Masa Sushi and Grill

I am a huge sushi fanatic. I’ve tried it all and I’ve tried it everywhere. This is by far one of the best I’ve had. I go whenever I am in town. The shrimp and avocado boat is so delicious. Any of the rolls are amazing but I love the Ocean 11 and Allendale roll. It is so fresh and never fishy. It’s always nice when you can taste the difference and know that it is really fresh. A bit pricey, but again, so gooooood!

Simply put, Masa is the best sushi restaurant in the area. While others specialize in americanized rolls with non-​traditional toppings, Masa’s ownership and chefs are from Japan which translates to minimalist sushi that highlights the freshness of ingredients and masterfully executed knife skills and preparation. They source their fish on a daily basis from all over the world.

Thought this place was great. We visited on a Friday night and managed to get a table for two. We shared the sushi for 2 platter and really enjoyed ourselves. At first glance, we thought it was on the smaller side based on other places we have been to however once we started eating, it was the perfect portion size! All the fish was super fresh and they gave us a nice variety. Did I mention that this place is also BYOB? Homerun!

Fantastic sushi! Came here one night to try their omakase style dinner and it was bomb! It was indeed a little pricey for the sushi I’m used to, but that meal has transformed my outlook on what sushi tastes like. I now call the sushi I get for half price where I usually go, rice balls. Seriously a wonderful experience and a major plus that there is a liquor store steps away to pick up your bottle of wine/​sake before you eat. My husband and I even ordered one of their special rolls and it was great quality and wonderfully made. The chefs do a great job preparing the sushi and you’ll be able to just tell by the taste. Glancing at the menu, the prices of the usual rolls (California, spicy tuna, etc) were pretty close if not cheaper than the sushi at many of the other places I’ve been to, and if the sushi I had that night is the way all their other sushi tastes like, it’s worth a trek to this restaurant which is about 45 minutes away from where I live! We also got the green tea matcha cheesecake with ice cream for dessert! Definitely order it if you have room for dessert!

I’ve been meaning to try this place after requesting suggestions from several Unilocalers, and I sided with Mick L’s suggestion — I’m glad I did. I would’ve given this place a 3 star, but when taking into consideration a number of factors, I had to bump it up an additional star (e.g., not having tried the «special menu» which looks banging). I also loved our drive to this quiet town from our hectic neighborhood.
I still put Yamagata as #1 for sushi in NJ. But, to be fair, I always order omakase at Yamagata. The first time at any Japanese restaurant that isn’t all that renown, I won’t be ordering omakase. I usually go with a regular sushi deluxe just to «check» and get a feel of what to expect when I want to spend a pretty penny. Now, by no means is this place pricey anyway — so I probably should’ve gotten omakase, but we had asked for a table for Mother’s Day dinner — the chef’s counter was full when we walked in (as was the entire restaurant). I always want a counter experience when going omakase, so, even with a low starting price of $ 50, my mom and I both ended up getting the sushi deluxe. Even that was not as good as Yamagata.
We ordered nabeyaki udon and negimaki as appetizers to share. For a family of 4 (and a very hungry 4), that wasn’t enough. They did bring hefty salad portions (all entrees come with either miso soup or salad), so that was a nice addition to the starters.
There’s nothing much to sing about this place, but I want to reserve this spot to try more things on their menu. Their «special menu» definitely looks attractive, but our Sunday was quite hectic, and I wasn’t thinking properly enough to read through a page of any menu. Our sushi was fine — the fish was fresh enough for our taste but nobody was impressed. The udon had good flavor and came out piping hot, perfectly presented with a very yolky egg, just the way we like it. The negimaki was likewise flavored well, and presented beautifully.
The place is obviously quite popular in the neighborhood — not a single empty table, and the waiters were overwhelmed (but remained calm for the most part). That said, I still would’ve appreciated someone to come by and ask if we needed any more tea at the least. We gave up on trying to wave down a waiter when I was out of ginger. I finally had to get up to get someone’s attention to ask for the check.
I’d love to come back here to try their lunch specials, but if I want a very authentic sushi experience, I’d either go to NYC or walk across the street from my house to Yamagata.
I also noticed that, while most, if not all, the sushi chefs were Japanese, this place is likely run by Koreans (like Yamagata — which was originally owned by Japanese). When I walked in, the person who seemed to be the manager or owner spoke in Korean to, whom I suspect was his wife or family member. A lot of the patrons were Koreans as well. None of that really bothers me so long as it doesn’t start morphing into a more Korean-​styled sushi joint. Being half Korean half Jap, I enjoy both cuisines, but I’d like to keep them separate when it comes to my food (unless I’m cooking — then our table is a complete mash up of both).

