About Masa Urushido

Masahiro Urushido, an ace bartender with more than 17 years of experience, is Managing Partner and Director of Deliciousness at Katana Kitten, a Japanese-American bar that opened in the West Village in 2018, co-created with Cocktail Kingdom Hospitality’s Greg Boehm and James Tune.

Katana Kitten combines the precision, craft and whimsy of Tokyo’s bars and izakayas with the welcoming hospitality of a New York neighborhood watering hole. Masahiro spearheads the bar’s cocktail and culinary programs and splits his time between shifts behind the bar and hosting guests with his signature megawatt smile and outgoing personality. In 2019, Katana Kitten was awarded the titles of Best New American Cocktail Bar by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation at the 13th annual Spirited Awards, Best New Opening by the World’s 50 Best Bars, and landed at number 14 in the World’s 50 Best Bars annual ranking. In 2020, it moved to number 16 by World’s 50 Best Bars.