Masu Sushi & Robata

First, let me start by saying that the interior is pretty cool. I found that it has a tremendously unique interior that is a bizarre mix of Japanese pop culture.
The food, however, was not as impressive. I sampled a tempura dish which came out room temperature and somewhat soggy. As for the sushi… Im not a big fan of «artistic» sushi anyway – my feeling is that sushi should be fresh and simple. The pork belly ramen broth tasted like soy sauce and the pork belly meat was over cooked.
The service and atmosphere was nice. Overall, the experience was ok but I wouldn’t come here again for the food. Parking is challenging in the area and valet took too long.

We ordered the pork belly ramen and firecracker roll. The Ramen was very subpar, sushi was average, and service was slow but our waitress was nice. I would give it a 2.5 but the ambience was cool.

Came here while visiting on a business trip. Wasn’t sure what to expect. Was really amazed by the quality of the food and the awesome service. Jennifer was a delightful server and had some great recommendations for places to visit while we were in town. The salmon nigiri was honestly some of the best I’ve ever had and the firecracker roll was delicious as well.
I will be eating here every time I come to Minneapolis from now on.

My very favorite sushi in the whole Twin Cities. You never expect sushi in Minnesota to be great, but it’s crazy fresh and the chefs are wildly talented. I’ve been a regular for more than three years. The Masu, Five Seasons & Nordeast rolls are *the* best. Don’t forget sashimi… albacore, yellowfin, hamachi & salmon. If you’re feeling brave, ask for the chef’s hot plate. You won’t be disappointed with the sizzling fish cuts and veggies. Their staff is filled with long-​timers. Sit at the bar, if you’re up for it. If you get Jen or Ben, you know you’ve struck gold. Watch and befriend the sushi chefs do their magic and you might just get strawberries or pineapple as a comp dessert. One of my favorite stops in all the Twin Cities… and always, always, always order extra ginger.

I was craving some Ramen so we came to Masu for dinner. I got the Beef Short Rib Kimchi Ramne and it was delicious! There was so much food that I got lunch out of it for the next day and it was even better than the night before.
I also go the Double Precious — Sparkling Lavender Gin Elderflower Martini. It was dangerously good!
The environment is light and fun and easy to get to.
Dinner for two, with one appetizer and two drinks each came out to $ 101. It was a bit expensive but we could have cut back on the drinks to save money. I’m looking forward to going back with friends so we can order more food and share.

I had thee most delicious pork sandwiches there. They call them pork belly buns.
The ginger whiskey is house made. That kinda pisses me off because I want some for home, it’s just so damn good. I could drink a gallon of that stuff. Ruby was a fantastic server. I’m not heavy into sushi, but we try this and that and it’s always good and i never puke
I could seriously live off that stuff.

First visit to this little spot and I must say that the appetizers and drinks were great (especially the buns filled with teriyaki chicken and shrimp… awesome). The downside, I came for the udon & it was average at best. Sorry, but I’ve had udon in a few counties and I seek it out wherever I go. Hopefully my next visit for sushi and other items off the menu will result in an additional star.

We called and asked them to place an order over the phone and to then run our card over the phone– or otherwise known as a takeout order… They said they couldn’t do that but you could come into the restaurant, order, pay with the same credit card and then TAKE the food OUT of the restaurant…
We were trying to save time because we were hungry and trying to find late night takeout in the city but clearly they are just trying to make you waste time there so you waste more of your hard earned money by paying for parking and buying drinks or whatever while you wait for almost a half hour in person.
We then went to the restaurant and ordered our takeout and they tried to charge us extra for it without telling us. I obviously said something and they took it off but if I hadn’t of noticed I would have lost out on almost $ 20!

I think I’ve posted but I need to post again because it would’ve been years ago. While their specialty rolls are amazing I highly suggest telling them to just make one up for you. They have NEVER steered me wrong.
Now… If you steer away from sushi you must try the tonkatsu ramen. I literally dream about this! I absolutely love this place and have rarely had a bad thing and even then it was probably just me being picky.

My friend Paul and his interesting wife Ann «Annteresting» M. suggested this place, and they were not wrong. Very «hip» atmosphere with well-​dressed people and loud music, but I didn’t mind it at all. I had the pork belly ramen, the sashimi, the duck gyoza (still thinking about it), and the beef rib. All were delicious, though I think there could have been even more tenderness with the pork belly. Definitely no dry mouth afterwards, either, which means no MSG.
So why a star down? No deserts other than mochi ice cream, which a lot of people think is just gross, myself included. Why not tempura ice cream or some traditional options?

