Sampan

I must say the Philadelphia perspective is fantastic. I took my wife to Sanpan to try the local Asian Fusion spot and we where not disappointed!
Definitely go back to the graffiti bar while you wait for your table. If your not from Philadelphia or the east coast it will be even more relevant to experience the traditional architecture.
The food was fantastic and the vibe was on point!

Disappointed in our dinner at Sampan. Although some dishes were incredible, others were terrible and the service was even worse.
Our waiter was not friendly, took forever to take our order and bring us our drinks and then disappeared for most of the night. When we would ask another server or bus boy for our waiter, he would not come over. We only saw him once to order and once when he handed us the bill it was horrible. Thankfully, another person named Alex was phenomenal. She took over to answer our questions and tried to make us as satisfied as possible with our experience.
Now on to the food, we ordered various dishes so we could try a little of everything. The best: General Tso Dumplings, Filet, and Kimchee Fried Rice. The dumplings were so so so good. Loved them. However, the couple next to us said they are usually served with soup spoons which would have helped as the soup ended up just all over our plate. The filet was perfectly cooked and flavored. It was so tender and we loved it. The fried rice was delicious and we substituted chicken for shrimp which was still great! However, the server told us he would be back to mix the egg in when he brought the dish and never came. We asked 3 times for someone to help us or explain what to do before someone minimally cut and mixed the egg into the dish. Granted we could have done it ourself, but when the server already told us he would do it and it was our first time, we wanted the full service.
The worst: Fried Chicken, Lemongrass Chicken Skewers. The fried chicken took OVER a half hour to make it to our table. The manager brought it over and apologized but at that point it was not worth it. The chicken was slimey and wet. We really did not like it so sent it back. The lemongrass chicken skewers were even worse. Slimey, hard and flavorless.
In the middle: Fried Rock Shrimp, Cucumber Salad, Chicken Bao Buns. The fried shrimp were good. Somewhere over bartered but they were still good. The cucumber salad could have been amazing BUT only some of the cucumbers were soaked in the spicy sauce. As you can see from the photos some are white and some are slightly brown from being in the dressing. They should have all been coated before being sent to our table. The Chicken Bao Buns were good– would definitely order again. Nothing too wow but still very good.
After complaining about our experience, Alex the great sever, sent us some dessert. The mini ice cream cones are cute but melt very fast so make sure to eat them quick! The sushi ice cream was really good if you like peanut butter– a cute concept and great ice cream!
Overall, Sampan was a letdown and I am very disappointed in the service. I would go back again but probably stick to dumplings and fried rice or only come for happy hour when the prices are more reasonable and service matters less. Know that if you go to Sampan, you will wait for a while, have bad service but at least be rewarded with some delicious dishes if you order right.

Tonight, I got to eat with the cool kids… sort of. The table seated next to us took a lot of selfies and talked about Game of Thrones too much, but there was a throbbing backbeat as we enjoyed our meal. A long table that practically spanned the entire length of the restaurant was thronged with about 50 chicks having a good time. Asian food can be so generic, but Sampan’s dishes are indeed extra tasty and pretty to boot.
I’m withholding a star because they dropped the ball tonight with their Korean fried chicken. The only Korean thing about this disappointingly dry, tasteless entrée that cost $ 21.00 (!) was the sliced apple garnish smothered in kim chee. Yes, I will eat a spicy apple whenever it presents itself, but Colonel Sanders could have come up with a much cheaper, juicier alternative for less than half what Sampan charged. I thought it would be like Southgate’s Korean fried chicken wings, which are DIVINE, but no.
The husband sat up straight as an eagle, scanning the darkened room for our waitress. We sent the chicken back and they took it off our bill. Yay, free spicy apple slices! The hamachi crudo was good, however, and the shrimp dumplings were fine as well. The duck fried rice was outstanding – perhaps the best of its kind that I’ve ever had. My favorites were our replacement dishes: raw spicy tuna on individual rice crackers and pork potstickers. I washed everything down with a Sapporo Premium.
The menu is varied, but it seemed limited to me. I guess I’m used to Buddakhan, which offers a smorgasboard of Asian-​y dishes. I thought they would have sushi, but it’s not that kind of restaurant.

I’m not usually not a big fan of Asian food but sampan did not disappoint. I’ve been to sampan a couple times now and have loved every dish that has been ordered. Sampan is vegetarian friendly so that’s a huge plus for me. The edamame dumpling are to die for, they are packed with so much flavor and melt in your mouth, definitely a favorite. We also ordered the tofu tacos and crispy Brussels sprouts which were also amazing! This place is always packed so get here early or make reservations. Great place for happy hour! The atmosphere is very intimate and classy with dim lighting and candles lit at every table. They have an outdoor bar called Graffiti which is located right behind it which is great for summer and outdoor drinking! LOVE this place and definitely will come back more than once!

