Everything about this place makes it a gem. Starting off with the decor of the place, incredibly relaxed and chic Japanese touch. Suitable for any sort of evening you're looking for. Food- the pork Gyoza taste as incredibly awakening as the smell. The fish used in the sashimi is very fresh and playing is impeccable as well as very well thought out. The fried chicken with garlic is good. The seafood curry is interesting in the best possible way. Must try place and staff is very relaxed and efficient with smooth, knowledgable service. read more

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Had the Nikujil kake udon-- broth was flavorful with a hint of citrus and udon was nice and chewy. Def give this a try :)

Really great food. Very high quality. Not your typical sushi spot. Nice options with the Ramen, Udon and Gyoza also. Sashimi is the real deal read more

Yum! Favorite pork gyoza in town (love the thin crisp layer on top and dipping sauce). Great lunch specials (rolls come with soup and salad) and delicious curry udon (very filling). Will come back again. read more

My name is Clarissa, I am a waitress here in Brooklyn. Tonight me and my friend went to SAMURAI MAMA on Williamsburg for dinner. We first walked in at 8:10pm asking about the closing time and this guy, probably one of the server, told us they were taking the last order at 11:15pm because the closing time was at 11:30. So we came back at 10:45pm, we have been sitting at the central table. At 10:50 another waiter, tall skinny guy with a long braid hair, take our first order and after one minute he came back to us telling that the kitchen was about to close. I never had so much rush in my life. As a waitress, I would first apologize to the customer and explain them ( before take our order) that in that occasion the kitchen was closing early, even if the website and the first waiter said at 11:30pm. We got our first course and the CHECK , but we were still wating for the udon. The waiter seemed pretty in rush, and honestly it was bothering me. The guy was cleaning the table and spraying the detergent in front of our face, while we were still eating. We payed at 11:20pm and I complained the manners of the waiter to this guy, tall with a short Beard. This one, almost laughing in our face, said that the time of closing was 10:45pm (so I guess the website is wrong), and NOBODY apologize for the way they treated us. That was my first and last experience at SAMURAI MAMA. Even though you have good rates for your food, definetely your staff is one of the worst I ever met. Again, as I waitress, I would apologize first to the customer. As my suggestion, since I work in a restaurant, is better to don't sit people at all if you have to KICK THEM OUT after 5 minutes without even tell them. read more

I'll get the CONs out of the way first: ** It's cash only. I'm tempted to take a star off for that, because it sucks when the restaurant has me pay a $2 ATM fee. It's a crummy way to treat your customers. ** It's not cheap. Especially the drinks, beware, lest you bankrupt yourself on wasabi margaritas like I did (see waay waaay below). Now, for the many PROs: ** The first thing you see upon entering is how rustic, wooden, and ambient it is. Great décor. ** I ordered Yakko (homemade tofu, $6) as a small appetizer - it's very soft tofu and seaweed in a small bowl; it's a delicate and tasty mouthful. Not unlike a delicious custard. ** For my main, I had the Seafood Curry Udon ($14), which was filing and savory. Their Specials looked good, too. ** My companion had the deep-fried Garlic Chicken ($8) - the portion was modest, and she said it was well done. ** We also had their Wasabi Margaritas, which were extremely drinkable and delicious, and at $9/each totally killed our wallets. read more

This is my go-to spot whenever people come to visit from out of town. Everything on the menu is delicious and worth trying. Not too expensive, and you can get your fill of variety. Sushi tacos are great. Vegetarians welcome. I recommend the pork curry udon. All the sushi is killer. A very solid meal with great ambiance and the right price. Plus you're in the middle of Wburg after, so there are plenty of places to go out. Do it! read more

