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Main Dining Room - Pabu Izakaya Boston, Boston, MA

Pabu Izakaya Boston

4.5
4.5
701 Reviews
$31 to $50
Japanese
3 Franklin St, Boston, MA 02110-1104

About this restaurant

  • Innovative
  • Romantic
  • Good for special occasions
Chef Michael Mina and Chef Ken Tominaga bring forth PABU, a modern take on traditional Izakaya-style dining to Boston’s Downtown Crossing neighborhood, located on the second level of the Millennium Tower. PABU presents a contemporary take on Japanese-style dining traditions, using modern technique and presentation to amplify time-honored recipes and market-fresh ingredients. PABU will source the finest of shellfish and seafood directly from New England¹s waterways, as well as from Japan¹s famed Tsukiji Market. The extensive menu of sharable items is ideal for convivial dining ­ guests can choose between Cold Small Plates, Hot Small Plates, Sushi, Robatayaki, Large Plates, PABU Steaks, and Dessert. Not to be missed is Ken Tominaga¹s omakase nigiri ­ an experience of culinary expressionism, boasting beautiful courses of Edo-style nigiri served two pieces at a time - also offered with an optional sake pairing. Combining rustic, old-world Japanese charm with modern, sophistication.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, American, Sushi
  • Hours of operation
    Happy Hour Mon–Fri 4:00 pm–6:00 pm Mon–Fri 9:00 pm–10:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 5:30 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–10:30 pm Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (857) 327-7228
  • Website
    http://www.pabuizakaya.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    Ken Tominaga
  • Catering
    PABU is available for catering requests. Please contact our Event Manager at reservations-bos@pabuizakaya.com or call (857) 327-7228.
  • Private party facilities
    Our private room has floor to ceiling windows overlooking Downtown Boston and is available for sit down lunches/dinners and cocktail receptions up to 25 guests. The restaurant and lounge area is also open for full buyouts up to 175 guests.
  • Location
    3 Franklin St, Boston, MA 02110-1104
  • Neighborhood
    Financial District
  • Cross street
    Washington St.
  • Parking details
    There is a garage right accross the street from PABU at 33 Arch Street, Boston MA, 02111.
  • Public transit
    MBTA - Orange Line- Downtown Crossing will let you off directly in front of the restaurant. Please visit the MBTA website for details.
  • Entertainment
    The music at PABU - Boston is inspired by Quentin Tarantino soundtracks. Retro cool tracks set in a modern context, the music at PABU - Boston serves to create energy in the room.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Menu

Pabu Izakaya Boston's menu was last updated on 2/2/2022.

View menu on restaurant's website

What 701 people are saying

Pabu Izakaya Boston reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.5
4.5 based on all time ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.5Ambience
  • 3.8Value

Noise • Energetic

701 Reviews

  1. OpenTable Diner VIP

    Greater Boston10 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on March 12, 2020

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Found the food a bit pricy given the portion and sizes. Quality of the food was amazing, and service was outstanding.

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  2. OpenTable Diner VIP

    New York City11 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on March 8, 2020

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Overall is good, but I hope the service can be better at this price. My entree came until my friend finished hers. Huge disappointing.

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston2 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on March 6, 2020

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    I went to PABU before. it was perfect. However, I came here today for dine out Boston. The $38 dinner is just a LITTLE! Every dish is less than normal time. For the man uni don it’s smaller than a teacup! We even ordered another Maki and we were still hungry.feel so disappointed this time.

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  4. FrancescaP VIP

    Greater Boston4 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on March 3, 2020

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    We had a very disappointing evening. We attended for the Dine Out Boston Week - we could have gone anywhere in the city but wanted to check out Pabu. When we checked in with the hostess they brought us to a table of two...but there were three of us (made the reservation for 3). I had to get up to ask for someone to order a bottle of wine - we waited 12 minutes for anyone to come over. Our waiter was totally clueless - in the middle of us ordering dinner he said “be right back” and proceeded to assist a few other tables and returning 10 MINUTES after. It truly was one of the worst dining experiences - would is just whatever. This is my first time ever leaving a bad review on Open Table but I’m just so upset I wasted my time and money when there’s so many great and pleasant restaurants in Boston!

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  5. OpenTable Diner

    Greater Boston1 review

    2.0

    Dined on March 1, 2020

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    food came very slow... wasnt worth the hype

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  6. MichaelG

    Greater Boston1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 29, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We sat at the Sushi Bar and one of the Sushi Chefs (Ray) was incredibly helpful in providing us a unique experience. All of the sushi provided was delicious and the drinks were great, as well. Definitely intend on returning.

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  7. yunyizhu

    Greater Boston1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 25, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Absolutely stunning experience. Authentic Japanese style sushi. My partner and I are both from China and a Chinese sushi chef came and explained everything about sushi for us in Chinese. He also showed us a sushi book that from the restaurant library and told us about history of Pabu - the owner is from Japan with multiple restaurants around the US (SF, Bos, NYC) and his son also does sushi and has earned a Michelin star in Japan. I would say it's probably the best sushi restaurant in Boston, especially if you are looking for traditional Japanese-style nigiris.

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    Tampa1 review

    5.0

    Dined on February 18, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent once again. Great hidden vibe. Front desk staff could use some work in terms of professionalism and comfort. Service fantastic. Susie the sake expert helped us pick an amazing cold sake. Food came out in a timely manner. Excellent fresh fish. Excellent maki rolls. You will not be disappointed.

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  9. LinG

    Greater Boston5 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 16, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Went here for my birthday dinner and it was amazing! All the food is fresh and wonderfully put together, we each had two sushi rolls and the gyoza, seaweed salad, and tuna poke appetizers

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  10. Alan

    Greater Boston6 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on February 13, 2020

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Early Valentine’s Day dinner. Everything was great except when the guy picking up the empty dishes dropped one on me and got my $500 suit dirty in food. Never got an apology or even a free drink... point being nothing was done to make it right. Then 5 minutes later the same guy dropped another dish and it fell under a women’s table and he bent down and picked it up. She was not happy with him under the table near her. This guy was a disaster. Besides that food was great.

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FAQs

Pabu Izakaya Boston is rated 4.5 stars by 701 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing
Google Map for Pabu Izakaya Boston

3 Franklin St, Boston, MA 02110-1104

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Washington St.
  • Neighborhood
    Financial District
  • Hours of operation
    Happy Hour Mon–Fri 4:00 pm–6:00 pm Mon–Fri 9:00 pm–10:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 5:30 pm–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:30 pm–10:30 pm Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, American, Sushi
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    There is a garage right accross the street from PABU at 33 Arch Street, Boston MA, 02111.
  • Public transit
    MBTA - Orange Line- Downtown Crossing will let you off directly in front of the restaurant. Please visit the MBTA website for details.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Ken Tominaga
  • Entertainment
    The music at PABU - Boston is inspired by Quentin Tarantino soundtracks. Retro cool tracks set in a modern context, the music at PABU - Boston serves to create energy in the room.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Private Room, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Website
    http://www.pabuizakaya.com/
  • Phone number
    (857) 327-7228
  • Catering
    PABU is available for catering requests. Please contact our Event Manager at reservations-bos@pabuizakaya.com or call (857) 327-7228.
  • Private party facilities
    Our private room has floor to ceiling windows overlooking Downtown Boston and is available for sit down lunches/dinners and cocktail receptions up to 25 guests. The restaurant and lounge area is also open for full buyouts up to 175 guests.
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