Masa

Simply Divine!

by Chubby Restaurant Goer at Citysearch

Ok, those reviewers crying about the price, just go home and cry to your mom. The very concept of this restaurant is that the best food is priceless. And this is the best sushi I ever tasted in my life. Maybe one day I'll go to Japan and find another place better and cheaper but if you live in the states, this is it. Service is impeccable as expected. I did not see Chef Masa but the chef I got is quite passionate about the food. I was chatting with my friend and the chef interrupted me, "Please eat, getting cold!" He would even show you how to eat (with hands) or when to use soy sauce and/or ginger. Sitting at the sushi bar, you can witness these chefs transform these fresh ingredients into works of art of sight and taste. If you enjoy food, sushi counter seating is a must, but if you rather talk with your mate then I would recommend table seating. The question to ask is not if it's worth it, but is there another restaurant like this or better. If so, please let me know.

Bucket List Restaurant

by huskyduck at Citysearch

There are all kinds of restaurants that we all love. There are the familiar, close to home places that have a high comfort level. There are special occasion places you treat yourself to maybe once a year or so. There are even destination restaurants, those where you literally plan a trip around that require maybe getting in an airplane. And then there are those places that are the elite of the elite, what we might call Bucket List Restaurants. These are the places a true foodie must make a pilgrimage to before she/he dies. Masa is on the Bucket List.

It all starts out with the environment. Much thought is given to one's senses as they approach and enter the restaurant. Calm, serene, inviting. Then the service must be absolutey first class. Check. The food itself must be the best available in the world. This is guaranteed at Masa. The fish you eat here comes from all over the world. Land foods, the same. And of course, the skill of Masa himself. You could be served by Masa in a truck stop with fish from the local grocery store and it would still rise above. However, when a master like Masa is allowed to define and then bring into reality his idea of what it means to dine omakase style in Heaven, the ending result is Masa.

Big Rip off

by ek1023 at Citysearch

Big ripped off! $450 per person plus tax & tips.... U don't even know what you are getting, but just some cheap fish, don't even think about any Wagyu beef ($125 more for few slices), foi gras, nor blow fish!

Compare to Urasawa in Beverly Hills, Masa supposes to be better and more expectation because Masa was the "teacher" of Hiroyuki, the main chef of Urasawa! We expected more from Masa such as blow fish sashimi, Wagyu beef, shabu shabu foi gras, etc. The price @ Urasawa with all the above is just $275 plus tax and tips. For now, $450 per person @ Masa, we are getting nothing from above and worse. Disappointingly, Uwasawa is way more worth of the price for the food compare to his teacher "Masa".

Will NOT recommended this restaurant to anyone! Masa is just a name and nothing more! This restaurant does not worth any single penny of what they are asking for.

Awful service

by Hclynn1 at Citysearch

I wanted to fly to New York for my fiance's birthday in September and take him to Masa as a surprise. The restaurant only accepts reservations one month out but I called prior to August as I needed to book our plane tickets (or make other arrangements if necessary). I called in late July and talked to the receptionist, explaining the plans I was making and asking if I could make a reservation for the specific day in September. It wouldn't be confirmed until I called back in August but I was told it wouldn't be a problem at all. I went ahead and bought our plane tickets. I called the restaurant on the first day of August and they confirmed my reservation.

I was then told that the restaurant would actually be closed on the day I wanted to dine there (and closed for a week, so I couldn't go back the next day or anything). I was mad that they took my reservation before telling me this (knowing full well that I was flying out for the meal). I wanted a discount if I made a reservation in the future during my next NYC trip but they refused (and never returned several of my phone calls).

Not at all the service I'd expect from a restaurant like this.

Amazing experience, like no other

by allisont at Citysearch

Never thought I'd dine here, because I like sushi but always thought the difference between good and great sushi would elude me, so why waste the money? Enter a family member with a debt to repay to my husband, and next thing you know we're eating at Masa.

I've done all the NYtimes **** and Michelin *** in New York and found Masa to be exceptional even by multiple-star standards. The service was excellent, and I was impressed to see an Anglo female waitperson at a high-end Japanese joint - a first for me. We started with six appetizer courses (three cold, three hot), about 20 pieces of sushi and a light fruit dessert. All the food but especially the fish was sublime. The chef uses toro like other restaurants use parsley, and there were meltingly good hunks of it throughout the meal. We also had lots of summer truffles, shaved into some dishes, and even wrapping a piece of fish during the extended sushi course. We all left satiated but not overstuffed.

The only downside is the price. Our meal was $450 per person (low end of the $400-600 stated on the website). Wines by the glass were an extortionate $19 each, and the least expensive bottle was $80. I'm sure our generous host didn't see much change from $3000. for our table of four.

• Pros: Fabulous, fabulous food
• Cons: Price