Masu Sushi

The sushi had good flavor, and the chef's skills were evident. The rice was perfectly cooked. However, the calamari portion was small and only mediocre in taste. Overall, the restaurant has a beautiful ambiance and offers good service, but the food was average.

Run don’t walk. Beautiful space in an upper level of the building with large windows looking out into the trees and sky. You’re immediately greeted by friendly, smiling staff. Our server, Lucy went over the menu with us and checked back in if we had any questions as we were making sure we looked over each amazing item on the menu. We ordered an array of Maki and Nigiri along with a couple other items like the oysters which were phenomenal - nothing like we’ve had before. The Nigiri had beautiful flavors with perfectly tender rice. Our Maki had Tuna and crab which was then tempura fried in the lightest batter ever which gave texture without taking from the overall flavors. The St Helen’s Volcano was presented flaming and had such an amazing flavor profile to round things out. I couldn’t decide between two cocktails so Lucy suggested I put Tequila in the Good Bye Kitty instead of vodka which I loved. Lucy was super knowledgeable on the menu but also had a humorous side to her and was joining in the jokes to make our experience a memorable one! Don’t miss this spot and be sure to ask for Lucy!

Our first visit to Masu Sushi was an absolute delight. With the absolutely beautiful decor with large windows encapsulated with the view of trees, to the incredibly delicious sushi rolls that melted in our mouths, this is one of the best sushi places I've been to in Portland. I'm disappointed I did not try this local restaurant earlier, it was amazing!! All the employees were really welcoming, they did an amazing job making sure tables and seats were clean and the server was welcoming.

We went during dumpling week and loved it. This is officially our favorite sushi place in Portland. The service is always great and they are really helpful with recommendations for ordering. It's easy to miss, upstairs through a small door with cool red walls!

Great spot for some good quality sushi. The ratio of rice to fish in the nigiri is spot on. The staff are friendly and helpful. Probably want to arrive before the dinner rush. It can get a little expensive ordering individual nigiri’s so make use of the chefs specials to get more for your money!

The cozy restaurant’s on the upstairs nearby Vans store in downtown Portland. Premium sushi, friendly service but the menu is not always available, I wanted some oysters like pictures on Google unfortunately they are not. Overall, we had good experience for the first time.

My husband and I love this place. We've been here several times and the staff is always nice, the drinks are good, and the food is delicious. We often just get sushi, but the one time we got the blackened cod and it was DELICIOUS. The atmosphere is great, with large old school windows. It's all on the second floor.

Probably some of the best sushi we’ve ever had! We got 2 rolls and the karaage. Got a reservation online Saturday afternoon which is the way to go on a Weekend night. We’ll definitely be back.

We got seated by the bar. Bartender Yong had many delicious suggestions for drinks. Paired nicely w dinner. Celebrating and had a delicious dinner. Many of the dishes were really well done and really tasty. Definitely check it out

Sushi was good, but the atmosphere, the service, and the vibe were better. It was recommended as the "best in town" so we were a bit underwhelmed for the price.

We went during dumpling week and loved it. This is officially our favorite sushi place in Portland. The service is always great and they are really helpful with recommendations for ordering. It's easy to miss, upstairs through a small door with cool red walls!

We had a yellowtail roll, spider roll, eel and avocado roll, and gyoza. This was the best spider roll I've had-flavorful but not greasy. I liked that nothing had too much sauce or salt. The rice was cooked perfectly and the avocado was also perfectly ripe. The chicken gyoza was tasty and had a nice dipping sauce, The service was great. Ambiance was good-a bright and large space.

Came here for my moms birthday recently and had a great time! Nice ambiance, loved sitting by the window and people watching. Quick and friendly service from the staff and our server gave us good recommendations of dishes to try. We started with their tempura, (definitely add more shrimp they were perfection!) and shishitos that had a nice miso sauce. Then we had several types of nigiri, the scallop was my favorite and a few maki, of which I loved their rip city that had spicy tuna, shishito tempura, avocado, topped with hamachi, green onion, habanero masago, finished with garlic ginger ponzu. Both of the chefs plates we tried were good, but of the tuna tataki and king salmon den, the salmon was by far my favorite dish of the night. Did not end up ordering dessert as we had birthday cake at home, but our server still brought my mom a candle to blow out lol.

