Masamune

Love this place! The food is always delicious and the staff is AMAZING!

I have frequented this establishment a few times now and it is by far the most authentic Japanese I’ve tasted in South Florida. The Japanese Curry is a solid hit and a favorite of mine as well as the Octopus Bombs. For a small unassuming restaurant off of Federal, Masamune has exceptional customer service and quality dishes. Prices are certainly reasonable considering the fish is acquired and prepared daily and the ingredients are fresh. The atmosphere is pleasurable with quiet lighting but enough to read the menu. Because most people have not tasted traditional Japanese, the menu may seem a stretch away from your typical Thai/​Japanese fusion eateries, which Masamune is not. Although you will find plenty of familiar dishes, do not hesitate to steer away from your typical items and ask for recommendations, they are absolutely worth it. Saki and Beer selections are very decent as well if you enjoy an alcoholic beverage. Masamune is a Fort Lauderdale hidden gem at its best.

I’ve eaten here twice and both times it reminded me of the old menkui tei restaurant in nyc both times. Waitress is amazing and knowledgeable and fun. Chef allowed us to sample an appetizer of fermented squid as he didn’t want us to order the dish if we didn’t like it. Overall service and food — 5 stars.

There aren’t many authentic Japanese restaurants in the area so I was overjoyed to find this place near my work place. Sushi quality was equivalent to what I find in Japan, and it was refreshing to see so many authentic Japanese dishes after having visited so many Japanese restaurants in the area with the same old teriyaki chicken whatnot. If you’re looking for American Japanese food this is not the place for you. But if you’re looking for a dining experience that makes you feel like you’re actually in Japan, try this place out.

The only REAL Japanese restaurant in Ft Lauderdale, besides couple take out sushi places. We’ve been there numerous times and the food was always great. They run different specials every week, so you won’t get bored with the same stuff. Fish quality is top notch. Some fish comes directly from Japan. Yoshi, the manager, is very nice guy, who knows his job very well and knows how to prepare Japanese food the right way. We definitely come back!!!

This is the first place I’ve been to in Florida that I can actually call authentic Japanese. I ordered the Japanese curry and it tasted and looked like it was actually from Japan. It was a bit pricey at $ 15 but it was definitely worth it. It also came with a small salad. The entire staff spoke Japanese (even the American waitress with the tattoos!) which was a big plus for me. Oh did I mention that the service was excellent and the waitress and sushi chef were great to talk to? Because I should. They were extremely friendly and I’m definitely going back to try the Tonkotsu ramen they suggested. I highly recommend this place!

Just ordered sashimi lunch special for take out. Opened the box at my office and the whole thing smelled like bait. Skin was still on half of the fish. The tuna was absolutely skip jack and tough as steak. Retuned the box directly to the chef. He said it was standard to have skin on the sushi and wasn’t apologetic at all. Not surprised the place is always empty.

We’ve been there twice now and both times we were impressed by the great quality and freshness of the fish. We usually start with the kimchi edamame, which is really surprisingly good (though the first time we just ordered it our of curiosity) and satisfying to the end. I’m sure the nigiri is excellent, but we always get the specialty rolls, including the heart of Japan. That’s where the chef’s creative talents really shine. And if you sit at the sushi bar, the chefs are very talkative and engaging.
Masamune is on our ‘must go’ list for Lauderdale now. We’re hoping they will open up a restaurant near where we live

We happened upon this gem by chance. I’m so glad we did. This is a sushi joint for foodies. As a chef I appreciate the obscure specials of trigger fish or golden breem served with its own liver The menu is solid and full of fan favorites. We had 3 of the house specialty rolls, OUTSTANDING! The small touches of serving rice vinegar with the cucumber roll really elevated the dish.
The grilled whole squid app was so good and tender. The Japanese café style curry was sublime. (Mind you, I dream in curry) I mean Japanese curry, sushi rice and pork belly!?!
The staff was friendly and engaging. Service was great .
Somehow the topic of Ramen came up as we were closing out our check (it is on the menu). Anyway, when we ask the chef about his ramen and particularly about how his related to others around town. He laughed, he scoffed at the places we mentioned. I was sold… Ordered some for the road and had it for 2^nd dinner. Gotta say, I wasn’t disappointed.
Can’t wait to go back!

My father and I chose Masamune as a last minute dinner choice at 8pm on a Monday night. We pulled up only to find two other people inside, but gave it a shot anyway. And we’re SO glad we did.
We started with the fried squid legs, which were super yummy. Then we had ramen, which was decent, but my dad loved the broth and noodles. We ordered a custom roll (usually would be considered a Philly Roll, but wasn’t listed on their menu) and the Shrimp Tempura roll. Both delicious!
Overall had a good experience. Waitress was very sweet, but when we asked her about the Toro, she told us the sushi chefs were from Japan and «knew what good and fresh fish was»… yet I overheard one of the two sushi chefs saying they were Chinese.

From how they show off as «Japanese restaurant», it was not even close but totally different nationality restaurant. People were very nice when I asked them for take out menu and good communication but maybe my first impression versus my expectation was not matched. Very dark lighting effect hard to see all spaces hope they can change them a bit.

The reviews seemed good and Masamune was on the way home from a Saturday evening walk at Deerfield Beach. Why not try it? As it turns out Masamune is the worst sushi restaurant I have ever eaten in. The Spicy Seafood Tower? Not spicy. Not really sushi but a sodden mess of rice. The seafood consisted of what seemed to be frozen tiny bay scallops and mussels, very much overcooked and of worrisome freshness.
Don’t believe the positive reviews. This place is terrible.

