Masa

Having known or heard nothing about this place (except for their ""stylish"" website), four of us made reservations here for my birthday dinner a few weeks ago. Dining in the south end is fun, although pricey, but always fun with friends. The dining room is a nice, cozy setting and the bar looked like it would be a great place to sample any of there long list of tequilas! But, we orderd a margarita for 4 people! We were expecting a pitcher and small glasses, but it came out ""scorpion"" style in a huge glass with 4 long straws! What fun!!! We orderd the lobster roll, some seared scallops, and tuna ""rolls"" in a fried shell for appetizers and they were awesome. I would say they were better than our entrees as all of ours were a bit salty. But, with a friendly and attentive server capping off the evening with a candle-lit warm chocolate cake, it was overall a great evening and a place that I have recommended to friends to go when all the other fancy eateries in the area are booked entirely for reservations. Next time, I'd like to sample the bar and that tapas menu they serve there (and not in the dining room). Fun, warm colors and lights also compliment the setting...check out the website, it gives you a good feel for the place. Pros: Margaritas, Appetizers Cons: Entrees more

A couple of friends and I went to Masa last Thursday for drinks and salsa night. We weren't planning on having food, but after the bartender showed us the tapas menu, how could we say no at $1 a piece? Great variety and taste and were all very good. They also have a new dinner menu that looks good, but it was too late at that point for us to try what sounded like some interesting dishes. She also introduced us to banarita shots, which are three different shooters you take at once. That is my new shot of choice, but I am pretty sure that Masa is the only place to get them! Overall, great food, drinks and service! more

I went to Masa on a Thursday night with a friend after hearing about their $1 tapas and salsa dancing. The tapas were great (only available at the bar), I especially recommend the chorizo! We tried the $10 assortment and were pleased with almost everyone! The had a fun and lengthy drink menu, with Banderita shots as a exciting combo. Good sangria also. Atmosphere was great, young crowd, nice set-up, nice and informative staff. We were hopeing for more of a salsa crowd, as my friend and I were the first on the dance floor but we were followed by many and had a great time! Definitely recommend for a low-key and early, but fun Thursday night out! Pros: $1 tapas at bar, salsa dancing more

Masa can be a regular spot for me to go on Friday nights. The bartenders are usually AWESOME!! educated sweethearts... with great knowledge and attentiveness. Just recently I was there on a Sunday evening when the bartending service was the worst. SLOW and RUSHED with no wine education. I gave the girl a second chance.. thinking she was new, but then realized she was commanding when she snarled at a server about something and then came and gave us the same nasty attitude. I hope for the servers' sake she is not a manager. Like I said, the bartenders are usually wonderful... just beware of this one. more

I just had another great time at MASA. Their wine list is very diverse with a lot of hard to find South American treats. The margaritas are wicked good and strong. The food served here is very imaginative and of a higher calibur than most of the other restaurants in Boston. The amuse that started the meal was interesting, turning Latin food on end, i.e; the ""chips and salsa"" parfait was outstanding!!! The little treats at the end of the meal were an added surprise. Don't miss this place!!!!! Pros: Everything more

They have a great tequila selection and the ambience is good. That's all the positive things about Masa. Our food (just entrees) took 1:20 to arrive. At about an hour, our waiter told us he was sorry and that our food woulld be right up. Not true. The food, when it finally arrived, was below average. My pork dish sounded very interesting and tasty on the menu, but it reality it was somewhat bland and very chewy. Either a bad cut of meat or improperly cooked. Much the same could be said for my girlfriend's steak frites. I'm sure a manager would have loved to know about our displeasure if we had ever seen one. Any other restaurant would have done SOMETHING to make up for the wait and poor food. After two drinks and an entree each, we ended up paying $100 for a pretty awful dining experience. Pros: Ambience, Drink selection Cons: Food, Service, Cooking Time more

