Best of Boston

Most Japanese restaurants around here are either sushi specialists or theatrical hibachi houses. Shiki, a subterranean spot tucked away on a Coolidge Corner side street, is the outlier. Offering a massive selection of traditional small plates—tangy tsukemono pickles, fluffy agedashi tofu, and mushroom-packed, sticky-rice-stuffed squid, along with plenty of sake to pair with them—this spot was designed for the true Japanophile.