Masa’s Sushi & Robata Bar

My wife and I discovered this place tonight and it is amazing. Everything was fresh and our server was great. We had the Japanese scallops along with one other special, spicy tuna roll, veg tempura and gyoza. Both of the specials had great taste and texture. Tempura was perfect! Not greasy or mushy like the usual served at other places. We will be regulars here for sure!

Bummed! It was awkward. No music, the menu wasn’t descriptive. The food was gross. Appetizer came after we had finished eating and received the check. Which blows my mind. Because there was only two of us. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant.

The Caltonwood roll was pretty good. Service needs to be improved. Anyway, good trying over there.

Stopped in for some appetizers and drinks (some in our party do not eat sushi so I need to go back to try more for dinner). The food we had (edamame, shrimp tempura, seaweed salad, octopus salad, gyoza, and shrimp robata) were all excellent, and the service was very responsive and polite. Atmosphere was quite and pleasant. Love the place and will definitely come back.

The robata stuff here must be great to earn such high reviews, because the sushi is terrible. Very typical shopping center type stuff. Service was slow as well.
Yuck. I won’t be back.

I was craving some no frills Asian cuisine while I was visiting the area for work one evening. I came across this quaint little gem in a small strip mall in the Panther Creek area of the Woodlands. It definitely seems like its a family run restaurant. The wife was the only waitress and was able to provide quick customer service even though the restaurant became busier the longer I was there. I’m a bit disappointed in my myself because I was wanting to try some of their more authentic Asian dishes. However by the time I got out of work I was in HANGRY mode and just needed to eat something as soon as possible. With a menu that was quite extensive and large, I just went with the basic teriyaki chicken that came with veggies, rice, miso soup, and seaweed salad. I’m not saying it wasn’t delicious… it was!!! I just wish I wouldn’t have made such a quick decision on what my eyes first read on the menu.
The chicken was all white meat chicken, cooked perfectly and seasoned with sesame seeds and a soy glaze. The rice was perfect and the veggies were a mix of edemame’, asparagus, and mushrooms. It was delicious!
I also wanted to point out that it was a very comfortable atmosphere to come eat in here by myself. It was a small area and there is bar seating in front of the sushi station as well.
When I am in the area again I will definitely go back and try other options off their menu.

Ordered rolls, noodle soups, and bento boxes — all we fresh and delicious! The friendliest staff!

I will start by saying that this MUST have been an off day (November 8^th) for Masa’s, however I am unable to know this since it was our first/​last time eating here.
This was my worst dining experience that I can recall. I am rating both the quality of the food we were served and also the service itself. When we first arrived the waitress informed us that it would be 5 – 10 minutes before she could get to us even though it did not seem to be overly busy, she did however point us to a table. Since we have wanted to try this place for a while we figured 10 minutes would be fine. After sitting at our table overhearing many disgruntled customers complaining about the service for nearly 20 minutes, we finally asked a helper (I call him this because he was dressed in street clothes and told us he was not a server) for menus and water. We quickly decided what we wanted, however we were unable to get the attention of the actual server and eventually approached the helper and told him our order. He at some point assured us he relayed our order to the waitress. We then sat and waited for almost an addition hour (not including the nearly 40 minutes it took to even place an order) before we got impatient and asked about our meal. We had both ordered Ramen so had no idea what would be taking so long. Our server also acted very confused when we asked about our order and disappeared back to the kitchen. The helper returned to tell us it would be out very soon. At this point we asked to cancel our order and leave, however we were persuaded to stay (he insisted it would be out in «1 minute»). Us and other customers hear what is obviously the sound of a microwave bell, and sure enough my wife’s Ramen comes out. Another 5 minutes go by, the bell goes off again, and my Ramon comes out. Are they really cooking our $ 12 – 15 Ramon in a microwave!!!
Now to the actual food: WORST Ramen I have ever eaten! I enjoy going to Japanese restaurants for both Ramen and sushi so I am fully aware of what is good or even acceptable and this was not! My wifes Ramen was very fishy smelling and looked like it had been sitting in a bowl for days. My spicy daily special Ramen was INEDIBLE, and I am the opposite of a picky eater. I literally ate a couple bites of my Ramen and could take no more. My wife’s Ramen was also bad, but at least you could force yourself to eat it. Overall I would say that a $ 1 Top Ramen pack is about 100X better quality and I get to microwave it myself.
The only saving grace is when we told them how it was, the cook came out and apologized for the food and took my meal off the ticket.
Sorry Masa’s, I would love to try the food/​service that has given you your 4 star rating so that I may amend my review but I would never subject myself, family or friends to that experience again.

