The Mad Monkfish is a vibrant restaurant in Central Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, known for its unique fusion of sushi and Asian cuisines. Originally named Thelonious Monkfish, it honors jazz legend Thelonious Monk. The restaurant features a lively atmosphere with live jazz performances from Thursday to Sunday, enhancing the dining experience in the Jazz Baroness Room.
Led by Chef Ginger, the menu includes creatively named sushi rolls and Pan-Asian dishes, with highlights like the Monkfish Maki Combos and specialty rolls made from high-quality ingredients. Attracting a diverse clientele, The Mad Monkfish emphasizes kindness and excellent service, making it a beloved destination for casual dining and special occasions in Cambridge.
I went for their jazz + dinner evening and enjoyed it very much. The music was lovely. The sound was at the volume that was allowing you to have a conversation at the table - but it was also a "statement show" enough that if you come primarily for music, you'll IMO also enjoy. The service was swift and attentive even though they obviously had a few dozen people to be served at once. Solid food.
I came to Monkfish for the first time in 5+ years. I don't remember much about my two previous visits, but it seems like a good place for group meals and for live jazz. The ambience is great and the service is friendly.
We shared the fried chive dumpling appetizer, which I thought was quite good. It was a little bit gooier inside than I would've liked, but otherwise had a great crunch and good flavor.
The shrimp tempura udon was hands down the worst udon I've ever had in my life. The broth tasted like soy sauce water and the shrimp tempura was awful -- hard, tough, and just bad. I think the photo of the tempura speaks for itself. I cannot not recommend this dish enough. I don't think it should be on the menu.
While the menu is very large at Monkfish and they can accommodate for a wide range of dietary restrictions and cuisine preferences, I think some things shouldn't be on the menu if they can't be executed well. If I came back, I would get some sushi or Thai food.
Went to Mad Monkfish for a coworker who was leaving and it was delicious. We got tons of appetizers including the scallion pancakes, crab rangoons, and chicken teriyaki wings. We also got a sushi boat and I ordered the sashimi deluxe along with uni nigiri. The scallion pancakes were crisp, but a little bit too dry and they didn’t have that nice translucent look. Crab rangoons also looked cool but were overly crisp. Chicken teriyaki wings were juicy and sweet. The sushi boat was a decent mix of items, but honestly I had a much better experience with the sashimi deluxe. The cuts of fish were welled sized and extremely fresh. This sashimi was flavorful and filling. The uni nigiri was also creamy and delicious. All in all, I’ve probably had one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time, only knocking a start mainly because of the price.
Beautiful decorations and lively but comfortable seating, the music was awesome. We had the drunken noodles, pad Thai, a sushi dish, appetizers, as well
as spicy marg and a lovely drink called persephone. Reserving was easy, food wqs made very well (great options for spice level, vegan, gluten free etc.), we did not wait long to have great food and leftovers to enjoy. Came for a chill and wonderful celebrating occasion and had. an amazing time, I even had a separate problem after my reservation I had misplaced a belonging I found later on,
still the staff and owner were so kind and quick to help me look. long live the mad
monkfish, have been coming and ordering for years and always enjoy
As a vegetarian with a vegan partner, the Mad Monkfish is a great place. Lovely servers, great atmosphere. Great food as well: their menu has a “vegetarian” section, while there are vegan option foods (refer to menu photo); their scallion pancakes are to die for as appetizers. The servers might not exactly know the difference between “vegan” and “vegetarian” as the server we had claimed mushrooms are not vegan, hence it’s under the vegetarian section. We like our protein, so we ordered their tofu appetizers (deep fried) and katsu don (pan fried), but unfortunately they were made out of soft tofu; would have been more amazing if it were made out of extra firm tofu. Otherwise, everything else was great!
Enjoyed the atmosphere, energy, and vibe of this restaurant. The live jazz was certainly something that made the place stand out.
The food was ok, nothing too amazing or memorable. I would say it’s a very Asian fusion-y palate—everything I had was over-sweetened and oily.
