Shiki

Some of the most authentic Japanese food I have ever had outside of Japan! The food was delicious. Although the portions are small, the flavor is big, especially with the fish I got. The service was not exceptional, but it was a busy time of day. The food is relatively expensive for the portion size but the overall experience is worth it for authentic food.

This is the most authentic Japanese I have been in Boston by far. This place has the real Japanese sushi. Also their mini Hokkai don is legitimately good. Their Uni is so fresh and no sigh of bad flavor, very sweet and creamy with no bad smell. Over experience is excellent. And I highly recommend this place for people who love the original maki and sushi.

TDLR: we gave a 12% tip for dissatisfaction, and the waiter chased us all the way out to our car and called us “axxholes”. I regret giving any tip. The food is fine but pretty slow. I was starving waiting for the ramen (which came out after 30min). The entire restaurant only had 5 tables at that time, so it was not busy. We waited for the roll for 1 hour.

My girlfriend I went to Shiki spontaneously for a date night. We were sat down immediately, and it seemed that they were short staffed, so the wait for food was around 40 minutes. But we were completely fine waiting, and the food was worth it! Everything we ate was absolutely delicious, and it was very clear that all the ingredients in each dish was good quality and cooked to perfection. The staff were kind, and were very thoughtful/accomodating when I mentioned that I am not a fan of seafood. However, if you are a seafood fan, my girlfriend said that everything she had was tasty! Overall, the experience was very pleasant, and you really can't go wrong with your order.

Excellent food overall, including very fresh seafood. I had the matsu platter, which provided a sampling of several different dishes. I highly recommend these sets; they're a great way to get a taste of many different dishes. The dinner menu also looked amazing with even more options; will definitely have to come back sometime for dinner!

The sushi is poor quality, the rice was very overcooked, very tiny pieces and very pure quality of fish for Japanese restaurant. Interesting appetizers with radishes and okra. Takoyaki were tasty, but cut in half🤔 Only Udon was really delicious.

It’s such a joy to eat here. Twice I have come here for the lunch menu, and have ordered the Matsu (Good for 2 people if you have 1 other side dish) and Ume (perfect for 1 person). The atmosphere and the staff are so warm and friendly. I’ve never had to wait more than 15-20 minutes to be served food, which I feel like is extremely reasonable- especially when they are busy. It’s a must try for authentic Japanese food in Boston at a really good price.

4.5 stars The atmosphere was nice, it's a small cozy restaurant with a calming jazzy music background. The atmosphere kinda makes the eating experience feels like fine dining. The service was impeccable, they forgot my miso at first but they quickly served it to me once I asked them. The food was okay, the miso soup and udon are really nice since I eat them while it's cold and rainy outside. I think it's a bit overpriced tho, especially for such small bites (the food in the photo is $25).

This little gem is tucked away in a Coolidge Corner side street, but it's a must-visit if you love Japanese food and want to try a good Kaiseki. As Kaiseki novices, we wanted to go all out, so we ordered the most intricate of the set menus - the Kaiseki Matsu (Pine) set, and we weren't disappointed. We really didn't have much of an idea of what we were getting into, but it was one of the best meals we have eaten in Massachusetts. While the price may seem a bit high at $30, the quality of ingredients and variety of dishes you get with this option are well worth it. Plus, you get free hot tea with the meal! What did we get: Salad: This was a pretty standard Japanese salad with a ginger soy dressing. Fresh and crisp with some nice zest. Miso Soup: This was also a standard miso soup. Udon noodle soup: This was outstanding. I didn't think udon could be too special, but the broth here was amazing - just the right balance of flavors and umami. The tempura flakes added a nice crunch, but the actual flavor of the soup was really good. Chawanmushi: This was also outstanding. I had never had this egg custard before, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a cold custard with all sorts of little treasures inside. I think mine had a piece of chicken, a shrimp, some squid, a scallop, and a fish cake all hidden within the custard. As for the custard itself, it's hard to explain the flavor, but it's got some cooked down sake, dashi, and mirin in it - it truly tasted divine. Assorted Tempura: The tempura was nice and crispy and the sauce was good as well - it was a very good dish. Not as mind blowing as the udon and chawanmushi, but it did come with two pieces of shrimp, a potato, and a piece of pumpkin, so it was a good amount of food. Assorted Appetizers: These were scattered around the plate but included shrimp sashimi, scallop with spicy mayo, assorted pickles, shrimp croquette, and a mini octopus. If you haven't had shrimp sashimi, have no fear! It's a really easy and sweet bite with a pleasant firm yet soft texture. The scallop was nice and sweet as well, and the pickles had some greens, garlic, and mushrooms in it. The shrimp croquette was made from ground shrimp that was lightly battered and fried nicely, and the mini octopus bite was nicely balanced with the crunch from the cucumber. Each of these was an amazing bite, though I am not sure if you would get the same appetizers if you went and ordered the set again. Still, the surprise of what you may get would be exciting! Broiled Salmon: This was good, but nothing too special. The salmon tasted like salmon, but it was cooked nicely and not dry at all. Assorted Sashimi: I think there was salmon, tuna, and yellowtail here. Now, I LOVE sushi and sashimi, and this was quite good and fresh. Normally, I'd be raving about the sashimi, but the other dishes on this set meal were so outstanding that the sashimi didn't stand out as much. But that's saying something about the other dishes - the sashimi here was still very tasty, fresh, and wonderful. It was also nice to have this to balance out some of the hot dishes - the whole set was really well thought out. Oshizushi: Now, I said I love sushi, and this was a treat! I expected the oshizushi to be some pressed rice with maybe some salmon, tuna, or eel on top, but I was extremely pleasantly surprised to see that it had uni (sea urchin) on it! I absolutely LOVE uni, and this piece was creamy and sweet. Really a wonderful addition to the set. Fruit salad: The fruit salad was not too special, but it was nice to end the meal with some fruit - it really rounded out the meal very well to have something sweet and juicy at the end! Overall, this was an amazing experience and a wonderful introduction to Kaiseki. One thing I didn't note was that the service was a bit slow when the afternoon lunch rush was at its high, but the quality of ingredients in the lunch made up for it hands down. I would happily wait a few extra minutes to have a meal like this again, and while it isn't something I can have too often with the price point, I will definitely be back for a special occasion!