My first time going here was a total success! I came with a BIG craving for udon noodle soup and mama did not disappoint! I added a poached egg to my mushroom udon and it was incredible. I've never seen a more perfect poached egg in my entire life. The portions are not incredibly big, though, so I would definitely recommend a couple appetizers if you go there hungry. The staff was very kind, attentive, and efficient. I have no complaints there. The wait for 2 people on a Saturday night without a rez was surprisingly short and they have a nice little waiting room in the back. This place loses a star because they are CASH ONLY. If an average meal at any restaurant costs $25+ per person, they should take credit cards. End of story. There's no reason not to. They are obviously making enough money to eat the cost of credit card fees, and people are likely to tip better and spend more if they can put their meal on credit. Also, I personally don't enjoy walking around NYC with a couple hundred dollars cash in my wallet. All-in-all, best udon I've found in NYC, just make sure to bring a good chunk of cash until they finally come to their senses. read more

A very serviceable lunch destination - the food and service are solid and they don't waste your time Favorite dish Japanese dry curry & croquette with poached egg Cash only read more

Known for its Udon, Samurai Mama is a very solid performer and delivers a great meal for the money every time. The dumplings are great the Garlic chicken app for $8 is amazing. BUT my favorite are the creative sushi Tacos, the sushi in general is fresh and prepared very well Seating is a pain because they don't take reservations and there is bench seating which isn't great, but it's worth it for the consistent good food and good service. Also they are Cash only with an ATM in the back .... read more

First, fantastic food. Second, fantastic atmosphere and comfortable seating. Third, fantastic service. There's not much more to say. Try the gyoza and garlic chicken appetizers. Since this is mainly an udon and ramen house, go for what the house does well and enjoy it heartily. Prices are reasonable and portions are well measured. read more

Big fan of Bozu, so I decided to try their newer sister restaurant down the block. This review will sound the same. Great food, great vibe. read more

One of my favorite places in Williamsburg. The sushi is great, but the real rewards are the more traditionally Japanese dishes like the Gyoza and the Udon. The food is crafted with care and is delicious. This is one of the places I come back to again and again. The ambiance is great. the restaurant has many "nooks" that make the dining experience feel private and to top it all off the food is reasonably priced. read more

not the best stop to roll in with a larger group when it's busy but the waiting area in the back is cute. it could probably just be converted to seating though? i'm not going to say anything about the number of tinder boys that have invited me to dinner here, or how they expect a gold sticker for knowing how to use chopsticks, or how many of them let me know halfway through a meal how their last four girlfriends were asian too but it's not like a fetish thing- but it's a prime spot for all of the above! think candle-lit, dark wood/barnhouse atmosphere with asian inflections. food isn't great but it isn't terrible either. sushi is middle of the road (which, to be fair, is reflected in the prices so at least you're not getting gouged too hard). the udons range from bland to okay. not every meal has to be life changing but it feels like a lot of things could be fixed pretty easily, like the gyoza: they're never crispy, despite the extra frying time in adding the skirt. the mediocre dumplings make the cast iron pan feel even more gimmicky that it already is, but that might just be me projecting my annoyance of dishes being plated in cooking vessels that have no relation to the actual preparation. the servers the last time i was there was a mix of asian women doing the heavy lifting and some inattentive white dudes twiddling their fingers which is pretty much the dynamic of most WMAW couplings ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ kudos to Makoto for the north bk empire he's built but i think i'll be venturing elsewhere. read more

I don't know what I have been eating my whole life. Everything I had before was simply salty. SM was flavorful and delicious! It was the best Udon I ever had. I actually tasted the broth - amazing. I will be back very soon because the price is beyond reasonable. read more

This spot had some great eats! The seating on the backside was warm had great decor. The staff was nice and helpful and spacing between the tables was plentiful. The gyoza and miso soup was very good and not over salted. They had very unique rolls and would try again, I saw the ramen served at another table and it looked very good as well I would definitely return To try that as well read more

This place was popping when we came in, had lots of people waiting. The yuzu iced tea was super refreshing and nice. However, this place was mediocre at best. Ramen had no real flavor and the chirashi lack luster. This place is not really authentic. Ok at best. read more

