Thelonious Monkfish

I came back here again on a slower night, again with reservations, and was sat immediately (just reinforcing the point that its good to make reservations here). I was disappointed with our service this time around though, unfortunately.
It was my boyfriends birthday, and we went with his family. The service was incredibly slow. We also ordered a sushi roll that had apples in it, and requested no apples due to an allergy. It was at that point that they informed us that the water we had been drinking for the past 20 minutes was infused with apples and other fruits. I know that it is the patrons responsibility to warn about any allergies prior to ordering, but with something as basic as water, I think it is important for the server to point out that it has been infused with fruits in case anyone at the table is allergic (in this case, 2 people were).
Drink orders came out slow, server didn’t check on us much, and my boyfriends fathers plate came out about 10 minutes after the rest of ours.
The food was still really delicious though, which was the saving grace. I will be back, but I hope that they can figure out some of the slow service issues.

The service was an utterly spectacular abortion. We showed up at 6:55pm with a party of 3 reservation for 7pm. The hostess immediately looked shell-​shocked at my mention of a reservation. By 7:20pm, 20 minutes after our reservation time, she rudely brought us over to a table clearly for 2 people, even though multiple larger tables were and remained open, and said the three of us would have to squeeze into a two person table. Then it took 20 minutes before anyone even came over to take our order.
That being said, the sushi was excellent for the price. The sushi is not TOP quality, but it is incredibly well priced. We did the 42 piece Monkfish Boat with sushi, sashimi, and a couple of rolls, and it was more than enough for 3 people. Would definitely go back to try other menu items, as everything looked great, but the service was of the worst I’ve ever experienced, which drops if from 4 to 3 stars.

Very good food, but moderately expensive. If you appreciate the combination of lime and chili, you must try the SpicyDuckSalad. Absolutely delicious in its intense flavor.
I always try the spicy tuna role at a sushi establishment to benchmark against others. I enjoyed the TM spicy tuna roll — tasty and spicy mayo, a bit of tempura flake crunch and a bit of cucumber. Not bad (though I prefer Café Sushi’s version)
Overall pleasant venue (though I’ve never listened to music here).

If this rating was for the food only, it would be getting a 5. I love the vegetarian sushi here (especially the snow queen roll!!!) but the service was bad during my most recent visit.
A friend and I met here at 5:30 Wednesday. This was not a particularly busy time, and there were many tables open. Three things happened that bothered me (listed least offensive to most):
1. we were seated right under the thermostat, and 3 separate times, the owner and different waiters reached across our table to change it. I understand once– but 3 times?
2. Our waitress seemed disinterested and in a hurry the entire time she was serving us. About 2 minutes after we received our rolls, instead of the traditional «how is everything» check-​in, she came to us with the electronic pad they use to write orders and checks and says «are you guys going to want anything else or are you done ordering?» It seemed strange that she was in such a hurry to give us our check, and my friend and I felt a little like she was trying to just write our check and get on to her other tables.
3. Lastly, after about an hour and 20 minutes, as we are finishing paying the check, the hostess comes over with two women who just arrived at the restaurant. She hovers over our table as we are putting our wallets back in our purses, and even though I had planned on staying to chat for 10 – 15 minutes longer, I felt very awkward having her just stand over us (note there were at least 3 empty tables in the restaurant, and we had not stayed for such a lengthy time that this would be an okay thing for a hostess to do). After the women waiting to be seated saw what was happening, one say «we really dont have to sit here, we could take another table or wait» and the hostess says «it’s okay they have been here for a while.»
It just felt really weird to me. Rarely do I complain about service but this made me feel like we were not valued as customers, and despite the amazing food, I will hesitate before returning back here because of the service we received.

I strode confidently into Thelonious Monkfish, and sat cross legged in their Japanese style, corner booth with a large group of my friends. They all wanted sushi, and I boldly agreed to tag along despite my fish allergy. One of my biggest concerns with sushi restaurants is that the other dishes are just an afterthought, a pale imitation of what the meal would be at a more general restaurant. Thelonious Monkfish wins my vote for serving up excellent poultry in addition to (what I hear is) tasty sushi.
I was at the center of the table, so the party boat the group ordered landed right in front of me. Yes, it is a literal party boat. The sushi comes on a boat shaped platter; think of an ancient Greek trireme minus the masts, and that starts your dinner party. I can verify that the sushi all looked very colorful, well arranged, and was eaten very quickly. Alas! I could only look on longingly while my friends got their party on. Folks on the end even passed me their plates so that I could pick sushi for them like the designated driver of raw fish consumption.
For my part (y) I ordered the sweet potato, bacon croquettes as an appetizer. For $ 5.25 you get four croquettes and a dipping sauce, which are mainly sweet potato. They are still delicious, but in hindsight I can not remember tasting any bacon. I am sure that it exists, but the sweet potato runs the show. Dipped or plain, the croquettes will disappear faster than you want them to; they are that good.
I also ordered the cranberry teriyaki chicken, once again a flavorfully enjoyable festival in my mouth. Sweet potatoes are the path to my heart, and you certainly get a soft, and delicious portion of it to mix with truffle oil at the base of the plate. Unfortunately taste is not all I am ever seeking in a restaurant; I also care deep, deep down in the pits on my soul about portion size. This is another area where sushi restaurants consistently fall short, and I was not terribly pleased with the size of my chicken breast. It was still great, and well prepared, but a small serving for my tastes. Your mileage may vary, because I often eat quite a lot.
I was quite pleased to have such a flavor rich meal right in the heart of Central square, and would definitely be open to trying other entries on their menu. Just limber up, and make sure that you are plenty flexible if you choose the corner booth.

