Takemura Japanese - Cambridge

I had originally planned to go to the Indian restaurant across from the Kennedy School, but it closed at 3. Instead, I went to Takemura downstairs and I'm so glad I did! The restaurant was quiet and had plenty of seating available, making it the perfect place to relax after midterms. I ordered the Teriyaki Bento, which included broiled chicken on bean sprouts, slices of oranges, dumplings, salad with delicious dressing, and plenty of rice. It was delicious and filling, and I was able to finish everything without needing a to-go box, which is rare for me. The service was fantastic, with an attentive waiter who ensured my glass was always full. The restroom was also very clean. Overall, I had a great dining experience at Takemura and will definitely be returning. If you're looking for a simple and quick meal, I highly recommend giving Takemura a try.

Although my friends enjoyed their dishes because they were the perfect portion size for them, I was not a fan of my choice. I played it safe and went for sushi, even though Takemura offers both Korean and Japanese cuisine and I'm not a big fan of Korean food. I tried the White Tiger Roll, which I found to be a basic tuna roll with the only standout being the wasabi lemon sauce. The Tornado Roll was my second choice, a shrimp tempura roll topped with spicy crab meat. While sushi isn't my favorite, I still recommend giving Takemura a try as it may be just what you're looking for! Plus, it's much better than waiting 2 hours for the Japanese BBQ restaurant upstairs.

When it comes to the food, I opted for the grilled eel over rice, which is one of my favorite dishes. While the eel itself tasted fine, it was marred by the abundance of hard, sharp bones within. I don't mind soft bones or the occasional hard one, but eating this felt like chomping down on a bone-filled fish. I had to eat cautiously and constantly pick bones out of my teeth, ultimately ruining the meal for me. On the bright side, the ambiance was cute with plenty of empty seats, and the service was friendly. The only downside was that the location was a bit tricky to find - you can either enter through Gyukaku downstairs or take the small staircase below their yellow sign outside.

This is me and my boyfriend's favorite sushi place in Harvard Square. Shockingly, it's almost never busy...and we're always able to get seats as well as our food right away! For two people, we ordered the gyoza as an appetizer, 6 salmon sashimi, and 3 signature rolls (tornado, salmon lover, caterpillar) it was personally more than enough for me. The appetizers can be small (only 6 gyozas) so be sure to order more if you have a large party. The fish portions are fresh and very generous, especially the sashimi. At $15 for 6 sashimi, you definitely get what you pay for. I really enjoyed the tornado roll. It was a very unique take on sushi that I've never had before, with shrimp tempura inside and some spicy creamy crab on top! The service was also great. Our waitress was very attentive and friendly. The only note I'll add is that Takemura can be a little difficult to locate, as the door is at the basement level. There is a wheelchair accessible entrance though, so be sure to ask about that if you need it. The restaurant is also quite cute, especially their little sushi clock on the wall nice touch! Favorite order: salmon sashimi and tornado roll

Good place for takeout/snackpass! In snackpass they sometimes have 10% off discounts which is a plus. Overall the quality of their sushi isn't great, but it does the job of fulfilling a sushi craving for college students. Their spicy tuna rolls could have a better ratio of fish to rice. Their rice also isn't the best texture. However takemura fulfills the takeout sushi craving in Cambridge in comparison to cafe sushi, which has higher quality sushi but difficult to get a reservation at.