How to Book Uni, Boston (2026)
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Ken Oringer's Uni is the loud, inventive izakaya in the Eliot Hotel, easy enough to book most nights and genuinely hard for one seat: the four-stool Thursday omakase counter.
Ken Oringer's Back Bay izakaya, bookable on OpenTable most nights. Chase the four-seat Thursday omakase counter for a special solo dinner.
Uni is two bookings in one. The izakaya dining room is a manageable reservation most nights, while the four-stool omakase counter that runs on Thursdays is one of the harder seats in Boston. Knowing which one you want decides how far ahead you need to move.
How Hard Is Uni to Book?
For the main room, not very. Uni seats a large, lively izakaya inside the Eliot Hotel at 370 Commonwealth Avenue in Back Bay, and a weeknight table for two is usually available a few days out. Friday and Saturday at eight book a week or two ahead. The exception is the Thursday omakase counter, which seats only four guests across two settings and sells out well in advance, so treat that as a plan-ahead reservation rather than a same-week call.
The Platform and the Counter
Uni takes reservations on OpenTable and by phone at (617) 536-7200, with no midnight ticket drop. For the izakaya, pick your date and book it; the floor holds some space for walk-ins at the bar early in the evening. The Thursday omakase, an Edomae-style counter led by the head sushi chef, is the seat to plan around: it runs two settings, around 5:30 and 8:15, and is best secured by booking directly through the restaurant as soon as your date is set. If the counter is full, the regular sushi list in the dining room is still strong.
What You Are Actually Booking
Uni is Ken Oringer's restaurant, opened as a small sashimi bar in 2002 and expanded into the former Clio space in 2016 as a full izakaya. The kitchen pulls from Tokyo, Bangkok and beyond: the uni spoon, the hamachi with jalapeno and the crispy duck buns are the dishes regulars order without reading the menu. Plan on roughly 90 to 130 dollars a head in the dining room before drinks, more at the omakase counter. For scores and the full write-up, read our Uni verdict, and the Boston dining guide maps the alternatives. It belongs in any conversation about the best Japanese restaurants worldwide and the wider world of sushi and counter dining.
Don't bother booking Uni if
You want a hushed, traditional sushi temple. Uni is a loud, high-energy izakaya built for cocktails and sharing, not a silent Edomae counter. Diners after a quiet, formal sushi dinner should book O Ya instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to book Uni?
Manageable for the dining room, hard for the omakase. A weeknight izakaya table for two at Uni is usually available a few days out, while Friday and Saturday prime time wants a week or two. The Thursday omakase counter seats only four guests across two settings and books out well ahead, so it is the one part of Uni that needs real planning. The bar takes some walk-ins early.
What platform does Uni use for reservations?
Uni books on OpenTable and by phone at (617) 536-7200, with no release window or ticket drop. For the izakaya you simply pick a date and reserve. For the Thursday omakase counter, the most reliable route is to call the restaurant directly as soon as your date is fixed. Read our O Ya guide for Boston's other top counter.
How do I book the omakase at Uni?
Plan ahead and book direct. The omakase runs on Thursdays at the four-seat counter in two settings, around 5:30 and 8:15, led by the head sushi chef in an Edomae style. Because there are so few seats, the surest method is to call (617) 536-7200 as soon as you know your date rather than relying on the OpenTable grid. If the counter is taken, the dining-room sushi list is still one of the best in Back Bay.
How much does Uni cost?
Plan on roughly 90 to 130 dollars per person in the dining room before drinks, with the omakase counter running higher. The shared izakaya plates, the uni spoon, the hamachi and the duck buns among them, are designed to add up across the table, and the cocktail and sake list will lift the total. It is a special-occasion room priced to match its Back Bay setting in the Eliot Hotel.
Can you walk in to Uni?
Sometimes, at the bar. Uni keeps some bar seats that take walk-ins early in the evening, but the dining room runs on reservations and fills at weekend prime time. If you are improvising, arrive before seven and try the bar, and keep a booked alternative from the Boston dining guide in hand. The Thursday omakase counter is reservation-only.