4. Restaurants

Masu Sushi

406 SW 13th Ave,Ste 202, Portland, OR, 97205
  • (503) 221-6278
  • Store is closed

Masu Sushi Menu

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  • Seattle C.

    This place has great reviews but my friends and I had a bad experience. The positive about this place is the decor. Now the downside. The service was bad. No one greeted us when we went in. We stood up front for a good 5 to 10 minutes before anyone made eye contact with us. The drink service was slow. The calamari was salty to the point that you can't eat it. We sent it back and it came back less salty, but it was still salty. The rolls were OK. The Japanese curry was OK. I mostly just ate the rice. I would not recommend this place to anyone.

    (1)

  • Nai S.

    The best sushi in Portland!. Even though this place is expensive it if worth it for anyone who wants to try some quality sushi once in a while. The yakisoba is delicious there also. Pros: Best sushi in Portland Cons: Pricey Sidenote: The bathroom is amazing! it was the first restaurant to have one of those new Japanese hand air dryers that you reach your hand into and blows your hands dry as you pull out!

    (5)

  • Gerry D.

    had sushi here aqnd was told it was one of the better sushi joints for portland. i was not too impressed although not bitterly disappointed either. The sashimi was ok. i think I i would have come in on some other day besides tuesday i would have had a better experience. they were out of many of the items on the menu that seemed most intriguing. Perhaps a friday or saturday stint would get me access to the whole menu.

    (3)

  • Kody L.

    Masu is creative and unique in the Portland sushi scene. The modern decor was well thought-out from the interesting hand dryer in the bathrooms (you put your hands down into an enclosed space and draw your hands towards yourself) to the live DJ and bar layout. The sushi is great and I love that I can rely on Masu to be good every time. It's in a nice location if you're planning a night out downtown and a highly recommended destination if you're trying to impress out-of-town guests. Recommendations: Try a cocktail Get the Japanista roll Explore the space.

    (5)

  • Belly R.

    The atmosphere is sleek and chic, the service is decent, and the location next to Cacao makes dessert a no-brainer. The sushi is artful and delicious but 20-50% more expensive than the competition. This is a good place for dates, happy hour, and business lunches or dinners. Parking can be a pain, so plan on walking a block or two during peak hours. Accessing the restaurant involves going up a steep flight of stairs, so this is not a place to take the aging population or friends with bum knees.

    (4)

  • Alexander D.

    YES the price tag is higher than most but I think you REALLY do get what you pay for - the place was great! and by great I mean awesome sushi, amazing enviroment, views and the staff are REALLY friendly. Drinks, OMG good sh#t - next trip to portland will include another stop here!

    (4)

  • David M.

    very good quality sushi. nice size nigiri. creative rolls (though perhaps a little too creative? some of the flavors don't go well together, in my opinion). good atmosphere/location. not quite 5 stars because the servers tend toward a bit of an attitude.

    (4)

  • Kellie P.

    I liked everything about this hip little spot in the City of Bridges. 2 friends and I sat in the little lounge next to the huge picture windows, overlooking the busy street downward.. I liked the whole feeling this place provides. The bar was really good looking. Our server had really cute multi colored hair, super sweet gal. She offered to let us order rolls that are typically not offered in the lounge (due to space). Everything was uber yummy. The rolls were fat and fresh. The hot sake they offer is pretty decent as well... Not the BEST, but def not the worst. Yep.

    (4)

  • Kimberly F.

    Maybe it's the lack of good seafood...or food in general...on the coast that gave me this weird craving for sushi while visiting Portland. I was determined to have good sushi, and after some recommendations, my husband and I headed over to Masu. (The fact that Cacao is located right next to it was an added bonus...but that's another review...) After spending all day soaking in the touristy happenings around Portland, we were hungry. We ordered miso soup and Tokyo wings to start with, and then two rolls (Lotus and Nemo). The miso soup was pretty standard. Nothing special, but good. The Tokyo wings were surprisingly amazing. They were sweet and spicy and lighter than regular wings...and just...awesome. LOVED them! The rolls were impressive, too. The Lotus roll was incredible. RIDICULOUS! I could eat this pretty much everyday. The Nemo roll was also good, just not my favorite. The best part is that everything tasted so fresh...a definite requirement for a sushi joint. I should also mention that I had the best Mojito I've ever had at this place! Our server was very attentive and helpful with recommendations, not only of what to order, but what else to do around the lovely city of Portland. I definitely recommend checking out Masu.

    (4)

  • Evan R.

    I liked Masu a fairly cool and hip vibe eminated from the place as you walked in, which sometimes does not equal the best of sushi. But as we seated ourselves at the bar the place seemed pretty lively and business was humming. Plates where whizing out of the kitchen and what we saw looked really good. We ordered a nice selection of Nigiri, rolls, some sashimi and cucumber salad. The Bartender took in all down said shouldn't be too long beers later we were looking for our food. The bartender appologized and spent some time tracking down our order which eventually was found but had yet to be filled. So they quickly got us the salad some, other nibbles and got the sushi to us with in 15 minutes. The bartender comped us the whole dinner we just paid for the beers. We weren't even that upset, just hungry and a bit tipsy at that point. We have eaten at actual tables the last two times we have gone and had no mix ups what so ever. The sushi is always quite good. They have some pretty creative rolls and the sashimi is always quite good. Though we have been tempted by some of the regular items we have yet to order anything but the sushi. I would rank this place in my top 5 Portland Sushi haunts.

    (4)

  • Graham B.

    We were looking for fancy/romantic. TM also has a love of sushi that knows no bounds. Thus: Masu. I felt like I was going into someone's upstairs apartment via a side door upon first entering. A long stairwell that pops you up right at eye level with the host desk. But then it opens up into a sushi bar/bar/dining room configuration with a lovely bank of windows looking into the 2nd floor of the building across the street. Oh, and the lovely autumn leaves on this particular occasion. We sat by the window and ordered a couple cocktails. More accurately, we ordered some very strong drinks. Mine: Jesse's Girl (Suntory whiskey, Monopolowa, olives) and hers: a mixture of fresh kiwi and liquor. Both were quite good. I almost went with a mixture of Clear Creek pear brandy and pear puree. Next time. Two rolls of large proportions later (one of them named "Death by Sushi"), and we were strangely full. The edamame at the beginning probably didn't hurt. Mixtures of unagi and avocado and spicy sauces are always good in my book, and Masu crafted them rather well. Their other specialty rolls were rife with interesting combinations that intrigued me. It was no conveyor belt sushi price point, but then again even though it's the same basic food, this is a completely different ballgame. Quality assured. And creativity a plus.

    (4)

  • Mark R.

    Hit this place up on a Saturday at 5:00 hoping to take advantage of their happy hour. Ambiance and service was excellent. The sushi was good to very good. The Salmon, Tuna and Yellow Tail nigiri was fantastic....the Salmon melted in your mouth. We had a St Helens Roll and a Japanista...both were good, but I've had better...especially for the price. This is the killer for me....this place is a grip. Even during Happy Hour two of us racked up a bill of $100.00 pretty quickly and we really didn't eat all that much. I think the food at Yuki's and even Crazy Sushi in Sherwood (which was a pleasant surprise) is as good or even better for about 30% cheaper. You're really paying for location here, imo. I'd come back, but only for happy hour and only if I was doing something in the area that evening. I can't say I'd make a special trip for Masu. A few more things. The drinks are great here....healthy pours and like i said earlier, great service. We were told by out waiter Joshua, that Wednesdays and Saturdays are when they get their fish in, so that's when you get the best quality. And lastly, avoid the Toro....I love a good piece fatty tuna, but theirs was pretty weak. The regular maguro was better and about half the price.

    (3)

  • Anon A.

    OK Portland natives - I know you know your good eats, so how in the world can you claim that this is a good sushi place?? The fish was not fresh. At all. I am glad we did not get sick - seriously off fish - the tuna, yellowtail, the salmon - all bad. Not food poison bad, but just not close to fresh The rolls too were bad and overpriced. It did not get 1 star only because the decor is nice and the host is nice; but really ,I came for the sushi and left hungry, a little poorer and hoping that I would not get sick.

    (2)

  • Ashley C.

    I'm not big fan sushi, but Masu really turned it around for me. It's got the urban chic feel + good clean food + great service. I especially love the fact you have to walk up a flight of stairs to find it, definitely different from other restaurants. The walking down after the meal is a different story, but well worth it. The price is reasonable, but it can get spendy after a few orders.

    (4)

  • Nicole S.

    Ask for Rory! Most knowledgeable/fun server EVER! We've always had a Super Fantastic wonderful experience here! Drinks - we got crap for ordering hot sake. Hahaha - it's a big faux pas but we did it anyway - they would only heat up one kind (the cheap one) as it's such an "american" bad request. So we ordered the cold sake too - got a bottle of Watari Bune sake that was amazing. And, of course the Sapparo. Appetizers - Love the calamari - not the fried the crap out of it calamari, but soft, lightly battered with some jalapenos and spices. Wonderful. We also got the flash fried figs - which are a delicious surprise! On a whim we ordered the gyoza which was surprisingly full of flavor and wonderful. Sushi- The Oregon Albacore is OFF THE HOOK. Super fresh, great texture, awesome fish - however the past few times we've been they run out (it is THAT good). The fresh water salmon is also awesomely good and fresh, the scallops and sea water eel were pretty gamey but a good texture. The guys ordered a bunch more of hardcore fish but I couldn't do it. Some of the items they ordered was just not something my stomach could handle - however all of them were super impressed and happy with the quality and taste of fish. Rolls- LOVED the Holladay roll. VERY clean tasting fresh. Different than any sushi roll I've had before - loved the mint mixed with cilantro & Hamachi! Hamachi, green onions, mint, cilantro and serrano pepper wrapped in mamenori served with special dipping sauce topped with peanuts. 2nd favorite was the Pearl roll - shrimp tempura, avocado, and crab topped with spicy tuna and sweet chili sauce Another great roll was the nemo - shrimp tempura, dungeness and avocado topped with white fish and salmon finished with ponzu, green onions, toasted white sesame seeds and smoked bonito flakes Japanther roll is a really nice roll, nothing too special.- spicy crab and cucumber inside with tuna and avocado on top The ragin' cajun roll was not as ragin cagin as we thought it would be - it was a so-so roll - felt like a california roll with chipoltle mayo on top. dungeness, softshell crab and cucumber inside topped with cajun seared tuna and avocado finished with fantasy sauce, green onion and togarashi. Kanpai! :)

    (5)

  • Alisa O.

    Only ate once but the cocktails and the food was very good. Just haven't gone back because I'm not eating out much, not because I have complaints. I recommend the lotus roll.

    (5)

  • Justin C.

    I had the calamari which I really think is **best in Portland**. It was a bit different than most calamari, but damn was it good. Same with the Ahi Tuna -- like butta. Salmon was excellent as well. Waiters are friendly but not fawning. Serene atmosphere, good music choices. This place is pretty quiet at lunch time. Might be a good time to go if you want to try it out. Cons: it is expensive. With fish you really do get what you pay for.

    (5)

  • Dave K.

    Found this place last night. Very impressed. Very japanese and very good. Prices not too bad for good sushi. Loved it.

    (5)

  • Wes M.

    So, I went back for the vegetable yakisoba, and I decided to get myself a masu of Kimoto Extra Dry sake as well. I was right when I said my opinion of Masu could only get better. The yakisoba was great compared to what I usually expect when I hear yakisoba. I'd been so used to the fast and oily yakisoba that most restaurants serve that I was surprised to find that it could be a real meal, rather than something you just pick up because it's cheap. With chili and asparagus it was the best yakisoba I'd had. The sake, oh god, the sake. I had never really been blessed with good sake before, usually just picking up the cheap stuff from the local Fred Meyer. Now I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back to that. I was already a fan of sake, but this stuff completely changed my outlook on what sake could be! Masu continues to impress me, and if it were just a little cheaper I'd be going back their on a more regular basis.

    (5)

  • Takao M.

    Nice setting and warmed, severs are friendly, food is good and paired with a very nice list of Sake selection at descent prices. I loved their Nanbu Bijin Junmai Dai Ginjo which paired well with most of our chosen dishes. Great for a date or small groups.

    (4)

  • Elaine M.

    Deelish! Fun waitress, great rolls and what a treat to see Toro.....mmmmmmmm buttery goodnes. The death by sushi was my favorite roll, but the Mt St Helens roll was the most fun. I'll try and add my photo!

    (4)

  • Lisa O.

    I am as picky as it gets when it comes to sushi but this place is amazing if you are willing to pay up! This is definitely a place you need to save up for but trust me its worth it! Their fish is fresh, and just absolutely delicious! I have to recommend the albacore and octopus just absolutely bomb! When it comes to drinks stay away from their cutesie tootsie drinks like the hello kitty because you will be disappointment but anyways do not come here for drinks come here for the sushi!!! You will not be disappointed.

    (5)

  • lauren b.

    I'm torn between giving this place a 3 or 4 star rating. It really deserves 3.5. Here is why: What was good: my wine. It was definitely a decent red, though not my first choice. They apparently were out. Eh, maybe this place really does deserve just the three stars... The sushi: Eh. I always order cucumber rolls and inari rolls. This is all I have to go by as far as rating their sushi, which I didn't technically eat... Anyway, the cucumber rolls: hard to mess up, seeing that it is simply rice, seaweed and the cucumber. I'd say these were mediocre. The cucumbers were similar to branches in the rolls, and that was slightly off putting. Inari: Super cold. Fell apart easily. Decent enough though. Veggie Tempura: Good. The asparagus was the best, though there wasn't enough of it! Service: Perhaps the worst thing about my visit there. She "couldn't understand" anything at all. I don't even want to recount her poor excuse for service because I feel I may get frustrated all over again. But yeah, heinous. I would've preferred her to be the snobby type of shitty service over her vacuous type of shitty service. Blah. Price: Definitely not worth it. The food is fine. The prices are... a wee bit high... So, now that I've written this, I will most definitely stand by my three stars and believe now that I'm being a little generous with them. There are better sushi places that are less expensive, namely Mio Sushi. I won't return to Masu, but I can see how others may dig it.

    (3)

  • Alison P.

    Great service, great nigiri. Only thing that was not so great was the 3 seaweed salad which was a little too "seaweedy", if you know what I mean. I'm a plain ole wakame with sesame oil kinda girl.

    (4)

  • Michael H.

    The sushi and nigiri were fresh and the flavors were good. The food came out quickly and the wait staff was attentive and didn't bother us much.

    (4)

  • Gavin M.

    I went to Masu yesterday for lunch and was very impressed. The sushi was fresh, the octopus touched with some spring onion showed a unique point of view, and the roll I had was very good. To top it off, I had an order of fatty tuna sashimi which was smooth like butter -- absolutely excellent. Sapporo on tap. It's a truly top-notch sushi place. Update: have since went for dinner and am upgrading from 4 to 5 starts. Absolutely excellent.

    (5)

  • Matthew S.

    Absolutely fantastic sushi! Chef even made a futomaki roll for me that wasn't on the menu!

    (5)

  • Megan G.

    Most people are saying the service here is great. They must not have sat at the bar (liquor bar, not sushi bar) on a Saturday night. When I go out to eat, I'm treating myself to an experience and to good food. When the bartender is so stressed out that she makes it clear you're inconveniencing her by asking a question before placing your order, I'm immediately turned off and disappointed in my choice of venue. That said, the food WAS fantastic, and almost made up for the bartender's lack of people skills. Fresh fish, great flavors, great texture. I might try it again, but won't sit at the bar.

    (3)

  • DM W.

    Wow! Awesome! Fresh, delicious sushi.Creative and tasty rolls! Our server, Saki was the BEST! Really!! And the bartender concoted Awesome cocktails! All around - beyond fantastic service and food!!!

    (5)

  • Sarah F.

    EXCELLENT sushi! i LOVE this place! Make a reservation for the weekends though because it fills up! Me and my boyfriend usually go for the sushi..my favorite is the Buddha (veggie roll), the St.Helens roll comes out on fire which is cool (great presentation). The pineapple mojitos are the best in town! The entrees are amazing as well, the seared tuna and the chicken are great! Parking is tough :(

    (5)

  • Ezra H.

    Masu is my favorite sushi restaurant in Portland (discalimer: Syun in Hillsboro is my favorite in the region). I've been going there since it opened and have dined and/or drank there a hundred times since (not "like" a 100 but really a 100). Yes there have been some less than stellar meals but when I've pointed out the short comings the staff was always apologetic, sincere and made the situation right and that's rare these days! The decor is amazing especially when you learn that each of the irregularly shaped rectangular pieces of wood that comprise the wall treatment were individually cut to fit from reclaimed doug fir (not sure about the wood...)- come on- how cool is that?!? So, yes it's a bit expensive compared with a dive sushi joint but shut up and wash down that piece of sashimi with a tasty lychee tini or Suntori whiskey (trying not to think of Bill Murray) on the rocks and enjoy!

    (5)

  • Mitch M.

    Joined the GF and her sister at Masu Friday for lunch, after seeing yelpers claim they had made improvements in their kitchen and in their ramen. I'd been there once several years ago, but was so disappointed I've not bothered going back until now. Started off with a drink special, a Hello Kitty (a little embarrassing to order ), with blackberry puree, vodka, lime. Very tasty! But things went downhill from there. Gyoza to start with, one of my benchmarks for kitchen diligence, were purely steamed, no pan sear. Filling was very dense, pure meat with no veg to lighten it up. The result was a wad of rubbery filling with weak flavor that tasted more and more like bad fish as you chewed. We each tried one and all agreed - yuck! The rest went untouched. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. Despite there only being three other tables in the whole place, we waited over 30 minutes for three ramen and two nigiri. I ordered giant clam and salmon nigiri. I often order Hoki Gia (surf clam), but they didn't have it on the menu, so I decided to try the giant clam special. When our food finally arrived, I found the clam was not to my liking (especially for $9 for two little bites. But in this case, it was a matter of personal taste. The salmon, listed as local, fresh Chinook, was pale, mushy, and flavorless. Couldn't eat it (and I LOVE salmon). The nigiri rice showed no evidence of being prepared as sushi rice. It just seemed to be squished together regular rice. No vinegar/sugar (seemed to be) added, and it wouldn't stick together. When I tried picking up my nigiri with my chopsticks the rice ball just disintegrated all over my plate. Not a big deal, but an indication of either the skill or diligence in the kitchen. And then there was the ramen. The broth was ok, if you were looking for chicken soup. But there was no hint of complexity. As far as ramen broth, it was weak, bland, and disappointing. Chicken stock. Plain chicken stock. The (small) chunk of pork belly was fine, but how can you wreck pork belly? The only other occupant, besides the noodles -which were ok for commercial noodles, but quickly got mushy and unappealing, was half a hard-boiled egg. Not even the whole egg, all for $13. A serious letdown. Our server, who started out cheerful and pleasant, turned quiet and pouty when we started setting uneaten dishes on the end of the table for pickup. I didn't gripe about anything, but gave her honest feedback when asked. She was good enough to take the salmon off the ticket, but she didn't cheer up much when I paid for the rest, stating that it could be a matter of personal taste. But Masu struck out, again. I won't be back.

    (2)

  • Andrea F.

    The place definitely had a trendy, modern vibe, and would be a great place to grab some drinks with friends. I had a virgin mojito and it may have been one of the best Ive ever had. The sushi was pretty great (but kind of heavy tasting) and the miso soup was yummy. The seaweed/seafood salad was interesting, in that it combined a lot of unique ingredients but didn't really have that seaweed salad-vinegary taste that I like. I don't think I'd order it again. I've noticed other places in Portland tend to do the less vinegar style seaweed salad, which I'm not a huge fan of....Overall though, pretty good, but I'm not itching to go back.

    (3)

  • David S.

    I had a good time here. You might not. But you can eat whatever the f you want!

    (5)

  • OuterLands X.

    Worst meal I had during recent visit to Portland. It felt like the place had been taken over by a sorority as some kind of reality-TV prank. The hostess and our waitress couldn't communicate to each other without confusing each other. The duck dumplings were brick-heavy, densely packed meat inside a dumpling skin that was soggy on the bottom and still rock hard (as if uncooked) where it was sealed. Another dish, which came in a slightly green sauce, had me asking the waitress what was in it -- she immediately responded "wasabi" (well, it was green), but went back in to check with the cook, which she had to do twice to get the facts straight. Even then she didn't get it straight, except that there was, in fact, no wasabi. Oh, and there was a bone in my yellowtail. When was the last time that happened at a fairly upscale sushi place? It was unnerving. It was a slow night, and when there wasn't anything to do, the staff just hung around the bar and gossiped. Just a bad experience all around.

    (1)

  • Katie L.

    Masu is crazy underrated. I am always shocked when I read Portland publications about good Portland food and NEVER see Masu listed. Makes you realize how political the food scene in P-town is. The benefit of this is that you have to be "in the know" to hear about this place. Drinks are great, food is consistent and delicious-whether you like sushi or prefer to stick with food that isn't "weird"-it's is all great. By the way, I see a one star review from a few days ago. I happened to be at the restaurant the night this patron was there. I remember she and her friend because they were obviously difficult to please. Sometimes you just can't make people happy. If you love good food and a cool atmosphere-Masu is where it is at! Hope someday you guys get the kudos you deserve.

    (5)

  • Gabriel G.

    Masu is fantastic. It may well be Portland's best sushi. The fish is fresh and seems to be top quality. The drinks are fantastic and they usually have interesting light and refreshing type drinks on their specialty cocktail menu. Even the water is cool because it has cucumbers in it! Isn't everything better with cucumbers? If you didn't know Masu was here you might miss it. I first discovered Masu after a recommendation from a Powells employee. One nice thing about Masu versus some other sushi places is that they have non sushi items on the menu in case you are in a group with timid eaters. Although I can't understand why, there are some people who just don't do sushi. Drinks and dinner at Masu followed by dessert at Cacao next door is about the perfect Portland evening.

    (5)

  • jessica r.

    Their vegetarian sushi combo was great and inexpensive ($11)! The veggie tempura was light and perfect as well!

    (4)

  • brent b.

    Mmm. Cool place with a cool, intimate atmosphere. The sushi is tasty. I recommend the Hamachi Kama appetizer. So deliciious.

    (4)

  • Desiree H.

    My friend and I was craving sushi and wanted a good sushi bar downtown Portland. A lady at the Paragon recommended Masu. We arrived there about 30 minutes till closing and the staff seemed to be fine with it being that we were there for a while. The bartender was awesome. He made one of the best mojitos that I have had. The warm peas were great and the fresh sushi....amazing. We actually ended up going there again the next weekend.

    (4)

  • Emi K.

    I am in between 3 stars and 4 stars... If you are trying to grab a drink after and hard days work, trying to have a fun trendy drink with a partner or friends, it is the perfect place. The atmosphere is very trendy, modern, cozy and more a bar than a restaurant (18:40ish is the time we went). I came here exclusively for the tonkotsu ramen. I've been searching for the "real" tonkotsu ramen forever now.... my goodness... I wanted it real bad. The ramen that appeared in front of us, it was definitely a little different from what we expected, but very very close to what my husband and I have been dreaming of for years now. First sip of the soup... not as deep and pork greasy, like the ones in Japan... the noodles were the thicker kind, which I like, and tangles very well with the soup. But as you eat, the soup gets better and better towards the bottom. Deeper and deeper, the flavor gets. The chashu was not necessarily the chashu I'm used to, and the pork belly was too fatty for my taste, but it was good by itself. But the egg was amazing. I love the creamy yolk, and they've been marinated in the sauce perfectly, where it's not to flavored and goes very well with the ramen broth. Now... the biggest problem I had was justifying the price... $13... and they even charge for tea... the sushi they serve here are not the authentic kind, it's more the roll thing. It is indeed an Asian Fusion restaurant bar. Definitely pricy and felt like you pay for the atmosphere than for anything else. I guess for me it was too trendy for the food, and the food was too pricy for what they were. I'm just not used to eating a ramen at a fancy place, paying $13, and even getting sushi rolls for the price of $5 a piece. Although I did notice that a lot of the ingredients they use, including the fish for the sushi is very fresh, and they are using good quality stuff. So... I love the ramen, but not the atmosphere. I love the freshness of the ingredients, but I prefer authentic japanese food. The waiters and the people are nice here, but you pay more for the atmosphere and service than for food. And personally, that mural they have of the tattoo artist, has to go, because the tattoo shown makes me lose my appetite. I just wish they'd have a casual ramen place.

    (3)

  • Jen O.

    We've been here several times and we always like it. The food is delicious! Their miso soup is some of the best I've had, and their sushi is always good quality. They have all sorts of delicious and inventive rolls, too (but not too inventive -- they never seem to sacrifice good flavor combos for "inventiveness" like some places...ahem...Saburro's) They also are one of the hidden gems in town for great drinks. Their cocktails are fun and tasty, but they also usually have a couple of good beers on tap, and of course a bunch of sake options. The atmosphere is good too. It would be a great date spot, or it could be a great spot for a group. Very versatile. Comfy, trendy, but cozy too.

    (5)

  • Greg G.

    Great sushi. Very unique and tasty wraps. The price is quite high though.

    (4)

  • Sarah H.

