Samurai Japanese Restaurant in Solana Beach

The salmon sushi was good and aesthetically pleasing but I was not a fan of the wasabi inside the sushi. The spicy tuna with albacore was good but the spicy mayo sauce was too much for me. Not spicy, just overwhelming of a mayo taste for sushi. The sushi bar man was nice and I appreciated the Orange slice at the end. Also, hot sake is good. Try it if you can!

This restaurant seems to have a following and based on that, Im sure theyre a capable bunch, but my wife and I were shocked at the mediocrity of our meal for the price paid. Sushi is not for the faint-of-heart if you want to eat well, but for $175 with tip we could have eaten nearly two meals at our neighborhood favorite and neither the service nor food was up to par.We had tickets to a 7:30 play at the nearby repertory theater, so made a 6:00 reservation and arrived right on time. We were seated and then waited nearly 15 minutes for a server, who came by to take our drink order. We explained that we needed to leave by 7:20 and ordered four appetizers, and informed that we would order more food on her next pass. Our sake arrived quickly but then... nada. 20 minutes later our first dish (tempura) arrived with an apology for the delay that the kitchen is pretty backed up. Which would have been easier to accept if the restaurant was more than half-full, which it was not. And the dish was luke warm, the coating softened, with a distinct after-taste of oil that suggested either cooking at too low of a temperature or that the dish sat on a counter for several minutes.After that... more waiting. 10 minutes later (30 minutes after first contact with the wait-staff), I stopped the host (and owner, I believe) and explained that we were waiting on 3 more dishes, wanted to order some sushi, and had to be out the door in 30 minutes. To his credit, he took our order and magically, the rest of our food arrived a moment later. But as with the first dish, our yakitori, dumplings and kalbi were only warm and not hot, so it was apparent that wait-staff and kitchen were completely out of sync.Our sushi arrived shortly thereafter and was beautifully plated - by far the best part of our meal, but still not quite right. We had a special tuna roll (spicy tuna) and stuffed orange tomato (salmon topped with spicy scallop), neither of which were anything close to spicy as described. At that point, asking for chile sauce or something to spice them up was out of the question because of what had become a time crunch, so we ate them as presented.During our initial wait at the table, I asked to see the teppanyaki menu (offered in an adjacent dining room) and was actually shocked at the pricing. We eat from time to time at Shogun in Kearney Mesa and the prices at Samurai are 50%(!) higher. We didnt dine at a teppan table, so I cannot say whether theres value or not, but in the main dining room, the food and service did not come close to justifying the price point. Japanese food is generally more expensive because of the higher costs of skilled labor and premium ingredients that are presented in a meticulous and artistic manner, but that was not our experience.

Always delicious and fresh. The best Sukiyaki in San Diego. A real traditional Japanese restaurant. Salmon bento has a nice variety of side dishes. The tempura is nice and has a light batter. Kaki fry (oysters) wasn’t on menu but Eric said they will make it for me. That was very nice. Excellent service.

Attention to detail here and reasonable prices. We had chef Atachi, phonetically spelled, who was a pro. He finished the meal by presenting us with small oragami figures folded by his wife.

Well this was a different dining experience for me. Can I recommend this place to others? Yes I can, but for reasons that are atypical. From my perspective, the strength of this establishment is actually the ambiance. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good. My favorites were the Yakitori and the Hurricane Roll. However, the @samurai92075 environment makes you feel comfortable and welcomed such that you kinda just don’t wanna leave. And that’s…Henry’s Take. @henrystake

Had many great Tappanese dinners here...but not tonight.This time not seated by the grill, assured we could get the same meal as the host preferred to argue our reservation.Tepid meals & rice came after meal eaten with a quick so sorry. Think well take a break from Samurai Restaurant

We have been going here for more than 20 years and we keep coming back. Their Chefs special is to die for! The sushi is always fresh and delicious. We have done the teppanyaki is perfect for families and groups and the chefs have been there for years and are also amazing.

Good food but very steep prices. Paid 50 a person for a filling meal. If you’re not worried about cost, the food is amazing. Would highly recommend the boats as well as the candies by the door are free for a little treat at the end. Feels very authentic as well, I would definitely eat there for diner specifically. They also can cook right in front of you, 10/10 experience 😊.

I am honestly surprised by the great ratings. I cannot believe how much we spent for a Teppan grill for three people. My party of three paid extra for fried rice ($22.50 extra for fried rice) and we each got a meal. The party of FIVE sitting next to us ordered TWO meals to share between them and all five got the same amount of sides, shrimp, and fried rice as we did. So, I guess I dont know how to play the game. This was our first and last time coming to this restaurant. I have to believe there are better Teppan grills in the area.

Eric and Mr Charlie are great at generating a welcoming environment, and supplying a top-notch experience.A great bar to just hang out, and incredible food options, from top-tier sushi to tableside prepared teppanyaki.