Blue Fin Japanese Restaurant

I just don’t understand the hype. Service is okay. Food is good. The seaweed in the maki recently was so thick that me & husband had a laughing fit because we were chewing and chewing forever!
It has the saltiest soy sauce ever. The atmosphere/​décor is family restaurant regular. The music in the bar area was a little too loud. It’s definitely not cheap but also not over the top expensive. I think this would be a good place for groups who love sushi because they have a huge selection of combo platters that are served on platters that look like boats. Cute.
I will go here again, I live close enough. But I can’t say Id make a special trip for this.
Sorry Blue Fin, just one opinion, but so many do love you!
(I suffer from bad review guilt)
I have never had to wait to be seated.
Plenty of parking.

I got two sushi boats to bring home to the fam. Excellent sushi. The kids loved it too. Best we’ve found so far in the area around Topsfield. Don’t let the generic shopping plaza-​like front of the building fool you, really cool place, good energetic staff. Bar looks like fun, I’ll have to stop in for a sake some time.

One of my favorite sushi places in the area! Servers are always friendly and food is always delicious

We stopped by late afternoon for some takeout. The Blue Fin is way overpriced. The Shrimp Tempura dinnner had 2 shrimps and a few pieces of vegetable for almost $ 16. Sushi was Ok but nothing great or special. We spent $ 48 for takeout and it was not worth the price based upon how small the portion sizes were. I recommend Saki on route one any day over this.

Had one disappointing experience. Tried again and very very happy with meal! We ordered sushi boat for two and it was a work of art, and every single item was delicious! Will probably do takeout as atmosphere nothing special, but that’s no big deal– food was very very fresh. Excellent.

This review is only for their food and not dining experience. We always order and pick up. Love their Philadelphia roll and spicy tuna maki. Great steamed gyoza. Edamame is so so.

I love their sushi. It is amazing. Only place ive been able to find the beer Kirin Ichiban wich is an awesome beer. As an appetizer i reccomend the spicy scallops they are to die for.

I take some responsibility here for ordering the all-​you-​can-​eat sushi which is a Monday Night Only offering. A decent enough selection, but only maki (rolls). I really prefer nigiri (fish slice/​slab on rice), but also tend to live on the fringe… enjoying the less popular fish which is excluded from their abbreviated all-​you-​can-​eat menu.
Bluefin’s approach here is to require all at the table to order the all-​you-​can-​eat too so to avoid sharing I guess. a definite trust issues here that I find somewhat offensive. and they limit you to 2 rolls per person in the first «wave» order, 2 per person in the second, and 1 per person thereafter. more of a waste avoidance strategy here, as you need to wait a long time between waves, and inevitably let the sushi expand in your belly and make you full sooner vs later.
im not digging a restaurant having this level of control over me and definitely won’t order this way again. I’ve been dining at Bluefin for years and this was my first sub par experience there. my recommendation is to expand the choices, include nigiri, and not be so darn controlling with the flow of food. Sushi dinner is all about experiencing variety, and for $ 25 per person they shouldn’t be so paranoid that people will over order. besides, isn’t the underlying objective here to clear out the weekend’s fish inventory without just tossing it in the trash, and drive some traffic into the restaurant on the slowest night of the week?
And as I lobby with all restaurants, particularly those with a separate bar area, LOSE THE TV! who needs it?! maybe invest a tad more in the décor? And isn’t dining out about being social with you dining companions and enjoying an atmosphere unlike your home???

So good. My boyfriend and I were tired of out regular sushi place so decided to try something new and I am so glad we did! This is our new favorite place!
One of our favorite things to get is the spicy curry chicken, it is so different than any curry I have ever had, I love it, I won’t eat any other curry. We also love the volcano maki and the devils punch for a drink. We really enjoy sitting on the bar side because the bartender (who is also the server most of the time) is awesome.

Satisfying sushi, but not the best in terms of flavor or freshness. Nice ambience and décor. Attentive staff. Quick service. Came on a Groupon. Will not come back to pay full price.