    Based on the reviews, I was really excited to try Masu Sushi but it was average at best with a steep price tag. On Reservations: Yesterday was my birthday and I was excited to try something special so my partner and I came here for dinner around 7:30 PM. We were asked if we made a reservation and, for one heart-stopping moment, I was afraid we wouldn't be able to eat there, but they had plenty of space for us and there was no wait. I recommend making a reservation just in case, though. It seemed pretty slow for a Friday night but it was a particularly freezing cold Friday night. On Decor: As soon as you open the door, there's a flight of steep stairs. I'm not sure if they have an alternative means for reaching the dining area, so if you're not able to walk up a flight of stairs, I'd call to ask if they can make accommodations. Once you get to the dining area, it's has a a really nice vibe. On Staff: Our waitress was very friendly and willing to make suggestions, explain Japanese words I didn't recognize on the menu and put down special orders. On Food: I was very excited to try the food. Since it was so cold, I ordered a bowl of miso soup. It was disappointingly small and average for $2. I've been charged half that for better or equal quality elsewhere. I ordered Death By Sushi and a salmon/asparagus/avocado roll. The Death By Sushi was better, mainly because their sauces are very flavorful. The actual fish and veggies were only so-so, mostly flavorless. The rolls were also smaller than I expected. My partner got a green machine and inari. He said the inari was really good and the roll was all right, but also smaller than he expected. He said the wasabi was super potent. Overall, for $44 it wasn't worth it. I'd rather spend that at a better restaurant, or even half that at Sushiville for more food. We talked about maybe returning sometime for happy hour, but the specialty rolls we were looking at weren't discounted and others weren't as discounted as we woud prefer for the quality.

    (3)

  • Cooper M.

    Enjoyed it a while back. Now I don't remember any specifics. :(

    (4)

  • Marion O.

    I can't say enough about Masu. It's a little pricey for my budget but it's SO worth it. The atmosphere is relaxing, cozy and beautiful. The service was fantastic with friendly and very knowledgeable servers. We enjoyed an evening with an abundance of food and sake. We were at the restaurant for about four hours and the food just kept coming and the sake was flowing. We love good sushi and this place ranks the top of my list so far. I haven't had better. Our total for the four of us was $350 but like I said, we took our time, ordered a lot of sushi and went through two large bottles of sake and a half size bottle that was just as expensive as the larger ones. We can't wait to go back!

    (5)

  • rc c.

    So I think that the sushi was good, after waiting and imbibed on sake for 30 minutes on an empty stomach, honestly, anything would be good. My friend suggested that I take my friends from NJ here when they came to visit and so we went. It's a little hidden, so that should be noted, that or I was still getting used to the city when we went. We had a vast amount of sushi and every bite was really good. Not the best, but really good. The only thing is that this place is a little pricey, so luckily my hometown boys picked up the tab (what great guys!). Not sure I would go back if the bill would be my responsibility though, but maybe I can convince the gentleman to take me.

    (3)

  • Rachel E.

    First time I came here, I came here for happy hour at around 1000 pm. Setting in the nighttime is far more elegant than in the daytime, due to the lighting effects in the curtains and basically throughout. Came for sake and their happy hour menu, ordered the Hello Kitty and it was ok. Portions are small for it's price but do have a distinctive flavor. This is not your typical sushi place, their menu has one-of-a-kind names like water, land... and something. Was year since i've been there. It is a casual dress attire with an upscale menu, it's not affordable, but you will get food that you will not typically get at your regular sushi place. However, their selection of fish is far more exqusite and more rare. I believe they have dolphin on their menu. Have a pretty extensive sake menu, very impressive. I wouldn't come here if I was really hungry, Invited my family here when they visited from Cali for the atmosphere and experience. They were impressed with the atmosphere of the place considering that it was in a hidden street in Downtown.

    (3)

  • Michael P.

    Don't blink or you'll miss this place. Where Stark and Burnside meet with 13th Ave. around the corner from the American Apparel, once you find the door and head upstairs you'll be pleasantly surprised and impressed by the original Masu's decor. (def. check out the nice hand dryers in the bathrooms--seriously!) Given Portland's notorious low standards of service, I'd have to say the service at Masu is pretty good, definitely above average. Hint--try eating at the bar--you'll get great attention from the crew and your glass will never be empty. And while you're drinking, take a look at Masu's entire page of sake options--everything from a $10 pitcher to a $120 bottle! Oh yeah, the sushi...while not the cheapest in town, nor the best I've had in my life--it's fresh, tasty, and well-presented. Especially liked the grilled buffalo strip salad.

    (4)

  • Renn S.

    After a late day some friends were craving Sushi so we decided to sample Masu. I had just recovered from the "three week crud", so with my appetite fully restored I was excited about testing my new found desire to eat. The decor was sloppy Skylab ripoff, but I smiled when I realized the space was formally what Portland insiders once knew as the "Red Door". And yes the JDM hand dryers are a novelty to behold Cucumber slices in the water were a nice touch, but the minuscule taster of Edamame really should have been an indicator of things to come. After looking over the Menu I decided to forgo Masu's $16 dollar specialty rolls for a plate of vegetable yaki soba and fried OTA tofu because I wasn't sure if my body was ready for sushi. All of the food arrived quickly, but when I received my $13 dollar noodles the reaction at the table told me I wasn't the only one who thought I had just gotten the short end of the chop stick. The portion was what I like to call "Skimp Chic" or in other words I'm going home hungry. Once I jumped in to what should have been the most orgasmic Yaki Soba noodle I have ever tasted I realized that the Tofu must have been playing hide and go seek under the garnish of shredded ginger. After a short search and rescue effort I accepted that the Tofu was M.I.A..and quickly tracked down our waiter to explain the oversight. He disappeared into the kitchen to liberate the Tofu P.O.W. & Upon his return I had already killed my uber noodle, so I was left with a precious after dinner "bite" of OTA. I'm sure my first mistake was not ordering Sushi, but if they can't get .75 cents worth of noodles right do I really want the fish?

    (1)

  • Manuela F.

    We were plesantly surprised to find a cool spot open late on a Sunday night. The decor here is minimalist and sexy. The lights are kept dim with nice candlelit tables, dramatic drapes hang from the high ceilings to section off portions of the restaurants. The food was excellent! We tried a variety of sushi, miso soup, the seaweed salad and chocolate cake. Everything was great except for the seaweed salad which was crunchy in a cartlidge type way... not so good. Everything else was right on target in flavor. The sushi was excellent and very fresh. The dessert choices were pretty run of the mill. We opted for a safe chocolate cake and ice cream. It was tasty as expected, but underwhelming considering it was $8. BUT then there were drinks.... mmmmmmmmm! They had a lot of fun names and unique combinations like Hatori Hanzo's Sword, Bitte Sidecar, and the Tokyo Drop. I opted for the Hello Kitty cocktail with fresh blackberry puree shaken with vodka and lemon-lime juice... YUMMY! Three Hello Kitties later... this kitty was ready to greet the frigid Portland winds. Our group thouroghly enjoyed the restaurant. Our server was really friendly, but very slow, which is why I took off a star. All in all this is a great place to dine just make sure you have plenty of time.

    (4)

  • Amanda E.

    I know nothing of the fish. You will just have to try it for yourself. But they have nice veggie rolls! I can't say I'd go here all the time, being that there's only a few veggie rolls, and not much else. What I did have was very good, though, and there is something to be said for atmosphere. What I mean by that is that your sushi isn't rolling by on a conveyor belt. I mean no disrespect to conveyor belt sushi, it's just fun to be posh sometimes! The drink menu looks really good, I think I'll be back as more of a drinks and light sushi objective, rather than 'I'm hungry for sushi' dinner.

    (4)

  • Jason L.

    Great sushi, good atmosphere

    (5)

  • Raymond G.

    I was a stranger in a strange land this past weekend. Although I can name a million things to love about Portland, Masu is definitely not one of them. Let's start with the ground duck gyoza for appetizers. Dry bits of ground duck, along with an undercooked gyoza wrapper. Just terrible. I was hoping the dinner would get better. Unfortunately, the sushi was as bad. The sushi rice was a little undercooked so there bits of hard rice. I had the displeasure of ordering the uni. Woah, that uni stank was a $7 waste. Far, far from fresh. The maguro was not bad, but everything else just seemed to just fall apart. We thought the udon noodles would at least drown out all the unpleasant food. How can you get that wrong right? Well, they got that wrong too. The broth tasted like the bottled dashi cut 10 to 1 with water. It tasted literally, like salty brown water. Ugh... We quickly paid and got out of there fast. This was our first big dinner in Portland and we became paranoid about the rest of our meals. Suffice to say. In the end Portland-ers more than redeemed itself. More restaurants to review in this awesome city. Coming soon.

    (2)

  • Bioner D.

    Terrible omakase. Living in a land locked city the thought of really fresh sushi gets me pretty excited. So after checking yelp we decide on Masu Sushi, partially based on the reviews and partially based on the menu. The website looked fairly polished and the menu had a few interesting pieces of nigiri that we don't see back home (specifically the house smoked chinook and the kani). Additionally omakase was listed on the menu, which in my experience is a good sign at a sushi restaurant. Typically a restaurant doesn't offer a high end chef's choice unless they are really prepared to wow you. Needless to say we were severely disappointed. We arrived early and were seated immediately which was great. Our server seemed enthusiastic and took our drink orders immediately. Once we ordered the omakase she asked us how hungry we were as the omakase started at $50 and went up beyond $80. That wasn't too unusual as we expect the price of omakase to fluctuate a bit depending on what is available, I asked her what the primary differnce was between the two offerings and she informed us that the $80 dish would "have more sushi." As that was the goal we ordered two. She then asked if we would like to order the mushroom soup, but then indicated that it may be included in our meal. This was my first sign that there were strange things afoot at the Circle K. In all of my past experiences with omakase or any chef's choice meal, or really any sushi combo for that matter, soup or salad (frequently both) are included. We didn't hear the answer for a while though. I ordered a red ale (Boneyard I believe, quite tasty) and we were brought edamame (complimentary with all meals here, which is nice). Edamame was....well edamame, it is hard to make fantastic, but also near impossible to screw up. After sometime we were brought a matsutake mushroom and daikon salad. Really a tasting more than a salad, as it was maybe a tablespoon of food. It was nice. Nothing special in flavor, but I have watched enough Iron Chef Japan that I appreciated the use of matsutake mushrooms. After waiting for what seemed like an overly long time period we were brought a few more dishes. Over the course of the next 45 minutes we were brought small plates of 2 different giant clam preparations (one with daikon, one with mushrooms), albacore, (which honestly was very tender, and i enjoyed though my husband thought the sauce was heavy) and a matsutake mushroom consommé. So in an hour we were served soup, salad, edamame, and 3 pieces of nigiri. And at this point we had eaten more mushroom than sushi. Needless to say we we less than impressesed. I get that the restaurant is trying to showcase mushroom season, but frankly none of the mushrooms were fantastic. By the time the consommé arrived we were both debating drinking the broth as it was really not that interesting and felt like we were being served filler. We did drink the broth (it was served in a mug with no spoon so no getting around that) as we were just plain hungry at that point. We finally said something as they cleared the plates for our second giant clam. After discussing the slowness of courses and lack of sushi with an employee (not sure if he was a host, assistant manager, or server) he apologized and said he would try to fix the situation. We were rather quickly brought 2 pieces of nigiri. Both were acceptable though mine were dripping sauce on the plate and that hid the actual flavor of the fish. All In all we ate the quivalent of 9 pieces of nigiri, a matsutake salad, consommé, and edamame. None of the fish beyond the albacore was anything beyond average. None of it was terrible, but when ordering omakase I expect much more in terms of both service and quality of food. The sushi we were served was typical nigiri very little of which I could not obtain in Dallas on a daily basis. I was hoping for the restaurant to show us what they did differently with fish....not mushrooms. Don't get me wrong I love mushrooms, but come on who goes to a sushi joint to eat interesting mushrooms? We were handed our check rather brusquely and my husband chose to talk to the manager on the way out. She was adamant that they stood behind their product and was rather unapologetic about the poor meal/service we received. The manager clearly doesn't understand the concept of the customer service. It wasn't like we were after a free meal as we had already paid, though frankly we could have ordered the equivalent meals aka carte for probably half the price. I have never left a sushi meal feeling dissatisfied until tonight. If you are looking for outstanding sushi look elsewhere. If you are looking for a hipster ambiance and maki with moderate service then this place might be for you.

    (1)

  • Jeffrey Z.

    Visiting from NYC and we were delighted w the menu variety and fabulously fresh sushi. The lotus roll was amazing. Attractive decor with lots of light from a wall of giant windows. Good variety of saki.

    (5)

  • Nav S.

    Love the sushi, and the drinks are also well made. The Tokyo Drop cocktail is really delicious, and the grape at the bottom is delicious at the end since it's soaked up the alcohol from the beginning. The servers are for the most part really good, but the girl we had mixed up our drink orders, which is understandable, but given there were two of us, and the restaurant was not crowded was kind of disappointing. The Japanista roll is my personal favorite, but the St. Helen's Volcano roll is also really delicious (with the added benefit of the fact that when it's brought out, there's a huge hunk of cucumber with salt on top, and the salt is lit on FIRE, which I think is awesome). The octopus is good, not chewy, and the spice makes it taste amazing. The yellowtail is also really good, as is the spicy tuna nigiri. Overall, the service was decent, but the food more than made up for it, and I will definitely be returning.

    (5)

  • Susan C.

    A bit of an upscale pretentious sushi place, but the fish is SO fresh. And try the green machine... Beautiful and delectable vegetarian sushi, who would've thought.

    (4)

  • Mark O.

    Unbelievable sake, sushi and service!!!

    (5)

  • Brad D.

    I've had some great times here--it's always crowded but the tables are spaced out far enough so that you're not eating on top of another couple. Love the sushi here and they've always been helpful with food allergies. The service is a tad iffy depending on whom you get. Go here, but be prepared to spend a little more than usual for great sushi.

    (4)

  • Sherman S.

    slow service, the place look's like it's missing something. Food average..

    (2)

  • Steve L.

    Sushi was good. The hamachi melted in your mouth and the specialty rolls were equally good. Not many people there, not sure why. Place is small and located upstairs. The specialty beer was great!

    (4)

  • Alex Y.

    I love this place. The ambiance is appropriate, service extraordinary, and the food is stellar. If you have a sushi dish you've been dying to try bit haven't had the guts, this place is the place to go out on a limb. You can rest assured that the ingredients are of the highest quality, and that your dish will be prepared well.

    (4)

  • Hans G.

    We went early and were the first customers of the evening. That might explain the great service, but I am nonetheless impressed at how much they had their act together immediately upon opening for the night. Didn't order any specialty rolls, but the apps and traditional maki were fabulous, and the albacore nigiri was very good. The "Hello Kitty" cocktail was a great complement. The wasabi is, of course, wasabi-laced horseradish, but it's highly laced and potent in the right way. Skip the tamago; not bad, but boring. Highly recommended. I could easily see this being a five-star upon further visits.

    (4)

  • Rachel S.

    Picture this: its yer birthday. The whole day has been spent in a fabulous dance workshop on brilliant wooden floors and its drizzlin' outside, cause you're in Oregon and that's what the sky does for kicks. As you cha-cha-cha out into the eve, a few blocks away there is a stairway, and floating up, you find your sweetie at the bar, tossled by a day of plane travel, sake bottle and symphony tickets in hand, and sit down to a near perfect meal featuring calamari, the freshest salmon sashimi ever to pass yer lips, an oyster shooter that has a tiny little egg and plenty of surprises therein, seaweed salad to remind your body of the essential element iodine and a crab salad which make you wonder about spending the next lifetime on a sea troller and just livin' on the stuff. The moon's big, the hope bigger and the sake's even better a bottle in.. Go here, it'll light your year up.

    (5)

  • David C.

    I loved Masu Sushi. I not only had sushi but I too had the Udon noodle soup. Both items were very good. I started with miso soup and it was very good and at a decent price as well. I had a few pieces of sushi and they were all fresh, cold, and tasty. The udon noodle soup was very good and the broth had a wonderful flavor. Not only was the food good, but the place itself has a great vibe. I love this place!

    (5)

  • Leah D.

    Masu was pretty good, but not outstanding. I'll go back but probably for happy hour prices/deals.

    (3)

  • Phil V.

    For my wife and I, Masu is our favorite place to go for sushi. It is not cheap, even for sushi, so we don't go there very often (maybe 6x a year or so) but it is an awesome place to go. The I can't speak to the ngire, but the rolls are great (we're not the most adventurous eaters when it comes to raw fish). The location is centrally located downtown just off Burnside. The place is very open inside, with the bar in the middle and the sushi bar against the back wall. You can sit at a table (I would advise you to call ahead) in the lounge area, or at the sushi bar. The decor, lighting and music are very modern and hip, creating a relaxed, subdued dining atmosphere suitable for casual business meetings or intimate one-on-one get-togethers. Definately recommend this place, only drawback is the price.

    (5)

  • Nathan B.

    This place is really cool. The ambiance inside is awesome, with a DJ playing nice music to accompany the hip vibe. Edamamae was brought to the table like chips and salsa in a Mexican restaurant aka for free, which was a nice start. The miso soup was very good to get started with too. The sushi was very fresh and very tasty, especially the Death by Sushi roll. They have some really cool drink options, as well - I had the Tokyo Drop, well actually, they were so good, I had 3. They are somewhat small and don't pack too much punch, but they are delicious. The Hello Kitty sounded good too, but the name was way too girly for me to order.....

    (5)

  • Nam H.

    Masu reminds me alot of Dragonfly back in DC. Minimal modern decor in a nice open space. They've got a nice sushi/sashimi selection including toro and they specialize in rolls. Fully cooked entree's are also on the menu for the squimish. Mad props for the JDM hand dryers in the bathrooms. Wish they had the matching JDM toilets to complete the set.

    (4)

  • Shannon F.

    The sushi at Masu is quite good, but they get their fish in on Tuesday and Saturday so if you're going to go in I'd try for one of those days. However, I went with a group of friends for happy hour and was taken aback by the prices of their sushi even at happy hour, a rainbow roll for $15 on the happy hour menu? A bit much for me. While their selection was great and they're staff knew their fish I just couldn't quite get past the price for something that I can get as good quality for half the price. However, their specialty rolls were inventive and new. They had the standby's of course but their chefs came up with some very unique and creative dishes. I wouldn't frequent the place, and I don't think I'd ever go without it being happy hour but for a good sushi place in the pearl on a special night out it would be worth it.

    (3)

  • Tari S.

    Great sushi, friendly waitress, great selection, amazing drinks (hello Kitty with grey goose)! Took a party of 6 and it was a wonderful experience.... Will go again when we go back to Portland.

    (5)

  • A. B. C.

    to quote a really awful pop song featuring timbaland: "ain't got no money, ain't got no car to take you on a date..." yeah dawg, that's what visiting family/friends are for!! i love sushi, and yes i would rather pay more for melt-in-your-mouth nigiri than be cheap and have tough chewy fish. mmmmmk? now, there are places in portland where you can get damn good sushi without breaking the bank, but i don't feel ready to broadcast it to the world (the wait for these places says enough people already know- sorrrrrry!). masu is great for an evening out- the interior is pretty swanky and hip without being uncomfortable, and it's fun to dress up and have nights like this, right?! also, they have an amazing cocktail menu! the group i went with was pretty big, and we all shared a bunch of rolls. the table's favorite would have to be the japanista roll: spicy crab, spicy tuna and kawaire with seared hamachi,cilantro and red jalapeno on top served with our hana and sweet chili sauce. ohmygod it was delectable. i mean really melt in your mouth fresh fish. it had borderline perfect combination of flavors- the spicy, the sweet, the savory: the yummy. all of the rolls we tried were great- but the japanista- so good that i even remember what it's called and what the ingredients are! GO GET SOME! you will have happy dancing tastebuds and you will look like this: :D

    (5)

  • Loan L.

    three stars is for regular dinner service only. I will be back but probably only for happy hour. On my most recent visit things just seemed a little lack luster. Note that my problems were not with the fish, all of that tasted fine but for the meal as a whole. The rice was a bit under seasoned and a little tight on the nigiri. Also prices were a pretty high; nine dollars for a salmon skin roll? I've paid more than this for a salmon skin roll before and it was the most delicious piece of art I'd ever had in my life! While it was still an ok tasting roll it had only salmon skin and cucumber in side and was somewhat small I figure for something that is trimming you would have plenty to put on the roll. We also had some frou-frou american rolls which were ok, not my cup of tea but i have to resign to my dining partner's tastes at times. I don't think I will be ordering the udon again unless I'm really just craving noodles that bad. The broth was on the sweet side for me. I'm still giving masu three stars for dinner it would be four stars for a happy hour review.

    (3)

  • Crystal P.

    Great for a date night. Loved the traditional masu boxes that the sake is served in.

    (4)

  • Michelle B.

    Something about this place just didn't seem to feel right. The decor was inventive and gorgeous. However, it was a little cold, both literally from the drafty walls and windows and figuratively from the way the space was laid out and the the demeanor of our server. The food was more interesting than tasty. The spinach and crab salad we had came with a 1 inch diameter cylinder of wilted spinach with a whole deep fried soft shelled crab splayed out on top, it actually ended up being tastier than it seemed, but it was a smidgen disconcerting when it came to the table since we had planned on sharing. The sake cup of edamame beans was disappointing as were the gargantuan rolls we tried. Moderation people, moderation. I would probably go back for Happy Hour or Kampai Hour as they call it, but I'm not sure that I would put down my credit card for the meal again.

    (3)

  • Tami A.

    When I went here, there was no seating available, so my friends and I took a seat at the bar. The guy making the sushi was so friendly and didn't look at me like I was an idiot when I told him I didn't know what to order because I don't eat fish. He asked me what I liked and created something for me that was super tasty! I love the atmosphere in here as well- super swank.

    (5)

  • Tobias L.

    Masu not only has a great selection of sushi, they have knowledgeable and super friendly staff. Sit at the bar and the chefs will gladly chat with you and recommend some of their weekly specials, which are always delicious. I've been amazed by how distinct different varieties of mackerel can taste. If you like sushi, you owe it to yourself to give Masu a go.

    (5)

  • Courtney D.

    Good sushi but lacking on charm Admittedly new to the sushi scene, I'm no expert but I know enough to say this place made pretty good, fresh sushi. We ordered the albacore, squid and sweet shrimp, and they were all tasty. Still hungry, we also got the scallops with cilantro curry sauce, which were my favorite of the bunch. Not sure if it was because I'm still not overly into sushi or that the curry sauce was that good. Think the truth as they say, was somewhere in the middle. The decor of this place is definitely hip and very urban, but it seemed to lack a comfortable, welcoming feel. The service wasn't bad but it also wasn't overly friendly either. For these last couple reasons, it wouldn't be my first choice in downtown area but definitely worth checking out if you're a big sushi fan. Tip: They offer two nightly happy hours from 4 to 6 p.m. and to from 11 p.m. to close. You can get many sushi and other selected items for a reduced price.

    (3)

  • Adam B.

    I am beyond picky when it comes to fresh sushi. Sat at the bar and noticed none of the fish looked very good (and some were wrapped tight in saran wrap not allowing a peek). I went the safe route and ordered a roll that consisted of soft shell crab and tuna. The combination didn't taste very good. The edamame was mediocre and the miso soup was tasty but lacking much tofu or seaweed. The prices are also very steep and even if this place was a bargain, I wouldn't step foot in here again. Perhaps i am spoiled with CA sushi and this place is a real find in Oregon, but that's to be determined.

    (2)

  • Krista T.

    I haven't eaten here...only drank. The atmosphere at first glance was interesting and progressive. The bartenders were a little standoffish and the servers took drinks from us before we were finished with them. The layout was a little strange. The stand around and drink bar area is kind of surrounded by sitting down and eating tables. A little awkward.

    (3)

  • Genevieve J.

    Love the modern decor. I love sushi and was very impressed with the Princess and Nemo roll. Kudos to them for serving the edemame the way it should be: warm and salted which i can't say for all sushi restaurants. Casual but trendy. Service was phenomenal and very warm personalities. Walked away like I made a bunch of best friends!

    (5)

  • jazzy l.

    This place is upstairs on the second floor in the same building as American Appearel. It's hard to find parking too. I spotted a cute Cacao Drink Chocolate store next door but it was closed before we left the restaurant. Ambience - Nice with dim setting; a nice place for a date or for a drink. Some loungey area to sit at as well. The wait for the food: I dont think it was crowded with a lot of people but the food prep time was almost 45 minutes for the 5 of us. The food: I thought it was good. I dont remember what we ordered but I thought the Spider roll was too big for the mouth. My friend said the Salmon Skin roll was not good. They also said the Chirashi was too small. There was a St. Helena special selection that has a special fire ball that came with it. Price - Pricey for the ambience. No japanese chefs - three guys who were white and maybe hapa?

    (3)

  • Muttly D.

    Im totally in love with the sushi here it is amazing or as mom would say Da' Bomb. It is a little spendy so i only hit happy hour when everything is half price which makes it average price of other places. It is delicous far beyond most other sushi places in pdx

    (4)

  • sean b.

