from work!
Good food. Fast delivery. Nice people. Gets busy, but they handle the crowd well. Great price for the quality.
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This place was such a find. I barely have the words to explain my joy in not only finding a sushi place around the corner from me, but one that delivers and is moderately priced. Every menu item i've gotten from them (which i'd have to say is about 3/4 of the menu at this point) has been fresh and delicious. The tempura is a guilty pleasure and always shows up hot and crispy, despite the inevitable delivery time. (My order always shows up in 30 minutes or less.) Kind of a bummer that i have to wait until 5pm to order from them, but it's always worth the wait.
Some faves: Sunshine Maki, Mango Tango Maki, and although it's not on the menu, the crab-avocado salad. The sushi chefs throw together a tasty combo of avocado, crab meat, lettuce, spicy mayo and tempura flakes that's to die for, and has me ordering at least once a week.
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Yeah delivery that isn't pizza in JP! I've actually never eaten in the actual restaurant, so I can't rate table service, but they have excellent delivery. I am madly in love with the vegetable korokes. I don't even know what a koroke is, and I don't much care. It's freakin' fabulous though. Very good veggie tempura and a nice selection of vegetarian maki (more than the usual avocado or cucumber). Husband was quite impressed with the Mango Tango maki- despite the silly name. Why the hell do restaurants do that? They know it's goofy. They know their customers cringe when they have to order it? And why are things with stupid names inevitably something that tastes awesome?
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When i decided to move back from san francisco...knowing i would be eating JP seafood again was so wonderful! i just love this restaurant. their menu is so diverse and really fresh.
have a friend who doesn't like sushi, but you're in the mood? or vice versa? jp seafood is perfect. they offer sushi, japanese dishes (bento boxes, teriyaki, dumplings, etc), korean (bebimbop my favorite dish here!) and fish and chips.
i was so excited when i learned they had added fish & chips back to their menu. when they were first just a fish market in the early 90's they offered fish & chips from the back. (best i've ever had.) so when we heard they were moving to open a restaurant (closer to our home no less) we were all so excited. but because Brigham's was next door, they could no longer carry fish & chips. ridiculous! but now...brigham's is long gone, and they have reintroduced the fish & chips!
granted, Jp seafood is a little pricey. but it's completely worth it. plus, i never eat sushi that is inexpensive or "on sale". great atmosphere too!
Stick to the Korean options.
So I've mentally avoided JP Seafood for awhile, mainly because the straight-forward banality of the name calls to mind other obviously-titled JP establishments such as "MEATLAND" (which I have never been into yet remain perpetually fascinated by). A slightly snazzier, more appropriately themed name might have suggested that this is not a place where you get deep fried hush puppies or trout heads by the pound. Lesson learned.
And despite my wariness, I enjoyed my evening. It was a quiet, unassuming, and generally pleasant atmosphere. I appreciated that the tables were spaced far enough apart that you could have private conversations and weren't distracted by anyone else's wierd eating habits. My drink and entree orders was taken promptly and delivered properly--the service had a nice pace. My shrimp pad thai was very tasty, well worth its reasonable price, and my date enjoyed her sushi selections. I wasn't blown away or razzle-dazzled, but I left full and in a very good mood, so seriously--what else could I ask for?
Get a new name and trash the fish market blue awning, JP Seafood, and you might be lookin at a 5 star-review
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Sushi. Sushi. Sushi. Damn you half stars. I will give this 3 stars, but I kinda want to do 3.75. 3 stars just makes me feel bad, but I gotta do it.
First off, thank you to Nate for letting a gaggle of Yelpers invade his dinner with his sister who was here from out of town. Very nice.
Second, I hardly ever am in JP, so coming here was a nice change.
Okay, to the review! This place feels like it wasn't a Japanese restaurant before JP Seafood came in. Why? Well first the name. JP Seafood Caf. Not very Japanese sounding. Also, the dcor is just not Asian. There is a big mural painting on the wall of "under the sea." An underwater theme with fish and the like. It looked a little childish, like a waitress said "I can paint. Let me paint that wall for you." Also the Japanese Noren curtains were pretty, but a little too kitschy with geisha scenes. Also, I gauge the authenticity of a place partly on whether or not the waiter/waitress are of the same ethnicity as the restaurant. The two waitresses we encountered were white. That isn't meant to sound bad, nor am I implying that that would stop me from going there. Just an observation.
