Samurai Japanese Restaurant

We were coming in the ‘burbs and looking for a quality sushi place that would get us in and out before our show at Academy of Music. Samurai absolutely did that, and the fact that they did it without breaking the bank was an added bonus. While not upscale, everything was fresh and tasty, and service was fine. With a 6:30 reservation, we were done with plenty of time to comfortably get to our 8:00 show on the other end of the block. Convenient, quality, and a good value, what more could a theater goer want?

Nice little restaurant with a wide selection of sushi and hot selections. The gyoza are awesome. Food is served very fast. The prices are reasonable. If you're traveling, it's close to hotels.

The fish was very fresh and the all you can eat menu has great value. The service wasn't particularly friendly and it took a long time to get our orders in when there was barely anyone in the restaurant. The music wasn't right for the atmosphere (it was all generic American pop). Other than that the sushi was good. The special rolls were good size and had lots of fish. The uni and special tuna were very creamy and fresh. Not a bad place if you're looking for some sushi.

The service was great, the server was very respectful and polite. The food was fine and the price was reasonable. the sushi were not the freshest and some of the shrimps veins were not cleaned completely. But the salad dressing was delicious, and the fried shrimp were crunchy and tasty.

Extensive menu with a lot of American-style Japanese favorites, inventive sushi rolls, and friendly staff. Dunno if the all-you-can-eat is worth it given the limited number of items on that menu, but the dinner bentos offer a lot of variety on their own -- tempura shrimp, shrimp dumplings, and a California roll really bulk it out. Only complaint is that they take the skin off the teriyaki salmon, presumably because they need it for the rolls. I generally don't pay attention to interior decoration, but the karaoke rooms are a lot of fun! Enjoyed watching music videos during dinner and actually seeing what the lyrics are.

Amazing and underrated sushi restaurant! Came here with friends on a whim and ordered the sushi boat for three. We weren't expecting a literal boat so when it arrived, we were shocked and impressed by the presentation. The sushi pieces looked and tasted fresh, with the sashimi being a particular standout. It didn't have any of the "just thawed" taste or feel you have at other sushi places. Overall value was great too, coming out to around 25 bucks a person for a very good portion of high-quality sushi. Restaurant was clean and the staff were very attentive and friendly as well. We also enjoyed the salad and miso soup starters; they were both very flavorful. Will definitely have to return again and try more of the menu. Couldn't recommend this place more, you're missing out if you're in Philly and haven't gone here before.

I had a few of the chefs super special rolls, I can’t recall the names, but one had king crab and salmon and the other tempura lobster and spicy tuna. They were outstanding. Definitely a bit of a hidden gem in that you need to know where it is, but great value. They also have an AYCE special that seemed really cool too.

Seriously wow! Would HIGHLY recommend Samurai to anyone. The food was great, and the staff was friendly and very helpful. Some noteworthy dishes were the baked seafood appetizer, the I heart you riceless roll, and lobster dynamite. Also - great for hosting a party in one of their private dining rooms with high tech projection walls and karaoke that we luckily got to experience for ourselves. It was a blast. We will be back again, and again!

Food was truly delectable and fresh. I was neither surprised or disappointed by this gem of a restaurant. It's very causal but has an upscale vibe. The service was timely and prompt if that makes sense and it was friendly and not overbearing. It was my birthday and I celebrated with my hod son from California and he enjoyed it just as much as I did. Thanks for the pleasant experience on my birthday

I have only had take out from this place but the sushi is really good. They are also always quick with the orders. I will definitely come in person soon and try it out!

nice spot for sushi! Stopped by for a quick bite and tried the spicy salmon roll and the spicy crab roll which were both good. The spicy crab roll filling tasted nice and fresh. The employees are kind and attentive. The place also had a nice calm atmosphere with the darker setup. I hope to come again and try out the other rolls on the menu

Tasty sushi. We ordered carryout from Samurai Japanese Restaurant on a Saturday night, and our order was ready within 30 minutes. We tried the spicy girl roll, the black angel roll, and the godzilla roll. Each of the three rolls had a nice balance of flavors, and we were pleased with our choices. I would recommend Samurai Japanese Restaurant for takeout sushi in Philly.

All you can eat sushi is my love language. The best deal. Hidden away in a shopping plaza but happy we found It!