    Wow, your food is good. Bah, your atmosphere is stale. Ouch, your waitstaff is haughty. S***, Masu, you are overpriced. And after the check came during my second visit, I wish I had dined-and-dashed, but my date was drunk and wouldn't have made it very far. Lucky for you, Masu, some people in Portland think that good Sushi has to have an exorbitant price tag for it to taste better....kinda like subliminal MSG. The fish was, indeed, quality. However, one can find sushi in Portland that matches Masu quality but for a frequenter's price and with an atmosphere not as mortuary.

    (2)

  • C.J. M.

    not a good place to go in a big group

    (5)

  • Rob D.

    Happy hour back on June 2nd. The sushi was awesome. The fennel fries were delicious. The scallop dish we ate was perfectly cooked and presented well (visually). We topped it off with cocktails, both of which were superbly made. This will be a place my wife and I will come to again in the near future.

    (4)

  • Adam G.

    If you were to bump into the "trendy hipster guy" from the Mac/PC commercials eating sushi in Portland it would be at Masu. The second floor restaurant has low lit a dinning and lounge area which are partitioned by sheer curtains. The hybrid lounge/restaurant/bar is often supplemented by music from live DJs. Masu feels transplanted from SF or LA because it is a bit more showy than the Portland norm. In my opinion probably why it gets mixed reviews here. But make no mistake, Masu is comprehensively the best sushi restaurant in town. Beyond atmosphere , Masu is a great place if you are looking for something beyond your traditional sushi experience. They have a list of signature rolls that exceeds some sushi restaurants regular menus. Some of my personal favorite is the "Japanista" - spicy crab, spicy tuna and sprouts with seared hamachi, cilantro and red jalapeno on top. served with hana and sweet chili sauces. I would also check out their "St. Helen's Volcano" which is actually served with a flaming volcano in the middle. In addition to a fun cocktail menu they also have an above average sake menu. So if you want to develop your sake pallet, they will gladly walk you through the sakes without making you feel like you should have studied in Tokyo for a year.

    (5)

  • Dave C.

    Masu is quite an impressive sushi restaurant. I've been here a few times, and it's always been a pleasant experience. The food was amazing, service was great, and their selection of sake was very impressive. The last time I was there, I went with a large group of friends. They took great care of us, they even had vegan options for my wife. The owners came to our table to check on us and even bought us a bottle of sake. all I can say is great restaurant guys, thank you Jeff and Maria for such a great place to go.

    (5)

  • Todd F.

    I have eaten at many sushi restaurants in Portland and now I only go to Masu. I have tried most of the dishes and found the quality to be extrememly high, and always consistent. The service and ownership are outstanding and I give this my highest recomendation. Try the Watari Bune Junmai Daiginjo sake for a special treat. Worthe every penny and the best sake I have ever tasted.

    (5)

  • Mike C.

    Rolls were great, especially the Japonista! The service was very attentive and friendly. Not a traditional Japanese restaurant but trendy and tasty. If you visit Portland it's worth a trip.

    (4)

  • Dina N.

    While it's one of the more expensive sushi places in Portland, it is very good. Love the spicy calamari and they use very very good ingredients. Nice that they have sushi for the simple but also have the options to do funky versions with lots of sauces. Service can be spotty but really enjoy the food. Owners are very nice.

    (4)

  • Jeana A.

    Ok, I've read all the mixed reviews and it took me a while to write this review myself (and it's been a bit of time since I've been in Portland), but this was a regular sushi stop for me! I've had some of the best and most inventive rolls I've tasted here. Admittedly, there are a few that fall short, and a few drinks on the menu that are a little bit lacking, but overall, I always left a satisfied customer. I love the space, but want to redecorate it to look less Ikea-inspired lounge. All in all, it's a great spot, great sushi, and I found myself frequently walking up those stairs to get my fix.

    (4)

  • Jason A.

    A group of us went last night and overall I'd say everything was pretty good. I'd like to give the food 3.5 stars because it was just a bit better than average, but the menu was creative and they were open for us on a Sunday night. So they got that going for them, which is nice. We ate a huge sampling of rolls. Definitely get the St. Helen roll, Lotus roll, and Pearl roll. Skip the Ragin Cajun and the Nemo roll was just ok. We also had salmon sashimi and tuna and yellowtail nigiri. The fish quality was decent, and I suspect being there on a Sunday was why it wasn't outstanding. I was disappointed the salmon wasn't better than what I get in Chicago. On a side note, the sake we had was some of the best I can remember. After three 720ml bottles I'm glad I wrote it down: Watari Bune. Get it, it's amazing.

    (4)

  • David K.

    It's not the freshest sushi in town, but the atmosphere is great for late night drinks. I personally love it! I would definitely recommend it for a date, or maybe a special occasion. I give it 5 stars for the drinks and environment, 4 stars for the food. It can be a little pricey, but I think that it's worth it.

    (5)

  • chris m.

    somehow this place makes zazzy atmosphere, exciting ambience, modern deco, ultrasuave waiters, and thumping techno music not seem too garish for sushi. also, it's open pretty damn late, which is worth a lot in my book. it's probably too hip to take your parents to, and too pricey to take your college sweetheart to. supposedly has the best sea urchin in town, but, well, i still don't like it (sea urchin. the rest of the goods were good.)

    (4)

  • chris m.

    This is my first yelp review, although I've been using it for a while. This was, hands down the best sushi experience I've ever had. Went with the omakase and everything was fantastic. They have a nice sake selection to boot. Definitely sit at the sushi bar. I'll be back.

    (5)

  • Jim G.

    I had sushi at a highly popular and rated sushi bar yesterday. Good, but not Masu. I must say Masu sets the standard for me which I find others not able to match.

    (5)

  • Hannah F.

    Friendly and accommodating staff, great drinks (greyhounds with real grapefruit), great sushi...The Freebase is to die for when strawberries are in season. Good place to go with friends after a night of hitting up the bars, imo.

    (5)

  • robin l.

    Just moved to Portland and tried Masu out last Saturday. Wow, everything was amazing right down to there cucumber infused water. Many different interesting rolls to try out. I loved them all. My only advise is to make a reservation. It was a full house the entire time we were there, that includes there bar and lounge.

    (4)

  • Adrienne S.

    Hostess said she was behind on reservations. Waited twenty minutes in "the lounge". No waitress, and when the boyf tried to order at the bar, she just gave him a shocked look. "I'm supposed to serve the BAR" and totally ignored him. Drinkless for an angry 30 minutes before we were seated. Service at the table was okay, but the sushi was just "meh". The rice wasn't cooked all the way through and the proportion of fish to rice was not great (as in, I'd like some maguro with my maguro, please). Next time I want sushi, I'm heading to Mio Sushi. Next time I want a nice date night...I'm going somewhere else. PS Why is service in Portland "notoriously bad"? I read that in another review here, and I'm finding out that it's true...what's up with that?

    (2)

  • Miss M.

    Love the Sushi at Masu!!! Perfect spot for a date and the sushi is amazing... Awesome drinks too!!! I totally recommend Masu if you love fresh sushi.

    (4)

  • Scott H.

    Masu is the best hidden sushi in town... the atmoshphere is superb. Just right. Whenever I go I like to order the Chirashi bowl and let the chef decide my sushi for the evening. It's a great adventure letting someone else decide, but I'm yet to be let down. Masu is one of the best places to take a date in town... the lighting is just right, it's conversational, everyone is dressed nicely and the staff is helpful.

    (5)

  • Sarah K.

    The worst sushi in town and Im not kidding!! I think these people just decided one day when they woke up to say "Hey Lets open a sushi bar today and smother it all in generic mayonaise!!" Can you say NASTY! The rolls are not creative, the spicy tuna was really old and smelly and the bartender was rude and ignored us like we were putting her out for a drink. I would discourage anyone from ever eating here. Its not worth the tummy ache.

    (1)

  • Jenna B.

    I like to the feel of this place- very lounge like, nice beats, clean simple decor, and not to mention good sushi. My colleague and I sat at the sushi bar we gave the chef full reign to just make us something good, and he delivered. The hamachi kama was excellent, descent price for the large portion!

    (4)

  • Edward J.

    This is probably the most romantic sushi bar in town. Its very expensive but the service is great and the food is fantastic. Their salad comes in great selections. They also make great drinks. I especially love the DJ and the atmosphere. Its got that dark indian red 60s design, plenty of bar room to wait for a table . Its also hidden on top of the building, so you get a nice view of the city. The sushi are great, very fresh and well balanced. Their udon is great! Its not too salty and too fishy. Plenty of whole shitake mushrooms. Great place to go on a romantic date or just a fancy dinner with friends.

    (4)

  • Julia J.

    Food was great, however the service was less to be desired. We came here with a group of 6, we sat at the bar at first to wait for a table, the bar tender was very friendly and knowledgeable. However the service change as soon as we were escorted to a table. Our waitress took forever to come over to take our order, and even longer to bring us the food we ordered, not to mention she also brought us things that we did not order. At this point there were only 2 other table in the restaurant and we still had a hard time getting drinks refilled and ordering more food. Did I also mention that If you are Gluten free be-careful of this place, if you question their food they will send out another very angry waitress to yell at you on why the rolls are gluten free. It's unfortunate that the Waitstaff was so rude, with one exception of the bar tender, He was great, food was great but we will not be coming here unless the service get better.

    (3)

  • Danielle R.

    Masu has the best sushi I've found in PDX so far and I've eaten lots of sushi. The rolls were unusual with very tasty sauces. I went with a large group so we ordered quite an assortment of sashimi and rolls. Very fresh and the fatty tuna was to die for. Try the death by sushi roll. Nummy. The atmosphere was definitely not on the cozy side. Stylish and great for a night out with the girls, but maybe not the most romantic place for a date.

    (4)

  • Bryan B.

    Really excellent sushi, no doubt about it. Don't expect to go cheap.

    (4)

  • Abe I.

    Oh, I love Masu. It seems to be a little bit out of place in Portland, what with our collective love for all things old, used, dirty and hard to find- this is entirely the opposite. The design is very clean, trendy and modern. On weekends, they project anime movies on one wall, there are DJs and also check out the Japanese hand dryers in the bathrooms. The food is excellent, which includes a variety of sushi (maybe the best in Portland as far as rolls go) as well as hot plates with such items as lamb, steak and sweet potato dumplings. The only drawback as I see it is price, as everytime I always ended spending more than I anticipated.

    (5)

  • Kate N.

    My husband and I ate here a few weeks ago while looking for some new sushi in town. We tried a couple different veggie rolls, all amazing. Not bland at all like most places weak veggie concoctions. Considering the price of the food, our pink haired server was rather bitchy and seemed almost put off by having to serve us. While the food was great, the service left us with a bad taste in our mouths. Would eat there again but only if we had a different server.

    (3)

  • h p.

    fresh sushi... artsy fartsy restaurant... odd server... delicious "the holladay" roll... average "the japanther" roll, super fresh "hamachi nigiri" equals over $100 lunch... i wish i had more to say but unfortunately, i just can't put my finger on this place... something's missing. maybe it's just me.

    (3)

  • Jennifer M.

    I am always in the mood for sushi! I have thought about going on a strict sushi diet numerous times. You may think I would eventually tire of eating raw fish day in and day out, but I assure you, you are wrong. There were several places that popped up on my phone when I entered a search for "best sushi in Portland." This included Bamboo, Shigezo, Yakuza, Mio and the list goes on. My boyfriend knows I am very particular about my sushi and being that it was my birthday he did not question my final decision to go to Masu Sushi. The restaurant is located on the second level. I really loved the entrance! Something about going up a clean straight flight of stairs reminded me of a few restaurants in Tokyo and I just thought it was a really cool restaurant feature. So we went up maroon carpeted stairs where you can hear the voices of the guests as you approach the top and we were welcomed by the host/floor manager as we walked in. There is a small sushi bar to your right and the dining room to the left. It was pretty low key that night but we secured the last two seats at the sushi bar. We were brought edamame and greeted by a really nice server right away. Specials were explained to us and we were given a great sake recommendation: fukucho "moon on the water" junmai ginjo. We were left alone and given the perfect amount of time to study the menu. We were told the moment we sat down a server would take our drink order but we would order our sushi through the chef; customary. I normally would have thought this is great and more traditional, but would have probably preferred to order through our server, as the sushi chef wasn't the friendliest. He was not rude, just didn't express much joy to be there or to take any time to exchange any small talk. No smile, but did thank us at the end after we paid. So moving on to the sushi. We ordered a bunch as we like to do! Uni, Amaebi, Ika, Sake, Mirugai, Suzuki, Saba, all of our favorites. The ika was not fresh. It was slimy and chewy. It was also forgotten when the rest of our sashimi was presented. Saba was ok. A little disappointed because it is my absolute favorite! Probably my favorite was the Amaebi which I don't normally order on a regular occasion and ordered very last in hopes to end on a satisfied note. Overall, sushi was pretty good. I think I would have been happier had the sushi chef been more pleasant. Our mirugai batayaki which I raved about to my boyfriend was good, but a bit small for its price and a little over-sauced. Highlights: tako sunomono a dish they give to you on the house as a little appetizer (I would assume only at sushi bar,) and our sake! Would I come back? Maybe! I'd like to try another sushi bar in Portland so I could compare the place to something else besides the favorite spots I have in Seattle. I definitely would recommend Masu as the only sushi place I've been to in Portland to others.

    (3)

  • Sav B.

    Masu is started by my buddy Charlie - who also started Holocene. The party goes San Francisco style as Charlie and partner homies are from the city by the bay. Masu has really incredible sushi and the atmosphere is totally inviting. Awesome bartenders, lights and a perfect Burnside location makes this Portland joint nostalgic for SF lovers like me.

    (5)

  • Vanessa G.

    When you feel like you should treat yourself to something decadent I always think really good sushi should do the trick. On a whim such as this, we decided to try Masu after reading some reviews on yelp. I ended up have mixed feelings about this place. At first size-up I noticed that the sushi chefs were all Caucasian, not exactly a good sign but not a turn off either. We started with the tofu agadashi which had a very flavorful mushroomy broth; we slurped it down. Halfway through this dish they brought us a small box of edamame, it had large salt crystals that melted in my mouth, nicely done. Next, we ordered the most decadent thing (in my opinion) on a sushi menu, wild salmon sashimi. This dish was awe-inspiring. So melty, buttery and delicious we ended up marveling after every bite. Next came a rainbow roll which was artfully prepared and equally delicious. I guess I never should've doubted the chefs. They delivered. What I really disliked about this place, however, was the atmosphere. It was artfully stuffy and cold. And even though it would seem a nice accompaniment to sushi, I found myself wanting to leave very badly near the end of the meal, despite the good food. Our service, besides the sushi chefs, was also the hostess and she was incredibly helpful with my sake order. I appreciated that, considering the menu is set up with a rating system that list the sakes in points according to sweet versus dry sakes. I might come back here if prompted by someone else but I don't think this place will become my end-all, be-all for sushi in Portland.

    (3)

  • Nicole C.

    Delicious! Unlimited edemame ~yummy and their specialty rolls were the best! Definitely recommend Mt. St. Helens and Pearl!!! Extensive wine and sake list. Great location! Great ambiance!!! Looking forward to going back!

    (4)

  • Travis C.

    Sushi was good but service was terrible. Waited over 40 minutes when ordering from Sushi bar. Seems like a good place if you got a lot of time, but not a quick sushi restaurant. Sushi bar is VERY small but food was good.

    (2)

  • j k.

    My boyfriend and I ate here on 8/9. Sushi is my favorite so we eat sushi pretty often. Masu was pretty good. The menu wasnt anything special. The quality of fish was above average. We started with miso soup and agadashi tofu. I dont think ive ever had miso soup that was bad before I came here. I dont know if it was because it was the bottom of the pot, but it was way too miso-y. My boyfriends was the same way. Also the sauce that came with the agedashi tofu was tasty and so were the mushrooms that were in it. however the tofu itself was kinda tough, as if it had been overcooked. or had been sitting around and then reheated. For sushi we had red snapper, sea urchin, eel, octopus, spicy tuna handrolls, the sansei roll, and a toro scallion roll. The sushi was really good. I must say I am usually weary of ordering the more exotic items in unknown places, such as uni, but i was pleasantly surprised. If I just rated the sushi i would probably give masu 4 stars, but the appetizers disappointed. I would probably go back if I lived in the area but I'll probably try someplace different the next time i'm in portland.

    (3)

  • Hiromi N.

    All in all, I'm a sushi snob. I love my sushi fresh and I was not disappointed at Masu. The ambiance is sleek and sophisticated. The food, clean and refined. The cocktails are scrumptious, with my favorite being the Tokyo Drop. The Masu roll and Japanista are fit for any sushi snob. I'm allergic to avocado and the staff members were extremely accomodating to my food allergy.

    (4)

  • Doenene L.

    Celebrating landing a new job and thought Sushi sounded great (when doesn't it?). We had been to Masu's once before, with friends, and remembered it as a good experience - if not somewhat slow on service (which we wrote off to the complexity of the rolls). Hmmm...15min later and still no service except for cucumber water. Eventually we ordered miso and short ribs (new on the menu) for starters. I am still daydreaming about those short ribs. We also ordered a spicy tuna roll and one of the specialty rolls. I was not impressed. I have had better spicy tuna rolls at the conveyor belt sushi venues. Yes the atmosphere is trendy, with the looking-to-be-seen young urban professionals lounging, but factor in price (how do all those 20-somethings afford 15 bucks a pop for a roll and pricey drinks?) and service and I think you can do better elsewhere. Go for the short ribs, a drink, and to be seen with the in crowd, have your main course somewhere down the road...

    (2)

  • Mike P.

    I rolled in to Masu on a Monday night and sat at the sushi bar. The place was nice, the fish looked fresh, and they seemed to have a very good variety. I only wished I could have tried some. After 45 mins of waiting and two beers later, we decided to ask the sushi chef if we were ever going to get served. He pointed to the other sushi chef and said that's you're chef who just headed to the back room to make more rice. First off, this is a Japanese restaurant, right? What kind of Japanese restaurant runs out of a basic necessity like rice. Secondly, what kind of customer service is that? I won't be back.

    (1)

  • Therese P.

    Not sure what all the hype is about. Having had sushi in Japan and at top sushi spots around the world, Masu did not meet up to the rave reviews. Portions are minuscule as others have mentioned. The sashimi special, local hamachi, was spot on but $21 for 6 pieces left us wanting for more. The kale and brussels sprout salad had good flavors, but portioned for Barbie. Rolls were okay but rather small as well ($17-18) and left the men in our group hungry. Service wasn't very friendly but efficient. No wow factor and no need to go back.

    (3)

  • David A.

    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.

    (5)

  • Kyle S.

    I will start out by saying that in my opinion a sushi place needs to be darn near perfect to receive 5-stars. This place was really very good, but there are a couple things that hold it back from being a complete 5-star experience. Pros: at 9:30pm on a Friday night we were seated almost immediately. The staff was very kind and accommodating both upon arrival and departure. I was surprised that parking was relatively simple and that the restaurant was probably at only 30% capacity. My girl ordered the "Hello Kitty" cocktail which was very nice, and not overly sweet yet fruity at the same time. I appreciate the complimentary edamame, it was well prepared and not overly salty. We did not come to a sushi bar to experience just roles. In my opinion the true test of how nice a sushi bar is completely depends on the quality of the fish and the rice. What better opportunity for this place to show off than order the 9-piece omakase ($28 per person). The waitress then encouraged us to order the fresh Oregon coast albacore which was melt in your mouth soft and flavorful. We finished the meal off with the "lotus" roll and if u see the picture I've posted you'll understand the name. I'm not typically a fan of fried sushi rolls but this one was very lightly battered and still very fresh tasting, I'd recommend it. Cons: At 30% capacity I expect waters and soft drinks to be refilled without needing to be requested, especially if they are constantly delivering different dishes to the table and looking directly at the empty glasses (as you can tell a bit of a pet peeve of mine). A couple of the pieces of nigiri had a bit of a fishy smell which seemed to be offset by the use of ginger, it's strange to say but typically good fish doesn't really smell like fish if that makes sense. Bottom Line: Solid experience and I would go back again to taste their special nigiri and maybe another roll. I question how great the service is when they get busier. I recommend trying this place out. Keep in mind two people 1 cocktail $125 with tip; reasonable for the quality but not a cheap night out if you're looking for a cheap sushi date.

    (4)

  • Ezekiel P.

    Sushi!!!!!!!!!! Great relaxing lounge type of environment. Food is delicious. Manager or owner remember who I was and greeted me by name. That made the entire experience that much better. Love the cucumber water.

    (5)

  • Mark M.

    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 puree 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 2nd 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.

    (4)

  • V Z.

    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!

    (3)

  • Cora L.

    I've never been disappointed by the food and have never had difficulty getting a table. It has a lovely atmosphere and some great sushi. Parking in the area can be challenging.

    (4)

  • Shir F.

    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!

    (5)

  • David Emery Massage M.

    Great service :D Highly recommend the "Death by Sushi"!

    (5)

  • Eddie A.

    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.

    (5)

  • Flix N.

    Pretty disappointing. We didn't care for any of our appetizers, rolls or recommended chef special. The chef's choice sushi was exceptional. Should have stuck with that and called it a day. Had high hopes for this place, definitely a one and done for us.

    (3)

  • Jennifer D.

    This place is 4 or 5 stars- but the bartender was so condescending & rude for no reason. If you go- ignore him- and get the calamari for sure!

    (3)

  • Nina S.

    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

    (4)

  • Sarah H.

    This place is really good. Get the death by sushi! Also the calamari is the best I have ever had. But the last time I went, they fried the calamari. All the other times it wasn't fried and it was so good. Hopefully it was just a different cook that night or something. DONT FRY YOUR CALAMARI!! :)

    (4)

  • Liz C.

    Have been to Masu a few times now. Typically the experience is good and prior to my last visit, it was my favorite spot in Portlan. Three of us went for pre-thorns game sushi. We ordered a few items off the menu and a few items from the specials menu. It really seemed like they were using their specials menu to get rid of old fish and charging a premium for it. All of the specials items tasted like they were on their last day and had been around for a while. Now to the uni. I love uni and have had great uni there before. On this visit the Uni came out discolored, slightly off the deep orange that you want. I'm not sure why I decided to try it, but when i did, it was CLEARLY off/old. So bad that I sent the other piece back (they did not take it off the bill either). I was trying to get that awful taste out of my mouth for hours (beers at the Thorns game did help though) :-) I am all for paying a high price for great sushi... I am NOT about paying a premium for fish that's been sitting in the fridge. It will be a long time before a get the courage to see if this was just an off-night. The search for good sushi in PDX continues

    (2)

  • Varun B.

    Went here kind of late on a saturday night. No wait at all, so we sat right down at the sushi bar. The fish tasted fresh and the rolls were nicely done with the appropriate amount of rice to filling ratio. The service is quite fast as well, though that could've been since we were among a smaller crowd of people.

    (4)

  • Yuer X.

    An OK experience. The interior decoration is very simple and comfortable. We order several different things. The Tempura and the Japonasta Roll (might spelled it wrong) tasted really delicious. However, the miso soup was crazily salty. I believe the cook made it wrong on that specific day because I've had miso soup all over the world and it never tasted that salty. The gyoza was another disaster. It tasted like boiled dumplings not fried. Sushis and the Chirashi Bowl were just average. Nothing stands out. Besides, the service wasn't that attentive as well. The server's attitude was a little awkward. It seemed like he was reluctant to serve us, which made me felt uncomfortable.

    (3)

  • Emily W.

    Sat at the sushi bar, got some nigiri and one sushi roll. The nigiri was better than the speciality roll. The service was okay, as I had to ask for a lot of stuff.

    (4)

  • Erin O.

    It was 5-star good, but garners 4 stars for the shocking bill at the end of the meal. My daughter and I were in Portland for an appointment, so I decided it was high time to sample one of the highly rated, downtown sushi places. Masu was the destination of choice. We are hefty eaters in general, and we had not eaten in about 7 hours, so we were both hungry. We ordered what I considered to be our usual amount of food, and what totals about $50 max outside of Portland totaled $91 here at Masu. Ok, but once past that, here's the scoop on the sushi: It is FRESH! And it is GOOD! This is the kind of place where sashimi and nigiri are pure delights. You don't need fancy rolls (though those are good, too) and you don't need soy sauce for dipping. It was some of the best nigiri I'd had in a long time. Delicate. Small, Easy to pop in your mouth kind of size. And oh-so-good! Noteworthy items: For nigiri, I sampled maguro, hamachi and sawara, which is a Spanish mackerel. All some of the best I've had. For rolls, we tried the Holladay (hamachi, green onions, mint, cilantro and serrano pepper wrapped in mamenori served with special dipping sauce topped with peanuts). It was spicy, different, and pretty spectacular. We also tried The Nemo, which is shrimp tempura, dungeness and avocado topped with whitefish and salmon finished with ponzu, green onions, toasted white sesame seeds and smoked bonito flakes. The smoked bonito flakes at first were a pleasant surprise, but mid roll, the taste somewhat overpowered all. I wouldn't order this again, but not sorry I tried it. I am also a fan of miso soup, and Masu's ranked really high. Nice, crisp, clean open floor plan with a sushi bar near the upstairs entrance and a drink bar in the middle of the floor. Tables line the 2nd story windows with a view of trees. I'd eat here again, but I won't be rushing back because it turned out to be a splurge and I wasn't expecting that.

