Masa Hibachi Sushi & Bar — Restaurant in Spring Township

Whenever a new hibachi restaurant opens up in town, it creates quite a stir. For years we only had our choice of Tokyo Hibachi & Bar or Mikura to get the full hibachi experience (shrimp flyin', saké chuggin', onion ring volcano shootin' fire into the air, which can be felt on the faces of people sitting across the room).

But when Masa arrived, it changed the whole town's dynamic. MIkura was basically banished into the nether realm. Their hibachi tables are way too cramped. If your two favorite things are the wise-cracking, egg-balancing-on-the-spatula, cheery on the outside but everyone knows is depressed on the inside hibachi chef and claustrophobia, then this place is for you.

Tokyo has been the king for the longest time, but Masa is a true powerhouse in its own right. It's fairly obvious the scales are tipping in Masa's favor these days, for if you were to ask an acquaintance about where they'd like to go for your pre-arranged sushi lunch that you had planned for weeks and miraculously neither of you bailed, nearly every time that person would say Masa.

Speaking of lunch, the specials here are what keep me coming back. Three rolls for $13, hibachi combos (i.e. chicken, veggies, fried rice, soup) also for $13, and their Lunch Wok & Grill Platters (protein, Cali roll, dumpling, rice, and soup) for $12. Bonkers. There are still good deals out there, just gotta know where to look.

The hibachi experience is top notch. Here you get a proper amount of space, heck, you might even go as far to say an abundance. And that's how it should be. Lots of room, not cramped up next to the other tables, where you get splattered from their oil and feel the burn from their onion volcanos.

Must say, I quite dig this place. For the life of me I can't think of a single thing I dislike. Bravo, Masa, you are now the king of hibachi in...

Where was the gong?! I was hoping to hear this gong that I read so much about. I am giving this restaurant a 4 star review due to the very attentive waitress and quick service.

The rest of the dining experience was as follows: We enter the restaurant to the rumbling and bumbling of lots of hungry people waiting to be seated. It was 7:00 on a Friday after all. We said we would be fine to sit at the sushi bar and they were very grateful- sat us immediately. We hardly blinked and the waitress was there to take our drink order- extensive menu: beer, wine, cocktails including a frozen margarita which I do not recommend to pair with Japanese fair.

I enjoyed the loud and exciting hibachi gurus in the background; lots of fire- both on the grill, the plates and on the chef’s head. It shocked me but added to the exciting and bustling dining environment. I do not recommend this place for people looking for a quiet evening.

We ordered salmon & avocado sushi, the Wyomissing special and got a mystery fritter on the house from the sushi chefs- all great- nothing extra special but no complaints. You will see lots of sushi art in this place- trees, flowers & even lit-up ice castles can be seen served with your sushi.

I also got the basic side salad with ginger dressing- all good. My partner got seafood udon soup and I got shrimp yaki udon. These dishes were both average at best. The soup tasted like something may have gotten burnt and my recommendation for the shrimp yaki udon is for more veggies such as snap peas and broccoli be added. The noodles were simply too plain and under-whelming. I realize udon is not their specialty but if it’s on the menu, there is room for improvement.

We plan to go back for their largest sushi tasting plater- looks like this place would serve up quite the display....

They just say “How else can I keep it fair?”

My wife’s 60th birthday celebration was supposed to be at Masa on 5/8/22…. I called Masa on 5/6, to ask if I could get a reservation for a party of 12, for her Birthday celebration. The person on the phone said that they would not take my reservation, because of the Mother’s Day weekend, I expressed that this would be difficult for me, and my wife and kids. The person said that there would be plenty of chefs and wait staff that the wait would be reasonable, not to worry, just come on in….. On 5/8 we show up at 4, and we went in and explained that we have a party of 11, and we would like to get setup for around 5. They said that we cannot put our name in until everyone is here. ( my daughter is extremely pregnant, with kids, and comes from an hour to the north) (my son and his family comes from an hour away to the south). So, at 4, we could not get on the list. At 4:30, everybody was here, we went in and said we are here, they reply that the wait will be 2 hours. Now my grand kids are young, how do I keep them calm for 2 hours until Masa is ready? I don’t know. I do know that my wife’s birthday celebration dinner has been ruined even though I made every effort to get the Masa staff to make it nice. So let’s just say I’m disappointed in Masa. I’m really disappointed for my wife, and I look like a dog to her, our kids, and our grand kids. Masa, you really screwed me, my wife, and my grand kids up. Do I recommend Masa? Well, how can I recommend them after all? I spoke to the manager, and explained everything. All that she would say is “ how else can I keep it fair?” I say fair? I started 3 days before to set this up. I think it should have been fair,...