Good food. Good bevs. Only complaint: server and hostess weren’t very accommodating. We celebrated a birthday. They didn’t want to seat more than 6 people at one table, so we had to break up the group into two tables. They didn’t want to cut the small birthday cake we brought with us, unless we pay $ 2 per person?!? Come on. We each dropped $ 50 on food and bevs x 9 = $ 450 total and you are trying to squeeze out $ 18 more for cutting cake?
Overall a good experience. If above details could be fine-​tuned it would be a perfect place.

Came here for my best friend’s 21^st with some homies at around 11pm. Didn’t know what to expect but got my standard Grain Belt Premium bottle and tried the ebbi nigri style which was delicious. We and my friends got the Pork Belly Ramen which was to die for! Hands down best Ramen I’ve ever had. It’s was 12.50 a bowl but so worth it. The atmosphere was nice, fun and clean. They were playing some good music in there like Gang Starr and Biggie Smalls which was surprising but cool. The staff were all very friendly and our waitress was very bubbly and sociable. This place is open till 12 am on most days so it’s a great late night stop. Bar open till 2am. Will absolutely come back for that ramen!

My first experience here and it was a let down, not because of the food (which was quite good), but for the service. I was very prepared to love this place immediately upon entering. It has a good vibe, a fun layout and seems full of energy. The hostess had the front of the house under control on a Friday night and was quite welcoming. Upon sitting, I ordered a bottle of Snow Beauty Nigori Sake. What was brought out was a bottle of Evening Snow Junmai Sake. The server announced its presence by name and opened the bottle before I took a look at it and poured it. I could tell immediately it was not the cloudy Nigori style I was expecting. She walked away and I inspected the bottle and called her back to tell her it was the incorrect bottle. I was expecting her to either make it right or at least let me drink it for the price of what I had ordered, a difference of $ 11. Neither happened and she implied that it was actually my fault since she announced the name of it and I did not stop her from opening it (the presentation was so quick I did not have a chance to inspect or stop it) so it was not her fault. She also told me that if I didn’t like it, I could cap it and take it home with me and order something else (thereby implying that I would then be on the hook for 2 bottles of Sake and full price). Not cool. One thing I think I’m pretty savvy at is food and beverage. I am not arrogant about it but I do know what proper beverage bottle presentation is and I also know what I ordered. To imply that the incorrect bottle was my fault really set the tone for me for the rest of the evening and while the food was good (maybe even great when it came to the ramen), all I could taste for a bit in the back of my throat was a heavy dose of pissed off. I know this place is capable of more than 2 stars but the service faux pas tonight is keeping that under wraps for this review.

Masu is a trendy little restaurant that is unique to the neighborhood as it is one of the only sushi restaurants in the area. They provide many options for sushi and robata but if say within a doubt, their ramen and steamed buns take the cake. The Tonkatsu Curry Ramen is a just a bowl of interesting things. We didn’t quite figure out what the meat is but it is lightly breaded deliciousness. The pork belly steamed buns are a melt-​in-​your mouth treat. It’s like bread dough that isn’t quite cooked enough. It puts my daily ham sandwich lunch to shame! We also got the firecracker sushi which I ordered mostly due to the promise of spicy mayo and a tempura shrimp tucked inside. It was not the best sushi I’ve ever had but enough to cure my hankering for sushi. It’s a little pricy for what you get but a good neighborhood spot. Their happy hour deals could draw me back in again :)

I love this spot — like, I would marry it if I could. I love the eclectic pieces of Japanese culture that greet you from the door to the restroom (games, lights, art…) and the staff are always attentive and friendly. I’ve come to make reservations if I’m going anytime after 4pm because it always has some sort of a wait and one is likely paying for street parking (that the police nazi’s DO enforce).
I usually get the same things, and add a few new items to the order. Duck Gyoza, sushi roll, cloudy sake, seaweed salad and miso soup. All are superb, mouth-​watering, quick orders that you will not regret. Especially the duck gyoza, oh my goodness is that plum sauce it comes with available to buy because I would bathe in it! The chop stix are cute (I have a few pairs at home that have become my go-​to) and the serving plates/​glasses are fun too. This is a great place for a hot date or a happy hour by yourself — it doesn’t matter, you’ll leave happy.
The staff are informative if you’re new to Japanese cuisine but I also trust the chef specials. The only thing I have not cared for is their lack of delicious desserts but I’m usually so full I’m hoping no one notices I’ve undone the top button (yes, it’s that good) and the prices aren’t so bad. I have eaten until I was tired and had a bill of only around $ 50 bucks for two?!

