Masamitsu Japanese Cuisine — Restaurant in San Marino

Great value for a quality lunch omakase (10 pc $90.)

Amongst the little shops on Huntington Blvd in San Marino is this sushi bar gem 💎. I almost passed it, as the storefront is fairly small.

This was a business lunch and my host treated us to this wonderful omakase lunch. You have a choice of the small omakase lunch, 10 pieces, or the deluxe 16 (or 15?) piece omakase. They will ask if you want "with cooked food" or just nigiri. We chose the 10 pc nigiri. See photos of all 10 wonderful pieces. Brent was our sushi chef. Very soft spoken, but friendly and skilled, and from Japan.

The flavors were outstanding and complex with each piece. Remember, do not dip in soy sauce, lest you insult the chef.

The most interesting was the Japanese barracuda which had a nice char from the torch, and the home-marinated maguro (salmon roe.) Maguro is my least favorite because the roe is usually fishy or too salty. But the house-marinated roe was slightly sweet and delicious. The best Maguro that I've ever had. The Ika (squid) was soft and tender, not chewy and hard. Even the Saba (mackerel) which is usually very pungent was neutralized with other strong (unknown) ingredients. Also the best Saba that I ever had. The Toro, Uni, and other nigiri were all excellent.

10 pieces was good. But adding a Toro hand roll was perfect. 15 or 16 pieces would've been too much for a work lunch. The last was the house-special tamago. I thought it was a slice of pound cake. Yet, it had no butter, no flour, but just eggs and pureed seafood. It was the best Tamago ever!

I will be back with friends.

Update: 7/29/25. Back again. See photos of the 10 pc sushi only lunch omakase. This time we ordered with hamachi kama, and a side order of tamago castella. Always amazing how...

To say Masamitsu was amazing is an understatement. My mouth is watering as I recall the delectable selection of fresh fish we had. I can still taste the freshness of the ocean. The fish selection was exceptional because you will find cuts of fish that you wouldn’t be able to normally find outside of Japan and treated skillfully with the respect it deserves. The meal was made so much better because we were able to complement all the dishes with a selection of Japanese alcohol that are not easily found elsewhere. This place is full of surprises and a real gem. We were so lucky to nab a table tonight. Our children are normally fussy eaters but they happily slurped their ebi tempura udon while the adults were able to savor the array of foods we ordered. The slurping was music to our ears. Everyone left with a smile, full bellies and great memories. I can’t wait to come back and try more dishes. Until then, I’ll continue to let the delicious food live rent free in my mind. chef’s kiss

Well...

It’s such a hidden gem. I went on a Friday night and sat at the omakase table. The service was a bit slow, I had to ask 3 times before getting wet towels. But I think they were just swamped.

The food was great! Omakase was $150 and I think it was great value for the quality I got. The only complaint I had was the chef was so busy and was rushing to put the food on your plate. I’ve had omakase a lot and even in Japan. The chef always looked very sincere and looked at your plate when placing your food in front of you. But other than that, it was a great experience. I’ll be back to try the a la carte menu next time.

Also I loved the dessert! Get the matcha or the...