Nijiya Sushi — Restaurant in Medford

I saw many people on social media recommending Nijiya Buffet in Medford. The name sounds Japanese, so I thought it was an authentic Japanese place. But when I walked in, I realized it’s actually run by Chinese owners (nothing against that!). The vibe, as you can see in photos 2–4, feels just like one of those low-cost family chain restaurants back in Asia. The food was… quite something (photos 6–9). The pork cutlet and takoyaki tasted obviously pre-made, the miso soup had that instant-powder flavor, and the yaki udon was bland with water pooling at the bottom. The sushi didn’t taste fresh at all, and the ice cream was the exact same flavor as the cheapest bulk one from Costco. From the very first bite, I could really feel how much effort the restaurant put into “cost control.”

The service was unique too. Servers were constantly rushing around — plates dropped a few times, and pickled ginger kept falling on the floor. I was honestly worried someone might slip. Maybe that’s part of their “authentic dining atmosphere” experience (just my personal opinion).

The biggest surprise, though, was the menu trick (photo 5). Every sushi roll has a cute little “6pts” or “8pts” label, but hidden among those tiny lines is one nearly invisible note: “Leftover will be charged regular menu price.” 💅💅💅 I have to admit — the design is clever. The key information isn’t placed in a noticeable spot, yet it’s artfully buried in the text. Such “attention to detail” truly shows how thoughtful the restaurant is. Shouldn’t that kind of important info be highlighted instead? Individually, the regular menu prices don’t seem high, but add them up and it’s definitely not a small amount. I honestly admire this level of creativity — maybe they can teach me how to play word games like this? (personal opinion only, not targeting anyone)

The tip options were equally well thought out — the system only offers four choices, starting from 16% and going up to almost 50%. I respect tipping culture and understand service is hard work, but it’s clear this restaurant really knows how to make “choice” work in their favor.

After the meal, I had a stomachache, and my friend said she didn’t feel well either. Maybe it’s just coincidence… or part of the experience (again, just personal opinion).

This post isn’t meant to attack or discourage anyone. It’s simply a genuine dining experience. Just a reminder: before you try new places, take a closer look at the fine print — sometimes a restaurant’s good intentions are hidden very,...

It's a great Japanese Restaurant. All you can eat, but you just order off a menu instead and they bring it to you!

Food quality: 5 (it's great, but try it yourself and you'll see)

Atmosphere: 3 (could use an update but I'm ok with it)

Service: 5 (the people who served us were great... I wish I got their names)

Location: 4 (In the center of Medford and near the I-93 and a couple major routes the roads are all funny angles and one ways everywhere, so if your not used to Massachusetts driving, here's a great crash course location.)

Parking: 3 (surrounding area under construction... Expect to walk a bit)

Menu: 5 Pricing: Fair to good

Overall I'd give the place a 4.4... And most of my qualms are environmentals

Lunch and Dinner prices and food choices to match.

Update: 12/14/23 It's been a while, but the food quality is still good, there service is ok, I know it's busy because of the all you can eat feature, so ordering a regular meal you need to flag down a server as they always seem on the move and understaffed. So make sure to have the extra time at hand to order a few items. The all you can eat feature, you just check off items in paper and they run by and scoop them up.

I like this place, it's not fancy looking, but the sushi is good, food is out quick and service is ok, (even though they did forget an order of mine.

I still forgive them) if the My make a mistake they correct it quickly. I think if they had more people they would have to raise their prices as well, that and they're servers are constantly flying around, which is a reason I don't take offense by forgotten orders or having to flag them from across the room.

By the way, I got the Udon Soup with vegetables, seaweed salad, ( the forgotten item lol) and the house hot Sake.

Food wise everything was ok. It's not the best I've ever had, but it's good and the prices are fair. I think going here with all these things in mind, I've always enjoyed my...

3.7 stars -Reserved party of 10 @ 7:30pm -AYCE -Told us we had 1.5 hrs when online (and order sheets) say 2 hrs -Did not bring us everything we ordered -We ate everything we ordered -Food quality was very good

Details & suggestions:

We arrived on time to our AYCE 10-person reservation at 7:30, all members present. We were seated right away and given order sheets (1 per 5 people), and then they started the clock, which is fine, however they didn't return to collect the order sheets until 20 minutes later. We thought we had 2 hours max at our table, however at around 9:15 they told us, slightly annoyed, that the max time was 1.5 hours and we were already overtime.

There were some items we ordered but did not receive, including 22 pieces of sushi and a miso soup. We had ordered ice creams prior to us being done with the sushi, and we had to remind them of that toward the end (they brought them).

Overall, the quality of the food (appetizers, sushi, dessert) was very good. We got to try many different types of sushi and sashimi. We ate everything, with some people even wanting more (the missing orders), so there was no fear of wasted food on the restaurant's part. We felt rushed toward the end, and we were trying to get our orders in before time - they brought our check at 9:30 (2 hrs), so we didn't do anything wrong.

Especially if you have a larger party, I suggest asking for more order forms before you need them so you can fill it out and return it sooner and get your orders sooner. It also would help to preview the menu and order forms online ahead of time to cut down on the time it takes to fill out the...