Good sashimi and the miso soup was hot, but I won't be back. I agree with another reviewer that the rice was mushy and they are understaffed. Nice ambience and seats only 30, but miso soup, rice, and tea are all additional charges.

Quite busy on a Sunday afternoon, they warned us they are backed up with orders, especially for take out. Kitchen may take 20-25 minutes. It's much busier today than the last time I visited. Either way the food did not disappointment. Matsu (Pine) Kaiseki lunch set - recommended if you're looking for a variety (tasted as delicious as it looks from the pictures, look at that presentation!) Oyako Donburi - chicken, egg, and vegetable Chopped wasabi roll - freshly grated wasabi (not that stuff from the tube) Spicy salmon roll - normal, nothing out of the ordinary The lack of service was the reasoning behind my one star deduction. The food quality was still good but I enjoyed it the best my first time here (with a handful of visits since). Despite the tiny location, the food is worth the visit and drive!

5 star presentation 2 star food . We ordered 2 lunch bento boxes. The noodle soup and salad were just ok . The custard was good . Sashimi were tiny , less than tiny octopus . The chicken was terrible , the vegetables very average . Shrimp ok . Some other unidentifiable appetizers were not goody at all and did not taste fresh but fishy and overcooked . Overall I had a lot better food just about anywhere .

This is the only truly authentic Japanese restaurant I have eaten at in Massachusetts, and it is well worth your time. The fish is remarkably fresh and each dish demonstrates a deeper understanding of the flavor profile that it ought to have. For instance, usually when you order agedashi tofu from a place around here, the dashi is more like a watery broth. At Shiki it's a rich, flavorful, aromatic amber that's just as much of a feature as the tofu itself. I was pretty surprised to see anyone on Yelp giving this place low ratings. I think it demonstrates a poor understanding of this cuisine among Bostonians. The gripes about the wait times are modestly justified - sometimes it does take a bit for your order to come out. But it's worth the wait; the meal is an easy five stars.

Always my favorite, Shiki, I love your presentation and food detail. The service was professional and friendly. The price is reasonable, btw I usually get lunch here, so I am not sure for dinner time.

I've been to Shiki a handful of times, dreaming of real Japanese food. The menu promises this, with dishes you won't find at just any Japanese restaurant. Natto (a fermented sticky soybean topping, only for the adventurous palate) is usually something you can find only in the frozen section at Hmart, and onigiri and ochazuke are comfort foods, a bit strange on a dinner menu, but encouragingly authentic. There are a number of small plates that you will pay steep prices for, receiving appetizer portions for entree costs. We ordered 5-6 of these: shrimp karaage, soft-shell crab karaage, avocado salad, hamachi carpaccio, okra/daikon salad, and now that I think about it, agedashi tofu that never came. One waiter was trying to handle every table on a Friday night--he did the best he could. The sushi was okay--the uni could have been fresher, and eel was bordering on rubbery. My biggest gripe is the rice. Rice, the base of most dishes, and the most integral part of a Japanese meal, is something anyone with a familiarity of Japanese food will not mess up. Tonight the rice was actually mushy from being overcooked. C'mmon.

Environment is really good! Traditional and beautiful Japanese style. Ordered a seafood don but the seafood was not that fresh I think. Not as dons from other Japanese restaurant with the same price. Can be an option if you are around

strolling by we noticed Shiki from its outdoor seating, after taking a look at their menu, we decided to dine inside. There's a small bar area with about four stools to sit and close to a dozen tables. the dining area is in the basement of the building. we ordered the agedashi tofu, saba aburi, spicy tuna roll, chawanmushi, and 17 piece sashimi, and a carafe of a light sake. first thing to note, their portions are very small comparatively for all the dishes we had, keep that in mind when ordering. we walked away with plenty of room for dessert. everything was very fresh. the flavor profiles of each dish are very traditional japanese. no fusion flavoring going on here. the agedashi tofu was as expected, traditional and perfect. the saba aburi is served cold, flavors were balanced, topped with daikon. the chawanmushi was very fine in texture. it's been awhile since i've found this dish made This well. the 17 piece sashimi is the tiniest i've seen, even in japan i've had bigger portions than shiki. all pieces were freshest as possibly could be. the spicy tuna, simple, served with a side of spicy mayo for dipping. i will definitely return to try other items on their menu. parking is street.