I ordered online looking for a new place to try. I ordered Pad Thai and when it arrived the smell was so horrid I just could not fathom eating it and put it in the fridge just in case. The next day gave it another shot and was still disgusted by the smell and it tasted like spoiled mayonnaise. Never again.
If you like traditional Asian or Thai food this is not the place for you.

Don’t really hang out in Central Square, but would definitely come back to this restaurant. Five of us went in, I was hoping to listen to the live band, but I guess they weren’t playing that night. The restaurant was semi-​packed but we were able to get a seat right away. I honestly expected just a typical Americanized «Asian-​fusion» restaurant, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The two sushi rolls that we ordered, the Spider Roll and the Yellowtail maki, were both good, nothing special, but no complaints. Highly recommend the Cranberry Crab Rangoons! The cranberry twist was definitely a plus, and definitely some of the better rangoons I’ve eaten. On top of that we ordered the Fever Wings, Mango Fried Rice, Pork Pad See Ew, and the Grilled Beef Panang. All in all, it was surprisingly good. You can’t go wrong with pad see ew!
For drinks, my friend ordered a pitcher of Bitches Brew. I don’t know what was in it, but it wasn’t great. It was some rum based cocktail that didn’t taste great, and it wasn’t very strong. It wasn’t worth the $ 30 – 35 we paid for it. Would probably just order a beer the next time around.
Solid place to eat, good for big groups. The menu is enormous and includes Japanese, Thai, Chinese. It can be overwhelming, but from the sample we had, everything is pretty good. A little on the expensive end for the food you are eating though…

It’s been a few years since I’ve dined at Thelonious Monkfish in Central Square. It used to be my go-​to place for lunch when I worked in Central Square. I recently returned for lunch and was amazed and delighted to see that they have expanded their restaurant to include a full bar, at least doubling the seating capacity, and they have a stage for live jazz performances. The new interior is sleek and inviting, warm and comforting just like their food.
I started off with their Asian pickles and vegetable potstickers. The pickles were what this little doggy dreams of. A blend of Asian vegetable pickled to a crunchy and tangy perfection. And unlike most Asian restaurants, they do not skimp on quantity. The vegetable potstickers were one of the most interesting version of this dish I’ve ever experienced. Light, thin wrappers stuffed with an assortment of green vegetables.
Now on to their sushi. In a nutshell they were absolutely fresh and flavorful. For the vegetarians out there, they have a huge assortment of sushi options, including one of the most unique I’ve ever seen, and believe me when I say it’s out of this world. It’s called the Snow Queen and is part of their fairy tale selection. Picture it… shiitake mushrooms, green apple, cucumbers and asparagus all wrapped in rice and seaweed, then covered in thin coconut meat, a pineapple mayo and garnished with coconut flakes. This is worth the trip alone. And don’t let this unusual combination throw you, they have the basic and standard vegetable sushi, including sweet potato tempura maki, mushroom maki, and the every popular, cucumber, avocado, and asparagus. All of them, fresh, and delicious.
This place is going to be a regular spot for me, and I can’t wait to get back there for dinner and listen to some fantastic jazz.
Thelonious Monkfish is the best of the best, paws down.
Food Rating: 5 paw
Service Rating: 5 paws
Overall Rating: 5 paws
With love from my dog bowl to yours… Happy eating.
Shata

