I went to Samurai tonight with some of my co workers and friend. I had a blast with them all. We sat at the Hibachi area, and the chef did amazing job of cooking our meals, and the show was great. The onion volcano was great, and the fire was big and bright I had the Calami Hibachi for my meal, and I had Dr Pepper for my drink, I also had spring roll/egg rolls for my appetizer. Everyone had a great experience and the food was tasty and delicious. Everyone had a great time here, and we'll be back read more

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It had been a while since I last visited Samurai and I'm glad I went back! The hibachi was delicious! The meat, rice, and vegetables were cooked just the way I like them. The vibes were great, the interaction with the cook adds to the awesome dining experience and offers a little entertainment as well. The service was good, no complaints. Everything went smoothly. They have both hibachi grills and regular seating options if you're not in the mood for the show. And there is always plenty of parking, which I like. I will be back in the near future! read more

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3.5* (out of 5) Food: 3* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 4* Service: 3* 01/31/2024 We missed our reservation at a nearby restaurant so decided to give Samurai a try for dinner. The restaurant was clean and seemed to have an energy about it when we entered. Overall a nice atmosphere and good value, while the service and food are average. We have both enjoyed Poke bowls before, so my wife decided to try the Poke Bowl (see picture) while I opted for the Roll B combination of rolls (see picture). Neither my wife nor myself were fond of this type of Poke Bowl. There was a creamy sauce of which we didn't like the flavor (we like the lighter, lime-like version), there was no rice included and the portion was quite small. Both of us enjoyed the Roll B options, although ideally we would have preferred a little more spiciness. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com read more

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Service was great and the sushi and presentation of our rolls and sashimi were colorful and flavors so fresh. The spicy tuna, salmon and crab roll meal was great as was the sashimi platter. Highly recommend when you are in the area. read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Imperial Sashimi Platter - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Our group of 16 was able to sit around the hibachi and enjoy a great meal. We started with appetizers and the spring rolls were especially tasty. I had the fillet and shrimp hibachi and it was delicious. The fried rice was tasty and the veggies were spot on. I could've used a few more veggies actually. The steak was very tender and well cooked, just like I ordered The salad ahead of time could've used some attention because the lettuce should not have been served because it was brown. It was drenched in ranch dressing. Someone else had the clear soup and said it was good. I can't wait to go back. It was a fun experience as well as very, very tasty. And they kept the drinks. read more

We missed our reservation so we waited an hour for the next open table (our fault, no big deal). We then sat in the party room for over an hour before getting our hibachi started. The servers were quick at bringing our drinks and appetizers once we got started. The crab rangoons were my favorite. I ordered the chicken and steak hibachi, it was very good. The music was very loud and we couldn't hear our group and the party room seemed to also be their storage room for overflow dry goods. Several of the chairs were broken. Overall, it was okay. read more

I eat at Samurai frequently. I have an extreme shellfish allergy, and they always take care of us. Prices are fair, service is great, people are friendly and they have some of the best sushi around! This restaurant is great for a date night, gathering with friends, or eating alone. read more

Food is delicious. I am a sushi lover and this is one of my favorite in town. Rolls are very good size and if you go on Monday or Wednesday they have a 3 roll special for $25. The owners Tim and Lili will make sure you are well taken cared of read more

We had a reservation and were seated after our entire party was present. Staff was super friendly and entertaining. Service was quick and the food portions were large. Half the group did hibachi and half ordered sushi rolls. The fried rice was delicious. Our drinks were also delicious. The place is noisy, so it was hard to carry conversations. read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Bar area - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

