i love japanese food. it's simple and delicious and tricks me into thinking i'm eating healthy. be it luxury japanese food e.g. sashimi/sushi or japanese comfort food e.g. ramen/donburi/udon/ soba, i love them all and would gobble them up any time of day. so no surprise that i was frothing at the mouth to go to Samurai Mama in Williamsburg. a hipster udon house that boasts a fancy water filtration system that contributes to its delicious udon noodles. while i can't vouch for the veracity of their claim, i can testify that they have f*ing amazing udon. a small restaurant with the now-commonplace communal long wooden table/bench in the center, there are also cozy booths running along the wall, making it a great place for both an intimate dinner or a group outing. both times i've been there, i attended a weekend lunch, which allowed me to save a few bucks by ordering from their lunch menu (yay a restaurant that has a lunch discount even on the weekends!) as well as their a la carte menu. for lunch they provide you with a gratis order of salad and Kinpira, which seems to vary but will inevitably include the cooked burdock root and carrots with sesame oil and soy sauce. it's a nice way to whet the appetite and start introducing the refined and subtle japanese flavors that infuse the meal. the Pork Betty Daikon ($9) is a tender piece of pork belly with a melt in your mouth portion of the both the fat and lean parts of the pork (hence the pork belly). full of flavor and a made-at-home comfort food feel. a must-order is Mama's Pork Gyoza ($7/$10). Samurai Mama serves this dish in the original cast-iron skillet it's cooked in. there is an amazing crispness on the bottom of the gyoza while the inside remains succulent and juicy. an added bonus is the web of crispy starchiness that is created in the skillet, which makes the dish seem more like an art piece than food. i don't think that sushi is Samurai Mama's strong point, but they do have some interesting combinations. if you do opt to order sushi, i highly recommend the Hot Pepper Tsukudani ($5/$6). it is a spicy bite of cooked green hot pepper with sake, mirin, avocado, and bonito flake. there's a spicy kick from the hot pepper which is complemented by its accompaniments. the Guacamole Tuna ($6/$7) on the other hand was forgettable flavor-wise. we had ordered this dish taco-style which means 2 larger pieces of sushi seaweed containing tuna, guacamole, and cilantro wrapped like an open tortilla. the serving style is novel, but the seaweed dwarfs the contents creating an inequitable bite. lunch offers you different options and combinations, all which are very filling. my first trip, my friend and i ordered the Japanese Dry Curry and Croquette ($10) which is served with salad, soup, and small appetizer (the kinpira). we opted to upgrade the soup to a mini udon ($2). even for a mini, the udon portion was still decently sized, and then coupled with the giant bowl of curry and rice, made a filling portion that could be shared between 2 people. if you're in the mood for udon, then definitely order the Spicy Bukkake ($11). this a dry udon, so no soup. however, the spicy minced beef sauce and poached egg that comes on the side, to be "dumped" over the noodles, is plenty flavorful, while still being subtle, and moisturizes the udon noodles sufficiently. the addition of a perfectly runny, poached egg is the cherry on the sundae. while dining there with a friend who wanted a more traditional udon experience, we opted for the Sansai Udon ($9). this is vegetarian friendly. it's a lightly flavored broth and is a great veggie option, but not enough where i would opt for it again since i'm not vegetarian. in addition, the problem with ordering udon in hot broth is that the broth continually cooks the noodles, which may result in overcooked, soft noodles if you don't eat fast enough. i genuinely love this restaurant and, if it were around the corner, i would eat here all the time. i guess a 30 minute bus ride isn't too bad either. read more

We were waiting for our friend and so because our party was incomplete we were put in "the dungeon". Kidding, it's not a dungeon just annoying to have to wait in a dark cold room. The food definitely made up for it. Ordered the spicy tuna and yellowtail sushi rolls which were both great, Veggie gyoza which was even better and for the grand finale - kinokojil kake udon (aka assorted mushrooms) which was mind blowing and super comforting for a cold evening. Go go go and get the mushroom udon!! read more

Cute outdoor dining area in the back and love the concept of the sushi bombs, food is generally decent but wasn't overly impressed.

