We visited this place last night. Not impressed at all. The cost is way to high for such ok sushi. Ive been to most of the sushi spots in north county and to be honest ive gotten better sushi at an all you can eat buffet. There minimal selection of rolls and sushi is limited to a half a page menu. Im sorry del mar if you think their sushi is great inbox me and we wil show you around and expand your horizons. I dont know about you but i love flavor, creativity with different tastes, the over all eye appeal. This place just dosent have any of that! I was told by a sushi chef once that the difference in a regular priced sushi bar and high end sushi bar normally is the amount of rice they use. Most fush is coming from all the same suppliers. Im sorry samurai but because of you beliw average sishi and outrageous prices i will not be coming back to your establishment. For $ 140 meal for 3 people feel like i got taken… if you had out of this world great sushi that is mind boggling that confuses your taste buds its so damn good then $ 140 well spent. I think the only time ill eat here is if someone else is pucking up the tab. Until the ln Unilocalsters IMOUT!!!
Kathy D.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Marcos, CA
My husband and I went here for dinner the other night. We were in the area and thought to have dinner before we headed home. The place was busy, which is expected for a Friday dinner service, but we were able to get seated right away at open seats at the sushi bar. I liked how the restaurant is decorated, and it has a feel of traditional Japan. I love the wood panels and the lanterns throughout the restaurant. Our server and Sushi chef gave us excellent service and were on top of it all throughout our dinner. The sushi chef gave us edamame, and it was good. Then our server gave us a crab salad slaw, and it was okay. For our main courses, we had Uni, stuffed tomato with salmon, spicy scallops, and Philadelphia crunch roll, the sushi items were delicious. We also order the calamari appetizer, and it was decent. I’d come back here for sure if I am ever in the area again. My favorite was the Uni, and I had a conversation with the Sushi Chef, and he told me that the next time I come back, I should order a plate of Uni sashimi. I will have to take him up on it!
Kim A.
Rating des Ortes: 2 Torrey Hills, San Diego, CA
The tapenyake chef had no personality whatsoever. My kids were so excited to catch food in their mouth and watch the chef do some tricks, nothing… and when we asked, he said he didn’t know how to. Very disappointing. On the plus side, the food was good.
Amanda M.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
Phenomenal food, phenomenal service! One of my absolute favorite sushi places in San Diego! I could eat the albacore special roll every day of the week and never get sick of it. Sofia, my usual server, is so great and takes the best care of me and my guests whenever we’re there. Thanks!
Justin A.
Rating des Ortes: 3 San Diego, CA
I’ve been to their happy hour on several occasions and enjoy the prices they offer and the extended hours on Monday. The bar area is somewhat small and in need of a make-over, as its layout is an odd blend of cafeteria and sports bar with very limited bar space. The prices are good given the quality of sushi, and the service is adequate. When Samurai gets busy, the wait can me more than I would usually expect; a consequence of bad space management I believe, as the server is forced to travel out of the bar area, around the host station, and almost to the kitchen to get anything done. Overall I’d say it’s a decent happy hour spot and you should give it a try if you haven’t had a chance yet. Happy Fishing, Justin.
Aaron c.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
We only went to the sushi bar. Quite frankly, I was very impressed. Fish quality was outstanding, both in flavor and freshness. We sat by the senior sushi chef, and the speed of his service — even on a busy Saturday night — was the fastest I’ve ever experienced in a sushi bar. Service from the sushi chef was very attentive, and service from the hostess and waitress was also attentive. The only low points were the cold edamame(served automatically) and the bit of cucumber salad(also served automatically). These were okay but subpar. For the great sushi and great service, we’ll certainly be back.
Juan F.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Chula Vista, CA
Fantastic dinner tonight. Never disappointed. Arrived to be warmly greeted by Charlie, the owner, and his son. Seated tonight with Mako(Mako and Antonio, his protégé many years ago, and without a doubt the best chefs I’ve ever encountered.) We didn’t order a single thing. Mako knew what we liked and kept them coming. In spite of helping several other patrons at the bar, he made sure each guest felt like he had his complete attention and was working only for their gastronomic delight. Old favorites followed by new inventions. We never know what we are eating, unless we ask. But why bother, each visit is unique and amazing. From the moment you enter, until you leave, you will feel like a guest in their home. As it should be.
