Closed Japanese Businesses

This post is a work in progress. Am I missing something? Let me know at keiko dot in dot boston [at] gmail dot com!
Last updated: 5/15/18

Former home of Miso Market

Well, it's pretty sad that I have to write this post but with the closings of two Japanese grocery stores, one restaurant, and one cafe in the past 6 months, I decided I should list them separately in case people wonder what happened to them. I've also listed a few businesses that closed years ago that I still hear people talk about. I will update this post as needed.


FOOD
Grocery Stores | Restaurants | Other Japanese Food Businesses

SHOPPING & SERVICES
Books | Hair Stylists
 

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Grocery Stores

Japan Village Mart | 200 Washington St., Brookline, MA - Brookline Village | Yelp

Closed spring 2013.

Kotobukiya Japanese Market | 1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA - Porter Exchange 

Closed in May 2009. Former employees of Kotobukiya now run Ebisuya, the only exclusively Japanese grocery store in New England that I'm aware of. 

Miso Market | 1963 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA - Porter Square | Yelp

Closed August 2013.

Yoshinoya | 36 Prospect St., Cambridge, MA - Central Square | Yelp

Closed May 2007.

Restaurants

Ken's Ramen House | 1 Brighton Ave., Boston, MA - Allston/Packard's Corner | Yelp

Closed January 2011. Interesting rumor on Eater that a new somewhat related Ken's Ramen is coming to Providence. It seems they already put up a website.

Pikaichi | 1 Brighton Ave., Boston, MA - Allston/Packard's Corner | Yelp
Closed December 2017. In 2011 Pikaichi bought Ken's Ramen House and moved into the space they occupied at the grocery store formerly known as the Super 88. Due to the landlord wanting to drastically raise their rent in 2017, they decided to close their Allston location and relocate. They reopened at 123 Boston Ave. in Medford, MA in April 2018.

Shiro Japanese Restaurant | 3 Gates Pond Rd., Berlin, MA 01503 | Yelp
Closed September 2013. They posted to Facebook post on 9/19/13 saying they were closed until further notice for renovations. On 12/24/13 they posted to Facebook saying they were still working on their renovations, but as far as I saw, they never reopened.

Snappy Sushi / Snappy Ramen |  | Yelp
Closed 11/19/17. Technically this isn't a total closing but a relocation, however since they're in a new location under a new name I thought I would list it here. The restaurant formerly known as Snappy Sushi and renamed in August 2013 to Snappy Ramen has moved to the other side of Davis Square and reopened with a new menu as Snappy Kitchen at 234 Elm Street. There is also a Snappy Sushi location on Newbury St. in Boston that remains open.

Sushi Island | 397 Main St., ‎Wakefield, MA | Yelp
According to a note on their website, Sushi Island closed on 8/25/13. The Aokis hope to open a new restaurant in a new location.
Update 1/11/14: The Aoki's are hoping to working on opening their new restaurant, Junji Fine Japanese Cuisine in Marblehead.

Yakitori Zai | 315 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA - South End | Yelp
Closed summer 2013.

Other Japanese Food Businesses

Japonaise Bakery
1032 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA - Allston/Packard's Corner | Yelp

Closed summer 2013.
1815 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140 - Porter Exchange | Yelp
Closed 3/17/15. Unclear if closure is temporary. Summer 2015 - Confirmed closure is permanent.
The Brookline, MA location is still open.

Mochi Kitchen
Somerville, MA | Yelp
Closed March 2015.
The Boston Globe: Mochi made-to-order!

Books

Sasuga Japanese Bookstore | 7 Upland Rd., Cambridge, MA - Porter Square
Brick and mortar store closed 2004, online store closed 2010.

Hair Stylists

Kanoko Hair for Women @ Fernanda's Beauty Salon | 75 Bow St., Somerville, MA 02143 - Union Square
Closed 10/27/14.

See my Directory of Greater Boston Japanese Businesses & Organizations for a partial list of businesses and organizations that are still open.

Closed for Good? Yakitori Zai may not be Reopening

Update 9/9/13: Boston Restaurant Talk is reporting that the closure is official because the building is for sale. Also, Yakitori Zai's website is no longer up.

Update 11/11/13: Ittoku is finally open! See First Look: Ittoku!

