Masa

Nader Al-Naji

Sat at the counter. Incredible experience. Favorite dishes were: 1. Taro tartare with caviar. Every restaurant I've been to tries to upselm you caviar at exorbitant prices and then is stingy with it. Here it's just part of the menu and it is an extremely generous portion, and paired with the best cut of tuna. 2. Omi wagyu and truffles. Omi is the best cut of the agyu called the emperors beef because it was saved for the emperor. But the emperor never had truffles on it. What. Surprisingly good combination. 3. The rest was a tasting menu of pieces of sushi and every one was really good. 4. The Japanese melon was special. Sometimes they have a strawberry. Either way it's the same place that gives erewhon their $19 strawberry. We skipped lunch to fully enjoy it but it wasn't a crazy amount of food. Felt happily full after. If it's your anniversary or birthday you get some lady M cake at the end, which was great. Otherwise the only dessert is the melon so you can even plan to go have dessert somewhere after if you didn't want to have lady M. Overall I feel like the innovativeness of the caviar and truffle dishes will be lost on more casual diners but those two make the price tag pretty worth it in my opinion.

LIA

We celebrated our anniversary at Masa Hinoki Counter. The food and service were both excellent, and the experience was very enjoyable overall, although I wasn’t able to eat as much as I would have liked. At times, the atmosphere was somewhat lively due to other guests, and I had hoped for a calmer, more reflective ambiance.

Sharonuz Obanastasija

Ultra-luxury omakase sushi experience near Columbus Circle with pristine fish and an intimate, serene counter seating. Service is impeccable and the chef’s choices feel like an art form. It’s extremely expensive, but for sushi enthusiasts, it’s one of those bucket-list meals that lives up to the hype.

T. V.

I visited Masa for lunch at a time when it held three Michelin stars, and it remains one of the most formative dining experiences I have ever had. I was seated at the sushi counter with my own sushi chef, which created an intensely focused and almost meditative atmosphere. The quality of the fish, the precision of the technique, and the absolute calm and confidence of the chefs were extraordinary. I paired the courses with carefully chosen spirits, which complemented the progression of the meal beautifully. What made this experience truly exceptional was how fundamentally it changed my understanding of sushi. After that lunch, I finally understood what top-level sushi is truly meant to be. It became a benchmark against which I have measured every other sushi experience since — and very few have come close. The craftsmanship, restraint, and purity of flavour were simply outstanding. One minor drawback was that a couple seated nearby ignored the strict no-photography policy and took photos throughout the meal. Unfortunately, this was not addressed by staff, which slightly disrupted the otherwise disciplined and serene atmosphere. That aside, the experience was phenomenal. The price point was undeniably high, but at this level — and based on my experience with three-star restaurants — it felt fully justified. At the time, Masa unquestionably deserved its three Michelin stars.

Robert W. Reeder IV

When my wife informed me we were sitting at the counter for my birthday & paying $950/head, admittedly I was a bit skeptical. Any doubt I had was quickly removed. Our experience at Masa was spectacular. It was—quite literally—the best meal I’ve ever had. Each piece of sushi is carefully curated & the flavor profiles will blow you away. The wood they burn to sear the fish is imported from Japan, giving each seared piece of sushi a flavor you won’t find anywhere else in the United States. I can’t speak highly enough about this place… like I said… it was literally the best meal I’ve ever had

Habib Al Mulla

High end authentic Japanese restaurant. It is a fixed price menu and it is not cheap probably one of the most expensive restaurants in New York. But the quality is high. Some of the best sushis that you may find in New York. Some of the dishes however were not to my like. It could be a personal taste. Decor and ambience is authentic and pleasant. Service was excellent. They have no photographic policy which I find to be unrealistic and meaningless.

+6

Jasonn Denard

Bar Masa offers a great space to enjoy a really good meal. I had the Sushi Assortment which featured the chefs choice of various cuts. I also enjoyed a salad and a shrimp tempura roll. The server was very attentive to my needs, even though she was very busy with a neighboring table who had trouble ordering, though no fault of the server or establishment. At one point my server was kind enough to send another server to my table to assist since she was caught up at that table for a longer period of time. Over all, Bar Masa is a great place to visit. The location allows you to eat and then shop all without ever leaving and e steering the cold!

Kiwi Ki

Masa delivers an exquisite, ultra-refined dining experience—easily one of the most elegant sushi meals you can find in the U.S. The ingredients are exceptional, the flavors are clean and precise, and the presentation shows an unmistakable level of craftsmanship. Certain courses, like the toro, uni, and seasonal sashimi, truly stand out as world-class. That said, for the price point—which is among the highest in Manhattan—I found myself wishing for just a bit more emotional impact in a few courses. The execution is undeniably top-tier, but not every bite felt as memorable as the very best sushi experiences worldwide. Still, Masa remains an exceptional restaurant and a must-try for anyone seeking a high end omakase in New York. A beautiful experience with impeccable technique—just shy of perfection, but absolutely worth visiting at least once.

