If I was rating my experience on food alone, I would probably give a five. The food here is delicious. The reason why my rating is low was due to the host and the service. Me and my bff arrive for dinner and asked for a table for two. The host said it would be fifteen minutes unless we wanted to sit at the communal table, of which we could be seated right away. We opted to wait for a private table. The host brought us to a weird room in the back with a bench in it, with the promise that we could get drinks while we waited. Fifteen minutes passed and no one came by to get us drinks and the host came back ready to seat us. Whatever. We then walk past several empty tables for two and get seated AT THE COMMUNAL TABLE. WTF. We ask for one of those tables and he says it would be another 15 minutes. WE suck it up and stay at the communal table. We are seated for another 15 minutes before a busboy gives us water and menus. Ten minutes later a server comes by and just asks if we are ready to order. WHAT SERVICE! (not.) I might return, because the food is pretty delicious, but I really hope they get their act together with either new servers or better training. read more

One of the best udon spots I've been to in nyc. Food is fantastic here. Udon here is hand pulled, fresh and has great texture so you can't go wrong with either the cold or hot options. A million times better than the frozen stuff from packages. Portions are decent size. Not small by any means but if you're feeling hungry and eating with a second person, go for the fried chicken and pork gyoza. Service was a little slow but they were pretty busy. They were otherwise very polite and as attentive as their time can afford I suppose. I would definitely keep coming back here. read more

Very sexy space. Though I was with my buds at the time, I would definitely recommend this place for a date next time around. Interestingly it has communal seating, but it works. Age Nasu - eggplant, very good. Yakko Tofu - smooth like pudding Kinpira gobo - delicious root & carrot app 2x Sapporo drafts Sansai Udon - questionable broth, but very good overall The place is awesome, you won't be disappointed. We were waited on by some very lovely waitresses, who were fast, on top of everything, and happy to serve. Dinner followed by some extra smooth Mezcal. read more

Hidden gem on grand ! Love the food and vibe here. I wish i discover this place sooner. They have this thing called Taco sushi, its pretty much like roll of sushi. It was tasty, I also ordered the udon. it was very good. This is not a typical sushi restaurant, this is what I called a real Japanese restaurant. check it out !!! read more

Delicious! So delicious! Delicious food! Delicious drinks! Real Japanese food! The Pork Gyoza paired with the dipping sauce was AMAZING! It's so good to go to a Japanese restaurant and not be let down. Thank you for making my night! Sof read more

So my dinner companion was HIGHLY entertained by the back portion of the menu called "bukkake" aka "dump style" udon. Cough cough. We were able to finally move on from his giggling and enjoy our meal. Which is quite tasty. It's also fairly authentically Japanese (if the menu misspellings are any indication) even though the name would lead you to believe it's one of those trendy sushi places. Pork gyoza is definitely delicious. COME HERE FOR THE BUKKAKE! go ahead. google it. i dare you. read more

My boyfriend and I came here for lunch. There's a long table in the middle for communal seating where we had plenty of room to eat our meal. Our service was fast and wonderful! Food was very good! I had sushi and the chicken donburi while my boyfriend had the ramen. The ramen was so good I was jealous of his food! read more

Easily the worst dining experience I've had in Brooklyn. The food was awful at its best and the service somehow managed to outdo the food. My night started with a spicy tuna roll, which they figured out how to completely destroy. The seaweed was gummy and chewy to a point that I had to give up and swallow it. The tuna tasted like it came from the Gowanus Canal. The roll made me pine for the quality of the corner "Sushi Restaurants." Second was vegetable tempura. That's a fairly difficult dish to botch. Samurai Mama however does not disappoint! It tasted, more or less, like a thawed out veggie burger paddy with some breading sloppily sopped on to it. Finally and mercifully was the fried chicken. It was pretty bad, but nothing dramatically terrible. Just poor Japanese fried chicken, which again takes work. As for the service, my water was not refilled once when I had run out somewhere in the middle of the trail of tears that was my vegetable tempura. The waitress was completely oblivious after we ordered and we had to ask twice for our check and twice for change. Much like the political rhetoric after September 11th, I could not stop saying "NEVER AGAIN" as I left Samurai Mama. read more

The food is really good here, the udons and the shareable bites but the table in the middle is communal so it's awkward when coming with a group and you get seated not in an ideal way. Definitely need a reservation here read more

