Update, October 2026: Mashita ended restaurant service at 105 North Liberty Street on February 28, 2026. This 2019 post stays up as a piece of downtown Harrisonburg history.
“Mashita” is Korean for “delicious” and the restaurant’s food lived up to its name. Opened in October 2019 at 105 North Liberty Street in downtown Harrisonburg, Mashita served a wide range of Korean-inspired dishes as well as beer, wine, sake, and non-alcoholic beverages. Diners could take different approaches to the menu, whether they want a tapas-style experience with many small plates or a traditional meal. At opening, Mashita kept prices low in comparison to competitors, with many options priced at $10 or less. The space was clean and modern, but also colorful, with a bold mural and local art pieces as well as traditional Korean art and artifacts.
Owner and chef Mikey Reisenberg started the restaurant as a food truck six years earlier, and the truck was still running when the restaurant opened. Mashita gained a local following for its Shenandoah Valley brand of cultural fusion. Take Korean comfort food as your starting point, apply French cooking methods to locally sourced ingredients, add a Valley spin, and the result is Mashita. Mikey describes his cuisine as a mashup, equal parts traditional Korean, urban American, and classic southern. It may come as a pleasant surprise to diners new to Mashita that Korea and the American South share some favorite comfort foods, including melt-in-your-mouth brisket and crispy fried chicken.
Mikey credits his Korean heritage, his family’s cooking, and the feedback he got while working as a server at The Joshua Wilton House as sources of inspiration for Mashita’s food.
His journey started with his family’s foodie culture, where he first learned how to identify good food. With seven aunts and great aunts who cooked, he describes family reunions as a competition to see who could make the best food. Although he had worked in independent restaurants since high school, his time as a server at The Joshua Wilton House was formative. Executive chef Tom French and former owner Mark Newsome tasted food he brought in, gave him feedback, and encouraged him to read widely and expand his culinary knowledge.
To those who have not yet experienced this relatively new fusion, Mikey describes Korean flavors as savory, acidic, and “funky”. The funkiness he refers to comes from pickled and fermented food like kimchi, or fermented vegetables. In addition to a brisket sandwich and chicken katsu, or Korean style battered fried chicken, house-made soft steamed buns stuffed with juicy meats are staples of the restaurant. This author was delighted by the flavor and texture combinations of the food. Mashita’s dishes satisfy Korean and American cravings, and their menu items cater to vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free diners as well.
Mashita’s Shenandoah Valley identity is embodied not only by locally sourced and house-made food, but by the decor of the restaurant and a mission to give back to the community. Mikey made the tables himself with rocks, live edge walnut, and food grade epoxy resin. The wood was sourced from Black Forest Saw Mill. Mike Arellanopainted the restaurant’s striking mural, and Craig Snodgrass designed the logo. Even the succulents lining the windows are from David Sutton at the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market. Once the restaurant was in full swing, Mikey and the Mashita crew planned to pay it forward by allowing diners to purchase five dollar tokens to give to those in need. The tokens could be redeemed for Mashita food, which Mikey pointed out is a very nutritious meal. Mashita operated at 105 North Liberty Street until ending formal restaurant service on February 28, 2026.