When I'm in Portland for work this is my favorite sushi spot. Food is very good and the atmosphere is clean and simple. Service was a little rough at the start, we were seated but the waiter was never notified. We didn't even get water for 25 min. And we had trouble finding a home to help us. But food was good. They also had run out of some items off the menu but the replacements were good! Would go again!

My favorite Sushi restaurant in PDX. Nigiri to rice ratio is good, fish is fresh and expertly prepared. Cocktails are original and flavorful. They also have a decent Sake offering.

This place was absolutely incredible. Such a wonderful atmosphere. Great service. Our waitress was so incredibly knowledgeable about every item on the menu that it was like having an encyclopedia take our order. Most importantly, the food was amazing! The sushi rolls were HUGE and flavorful.

Enter and straight up the stairs. Nice sushi restaurant. This place was recommended by one of my customer. Miso Soup: 3.5/5 Chicken Karaage: 4/5 Chef's plate: Salmon: 5/5 - DELICIOUS! Special of the day: Chu Taro: 5/5 - I was so excited to see this on the menu. Nemo roll: 5/5 perfect ratio of rice and fish, easy to consume, it was so yummy. Ikura: easy bite and doesn't smell like the ocean. Fresh indeed. Unagi Nigiri: 5/5 - well made. Uni Nigiri: 5/5 - great quality ! Excellent overall.

I had a coworker say that Portland has terrible sushi. Clearly, they have never visited Masu Sushi! My boyfriend stumbled across this place when he got struck by sushi cravings after our trip to Powell's Books, and Masu Sushi popped up in his searches on his phone. When we came to the address that was listed online, we were initially VERY confused. From the outside, it looked like an abandoned or run-down place that had gone out of business. But once we opened the doors and stepped upstairs, we entered a VERY different world--a classy sushi restaurant with tall windows overlooking the streets and the trees, and intimate lighting. We were immediately ushered to a cozy table for two, and the service was attentive and top-notch. Here's what we ordered: Appetizer plate: Chicken karaage was so fresh and crispy without being oily! The pieces were large and tasty. Specialty Maki: Kenzo: salmon, albacore, shiso, avocado, cucumber, masago, green onion, ginger, gluten-free The ingredients tasted super fresh! Great roll to start with; Death by Sushi: salmon, unagi, crab salad, avocado, cream cheese, tempura fried and finished with masago, green onion, spicy mayo and eel sauce Okay, when he bit into this, my boyfriend said he's never said "OMG" over any sushi before. He loves sushi, and this was the first sushi that made his jaw drop and go "OMG, this is amazing!!!!!!" DRINKS: Goodbye Kitty--super sweet! Tokyo Drip--came in a martini glass, and I love the taste of the lychee purée. Price was very reasonable for a fantastic dinner. My boyfriend wouldn't stop raving about Masu Sushi, and recommends it to anyone and everyone visiting Portland. A hidden gem for sure!

Ambiance is great, the sushi not so much. Vague flavors and slight off tastes. So many other great sushi options at a better price.

SERVICE: 4/5 Our waiter was super polite, patient, and apologetic. Since this was our first time, he ensured that we had all our questions answered. When they forgot about our Mazeman, he apologized and came out with Miso soup while we waited. FOOD: 3.5/5 We ordered the St. Helens Volcano Roll, Lioness, Rip City Roll, and Mazeman. The sushi was delicious, but if I compared to other sushi restaurants, it would be mediocre for the price. Our favorite out of the three rolls were the Rip City Roll because it had more texture and complex flavor. The Lioness was great, but we felt that it lacked citrus zest. From all the dishes we ordered, the Mazeman was by far the best one. The pork and chicken were soft and tender that it was easy to chew. The mix of flavors from the meat, chives, egg, and XO sauce was perfect (not too salty). One suggestion is to make sure the consistency of the egg is similar. My friend also got the Mazeman, but her egg was hard boiled instead of soft boiled like mine. ATMOSPHERE: 5/5 Love and enjoyed the ambiance of this restaurant! From the instrumental music to the décor, everything was perfect. Parking: 3/5 Parking varies since there is limited street parking nearby. We found a parking lot (about a 3-5-minute walk from the restaurant) and paid for it. Overall, Masu Sushi is a great place for decent food with an amazing ambience. It felt like a spot for date nights and celebrations!