One of my absolute favorite Japanese restaurants in all of NYC; not just in Brooklyn. Great udon and equally amazing sashimi. I am pretty picky about my sashimi (rare fish) quality but this place is on point. Do order the NY strip steak, mama salad, and the various rolls/sushi tacos. Of course the udon is a given..order any of them cause they're all great. *not so instagram worthy due to low lighting. read more

This place reminds me of a Korean drama called "Late Night Restaurant." It's very cozy with a feel-good atmosphere. The staff is incredible, too - super nice and efficient. I ordered a lunch special called the Mama Ramen. It is by far the best ramen I've ever had. The broth was perfect, the pork belly was tender, and the noodles were cooked just right. The star of the entree was the slow-cooked egg. I love eggs, and this was the best (THE BEST) egg I've ever eaten. If I can have a bowl of just these eggs, I'd be the happiest girl in the world. read more

Samurai Mama - Mama Ramen - Japanese Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Its 2011. Do people still carry around "cash" anymore? Asking me to pay for my meal at a restaurant using cash would be akin to asking me to pay in rupees. I will most likely not have it. Odd remittance practices aside, I enjoyed the ambiance and my meal was good. I highly recommend the pork belly. read more

They were open during Xmas. They fed my lonely newly tranplanted self that day after roaming the cold white empty streets of billyburg like a homeless bum reminiscing of warm family days listening to jolly records while creating static with my little stockings. Maybe it was my homesick tears that made the broth tastier or the udon perfectly chewy. But i've been back on happier days and it still sates the soul. who else is crying there? read more

Used to love their udon but the quality wend a bit of a downfall over a few years. That being said, it's still a good place to go. Food is decent. It's a hip joint, but I love the decor. Drinks are always good. It's owned by same people as Bozu but this place has better cooked food. I am not a big fan of their tempura stuff though. I recently found out they started ramen, but not worth a try, it's Udon joint after all. read more

Real good sushi. Easy staff. Mostly Giraffe friendly, though communal seating can get dicey. read more

Came here because of the reviews and hoped it would be good but MEH...I had the vegan ramen and my husband had some ramen with pork. I had hoped for a delicious thick broth but unfortunately the broth left a very bitter after taste. I wasn't able to finish at all and if anyone knows me, I always polish off my plate, so I would have to say I was pretty disappointed. will not be going back to this ramen shop read more

The home-made noodles are amazing! I've been several times and taken out-of-towners and have had great food every time. My favorite is the udon, and there are plenty of vegetarian options as well. The atmosphere is modern and neat, yet cozy. The staff is nice and the service was good as well. I'd definitely recommend! read more

I would give the food 10 stars if I could. I'm a vegetarian so this place is like heaven. The veggie dumplings will rock your world. Got the 6-piece order but we definitely should have gone with the 10. So good. Followed it up with some udon noodles with mushrooms + veggie tempura + veggie broth. I can't say enough good stuff about this dish. Wowza it was good. I knocked off a star because I had no idea it was cash only. This would have been my fault but the server didn't tell me prior to ordering and I don't think the menu mentioned it. Maybe it was written somewhere in the restaurant but I didn't see it. They have an ATM which is convenient but the additional fees I had to pay there and through my bank were not. I guess I should have just done my research but I would have appreciated a visible sign at the door or a heads up from the host prior to seating. Also, we ordered a dessert special (chocolate cake) which was obviously left over from Valentine's Day...super dry and crumbly. Plus, they gave us the tiniest fork which makes it almost impossible to eat. Summary: AMAZING vegetarian food. Rocked my world. Poorly advertised cash only policy. Don't order any "special" desserts if you come the day after a holiday. Bring your own fork if you do plan on ordering dessert because those things are crazy. read more

Food: a BIG 5 stars Atmosphere: love it 5 stars for sure Service: fast and friendly 5 stars Very veg friendly. Beautiful, tasty, nourishing, clean food served in an enjoyable way in a very pleasant dimly lit quiet environment. Great food and great vibe. Would have given a full five stars, but any place that serves animal flesh isn't perfect for me, so they get reluctantly docked a star. I CAN'T WAIT TO COME BACK! read more

Best japanese food I've had in Brooklyn. We love it so much we're there once or twice a week. Recommendations: -Their sashimi are very fresh: they sometimes have a scallop special topped with uni! must try. Also try their rolls or taco style sushi. - I would also recommend the garlic fried chicken and of course the pork belly Udon. Very friendly staff and cosy place. enjoy! read more