buyer beware.
thelonious monkfish, it turns out that i haven’t reviewed you until now. too bad, because my first experience here wasn’t bad. the entrée prices were about double what you’d get in a Real Chinese/​Asian Restaurant™ for middle-​of-​the-​road (edible but not memorable) «fusion» (aka not necessarily authentic) quality — this asian gal considers that a ripoff. that said, after having experienced miya’s sushi in new haven, i was excited by the prospect of funky fresh sushi near me in boston. the sushi that i had on my first visit was reasonable (middle-​of-​the-​road sushi quality, no food poisoning) and with interesting twists — not without the high dollar amount per roll. give them a break for being funky. okay. so why the one star review?
my first visit piqued my interest to buy a daily dig gift certificate, for which you can supposedly get $ 50 worth of food for $ 25. sounds great, i thought! sounds reasonable!
little did i know that after buying said gift certificate a couple years ago, which does not expire according to the daily dig, and bringing this gift certificate to thelonious monkfish for dinner — would result in the gift certificate not being honored. why?
«uh, it doesn’t have a stamp on it.» huh? i’ll show you my proof of purchase email because hooray, smartphones.
«we don’t believe you.» wunderbar.
«we don’t take this thing.» why not? aren’t you called thelonious monkfish? what is your doppleganger’s name?
«get another gift certificate and then we’ll reimburse you if you come back again?» so buy $ 100 worth of food and get $ 25 dollars off, maybe, if they honor the gift certificate and don’t play this game again.
we asked to talk to the manager. the manager said, «nah, not taking it. we won’t get reimbursed without a stamp. maybe this is an old gift certificate.» (they didn’t deny that this was a legit gift certificate, and honestly, i don’t have enough time on my hands or energy or willpower to forge daily dig gift certificates. neither have i had redemption problems with daily dig gift certificates.) also, in the restaurant business, wouldn’t the business want to honor the customer and make it right? i understand that central square is hopping these days with a ton of business from the academics, local pharmaceuticals /​biotechs /​businesses, etcetera, but this sort of fistfuls of money grubbing without atttention to the basic nuts and bolts is sickening.
«many people have this problem!» and what do they do? «come again!» you understand that you’re ripping off the customer by actually — at best — doing a «buy $ 100 of food for $ 25 off.» yup. maybe you shouldn’t have this deal on the daily dig anymore if you don’t really honor it. «yeah, we should call them, shouldn’t we.»
why would they? that’s a 100+ check for not much work on their side, and terrible business practice, frankly. for these prices, you’re much better off going to fugakyu, which is heads and shoulders above any other boston sushi joint — still with a funky ambiance, but holy sushi. and yum.
so there we have it. i’ll call the daily dig today for a new gift certificate. and then i’ll give this gift certificate away. because who knows if it’ll be honored. «use» at your own risk.

My boyfriend and I tried this restaurant not long after I moved to the Boston area. The quality of the fish here is around the same as that I have gotten from all you can eat, made to order buffets (such as Takusan and Yamato).
We ordered one of their «Party Boat 1» priced at $ 60, which included various selections of nigri, sashimi, and two makis. It was pretty exciting at the time, since it was our first sushi boat experience. On hindsight, I don’t know if I want to pay such a mark up for presentation.
The sushi was not bad, but given how much we paid for the meal, I don’t think it’s worth it. However, there are not too many other sushi options near Central Square, so go there if it’s raining outside and you’re craving sushi and want to pay high prices. A much better option, if you’re willing to go toward Harvard Square, is Café Sushi. Their fish is a lot fresher, and the makis are more inspiring.

3.5 stars. While I’m usually skeptical of fusion, Thelonius Monkfish takes are tasty and clever takes, with good ingredient. Really enjoyed the Mad Monk Noodles — soba with shrimp, chicken, crisped garlic, ginger, leek, shiitake, red pepper, cilantro. Loved the shiitake and ginger notes, hoisin-​peanut sauce is fairly approachable for most palates.
Seoul Train fried rice is made with kimchi, edamame, egg, lop chong (Chinese sausage), broccoli, vidalia onions — broccoli (florets) tasted a bit out of place, and if you’re looking for a traditional kimchi fried rice, you’re probably craving stronger kimchi than this version offers.
Frog prince roll was decent, but being from Seattle, am spoiled by über fresh sushi. more to come.
Lovely jazz ambiance makes this a solid pick for date night.
Protip: Call ahead for reservations to skip the bemoaned wait.

I’m still a loyal and happy customer of Thelonious, after several years. I’ve been going at least once every 2 weeks, but usually once a week, and they’ve never messed up my order. That’s like 80 chances and they’ve always given me what I ordered, and the quality has always been great!
I’m so happy to see this business doing well, bringing lots of happy diners to Central Sq, and expanding their footprint :)

We recently got delivery from here after enjoying their awesome sushi boat many years earlier. Quality has gone down since then and food was just okay. Was it bad? No. It just wasn’t memorable or worth $ 60 for three dishes.
1) Penang curry with beef– overly sweet and not enough meat
2) Sashimi deluxe– fish did not taste that fresh but could have been attributed to travel time
3) Eel avocado roll– this was decent but you can’t really mess this up
Overall, the menu is massive and something for everyone. Skip delivery.

