MASONRY. Restaurant Canggu — Restaurant in Bali

Title: Disappointing Experience at Mason: A Review

Once our go-to dining spot in Canggu, Mason has recently left us with mixed feelings after our most recent visit. My Balinese husband and I used to frequent this establishment weekly when we had our villa for a year before Covid hit. Mason always held a special place on my list whenever I’m in the south. However, this time around, our experience fell short of our expectations.

The first noticeable change was the absence of the original kitchen staff, which seemed to have impacted the quality of the food significantly. The chicken charcoal lacked its usual succulence, the green beans were limp and lacked vibrancy, and even the salad, which used to be a standout, now felt average at best. The once beautifully prepared grilled carrots had been replaced with large, uninspiring quarters, losing the finesse they were known for.

We decided to try a variety of dishes, as we usually do, and also ordered Mason's house pomegranate margarita, which used to be a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, the drink was far from enjoyable, prompting me to send it back and opt for a bottle of French Sauvignon Blanc instead.

To add to the disappointment, as we were settling our bill and leaving, the manager rushed out accusing us of not paying for the wine. It turned out they had forgotten to include it on the bill, which they presented to us after we had already settled. While I understand mistakes can happen, the way the situation was handled was less than professional. The manager's insistence that we owed a significant amount felt accusatory and marred what could have been an otherwise pleasant dining experience.

In my view, good customer service includes owning up to mistakes made by the establishment. I shared with the manager an example from my own experience, highlighting that when a mistake occurs, it is the responsibility of the business to rectify it without placing blame on the customer. Unfortunately, Mason failed to acknowledge this, leaving us feeling undervalued as patrons.

As someone familiar with Bali and its culture, I know that scams can occur, but I also believe that integrity and customer service should remain paramount. The fact that the owner is Australian and not Balinese doesn't excuse the lack of accountability shown by the management.

In conclusion, I urge the owner of Mason to reassess their business practices and prioritize customer satisfaction. It's evident from recent reviews and experiences like ours that there are areas needing improvement. Unless changes are made, Mason risks losing its loyal customer base and tarnishing its reputation in the vibrant dining...

chose Mason for my last night in Bali, expecting the same exceptional experience I had at Mason Uluwatu. Unfortunately, although part of the same franchise, the experience was far from comparable — and clearly not under the same level of management.

The evening began poorly when a waitress accidentally spilled hot candle wax on my skirt, with oil getting all over the table, my clothes, and even my phone. It completely ruined the mood. Still, I reminded myself that human mistakes can happen anywhere, and tried to move on.

However, things only got worse. After the initial incident and taking a moment to recover, my main course arrived — cold. I politely pointed this out, and the waitress apologized, noting that while the side dish was cold, the fish was still warm. She said she’d bring a new plate.

To my surprise, about seven minutes later, what I received was clearly the same dish — just reheated. I find it incredibly disrespectful as a customer to be treated this way. Mistakes are forgivable; what isn’t is being treated like I wouldn’t notice or care.

To top it off, the food itself was underwhelming — especially considering the pricing and the quality I had come to expect based on my experience in Uluwatu. There was nothing special or memorable about the flavors or presentation.

To be fair, they didn’t charge me for one of the sides and an appetizer — but that doesn’t fix the core issue. I wasn’t looking for a refund; I was looking for a culinary experience, served by professional staff who care about their service and their guests.

If a mistake happens — own it. Don’t try to cover it up, and certainly don’t make it worse by acting as though your customers won’t notice. A professional manager would have handled this situation with honesty and grace, not...

I wish I had read more of the reviews as there seems to be a recurring issue with very bad food poisoning from this restaurant.

My family and I chose M Mason in Canggu for our last meal of our 5 week trip. They are clearly doing lots very well as they have many excellent ratings and the place was packed. We were also advised that we would need to hand our table back after 2hrs for others diners. All looking very positive.

We enjoyed our meal, the atmosphere and service.

However by midnight/ early hours 3 out of the 4 in our party were being violently sick ( and more) and we are currently trying to frantically find somewhere we can hole ourselves up before flying home tonight. Our final day is being ruined because we can’t do anything and are feeling terrible. We are having to pay for somewhere we can lie down and be close to facilities. Our most special meal of our whole trip, by far the most expensive has been the worst.

Please think carefully over your food choices here. We are fairly certain the fried squid starter was our issue. It’s the only common denominator from the whole day in which one person had something different from the others. It arrived soggy not crisp which the ‘lucky’ member of our group pointed out at the time.

UPDATE 2 of the 3 have recovered from illness after a few days. I am not so lucky. I am still feeling unwell 10 days later. It’s worth noting that it’s impossible to say whether we have picked up a virus separate from the restaurant or have been unfortunate to acquire this from the calamari eaten at the restaurant. This restaurant has taken our report seriously and investigated and not found any issue or others being ill on this evening. Either way I hope you don’t come down with this illness it’s...