Masa Japanese Restaurant & Bar

Unfortunately this experience didn’t live up to expectations for us, especially for a $170 bill. We were excited to try the food, but most dishes were quite disappointing. The beef tataki tasted a bit unusual compared to others we’ve had before, and the sashimi didn’t seem very fresh as it had a noticeable smell. Even the wasabi didn’t taste very fresh either.nnThe soft shell crab was definitely the highlight of the meal and something we enjoyed. Overall, we just felt the quality didn’t quite match the price point, which was a shame.

Food is really good quality, fresh! The chef takes care on perfect cooking and presenting, so this is not a fast food restaurant. It is meant to share, so dishes comes on the table one after another and you can nicely chat with your company. Seating area and the location itself could be nicer, but hey for us it is about the food and this they nailed well.

The food was delicious and we enjoyed the flavors. However, the dishes came out quite slowly, we were there from 7 to 9. We were a group of four, and the portions were just enough to feel satisfied. Overall, a nice experience but the service speed could be improved.

We went to Japan and always loved our time and experience at their restaurants.nnThe menu has a lot of options, we ordered half portion of grilled A5 wagyu, kingfish sashimi and tuna onion pot for a light evening eat.nnOur chef curated the meat beautifully and the cuts were art pieces to be enjoyed, the grill was perfect as well.nThe soy sauce to the hot pot the flavours were just right, which I can’t say for every sushi restaurant.nnI read about these small hidden shops in Japan that holds their own, Masa might well be one of these we are lucky to still have in Auckland.nnThis restaurant has no fancy talkative chef or IG grabbing dish, but it grabbed our taste buds like very few restaurants managed to in Auckland, it brought us back to Japan.nnI saw some negative posts about here, I think the expectation could be reset before coming in that you are here amongst people dedicated to top quality food and low-key satisfaction.

Authentic Japanese cuisine made by a Japanese chef. The quality of the food was great, the atmosphere was genuine. However, the service staff might need to pay more attention to details. Overall, the experience and quality were fine, but I sense the prices were a little high considering the location and offerings, etc. A solid 4-star restaurant and worth a visit.

Directions to Masa Japanese Restaurant & Bar with public transportation

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