Sampan is one of my favorite places to get Asian dishes. The food comes to your table the second it is prepared and the service is phenomenal. The atmosphere is very sophisticated and intimate, with candles lit at each table. My favorite dishes are the chicken stir fry and shrimp pad thai. The chicken stir fry comes in a delicious savory sauce and an variety of vegetables. I would recommend this to anyone who loves Chinese or Asian Fusion because it is one of the best places in Philly!

Wanna have an exotic dinner in a warm ambiance? Nom Nom.
Unwind Al fresco, and people-​watch? Hell yeah!
Happy hour? Did someone said Happy Hour? Wait for me, I’ll be there.
Here’s the scoop.
Dining at Sampan:
1^st rule: You don’t JUST Unilocal about your Asian-​Fusion experience. You also Instagram the hell out of it.
2^nd rule: JUST GO.
If you were too lazy to decide what to eat? These are my favorites:
1/​Kim Chee Fried Rice with Shrimp, shallot, sunny side egg. MUST-​Have!
Repeat after me: Must-​have, especially if you want a happy mouth & a full belly.
Regular $ 8.00/ Happy Hour $ 4.00.
2/​Korean BBQ Beef Satay. Seriously?
No one can really can’t go wrong with Grilled Short Ribs. Kim Chee, and ginger are part of the yummy.
Regular $ 10.00/ Happy Hour $ 3.00.
3/​Chicken Bao Bun with chili sauce, shallot, and basil.
BAO-​Chicka-​Wow-​Wow.
Haven’t tried these little pillows of steamed bread-​like, filled with marinated chicken cutlets (with ginger & chiles)? Zzzz you are boring.
My advice: You need to get these buns in your life ASAP.
Regular $ 7.00/ Happy Hour $ 4.00.
4/​Shrimp Dumpling.
Love at first bite. Enough said!
Regular $ 7.00/ Happy Hour $ 4.00.
5/​Mid-​Town Punch Scorpion Bowl.
Because Scorpion Bowl is always a good idea.
Don’t forget to go to the outdoor and COOL bar behind Sampan: Graffiti Bar.
Happy Hour $ 25.00.
Tip: Ordering Chef’s Tasting menu ($ 45.00/ 7 Selections) will knock your socks off.
Four and Three-​Quarter Unilocal

I love Sampan purely for the location, atmosphere and food. I’ve had off experiences though like the ac not working or not being on full blast when it’s hot outside. For some reason they use an ingredient that makes me dry heave after I eat, I thought it was something in the pad Thai but I can’t figure it out now, I always feel nauseous after eating. I don’t have that problem with the apps at graffiti bar so it must be the noodles/​rice dishes in the restaurant. I’m giving it 4 stars because I would love to be able to eat their pad Thai since it is amazing, my mouth says yes but my stomach says no.
Their edamame dumplings are one of my favorites to get, so light and delicious. The skewers are also good, they’re small but you can try out a few that way. The tasting menu for one is enough food for two people, it’s a lot so come hungry. Prices aren’t bad for the portion sizes and their cocktails are so yummy.

Seeing that Sampan is recommended a lot when you’re visiting Philly so we decided to check them out today since we were in town in VA. We called around 4pm and my husband made a reservation for 5pm since they said they had no more availability after that. It’s a Saturday so it took us a while to find parking but we got there a little after 5 and was seated right away in a corner booth.
Our server came over to us after we got situated and explained to us the menu since it was our first time. We decided to do the chefs tasting which is $ 45 per person and you get the right amount of portions for each dish. We got the general tso soup dumpling, pork bao bun, crab wonton taco, wagyu beef, salmon, pekin duck, and Dan Dan noodles. Everything was delicious except for the Pekin duck and Dan Dan noodles — the duck was really dry and I didn’t really enjoy the bun that it comes with. The Dan Dan noodles had a lot going on but wasn’t flavorful enough.
At the end they bring you mini soft serve cones and they gave us extra for our little one. Our server was very attentive and good.

