Some sleek, high-priced sushi palaces serve gold-flaked rolls and omakase feasts fit for an emperor, but this unassuming Allston eatery on the outer limb of the B Line is a real standout for both cuisine and cost. In the spirit of a true izakaya, an informal Japanese gastropub, its fare is fun, cheap and shareable. Try yakitori skewers of bacon-wrapped okra, and okonomiyaki, a pizza-like pancake bearing meats, pickled veggies and splatters of Worcestershire sauce, washed down with green apple-flavored sake cocktails. It’s perfectly unpretentious.
Izakaya Ittoku
1414 Comm. Ave., Boston • (617) 608-3630
Other Winners
-
Japanese
2014 Winner: O Ya
Rumor has it that Tim Cushman may open another O Ya in New York...
- 9 East St., Boston
- (617) 654-9900
- oyarestaurantboston.com
Photo Credit: Jillian Medugno -
Japanese
2015 Winner: O Ya
Boston’s costliest restaurant trades not on a lavishly appointed room nor an army of cosseting servers, but the subtle, exquisite pleasures of modern Japanese sashimi, sushi and cooked dishes, showcasing exotic species from distant oceans…...
- 9 East St., Boston
- (617) 654-9900
- oyarestaurantboston.com
-
Japanese
2017 Winner: UNI
Ken Oringer’s reinvention of his longstanding, formal and expensive flagship Clio and sashimi bar UNI into a single restaurant...
- 370 Commonwealth Ave., Boston
- (617) 536-7200
- uni-boston.com
Photo Credit: Nicole Popma -
Photo Credit: Holly Rike