I think I may have found my new favorite Japanese restaurant in Boston, and easily top 5 restaurant in the city. The food is not showy or overstated, but warm and perfected. The authenticity and care they put into each bite was so noticeable. We ordered the sake flight, imported Japanese beer (which came with an ice cold glass), and a carafe of sake afterward. Each sake was a delight. For food, we got: Agedashi tofu - always a favorite, well done with the sauce/broth and keeping it interesting with the mushrooms and bonito flakes Shrimp and vegetable tempura - the best shrimp tempura I've had, soft juicy shrimp perfectly cooked with the most ideal crispy savory tempura Sashimi - every piece of fish just melted in your mouth and had the most umami fatty sweet flavor Miso soup - usually it's a struggle between too salty or too watery, but this one wasn't even on that scale. it was just warm and rich and comforting. Rice of the day (seaweed rice) Hamachi kama - they made this right Chawanmushi - hot steamy silky egg in a broth, with lovely surprises on the way including unagi, shrimp, fish cake, and maybe even some fish Soba - about the most refreshing and authentic soba I could and have had in any restaurant Green tea ice cream - not too sweet, perfect way to end this A+ meal The owner is also the sweetest, it feels like coming home to your grandma's cooking and you just want the best for them. I'll come back weekly if I can.

If you don't know where this place is you may walk right past without even realizing. It's a hole in the wall literally. My friend and I wanted a quick bite and since she had been there before and only had good things to say we decided to go. They have a really cool menu, with a variety of lunch specials. I am the type of person who likes to try a little of everything so this place is really ideal. I ended up ordering the Salmon Teppan Teishoku. It came with a miso soup and salad. The miso was rich and flavorful as opposed to most places that serve a watery broth. Even the salad dressing on the side salad was delicious. The meal itself was the perfect portion for me. What stood out most was the amazing customer service. Our waiter was so kind and sweet and made the best suggestions. Only wish I could have tried more. Overall highly impressed

I dined in this restaurant 2 years ago with a recommendation from a Japanese friend. The dish was orthodox, though some may argue it's bland and the portions are not satisfying. I bring my girlfriend to revisit it to night. Being aware of the proportion of the food, we ordered 5 dishes. And it took them 45 minutes to bring us the first dish, and another 15 min waiting for the second. The last dish was served after nearly one and half hour. What makes it worse is the waiter kept ignore us, no water refill, no soy sauce plate, keep serving food to the table next to us who came in half hour later than us. And the place is so chaotic one waiter just took my card without showing me the bill and 5 min later another one came with the bill wait me to put the card. All in all, not recommended if you are not a fundamentalist of Japanese Cuisine, or people already feel hungry.

The restaurant is small but cozy. We came Saturday night for dinner, and there was no wait for us, but a line seemed to have formed right after us. We ordered the pickles, gyutan shioyaki (beef), and the sashimi plate to share. The dishes were small, but we each also got the salmon ochazuke, which was enough for 2 people. The ochazuke was really good! It was rice with some seaweed and salmon, and you pour the broth into the bowl to eat as a soupy rice. The beef was also seasoned well, and sashimi seemed fresh. The pickle dish was a little underwhelming though.. there were only 1-3 pieces of 5 kinds of pickles, so it really wasn't much. Aside from that though, I would recommend everything else, especially the ochazuke. The only thing was that they seemed a bit understaffed. It took a while for them to come by to take our order or get our check. The food came out slowly too. We weren't in a rush, so it was fine. I had a really nice dinner, and I definitely will come back to try the lunch menu!

Super fresh food and great portion, worth the price. The services are great since it is a small restaurant and family owned business.

Love Shiki's lunch menu as always. I always go for their Kaiseki lunch sets - plum, bamboo, or pine. Usually I get the pine because it is large and has everything you'd want (see picture) - appetizers, sashimi, fruits, chawanmushi, tempura, udon noodle soup, etc. Bamboo is medium with less variety and plum is the smallest, depending on your appetite, any one of the three is good. They also have a good donburi selection(unagi, Hokkai, tempura, etc.) Right now they also offer both outdoor/indoor seating. Located just around Coolidge corner, definitely give it a try and support their business!

I heard a lot of comments about how this place was "a hidden gem" and "showcased each ingredient with perfect simplicity", and so I decided to check this place out for a date night. The place was nice and small, but the lack of any background music felt off-putting. I asked the waitress if she had any recommendations and she responded "oh, I don't really like raw food". Sorry WHAT?? This is Japanese cuisine, EVERYTHING is raw... the least she could do was lie (she was pretty rude the entire time as well) We then ordered 4 or 5 dishes, since the portions are notoriously small. What we received was somewhat underwhelming. I've been to plenty of fine dining restaurants with modest portions and simplified ingredients, especially Japanese cuisine, and Shiki seems to have kept the guise of a fine dining establishment's meager portions while providing food that is both bland and unappetizing. The anti-highlight was a sweet potato dish consisting of a small mound of tasteless white goo. I enjoyed the maki that we ordered, but ultimately left the restaurant feeling unsatiated and slightly miffed. Bottom line, I wouldn't go here if you're already hungry or craving something flavorful.