Definitely a place worth trying if you like udon, or sushi, or both. As mentioned by many other reviewers, a majority of the seating area is a large communal table, and there are a few small tables (for 4?) on the side. Ordered two appetizers with a friend to share, the pork belly and the sushi tacos. The pork belly was solid, and cooked to a nice tenderness. It was a sizable portion, with a nice sauce accompaniment. Their sushi "tacos" have a very deceiving name. I literally was expecting fish in a tortilla or something. It's actually just sushi....with seaweed as the wrap...think about that. Regardless of the lack of any true novelty, it was good sushi. The rice was made well, and the fish quality was pretty good. I ordered the spicy udon, which wasn't actually that spicy. The broth was flavorful and a little on the salty side. I didn't mind because I like salty. But if you don't like salt, and don't mind looking foolish, pour some water in it or something. read more

I ordered via Caviar chirashi and taco sushi. The rice they use is not sushi rice, it is long grain rice which were dry and smelled really bad. Also sashimi was super fishy, I ended up garbadging it and not eating any of it. I am traumatized to eat sashimi now, disgusting. Never ordering from there again. read more

We were looking for dinner in Billyburg where a reservation wasn't needed. Yeah, right?! (This is not your mother's Williamsburg anymore). We came across Samurai Mama whose rustic decor is homey and inviting. My salmon and ikura with cold udon was very tasty and refreshing. There was ample slightly grilled/raw salmon and ikura. The tempura crisp and scallion in cold broth were just the right amount of umami flavor to round off the richness of the salmon. There is a large wooden communal table with booths on the side. Seating was comfortable. The decor looks like to the untrained eye like an old Japanese farmhouse with old artifacts hanging from the ceiling if you like that kind of stuff. The iced ginger tea was delicious but lasted only a few seconds. Wish there was more for $5. Ignore the name which sounds so cheesy that it's hip but Samurai Mama has my vote for oishii noodle and rice with a twist. read more

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I LOVE this place. I've gone twice and was so pleased with everything both times- appetizers, sushi, sake, desert, the ambiance, the music, the cozy feel. Service is great too and I highly recommend for sushi! read more

Holy cow those gyoza were incredible and this place is actually affordable. The bacon wrapped squash, "hells yes". Sign me up for seconds. And dessert. Delicious pudding. "Nom nom nom nom." In a word like a delicious Miyazaki cartoon meal. Going back soon. read more

Sorry, I think this place is just another overpriced restaurant in hipsterville, USA. The decor is cute and I totally get what they were trying to do here but I still cannot understand why ANYONE would like this whole "family style" bench dining area. Food wise, I probably should have gone there with the mind set that their noodles are their specialty. I got their sashimi taco and it was the thinnest slice of fish ever. Not cool. Williamsburg might need to hop on the AYCE sushi bandwagon. read more

One of the best sushi spots I've ever eaten at. And they have an excellent selection of sake.

Well, I thought the food was decent enough the last time I ate there, but not decent enough to justify the attitude of the management. Called to reserve a table and they said that they don't take reservations over the phone. The guy said that there was a 25 minute wait and then said something to the effect of if I wanted to eat there badly enough I'd wait the 25 minutes in person. I couldn't tell if it was a ruse to get us to order drinks (and spend money while we waited) or if they could just care less about their customers since business is good (for now). The last time I was there, the service was slow and the servers were aloof. Not to mention pricey. I don't know about you, but if I am going to pay that kind of money (CASH), I'd like to NOT be treated like some sort of peasant whose privilege it is to be allowed to dine in your establishment. I'll take my cash elsewhere. read more

Tasty noodles and fun environment. Best to go with one or two people since it is communal style

I came here on a weekday for my birthday dinner. I love the comforting feel of dining area! The lighting wasn't Hollister dressing room dark, and the giant communal table with the booths along the the sides are perfect for intimate dates or small groups. The food was delicious, and authentic as ever. Chriashi, gyoza, and udon are all must-tries. My favorite cocktail is the "mama mojito" which gives a fun twist on a mojito using shiso leaves and grapefruit instead of mint and lime. read more

Very good experience for asian foods, the udons are SOOO good, the gyozas are perfect. The service is also always excellent. I d just like having a bigger waiting area when you wait for a table. read more

Most definitely the best gyoza I've come across. This is an all time favorite place to eat!

