Take a 10-minute stroll from Harvard Yard and you will reach Cafe Sushi, a locally famous sushi restaurant. In a square bloated with fast-casual options, this jewel-box of an eatery has, for more than 40 years, served Cambridge with fresh seafood and culinary whimsy.

Founded in 1984 and run by brothers Kenshi and Seizi Imura, Cafe Sushi has repeatedly won “Best of Boston” awards from Boston Magazine. During the pandemic, the restaurant pivoted from its celebrated omakase to a take-out model, adding a retail component that inspired the name “Shoten,” Japanese for “store.” The team is relaunching this month as Cafe Sushi Nisei.

“It’s our way of honoring where we come from, while continuing to evolve — bridging Japan and Cambridge, past and present, heritage and creativity,” said Kenshi and Seizi Imura in an interview with The Crimson.

For the last few years, a single window-side bar has served as the only indoor seating. Hungry customers can find their way to the storefront along Massachusetts Avenue by searching for a “drink sake” sign behind a glass-painted maneki-neko, a cartoon cat raising its paw. Beckoned in, the playful Tokyo-meets-minimalism aesthetic continues, with white walls and sharp blue linework depicting sumo figures. Entering here feels like a ticket to an alleyway shop in Japan, complete with a slender, vertically stacked space and the faint scent of vinegared rice, the seafood’s salinity, and a whisper of citrus.

Upstairs, the grab-and-go section offers neatly packaged meal sets, maki rolls, and a refrigerator of Japanese drinks including sake and ramune. In addition to these offerings, the retail shop unfolds with a variety of imported Japanese items. Baskets hold Meiji chocorooms — crispy mushroom-shaped biscuits topped with a chocolate cap — and Ageichiban rice crackers that are deep-fried, then dunked in soy sauce and smeared with honey. Shelves are lined with Asian childhood snacks including an assortment of yuzu and strawberry mochi, Hi-Chew candy, and Pocky in unique flavors like coconut, strawberry vanilla, and matcha. The shop also stocks pantry essentials like sesame oil, loose-leaf tea, handmade udon and ramen, along with household items including Japanese playing cards, chopsticks, sake cups, and matcha bowls.

The food further reflects Cafe Sushi’s modern adaptation of Japanese fare. Besides sushi and sashimi, the take-out menu includes chicken and salmon teriyaki bento boxes, miso soup, chirashi and donburi. It offers vegetarian-friendly catering as well, such as the summer vegetable roll, shiitake and seared avocado nigiri, and vegetable gyoza.

The $18 sushi platter promises a six-piece shrimp tempura roll and four pieces of chef’s-choice nigiri, although customers should double check to ensure they receive the promised amount. Some interpretations include tuna with basil pesto, salmon with yuzu kosho, hiramasa with shallot marmalade, and branzino with umami tomato.

At first glance, the nigirizushi are a feast for the eyes. Each piece is visually striking, with the fish vibrant and luminous, arranged with the kind of minimalist elegance rare in a to-go container. Across all nigiri, the fish has a clean, bright flavor, with a firm but tender texture, a sign of a careful cut by the chef. The acidity of the vinegar-steeped sushi rice is a nice contrast to the supple fish and holds together neatly between chopsticks. A discreet swipe of wasabi tucked beneath each slice cuts through the fish’s natural richness, and the ratio of fish to rice feels intentionally calibrated, though slightly warmer rice would better support the cool fish.

The toppings, however, falter in execution. Applied so sparingly, most register as little more than a whiff. Only the tuna with basil pesto offers a discernible taste, the emerald sheen of the pesto lending the ruby tuna an herby, aromatic depth. The creamy brightness of the pesto creates an unexpected Mediterranean aftertaste against the crisp salinity of the fish. The remaining pairings are disappointing. Despite lacking in quantity, the branzino’s tomato garnish provides a delicious sweet aftertaste if one can imagine it long enough. The shallot marmalade on the hiramasa dissolves into the mildness of the white fish; the salmon’s yuzu kosho is indistinguishable. For such promising flavor combinations, the restraint feels misplaced. A bolder application would go a long way toward realizing their potential.

The makizushi is about as successful as a cold tempura roll can be. The shrimp retains a surprising crunch, the cucumber offers a pleasing snap, and a scatter of salmon roe adds bursts of orange joy. Yet tempura, as a deep-fried dish, relies on its residual heat to shine. Cafe Sushi Shoten might consider limiting rolls built on crisp tenkasu or cooked warmth in its grab-and-go selections.

If there would be one major reservation, the price runs a bit high. A chirashi bowl (with 10 cuts of fish) is $38, and the weekend platter for one climbs to $60. This places Cafe Sushi firmly above the pricepoints of most supermarket sushi. But with the undeniable freshness of its fish and its expert treatment, Cafe Sushi delivers the quality demanded from the price.

As for now, Cafe Sushi offers a versatile delight to Cambridge, a recommendation for a date night, a spot to impress visiting tourists, and an indulgent solution to the next sushi craving. With the arrival of Cafe Sushi Nisei this month, its next chapter may well be its most exciting yet.