The staff were very attentive and friendly. Service was quick and everyone got their food pretty quickly.
Short version is the jazz idea is unique but there are certainly a handful of places with better sushi at better prices in the area.
I always order their Mushroom Ginger soup, which also has bean sprouts. This is such a simple soup but it is so satisfying and light. I wish they sold this in a larger size. I also had the Chive dumplings, which are essentially fried mochi--again, if I could have this Life-size, I would pay and I would regret nothing. I also have to commend the staff as there was an ordering hiccup a couple of weeks ago that they resolved. My phone was not cooperating to produce the order I placed and they could not find it [i was too early] and it was the 7th online mishap I had experienced that day, so I was over it. But they were kind and yielded my meal. I would return solely based on the customer service but thankfully, the food is tasty, so I have two reasons!
Sushi was good but not great.
Beautiful decorations and lively but comfortable seating, the music was awesome. We had the drunken noodles, pad Thai, a sushi dish, appetizers, as well
as spicy marg and a lovely drink called persephone. Reserving was easy, food wqs made very well (great options for spice level, vegan, gluten free etc.), we did not wait long to have great food and leftovers to enjoy. Came for a chill and wonderful celebrating occasion and had. an amazing time, I even had a separate problem after my reservation I had misplaced a belonging I found later on,
still the staff and owner were so kind and quick to help me look. long live the mad
monkfish, have been coming and ordering for years and always enjoy
Quite expensive (I took one of the lunch tray option), small quantities and not very tasty/fresh as compared to other places in Boston. I don't recommend.
I went for their jazz + dinner evening and enjoyed it very much. The music was lovely. The sound was at the volume that was allowing you to have a conversation at the table - but it was also a "statement show" enough that if you come primarily for music, you'll IMO also enjoy. The service was swift and attentive even though they obviously had a few dozen people to be served at once. Solid food.
The service was awful. The server waited 35 minutes to show up at my table, there was no smiling or friendliness when she did nor did she apologize for the wait. I had to hunt a server down to ask for another drink. Genuinely some of the worst service I've ever gotten - not a single person was friendly.
Also, in scrolling through the reviews, it seems the owner leaves passive aggressive responses to all negative reviews. Not a good look. Will be actively encouraging people to not go to this restaurant.
Disgusting service. I was ordering food for multiple people and they mixed two items together in the same container, ruining the flavor and making it a big mess, it looked embarrassing to the people I was supposed to serve. The restaurant said they always pack their food this way and we arent getting any help from them, but I have ordered delivery before and had no issues. I can see why they only have 3.6 stars on yelp, maybe they're deleting their bad google reviews and I'll just re-post this on yelp if they do. The food itself tastes fine but I'd recommend to never order pick-up from here and people like this should not be owning a business.
I went there for my birthday with friends last night. First of all the waiters were too pushy and they were rushing us to order. Then they would constantly come to our table and say stuff that we couldn’t hear because of the live music. And the cherry on top was the bill ! They included the tip in the bill by themselves and again they would ask for more tip so I ended up paying almost 30% of our bill while I didn’t even know they’re cutting their tip automatically and I wasn’t planning to tip that much cause the service was SO BAD!!!then they came over for more fee. While on the first bill it was $178 (including tip) and then I ended up paying almost $202!!! The bathroom wasn’t cleaned as well! The vibe was nice but definitely will never go back there! And don’t suggest it at all!
Shrimp tempura and octopus takoyaki looked nice but neither tasted fresh. The cranberry crab rangoon has no cranberry nor crab it was like a fishy cream cheese. The sushi rolls were decent, but nothing special. We were a group of 8 and although there was a live band playing jazz we were seated in a far end corner near the kitchen and away from a better experience. The entrees did not come out at the same time for everyone. Some people were almost finished while others waited for their main dish. The bill was over 400 dollars they also have a 20% tip/gratuity included in the bill. Not impressed wont be coming back.
