Sugidama Soba & Izakaya

The food here is delicious, fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The small plates had that perfect balance of comfort and creativity. However, the service left much to be desired. Our check was dropped on the table before we even took a bite of our dessert, which made us feel like we were being rushed out. It took away from an otherwise great dining experience. I’d still come back for the food, but I hope the staff can offer a more relaxed and thoughtful approach to service next time.

Sugidama Soba & Izakaya welcomes you with a warm, inviting atmosphere—tasteful decor, friendly staff, and a genuine sense of hospitality. Though their specialty is clearly soba, I found the noodles didn’t quite live up to the hype. On the upside, the seared squid was outstanding—easily the highlight of the meal and one of my favorite dishes ever. The rest of the menu offered solid, if unremarkable, fare that paired nicely with the cozy surroundings. Service was polite but a bit uneven, which kept the experience from being flawless. All told, Sugidama Soba & Izakaya delivers a pleasant dining experience with standout seafood and a welcoming vibe. I’d happily return and would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

Torch Toro roll is really good! Agedashi tofu is so flavorful. Most of the signature rolls are really great too! Service is amazing, servers are really attentive. Ambiance is calm and peaceful. We had 10 people- 8 adults and 2 small children. They were super accommodating. Will definitely come back to visit often!

i really like it here, great for a nicer meal! i called to ask for an immediate 9 person table and they had one for me in the next 30 minutes. the fried appetizers are delicious, like the karaage and soft shell crab. sadly they were out of uni! i was excited to try the uni tacos. i got the hokkaido don but with tuna instead of uni. my one issue is the rice to meat issue. so much rice! but this seems to happen everywhere. it was still delicious

Comforting hot soba during a cold winter night. My broth was nice and smoky but not overpowering. The beef and tofu were tender and juicy. I also liked the steamed gyoza which was also juicy. My friend liked the braised unagi don.

Great food, efficient service, and a good range of sake, what more could you want in a neighborhood Izakaya? I went on a Sunday afternoon, so it might have a lot more atmosphere at the busy times.

No matter how fancy or how exclusive a restaurant tries to present itself, what truly matters in a dining experience comes down to three things: taste, price, and customer service. Unfortunately, this restaurant falls short across the board. We visited on a Saturday afternoon, hoping for a memorable Japanese dining experience. From the start, the host was dismissive and rude, setting a poor tone for the meal. Thankfully, the rest of the waitstaff were courteous and attentive, but the first impression lingered. The food? Completely average. The flavors were plain and uninspired—nothing that justified the high-pricing. When you pay a premium, you expect your taste buds to be treated to something special. Instead, it felt like style over substance. If you’re craving a rich, authentic Japanese meal, this isn’t the place. For me, it was a one-and-done visit. There are far better options out there where quality, hospitality, and value actually align.

I highly recommend this restaurant. The vibe is amazing, and the service is so nice and sweet. The lobster wrapped in seaweed is a standout dish. The cold soba is excellent; the sauce is sooo flavorful and pairs perfectly with the fresh, high-quality ingredients. Everything here tastes incredibly fresh and delicious. Definitely will come back again.

some of the best sushi in town! every roll is unique, flavorful, and beautifully crafted. i also love their soba and tempura. they moved into a new spot in davis square and the atmosphere is bustling

Had a reservation for two on a Friday night and had no idea what to expect. I knew people love Sugidama but otherwise I didn't look at the menu or anything, which is completely out of the norm for me. I was surprised by how lively it was, although at times it felt overwhelmingly loud and crowded. I would definitely recommend making a reservation ahead of time. There are large tables for groups but smaller parties feel like a more comfortable way to go. Between the two of us, we ordered the Maki Combo, Deep Fried Gyoza, Sukiyaki Soba, and Baby Hamachi Jalapeno, which was more than enough for the two of us. The soba tasted amazing, especially the meat and the broth. The service was quick and friendly despite how busy it was. I would definitely come back if I'm in the area but probably not during such a busy time.