This. Sushi. Is. Amazing. The end.
Really, I could stop my review right there and it would be accurate, but I shall elaborate a bit. A group of three lovely ladies strolled in on a Saturday afternoon looking for some fresh fish and delicious drinks. We were not disappointed!
We all started with the Thai iced tea (amazing…just don’t think about the calories), then shared an order of the cranberry crab rangoon. Cranberry and crab you ask?! yes. Just yes. And please use the dipping sauce. All of it.
We decided to share two sushi rolls and they were amazingly fresh and exactly what we needed! The presentation was beautiful, the food was delicious, the atmosphere is beautiful, and the staff were extremely friendly. Couldn’t ask for more!

Reasons to come to Thelonius Monkfish:
1) Extensive menu options
2) Live jazz band performances (check for updates)
3) Ambience — it’s a nice-​but-​safe zone for dinner (too fancy fusion to be casual, but too casual to be fancy fusion. What does that actually mean? It means people do and dress as they please and feel comfortable about it.)
Reasons to try elsewhere:
1) The food tastes fine, but is underwhelming for the price
2) Traffic flow is a nightmare. There is only a tiny space between the reception desk and front door, and way too many people waiting around or moving in and out. The whole place gets cramped, most likely for the reasons listed above.

Wir hatten roasted duck in red curry und chicken mango in yellow curry bestellt. Beide Gerichte wurden sehr schnell serviert und schmeckten fabelhaft. Das Curry hatte genau die richtige Konsistenz und kam mit viel frischem Gemüse das auf den punkt gegart war.

A few disjointed notes:
This menu is longer than most Dostoevsky novels. I’m surprised the chefs in the back don’t have look-​up tables for all of the meals. Maybe they do. Indecisive buyer beware!
I got a tart pink cocktail for starters. It was made with yogurt and strawberries and was quite delicious. The beer selection is very comprehensive here, too.
My friend and I shared a boat for $ 40. 48 rolls of quality sushi.
I accidentally broke a glass on the floor. No problem: the wait staff was understanding and quick to clean up my mess. Nice job, guys!
They play hip jazz music over Pandora on the inside. I think I heard Freddie Hubbard, but it was too loud to make it out.
Good place for pretty good sushi and beer. If you like jazz and can make timely decisions about what you want to put in your gullet, this is your kind of place.

So many rolls to choose from! Wow!
It’s a no frills, humble establishment that offers a ridiculously larger menu. Not only do they serve a wide variety of rolls, boats, nigiri, etc — they also serve donburi, udon, and other Japanese dishes. To overwhelm customers with even more options, they also serve Thai food! Go figure!
The sushi quality is decent — however, he rolls are a little overpriced in my opinion for the quality.
We came on a Sunday and there was a jazz band bland playing which was really nice to listen to and really added to the ambiance.
The music theme of this place is cute and I love how it’s intertwined into their logo and sushi roll naming. It was all clearly very well though out.

LUNCH REVIEW
— — — — — — -
For lunch, my co-​workers and I came and sat right by the window, which was a great spot to eat lunch at, with the sunlight shining on our table.
My co-​workers ordered a variety of the fairy tale rolls, while I opted for the ikura sake don. The fairy tale rolls have a lot of ingredients that I think dilute the taste of the fish, such as mango, strawberry, and pineapple. I like my sushi by itself.
IKURA SAKE DON: This was amazing! There is fresh salmon sashimi and ikura on top of a bed of «seasoned» white rice, which essentially just has sesame seeds in it. But, this is a great deal for lunch at $ 13, because there were at least 8 pieces of salmon and half the bowl was covered with ikura. I was beyond stuffed, and the salmon quality was really great.
Thelonius Monkfish needs to choose an identity, though. They offer Japanese and Thai options that range from noodle soups to sushi to fried rice and curries. They can’t possibly be good at making all of these dishes, but I really did enjoy the donburi so definitely try that if you’re here! I will try some of their other offerings next time.

Wanted to try a new spot at work and someone recommended TM… Got the standard, Tom Yum & some other things…
The Tom Yum was ABSOLUTELY the best one Ive EVER HAD… Unfortunately it was a little cold as the driver was a little lost & couldnt find us therefore causing a delay (he kept calling to say he was here — when he truly wasnt) But hey, next time Im sure it will be easier… because trust me there will be a next time it was THAT GOOD…
Shrimp Ginger was great. Lots of good veggies.
Wonton soup was great & coworker said she liked.
Sushi was good…
Pad See Ew was delish I was told…
All in all a good place & will def be back!

We went here for a late night dinner and just managed to get out order in during the last call. We got the sushi boat which is basically an assortment of 4 rolls served on a wooden boat.
The presentation is pretty impressive but judging by how fast they brought it out, I’m sure the rolls were pre-​made. They were not bad for the price and portion but being from Seattle, I’m used to much higher quality sushi.
The boat was a filling and affordable sushi dinner for that time of night and I would probably get it again in a similar situation but not when I’m actually craving «good sushi».
Overall it was average sushi, great prices and quick service.