Excellent food, great people, wonderful atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone coming to Philly. 100% fresh and delicious!! Very friendly staff as well. Got the pleasure to meet the owner who was also very friendly and excited to see us there! Always good to have good people serving you.

Loved the food here! Ate here for dinner during our visit to Philly. They have an AYCE sushi option on Tue to Thu for $35. The price is definitely worth it given the quality of the sushi. We tried the Rainbow Roll, the American Dream Roll, and the Crispy Tuna Roll. Also had the Kani salad. Everything tasted very fresh! We also got complimentary mochi. Would return if we're in Philly again.

This spot is a little hidden as you have to go into the small courtyard and up some steps, but once you find it you're greeted by the cozy interior. There is a lunch special menu if you're here at that time. Many choices come with either soup or salad. The red snapper teriyaki was very tender and nicely cooked over a bed of assorted vegetables with a side bowl of rice. Sushi rolls were nicely filled. Prices were fair and the service is quick. The presentation is also very appealing, everything served on earthenware with nicely plated garnish. Overall a good spot to go for a meal. Thanks

This really wasn't the Valentine's Day experience we were looking for, but it ended up being salvageable. We made the reservation for AYCE sushi for 8:30pm about a week in advance and were notified the restaurant would close at 10pm -- all fine on our end. We got there, sat down, and didn't have anyone come over to take our order for 20 minutes. When they did at 8:50pm, they said the kitchen would close at 9pm (what????). So of course, we ordered as much as possible at that moment. The appetizers came out in about 15 minutes. Then after another 20 minutes, the sashimi came out. Then after another 30 minutes (obviously very hungry), we asked what was going on and were told the kitchen was backed up all night. The restaurant was supposed to be closed. From what I had seen, there were only a few tables there. Then about 10 minutes later our sushi came out. Our server allowed us to order additional items even at that time which was really nice; they boxed it up for us to take home. Very disorganized, but I do appreciate the staff staying late and providing extra food at the end of the night. Sushi (Broadly) - Very good, each of the rolls I had were tasty. Definitely solid. I really liked the Rainbow and California rolls. Shrimp Tempura - This was tasty. Nicely put together and crispy. I did, however, notice that the shrimp was NOT deveined -- so these should be deveined for obvious reasons. Gyoza - These were good, flavorful. Definitely recommend. Calamari - This was too crispy -- a bit like an onion ring. Do not recommend. Would I give this place another try? Potentially. Hoping this is really a one-off, but not a great impression. Value: 3/5 Quality: 3/5 Quantity: 4/5 Service: 2/5 Atmosphere: 4/5

My husband and I decided to give a new sushi please a shot. We were highly disappointed in what we ordered. No flavor and very bland on all the sushi we ordered.

Sushi was amazing and very fresh tasting, we ordered two boats and a lot of rolls :) the owner was friendly and featured us on Instagram xD

Stopped here as it is close to hotel. Inside has nice jazz music playing and is well lit. It is in a location you really don't notice but it is nice. For appetizers I got miso and edamame. The soup smells amazing. Mm.. smooth and very tasty it has mushrooms, green onions and tofu. Wow Staff came up immediately and sat me. Sushi came looking amazing. Great presentation. Omg!! Amazing sushi. I had escolar and salmon! Wow! Melted in my mouth so fresh. Cuts are just right and correct amount of rice. Wasabi just falls apart and is so smooth There is a happy hour sushi special here so you need to check it out. I thought it was different that the restroom is downstairs, cool idea. I am impressed and will return while I am still here in the city. Night 2. Right!! When do I ever go to the same place two nights in a row. IT IS RHAT GOOD!!! Had to come back. This time trying the stripe bass. Have to say I really like this place. Sushi is so fresh. I wish I lived near Philly I would stop here as often as I could. Also had to try the ice cream tonight. The one Fe cream looks amazing, great presentation!!

I was very excited due to the high reviews and the craving for hibachi and sushi but was disappointed. The flavor was nothing to write home about and the portions for both food and drink were smaller than I had hoped. It was decent but definitely didn't satiate my craving. The ambiance however was quite nice.

Best AYCE sushi in the area! The sushi is so fresh and they don't sacrifice quality if you order off of their AYCE menu, like most AYCE places do. Their A La Carte menu is even more impressive. Highly recommend the Ocean Breeze roll! Overall, I can tell they put a lot of effort into making sure they serve the highest quality fish, at a reasonable price. Must try if you're in the city!

