Location Review42 Beach St
Boston, MA
(617)818-7782
I don't know why, but everything in Boston closes so early. It posed some difficulty one night when we had to have a later dinner. And thats when my sister Amy (@wasabiwaffles), my boyfriend Rob, and my friend John (@j1kim) discovered a hidden gem in the Chinatown area. And when I say hidden, I mean hidden! Even with the exact address and a map of all the streets, my sister and I managed to walk by this place two or three times. But to be fair the store front doesn't exactly scream "FOOD!" infact, I had originally walked passed the building thinking it was an office building. Only when I saw that one sign that said "Avana" did I realize I was here.
The discrete entrance to Avana Sushi
Heading inside of Avana..
I was even more surprised when I entered the building, only to realize it shares a spot with a booth that sells cellular phones. There are some make shift tables set up for patrons to eat, and that's about it. My sister and I couldn't believe how ghetto this place was, but we decided to stay anyways - the unanimously positive online reviews can't be wrong!
One stop shop for cell phones and sushi! =P
Customer-made decorations
As we sat there and waited for some service, we noticed that all along the sides of the sushi bar were styrofoam plates. Each plate was decorated by customers who had visited. A really cute idea!
Menus
Complimentary Edamame
Miso Soup ($1)- soy bean soup with crabmeat, scallions & dry seaweed
Pretty watered down, but for $1 dollar, it suffices. Especially when it was cold outside!
Chirashi ($11.95) - 12 pcs of sashimi over seasoned sushi rice
Spicy Naruto($6.95) - Crabstick, tuna, salmon, avacado
Spicy Naruto($6.95) - Crabstick, tuna, salmon, avacado
My favourite cucumber wrap roll is still back home at Raaw Sushi, but this one wasn't bad at all. I like the combination of both salmon and tuna!
Sweet Girl Maki ($9.95) - Tuna, salmon, tobkio, tamago, avacado, cucumber, oshinko inari wrap so bean paper
Black Pearl Boy ($8.95)- Spicy salmon, tempura flakes, scallion, avacado, black tobiko
Spicy Baked Salmon Maki ($8.95)- crabstick, avacado & spicy mayo topped with a layer of salmon & eel sauce, baked to perfection with scallions
Spicy Scallop Avacado ($5.95)
Don't expect the luxuries here: you'll be using styrofoam plates, disposable utensils, and drinking bottled water; but the value per dollar ratio is tremendous. The rolls really impressed me. Well-composed, visually appetizing, and most importantly delicious! The Black Pearl Boy is a must order. To say that it was AMAZING is an understatement. We ended up ordering a second roll at the end, even when we were full, and still had to fight each other for the last piece. The Spicy Baked Salmon Maki was a close second for me. Served warm with a delicious sweet teriyaki sauce, it really hit the spot for me on that cold Boston night.
Seaweed and Oranges, for dessert!
The Bill
Definitely not the place to impress a first date, but I would not hesitate for one second to come back here. Who can refuse quick, cheap, and decent sushi?