As a local that walks to Masa, neighborhood comments on it being a ho-hum meal are true. The atmosphere is ok. Our most recent visit was for brunch where you can pick three different menu items as a meal-combo, which is nice. Of the six items we had, only two had reasonable culinary creativity. The granola was no better than the standard Quaker-variety out of a can at home with a slice of fruit. The ceaser salad was very good though as were the Huevos Rancheros. The Dixie-cup sized mimosas were overpriced and you'll want to check the itemized bill before paying to ensure your charged correctly. All-in-all, an OK experience, but for similar money, Perdix (bout six blocks up the street) is easily a superior choice (esp the Tuna app). Pros: atmosphere Cons: uninspiring more

We stumbled upon Masa after dinner at 28 Degrees - and we wished we hadn't eaten yet. Our mojitos were the best we've ever had, and the tantalizing aromas wafting around the room were irresistable and we ordered a plate of tapas. At $1 a piece they are a little nibble of culinary creativity, and I only wished the Scallop and Duck tapas was offered in an entree size it was that good. The hospitable staff treated us as if we were guests in their own home, and we felt like we had been ""regulars"" for years. The decor was warm and inviting and a live guitarist played the whole time we were there, and he was wonderful too. We will DEFINATELY go back to Masa and recommend them HIGHLY. It is an unbelieavable value for the food and ambiance. Pros: artisinal tequila more

I was very disappointed with Masa. I would never recommend anyone to go there for dinner. Both the salmon and the lobster tamales were overcooked, dry and had bad flavor combinations. The salmon was quite possibly the worst I have ever had. Even when I told the server, they did nothing to correct it for me. With such a romantic atmosphere I expected a much better experience. I also found the servers to be rude, and thought it was interesting they could not make any menu recommendations. Pros: ambience Cons: service, food , valet parking, $15 more

...the wine menu is limited and the noise level is too high. Service is generally good and the food is generally high-quality. The room is a little too dark. Pros: food quality Cons: wine offerings, dessert options more

We visited on a Friday and it was my second time there, the first having been for tapas at happy hour. The valet was outrageous for the South End - $14, but the service was even worse. Though we were seated promptly, our waitress stumbled through the specials and disappeared after delivering our drinks (and telling me they ran out of Wild Turkey). 10 minutes later, we were able to order and our waitress disappeared again. She didn't bring our app or meal and never checked in to see if we needed another drink. Then she delivered the check not asking if we wanted dessert, and disappeared *again*. The food was excellent, with a great scallop and duck appetizer that was not at all fishy, but the service and overwhelmingly loud ambience ruined a nice meal. Pros: Appetizers, Good food Cons: Loud, Poor service more

I have been to Masa a few times but the last visit was beyond my expectations. From start to finish it was a great experience. I had a few tapas, petite but yummy, at the bar with the charming bartender (Greg, I think) while I waited for a few friends. When we all got together we sat down for what has to be one of the best steaks I have ever had! I had the chili rubbed cowboy steak and it was cooked to perfection. I had to fight off my fellow diners. Our waiter was great and attentive and he let us know that if we stayed a little later they had live salsa music and dancing (this was on Thursday). We stayed and were glad we did. We were all a bit sleepy the next day - but well worth it! Pros: great service, fun environment, good vibe at bar Cons: parking more

The guacamole is to die for! The chunchs of guac and cilantro make this item scrumptious. Our table enjoyed the Cowboy Steak and I licked my lips over the seared Ahi Tuna. The Host was pleasant and the Server gave us excellent menu recommendations. We'll be back :) Pros: food, beverage, service Cons: southend parking more

I have had Sunday Brunch at Masa's twice now,each time I have had delicious,innovative meals. The Golden Margaritas were awesome...too bad Sunday comes only once a week.I have also been at their Salsa nite...what fun,and enjoyed an extravaganza of $1.00 tapas. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone more

I have been to Masa on quite a few occasions and have always had a great, fun experience! The sangrias are fantastic as well as the appetizers. The bar atmosphere is fun and the restaurant is romantic. Decor is wonderful. Highly recommended for a great dinner. more

Wonderful margarita, and everything we tried on the tapas menu was delicious. As you would expect, a $1 portion is pretty teeny, so don't attempt to eat a dinner of tapas. They're great as bar nibbles though! Our waiter was friendly and pretty average in terms of attentiveness, although he did flake when we asked for the check. We forgave him; the place was packed. We'll definitely go back! Pros: inventive tapas, perfect margarita, good crowd Cons: average service more