Ginza

This is an authentic Japanese restaurant with a location in both Boston and Brookline. The inside of the restaurant has a traditional Japanese decor with simple wood beam structures arched over many of the tables. When you step inside Ginza you feel as if you have traveled to the eastern edges of the world and entered the fascinating country of Japan. All the waiters serve you wearing brightly colored kimonos which adds to the cultural atmosphere.

They also have a wide range of meals to choose from. If you dare to be adventurous I would recommend trying their sushi or makimono. The Crazy Maki is especially good. Otherwise there are many meals with cooked meat and fish to pick from. My friend first introduced me to the restaurant in Brookline last fall and I fell in love with it immediately. I lived in NYC this summer and went to several Japanese restaurants, but was unable to find one that I liked as much as Ginza. I found that many of the Japanese restaurants in NYC tried to be trendy and hip by playing American music and using flashy modern decorations thus losing the Japanese cultural experience that is so essential to enjoying authentic Japanese food.

I have only been to Ginza for lunch so if you choose to go for lunch as well, I would recommend going much earlier than their closing time of 2:30 p.m. One time my friends and I went there after class for lunch and the waiters were rushing us to eat our food and get out of the restaurant. However, far more traumatic was the many excruciating hours of stomach pain that I endured due to eating bad sushi. The first time I went to Ginza I did not have this problem, so it may be that the fish was sitting out on the counter too long because it was near their afternoon closing time and they probably could not keep the sushi until the evening hours. So the moral to this story is to get to the restaurant in Brookline at 11:30 a.m. when they open, for fresh sushi. Since sushi is raw fish there is always the chance that this could happen at any restaurant. And after getting sick I still think the benefits far outweigh the risks and dangers. Another little interesting fact that I just learned about Ginza is that on Friday and Saturdays the restaurants in both Boston and Brookline stay open into the early morning hours. This is pretty unusual in a city that completely shuts down by 2 a.m. But then again considering the information I just gave you, it might be advisable to refrain from eating at least the uncooked foods during those late or should I say early hours.

If you want to visit this restaurant I would suggest checking out their website which is amazing in itself, because it offers a 360 degree view of both restaurants in Boston and Brookline. The website is extremely interactive, colorful, and easy to use http://www.ginzaboston.com/.

All in all Ginza is a great restaurant and I encourage everyone to check it out for themselves.