Masu Sushi

My husband and I have been coming here for my birthday (and dates) for 8 years, as it WAS my favorite sushi bar. Not anymore! Bad experience, and less than-​stellar food this time around. Rude management and new «corporate style» policies are not a win in a city with so many amazing independent restaurants.
Big party? Even though we have had multiple conversations about your reservation you made weeks ago, we aren’t going to tell you NO separate checks, 3 debit cards MAX, and you are going to have to have your meal family-​style whether you like it or not, because that’s what they do (we flat out said NO).
Then, our manager will interrupt your dinner and have an embarrassing, rude and awkward conversation with you about the above policies we didn’t notify you of before, yell at your waitress for trying to accommodate you, and not apologize for any of the above no matter how humiliated you feel, EVEN THOUGH YOU WERE NOT EVEN ARGUING.
We will grudgingly give you separate checks (with no notice or apology) after you have completely adjusted your meal based on your FRIENDS cash supply to accommodate the 3 separate payment cards (I don’t know about you, but I can’t just pay for 15 of my closest friends dinners), because the manager just got in your face and told you that they will not do separate checks, and 14 of 15 people didn’t want to get up and use the ATM mid-​dinner.
Birthday? No dessert either! We will just yell «Happy birthday» at you when you are half way down the stairs on your way out. Good thing we asked if this was a special occasion when you called!
And then, to top it off, your avocado sushi will be microscopic and have brown avocado and your ramen will be no better than the higher end packets you get at Uwajimaya.
Addendum: Yes, separate checks are a pain, I’ve waited tables and I get that. BUT, when you are at a «nice» restaurant, customer service is king and it’s much better to have the waitress separate the orders as you go, still add the big-​party gratuity to each «little table», and let us order more food without having to worry about inconveniencing our friends and perhaps (usually) add more to the gratuity for the inconvenience. Better than having 15 people who have been drinking try to do the math correctly and /​or run to the ATM mid-​meal and/​or adjust their eating habits to their friends wallets over what they planned to spend for themselves.
Our WAITRESS was fine. She did her best given the circumstances.
If you don’t tell the party before hand, expect to accommodate them this time and inform them for next time, not come over and lecture them like children and ruin someone’s night.

Went here for dinner, and the atmosphere was just as great as their sushi/​food. Like most others. I found the miso to be a little salty for me. But I still enjoyed it, better than most places I’ve tried. But my girlfriend on the other hand, who is from Japan, said that it’s suppose to be a bit salty, and she loved it. Over all; this place is great for a dinner date, happy hour etc. You can be fancy, or come as you are. I will definitely come back for the sushi!

Excellent customer service, exceptional sushi and the unagi nigiri was mouthwatering! Our server was super knowledgeable about sake and helped both my boyfriend and I find a selection we would be happy with. I went with the Nigori style sake; he went with an exquisite junmai that they poured masu overflow style into a little box. The price was a little bit more than what we usually shoot for but the whole experience was so perfect that it was definitely worth it. You get what you pay for and then some here!

Korean sushi chef. Very nice. Ask him to make some bibimbop! Great food. Friendly

I found the place a bit pricey and very limited options compared to other sushi joints. Now the service was amazing and the food that we did order was absolutely delicious. Our 5 year old gobbled down their miso ramen noodles.

For the price, the ambiance is great! Definitely a cute date spot. We arrived and it was pouring outside, so the little foyet before you go up the stairs to the restaurant was nice so we could dry off before heading up the stairs.
We ordered the cold soba noodles (3 stars), death by sushi roll (5 stars) and the pork belly fried rice (3.5 stars). cold soba noodles had a sauce with the hint of sesame oil. The soba noodles weren’t as smooth and tender as I would have liked. The death by sushi roll had around 10 – 12 pieces and was very good. The pork belly fried rice was quite spicy and had spicy peppers. If you like spicy then that’s great, but it was a bit too spicy for me.
If I came here again, I would only order sushi. However the rolls run around 13 – 16 bucks each.
Overall, for the ambiance, and the 3 dishes, the bill came out to be around $ 51 total. The drinks looked good as well!

So I live in the indigo and decided to give this place a go. I was shocked how amazing their quality of food was. Everything was perfect! Especially their speciality drink the Toyko Drop Love this place!!!

Definitely the best sushi I’ve ever had, and this is coming from someone who’s probably had sushi at over 30 different places in the Southern California area. I thought that this place couldn’t beat the one I went to in San Diego but it did by miles.
Generous slices of fresh fish, well-​textured rice, flavorful ingredients, and friendly chefs make this a perfect experience.
My brother and I felt the prices were high, even by sushi standards, but after eating there we felt the prices were more than fair for the quality, and quantity, of food and elite dining experience.

Great Service! Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. If you want great fish and rolls gotta go to this place!