Oh you sweet little devil. This place has one of my favorite happy hours and some of the best food. Great sushi, siiiiick little steamed buns and really great service. Plus I love sitting at the bar and watching them make the rolls.
I feel bad that I’ve never had a full entrée item here, but I’ve just never needed to!

My husband and I used to come here all the time when we lived in MN. The happy hour prices were a good deal and their sushi is delicious. We normally always sit at the sushi bar. There used to be an older gentleman that worked there, he was funny, charming and gave us wonderful service. We ordered six rolls that visit and he was astonished that we finished it so quickly. He made us some of his own specialty rolls for us to try because he saw how much we loved sushi. At the end of our meal, he gave us dessert. It was a fried green tea ball with some sort of sweet bean in the middle. I’ve never had anything like it before and I can’t ever get it again. It’s not on the menu and I’m sure it was his own specialty. I’m lucky that he was kind enough to share it with us.
Sometimes the happy hour can get crowded so it’s best to come early. Besides the sushi bar, there are several other bar tables.
The pictures on the walls are beautifully taken of japanese women. The décor is cool, it has a trendy atmosphere.
I’ve never had problems with service at the sushi bar. We sat in the main eating area one time and the service was quite slow.
I wish there was more of a variety in their happy hour menu. It’s been the same things for along time.

I went there on Friday night around 6 pm. It was anything but full, however, we had to wait for 35 mins to be seated because others have reserved the spot and we hadn’t. Only problem was half the tables were empty the whole time we waited. If only the guy let us sit the moment we walked in, we would’ve eaten and out of the place without the hassle of waiting.
We had sushi, ribs and scallop. All tasted okay. Nothing spectacular, I’ve had better ones. The moment the clock turned 7.30, the music got unnecessarily loud, we had to start shouting at one another whereas it was at a decent volume earlier.
We had Mochi for dessert, green tea, beans and strawberry. It was a good choice and i would totally recommend their dessert.
Also, さようなら is the correct spelling, they were missing letter u, う, which I pointed out to the waiter and the sign for restroom was also wrong. Why bother writing in a language if you can’t get it right. Stick to English! Also, marketing wise it’s just dumb to put ‘goodbye’ on the wall in giant font the moment customers walk in. I guess they get away with it because most customers can’t actually read or understand Japanese.
In short, it’s an okay place. Don’t see the hype. Food was okay, atmosphere was okay, service was better than most places, but still a nice average place in my book.

Masu, I think I frequent your restaurant more than any other.
Why?
— Killer evening and late night happy hour
(although Downtown Origami has way better sushi and sake deals…*coughcough*)
— Awesome selection of sake (huuuuuuuge sake fan)
— Ramen: is it the best? no, but the miso and the pork belly ramen are consistently good
— Grilled shishito peppers — love.
— Pork belly bun = YUM
— Staff is super friendly and helpful
— BLT roll and hotate (scallop) nigiri — perfection. Last time I was there, the sushi chef placed shiso leaf underneath the hotate… oh man so good.
— Prices reasonable for the quality and quantity of food.
I think my only complaints are that I wish there were occasional specials (spice up the menu a bit), better quality sake during happy hour, and sometimes the service can be a little slow (when it’s dead). But seriously, those are all minor nitpicks. Yer pretty great, Masu!

I was a reluctant customer but Masu won me over.
I don’t like sushi and I generally don’t like fish. But Masu won me over. A friend invited me tonight, and I left with a full stomach and a smile on my face.
I loved the tea in the cast iron pot. The variety of flavors was amazing. None of the fish tasted fishy. The raw quail eggs were weird… but the presentation was beautiful and the taste was fantastic.
There are tons of reviews… so I’ll just leave it at that and add a few of my own photos.
–Daddy Maxx Retro