MaSani Gourmet Southern Cuisine

I went here a few months ago with a group of friends and this establishment is the most unprofessional place I have ever seen. Judging from this site I am definitely not the only one with that opinion. Sure, the food’s great. But if I wanted the smallest portions in the world for the most ridiculous prices, I could go to much better places with better quality food and better quality employees. You can go any other place for a better quality «manager», as if Harold is even the least bit capable of being successful at that job. As you can tell from other reviews here, he does not take criticism well at all, which is surprising. You’d think after you’ve been given constant critical feedback both in person and online that you’d accept mediocrity and change your methods of doing things. While we were at Masani’s, the only people he was decently respectful to were the customers that had no complaints of food and practically bronzed themselves gushing over the taste. The menus here have so many hidden fees, so many ridiculously unnecessary extra charges, and so little portions. When we pointed that out to our waiter, he was polite and went back to ask Harold about what to do. We were sitting close to the kitchen and were shocked, absolutely appalled at how the exchange went. Not only did Harold bash us, he was verbally abusive to the waiter. As the afternoon went on, there were numerous instances of him screaming at employees, yelling angrily at confused people over the phone, and blaming other people for his mistakes. Harold is practically a child, but they have the ability to listen at least once in awhile. There is also no reason to respond to people’s feedback on here, especially when you fail at sarcasm. It shows weakness and insecurity, and a manager of a restaurant should possess neither of those qualities.
It’s a shame that you are required to at least give one star on this site. The food was good but there are so many other things more important with quality restaurants than that. Clearly, I’m not the only one here who witnessed unprofessional treatment. Harold, I’m sure you’ll read this later and give your excuses and try to save face. Try to find something important in this that isn’t true, you can’t.

I recently checked out MaSani on a Saturday night to see a friend of mine perform with her band, The restaurant is located way north on Cobb Parkway like you are headed towards Kennesaw. Once I arrived I was a little thrown off by the set up of the restaurant. It looks like it could have once been an old fast food spot like Taco Bell or something. I was not impressed with the set up at all. I will say the service was good though. I was seated right away and everyone was very attentive and nice. Now I really do not want to come off like I am dogging this place out by talking about the set up and stuff but the prices on the menu just does not match the atmosphere there. I can go to Caper’s on Main for example and experience a nice atmosphere with great food and the prices are reasonable. Now for the food: I ordered the Tea which was cool. They tried to put their little twist it with Cinnamon or something to make it Gourmet I guess. For the Entrée I had Fried Tilapia with the hand cut fries. Before the meal they brought out some cornbread that looked like a cupcake but I was not impressed with it. It was a little dry, The fish and fries were good but again I spent way to much money on this meal I think like $ 25 dollars or more which was crazy for some fried fish. All in all my friend’s band made my experience worth my time and money but I do not think I would dine there again.

All I can say is WOW! I initially shared their Thanksgiving Meal on my Facebook page, but after reading all the reviews along with my own personal experience I quickly removed it. I’m always seeking out good restaurants to patronize and promote to people I know, but this particular establishment makes it literally impossible to do so. I’ll give you a snapshot of my visit there.
Well, as I stated above, I’m always looking for good restaurants to try. I’ve found this restaurant before in previous online searches, but wasn’t able to actually make a visit until a couple of months ago. When I did visit, I felt encouraged when I saw two men with signs advertising the lunch specials. Well, needless to say, that was almost the last encouraging thing I would experience.
I walked in and was greeted by the hostess a few moments later. She was pleasant. She gave me a menu in which I started looking for the advertised lunch specials. Rather than finding what was advertised on the signs, I found meal options with much different prices. I asked the hostess was this the correct menu and she confirmed it was the right one. At that time, I felt really uncomfortable furthering addressing the issue regarding the variance in the pricing. I proceeded to submit my order (for carryout).
I was very disappointed with the extra charges for certain side substitutions, drinks, etc. With the high pricing, I would think some of these things would be included. Well, I hesitantly placed my order which took longer than expected to receive. The food was good, but honestly I’ve had better for a fraction of what I paid which was approximately $ 13.00. My meal only consisted of the main entrée and two sides… no drink, no dessert.
Since I had a good amount of time to waste while I was waiting on my food to be ready, I continue to read over the other charges I would incur if I was to come at times other than the lunch hour. In my mind I was thinking that this very well maybe my last time visiting this restaurant.
Fast forward to the present… I was looking for a restaurant to take a friend of mine to for her birthday. As much as I wanted Masani’s to be a definite option, I went with my gut and took her elsewhere. After reading all the reviews tonight, I clearly made the right decision. Not only that, I couldn’t continue to leave this restaurant on my Facebook timeline for fear others would receive the same (or much worse) experience. What drove me to post this review was the exchange Harold made with someone who posted a review on this site. I felt like it was very unprofessional and it showed his lack in taking criticism. Rather than lashing back online, listen to what your past patrons are telling you and improve to make other’s experiences a better one. Unfortunately, I don’t think this place will make it and it’s a shame because I know so many people who search day in and day out for great southern restaurants.