Had the homemade veggie curry udon with poached egg. Delicious! I came back from traveling all over Japan in May. This hit the spot. Great and authentic noodles and perfect broth. I will definitely be back. read more

Let me start off by saying I LOVE THIS PLACE! I've been a variety of times and every trip has been fantastic. The combination of great ambiance and wonderful food make this my go-to spot in the neighborhood for brining visitors. The restaurant itself is really cozy with booths and a giant wooden table where everyone sits family style. It's really fun way to switch up your dining experience to sit at the large table. In terms of food, one tip is to go for the lunch specials. They offer a few combinations of sushi, ramen, and rice bowls that include soup and a salad. The portions are huge and really offer a variety of flavors when you include the soup and salad. I can also recommend the pan friend dumplings! It's really a beautiful dish they way that it's prepared, I've never seen a dish presented in that way. They also come with a jam that's really delicious to pair with the dumplings. Finally, try their iced teas that come with fresh mint. Just try everything off the menu! read more

Just stormed out of the place. The 4 of us came in, thinking it was a good idea to try this out before heading to the movies. "Blondie", that rude incompetent hipster at the entrance announced us a 15 minutes wait for the table... that was an hour ago. No explanations, no excuses. We are speechless. read more

Excellent place for authentic Japanese Udon and drinks. One of the best Japanese places to go in New York.

Hostess was very rude from the moment we walked in. Cut us off while talking to her and did not greet us warmly at all. We left the restaurant because there wasn't a table ready for our 9 person party so we were asked to be seated separately. She would not seat our party separately without making us pay min $30 per person even though we were doing separate checks. read more

I decided to check this place out today after walking past and seeing 3 Michelin guide stickers in the window. I was super excited because I had never tried udon noodles before, but my boyfriend had raved about how fantastic they are. So long story short, we went in and ordered a 6 piece pork gyoza, which was soggy and each dumpling fell apart as soon as we picked them up. Gyoza typically has a crunchy bottom crust but ours was far from that... I'd compare our crust to that of a wet piece of paper towel (1 ply) and they also weren't very tasty. We also got the sushi taco and it was OK.... Just ok... As for the udon it was pretty average, my (Chinese) boyfriend claims that any grandma in Japan can whip up a better batch of udon than what was prepared here. If I were you I'd honestly just skip this place and hit up the Chinese restaurant across the street... or just go anywhere else.... on the plus side, their teas are pretty good! read more

I am conveying the opinions of several friends - one of them was fired from there:) - they all agree this place hits high marks on every scale. I like the quirky decor, nice ambiance, attentive, not pushy service and the creative and delicious food preparations. read more