Masa devliered and lived up to the nothing but good things ive read in various reviews and articles about this place. And I will be back!
BYOB to the core – and not only do they open whatever bottle you bring, but they supply buckets with ice. Awesome, keep my wine chilled please! Prices are reasonably priced, and theres various specials every day and even a weekend lunch menu!
The seaweed salad is worth the $ 5, for that price you get a huge portion of slightly crunchy, but not slimey seaweed. Not too salty either. Another app which can be a go-​to is the edadame. Very nice portion, however they come pretty salted so if youre like me – not a salt fan – it might be too much.
Now for the reason I came here. the sushi rolls. Not to toot my own horn, but ive been to japan. The sushi here is good, really nice tecture and tastes pretty fresh. There was something with the rice at MAsa. something i can put my finger on. But i liked it! The rice was soft, but not mooshy. Didnt have the typical rice wine vinegar sour taste on the americanized sushi rice taste. id say it was almost sweet but not overpowering. One thing that drew me to the rice was the fact that the rolls did not fall apart! not one piece of sushi rice fell off, everything was staying together perfect. Also, there was a nice protein to rice portion. For the lunch special i got 3 rolls (tuna, salmon and alaskan) along with a miso soup. For something so simple, the miso soup tasted great,. Also these 3 rolls and soup were only $ 15. score!
Service was okay, nothing to rave about but nothing to pick about.

Very fresh, tasty sushi at this comfortable byo in Allendale. Friendly staff and the menu offers several grilled options.

Consistently good :)
Very authentic, not just your average sushi place serving up basic rolls. Creative monthly special rolls as well and an impressive selection of special fish that changes time to time. Great spot to get your Japanese fix.

I’ve come here many times while I’ve lived in the area and this place has never failed to impress me.
They have the best tuna tartare I’ve ever had, even better than Morimoto’s.
All the food tastes very fresh, the fish and meat both.
I’ve never had anything off of their menu that I have not liked.
The staff is always friendly, knows the menu well and is willing to help.
DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!

SOLID Japanese Sushi and Grill Restaurant! Bit on the high end, but reasonable! Food is always fresh and delicious.

Everything is super fresh, the staff is as attentive can be. Cajun roll is hands down in my opinion, the best sushi roll I have ever had. Mexican roll, eel avocado, crazy roll and lucky strike are all very good as well. They have a seared duck appetizer that I can never seem to turn down either. The noodle bowls always look and sound intriguing but that Cajun roll is impossible to turn down!

This place made all of our sushi taste very fishy and not fresh. They were rude at the counter and would not allow us to have spicy mayo unless we paid a dollar in cash. My crab salad wasn’t exactly a crab salad that I would expect. It was a few crab legs over cucumbers so I threw it out as soon as I saw it. Both of my friends agreed the sushi tasted very fishy and not what we expected.

Went today with the wife and had Omakase. It was absolutely amazing!!! The fish was out of this world in every way possible. The service was totally on point (it’s not always, depends who your server is). This is a authentic Japanese restaurant and they take their food very seriously. I have been here for lunch many times and have never been disappointed. I can’t recommend enough!!!

The first thing we were hit by when we walked in the door was a sewage smell. This was my first time there so I’m not sure if this is normal or not. We sat down and contemplated if we were going to stay or not, hoping the smell would go away or at least go down a little. We ended up staying because I was hungry, but looking back I probably should have left because the smell never went down. Sushi was average, not great but not bad either. Some people had the specialty rolls next to us and they looked pretty big and amazing. Slightly overpriced for the quality of what we received, but didn’t break the bank.

