barMASA

I am really surprised at the negative ratings. And they seem to be mostly centered around the price.
People, this is fine dining. If you don’t want to pay $ 12 and up for your sushi, please don’t even bother stepping in. And do notice the $$$$ on the Unilocal page before you enter and review this place, because that is an indicator that you are going to pay more than you’d like to for a meal.
The husband and I decided to swing by barMASA for a nice dinner on my birthday last August. I wanted sushi. He wanted sake. And we were staying at Aria. So, go figure!
We walked in rather late without a reservation (like, 30 mins before the kitchen was about to close for the night). I expected us to be thrown out. But service was beyond phenomenal! We were promptly seated. And we were assigned an awesome waiter. I wish I’d gotten his name. He’s a little on the bigger side and very knowledgeable about the menu and makes fantastic recommendations. It was on his cajoling that my husband tried uni for the first time and is now hooked :)
Between the two of us, we pretty much sampled all that the menu had to offer.
I highly recommend their handrolled sushi (Uni), the spicy tuna roll, the julienned potatoes, the maitake roll, tempura soba, the hamachi nigiri, scallop with garlic butter. The seafood was super fresh, which is great given that LV is nowhere near the ocean. The hamachi was perfect, the scallop was seared perfectly and the shrimp tempura was fried to perfection.
We ordered some sake to compliment our meal as well. We asked their resident sake expert to make recommendations. I was ready to pay the price to get in house recommendations. But no, the price was reasonable and we ended up sampling sake we wouldn’t have otherwise ordered. Again, I wish I had his name but I failed.
Yes, you will fork out $ 200 and upwards on this meal. But trust me, it doesn’t get better than this. If you want more bang for your buck, this isn’t the place for you. If you want a great fine dining experience, then step right in! :)
I am back in Vegas the coming weekend and I have sushi on my mind~

We came in here around 7oclock with about ten of my friends and had Bonnie as a waitress, she was so sweet, considerate, informative, and always there when we needed something. The food came out in a timely manor, ambiance was cute and quite, drinks came out quickly after ordered. Food was devious. Thanks again Bonnie for giving my friends and I such a pleasurable and personable experience. You truly are a gem and great addition to this company

I cannot believe this place has bad reviews — please don’t make the mistake of not trying this place while in Vegas! The negative reviews are mostly around the price/​portions, but you’re in Las Vegas — everything is expensive there if you’re going to eat a nice dinner. If you’re not used to that or don’t want to spend the money, then don’t go to a nice restaurant. BarMASA was fantastic. We went on NYE and they had a limited menu, but it was still pretty large and had a lot of different options. Bonnie was our waitress and she was just so full of positive energy and cheer — she really made our experience wonderful. TJ was our sommelier and he was also great, and knew his wine! He recommended a bottle of something we weren’t familiar with, and it was awesome with the food.
We started with the california rolls, which sound boring, but were not at all. They had fresh lumps of crab meat with no fillers or mayo. We then proceeded to try the tuna tataki, which was so amazing I got a second order for myself. The beef garlic fried rice was also heavenly, and I could’ve eaten it for days and not minded one bit. My husband tried the unagi roll, which he enjoyed. It was served with the chef’s grandmother’s homemade sauce — so you can’t go wrong with that! Overall, this was our favorite meal the entire time we were in Vegas. They also have great cocktails!!! Do yourself a favor and check it out. I can’t wait to go back!

We came here thinking its a sushi bar although they said they do all sushi items. We ordered the fried calamari it was great but the portion was so small. The salmon too was ok not great either. The truffle risotto was the best thing we orders. Pretty overpriced for suck small portions…

Excellent service and food. Portions aren’t huge, but this place is going for quality over quantity. Prices are as expected in a high end, upscale restaurant in Vegas. We loved the friendly, professional staff, the sushi and the wine recommendations!

