Masa

08/03/09

Amazing experience, like no other

by allisont

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

06/09/09

Superb

by Dior46

The restaurant is small but seating is limited so the tables and the sushi counter is pretty spacious. The decor is simple but elegant. My boyfriend and I sat at the counter for dinner for his bday. We had six appetizers and 22+ pieces of sushi each and of course dessert. Each course was unique in its own way and delicious. There was not one course I was disappointed in. The service was phenomenal. They were very attentive and accomodating. At the end of the sushi part of the meal, the chef offered extra pieces of our favorites. On top of our desserts they gave my boyfriend a green tea cake for his bday. I'm not sure about what other reviewers are saying but they may have confused Masa with Bar Masa or another restaurant entirely. The whole experience was intimate and unique. It is very pricey but worth experience at least once.

• Pros: Unique experience
• Cons: Price

11/25/08

this is one of my fav. high end restaurants in the ny

by hermanplum

This is one of my favorite high end restaurants in The City. A little advice,....go in with no expectation, an open mind, time to spare, and money in your pocket. And hats off to the management, kitchen, & staff for all around excellence.

• Pros: food'service,management
• Cons: --

10/28/08

best sushi ever not in Japan

by PierangeloLanfranchi

I can only say that this was an incredible experience.

I have been 3 times to Japan and had the pleasure to have dined in some of the best places and Masa is really up there with them.

Five star experience from the reception ,service and food second to none.

I have been in the culinary industry all my life and this is as good as it gets.

Toro tartare with caviar :incredible and so many other dishes I cannot list cause the list would be too long.

Well done Masa you deserve my respect and admiration and I will be back

• Pros: Great experience
• Cons: none

03/19/08

maybe I was a little overhyped...but it was still a great experience

by PJHJ

This was my first time at Masa. No doubt the food was amazing.

And in contrary to some of the other reviews, I felt the staff were very attentive and professional.

The chef went out of his way to please us as well. Consistently trying to make us pieces the way we liked it.

Even after the dinner, he was standing by at his counter until we left the restaurant.

All in all, considering the name and price, I don't think it blew me away enough though. But I really think it was because I was way too overhyped.

Nevertheless, I still think it is worthwhile for everyone to experience this restaurant at least once in their dining career.

• Pros: Amazing food and sushi. Great attentive chef and staff.
• Cons: In economics term...the "utility return on value" was not up to par.

11/18/07

disappointing

by evillagefoodie

Took me forever to get a reservation for a Tuesday night, and then there is only one other table seated for dinner service the whole night in an otherwise empty restaurant.. So their reservation policy is BS first of all. Secondly the food was only OK.. it was good sushi but not for $800 per person (after food, wine and tip).. I have had just as good or better sushi for a fraction of the price elsewhere in this city. Over all it did not live up to the hype nor the price. Was a big let down :(

• Pros: Very good service
• Cons: wayyyy overpriced for what it is

03/02/07

great! period.

by vernamilkos

After my great hair experience at Rodolfo Valentin Salon, and willing to show how beautiful my hair was to the entire world, we ( my husband and I) enjoyed one of the best meals of our life at Masa. It is the most romantic and elegant place to have a gourmet feast!.

• Pros: great
• Cons: very expensive

02/24/07

A rather bland and boring experience

by jkritic

Toto noto. Is this the Masa everyone raves about. Unlike some others the concierge at Mandarin got the two of us a reservation in less than 24 hours. We had no problems with the desk getting seating. Then our extraordinary experience began. It was a unfortunate. The food was dreadful. One expects these prices in New York. But really.

Time to wake up folks. Does he fly it in from Borneo on an A380? The service was inconsistent. The tables are too close. The lighting is terrible. In brief, it's like eating in a Mall in New Jersey. Time to start a new, small restaurant. Sayanora sushi Masa.

• Pros: Let me think. Steps from the hotel. You don't have to go out into Manhattan. Is that a plus?
• Cons: Steps from the hotel. In a mall. Poor food and service. You don't have to go out into Manhattan.

10/09/06

Once in a lifetime, twice if you can afford it...

by gildedtruffle

They had confirmed my reservation for 2 at the sushi bar (which is supposed to be a completely different experience than the tables) to find out that there was a mistake on their behalf when we showed up, we were met with a smile and an apology then a suggestion to make the reservation for another day. This is customer service?? Mind you this was a very special birthday occasion... and we are not about to wait another year. So they sat us at the "best table in the restaurant", which was nice but NOT what I had reserved. We sat at the table for what seemed to be an eternity (15 min) waiting for something to happen. Now keep in mind, I was not expecting a "comped meal", however I would think for a restaurant of this calibre it wouldn't be unusual for them to maybe send a drink or two on the house. It was not until chef Masa took notice of the very unhappy couple that the manager researched the botch up, saw that we actually DID have a reservation at the sushi bar (it just wasn't "logged" as such) and tried to smooth it over by offering us the sushi counter as it became available which ended up being midway through our meal.

Sitting at the sushi bar was a completely different experience. Chef Masa was incredible, the food was exquisite, the service staff very attentive. The highlights of the evening.. the toro tartar with caviar, fugu sashimi, foie gras and lobster shabu shabu, more fugu, more toro. The roles kept coming, served straight from chef Masa's hand and onto our plates. What sets Masa apart from say Nobu or Morimoto is the intimacy. You truly feel like you are apart of something special. Other than the botched reservation and total lack of customer service by the managerial staff (he DID apologize), the night was a once in a lifetime ($1,200.00 with sake and tip) experience.

• Pros: seasonal ingredients, very intimate, celebrity chef that actually works in restaurant
• Cons: price, price, price... reservations are a gamble

08/15/06

TERRIBLE SERVICE

by aacuna

A friend and I popped in for a quick drink. The bartender was completly rude and standoffish. We ordered a bottle of wine and some appetizers. While my friend took a sip of her wine the glass broke in her mouth! The bartender did not apologize and the manager came over to help smooth out the situation. Instead of making everything better the manager made it worse! She thought it was a good idea to pour the wine from the broken glass into another wine glass! It was obvious that broken shards of glass were being transfered - I immediatly told her to throw it out. I was completely surprised to see their lack of customer service and common sense! The bartender and the manager did not offer a new bottle of wine, a round of sushi or to comp the wine we did not drink! I can't believe how terrible my experience was at Masa. NYC has a thousand other places with BETTER service, BETTER food, BETTER atmosphere and BETTER character!