I was visiting a friend in Atanta this past Memorial Day Weekend and he took me here for some down home southern cooking because I really wanted some friend chicken.
My friend had the all you can eat brunch, eggs, homestyle potatoes, fried fish, pancakes, bacon, crab cake — everything you would want to try was on the menu.
I had the shrimp and grits with a side of fried chicken — both were outstanding. The fried chicken was seasoned wonderfully and just crispy enough to make your mouth water. I loved all of it.
Chef Harold came out to our table and chatted with us and took our order. Once we were served he came out again to ask about our meals and made me feel very at home. He is a lovely person and made a wonderful first impression on me — I would definitely go back when I am in Atlanta again soon.
Check this place out. It is super casual and just plain home cooking. Lovely.

This is a late review.
I came here with my mom on Mother’s day for their advertised mother’s day brunch. As others have indicated the whole setup should have raised red flags from the beginning. I personally do not like when restaurants make you pay before you have received any kind of service. All the things that they were nickel-​and-​diming us for (i.e. sides and dessert) should have just been included in the Mother’s day package. When we were able to sit down just looking around we could sense that the staff was overwhelmed. It took us forever to get our pancakes and forever for the other party sitting at the other end of the table as well. We had to ask several times for the extra things that we had already paid for at the door and that were clearly indicated on our ticket.
The buffet idea was good in theory but doesn’t work for a place this size. The line got long quickly meaning we were blocking the way of the waitstaff trying to get to tables next to the line, constantly having to step aside to get out of the way. There were so many items in the buffet that they were out of that in the end you really did not even come close to getting your money’s worth. Not that you ever really would cause this place was too expensive to begin with. In the end we ended up paying over $ 80 for 2 people for brunch! Unheard of. What we were able to grab tasted good but they need more cooks in the kitchen. While eating we even heard one lady complain that she wanted a refund because of this fact (which she did)
The waitresses looked completely overwhelmed and frustrated because they were having to handle so many things at once. Drinks took forever to be refilled. They really need an overhaul of this place. My mother and I were just looking around in shock. The line at the door was pretty much out the door because people had made reservations but those in the restaurant eating were still there because of the slow service. We certainly weren’t going to leave until getting everything that we had paid for.
By the time we left it had been almost 2 hours spent there. A very uncomfortable experience overall and would not recommend this place to anybody with it’s current condition. There are much cheaper and better run places around.

We came here for Mother’s Day brunch, and we were not at all impressed. The first red flag popped up when we arrived at the restaurant and checked in with the «hostess» while waiting for the rest of our party to arrive. She was seated at a card table in the vestibule of the restaurant. She welcomed us, then let us know the price for the brunch buffet, the additional charge for our drinks, and yet an additional charge if we would like peach cobbler for dessert. Then she quickly asked what we would be having and for our form of payment (before we even sat down!). We politely told her we would wait for the rest of our party. They arrived, and we began the process of paying for our meals and receiving wristbands (!) to indicate we had paid before we were seated at our table. In the meantime, a lengthy line began to form behind us.
Once seated, the experience did not improve very much. We had to wait an inordinately long time for drinks, food, and plates. The food was… good. We were served a pancake topped with strawberries and whipped cream and accompanied by bacon before we were sent to the buffet. The buffet itself was disappointing to say the least. The choices were lacking. We were given a choice of potatoes or grits, scrambled eggs, and baked or fried chicken. There were NO VEGETABLES! By the time we had finished our first plates, they had enhanced the buffet with some kind of fish and pulled pork. Still NO VEGETABLES. The food was good, especially the eggs, but it was not worth price nor the lack of service or uncomfortable arrival at the restaurant. I think the chef has the potential to run a successful catering business, but is clueless when it comes to the hospitality side of the restaurant business. I am afraid that this establishment will not last very long unless they make significant changes.

I get what they are attempting to do with this restaurant, but I certainly think there is a lot of work to do. It seems like they are better at catering than actually being a restaurant.
Food was good but pricey for buffet only on a Saturday. It was odd being brought a menu as if we had a choice between ordering the menu and something else, which we didn’t. And there was an unadvertized cover charge because there was a live performer. I won’t go into the performer since this is about the restaurant itself because there were certainly some improvements she needed to make.
Seems like there is a lot of miscommunication the night I was there and I kind of felt like Gordon Ramsey was going to appear with a camera crew. It was just a lot going on. The chef should never have to come out and start running credit cards for the cover charge or patron bills.
Again I would like to see this restaurant thrive and I’d go back again because I thought the food was good but the price is too much for my taste. I hope they can work out the kinks.