They have a menu of stir fry and other meals as well as an extensive sushi list. I was intrigued by some of the combinations with the sushi. I got one with salmon, lemon, cucumber and cilantro. Never seen that combo before. And I regret I tried it. I did not like the lemon in it. It was like straight lemon juice, very bitter and did not combine well with the sushi. It sounds weird because usually seafood and lemon work very well together but this was just too bitter for me and it overpowered the taste of the fish. I also had the "Roslindale Maki" which is essentially a Philadelphia roll. That was yummy. The BF had a spicy tuna maki, but wasn't fan because the tuna was "squishy." Colin tried it and agreed that it was indeed squishy. It all seemed fresh though so I am not sure what the deal was there.
Hey, any sushi to me is good sushi. I love it all. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back, but it was a good time made even better by good company of fellow Yelpers.
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The best sushi!!!
I have to admit it took us about 2 years to actually eat there...mostly because of the blue awning. We couldn't imagine that there would be good food there. Just another example of don't judge a book by its cover.
The pork wasabi dumplings are delish. I've basically tried almost everything on the menu but the Jp blues maki its my fave! Be sure to try the specials there is always something new and different on the specials menu.
The prices are really reasonable and the lunch specials are insanely cheap. I wish I could eat there every night.
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Some of the freshest sushi is found here. Very reasonable prices too.
I loved the spicy tuna roll and the tempura shrimp rolls.
I first learned to love sushi here. It a nice way for beginners to "get into it".
They have warm sake too!!
Gracious living in JP at it's best.
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Here the deal with JP Seafood... when I first saw it, I was scared... it looks kind of sketchy - and I don't like to eat sketchy fish (::cough::Douzo!::cough::), and neither do You, I assume... But one day we decided to be adventurous and order some sushi - and let me tell you - THEIR SUSHI IS DELICIOUS!
Yes. YUM. Their other food is ehhhhhh....whatever - who cares. And it's kind of dumpy inside - but the sushi is Great and it's totally Affordable!!
You Must go on TUESDAYS or FRIDAYS (because that's when they get their deliveries in) and sit at the sushi bar. I'll admit, they don't have the most creative sushi, but all that matters to me, is that the fish is Fresh, and Good.
WHITE TUNA SUSHI, WHITE TUNA SUSHI, WHITE TUNA SUSHI
p.s. remember to tip your sushi chef. (BENNY! we love you!)
p.p.s I recently tried the terriyaki tofu, and the veggie stir fry and they were both YUMMY!!!
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Ohhhhh JP Seafood, why do you make it so EASY for me to only eat "sushi" with deep fried shit it it.... I've had nary a chunk of raw fish since I moved to Ye Olde Boston!
What I'm really talking about here is the Godzilla roll. I'm pretty sure the "magical spicy sauce" previously mentioned by Quinn E is made from some type of methamphetamine, or other highly addictive drug, like mayo. I was first introduced to the Godzilla roll the very first time I went to JP seafood, and "trying new things" has been out of the question ever since.
If you're into "real" sushi, my manfriend insists that it's quite edible. Plus, everyone who works there is super nice, you can get a beer, and I've only had to wait for a table ONCE. I'm glad this was the first place I ate in JP, and that it's good, cause if it wasn't I woulda been tempted to move away immediately.
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I really wanted to like this place more than I did. Everything was okay to pretty good, but there was nothing that really wowed me or made me want to come back.
My two friends and I went there around 7:00 on a Wednesday night and although there were no tables available, we were seated immediately at the sushi bar. I enjoyed being able to watch the chefs, and there was still enough room to maneuver around in so that the three of us could chat and share our food comfortably.
We tried some nigiri, maki rolls, and a hot appetizer along with two different kinds of cold sake. The octopus nigiri was good, though there was something slightly unpleasant about the eel, which is usually one of my favorites. For the maki rolls, we tried the Mango Tango (my friend has an aversion to raw fish), which I suppose is somewhat creative, if a bit flat in flavor - it's shrimp tempura, mango, cucumber and cream cheese. The sunshine roll made me a bit happier - the combination of salmon, cilantro, cucumber and lemon felt really bright and fresh. We also tried one of the daily special rolls, which was the best of the bunch - I think if I go again, I will make my selections solely from the specials. We also shared some of the Pearl sake, which was really sweet and (this is our own error) would have been better served when we ordered our dessert of mochi.
Overall, a pleasant enough experience, but this place will remain a third choice far behind Sakura-Bana and Umi for me.
I have been going here regularly since 2001 and have never had a bad experience. It's our favorite go-to never-fail restaurant. Excellent sushi and the hot meals are always good too. Friendly staff, we never seem to wait long, if at all, (although admittedly on some nights when we have walked by it's seemed super busy). It's our spot for Friday night dates; we always enjoy our food and wine and it never feels like it breaks the bank.