I little disappointed as I expected a much better experience based on what I heard about this restaurant. Very average sushi of basically supermarket-level quality. The service was ok. Would not go back...

Very flexible for reservation time. We were late like 15 min but they kindly kept our reservation. We really enjoyed food here like Ochazyuke and Saikoro steak. Ochazuke tasted very authentic and I felt I was in Japan, and the steak was super tender with tasty soy sauce based source. Will definitely come back! Server is very friendly and accommodating. We let them know we have an appointment later and he kindly accommodated and served our food quickly!

My wife and I just visited this evening and while the server was very polite there is very little to recommend. Service took forever. It was over 30 minutes from when we were seated before we received our drinks, and that was only because I raised this to our server that we had been waiting so long with nothing but a glass of water. The couple next to us were seated much earlier and their table was empty as well, waiting for food. Bordering on 45+ minutes and the first dishes came out. I ordered a Kurobuta Yakimono, which is a broiled pork tenderloin. The flavor was good, but it was overcooked and dry and for $14 it was barely an appetizer. The Saba Aburi (torched mackeral with grated daikon radish) was good, but no flame 'torched' the fish as far as we could tell. It tasted more pickled than torched. The sashimi sampler at $19 was extremely disappointing. It was advertised as 11 pieces, but they were small and thinly sliced. The salmon, for example, was fine -- but smaller than I would get almost anywhere else and did not taste any more fresh or special. Honestly, and I don't intend this to be mean, but I've had better sashimi from Wegmans for half the price. My wife ordered a vegetarian dish which was fine, essentially vegetables stewed in a light broth, but not especially memorable and, again, expensively priced. Finally, we ordered an avocado salad as one of our appetizers and it only came out after we were settling our bill (and sent it back). Was the food authentic as others have proclaimed? Maybe. Definitely some dishes you won't find anywhere else. The restaurant boasts the most comprehensive sake menu I have ever seen and even some really nice Japanese beers you don't see all that often. But the service was especially poor with numerous people sitting at empty tables waiting for food. And, yet, if they were short-staffed, it did not stop the restaurant from bringing in more people which would only further challenge the kitchen. We raised some of our concerns with our server, but he was clearly overwhelmed and could only shrug his shoulders. At no point did the owner come over to see if things were going well. End result? Over $100 for 2 people and I went to a restaurant next door to get some actual food because I was still hungry.

Don't be fooled by the unassuming space - the food here is so authentic, precise, and beautifully executed. I come here about once a month with the fam and the servers are unfailingly kind and accommodating, including to little ones. The sushi is lovely but don't neglect other bright stars on the menu: get the tempura (batter is delicate and crisp and perfectly seasoned, not oily or heavy in the slightest), anything with grated mountain yam (hard to find elsewhere), and the beautiful Inaniwa udon (handmade, silky and slippery in a gorgeous clear broth -- comes with that shrimp tempura!). I could eat 3 bowls of those noodles -- so good!

I got the lunch Ume and Matsu. Food is just ok. The "press sushi" rice is not that good. The small udon soup isn't even udon noodle. It is the cheap flat noodles.

Had an excellent time here. The place was full and we had wonderful service. The flight of sake we had with our meek was very interesting. When the check came it was all very reasonably priced and was expecting to pay more. I know I would have elsewhere.

I had read about the Matsu Pine lunch set, which is something you'd need to be hungry for. I decided to come on a special occasion. It's a ginormous lunch, with the rarer combination of quality, quantity, and variety. Pine, short of a few notable Japanese offerings, seems like Japanese food's greatest hits on a tray. The chawanmushi (savory egg custard) had a nice smooth egg texture. The seafood inside was well-cooked and had some good choices, like scallops and oysters. The sashimi, ebi, and uni were fresh and went well with the properly cooked sushi rice. The udon in soup was fine, and the tempura was light and crispy. The grilled salmon provided a kind contrast to the raw seafood. The boiled whole prawn showed touch, as it wasn't overly boiled and had a delicate flavor. Service was rather friendly and prompt. However, preparation of the food isn't quite as prompt. Go here for lunch if you're not in a hurry.

Good: The food was good and the staff was very nice and welcoming. Bad: We had to wait around 20 minutes to order and more than 45 minutes to get our food; our last item arrived 1 hour 30 minutes after we ordered it.. The staff seemed overwhelmed by the number of clients... And then more than 25 minutes to pay and leave...

Sooooooooo happy that I found this place. This is not your typical Teriyaki Sushi Sashimi Japanese restaurant. The dishes here are simple, balance, and done right. You can appreciate the chef's skills through the dishes here. If you want over sweet and overpower sauces on top of the foods, this is not the place for you. Come here if you want to eat foods that are balanced, well thought out and the chef respect the ingredients, there is no better place in MA. I am gonna cry if this restaurant closes down.

