Ebisuya, a well-known Japanese market and café in Medford, Massachusetts, has reopened with a new culinary focus, blending Japanese and Italian flavors in a unique fusion concept. The establishment, which closed in 2025 due to the demolition of its original building, is now operating as a Japanese-Italian restaurant under the continued management of Kyoko and Kevin Hiromoto, with chef Ryuichi Douglas Gray joining the team.
The restaurant’s evening menu features both traditional sushi and inventive pizzas topped with ingredients such as wagyu beef, onion-truffle jam, arugula, and wasabi soy sauce. Seasonal offerings include a “Jack-o-miso” pizza with kabocha squash, miso, and bacon, alongside the popular chicken katsu pizza that combines fried chicken cutlets, shredded cabbage, bechamel sauce, and traditional tonkatsu and Kewpie mayonnaise. Despite its unconventional approach—acknowledged by Kyoko Hiromoto as diverging from Italian pizza norms—the fusion dishes have resonated well with patrons.
Ebisuya’s menu also highlights classic Japanese pasta dishes inspired by "itameshi," a genre of Japanese-Italian fusion cuisine that originated during the post-World War II era when American surplus food influenced Japanese cooking. Dishes include Napolitan spaghetti with sweet tomato sauce, peppers, onions, and ham; mentaiko spaghetti in a creamy cheese sauce with spicy pollock roe and shiso; and miso carbonara with chashu pork and egg yolk. The restaurant also serves doria, a rice gratin dish combining béchamel and Bolognese sauce, reflecting Japanese adaptations of Western comfort food.
The concept of itameshi, which draws on Italian ingredients tempered for Japanese tastes, gained popularity in Japan during the 1980s as increased travel and chef exchanges between Japan and Europe expanded culinary influences. In recent years, itameshi has expanded beyond Japan, with restaurants specializing in the genre appearing in the United States, reflecting growing American interest in Japanese comfort food.
Ebisuya’s daytime offerings include shokupan, a Japanese milk bread made on-site since 2020, along with chicken katsu and egg salad sandwiches, bento boxes, and onigiri filled with traditional ingredients like salmon and spicy tuna.
The restaurant also emphasizes community and culture, continuing its legacy as a local gathering spot. The decision to incorporate Italian cuisine, including pizza, partly stemmed from the acquisition of the space formerly occupied by an Italian eatery equipped with a large pizza oven.
Ebisuya is located at 24 High Street in Medford. Prices range from $17 to $30 for pizza and $19 to $24 for pasta and doria, with desserts priced between $8 and $12.50. Reservations and more information are available on their website.