Love this place for the vegetable gyoza alone. So good. Also recommend the unavo (bbq eel and avocado roll) and udon noodles. The quality service and atmosphere are just more reasons to like this place. read more

Really great -- might cause me to occassionally deviate from 1 or 8 when craving Japanese food in Williamsburg. I was never a big fan of Bozu's round fusion sushi "bombs," but the BBQ eel/avocado sushi tacos at Samurai mama were inventively shaped and tasty. And yes, they're served with the signature soy sauce trio: no wasabi, some wasabi, a hell of a lot of wasabi. I sat at a bar in the bar of the restaurant, which is gorgeous and comfy. While the front room has the massive communal table and booths for larger parties, after walking through the kitchen you get to more bar seating and a small covered/enclosed outdoor area. Eating at the bar was fine for two people, which was our party, but if going in a larger group i'd try to sit somewhere else. The asparagus/daikon/lettuce salad was tasty and light, and I had a daily udon special -- seared salmon sashimi and salmon roe over cold udon. DELICIOUS. Excellent, chewy noodles, tasty but not too salty broth, and even the lowly and ubiquitous salmon was great. My boyfriend went with the shrimp tempura udon. He didn't offer me to try it so i presume it was excellent. Will be back -- within the week if possible. read more

Sushi tacos, udon noodle soup (with extra noodles), and gyozas served in cast iron grills. Super cool and nice service. The music could get a lift but that's just me (ALL HIP HOP EVERYTHING). I usually ask for the back bar, which offers a solid intimate vibe if you don't want to be distracted by the crowded room with communal tables. It's a great go-to spot if you're looking for tasty Japanese food outside of the sushi craze. read more

Best udon in Brooklyn. The gyoza is delectable too, it's really flavorful compared to the kind of gyoza you typically get. It doesn't even need dipping sauce. My only gripe is that sometimes you have to wait a long time for service when it's crowded. They have plenty of waiters but it's easy to get lost in such a crowded place, you have to be kinda aggressive about getting your check. read more

This is a place that I recommend my friends when they are in Brooklyn. You MUST order their spicy bukkake, and gyoza. other items are good too but do not order until you tried those 2 first. I came here from time to time. If it is not the commute is a little far, I will def. visit more often. - 1 star because of the parking situation!!! read more

Excellent restaurant! Everything was so tasty and large menu for drinks. Recommend to book a table in advance because we had to wait for pretty long time (but they have a chill waiting room so it wasn't that bad). read more

Heaven on earth! We've eaten here religiously before Covid, and the minute they started serving again it's a weekly delivery or pickup for us! The food is beyond delicious, comes perfectly packed and hot. When picking up they are wearing masks as well as the delivery men! Cannot rave enough!!! Bravo for following the guidelines while keeping everything top notch! read more

this place is great! really cozy and cool interior, large varied menu has something for everyone, and the drink specials are super- i had the ginger margarita. my friends and i all shared several small plates. loved the soft tofu, the eggplant with tiny shrimps, the gyozas were wonderful, and we also had a couple sushi rolls which are interesting and tasty. same owner as bozu and they share a few menu items such as the AB crunchy roll which i love. truly a gem. go early though since it gets very crowded on weekends! read more