One could very easily walk by Samurai Mama without a second thought as to what lies within the colorful noren hanging over the entrance to this warm and atmospheric dining den. That, however, especially to a hungry traveler, would be a huge mistake. Upon first entry, a communal table majorly dominates the front dining room, which is bordered by high-seated booths and enclaved group seating arrangements, giving the impression of an ancient resutoran, all wood blocks and lantern lights. The beverage list covered four pages, mostly sake offerings, but with options of wine, red white and rose, as well as some Japanese beer offerings, the Coedo Beniaka - a sweet potato flavored Happoshu - being a particular favorite of one of my beer enthusiast friends. The Sauvignon Blanc I ordered was light and crisp with flowery overtones, a wonderful start to the food that soon followed. You would not go wrong ordering a few of their starters as the entrees are almost exclusively udon. First to with that, my spicy bukkake udon - a cold noodle dish topped with well-spiced ground beef and sided by a creamy dashi-broth and soft-boiled egg - served to excite the palate while substantiating it outside of the udon soups my dining partners received. One ordered the Wagyu udon and left impressed with the confidence exhibited by the kitchen letting the high-quality grade beef enter the table rare and slowly cook itself within the piping hot dashi-broth, his egg perfectly poached albeit a little runny for taste. The Ebi Tempura Udon was the other entree ordered, and was met without any complications. The appetizers were something to really write home about: we sampled the pork belly, garlic chicken, gyoza, and the hot pepper tsukudani roll, all of which were excellent. Starting with the least of them, the garlic chicken, was an almost unbelievably moist Japanese take on fried chicken, but really left something to be desired from its simplicity, whereas the gyoza shattered all expectations I have built throughout my life for the appreciation of these little flavor-filled packets. Baked into a cast iron skillet, these dumplings had an edgy sear necessary for the structural integrity and piecemeal enjoyment of what some might call a bland dish. In my mind, to what level there is a nuance of flavor allowed in such a seminal starter, Samurai Mama certainly has mastered its art. The Tsukudani was excellent, but possibly overpowered by the flavors of the other dishes at the table. It was, however, the first dish served, and thus worked well in that manner. The Pork Belly was a past favorite of my friends who frequent this restaurant for Japanese food regularly, and was met with salivated applause. As someone relatively inexperienced in the dish, I will go only as far to say that it was the best Pork Belly, by far, that I have ever tasted. Now, to the reason that this review, clearly exemplary in what has been written so far, ended up losing my five-star rating. I can only speak for myself, and my dining partners who are both long-time New Yorkers, and the table sitting next to us whose dinner almost ended up in a shouting match, when I say that for a restaurant of this quality and volume, to make no mention nor warning of the fact that they are cash only, YES READ THIS CASH ONLY, is, frankly, embarrassing. Of all the good vibes that had been fostered throughout the meal itself, minus a trifling surprise exhibited by the fact that our waiter never did once check in on us throughout the meal, being told after the bill of well over one hundred dollars hit the table that there is a cash only policy and an ATM in the back of the restaurant, which is procured and run by the restaurant itself, put a dampener on the tail end of what was otherwise an exquisite dining experience. Let me be clear, I am as understanding of cash only policies as the next guy, for small businesses with small purchases the lack of them can be stifling, but for an establishment such as this, is crude and sophomoric. Please, Samurai Mama, change this policy as soon as you can. For those of you looking for some of the best Japanese food in Northern Brooklyn, stop by without a reservation and bring plenty of dolla dolla bills. read more

The food is great and service is ok at best. Unfortunately the bar isn't first come first served and i was told by the hostess to wait by the door after walking to the bar, to be seated at an empty bar. I was also reprimanded by a waitress for canceling an order. read more

4 for the udon, 2 for the appetizers, 3 for the service. after a drinking session at akariba with my dad and brother, we decided to keep riding our japanese food train to go get udon at samurai mama which i had just heard about. being a japanese family that loves food, we are always super skeptical about getting good japanese food in anywhere but japan (outside of osaka, for that matter). we definitely had some mixed feelings about this joint, but left feeling decently satisfied after the udon. we ordered some drinks and appetizers, but we sat around for a really long time waiting for our waiter to bring us a menu. there were two waitresses and they seemed confused as to who was taking care of which party. i'm usually not the one to complain about service, but it seemed abnormally slow. we were really excited to see buri daikon on the specials menu (buri is a fish, stewed with daikon radish), so we ordered that and tamagoyaki, which is basically an egg omelet. both dishes, which are usually served hot, came out cold. deliberately cold. the buri and daikon were served separately on a plate not mixed together, and we made comments about how the buri kind of reminded us of cat food. the tamagoyaki didn't come with grated radish, and they didn't give us any soy sauce. very disappointing. but then the udon came, and it was actually really delicious. the broth was on point, the udon was chewy. simple, delicious, and totally hit the spot. my super critical dad slurped away without much complaint. i'm thankful that this place is in the neighborhood. udon is their strong suit so go for that, but don't expect too much from other dishes. read more