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Definitely get the Godzilla Rolls. They have a magical spicy sauce in them that's like nothing you can fathom. That's pretty much the only thing I ever get there, because they're too good to stray from. The environment is friendly and classy without being fancy (you're in JP), so the dining-in experience is usually pleasant. I have always found the servers to be quite pleasant and helpful, my water glass never reaches E.
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Love this place. Never unhappy. It gets busy but they are good at handling a large dinner crowd.
My favorite sushi place. I think it's actually the first place I ever went to eat sushi so it has a special place in my heart. I also love the Godzilla roll and had a momentary panic when I thought it was removed from the menu (it had moved from the specials to a permanent place on the menu).
I have gone to JP Seafood with many bad dates, my parents, my roommate, and my current gentleman friend. The best. Really yummy. I like to try new things there every time I go: edamame, fried tofu, etc. and they never let me down.
Sushi heaven--thine address is JP Seafood!!
Great, great sushi at cheap, cheap prices.
Spicy tuna and spicy salmon are great (and fresh, unlike most places "spicy" rolls). Sweet potato roll is good. JP Blues is awesome.
Fun place. Fast take-out
Came here after walking around all day for the JP Open Studios.
Great sushi restaurant. Fish is fresh...price is reasonable...it does get busy around 7pm.
Stuff was friendly and service was good.
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What a cool place. Thanks to friends in J.P., I now know that this is one of the best places around to go for sushi.
The Godzilla roll falls into the category of "Things Not to Miss" when you eat here. There's a good selection of specials that seems to change up pretty frequently.
This place is full of good vibes, too. It's relaxing, the servers are friendly without being overbearing, and it's close to two different ice cream places for dessert afterwards.
Yum!
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I really like it. Good selection, quality. Price is a tad high, but if you are looking for diversity, this is the place. Brunch is not bad either.
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I will start by saying that I have had a very expensive addiction to sushi for a very long time. I have toured the Boston circuit and have tried sushi almost everywhere. JP seafood is just slightly above average.
I usually leave my sushi meal up to the sushi chef. I have found that they know what the best/freshest fish is and will take care of you. Usually it takes a few times at a particular sushi place to establish a relationship with a chef (also the summation of cash tips given directly to the sushi chef) for the meals to improve.
Molly and I have been here quite a few times and have established a good relationship with Benny. He serves us sushi that he chooses and it is generally pretty good.
The sushi quality is just better than average, but the price is reasonable. We can go to dinner and leave well fed for $80. For chef selection sushi, that is pretty f*&$in incredible. Lots of times I have spent well over $200 for the same service.
I haven't eaten any cooked food there, so that I can't speak to that.
The fish selection is fairly standard, never have I been able to order Toro, Chutoro, or Otoro here. That is a major bummer. (If you haven't tried Chutoro Tataki you haven't lived.) Also, I find that their maki is quite uninventive. Right now, I am thinking 3 stars...but what the hell.
Bottom line: Pretty good sushi, Great Price.
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YUM.
Well priced, fatty boom batty maki. 2 rolls will do me!
The fish is FRESH, the sushi rice is perfection, the roll is tight, and they use a lot of cream cheese in their philly/roslindale rolls... mmmmm.
They don't charge extra for extra ginger and wasabi (which I always need). The service is very kind. The miso soup is, indeed, flavorful.
I'll have a hard time tearing myself away from the maki to try other offering there, but with time it shall happen.
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I always leave happy and satisfied from JP Seafood Cafe. I've been going since 2004 and, even tho I've moved to South Boston, I try to make their Lunch Specials at least two times a month.
Lunch Bento boxes are perfect and inexpensive. Everything is under 13 bucks. The beef box is, i think, 8 or 9 bucks. Sushi is fresh, Service is outstanding, and the Owner's daughter is pretty cute too!!! I think she's the daughter, maybe she's the owner herself.
Free parking in the back or in the city lot across the street behind Blanchards.
Best time to go is on a warm summer night, where you can park for free, have dinner and walk to Jamaica Pond (three short blocks away).
First I have to say that I do not like sea food all that much and generally I stay away from sushi and such stuff but JP seafood definately has choises of other yummy things, so I am strictly basing my review on a couple of those things. I definately love their Grilled Salmon and of course the plum wine! The wine is sweet, and if you are a wine snob, you might just crinkle your nose about it, but who says wine needs to be always so sophisticated!
oh and this place is totally affordable.
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I *want* to like this place. I NEED to like it, since it is adjacent to my office, but I just can't get into it. I have tried to make it work, but I can't get excited about JP Seafood Cafe no matter how hard I try. The sushi is average, the atmosphere is blah, but the service is pretty decent. Like standard American seafood places, there are just too many sushi alternatives nearby to settle for mediocrity.