I think the negative reviews are coming from people who do not partake in fine dining often– this was a quality, Japanese, fresh experience with exceptional service.
Get any item with fresh fish here — they really kill it. CHILEAN SEA BASS IS A MUST. Would also recommend the rib eye but not the lobster tempura
Service — prompt, not pushy nor fake

Yes the meal will be expensive but the quality of the food will be exceptional. Our group of four tried most of the menu except the rolls but the dishes that wowed me the most were the appetizers, salads and the duck fried rice. The sashimi was on point but I wish I had tried a roll instead as I might have left with a bit of an appetite. Their cocktails were also well made and when we dined we were well taken care of. If you’re looking for cheap sushi this is not it but you can definitely eat a delicious meal here.
I definitely want to try the real thing in NY now.

This review is simply comparing the LV bar Masa and the NYC bar Masa. LV doesn’t hold a candle to NYC. Quality of food, service and atmosphere is far superior in NYC. LV was unfortunately a big disappointment. I felt like I was just another tourist suckered into a big name attraction just to be let down and feel like I was ripped off.

This place was a huge disappointment. We decided to go with barMASA because Tetsu was fully booked and everything else around was closing. Even though this place had a low rating on Unilocal,I still hoped for the best.
I read some of the other reviews telling others not to complain about the portions and pricing. Sorry, but I kind of have to. The portions are way too small for its price. If the food was actually really good though, there would be nothing to complain about. This food is okay at best, not even pretty good.
Here’s what we ordered:
Sizzling Scallop Garlic Butter — I remember this dish was $ 28 and it came with FOUR thin scallops. It literally looked like one big scallop thinly sliced into four pieces. The sauce just tasted like plain butter with a hint of lemon.
Uni Califlower Risotto with White Truffle — The flavor on this dish wasn’t bad, but it had no Uni flavor to it whatsoever. This was the dish I looked most forward to. It was so small, we finished it in four bites.
Yellowtail with Scallion Roll — Hamachi didn’t taste fresh and neither did the scallions.
Beef Garlic Fried Rice — I have no complaints about this dish. It was portioned pretty well and the flavor was great. The beef was really tender.
Grilled Chilean Sea Bass — It was a decent sized portion of the fish but it lacked flavor. It just tasted a little like lemon.
The service was just okay. The workers were friendly but not attentive. We had to flag down a busser to grab someone to take our order.
Overall, I would never come back to this place and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. The total bill came out to $ 200 and we felt like we didn’t eat anything. We felt like we wasted our comped meal coming here.

We made a reservation at Tetsu, thought we were eating at Tetsu, but didn’t realize that barMasa was actually the one with the full menu.
So we ate at barMasa. Great space, greta service, food was ok.
We each had a roll, and mushroom udon. The roll’s were good, the mushroom udon was bland. The cocktails were great.