Yesterday I heard from one of my restaurant sources that Yakitori Zai's temporary closure is in fact permanent. Last night I tried to reach owner Kazu Aotani (also owner of Snappy Sushi on Newbury Street and the newly rebranded Snappy Ramen in Davis Square) who I know socially to get confirmation, but wasn't able to. Today I went to Snappy Ramen for lunch (post to follow) and recognized one of the staff from Zai. I asked if the rumor was accurate. It was immediately clear that I'd asked an awkward question so I suggested that Zai's future was "unclear" to which he agreed and said it might reopen at a new location.

Later in the day I heard from a friend in the Japanese community that she had also heard Zai is permanently closed. Between the two sources I pieced together that the closure may have been the result of a neighbor(s?) complaining about the venting of Zai's grill. If so, it won't be the first time a restaurant in a mostly residential neighborhood has been forced to close due to issues with the neighbors. Yakitori Zai has only been open since June 2012, so it's really unfortunate they couldn't work things out to remain where they are.

Fans of Zai's weekend ramen lunch can check out Snappy Ramen. The chef told me that their ramen is a little different from Zai's but the same style.

Front: Chicken Shoyu, Back: Spicy Miso

Fans of Zai's yakitori may want to head to Ittoku when it opens. I was also told by my restaurant source that Zai's yakitori chef, Sho Inoue, had found a new job at Ittoku. I confirmed this with co-owner Carlos Garcia who gave me permission to share the news. Co-owner Chiki-san gave me a sneak peak of their menu a few weeks ago but I'm wondering if they'll be retooling the yakitori section of the menu now that they have a trained yakitori chef. In my excitement, I forgot to ask Carlos. (Update 9/7/13: I talked to Chiki-san today. The yakitori portion of their menu will not be changed. He showed me pictures of the interior, including the yakitori grill. Looks really nice! Update 11/11/13: Inoue-san's plans changed and he returned to Japan.)

Yakitori Zai Closed until early August

Update 8/24/13: Yakitori Zai may not be Reopening

Update 7/28/13: A reader says they put up a sign that they'll be closed until 8/30. I just noticed that their website says: "We will resume regular hours of operation from Tuesday, September 10th."

Very sad - I tried to go to Yakitori Zai for cold ramen today and they were closed! I went earlier this summer and had their Garden Vegetable Mazamen (cold noodles under salad with a very spicy ginger dressing) which was quite tasty. I had planned to have their tonkotsu tsukemen (cold noodles with warm broth very similar to their winter tonkotsu broth). The friends who had it last time I went said it was good. I hope they'll actually reopen on schedule!

Garden Vegetable Mazamen

Weekend Ramen Lunch @ Yakitori Zai

Update 8/24/13: Yakitori Zai may not be Reopening

Update 7/21/13: Tried to go to Yakitori Zai for lunch today. They're closed until early August September? :(

I've been wanting to get to Yakitori Zai since they opened last summer, but the South End is "far" away (i.e.: I never find myself in the neighborhood and taking the T involves either 2 train lines and a 10 minute walk or train & bus and a 5 minute walk). Given the reports that it was wildly expensive and I've had a chance to try their food at Tewassa parties, it just hasn't made it to the top of my priority list. That is, until my friend told me last weekend that they now serve ramen at lunch and she was going today. They've had chicken ramen on their dinner menu since last year, but I hadn't gotten any reports about how it was.

According to their website, Zai has been open for lunch on weekends since last month. Lunch is served from 11:30am to 2:30pm. The lunch menu offers a choice of three types of ramen, three salads, and onigiri. Ramen is pricey at $12-14 (ramen at Osushi is also $14) but absolutely worth the trip.

Zai Weekend Lunch Menu - 2/24/13

I was mixed up about the time I was supposed to meet my friends and arrived half an hour early. Thankfully the South End Buttery is directly across the street so I grabbed a hot chocolate and read the paper while I waited for Zai to open. I later noticed that one of our fellow diners had done the same. It's good to arrive early because Zai fills up quickly.