We'll talk about the food first then the probable infection I got from this place. We ordered the Seafood Curry Udon, Spicy Bukkake, Nabeyaki Udon, Uni tacos, and Salmonavo. I'm not exactly sure which region the udon is from but it's thinner than the Ise udon. I'm assuming the udon here is from the Kansai region. The broth for the soup based dishes were really flavorful. I would have given the broth 3.5 stars. Overall the udon dishes were on the salty side. One good thing is that they use a lot of ingredients for the seafood and Nabeyaki. However, the shrimp was majorly overly cooked. The curry sauce was really thick which I liked but once you eat that, it overpowers the soup base of the other dishes. The Bukkake is just alright. I rather pay for the cheaper version in chinatown. The udon itself was a little al dente and not really chewy. I could be wrong but I thought they were supposed to be more chewy and soft., especially it being made in house. Overall, the broth is much better than their noodles. Another issue I had was the "tacos". They really didn't invent anything new here. I was extremely disappointed. It's basically sushi sitting on a square piece of seaweed and the seaweed acts like the shell of the taco. First of all, the proportion of sashimi to rice to seaweed is way off. Too much rice and seaweed. Surprisingly I had no issues with the salmon itself but I also think the guacamole on it didn't help it much. Instead of putting the citrus in the guacamole, I could have just directly added it to the fish and it would have tasted the same. Then came the Uni tacos. Same issues still apply. However, the uni by itself is good. Not bitter but unfortunately, not sweet enough. Onto some side dishes that came with some of the meals. The tempura. Don't get it here. Batter sucks, overly fried and the tempura vegetables stuck together because I bet they just grabbed it by the handful and just dumped it into the fryer, and just let it all clump together. You can tell that the tempura got no attention from the cooks. Service was really poor, especially when trying to take our order. Two waitresses didn't really know the menu very well at all and couldn't even tell us how many pieces we get for each taco or could we split it half half, like 2 different types of tacos as one order. It was a fiasco. Lastly, onto the infection. Our group was sitting at the community table. When you walk in we sat in the back right corner, near the restroom and kitchen window junction. We think I got the infection here because I rested both my forearms on the edge of that table and the next morning, I had huge urticaria patches on both ventral sides of my forearms. It was in such a strange geographic distribution that it could have only been from that table. However, I can't prove it because I don't have swabs/cultures. I strongly believe that I got erysipelas from them and am now on doxycycline for 10 days. So far, the infection is subsiding. This could have been a freak accident but people should be aware because it might suggest their suboptimal cleaning practices. Unfortunately, I will not be able to recommend this place as the service and quality of udon were subpar. read more

Lovely place. spicy bukkake udon reigns supreme. gyoza is fantastic. draft sapporo. can't go wrong. read more

My wife is Japanese and one of the all time great home style Japanese cooks. Her Gyozo mark the zenith of the dumpling art; her pork belly is a thing of wonder...Her tempura floats on air. Suffice it to say that I have a high standard for precisely the type of food that Samurai Mama serves up. To my surprise Samurai Mama (despite the goofy name) hits those standards with flying colors. One, the room is lovely -- big, communal tables carved out of wood, comfortable booths and a generally warm and pleasant vibe with none of the pretentious hipsterisms that I associate with Williamsburg restaurants. We started with gyoza and they were PERFECT -- delicate wrappings, juicy interior and best of all, finished with rice flour water so that they are cooked with a delicate and CRISP glaze on the bottom. Also, the gyoza were served with a really interesting sauce (on the side) made of fermented seaweed. We then had their pork belly appetizer -- with was delicious. Slowly simmered pork belly in a sake/soy sauce/mirin broth with poached daikon radish and a softly boiled egg -- open that egg up and mix the yolk into the broth and the result is one of the best Winter dishes that you can have in New York City. Absolutely splendid. Then we had superior fried chicken -- peppery, crispy, greaseless exterior and moist and tender interior! What could be better? Then...the Udon. Oh yes, my friends....THE UDON!!!! I have to say that it was the best Udon that I have had outside of Japan. The noodles are of a very very very high quality -- with a perfect combination of soft, mouth feel and springiness . The broth was perfect as well. Altogether, it blows my old standard udon spot, OMEN out of the water. The service was wonderful also -- which for me is very important plus the wait staff and the chef were super nice to my 4 year old son and his friend. This is a spot I would return to again and again -- the warmth of the Samurai Mama makes it a perfect neighberhood spot and the quality of the cooking makes it a somewhere that people should travel to. All in all, I would name it the BEST restaurant for home-style Japanese food in the city. read more