Fourth of July. Such an important day, so I wanted to eat something safe for lunch; Ebi Tempura Udon. Strange taste of soup and hardly cooked noodle, which gave me a runny bowl straight away (Don't give me 12-hr pitch, 'cause I know what I ate.) Not coming back. Period. read more

I've been here twice, once during off-peak daytime and once late at night. The foyer separating the dining room from the street really adds to the atmosphere of the place. Service is fast and efficient. I've only seated at the communal table up front, but I'll definitely keep coming back and maybe will venture into the back room and garden. You must absolutely get the gyoza. I've only had the veggie kind, but the thin wrapping, cast iron serving pan, and sauteed chili pepper really make these the best gyoza i've ever had! Sushi is amazing and fresh for the price. The pieces are well rolled and the sushi "taco" (open folded in a seaweed square) arrived in beautiful presentation. The accompanying pre-mixed soy sauce and wasabi set also wins so many points. The kinokojil kale udon in veggie broth is my favorite (although I never see the kale). The broth is light yet flavorful and the mushroom and udon are in good balance. Iced ginger tea is a great accompaniment for the food. Try the various sake as well! read more

THE place for ramen and udon in Brooklyn! They only serve ramen during lunch hours, so don't be alarmed if you are craving some for dinner and they have it.. My picks: veggie gyoza, scallop sashimi, spicy bukkake udon (great for summer) and panna cotta for dessert. The dishes are overall fresh, original and delicious.. The staff is friendly and attentive.. and the atmosphere is warm and mellow. It's a great place for both parties and couples.. read more

You could easily not see that restaurant when walking the street, but it's a shame because the food was delicious! The sushis were great and we paid like 100$ (TVA + tip included) for 4 people, with drinks (alcohol / cola) and a 1st plate to share! Would definitely recommend! read more

What a cool place! Loved the communal table, all the staff was so friendly, dumplings were amazing and udon noodles were good too!

Nice place with a good vibe and atmosphere. They actually manage to pull off the rustic-industrial-hip decor without being overly contrived. I tend to be put off by communal tables, but this one was big and roomy enough to give off a 'welcome to our picnic' vibe rather than 'we're too cheap to buy more than one table'. And of course, great food. My friend and I split an appetizer special that consisted of a variety of sushi rolls charmingly named 'tacos' and the pork belly udon. The sushi was fresh and delicious, and the different soy sauces in their little dishes were a nice touch. I think I would actually prefer to be able to mix my own wasabi and soy sauce though, since I found medium to be too weak but spicy to be red-faced, tear-inducing. The udon was pretty amazing. Fragrant, clean, flavorful broth, perfectly cooked noodles, and melt-in-your-mouth pork belly slices. Wow. The portion wasn't huge however, and it might have been better for us to have each gotten our own bowl. The place wasn't crowded when we went, and the servers were very polite and super efficient. Too bad it's cash only, but that's Brooklyn for you. One could starve in this borough carrying around only credit cards. Definitely going back here for a date. And getting my own bowl of udon. read more

I went for the pork belly but I'm still not clear if it was the star. The udon broth was splendid enough on its own, coupled with the noodles and other things going on. In other words, you could probably add chunks of shoe leather and it would taste good in that medley of flavors. That said, this a great place to explore Japanese food beyond sushi (which they also serve). And it's damn fine looking, though not too serious, which is obvious from some of the dish names on the menu. Crafty buggers. read more

This place is pretty great. It's always filled with extremely good-looking people which doesn't hurt... I mean that makes the big center table enjoyable, right? I've never ordered something I didn't like and neither has my man. He's the meat-eater of the two of us and seems to always drift towards their pork dishes. ...With that glowing review out of the way I have to admit It's not perfect because that damn bench wobbles so much. They also tend to forget about you when you're trying to pay the cash-only bill. Being ignored can get a little frustrating when you're trying to GIVE them money. ;) read more

Such amaze, how udon, very gyoza! This place shines through in so many different respects... It begins in its utter simplicity, approach, and attention to the small details. This is hands down the best udon on the Brooklyn and perhaps the city. Their broths are light and subtle yet full of depth and dimension. The noodles are of perfect texture and chewiness... Sushi rolls/tacos are prepared with quality fish and seafood. Their sashimi specials are a must try as they truly show the kitchen's creativity and dedication to art of sushi. The gyoza... just... I can't... It's like a little symphony. It's texture flirts with a delicate crispness and satisfying, chewy give. The filling so flavorful and intoxicating. A meal in their own rite, the gyoza are a must order! Where do I end? I can't wait for their summer menu specials. I remember a cold udon with salmon sashimi and ikura that melted my face years ago. That's a perfect memory for me. Get here! And also check out their other spot, Samurai Papa! read more