This place is a joke! I was driving and I saw this restaurant and I figured I get some sushi as it has been a hot minute. As I parked my car I saw plenty of people smiling and happy so I figured this place was amazing. As I walked into the restaurant, I noticed that not one person greeted me. So I decided to sit myself at the bar. To my surprise, I saw a couple playing on their phones and iPad. I said to myself, "they must be customers". Welp! They were not, they were the owners or at least the GM. I was shocked to say the least because clearly they don't care about their customers or the perception that it represents. (I wish this was all) As I sat down at the bar, I hear one waiter "hey he is yours" then I hear "nope! He is not mine. He is yours". I looked over and they were arguing as to who will be serving me. ARE YOU FOR REAL!? Next thing you know, a waiter just said "I got him! Sir, what would you like?" (This is the worst service that I have received in Iowa) BUT WAIT! THERE IS MORE! I tell the waiter that I already know what I wanted and I ordered a Rainbow Roll (in the picture) and apparently they design a carb-less sushi which I never heard of and I have been to really top of the line sushi restaurants (for example UMI in Atlanta). Next thing you know, I hear the waitress that refuse to wait on me "Do you have a menu?" From across the bar and Just because I asked the waiter to explain to me the difference in sushi. I smiled and pointed at the menu. I proceeded to ask if they offer Volcano Roll as not many restaurants offer it. Once again, I hear "look at the menu!" And I look over and it is the owner on the iPad. Clearly he did not have the time to greet me but he had the time to tell me that I need to look at the menu because they don't want to go over the menu and answer my questions. I told the waiter that I just wanted the Rainbow Roll. I had water because I did not want to deal with the staff anymore. I was ready to leave and I wanted to walk out but I did not because I already ordered and I did not want to throw food away. BUT I knew I would be writing a review. When I received the Rainbow Roll I had my sticks but no napkins. The service was half way done and people barely had communication with me. I took a call while having dinner but they could ask me anything or checked on me. The sushi was mediocre at best as it did not have that flavor. The salmon did not taste like salmon or it was flavorless and maybe the fish has been there for a while. This restaurant is an epic failure! Their service really deserves no stars. The owners don't care about their business and normally if they don't care about their business they don't care about their staff or their customers. But they sure care about getting to the next level of World of WarCraft. On the positive note, they are good playing games! **The only reason I gave them two stars it is because 1 person cared enough to assist me when the rest of the staff was arguing as to who would serve me and while the owners were playing games. ** I will close with this. This restaurant should be in Kitchen Nightmares because Gordon Ramsay could give them some feedback! I. Am. Never. Coming. Back. !. read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Rainbow Naruto Roll - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I don't want to say bad things about this place, but my experience wasn't the best. It started off with walking into the back room (past the bar) to the room with the hibachi seating. The floor was slick, like there was oil on it and it hasn't been cleaned properly. Then we had a couple of people that ordered some sushi "as an appetizer," and it didn't come out until the rest of the food was practically cooked. The hibachi experience was okay, nothing special. The food was okay, nothing special. There was only 1 sauce. It was yellow but had no real flavor. It wasn't spicy at all. It was very bland, like the rest of the experience. read more

It was ok. Des Moines doesn't have many hibachi restaurants to pick from, but I don't know that I would try this again. The food just wasn't that good. We were able to get in right away and the service was decent. read more

Very good service excellent hibachi show Javier is awesome!!!!! And Yana excellent service read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Nummy chicken and Shrimp Hibachi Lunch - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

We went on a Saturday during dinner time and still were able to get a table within five minutes. The environment of the whole restaurant feels really nice. Our waiter was super friendly and was on top of refilling our drinks and taking our plates away. It barely took 20 minutes for our sushi to come out and our appetizers and I felt like we ordered a lot. We ordered a sushi boat and it was the most refreshing sushi I have had in a long time. The sashimi tastes so fresh and they play really good music lol. I HIGHLY recommend the tiramisu and the cheesecake! Will definitely be going again. Pictures do not do the dishes any justice! read more

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Love the sushi, lover or hibachi cooks especially Javier and our waitress. Yana was just perfect customer service.