Usually I have a great time here, but this visit was just «eh». My favorite foodie friend and I had our lips set on some dishes that all came out just «eh».
I ordered the crab wonton tacos, shrimp satay, crispy brussel sprouts, and the kimchee fried rice. My friend ordered the mushroom salad, duck fried rice, Korean fried chicken, and hmmmm I forgot the last thing, we shared everything for the most part.
The crab tacos were not what I expected. It was a crab salad in a wonton taco shell, served chilled. The flavors were not really there for me. We added Siracha… because Siracha makes everything better.
Next the mushroom salad. You know when you hear a dish comes with goat cheese and truffle oil… it’s automatically amazing… well this, not so much. The salad came topped with «shredded» goat cheese. Are you wondering how that’s possible? It’s a day later and I am too. The greens were bitter, and I didn’t taste any truffle… I am a truffle fanatic so I know my truffle! I prefer globules of goat cheese, and a sauce/​more dressing should have been more present.
I needed a drink at this point. We were ⁰⁄₂. The Lavender Sour drink is amazing hands down!
Next course, kimchee rice, fried rice with Korean pickled cabbage, shrimp, and a sunny side up egg! Just my style. The dish came out and the waiter spoons the dish breaking the egg! Smells delish! Looks delish. Taste, eh. The rice was okay. I didn’t get a hint of the pickled cabbage, the cabbage was present in the dish but there was no wow factor. I asked for salt and pepper, but they actually don’t have salt and pepper shakers. This would be okay if the flavors were bursting in your mouth.
Shrimp Satay. Should have been «Shrimp SALTay». A minute over cooked and too salty for my liking. The pesto which came with almond and something else… wasn’t great to me or my foodie friend either. Le sigh!
The crispy brussel sprouts, had to be sent back. They were way too salty. You bit them and sucked your cheeks together. It was terrible.
My friend liked her duck fried rice and Korean chicken. I did not try either.
Our waitress was kind. She could have been a bit more attentive, but she may have had a larger table elsewhere.
It was very sweet they comped my dessert. Crunch berries vanilla ice cream. That was tasty. I would go back, because I’ve had great experiences here before I was a Unilocaler. It may have been a bad night. Chow down!

We have been to Sampan many times and never had any problems. So, we decided to take our friends whom have never been to celebrate a birthday. We had an 8pm reservation. When we walked in, it was packed! We were about 10 mins early, so the hostess suggested we go to the bar and get a drink and they would seat us closer to our reservation time. The bar was also packed, but we were able to snag a few drinks to kill the time. We finished our drinks and it was 8:10. We went to the hostess and said we were ready to be seated, but our table still wasn’t ready. We finally did get a table at 8:20. It was very hot outside and the inside of the restaurant was also very hot. Our server came over, got us water, and took our drink orders. Two of us wanted to try sake, but weren’t really sure how to select the right bottle. The waiter was very helpful and made an awesome recommendation! The other two people shared a scorpion bowl, which was so fantastic!
The server explained the menu to us and suggested we get the tasting menu, as it works well for 4 people. The menu said we could get 7 items for $ 45/​person, but we were actually able to select 9 menu items. So, we decided to go for it! Each course was portioned specifically for 4 people. We ordered: General tso’s dumplings, edamame dumplings, pork bao buns, wagyu beef satay, rock shrimp, short ribs, Chilean sea bass, Brussels sprouts, and Kimchee fried rice. The dumplings, the Brusselsprouts, and the wagyu beef satay were the favorites, but we enjoyed everything! Even though we had to wait 20 minutes for our table, despite a reservation, we will definitely be back!

If you haven’t been here for happy hour, it’s tiiiiiiime. I went here with 3 others and we ate until we couldn’t anymore and with drinks it only cost about $ 20 per person. It was definitely crowded, but we were able to find a spot out back before the rush.
Now for the food. Get the edemame dumplings… maybe 5 orders of them! They are seriously melt in your mouth and among the best dumplings I’ve ever had. As a wing lover, I was also surprised by how great the wings here were. A nice heat with an Asian fusion flavor for some sweetness. The fried rice and bon mis are good too, but the dumplings and wings stole the show for me.
Not 100% sure about late night having dinner here, but for happy hour, you have to check this place out. Incredible prices for great food!

Great happy hour spot with both indoor and outdoor seating. Indoor seating gets a little cramped, and the bar isn’t very big, so I suggest arriving early for seating. Sampan boasts $ 4 cocktails, house wine and featured beer. I had the specialty cocktail last name (some sort of Gin infused drink) and it was delicious. The small plate menu offerings are delightful. I highly suggest the Edamame Dumplings and Brussel Sprouts. The sauces that both are cooked in are divine. The beef satay is also very good. Portions are small but for $ 4 each, worth every bite. I’ll definitely be back over the summer for SIPS.