Visited from Utah. Pork belly was so good. Luckily my bf and I shared our ramen bowl because they serve large portions. I love the seating arrangement with a huge table. read more

Oh my goddddddddd Why why why with these bad/mediocre reviews? After reading through a couple, I'm gonna sound like *that* person and surmise that it's because people ordered basic things that you can find at any Japanese place. Things to try instead of gyozas, crunch rolls, and chicken dishes (the best imo): - Country kabocha/Japanese pumpkin w/mushrooms in dashi broth: velvety, earthy, warm, gratifying. Tastes the way a warm blanket feels. - The assorted pickles (daikon, umeboshi plums, burdock root, etc): punchy, fun, salty.. um YES. I'm also biased because umeboshi plums are one of my faves - Ume Q roll: I might be partial because it's only umeboshi and cucumber. - Mama ramen: heady but balanced stock w/good blend of land and sea flavors. Lots of veggies, lots of meat, the "right" noodle texture I recently had a meal for two that included two appetizers, two rolls, and a bowl of ramen. It was $35, which isn't a bargain, but it's not outrageous either. If you bought an assorted Japanese pickle thing at Whole Foods or somewhere similar it would cost more than it does here. The decor is the only thing that isn't on point. It's very Brooklyn in the sense that it looks like a steampunk's vision of a Japanese farmhouse. read more

This place was unexpectedly great - super chill atmosphere, the back rooms are a bit quieter and you have a window view of the street. A lot of exposed brick, black iron lights, dim yellows, dark wood. There's also a communal table in the front room which is large enough to feel like you're not addressing everyone at the table. The menu isn't super large but I imagine everything is done well. It's separated into category by preparation (fried, grilled, sushi, udon). We ordered the gyoza to share, I was super impressed. It came in a hot cast iron skillet, which is unique and also keeps the gyoza crispy. They also employ that technique where the dumplings all form a crispy "skin" at the bottom of the pan, so you break into it with the chopsticks. So good! We also ordered sushi - my friend ordered the tuna guacamole which was good, but lacked the lime juice and cilantro you'd expect. I ordered the yellowtail with shiso which was refreshing and the shiso added a really nice vegetal note. At $6-7 per roll they're very reasonably priced and a good light meal or side. Service was a little spotty but I'll definitely be back - I heard the udon is really good so I'm waiting for cooler days to try that out. read more

The best udon place in NYC. So homey and comforting! Love their gyoza as well. I personally prefer the pork but the veggie one isn't bad either. My go to is the pork belly udon but I also enjoy the mushroom udon! read more

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I licked my SALAD plate. I licked the udon bowl too, but I feel as though the licking of the salad plate is more noteworthy. Delicious food, cozy, relaxed atmosphere, and quality booze. My guy and I live in Harlem, making this place something of a trek. Despite that (and despite being full to bursting by the end of the meal), we were planning our next visit before we even left. read more

I'm going to tell it like it is here. We went based on the many good reviews on yelp and elsewhere. Personally, I wasn't impressed. Sushi pieces were very small. Service was spotty. Nothing about this place was special. In fact, I would describe it as "a mediocre sushi joint". We actually had a very nice time but that was because we had a good group of people not because of anything the restaurant did. On top of it all $220 for 4 peeps...I could have had a better meal elsewhere for half the $. Bottom line, not terrible...But nothing special. read more

Woohoo! As good as it gets! Evidently that's what my five star rating equates to in the minds of those who developed yelp; a homer simpson sortve outburst followed by something my mom would say should she reference my spelling bee performance in the fifth grade. Anyway. I liked this place. The food was fresh, savory, and while mildly pricey, worth it. I'll definitely be back. read more

Okay the gyozas!!! Wow out of this world delish! The atmosphere here is really lovely and the set up of tables is cozy. Everything we ordered was well prepared and tasted so good. Our waitress answered all of our questions and make suggestions that nailed what we were looking for. I recommend this place to anyone visiting Brooklyn! It is a must. So yummy read more