My husband and I did a take out order and it was ready in 20 minutes. It was a short walk from our hotel so it was convenient. The price of the food was inexpensive; matched up with any other Japanese restaurant you could find. They do have a surcharge of $2 if you use card though. The food was plenty between the two of us. We shared two dishes. The chicken teriyaki with rice/salad plate and the pan fried vegetable noodle. Both were huge portions so we split them and it was still way more than enough for both of us. Tasted pretty good too. We definitely would go back again.

Great food, good service. Nice people, the reviews that are giving it 4.5 are correct. It's that good.

Came here last night for happy hour with my friend and I was not disappointed! The vegetable gyoza a was cooked perfectly. The rainbow roll and magic mango roll were all deliciously stuffed and the presentation looked amazing. I'm sorry I don't have pictures. The waiter was kind And attentive. I loved the atmosphere too. I didn't even know this place existed, nestled right next to the Academy of Arts. Great place to come to after work for cheap eats and drinks! $4 house wine and appetizers.

Great place for hibachi! There are a lot of Japanese restaurants in the city, but Samurai is the only one that serves hibachi-style food, with the fried rice and ginger and soy sauces you'd expect at a hibachi place. The wait staff is friendly and attentive, and I like the little decorative lights they have that are shaped like planes, boats and other objects. Prices are quite reasonable for hibachi, especially considering you get a lot of food. If you're looking for hibachi but don't want to go all the way out to the suburbs, Samurai is a good place to try.

What an amazing lunch we had in the city!!! Felt like sushi and few words opened in the area that served beer/alcohol. We met up w a friend and had the most surprisingly delicious sushi. They all were really fresh- and different rolls really highlighted their flavors. Definitely would recommend and will plan to return once we are back in Philly. Stop on by and you'll the glad you did.

The server was amazing . Very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu which made my order much simpler. The food was amazing with a cool quiet ambiance. Highly recommended

It was nice, food was good, service was adequate, ambiance was fine, it was a little pricey imo

Very good food with generous portions! We got the takoyaki and the Sushi for Two, which came with two miso soups and salads, a tuna maki roll, 14 nigiri, and a chef's special roll. We chose the Lobster King Roll. The takoyaki had a nice crisp exterior and a creamy interior. There wasn't a ton of seafood inside, but they were tasty nonetheless. My favorite part of the meal was the Lobster King special roll. The lobster and spicy tuna in the Lobster King roll tasted fresh, and the sweet chili sauce surprised me by how good it was. I was initially unsure if I would like it but was eating dabs of just the sauce by the end to really savor it :) I thought the tuna maki and nigiri were also quite good. I appreciated how there wasn't too much rice, and the nigiri had good structural integrity. The salmon nigiri was my favorite--the fish was soft and buttery. I would come here again for the Lobster King roll and to try other appetizers / sushi! One thing to note is the check in special is no longer valid. Apparently, the promotion only ran when the restaurant first opened.

Someone called to confirm the order, which I really appreciated. The sushi was great, very pretty

Wonderfully fresh fish and kitchen food. I'm looking forward to going back again. Best Japanese food that I've had in center city. Please come and give them a try. Super friendly and helpful.

why is this fire?? random sudden find tucked next to an urgent care. came for AYCE on a tuesday night (per sign is tues-fri) that's $35 pp to $45 pp after tax and tip. great, efficient service. honestly the special rolls were kinda wack but still tasted good but in reality you can get pretty decent quality of unlimited AYCE sashimi for 45 which automatically makes it great in my book my friend loved all the hot food too (gyoza, hibachi, stir fries) idk how they do it but i would come hungry and come ready to take advantage of this for dinner. also bring CASH bc they charge a $2 surcharge on credit cards 2 ppl, tues, 5 pm, no wait, also no wait when we left at 6:30 altho unsure how this would hold up on the busier nights

We are from California and tried a lot of sushi restaurants on the West Coast, but Samurai is the best. Their sushi is as excellent as their customer service---unparalleled. Since it's our first time in Philly, we truly got to experience the city's warmth and friendliness from Samurai. If there was a 10 star option, we would immediately fill that out.

Really good sushi close to the theater and they allow you to bring your own bottle with a corkage fee which is awesome!