We had a wonderful evening with Martin as our server. I wanted to write this review to talk about his stellar service and oh yeah..the food was great too! He was very kind and personable and because of him, we will be back very soon! This man deserves a raise! Thank you for a great meal. The "Amazing roll" lived up to its name! Absolutely delicious. The "UFC roll" was quite good but a bit too much cream cheese for our liking. Lovely atmosphere and the food/drinks came out really quickly! read more

Been here several times and this is the first time I enjoyed my lunch. Rainbow Naruto was great, big, but I would order it again. Miso was great with onions in it. Ichiban was also really good with No cream cheese and add avocado. Good hot tea. Japanese soda. read more

Another awesome spot in West Des Moines!! Food was absolutely delicious!!! The beef teriyaki appetizer -forgot the name- thinly sliced beef wrapped around scallops with teriyaki sauce was awesome!! Sushimi appetizer was a great price and good portion sizes. I just chose a bunch of apps to make my meal. The cocktails were well done as well. I had the chocolatini and it was really good! read more

My family and I have enjoyed this hibachi restaurant for many years. However, it has gone downhill and last night was our worst experience. The chief was confused and constantly kept checking everyone's order. He way over cooked the rice, and it was dry and crunchy. Extremely overuse of pepper which overwhelmed the dishes. As he divided up all of the shared food he put food on others plates that didn't order it and then over served the first few plates and ran out of rice, etc. before he got around the entire table. Didn't bother to fix more nor apologize. In fact, he barely spoke the entire time. Very disappointed and will be looking for a new hibachi experience. read more

A fun place to get Hibachi and Sushi. The Hibachi experience felt rushed and not as personal. The food was okay. I wasn't blown away but then again it's Hibachi so I was not expecting much. You barely get any rice with the grill too. The drinks were good and the staff was friendly. read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Tokyo Tower - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Came on a Saturday evening with a group of 4. We were seated promptly at a Habachi grill and had drink orders taken. First time at the restaurant we pondered over the menu and decided on the Las Vegas roll, which was delicious. Also split the surf and turf for 2 Habachi. The Habachi show was lack luster and our chef wasn't very personable. Just cooked the food and had little else for engagement with us. The food pricing is a little high in my opinion for what you actually get. The specialty sushi rolls average about $15 and most Habachi dinners are $24. Would have hoped the habachi food was better. I recommend the sushi, just pricier than other places I've been. Will likely just go to Ohaha's next time. read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Las Vegas Roll - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Samurai is a local favorite of mine. It has come a long way since it's original strip mall restaurant image in the early 2000s to a very popular Asian restaurant and bar today. First, the food is great. We get sushi rolls, sashimi, fried rice, hibachi, and some of the appetizers like the bomb or negimaki, all prepared wonderfully, fresh and tasty. This is no accident. The owner is there 24x7 it seems to make sure the heart and soul of his idea stays up to his standards, and he is a success at this. Now, today, the restaurant also has a very nice atmosphere and vibe, and is a busy, popular place, one though which can always find room for you in a reasonable time. read more

Very disappointed with this overpriced meal. The small portions was sweet for some reason. Hardly any vegetables. The yum yum sauce was straight mayo. My meals was lukewarm and very soupy. The beef soup was the highlight of my meal! Thank goodness I'm not allergic to seafood. I had a shrimp mixed in. I hate I spent $17 for this mess. read more

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Eight of us went to eat, four of us got very very sick including a 9 month pregnant momma. The restraunt said it was an isolated incident and would not refund or give gift certificates for anynof it. Very dissatisfied with the food and the management. Don't waste your time or money... just go to Ohanas. read more

This was my first time at Samurai Sushi and it did not disappoint. We ended up just ordering and not doing the Hibachi because we weren't starving. I ordered chicken fried rice. I am a huge friend rice fan and it was amazing. It was soft and the chicken was really good. My boyfriend ordered sushi (not sure what kind) but he loved it. He comes here regularly and it always happy with the food. The atmosphere is really calm and it is a great date night place! read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Chicken Fried Rice - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Went here Saturday night with friends for my birthday. Overall it was a great experience. We had a few rolls of sushi and each got a different hibachi order. Everything was delicious. My one negative was when we arrived they said they didn't take reservations even though we made one ON THEIR WEBSITE! I had seen a previous review that mentioned this but figured it was a fluke. They told us we were lucky they had room for us, because they don't look at the online reservations.... then maybe take it off ur website or check it?! read more

