Masa does not do the midnight scramble most New York rooms run, but it does something just as unforgiving: it charges the full price when you book. There is no hold, no deposit, no pay-at-the-table. You commit $750 a head on Tock to claim a seat, and that single fact is the reason the room is gettable at all, because it scares off the casual hunter. Masa Takayama opened the room in 2004, it has held three Michelin stars for over fifteen years, and at 10 Columbus Circle on the fourth floor of the Deutsche Bank Center it is the only three-star sushi counter in the country. The counter seats about 26. Know the release rhythm and the booking is winnable.
How the Booking Actually Works
Masa takes reservations on Tock and nowhere else, at exploretock.com/masa, on a rolling 30-day window. A given date opens for booking roughly a month ahead, so a Saturday in August appears in late July. Every seat is prepaid in full at the moment you reserve, and the cancellation cut-off is 48 hours before service. Set a Tock alert for your target date, log in shortly before the day flips at midnight Eastern, have a card saved, and book the instant the new day opens, because prime weekend counter seats clear within minutes.
Lunch, when offered, is the quieter way in and appears on Tock as a separate seating; take it if the date matters more than the hour. For where this ranks against the city's toughest tables, see our hardest reservations in New York guide.
The Cancellation Refresh and Bar Masa
If the 30-day window closes before you land a seat, two routes remain. The first is the cancellation refresh: because the policy pushes a forfeited deposit back into inventory, released seats often reappear on Tock around 48 hours out, so checking the app two days before a target date regularly surfaces a returned counter seat. The second is Bar Masa, the casual room beside the counter, which takes Resy and OpenTable bookings, keeps walk-in seats, and serves Takayama's a la carte sushi without the prepaid omakase. Our guide to landing impossible restaurant reservations covers the concierge route as well.
What to Order and What It Costs
The omakase is $750 per person before tax, drinks and supplements, with additional luxury courses, often more toro or a caviar service, at around $250 each. There is no menu: Takayama and his chefs serve flown-in seafood at the counter in sequence, sushi rice at body temperature, wasabi grated to order, the hinoki wood refinished for each service. Trust the counter and do not ask for substitutions; the meal is built around the chef's pace. See the full Masa review and scores for the room in detail.
Not For
Not for a casual night, a large group or a diner who wants to choose dishes. Masa is a silent, formal counter built around the chef's sequence, and the prepaid $750 commitment makes it a planned milestone rather than a spontaneous dinner.
If You Cannot Get In
New York holds other counters and tasting rooms on their own rhythms. Atomix releases its two-star Korean tasting on a monthly Tock window, Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare sells two-star counter seats on Resy with a deposit, and Tatiana runs a noon Resy drop covered in our how to book Tatiana guide. For a gentler three-star route, the how to book Le Bernardin guide walks the first-of-month release. The full New York dining guide maps the rest by occasion.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to book Masa?
Masa is hard but mechanical. It releases tables on Tock on a rolling 30-day window, and because the room seats only around 26 across the counter and a few tables, prime Friday and Saturday dates clear within minutes of the daily release. Every booking is prepaid in full when you reserve, which deters casual hunters. Set a Tock alert, log in before midnight Eastern 30 days out from your target date, and book the instant the new day opens.
What platform does Masa use for reservations?
Masa books exclusively through Tock at exploretock.com/masa, and it is prepaid: you pay the full omakase price when you reserve, not at the meal. There is no phone or walk-in route to the main counter. Tables release on a rolling 30-day schedule, so a given date opens roughly a month ahead. The 48-hour cancellation policy means released seats sometimes return to Tock two days out, which is the best refresh window.
How much does Masa cost per person?
The Masa omakase is $750 per person before tax, drinks and any supplements, with additional luxury courses available at around $250 each. Because Tock charges the full amount at booking, a table for two commits $1,500 up front. It is among the most expensive meals in the United States. For a far gentler way to taste Takayama's kitchen, Bar Masa next door serves a la carte sushi at a fraction of the price.
Can you walk in to Masa or sit at Bar Masa instead?
You cannot walk in to Masa itself; the prepaid Tock counter is the only route. Bar Masa, the casual room beside it in the Deutsche Bank Center, is the answer for a last-minute or lower-budget visit. It takes reservations on Resy and OpenTable and keeps seats for walk-ins, serving a la carte sushi and cooked dishes without the omakase commitment. It is the smart fallback when the main counter is sold out.
Is Masa worth it?
For a once-in-a-lifetime sushi meal, yes. Masa holds three Michelin stars and is the only sushi restaurant in New York at that level, and Masa Takayama's hinoki counter, flown-in seafood and silent, ingredient-first service are unlike anything else in the city. It is formal, hushed and built around the chef's pace. At $750 it is a milestone, not a casual dinner; see our New York dining guide for the rooms to choose instead on a normal night.