Samurai

Teppanyaki room is wonderful here. The food is excellent. Yes you can enjoy teppanyaki at different places but in my experience there's no place better than the Samurai. New York steak and prawns is my go-to. I've been coming here since I was a kid in the 80's at the original restaurant before it burned down and was remade here. Last year a chef gave me origami of godzilla, and another of a koi fish for my wife. They sit on my dashboard.

Samurai is one of our go-to places for good sushi. This is, for San Diego, one of the top tier sushi places. I can't comment on their non-sushi offerings because we always sit at the bar. The fish is always excellent, and we've learned new combos almost every time we've gone (for example that's where we first had scallop nigiri). The restaurant is roomy (the sushi bar is the largest I've seen in San Diego, not counting those conveyor belt places), and has a back room that is great for large parties.

Tasty sushi. The baked roll was amazing

+6

This place is awesome and one of my favorites over the last 20 something years. We had #1 and #3 combination tempura plate, chicken and steak respectively. Comes with soup, salad, sticky rice, vegetable and shrimp tempura, teriyaki steak or chicken. And the food and service is just awesome, and always has been. We also had the Samurai Sundae, truly awesome awesome tempura banana and tempura chocolate brownie served over vanilla ice cream. Wow! I had never had it before, and was very pleasantly surprised. I can't say enough, this was just awesome food and service.

We have been going here for more than 20 years and we keep coming back. Their "Chef's special" is to die for! The sushi is always fresh and delicious. We have done the teppanyaki is perfect for families and groups and the chefs have been there for years and are also amazing.

Great food! The restaurant is very nice and well put together. I like it! The sushi was delicious. My friends and I got a bottle of hot sake and nigori which were both good. We got spicy edamame that was good. I got the Philadelphia roll, I added cucumber into it. Definitely tasted amazing. The service was great, the waiter was friendly and helpful.

Samurai has been a neighborhood staple for decades! Nothing fancy or touristy or over the top, just a nice local Japanese restaurant.

Couldn’t have had a better experience!!! Everyone was so nice and happy not to mention how delicious and fresh the food was! Highly highly recommend. I came in for my birthday and they brought the yummiest dessert on the house with a candle lit and everything!!! Had the best time can’t wait to come back:

Always delicious and fresh. The best Sukiyaki in San Diego. A real traditional Japanese restaurant. Salmon bento has a nice variety of side dishes. The tempura is nice and has a light batter. Kaki fry (oysters) wasn’t on menu but Eric said they will make it for me. That was very nice. Excellent service.

Incredible sushi!!! Fish tasted super fresh and very high quality. There’s plenty of comfortable seating with a cozy atmosphere.

Been coming here forever and always great. Fun to do the Tepanyaki in back or just sit at the booths and order the boat (family combos). Good service and good food for reasonable prices. Chicken Teriyaki is my fave.

Best sushi restaurant! We love every dish, the sushi and the sashimi is incredible as well as the desserts. The restaurant is very clean and the service is awesome! We can highly recommend it and we will be back for sure!

I had a haku martini and the dark dragon roll, both were very tasty and the presentation was beautiful! My sister had the tonkatsu dinner entree which came with rice, soup and salad, and was also presented very nicely! So glad we grabbed dinner here!

The teriyaki salmon and albacoa sushi is really good. Friendly customer service. 5 stars place

Jo Ann Banks

Always delicious and fresh. The best Sukiyaki in San Diego. A real traditional Japanese restaurant. Salmon bento has a nice variety of side dishes. The tempura is nice and has a light batter. Kaki fry (oysters) wasn’t on menu but Eric said they will make it for me. That was very nice. Excellent service.

Brooke Oldham

Incredible sushi!!! Fish tasted super fresh and very high quality. There’s plenty of comfortable seating with a cozy atmosphere.

Alex Scott

Been coming here forever and always great. Fun to do the Tepanyaki in back or just sit at the booths and order the boat (family combos). Good service and good food for reasonable prices. Chicken Teriyaki is my fave.

Ina Abeyta

Best sushi restaurant! We love every dish, the sushi and the sashimi is incredible as well as the desserts. The restaurant is very clean and the service is awesome! We can highly recommend it and we will be back for sure!

Victoria Carrera

I had a haku martini and the dark dragon roll, both were very tasty and the presentation was beautiful! My sister had the tonkatsu dinner entree which came with rice, soup and salad, and was also presented very nicely! So glad we grabbed dinner here!

M L (Chasing the summer)

The teriyaki salmon and albacoa sushi is really good. Friendly customer service. 5 stars place

I recently dined at an incredible sushi restaurant and I can't stop raving about it! The sushi was absolutely delicious, with fresh ingredients and beautifully presented dishes. The staff was incredibly sweet and very helpful, making sure we had everything we needed and providing excellent recommendations. The drinks were also amazing, perfectly complementing the meal. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I can't wait to go back!