Foods took to long, we were waiting for about 1 hour just for 4 small portion meals. The portions were super tiny, foods were ok, beef was too salty. Definitely not worth the price. What could possible be worse ? Have never given a 1-star rating to a restaurant before, but this definitely one of the worst restaurant in Boston

Much better than the run-of-the-mill Japanese. Menu items are unique and delicious. Been going here for several years and always a delight. Special recommendation: Ebi Mayo - deep fried shrimp in honey and mayo. Also Chamanmushi, the cup of hot super-light custard with bites of shrimp, fish, eel, chicken. A family-owned place that takes pride in its offerings and feels like being back in Japan.

This place was crowded for a Saturday but there was no wait to be seated or reservations. Our waitress was HUSTLING and doing an AMAZING job! The hot sake was fantastic and a great way to start off the meal, followed by tempura appetizers. The sushi is definitely more traditional Japanese then some new fusion places, however the QUALITY of the fish was INCREDIBLE. The surprise star of the show was the yellowtail sashimi and nigiri, it melted in your mouth and had me wanting like 10 orders! Simple, elegance, no crazy sauces just damn good sushi. The yellowtail carpaccio was an amazing way to top it all off with a decadent and luxurious feel and taste. You know a place is good when even their bowels of white rice are delicious! Would recommend for some traditional and quality sushi with incredible wait staff. A little $$$ but definitely comparable to other sushi places in there area. Had a great experience and will definitely be back! Thank you

Came here today for lunch to try the kaiseki (pine) lunch today. This restaurant is moderately small yet cozy and gives off a vibe that you are eating in the basement of a Japanese family. FOOD (4/5) I was impressed with the selection of food-there was sashimi, udon, tempura, steamed egg and small seafood appetizers. Presentation was definitely on point and aesthetically pleasing. Notable stand outs were: -steamed egg: holy mackerel, this was the smoothest egg I've ever eaten) with seafood/chicken chunks! -sea urchin: oh my my my, so butter and fresh! -grilled fish: sooo crispy and tender SERVICE (3/5) Everyone was very nice however I definitely have to say this place is heavily understaffed. Food will generally take ~30 minutes to arrive so bring some form of entertainment or a companion. PRICE (3/5) Eh, for $30 would I pay for this again? Probably not. This was however a great introduction to kaiseki as it is rare in Boston for Japanese restaurants to offer it. I would recommend to try it if it's your first time. I will be back to try more dishes in the future (especially those that involve the sea urchin)!

I got the Unagi Don here and it was very underwhelming. Sure, there were hard bones in my cut of unagi. That is fine. But the dish was overall tasteless and bland. It just felt like eating a lump of mush over rice. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they just bought supermarket smoked unagi around the block and just microwaved it over rice. I talked to my server about it so hopefully they will do better next time (they didn't even try to comp it or bring a replacement). We also got one of the lunch sets that had decent variety but nothing really that good. Tora in Chinatown is 10x better if you want an unagi don. Don't waste your money here.

This is my favorite lunch place. It's calm and peaceful, the staff are nice, and I love having a little bit of a lot of things in the kaiseki lunch. Shiki is tucked away where you might not see it if you don't know it's there, but it's worth seeking out.

Ordered a chicken udon with shrimp tempura, which was absolutely delicious. One of the best udon broths I've had in a really long time. The tempura was light and perfectly fried. The crazy maki roll was pretty good. Service was extremely slow that night but only because other waiters called out; our waiter was so kind and helpful. Will definitely be back!

Shiki is a small, high end Japanese dining establishment in Coolidge Corner. On the pricier end for Japanese food, $15+ for lunch entrees. Their specialty include kaiseki lunches which are lunch sets that consist of many small dishes/offerings. Kaiseki's are very rare in Boston. It's a great option for people who want to try a little bit of everything. It's not the elaborate kaiseki's at traditional Japanese hot springs, but it's good enough. Recs: +Matsu kaiseki lunch $23- If you want to go "all out", this is their priciest option given there's sashimi included. Other notable offerings include: chawamushi (steamed egg), eel & uni on top of price, assorted tempura, and a bowl of udon. Nothing too outstanding since you can order each individual piece in any Japanese resto IMO, but the presentation is fantastic. ++++Hokkai Donburi $24 - an overload of minced crab, uni, salmon eggs, and scallop on a bed of rice. The color combo of this donburi is an eye gasm. The uni and scallop were particularly very fresh; no hint of bitterness from the uni which was awesome and the scallop were 2 large eyeball-sized chunks. Includes salad + miso soup. Hands down, must get for raw seafood lovers.

