Sushi Samurai

I got delivery from this place, so I can’t rate the restaurant itself. But sadly, I was very disappointed by the food. Their tempura (which granted doesn’t travel well) was still much too heavily battered and oily. And their rolls had some strange flavors, and were much too dense and tightly wrapped. And their nigiri lacked freshness.
If I’m being charitable, I would would characterize Sushi Samurai as lacking in execution and presentation. But I didn’t enjoy my meal, and couldn’t finish my dinner. Which is rare for me with most any brand of sushi. So even though I’ve only been here twice, I’m inclined to stick with any of Seattle’s other, better, more consistent sushi restaurants.

Another great place on Queen Anne Ave! This was my first meal in Seattle and it did not disappoint. I ordered the rainbow roll and every piece of fish tasted so fresh and the portions were great (definitely not stingy).

After having such great sushi at Oto Sushi in Redmond the other day, I really wanted some tasty sushi again– but without leaving the privacy of my own couch #lazybonesjones. I used bitesquad to order and just spent $ 80 on some of the worst sushi I’ve ever had.
The yellowtail was not good. Verrrry fishy. The tuna– not good– not correctly cut– very muscular and gummy. I spit it out. The salmon wasn’t very good either, but at least it was edible.
Tried the tuna and crab nigiri. The concept was genius, but the fishy muscular tuna, and the very fishy crab made for a less than tasty nigiri (had to spit it out).
Geisha roll– hardly edible. The pieces were incredibly small, the shrimp were overcooked and rubbery– and they skimped on tempura… and by skimped, I mean they just decided not to put any on it.
I saved the absolute worst for last. The New Samurai roll– this roll is basically a staple at any sushi restaurant, and it’s usually called a dynamite roll. You know the one– crab roll on the bottom, covered in spicy mayo and baked scallops. YUM. This one was gross. I know a lot of people really love scallop sushi; I don’t. The roll was NOT baked. The scallops were completely uncooked (even though on their menu it clearly states that the scallops are baked).
At this point, I’ve spit out more food than I’ve consumed (also burned through 4 napkins). I’m absolutely starving– so I did the American thing and just decided to microwave the dynamite (new samurai) roll… maybe it would cook the scallops. No dice. The scallops overcooked and tasted terrible and now, here I am starving, sitting on my sofa trying to decide whether I’ll be eating a PB&J or a turkey sandwich for dinner.

First time here and do not plan to return. Servers seemed bothered to help. The maguro was ok. The spicy tuna was very dark in color and did not taste fresh at all. I’ve had better sushi at Safeway. We didn’t finish our meal. I would skip this place.

Came in with my friend who’s a regular, and had a nice first experience. Ray, our chef, knew my friend well and treated us right.
I’ve been wanting to try more nigiri after a mostly maki-​filled life, and the escolar was a revelation. «Butterfish» is the right word for it — I can’t stop thinking about the delightful texture in my mouth.
The Karen roll was unique and pleasant — lemon made it a refreshing bite — and I enjoyed the Red Dragon also. I really appreciate their sustainable approach to sushi — hard to believe that only two restaurants in Seattle make this commitment.

This was my third visit to this neighborhood place. I was so excited to have a sushi place within walking distance to my home.
All my experiences were the same, but this last one was the final straw.
Food is good. Service not so much.
Last night our server was busy in the kitchen squatting down eating his dinner. All the while our stacks of appetizer and dinner places were waiting to be removed.
We were sitting at the counter, so the rest of the crew politely ignored the fact we’d been sitting there with obvious signs of neglect. After a few glances were exchanged by the kitchen staff, someone figured out we were waiting for our check. Finally, he removed our dirty dishes, asked the gratuitous questions: «How was everything»? and promptly left to get our check.
Not sure if the bad hard rock music or the less than enthusiastic crew was worse than the service.
Regardless. Three strikes, you’re out!