All the food was good. We got the chicken teriyaki, love boat for 2, and takoyaki. None of it was life changing but it doesn't always have to be. The chicken teriyaki was actually really good. Love boat for 2 had fresh tasting fish and is cheaper than other love boats for 2. Granted, the 2 special rolls it comes with (california and rainbow) are not that special. Side note: I realized California rolls need to get more shine, they're always solid and a treat to eat if you set aside any elitist sushi bias. The takoyaki is the same as every other takoyaki you get at any other Japanese restaurant, which is to say really tasty. The side salad the love boat for 2 came with actually went really well with the takoyaki. 2 dollars more for card transactions so bring cash if you have it.

Seriously wow! Would HIGHLY recommend Samurai to anyone. The food was great, and the staff was friendly and very helpful. Some noteworthy dishes were the baked seafood appetizer, the I heart you riceless roll, and lobster dynamite. Also - great for hosting a party in one of their private dining rooms with high tech projection walls and karaoke that we luckily got to experience for ourselves. It was a blast. We will be back again, and again!

Delicious food. First rate food and service. I enjoyed the chicken teriyaki with stir fried vegetables, miso soup, and fried rice. My better half enjoyed the chicken bento box with tempura, salad, white rice, and sushi. Great ambiance with some unique lighting fixtures you have to see. Fabulous choice!

Great Japanese restaurant. Sushi was fresh & came in great portions. The staff was also super friendly which was awesome. They also have a karaoke lounge. I didn't participate, but there was a group of ladies having a blast. It's a great place to hang out with friends or go on dates at!

This is my second 5 star review of this place. First one was when they opened and I've been coming back ever since. Such a gem and the hot sake is the best I've had in Philly. Recently had the Hawaiian roll and it is now my favorite sushi roll I've had in years. Absolutely love this place.

Had the opportunity to grab some lunch over here again since I was down the road and you can't take this place for granted! Such quality for a fair price, esp for lunch special menu. Every-time I eat sushi somewhere else and pay $$$$ for it, I'm often disappointed and wish I was eating it from here or wishing they can be as good! Keep doing what y'all are doing please. Thank you! And good FOH management. Mei I think her name is. Give her a promotion; she seems diligent and runs a tight ship

Super fresh seafood, friendly staffs, and love the decors, especially the waiting area's wall pictures. Our food came out promptly and beyond my expectations. I didn't get the chance to take all the pictures, my camera was too slow. We never heard of 4D karaoke. The manager was nice enough to show us. Wow, we are intrigued. It's the first 4D karaoke in the city! We already planned to book a room on our next friends get together. Can't wait for that dining experience!

The sushi was good but Please stop serving that wasabi. It's the worst I've ever had. I literally had to stop eating the sushi and go find new wasabi because it was impossible to consume

My significant other and I love sushi. We eat quite a bit of all you can eat, and over all I'd say this experience was average. The service was really slow and they forgot 2 different parts of our orders. It ended up working out for us because it gave us time to sit, talk, and digest but it was kind of annoying. There weren't any rolls or sashimi we were crazy about. We've had better but for the price this was okay. Truthfully we probably won't got back though.

Outstanding! I haven't left a post for a restaurant in a while, but the sushi here is amazingly fresh and flavorful that I had to stop eating and grab a photo before I polished my plate. The Christmas Sashimi roll (without rice) was a new try for me, and wow. I fell in love at first bite. The wasabi is actual root, not fake paste like in many sushi restaurants. A huge difference in taste if you haven't had the opportunity to try REAL wasabi yet. The only miss was with the wasabi tobiko. It was not nearly as spicy as it should be, and tasted a bit more fishy than other wasabi tobiko that I've had. However, the overall meal was still top notch, and was offered at a great price. This is my first time in Philadelphia but when I return, I will definitely come back here. Highly recommend.

We came here as a party of 8. The service was horrendous. Some of the food came out in 5 minutes, some came out almost 1.5 hours! By the time the sushi boat came out, we didn't even want it anymore. Because the server said that the sushi was backed up and recommended to order from the kitchen. We were extremely disappointed in the managers decision to "make us keep the sushi boat" that we didn't want. The sushi was ok, there are better places in Philly for sushi. The hibachi was, eh.... Could have done better.