Dinner on a packed Thursday night with some friends and coworkers. Couldn’t have asked for a better setting! This place is always packed and busy. Don’t come for a quiet dinner, but come for some loud fun and great food.
Nate our server, who we called Jorge, was awesome and personable and funny. He made our dinner better than it already was.
Food is amazing. It’s that simple. And I love how it’s different. We had three different dumpling and I’ll be back for the general tso’s soup dumplings.
Overall a great dining experience.

Wow, this resistant blew me away. We came in at 8 pm on a Wednesday. It was an hour wait for a table, but they have open seating both at the inside bar and the outside graffiti bar. The graffiti bar has heaters, so it was warm and cozy. I recommend making a reservation if you do want to sit inside.
Their portions are small and meant to be served as small plates for sharing. We ordered several different items. My favorites were the crab wonton mini tacos, the shrimp, and the Kung pao beef. We also ordered the Brussels sprouts that were very crispy and fresh. The shrimp pad Thai was delicious. Lots of big pieces of shrimp and small pieces of tofu.
I recommend coming to this place for drinks and a few snacks for you to share. It can get kind of pricey if you want to leave feeling full. That being said, I can’t wait to come back again soon!

This place is the best in town for little Asian snacks during happy hour. And they have it for the whole week! You can sit inside at the bar table and see how fast they bring out the food. This place is no joke! Me and my friend went and the both of us got like seven dishes from the happy hour menu. We left with full and happy tummies. These are way better then some of them ones in Chinatown!
I love the chicken wing dish. Full of flavors and crispy. Every time I come I have to get there pork bao bun. It’s the best on the menu. And also I love bao. I love anything and everything bao bao! I never knew broccoli can taste so good with pine nuts. Come try theirs. It’s a different world for broccoli. The shrimp was ok. Wasn’t my favorite the potstickers are very tasty as well. Just wish they don’t have to put the Kimchi on top. We don’t like kimchi. All and all everything was great. With the happy hour menu, even if it’s not good taste you don’t feel bad try because the price is not high at all!
Guys if you like Asian food come here! Their happy hour menu is super affordable too!

Sampan has one of the best all-​around happy hours in the city. Food is no more than $ 5, there are $ 9 cocktails, $ 5 beers, and $ 4 glasses of wine. You will not be disappointed… as long as you arrive promptly at 4. If you’re late, get in line, because the bar fills up in about 15 minutes. The banh mi is enormous and just spicy enough to need a beer as an accompaniment. I am also a big fan of the kimchi fried rice. Both of these dishes are big enough to share (for happy hour), so don’t be greedy with your companion (s)!
Dinner is a variety of Asian fusion and the dark atmosphere in the restaurant makes this an excellent choice for a date. However, Restaurant Week is not a good deal here, as they charge by head and bring out shared plates. :/

This place is absolutely innovative with their take on Asian cuisine! As soon as you walk in, you feel like you’re in a starry galaxy far away. This place is always bustling with people!
Anyways, I am writing on behalf of the AMAZING happy hour that they offer at this fine establishment! Every single day, they offer happy hour from 4 – 7 pm! You read correctly, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. This alone should be praised! But to boot, the number and the variety of plates they offer on their happy hour is simply surreal.
Here’s the thing though, you have to sit at the bar and this place can definitely get packed because of their fantastic happy hour specials! All the dishes are available at $ 4 or less and the portions are nothing to sneeze about either. Ok, I have to be honest, everything on the menu is pretty spectacular, but I had to narrow it down to a few items, these are my top choices: Edamame dumplings, Kim chee fried rice, and the Crispy brussel sprouts! Oh my goodness, it is amazing how they take dishes with simple ingredients and make it simply spectacular. You’ll have to try them for yourself!

Five Asian spicy stars for their happy hour, even available on Sunday’s! The happy hour menu has lots of options, reasonable price and excellent service.
I would encourage all anorexic people to cure their ailments with Sampan’s happy hour menu. Must try the Kimchee fried rice (with egg) and their Dan Dan noodles, which is a more «saucy» and meatier version of Han Dynasty, and with less the oil. Also, drinks are plentiful, tasty and a deal at happy hour.
If you sit near the kitchen, check out the chef throwing down their mad cooking skills with woks of all sizes. I’m Asian and will need more practice to exhibit such culinary acrobatics with the wok. They also work together in harmony, perfectly timing the cooking and preparing of the dishes