I’ve worked in Queen Anne for over a year now, I’ve heard so many great things about the place but never really had the time to go. My boyfriend and I decided we would drive down to try it out, not only was the service amazing but food was OUTSTANDING! we got the new samurai, red dragon and the Karen. My fave was the red dragon, but the were all amazing. If you like REAL sushi, definitely check this place out.

Great service, ambiance, and delicious Sushi! We love the Karen roll, definitely give it a try. A little bit of lemon zest on the top of it makes it unforgettable. This is one of our favorite Sushi spots in Seattle. You won’t be disappointed.

I love this place. The sushi is always fresh and phenomenal, and the service is stellar. They recently remodeled and the space is bigger and stylish (which is good since they were getting too popular for their small amount of seating). The Maui roll was a favorite and the albacore sashimi was melt-​in-​your-​mouth good! The staff is always super friendly and great with recommendations

I’m in no way a sushi connoisseur, but that was quite possibly the best sushi I have ever had. The only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is because my dishes piled up at my table before they were removed. Minor detail though.

Love this place!
Living here in Queen Anne means great places to eat and friendly people, you get both from Sushi Samurai. Ray and Ben make some mean sushi, the staff is awesome, always attentive, friendly, and fire back some hilarious jokes if you joke with them. That’s refreshing, a laid back, but still professional restaurant where you can actually enjoy yourself and for a little while savor a meal and feel like you’re around friends and family. Sustainable fish is a bonus, awesome orange dragons a plus for the kids, and smiles all around. Definitely returning to this place time and time again.

Finally checked this place out. Great sushi and service.
We are lucky enough to have this place within walking distance. Looking forward to the revamp of the menu coming soon.

Love that they focus on serving only sustainable seafood here. Had two rolls, both very good. Red Dragon roll and Crunchy Salmon roll. Both rolls had one pepper to indicate the spice level, but they were only a tad spicy. We also ate the escolar (butterfish) and yellowtail nigiri, and it was fresh and delicious. Service was prompt and attentive and the sushi was very well done. Prices are also very reasonable for the quality.

Best kept secret in QA. Can wait for my next Friday not date! Good food + good service + good location + fair price = great date night with my honey!

Spectacular service! I came in tonight at 9, Ray and the gentleman still had me covered with 2 delicious rolls in a timely manner!
Very courteous and professional crew, with this experience I’ll absolutely keep sushi samurai on the top of my list!
Thanks again

I have been coming to Sushi Samurai for a year now. I honestly can say that this is my favorite spot. I have stopped frequenting other sushi spots, simply because I get it all here. Unless you are into some real exotic sushi and paying a lot, this place does the job. I have never had a bad experience here… Well except when the waiter acts depressed when you tell him you don’t want an alcoholic drink on a Friday Happy Hour!
Ray the owner and Chef is the man. So is his Bro. Ben!

Ordered Syrah with my sushi, odd. But it somehow worked out.
This restaurant is small, so it’s better for a date or just one on one with a friend. There was only one person waiting for everyone in the restaurant, so be patient. Ordered the sashimi platter for two.
Fish was fresh, but the waiter didn’t tell us what cuts or what fish was on my plate. Good thing we know our sushi –somewhat? Also the sashimi was cut into rather larger chunks than what I’m used to versus the thinner pieces I usually crave. The restaurant only uses and serves sustainable fish and seafood. This can be great for the environment. After reading the reviews I had high expectations for this restaurant. However palate wise, the nigiri wasn’t the best I’ve had.