Jean R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Cardiff, CA
I have been going to this restaurant since 1985. Seen it through at least two remodels. It has never disappointed me once. Great food. The chefs are great.
Nic R.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
This place is the best sushi in San Diego! There Miso Soup and Salads rock! Also there Sea Urchin or any fresh fish, are delicious. There service is great and also fast. There ambiance is amazing along with the artwork. We are going again soon!
Lidia S.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Bakersfield, CA
Great birthday dinner experience for my sister in law. Rich was incredible and exceeded all of our expectations. Everyone was very hospitable and attentive. Can’t wait to come back. Food was amazing!
Jill F.
Rating des Ortes: 1 CARDIFF, CA
My family decided to dine here after picking up my daughter from practice in the area. We love sushi and go often so looked forward to seeing what samurai had to offer. We ordered a few apps and rolls. The food was alright, nothing to brag about. My rating at that point would be 2, maybe 3 stars. Probably a good happy hour sushi stop. The one star is for how they treated me during the bill payment process. Yes, it was a process. They ran my card, I signed and tipped, well. Then I was informed on getting up that they forgot to charge for the drinks. I gave them back my card and after about 20 minutes of sitting at an empty table she returned with 4 receipts and claiming my card stopped working after they kept running it. I then spent a few minutes on the phone with my bank as they held the transactions as fraud because they ran and completed 4 charges. I had them voided, my card turned back on, and then paid the final bill amount which was not adjusted to compensate. The entire time we weren’t ever offered a dessert or discount, not even an apology. The host was rude and laughed instead. I was extremely embarrassed and offended on how they handled this. Sushi lounge is a few exits away and a much better dining experience, food and service. The one positive I can give is the atmosphere is cool, kinda old school. Cheers!
Kelli B.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Diego, CA
My family and I usually come here 3 – 4 times a year and most of us for the family entrees which come beautifully displayed on a boat fit for the table. The prices are reasonable and the food is delicious. I wanted to give 5 stars but the service the last few times has dropped. For example our beer glasses came with ice in one and the bartender gave us the wrong beer and tried to take it back after we started drinking. Our server seemed in a constant hurry with a ¾ full restaurant and didn’t speak loud enough to hear. I order a second saki with our server(the bartender never stopped by after her initial ice and beer incident) and it never came out. Lastly with the boat our sashimi came out at the same time as the boat and is usually served as an appetizer. The good is the portions are large and we never take home leftovers. The tempura batter is crispy not oily so it taste lighter then most. The sashimi seems fresh and has a buttery texture. Lastly the beef and chicken teriyaki are fantastic, I can’t wait to go back but hope their service goes back to how it used to be.
Debbie F.
Rating des Ortes: 1 Del Mar, CA
Actually I enjoy the food at Samurai and have been going there on occasion for a long time, so I would normally give the restaurant at least 3 stars, but NOT this time. My husband and I had a 5:30 reservation, but we arrived earlier at 5:00 to take advantage of the Happy Hour in the bar for a drink before dinner. When I came into the restaurant and was greeted, I told the front desk…“Hello! We are going to go in the bar for a drink and then we will return because we have a 5:30 reservation. We began to look over the drink menu in the bar and then was told that if we had a reservation, we could not order a Happy Hour drink in the bar because this would«not be fare to the waitress» in the restaurant. WHAT? In other words, the waitress should get all the money and I should pay full drink prices at dinner instead, so that the waitress could get more of a tip. Since when does a restaurant turn down you purchasing a drink in the bar at Happy Hour before you head to your dinner reservation? And on that note, What is wrong with purchasing a drink in the bar, paying and tipping the bartender? Is it all about the dinner reservation and the waitress? I was very put off by this experience and the whole thing put a really bad taste in my mouth. In fact, I decided NOT to order any drinks at my table when having my dinner. Why should I at that point?
Sabi L.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Diego, CA
Although this place is pricey, the portion makes the meals worth it! I ordered the ginger chicken and it was a bit dry. Reminded me of fajitas. However, the chicken teriyaki and the beef Katsu was tasty. I recommend ordering that and splitting with someone because it includes salad, soup, and white rice. The sushi is good but pricey, which I believe you could find better sushi for cheaper somewhere else. Overall, I would come here if in the area, but I wouldn’t come and make a special trip.