One word of advice though, do the lunch box special if you are looking for a filling lunch. Good value and a good spread. Stay away from the chef's special though, it was a let down the both times I went for it.
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I heart JP Seafood fuh reahl. I would go here constantly if not for the whole paying requirement. This place never lets you down. The staff is super nice and awesome, the sushi is fantastic, they have good wine by the glass and don't overprice it. I believe that all restaurants should have at least one wine offering that is $6.
When we first moved to JP, we didn't go here for a long time because the awning always reminded me of a pool supplies store or something, and it didn't look like an eatery to me, but then one day we peered in the window and we were like, "Holy shit. We have to go here." Which is another way of saying that the decor is great. It has lots of wood and they have done a great job making it feel cozy and intimate while also a bustling neighborhood spot. Going here always makes me feel good about living in JP. And the sushi is really great and not super expensive. And the chef special rolls are always awesome.
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I love the fact that this place has an unassuming blue awning and a banal name. why? because it means more for me.
I live right around the corner from this place, and it took me two years to get up the courage to go in and try it.
The sushi here has spoiled me for most of the other cheaply-priced sushi places i used to frequent, and the chicken katsu is an unassuming dish that is purely delicious comfort food. Seriously. a deep fried honkin' plank o' chicken has never tasted so good!
This is a nice little place with a very friendly atmosphere. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I had the bulgogi which was very good. The meat wasn't too chewy, and the sauce was great. I also had the teriyaki chicken skewers...also good. I didn't have wine, but it looked like they had a nice selection, and they have a few good pac-rim beers as well. It can be a little loud when crowded, but it's not that bad where you can't sit down and have a nice dinner.
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Is this a joke? No one's reviewed JP Seafood?
This place has some of the greatest sushi in the city, hands down. It's cold and fresh and the menu is fairly diverse. For the "ew, no raw fish for me, thanks" crowd, they have an extensive selection of Asian seafood dishes. My husband was a huge fan of the bibimbap bowls.
They also deliver. That was bad for my bank account.
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Once got a big bowl of vegetable japchae (Pan Fried Clear Potato Noodles) and wolfed it down so fast I felt that pleasurable sense of shame that comes from consuming something utterly delicious in a disgustingly voracious way. Got it the next time too actually. Controlled myself better but it was just as good.
Also, I appreciate well balanced spicyness, so when I order something "hot/spicy" I get pretty put off if something advertised as such actually has all the vigor of mayonaise . . .thankfuly JP Seafood does not mince words so 'heat' lovers...here's a heads up that they serve it up with the balance of heat and flavor you might be looking for but so rarely actually get!
I'm probably about a green belt in sushi but will say I have always enjoyed it here, but have yet to be wowed.
THE best miso soup I've had yet.
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ok I guess that's a cruel review for such a good restaurant but I was disappointed the other night. I ordered some Sashimi and found that I had swallowed a fish bone in it. I then found 3 more fish bones. When I called to let them know I got a lecture on how this has never happened before.
I explained to the staff on the phone I didn't want anything I just wanted to let them know so it wouldn't happen to anyone else. Staff just continued to tell me it couldn't be true. Sadness I've been eating there since they opened and was a regular at the roslindale shop and I love the food. But I will not be called a liar there was bone in my tuna face up to it.
Oh well back to Fugiyakyo for me.
Eh - I got sashimi, and the fish was not very fresh. Didn't get sick or anything, but when tuna doesn't taste right, you don't feel right.
The bento boxes are huge and a great deal for lunch. Stick to the cooked stuff.
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Fantastic sushi, excellent Japanese non-sushi foods, good wine list, decent beer selection (although better than most sushi places).
I have tried almost all of their sushi preparations, including some of the weird special ones and they are all consistenly fresh and tastey. Their tempura is above average and the gyoza, shumai, edamame, etc. are great.
One of the many true gems in Jamaica Plain in that they are the only place in JP that does sushi, but they do it in an awesome fashion and for affordable prices.
Also, all of the waitresses are extremely good at what they do - not in your face, not impatient, not impossible to flag down - perfect all around.
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Good local place, adequate, not great, sushi. Usually very busy, I find the sushi bar lacking in charm and the tables just...bland. We have ordered both "norrmal" menu items and insane "here is my credit card, give me a boatload" of sushi. Everything is good but leaves the palate wanting. I wouldn't travel from another neighborhood to come here; I mean, Mr Sushi in Coolidge Corner is around the same price point and I think, while maybe a little less original than JP, offers better value. A place for locals to get a sushi fix when they don't want to travel....
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