— One slice of maitake mushroom and two shavings of white winter truffle on a ball of rice the size of your thumb — $ 8
— The same ball of rice with a thumb size, quarter inch thin, translucent slice of king crab — $ 9
— One small handful of simply grilled maitake mushroom that wouldn’t be half a side in a steakhouse — $ 28.
— Eight slices of a «California» roll totaling 6″ if reassembled — $ 32
— One heaping tablespoon of finely cubed toro with half an ounce of caviar $ 68
If you balked at the portions or prices, barMasa is not for you.
Before you judge, no, I do not believe the prerequisite for a great dining experience be an incredibly expensive menu or use of exclusive ingredients. My most memorable Vegas dining experience came from a burger at In-​n-​Out. That said, for those who are willing to try, barMasa delivers the best, most authentic Japanese cuisine in Vegas.
The manager himself pefaces your meal by stating «this is a kaiseki like meal». Kaiseki literally refers to monks holding a stone against their stomach to ward off hunger pains. This is a meal of appreciation, NOT volume.
The maitake truffle nigiri, the perfect bite balancing the earthy flavor of the maitake and supercharging the umame overtones. The incredibly high quality, gently compacted rice providing a hint of sweetness, its seasoning providing the kiss of acidity. The flavor of the mushroom goes on and on.
The same is said for the king crab nigiri. The very small piece of crab is the right size to balance all the flavors yet finishing with the incredible sweetness and oceanic goodness that is king crab. Simply put, more crab would lessen overpower the dish and lessen the appreciation.
The grilled maitake mushrooms finished with a pinch of salt, flawless. Meaty texture and an incredible explosion of flavor with each bite. A sip of sake whose flavor profile provides the same earthy, mushroom flavor, and the dish is perfect.
The signature Masa toro tartare caviar so perfectly balanced. Every day toro (not o toro) is topped with caviar. The yolky, briny, salty flavor of the caviar brings out the gentle sweetness of the toro and heightens the fresh fish flavor. The chef’s decision not to use the highest quality toro is brilliant as higher fat would have marred the clean mouth finish.
The list goes on and on, from an exquisite mixed tempura plate to a fried rice of duck and foie. Each dish highlights a single, primary ingredient so brilliantly with portion sizes appropriate not to ruin the experience. True Japanese sensibility.
The largest selection of sake in Vegas backs the menu. The sommelier is very knowledgeable with the offerings. Typical Vegas resort markup. Decent wine list but do try the sake.
Service is very friendly and professional.
Simply put, the best Japanese cuisine in Vegas.

This place was fantastic!!! Food was tremendous, we did the 3 course experience where they pick the food. The sushi rolls where great and plentiful. The starters where the cucumber salad, amazing, and the tuna sashimi, so good. The Sukiyaki was fantastic, and then the crème brûlée was the best. Service from Mike was absolutely top notch. Atmosphere and experience was unbelievable, and reasonably priced for the quality and quantity of food. Would recommend for sure.

When you visit Vegas, you expect amazing service and food — this was a huge disappointment. It’s a large open space with no identity or vibe to it, lacking an actual sushi bar. Rolls are micro sized and sashimi cuts were fit for a 5 year old. Have no clue how this place stays in business and I would never return.
Step it up Aria! This place needs to go.

First of all, this place is overrated. The high price is not an issue at all. The class level is just not up to the standard.
NO chopstick holder for the chopsticks until we requested.
NO black napkins being offered when my husband and I dressed up nicely in black pants and black dress… Guess what… The other couple got the black napkins without even needed to ask.
The food is so so; the music sucks. At least, our waitress was nice.
But the other «not too smart» waiter put the noisy group right behind our table. What we asked for was the simple privacy with our private conversation. It ended up the whole time we were drawn by the noise & laughters, plus foul mouse from the drunk people behind us.
Then we complained to the Manager. She did apologize but simply walked away with an insincere attitude.

Absolutely adored Masa in NYC where the food is incredible and the prices are high but justified based on the quality of food. So my standards were high. The décor was plain cheap and disappointing. The appetizer toro caviar at $ 68.00 was utterly amazing. The sushi was very very good but not up to the standards of Masa NY. My waiter was perfect! Yes I ate here several times but it could use improvements to the décor and sushi quality to continue to represent Masa.

Want to impress someone (or impress yourself if you happen to be a loner) then this is a good place to go. It’s not the typical fancy dark room place. However it’s high ceilings, large space, excellent service, and amazing sushi quality will do the job.
I think it’s a bit pricey. But worth it.
Modern feel to it.