Shiki is a Japanese restaurant located in Brookline, MA. It had a friendly and warm atmosphere. You can tell when you walk in that this is a local spot with an established customer base. It was busy both times my husband, son and I went. You will see a lot of family who bring their children with them for both lunch and dinner as it is very children friendly. The waitstaff is very good with the children and overall very efficient. One thing to know is that their lunch menu and dinner menu are not the same. You have a brief three hour window to try their lunch menu only. They are closed on Mondays, but all other days, they are open from 12:00 noon until 3:00pm for lunch. The restaurant closes at 3:00pm to prep for dinner service which starts at 5:30pm except Sunday dinner starts at 5:00pm. Some of the lunch menu items are only available during lunch. For example, Shiki's kaiseki meals, which is a set menu served on individual trays per person, is only available during lunch. I recommend the Matsu (Pine) which has the most variety. It may not seem like much but this set is very filling. It comes with an assortment of sashimi, a bowl of udon noodle, two fried shrimp tempuras and two vegetable tempuras, pressed sushi rice with shrimp, uni, and unagi toppings, a variety of other small bites, and fresh fruits to cleanse your palette at the end of the meal. Also, only found on the lunch menus is the hokai donburi. This is a bowl of sushi rice topped with shredded snow crab meat, uni, and ikura. Both Matsu (Pune) lunch set and the hokai donburi come with miso soup and salad. These two lunch items are a must try. As for dinner service, I recommend the salmon nagaimo tartar. This is chopped Japanese mountain yam, which, if you have ever have it before is very slimy. So it's not for everyone. I don't think I can find naigaimo at any other Japanese restaurants in Boston. This is a very Japanese staple. The hamachi Kama, broiled yellowtail collar, is also very standard. I also recommend the agadashi tofu. The takowasa (chopped fresh octopus with wasabi) also has a slimy texture but is also a must try. You can't get this just anywhere. The sushi is very fresh so I don't think you can go wrong with any. We had the sweet ebi (shrimp), the uni, and the scallop sushi. All very fresh. The grilled mackerel with shredded daikon is also very good. Overall, this is not your typical Japanese restaurant with a Chinese or Thai menu attached. It focuses strictly on a Japanese. You won't have a crazy assortment of makis. Instead, you get a more limited and refined menu that focuses on good quality fish. And I have been a lot of Japanese restaurants in the Boston area but there is nothing like Shiki so far. See my pictures.

This place is good for authentic Japanese dishes. I don't recommend the sushi but their cooked dishes reminds me of a clean, healthy and nutritional homecooked Japanese meal. Their specials and soup based dishes are delicious and filling. I heard that there is a new owner who purchased the recipes from the original owner. Not sure if it's true but within the last year I've noticed a change in staff and service and food is not quite the same anymore. Still, when I do come here for dinner my favorite dishes include tuna avocado tartar, chawanmushi (savory egg custard), veggie toban yaki (cooked in clay pot), kaki fry (panko fried oysters), onigri (riceball wrapped with seaweed and filling), inaniwa udon (savory broth with thin noodles and tempura oo the side).

Shiki was used to be my favorite Japanese restaurant in town, but I was so disappointed about their service today. I placed my order when the restaurant just open and they said it will be ready in 25mins. I came back in 20mins and they cannot find my order and after a while they said my order needs another 10 mins. While I was waiting there, I saw many people came in picking up their orders ready who apparently placed orders later than me. I ended up waiting for an hour for my orders. I think they totally forgot my order and they didn't even admit it or expressed sorry about it, just kept telling me to wait for another 10mins. Be careful when you place your order, make sure you check it up frequently that they are really working on your order.

It is a hidden gem in Brookline. The food is authentic Japanese and reasonably priced. We have Kaseiki Pine and Hokkaido Chirashi Donburi. The chirashi is especially good wirh really fresh Uni. The sever is attentive although serving the whole restaurant by himself.

I made a reservation for my birthday I arrived on time and was told that not only there was no table but that I would have had to wait over 45 minutes for food. Basically they said I should leave. When I complained I was told they are not like other restaurants and they are special. Very poor way of treating a customer and hugely disappointing

This is our go-to when we want Japanese food! It's only a 25 min walk, food is consistently good and Fred is always there to welcome us. Go hungry and enjoy the Matsu!

Thank goodness my friend told me that he loves this place. Came here to check it out. Small restaurant with about 11 tables. They serve complimentary green tea. Server was very friendly. Fresh Salad with Ginger dressing was good. Miso soup was decent. My friend ordered the Matsu Pine Kakeishi Lunch Set comes with Oshisushi, Fruits, Broiled Fish, Nuts, Octopus, Sashimi, Tempura, Egg Custard, and Udon Noodle Soup. I tried some food from her lunch set: - Taste like lobster: Raw Prawn - Ok: Nuts and Shrimp Tempura - Pretty good: Udon Noodle Soup and Egg Custard - Delicious: Uni Pressed Sushi, Broiled Mackerel, Broiled Salmon, and Mackerel Sashimi I ordered the Sushi Moriawase Lunch Set. The Salmon Nigiri was ok. Tuna Maki and Tuna Nigiri were decent. Futo Maki, YELLOW TAIL NIGIRI and MACKEREL NIGIRI were delicious. UNI NIGIRI was delicious. Can't wait to come back here to try more of their food!

Looking for legit Japanese food? Shiki is the place. When I get the craving this is one of the few places that serves the real deal. Grilled sanma? Maguro natto? Gyoza? If there's any knock against it it's that the service can be fairly slow. Not so bad if you're willing to stay a while.

I just ate lunch here for the first time. I have passed by this sushi restaurant and for whatever reason never went in! I have to say this sushi was excellent. I see some bad reviews from people having to wait. They had really good sushi fresh and done right!! I highly recommend!