This used to be our favorite place for a very long time. Until tonight. Husband and I decided to have our Friday night dinner here and we were starving. We were seated after 10 minutes of waiting and ordered our food. It all started really nice. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to enjoy it. A pass-by waiter dropped a large bottle full of beer right on my husband, covered him head to toe and his backpack which had a macbook it in, was also soaking wet. We got upset and the dinner was ruined. My husband was soaking wet and reeked of beer. There was broken glass everywhere, including the table and the floor. We hardly heard an apology and were causally given a few napkins. When we said that we wanted to leave, because 1 - the mood was ruined, 2 - his clothes were ruined, 3 - there was nowhere for us to sit safely and dry - the place was a mess, the waitress suggested us to "take the food home". Obviously they were going to give us our food for free - there wasn't even a question about it - or so we thought. We were told to wait in the hallway and few minutes later that same waitress (dyed blonde hair, didn't get her name) brought us (!!!!) - not the food, but a CHECK! A full check for everything we ordered that evening. We were shocked and shaken. We couldn't believe that after what they did they actually wanted us to PAY for it. We asked to speak to the manager. A young blonde long-haired hipster, named Andrej came out to us and said that yes, in fact we should pay for our dinner. My husband was disturbed and depressed and wanted us to leave immediately. I asked for the general manager's name and phone number and was casually given the business card of their restaurant. No apologies again, no nothing. The guy who was a hostess actually was rude and passive aggressive when we were leaving. I hope, that the person, who owns the place, sees this review. From a place like this we never expected such an unprofessional and cold attitude. We will never come back and will tell our friends to stay away. Reported to better business bureau. read more

as raved, the Nikujil Kake udon (pork belly, scallions in ocean-flavored broth) is special. i know not the science of udon but could tell from first chew this was on the right side of perfect. also check out/to share: cabbage salad w/ crunchy baby sardines and crispy pork gyoza w/ pickled seaweed in duo of soy/sesame dips (skip dessert). read more

This used to be our favorite place for a very long time. Until tonight. Husband and I decided to have our Friday night dinner here and we were starving. We were seated after 10 minutes of waiting and ordered our food. It all started really nice. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to enjoy it. A pass-by waiter dropped a large bottle full of beer right on my husband, covered him head to toe and his backpack which had a macbook it in, was also soaking wet. We got upset and the dinner was ruined. My husband was soaking wet and reeked of beer. There was broken glass everywhere, including the table and the floor. We hardly heard an apology and were causally given a few napkins. When we said that we wanted to leave, because 1 - the mood was ruined, 2 - his clothes were ruined, 3 - there was nowhere for us to sit safely and dry - the place was a mess, the waitress suggested us to "take the food home". Obviously they were going to give us our food for free - there wasn't even a question about it - or so we thought. We were told to wait in the hallway and few minutes later that same waitress (dyed blonde hair, didn't get her name) brought us (!!!!) - not the food, but a CHECK! A full check for everything we ordered that evening. We were shocked and shaken. We couldn't believe that after what they did they actually wanted us to PAY for it. We asked to speak to the manager. A young blonde long-haired hipster, named Andrej came out to us and said that yes, in fact we should pay for our dinner. My husband was disturbed and depressed and wanted us to leave immediately. I asked for the general manager's name and phone number and was casually given the business card of their restaurant. No apologies again, no nothing. The guy who was a hostess actually was rude and passive aggressive when we were leaving. I hope, that the person, who owns the place, sees this review. From a place like this we never expected such an unprofessional and cold attitude. We will never come back and will tell our friends to stay away. read more

