Musashi Japanese Steakhouse
3900 Paradise Rd
Las Vegas NV 89169
702.735.4744
I have plugged this place several times in the past, but I wanted to post my full review from my other websites:
Welcome to the finest Japanese restaurant in Las Vegas, possibly the entire country. We have visited this place several times over the past couple years. We are Vegas regulars and go out of our way to visit every time we are in town.
There are two things that are absolutely outstanding at this restaurant and will blow your mind. First is the service, second is the food.
The reason we started visiting here was a result of the owner/chef Tsutomu and his previous job. Prior to opening his own restaurant, he worked at the teppan grill in Hamada in the Flamingo. His personality, friendliness and cooking abilities were so impressive that we had to follow him to his new business. After just one visit, he remembered our names.
The Chef constantly engages his customers, determines their level of comfort and works to reach it. There’s really not words to describe how nice and accommodating he is to all his customers. It’s obvious they get a lot of regulars as a result of this. It’s also nice to see that the owner isn’t just sitting the back doing nothing, he cooks on the grill more than anyone else and his wife works the hostess stand sometimes. One time, on our way out, she noticed we were calling a cab, and called it for us, telling them to step on it. All his staff are very polite and well trained. This is one of those rare places, outside my own home, where I always feel truly comfortable and welcome. When they aren’t too busy in there, and cooking has finished, the owner will stay to chat for a while at the grill. If you want a remarkable experience for service, come here. I suggest you specifically request (even if you have to wait) for the owner to cook for you, instead of another staff member. It’s worth the wait.
Combine that kind of service, with the food, and you get a winning combination. All the food is excellent, beyond excellent. We cook a lot at home, and know good seasonings, versus salting everything. This guy truly has a talent. Everything from the salads, sushi and grill are recognizable dishes (especially if you’ve ever been to Benihana’s) but with unique twists that give it really special flavors and bring out the ingredients’ natural qualities. Even the salad, instead of the typical asian dressing, comes out with (what I think is) an apple flavored dressing. Every sauce in the entire restaurant is hand crafted from his original recipes. The salad and soup are great, but wait until you taste something off that grill. Just when you think he couldn’t possibly do any more with the sauces, he adds about 10 more things and it smells even better. We’ve had the pleasure of him ‘testing’ his newer sauces on us a few times. Let me be very clear: best ever. We are talking about a culinary genius here. The owner has an honest passion for what he does. I’ve had steak, shrimp, scallops and even simple teriyaki chicken here, and each was better than the one before. The fried rice is a special treat too. I typically prefer white rice, but always look forward to the fried rice here.
They have several sake and beer selections here. They get a lot of locals in there after midnight, and they are typically open after 2 or 3am. They enjoy a rowdy crowd in there, but we also took our grandmother and her friends in. The decor is quite nice, not over the top, but not cheesy, like most of these establishments. A cab ride, with tip, from a strip hotel will run you less than $20.
I cannot recommend this place enough. It’s a masterpiece in every way. The prices are moderate. I usually end up spending less than I thought I would, even though they seem high when I look at them. What more can you say about a restaurant with excellent service and the best food this side of the Pacific? Please give this place a try, it will blow you away.
End of original review.
I recently heard this place is going to be featured on an episode of “Food Paradise” on the Travel Channel. Hopefully that will bring some more business. I also need to clarify that my review had at least one mistake in it. They are definitely open until 4a, everyday. I put “they are typically open after 2 or 3am.” I visited once a night, the last time I was in Vegas.
We have only dined at Musashi once, but I was also very impressed.
We held reservations for the Teppanyaki grill which proved to be unnecessary as we were the only ones in the room for most of the evening Our chef was the owner who most recently served as the executive chef at the Hamada on Flamingo. We each ordered the skinless chicken breast with vegetables which included miso soup and shrimp appetizer. Our personal chef put on an exceptional show and everything was cooked to perfection. Menu prices are very moderate. 4 Forks out of 5.