711 Bistro & Sushi Bar

This place is undergoing a major, and possibly illegal transformation. Middle of December there is a note on their door which states they won’t serve food any more, just open late night on Fri & Sat 10pm — 2am.
Now there’s a menu on their door, and it is Italian! Still open only Fri & Sat nights 10pm — 2am, but serving food. I guess they read their liquor license a little more closely.
Still guido doormen, loud music and annoying crowds spilling onto the street, though. So if you like that crap, come on in.
Addendum, 1÷22÷08: There has been a sign in their window for a week: «Closed for the Evening»…

You don’t need to be a New York sushi snob a la yours truly to know that 711’s:
miso soup = horrible.
synthetic-​tasting seaweed = horrible.
overpoweringly fishy smelling tuna = horrible.
una-​avo roll with way too much avo and not enough una = horrible.
ginger that’s a scary shade of pink = horrible.
all around, horrible, horrible, horrible. even my glass of pinot sucked. maybe that’s why there were all of 10 people there on a thurs night at 9pm.

Let’s talk about the worst possible club/​bar night you can have in Boston shall we?
Let’s not talk too much about the cheap, boring but reasonably good sushi they serve late night here. Let’s only briefly mention the full bar and the attractive aquarium in place. Instead let’s talk about things I saw on Friday such as…
# Cloakroom — $ 5 per coat, $ 2 per accessory
# VIP area — empty all night, no-​one who comes here is VIP or even IP
# Koi Pond — desolate and dirty, signs that the fish died recently
# DJ — likes to play Soulja Boy’s latest song TWICE
# Knife-​fight scars — on the face of the guy at the bar next to me
# Wannabe Pimp — with his hat, pencil thin facial hair and waving 20s at girls
# Wannabe Ho — boob tube (no boobs), jeans, muffin tops, nothing else, ugly
# Drunks — ugly, possibly underage people falling over each other
# ARMED POLICEMAN — standing on a platform watching the dancefloor all night long (no joke).
After 20 mins I couldn’t wait to escape. After 40 mins I was reveling at how this place could be so bad and what ugliness/​idiocy would crop up next. After 60 mins I realized there is ‘so bad that it is good’, but then beyond that there is ‘so bad that it is forever bad’. Truly awful. Not my taste at all.
If you come here on a Friday for anything other than the food you better hope you’re drunk as hell and that the armed policeman is watching out for you.

Here we go again… another place where the owners had problems thinking of a name so they had to incorporate the address. That drives me nuts. Minus one star. On the other hand, after this location being several different concepts within the past five years, I think this one just may work.
We didn’t have dinner here but came for a fashion show and the free gin. Before the fashion show began my friends and I were talking to some other people at the bar who were friendly. Then the place slowly turned into a club. We got some GOOD gin drinks (courtesy of Amsterfam Gin). The music got loud and meeting people and talking became difficult. The club thing isn’t my thing unless I go with a group of friends. That night we were out to meet and mingle. BTW, don’t get the Grape Escape drink — it sucks and is nothing like one would expect.
The staff is polite but the coat check girl was a little clueless. I walked up to the closet with my coat in hand and she looked at me as if I was holding a pink elephant. She finally asked me what I wanted and I told her that I wanted to check my coat. I think she then realized that she was standing in the coat room. I told her I’d be back as I was about to laugh in her face.
Guests were finishing up dinner when we arrived and the food looked tempting. The menu is primarily Japanese but also has some Korean and Thai specialties. I will be back there to eat.

I’ve gotten takeout here a few times when I didn’t feel like paying quite Douzo prices or braving the lines at Shino. Solid sushi, some interesting rolls, about the prices you’d expect. The basic rolls are actually reasonable, but the specialty rolls start getting kind of pricey. The ambiance seems nice enough, but I haven’t tried it out as a sit down place yet so I can’t say for sure.

I purchased an on-​line gift certificate through
to try this place out. My roomie, sister, and I were all fans! They got sushi and loved it, I got a chicken dish and loved it — all around a great time. I would go back here w/​or w/​o the certificate!

Selene R., of Typhoon mole fame, strikes again. «Bad restaurant.» Only other review for Typhoon, and it’s hardly more descriptive.
So let’s settle the score on 711, shall we?
It’s come an amazingly long way since the changeover from Jae’s. It seemed stuck in an identity crisis for a while, but now they’ve found a formula that works: a classy, hip bistro/​club fusion, a la Mantra or 33. (Difference: this place actually *is* classy, definitely unlike Mantra and sort of unlike 33.)
I was there this past Friday, and it was without a doubt one of the best times I’ve had out in a long time – both for dinner and the club. Dinner was packed, and I think they had a wait. Fortunately, my party (13!) had a reservation, so we were seated right away at an awesome table right by the bar.
My only complaint would be that they were a bit understaffed. Perhaps they weren’t expecting it to be this busy. But if they keep up the good work, it will stay that busy – and more. The sushi was delicious – maybe not up to the grade of Douzo or Oishii, but hey, you pay for the experience as well as the food, and the prices here are a lot better – and more importantly, the atmosphere beats the crap out of any other sushi/​Asian place in the city. Posh, cool colored lighting, good music (and volume), beautiful decorations.
At around 10:30 or so, the staff transitioned the room into a nightclub. That’s a daunting task, but they did it with almost no disruption to anyone else in the dining room – no small feat when they have to move all those tables. The bar was absolutely *packed*, and the restaurant was, too. I’d say about half the people there were people who wanted to get into the club early, and the other half were dinner lingerers.
Our dinner was so good that we decided to stay for a bit in the club. The music was terrific – somehow, they mix house and hip-​hop stuff really well. The crowd was great, too – not pretentious, everyone just there to dance and have a good time. Pretty rare in the Boston club scene, no?
We eventually had to leave on account of preexisting plans, but I’m looking forward to going back. They need to work on their staffing level during dinner, and a friend has told me that their cocktail waitresses aren’t stellar. But oh well – our service during dinner was still great (really friendly server!), and I can’t speak for the cocktail waitresses. This place has come such a long way since April and May, and I can’t wait to see where the fall takes them.

Pretty decent sushi here, the staff were very friendly and the ambience was fine.
I’m not a great fan of below ground restaurants, lack of natural light etc, but this one was fine.

I had been to Jae’s for lunch and loved it, but heard mixed reviews after the name/​management change, so I was wary.
The service was very good, our waitress was adorable and came to check on us often. She had some trouble with the wine bottles but still pulled it off with some class.
The food was nothing spectacular. We got an array of sushi and a few noodle dishes and everything tasted fine. Dessert was also good, but again, nothing spectacular.
All in all, a safe bet. The mixed reviews on Unilocal worry me though…

WARNING: My review is based on the fact that after I ate here, I got disturbingly sick and needed the nearest rest room since the food was going to come out one way or another (I know, TMI).
Ok, so me and the Fellowship of the Hungry craved sushi this past Friday and as much as I wanted to go to Douzo (which is a stone’s throw around the corner from this underground cocoon of bad colorful lighting and horrific mood-​music), we ended up here due to proximity (we were at the BPL and it was right smack dab across the street. Nuff said.)
So I ordered spring rolls and my compadres ordered crab rangoons, edamame, and szechuan barbecue wings. Ok out of all this veritable feast, the only thing reasonable good was the crab rangoons. The spring rolls had this weird consistency and fell apart easily, which isn’t a big deal but come on. The wings, though drenched in this ooey gooey szechuan sauce, were oddly dry and I had to keep dipping them in soy sauce to swallow it down. Can’t speak on the edamame since I didn’t eat it. However, IMO, the appetizers were easily a thumbs down.
Entrees: I ordered a spider roll since it sounded good with the crab (I really wanted snow crab tempura from Douzo’s!!!). Whatever was in this thing just didn’t seem right. I never had a problem chewing sushi before, but this thing seemed to be grizzle masquerading as sushi. I kept chewing… and chewing… and chewing… threw my chopsticks down since the whole roll came apart… and I was still CHEWING! I couldn’t finish this crap. I gave it to my friend and he (who pretty much eats anything) put it in his mouth, began chewing, looked at me, and said, «What the hell is this???»
The best thing about this place, aside from the crab rangoon, was the gorgeous aquarium with beautiful exotic fish that settled between the sushi bar and the dining area. But if you want to see fish, just go to the Aquarium. Don’t go here.

Jae’s on Boylston used to be one of my favorite sushi places in Boston. We went at least once a week. All of sudden it changed to 711 Underground and its not so great anymore. I found the rice was kind of chewy, the fish a bit old tasting and the waiter was anything but friendly. We had to ask several times for our drinks to be brought over and our salads were brought after our sushi had arrived at the table 10 minutes before.
Its a shame this place isn’t as great as it used to be. It was a nice little gem in the middle of Back Bay!
I will only visit the Jae’s on Beacon now.

Fabulous! They have changed their name to 711 Underground (or something like that) but the place is still very chill. Bartender was very friendly as I waited at the bar for my friends to arrive. She seemed to really like working there! I had a nice Argentinian Malbec and I was very happy. Loved the subterrenean, cozy feel – large fish tanks, granite bar and stone area behind the bar. Our host and and waiter took care of us with a smile, food was delish. I had chicken teriyaki and my friends had the salmon and the tuna. Bill was only $ 71 and well worth it. The crowd was growing as we left, but it was still easy to talk. Bathrooms are large and immaculate. We will be back again!

Proof that you can have a great meal at a reasonable price in a chic part of town — Copley Square. Don’t leave without trying the tuna sashimi salad.

My brother took me here a few weeks ago to celebrate my new job. I wasn’t all that impressed, compared to some of the other sushi joints I’ve been to in Boston. The décor is really weird. It’s like this hodgepodge of Asian art and old ‘40s-​style posters, like the ones you’d find in Target or Bed Bath & Beyond for sale. There’s a huge, beautiful fish tank in the corner, but it’s pretty bare and there are only about 5 fish in it. We discussed how we’d redecorate the restaurant if it were ours.
The restaurant was moderately full when we arrived around 9:30 pm. Service was pretty fast. My rum and coke was delightfully strong. We ordered the sushi boat for two, which was around $ 70. It’s definitely overpriced for the quality of sushi. I’ve had better, cheaper sushi at other places. Jae’s isn’t high on my list of recommended sushi places, but it’s not the worst, either.

Jae’s had great sushi, for a moderate price (compared to say Douzo or Fugakyu). Their specialty rolls are really good and are about $ 7. They also have various other japanese and Asian food. The place is trendy with beautiful salt fishtanks and a decent bar. Afternoons are not at all crowded and the downstairs/​basement location is perfect for escaping the summer heat.

I took my boyfriend there for his birthday. The waiter was a jerk. The food was pretty good, but it would have been nice if they said what exactly was in the spring rolls. Apparently, my boyfriend is «slightly» allergic to crab and his throat started to tighten. The funny thing is that he could see the crab in there but ate it anyway. What a dummy.
The only recompense was that it was $ 38 out the door and the sake tasted like gasoline and made everyone look sexier. Even the dickhead waiter.

Ok nevermind the food, the atmosphere itself is amazing. The fish tanks are gorgeous, the tables are beautiful, and yeah and the food is great too. This is definitely a place to hit after an afternoon of shopping, the sushi is awesome, and try the Pad Thai, its crazy good.

This Jae’s is the newest location in the Jae’s empire. They offer Pan-​Asian cuisine in a trendy, modern subterranean space. The dining room is lined on one side by large fishtanks with colorful tropical fish.
The menu has a great selection of sushi along with a mix of Thai, Korean, and Japanese food. I have never been disappointed with the sushi here. It may not be the cheapest sushi in town but it is good. There is also a section of the menu where you can mix & match from a list of ingredients to create your own noodle dish, which can be a cool way to try something new.

This restaurant opened fairly recently. Sushi is decent. Restaurant is worth going to. Food is good and servers are very nice.

This is an interesting place that has a hard time choosing between being a classy sushi restaurant and being a nightclub. The food itself is good, though a little pricey, and the ambience emanates sophistication and sleek modernism.