Food: 3 stars + Service: 1 star = My average rating: 2 STARS. Entering the restaurant, I was excited by the ambience and what seemed like a very "hip" place to be... and based on reviews, I was excited to try this authentic udon noodle place. SERVICE: We were greeted cordially and our orders were taken. Then matters took a turn for the worse. THIRTY MINUTES LATER, half of our party (our party consisted of 6 adults) received their orders. (Mind you, this place wasn't even close to packed, it was 2 o'clock on a what looked like a very slow Saturday afternoon in there). Anyway, after another 20 minutes (on top of the 30) the other half of our party still had not received their meals! And after many excruciating attempts to have the wait staff comprehend that we have been sitting there for nearly an hour on 3 noodle soup orders (which in my book should be the easiest and most readily available, since that is their claimed SPECIALTY) they made no attempts to apologize for the wait, or admit they screwed up (three other parties that came after us, were already halfway into their meals), we merely got, "It's coming in a minute," in a very stank, upscale, 'I am better than you' tone. Overall, the service has left a very bad taste in our mouths and sadly, the food wasn't so amazing that we would subject ourselves to bad service for it.... so on to what you're really interested in.... FOOD: We wanted to try a slew of the items on the menu. We tried the spicy tuna and guacamole tuna roll. Decent rolls, full of flavor... the guac tuna roll had an extra cilantro kick which I loved. We also had the beef short rib bbq and garlic chicken... The beef short rib bbq was probably the best thing we ordered, very tender and topped with seasoned potatoes... (But this could be because we were starving, waited patiently for 30 minutes...and this was the first item they brought out). So hunger may have provided this flavor bias. The garlic chicken is just that... fried boneless pieces of chicken with garlic dipping sauce... not special. On to their "specialty" udon items: I ordered the Bukkake Udon and my husband ordered the Spicy Bukkake. The Bukkake Udon was simple in flavor and a tad bit on the salty side... and was cold. The waitress made it seem like the broth to be "dumped" on top of the noodles would warm up the noodles enough to be... well, a warm dish.. but indeed, it was COLD. I even asked her if it was a warm dish!!! I'm no udon expert, and never had Bukkake, so I wanted to try something different... but I feel like I should have been warned of the temperature of the dish, especially when I ASKED! Anyway... the Spicy Bukkake tasted like hamburger helper seasoned meat on top of cold udon noodles. Sad day in the neighborhood. My sister and her husband ordered the curry seafood udon soup and pork belly and scallion noodle soup. According to them, flavors were good, yet simple... translating to... nothing special. Quite honestly Williamsburg, Brooklyn... I could've gotten better udon in Flushing, Queens. Needless to say, my experience was sub-par, and I'm not sure Samurai Mama is deserving of another chance. read more

"Please ask your party to be on time, you will lose your table if you arrive 15 minutes late," I was told when I reserved. You would think they would extend this concern for promptness to themselves as well, but alas not. My party was made to wait 20 minutes, standing around the big communal table (awkward for us and the diners) while the host repeated "we are preparing your table" every five minutes. Of course the table was not being prepared - we were eventually seated at the table directly across from where we had been standing for 20 minutes. Aside from this irritating start to the experience, the food was pretty good overall. I had bukkake salad udon which was decent (maybe lacking a little bit in flavor), but the sushi was very tasty. read more

Loved this place! Though it was my first time here, I had a wonderful experience all around. I showed up with three friends last night around 10PM with no reservation. There were no tables available, but we were offered the communal table, which we took right away. It was a nice set-up: We took the corner so there were two of us on each end. We could talk back and forth pretty easily. The service was great. The server came over right away, and we received our food in about 10 minutes. I had the yellowtail roll and the Mama Salad with salmon sashimi. The yellowtail was one of the best tasting rolls I've ever had, so I was incredibly satisfied with that. The salad was pretty basic, but the portion size was nice. The server also brought over a variety of soy sauces (mild, medium, and spicy), and each of those were very tasty. Thr atmosphere is warm and relaxing. Everything is designed in a wood minimalist aesthetic, and the ambiance was welcoming, peaceful. You could converse without having to raise your voice at all, which was so relieving. I hate shouting over loud music and noise. That being said, it is a small space, so I wouldn't bring a large group of people. Samurai Mama seems to be conducive to more intimate dining experiences. A really good date place! I would definitely go back and try more of the sushi rolls and some of the various sake options on the menu. read more