I travel for a living so I am very picky about my food. I went to Masani with a group of friends and we all loved the food. The owners were very friendly and accommodating and the Jazz ensemble was excellent. Not sure why all the bad reviews. I highly recommend this place.

NEVER go to this place! I can’t say how the food is because the service and ambiance were so bad, we ran out before our salads arrived.

So… If I order macaroni & cheese as one of my 2 included sides, you want me to pay an EXTRA $ 5? Am I getti. g a share of stock in the business if I do that? Cone on PEOPLE! That is just foolish…

I rarely rate any place 5 stars but MaSani deserves 6 stars! I was visiting GA for couple of weeks and must say the best place I ate during my stay there. Real southern food with a lot of flavor! The food and service were excellent!

Some of the best flavored food I’ve had in Atlanta, Period!
I wouldn’t call it southern cuisine. It’s more of a fusion of southern ingredients with assorted preparation.
worth the trip to take part in the food experience.

Came here for brunch on a Sunday. First off, the feeling of the place is just weird. It is set up as a «gourmet» restaurant in an older place. It was very quiet, minus the «cool new jazz» playing overhead. Grapes were brought to our table, as an appetizer. We drank sweet tea, which apparently is «Masani» tea, mixed with some spices like cinnamon and other «secret» stuff. It was just a little odd, expecting regular tea.
Then, they brought out some «monkey bread», cinnamon bread topped with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. This is before our meal.
Our meal came out, and all were right in our party, except mine. It was quickly taken back, and remade. The pork chop and gravy dish was just okay, nothing spectacular. The grits were good. The rest of the food in our party was good. Again, not spectacular but good.
My overall impression was, that this is a chef that really cares about food, but isn’t doing the right way in the right place. It sure doesn’t seem like «Southern cuisine» to me, minus the grits. The staff and chef went out of their way to know our names, to build a relationship, but it just doesn’t connect with the food. I want him to succeed there, but I fear he won’t. He needs to revisit his menu, put more visibility for his spot and what he does, and make it warmer and more inviting in there.

I went here for a birthday celebration on Friday night. I will say right off the bat that the food was wonderful. I had a salmon dish with some kind of Asian sauce on it. It was cooked perfectly and was a delight to eat. The collard greens were some of the best I’ve tasted. The mac and cheese was absolutely the best mac and cheese I’ve ever had. Now, I’ve had a lot of mac and chz in my day, so this is saying alot because the women in my fam can put their foot in a dish!
I started my meal with a nice salad followed by a chicken wing accompanied with a deviled egg (it’s GOURMET okay?) The sauce drizzled on that chicken wing made me have to once again resist the urge to lick the plate. I didn’t though, but I wanted to though. It was damned good. The deviled egg was delicious too.
I do have to mention that timing of delivery of the meals needs serious work. My salmon came out first and it was over twenty minutes later before three others who ordered chicken entrees got their food. And the birthday girl, who ordered a rib eye, didn’t get hers for another fifteen minutes after that. Way too much time. I ate by myself because my salmon was getting cold. By the time the others got their food, they only took two bites because after a time, the appetite leaves. I hope this was just a glitch on that particular night.
There was live jazz and I really, really enjoyed that. Also, the chef, chef Harold, came to the table and spoke with us, which was nice and he has known my friend, the birthday girl, for years.
The restaurant itself is quaint and cozy on the inside. Not a very large place, but we were not crowded either. There is not anything that really stands out about the décor. The outside is just an average looking building.
The service was pretty good. There was a choreographed placing and removal of the salads. That means that a server stood behind each of us and placed and removed salads all at the same time. Nice.
Lastly, one word about pricing. We ate off of a «Jazz Menu» which was the only menu available. You could choose from 3 courses, 4 courses, or 5 courses. 3 courses was $ 45. Too much. If I’m not mistaken, each additional course was an extra $ 10. Again, too much, too much, too much. I kinda felt bamboozled. I still feel bamboozled. I am certain, and though the food was delicious, that I would not have paid that much for the meal I had if I hadn’t been there with my friend for her birthday. That $ 45 did not include drinks nor a dessert.
We were told however, that during other times of the week, not sure when, there are less expensive options. He may have mentions $ 12 to $ 15 meals available.
In the end, this restaurant has really, really good southern style food. I will be dreaming about that mac and chz…

I had a night out with the girls at Masani and found a new friend … a friend in the salmon chowder… WOW… my friend across the table had a serious love affair with her spoon too… it was a wonderful birthday present for my friend who has traveled all over the world and she said .and I quote!!! «THIS IS THE BEST I EVER HAD»!!!
The Chef even came out to greet us… I have been back 3 times since then … Awesome food… Amazing band… even sides are mouth watering good!!!