So… I was a little nervous trying to place based on the Unilocal reviews and Unilocalers delivered… we got exactly what we were expecting once we sat down.
Food was just ok… and expensive for what you get. Here is what the three of us ordered:
Tai Truffle — $ 38 I can’t remember what white fish the truffle was served on, but this was delicious. The fish and truffle melted in your mouth. This was, personally, worth the price.
Spicy Chicken Wings — $ 18 I didn’t try these but my friends said they were just ok. Definitely not worth $ 18 for 6 small wings.
Shishito Peppers — $ 12 Grilled with a side of lemon. They were just shishito peppers. Not worth the $ 12.
Beef Sukiyaki Rice with Poached Egg — $ 28 expensive… but this was delicious and was the table favorite for the other two girls. I really like it too, I just liked the truffle more :)
Shrimp Tempura Roll– $ 18 Nothing special here… shrimp tempura in roll with nothing additional like cucumber or avo! I would’ve happily paid $ 6 for this but not $ 18!
Mushroom Udon — $ 18 They used really seasonal mushroom and therefore this dish was good.
Service was just ok. Friendly but not super prompt for how empty the place was. Good wine choices. Bottles priced from $ 48 to make it more affordable.
After a bottle of wine and food plus tip, the three of us spent $ 280.
It wasn’t terrible but it is extremely overpriced for what you get.
I would only come back for the Tai truffle and the Rice. Save yourself and your wallet but going somewhere else!

According to Daily Meal 2015 «The America’s 28 most expensive restaurants», BarMasa ranked #1.
Very expensive restaurant, I would call it a restaurant version of HERMES;)
So expect the bill to be $$$$$, even lunch for two with drinks (beer and iced tea) was over $ 150. We ordered Akami tuna with avocado roll and some appetizers.
The roll was really tasty, thin layer of rice with big chunks of bluefin tuna and avocado was very satisfying.
Rolls usually start at around $ 30. Tuna & avocado roll was $ 28, I think.
Waiter was cool but we didn’t receive the service that’s worth the amount of tip we left.
Overall I give BarMasa 4 stars. I shouldn’t complain about the price because I went in knowing this is the most expensive restaurant in the U.S. But! I expected better. Appetizers were good but I’ve had something similar to their quality at much more reasonable Japanese restaurants in LA.
Just like high-​end cars or designers handbags, you pay for their «name» whether it’s worth it or not! Like my $ 3000 Chanel bag that inside pocket melted and got sticky just by being kept in the closet :/​haha!

Without having read the previous Unilocal reviews, stumbled upon this restaurant in the Aria searching for sushi in Las Vegas. We came in on an early Sunday evening (5:30 pm) so the restaurant was pretty much empty. However, the staff was still very attentive, gave us the right amount of space and recommendations. This restaurant is quite pricey — but the food is delicious! We ended up ordering the sukiyaki (not your typical soup, but more of a rice bowl which I actually preferred), hamachi roll, miso black cod, and the miso cream burlee. All were delicious and the miso cod (while portion was small) was amazing!
Definitely recommend eating here if you’re in Las Vegas or staying at the Aria.

Ouch ouch ouch, super overpriced. gene gebe ich Geld für gutes Essen aus… Hier stimmt aber gar nichts… Preis Leistung wurde hier wohl schon sehr lange begraben.
Es wird ordentlich auf dicke Hose gemacht aber leider rechtfertigt nichts diese Preise und Portionen. Selbst im NOBU bekommt man noch wirklich was geboten. Also mein Tipp… Wegbleiben… Tourinepp.

After dropping $ 1500 at Masa in NYC, this was a freaking bargain (plus you get to take pics here). Freshness and quality of the the food was up to Masa’s standards. I did not have a bad piece of sushi or entrée here.
We had:
(2) Otoro nigiri*
(2) Hamachi nigiri
(2) Kani nigiri
(2) sake nigiri
(1) kurumutsu nigiri
spicy tuna roll
hamachi kama*
wagyu skewers*
wagyu sukiyaki*
miso butterfish
hot soba tempura
miso crème brûlée*
buckwheat ice cream
*my favorites where the sukiyaki, hamachi kama and wagyu skewers
Service was spot on, with our server being informative as well as making great suggestions.
Bill came out to about $ 350 without tax and tip. This would be comparable to your nobu, katsuya, or morimoto. If i had a choice between the four, Masa’s restaurants would be my choice.