This place is fantastic. They specialize in ramen and udon made with a blend of kombu, shiitakes, seaweed, different types of fish and seven times filtered water - it is both intensely flavorful and very delicate, without that residual heavy feeling you can get from pork ramen. The noodles are made in the house are pliant and perfectly chewy. I loved the chilled dipping style with poached egg with wakame, simple deliciousness. Besides soups, there are also really good sushi 'tacos' - a sheet of seaweed in shape of a tortilla shell. Options include salmon with uni, and tuna with guacamole and cilantro as well as the simple basics such as salmon avocado. The appetizers are worth ordering as well, a standout are gyoza dumplings, served in a cast iron pan and still sizzling they are nothing like the standard greasy and tasteless gyoza. read more

Great ambience... almost as if you are sitting in Japan! We had the gyoza which was awesome. Ordered a hot udon soup bowl which was perfect as well. Great for an authentic Udon and sushi experience read more

Very solid Japanese restaurant focusing on sushi and ramen. The sushi tacos aren't that exciting, really just sushi wrapped up with seaweed in the shape of a taco shell. The pork dumpling appetizer was good, though a bit hard to figure out how to split. The ramen was excellent. Their noodles are delicious though the udon style is a bit harder to eat. The pork in it, along with all the toppings was tasty, flavorful, and delicious. The ginger margaritta was a bit disappointing as I love ginger, and it tasted more like pure alcohol. The staff was ok, and checked in on us often, but not super helpful or friendly. read more

Came here once with some friends and have to come back every timeI am in town. After going to Japan in the fall I missed the food and I am so glad I found this place. The pork gyoza is amazing and the presentation is different than what I have ever seen. The garlic chicken is fried but very light and crispy served with a garlic soy type sauce. I always get the Nikujil Kaka Udon which is cooked with pork belly & scallion. Also, if you like sake, their selection is amazing and every one I have tried I have liked. Also, if you want to try a different type of cocktail, try the wasabi margarita. I can't describe the flavors but it's nothing I have tasted before. read more

This is My favourite Japanese in Williamsburg. The food is simply AMAZING and the environment so chilled and cool.

A homestyle Japanese restaurant with a nice selection of various udon and sushi dishes. We came here for lunch and ordered two sushi dishes (salmon and tuna) and two udon bowls (pork curry and shrimp tempura). The sushi was fine. The udon was good but I felt the noodles were just a little too thick and just a little undercooked. Definitely the curry udon seemed better. If you're craving udon this is a good place but at about $15 a bowl seems a little pricey for what is really a very simple Japanese dish. One mention on layout, there's a few side booths and one large communal style table. If you're more than two than you need a side table else it will be hard to hold a good conversation. read more

Decent sushi, though I actually thought this was on the more expensive side, particularly for Brooklyn (and I live in Manhattan). Samurai Mama definitely had the Brooklyn vibe to it: when you walk in the main room has a gigantic table in it, and everything around you is well decorated in minimalist fashion. We were led to a naturally lit back room with several small tables. We had the bbq ribs, a spicy roll and the chiriashi. Everything about this place was lovely. I think the food wasn't out of the ordinary for New York, but worth stopping by. read more

The food was terrible and expensive. And the waiters are not nice. anyways, the food tastes nasty...

This review is only based on my previous visit a month ago (12/3). I've always liked samurai mama and thought it as the go to place for udon lovers like me. The hand made udon chewiness was always just right. However, it had failed me deeply last month. Mainly the food, but the food also took a very long time to come out. Gyoza here was my favorite appetizer, but it was beyond bad this time. The dumplings were completely overcooked with mushy skin, and they were stuck to the cast iron pan which they were served in. They're not even cooked on that side; amazing how they can stick after the flip before serving. The sauce was different than the past, still taste good, but wouldn't help when the dumplings aren't holding together. I was worried the udon would come out bad as well. They turned out alright, not amazing though. I'm sorry, but the noodles were not at their perfect state as before. Sadly, they did not stand out from other Japanese restaurant's udon around NYC (mostly cheaper too) this time. I have great expectation in samurai mama, and really wish they can keep up their standard. I told myself maybe the normal chef was sick or on break, but that would still be unacceptable. With all my love towards this restaurant, this would still make me hesitate to come back. read more