In The Woodlands, my go-​to places for sushi are Masa’s and Fukuda. Masa is a sleepy mom-​and-​pop joint with a real Japanese chef, but don’t judge it by the no-​frill atmosphere. If you like the soy paper rolls, the multiple ingredients fancy rolls, the seared foie gras, this won’t do… Go to Azuma, Kata Robata in Houston. If you don’t want to to drive far and are a sushi purist, simply prepared fish, give Masa a try (it has the same homey feel as Teppay in Houston).
The perfectly prepared rice is what sets Masa apart from the other sushi places; rice cooked and vinegared, not bland, not over flavored, not too sticky, not dry so it falls apart when you pick it up, so pay attention to the rice the next time you are here and see if you can tell the subtle differences! I have been here multiple visits at lunch and dinner, I always order the sushi of the day on the black board and they meet my sushi expectation of freshness and simplicity. I tried several robata appetizers, they are pricey and just ok. Ramen and Katsu Don meet our standard here, while Chicken teriyaki can be a hit/​miss, sometimes good and sometimes too dry and bland.
Food price is same as most Japanese sushi $$$, don’t expect happy hour prices here. Service is typical of mom and pop joint and can be slow. Take your steady here, not first dates! So 5 stars for the sushi, a star removed for the other miss and slow service.

The sushi is some of the best in The Woodlands, the owner is super friendly and helpful! Pricing was great. Specialty rolls named after the locations in The Woodlands were delicious! The other server was a bit distracted, but nothing to fully deter from the experience. Will definitely be going again.

There is a variety of flavor between the different styles of entrees. The sushi is delicious, as is the traditional Japanese udon. We will certainly be back to try some of the other items!

Finally, a real Japanese restaurant. Squid salad was tasty and fresh. Pork ramen was a nice comfort food on this rainy Tuesday evening. Polite service. My first time here… will definitely be back.

I’ve visited several times for lunch and dinner. I like the cultural music, lowkey, quite atmosphere and excellent fresh to order sushi. Lunch specials… try a bento box for a bit of everything.

My boyfriend and I have been here over 25 times over three years and we’ve never been disappointed. This place is amazing and a hidden gem. The staff is very friendly and nice. We both are a huge fan of their California rolls. They don’t use the cheep imitation crab and they’re only $ 5 each. We’re never dissatisfied and will be coming here forever! Love Massas. :] thank you!

The food here is always authentic, high-​quality and delicious. The service is excellent. Would highly recommend to anyone in search of excellent Japanese food in The Woodlands area.

My wife and I go to Masa’s once or twice a month and have for years. Clearly it is the best Japanese food we have found in the Houston area. The sushi is outstanding, we prefer the tuna and salmon. Eat the rice, they really know how to prepare rice!

Sashimi (maguro) was grey and smelled days old. Catepillar roll had pieces of fish smaller than the pieces of rice. Owner assured me the chef tasted and fish was good. Lol. Not my first rodeo. Great Asian diner for a non Asian population.

Thie first thing I will say is our service was wonderful. I’m not sure who our waitress was, but she was extremely kind and very helpful. It was Fat Tuesday. The restaurant was sleepy as many folks were celebrating Mardi Gras that evening.
Sadly, since it was my first time dining at Masa, I played it safe and ordered a California and Spicy Crab roll. I know. I’m cringing typing that. Sorry. I didn’t know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. Everything was delicious.
Now that I’ve checked the place out, I’m excited to sample the fatty tuna, salmon and my favorite, adji. Fingers crossed.
I’m positive this will be my go-​to sashimi and nigiri restaurant. Looking forward to my next culinary adventure in the Woodlands.

The service was slow, and the sushi /​rolls mediocre.
I came in for lunch, which set me back about $ 40 for two rolls and four pieces of sushi. It took a long time to get the order to me even though I was one of three customers in the whole place.
The rolls were sloppy, and did not taste very good to me. The sushi were generous cuts, but the small rice ball was too small.
Overall I was very disappointed. Won’t come back.

I’m really at a loss as to why this place is rated so low. Every time we visit (about once monthly), we rave about the quality of the fish and especially the rice. Masa’s is awesome, if you’re a sushi purist and don’t live for deep fried rolls. We’ve sampled almost the entire nigiri menu and have yet to be disappointed. Saba (mackerel), which we have never previously enjoyed at other establishments, is light and flavorful without being fishy and overpowering. Ika (squid) is scored and lightly braised, resulting in a complex flavor that goes beyond the typically flavorless presentation. Specials of aji (horse mackerel) and o-​toro (fatty tuna) make you drool and praise the sushi gods. Most importantly, the rice is perfection. Masa has sushi rice down to an art and as anyone knows, the rice makes the fish.
If you are a true sushi connoisseur, eat here. It’s great, especially if you use your Japanese manners. If your previous sushi experiences involve cooked, deep fried rolls, this would be an excellent place to expand your horizons and try some authentic nigiri and sashimi.