I am upgrading my review from 3 to 4 stars. I truly enjoy coming here on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays for their specialty rolls. This place is nice and quiet, and their rolls seem to have got better and you can't get a better deal on sushi rolls in Iowa. Drinks and hibachi is good too, but my friends and I come here for the rolls! read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Yum! - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Stopped in for a quick lunch; the salmon bento box was delicious! Shout out to Cesar for being awesome and helping make the experience, while short, an enjoyable one! read more

Visited Samurai's Hibachi Grill for my husband's 30th birthday. We had a reservation of 18 on a Wednesday night. I booked with Samurai because after calling other hibachis in town, they could seat the most people together at the grill. Overall I would say it was a fine experience and something different than a typical dinner for a special birthday. Our party ordered hibachi meals from steak to chicken and shrimp. We had multiple people who had never ate at a hibachi and they all raved about the taste and food. I ordered the chicken and would say it was "fine" - I think it has been better in the past (I have been to Samurai before). The couple shrimp that comes with every meal was delicious and I wish I would've ordered it as my main entree instead of the chicken. As far as the service, it could of been better (which is the reason for my four star review). I completely understand it was a Wednesday, we were a large party, and there was actually another big party at the other grill...But I made our reservation days ahead of time so they should of been prepared. It took a very long time for us to get started, get our tickets, and get checked out - there was a lot of downtime. Not the waitress's fault, probably a common staffing issue right now - but unfortunately something to be noted. I did think our hibachi masters did great, there were entertaining and overall made good food. Only a minor hiccup with our waiting, but I was please with the dinner and I think my husband enjoyed the experience with all of his friends. read more

My friends come here regularly on Wednesday for the sushi special. The staff is always very welcoming. We recently had a large group in their private room. It was a great time. The waiter was very attentive and helped make our dinner as great as possible. The guys could watch football on tv. We also could play our own music. One of the hibachi tables unexpectedly stopped working but our 1 cook was able to entertain and get the job done for the whole room. It's a great team they have there. I would definitely consider the venue for another occasion. read more

I have heard and read mixed reviews on this place. We had a LivingSocial so we thought we'd give it a try. The place was busy but maybe that was due to the $10 special roll deal on Mondays? Of course, this prices don't apply with our coupon, not that it would have changed our choices. The waitress was VERY hard to understand, friendly but needs to speak better English. We ordered 4 special rolls: Angel, Amazing, Dynamite and Empero. My taste buds could barely tell a difference between the Angel, Amazing and Empero. The Dynamite was very bland which with a name of dynamite, you would not expect that! We were finished for quite some time and the waitress didn't come back for a long time. She eventually did but wow did we wait. Not sure if we will be back. For now, we will stick to Sakari. read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Lft to Rt: Empero Roll, Dynamite Roll, Angel Roll and Amazing Roll - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

My pregnant daughter came into town craving cooked sushi roll. We decided on Samurai because we have it in awhile. Also decided on carry out because she had her 2 year old son at home with us (grandparents). When she arrived to pick the order up , she was greeted abruptly and aggressively by a woman very unpleasant. As she asked her "how many!" my daughter replied " I have an order to go." lady was again very short with her and rude. My daughter then asked for extra Soy and the lady seemed angered by this and again abruptly told her there were 3 soys. Not explaining the size, did not let her ask for more. Which my daughter being pregnant just wanted to leave. After she returned home, the sushi rolls we ordered that were not cooked seemed discolored and thrown together. Not sure if they were having a bad day, but probably not going to go back. read more

