Ginza Japanese Restaurant   

Its offshoots in Brookline and Watertown get all the press, but Chinatown's Ginza is still the city's premier destination for after-hours sushi. The decor is a little dated (think Tokyo, circa 1990) and the lighting could make Julia Roberts look jaundiced, but such failings are easily forgiven once one samples standouts like spider maki (avocado, cucumber and softshell crab tempura) and Boston Roll (lobster, crab, lettuce and roe). In keeping with its status as Chinatown's first Japanese restaurant, Ginza boldfaces its Japaneseness with kimono-clad waitresses, a tatami room and an encyclopedic selection of sake. Though purists might frown on the menu's pandering to American palates, its authenticity is affirmed by a clientele dense with Japanese expats. Those reluctant to go raw can explore the kitchen's cooked options -- among them a stellar kabayaki-broiled eel and nabemono barbecue engineered to awaken the drowsiest of after-hours diners.