Overall I really liked this place, nice location, food was amazing, service was pretty good, my wife wasn't impressed by it. Only one thing stuck in my craw, $2 service fee for using a credit card. On some level I find this offensive, why not just raise your prices a little, $0.25 to $0.50 per dish and it would more than cover the cost of the service fee. If I think it's annoying, then plenty of other people do as well. In my particular case, we were going out as a special meal and had a Visa gift card that we wanted to use. The gift card didn't cover the whole meal so to use the gift card and then a credit card on top of that it would have been an extra 4 dollars. Needless to say, it was not a seamless experience at the end of our meal. In response to the comments by the establishment, it isn't necessary to charge a surcharge, about 1% of business charge surcharges, the rest build the cost into their food or whatever they sell. Both my wife and I are business owners so I know first hand about this and about how people feel when the conversation comes up about a surcharge. It's time to get with the times. It's just another cost of doing business. Don't alienate customers because you can't adapt to the changing landscape of how people prefer to pay.

Great Japanese restaurant in Center City. We went to get sushi for my daughters 16th birthday, and it was outstanding! Recommend the spider roll, spicy salmon roll - and the Udon noodles are amazing! The staff are very friendly and helpful, and the atmosphere is great. They actually have projectors that casting scenes on the walls (we had the ocean) and then happy birthday. To top it off, they gave my daughter a birthday Mochi to celebrate. We will definitely be coming back to try some more rolls and get those Udon noodles.

Hype hype hype! This place deserves to be swarming with customers, although it's still a new restaurant and probably not known about as much. I've been to this place several times since my last review and even cheated on them by going to Shiroi Hana. I love Shiroi Hana for an ambient date night but Samurai is where it's at in terms of value and freshness. Imo, I never went back to bleu sushi or Fuji or crazy sushi or machi sushi. The sushi here is done skillfully and in more generous portions than other restaurants, at a cheaper price! Their happy hour can't be beat. As of now, their yelp ratings are pretty much all 5 stars except for one 4 star. So try them out! Oh and I'm not affiliated with the restaurant in any way, just want them to get more appreciation!

Ordered takeout and everything was filled to the brim. Definitely worth my money. I wasn't able to go in person but it looks like they have some great deals going on.

Came here with my wife and son. My son loves the Chicken Yaki Udon, he asked for more. My wife enjoyed the sushi rolls. She said they are soft and fresh. Squid was pretty good, next time we would ask for sauce on the side instead. I love the Sashimi Regular. It is fresh and comes with soup and salad. Our server was friendly and prompt with serving us. Great location with up beat environment. Definitely a place to hang out in center city with a group of friends. Private KTV Room!!! A great place to start the weekend off.

Great place for personal karaoke!! Great food!! Great services. Great setting. They have party room for private parties

Ate here last night at the soft opening. The sushi is the best quality I have ever had!! The owner is a sushi wholesaler and this their first restaurant. I think because they have first pick there product quality is super prime. They also have an amazing room where each wall of the four walls has it's own projector that is in sync with the other projectors. What was being ran when I was there was an under the sea theme. It really felt like we were eating under water. Truly an amazing experience!!

Friendly people and variety foods Rooms are private enough for a date or for a work meeting.

Fantastic! We love sushi and we have tried most places in the city. This place is now our new favorite spot. Great quality fish, kind and attentive service, and an extensive/exciting menu. An absolute must try! Happy hour looks amazing too- 430 to 630 tues-fri. We'll be back this week:)

Had been there once before although they didn't open on time despite posted hours. The food was good and we had great service. It's Next to Academy of Music where I have the Broadway series so makes it convenient. Hours on yelp said opens 11:30. We arrived at 11:45 since we had a 1:00 matinee. They were Not open. Sign on door posted 11:30 opening also. We were ready to go look for alternative quick eat but they opened door at 11:55. Now we had very little time to grab lunch. Ordered bento box to save time perusing menu. It was good but the fact that we had very little time to enjoy it gives me pause to go early in the day. They need to open on time or change hours of business. I'm sure we are not the first customers to e Petrie ne this so if they want to stay in business...must do better!

This place was really good. The hostess was really nice in welcoming us and seated us down. Service was awesome and made sure our waters were refilled. Food was great with prices reasonable and justified to the quality of their seafood. Overall great experience. Will be back when we are in Philly again.