Masani Gourmet Southern Cuisine

The only problem I had on my first visit to Masani was after I had eaten. When my waitress presented me with my bill I noticed that there was an unexpected item. It read ""JAZZ"" - $6.00. Now, as a musician myself, I am more than happy to support live music & the business's that hire them. But I should have been informed upfront about a cover charge. Most places do it when you first walk in the door & never before has any restaurant tried to sneak it into the food bill. I gladly paid it without question it or possibly creating a scene. Fact is, the musicians are the only reason I even knew the place existed & more over I put money in the band tip jar before I left. \r Now to the GREAT PART!! \r The LIVE JAZZ quartet was OUTSTANDING!! Guitarist Fred Jenkins is joined by equally talented drummer (Larry), keyboardist (Sanchez) and a killer bassist. Steely Dan- eat your heart out!!\r And lastly, It was probably the BEST fried chicken, collard greens I have ever had at a restaurant ever. The wait staff was also very attentive and pleasant. more

This man claims to be a Christian in his conversation but by knowing personally someone who has worked there, we will never eat there again. He talks about how blessed he has been, and how good God is. Well if God made it possible for you to have your own business, He (God) should be there when the doors open and until it closes. A Christian would never hit on the young ladies that are helping him with his business, A Christian does not curse at his staff and belittle them in front of others, A Christian does not comment on the size of a young ladies buttocks and constantly make crude remarks about the size of their assets, he disrespects the young ladies that are trying to help his business flourish. A Christian does not take 40% of his staffs tips every night. He talks about his desserts being homemade, but he sends out to buy them everyday, they are not homemade, and he should stop lying about them being homemade. I would rather eat at McDonalds than put another dime in the pocket of a Devil hiding behind his restaurant to get SEX from his staff of often very young naive women.Always asking them if they would ever date a man his age. He ought to be ashamed of himself. I undersand that he has a daughter the age of the women he tries to solicite, what would he say to his daughter's boss if he acted like him. Any man who allows his daughter to work for this man, should go get her out of his grips. He works them to death, talks down to them, and treats them badly until they quit. Notice how many different faces you see every time you go in there, some stay a little longer cause they need the job, but you better believe it has got to be hell working for someone always commenting on the way you look, and what he can do for them. If a waitress looks good, he says things like, ""Oh yeah, the men will keep coming back cause you look good, business will boom and you can make a lot of money here"". On the side he is trying to get some a$# as well. I know a family whose daughter and friend, both females, worked there for not even a week. They were so offended by his comments, that neither of them wanted to work with him alone, they felt uncomfortable being alone with him, they both did not show up there anymore after 4 days of working for him, and left him a voicemail message saying that they both quit, they couldnt even make it the whole week. It was always about,"" if you guys look good, the guys will pay you"",. That is a form of solicitation/prostitution, if you ask me, he's a PIMP, cause he is taking 40% of their tips every night, thats robbery in the first degree. I dont care what you all say about how good his food is, he is pimping his staff, and cutting corners on the food. You can boast about his food all you want, but dont be fooled, this man is a con man, a wolf in sheeps clothing, a big sloppy mess is what he is. more

Enjoyed a birthday celebration at MaSani Gourmet. Truly an enjoyable dining experience. We ordered the fried lobster with tilapia and mac and cheese. This was featured in the Atlanta Journal, we were not disappointed, absolutely delicious. The food presentation was very appealing, the portions were generous, even the ice tea with lime was good. Accolades to Chef Harold and staff on the excellent customer service. Chef Harold came out to the dining room to greet us and other customers. Very personable. We will be returning customers. more

I'm starving right now, which made me think of my absolute favorite restaurant. My boyfriend and I are the biggest food snobs in Atlanta. This restaurant satisfies all of our needs and more. I can't say enough good things about Chef Harold; he is a very cultured and a genuine person. These character traits transfer into the food that he makes. Everything he touches turns into gold. I want him to move into our house and just feed us all day long. His sweet tea is invigorating, his desserts epic and his fried chicken/grits/eggs/cornbread is orgasmic. Oh I'm salvating. WE LOVE THIS RESTURANT. Both of us have traveled all around the world from the jungles of Vietnam to the Peruvian coast we are people who know and love good food... and this man makes us exstatic. I forgot to say the resturant is very beautiful and the service is always amazing. more