I'm so happy that my neighborhood has such an amazing Japanese place. It's authentic and cute. Love their lunch specials. And the dinner menu is pretty long. Last but not least, the staff are super nice!

Recommended by Japanese chefs, a small hidden Japanese restaurant in the basement. There's almost always a wait for dinner, so make sure try to reserve or come during lunch. I believe the waitresses are all Japanese, you can tell the setup and style are all very Japanese. I've had various experience at Shiki, refer to my pics for what I ordered, but I can't remember a time I was disappointed by the food (considering the price). However, the portions are SMALL, SMALL, SMALL. There are certain dishes that are very authentic such as their cooked radish and pan-fried egg rolls. It's a place where you can explore their traditional cuisine (and not just sushi and sashimi). The ambience and service are all on par with the price. The total sum could be higher than expected because, again, the portions are SMALL! Parking is not difficult, there are plenty of spots at Brookline. food 4/5 ambiance N/A service 3.5/5 value 3/5

I went to Shiki today. food is great and authentic. However, there are two big problems. The waiting time for food is quite long. It takes about 35 minutes to get the food you ordered. I am assuming that it is because the restaurant is understaffed. The second problem is the quantity of the food. As you can tell from my pictures, each dish has a tiny quantity. It's understandable that food in good restaurants typically has a small quantity. But still, I feel hungry after finishing my dishes.

Shiki's food is simple, subtle, but every piece is very well curated. We both ordered the matsu kaiseki. The sashimi was fresh, the udon soup was very flavorful without being overwhelming. However, the best pieces are the shrimp tempura and the melon! This is the best tempura we've ever had in Boston, so much that it reminded us of the high quality tempura we had in Japan. While most places would cook a shrimp tempura like it's just some battered shrimp, Shiki actually managed to get the shrimp soft, melt-in-your mouth kind, with the batter being crispy. We were also given fruits. The melon piece was amazing! Like they knew when to cut up the melon at just the right time. It was dense, juicy, and very sweet. Service was friendly and fast. Those are the "pros." The only "con" we had was that they forgot to add a piece of an appetizer to my husband's tray. He wasn't sure he hadn't eaten it either until we got home and checked our photo and saw a slice of cucumber sitting lonely with nothing on top of it LOL. Another con was that when the tray arrived, the food did look a bit underwhelming. But, we realized that this is an authentic Japanese restaurant, so they're not going to try to supersize you. Will go back!

This is one of the few Japanese restaurants that is actually run by a Japanese person. Sure it's no $$$$ omakase experience, every food they make is well-made and comforting. I feel like I'm being fed by a Japanese auntie. I haven't had a fail in things I've ordered so far. So just get whatever you are craving, and it will hit the spot. If you fancy a long long read on what I've liked so far. Lunch- (btw bear in mind their complimentary salad and miso soup are just meh. But then again, they are complimentary, so not complaining. I do wish they used filtered water or do something about the hot water they use for miso soup. I can taste lk... tap-water taste in the miso soup, like faintly metalic/minerally taste.) The kaiseki options are their most popular lunch items, and you do get quite a spread. Can't go wrong if you can't make up your mind. If you like uni, you will love the uni, ikura, snow crab over rice. Their uni had zero fishy odor that bad unis have, and just melts in your mouth. Eating all three at once literally creates a seafood harmony in your mouth. For cold winter day, my favorite go-to has been tempura udon which comes with 3 sizeable shrimp tempuras. All of the tempuras are hand battered (you could tell!) and the shrimps are always so plump! Broth is also satisfying, noodles not overcooked. In general, they make anything fried really great. Tempura don or shrimp tempura teishoku would be good options if you're craving rice rather than noodles. Chirashi comes with a variety of fish that are all fresh and pretty decent portion for $16. Their sashimi in general are fresh and worth the price point. Dinner: It's tapas style and do need to order rice separately. I would skip carpaccio and get tataki instead unless you love olive oil taste. Onigiris are solid and filling. Eggplant dish w miso glaze on top converted an eggplant hater to an eggplant enthusiast. Their chawanmushi (egg custard) is good but not life-changing. My sister loves ankimo (monkfish liver pate but served w ponzu and lightly picked vegs). It tastes like less fatty and cleaner version of chicken liver pate. Not quite a foie gras since it's not fatty. Hirekatsu and karaage are really good. I'm super sensitive to like "meat odor" that improperly-cooked or old meats tend to have. This pork katsu had nothing of that sort of taste/odor but just lovely juiciness. Overall, just a solid, non-pretentious, neighborhood go-to. I wouldn't travel from like other side of the city, but if you live in Brookline, def worth a visit. I hope they stick around forever!