Overall, this place serves ok japanese food. Their sashimi and karage baby octopus was decent but I was not impressed by the food. However, I do think the atmosphere is great to catch up and spend time with family over dinner. The service was friendly and fast. Value: 6.5/10 Food: 7/10 Experience: 7/10 Service: 7/10

Always a joy coming here with friends and family. A wonderful dining experience with fresh flavors and some of the best sushi Boston has to offer. The ambiance inside is peaceful and reminds me of dining experiences in Asia I'm often nostalgic for. Highly recommend their Somerville Roll.

A decent soba spot near Cambridge. There's outdoor seating and indoor seating. When we went, it was incredibly popular/crowded so if you're going with a group, I would recommend reserving ahead. Food was pretty good! I typically prefer ramen over soba but it was nice to have a large bowl of hot soup regardless. Would love to continue to explore to see how other places compare to this restaurant.

This is one of my favorite Japanese restaurant in Boston! I've been going here since before they moved. The food is authentic and they have an extensive menu. The restaurant is modern, clean, and has a beautiful interior inside. There is street parking available which usually isn't too bad to find. For their appetizers, I recommend their uni shots, fried chicken, and scallop hokkaiyaki which comes served in a shell and over a fire. For entrees, I like their uni soba, tempera soba, and sukiyaki soba. Their soba is the best in town and comes with a good portion. For their sushi rolls, the torch toro with fatty salmon and tuna is excellent. The service is standard and the waitress was friendly.

I wanted to like this place, but it didn't hit for me on food and service. I was the first person to show up around lunch time and the person who sat me was curt and not friendly at all. I got the shrimp tempura soba - good sized portions and the tempura was nicely done, not too greasy, but overall I found the whole thing to be quite bland. I ran out of water and tried to flag the server down (same person who sat me) but was not successful. I gave up on eating the meal less than halfway through, a waste, but i wasn't enjoying it. The moment I took out my credit card the server magically appeared with a more friendly demeanor. They offered water, but it was already too late. Perhaps their sushi and yakitori are better, but for a restaurant with "soba" in the name, my expectations were not met. The space is clean, nice, and modern, but the food and service left a lot to be desired.

This was one of my favorite meals recently in the Boston area. I think everything was pretty reasonably priced for the amount of food and uni we got. I love the typical Japanese blond wood minimalistic ambience of this place. We ordered the salmon and uni hand rolls which were a delectable and fresh appetizer. The hot duck soba was delicious, though the duck pieces were a little too large and chewy for my taste. The Hokkaido don was honestly a steal for the amount of uni, snow crab, scallops, and ikura on it. And the uni was sweet, creamy, and fresh. I wish this were closer to me.

The idako karaage was amazing. I also enjoyed my sugidama Mai Tai, beef enoki yakitori, and green tea ice cream. Hubby liked his vegetable tempura, vegan agedashi tofu, and Japanese whisky. The staff kindly opened the outdoor seating for us and turned on a heater. Service was good.

They have street parking. The ambiance of this restaurant is very elegant and chill. I went here during lunch time so I got the lunch combo, but my friend got the uni soba. Both options were excellent! We love how fresh the soba is. Definitely worth to come back! The sushi was okay compared to the noodles. I think that you should try the soba when you order here! I love the services here, she made sure my table was well taken care of, she also make recommendation since we mentioned it was our first time there

Great service. Scallop appetizer was unique and tasty. The basics - miso soup, tekka maki and una avo maki were excellent, as was the tekka sashimi. The Million Dollar Roll was a disappointment. Too much crunchy topping, too busy, and did not hang together - each bite dropped at least one element. I'd go back for additional hot items on the appetizer menu and stick to basic rolls, sushi and sashimi.

Love their new spot! They moved onto the Main Street of Davis Square and the space is decorated so beautifully. Their staff is always friendly as well. In terms of food, their Idako (Octopus) Karaage is simply amazing! I always order it when I come here. Their soba also hits the spot on a cold day. Their broth is refreshing and the noodles are always cooked to perfection. The only thing that is just okay is their sushi. The fish quality is nothing game changing but it will satisfy your sushi cravings.

Beautiful place to kickstart my Yelp in Boston. Went during lunch--not too much of a rush on a weekend, started having larger parties trickle in past 1pm. The hostess and waitress were really kind and informative, letting me take my time to savor food and answer all the menu items. Definitely have to go here to try their torched uni tray at some point. Million dollar house special maki (9/10): so good! The fish was so fresh and tender, just the perfect amount of rice for the roll. I do think it was a bit much sauce, but I do love the fish on its own. Salmon uni tacos (10/10): so delicious! Savored every bite. The fatty salmon and the uni were so good together. Ika nigiri (10/10): so tender yet chewy. I loved this, no fishness. Will definitely be coming back to try their uni soba!! Truly a gem, rare in its high quality.