My husband, my son and I went to here for the first time. It was very cozy and modern art from Japan. The foods are fantastic but the best service was the young sweet lady who sincerely served with beautiful smile. 😊 Thank you very much Lucy, for making a special day for my birthday. ☺️

I have been going here for 10+ years and by far the best Sushi in town. We do Teppanyaki at least once a month and is a great experience.

Have been going here for years. Great service. Delicious food. Great quality. Way better than Beni Hana obviously. Thank you.

This is quite easily the best sushi restaurant we’ve eaten in since moving to San Diego years ago. The fish is fresh, always consistent and the owners treat us like regulars. Because we are. If you like sushi that’s inventive, tasty and fresh consider Samurai!

Garrett Jones

Have been going here for years. Great service. Delicious food. Great quality. Way better than Beni Hana obviously. Thank you.

Zach Anderson

I have been going here for 10+ years and by far the best Sushi in town. We do Teppanyaki at least once a month and is a great experience.

David Temple

This is quite easily the best sushi restaurant we’ve eaten in since moving to San Diego years ago. The fish is fresh, always consistent and the owners treat us like regulars. Because we are. If you like sushi that’s inventive, tasty and fresh consider Samurai!

Sachiko LaMarre

My husband, my son and I went to here for the first time. It was very cozy and modern art from Japan. The foods are fantastic but the best service was the young sweet lady who sincerely served with beautiful smile. 😊 Thank you very much Lucy, for making a special day for my birthday. ☺️

j estrada

Great food! The restaurant is very nice and well put together. I like it! The sushi was delicious. My friends and I got a bottle of hot sake and nigori which were both good. We got spicy edamame that was good. I got the Philadelphia roll, I added cucumber into it. Definitely tasted amazing. The service was great, the waiter was friendly and helpful.

Natalie Donley

I recently dined at an incredible sushi restaurant and I can't stop raving about it! The sushi was absolutely delicious, with fresh ingredients and beautifully presented dishes. The staff was incredibly sweet and very helpful, making sure we had everything we needed and providing excellent recommendations. The drinks were also amazing, perfectly complementing the meal. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I can't wait to go back!

Went here for Mother’s Day. Good portions on the hibachi meat. Kinda pricey compared to other places, sushi rolls are about $20 each, and you have to pay an extra 7.50 to upgrade from white to fried rice… we also thought the food was undersalted and lacking flavor although it was cooked well (tenderness). And call us crazy, but we love yum yum sauce with hibachi, but they unfortunately didn’t have any. I’ll

I will be honest, I didn't expect all that much out of a suburban plaza mall but it was the highest rated local sushi so we decided to forgo the usual hipster spots on the 101 and give it a try. It was a great decision! As soon as we indicated we wanted to sit at the bar the host asked if we were going to be interested in traditional nigiri sushi or rolls and placed us with the best sushi chef accordingly. The rolls were creative and yummy, the fish was fresh and the service excellent! Absolutely will go there again.

Good food with a fun show! Definitely recommend checking it out.

+6

Well this was a different dining experience for me. Can I recommend this place to others? Yes I can, but for reasons that are atypical. From my perspective, the strength of this establishment is actually the ambiance. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good. My favorites were the Yakitori and the Hurricane Roll. However, the @samurai92075 environment makes you feel comfortable and welcomed such that you kinda just don’t wanna leave. And that’s…Henry’s Take. @henrystake

The salmon sushi was good and aesthetically pleasing but I was not a fan of the wasabi inside the sushi. The spicy tuna with albacore was good but the spicy mayo sauce was too much for me. Not spicy, just overwhelming of a mayo taste for sushi. The sushi bar man was nice and I appreciated the Orange slice at the end. Also, hot sake is good. Try it if you can!

Came here for dinner with a friend. I liked the atmosphere, and the service was pretty good. We did come during the week around 6/7 pm so it wasn't as busy as I thought it. The food was a bit more expensive than I thought compared to other sushi places I have been to in Carlsbad or Oceanside but was fresh when we went.

Benihana isn’t the only teppanyaki worth your time in San Diego- check out Samurai for some good food with a show! 🔥 Steak 😘Sake (& House Sake) 🤹Teppanyaki experience Chef Ami- you stole our hearts!

Henry Voros

Well this was a different dining experience for me. Can I recommend this place to others? Yes I can, but for reasons that are atypical. From my perspective, the strength of this establishment is actually the ambiance. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good. My favorites were the Yakitori and the Hurricane Roll. However, the @samurai92075 environment makes you feel comfortable and welcomed such that you kinda just don’t wanna leave. And that’s…Henry’s Take. @henrystake

Leslie None

The salmon sushi was good and aesthetically pleasing but I was not a fan of the wasabi inside the sushi. The spicy tuna with albacore was good but the spicy mayo sauce was too much for me. Not spicy, just overwhelming of a mayo taste for sushi. The sushi bar man was nice and I appreciated the Orange slice at the end. Also, hot sake is good. Try it if you can!