Blarg... I'm about to slip into a sushi induced food coma, and I'm totally okay with that. I happen to be in town for work and it was suggested to me that I come to Samurai to quench my sushi cravings. And Hello Amaze-balls Flavor Explosion! I had the Amazing Roll and the Fantastic Roll and they were both aptly named. I ate by my lonesome at the sushi bar and was treated so some sort of fabulously fresh sushi-crab-loveliness slaw, ate my crazy good rolls with a pot of hot tea, and followed up with a fancily carved orange courtesy of the talented sushi man. Moral of the story: eat here. read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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Racist. To begin, the reservation we called in for, for a generally large group, was not taken and they had no record of us contacting them. That being said, they were accommodating and did have enough seating for the many of us. We were sat fast and they were patient with us until our whole party arrived, even though I could see a dirty look every time they checked in. We were rushed into ordering, which I can understand as they did not expect us, but the rudeness was noticed. The food itself was delicious, which makes me even sadder to never want to come back here. Our big group was all white people with one guest who was African American. While getting everyone's hibachi, the grill master looked my guest right in the eye and did not serve him any vegetables and moved onto the next guest. This guest also ordered sushi, which he had to ask for several times before they brought it out (after everyone else already had all their food). I understand a restaurant can be upset when a large group comes in unexpected (even when it was their mistake...), but this treatment was intentional and completely unacceptable. Every individual in my group, including myself, will never be coming back here. read more

They have a decent lunch selection. Wish they'd extend their tues sushi specials for take out and not just dine in.

We have been going to Shanghai for years and it's our favorite for Sushi and Hibachi!! So many wonderful options to choose from. Saki and cocktails are so good!! read more

We visited this place on a word-of-mouth recommendation and without reading a single review. It amazes me that such a diversity of reviews (and the line out the door) exists. We ordered two large plates of sushi and two plates of chicken. The miso soup was incredibly salty. The sushi wasn't very good and the chicken was bland. Not only was my grilled chicken cold, I found several short, curly hairs (?) under my vegetables. Lastly, there were some loud drums that were hit randomly from the grill area that reverberated throughout the dining room and disturbing conversation. We didn't even mention these things to the waitress because it didn't seem worth the hassle. The staff didn't necessarily seem to care whether we had a good experience or not. We will not return and, for roughly $25/person, we want our money back. read more

I love this place and my rating will def make sense in a minute. The food is great, comes quick but it is expensive! The ambiance was really low key, dark and quiet. Our server was great. So here's the problem... I have a weird avocado allergy... I love avocado but it doesn't love me back. I ordered two rolls, one of which I just requested cucumber be substituted. Server had no issue with this and was very easy to take care, however the sushi guy behind the sushi bar was an argumentative ass to the point of yelling at my server who was just doing what I asked. It was so freaking rude and it did not sit well with me, since or was so loud and aggressive. I spoke up and told him I have an allergic response and was reassured that it was ok by one of the other staff members and my server but I felt so uncomfortable and embarrassed that this simple switch up would cause such an issue. 88.00 for four rolls, chicken nuggets and fries and two appetizers and I probably won't be back because of that one guy being so aggressive with my very sweet calm server. read more

the meat was over cooked, noodles soggy, rice hard, veggies saucy. They charged us 1/4 of our food for a tip which wasn't worth that never been charged that at a place like this. then when we talked to them they didn't want to fix a thing said they can charge what they want and we have to pay that and our service didn't matter! read more

Our go to place for sushi. The service is always good and the sushi is wonderful. We go so often I no longer look at the menu. A fantastic roll and a bowl of the seafood soup is my order. The soup is loaded with shrimp, scallops, crab and veggies. The roll is large and fresh and I always have leftovers for lunch the next day. I'm picky about ginger and this place never disappoints with the yellow old stuff. Always fresh. On a recent visit we noticed they had spruced the place up and added new colors and bigger booths. Fun fact: The booth fabric color is wasabi green. read more

Samurai Sushi and Hibachi - Fantastic, fantastic roll. - Japanese Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa