Owner and Executive Chef Youji Iwakura is bringing a new authentic taste of Japan to Boston. Kamakura—aptly named for and inspired by his hometown in Japan - will feature nouvelle washoku bistro fare; modern-day seasonal kaiseki (set tasting courses); fresh sushi omakase (leave-it-up-to-the-chef); and bento-style boxes (lunch offerings). Kamakura sources fresh, local ingredients to emphasize the seasonal importance of washoku and kaiseki, and highlights its artful displays as much as taste. A carefully curated beverage menu is equally prioritized with an extensive sake list, including Dovetail Sake from Waltham on tap and Yamanashi indigenous “Koshu” grape wine from Japan. Kamakura is the first restaurant in Boston to offer Japanese wine, a feat Youji has been very passionate about since 2004. In addition to the sophisticated and refined menu offerings, Kamakura highlights several dining experiences. Guests can have an intimate dinner alongside the chef at the first-floor kaiseki bar, or they can opt for a more casual affair at the open-air “Kumo” bar and lounge, featuring a 400-square foot retractable roof with exquisite views of Boston’s Custom House. At “Kumo,” Kamakura offers Matcha Tea Time in the afternoons, providing guests with Japanese tea, and both savory and sweet seasonal creations. Whether experiencing an authentic kaiseki meal or unwinding with a sake on the rooftop lounge, Kamakura welcomes Boston for an innovative Japanese experience.
203 Thumbs up
114 ReviewsHere's what people say after redeeming their Nift gift.
Great atmosphere and staff! Different spin on Japanese cuisine.
So delicious & a great atmosphere!
It was delicious, but definitely upscale. Not your typical Sushi restaurant, but it was a nice change of pace.
limited selection, but great quality food
Very different fish.
I didn't get the chance to try it, unfortunately!!
good
The atmosphere and service was excellent
good food
Good view from the seventh floor!
AMAZING FOOD
Great food and beautifully restaurant, with lovely staff! I’d definitely recommend!
Delicious food but overpriced for what it was
Lovely food and nice space!
The food is fantastic! One of the best meals I’ve had in Boston. The space is beautifully designed as well.
It was great and I'll be going again soon.
Great service!
Great food. Lovely people
Very solid fare in a classy environment with super friendly staff!
Tasty
Really good food, but expensive. Limited bar selection as well
very inventive and delicious food, great wait staff
Good sushi!
Great service, atmosphere and food quality! We sat on the 7th floor with a great food. I would definitely recommend Kamakura!
Very nice staff and lovely ambiance. Delicious home style comfort food.
It was great! Loved to ambience!
Great food and great staff
Can't wait to go back! Definitely more small plates so if you're not into that then it's not your place.
Nice atmostphere in the little restuarant with very polite customer service. A little expensive but very tasty! They are correct that the portion sizes are "modest".
AUTHENTIC FOOD AND PRESENTATION IN THIS THOUGHTFULLY RENOVATED SPACE.
Nice decor. Good service. Very good food.
The sushi was very fresh!
Delicious!
Kamakura was a lovely, upscale Japanese restaurant that offered unique menu items not otherwise found at typical sushi venues. Our server was helpful and attentive, and the food came out in a timely fashion.
Delicious, innovative cuisine with nice atmosphere!
Quality of the food was definitely very strong, on par with the likes of Oishi. That being said, it’s pricy especially in consideration to everything being served tapas style.
Great place with creative dishes
Delicious, small plates, intimate atmosphere, very nice staff.
The food and service at Kamakura was wonderful. I’ll be going back very soon. It was so easy to get the gift certificate credited to my bill. It’s a great app!
Very stylish and good service!
It was very delicious
Really incredible bar tender, the ramen was delicious and I enjoyed the vibe and location. They also have a 7th floor bar with a retractable rooftop and a cool view. Great spot and service!
Delicate, delicious poke tower
Very nice calm atmosphere and amazingly delicious food. I’ll be back!
The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Our server was very good. He was friendly and efficient and attentive without ever being too attentive, and knew the food very well, answering all the questions we had. The ambience was peaceful with a nice view over State Street.
it was great! food and drinks were delicious
Small portions but great quality
The lobster maki was great!
Great food, great atmosphere and decor, and outstanding service! Loved this place and will definitely be back.
Fancy atmosphere and delicious experimental cuisine!
Great imaginative food
Great combination of flavors and very unique dishes. Really enjoyed the kaisu salad and seafood soup
excellent lunch
Food was great!
Gooooood
high quality to a moderate price. I loved it.
Food was beyond phenomenal - truly perfect, service was top notch, cocktails were incredible and the ambiance is beautiful. Will definitely be back!
Great food and great service. Did 4 small plates with my husband and it was a great amount of food.
The quality and beauty of the fish is exquisite. Kind servers. Will be back for lunch.
It was good experience. The food was fancy and a expensive.
Excellent food, appealing setting, and delightful, solicitous staff. Thank you!
Good was terrific
The staff and environment was great but the food was a bit out of our taste, but in general that was a good experience, thank you for offering
Delicate plates, small portions but fulfilling. The Kamakura noodle clam soup was tasty. Decorated with saffron needles, in a nest of ramen egg noodles with a pouch egg on the side. The houjicha pudding was light and refreshing with a hint of matcha tea. I would definitely go back to try other delicacies and for the view, too.
Kamakura was AMAZING!! the staff was friendly, the food was one of the best meals Ive had in Boston. I ordered the Buddha Bowl with salmon and it came with a miso soup. So yummy and the portions were large. I couldn't stop telling my friends how great of a place it is.
The poke tower and rice ball were both excellent, very aesthetic presentation, definitely a cool experience for someone looking for some upscale Japanese dining!!
This place was absolutely Divine. The food, the ambiance, the servers. I was treated so we'll, highly recommend. The freshest fish, a true Japanese experience.
All the dishes were mouthwateringly amazing, from the presentation to the flavors.
Very good service, the food had great flavor. Because it is tapas style and the restaurant is small, prepare to spend a decent amount of time here. My only gripe is that their wasabi is flavored horseradish, which I only noticed because for every piece of nigiri, there was wasabi tucked between the fish and rice. (Which impressed how authentic the chefs were, but my sensitive tongue would really appreciate real wasabi since it's milder!)
I thought Kamakura was amazing! The food was delicious and the drinks were exquisite. The bar tender was very friendly and he made the experience that much more enjoyable. Although I went alone, it also seems like it would make a great date spot. I definitely hope to go back again.
Delicious fresh fish! Reasonably priced menu with great offerings and nice staff. Food came out quickly and dishes were plated beautifully. Can’t wait to be back here
Very pricy
Very nice cocktails
First of all we would like to say, the food was AMAZING, as well as the service. We selected a "thumbs down" because on our order we had asked for water, but didn't know the bottles of water were being charged. We ended up paying $16 for water, which is a bit crazy. We would've been quite happy with tap water! Please make it perfectly clear when an item that is normally free has a charge associated with it. Ultimately, we left the resteraunt feeling that we had been decieved. Thanks!
Great service. Food was good.
Would not have considered trying this place without a Nift and I’m so glad I did!
Small plates (we were warned by our server), but high quality food. Good flavors, but expensive.
Great sushi and cocktails, 2 very enthusiastic thumbs up
The food was delicious and the service was great! All of the servers were very knowledgeable about the menu.
The food was very tasty, fresh and we'll presented. Also the service was great.
Great atmosphere and delicious food. Very fresh and authentic cuisine.
Kamakura’s noodle soup w/onset egg (cooked more than runny but still soft) was fabulous! Enjoyed every slurpy bite. But the best part was the satisfying (vegan/gluten free) desserts: dark chocolate ganache + Mexican wedding cookies. Secret ingredient: tofu and rice! Will be back for more and also lunch bowls. Manager at bar was very nice too
Much more casual vibe at lunch — certainly recommend it! Very pricey for dinner => way more affordable at lunch. Exquisite quality. A gem of a restaurant and great value at lunch.
The food was great!
Delicious food!
Good cod, small portion
really delicious and unique food. A location I don't think I would have gone to if not for NIFT. Glad I tried it! I will be back I think.
Portions were a bit small, making the restaurant a bit pricey but the food was delicious
Great Bento Boxes!
. .
server was very knowlegable and helpful!
The food and ambiance was great. The waiter did a good job of explaining the dishes. You can tell they put a lot of work in attention to detail. The first floor has tables and a sushi bar, and the second floor has tables with a view of State as well as a bar. I enjoyed the soup starter, poke jewels, and a mocktail for lunch. I will certainly be back.
I really enjoyed this restaurant! The service was great and very thorough. We sat at the bar and the bartender was very polite, giving us suggestions on things to eat and drinks to try out. I really appreciated that they gave us an explanation of the ingredients of what we were being served. We got the poke tower, shishito peppers, the chef's selection sushi, and the pork belly. All were phenomenal and I would definitely go again.
Great food!
Beautiful space and inventive dishes
Authentic food, great quality. Service professional. Liked Kamakura a lot!
Food flavors were great. Atmosphere was inviting. A bit pricey. I enjoyed the intention being shared plates.
My friend and I enjoyed the urban izakaya and we loved the variety in sharable small dishes that were delicious. The unagi egg custard was stellar and melted in our mouths, and the hamachi sashimi was tender and flavorful without needing any condiments.
Greatttt
The food was really good, but it was fairly expensive.
The ambiance was great, the server was courteous and efficient, the food was prepared quickly and it was tasty.
Good
The service was really good and the food was impeccable. Really good. Great for a date really good!
beautiful place, slightly cramped tables, small portions
The service and food was great. A bit on the expensive side though.
Such wonderful service. Even got a complimentary starter from the chef! Loved finding a new favorite spot... The eggplant was incredible. Will be back.
Great location, delicious food, but disappointing customer service when attempting to take rest of food to go...when customer already paid for food, please do not be precious about taking leftovers, especially when leaving due to flight change. Thank You
Yummy dinner.
Very tasty.
It’s a little pricey for lunch but it was absolutely delicious!! The quality was top-notch and the mix of flavors was divine
OMG..all staffs are great friendly minded. chefs,servers are cordially talk with customers, definitely I will have to go there again with friends. First time Japanese food, excellent.
Delicious food and great service!
Great staff, terrific food!
The chef is extremely friendly. He had recommended me items and went thoroughly went the menu for lunch - was not disappointed. I liked the homemade tofu. Also showed me the Dessert Menu (even though it was lunch) and was able to get a pudding (and got a free biscotti on the side)- so delicious!