If you want a nice and friendly place, to eat phenomenal sushi! Please come to Masamune. Hands down the the freshest sushi in the area. Highly recommend sitting at the sushi bar! Great place

The 5 stars say it all.
Good quality sushi. Good service. Always sit the sushi bar.
thank you guys!

AHHH where to even begin. Okay so I came here on a Wednesday night with one friend. There was ONE waitress for the whole restaurant so of course the whole dinner took forever because of slow service. Anyway we ordered the tuna tower (spicy tuna and crunchy pieces served with a side of wonton chips), a dragon roll (which had cream cheese in it… waitwut), shrimp and veggie tempura dinner, and a seafood salad. The order that food came out was a mess. The tuna tower came out first… without the chips. So I asked for the chips and she brought out my soup and my friend’s salad. I asked for the chips again and she brought out my tempura dish. We got the chips and then my friend got her roll. So I basically had my main course out before my appetizer. Oh wait no. She forgot my rice that goes with the tempura. So I asked her if my tempura comes with rice. She said YES then asked me if I wanted any. Wait what? Annoying.
The tuna tower was totes meh. Just tasted like spicy mush. The srirarcha overpowered the tuna flavor. My friend’s seaweed salad seemed to be partially frozen… what. Her dragon roll also appeared to have seared fish on it too… WHAT?! Like did they accidentally sear fish and tried to play it off like it was straight raw? Ridiculous. My tempura was another mess. The batter wasn’t as crispy as I like. It was also thick as hell. I felt like I was eating a broccoli donut. And my potato tempura was undercooked! Ughhhhh
Then came the bill. The waitress happily honored my 10% off Unilocal check-​in. But then I looked at the check and they already added in an 18% tip! 18% automatic tip for two people for bad food and bad service? NO. Like how dare they assume they know how much I’ll tip. ON TOP OF THAT when she ran our cards on the iPad, we were given another option to tip! Basically they asked us to tip on top of the tip they added to our bill. I can’t.
I guess this place gets 2 stars instead of 1 because of the nice atmosphere, the cleanliness, and the apologetic waitress.

I went here last night for dinner. The place was calm with light music playing in the background. Our server, the receipt said Adam, was A+ as far as service goes. He was attentive but not overbearing, which is important when dining, particularly when you’re exhausted. If you don’t want to read the whole review, know that we are picky with our Japanese spots and both agree we will definitely come back here.
Anyway, we began with the edamame hummus, the 4 oz steak teriyaki, and the cucumber and crab salad (we know it as the kani salad, but i forgot what this restaurant calls it).
The hummus was served with wonton chips. I would give it an 8 out of 10. It was a neutral flavor but VERY addictive (hint: put some on your sushi roll if you have any left over).
The salad was great. It was well-​seasoned and light. An easy 9 out of 10.
The steak! We had it cooked medium rare (bc this is the only way steak should be eaten). It was veryyy tasty. The sauce was good, the cut was great, and it didn’t give the usual heaviness one may feel after eating steak. 10 out of 10 on the steak!
For our rolls, we ordered the Desperado and the US1.
The Desperado had shrimp tempura, asparagus, spicy mayo and eel on top. The shrimp tempura was lightly done which is awesome given all of our appetizers. The roll was certainly larger than some other spots. Although it wasn’t my roll to order, my friend gives it a 9 out of 10 (he is very picky bc we recently tried another sushi spot and he is slightly biased).
The US1 was shrimp tempura, avocado, and avocado, eel sauce and spicy mayo on top of the roll. I think it also had cucumber inside. Although I am also biased from the other sushi place, I give this roll a 10 out of 10. It was everything I wanted, a large portion, and well priced.
For dessert, I had the green tea mochi ice cream. Absolutely delicious! I give it a 10, but wish they mentioned they were going to put whipped cream on top.
Our bill came out to about $ 45 after a 10% check in discount from Unilocal,which means it was about $ 50 i initially. I would have probably paid a bit more if the costs were higher because of the fresh quality.
I will definitely be dining here again!

Great happy hour deal– $ 25 for your choice of 3 signature rolls before 7 pm. We ordered the KC, MoMo, Heart of Japan, and Masume 55. All were good, but the Heart of Japan and the Masume 55 were showstoppers. Definite «come back again» place.

I can’t believe this place is in Fort Lauderdale! The best sushi and sashimi I have ever had…
I live in LA and work in NYC, I have had sushi prepared by some of the best sushi chefs in the country. This is as good or better than any of those overpriced ass-​bags.
Add to that a pleasant easy going staff and relaxed atmosphere and you got yourself a very reasonably priced, delicious BULLSEYE
Recommended: Heart of Japan; KC roll; Salmon Sashimi and Tuna Nigiri.
Also… How come they’re in a frikki strip mall???
Please clone yourselves and move to LA. And NYC. And London. And. And. And…

I really like this place. Sure, the menu isn’t the biggest and yes I’ve had better sushi elsewhere… but — the happy hour specials can’t be beat. And the sushi I have had here is tasty. Super nice staff, and never a wait to get a seat. I’ll keep coming back!

Late night sushi craving… decided to pop in tonight for a few quick bites. We’ve driven by here plenty of times before. The restaurant is in a tiny plaza and hidden in between a McDonald’s and futon place, we were pleasantly surprised at how nice and modern the interior was. We were definitely not expecting that. Walking in, we were immediately greeted by the sushi men behind the sushi counter. Then immediately greeted by a waitress and seated.
We only ordered some basic items: miso soups, a sashimi platter, spicy tuna roll, and a spicy salmon roll. Being that my brother is a sushi man, I am very picky about my sushi and where I get it. The sashimi set the right tone for me. … the fish, especially the salmon was so fresh and delicious!
I can’t wait to come back to try other sushi rolls on the menu… we went here on a whim… I recommend others to come try it out.