My partner and I love a good sushi bar and Masu has always delivered on quality, presentation, and freshness. We love going here for anniversaries, birthdays, and date nights. The nigiri and chirashi bowls are my favorite but I've never had an app here I didn't like. I love that they're on the second floor providing a cozy view of portland and a lounge experience lit by candle. My only drawback from Masu is the long wait times. No matter when we add ourselves to the reservation list, it always takes additional time (30 minutes to 1 hour) to be seated from that time. Once seated, it often takes 30+ minute from ordering a dish for it to arrive. I'm sure it's a staffing challenge but I wish they would take fewer reservations to enhance to customer experience. One way to pass the waiting time is to order everything at once including edamame which comes out quickly and gives you something to snack on while you wait for the main courses. Otherwise, love Masu and can't wait to come back.

Great little spot. Ambiance was super cool and looked very fancy. They had a little bar in the middle and plenty of drinks on the menu. The food itself was very subpar. The quality was not what I expected especially for the prices. The types of rolls was creative though. Service was a bit slow, we had a reservation for 7:30pm on a Friday. We ordered and it took about 45 minutes or so for our food to come out. The drinks were served on time but we weren't asked more than twice if we wanted more drinks.

Amazing food menu and amazing sake menu. The Japanista was my favorite roles and potentially one of the best sushi roles we've ever had.

The food here is good and the service is good as well. My only complaint is the beer prices are really high. 20-22oz of Sapporo is $12 which is obviously a lot more expensive than almost anywhere else in Portland. If you are coming to eat, I would recommend it, however I would say if you are looking to hangout somewhere and have a couple drinks, I would walk up to blackwater where you can get 3 lagers for the price of one here. Cheers!

Such a great spot to enjoy an excellent and chill dinner. It is small, so I would recommend making a reservation, but it is a hidden gem in Portland! The food can take a while, but it is worth the wait. I highly recommend the Death by Sushi roll!!

This place never disappoints! I haven't been here in a few years, and it's exactly the same as it was (if not better)! EXCELLENT service, delicious cocktails, and of course, super fresh and tasty sushi and generous portion sizes. They have a menu that's not overwhelming, but also has enough on it to be check all the boxes. The place is also just so beautiful. You feel calm the moment you arrive - it's almost spa like. We left super happy. Will definitely be rolling this into my dinner plans more often again!

Best meal we had in Portland - didn't have a reservation but it was a Monday night so we got seated pretty fast. Server was friendly and helpful. We asked a lot of questions about the menu and he was clearly knowledgeable and eager to help. The food was outstanding. I see a lot of the bad reviews were from people who just ordered rolls. Honestly, the rolls were the most boring sounding items on the menu and I never gave them a second look. We ended up ordering the seasonal mushroom salad, a sashimi platter, sous vide black code and the sweet potato buttercake. Everything was fresh and very tasty but the clear standout was the black cod, especially if you could get the purees and fish together in one bite. It's not a cheap restaurant but the prices felt fair for the area and quality of the dishes that came out and I'd definitely go back if I end up in the Portland area again.

This was a great last minute find. The kid wanted sushi and Bamboo had a wait, so I looked up alternates. This was the perfect spot. Great decor, great vibe, and very helpful staff. Sushi choices were great, food was fresh, and they gave us the choice of crab salad or fresh crab for the California rolls. This is a hidden gem and I will definitely be back. I like the fact they are tucked off upstairs.

Finally made it back to Masu after much too long of a wait: still as good as ever! After revisiting many of the top spots in Portland, this is still my favorite place for sushi, by far. The quality of their fish is simply amazing. And the atmosphere is really warm and inviting. The place really comes alive at night. Masu is where I was first introduced to sushi. And I could not have had a better place for that first experience! They set the bar high and I've compared every place I've been to since that night to them. None has surpassed.

Cool place, great sushi, great service. The entrance feels like you're heading into a secret gambling room or a speakeasy. Kind of funny. Then you enter a really nice restaurant. Highly recommend. Go.

Super cool space, great service, unreal sushi and amazing drinks! Totally loved this slightly upscale sushi. Get the Japanista roll and Tokyo drift cocktail.

It's kind of a shame that Yelp doesn't allow half stars on ratings. Each time I've come here the experiences waver between 4 and 5 stars, so really, this place (in my humble little opinion) has official earned a 4.5 star rating. But that's simply not possible for me to do, so this place gets 4 stars based on my recent dinner Sunday evening. The highlights: The interior of this restaurant gives off massive ~artiste~ loft energy. I imagine a really creative, unfriendly, tattooed painter who collects vintage furniture lives here. I love it. Our server was attentive, but he didn't hover over us all night and he didn't forget we existed. I truly appreciate a server who provides an appropriate level of attention. The food here is also consistently solid. We started off with a plate of chicken gyoza, which had more filling than the average dumpling and delightful crispy bottoms. Another thing I enjoy about Masu is that they offer fish bellies on their nigiri/sashimi menu. Now, if you haven't had a fish belly before, think about how much better pork belly is compared to regular pork. You get the idea. I always get the volcano roll because half the plate is on fire, and my partner, having the good taste that he does, ordered the Transformer roll. I didn't get an adult beverage (the drawbacks of working an early hospital job), but they offer a decent selection of sake and cocktails. The improveables: So I literally just found out that this place has an elevator, but if you're like how I was ten minutes ago you would think the only path to the host stand is via a very long, steep stairway. Not great if you can't use stairs, but apparently you just have to call them for elevator access. As a Korean, I am obliged to balk a little bit at $5 for a side of kimchi. Also, I must mention their miso soup. As my brother stated in his Masu analysis, "The dashi was drinkable. Quaint, but in no way profound. It lacked the smokiness and depth of umami that a good dashi carries". I couldn't have said it better. (Shameless plug, follow my brother's food blog "Side Dish Mafia") The cost of nigiri is steeper than other comparable restaurants. If you're paying $12-14 per two-piece nigiri order, you would expect the fish to be presented with mini fireworks and maybe topped with gold. Overall, I do recommend Masu if you have a date you want to impress, or if you're taking yourself out. The fish is high grade, the rice is of good composition (like any self-respecting sushi restaurant should create), and you'll leave here feeling like you had a nice night out on the town, I suppose. Here's hoping your experience is 5 stars as well.

Best sushi will ever find in Portland, top-notch service, great atmosphere, superb personnel, and service. You would love this experience.

Masu includes the total experience of hiqh quality Sushi in a beautiful space. We Sat at the bar and faced the beautiful expanse of windows looking out to gorgeous trees. Lucy made sure we had the Best experience too. She walked us through the food and spirits menu; providing exceptional insight of pairings to accentuate the flavor and taste of menu offerings. The fish is fresh, beautifully presented and artfully served. It's a beautiful space, staff is exceptional and matches the quality of the food!

Mediocre sushi within medium-high price range. I will come again if convenient, not a place that I would go out of the way for. The ambience is nice, simple, airy, clean, with a large Japanese painting of a mountain. The ambience upgrades the experience of casual sushi.

Besides the beautiful view and great ambiance, the food was very fresh. I haven't had sushi like this in a while. The waiter was very attentive. Can't wait to come back again !

Was visiting Portland for the weekend and my friend took me to this amazing sushi restaurant!! Very classy and elegant inside, nice ambiance & the curtains add a nice layer of privacy. Everyone there was super nice and friendly and they even gave us extra shrimp tempura since they forgot it the first time! The food was amazing so I will definitely be thinking of this place for a long time

Spent a lot of money here NYE and just didn't feel like the quality was worth the price. I've had better sushi at Bamboo and Syun. It's fine but not really worth a return visit. Would've liked to see more local fish options. Our server was great and very attentive and I liked the space.

After having some HH bites down the street I decided to take a short walk to Masu Sushi where I have visited several times during previous trips to Portland with the last one being nine months ago (see my previous review). Like most sushi restaurants that are trendy, the sushi gens working that night were unfamiliar to me from my previous visit. Sitting down at the end, I was introduced to Tommy who had joined the Masu team around the same time of my last visit. Hailing from New York and working at different cities to hone his craft, I decided to order uni from Santa Barbara as well as salmon belly, hamachi, negi hama and nega toro maki. Cuts were great as well as the presentation of the items. I enjoyed the Paper Plane cocktail prior to the start of my meal. My only comment was that the Tiramasu was slightly heavy on the palate compared to some of the more traditional presentations of this item. Four solid stars for tonight's meal.

Masu Sushi in Portland is a true culinary haven that left me speechless with their exceptional selection of nigiri. From the moment I entered, I was captivated by the restaurant's inviting ambiance. The service was impeccable, with the staff's deep knowledge and enthusiasm for the menu enhancing the entire experience. .The shishito peppers provided a surprising and delightful crunch, a refreshing contrast to the silky textures that followed. The kimchi offered a punch of flavor that danced on my palate, preparing it for the exquisite journey ahead. Let's delve into the star of the show - the nigiri The uni was a masterpiece of subtlety, its natural sweetness shining through. The octopus was a testament to the art of sushi, tender slices that showcased the ocean's purity. The toro, with its marbled appearance, melted in my mouth, leaving an unforgettable umami sensation. But it was the mackerel that stole the show. The preparation highlighted the fish's natural essence, resulting in a daring and delightful bite that lingered on my taste buds. Masu Sushi's focus on nigiri is a celebration of ingredients at their finest. Each piece was a work of art, a testament to the chef's mastery and the restaurant's dedication to delivering an unparalleled culinary experience. If you're a connoisseur of sushi or simply in search of an extraordinary meal, Masu Sushi should be at the top of your list.

Dine at Masu Sushi only if you want cafeteria sushi with the price tag of upscale sushi restaurants. I eat raw fish regularly, so I ordered basic Maki rolls to investigate Masu's fish quality. The fish was edible but certainly lower than average freshness and taste. Moreover, there was only a tiny cut of fish inside Masu's Maki rolls. I visited Masu because of its four star rating on this app. Alas, I will never dine at Masu again.

Highly recommend Masu! A little spendy but you get what you pay for- the fish is FRESH. We had a lovely dinner here and beat the crowd with a 5:30 reservation. It definitely became busier as we were leaving. The karaage and calamari were both outstanding. Very fresh and flavorful. The nigiri had healthy cuts of fish on top. The maki rolls were all delicious, even the eel one, which is something I'm usually not in love with. We loved the daiginjo sake we shared as a table and enjoyed generously poured glasses of plum wine and Japanese whiskey after dinner.

Had a show at the Crystal Ballroom and after sound check I needed to grab a quick bite. Searched VEGAN in Yelp and this green machine or green monster roll came up. Forgot what exactly the name is but it was $16 and delicious. Do I wish it were more like $12? Yes... Because you definitely need 2 cut rolls to feel satisfied... but anyways it would be unfair to ask that from such a beautiful establishment. The decor is wonderful and I'd likely want to go back one day and actually dine in or have a drink at the bar. Still... there's no fish in the roll so why is it just as expensive. Doesn't make any sense. Hostesses were very nice!

Beautiful ambiance Delicious, creative cocktails Amazing, perfect presentation of sushi & sahimi Chef's specials are original & inventive

Food is bomb! Best roll is the St Helen's Volcano. Just melts in your mouth with flavor it's wild.

High quality fish. Expert Sushi Chefs. Nice employees. Nice quiet atmosphere, big windows, art work, very nice bar in the middle of the room.

We came here our last night in Portland to celebrate our anniversary, and were so pleased with the entire experience. We were seated right away, the tables were spread out (although I would have preferred to be further away from other patrons) and our server was very attentive. This menu is stacked. It was so impossible to narrow down our choices, but according to our waiter, we ordered extremely well. For the whole meal, we ended up ordering gyoza, gomaae, the assorted vegetarian sushi, death by sushi, albacore sashimi (local fish), and pickled mackerel nigiri. WOW. The fish was INCREDIBLY fresh, the sushi was inventive and perfectly rolled, and the sashimi and nigiri were expertly sliced. Everything was beautifully and thoughtfully plated, and my mouth is watering just remembering what we ate. We will absolutely return when we're next in Portland.

Great food and wonderful ambiance along with being locally owned. My favorite sushi restaurant in Portland!

Had dinner at 7pm on New Years Eve. We made reservations prior. Steep stairs to enter the restaurant. Our server was Andrew and he was nice and checked in on us frequently. It was busy but everything looked cleaned and the staff was friendly. The food was amazing, would go back again!