We went here on a Friday night for a night of sushi and jazz and it was absolutely lovely. The food was delicious, and the music (Koko Miwa jazz trio) was amazing. The bill was high, but I expected as much, and honestly considering the live music, I think it was easily worth it. Will definitely be returning again!
Total scammers. Ordered sushi boat 2 on ubereats. Their description said 24 nigiri, 30 sashimi, rolls (78 pieces). Which got us, a group of 8, thinking that this should be enough for us and at that time the price of whopping $350 made sense. When we got them, we got 60 something pieces total! Called the restaurant and they said it’s supposed to look like that, and I think it was meant to throw people off by the way they wrote the description. So $340 for 60 pieces of sushi. And even if they really meant it is a TOTAL of 78 pieces, we were still close to 20 pieces short. Would never visit or order here ever again. 쉷밟쉛긻삷긻칣짋맓랇
Great music, mediocre food! The food wasn't fantastic, but the vibes were amazing. Go for the music, definitely, but I can't say I recommend the chicken.
I found the restaurant to be outrageously expensive for the quality of the fish. even the sea urchins were very low end. the sashimi plate is nothing special while the price is special. for me it is a typical fish cutter, far from Japanese standards.
and make sure you ask for chopstick when you order to go!
I came here pre-covid with a group of friends for all you can eat and the overall experience was really good.
Fast forward end of 2024: the food was really disappointing and service can definitely be improved. I came for date night with my wife (the sushi enthusiast) and she wasn’t pleased.
Makimono sushi rolls: Crazy ($14) and Rising Sun ($15)rolls were “edible” - expected more.
Makimono special rolls: Sophisticated Lady ($25) roll was very underwhelming in flavor. Spicy Red Dragon (25$) roll was disappointing. Dragon rolls are my favorite and this was not it - the raw tuna with cooked tempura is just a mouthful of weird. Jazz Fusion ($25) roll was the most decent of all that we tried, but not deserving a special roll status.
All in all the cost is not worth it, better off finding sensible options elsewhere in Boston or Medford. Price is not an issue, but make it worth the price tag.
tried to come here for jazz night. Our waitress was very short with us and acted like the last thing that she wanted was to be there and that we were bothering her, my group of friends that were barely able to see each were told not to talk while the musicians were playing, and my order was messed up to the point that i had to ask for it being remade, to which the waitress just scowled at me, said nothing, and took it away
Delicious. We are in a rush to get to the theater . They accommodated our needs. Will have to return to enjoy the sushi and Jazz.
Although the staff were very kind, we had an overall disappointing experience with the food. The sushi ingredients were not great quality, and so the flavors and the texture were off. It ended up being so so expensive, and we didn’t feel like it was worth it.
A great sushi place in Cambridge. I came with a group of friends and it was a fun, lively atmosphere. A bit loud and slightly cramped inside but overall a nice ambiance. The sushi was delicious and felt like a good value for the prices. The service was solid overall. Would definitely go back in the future.
Good sushi experience. Would like to come back for the jazz.
Really confused by the overall rating here. I should’ve known by the very long menu of mixed cuisines. I always watch out for restaurants that have Japanese, Thai, Indian all in one, but didn’t do my research before coming. The food price is pretty appalling based on the quality and the quantity. Rolls are $25 and very average. The chicken katsu breading was falling apart.
I came to Monkfish for the first time in 5+ years. I don't remember much about my two previous visits, but it seems like a good place for group meals and for live jazz. The ambience is great and the service is friendly.
We shared the fried chive dumpling appetizer, which I thought was quite good. It was a little bit gooier inside than I would've liked, but otherwise had a great crunch and good flavor.
The shrimp tempura udon was hands down the worst udon I've ever had in my life. The broth tasted like soy sauce water and the shrimp tempura was awful -- hard, tough, and just bad. I think the photo of the tempura speaks for itself. I cannot not recommend this dish enough. I don't think it should be on the menu.