Lauren B

Came here for dinner with a friend. I liked the atmosphere, and the service was pretty good. We did come during the week around 6/7 pm so it wasn't as busy as I thought it. The food was a bit more expensive than I thought compared to other sushi places I have been to in Carlsbad or Oceanside but was fresh when we went.

Ajay

Benihana isn’t the only teppanyaki worth your time in San Diego- check out Samurai for some good food with a show! 🔥 Steak 😘Sake (& House Sake) 🤹Teppanyaki experience Chef Ami- you stole our hearts!

We stopped by on our way back to LA from SD and didn't have a reservation. They accommodated us and sat us at 7:30. We walked into the restaurant around 6:50. It was a lovely experience.

Dawyn

We stopped by on our way back to LA from SD and didn't have a reservation. They accommodated us and sat us at 7:30. We walked into the restaurant around 6:50. It was a lovely experience.

Good food but very steep prices. Paid 50 a person for a filling meal. If you’re not worried about cost, the food is amazing. Would highly recommend the boats as well as the candies by the door are free for a little treat at the end. Feels very authentic as well, I would definitely eat there for diner specifically. They also can cook right in front of you, 10/10 experience 😊.

Went with a group, and the hassle we got from the owner about split checks was not good. Our waitress Angelica was very good. The food was good and the Sushi Chefs were fast also.

Food was fresh although a bit overpriced. I ordered a roll that said it had crab in it, not so, it had the fake crab. The reviews say this is a great place but this was definitely a false description of the product, wouldn't have ordered it if I had known. Other sushi restaurants use the fake but with Samurai's reputation I took them at their word.

The vibe is cool and leans traditional Japanese, but the food felt very average. Some of the sushi was a bit tough, and the fish quality did not stand out. I would not come back based on that alone. I did appreciate having a rice-free option like the cucumber roll.

Brandon Nolte

The vibe is cool and leans traditional Japanese, but the food felt very average. Some of the sushi was a bit tough, and the fish quality did not stand out. I would not come back based on that alone. I did appreciate having a rice-free option like the cucumber roll.

I am honestly surprised by the great ratings. I cannot believe how much we spent for a Teppan grill for three people. My party of three paid extra for fried rice ($22.50 extra for fried rice) and we each got a meal. The party of FIVE sitting next to us ordered TWO meals to share between them and all five got the same amount of sides, shrimp, and fried rice as we did. So, I guess I don't know how to play the game. This was our first and last time coming to this restaurant. I have to believe there are better Teppan grills in the area.

This restaurant seems to have a following and based on that, I'm sure they're a capable bunch, but my wife and I were shocked at the mediocrity of our meal for the price paid. Sushi is not for the faint-of-heart if you want to eat well, but for $175 with tip we could have eaten nearly two meals at our neighborhood favorite and neither the service nor food was up to par. We had tickets to a 7:30 play at the nearby repertory theater, so made a 6:00 reservation and arrived right on time. We were seated and then waited nearly 15 minutes for a server, who came by to take our drink order. We explained that we needed to leave by 7:20 and ordered four appetizers, and informed that we would order more food on her next pass. Our sake arrived quickly but then... nada. 20 minutes later our first dish (tempura) arrived with an apology for the delay that "the kitchen is pretty backed up". Which would have been easier to accept if the restaurant was more than half-full, which it was not. And the dish was luke warm, the coating softened, with a distinct after-taste of oil that suggested either cooking at too low of a temperature or that the dish sat on a counter for several minutes. After that... more waiting. 10 minutes later (30 minutes after first contact with the wait-staff), I stopped the host (and owner, I believe) and explained that we were waiting on 3 more dishes, wanted to order some sushi, and had to be out the door in 30 minutes. To his credit, he took our order and magically, the rest of our food arrived a moment later. But as with the first dish, our yakitori, dumplings and kalbi were only warm and not hot, so it was apparent that wait-staff and kitchen were completely out of sync. Our sushi arrived shortly thereafter and was beautifully plated - by far the best part of our meal, but still not quite right. We had a special tuna roll ("spicy tuna") and stuffed orange tomato (salmon topped with "spicy scallop"), neither of which were anything close to "spicy" as described. At that point, asking for chile sauce or something to spice them up was out of the question because of what had become a time crunch, so we ate them as presented. During our initial wait at the table, I asked to see the teppanyaki menu (offered in an adjacent dining room) and was actually shocked at the pricing. We eat from time to time at Shogun in Kearney Mesa and the prices at Samurai are 50%(!) higher. We didn't dine at a teppan table, so I cannot say whether there's value or not, but in the main dining room, the food and service did not come close to justifying the price point. Japanese food is generally more expensive because of the higher costs of skilled labor and premium ingredients that are presented in a meticulous and artistic manner, but that was not our experience.