I’ve been here a handful of times including the extension of the Grafitti bar. It’s very modern and cool inside. Their menu is various Asian style foods that come in small plates. It’s very tight even if you are just a table of two you’re smack up against someone when your seated. Huge disclaimer: DO NOT BRING A MEDIUM TO LARGE GROUP. You think it was tight for two, gets even tighter. We attempted also with a medium-​ish group for just HH (4 – 7, 7 days a a week). We were told by the hostess it was okay for us to sit at the chef’s table which is a bar like area that faces the kitchen. We were advised we could not not save seats and we understood. After letting some in the party who did not get a seat (since we didn’t save them) stand near us for approximately 30 minutes, they advised they were no longer permitted to stand near us. They also had made a deal about only sitting if we were going to order food, so since I was not ready for food and to honor their seating policy I closed out on my individual check to give the chair to someone in our party who wanted to order food. They told the person who took my seat they could not sit there because it was «reserved» and then proceeded to have the 1 chair (literally it was the wall, the empty chair and then people, so only a party of one could take it) to be vacant for the remainder of the time we remained at Sampan. This was a minimum of 30 – 45 minutes.
I felt so bad for our waiter. He was extremely gracious and was just trying to keep our tabs straight as the hostess staff proceeded divide the group up and if you ask me do what they could to get us to leave. Not only did the hostess leave a bad taste in your mouth but I found the whole thing confusing as we advised up front we had a group and explained what we were going to do and then the hostess signed off on it saying this was okay. I’m not sure why she and he (there were two hostess who started the non-​sense) decided it was some huge issue that they needed to eliminate. If our group created some kind of issue, it was an issue they created for themselves. Also it was completely inappropriate to indicate a seat is reserved and then have no one seated in it.
Needless to say not in a rush to go back anytime soon.

I hate to do this because I love sampan and their food. I’ve given Sampan 5 stars in the past and if I go back, I’ll update this review again. As you can tell by my previous reviews, I’m big on service and also like to think I am understanding when mistakes happen. That being said, tonight was one of the worst dining experiences in recent memory.
We had 730 reservations but ended up waiting 20 minutes even though people after us were getting seated. We were a party of 3 and I understand big parties have bigger checks but we were pretty much ignored until the host, a guy, said to us «we have space for you now.» Uh, I would hope so? Is there a reason they wouldn’t? A simple «you’re table is ready» would’ve been better. Maybe I was just irritated by the wait.
We were seated in the farthest corner of the restaurant next to the fryer. After another 20 minutes of no one even talking to us or filling our water glass (we called El Vez next door to see if there was a wait and if there wasn’t, we would’ve left).
Finally, the waiter came over and we moved down the bar area but we already smelled like fried rice for the night. The waiter didn’t even ask us if we wanted drinks and just said «would you like to order food now?» So we did. The food was quick, the runners were kind and polite (one tried to deliver us a second broccoli dish that we didn’t order and told us he’d make sure it wasn’t on the bill twice so we wouldn’t have to worry about).
Of course we waited around for about 15 mins or so for the waiter to collect the check. He even walked by once but didn’t look over. We got tired of waiting and took it to the front only to have them say the server will take care of it. The girl finally took the check to the server when we said we had been waiting for awhile. Overall, we ended up waiting around almost twice as long as we ate. As good as Sampan is, no food was worth that.

Sampan, I adore you. On our way to a different restaurant for a food fest we tried walking past Sampan. Failing, we popped in to see if they had a table for 2 with immediate seating, a rarity. Just like that we were seated at the high top kitchen section.
What an experience! I’ve been to Sampan and the graffiti bar countless times but being seated where we were was an absolute blast. The precision was mind blowing. We must have watched 100+ orders of Brussel Sprouts and Bao buns be created with perfection. We were so impressed by the speed, the attention to each dish and the energy everyone that oozed from the 10+people had in such a small amount of space!
We ordered mostly from the Happy Hour menu. (HH on a Saturday, ftw.). The specials offer a scrumptious glimpse into the abundant menu. We ordered the edamame dumplings, the edamame dumplings, and the edamame dumplings. Each order comes with 4 dumplings in the most flavorful broth. I should have ordered more to be honest… mmm. Another standard, the Brussel sprouts. The portion size is plenty for 2 to share but there are never any left. These soy glazed sprouts are done perfectly and thinking back we should have ordered more. I also ordered the spicy tuna crackers and the chicken bao buns. If you’re reading this, I’ll help you get started… BUNS, DUMPLINGS, SPROUTS, REPEAT.
Completely full, I had to try the sushi dessert, pb ice cream that was wrapped in a rice crispy treat and served with a chocolate sauce. Yum! Artistic and adorable! (See Pic)
Long story short Sampan has had my heart since day one. Their food is consistent, the happy hour menu is the best I’ve experienced in the city and the service is always top notch. I’ve always experienced knowledgeable servers who are so helpful with menu navigation. They even offer a vegetarian menu, just ask… Sampan, perfect in my opinion!