I worked for Chef Howard a few months back and let me say, while his food is amazing his personality is the worst. I am 17 and the Chef was aware of this and required me to be at the restaurant during school hours causing me to miss important things at school etc. I was only trained for two days for a job that I expressed that I had never done before. He was very rude and loved to make people feel stupid. Not including the fact that he does not pay at a pay rate, he pays you a break down of whatever tips you made that night and on the weekends you must split your tips with the kitchen. So there would be days when I worked 14 hours and only made $50 and other days when I worked 5-8 hours and only made $15. Not saying that the customers did not tip well, they tipped accordingly but the break down that chef howard gives his waitressess is not fair at all. And ending as the discriminatingly rude person that he is we had a big party one night and I made a mistake on the addition of one of the checks but my co-worker corrected it before it was finalized, This was my first mistake ever and Chef Howard began to yell and curse me out, making the situation even more stressfull. I have ADHD & Bipolar disorder and in anger management courses, they tell you when you are in a stressfull situation walk away and calm down. So I told him "" Calm down, I'm trying my best"" while I began to cry, I tried to keep my composure in front of our customers and I walked to the restroom and proceeded to calm down. After that I was fine for the rest of the night. Later on in the team meeting he began to call me out in front of the team and said "" Moe, I don't give a F&^k about excuses. You don't walk out of a situation when sh!t gets tough."" I replied "" Well I made a simple mistake but honestly I know how to do it, I was just stressed"" he said "" No, you don't know what you're doing and you need to go home and work on your math facts, you're almost a senior and high school and you don't even know how to do basic math, that's sad."" I said "" Actually I do, and you know I know how to do this perfectly because the other day I was the only waitress and I had everything perfectly. So It's not like I don't know how to do math. I'm not stupid."" He said ""Well I don't give a damn about excusess. You can ask them, they know me, I don't give a damn about excusess."" I just said "" ok, sure."" then later as I collected my measly $50 for the whole enitre 14 hour day of work when every check was $100+ that day, I was called to a booth by him. He said to me, "" Moe, I'm going to give you a second chance so come tomorrow at 9 am, you'll be the only waitress again."" I said ok. He then said, "" You can't be just up and leaving when sh!t gets tough."" I said, "" Well I that's one of my coping skills."" He said ""well you're going to have to find a new one because that one isn't going to work.? I replied "" Well I have bipolar and when someone is screaming, hollering and cursing at you, you're supposed to remove yourself from the situation and cool down before you explode."" Then he said "" Well we don't need any bipolar people working here."" I said, "" Ok, so you don't want me to come in tomorrow?"" He said "" No"" So I got up and walked over to my former colleagues and told them that this would be my last day and I was out this bitch, I quit, he's disrespectful and he can get sued for his behavior if I really wanted to. They gave me their final goodbye's and I haven't seen them since. Later their main waitress left also. So all in all, Chef Howard is a horrible person that needs to learn how to talk to people. more

Don't quite no what to say or how to say it....I was hungry, driving down Cobb Parkway and happened to notice a little restaurant that was just opening...I was just looking for a bite to eat as I was starving, thought I'd try'em out. I was a bit nervous when I entered as I was clearly not sophisticated enough (in present form) for the surroundings. Instantly and in the most kind hearted and genuine way a wonderful man named Abdul together with Chef Harold made me feel an easy comfort and I began to just absorb the ambiance....meticulously clean, with a real feel for a romantic evening out, nice jazz filling the air and clearing my head...( I am definitely bringing my wife next time). As I was made to feel very welcome, I settled in and just soaked up the calm peacefulness of the the place. Still not quite sure what to expect next I ordered and waited. While my food was being prepared. I was served a sweet tea of the likes I've never tasted before, subtle, just the right amount of sweet and a hint of cinnamon...it made me smile it was so good...a salad was brought and placed before me...it was then that I knew I was about to enjoy a very special meal...just the presentation of the salad alone was enough and then the first bite....just phenomenal..you literally could just feel and taste the love....just from the salad...a salmon stew was placed before me....I dipped the bread, had a taste and just closed my eyes and smiled...just wonderful, wonderful, wonderful...every now and then you eat something that's so beautiful it just wants to make you cry...I was in another place, completely removed from the hurried rush just to cram some food down my neck and get home after a hard days work. My crab croquette arrived with my greens and a sophisticated but in no way pretentious mac and cheese...I savored every bite....I could taste the love and care and experience that went into the meal...So overwhelmed by the experience, I insisted on giving Chef Harold a hug before I left, shook Abdul's hand and thanked them both for the experience. I still have a bit of a buzz from it as I type these words....Thank you Abdul, Thank you Harold, just wonderful. more

My boyfriend found MaSani through his google maps search for nearby restaurants. He did not know what to expect but came home with only the best things to say about this place. I heard so much about it, I had to try it out myself. Chef Harold was so wonderful to us. He recognized my boyfriend and knew him by name. He personally told us what was on the menu, cooked the food, delivered the food (soup, salad, entree and dessert), brought us wine, and made sure that we were always completely satisfied (and full). The place is wonderful! Everything (even the outstanding strawberry shortcake) was made in house and was perfect!! I will be returning many times from here on out. I work in restaurants and have for 8 years. This is a new, privately owned place that I would give 5 stars on any day!! I am now obsessed with this place and will be telling EVERYONE about it! more