While the menu is very large at Monkfish and they can accommodate for a wide range of dietary restrictions and cuisine preferences, I think some things shouldn't be on the menu if they can't be executed well. If I came back, I would get some sushi or Thai food.
Life music
Love the live jazz!
I am extremely disappointed with my recent experience, my server took it upon themselves to overcharge my card for a tip without my permission. This isn’t just a careless mistake; it’s outright dishonest. I didn’t expect to have to worry about unauthorised charges when dining out, yet here I am, feeling taken advantage of. This kind of practice is unacceptable, and it reflects poorly on the restaurant’s standards. I hope management takes this seriously because I will not be returning and would advise others to be cautious with their transactions here.
Overpriced and underwhelming. Our $20 roll was really a hand roll I could buy at the supermarket. Atmosphere was nice, but we were not impressed with the food.
Reserved a seat in the room with live Jazz, the performers were wonderful!
Cool atmosphere, but service was a joke. Literally ignored for 60 minutes and when a
member of our party had a issue with their dish, they were told they "too many bites of it" which how could they, it was an awful dish... not sure who trains their staff on how to handle basic issues but they have awful hospitality. Better off going to H-Mart across the street
Went to Mad Monkfish for a coworker who was leaving and it was delicious. We got tons of appetizers including the scallion pancakes, crab rangoons, and chicken teriyaki wings. We also got a sushi boat and I ordered the sashimi deluxe along with uni nigiri. The scallion pancakes were crisp, but a little bit too dry and they didn’t have that nice translucent look. Crab rangoons also looked cool but were overly crisp. Chicken teriyaki wings were juicy and sweet. The sushi boat was a decent mix of items, but honestly I had a much better experience with the sashimi deluxe. The cuts of fish were welled sized and extremely fresh. This sashimi was flavorful and filling. The uni nigiri was also creamy and delicious. All in all, I’ve probably had one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time, only knocking a start mainly because of the price.
Solid seafood with jazz on weekends
Not many vegan options (many curries/soups/stir-frys had fish sauce). My dish was not super flavorful. Ok, but not worth what I paid.
Food was ridiculously expensive, $17 for a mango mythai that didn't provide any flavor of mango, $13 for scallion pancakes, $11 for a 6 piece Avocado maki! Price was crazy high for the small portions provided. The Atmosphere was very calming, the decoration and jazz music was nice. We didn't have much interactions with the waiter besides them taking our order and refilling our waters.
Great Live jazz & amazing sushi! Can’t beat that
Live music was fantastic.
Jazz is niceeeee
Good local restaurant and Jazz bar. The patio in summer is very nice. They have one of the best Padthai in town. Will differently be back again.
Awesome music and ambiance.
Unfortunately did not see many vegan food options but that's okay. We spent the min spend on drinks and edamame 🫛.
Great Sushi with a Side of Jazz at Mad Monkfish
We had a mixed experience at Mad Monkfish, starting with the appetizers. We tried the edamame and cranberry crab rangoon, which were decent but nothing extraordinary.
The real highlight was the sushi. We sampled a variety of rolls, including the Sleeping Beauty Roll, Rumplestinkson Roll, Snow Queen Roll, Monk’s Dream Roll, and Pan’s Ecstasy Roll. All of them were delicious, but my favorites were the Monk’s Dream and Sleeping Beauty rolls—they were packed with flavor and beautifully presented.
One unique touch is that they have live jazz playing on the weekends, which adds a really nice ambiance to the dining experience. If you’re a fan of sushi and enjoy live music, it’s definitely worth a visit. The combination of good food and live jazz makes for a memorable evening.
Very rude staff, decided not to tip because of their attitude, then called back and asked for tip! Food was cold af! A shrimp and squid dish was priced $28 with few pieces of shrimp or squid. Very overpriced, would not recommend to anyone! Other places that I have tried near mass ave. are far better
Do not come here for lunch unless you want to throw away money. We got the scorpion and frog(?) rolls, which are not made fresh and overpriced for what you get (each cost $25 for 8 pieces)
Maybe it’s better for dinner with drinks, but I was not impressed.
Thai based restaurant with Japanese menu options. Ceiling decorations are cute with bird cages. We appreciated the lunch menu option, menu comes out quick. Spicy miso soup was not so spicy, and drunken noodles had a good amount of pork which I liked! With one lunch menu and one regular price ramen it was around $50 at the end, including tax and tips.
Consistently good
Food was excellent and came out very fast! Service was also great! Super attentive and friendly.
The service was really bad and I received a $15 level fried rice that I paid $40 for. I really wouldn't recommend this place, unless you're willing to overpay 3x for nice, ambient outdoor seating.
Severely overpriced. We ordered a delivery home for two and we got 6 pieces of sushi, one small tuna roll and a miso soup for $42 dollars!!! The food was enough for only for one of us. I will never order from this place again! In a similar restaurant we would not pay for this amount of food more than $15
I was unhappy with the tipping policy. After paying (including a tip), I was approached by the server who claimed that they needed to provide a reason to their manager why she received a lower than acceptable tip. Dissatisfied by my answer (I live in a country where tip culture does not exist), I offered to pay the difference to reach the "acceptable" 18% amount after the situation became extremely uncomfortable. I've never encountered this kind of uncomfortable pressure before and do not recommend this restaurant.
I won't lie to you, Boston food sucks. This place beats that trend though; it has great salmon and milk tea so good I downed it at once! I don't even drink tea. If only it weren't so expensive, I'd go back. Unfortunately, their menu prices out a lot of potential regulars.
I love the jazz that they play at this place and the drinks were awesome. The staff were very friendly and accommodating so I didn’t have much to complain about!
If you like Jazz, there are some great jazz nights, just make sure you make a reservation and you eat at home because the food isn’t the most filling here!
As a vegetarian with a vegan partner, the Mad Monkfish is a great place. Lovely servers, great atmosphere. Great food as well: their menu has a “vegetarian” section, while there are vegan option foods (refer to menu photo); their scallion pancakes are to die for as appetizers. The servers might not exactly know the difference between “vegan” and “vegetarian” as the server we had claimed mushrooms are not vegan, hence it’s under the vegetarian section. We like our protein, so we ordered their tofu appetizers (deep fried) and katsu don (pan fried), but unfortunately they were made out of soft tofu; would have been more amazing if it were made out of extra firm tofu. Otherwise, everything else was great!
$17 for a glass of mediocre red wine.
Worst drunken noodles I ever had. The veggies and chicken were smelly. RATS roaming around the walls ! Can’t give negative rating
Everything was delicious, cannot wait to go back.
The live band was a bit much.
I've been to this place for lunch a few times and the service is always great. The food is good too, but it is a little pricier than other lunch options.
Enjoyed the atmosphere, energy, and vibe of this restaurant. The live jazz was certainly something that made the place stand out.
The food was ok, nothing too amazing or memorable. I would say it’s a very Asian fusion-y palate—everything I had was over-sweetened and oily.
The staff were very attentive and friendly. Service was quick and everyone got their food pretty quickly.
Absolutely phenomenal. This is quite possibly the best sushi place I've ever set foot in. The duck noodle soup was immaculate and the drinks are beyond fantastic! Definitely recommend coming by. The live performances are top notch and it's a very friendly atmosphere!
The duck noodle soup has no business being this amazing!! Friendly service at the bar and amazing jazz music made this restaurant my new go to sushi locations!
Delicious food. Drunken noodle, and two sushi rolls. The drunken noodle stood out! Also shared one of the mega cocktails from the bar which was very tasty, but it wouldn't serve 4 as advertised; 2-3. The service loses a star because the staff began cleaning up our table while we were still eating, and a few other interactions added up to a rushed and awkward feeling. I do recommend, just be sure to arrive well before closing.
Good food, asian fusion
I arrived tonight around 9:15, 45 minutes before close. I was seated promptly and served water and menus immediately. I was notified that the kitchen closes as 9:40 and the restaurant closes at 10. I was not surprised by any of these things, though I continue to find it weird that restaurants around here that list hours until a certain hour **close at that hour**, rather than stop serving food at that hour, and stay open for a while until people are done. That said, kitchen closing only 20 minutes before close is pretty good. I'll take it.
I had already reviewed the menu, and admittedly have been tired of sushi lately, so I ordered a Korean Grilled Beef Bulgogi Bun and a Chicken Katsu Don. My food arrived together and within about 5-8 minutes. I wasn't generally happy with anything but the quantity of the food, but perhaps my experience should be taken with a grain of salt, and the sushi at this restaurant might be better. That said, the menu was too big, and that's usually indicative of a bad restaurant. There were at least four different cuisines on the menu (American(?), Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Chinese), with probably around 100 items total.
The bun was pretty good. It had pickles of some kind in it, which I didn't love, but the bun was pretty. The meat in it was not what I would call Bulgogi (which I consider as being characterized by small/narrow strips, rather than big wide pieces), and it was seasoned passably, albeit not well. The textures of the bun were good, but it was all together pretty flat. I would not order this item again.
The Katsu Don I was expecting to be good, but it was definitely not. The serving size was pretty good, and the Katsu was very crunchy, but that's where the quality stopped. The breading was falling off the chicken, and overall the seasoning was very poor. The meat was unsalted, and there was no good flavored sauce for dipping. There was some kind of teriyaki or something on top of the katsu, but it really wasn't all that flavorful. The rice that came with the dish was a dome-shaped molded mound, which while it looked good, was dry and evidently pretty old. There was also a big cabbage and carrot salad with a spicy mayo dressing. Personally, this was not my thing, but maybe some people like it.
All together, the food's primary merit was quantity. The price was pretty okay for the quantity of food, but the quality of the food was poor. The service was pretty good, but I felt unnecessarily rushed and I very much dislike the checkout method where they have a card scanner and stand there while you decide what to tip. That method makes me feel horribly rushed and pressured to tip in a particular way, and not consider the service and experience carefully.
There wasn't anything special about the atmosphere. It seemed like multiple restaurants had been glued together with some walls torn out. No complaints but also nothing cohesive.
I think the number one suggestion I would have for this place is they should choose the things they're actually good at, and only make those. Stop making stuff you're not good at and narrow your menu down by at least half, and you'll be a better restaurant.
Solid overall, with big, fresh specialty rolls and hot appetizers. But with minor dings: tiny bathroom in the back; repeated server difficulty understanding my requests; and price-points can be hard to track vs the value (quality + quantity). Neat option for this side of town.
Separate room for Live Music 🎶 dining
Do not order the pad thai, the smell and obviously the taste were really discusting
But the rest was good
Your response confirms the lack of education and politeness you displayed last night, as well as your responses to any other negative comments, with an arrogance as high as your pad Thai. We never criticized the chef; we even specified that the other dishes were very good. If you're not capable of accepting criticism, then indeed, good luck to you as well in the future!
Arrived and was told 20 minutes wait. 2 hours later after checking at hostess stand multiple times we were seated. If it is going to be 2 hours , be upfront and tell people 2 hours , don’t lie. We would have went elsewhere as we were very hungry.
Wish I could give a sixth star. The vibes of this place are excellent, and they have arguably the best sushi in Boston. Dine in for the full experience!
This place is sick. I wish I could have been there for the live jazz music, but happy just with the Sushi and sake with friends. We got the smallest boat along with 2 side orders of eel. The service was great and the Sushi was just as good. Highly recommend the avocado eel rolls.
