We'll, where to start. We arrived at four-thirty and were seated, and after several questions, our drink order was taken. When the drinks arrived, our order was taken. It was now around four-forty. As time passed, others were seated and served, and several people came in for to-go orders. Around five-twenty, I went up to the register to ask when our food would be coming as we had a deadline. This is where the fun really started! At first the owner/manager said that our food would be right out. We only ordered some sashimi and two rolls. I then asked her if she could tell me a time, and she responded that they had many to-go orders, and that they were doing those first. She then deferred to one of the sushi chefs, and he stated that they'll get to our order soon; after having it for nearly forty minutes! The owner/manager then drew my attention to a plate that was being plated as proof that our order was coming. The plate however had food on it that we didn't order! The owner/manager then just went back to speaking to the sushi chef about something I couldn't understand. I canceled the order, paid for our drinks after having to insist that I wanted to pay for them at that moment instead of waiting for a check to be brought to our table. This has to be one of the worst customer service experiences that I've ever encountered in a restaurant in over sixty years, and across the globe. The rudeness and indifference from the owner/manager, and the sushi chef, but not the waitstaff, coupled with no desire from the owner/manager to rectify the situation, causes me to not recommend Samurai Japanese Restaurant! Don't ruin your evening!! read more

I love this sushi place! It's by far my #1 sushi place to go too! I would highly recommend it to a friend for their first time! the Owners are super nice! I took my dad for his birthday and she treated us awesome! The type of hospitality you look for at a restaurant! I always recommend the deep fried mortal Kombat! And the Philadelphia roll !! :) thank you for always cooking the best of the best! read more

Never disappointed here. My favorite rolls are the Spongebob with added cream cheese (it's a warm, fried roll)... and the French Kiss that has Chile and lemon, So bomb! Setting is nice and cozy. A good place to meet up with a few friends for lunch or dinner. read more

Samurai - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

Moving from Reno NV I had access to many All You Can Eat (AYCE) sushi restaurants. Paying $14 and being able eat as many muscles, nigiri, and rolls to my hearts content was how I learned to love sushi. Moving to Salinas CA was shocking. There are no AYCE sushi. The average cost of a sushi roll in Salinas is $14 and I can't say I found the quality any different from any other restaurant that had AYCE I've been too. I've been to 3 different sushi spots here in Salinas and I'm happy to have found Samurai sushi. It's my new favorite restaurant and here's why. 1. Price; I stumbled into this restaurant during its 4:30-6:30 happy hour and I was able to order 2 rolls, 2 hand rolls, and 1 hot sake for under $25 that's the best bargain I've run into to date in Salinas! They even have 2 nigiri for$3! 2. Atmosphere; when you walk in you're greeted with a welcoming "Hello!" And told you can sit anywhere you like. The walls are covered in different sushi concoctions some printed and others hand drawn in fun colors which I think adds a bit of character and at homeyness to each roll I read. Our server was helpful letting us know about the happy hour up front and was always checking in with us for refills and if we needed anything else. 3. The actually sushi; When I eat sushi I look for freshness in the seafood I'm eating. Good sushi shouldn't have a super fishy smell and should melt in your mouth feel in my opinion. Samurai Sushi delivered that for me. Overall I'm already planned my next trip here, ready to take advantage of the great sushi and the great happy hour! read more

One of our favorite sushi places to go. The food is really good, we always just order the rolls and nothing else. I'll try to order the potstickers or something in the future, but when we are craving sushi, this is the place! read more

Service was horrible, I had a table of three and waited 10 minutes for a menu and 20+ minutes for our drinks. The waitress did not take our order properly, she only put in one roll and didn't put in for the rest of our food. It took one HOUR to get our food and it wasn't even the whole order, one roll!!! We left after that it was so disappointing. We will never be going here again there are much better sushi places in the area. They had one sushi chef who was overwhelmed and slow. They had one big party next to us who got good service and forgot about us. Would give zero stars if the app let me. read more

I can't believe I've never reviewed this place. I come here all the time. The food is always fresh, the staff is usually ok, not the friendliest but not rude. I'll post some pictures next time I go. read more

Good food but the service has been going down hill lately. Always messing up my orders. Walked in at 7:40pm and they would let us sit down to eat because they close at 8pm. That's just wrong. read more

I have been coming here for about 5 years and I have yet to have a disappointing meal. Their fish are fresh and the service is premium. The serving sizes are perfect and so are the prices. read more

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THIS PLACE IS AMAZING. Every time I get the chance to get sushi I go to samurai. They have so many different options to choose from. I really recommend sweet bee it's my fav. Also the food usually only takes 10 min to arrive to your table. read more

Samurai never disappoints. The service is always great and the rolls are always delicious. Probably one of my favorite sushi places in town.

We haven't been here in a couple of years since moved. Still really good. Tried the Amigo and Diablo rolls for a quick lunch on June 4th. I love hot and crunchy! Our waitress was a darling. She made our time very pleasant. Making sure we were taken care of. What a gem this joint is. read more

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I loved my sushi! I forgot what I had but it was very good. Came here for the first time and didn't even know this place existed. Great service and lots of different type of sushi rolls. Very delicious! read more

Update. Any review before about early April 2023 concerned the old (original owner, Peter). Under his leadership, the restaurant was superb. The restaurant was bought by a supposed experienced restauranteur. I was not impressed, and I'm sad my favorite sushi place is no more. Granted he might step up the quality when he realizes there is competition in this town, but I'm a bit skeptical. read more

Great prices Good sushi Good service recommend take out, its a small spot but very interesting walls to look at, lots of pictures

I came here after a long day at Laguna Seca and just wanted a quick bite to eat before a long drive home. It is in a little strip mall with plenty of parking. Upon entering we were warmly greeted and promptly seated. The service was great and they were very attentive to us. The food was a little disappointing though but it was not horrible. I would not recommend the gyoza as there were hard chunks in them as well as fat. The sushi was okay, it seemed fresh enough but really was lacking flavor. I will will give them bonus points though for a very clean bathroom although you do have to go through the kitchen to get to it. Overall it was fine and we were in and out pretty quickly which I did appreciate. read more

Portion sizes extremely small compared to what they used to be. Prices outrageous! Lost my business read more

Samurai is a Salinas staple and my favorite sushi place. There are enough options to please every palate, the restaurant is spacious while feeling homey and cozy. The service is friendly and quick. read more

Haven't been here in awhile so wanted to give it a try and see if it was still good. I ordered the mortal kombat, philly roll, harley..everything was fried and a little heavy. Didn't expect it to be fried since no pictures were available online. Disappointed that it was soggy as well and not crunchy. Probably won't be back for awhile unfortunately. read more

Best sushi in town I love all the their menu great food really recommended. For a great sushi their is nothing like the Samurai.

Poor customer service. We were in town visiting on Saturday and we were craving Japanese. We walked in and noticed they were super busy but we weren't even at least acknowledged at all for almost 15 min. We finally got on their waiting list for a table and noticed there was a family that left where we could be seated. No one cared to clear up the table to seat us (there were 2 other parties waiting after us and the waiting area is really small) and we also noticed other customers seated looked like they weren't being attended to too. We just decided to leave. It's understandable that maybe they were slacking because they were too busy or short staffed but please don't ignore customers (especially if you realize they haven't been attended to for a while). It's hard to believe not one person noticed us standing there waiting for almost 15 min. for someone's attention. We actually even walked by staff to use the restroom too. read more

Customer service and food was on point! During my last visit I was pleasantly surprised by how helpful and personable our server was. I wish I would have got her name. The food was prepared in no time at all and the sushi here is way better than some of the other places in Salinas. It's been hard to find good people in the restaurant business lately but this place is defiantly worth visiting. read more

This place is okay considering it's one of the few restaurants around this area. We decided to stop by for a late dinner since we were staying at a hotel nearby, and since it was cold and some udon soup sounded like the right thing to warm us up! Upon entering, there weren't any available tables, so the waitress offered the low table on the tatami floor. Since we didn't want to wait, we went ahead and sat on the floor which my dad later regretted cause he couldn't enjoy his meal sitting cross legged on a flat mat hahah. But it was a neat experience, despite the pictures boards constantly falling at our backs. All the udon orders came with 4 pieces of california roll, but it seemed like they had run out of bowls as our orders came out in an actual pot while everyone else around us ate their soup in giant bowls. The noodles were good, but the broth didn't have much flavor. And the seafood udon I ordered barely had any seafood in it. For $15, I was expecting more than a piece of imitation crab and a couple chunks of fish. read more

Samurai - Seafood udon - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

I'm sorry for this horrible review. Did a take out for dinner. Sushi roll is small!!!!!!!!! The texture of the rice is somehow different from the ones I've had. It was hard. If you've been to San Jose, this does not compare. Ordered a pink Godzilla, mortal kombat and ca roll. Pink Godzilla didn't have much flavor, tho it looked pretty Mortal kombat was just ok. Ca roll didn't taste like a ca roll. Is this place even an authentic restaurant? Prices aren't cheap either for what I've ordered. And it wasn't even good or satisfying. :( I don't know how the service is inside since I did a take out. I wanted to give it a 1 star but presentation was nice. read more

Samurai - Left- mortal kombat right- pink Godzilla. Don't let the presentation fool you. Rolls are small. - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

I've been looking for a place for good Sushi since we moved back to Salinas from Portland. Portland has lots of conveyor belt sushi places and I got spoiled for relatively good sushi at a really reasonable price. I find the prices here pretty high and the quality not so good - until I stepped into Samuri in Salinas of all places. In a strip mall across from the Rodeo grounds is this little hidden gem. I walked in at 5:30 on Fri. night and was seated immediately. The staff was friendly and busy. I got my Sake and Kirin, whetted my whistle and my first order, Uni (sea urchin), arrived. Uni is not for the feint of heart, but good Uni is like breathing in the ocean air. While not quite the pinnacle of Uni-ness it was good and fresh and made me close my eyes and picture the ocean, so that's pretty good. My second dish was the Harley Roll and I really liked it, too. The different fish combined with the different sauces made each bite a pleasant surprise. The star of the meal, though, was the Frankenstein Roll. Soft, crunchy, umami, and sweet, and hot, it was just an incredible bite each time. Don't waste your wasabi and soy on this one, just enjoy the mix of flavor in your mouth. I'm definitely going back because there are at least three more rolls I want to try. While their not cheap, they are worth the money for the quality and imagination they put into their food. read more

I would say by far one of the best sushi places in the area. Honestly thought that's not saying much considering the amount of bad sushi in Salinas. I would rate Samurai 3.5. Selection: The have a very wide variety. With over 40 specialty rolls. I tried 5 today including: Dragon, Pink Dragon, Miami, Harley Davidson and Street Fighter rolls. Quality: The quality of the sushi was very good. The rice was nice and soft unlike some places that serve hard rice and no one wants under or over cooked rice with their sushi. The sashimi did seem to be seating out for a while that was my only complaint. They do keep it on ice though giving it a fresh feeling and taste when served. They love their special sauces here so expect a lot of mayo and Sriracha on your rolls. Personally I don't mind Mayo but Sriracha is too spicy for me. Clenileness: Was decent. Due to the type of decore it gives the illusion of being slightly crowded and a tad messy. ALSO the restroom is small and all the way in the back. You can use it as an excuse to get a look of their kitchen. Which I reccomend if you wish to see some of the work going into your food. But despite all this the place seems to be cleaned regularly and we'll kept. Service: There were only 2 waitresses at the time. Luckily not many customers but I can see how that might make it difficult during the busy times. The wait time was very short considering 5 rolls and having it served in under 15 minutes which is really good time (about 3 minutes per roll). The servers were very polite and kind and made no fuss when I requested to sit at the bar. Price: I want to say it was pricey. I paid $70. But do consider I did order 5 rolls and had refills. Subtract $5 for 2 drinks and refills with that, rolls average out to about $13. Rolls do range from $6 to $15 so it could be easier on your wallet. Overall: Based on price, service, selection and quality I would definitely place this restaurant with a solid 4. Not a great place but definitely decent and worth going for getting your sushi fix. *note: they do offer more than just sushi. Unfortunately I only had the sushi so I cannot speak to their platters. -June 18, 2016 read more

Samurai - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

This is one of my go to sushi places when in town, the staff is always very nice and the food is always good! The only thing is, sometimes there is variation between what I see and order on the menu and what I receive to eat. Nonetheless the sushi is always good with whatever they add, it would be nice to have an idea of what to expect from my food. read more

This place used used to be great before COVID. Upon entering the waitress threw the menus on the table without greeting us. Ordered an Orion and a sprite. The latter was served in a can, no glass, no ice. The house salad used to be 6 bucks, now it is 12. It's the size of a side salad, and the greens were wilted and deep brown at the stem. The chirashi was ok. Wanted to order more food but the waitress just threw the check ok the table without asking if we wanted anything else. We used to love this place, but I guess nothing is forever. Oh, the interior and lighting wants to make you leave as soon as you enter... Not inviting at all.... read more

Tasty vegetarian sushi! The flavors are all there, and the tastes are very fine. Owners made us some customized veggie sushi was well. Service was very warm and friendly read more