I have been to this restaurant, a few times over the course of my life. I've always had pleasant experiences, until my last meal. Food wise, the presentation was a bit off. My sushi came with avocado that was clearly bruised, but I thought to myself that it would still taste good. However, the fish was not served at a cool temperature. I honestly felt nauseated at the end of the meal. The restaurant wasn't particularly busy, but our server wasn't particularly polite or professional. As you might imagine, the experience was off-putting and I will not be patronizing this restaurant again.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was beautiful. I appreciated the decor and the dim light setting. However, the service was extremely poor. It didn't seem as though the restaurant was extremely busy so I wasn't impressed with having to wait, for more than what seemed a fair amount of time, for the waitress to come back and ask for our order. Our waitress only checked on us maybe four times throughout the entirety of our meal. The food was okay, I wasn't wowed for the prices. Then it comes time to pay, I gave her more than what I wanted to for her tip, which I was still going to give her a tip because I do believe in doing so, but she NEVER came back with my change and then wouldn't even look at us when we were leaving. Complete poor customer service skills on her part.

Mexican cook for the teppanyaki table was a terrible cook, and the food was flavorless. The staff delivered my appetizer halfway through the meal. I complained to the manager, who could care less. Expensive terrible time.

Skimpy portions, burnt food, poor service and we were the only ones there, so there was no excuse for any of that! Took my toddlers full bowl of soup without asking us if he was done. Cook wasn't provided enough rice so he took rice from everyone's bowl to make a 7th bowl, leaving everyone with toddler size portions of rice and a hefty upcharge of $7.50 per bowl, completely ridiculous! Despite all this they still charged a mandatory gratuity. Complete waste of $384.00.

I eat sushi at least once a week and I like to be adventurous. I had the amaebi and the tempura chicken. I ate the sweet shrimp because I was hungry but they put way too much batter on everything. There was absolutely no seasoning to anything and the oil wasn’t hot enough so mixed with too much batter, it just made it soggy. They also put in a tempura banana with the veggies which in 20 years of eating sushi, I’ve never had that with dinner. On top of that, it was also over ripe, gross. I ate one bite of chicken and that was enough for me. I’m bummed because I used to work over here 11 years ago and went there all the time. Not worth the $70 I paid. I guess I’m just spoiled with SoCal Sushi in Normal Heights. Sad.

This place used to be so good, but it went way downhill. I wish I could put a 0 for the food. As soon as the 3 rolls of sushi arrived, I knew something was wrong. They smelled off, looked off, weren't cold, and tasted off. They even put bruised avocado on one of the rolls. I should have taken photos!!! We ate anyway because we were SO freaking hungry and didn't want to cause a problem. At least the cucumber salad and miso soup were decent. At the end of the meal, I kindly told our waiter about the lack of quality and how it used to be so good, but she evidently didn't care. I asked her to just let the manager know, for quality control. I didn't want a a discount or anything.. I just wanted to let them know so they can bring back how good it used to be. I'm considering calling San Diego Public Health to inspect their kitchens. Their fish smelled off and it was not cold at all. It's disgusting to even remember it 🤢

The manager was incredibly rude. Called the day before to make sure I was going to show up. He also called when I was five minutes late parking my car. I have been going to Samurai for over 20 years. The manager has been there at least 10 years. No way to treat a regular customer. Not sure if I will go back again. The staff was great.

Bing Pao

The manager was incredibly rude. Called the day before to make sure I was going to show up. He also called when I was five minutes late parking my car. I have been going to Samurai for over 20 years. The manager has been there at least 10 years. No way to treat a regular customer. Not sure if I will go back again. The staff was great.

A. B.

This place used to be so good, but it went way downhill. I wish I could put a 0 for the food. As soon as the 3 rolls of sushi arrived, I knew something was wrong. They smelled off, looked off, weren't cold, and tasted off. They even put bruised avocado on one of the rolls. I should have taken photos!!! We ate anyway because we were SO freaking hungry and didn't want to cause a problem. At least the cucumber salad and miso soup were decent. At the end of the meal, I kindly told our waiter about the lack of quality and how it used to be so good, but she evidently didn't care. I asked her to just let the manager know, for quality control. I didn't want a a discount or anything.. I just wanted to let them know so they can bring back how good it used to be. I'm considering calling San Diego Public Health to inspect their kitchens. Their fish smelled off and it was not cold at all. It's disgusting to even remember it 🤢