    (4)

  • Carolina S.

    So it's a little more expensive than your average sushi spot. However, the miso soup was one of the best that I've ever tasted. They had a great kale salad that I would recommend as well as their seasonal veggie tempura. The rolls were pretty fresh, I tried the Nemo and lotus. Both were good, although I wasn't a great fan of the whitefish the restaurant used on my Nemo roll. Again, great on the service and the atmosphere, but not so great with the whitefish... even so, I would go here again. Lastly, there's a really good tasty chocolate store next door to Masu- worth a stop there too.

    (4)

  • Ted R.

    Follow up visit ( for the 5 th time) best miso around , outstanding Sake selection, sushi has always been fresh and a perfect temp. The sushi to rice ratio is excellent, which by my standard is more fish less rice. Ambiance is very cool, partial warehouse renovation with an Asian flair. Blackened Cod is a tastebud bomb. Texture is perfect. Pan severed and then deep fried for an amazing result. Not oily, tender as butter

    (5)

  • Frank R.

    The best sushi in Portland. Skip Bamboo for sure! Extremely pleasant service, wonderful decor, great Madeleine Peyroux tunes...and fantastic food! A huge vegan/vegetarian selection and super fresh fish. Seriously worth a visit!!

    (5)

  • Lily W.

    Every Tuesday, my and I dad go to a different sushi restaurant. I always order the Philadelphia Roll, and review it for the rice, salmon, cream cheese, etc. I am always on the lookout for the best Philly Roll in Portland! Date & Time of visit: 12:45pm, Tuesday Feb 10, 2015 I-SPY: Look for the birch bark houseplant pot. Location: 3.5 stars This restaurant is downtown, right off Burnside. We found easy parking directly outside on the street. Service: 3.5 stars The waiter who seated us took a minute to appear but was very friendly. Other parties didn't get service upon entering either. We got a free serving of edamame with lots of salt. There was a free cucumber/sushi appetizer. Decor/Ambience: 4.5 stars The restaurant was on the second floor and there was a nice view out of huge windows. We sat at the bar and there was a giant whole fish on the sushi counter. Also there was a big Mount Fuji painting on the wall. All the dishes matched nicely. Presentation: 4 stars There were nice fabric napkins and cucumbers in the water. My dad's rolls and the philly were on the same plate with black and white sesame seeds. There was also a pretty soy sauce pot. Tastiness: 3 stars There was cucumber and no avocado in the roll. The salmon was mushy and uncooked but tasted good. But they could have gone a little less on the cucumber. Non-Philly Foods: 4 stars (Dad speaking) I got the Rip City Roll which was very good and went down way too fast. The miso soup was acceptable but I'm a real critic of miso. The complimentary salty and warm edamame served upon seating was a nice touch. Price: $8 for 8 rolls Overall: 3.5 stars Takeaway: A worthwhile visit with a few rough edges.

    (4)

  • Joanna M.

    I visit Portland very often however I never tried any sushi here, I did some research and I think I came to the wrong place. This place has very average sushi, but I would come back to eat here because it was fresh. The reason I am giving only 2 stars is the service. Our waiter was not at all helpful, very slow, we had to almost get up and get him several times, anyhow, not the experience I was expecting.

    (2)

  • Hilary L.

    Excellent food - worst service ever!! Very disappointing as the place was nice. #ManagerShouldNotArgueWithCustomer

    (1)

  • Chad P.

    I was glad a friend introduced me to this place. It is pricey but it is so worth it! Everything was so gourmet and tasted so fresh. It was all completely worth it! There wasn't a thing we had that I wouldn't try again and again. Best of all, it didn't feel pretentious like so many other places in downtown Portland.

    (5)

  • Brittany H.

    I've been wanting to try Masu for some time now and today was the day. The food was great, a bit overpriced for such small portions, but overall I had a great experience. I would definitely recommend Masu for more of a date night. I wore shorts and a tank and felt a bit underdressed. Other than that, the atmosphere is nice. Be sure to try the blackberry lemonade. Amazing!

    (4)

  • Gerardo T.

    Just go here!

    (5)

  • Rowan B.

    Wish the vegan/vegetarian rolls were cheaper and more creative, but they are top notch for what they are. Very nice vibe, fun place!

    (4)

  • Gie R.

    Super sushi, super service. Prices are a bit steep, but you pay for an exceptional quality, taste, and experience. Ask at the bar for a spicy plum liquor (forgot the name, but the bottle has a devil on it). Honestly, this is the best sushi I've had in US!

    (5)

  • Joshua R.

    Stopped in with my wife for lunch today and I must say I was very impressed with the service and the food! First off my wife does not know much about Japanese rolls so she asked our server what were the most popular ones. The young lady asked her, her likes and dislikes and narrowed it down to a few. The Kenzo...I think that's what it was called, was the first one she recommended followed by the Holiday and the Rainbow. So many great options to choose from and they were all delicious, especially the kale salad and the miso soup! This place goes above and beyond. Go for happy hour!!

    (5)

  • Tiffnay M.

    Amazing! I loved the people and the food blew me away. I will never look at sushi the same way again.

    (5)

  • Kate B.

    Love love love this place! Right across from Solestruck and not far from a knitting shop either...sounds like my bermuda triangle in Portland, lol. I loved it so much that I came here three nights in a row on my business trip. There were soooo many other restaurants to try in Portland (and I did venture out and try others too) but this place had such amazing sea urchin and I had a wonderful time chatting with the bartender (I believe his name was Phil? I should have written this review like 2 months ago! My memory is fading!) Of course sea urchin was pretty big on my list of things to order here and I had it a few times. They had a great clam appetizer I enjoyed too...the rich umami flavor was mindblowing. I typically wouldn't order something like that but the bartender told me I'd really like it if I like uni, so I got some. I also converted a girl who sat down beside me at the bar to uni. Mission accomplished, haha. I also brought my girlfriend here the night she came in and it was a smash-hit for her too and she typically doesn't care much for seafood. I love the little sticker on the hand-dryer in the ladies room. Also loved the music they played...had to shazzam a few songs and download them for posterity. And the decor was great too. Overall 5 star experience A++ would visit again. And I will. Next time I am in Portland. There WILL BE a next time! I just don't know when. xD

    (5)

  • Roger M.

    Really like the miso soup, fig fried tofu in a rich savory broth, Painted Hills local beef short rib, delicious & tender, with potato. Salmon chinook (wild?) great / cold. Bensake salmon is definitely wild. It is an elegant place but casual is fine. Only been twice! Coming back soon!

    (4)

  • Natsha C.

    I like the design of the restaurant a lot but other than that the food was ok, not very good and not bad. Service was good, nothing special in particular. It was pricey and comes in small portions.

    (3)

  • Peter N.

    Vegans versus sushi is always going to be a dicey mix, but this was pretty good. The vegetarian options turned out to be entirely vegan. The server was a little grumpy, but warmed up after a bit. It is a high-end place, and the bill was a little steep, but fortunately I wasn't footing the tab. Still, recommended for a classy joint.

    (4)

  • Greg G.

    I love sushi and I eat a lot of it. However, most of the time I find it rather overpriced. This place I looked at and thought yeah it will be over the top. What I found was a pretty good mix of traditional and modern. First off, I would get the sashimi chef's choice. Only 3 types of fish (3 pieces each) but these are pretty good cuts. Large cuts AND flavorful. The albacore was actually really really well prepared. Not overly fatty and provided good texture throughout. This was probably my favorite of the whole meal. Salmon was decent too, a bit more oily than I have had it before and it was great. Maybe it's their sourcer or they dress the fish with some oil after but I am not complaining. It was subtle but really well executed. We also had some rolls which were alright. I would not come back for just those though. However the cuts of fish on each roll are pretty big so I appreciated that since for me the fish is what it's all about. The last roll we ordered was lit on fire but the pieces around it were moving with the flame and were spicy as well. Pretty good presentation and the spicy taste was great for me. The staff was awesome, as our server was pretty kind and honest with us regarding her own choices of the menu. The decor was pretty modern all polished wood and sake boxes hung from the ceiling. I am guessing they are playing more this angle than fish as they have a decently sized sake menu which I was sorry that I could not look into. I would come again.

    (4)

  • Camelhive Z.

    Nice atmosphere, but sub-par food for the price. The restaurant is tucked away behind a tall staircase to the 2nd floor. You may miss it. The interior design is spartan though the view is nice from the windows. The service was great, though the preparation was somewhat slow in spite of the place being less than half full. The problem was with the food - the miso soup was extremely soup, so much that diluting it by two (there goes the water glass) delivered a mere too-salty result. The hibachi steak was just ok, the black cod was too salty. Edamame pods were under-cooked and too firm. These were well below my expectation from a Japanese chef. The ginger ice cream desert was inconsistent in texture and weak in flavor. I'd give this one a miss. Not terrible, but just not good enough.

    (3)

  • Edward T.

    Do not eat here! Been here several times and each time it got worse. The 3 sushi rolls we ordered took over an hour and the place was not busy, the service was pretentious, and externally overpriced for what it is. Never coming back.

    (1)

  • Chels N.

    Went to this adorbs sushi restaurant during a recent trip to Portland. Tucked away upstairs makes it that more intimate and attractive to me. The food menu was small, but on par, and the sushi menu was perfect. Paired well with martinis. Highly recommend for a romantic meal or table of friends.

    (5)

  • Audre W.

    Hello, I went to Masu Sushi a few times and I really liked the environment, it can be a bit dark in there but I guess that's the scene. It's set-up nicely and our server I think his name was Micheal (sorry if I spelled wrong) well it's always him haha he's very nice recommending tasty dishes and flavorful drinks! If the mood is date- night and romantic he is very good with keeping that atmosphere. Some waiters I've had just tell out jokes, stay and talk for long periods, or extinguish the moment etc. If your worried about this than I would recommend him! I'd gone in a double-date, very pricey and the food portions were too small and not enough. I'm a slim girl I don't eat that much, I left starving and a bill of 158$ for just around 6 dishes and lemonades... we all got equal share. But Masu... If this is the price then there has to be more to offer... The View is nice from the window, restrooms are always clean and food does taste good, I really like the Miso soup, for me it's salty but that's how it's suppose to be, it tastes good to me. Their dessert is definitely a good surprise! :) **P.s. If your the one buying dinner for your date or such, your gonna need some $$$** Just sayin... but the rest is very nice, food, atmosphere, dress semi-formal, its a dress shirt and tie(opt. tie) kind of place. Have fun though! ;D

    (4)

  • Lia B.

    The atmosphere and service did not match the prices we paid. Some of the dishes were great, but the experience was not thanks to our server who was deadpan to the point of it being humorous. I don't need my ass kissed when I go to dinner... But if I'm paying more I expect at least a little effort. Also, our miso came out in the middle of the meal (and only when we mentioned we had not received it), and an order of nigiri never came until we asked (she promptly put the order in after stating she didn't think she had seen it come out... As if maybe we were trying to lie to get another roll?!). Meh. Food was fine otherwise.

    (3)

  • N S.

    Yummy drinks, amazing service! They have really good seating for larger groups! Good atmosphere. The food was tasty and the service was splendid! Will definitely be back

    (5)

  • Colleen F.

    The sushi here was OK. My husband and I recently visited Portland and decided to visit Masu one night for dinner. We shared a few rolls. The rolls were OK. Nothing to write home about...I've actually had better in the DC area. The service was not very good. We got there kind of late on a Saturday night...when we walked in the door we were asked if we had a reservation. Mind you, there weren't very many people at the restaurant. The host looked around and asked if we would mind sitting at the bar since we didn't have a reservation. I definitely would've preferred sitting at a table, especially since there were open tables still by the time we left (we pretty much just ate and left...didn't hang around). Also when we ordered at the bar the chef made it seem like we were inconveniencing him. Sorry, dude bro/hipster hybrid for wanting to order food at a restaurant! to be fair, the other guys with him were a bit better. I just found the atmosphere to be a little rude and pretentious, which says a lot considering that's the environment I live in every day in the DC area.

    (3)

  • Lin H.

    Unclear how Masu has such great reviews. I've been here a few times and my best experiences have been during happy hour when I didn't have to put down high prices for an ok fatty, salty hot bowl of ramen. I have, however, had disastrous dinner services here and when one is paying (and expecting) high end sushi, there are *actual* high end sushi places one could go to (especially for the price). My last dining experience was last night. I was thoroughly disappointed with the fish we ordered and the service that came with it. One of the items I ordered was the sweet shrimp. The shrimp itself was gummy and a bit mushy -- not at all delectable. The server giggled and said that one of the heads had high-tailed it and she'd get me a new one. It was kind of embarrassing to be a part of a restaurant where you apparently drop your "high end sushi" on the floor. I can't imagine this happening at many of the sushi bars I've been to -- imagine Jiro from Jiro Dreams of Sushi being like lol that shrimp head just rolled right off that there plate! I never did get served my second head, which is, frankly, the only reason why I order sweet shrimp. We were not given any wasabi with our sushi and we waited an abnormally long time to make eye contact with anyone in order to ask for some. Finally, while bringing out the plates to us, they placed a dirty plate in front of my friend. At least they recognized it and took it away -- only to bring him another dirty plate. He ended up using the edamame plate. In short, I'm not certain why, for this price, one would go through this ordeal for subpar food. There are places like Syun Izakaya just to name one. Or hell, one of those sushi conveyor restaurants would give you a better experience for your dollar.

    (1)

  • Wendy G.

    We were recommended to Masu by the Westin Portland and it was an excellent experience. Being October, it was a bit cold and rainy, so some hot tea and tasty ramen were just the ticket. We started with the chicken gyoza with garlic and scallion, and they were really good .Really fresh sushi and of course the ramen was just amazing - just what we needed. The restaurant itself is open, but also cozy and we had excellent service. My husband also enjoyed their cocktail menu and they had a ton of hot and cold sakes available. It was also very full on a Monday night, so betting it's a favorite with locals as well.

    (5)

  • Carolyn S.

    This review is for their happy hour: First of all the space itself is beautiful. One story up and shaded by maple trees. The sushi was delicious and the fish was a very high quality. The wait staff was very friendly and attentive. The only downside is I feel like their happy hour isn't a great deal. The rolls are about $15 a piece (don't think they're part of the happy hour menu). The only things that are really great on happy hour is nigiri sushi and maybe some of the hand rolls. That being said: delicious anyway!

    (4)

  • Tessa S.

    I've been wanting to try this place out for a while since it's highly talked about through many friends of mine. I dragged my boyfriend along one afternoon (~5pm on a Friday) and can sadly say I was so disappointed. We got in and were a little confused on where to go (there is a set of stairs that leads up to the restaurant) and once we got up there it took the host a few minutes to actually notice us just standing there. Once we got seated and got a chance to look at the menu we noticed that the prices are definitely on the steep end (most rolls were over $20) but we had high hopes that this place would be good. Well the food was good, but I don't know if it's worth the price. The customer service we received was awful though and this is why I only gave this place 2 stars. We were ignored completely for a good 20 minutes after being seated.....there was only one customer other than else in there. The server only talked to us twice- to take our order and to give us our check. The rest of the employees (and manager) were talking the whole time with each other behind the bar. It made us feel so uncomfortable and not welcomed. All in all the terrible customer service ruined it for us and we won't be returning.

    (2)

  • Danielle K.

    Yuuuuuuummmm!!!! Came here for happy hour on a Saturday. Love the interior, pretty view onto 13th, friendly staff, delicious miso soup, Sapporo on draft for only $5.50, SUPER fresh salmon nigiri, edamame included. So glad I tried it, I'll definitely be back.

    (5)

  • Dima M.

    This is my second time here and I can definitely say they lost a couple starts since last time, I ordered a couple different sushi rolls and the salmon and white fish completely had no taste to it, felt like I was eating nothing at all.. Wasabi and ginger looked like it has been sitting around since early morning.. Took the waiters a long time to refill drinks and sauces.. think the best part of this whole place is the miso soup and calamari

    (2)

  • Ryan Y.

    Masu fits in perfectly with the Pearl, where Asian-Fusion fails. Masu had a pretty eclectic variety of sushi rolls. I tried 2 rolls: Transformer and Holladay. Transformer was a failed attempt to enhance a spider roll. It lack the Japanese flare in presentation. The holladay was gross. Instead of using seaweed, they decide to offer a vegetarian spin with a soy based seaweed. The baffling part is that there is fish in the roll, so what is the point? White seaweed just looks and tastes gross. The only thing they did well was the crispy mackerel. Authentic Japanese restaurants will call this grilled mackerel, or saba shioyaki. Of course, they just call it "crispy mackerel". It was delicious and authentically served with grated daikon. The mackerel was the highlight. The meal ended with a bang when the waiter suggested a green tea gelato. When my friend and I tried it, we knew it was not gelato. It was ice cream, and bad green tea ice cream. Great way to charge more by calling it gelato. There are so many better places for Japanese in the Pearl. My meal was not worth $60. I get full off of $25 at other restaurants in the Pearl. People who thinks this place is good, do not know authentic Japanese from hyped up Japanese.

    (2)

  • Joshua S.

    It was good enough that I ate here twice in one night. The sushi chefs were super nice, the fish was very fresh, and once they realized that we would try anything they made us a couple off menu items which were delicious and no charge. The preparation of some of the fish was different than I have had before- in a very good way. Attention to detail and super friendly service from the sushi chefs. If I'm ever in Portland again soon this is a destination.

    (5)

  • Shan C.

    Service is very nice, the waiter introduced every kind of sashimi in my chirashi. It was good! I will definitely come back more and try new stuff!

    (4)

  • Greg R.

    I love this place. They never disappoint on ambiance, wait time, food or drinks. The wait-staff are very friendly and the preparations are fresh & imaginative. Be sure to order the Japanista roll and the chef's sashimi platter when you go - Highly recommended.

    (4)

  • Etoulia S.

    The restaurant is beautiful, nice decorations and romantically lit. It seems like it would be a cool place to meet up with friends and hang in the lounge area for drinks. Only 3 stars because the sushi itself was average. I've had way better in less expensive, less fancy looking places.

    (3)

  • Tim O.

    Great sushi in a comfortable and fairly hip atmosphere. Love the chirashi bowl, and they have a great selection of interesting salads. Top notch sake list, and the servers are always attentive.

    (5)

  • Leah H.

    BEST SERVICE EVER! From the time that I walked in I felt like a VIP. Took my daughter here for lunch on her birthday because of the good reviews and we wanted something nicer than the conveyor belt stuff. This was great. The best miso soup ever, the waiter also recommended an eggplant appetizer and we were surprised how great it was. Sushi was excellent as well. But the best thing was the waiter by far. His attention to detail was spot on. He had noticed I was eating the ginger on the sushi plate and mentioned how good it was for you and later on he brought out the best homemade ginger gelato with a lit candle for me and my daughter to share for her birthday. I could have hugged him.

    (5)

  • Shane K.

    Masu has the best sushi menu in all of Portland, in my opinion. Both the unique and traditional options are great, and service has always been exceptional. I also rented out the bar-side space for a business event, and the Masu staff took great care of us and the price was very reasonable.

    (5)

  • Jana S.

    I've been to Masu Sushi several times now. It's great for business dinners as well as girls' night out. I love the Hello Kitty cocktail. The edamame comes in an adorable bamboo box. Sushi is a good value for the price, but I haven't had consistent sushi the times I've been there. Each time the rolls are a little different and not always made as well as they could be, but overall it's good and a good value for the money.

    (4)

  • Joshua B.

    My favorite Japanese food in Portland. Sushi is great, and the dinner menu unbeatable. Good service, consistent quality, no complaints here!

    (5)

  • Mary M.

    The sashimi and raw fish sushi here is amazing - my favorite place in Portland so far. Their sushi chefs get the freshest, best-tasting fish from the market and serve it here as daily specials. My favorites have been the high-grade albacore, halibut, and king salmon. They even have real wasabi! The ambiance is great - it is also a full bar with excellent cocktails. The 4/5 stars is because their kitchen dishes take so long to come out. I also have ordered some of their cooked-fish rolls, and the fish was far overcooked and very dry. I assumed this was an off-night because otherwise my experience with Masu has been excellent! I crave it all the time!

    (4)

  • Marina P.

    Jake is the kindest, most knowledgeable and welcoming server! He helped us pick great options, modified, and really made us feel welcomed. We'll be back!

    (5)

  • Joe T.

    First time here last weekend was recommended by a work buddy we all know how that can go. But the Sushi was excellent the service was great and the price was well it was Sushi soo.. Definitely hitting this spot again soon.

    (4)

  • Rachel Jo-yu C.

    First, I grew up with the privilege to taste fresh high-graded sashimi(thanks to my relative's business), i.e. toro which would literally melt in your mouth with a lingering flavor, so while i am not expecting to have the same quality in most of the Japanese restaurant in the US unless i spend a fortune on it. But I usually appreciate restaurants which would be selective in the raw seafoods they serve customers, and give high credit to the restaurants when their sushi master/chefs know what they are doing. Simply put, Masu is definitely overpriced/overrated in the sense of the quality of their foods. We were very disappointed at the sashimi(only the hamachi is ok), and the curry is like coming out from instant curry pack, and not those tasty ones. The pros are that they open late and that the atmosphere is modern and intimate, if you are aiming for a gastrobar in Japanese style, then yes, it could be a good venue. But not as a Japanese restaurant.

    (2)

  • Aimee N.

    Was here on Wednesday this week for dinner with a co-worker. We asked the hotel for a good sushi place and the recommended we come to Masu. Great modern atmosphere. We decided to sit at the bar and we received a dish from the sushi chef of octopus sashimi with some pickled veggies. So fresh and good! We also got edamame munch on while we decided on dinner. We ordered a bottle of saki, which my co-worker had not had a good experience in the past but was game to share it with me. He had a better experience this time! Kept it simple with the rolls and everything was tasty and fresh. It satisfied my sushi craving and everything was reasonably priced. Will make the walk to Masu if I want sushi the next time I am in town.

    (4)

  • Shy A.

    We came by on a recommendation from a friend and were not disappointed. The room is open and had this serene feeling-possibly because it's located upstairs and had really tall ceilings. So, on to what was delicious: Calamari-ok, not that flash friend stuff you get at other places! Huge chunks of calamari sauteed in a spicy sauce-it was the best thing that I had all night! Miso japanese eggplant-flash fried- with the texture of a fried banana-if you like eggplant-you would adore this dish. Japanista roll-this packed a punch on the heat scale but I loved the sweet chili sauce on the side that helped balance the spiciness of the roll Tokoyo Drop drink-if you heart lychee as much as I do...then, this is the drink for you! We ordered the spicy tuna, caterpillar roll and the eel. All rolls were fresh and tasty. The service was so-so. I suppose thats what's keeping it from a 4 star review for me. It was painfully slow, luckily we were not in a rush, but having to eyeball someone down for a few minutes to get a refill on your water is not my idea of a good time. The server was friendly enough, it just seemed as if she was a bit...displaced? She was nice but unaware that she had waiting customers. I won't let this off service prevent me from returning because their food is definitely good but I definitely would not recommend it if you are on a time crunch.

    (3)

  • Dan B.

    We came here on a whim based on the Yelp reviews Masu had. We went on Saturday late afternoon/ evening and were presented with a "Happy Hour" menu - I would hate to see what the prices are on the normal menu. Overall, the fish was fresh and well prepared. 5 stars for that. I'm a stickler for good service - being that the restaurant was about 20% full, and we sat at the bar - there is no reason our service should not have been 110%. There were 4, yes, four, fore, quatro - sushi chef's behind the sushi bar preparing food and 2 waitresses that stopped by to give us water. While we were there, we had 1 drink - when we asked for our bill, about 45 min later - the waitress asked if we wanted our second drink. Of the 4 sushi chefs - 1 was kind enough to take our order, but then the food took forever - I almost forgot what we ordered by the time it came out. Anyway - I hate to say never, but I don't think I will be back unless the service improves drastically.

    (3)

  • Richard B.

    This used to be our "go to" place for exciting sushi rolls. We hadn't been in a year or two so decided to go in again. We were disappointed in the sushi, the quality of their specialty rolls was just not as good as it used to be. Not sure if they are resting on their laurels or just skimping on the ingredients, but the Japonista used to be amazing and this time it was "ehh."

    (3)

  • Mikhail H.

    Most impressive and I eat a lot of sushi. I went with three friends and we ordered 6 different rolls so we could try a variety. I honesty did not try anything which I did not love. The rolls were unique, very fresh and had incredible flavor. They had a nice sake selection to wash everything down. In addition, the service was excellent - our wonderful waitress was not just super sweet but the second I would even think about needing anything, there she was with a smile. The restaurant itself is quite lovely as well. It was pretty full yet sound carries well and our table still felt private.

    (5)

  • Xander K.

    The have the best Chirashi bowl from coast to coast. It seems a little pricey, but for what is in there- the sea veggies mixed throughout, and the amount of fish- it's so great! I don't live in the city, but every time I go, I go here for this specific dish- not to be missed. The restaurant (ambiance etc) is also great, and they are really nice to travelers who are dining alone- which is pretty great!

    (5)

  • Mike F.

