Masakazu

It was our anniversary and I really wanted to try the Japanese omakase. I have tried a few omakase experiences, but not the Japanese style. Let me walk you through what to expect, what I liked, and what I think needs to be improved.How to get there: The restaurant is located in Westwood near the I-405, in a strip mall surrounded by Persian market and eateries.Parking: You can use meter parking or pay at the parking lot. The price for the lot of $5 flat rate after 5 pm. The meter charges $1 an hour and you have to pay to park unless it's after 8 pm.Reservation: Resy is required, I made the reservation through Chase dining experience and they do have cancellation policies.- Cancelled within 72-48 Hours of reservation date: cancellation fee of 25% per person + Tax- Cancelled within 48-24 hours of reservation date: cancellation fee of 50% per person + Tax- Cancellations within 24 hours will be charged 100%- You can always transfer your reservation to another person.Ambiance: it is a very small restaurant. Sitting at the bar may be for maximum of 8 people. The interior decor was simple. Our dinner was at 6 pm and it was just the 2 of us. It was extremely intimate and quiet. Staff: The chef did not talk much, but he was very attentive to what you're saying. The server, dressed in a beautiful traditional kimono, was extremely diligent at cleaning our plate and serve water and tea. The omakase experience: At the time of reservation, the menu is unknown. The menu at the Chef's choice at the time of your reservation. You'll be served 12-14 pieces of nigiris for the entire experience.Food: The chef has been doing this for over 20 years and his skills truly shined through the food he curated. There was 1 cooked dish and 12 raw dishes. Each nigiri piece was uniquely crafted with different flavors. You do not need additional sauces to eat the nigiri. Overall, I thought the food was spectacular. My favorite pieces were the toro, yellowtail, albacore, and uni (best).I thought the ginger was amazing. It has a unique pickled taste compared to the typical gingers we have at sushi restaurant. I wished the chef gave us more gingers. Pricing: It is $140 per person, but please do note that there are hidden fees. I will explain this below.What I think needs improvement: I generously deducted 1 star because I thought the food quality was excellent.1. I think the restaurant should be more clear about the price people pay up front. I thought the $140 price comes with 13-14 pieces since the website stated Masakazu's Omakase experience comes 13-14 pieces of sushi per person. It was not the case. I just want to put it out there that the price you pay comes with 12 pieces and the 2 remaining pieces (scallop and shrimp) come with additional fees. I ordered the additional scallop. I honestly think the restaurant should just increase the upfront prices to $150-$160 to include everything, so there are no additional fees2. Because I already pre-paid the omakase, they wanted to adjust the printed tipping to reflex actual subtotal amount that I have already paid. I thought it was a bit funny why they did it and perhaps a bit untrusting of the restaurant since customers are under no obligation to tip a certain amount. I believe if you focus in doing your best to serve the customers, you'll get great tips. 3. The chef was extremely quiet through the entire omakase experience, but I know he was actively listening since we talked about ginger. It might be because of the language barrier, but it would have been nice if he can try to provide a bit of information about each piece. Toward the end, he did talked to us a bit about the omakase/sushi industry, which I thought was wonderful. 4. Also, the website states you need to showed up early. We showed up 15 minutes early, and have to wait outside until 5:55 pm to come in. It might be better etiquette to let customers come in and wait inside. Tip people interested in Japanese omakase: this is a Japanese omakase experience, a tasting experience. Please don't expect lots of food if you're looking for quantity.Overall: It was a great dinner for us. It was extremely intimate and one of a kind. The restaurant is not perfect, and it needs a bit of improvement when it comes to service. But Masakuza is a definitely place to be if you want to experience great quality fish. I do love supporting local businesses and Masakazu is one. You can tell the owner works hard to continue running it.

My fiancé and I came here for our 6 year anniversary and it did not disappoint! Everything was so delicious, the fish selections were fresh, and the sake pairing just topped it off. It's an intimate space that felt very welcoming and perfect for a date night. I would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys omakase!

Very average onakase. Won't be back. Essentially the key issue was that everything was very average and nothing was special. Also, the fish didn't sit well on the rice and it was not a cohesive bite for most of what we ate.

Came for dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day and unfortunately, left unimpressed. The portion sizes are small - even after the 13 courses my boyfriend and I had to get a second dinner at Tsujita because we felt like we only ate an appetizer (and an expensive one at that!) I thought it was off-putting that for the price, the omakase didn't come with any uni or scallop. Those were available at an additional cost (even a small appetizer course mid-meal was up-charged when it really should've been included). The interior is really modern with an intimate 8 person seating, but the sushi bar was built in a way so that you can't see what the chef is doing unless you are standing. Most of the fun of omakase is to enjoy the experience of watching the chef create the dishes in front of you. I also realized that the chef had pre-cut most of the fish and wrapped them in paper towels beforehand, which explained why the fish wasn't as fresh and didn't have as much flavor. The sushi rice was seasoned but kept falling apart when placed on the serving plate. The chef also was really dry and didn't say a word besides the name of the fish when he placed it in front of us. Not sure if it was a language barrier but it did dampen the experience. +1 star because the server kept refilling my Barley Tea, which was really good. Overall, wouldn't recommend coming back as there are definitely better options in this price range elsewhere in LA.