Unfortunately we're going to have to strike this place out of our 'regular' list. The quality of the food has gone down significantly (perhaps there has been a change in the kitchen?). We couldn't get hamachi-kama because they apparently have only 3-4 pieces available a week. Our appetizers were ok. The biggest disappointment was the ikameshi (squid with rice) which came out dry and rubbery and charred/burnt. As if chewing it wasn't already a problem, having to eat through the black burnt bits was unpleasant. It is as if they defrosted whatever they had and tried to salvage it by pan frying it. This is what we're used to: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/shiki-brookline?select=oCihLAhadhj6in1ktjbrmA This is what we received: https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/shiki-brookline?select=JN6m0EdJzQm-8AIYm0ztaw We also ordered the Gindara Yakimono (Broiled Black Cod), which was also burnt/charred and it was unusually tiny (we've had much thicker ones in the past). While Shiki does have a selection of sushi/maki, its usually not the reason why people eat there, its because they serve a nice/authentic (used to I guess) selection of Japanese dishes that you don't get else where in other Japanese restaurants. Perhaps we'll wait for other non sushi/maki reviews to see if we'll revisit this place again in the future. Note: Our waiter was great and gave us desserts (ice cream) on the house when he noticed that we hardly ate the ikameshi.

I was literally here just an hour ago with my boyfriend for the first time and we both loved it so much I hurried home to just write this yelp review. This place is amazing and all the other bad reviews obviously have 0 experience with Japanese food. Seriously: do not complain about portion size or whether it is an izakaya. This place does not advertise to be an American-portion-buster restaurant. An izakaya restaurant is literally a tappas style place. So take those comments awaaaaaaayyy. I'll just say I had very high expectations for this restaurant from the positive recommendations from my non-Japanese AND Japanese peers. And those expectations were met AND MORE. On a Tuesday at ~9PM we came into the restaurant so there was no wait time. This place is pretty easy to miss since it's below ground and just off the main road of Coolidge Corner. Regardless, the decor of the restaurant was very quaint. Each table even has a small vase of fresh flowers. The effort put into presentation and cleanliness is 5/5. The menu is very extensive. They neatly separate options between type of food and there is a separate menu for sushi rolls. Here is a tip for the go-er: don't go and order basic sushi rolls. Get something off the main menu like their tataki or their carpaccio. You'll feel really satisfied having tried something different from the usual. (I mean, go get your cheap rolls from Genki Ya. Don't you want to try something different and authentic that you can't get elsewhere?!) We had the follow dishes: Special Item Bean Salad: Sounds like a simple bean appetizer, but it was so so good. It is a cold appetizer and is a little sweet. Really curbed our appetite waiting for the other dishes (which wasn't that long of a wait, by the way.) Special Item Torched Mackerel: Super fresh cuts of mackerel presented beautifully on a plate. Really great citrus flavor that I didn't even need soy sauce. Bonito Tataki: It's hard to get tataki at the typical cheap sushi joint, so I was excited to have my favorite item. 5 slices of very fresh fish also presented so beautifully. Agedashi Tofu: OH. MY. GOD. I have NEVER had such complexity in my agedashi before. Agedashi broth is usually a little sweet and salty, but the agedashi broth from Shiki absolutely blew our minds. This flavor has many root vegetable elements that I can't quite put my finger on, but if I describe the experience of eating this, it was like sitting by a stream in the middle of a mountain somewhere in Japan on a cloudy day. It was SO breathtaking. Not to mention, three big pieces of tofu! Mentaiko (Cod Roe) and Spicy Cooked Salmon Onigiri: The onigiri is pretty basic; it's just rice with the filling in the center and on top. It was a good way to get carbs into the meal. It's definitely good, but it's also definitely easy to make at home so skip if you wanted something new. Chicken with salt or something (I already forgot the name): OH MY GOOOOODD. If there is something to highlight the excellence of their chefs it is IN THIS DISH HERE. Chicken with salt or teriyaki was the description of the dish and it sounded really simple that I was hesitant to order it. We just wanted more protein in our meal. But oh my god I'm so glad we did. It's so simple, but the chicken skin is perfectly grilled to be super crunchy and the meat underneath is tender and juicy. With some lemon, this was probably the best grilled chicken I've ever had in my life hands-flippin-down. Salmon Ochazuke: Ohhhh mmyyyy gooodd. This was like drinking the blossoming of spring. If you really like ochazuke like my boyfriend does, you'll really appreciate the ochazuke at Shiki. The presentation is gorgeous; you pour however much tea you want into the bowl. It was a relaxing way to end the meal. The food came out pretty fast since we got there when there wasn't much business. Waitresses were very sweet. Our waitress brought us tea to end the meal. I had great service; I honestly have no idea how you could even have bad service with Japanese restaurants. There are only bad customers. :) For all these dishes we spent $55 for two. With tip, it's a bit on the pricey side of ~$33 a person, but it's definitely a great place to go if you feel like something special. I really believe "Shiki" lives up to the name of the restaurant. All the food really took me to a PLACE which is unusual. I normally don't have these kinds of experiences with food, but I really felt like while I was eating a dish, I felt transported to a very relaxing scene cos the flavors really remind me of nature. I'm such a darn fan now my god. OK, I've probably brought the expectations of the restaurant to a new high after reading this review, but I honestly believed it was that perfect from the bottom of my heart!

We had 8 ish plates (most of them are small, tapas style) and everything was really great. Sashimi was fresh, tempura crispy and light, but the star was truly the inaniwa udon. The waiter was also nice and attentive! Good service here while dining in.