We really enjoyed the Sunday Jazz Orchestra dinner. The staff and food were wonderful. Additionally, we had reserved for a party of six, but at the last minute our four friends couldn't make it. Mad Monkfish was kind enough to credit us for the entire reservation deposit, even though I agreed that they weren't obligated to do so. Class act, they are!
Close to all the biotechs in the area. Sushi was great, staff was very attentive to our party of 6 and seated very quick!
It's so good but it's too expensive, I ordered some sushi and it was 10 dollars per pair.
The food was cold, the ribs I ordered seemed to have just been pulled out of the fridge. There were way too many fat on the ribs compared to meat, and with the cold temperature, it tasted like I was eating cold fat only.
Great Staff, Food and Decor
Don’t go here, I am literally in the restaurant and saw mice running across the floor. Leaving because of this—they obviously have a cleanliness issue. I told 4 staff member about this and nobody did anything, the mice were literally scurrying around collecting fallen food 🤢 who knows what they’ve touched or pooped in. Mice are a health concern, hopefully I don’t get sick or I will be reporting the restaurant to the city for a health inspection
I’ve been here hundreds of times over the past four years and it’s never been a miss. Great food whether it’s takeout or dining in. Cocktails are also good!
We went to the bar area, which is in the room where the live jazz band plays throughout the night. The sushi was of great quality and variety. In addition, some of their drinks come in fun cups! I got the painkiller in a fun pig mug with a little rubber duck. If you want to watch the jazz band, you'll have to reserve a spot in the room for a table or a place at the bar.
Quack it's really good
Sour Thai noodles, loud space, high price
Came in to celebrate my 56th birthday. Asked the host about music and he gave me a blank stare and whispered something. Also looked like he didn’t like smiling. I worked in restaurants for years and was shocked that they would have someone like that greeting customers If I acted like that at any restaurant I worked I would be fired. Wondering if they are turning it into a private club or sell it to a developer! I am an investigative journalist and it piqued my interest!
A fabulously funky spot for sushi, Thai, and other Asian cuisine. Super friendly and accommodating staff, and the food was amazingly quick, despite how crazy busy it was on a Friday night. After dinner, we wandered over to the bar and enjoyed some fantastic live jazz.. Glad we chose this place for date night. We will definitely be back!
Love their diverse Asian and Asian fusion menu. Their speciality maki sushi is awesome as are the cocktails. Everyone is happy every time we have come. If you like live jazz, they have great nights of this (though it’s hard to have a conversation). In warm weather they have outdoor street side tables. Great place for a date, family or group of friends out on the town.
Good vibe, but very few vegetarian items on menu and food had very mild flavor.
Really good sushi and interesting rolls,would come back,even had sushi boat options
It took 45 minutes to put pur order in. The owner jumped on it to get service moving. With that said, I will be back because I think its an anomaly. I've been here before and this didn't happen. The food is affordable and amazing.
Terrible service, they overbook and even with a reservation you will have to wait 30 mins. They will seat you wherever they want. The food is mediocre. Do not waste your time. The couple that was before left as well.
Went on a Saturday night for a date night.
Food was excellent but the service was sub par.
Food would be dropped off with no follow up on how things were, or if we needed anything else in between our courses.
This place always has amazing live Jazz music over the weekend. The vibe is amazing and the service is mostly good. However, I find the sushi to be alright. Some of their signature rolls are pretty good, but the fish sometimes can be not fresh.
Food is excellent, so many vegetarian options! The tofu katsu hit the spot. They accommodate food allergies too.
Food was mediocre at best. It’s just alright and not really worth the trip or the money. Bland vegetables for the sushi so I question the freshness and the crispy duck was not crispy by any means.
Such a cool experience!
Love band was wonderful, food was great, service was so quick, especially considering how full the dining room was.
Highly recommend!