    The fish (omakase): - The tako was perfectly tender and flavorful - The saba was smooth - The aji was juicy - The kampachi was firm, but was a bit too delicate when it came to taste - The Oregon uni, which I hadn't had before, was very similar to Boston uni (i.e., a combination of Santa Barbara creamy/smooth and Hokkaido strong - The ikura was nice and salty, but wasn't as firm as I'd like - The maguro was better than average - The albacore was excellent - Not a huge fan of guiduck, but it was ok - Not a sake fan, but it was ok - The anago was sweet and meaty - The uni/kani/tobiko mix was delicious - And the tamago was the perfect send off No toro, shiromutsu, or kanimiso, but still a decent selection of fish. Excellent service at the sushi bar. So all of that food, plus edamame, for only $30. Wow! Talk about value. Masu is on my to go to list whenever I'm in Portland.

    (4)

  • Becky Y.

    Passed by this place twice during a three-day stay in Portland and decided to try it out for lunch on leaving day. Bright, cozy quiet dining environment on Friday afternoon. Ordered Donkatsu Ramen and it was so delicious. Love the soup the pork and the egg!! Enough noodles but before getting too full. The pork might be a little be greasy but the meat came in a great ratio and was just perfect for a windy cold rainy day.

    (4)

  • Gillian W.

    Went in here today for lunch and the first impression I got was upscale, I got things I had never seen before or would even thinking of eating. I started with the dungeness sunomono with heirloom carrot, sunchokes and persimmons for a starter and when it came I was notified it had stinging nettles in it. I was like am I really going to eat that? I could see the prickly things on it but I was like NO way. I mean I am adventurous to a fault but omg. I was like nu uh.. DH got the painted hills short rib oden with soy steeped egg and braised daikon- he ate every bit of it, looked like beef soup with the big Daikon radishes on either side- they looked like potatoes. The next thing that came was my chirashi and the first thing I noticed was something that looked like a tougue, had the rough looking texture, was and was orange / pinky in color. I had to know what is was, I was notified it was a Sea urchin, looked too gross for me. Overall the experience was nice here but would go for dinner again if I was to go. I am not sure I would go back for lunch, was quite spendy- 68- after it was all said and done and that was with drinks. So yea.. maybe not too bad if you don't drink but still not much food for what you pay for. I liked it and it was a fun adventure but I think way too uppity for me. I tend to stray in the he more dark areas. The food was of good quality though. Enjoyable time!

    (4)

  • Mah N.

    We ordered couple of Sashimi & nigiri plates and were disappointed at the quality of fish. Hand rolls were okay, too much creamy sauce brings the freshness of sushi down in the mouth. They offer a wide variety of sakes in small & large bottles, our waiter was knowledgable & honest telling us that house warm sake is no good... I like the ambiance of this place more than food...Dim lighting, not too crowded , exposed brick work and a wonderful array of sakes make this a nice compliment to your chill weekend nights.

    (3)

  • Rouzhna N.

    The interior is absolutely gorgeous. I just want to live there. Those big windows and the tall ceiling, wow! The sushi roll was, in all honestly, not very special...and they were cut so sloppy and smeared with some sauce that just made it feel like a cheap sushi roll The Nigiri kept falling apart but the quality of the fish was pretty good. The drinks were strong and tasty. Overall, I'd come here for more the atmosphere and drinks, and maybe a few sashimi or nigiri, but def. not the rolls.

    (4)

  • Nipun S.

    One of top sushi places in Portland... I had seen the rating for it some time ago but somehow never got the chance to eat here.. so to celebrate a special occasion i decided to take my significant other out to sushi.... The place has a very nice ambiance with dim lighting and small candle on each table. We started off with some calamari as we both love it. The calamari here is not battered and has a thai flavor to it. We both loved it and I would recommend it for people who like a little spice in there food. The sushi was tasty and some rolls were very different from what I have had around here before. We had 4 rolls altogether: the holladay, death by sushi, st. helens volcano and the japanista. If I were to rate the rolls I would say, death by sushi and st. helens volcano are the best followed by holladay and japanista. St. Helens volcano's volcano cream sauce is amazing. The consistency of this roll along with the fact that it si served on top of a cucumber makes it very interesting and tasty. The Holladay comes with a special dipping sauce with peanuts in it. This taste is something new in sushi for me and I loved it. Overall, I loved this place and would definitely go back here for sushi. It is a little pricey though. The parking validation for the INdigo garage is also something good and useful.

    (5)

  • Jessica G.

    Beautiful restaurant, high quality sushi, good service. Bit overpriced for small portions but otherwise a delightful date night.

    (4)

  • Jihee Y.

    Besides the food at Masu, what made it so memorable was the sheer ambiance of the entire place. The entire decor, music, lighting, everything about it made it a great experience. You could really tell everyone at the restaurant were enjoying themselves. The food - Of course we ordered sushi. You can really taste the freshness of the fish and nothing was too heavy like most sushi restaurants these days. We also ordered the tonkotsu ramen to share. Maybe it was because it was so rainy and cold that night but the broth just warmed us up and I can still remember the sigh of happiness when we took our first bites. Definitely going back when I visit portland again.

    (4)

  • Jenny C.

    Nice servers - slightly over priced yet comfortable location and good sushi

    (3)

  • Olivia O.

    Masu's secret: they have an amazing happy hour cheese burger, only instead of bacon it has a sliver of pork belly in the middle, served with a side of kim chi. Masu itself seems a bit of secret, as it's got a simple entrance, a door leading to stairs, and then a floor above street level, you have the beautiful box-shaped restaurant. There is even a mobile of bamboo boxes hanging from the ceiling. The sushi here is amazing, and the atmosphere is even better. The service is especially great. And the music. I always like to add something about the music. This place plays interesting simple music. They were playing Ok Computer when I went in today. It's a great place to study or bring a date or meet a few friends. It's very zen and the perfect downtown restaurant.

    (5)

  • Ben C.

    Great sushi! Service was amazing. Huge sake list! We had a sashimi special with chunks of sashimi... A little pricey but worth the splurge when want to eat fresh fish. The only thing I didn't like was how small the rolls were. I'll probably just come here for a drink and sashimi next time... But there will definitely be a next time!

    (4)

  • Tonneli G.

    I love masu! Such a hidden gem- be prepared to open your wallet but do know you won't regret it. I love their specials on the sushi menu: always fresh, usually local, definitely tasty Also worth noting the tempura is super! Light and crispy :) so good

    (5)

  • Michael C.

    Solid 4.5. Very friendly and quick service with reasonable prices. More importantly, the fish quality was very good, and the ocean trout in particular was quite interesting (it looked just like salmon). I'll certainly be back! UPDATE: Unfortunately, our second visit was very different. We ordered three different types of sushi, and none of it was good at all, to the point where we left one of the rolls unfinished. I would have given this visit a 2, so I'll average the two to 3 stars. (Note that the food wasn't terrible, but I have high standards for sushi given nearby places like Yama and Bamboo.)

    (3)

  • Monique L.

    Braised pork kaki is really really good!! We have enjoyed the omakase a couple of times (the small one and the big one) and they were both very good, just depends how hungry you are. One of my favourite things at this place was giant clam with the umami butter.....super good and unique!

    (4)

  • Devin F.

    I have been here twice in the past few months, and I do not live in Portland. The sushi is very fresh, the atmosphere is nice and the price is right. Highly recommended.

    (5)

  • Cierra L.

    Beautiful atmosphere, pretty good sushi, even better nigiri. The quality of the fish was really spectacular and the service was great and very attentive. Sushi was good, but nothing crazy special. Also very much so loved the fact that they are open slightly later. Didn't get back into Portland around ten and it was one of the last places open! A little expensive for the sushi, but everything else was fantastic.

    (4)

  • Zaphod B.

    It would be easy to walk past the dark doorway next to Cacao, but make sure to seek this place out. It's on the second floor, and once upstairs you'll be in another world. Subdued lighting, textured wooden walls, and a pleasant floral/ginger scent. Nice place for a date. We went on a Saturday night without reservations and sat at the bar. The food and drinks were excellent, and we spent only $25! A nice note: Masu easily accomodates vegan and gluten-free diners. We'll be back.

    (4)

  • Kate B.

    Wow, this is some gorgeous food! Almost too pretty to eat. The pickle plate was very tasty with a nice selection of different veggies. I had the black cod which was a small serving but absolutely delicious. I also had their version of a caesar made with chard and feta, topped with smoked mackerel. I loved the chard and feta combo and while I usually like mackerel I didn't like this. The server raved about it but the flavor didn't work for me. I'd order the salad again, just without the fish. My friend enjoyed her himachi sashimi and lotus roll. And again, the presentation was fantastic. We were there for lunch and it was pretty easy to get a table. But it is rather expensive - lunch was $60. And we didn't have drinks! But I'll definitely go back, especially when I'm on an expense account.

    (4)

  • Vi B.

    LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR. HIGH-END GOURMET FOOD. I feel as if I HAVE to open with this, because whenever I come here on late nights for cheap eats there are never that many people there. Which is strange, because I can almost guarantee that if I wandered down the street to Henry's that place would be packed! Why, then, Yelpers, is this place so bare at night? With the beautifull decor, classy ambiance, and delicious (and note: CHEAP) food, why am I not being swarmed by others when I get here? A california roll for $4, and the same for a plate of Japanese-style chicken. I don't know, but I'll give you guys the benefit of the doubt and say that it's because you didn't know about it. So now you know. No excuses. I expect to see you there, soon!

    (5)

  • George B.

    The Maguro was very dark and overpriced. The staff are awkward and not really interested in what we wanted; we wanted window seating and I made this very clear, but they sat us near a wall and once the window seating was free they did not re-seat us even though we were only there for like 2 minutes. I was going to ask to be re-seated and they pulled the table away from the window to make a 4-top, but no one sat there. Seriously?!? RUDE they provided no explanation why they did that. Whatever. But the taste was average that's why it's not one-star but two.

    (2)

  • N M.

    Atmosphere: Very cool. Price: Not bad. Food: Very good. Nice touch with the complimentary edamame. Service: Professional, but a bit pretentious and impersonal.

    (4)

  • Mindy D.

    The folks at Masu were accommodating when I needed to make a reservation for a large party on a Friday night. The one thing that irks me is how "busy" they made themselves sound; thus, making them appear even more accommodating. In reality, it wasn't busy at all and empty tables were waiting to be filled all night. There was not a time limit on our table and the waitress was very patient when we had to wait for the entire party to arrive. I appreciated that. However, once dinner service began, everything went downhill. We had each marked our 10+ orders on the 3 order forms they provided. Our waitress should've asked us if we were all sharing (which is unlikely for sushi, even more unlikely with 11 people.) Instead, she assumed that all orders were to be shared and the sushi came out all mixed up, on different plates, and it was impossible to reach past 5 people to get your particular roll. They should've have known better. Heck, I've had sushi in large groups plenty of times and have never once experienced such a disaster. Once everyone finally, somehow magically, got their rolls, we were all so disappointed. At the prices they were charging, we thought the rolls would be much bigger than they actually are. The rolls were miniscule, especially the one where we paid $16 for! Aaaaaaand they were nothing special! It's unfortunate to pay a ton of money and leave unsatisfied! This is definitely not a place where you get your money's worth. I expected to pay more at this establishment, and as a result, was expecting more. Masu did not deliver. Last but not least, they don't have a dessert menu! I had anticipated on arranging something for the birthday girl but they couldn't even offer a simple dessert or whip up something. How disappointing.

    (2)

  • Michelle Pearl G.

    I've been coming to Masu since 2005 and it's only gotten better with age. It has a special place in my little-food-loving-heart as it was the first to break my raw-fish-virgin-seal. They have this Ahi Poke Salad (not on the menu but ask the server and it'll be out in it's beautiful presentation waiting for first bite). The Ahi is so tender and fresh, the seaweed is dressed in a delicious marinade dashed with seeds for the added crunch. And if you're not one of those traditionals that think deep fried sushi is a slap in the face. I'll give you three words: Death. By. Sushi. They couldn't have named it better -- with a burst of flavors erupting in your mouth, the crunchy shell helps keep the textures diverse. Some deep fried rolls tend to be a bit mushy, not with this one. I'm positive you wont regret this order. Now lets talk about the ambiance. Can we say sleek, hip and vibrant? When you walk up the stairs you are welcomed by square padded maroon walls, over the sushi bar they use their wooden edamame boxes to form shapes and art. The wall to you left is often turned into a projector screen showing Anime or videos on the weekends. The back wall has a large, colorful mural whose description I'll leave to your eyes first glance. Also a DJ spins upbeat tunes at night keeping it lively. Not to mention the hand dryers. *Did she just say hand dryers?* Yes, yes I did. Apparently Mitsubishi makes full force state of the art hand dryers ... they kind of make your night. Especially after having one of their wonderfully mixed beverages or one of their many sakes. If you like mojitos, they make one with pineapple juice and it's wonderful. The HH is a steal as well. Though it's not the best sushi in town, it's great and the friendly service and fantastic atmosphere make up for the lack of such in the few better sushi grade joints. Come here. Enjoy. And make sure to wear bottoms without a tight waist band.

    (5)

  • Don B.

    Masu sushi is your high-end raw-fish option in the downtown/SW area. It used to be partnered up with Bamboo Sushi (when it was Masu East) but is no longer attached (as of a couple of years ago). It has a somewhat similar style as far as sushi goes minus the sustainability angle. Small, well-crafted cuts of high-end fish on well-made sushi rice. You pay a lot for the fish here but it's high quality. And if you go for the more expensive options and combos they give you real wasabi instead of the powdered shit. I stopped in here for a late lunch and the place was totally deserted. The sushi combo option on the lunch menu is not cheap - over $20 for not a ton of fish. I wouldn't file this under cheap eats by any stretch, but again, real wasabi... The space has that sort of minimalist-modern Japanese feel to it. Definitely hip/upscale. Not the same concept as Bamboo with all of its wood tones on the eastside, but it stands out as nicer than your average hole in the wall sushi joint. While I was impressed with the quality of the fish, the rice, and the friendly service I can't say I was totally wowed enough to want to come running back for more. It could be that I went for lunch instead of my usual over-the-top omakase dinner where money is less of an issue, but the tab did chafe a bit. If you're picky about your fish, Masu definitely serves up the good stuff. If you're in the market for more discount fish, head elsewhere.

    (4)

  • Martin W.

    i'm from la so i have to eat sushi... basically as much as humanly possible. the problem is that la really is the epicenter of high end sushi and it's hard to find a place that can hit that standard in terms of a solidly excellent menu. but... i did eat at masu 5 days in a row once. so that's my recommendation. there's also a lot of interesting stuff that you can get that's not on the menu if you buddy up with the sushi chef(s). they're not as friendly as i'm used to, probably because they can't drink on the job in oregon so they're sober... which is very odd for me and seems wildly inappropriate.. but we are a nation of laws...

    (4)

  • Shannon S.

    I'm always hoping to find something unexpectedly special when trying a new place. Today was my first visit to Masu Sushi, and I was pleased to find the Sea Vegetable Salad - it was full of interesting flavors, nice textures - a fresh new twist on salad. The rest of my experience was pretty blaaaaaaaa.. In addition to the Sea Vegetable salad, I tried the chicken potstickers and a simple rainbow roll - both were fine but unremarkable - and as my hotel consierge advised, "tend to be overpriced"... I would agree with my consierge. Prices tended to be on the higher side compared to other fine Portland sushi joints - I suspect you're paying for the opportunity to dine next to those fine trendy people - you know, the good looking urban folk who look kind of cool. (Being from Spokane, I couldn't be mistaken for a cool hipster even if if I tried) My service was friendly but not too helpful. I was new to the restaurant and she was hesitant to make any recommendations or tell me much useful information about what I inquired about. "oh that's good" was the same answer for all the questions I had... not too helpful when I was looking for something interesting. I'm not sure I'd recommend Masu Sushi - not because my unremarkable but good rainbow roll or potstickers (I admit, these were overly safe choices)... but because for the price, it was just not worth it. I'm willing to over pay for great service, great atmosphere and wow-factor-food - Masu just didn't deliver any "wow" despite my great sea veggie salad.

    (3)

  • Bonnie S.

    We had a great meal here last night. It was empty on a Tues night and all of the staff were very nice. The sashimi was amazing. And the miso soup was almost creamy tasting. We had gyoza, calamari, and tempura, plus sushi and sashimi. It certainly is high priced, but the atmosphere and food made me feel like I was eating in a large city (where I would expect higher prices). we will definitely go there again - a new favorite in Portland and definitely one of the best places for sushi.

    (4)

  • Brandon B.

    Some the freshest and most delicious raw Fish I have ever had. The kanpachi melts in your mouth like butter. Ask for it Brian's style. Also, some of the best cocktails to be had in Portland. Make sure you seat at the bar when Philip is tending bar.

    (5)

  • A. B.

    I had my first date with my husband at Masu and it was one of the best places for Sushi in Portland. It's modern, clean, great drinks and of course the sushi was fresh. We've continued to go here for sushi for years now. :)

    (5)

  • Crystal Aura W.

    While in Portland, my pals and I wanted to hit up some of the best eats we could find. Masu seemed top rated for sushi, so we hit it up right after the Comic Con was over! What better way to end a weekend of superhero costumes, seeing Stan Lee, and selling Deadpool artwork? There were no disappointments....was super easy to get a reservation through Open Table and it was a really cool looking place. A very classy loft style restaurant, which I understand is a standard in the Pearl District. We had most of the sushi rolls on the menu, which were all awesome and difficult to choose a favorite! If we had to pick the Death By Sushi roll was far the best. Salmon, eel, crab, avocado with cream cheese, fried without rice. Such a savory and comforting delight......deeeee-lish! We also loved the seared duck breast, super juicy! Tonkotsu ramen had a great smokey broth and great cocktails! I had 4, the Hello Kitty was my favorite, a blackberry kick in a glass! If it weren't for the famous Voodoo Doughnut being a short walk away, we would have stayed longer for some dessert! (maple bacon doughnuts were just too difficult to resist.) My friends wanted to go back again the next day! Oh, but will have to wait for out next trip to Portland, and we WILL be back!

    (5)

  • Julie L.

    Took a weekend trip to Portland and "my second home" as I affectionately call PDX did not disappoint in the foodie department! Masu....ahhh, Masu. :-) You made my tummy happy! We sat at the bar, service was polite and spot on, attentive pefection. Our Sushi chef, a young guy with a maroon beanie on was all business...precise and to the point and totally in tuned with his fish. Seriously had some of the best sushi I've ever had that night and a few of the best pieces were suggested by our young, maroon beanied sushi chef. The place is located upstairs in a bldg so right away you get the feel that this place is like a special secret. Lovely simple decor, nice big japanese themed mountain artwork takes most of one wall. A nice looking cocktail bar was right behind us which I would have definitely given a whirl had my mind not been set on going to the TearDrop Lounge afters. This place will be seeing me as often as i can get someone to drive me down there! :) Oh, perhaps it was because we didn't have any libations but our dinner surprisingly did not cost very much in comparison to other sushi places and we were completely satisfied and pleasantly full.

    (5)

  • Michelle H.

    While I haven't sampled much of the sushi, it is certainly a sexy place to get a cocktail. It's dimly lit, kind of modern and lounge-like. You can get into a traditional table, low-slung booth, or the bar. I'd like to think that the steep stairwell to get to the restaurant would thwart those that have had a few drinks under their belts, but that's just not the case. Be prepared for anything when it comes creeping in toward the later hours of the night. The quality of the fish matches the price, which means an expensive night. I can put away a lot of fish. It's for that reason, especially when I have a cocktail in hand, I reach for their more carby dishes. They're well presented and flavorful. Definitely not a disappointment. I don't make sushi a regular staple in my diet, at least not as often as I'd like to, but I'd definitely give it a chance when I want to throw down for the goods. This isn't going to be sushi train style, so don't pretend it is.

    (4)

  • Jan A.

    I hate when every piece of nigiri falls apart. every single piece of nigiri: rice crumbled, fish fell off. stingy amount of fish in the roll. 6 orders of nigiri, one kenzo maki. hip room, ok service, young 'sushi chefs' lacking artistry or technique. omakase starts at $50, and considering the skill of the 'sushi chefs' on duty that evening, I took a pass. 3 stars on the actual fish quality.

    (2)

  • Tom D.

    The sushi here is amazing. Everything is very fresh and delicious. There is also a great cocktail menu and a huge choice of whiskeys. The reason I am knocking a star off is because it is quite expensive, and though the food and service is great, it is hard to see exactly why it is so expensive.

    (4)

  • Kris C.

    Okay...this is the place of ramen heaven. I am a huge fan of Tonkotsu ramen and let me tell you this place brings it. They actually boil the pork bones for three days to make the broth. The toppings are amazing and in true Portland fashion you can order an appetizer of some pickled yumminess to go with it. The also serve one of my top five most favorite things to eat, black cod. And frankly, they do a bang up job of it. I could see myself flying up here for a weekend just to eat the food here. It really is that good.

    (5)

  • L T.

    Excellent uni risotto sprinkled with espresso!!! Excellent sake menu and fresh fish for sushi. Fusion Japanese places usually aren't this good... this place hit the mark!

    (5)

  • Flory W.

    I'm not a sushi lover, sticking to California Maki . . . . . I agree with the other reviews that the sushi was excellent, the other plate were like Spanish tapas. And while they're all tasty, the portions were extremely small for the price charged. Our group of six including a 3 years old - who ate hardly a thing - ordered just about one of everything on the menu, but still weren't full when we left the restaurant. We were going to go downstairs for chocolates, but they closed @ 8PM, and we just missed it by 15 mins. We went to Jakes for dessert and by then we're satisfied! Now, for normal people or small eaters like me, if I was eating in a normal non-sushi restaurant, I wouldn't have room for DESSERTS. We went there for my birthday! We did gave them a try, and you don't know unless you try, right? I also tried the Sake and their drinks were yummy & reasonably price. BTW: there are stairs to climb, or elevator if you can find it.

    (3)

  • Mackenzie J.

    Very inventive decor, atmosphere, as well as sushi. I chose this place because they were open for lunch. I have actually had better sushi in much more rural towns so I was little let down and expected a little more out of Portland. The server and floor supervisor were very professional, though I had my three year old with me who behaves very well but still is a three year old and I felt the server was not very welcoming to that. Among other things I ordered my favorite classic roll: the spider, and also a volcano roll. The spider roll did not look as well presented as the other rolls and was ginormous. Usually people would not complain of something being too large, but when it comes to sushi you can not fit in your mouth when it is double in size. We all should know that it is much too difficult to take two bites of a piece of sushi. The volcano roll came out beautifully presented! I really wanted to like it, but the volcano sauce was way too rich and sweet. I actually didn't understand why it was called the volcano sauce. It was not spicy in any way. It was a very hot roll though temperature wise, and I haven't had anything like that. This is a great place to have a night out with the girls, but I guess my expectations for sushi are way too high and I have every right to be if I am going to pay so much.

    (3)

  • Jamie I.

    My friend was here from Seattle and we wanted to get some great sushi. We decided on Masu and we ended up getting there about 20 min. early. We were told that we could wait in the lounge, but it wasn't very inviting as the hostess said, "Well I can't seat you until 7:15pm" - when our reservation was. She seemed a bit flustered because there were a few people waiting and it was somewhat packed. We went over to the lounge and one of the waitresses came over and dropped off menus on the little table in front of us, but there wasn't any eye contact and or a hello or anything. We waited about 10-15 min. and still no one came over to offer us water, a drink or anything. I saw that the hostess was roaming the floor and there was a large party that was waiting to be seated. I intercepted her before she could seat them before us and told her about how no one has even come over to help us and that it was now after 7:15pm and that we would like to be seated. Again, she was flustered and kept interrupting me saying she was sorry, etc. but it wasn't authentic, just something to say to get me out of her way so she could go seat the other party. She wasn't the type of person you would want to have to handle a packed house, just too spastic and doesn't have the personality, in my opinion, for it. I wasn't happy and getting a bit cranky at this point. Unfortunately the hideous service didn't stop there. We were sat right after that, but the waitress was clueless and couldn't get my friends drink right. My friend had a specific way she wanted her lemon drop and when her drink finally came she actually brought her a martini with an olive instead of a lemon drop. Ummm really? Come on!! My friend went up to the bartender to order her drink herself. You know the saying, if you want something done right you do it yourself. I saw the waitress roll her eyes and smirk as she saw my friend up at the bar. The hostess brought her drink to her, not sure why and other than the sugar rim still not being on the glass, it was made correctly and was delicious. We got our food and it was AWESOME, so it was unfortunate that the people that worked there were not. The waitress seemed like she was new or something, which is fine, but the mistakes that were happening were just negligent. I'll give it another try because the food was awesome, but it wasn't a great experience and I really wanted it to be... for my friends visit.