I dined regularly at their old location until it closed. When I heard about their reopening at the new location, I dropped by to check it out. The menu and decor along with the solid inner door almost exactly same as their old spot. Now, I am actually not a big soba fan but their miso sea bass lunch has been my go to since they originally opened. Food: Lunch miso sea bass. Exactly like they made it before they moved, cooked perfectly! Juicy sea bass with every bite, fresh taste and it really hits the spot with the right amount of miso saltiness. Goes so well with the soft bed of sushi rice that is layered with some soy sauce. This is the only place I've really enjoyed a good cooked and miso flavored sea bass. Highly recommended! Obviously the price has gone up by a lot pre pandemic but still worth the price for the quality cooked sea bass. Service was excellent like before, was seated and offered water right after menu. Quick service and no complaints. Parking around Davis sq plenty of street and municipal lots.

Excellent soba place that offers a wide variety of dishes. The soba is their specialty but it seems as if they're willing to offer other stuff like sushi as well. The appetizers might have been even better than the soba. The dragon ball avocado cold starter was beautifully presented, with roe and crabstick inside. The mayo might have been slathered on too heavily, but otherwise a nice dish. The homemade tofu was a light appetizer that brought out the homemade soybean flavor really nicely, with quality fish flake and seaweed garnishes. The galbi and shitake mushroom yakitori skewers were quite flavorful, especially the shitake. The pork kimchi hot soup dip with cold soba was fairly excellent; I wish that the buckwheat granules of the cold soba were more pronounced on bite, but the soba was definitely fresh tasting. The pork kimchi soup was a nice complement as well. The pork used was belly; that could have been clearer on the menu. The Ebi Kakiage Hot Soba comes with a creative deep-fried mixed vegetable with shrimp concoction. It was an interesting take on the more usual tempura options. This evening's presentations were a bit too oily, but the concept was strong and in general quite delicious.

Great place, great location and great food. Everything was good, everything was fresh came mostly for Yakitori and they did not disappoint fried chicken was sublime juicy tasty and savory the sausage was a flavor bomb my favorite skewer was the beef and enoki but they were all good the beef was super tender uni was my first time trying but im not a big seafood person come like them or love them.

Pretty nice spot in Davis Square! My roomate's didn't like it as much, but as someone who doesn't eat East Asian cuisine a lot, I liked it. The restaurant itself is really dazzling and warm. The waitress was sort of cold though. We got the Kimchi with pork belly, fried chicken, gyoza, california maki, miso soup, unagi don, and ocean roll (no spice). The ocean roll and miso soup were good but a bit simple. The eel dish was probably the best one.

This review is specifically about the service which led to a less than pleasant experience and I will not be returning. The first time I came here I did not think too much of it and thought maybe it was just a busy night or the server was having an off day. Despite the food being price than what it's worth, I definitely don't think they deserved the tip we gave them with our experience. Despite coming here a second time, I noticed a pattern where they would constantly rush us to order our food. Second time we sat at the sushi bar and it was annoying have the waiter stand over my boyfriend's shoulder constantly so that she could talk to the people behind the counter while we're trying to enjoy our food. The food came quick, but also EVERY time we came even close to almost finishing the dish (there was still food on the plates still) our specific waiter and another guy kept asking OVER AND OVER again if they could take my plate away WHILE I was still chewing and eating from my plate! What kind of restaurant teaches their employees to be rude and ask to take away a customer's plate while they are still eating from that plate?? Incredibly unprofessional and disrespectful to your customers. When the check came, after my card came back I still cannot believe how it was covered in grease and soy sauce. In addition, the waiter also spilled some soy sauce on me when she was clearing our plates and did not apologize. She also still had the same attitude when we came here a second time and she happened to be serving our table. Mind you, considering they rushed us so much it wasn't like we spent a long time here. From entering the door to leaving, we were there for less than 30 minutes which is insane for an actual sit-down restaurant. If you're going to rush your customers and promote an environment where you're trying to get more revenue through having more table turnover, then you are wrong because you just lost a customer and will not be recommending this place to anyone due to our poor repeated experience.