This is gonna be a lengthy one, so buckle up.I spent weeks trying to find another great place to experience here in SoCal, but was absolutely disappointed in this place.For reference; I've done over 15 different omakase; from the inexpensive $80 course up to the $500 michelin star experience; so I have a very good idea of what to expect when paying for a $150 course here.Me and my wife went here to celebrate and was met with nothing but the presence of being excluded; but more so disrespected.When we came in, there was 4 seats prepared for the 06:00 time slot. When we got seated, we realized that the bar itself was too high for anyone to see what the chef was preparing; which really defeats the purpose of the experience. Might as well be seated at a table. It also didn't help that were were seated at the very end of the bar when there was only 4 people being served including us.Before we started, I even politely asked the server if we could be seated on a vacant slot closer to the chef, and was declined due to the fact that it was reserved. I can respect that.The only problem was; the couple reserved at that spot didn't come in up until past 45 minutes when we started the course; come to find out that they were 'regulars' of the place.That's PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT at it's finest.One thing to take note; every omakase restaurant I've been to will always advice the customer to come in at least 15 minutes early, and even give 15 minutes of allowance from when the course starts as to not disrupt the other customers and the flow of the course. After that; your reservation is considered void and you forfeit your deposit.This was obviously not the case.We were so far off and we couldn't see what was being serve; let alone get a proper explanation of the food.There was a lot more inconsistencies that I observed, but those can be tolerated.As far as the food itself; it was really average; nothing spectacular. We got 2 appetizers, got 2 tuna, 1 monkfish liver, 1 salmon, 1 whitefish, 1 uni, 1 snapper, 1 scrap mix of tuna,crap and whitefish, and a red bean pastry.Also paid additional $48 for scallops and unagi; not really worth it.Fish was really not fresh and the rice used was hot. Why is it hot? It's supposed to be room temperature. A sushi chef should know this.Comparing it to other omakase in the area at the same price point such as sushi note, sushi brothers, sushi takeda, and others; this is definitely on the low end as far as quailty.The WORSE actually didn't happen up until the end.The chef was focused on the two couples the entire hour and a half, and finally asked me how was the course. I honestly gave him my thoughts. Somehow, he couldn't take the constructive criticism, and started to ignore us even more, which is fine; that's just the way he wants to be when we already paid $350 for his meal.Obviously, I left without giving a tip.Now, this is controversial to a lot of people, but to me; my principle is always about honesty. If you did an okay job, I can say thank you without necessarily forcing myself to tip you.TIPPING IS NOT MANDATORY.The chef then calls me not 3 minutes later on my personal phone (guess he took offense again) and passively aggressively asks what was wrong with the service and why I didn't give a tip.Immediately hung the phone. He call a second time. Didn't answer.At this point, he leaves a message saying that he was fine without the tip, but the server lives off the tips.RUDENESS AND DISRESPECT AT ITS FINEST.I'll say this again. TIPPING IS NOT MANDATORY. Whether you did a good job or not, don't expect a tip and get frustrated when you don't get one. Don't put the burden on the customer because you can't pay your server enough. For a $150 meal per customer; you should at least be able to pay your employees well.Second, it is 100% ridiculous for you to even call and ask for a tip! Shame on you. For the chef; you really need to work on your craft and more importantly your people skills. It'll definitely help you more in the future.Unfortunately, this was a really bad experience for me and my wife.Tread carefully if you ever go here; you might experience the same thing.Or I can just advise you to take your hard earned money and enjoy them somewhere else.

First omakase! The service and vibes were great. Very intimate atmosphere. The chef was a pleasure and our waitress was very attentive. Tried a lot of things I'd never had before and some reimagined classics. Very good introduction to something I hope to have again.

Intimate date night spot. I've never had such lovely uni. Usually I'm not a huge fan (texture eater) but the uni served at the omakase was was light fragrant buttery like if bone marrow was chilled, smooth, and not greasy. Our chef did not speak a lot, but he did a great job telling us about the fish and where it was from. There were extra alacart items he offered to add on if you did not want your experience to end.

I've eaten a lot of sushi in my life and Masakazu is easily one of my favorites. The flavors are complex, the music is just right, and the service is fantastic. Chef really is a visionary, no visit is the same and every visit is a culinary journey. Sometimes the chef takes risks with bold and complex flavors, but be still manages to make them accessible. Masakazu manages to be both modern but definitively Japanese. That's not a balance that's easy to strike. I couldn't possibly recommend it more. (For those who have access to chase dining - you can have this wonderful experience for significantly less by booking through the Chase app so a double win)

For the price, very disappointing for an anniversary omakase (highest one served). Chef made us make a reservation and pay through tock prior to even having eaten the food. Makes sense-- food was ass and I'm sure the chef knows it. Every bite was a nightmare. Rice was a bit on the sour side, food just wasn't hitting. Experience was more of a drag than it was enjoyable. This place is a scam.

Not very good sushi, service or an omakase experience. Especially for the price, there are much better options.Also the pace of the sushi was so slow...