This little sushi place somehow manages to keep itself tucked away even though it sits on the main drag of Queen Anne near the counterbalance — my boyfriend and I walked past it twice before finally spotting it! What you find inside is no frills — a very basic table and chairs setup that you might find at your favorite lunch counter. But the restaurant is clean, the servers are attentive, and the sushi is tasty and well-​priced.
We only went here once, but I would still say we ate enough sushi to make a decent judgment about this spot (in spite of the fact that we were a party of two, they had to push two tables together because we ordered enough sushi for four… ahem).
The miso soup was some of the tastiest I’ve had. I got three different rolls, and all were well made and tasty (if you’re looking for an interesting vegetarian roll, try the Yoga roll. Comes topped with sweet chili sauce, yum!). Boyfriend ordered a few rounds of sashimi, and the volume of sashimi that was delivered was impressive, especially when comparing against the prices you’d pay at other «trendier» sushi restaurants.
Overall really enjoyed this spot. Docking just one star for ambience — not that I need the perfect feng shui to enjoy a good sushi dinner, but it feels a bit more like a quick lunch spot than a sit-​down dinner place on the inside. But a great option for tasty sushi, good service, and fresh, sustainable fish that won’t break the bank.

Came here with a friend last night for dinner. I’m always down for sushi. Well, who isn’t? Anyways.
We got there just in time (kind of). Our wait was no longer than 10 minutes and as soon as we sat down there was a flood of people waiting to be seated. This restaurant is pretty intimate, no more than 25 people at full capacity. The décor is humble and the people that work there are friendly and accommodating.
If you get seated at the table that’s between the last seat of the bar and next to the fridge, I suggest you move because you will be bumped into each time someone passes behind your chair. After about 10 minutes of this, we asked to move to another table. The legs on that table aren’t diagonal, so there isn’t any space to sit.
The waitress was flying solo for the evening, servicing the entire restaurant. I felt pretty bad for her, you could see how stressed out she was. I’m not sure if it’s normal for them to be that understaffed; but if so, she should come up with some sort of system to be more organized. We got everything out of order: waters, appetizer, chopsticks, one drink, plates, soy sauce bowl and had to ask for everything individually. Second drink didn’t come until about 15 minutes later, after kindly reminding her.
One thing that struck me about Sushi Samurai prior to coming here was how beautiful the presentation looked in other people’s pictures. While, visually our sushi lived up to the same expectations, unfortunately the flavor did not. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed. The fish was bland and you couldn’t taste the difference between teach type of fish, the vegetables added in each roll didn’t bring out any flavor. It just… didn’t…pop.
They were also out of yellowtail, a specialty roll listed as one of their regular menu items. Seemed a little weird to be out of a staple, but we ordered a special instead. Check the whiteboard when you get in, one of our favorite rolls was from there. Others who had a bigger party and ordered after us received their food first.
Before our last roll came out, the waitress brought us our bill. Friend told her we hadn’t received our last roll and she said, «Oh!» almost as if she was surprised about us not getting it yet.
Something that did catch my eye as soon as I came in was their beta fish, swimming in a cloud of dirty water. I felt bad for that fish, the water was so thick and murky. And, if he could see past the cloudiness, he’d see his fellow fishies being cut up and served; I’m sure he’s unfazed by it.
I feel like this speaks to the details in this restaurant. For instance, we ordered the kaiso as an appetizer (which we both enjoyed). The people next to us also ordered it and they had different ingredients in it. I was slightly jealous because I liked what was in theirs better lol. Maybe they were just running low on certain ingredients? Also, they didn’t have enough soy sauce bowls so one of us was given this GIANT bowl instead. A lot of things seemed to be mismatched, but that goes along with the unpretentious feeling of this place.
I’ll stop rambling.
To sum it up:
Service 2.5
Food 3
Ambiance: cozy and intimate.
Will I be back? Maybe.

I’ve been here twice and the staff here is super nice! They have a small set up with a few tables and bar seats. This sushi place is literally next door to us so why not stop by! We came for the happy hour and they have some good pretty deals.
My boyfriend and I sat at the bar (we like to watch the chefs work). We were immediately offered their complimentary edemame. We ordered the yellowtail & salmon sashimi, crunch roll, california, and eel nigiri. It was definitely a good amount of food! We were pretty full by the end. The presentation of everything was also beautiful! They shaped a butterfly out of a carrot. :) I would definitely come back since it’s so close and the staff is really friendly. They always checked up on us to make sure we were enjoying our food. There’s a real homey feel to this place. It seems like the customers that come in are regulars.