Really impressive stuff - went for the St. Helens Volcano, which according to the menu consisted of snapper, crab salad, scallops, shrimp, cucumber, and avocado, eel sauce, togarashi, and smoked bonito. I was suitably impressed with the combination, all of which tasted really fresh. I wish the flavors would be separated a bit more so I could taste the individual combinations, but ultimately the dish excelled. The cucumber seemed somewhat separate from the rest of the mix, texturally. I might have elected for a different crunch vegetable option. Setting is quite upscale; the sake is served in a wooden dish, which you can drink out of after you've drank what is in the glass.

Everything we had here was delicious. The fatty tuna and salmon belly nigiri were so perfect in texture and taste. We also really enjoyed the maki rolls and the tempura appetizer. On top of it all their cocktails are fantastic and the 2nd floor location has a cool midcentury vibe. Excellent friendly servers never kept us waiting to order or for the check. A great place for date night.

The restaurant is beautiful, the people are lovely. It is expensive, even by Sushi standards, which I don't mind. The presentation was nice, but overall it was not a wow. They put small balls of jalapeño peppers on top of the fish, which I was not excepting, and it overwhelmed everthing. Even though I removed it from the rest of the fish, my taste buds were muted after that first bite. The rainbow roll had very large pieces of cucumber in the ends, way too much, it was all I could taste on the first and last bite of that roll. I opted for dungeoness crab, instead of the imitation, which was a mistake, save the $8 upgrade and the disappointment. I have a cabin at the beach, I eat a lot of very fresh crab, that was not fresh crab. The Nigiri was good, but did not stand out or wow. I think they can do better, and based on other reviews they have done better.

We usually go to blue fin or Afuri Ramen for sushi or Japanese dinner. We even went to Nimble fish, which is on average $95.00 for their regular menu for a la carts, curated fish... yet Masu Sushi beats all of them in their dinner menu and the quality of their fresh fish. This is our new go-to spot. We love this place and will be coming back. We got the Saba, Oregon coast tuna sashimi, the churashi bowl, mushroom salad, and dessert and everything was divine! As far as ambiance, great dinner and date spot but also just casual dinner. Fish is fresh and service is quick and impeccable.

Delicious, high quality! Very fresh and beautiful. Ordered it through Doordash and it was packed with care and precision.

Absolutely love this hidden gem adjacent to Portland's Pearl District. Enter a small and unassuming stairway to access this charming restaurant with a modern Japanese aesthetic. The service is incredible: timely and attentive. The menu is a mix of extensive sake and sushi selections with a robust mix of fresh fish and a large section for vegetarians/folks that are allergic to fish. The quality of both cooked small plates and raw rolls is outstanding. We also had cocktails which were both incredible. 10/10 we will be back for sure!

This was such a disappointment. We ordered 4 rolls: Nemo, Holladay, rainbow and shrimp tempura. Three of the four rolls were excessively large and completely falling apart. The rolls were over stuffed with wads of wet krab salad to the point that you couldn't taste anything else. I love a basic shrimp tempura roll but this was devoid of any sauce , just so much krab I couldn't taste the two shrimp inside. The rest of rolls ranged from bland to downright bad. The lack of sophistication in size and construction of the rolls was apparent. With so many sushi around town there are so many better options.

My son and I had the most incredible meal last night at Masu Sushi. Everything facet of the meal was perfectly done. Everything from the cucumber slice in the water to the perfectly cooked edamame, the agedashi tofu was perfect, the flavor combinations in the sushi rolls were masterfully created, and the Okinawan purple sweet potato cake (served warm) was one of the best desserts I have had anywhere in the world. I felt as if I were back in Japan at a 5 star restaurant. We had the Uni from Hokkaido, Japan and it was fabulous beyond description. The sushi was so good my son had tears in his eyes. It was such an enjoyable experience. The ambiance was musical, hip, and welcoming, and the staff is knowledgeable and great at what they do. The chef was behind the sushi bar and in complete control. A five star plus experience from start to finish. Do NOT miss this gem in the heart of Portland! Better yet, book your flight to Portland if you love sushi!

First time here. Definitely get a reservation to guarantee a table. The sushi was Immaculate. And the miso soup was superb! I would definitely come back here. The ambiance was nice, this is a great date spot and nice for smaller groups. The staff was really nice and accommodating to our group.