Joseph J.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
This is truly one of the best sushi restaurants in San Diego. The food is always fresh and the service is excellent. The chefs special role is to die for, as is the protein roll with the cucumber exterior. My entire family including my children adore coming here. Just know that it is not cheap.
Lizzie R.
Rating des Ortes: 4 San Diego, CA
Let me preceded by saying my phone has been crashed back to factory reboot and I am sorry these reviews are super late. But anyway I took my daughter here instead of the fair and it was pretty tasty. We ordered the gyoza, of course. She ate all of them. I tried a couple and would say although they met the requirements of a two year old, I found them to be lacking in the flavor department. Also got the kids chicken teriyaki bowl. It was simple and she ate a lot of chicken and rice plus a couple steamed broccoli that come as garnish. Pretty much all a mom can ask for except I would ask for less rice more broccoli next time. There was a tuna appetizer with garlic garnish on it. I can’t remember the name but I did take a photo, DELISH. A little on the salty side by the end but to share with a group oh man it was amazing. Mixed tempura was average. But the spicy special tuna roll with avocado added in was delicious I stuffed myself with it because the flavor profile was even better than expected. I also had the lobster tempura and it was 100% real lobster, very light and still moist even though it was fried in the tempura batter. This was a fun night out. **SIDENOTE: best bet call for a reservation if you want to sit at the habachi grill table top it was packed and I have a feeling it says that way, but the sushi bar was wide open when we wandered in.
Erica B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 San Diego, CA
By far the best hibachi and Japanese restaurant in the Solana Beach area. Food is decently priced and your portions… Let’s just say you will ask for a to-go box. I have done both seating options: –restaurant: full menu and sushi menu –hibachi: menu plus other options. Filet + scallops or teriyaki chicken is my favorite. The sea food option is by far the best but it will cost you $ 45 per person. I use to order Sushi from here every day for almost 3 years. I go back now at least once a year for celebration dinners.
Elle N.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Poway, CA
Rating: 3.5 Harumaki was tasty. Really enjoyed the tempura scallop. Had the nigiri(a) and it wasnt bad. the pieces of fish were good size portions(sashimi cut) but I think next time I’d just order nigiri separately. I didnt care for some of the choices. 8 nigiri &6 cucumber rolls. The cucumber rolls were falling apart :/ Service was pretty good. water was refilled multiple times, dishes were cleared, and servers checked in to see if we were doing okay. Only mishap was our waitress forgot to bring a glass of ice we had asked for. So i took two of the tempura scallop home since i couldnt eat it all. Guess what. One of them wasnt even scallop. it was a BANANA tempura. Not sure how that got mixed up in the scallop. thats kind of weird. plus side. the banana tempura was good because the banana was sweet.
Giselle W.
Rating des Ortes: 1 San Diego, CA
Over priced for no good reason! I figured it would be good since all the chefs are Japanese — boy was I wrong! The sushi is so Americanized. I would say it’s the worst sushi I’ve ever had but I’ve had worst at corporate parties. You won’t catch a Japanese person in there — they know better. Don’t waste your time! If you’re a sushi lover you’re going to extremely disappointed. The only thing worth ordering was the Unagi but how do you Americanize Unagi — you can’t.
Maria I.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Pittsburgh, PA
I had no idea this place was around the corner from my mom’s work. I headed over to grab my mom for lunch and she asked if I wanted to go here. My mom doesn’t even like sushi, but I do. That’s love right there. We walked inside and were seated quickly and served green tea. It was chilly out so that was appreciated. My mom ordered teriyaki chicken and I got a caterpillar roll with two pieces of albacore. We both had cucumber salad brought to us and I thought it was super good. Last week I was at a different sushi place and the cucumber salad was very vinegar-y but this was one was just right. Mom’s teriyaki chicken came in a big bento box with rice, tempura, a small salad, and she also got miso soup with pieces of a California roll. My albacore was perfect and the caterpillar roll was so delicious that even my mom loved it! The service, atmosphere, and food was on point for us.