A great restaurant right in the heart of Davis Square. I came here on a Saturday night with a group (reservation was made ahead of time) and it was a full restaurant. We ordered the Scallop Hokkaiyaki and the fried chicken to share as appetizers and then I ordered the Kemo Seiro (cold soba w/ hot duck dipping sauce). I enjoyed both appetizers, the scallops were small and flavorful and the fried chicken was crispy. The soba was fresh and the dipping sauce was pretty sweet. The duck meat was good and had a thin layer of fat that had plenty of flavor in it. The server was great in allowing us plenty of time to order, filling our waters, and time to split the bill. Overall, a great place to grab food and I would definitely like to try their sushi if I come back.

Scallop Hokkaiyaki - something worth trying if you like scallop! We were debating about getting this but so glad we did. It was creamy with a decent amount of scallop and crab stick. Kamo Nanban - a simpler, lighter soup base with duck breast. The soba noodles were pretty good. Service - it was pretty busy when we got there but we were able to get bar seating. Service was overall good!

We saw this Japanese restaurant in Somerville last night and thought we'd give it a try. We ordered the tempura hot soba and the maki combo. The food was delicious and the was quick and clean. Even though it was a busy Saturday night we were seated fairly quickly. We love to come back and try the tres leches cake and green tea ice cream.

We were craving soba soup so we tried this place for dinner. My friend and I ordered hot soba dishes, a salmon avo roll, and the sake uni taco appetizer. I enjoyed the sake uni appetizer the most. The uni was sweet and the fish tasted fresh. The broth in the soba dishes was good, but I wasn't impressed with the texture of the noodles. Maybe their cold sobas are better. The inside of the restaurant felt a bit cramped, but I was glad we were able to be seated right away. We saw our waitperson cough into her gloved hand several times. She sounded sick. What worried me is that she didn't change her gloves after coughing into them and went directly to grab bowls of soup and plates of sushi. I get that restaurants get busy and I hope she was able to rest and recover after her shift, but I felt kind of icky after that observation.

The fish was really fresh and tasty, and the sauces were great. It was a bit expensive in my personal opinion for the amount of servings, but would still recommend.

This Japanese spot specializing in soba and izakaya has moved into a nice open space in Davis square, it's a great option for bigger groups or date nights. We sampled one of the cold sobas (Kamo Seiro- cold soba with duck breast and a hot dipping sauce) as well as some yakitori (chicken thigh) and sushi (the maki combo). The soba was refreshing and tasty, with perfectly cooked cold noodles, tender duck, and a savory umami dipping sauce; the contrast of the cold noodles with the hot dipping sauce was perfect. The yakitori was tender and juicy. The sushi was standard. Overall for a restaurant that could easily stumble by overreaching (its menu is gigantic), it seemed to deliver on all fronts, plus has pretty great service even in the midst of high traffic times and was able to seat a larger party of 5 people without a wait on a weekend.

Had lunch here a few weeks ago. Ordered the cold soba with the Yakitori-don. The yakitori itself was excellent! The meat was very tender and the tare sauce itself was delicious just wished they'd put a little more. The soba on the other hand was terrible and unacceptable. Considering the name of the restaurant is Soba & Izakaya, I would assume they would serve stellar soba. Believe me when I say this because I have eaten soba in many places and have had even the best soba in places like Honmura-An and Sarashina Horii. Soba is not supposed to be short and mushy. I couldn't enjoy one good slurp because they were so short. I would expect them to be long and not tear apart. If this place is known to make their soba in house. They have to live up that and serve high quality soba than serving soba scraps from early morning prep. On a positive note, the sushi quality and presentation were nice and see that they use good quality fish. Just please step up your soba game.

If you haven't gotten their lunch special, get your butt there! Bowl is a lil rice heavy, wish there was more fish but for how much their lunch special is, can't complain. Friendly and quick service with great ambiance!

This is a review for Sugidama's yakitori as I am not a sushi lover. I ordered the Negima and Beef Enoki and both were very good and flavorful. This was a delivery order so I did not get to try anything else. I read good things about their fried chicken so maybe next time.