Perfect late night dinner spot, wanted a cutesie date spot and found this gem in C SQ. Had a wonderful musical performance during dinner and cute cocktails
Food is ok, but my complaint is the service and tipping afterwards. The waiter left dirty plates above our table when he couldn't carry all of them, and when he ran out of water to refill our cups, he never came back to refill the remaining people's. Because of this, I tipped around 9% to get my bill up to $230. Unprompted, the waiter came back to our table with a new receipt and told us we need to tip more, to which I told them I will not. However, when I saw my credit card charge, they charged me $250, which would be around 20% tip compared to what I gave them. I did not take a picture of my receipt, so I can't contest it unfortunately. This is straight robbery, and I will not be coming back.
Has gotten really expensive lately.
Fun spot! Excellent service, amazing food, and reasonable prices! We left happy!
Went on the weekend for jazz
Worst pad Thai that I’ve had in my life. Tasted nothing.
I don’t think I’ve had a better birthday than the dinner I had here with all my friends. Everyone loved the food, the drinks, and the waitstaff. Super friendly and they went above and beyond! Not to mention I had no clue they bring you a little birthday cake with a candle. Absolutely amazing all around, great to take a large party, and I think I can safely say this might be a new yearly tradition for us.
Had fantastic sushi and Thai food here everything was delicious. I forgot my hat and called after hours... Luckily it was found and returned that same night. You CANNOT beat that level of customer care and service
Amazing green curry with chicken, calamari and the soups!
About average restaurant serving subpar sushi rolls with old, dry sushi rice. Some old reviews raved about the rolls, so either I came on an off day, or those reviews never had good sushi before. Didn't try the Thai food that seemed to be what they actually specialize in, but it seemed better than the sushi. Service was adequate and the environment was cozy, although a bit on the packed side. The jazz is a nice touch but doesn't get any extra points for that. Just don't come here for the sushi by any means.
The food is guaranteed delicious!
- 15 photos
- 200 reviews
- 4.3 Health Rating
- Contact: +1 617-441-2116
- Website: https://themadmonkfish.com/?utm_source=google
- Location: 524 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States
- Map: 42.3641279, -71.1021334
- Sushi restaurant
- Japanese restaurant
- Jazz club
- Thai restaurant
- Monday: 11:30 AM–10 PM
- Tuesday: 11:30 AM–10 PM
- Wednesday: 11:30 AM–10 PM
- Thursday: 11:30 AM–10 PM
- Friday: 11:30 AM–1 AM
- Saturday: 11:30 AM–1 AM
- Sunday: 12–10 PM
- Identifies as women-owned: Available
- Outdoor seating: Available
- Kerbside pickup: Available
- No-contact delivery: Available
- Delivery: Available
- Takeaway: Available
- Dine-in: Available
- Fast service: Available
- Great beer selection: Available
- Great cocktails: Available
- Great tea selection: Available
- Great wine list: Available
- Live music: Available
- Lunch: Available
- Dinner: Available
- Solo dining: Available
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance: Available
- Wheelchair-accessible seating: Available
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet: Available
- Wheelchair-accessible car park: Available
- Alcohol: Available
- Beer: Available
- Cocktails: Available
- Coffee: Available
- Comfort food: Available
- Healthy options: Available
- Late-night food: Available
- Small plates: Available
- Spirits: Available
- Vegetarian options: Available
- Wine: Available
- Lunch: Available
- Dinner: Available
- Catering: Available
- Dessert: Available
- Seating: Available
- Bar on site: Available
- Toilet: Available
- Wi-Fi: Available
- Wi-Fi: Available
- Casual: Available
- Cosy: Available
- Romantic: Available
- Trendy: Available
- Upmarket: Available
- Family friendly: Available
- Groups: Available
- LGBTQ+ friendly: Available
- Tourists: Available
- Transgender safe space: Available
- University students: Available
- Dinner reservations recommended: Available
- Accepts reservations: Available
- Credit cards: Available
- Debit cards: Available
- NFC mobile payments: Available
- Credit cards: Available
- Good for kids: Available
- High chairs: Available
- Paid parking lot: Available
- Paid street parking: Available
- Parking: Available
- Dogs allowed outside: Available