Decent service but not exceptional. The sushi is okay but can’t justify its price. Had much better omakase experience at one third of its price.

First let’s talk ambience. Cramped and bar atmosphere. If you want a more private setting do not dine here. The food in my opinion was average. The oysters with a hint of their own cucumber vinaigrette was the best part of the meal. The sushi in my opinion was overpriced for the quality. It’s fine just not anything special. Oseki’s in Vail Colorado is superior. Or Sushi of Gari in NYC. Not impressed. Service was excellent but that is the gold standard for NYC. This is definitely a one and done.

Peter Glickman

1. Note there are 2 restaurants conflated here - Masa, a super high end omakase restaurant, possibly the most expensive in the city, and Bar Masa, a related lower end (although still good), creative menu’d more casual place. This is review is for the latter, because they are not listed separately by Google maps. 2. Bar Masa used to be a favorite sleeper restaurant of mine, with many relatively reasonable very creative tasty dishes (e.g. delightful fish-based pasta with no wheat, roasted uni in its shell, fois gras peking duck tacos, etc). On my last visit yesterday, however, the food portions were smaller, the quality not as high, and in some cases the prices higher. E.g. the shishito pepper were bland, and the sashimi was woefully scant and only medium quality. Another fallen hero. Sigh.

Zachary Dennett

Undeniably good sushi. But, Bar Masa proved to me that sushi quality can only rise so far, while the price can rise seemingly uncapped. The sushi is on par with a few other sushi spots in NYC. On a per dollar level of enjoyment, many other NYC sushi spots do better. The restaurant was unexpectedly brisk on timing. They told us as we sat down we had only 90 minutes. (Had not mentioned when we called to make the reservation). They then relatively unceremoniously pushed us to leave the table 90.0 minutes after our reservation. The sushi sampler had some great pieces. I would have preferred the role was something with fish rather than boring vegetables. The duck tacos were great.

+1

The quality of the food and the level of service were undeniably excellent. However, one very important issue significantly affected the overall experience. Although the pricing at this restaurant already includes gratuity, this was never clearly explained or communicated to us in advance. As a result, we added an additional tip after the meal, which led to nearly $600 being paid in gratuity alone. At this level of fine dining, clear disclosure about whether gratuity is included is essential, especially for international guests. This is not a minor detail and should be explicitly communicated before or during the dining experience. The issue is not the price itself, but rather the lack of transparency, which ultimately left a disappointing impression. For those considering a visit, I strongly recommend confirming the gratuity policy beforehand.

Syming Hwang

The sushi is good but not excellent. I have the same level of sushi in Japan at a quarter of price. The chef serving me does not know Japan. Only thing he says is the name of the sushi fish, not any other details of the fish. I asked for mocha, but they didn’t have. There are chefs chatting for a long time. The decoration looks old. The hinoki counter maybe the only one that can be a little bit special. Anyway, I was disappointed to this Michelin three star restaurant.

Jarred Abel

My wife and I dined last night at Masa. Our experience was very disappointing. Certainly our expectations were high given Masa’s reputation and 3 Michelin Star status. Regardless, our dinner fell significantly short of enjoyable. The food itself was quite underwhelming. There was much to be desired in flavor, mainly in the appetizer courses (the sushi was very good, but not outstanding). Additionally, presentation of each dish wasn’t noticeably creative. The coordination and delivery of our sake was very poor. Our server unintentionally poured the bottle’s cap into my glass and immediately took the glass away (which still had a full pour of the expensive sake in it). Only after a few minutes did I ask what happened to the glass, not wanting it wasted, did the server suggest he make it up to us by providing 2 complimentary glasses of a higher end sake. On the next pour, he almost repeated the mistake of pouring the cap in the glass again. Furthermore, the delivery of our second bottle of sake wasn’t efficiently executed. The delay led to 2 courses being served without our ability to pair with our sake. During the dinner, my wife attempted to use the restroom, but was told to remain seated since the facilities were in use, not wanting her to wait around standing. After around 15-20, she requested again to use the restroom since no one had bothered to update her that the restroom was free to use, which it probably had been for quite some time. For all of these aforementioned reasons, we are quite displeased with our visit. And not to mention the price tag of $750/person, we would expect near perfection in every aspect of a 3 Michelin star dining experience.