Nice and clean place, the sukiyaki soba is great! Worth trying. The service is friendly too, we just walked in and they nicely placed us.

One of my favorite spots in Davis square for sushi. Their new location is nicely designed, has classic modern Japanese interior look For appetizers, I always get the scallop hokkaiyaki, steamed gyoza, spicy avocado salad and the baby hamachi jalapeño. All so good! Most recently we got the deluxe sushi boat and shared it between the 4 of us. 10/10 The service is always great. It's good to go with a reservation as it can get busy but I've been lucky with walking in as well with not a long wait.

Stopped by for a quick weekday lunch - their lunch specials are quite worth and definitely offer a lot of options, too! Soba was tasty - noodles well-cooked and broth fragrant - and all the better considering the difficulty of finding good soba in the US sometimes. I ordered the combo with salmon sashimi, and the fish was really good quality. Portion sizes were a rather good value, too. Overall quite impressed and I will definitely be back - they have so many interesting sushi selections that I'm very keen to try out. I will note that service was a bit,,, curt ,,, to say the least (although certainly not to the point of impairing the overall experience).

Came here for lunch recently with a friend and had a great experience. They used to be located elsewhere in Davis but have since moved down the street. The ambiance was casual but nice with a cute Japanese-inspired mural on the wall. The service was excellent - very friendly and attentive. I ordered the maki combo with spicy tuna and sweet potato. My friend ordered the Kaisen Don Hot Soba. Both were great! We decided we both prefer cold soba over hot soba but seeing as it was the middle of winter - he decided to order hot. Overall, great experience. Would love to return soon.

Food is 4.5 stars. We ordered tuna dumpling (a must try, absolutely love it), scallop hokaiyaki (don't understand the hype about this, it's my least favorite and what made this place a 4.5 instead of a 5), purple yam tempura (tempura coating is very nice and thin, no excessive grease), sweet ebi nigiri (fresh, but the sushi chef here did not do a good job at pressing the rice and the shrimp together) and uni cold soba (their uni is great, the portion is worth the $25 I paid). Overall I think their ingredients are fresh and most food are delicious. Sushii chef's skill is not great, but understandable since they are mainly offering soba and izakaya. I would definitely come back again to try more, especially their yakitori. Service and atmosphere are 5 stars.

My wife and I have been loyal patrons of Sugidama for a long time. Despite moving an hour away, we always make the effort to return to Sugidama just to indulge in their exquisite soba and sushi. The quality and taste are simply unmatched. If you're seeking top-notch sushi accompanied by an exceptional staff, look no further than Sugidama. Among their vast menu, my absolute favorite is the una roll. There is no other place that can replicate the incredible flavor and the heavenly sensation it brings when you take a bite. Meanwhile, my wife is enamored with the fresh and invigorating ambiance of their recent location, as well as the impeccable freshness of all the dishes served. What makes the whole experience even more remarkable is the incredibly affordable price. You won't find this level of quality anywhere else for the prices they offer. Sugidama truly stands out as a haven for those who crave exceptional sushi without breaking the bank.

Very quaint little place nestled in Davis square. Food is great and the restaurant is clean.

I didn't know there was an izakaya hidden in the little Davis Square plaza. When I found it I had to go and try it. The place is surprisingly pretty big, unlike all the other Japanese restaurants I've been to which are extremely small and tight. I was able to be seated immediately so that was delightful. Now the food I ordered was underwhelming. All the yakitori's from the lamb to the rib eye was over cooked. Both the lamb and rib eye was tough when biting into them, however both were marinated very well. The flavor was spot on but the cook on it missed its mark. The chicken yakitori don I had was the best one because it was chicken thigh, so chicken thigh is super forgiving when you cook it. My recommendation for the yakitori is the chicken one. And FYI, I wasn't going to order the yakitori don but they were out of uni so I couldn't get the uni soba but glad I got the yakatori don. It was a good alternative for me at least. Then the tempura dishes I got the one that failed was the soft shell crab. It was tasteless and the ponzu dipping sauce didn't do anything for it. The squid legs were just ok. Then the Yuzu Maki Roll want anything special but at least the fish was fresh. The best thing I had here were the tuna dumplings and the chicken yakitori. The tuna dumplings were just pure joy in my mouth with the lobster and mango with the pops of the roe, they are just wonderful bites of happiness.