    (1)

  • Septimus P.

    masu, masu... there's nothing else for me to say, except the truth: i want to like you, i really do, but you have much to work on. first, the restaurant itself just does not send 'this is a sushi restaurant' vibe. it's more like an old mexican food restaurant whose yucatan murals have simply been painted over, and a little sushi bar added. it's like a toyota tercel of sushi restaurants. it's too dark in there; the last thing anyone wants to sense in a sushi place is grittiness, we want it bright, clear, open, and clean! please consider that. also, the sushi chefs, man, i don't know how to say it, but they just don't look the part. sure, you have one japanese guy in there, but he seems like he might be a tokyo sex fugitive or something, and i don't like the way he handles/prepares the sushi; not quite respectful of it, too often having to scrape rice from deep between his fingers. and then you have two other hipster dudes who, although clean, lean, and mean, need to be pouring ipas at some trendy bar, not 'attempting' to make sushi--they aren't fooling anyone! your sushi is okay, i guess, but i stress okay. i mean, it's passable; if i was invited to a friend's house and ate your sushi, i'd be all, "mmm! this is good!" but, for the prices you guys are charging? look, you're gonna have do better than this. i *know* you can do better than this. portland's starting to get culinarily recognized, you have a chance at something big. look, sushi is a high bar. this ain't a burger joint where no one will consider that a pickle slice isn't perfect or something; sushi is art, and should be treated with the highest regard. so, come on! you have the cute little asian girls in there hocking soups and saki! you're on the right track! but go all the way, brother, go all the way. we're rooting for you.

    (3)

  • Paul A.

    Yum.

    (4)

  • Kevin P.

    Good sushi, bad service

    (2)

  • Mike B.

    Been a here a few times when I visit Portland. I have always found their Sushi to be quite good, perhaps pricey but it is Sushi after all. A solid 4 to 4.5 stars The reason for 5 stars is for their Chirashi - This is seriously some of the best Chirashi I have ever had! They mix a few items into the rice (tamago, ginger, etc) that make it sublime. I'm not sure the exact ingredients, I do know it had a hint of Ginger (And I HATE Ginger), but it was extremely tasty. I now judge all Chirashi bowls (well the rice anyways) to the standard of Masu's Chirashi. The people working there were quite friendly too. We had a fun conversation about my hometown and Portland in general. Highly recommend Masu!

    (5)

  • Brian L.

    Great sushi! Creative rolls, especially the "death by sushi" = YUM!! Also, the best salmon sushi I've ever had - so fresh! The service was great - very friendly, as apparently everyone in Portland is. Our server seemed new and a bit unsure, but she was aided by the manager and bartender and all made us feel extremely welcome and cared for.

    (4)

  • Owen P.

    In Short: The best sushi on the Westside, with stellar kitchen offerings and a low-key, carefully-crafted ambiance. My family likes good sushi, including my 3-year-old daughter, who has developed a (rather expensive!) taste for salmon sashimi. Quite often when we ask her what she wants for dinner, she pipes up with, "Masu!" And really, who are we to disagree? Masu is on the second floor of the building at the corner of West Burnside and Stark streets. The space is throughfully designed to be upscale, yet not stuffy, and intimate without being heavy-handed. They are welcoming to kids, although there is not a separate kids' menu. Our daughter loves their pork ramen, and regularly will polish off the whole bowl. The sushi is fresh and tasty, with a handful of special nigiri and/or sashimi options available every night. I also really like the Death By Sushi roll, which is three kinds of fish and features no rice. Where Masu really stands head and shoulders above other restaurants, though, is its kitchen menu. The sea vegetables are a staple for us, as is the fried eggplant. If Masu chances to have any of their consommes on the menu when you're there, order one and prepare for a delicate, aromatic, explosively flavorful experience. The centerpiece is the braised short rib, a rich and tender cut of beef in an even richer broth. The duck breast is also worth an order. Their drinks are carefully crafted to reflect the upscale feel of the restaurant, but not so challenging that you can't find something you like. They also have an extensive menu of sakes, with a few helpful primers on decoding which one will suit your palate. This is a real plus for me, as it can be hard to try and pick a sake. Yes, they're on the pricier side - your better sushi restaurants will always be expensive - but the visit is worth it the price of admission. One additional note: if you have trouble finding street parking, which is common around this area, you can park in the Indigo 12 West parking garage (enter from 12th Ave), and Masu will validate your parking for 2 hours. If you go on the weekend, you have to pay up front, but they will refund your money on the way out of the garage with a validated ticket from Masu. Easy peasy! Bottom Line: The flavors are excellent across the board, and the bar offerings just make it that much more enjoyable. There's not a better sushi joint on the west side of the river.

    (5)

  • Stephanie M.

    I love sushi, so it takes a lot for me to not like any sushi place. I thought the place was cool. Interesting set up, low key, and friendly service. The menu did not have a huge selection, but what we had was good.

    (4)

  • Carolann L.

    Best sushi place I've been to in a long time. Loved the food and the service was fantastic! Everything was beautifully presented and creative. One of my top faves so far in Portland.

    (5)

  • Eva Y.

    Came here for a second dinner of the night. Lots of eating tonight in Portland. Here is my take on this place: Pluses: nice decor, sushi quality is pretty yummy, and the price point is decent. Also their service is excellent. Nice cushy place for HH for sure. So-so: their nigiri is a bit looser than other sushi places so picking it up could be hard. Eh: they are located on the second floor..... not easily accessible if u have a hard time climbing stairs, and I mean a full flight of stairs.

    (3)

  • Renee M.

    My husband and I came here on a Saturday night and it was really, really busy - yet, we were seated pretty quickly by the host (he even apologised for the wait - as thought it were somehow his fault the place was so packed). We ordered two rolls: the Lotus, and the kappa maki. I also asked for a miso soup and a drink called Hello Kitty (couldn't resist), and my husband ordered the dungeness sunomono. Everything, esp. the Lotus roll, was great. The service was very attentive considering how busy it was - never once did we feel neglected or forgotten. Our water glasses were kept topped up, the food came quickly and was beautifully presented. Their edamame was perfect - almost hot, but not quite, and the perfect amount of salt. The prices seem a little expensive at first glance, but once you eat the food, you'll be happy to pay - it's worth every penny.

    (5)

  • Joyce H.

    I had a great time at Masu Sushi when I was in Portland. I went to there for dinner with my family. I shared the "Lotus," a six piece roll with tuna, crab and avocado tempura fried and finished with hana sauce and eel sauce ($15), the "Pearl," a eight piece roll with shrimp tempura, avocado, and crab topped with spicy tuna and sweet chili sauce ($15), and the "Transformer" an 8 piece roll with softshell crab, cucumber, spicy tuna and avocado with spicy serrano dipping sauce ($15). Of those, my favorite was the "Pearl." We received a sake cup of warm edamame for free and it was perfectly salted and delicious. I also had a nice warm cup of miso soup ($2) and a cocktail called "Hello Kitty," which consisted of fresh blackberry puree shaken with vodka and lemon-lime juice, served on the rocks. ($8) The service was great and the staff was nice. The atmosphere is a trendy- Asian style but not overly pretentious. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone in Portland.

    (5)

  • Mandy C.

    FIVE STAR AWESOMENESS! We were meandering around town and came across Masu on complete accident. The small sign, the flower decal on the door, the stairs that led up to a swanky sushi bar, lit by the large open oversized windows (as we had walked in late afternoon). We were greeted warmly and sat quickly by the most awesome waiter. If only I remembered his name because he was super awesome. US: Is it happy hour? WAITER: Indeed it is the hour of 'happy!' So we ordered from the happy hour menu :) SUSHI ROLL: St. Helen's Volcano (6pieces for $12) DRINK: Tokyo Drop ($7) I admit the prices are still a little steep, steeper than what we're used to in Seattle at least, but the sushi and presentation tasted aaaaaamaaaaazing!!! I mean come on, sushi arranged on a plate surrounding a mound of salt lit on fire? Come on.... COME ON!!! Did I mention the sushi tasted amazing? I bet I did........ amazing...... -PS. Happy hour, you cannot have 'take-home' leftovers. Just a little heads up.

    (5)

  • Terry L.

    We were seated at a great window seat. Complementary edamame was served right away and our drink orders were taken. I tried the Tokyo drop. It's a blend with grapes and lychee purée. It wasn't that great, as I have much better lychee drinks before. Something with the purée didn't mix well. Dishes are mostly tapas style so many small dishes are required for a hungry group. Sushi was OK, not outstanding. The short ribs were pretty good though. Be warned, there are very steep stairs to get up to the second floor. Food=average Service=average Value=prices a little on the high side, especially the cocktails Atmosphere=good location and nice ambience I may go back, but not anytime soon.

    (3)

  • Jamie W.

    WOW. Can I say WOW again? Amazing. The calamari was hands down the best I've ever had. I tried the Tokyo Martini, I do love the lychee but it could use a sugared rim to cut the vodka taste and maybe an actual lychee in the bottom rather than a grape. I'm not a big drinker anyway, I was here for the food and it didn't disappoint! We LOVED the Japanista Roll! A MUST try! By fluke we got lucky and came here when it was icy out, leaving the waitress to ourselves -- but I hear the weekends are packed and they recommended a reservation typically. A bit pricey, but worth the splurge for date night. You are actually getting the quality you are paying for -- not just another stuffy overpriced place. WORTH IT!

    (5)

  • Kenny P.

    I am a big fan of Japanese food and my review will be objective based on my personal taste The server We were escorted to our seat not long after we arrived. It was good. It was not five stars treatment but we got what we need. The Food This is where the real review come on. We did not order that many as we were still a bit full from late lunch. But we ordered several items: - spider roll: it was too skinny and small.Even though they use special wrapped outside, but it did not impress us. - Ramen: it was a bit too plain. We have to add so many soy sauce to make it savory. I have to add lots of chili to make it even tastier. Not the best ramen in town. - black cod: it comes so tiny that we thought it was not the real fish. We thought it was the appetizer for the black cod. But well, we thought if it's that tiny it must be high quality with wonderful taste. And it turned out just OK !!! The Atmosphere I like the setting here. It's like in a large loft and it will be a cool place to hang out with friends at night or after office hour. The location In downtown and parking might be terrible if you come at the busy time. So, just be prepared will I come again? Probably no

    (3)

  • Dave S.

    I've got to preface this review with the fact that the first time I had sushi was in Japan, and frequented my "favorite" hole in the wall sushi bar during my several year stay there. However, since then, I've lost the craving for sushi and other than the occasional California roll, I haven't had much. That said, when one of my co-workers suggested we get sushi for dinner, I volunteered to go along, even though I really wanted to try something else. BOY WAS I WRONG. Okay, Masu Sushi doesn't look like much from the outside, especially walking up into its second story location. No fancy ambiance or anything like that...just a straight forward sushi restaurant. I was in a group of five people and we ordered a selection of dishes from the menu so we could all share and try them. Everything was good, but after the first bite of their "death by sushi" plate, we ordered two more - it was FANTASTIC! By the end of the evening, we were stuffed, had a great time, and I found a new love for sushi restaurants. I'll go back to Masu in a heartbeat and I highly recommend it to friends!

    (5)

  • Tammy H.

    Wild Salmon, awesome! Servers were cool, even replaced the piece of sushi he caused to fly off the plate when he was collecting our dishes to box for us. Vaulted ceiling, always a plus in my book. The cooked fish dishes were quite tasty, didn't expect that. One thing-- Not wheelchair friendly, from what I observed. It's located on the second floor and I believe there is no other way but the semi-steep case of stairs to get to and from there. Just FYI for those with band joints, have a hard time walking, can't walk, etc.

    (4)

  • D. F.

    I stumbled across this fine sushi restaurant during my first trip to Portland. just down the block from Powell's bookstore, it was exactly what I had a flavour for after spending two hours looking at books at Powell's. I was seated right away m (I had gotten there just as they opened for dinner so the place wasn't full.) I sat at the sushi bar and was immediately served a small complementary cucumber salad topped with octopus. not bad at all. I started with a basic yet flavourful California roll. but things got interesting with my main maki roll - the St. Helens (as in Mount St. Helens). it's crab and whitefish sushi baked to a golden brown fun topped with a delicious sauce. before the plate was handed to me, they set the garnish on fire. I thought that was fun. quick service, friendly staff, and the food was well worth what I paid. I'll come back again for sure; especially if I decide to make Portland my next home.

    (5)

  • Tyla M.

    I miss you Masu... I have migrated to LA now but I still think of you.

    (5)

  • Yuki D.

    My husband and I tried this place once for dinner when we were in Portland on a vacation nearly two years. I was craving for good sushi, and some local people at a store recommended. We tried four different kinds of roll sushi, and they were delicious. The restaurant is a cool place with dark lightning, good music and nice decor. I wish we had this kind of sushi restaurant in the city where I live. I recommend this place!

    (4)

  • Victoria V.

    This place was amazing. For my first meal in foodie Portlandia this place really set the bar high. We got there a bit early so we were the only ones in the restaurant for a while. We were seated next to one of the huge picture windows that makes up the far wall. I love people watching so this was perfect. The place is simply but elegantly decorated. We started off with some delicious unfiltered saki. Really refreshing and I like cold sake. We had the Black Cod Kasu Yaki appetizer which was so flaky and buttery. I love black cod and they brought it to another level. I wish that it wasn't so pricey cause I'd be ordering two or three. We had a few rolls which were all delicious. Really fresh and a nice combination of flavors. I really like the use of bonita flakes which gives that subtle smoky flavor to things. Plus it wafts on top of the sushi so it looks alive. Also liked the presentation of the St. Helen's Volcano roll because it was on fire. Pretty cool and all very tasty. Our service was excellent and I expected nothing less because we were pretty much alone most of our meal before the dinner crowd started rolling in. We'll definitely be back!

    (5)

  • Lia M.

    I love their calamari! Great service, great food, you can't go wrong!

    (4)

  • Vivi Y.

    I'm from Seattle and I came here for the weekend before heading back home. Found this on yelp, and thank you yelpers, this was a pretty good experience! The atmosphere is pretty good, can get noisy at times. The food..similar to the decent restaurants in Seattle, but the price is probably a bit cheaper (since it's without tax) Service is pretty good too, I'll definitely be back if I'm in Portland again:)

    (4)

  • Peter S.

    Wow, what a treat! Masu Sushi is gorgeous, with a nice view overlooking the Pearl District, moody lighting, and nicely decorated. We were quickly seated, and I was impressed at the variety of drinks and food. Everything I ordered was among the best Japanese dishes I've eaten, including places in Japan. Bold flavors and fresh ingredients made Masu Sushi one of the highlights of my trip to Portland.

    (5)

  • W C.

    The, scallop, sweet shrimp and uni Nigiri were enjoyable but I also ordered one Maguro and one Albacore sashimi, which I thought could have been more fresh. Unfortunately, I ended up with a slight stomach ache. I do like that they are open late and the atmosphere is nice. I don't mind the price (approximately $20 for 6 pieces of sashimi) however, the price definitely does not match the quality.

    (2)

  • StJohnsmama A.

    WOW. So bad! The fish was terrible--warm and squishy. The rice was over-cooked. The rolls were hastily thrown together, loose and poorly formed. I would recommend any other sushi restaurant over this one. The ambiance is not worth the disappointing food.

    (2)

  • Carlin L.

    Great little hole in the wall sushi join in DT Portland. Its a bit overpriced given how many sushi restaurants are in Portland and the proximity to the ocean/Seattle.

    (4)

  • Jenny M.

    As an early Valentine's celebration, we went to Masu on Friday night to experience their wonderful ambiance and happy hour menu. PROS: The waiter was extremely friendly and down to earth, the Kobe burger that came with tonkatsu and kimchee was delish ($8), the sushi rolls were mediocre ($4-$8) and the blackberry lemonade was sensational! There is a drink purchase requirement like most happy hour places, so you might as well try the blackberry lemonade ;) It's almost like their Hello Kitty alcoholic drink without the vodka. CONS: Parking...took us a while to find street parking. When we received the menus, it said that there was validated parking available located in the Indigo garage on SW 11th. Well, now you know too! :D OVERALL: If I were to return with friends, I now know where to park for free. And definitely get another blackberry lemonade haha :p

    (4)

  • Alice C.

    4 stars? Really Yelp? We went there on our recent trip to Portland. Since I know how much Portland has progressed in the fusion sushi fad, I researched for 3 hours straight on the ride down to Portland and decided on Masu. What a disappointment! It was expensive and mediocre. I had the uni risotto. Uni was not soft and hardly incorporated in the burnt tasting risotto. I was looking forward to the "melt in your mouth" texture. Instead, I got the grainy uni and soggy, overly buttery, and slighly burnt rice. Other sushi we ordered were not memorable. Our bill came out to $80 for 2 adults and a toddler. I rather go to Saburo any day over Masu sushi... and I don't even like Saburo.

    (2)

  • Adam B.

    Went here on a vacation trip to Portlandia. We sat at the sushi bar and asked the chef to make us his best. We ate a lot that night, and for the price I thought it was on par. One highlight was the softshell crab roll, along with other items (See Shelby's review). Also the cocktails were on point and a welcome addition to a very well done sushi restaurant. I should also mention that the service was impeccable, and very accommodating to a Portland newbie.

    (5)

  • Andrew W.

    I seldom give this many stars. This place is worth it. It's hard to find, not the best for parking, but, in my opinion the freshest sushi. Of course, fresh sushi is not enough to be the best in Portland. I've talked with the owner and the head sushi chef- these are people that are passionate about quality. It's too the point that I don't want want to visit any other sushi place in Portland. You will not be disappointed.

    (5)

  • foodfoodfood f.

    So disappointed in this place - it looks trendy but the last time I went, they served me uni that wasn't fresh. Now, I don't' know if you've ever had bad sea urchin, but it is pretty disgusting. Also, whenever I go there, at least one piece of sushi is gristly and inedible. I wish good sushi was a priority in Portland. I will give two stars for friendly service, though.

    (2)

  • Erin K.

    Good sushi, nice atmosphere and service. I'll be back.

    (4)

  • Troy P.

    Went here for dinner was impressed with the service as soon as walked in was greeted. Sat at the bar and was asked by three different people for my drink order. They have a wide selection of sake but serve it in a way that was strange to me they use the traditional box but place a shot glass in it which for me made it clumsy to drink. Though the sake was very good. I ordered my sushi directly from the chef in front of me. I ordered the chef sashimi which at most sushi bars is enough for a whole dinner. The price was market price which was fine I was just expecting a larger plate of fish. I was given 9 sashimi pieces of the freshest best tasting fish I have eaten in a while. I was given 3 octopus which at most places is pretty basic and nothing to write home about but here was buttery and just melted in my mouth I was impressed as this is what I started out with next was a daily special of yellow tail from New Zealand was a great fish nice texture and fresh. Last was some tuna which also was very fresh and good. I was bit under impressed though because most of the time when you order a chef special the chef with make you some thing special not just 3 very basic kinds of fish. The lack of creativity or lack of trying to impress the customer was my only complaint maybe I should have asked to surprise me or give me the best not sure. I ordered a few more selections which were all very good but just did not Wow me. The freshness of the fish and the service was a 10 but the lack of giving me something that would Wow me is why in my book not a 5 star. I guess I am used to places that when the chef is given free reign they go a little crazy to have you try more then basic selections. The price was a bit high but for the quality I can understand why, they do not have anything but the freshest fish here. I would go back but will ask next time for a more exciting chef creation. Maybe I will just tell them WOW me.

    (4)

  • Jeff L.

    The man behind the stick, Charlie, knows his craft. If nothing on the menu strikes your fancy, tell him what you're in the mood for and he'll whip something up. Last time I had a novel cocktail with blackberries, elderflower liquor, and cardamom bitters over gin. Food here is fantastic! The albacore has a couple grains of sea salt which really finishes it. Black cod was super buttery. Also had a dish that was dungeness crab topped with uni and garnished with caviar. Highly recommended, this is one of my favorite sushi restaurants.

    (5)

  • Mike C.

    Best sushi I have had in PDX. Great space and great service. Their calamari is the best I have ever had, and I eat a lot of calamari.

    (5)

  • Flavia A.

    I'm from hawaii originally, so I have high standards when it comes to fresh fish and sushi. This is by far the best sushi in Portland. Their maguro (ahi tuna) is so good it just slides right down your throat. Simply marvelous fish. Their maki (roll) sushis are lovely and feature a delightful combination of ingredients. for example, the Japanther has ahi, avocado, and crab salad. Presentation is gorgeous. Service is attentive and polite. I've also had their seared scallops on a bed of mushroom risotto and grilled asparagus. Diver scallops made to perfection: soft, tender, juicy, amazing. The risotto was rich. Their udon soup bowl is okay. I probably wouldn't get it again because while the noodles were tasty and substantial, the soup broth was too heavy, too sweet, and not enough of the savory umami flavor that I typically prefer in a broth. I've had the green tea ice cream, which is nice, because they sprinkle some fresh matcha powder on top, which adds an intense burst of flavor. Decor is hip, fun, urban. Locally owned restaurant and they are committed to being as local and sustainable as possible. Except for the flying in of the fish, which I'm ok with because it means it's uber fresh. Happy hour specials are AMAZING and highly recommended if you are broke.

    (5)

  • Frank C.

    Th best Sushi in Portland. And the most amazing roles. A work of art. We started with the Agedashi tofu. Like a soup, with the most magnificent flavors. I'm not a tofu fan but I will never forget how wonderful this dish was. Then we picked a wide selection of Nigiri Sushi including Salmon, Yellowtail Tuna, and sea eel. Salmon is my favorite but the tuna was awesome and the eel was surprisingly good. Not gooey and slimy at all like I initially expected. We finished with a large roll dish. I think it was the Lotus. Absolutely stunning visual presentation and very tasty. Pricey but definitely worth it for special occasions.

    (5)

  • Kim P.

    such a cool space! its upstairs of sorts and the lighting is low and intimate. the sushi is top of the line and generously portioned! being used to san diego's high prices, i didnt think it was too expensive here. a full meal for two of sushi and cut fish and a lotus roll and to top it off, a large carafe of saki only netted about 65 dollars. so with saki id say you could get a really delicious experience on 30 bucks per person. its an easy walk from the Westin or the Nines. its pretty dead on week nights but thats kinda good if you dont want to feel crowded or have to wait for servers to get to your table

    (5)

  • Peter T.

    Mrs. BurgerDogBoy and I found ourselves downtown Portland on Saturday, she had a brief appointment near the end of the day, and I told her I would wait for her at the Virginia Cafe on 10th. Mrs. BDB and I have enjoyed the start of a bender or two at the Virginia, but that was not to be Saturday, as it was a day when (apparently) my super-powers kicked in, and I turned invisible to the help at the Virginia. So five minutes after sitting down at the bar, I picked up my money and left, preferring to stand on the street corner. This, in fact, turned out good for two reasons: Mrs. BDB went home with 1) a cute red clutch I spotted in a store window, and b) a belly full of quality sushi, and saki. When she approached me on the corner, I asked if she wanted a drink or to eat, she replied in the affirmative, and I suggested sushi, knowing it would get me on her good side. We walked up to Masu,on 13th. Masu is a Japanese word meaning 'little square box for measuring sake", and the Masu restaurant serves its sake that way, and is also home to some of the freshest and best sushi Mrs. BDB says she has had in Portland. "Happy wife, happy life," someone always says. Being as I am one cheap son-of-a-bitch, I was delighted that the waitress told us it was happy hour, and there was a long discounted menu. Whoo hoo! I figured I was in for an evening repasts of tempura vegetables, when i spotted the burger on the menu: "kobe beef burger with house tonkatsu." Sounded good to me, as did "japanese "poutine" with curry and curds", but I did not inquire of that, nor order. Some other time maybe. The burger was $8, and no, I am not going to go on my usual rant about "of course at that price, it wasn't kobe." Tonkatsu is a japanese fried pork cutlet, usually found in a bento box type offering, but I have no idea in what context Masu used the world, the side dish on the burger plate was a smidgen of kim chi. (After thought: I am guessing they meant tonkatsu "sauce", which is a Japanese concoction of ketchup, sake, sugar,etc). The menu, nor the waitress (who was very efficient and informed) did not make any mention that it was a cheeseburger, which is fine w/ me, but some people might object to being served cheese w/o ordering it. The menu did not make a reference as to how the burger might be cooked, nor did the waitress ask my preference. It arrived, beautifully plated, amply sized, cooked to medium, with a hearty slab of Tillamook White Cheddar blanketing the top. Side condiments on the plate included an heirloom tomato slice, and shreds of raw onion. Mrs. BDB helped herself to some of the kim chi, I tried a bite, and it was very good. The thick burger patty was good, juicy despite the cook stage, and had a flavor quality close to Kobe, in that Kobe is very fatty (rich). The bun was exactly the type I prefer, almost kaer dough, soft in the middle, but firm enough to entrap the burger juices and condiments. In my travels, Portland is unique in offering burgers at sushi bars, and it has sure been good for my marriage. I'd place this particular patty as #2 in burgers I have liked in Portland sushi bars, with the one at Bamboo Sushi besting it, and the one at Yakusa following it in the line up. Will I go back? Sure, next time we're downtown and its decidedly in my favor to court and spark my wife (which I like to do as often as possible), but next time, I think I will go for the tempura. Just my opinion, which is, of course, worth what you paid for it!

    (4)

  • Lauren K.

    Sushi was delicious! Great saki and drink menu. Service was slow and waitress didn't seem very friendly, but the food made up for it.

    (5)

  • Bape S.

    the good news is - the sushi is pretty solid (as i remember it) the bad news is - they don't respect their own published hours look. i've been on the internet long enough not to trust published hours. i know that restaurants have private events occasionally. i know that reservations are a good idea, and even if you're just swinging by that calling is a good idea. that's part of why i called masu last night to confirm their hours. the other reasons i called them - it was monsoon-like weather - raining sideways and windy - i just had ankle surgery and getting around sucks - we were eating late after a long day of errands and just wanted to relax i called around 9 and confirmed that they were open until 11. so, why, when we showed up at 10:20 was the door locked with no sign on the door? because they decided to close early, due to "lack of customers" well guys, you just lost two more and all of the people that we would have brought over the years. never again. anyone in the industry knows that published hours is a rule you don't break. you blew it. clyde commons rescued the evening in a pretty delightful way. maybe next time you decide to close early you could swing by there and see how they handle the late-night crowd. 5 star service.

    (2)

  • Robbie B.

    Great sushi, great dining room with lots of space. Short rib is awesome awesome. Hostess looks like Anne Hathaway. Will return.

    (4)

  • Jason E.

    Amazing food, friendly staff... some of the best sushi I've had in months. The calamari appetizer is a must!

    (5)

  • Rosie -.

    Amazing amazing food in a beautiful restaurant. My mouth was in heaven! The ribs are a must try. It simply melts in your mouth. Seafood sunomono was perfection and fresh. Initially I was disappointed with the dainty portion but the quality and flavor offset it. Artistically displayed, delicious food and great service. I don remember our cute server but enjoyed his attention. I would definitely recommend this restaurant! I can't want to come here again!

    (5)

  • Chris F.

    Found this place as it was the only sushi available on a Sunday. I did not realize it was happy hour, which turned out to be a great deal! I have been back many times since. It has become one of my favorite restaurants in the downtown area.

    (5)

  • Vince N.

    I would say it's just alright! The food here is decent, but it's not top notch wonderful. As for the non sushi items, I would give that a higher rating then the sushi. The sushi just didn't taste fresh, but it did not taste bad either. The rice with the sushi wasn't particularly well executed. On the other hand, I loved the restaurant and I really liked the waitress. She was funky fresh. The DJ that was spinning music was pretty cool too. I'll have to try other sushi places in PDX before going back here.

    (2)

  • Trey C.

    Excellent food, service and ambience. A little hard to find but well worth it.

    (5)

  • April Y.

    Great happy hour with Sapporo on tap. Pearl and spicy tuna rolls are awesome. The quality of the fish is top notch. If you want to try it out around happy hour, come between 3 and 6 pm. Enjoy!

    (4)

  • Chelsea A.

    Oh Masu, why do you have to be so amazing? Why do you have to serve my favorite sake ever (Yuki No Bosha)? AND why am I incapable of learning a lesson in the regards to sake and hangovers. WHY?! Nevermind, you can't answer those questions. And really, the point of dining out on sushi is not to get drunk. Really, it isn't. The greater issue of partaking too much when eating at Masu's is that you don't really get to experience how amazing Masu's sushi is. I can't claim any extensive knowledge of raw fish in my mouth I do know what tastes good. The Japanista Roll was fantastic (and not only for the Japanese mayo which I love). All the nigiri tasted sublime (do people still use that word?) and the regular rolls were spot on. Service to a fairly large (and kinda rowdy) table was efficient, nice and very helpful. I love Masu, I love the door on the street and the steps you have to walk up. I love the mural that changes constantly and low back chairs in the lounge section. I love the bar and the sushi bar and the lanterns shaped like rice box. I love Masu so much that I'd marry it if I could. I'd probably turn into a rice fat drunk, but god what a wonderful marriage it would be.

    (5)

  • Helen Y.

    The restaurant look good, pretty fancy.... Nicely decorated. I went for my friend's birthday the other day. We both ordered a sashimi bowl and we loved it. The bowl looked small, but really, it filled us up. The sashimi was fresh, the chef's choice was some pretty good choices. Shrimp, salmon, tuna, hamachi, and octopus...etc. I felt like there were too little rice for that much sashimi though. There were three waitresses walking around the whole time, beside people at the sushi bar... There were only one other table with a party of 6 people for a birthday. But it took them forever to come to us... There was a time when we needed a cup of green tea and the waitress gave us a little attitude when we nicely asked her to come over... The food took a long time.... Our water never got a refill. We nicely informed them that was my friend's birthday, but nothing happened. Didn't expect a Japanese restaurant charge us for green tea.... I guess, this is more like a fusion restaurant in my opinion. No dessert options, disappointed me. It could have been a 4-stars experience for the fancy-look and the food. But, it was not a decent experience with the waitresses and the wait, I had to take off 1-star.

    (3)

  • Tracy P.

    I came here for dinner with my husband a couple of years ago and it was fabulous. We had a variety of sushi and cocktails and were very impressed. I was wondering if it would still be as good after all this time, so I decided to meet a friend here for lunch. We were not disappointed. The ambiance was perfect in the middle of the day! The expansive windows, great music and delicious food were accompanied by excellent service. The miso soup is the best I have ever tasted and the edamame were fresh and cooked perfectly. Cannot wait to go again! Parking can be a hassle but this is a perfect place for lunch or dinner!

    (5)

  • Raj P.

    Good sushi in an upscale restaurant in downtown Portland. I plan on going to this restaurant when I am in town on business. There are many dishes I still need to try. Trendy decor especially because it is a bar/lounge within the restaurant space.

    (4)

  • Barry T.

    There is a lot of very good sushi in PDX, the atmosphere at Masu is what sets it apart. Last night in addition to a few of the special rolls we ordered we discovered that they also serve a fantastic miso soup, best we've had in Portland. The service is usually good, although last night it was spotty. Consider this four star review to be an upgraded 3.5 star

    (4)

  • Mary O.

    I went here for a late lunch and was very surprised. The atmosphere was very calming with a modern 'zen' twist. The staff was nice and the food was great! Only downside was It was on the pricey side. I ordered the hamachi kama (yellow tail collar) and boy was it good. It had a different name cause it was braised in some soy sauce mix, which was a little over powering, but still very yummy.

    (4)

  • V B.

    Delicious, fresh sushi and wonderful service. I highly recommend the smoked mackerel sushi and the seaweed vegetables.

    (4)

  • Tanya C.

    I came here in a group of 6 hoping to have some great sushi :) I reserved a table online which was convenient. We got there a bit early so we sat at the bar and ordered some drinks. The drinks were good and the bartender was entertaining so even when our table wasn't ready on time, we were still having fun. The waitress was great and was very attentive, but it took forever to get our sushi. The place was packed so we understood, but they may need to staff more people during these busy nights. Once we finished our first order of sushi we were still hungry but were iffy since it took ~ 1 hour to get our sushi, but we ended ordering more anyways. It still took a long time to get sushi, but in the end we did and were pretty happy. The bill wasn't as high as we thought given the large amount of drinks consumed and 15ish rolls we ordered. I've had better sushi, but it wasn't bad and the atmosphere is pretty fun.

    (3)

  • Anna T.

    The sushi here really sucks honestly, but I'm from San Francisco and Berkeley... and good cheap sushi places are plentiful around the Bay Area. So, the waitress here was really cool. We asked her about strip clubs and she really gave us a bunch of good recommendations. But as far as overall service, they took way too long to bring out our dishes. They did make up for it by bringing us a dish on the house, but still, it screwed up our plans for the night because we were at the restaurant for over two hours. My cocktail was kind of gross, but I got buzzed from it since our food was so slow. I really really enjoyed the Sake that our waitress recommended... it was in a blue bottle... If you're inexperienced with Sake, I think the waiters there would definitely be down to help you choose one to your liking. Overall, the place was nice. They projected some anime on the wall and I bet my friends and I were the only ones that even tried to watch it. The other crowd was kind of just white hipsters. I wouldn't go back here.... it's totally overpriced.

    (3)

  • Danielle D.

    Let me preface this with saying, I am a cook and I've worked in this industry long enough to know that when someone mentions a food allergy, you PAY ATTENTION. So - my momma-in-law was in town with us from the East coast, and we wanted to take her out somewhere nice for sushi on her last night in town. A friend suggested Masu (over Bamboo) so I made a reservation via Opentable, and we showed up right on time. There was a momentary wait while they set us up, then we were whisked off to our table. I ordered tea for 3, and when it arrived one of the cups had a chipped edge. We pointed it out, and the host said to my fiance', "You can handle it, you're a man." Hm. Wrong attitude, guy. He drank from the other side when his tea was poured. So we proceed with our ordering. Momma H has a shellfish allergy, so I noted this on the menu we wrote our order on, as well as verbally to the server. We ordered the sushi sampler without shellfish, and a few rolls. One of the rolls we chose was a volcano roll for the hubs and I, and the server did note that it had crab in it, and would be put on a separate plate. The food itself was glorious - the sea vegetable salad was light and refreshing, the tsukemono was all delicious (though not nearly enough of it for the $8 price) and we loved the miso soup. The rolls came and we dug in, but were surprised at the array of the sushi sampler. I immediately noticed the ama ebi (sweet shrimp), and upon closer inspection realized that the plate also included mirugai (sea clam). In any other instance I'd be pleased a punch because I LOVE sea clam, but it's a SHELLFISH and was touching other fish on the plate which our shellfish-allergic momma was planning to eat off of. Damn. After repeated attempts to flag down the passing host and servers, we finally got our server's attention long enough to inform her of the error. She removed the dish and offered to bring us something else. We waited about five minutes before a new menu was brought, and another ten minutes until she returned to ask if we'd made a decision. By that point, we were done with fish, so we asked for the check and hightailed it out for gelato. The server admitted that she should have double-checked, and this was reflected in her tip. Momma-in-law was disappointed that she didn't get her nice sushi dinner, and we were disappointed in the service overall. If you're paying a premium for your dinner, the service should match. I will not recommend Masu to anyone.

    (2)

  • Angie Q.

    I'm so glad I found this place! The location, atmosphere and decor is right up my alley. Came here with a group of 8 on a Friday night (with reservations). Service was great, attentive, and patient. The group tried a variety of sushi items as well as numerous bowls of ramen. The ultimate goal of the night was to try the ramen. Given this is not a ramen joint, the ramen was delicious! Broth was light and savory (though more fat would have made it tastier), pork was tender and juicy, and the noodles had the perfect texture. With analysis from a friend who lived in Japan, the noodles may be handmade..? Oh and the egg was delicious!! Give this place a try if you love ramen! It was featured in a Japanese newslettter recently.

    (4)

  • Terry T.

    This one appeared to be just another restaurant riding the sushi fad. The first thing I noticed was that the itamaes were so inexperienced. So much so that I felt bad for those guys cause I know they were trying to do their best. Nevertheless the customers don't want to see that. The people behind the sushi bar need be somebody with years of experience. It's the total experience that truly matters. Especially at that price point. The netas seemed alright but they got warm after inefficient handling. They need to do something about the rice. Right away. Sorry about being so critical but the customers deserve to hear this.

    (2)

  • Olga P.

    PROS: Nice ambiance, lighting decor and staff. Location is good. CONS: Average sushi at best. The sashimi was not fresh and it tasted mushy and watery, had been on ice for too long. Way overpriced. The rolls were nothing special. I really liked the decor but overall this place is nothing special and the sushi was unimpressive. I have had far superior sushi for much less. Basically you are paying to eat in a trendy restaurant. I wouldn't go back.

    (2)

  • Patrick G.

    I don't like sushi that much but this place makes me want more sushi! Great happy hour.

    (5)

  • Alexis L.

    What I had: daily sashimi, a spicy clam and shiso handroll, uni onigiri plus 2 masu of sake (1 junmai daiginjo and 1 namazake). The sashimi's salmon was really good. Salmon is ususally a good indicator of fish quality. Most places serve farned salmon with highly visible fat layers. At Masu the salmon was lean. So you're not in Japan, but Masu rivals with the high-end NY sushi bars, at a price that remains under control.

    (4)

  • Tyra P.

    First off it's on what seems to be the second or top floor and it was warm. The windows are only on one side of the building and they were open but it was still hot. The food, meh. We tried several items and honestly it was just overpriced for what you get. I just couldn't find anything good about it to say. Not bad, but just not memorable enough to go back. I didn't think the sushi was all that fresh. I tried this place because of the reviews but in this case it just didn't work for me.

    (2)

  • Holly R.

    The staff was very accommodating, and the atmosphere was ambient and super cool! Don't go here if you are worried about price, but it is worth the money. I went here for my birthday back in November with my girlfriends and it was a night to remember. Highly recommended.

    (5)

  • Angela C.

    I actually paid a visit to Masu after my boyfriend recommended the restaurant to me on the night that we met! The start of a great relationship and a great restaurant find in Portland as well! I decided to take my coworkers to Masu and give the restaurant a try. When we arrived, we were immediately surprised by the restaurant's decor - dim lighting and beautifully furnished. It's uncommon to see such a swanky restaurant in Portland, and the interior definitely did not match its outside surroundings. We ordered a couple of drinks before dinner - I recommend the Tokyo Drop and the Hello Kitty, both of which are very delicious (if you're going for the "girly" martini). For dinner, my coworkers ordered a couple of different rolls, while I had the Nemo Roll, which was awesome! (and not to be confused with "finding Nemo" in the roll *wink*). My only complaint is that the wait for our food was close to an hour (hence the 1 less star rating)! The food is awesome and perhaps it takes them a while to perfect their rolls - it's your call if 1 hour is worth it! Other than the insanely long wait time, Masu is great! Oh, and for a better idea on what the Nemo Roll looks like, visit here: knowledgepower.info/site…

    (3)

  • Brent F.

    Some of the best sushi in Portland in a super clean and chic environment. Wait staff is always super helpful, attentive and professional. Beautiful bar with excellent drinks. Love this place. Make sure you check out the hand dryer in the restroom. It ROCKS.

    (4)

  • Wendy S.

    Been wanting to go here for some time and was NOT disappointed. The service, the food and the sake selection was amazing. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the sake list as well as the ingredients in some of the dishes we ordered. It is defintiely one of the best sushi places I have eatten at so far in Portland and easy access in the Pearl.

    (4)

  • Paul S.

    I've had way better experiences at other sushi places in Portland. I would never complain about the price of the food when the quality is good. But Masu definitely overprices, especially their sushi. I wouldn't have minded if it was well worth it but their nigiris and sashimis were awful. Everything about it was bad with sushi; the rice, the size, the quality of the fish, and the presentation. I wouldn't recommend this place. If you end up here, stick with some hot plates.

    (2)

  • Adam G.

    Guys, ever gone on a date with a girl and come home thinking "She's really sweet"? Ladies, you know that guy you went out with who was "really nice"? Well that's Masu. Oh, I'll go there again. I'll even enjoy my time with Masu. Masu is a very nice place. The decor is nice. The service is nice. The food is nice. Even the bill was nice. Everything was nice. I have plenty of good things to say about Masu. But then, those nice guys and sweet girls do have lots of friends. A friend of mine from out of town went for lunch. I had miso soup ($2) and the 9 piece chef's choice nigiri ($21). The miso soup was good, especially sitting near the window overlooking the street on a cloudy, drippy day. The nigiri was pretty basic, and good. The portions were very consistent between different fishes, which is actually pretty impressive. No really, each piece was virtually identically sized to the one net to it. The visual of the whole plate was good, and the server made sure to walk us through exactly what each piece was. We can be friends, Masu, but that's all we'll ever be. META-REVIEW: in 128 (now 129) reviews, no one has mentioned omakase. In a sense, this means that we (myself included) have not given the sushi chefs here a fair shot at truly shining. But it also speaks to the nature of the restaurant. Something about Masu is playing it safe, and I think that reflects in the experience. Omakase can be a risk, because it is 100% on the chef if the patrons don't enjoy the experience. But with that risk, comes the opportunity to truly distinguish yourself.

    (3)

  • Makenna C.

    Nice atmosphere (especially at night, in my opinion), higher priced sushi for Portland - the fish is usually better quality, but you aren't going to get the bang (or creativity) for your buck as many others have complained. The treasures here as far as I'm concerned are on the "food" menu - the pork belly, the ramen (some of the best in Portland as far as I'm concerned, very porky and delicious), and especially the yellowtail collar with a simple bowl of white rice (at only $8) will leave you satisfied. A friend of mine working the sushi counter also sent over some treats, one was a spicy, salty squid salad with green onion and jalepeno that I was in love with. Ask about it. :)

    (4)

  • JOE M.

    Always Worth It! Friday night is sushi night for my wife and I. More often than not that means Masu. Two nights ago was the best yet, with great sushi specials. Kumamoto oysters with japanese mignonette and a cured (bronzed) trout that looked like salmon but was even better. Whether at the sushi bar or a table, the service is always friendly. Masu never misses...be sure to try the specials, very reasonable and always worth it.

    (5)

  • Mark F.

    How to put this...hmm...well...do you like sushi? Do you like food that tastes good? How about service that is informative, helpful and memorable? Well, if you're a fan of those things (especially sushi) then visit Masu for a meal. From the delicious bar drinks, to the sea-fresh seafood rolls, Masu is a great place to visit. Some of the reviews condone the service and the cost. I can't figure out why. From my experience with sushi, Masu's pricing was relative to other locations and the flavors were that much butter. So much babble which means less time for you to get up and go eat sushi. So stop reading and go enjoy some delicious sushi at a reasonable cost with great service. The only downside I could think of is the music. I felt like I was shopping at the Banana Republic. A lot of thumpity thump bass techno jams, which gives a weird ambiance for sushi dining but that aside everything was great.

    (4)

  • Ted C.

    Quiet and sunny late afternoon on a mellow vibe Saturday. After climbing the 'Machu Picchu' stairway to the Sushi Holy land, we were greeted with a warm and trendy environment where the staff smiled and eased us into a nice two person table next to a window. We ordered Nemo Roll, Holladay Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Vegi Maki, Yellow Tail, Albacore, and Smoked Chinook Nigiri. Two bowls of Miso and edamame were the warm ups and they were excellent! The miso was not too salty and had a complexity of flavors and the edamame was well seasoned, warm, and delicious. All the rolls were super nova explosions of coolness! I was blown away by the Holladay Roll which was a mamenori wrapped roll with a tempura jalapeno heart of spicy gold! It came out with a special dipping sauce called "special dipping sauce topped with peanuts". I call it "super amazing liquid of zeus sauce"! I like my name better. All of the fish was so buttery tender, that I could have ate it with no teeth in my purty mouth. The waiter was surprised we ate so much. I guess we've gone to Sushi land too often, because we were stacking our plates too... Expensive place that the GF and I will make a destination on special occasions because A: We can't financially afford to go too often & B: If we climb that flight of stairs too often, I'll start to think I'm going to the gym... Bravo fish gods! You gone done a good job.

    (4)

  • Lily T.

    Great food, friendly service, and a cozy atmosphere full of interesting modern decor. Little pricey for sushi but worth it. Definitely try the unique appetizers! I don't remember the names of any of the ones I ordered, but generally their menu includes some interesting concepts. Great flavor, lots of texture. Mmm!

    (4)

  • Puu S.

    I was the experience at Masu sushi in the day before Thanksgiving with all my friend ( we all Asian) .This this the first time for us in Portland and that night. I m searching for nice sushi place over there for dinner. when we got there i felt very cozy about the atmosphere of the. UNTIL! we got the table!!!! The server who was served us was SO RUDE!!!!!! I can say this because all my life I never met the server like this before!!! He is the white guy, wear glasses tall and he was work on Wednesday night!!!!! At first, he gave us the menu and we all super hungry, So we order a lot. BUT he come and said he s not gonna order anything if we r did not order the drink first!!!!! Actually we all the Japanese food lover then we totally know what we going to order even no look at the menu. So, we order the tea and SAKE and one of my friend start to order the food, the server said we were order too much! So my friend decided to order just one item per order, the server said back to her " Oh you know it s gonna be expensive right" WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM ??? I don't understand??? Second, after we all got miso soup, one of my friend tired to ask him to take a photo for us BUT the word that we heard from him is " I do not have time" and left.That time the restaurant is not busy AT ALL! just my table and one more table!!! and in case if the restaurant busy you should not say something like this to the customer because it's RUDE!!! i can see from his another co-worker who came to help him served MIso soup. She feel bad when he said that to us ( she is the host) During the dinner we always keep asking about refiled hot tea but take too much time to get it!! Third, one of my friend can't eat raw fish that much. She desired to order a noodle by raise her hand to call him ( at first she tired to call him but he never do care even he saw her called but he walked to other tables without say anything). Finally he s walked to her and get her order and my friend ask for another bowl to share with her boyfriend but he said the noodle is big but it s not enough to shared. In this point I think no matter customer want to shared or not shared it s not your business, i have to said this because he keep telling her "it s not enough to shared many times" !!!!!!! Until my friend getting mad, he asked my friend "why you mad at me?" I cant believe HOW come YOU ASK CUSTOMER LIKE THIS????? So when we all done! he bring us the bill, and it was included the service charge 19% already. So my friend was signed and we were still chatting on the table, He went and grabbed the tab "WITHOUT SAY THANK YOU AT ALL" I don't know may be other customer had a good experience in this restaurant BUT for me and all my friends. We will not gonna come back in here anymore!!!!!!!!!!! In my opinion MASU Sushi is a great restaurant, I really like all decoration and atmosphere BUT if you still have the server like this GUY one day you will get more complain from customer. I have to register to be yelp customer to speak out the story that i had in this restaurant because I am Asian people, we eat Asian food and you do Asian restaurant, you should know how to take care the customer. I m so disappoint!!!

    (1)

  • Aimee C.

    If you really love fine sushi, I recommend the omakase here. The rice is served in the same style as Sushi Sasabune or Nozawa in Los Angeles, warm and soft. The fish is room temperature, not cold. The temperature and texture is carefully considered in every dish. I was nervous after reading the reviews, but chose the omakase to let the chef show us what he has, and let me tell you, he has it. First dish, local albacore sashimi in ponzu style sauce, just like Nozawa would do. Then there was a small pickle dish with crab and uni and some crazy gelatinous seaweed, then a sashimi dish with tuna, mushroom, pickled lotus blossom, amberjack belly and octopus (which is cooked there, and as tender and savory as it gets). Then giant clam with morels in miso butter... Now the order gets fuzzy, but we had black cod, and then nigiri of salmon, anago, maguro, uni, and mackerel, and there are other dishes that I'm forgetting. Every single bite was handcrafted, every sauce made onsite. The whole meal was a fantastic experience. So, I'm really confused by some of the people who weren't satisfied. This is on par with some of the leading sushi chefs in the country. The chef is beautifully trained, personable, meticulous. If you really want to judge him, get the omakase, sit at the bar, and have a conversation about what you're eating. I don't think you'll be disappointed. For the price, this meal was a *steal*.

    (5)

  • Kelly R.

    The fish is extremely fresh here. I love the way the place is decorated and they have delicious drinks!

    (5)

  • Julie E.

    Wow. My partner and I found ourselves starving and the mood for a steak so we stopped by a place that was recommended. I do not remember the place but it was so dark we couldn't read the menu. Good thing we had a flashlight (literally!). WE left when we realized how ridiculous it was. We drove around for awhile looking for places in our GPS for food and we were so hungry we could not decide. We finally settled on Masu. I figured our craving was for protein so why no fish? I have to say it was not a smart idea to go for sushi when we were so hungry. On the other side of the coin it was the BEST freshest sushi I have EVER had. The waiter was AMAZING and place was very very pleasant. We left with happy stomaches and we left completely satisfied. It is pricey but if it means the freshest fish I have ever had then A OK!

    (5)

  • Jack C.

    Some of the most inventive and fun roll options here. Really unique flavor combinations that really work. I suggest the roll with the jalapeno, mint and cilantro! I love the high ceilings and the cosmopolitan urban chic atmosphere. They also have the best music playing - loungy downtempo electronica vibes. Service has always been friendly and I rarely have ever had to wait for a table but if you do, there's a really swanky lounge seated area where you can sit and sip cocktails or sake. I always look forward to a trip to Masu!

    (4)

  • Sean G.

    Sushi was great! Staff was very nice and gave me all the attention i needed.

    (5)

  • Andrew S.

    Excellent sushi, very cool ambiance. Big windows on 2nd floor frame leafy branches... Feels like you're in a trendy treehouse.

    (5)

  • Kat N.

    Tried this place with the Cousin last week and it was like my 3-star, A-OK! Nothing was really phenomenal, but nothing was bad either. I had the lamb curry and it was tasty and the meat was super tender. She had the ramen, which i tried and i have to say, it's probably one of the better broths I've tried in Portland. Very porky and rich. You can see the fat in the broth. Downside was that there really was no veggies. I think there was just one piece of nori and some green onion? Where are the sprouts at least?? The chashu was really good. Really fatty and tender, just like pork belly should be. We got the salmon skin roll to share and it was... ok. I wanted to start off with that, but it end up coming towards the end of our meal. Cocktail options are fun and the prices are typical of a downtown joint. Kinda spendy with a smaller amount of food on a big, fancy plate. Bowl of ramen for $13 and no veggies. Service was very friendly, though. We were seated quick and they checked on us often without being overbearing. Even apologized for the loud, borderline obnoxious group of older gentlemen getting routy. I mean come on guys, this is Masu, not the Marathon. Show some tact. One piece of advice though - don't go there if you're starving and on the verge of gnawing off your own tongue. The food is good, but it's terribly slow. Drinks on the other hand are FAST! Decor is really nice, too. Very open and lofty-chic, but it can get warm really quick. I'd be back for late night happy hour or something, but it's not something I'd go out of my way for.

    (3)

  • Michael W.

    Dropped by here the other night for some light dinner. The atmosphere of Masu is very laid back. Smooth lighting and light music in the background is quite relaxing. Seeing that I was by myself, I decided to eat at the sushi bar. I decided to order a bunch of nigiri including tako, maguro, ikura, and of course.....toro. The toro was pretty fatty, which of course, was my favorite all night. Besides nigiri, I also ordered the seared scallops and some rolls. The seared scallops were decent: 3 large scallops with ikura on top and an apple salad in the middle. Masu is a hip place to stop by for some sushi. The menu is light so don't come in expecting for some teriyaki chicken and tonkatsu.

    (4)

  • Stephanie K.

    I feel like I keep discovering all these amazing sushi joints in Portland, and each one is just trying to outdo the next. I came here before a Blazer game for a romantic night out. The atmosphere of this place is just perfect for a date or getting together with friends. I feel like, no matter what the occasion, this place will get it right. The sushi is heavenly, and every bite melted in my mouth. I love the variety that they have, and wish I could have tried everything on the menu. A little spendy, but definitely worth it in my opinion!

    (5)

  • Brad M.

    Loved Masu Sushi!

    (4)

  • Sandra C.

    This is a perfect place for a Portland date. A bit upscale but still trendy. Prices were decent and I was very surprised by the amount of sushi you get (esp compared to Bamboo Sushi). I'll def be back.

    (4)

  • Joe W.

    Vietnamese serrano & garlic calamari salad!!!!! I always enjoy going to Masu... good sushi, great sake selection (served in those awesome Masu boxes) and decent atmosphere. Some consider it a bit on the pretentious side, but I don't think it's over the top. My date and I (I know, I can't believe it either!!) shared edamame, a roll, a few orders of nigiri and the serrano/garlic calamari salad appetizer. I know what you're thinking, "serrano & garlic on a date... no wonder your dating life is pathetic!!" But if you've not had the pleasure, I can't recommend it enough. In fact it may well be worth an evening of abstinence, but I suppose that's more of a personal decision. The roll was good, shrimp tempura on the inside and various white fish and salmon on the outside. Fresh and tasty, but not knock your socks off tasty. Aside from the calamari, I always enjoy the nigiri and sashimi at Masu. I know it's probably overly simplistic and perhaps doesn't give the best idea of their culinary prowess, but they always have super fresh yellowtail and horse mackeral (aji, not the pickled stuff). The service was good and attentive, perhaps more so than usual, although it was a Monday night. Either way, another good experience from Masu!

    (4)

  • Erich W.

    Bloody terrific.

    (5)

  • Claire C.

    This remains to be my favorite sushi place in town. Trying sushi around the nation Masu has never disappointed. Loving clean, fresh, fish and living in Portland; I've enjoyed Masu numerous times. The chefs choice sashimi it my go to item, it includes an impressive and beautiful platter of high quality fish. The calamari it amazing, spicy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked; it's a favorite of mine. Nothing I've ordered has ever disappointed. Masu serves top notch and high quality. Service has always been professional, friendly, and insightful. Well trained staff and excellent sushi chefs. It you are in the Portland area and in need of good sushi, this is the place to go.

    (5)

  • Staci F.

    This was out first night in portland where we were celebrating our one year anniversary. A friend recommended this place and w were so happy we did. It was pretty much the best sushi we have ever had! We ordered the Lotus, The pearl, Mt St Helens and gyoza. Everything was delicious and the staff was super friendly as well. The only reason i am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because my husband i guess went to the waitress to tell her it was our anniversary and if they could surprise me with a dessert, which they did. but they charged us for it. Which would have been nice to know ahead of time. Anyways, they gave us a wonderful green tea ice cream.

    (4)

  • Michelle L.

    I only have three words for this place: Death By Sushi. Taste it. Savor it. Crave it. Ever since it opened, Masu has been my favorite sushi restaurant in the city. In fact since I've moved away, on every visit I make a beeline for Masu. The atmosphere is super cool, very stylish. As a design junkie this is always a big plus for me. They also have my favorite nigori sake. The service is always a little slower than I would like, but I find that most sushi joints have this problem. Good sushi takes time, especially the more complicated rolls, but I've never had a bad dish here. The Poke Tuna Salad is not to be missed. The Hello Kitty cocktail is one of the best in the city. Masu you'll always be in my tummy when I'm in Stumptown!

    (5)

  • Brie P.

    Happy hour was excellent! The sushi was flavorful full and just a word of warning when they describe a dish as spicy. They are not kidding

    (4)

  • Lauren D.

    Mmm, Masu did not disappoint. The Death By Sushi roll was awesome and we were able to make a late reservation here on a Sunday. Started out with the dungeness sunomono and it was a very unique and delicious combination of flavors. Our server was very personable and helpful and the restaurant itself is very sleek and modern. I would definitely go back again, try another crazy roll.

    (5)

  • Mike L.

    Awesome sushi of the highest quality (freshness, flavour) and some of the most creative preparations I've seen here on the West coast. I've been a half-dozen times and the staff are very sensitive to dietary restrictions including dairy and gluten. I can't always eat everything they offer (or wouldn't bother if the sauce is the most impressive part of the dish), but what I am able to eat I eat with pleasure and confidence.

    (5)

  • Jim S.

    I wanted to be a fan, but their performance was lackluster. Maybe Sushi on a Sunday night is just a bad idea which is why most of the higher end places are closed Sunday/Monday. Regardless I found it pricey, uninspired and a little too straight forward. Meh..

    (2)

  • Lisa E.

    This place is very "Portland" and chic. It's upstairs and has a warehouse type feel to it. It was a Friday night, we had no reservations, and were able to walk in at 8:30pm and get a table immediately. The light was dim and romantic. It was a bit noisy but still a nice experience. Our favorite dish was the St. Helen's Volcano roll: whitefish, crab, scallops, shrimp and avocado baked with our volcano cream sauce, eel sauce and smoked bonito. Delicious!!! Afterwards, we walked back to the street where there was a chocolate bar nextdoor. I don't remember the name of it but the hot chocolate was the perfect dessert and the perfect end to a great date. :)

    (4)

  • She C.

    Ok... In all fairness, our sushi was still pretty impeccable, smaller portions than I remember, but still yummy. I was so bummed out that on a Saturday night, (with very few customers, at 6PM) that our choice restaurant for celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary at, completely dismissed us. I mentioned this in passing with our waitress not once, but twice, and not to score free anything, but because I am proud of my man, my relationship, and I was excited for an evening of pampering and indulgence. She could have cared less, I mean not a smile, or "good for you", nothing. I will probably not go back. I know plenty of other of establishments that would love (and appreciate) my dropping a hundred bucks on a meal. What a shame.

    (3)

  • jason c.

    Pros: lighting, ambience, decor, food (most dishes) Cons: service was a disaster

    (3)

  • Brad C.

    I went to Masu East earlier in the year and this time my fiancée and I were staying downtown so we figured we would give Masu a try. We had to sit at the bar since there wasn't any tables available. Both of us would of rather had a table but the bar worked. Ok the vibe here wasn't the kind of place I usually enjoy. I don't think there was a single Asian person working here, which seemed odd to me for a sushi place. They were also playing anime on a big screen in the lounge area... which felt just a little silly, like they were trying too hard to hit home the asia vibe or something. But enough about the place because its the food that stands out. We ordered a few drinks including the "Hello Kitty," "Masu Mojito" and the "Tokyo Drop." All the drinks were pretty good, wish there would of been a few more martini options. They brought out some free edamame for us to enjoy while we waited on the sushi to be prepared. Which I'm glad they did because it seemed like it took a lot longer then it should have. The rolls we ordered we "Japanista" (spicy crab, spicy tuna and kawaire with seared hamachi,cilantro and red jalapeno on top served with hana and sweet chili sauce), the "St. Helen's Volcano" (whitefish, crab, scallops, shrimp and avocado baked with volcano cream sauce, eel sauce and smoked bonito), and the "Nemo" (shrimp tempura, dungeness and avocado topped with whitefishand salmon finished with ponzu, green onions, toasted white sesame seeds and smoked bonito flakes). The St. Helen's Volcano was hands down one of the best rolls I have ever eaten. It melts in the mouth. As for prices, I felt like we spent more here then Masu East, but it might of just been the rolls we ordereded this time. I would rather go to Masu East for dinner if I had a choice, the atmosphere at Masu East is a little less trendy.

    (4)

  • Jacque P.

    Very good place. Ambience + Food + Customer Service. AWESOME-Liciousness. Expect to pay though - 4 rolls and one beer = 70.75$ not including tip.

    (4)

  • Knox K.

    Okay, Okay, I know -- my second 5-star rating. Masu is an upstairs only establishment, meaning you enter from the street and immediately go up the stairs. The ambiance is inviting. On my multiple visits, I preferred to sit at the sushi bar. Death by Sushi was fantastic. The green tea outstanding. The mix drinks intoxicating (ha!). And the wait staff super friendly. They even prepared off the menu items for us. Enjoy!

    (5)

  • Sara V.

    Fantastic and creative sushi in a really fun atmosphere. They also have a really terrific sake selection and the staff is very in touch with the nuances of what they serve. I also love that I can make a reservation here. The atmosphere is great and the service is also solid. This is one of my top places for sushi in Portland. The fish is always fresh, the presentation is charming, and the taste is out of this world. Yes, it's a little pricier but you get what you pay for, and if I'm going to be eating raw fish I shell out (pardon the pun) for the good stuff!

    (4)

  • Y I L I W.

    Yum!! + : nice atmosphere, wide selection, tasty food - must try: "Death by Sushi", variety of sake, friendly service - : n/a

    (4)

  • Jacob R.

    The Fiance and I were downtown on our three anniversary and were looking for a good place to eat. So I busted out my handy dandy Yelp app on my phone and searched for sushi places. Masu Sushi was pretty high up on the list, I think four or five stars, but it had that dreaded multiple dollar sign rating. Dun Dun Dun. Well I figured its our anniversary so lets go big, why not right? So we walked the couple of blocks up the street from where we were (Ground Kontrol). It's located a few blocks away from Powells book store on the second story of an old building. So right away you climb some stairs and then you come up into this really hip, trendy sushi place. They have both a sushi bar and a drink bar that you can choose to sit at, as well as a full dinning room full of tables. The decor is really minimal and still works really well. Most everything is done in this like wood brick effect that is really cool. And then the whole back wall is this mural painting of a little Asian girl giving this HUGE sumo a tattoo. It's really cute and gives the place a younger brighter vibe. The waitstaff was really nice and answers any questions you may have without making you feel stupid or unwelcome. I don't know if this is normal but one of the owners was the one who met us at the top of the stairs and showed us to our table. Almost as soon as we sat down the waiter gave us our water that had cucumber slices in it and a very generous portion of Edamame. So I wouldn't say that this place was cheap but it wasn't deal breaking expensive either. Including the tip it was around $30-$35. I got some Unagi nigiri, a caterpillar roll, and a spicy tuna roll. The Fiance got the vegetarian platter, which is a pretty good deal actually, it came with an eight piece vegi roll, two pieces of inari, and two pieces of avocado nigiri for eleven dollars. The flavors were spot on and the portions were only a fraction small. All in all a good experience. We would definitely recommend this place to others as a downtown sushi place.

    (4)

  • David A.

    no doubt one of the best sushi places in Portland

    (5)

  • Becky N.

    I give this place 3.5 stars. We came here on a Friday night and was surprised that it wasn't crowded. This was, overall, a decent sushi place in downtown Portland, but the thing to order here is their ramen. The noodles were perfectly cooked and broth was rich with flavor. The other dishes we had were just average.

    (3)

  • C W.

    I hate it when my first experience is great and then 9 months later I'm back in Portland craving sushi and Masu dissappoints... Went back to Masu a couple of days ago for late night happy hour... Had a Spider Roll, Philly Roll and Pearl Rolls along with a Tokyo Drop Martini. Everythng was okay but not really good as I remembered. Maybe it was an off not at Masu but for these prices it's dissappointing... Do you try a place that costs this much again when your last experience was underwhelming?

    (3)

  • Will S.

    I found this place on a whim about 5 or 6 years ago. Every time I am in Portland this is where I go to get my sushi! Very tasty!

    (5)

  • Kelly R.

    Went here for my birthday last night and while the food was amazing, the drinks yummy and the staff very friendly, I was shocked to see that they charged us $12 to cut my own cake!!! My friend made it, we brought it with us and not only did they charge a ridiculous "cutting" fee, they didnt give us the rest of the cake! Hope they enjoyed my amazing birthday cake...of which I had one tiny piece.

    (2)

  • paul R.

    Great place. Great food and service,. Lots of variety of sushi in a nice setting in a cool neighborhood. Rolls are very food but it shines in the plain sushi and sashimi. Great selection. Wild salmon, albacore and geoduck were outstanding

    (5)

  • Len F.

    I live in "the sticks" northwest of Chicago, so there are only a handful of sushi restaurants, and none of them are very good. On my first night on a trip to Portland, I wanted a good West Coast sushi dinner, and I got one at Masu. The nigiri was fresh and thick--very flavorful, with an excellent texture. The rolls were larger and sliced thinner than those in most restaurants, but they were very good. Service was quick and attentive. I'm planning to move to Portland soon, and this is likely to become one of my favorite downtown restaurants.

    (4)

  • brooke e.

    I'm from Southern California... Take that how you want, but we have plenty of great sushi choices there... And I can tell you that Masu Sushi did not disappoint. Very creative rolls, delicious yellowtail sashimi, yummy mohito, a very relaxed atmosphere with huge windows... I'd come here all the time if I lived here.

    (5)

  • Numrin T.

    If you are looking for a mellow place to drink, eat, and hangout (biasically everything) in style, this place probably won't disappoint you. They seem to have a great deal on drinks during early (around 5-7) and late (after 10 pm) happy hours, but too bad we didn't arrive during those time slots. We went there mainly just to have dinner in a non-restaurant type setting, and we were happy with our selection. Unlike other Japanese restaurants with tons of bamboo decoration, this place gave me a sense of being in a modern lounge. You have to walk on a narrow red carpet upstairs to get there. Once there, you have to turn 180 degrees around to get to the venue. They have a HUGE bar area surrounded by individual tables and couches-each is equipped with candles. The big room is partitioned with white curtains hanging down from the ceiling to the floor. The light and techno/electro music gave me a total nightclub vibe. Their food was amazing. I loved everything we ordered last night, but the most impressive of all was the volcano roll which was served on fire. It tasted so good that it melt in my mouth. Oh, and this roll was all about fish and no rice! Next time, I'll shoot for their happy hour though.

    (4)

  • Jeff M.

    A Haiku Review of Masu: What would Jesus do? Probably eat at Masu. It's really that good.

    (5)

  • Melissa S.

    Hands down my favorite sushi happy hour in Portland... great food, and the happy hour prices make it nearly affordable to eat there.. and leave completely stuffed! Small swanky location upstairs... just south of Burnside.. the staff is friendly and while they could likely use a little more music vibe in there... it's all in all a great place to get well executed, and superbly fresh sushi.

    (4)

  • Duane C.

    I fell in love with this place the first time we visited it and it hasn't let me down since. In addition to the traditional preparations of sushi and sashimi, Masu also has a variety of eclectic rolls to please the taste buds of even the most demanding sushi fans. The quality of fish used has always been top notch with each visit. The assorted sashimi plate is a great representation of exquisite, melt in your mouth, maguro(tuna), sake(salmon), and hamachi(yellowtail). When it comes to sushi rolls I have my favorites and must haves with each visit. Now as a sushi lover I understand the stigma associated with the usually boring California roll, however Masu takes it to a whole other level with their interpretations. The Pearl and Japanista look simple enough described on the menu but the dimension each adds to the boring California roll hidden beneath it are stellar. On this most recent visit I found myself blissed out by the Nemo roll and by one of the delicious tidbits in the app section of the menu. First, the Nemo. I don't dislike bonito flakes but I also don't seek them out like a fat kid in a candy store. The Nemo is topped with bonito flakes and I have to say that the smoky fishy crunchy bits (I call them Japanese baco-bits) complimented the flavor profile beautifully. The app we enjoyed was the seared scallops with ume cream, shiso, and pink hawaiian salt. The scallops were seared to perfection and each of the three was topped differently. One was topped with seaweed, another with a crispy tempura shiso leaf, and the third unfortunately I can't recall. My words fail me with this one because they were so good I couldn't focus on anything but the wonderful morsels being devoured. There is a new roll on the menu that I am intent on sampling on our next visit and that is the Holladay. I'm intrigued by the possibility of sushi topped with peanuts...yes I know, totally not traditional but sometimes you need to stir things up. Revolution isn't always a bad thing, but I'll be sure to give a full report on the Holladay. Lastly, Masu is not only a great place for sushi, but also a fabulous place for drinks. There are some funky options on the drink menu but by far my favorite and in my humble opinion their best cocktail is the Hatori Hanzo. Like its namesake from Kill Bill Vol 1, the Hatori Hanzo is unassuming but packs a punch when the first sip touches your tongue. I love tequila and I love Hatori Hanzo...the cocktail. As always don't take my word for it. Go out and try the place. Be warned, it can get spendy especially if you get out of hand with the drinks but compared to some other more expensive restaurants in Portland I prefer the full stomach and Hanzo buzz from Masu. BANZAI!!!!! BANZAI!!!!!

    (5)

  • Sara G.

    Masu is average sushi at slightly above average prices in an upscale setting. If I were comparing it to sushi across Portland, I might give it more cred, but sushi is sushi regardless of whether it's in Vancouver, BC or LA. I have not eaten the menu items, only the sushi, so perhaps their chef in the kitchen has some extra skills I am not aware of. The rolls and nigiri are fine, but frankly they are only slightly superior to say, Miyamoto or Koji. Introducing micro greens into a sushi roll may put a twist into the equation, but it does not enhance the enjoyment. The atmosphere is on the upscale side for Portland. Service is fine in my experience having been twice. Happy hour half prices on nigiri and rolls make it a much better exchange. The sake list is well chosen and well described. My one critique would be that they seem to favor drier choices in their upsell items and many of the best sakes I have had have been namazakes that were actually sweeter.

    (3)

  • Cori R.

    Masu was okay. My friend and I ate there while visiting Portland last week. We both agreed that the food just did not have as much flavor as we had hoped. Even the california roll fell short of expectation. We were both surprised since the reviews were pretty good. It didn't help that we were blown away by the sushi at Portland City Grill earlier in the week, by both the inexpensive price and the amazing taste. Masu was pricey in comparison and not as high a quality. Plus the happy hour price on rolls only applies if you purchase a beer or cocktail. It's not a place I would go back.

    (3)

  • Dan M.

    Fabulous fish, creative flavor mixes and a great ambiance! Highly recommended!

    (5)

  • Rachel H.

    Booooooo. Greasy everything. Sushi was unremarkable. Dining room had about 5 empty tables the whole time that we sat of to the side, eating in the "lounge" area, awkwardly off of a side table. Cute decor; but wouldn't ever go back. I mean, it's not so bad I spit anything out, but that is really the best I can say about it. Disappointing.

    (2)

  • Crosby L.

    Trying this for a date night, we walked up the stairs and entered a cool, inviting lounge with a sultry atmosphere. DJ spinning, candles flickering, we smiled right away and picked a spot at the sushi bar. I must mention, as you walk in you will notice a giant painting on the back wall. The more I stared the more I noticed in the art, definitely my favorite part of the ambiance! As we sat we were greeted with a fresh salad of octopus and cucumbers, delicious. I have learned good quality octopus can be hard to come by. It was happy hour, so we felt a little brave and tried a wide variety of items. I thought everything was extremely fresh and delicious. I thought the Japanese Snapper was incredible. Great drink menu, I suggest the Tokyo drop! One of my favorite spots in Portland. Friendly Staff, great vibe, and most importantly... amazing food!! Not only did they perfect the traditional rolls, but they have created a few tasty new ideas as well.

    (4)

  • Kat A.

    Masu is how sushi should be done. The fish is absolutely fresh and each roll comes out looking like a work of art. Their sushi chefs have some serious artist skills besides the amazing culinary talent. The Lotus roll is both mouth-watering and gorgeous. The rolls are reasonably priced for a sushi place, definitely not somewhere I could afford to go every week (though I really wish I could), but they are expertly crafted with great ingredients and flavor profiles to die for. Really unique interior, full wall of windows letting in natural light, mixed with great modern architecture and a large Japanese graphic mural. Really awesome place to take new people to. The wait staff is always friendly, really casual and helpful. Great appetizers are the cucumber salad and ridiculously tasty short rib. If the Holy Kobe roll is on the menu, it is an absolute must. They don't always have it available, but to date it is still by far the best piece of sushi I have ever eaten.

    (5)

  • Bobby P.

    The Pearl is the best sushi roll I've ever had! Highly recommended!

    (5)

  • sm r.

    I don't entirely understand why some sushi is good and some is not. It all comes from the same place, right? But there must be a magical secret to why some fish taste better than others. I assume the sushi chef has a talent for spotting the best fish to serve in his restaurant. I would have assumed the chef at Masu excelled at this, for the prices they charge. Sadly, that was not my experience. We tried Masu for the first time for a nice lunch and found the space large and sunny. We raised our eyebrows at the prices but decided to just dive in and damn the expense. We ordered some sushi, sashimi, a specialty roll, and some sake. Loved the roll. Can't remember what it was but it was really good, very pretty, and had a yummy sauce. But you can't judge a piece of fish that's all doctored up. Sashimi is the real test. I was immediately skeptical when I saw the sashimi was served with garnishes. Why are there green onions on my salmon? I scraped off the offending additives and tried it. It was....bitter. I almost wondered if the plate hadn't been rinsed very well and some detergent got on the fish. But the other fish didn't have that taste, just the salmon. It was just bad fish. The rest of the sashimi was two-star good. Better than the conveyor belt variety but not good enough for me. It tasted not-entirely fresh or maybe just not the best cut. The nigiri was pretty good. I was surprised at how good the octopus was in comparison to the mediocrity that was on the rest of the plate. The service wasn't bad, but it was hard not to notice the bartender constantly checking text messages. And when our second order of sake was forgotten we realized that Masu failed us on nearly all levels. All in all, the best thing I can say about Masu is....it didn't make me sick.

    (2)

  • Hillary W.

    Yummy sushi for sure. Best yet in Portland out of the two sushi restaurants I've been to

    (5)

  • Jim R.

    Horrible, disrespectful service. Actually, total lack of service. We had a reservation, yet half an hour after our reservation time (having been dumped at the bar to stall us), STILL not seated. What is the point of having a reservation at this place if the people just blow you off? I guess the management did not want us as customers. No free drinks, no profuse apologies. Weak. Entirely unimpressed by the poor treatment of customers, especially the d-bag maitre-d's dismissive handling of the situation. Would never go here again nor recommend to others. We prefer to give our money to businesses where we are appreciated.

    (1)

  • Elizabeth B.

    Masu is a posh little place hidden upstairs. The atmosphere there is very beautiful and clean. Staff was really nice, and we got complimentary edamame. The food here is a little over price but the quality is definitely an A . This restaurant is definitely a "small plates" restaurant. We had the curry rice dish and the ramen. The curry dish consists of barely half a bowl of rice and a few pieces of meat, definitely not a dinner portion but meat was cooked well. Ramen is the legit ramen, and the egg was really yummy... almost tasted like it had been soaked in sake. (?!) I'm giving this place a good rating but will probably not be likely going back anytime soon. This place is too fancy for a college students budget.

    (4)

  • Ryan M.

    On my several trips and couple dozen attempts to find exemplary food in Portland, Masu is the first to impress me. The itamae was completely snowboarder Oregonian, even further adding to the pleasant surprise, replete with assorted sashimi, miso soup and seaweed salad, and they brought me edamame. This restaurant is also an example of one with excellent, intelligent staff. Highly recommended for anyone who likes sushi and is in Portland.

    (4)

  • Jennifer T.

    My second favorite place for sushi in Portland. The cocktail menu is interesting and all the drinks are light and exotic, making them easy to pair with the sushi selections. I always come back to their signature mojito with pineapple and mint. Most recently we had the pickled sea vegetables- the flavors akin to the ultimate seaweed salad, the vegetable roll, inari, and the green machine- a complex veggie roll with creamy avocado, shitake glaze, local (Ota!) tofu tempura and asparagus.

    (4)

  • Karen M.

    A long time visitor of Masu, I was in last night for sushi. While eating the complimentary edamame, I found a live worm. I let my waitress know and she apologized and got the manager. The manager exclaimed that it didn't happen that often and that their edamame comes from Asia. When we wrapped up our sub-par meal (seriously, any of the sushi train spots surpass the quality/ taste/ price), I went up to the manager to offer some feedback. She disregarded everything and kept saying that the edamame was a gift and they took no responsibility for it being that they purchased it from a vendor and were not charging for it. I understand that these things happen in the restaurant industry, but the lack of concern and inability to take responsibility or ownership for this error was inexcusable. I submitted a complaint to the health department and will not be returning. Disgusting! Avoid this place!

    (1)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:30 am - 11

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Dinner
    Parking : Garage, Street, Validated
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : No
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Trendy
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Full Bar
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : Free
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

Masu Sushi

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