Tonkotsu Ramen - 2/24/13 - $14

I got to try all three ramen but forgot to take a picture of the Shoyu Ramen. There's a picture on Zai's website (upper right). All the adults got the Tonkotsu Ramen. There were 3 small but thick pieces of kakuni (pork belly), nitamago, a small amount of beni shōga (pickled ginger), and a pile of thinly sliced negi (forgot to get it without). The broth was one of the most delicious I've ever had. It was lightly flavored, creamy, and a little sweet. I couldn't really taste the pork, but that may have been because I'm a little congested. It was absolutely perfect for today's wintry rainy weather. Zai's kakuni is on the sweet side (especially compared to Osushi's more salty kakuni). It was very good, although not as soft as Osushi's kakuni. The nitamago was an interesting complement. It worked well with the creaminess of the broth. Since there was only a small amount of beni shōga, it didn't overwhelm the other flavors. The noodles were different than the crinkly ramen noodles I'm accustomed to. They were straight and were the thickness of thin soba (8/20/13: I've since learned that straight noodles are traditional for tonkotsu ramen). I thought the texture was also reminiscent of soba but not the flavor. They clearly weren't made with buckwheat. (Update 3/24/13: Noodles have been changed - see photo below.)

Tomato Ramen w/ Parmesan - $12

The kids got the Tomato Ramen (which is vegetarian) and Shoyu Ramen. I was really excited to try the Tomato Ramen. I'd read that Ramen Lab had a tomato ramen entry in the NY Street Ramen Contest which I was intrigued by. While I love pasta, I wasn't so sure that it would translate to ramen. The Tomato Ramen comes with baby spinach, roasted yellow tomato, and parmesan on the side. One of my friends commented that it really wasn't ramen, but I like Zai's take on it and it was a hit with the little ones. The tomato soup is much thicker than a typical ramen broth, but much soupier than what you'd expect for pasta. I didn't taste any garlic, just tomatoey-sweetness. The noodles were of the curly variety. I'd definitely like to try a whole bowl to myself. (Update 3/24/13: For those who are allergic to soy, please note that the tomato ramen contains miso. :( )

The Tomato Ramen was a hit

I tried only a tiny bit of the Shoyu Ramen and to be honest, I didn't find it all that memorable. Shoyu Ramen comes with shredded chicken, onsen tamago, and a pile of what looked like shaved spring onion. The broth is listed as "chicken broth" on the menu so I'd assume that means there's no pork in it, but I didn't confirm that. If I recall correctly, there were also sesame seeds in the broth.

Annin Tofu

My friends had annin tofu for dessert, but sadly, I'm allergic and couldn't try it. They said it was delicious. The name is a misnomer - there's absolutely no tofu in it but it's made with almond extract. The menu describes it as "almond panna cotta," although it's often referred to as almond jelly.

Genmaicha

Tea is available by the cup or the pot: genmaicha with matcha, organic green jasmine, jade oolong, organin yunnan (black tea), lemon chamomile. They have multiple varieties but the hostess rattled them off so quickly I can't remember them. Our tea smelled like genmaicha, although I thought I heard her call it something else. It was wonderfully aromatic, although a little more bitter than I prefer.

A note to parents: the restaurant is very small, so probably not a good place for kids who can't stay in their seats. Plastic cups weren't available, so we had to play keep away with the glasses and tea cups. That said, the staff was really nice to the children and brought small bowls and forks for them.

Parking in the South End is usually a nightmare, although on Sundays, resident parking isn't enforced so you have more options. My friends were able to find a space right across the street from Zai. I'd taken the T assuming that parking would be impossible. The T wasn't too bad - it took about 40 minutes from Porter. The MBTA Trip Planner recommended a later train but I wanted to make sure I didn't miss the bus. Red Line to Park Street then the 43 (Tremont St. opposite Winter St. to Tremont @ Union Park, then walk down Union Park to Shawmut Ave.)

If you go, let me know what you think!

Update 3/24/13: I've been back to Zai several times since my first visit and the menu has changed a little.

• No more onigiri. :(
• No more annin tofu for dessert - they now offer kinako ice cream (vanilla ice cream with roasted soy flour and Japanese molasses).
• Tonkotsu Ramen no longer has beni shoga. They added what tastes like powdered dashi. Added nori. The noodles are also different.

Tonkotsu Ramen minus negi - 3/17/13

Tonkotsu Ramen noodles - 3/17/13

The servers are very friendly. I've ordered the same thing every time ("Tonkotsu ramen, no negi") and today my server remembered my order. I wonder if I'm their only customer who doesn't like scallions?

See my Picasa album for sake, beer & wine, and non-alcoholic beverages.