I’ve tried so many «Japanese» restaurants in the North Shore and this is by far the best. My husband and I have been going here for years and we’ve had a good meal every single time. Even after the place changed owners the quality of the food cannot be beat. The menu is authentic, food is prepared by Japanese chefs, and the wait staff is always very friendly and knowledgeable. The prices are great for the quality of the food. The décor is a bit dated and tired-​looking but don’t let that deter you. If you are looking for real Japanese food and not some weird «Asian Fusion», this is the place to go.

Sushi is amazing! Great service. There are many different vegetarian roll choices. Very clean and willing to accommodate.

Consistently great quality food and service. Pleasant staff. Not a fancy atmosphere. Lights a little too bright, drinks a little too light… but all in all a nice little spot. Clean, quick, quality.

So I just got back from a trip to Hokkaido. I had over a week’s worth of Japanese. I’ve been to a few local spots since my trip already and, yeah, not the same (I think it’s true especially as I’ve gotten more familiar with real Japanese food).
Anyways, Blue Fin is legit. Honestly, the Agedashi Tofu and Hamachi Kama (broiled yellowtail collar) are as good as any of the above-​average spots during my stay in Hokkaido. Both have a very flavorful sauce and the collar meat is really tender. Next time I might get two orders. Similarly, the sashimi (specifically ordering the che’f special) is great. The chutoro and squid were very very good and very fresh, everything else rounded out the order perfectly.
I’ve been here three times over the past year and it’s not enough. It’s a pretty quick drive from just north of Boston. Places like Douzo in Boston are pretty good for what they are, but not on the same level. The menu is pretty deep and gives a lot more options beyond your typical sushi restaurant.
Edit: I forgot to mention service is great, too. Our waitress was very attentive and was very pleasant. The food came over quickly and the refills for tea were spot on. I’m pretty sure I heard her speaking Japanese and the restaurant is owned by a native Japanese I believe.

This place looks like a house on the outside but the inside is bigger than it seems. Was visiting a friend in the area and craved for Sushi.
Food: Sushi has good quality, not as good as O Ya in Boston but given the fact that this is local, it’s more accessible than going to Boston. Their other dishes also tasted very «home made», very similar to the dishes my Japanese friend’s mother used to make us. That being said, the presentation is not your higher end Japanese restaurant style like in O Ya or Oishii. Whether you like that or not, it’s completely subjective.
Service: Very attentive and well trained. Couldn’t be happier.
Atmosphere: very relaxing, quiet, good place for a group and casual dates. The restaurant itself actually breaks down into two sections: one with a bar that’s got more of a «adult-​friendly» vibe (dimmer lights, almost like a casual bar), the other side with sushi chefs and brighter lights, more appropriate for families.
Drinks: because they have a bar, it’s actually got decent amount of variety. I ordered a Mai Tai and it was delicious.
Overall, I would come back if I’m even in the area. It’s a very «family» place with family presentation, gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.

We visited Blue Fin last Saturday afternoon. I used a Groupon for the meal.
The food was light, yummy and visually beautiful. Service was excellent, various staff greeted and welcomed us to visit again.

Definitely one of those good sushi places in the area. I usually do take out from there but on occacion we will stay and eat in.

The restaurant looks like a house from the outside and can easily be missed if you are driving down the street. The inside of the restaurant will not blow you away, but the sushi is good. The fish is fresh. Service is attentive. It’s a little pricey.

When Blue Fin came to Middleton, it was almost for just the elite. Sushi was relatively new and the restaurant seemed to explode. However years later I myself started enjoy sushi. I have been to several different sushi places since then.
As much as I would love to give a positive review for a restaurant in my own town, I feel compelled to be honest. I have talked to people who said as well that this restaurant has gone down since its inception. The sushi didn’t taste fresh, they completely messed up a take out order once and I just couldn’t say I was at all satisfied. I wish I had tried it back when it first opened as I’m sure my review would be different. However as of now, their business has dwindled and I can’t help but think they need to either revert to their old ways, or try something new.
I just wasn’t impressed.

Excellent sushi, slightly pricier than other places we’ve been to on the North Shore but well worth it. Appetizers, soups, and sake are tasty as well. Service is wonderful, very attentive and personal — we come here about once a month and are never disappointed.
My kids would say that they should offer more than two colors on their crayon sets but that’s the only thing I can manage to find to criticize. Tenth of a star off for that, I guess.