A bit disappointing. I had heard about this place while eating at Yamagata in Fort Lee, so I gave it a try for lunch. The sushi was great taste, texture, and temperature. The huge disappointment was the AgeDashi tofu on the lunch sampler. The tofu was soft, not firm like it is supposed to be. The sauce was goopy like corn starch gravy, and the batter was soggy. It is one of the simplest dishes and they missed it by a mile. Maybe because it was lunch, it was the B Team in the kitchen.
Also, I tried to order some food to go and was told the kitchen was closed. It was 2:10, and the sign said they were open until 2:30. Next time, I will make the drive to Fort Lee for better quality, better value, nicer staff, and better care for traditional dishes.

It’s alright. I’ve been here several times to say that the food is alright. Not the best Japanese place I’ve bee to but okay for what’s around my neighborhood.
The sushi and rolls are good. udon is mediocre. Tonkatsu is good at times. I think the food is overpriced for its quality. The service is good most of the time, but it’s not the most welcoming place, especially the guy in front.
One thing that really bothers me is the cheap chopsticks they serve with food. If I’m paying that much for Japanese food, I’d expect a bit more quality utensils. Also, it’s not the most clean place either.

I wanted some traditional Japanese for lunch and my coworker took me to this place. They have dishes like Katsu Curry, Unadon, etc… I also love their specials like Ramen Fridays (every other Friday).

We often go here for lunch and I’ve never had a bad dish.
The hamachi Kama is fantastic. I like the lunch bento box, or lunch sushi special. It is just enough food for a filling lunch!
I’ve never been here for dinner, but the lunch crowd is always pretty steady. Right in the middle of town and parking has never been a problem at lunch time.

Love this place. This was rated one of Bergen County’s best sushi places and I decided to try this place out with my husband and some friends. The restaurant is located on a main street in Allendale. We came here on a Tuesday night around 7pm and the street was pretty quiet with a lot of street parking.
For a Tuesday, it was pretty busy. We didn’t have reservations but were seated right away at a table in front of the sushi bar. We bought a bottle of wine (a plus at this place!-BYOB) and was immediately served wine glasses and had the bottle opened right away. Needless to say, the service was great. Our waitress came and took our orders once she realized we were done deciding and was knowledgeable with the items on the menu.
Our food came out at a reasonable time, where we didn’t wait too long. I’ve been to many sushi places before but I think Masa definitely makes it to the top of my list. The food tasted very fresh and the menu offered a variety of exotic dishes that are only served in New York City or in the origin country. My friends ordered this wasabi octopus (fresh) which came in a small dish with little pieces of octopus. Never having fresh octopus before and always up for a good food adventure, I decided to try it and it was absolutely delicious. Those who aren’t used to eating fresh sea creatures, I would highly suggest trying it at least once before knocking it down.
Anyways, i really can’t say anything less about this place. The service was great, the food was perfect, the prices were decent, and the restaurant was clean.
I do suggest you to make reservations even if it is only on a weekday just in case to avoid any wait times.
This is a sushi place that I will always suggest if I’m ever ask where a good sushi joint it!

4.5÷5, if I could.
BYOB
Masa is a place that gives you an EXCELLENT array of choices (not only in sushi) with whatever you’re in the mood for. The fact that it’s BYOB is also a huge plus, so you can pair your meal with whatever beer or sake you’d like.
We dined here last night for my brother-in-law’s birthday, and it was a great meal. The salad with ginger dressing was awesome. I’m a HUGE dressing snob, but Masa’s was delicious. Tangy, thick, and put on well. The size of the salads were also good, as I love a nice pre-​sushi greens salad.
My wife and always usually split the shumai, which was done really well here as well. Masa doesn’t give you the special dipping sauce with them, which was a bit odd. Every place we’ve gone prior always gives their own sweeter sauce to dip your shumai in, and it adds to the flavor. Masa didn’t do that, so that was definitely a bit of a disappointment.
The waiting time between courses wasn’t too long, which is always nice. I hate going out to eat and having to wait a lot between apps and meals, especially at sushi places.
Masa’s sushi was delicious: not fishy smelling (which means it’s nice and fresh), and done very well. The sizes of the rolls are really good, and the presentation was nice as well. I got the Futo Maki, Spicy Salmon, and Spicy Tuna rolls — all delicious, packed tight, and done well. The Futo Maki was among the best I’ve had. Classically a bigger role than the rest, Masa’s Maki was GIGANTIC — I loved it.