Great Japanese restaurant in the middle of nowhere.. They have their signature rolls on the walls as well as their favorites.. Mine is the Out of Control.. Hamachi, unagi, cooked shrimp, smoked salmon with spicy sauce. The Dragon Fly is also great. It has a little of everything: tuna, salmon, albacore, unagi.. All with fish eggs topped with a sweet mustard. I didn't like the sweet mustard since it overwhelmed my palette a bit, but everything else worked. There's also bento box specials. I highly recommend the sashimi special since I absolutely love sashimi. It can most definitely be shared by two people, so this is a deal at under $17. (Think cheap date!) Stars off for asking for basics such as napkins and chopsticks. The miso was on the luke warm side.. Other than that, food is delicious and we always leave stuffed. read more

Samurai - Dragon Fly.. - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

I've only had sushi from this place in Salinas. I like the place. I like the rolls. I had been to the place in person only. The other day I tried the to-go. Everything went smoothly. I was told over phone that my order would be ready in 10-15 min. I live across as town and it's about a 20 min drive. When I arrived for pick up, my order was waiting for me, therefore there was no extra waiting. There is no online menu to look at BUT the menu has been posted on previous reviews and I am GRATEFUL to previous reviewers. read more

My sister and I have always come here for sushi. The service here is awesome, everyone is always friendly and accommodating. Never have I ever had a bad experience here. I highly recommend stoping by, this place is literally a hidden gem. I've never really thought about writing a review about this place until today. read more

Always friendly and attentive. Food is always consistent and really good. I was introduced by a co-worker years ago and it's my go-to for Japanese cuisine. read more

love, Love, LOVE! Their Sushi... For me it's the best place for sushi in Salinas. I always go with the sushi rolls. Pink Godzilla is my favorite but I love others such as The Mortal Kombat, Iron Chef, Dragon Ball Z just to name a few. The flavors range from sweet and savory to tart and sour and hot and spicy. I see some reviews saying that their rolls are small I on the other hand find them at an average size (large). I've yet to go to other sushi bars/resteraunts and see them larger than that. As far as pricing goes... It's Sushi! When has sushi ever been inexpensive. Besides I feel the pricing on their rolls are reasonable. Now for customer service. Yes! Very pleasant staff. Knowledgable on the menu items wich I like, courteous and on point with service. Not pushy at all. When I say Sake! You Say Bomb! Sake!!! read more

Samurai - Interior wall menu - Japanese Near Me - Salinas, California

The rolls are good , i recommend the orange sauce, its the best .... With any roll... But the service is not that great... The girls are very grumpy, moody.....they make faces and make smart ass remarks when i ask for extra lemons or extra hot sauce, etc. But in reality i only still go there because ikebana sucks and is too pricey, shogun sucks too, and well thats about it... Salinas doesnt have much! I recommend goin early , the place is tiny and is always packed. read more

This place is a waste of money, you'll get better sushi at Safeway. Don't waste your money here. There's more rice on the roll then anything. read more

Haven't been here since they changed hands so we gave them a try for lunch. This place is always busy but we got seated right away. They have lots of things to choose from and they have descriptions of everything on the walls. I had the 2 item lunch Bento. They started us with some Fresh Edamame, which I like alot. Their Miso soup was good. I had the Tempura and Goyza both were good and I liked their salad dressing. Hubby had the Special Box number 3. It came with 2 half rolls Melissa and Pink Lady, also came with 5 pieces of Tuna Sashimi and salad. All in all it was good. They now have a happy hour we'll be back to try. read more

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I don't even know how many times I've come here to eat delicious, affordable, Japanese food! ^-^ If you're hungry during lunch time, they have a pretty reasonable lunch special size bento box, as well as their own "Samurai Special." I usually get the bento box w/ sashimi and tempura, as well as my favorite rolls which is the Harley Davidson, and Salmon lover But, today I found a new found favorite which is the Chirashi! Yumm! Definitely recommend this place to anybody.~ read more

I have eaten here for years and I can say this is one of the best places in town. Take the time and look at the walls with all the different rolls listed. You will definitely find something you like along with friendly service. read more

Would have been 3.5 except for the long wait. This is surprising to find in Salinas. I wouldn't say it's the best sushi I ever had, but it is the best in this area probably. When we went in, there was no wait but it was more crowded than I expected for a weeknight dinner in Salinas. We ordered the TNT roll, something similar to the lion king roll...and some other. Sorry, I only remember the roll that I picked out. The rolls were decent. Somehow the rice texture didn't feel correctly up to par. Anyhow, if I wanted sushi and I was stuck in Salinas, this would be the best place to go....hopefully next time they won't be short of staff and come take our order faster.....and give us our bill faster too! read more