I had a night out with the girls at Masani and found a new friend ... a friend in the salmon chowder...WOW!!!!!!. my firend across the table had a serious love affair with her spoon too.... it was a wonderful birthday present for my friend who has traveled all over the world and she said ..and I quote!!!!!! ""THIS IS THE BEST I EVER HAD""!!!!!!! \r \r The Chef even came out to greet us..... I have been back 3 times since then ..... Awesome food...Amazing band...... even sides are mouth watering good!!!\r \r more

I stopped into MaSani for the first time on a whim today and am I ever glad I did. I was greeted warmly by the sounds of soft jazz and the kind words of a friendly server.\r \r The menu was intriguing but when my server mentioned their fish tacos I simply had to try them and ordered the large 5-taco serving. (the smaller order was 3 tacos)\r \r A short time after my server left I was greeted by a tall young man that introduced himself as Chef Howard. He thanked me for coming in and sincerely stated that he hoped that I enjoy my lunch. It is obvious that he has a passion for cooking and truly enjoys pleasing his guests and I appreciated the personal welcome.\r \r The 2 types of Baja-style tilapia tacos arrived tacos (3 corn tortilla, 2 flour) with two different light and delightfully crispy breadings Spicyness was very mild, but present. Done up right with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, cabbage (jimaca?) a light sprinkling of cheese and cilantro - all 5 tacos were drizzled with a tasty homemade sauce. Guacamole was thoughtfully placed on the side. (makes everything slide out otherwise)\r \r If you have the chance - go. Your mouth and this awesome chef deserve it.\r \r .\r \r more

I had the pleasure of dining at MaSani this past Saturday, and I must say that the food was fantastic, freshly prepared. I felt like I had my own personal chef. Chef Harold was very welcoming and an all around personable guy. the staff was polite and the service was good. I cannot say enough about the food, it was just fantastic. Plus the Jazz band was really good. Please check the place out, especially on Saturday night, you will never know who will perform. we went expecting just a Jazz band and was surpirsed to get also a quest vocalist. ok back to the food, simply marvelous. IT'S A MUST VISIT, QUIET, COZY, GOOD FOOD, GOOD PEOPLE. If you don't like music, then visit the other nights. 5 STAR. more

We were celebrating the beginning of a laid-back evening, which is rare with two kids, and happened upon this restaurant in while returning from north Marietta. Although the hours listed stated ""closed,"" it's Sunday, the neon sign said ""OPEN,"" so I ventured in to ask which was correct. A friendly, youthful, professionally dressed man shakes my hand and says, ""Hi, I'm chef Harold. We're technically closed but I'm here anyway...., so come on in.""\r \r We dined on delicious seasoned fish and barbecue chicken. The meal was complemented by a ginger-infused salad and an incredible sweet potato cheesecake (!), among other items. The restaurant looks like the lobby of a nice hotel/gallery and is very clean and modern. We'll be back, with others in tow. more

Chef Harold has hit a home run with Masani. Made to order dishes that are a flavor explosion! This new restaurant in Marietta is in a most unassuming building, but from the moment you walk in the door, it's a real pleasure. The staff was very attentive and Chef Harold is in a class all his own with his cooking and personable approach with his guests. We started our meal with a salmon chowder that blew me away. I had the smothered pork chop and my friend had the pan seared fish of the day. The pork chop was unlike any I have ever had, with a rich ""gravy"" with fresh herbs and the fish had an asian flare to it that popped and didn't overwhelm the delightfully light flaky fish. I couldn't decide which one I liked best. Both were prepared fresh when we ordered and presented beautifully on the plate. The portions were perfect, not overwhelming, but I couldn't eat another bite when I finished my meal. I will tell everyone I know about Masani and can't wait to go back for another over the top dining experience. more

I've been to this restaurant twice now, primarily because I wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming the first time. The food AND the service are unmatched in this area. Chef Harold will surprise you at every turn, from the salad with ginger sticks to the DELICIOUS sweet potato cheesecake. I look forward to becoming a regular patron at MaSani's! more

I took my family here to try something different, and it exceeded expectations. The food was excellent, the ambiance was superb, and the overall experience made it the highlight of our weekend. The chef made everything fresh, the service was excellent, and I would not hesitate to tell anyone to go and get some of the best cornbread coupled with food unlike any other!!!!! He also offers catering services for any event, and please know that it is worth every dime!! more

Located @ 915 Cobb Parkway North (between Allgood Rd and Hwy 5) in Marietta. This unassuming restaurant has the best food that has crossed my lips in a long while. The fresh food is hand picked by the Chef each day. Limited menu...you dine on what is on the menu for that day, which changes every day. I had the Tilapia, which came with pan fried potato's (with a creamy sauce) and sauteed cabbage. For appetizers he served freshly baked sweet potato corn bread and a salad with a creamy vinaigrette with a spice of chili pepper to give it a mild kick. Desert was fresh made cheese cake that melts in your mouth. If you are looking for uptown food for diner prices go to MaSani Gourmet Southern Cuisine. I promise, you'll be very pleased. more