Cambridge’s Cafe Sushi Reopens Its Dining Room

Cafe Sushi. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

A 41-year-old Cambridge sushi icon has lived several lives, tucked into a strip mall between Harvard and Central Squares, and a new one is about to begin. Cafe Sushi’s dining room, closed since the early days of COVID, reopens December 3, marking another evolution for a business whose second-generation ownership transformed it from a dollar-sushi staple to a neighborhood omakase favorite, always behind the familiar glow of its neon signage. Now, Cafe Sushi diverges into two concepts under one roof: Cafe Sushi Nisei, the revamped dine-in operation, complete with a brand new sake bar, and Cafe Sushi Shoten, the Japanese retail shop and takeout/delivery service that opened next door in 2022.

Cafe Sushi’s akami (lean tuna) nigiri with herb gremolata and iced red onion. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Let’s get this out of the way: Cafe Sushi’s omakase is no more. The popular chef’s-choice sushi tasting is a thing of the past, and the team is ready for something new. “We’ve moved on,” says co-owner Mindy Imura, who runs the business with her husband Seizi Imura and his brother Kenshi. (The brothers’ parents ran the business until 2007.) “We’ve done that, and we enjoyed a lot about it,” says Mindy, “but this is the next chapter for us. We’re okay with it and hope everyone is.”

Cafe Sushi’s sakekawa handrolls with crispy salmon skin and ikura. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

The farewell to omakase is partly due to COVID-era renovations that did away with the sushi counter (now it’ll be the sake bar), putting all sushi operations together in the kitchen to facilitate takeout and delivery. That time period “really helped us evolve in certain ways,” says Seizi, “bringing the team together [in one space]. Kenshi and I have much greater oversight on all the food, and the training is better.”

A new nook to the side of the sake bar at Cafe Sushi. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

In a broader sense, the move away from omakase brings greater accessibility to Cafe Sushi’s pristine bites of modern nigiri, as elements of the old sushi tasting will be recognizable on the new à la carte menu. “We’re allowing everyone to experience what exclusively the omakase people were experiencing, that level of treatment of food,” says Seizi, from unique house-made garnishes like “umami cherry” to intriguing flavor combinations.

Cafe Sushi’s king salmon with blood orange, fennel, basil oil, and dill. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

While it may be hard for longtime fans to let go of this particular aspect of the business, bear in mind Cafe Sushi’s aptitude for evolution: By one count, this could be considered the restaurant’s fourth chapter. Cafe Sushi opened in 1984 with Seizi and Kenshi’s parents at the helm, becoming known for dollar sushi Sundays. Seizi, returning from honing his sushi skills on the West Coast, brought it into its next era starting in 2007, with refined nigiri and the surprisingly affordable omakase, picking up some awards along the way. (There was also a nice renovation in 2018; let’s call that chapter 2B.) Next up, COVID—goodbye to the dining room, hello to Cafe Sushi Shoten, a takeout and delivery operation full of sake, Japanese pantry items, and carefully packaged sushi platters.

Cafe Sushi’s little gems salad with miso “Caesar” dressing, fried shallots, furikake, and ao-nori parmesan crisps. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Finally, the newest chapter, opening on December 3: a sake bar with a petite, focused menu of sushi and Japanese-inspired small plates. It’s not quite an izakaya, says Seizi, but a bit inspired by those casual Japanese pubs. It’s meant to be fun, approachable, and cozy, and there’s a big focus on the drinks. “A lot of places have a limited breadth of sake, but there’s so much really cool stuff, and more and more becoming available to us in Massachusetts,” says Mindy. “We’re excited to talk to people about sake.”

Cafe Sushi. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Adds Seizi: “Even though we’re not bringing the omakase back, we’re bringing forth something to build on the culture here in Boston. We’re excited [to share] different styles of sake I think a lot of people in Boston are unfamiliar with. We want to make sake approachable.”

Cafe Sushi’s gindara misozuke, miso-glazed sablefish (black cod) with miso aioli, pickled purple daikon, and fried leeks. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

It’s the idea of approachability that really fuels the whole restaurant, says Mindy. “The one thing we’ve always been and want to always be is a neighborhood spot.” Sushi and sake can get quite pricey, of course, but the Imuras aim to make Cafe Sushi as much of an everyday destination as possible. Many of the sakes, for instance, are available in various sizes—including 2.5-ounce glasses, most of which are under $10. “We have our regulars, and we want to make sure that we’re still a place where people can come and feel comfortable,” says Mindy.

Cafe Sushi’s madai (sea bream) nigiri with house-preserved yuzu, wasabi oil, heirloom salt, and shiso flowers. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

As for the food, a tight selection of zensai, small plates, is the prelude to handrolls, seasonal sashimi, two-piece orders of sushi, and makimono, or rolls. Don’t worry; some longtime favorites are back, like the eel, spicy crab, and avocado crunch roll and the crispy toban jan roll, with tempura shrimp, avocado, and spicy tuna. Newer creations like a deconstructed poke platter and a Japanese spin on a Caesar salad are worth a try as well.

What used to be the sushi counter at Cafe Sushi is now a sake bar. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

With the debut of dine-in service under the Cafe Sushi Nisei moniker, Cafe Sushi Shoten will continue next door with retail, takeout, and delivery. You might find anything from cute cat-shaped chopstick rests to mini ceramic plates with painted fish to Japanese street food playing cards, not to mention a wide variety of Japanese candies, sauces, teas, and lots more.

Cafe Sushi’s poke platter with tuna poke, little gem cups, avocado, cucumber, onion, shiso, and radish. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

While in some ways it seems like this is at least the fourth version of Cafe Sushi, Nisei means “second generation,” and that second generation of Imuras have kept their vision focused since they took the reins, even through the restaurant’s different phases. “It’s always been about finding our voice and making sure we stay true to us and what we enjoy, while contributing to the culture of the city,” says Seizi. The sushi bar is now a sake bar, the space is freshly renovated, and the omakase will remain a thing of the past, but Cafe Sushi—iconic glowing blue sign and all—was and will continue to be a neighborhood spot for modern sushi.

Cafe Sushi. / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

Opening December 3. 1105 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, cafesushicambridge.com.

Cafe Sushi. (One piece of art on the wall is by co-owner Seizi Imura, who went to art school. Try to spot it when you dine in.) / Photo by Rachel Leah Blumenthal

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