So fresh!! Sushi was delicious! Luv the new atmosphere. It's right off the Davis square redline

This was my second time coming here ever since highschool. I ordered: Sugidama hot soba Passion fruit mojito Tenzaru soba cold Hamachi kama Although, I was a little disappointed with how small the hamachi kama was everything else was pretty good! The drink especially was delicious I asked if she could make it a little sweeter and she did the perfect job! Definitely would recommend 8/10

fabulous restaurant. pricey but you get what you pay for. I've eaten here about 30 times and have never been disappointed. sushi, soba, cooked apps, I've tried about half the menu here and am looking forward to trying the rest. I'm thrilled they've reopened after their brief closure!

Overall, the portions here are great! The tenzaru was a standout for me not because of its soba, but because the shrimp and vegetable tempura were so outstanding. The takoyaki were on the smaller side but had great flavor and was not too dense. There was a lot of hype around the hotate dish so I was expecting a lot from it. The presentation was really good because the scallops didn't burn even as I was taking hundreds of photos and videos. It was creamy and a lot more spicy than I expected. I'd order it again for the table to share.

My party of 3 sat outside where there were heaters so we stayed warm and cozy throughout our meal. The service was friendly and quick to answer any questions we had. It was also fairly easy to find parking as well. We ordered the Spicy Tuna Tartar, Scallop Hokkaiyaki, Ika Yaki, Torched Salmon Maki, and Sukiyaki Soba. Each dish was amazing and so so good. My favorite was the Ika Yaki! Definitely recommend this place for groups so you can try a bunch of things on the menu.

The uni soba here is incredible! I was very impressed by the price, quality, and overall service. Will definitely be back to try out their lunch menu too!

Kinda expensive but super yummy! Sashimi was fresh and both the hot and cold sobas were delicious.

I like this place. Sushi was quite fresh. Seemed a bit pricey. You need a reservation in the evening. Otherwise you have to sit at the bar. I got sushi deluxe for dinner and it didn't come with salad or Miso soup. $26.

With a trendy vibe, and great food, Sugidama was an awesome choice for dinner with a friend. We sat at their bar which wasn't ideal, and our waiter was really attentive. Ramen portion sizes are quite big.

Ordered takeout for lunch and was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't sure how small the tuna on rice would be but it was quite large! Same thing with the hot soba. It was a great portion size, super fresh, and delicious!

Love this place! Lunch special (chilean sea bass, rice, salad, miso soup and a piece of potato croquette) are so delicious! Will be back again for sure!

Moved locations to the heart of Davis Sq on Elm street. Just reopened so we went to check it out. Food quality is the same. Just as good as before with good soba, sushi, and grilled offerings. Ambiance is similar to before though they no longer have the outdoor seating as they use to when they were in the Davis Square plaza. The only complaint we have is the service. It seems like many of the staff members are new and don't really have a system down. It was difficult to get water and to get someone to take our orders once we sat down and had to ask the host to have our waitress come by. They definitely seemed understaffed. Given that they just reopened and probably hired new staff, there are likely still kinks to work out. Sittng by the window, there was lots of people just walking by and gazing at the menu and taking photos of the new spot. This is great for their business and hopefully draws lots of interest from the locals.

Food was decently well made. Soba was quite tasty. The only issue I had was losing appetite when asked the server about any recommended dish, her response was that we should figure it out ourselves. Lost my appetite afterward.

Solid food all around... It's just really really overpriced. Sukiyaki Soba: Hot soba with excellent fatty and tender pieces of meat. Comes with a poached egg Yakitori: We got beef-enoki and shiitake. Really tender and delicious. Their yakitori is awesome Ebi Kakiage: I didn't have the noodles, but the shrimp/vegetable tempura was really delicious. $16 for a hot soba? $4 for a skewer? Come on. Prices are ridiculous. You can get a meat skewer for $2 in Manhattan, NYC. The most basic cold soba with just nori on top costs $10. Worst part is that a single bowl of noodles probably isn't filling enough, so you need to buy the sides. I can't justify the prices, but I also can't deny that everything tasted good. Try it if you have money to blow.