I’m in love with this place and can’t wait to go back.
The young man at the sushi bar was really friendly and accommodating. He was answering all our questions with a smile and I could tell he cares about giving memorable and exceptional service.
The sushi here is fresh and delicious, esp, the smoked salmon nigiri, yum freaking yum! ;-)
The décor is on the modern side, and the atmosphere is mellow and relaxing.

We ate at Masu tonight and wow! It was delicious. We were with a party of 6 do we tried a lot of things. The sashimi was amazing! We got many rolls that were all amazing. The food was just really good. Our servers name was Dane and he was great! The service all around was top notch. We hadn’t been there in 8 years and it is now my most favorite sushi restaurant in Portland!

It was a first time I visited this place expecting that have Japanese food but they only had sushi. Enough staff but they were very slow. I won’t go again.

Not impressed… all in all pretty uninspiring. Miso good, edamame fine, calamari meh, Kim Chee good, sushi (chef’s special) nothing special, ginger beer ½ bottle… why???
I don’t mind spending $$, but please give me value. $ 60 for a little late night bite, not again!

Holy moly this place was good. Came here with friends after a long day of Christmas shopping on small business Saturday. Friendly staff and the wait wasn’t very long, which was great. We started with fresh oysters and miso soup. Both a hit! We got 6 rolls to share with the table and all were so beautifully crafted and delicious. Their speciality cocktails were a hit as well. High ticket price for sushi but it was worth every penny.

This is a lovely, swanky sushi restaurant with tasty food. The ambiance, service, food and drink all really turned around what had been a not so wonderful night before stopping in here. To start, my Tokyo Drop martini hit the spot, the spicy calamari appetizer was absolutely awesome (order it). It’s very different from other calamaris that I’ve had and writing this makes me want it now. As for the sushi rolls they weren’t rolled the best I’ve ever seen, but they sure made up for that in flavor. Our server recommended a specialty roll for us that had this really interesting taste. It turned out to be an herb we weren’t familiar with and he brought us out a leaf to sample. I’d come back here for sure if I lived in Portland.

Its a little bit dark and a little bit loud at Masu everytime I come here but the sushi makes up for just about anything! Of course the price matches the taste but I would not say the sushi is overpriced, in comparison with other sushi places the prices are fair given how great the sushi is.
I would recommend the lotus if you can’t decide on something, you can’t go wrong with lotus!

I am over the moon for Masu. When I want to treat myself or my friends to dine on beautifully presented, fresh and delicious sushi, this spot is tops. Literally, tops as in be prepared to navigate a steep staircase to come and go. Perhaps there is an elevator but I haven’t seen it so if mobility is an issue, call and confirm its existence.
I love the ambiance; Masu’s décor is elegant and serene. Tables are far enough apart so you feel like you can have a confidential conversation without intrusion from your neighbors. The service is thoughtful and attentive. Me and my friend both were so happy with your menu suggestions, thank you for helping to make her birthday special.
The happy hour is diverse and extensive with respect to both the food and cocktail menu. I wish I could report what we ordered but it disappeared so quickly. The happy hour window disappears quickly as well, 4−6pm.
I would come here every day if my budget permitted because everything is so fabulous. Treat your yourself or take a friend with you. If you go on the weekend after six, consider making a reservation.
2015 — Review # 80

Very, very, very good quality sushi!
My husband and I decided to treat ourselves to our favorite food (yes, you guessed it: sushi) and went here last night for dinner. Out of the blue, because I had not bookmarked this close location to our home, I saw on Unilocal that they had 4 (!) stars with over 150 reviews – that means they are a serious contender for a taste test.
The atmosphere of the restaurant located on the first floor up was wonderfully chill, with large, old, and huge windows welcoming us to sit near the view of the almost leaf-​less trees. We managed to land a table for two (yes, really cosy) next to the window and I was allowed to choose our dinner menu.
We started with the freshest sea vegetable salad, consisting of real seaweed, and the best dressing, sending my tastebuds directly to heaven. I would return for this salad, alone already. When this was followed by the beautiful Transformer, with the smallish taste of sweetness from the roasted angel beets on top (see pic), I was happy to find out there are other very good sushi restaurants in Oregon. The rest of the specialty rolls (Kenzo, Spider, Nemo) did not disappoint either, with the Mt. St. Helens Vulcano bringing a visually enticing finale.
We totally enjoyed ourselves, with a nice accompanying ambiance delivering a warm hus to our evening together.
Definitely coming back here to sample some more fish dishes – even if I have to do that by myself! And I will always have this great memory.

Masu is an exquisite sushi restaurant with a pleasant second floor view, and tasteful interior decorating. We were seated and almost immediately were served water and edemame.
The salmon sashimi was delightful, and fresh. I would also recommend trying the kenzo roll, as it has a little spin on regular rolls with a hint of ginger and ponzu.
I had a great experience there, and will definitely be coming back for the relaxing atmosphere and incredible food.

