Masu, Auckland's Finest Japanese Dining
Image: Masu Restaurant, Auckland
Suggest a flashy “global Japanese” restaurant to me and I’ll usually roll my eyes. Too often it means dry ice, fire tricks and a sushi roll topped with half the Pacific Ocean and an alarming amount of mayonnaise.
MASU by Nic Watt is not that at all.
Located on Auckland’s busy Federal Street inside SkyCity Auckland, MASU has been quietly doing its thing since 2014. No gimmicks, no theatrics, just serious attention to craft and a kitchen that runs with almost surgical precision.
More than a decade later it still holds a hat from the Cuisine Good Food Awards and remains one of the most reliable Japanese restaurants in the city.
It feels distinctly Japanese in spirit, almost monastic in its commitment to doing things properly.
Image: Masu Restaurant, Auckland
The service follows the same philosophy. Staff are attentive, deeply knowledgeable about the menu, and remarkably careful with dietary requirements.
Even the cocktails reflect this obsession with detail. At the bar, ice is painstakingly hand-carved into perfect spheres before it ever reaches your glass. It’s the sort of small ritual that might seem excessive elsewhere, but here it feels entirely on brand.
The restaurant continues to collect accolades, holding a hat from the Cuisine Good Food Awards multiple years in a row.
The dining room itself is sleek without feeling cold. Polished concrete floors, slate-grey walls and warm timber keep things minimal, while the open kitchen brings just enough action to stop it from feeling overly zen.
And then there’s the bar. Stocked with Japanese whisky, craft beers, shochu and a serious sake selection, but it’s the expertly crafted cocktails that steal the show.
The menu at MASU is extensive, which is both a blessing and a strategic challenge. There are sashimi, nigiri, maki rolls, dumplings, tempura, robata grill dishes and enough small plates to make you second-guess your entire order.
Image: The Tokyo Platter at Masu
Sashimi and Small Plates
We started with sashimi. The Tokyo platter is the most impressive way to do it. A lavish selection of premium seafood that included fatty tuna, kingfish, oysters and New Zealand crayfish. It arrives arranged like a piece of edible artwork, each slice thick, glossy and fresh.
From there we moved into MASU’s small plates, where the kitchen gets a little more playful. The crayfish taco with spicy miso remains one of the restaurant’s most famous bites. It is small, rich and packed with flavour.
The wagyu tsukune slider is a newer favourite, smoky, juicy and dangerously easy to demolish in a few bites. And the MASU soft shell crab with yuzu kosho mayo brings the kind of crisp, salty satisfaction that makes the eye-watering price almost feel reasonable.
Image: gyuhire sumibiyaki
The Robata Grill
But the real heart of MASU is the robata grill. Cooking over charcoal gives everything a subtle smokiness that elevates even simple ingredients.
One standout dish is the toothfish with chilli citrus miso, a rare find in Auckland and easily one of the most memorable things on the menu. The fish is rich and delicate, balanced beautifully by the sharp, savoury miso glaze.
Then there is the Kagoshima A5 wagyu, which arrives simply prepared and all the better for it. The beef is buttery, intensely flavourful and deeply moreish, proving that sometimes the best dishes are the ones that don’t try too hard.
Even the vegetables deserve attention. Eggplant with ginger miso and flame-grilled broccolini with almond miso show just how well the robata handles plant-based dishes.
Dessert
Dessert at MASU keeps things light and balanced.
Instead of heavy, sugar-laden finales, the menu leans toward flavours that feel more traditionally Japanese. Soft yuzu mousse with rhubarb sorbet, shiro miso basque cheesecake with sake ice cream, and the restaurant's famous cedar-roasted Marou chocolate pudding with umeshu ice cream.
But if you are anything like me and hate choosing just one dessert, the MASU dessert platter is a must. It arrives loaded with a little bit of everything, custardy fruit puddings, fresh fruits, and lighter sorbets, so the whole table can sample the kitchen’s best work. Which, frankly, is exactly how dessert should operate.
A Few Things to Know
MASU is popular, which means it can get loud. If you’re after a quieter dinner, book early or aim for a midweek evening. The menu is also dangerously easy to over-order from, which quickly adds up. A few plates from each section add up quickly, so if you’re feeling overwhelmed the Shomi tasting menu is a smart move.
Final Verdict
MASU has now been part of Auckland’s dining scene for over a decade. And while many restaurants lose their edge over time, MASU still feels sharp.
The sashimi is pristine, the proteins are perfectly cooked, and the kitchen is like a well-oiled machine. It is not the loudest or trendiest Japanese restaurant in the city. But when it comes to precision, discipline and consistently excellent food, MASU still stands out.
Sometimes the most impressive restaurants are the ones obsessively perfecting their craft and MASU has been doing exactly that for years.
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