So my girlfriend and I were originally set on dinner at Duh Koh Bee in Beaverton (which is just amazing) but we were pressed on time and there was a long line, so we zipped into Portland to find something else and looked up late-​night sushi on Unilocal– Masu came up at the top of the list and was nearby.
Summary: we spent $ 55 on about $ 15 worth of sushi (7 thin slices of albacore and two modestly portioned rolls) and a seaweed salad. They were playing loud alt/​metal/​rock towards closing, which seemed out of place. It’s nice that they were open late but I was glad i still had some leftover pizza at home to fill the void that was left by Masu. Yes, I understand the fish was fresh, but by comparison Mio sushi, Yuki’s, or Saburo (all of which also have fresh fish) you can feast like a king at the prices Masu is asking.

I ordered take out from here since it’s just downstairs from my temporary housing. It was the perfect choice for my last meal before going back to work! Usually takeout sushi isn’t the best, based on my experience, but this was just as fresh and delicious as sitting at the sushi bar. The miso soup was comforting and I also loved the pickled veggies and sauce that came with them. I got the Japanista roll and it had the perfect amount of spice. Having just returned from Japan, I am more of a sushi snob than ever, but this place exceeded expectations!

This place is over hyped. We came here to celebrate a friend’s job promotion, we all ordered drinks a couple of appetizers and I had one of their signature rolls. I can only speak for my orders. I had the calamari and the japonista roll. The calamari was tasty with a interesting spicy garlic sauce, but the menu advertised it as sautéed calamari and the calamari was in fact breaded and fried and then sautéed with the sauce. I wasn’t really interested in the breading (which was soggy) and I think it would have tasted a lot better had it just been sautéed pieces of squid. Moving on to the japonista roll. It was very fresh am but the overall texture was also soggy, the rice was overcooked and mushy and I couldn’t distinguish any particular flavor out of it.
The place is nice and is located close to a bunch of parking which is validated at one garage. However, our waiter was a snob and insisted on touching all of our plates and the lip of my glasses and the lip of my plate without explaining why he was touching everything. I have worked in fine dining and find that disgusting and unprofessional, I don’t care if you’re trying to move my plates. Just ask!

Not sure I agree with some of the bad reviews here. The price is something you should know when you walk in, so complaining about it after the fact seems kind of lame. Moreover, when I eat sushi, high quality and fresh fish is my priority, and paying a bit more to ensure that is well worth it.
I went with the 9 piece chef’s choice nigiri, with sea vegetables, while the wife had the smoked black cod with saikyo vinegar and pickled ginger blossom. We both loved our food. I’m not a huge mixed drink person, but I had the «Hello Kitty» (served with a smirk from the waitress…) which is described as fresh blackberry purée shaken with vodka and lemon-​lime juice served on the rocks. Wasn’t the most potent drink, but was pretty tasty.
Masu has a lounge-​like feel, with a casual seating area, «regular» tables, and a sushi bar. The restaurant entrance is at street level but the actual facility is on the 2^nd floor so you’re off the street in a nice, quiet part of an otherwise busy neighborhood. It ain’t cheap, but coming from Los Angeles, Masu was a pretty decent bargain from my perspective.

I’ve been here two days in a row now. And while the sushi here isn’t cheap, the fish, ambiance and staff are 5 star.
I came back here specifically for the uni. It was sourced locally from Coos Bay — a slightly sweeter and less mushy version of the sea urchin sourced from Santa Barbara (where most west coast sushi joints source sea urchin).
Oh and did I mention that they only use real wasabi. So good!

Solid 5 Stars… I don’t hand these out often.
Chef made me a couple of special roles. That’s what I like about sitting at the bar. I can talk to the chef and tell him what I like then have them surprise me.
First role, which is pictured, was his sweet shrimp roll with crab on the inside.
Second had spicy crab inside and ahi tuna and avacado on top.
Great conversation with chefs, great atmosphere, great food.
Also found out that chef is like the train the trainer of sushi chefs up and down the west coast.

I always come here for Sushi when in Portland. Easy going atmosphere, and always find it easy to enjoy my dinner. Servers and bar tenders are always willing to offer food suggestions and know how to deliver great service.
Sushi is excellent, one of my favorite spots in the country.

Awesome chirashi bowl with real wasabi grated!
The only downside is the bowl is pricey at $ 28
The happy hour specials aren’t that great of discount but the quality of the food makes up for it! The eggplant dish was also amazing.
They have an extensive rare sake list and the ambience is nice with great dining lighting!
The sushi chefs have great techniques and the sashimi is very fresh. Only wish they had uni in the chirashi… apparently depends on the chefs mood and we only had tuna and hamachi…
Value 2.5÷5 hate it when they charge for tea
Atmosphere 4.5÷5
Service ³⁄₅
Quality ⁵⁄₅
¹⁵⁄₂₀