Right off the bat, SM, you lose two stars alone for cash only. My corner bodega's prices justify cash only, your upscale prices don't. Especially since you're no doubt making additional profit off customers from the ATM in the back that charges $2 for each transaction (and Chase is making an additional $4 off of me every time I use it). Seriously? Kiss my broke ass. That said, the udon is delicious, the sushi is top notch, but I spent $30 and I wasn't full. The tofu appetizer was a paltry two or so ounces of plain silken tofu with literally a pinch of marinated seaweed as garnish; nice presentation, but aside from a nice photo-op I benefitted very little from this $5 or so appetizer, especially since I shared it with three other people. The pickles were meh; the two cherry tomatoes were really delicious, but with four people sharing, two of us got shorted and had to make do with the remaining two pieces of celery, some unidentifiable marinated root, and a wilted-looking, flavorless piece of cabbage. Three stars otherwise for ambiance and quality of the sushi and udon, although I'm not a fan of the whole pre-mixed wasabi / soy sauce shtick. I get where you're going with this, but I'd prefer to keep it real and just stick to my traditional lump of wasabi and soy on the side, thank you very much. And the waiter or busboy or whoever he was would literally would pass by the table every time I put my napkin down, take it off the table and not return with a fresh one, even after I attempted to hint for him to stop fucking with my napkins by asking for new ones. Annoying!! Not to mention extremely wasteful. I may come back, but for the udon only, and depending on my mood. I've heard good things about this place and had been to Momo, where I was also underwhelmed, but I had a much better experience there... but I definitely won't be going out of my way for Samurai Mama. read more

Great addition to the neighborhood. Perfect for a casual, but high quality meal. Much better option than the sushi places on bedford. My favorites: -Pork Gyoza (the best i've had) -Yakko (tofu appetizer) - Pork belly Udon On weekends they have don buri's (rice bowls) which were tasty as well. read more

An excellent first experience! The food was umai and fresh. I first wondered what it meant that gyoza was listed under teppan yaki; then I was impressed by the home made dumplings on an iron pan. Delicious. The udon was also excellent. The atmosphere is very cosy and feels like Japan. A new favorite on the block. read more

I live by Samurai Mama and decided to give it a try for a date. The place is very nicely decorated and the food is pretty yummy except that most of my dishes I had that night were very salty. I don't mind salt, but it was a bit annoying. I've eaten at quite a few Japanese restaurants and Samurai Mama is okay in my book, though I doubt I'll ever have a craving for it. read more

A group of friends and I were celebrating a birthday and decided we would like this spot out. I called the day before to find out if they'd take a reservation for 10 people. The girl I spoke to said that they don't take reservations. After attempting to get an idea of what kind of wait we would be looking at, we decided to give it a try. We arrived at about 6:30 and the place was empty (which was great!). Most of our party had arrived but they wouldn't seat us until everyone was there. The host asked if we would like to sit in their sitting area to have drinks and apps so we followed to the back of the restaurant and were led to what looked like a jail cell. The host then left and returned a few minutes later to inform us that their policy for large parties is that we each had to spend a minimum of $30 each. I told him that the woman I spoke with the night before hadn't mentioned anything and their website doesn't state this policy. We had traveled 40 minutes from Staten Island to come to their restaurant and they just throw this "policy" into the mix. We wound up leaving and going to SEA thai based on the principal of it! If I call and ask about a reservation and you have this kind of policy in place, you should at least inform your potential customers before they take the time to visit your business! read more

The MacBombs and Pork Belly are a definite order. I eat hear at least once a week. Overall the place seems a little dark and dreary with horrible lighting. read more

Sooooo good! Not only is the sushi and udon all perfectly prepared, but the service and atmosphere make you feel comfortable and relaxed. I always get their pork gyoza and taco sushis while my friend gets their udon. The gyoza is uniquely prepared and I can honestly say is the best I've ever had. I never had sushi taco-style before but now I can't get enough, their sushi is fresh and delicious. I also tried my friends udon which I never had before and I loved it, no wonder everyone says they have the best udon in the city! Another great thing about Samurai is their relatively modest prices, considering the uppity neighborhood they're in. Love it! read more

Good food, small portions. Nice vibe though, quiet. Would be good for dates or small groups. I came with a group of 5 others and it was a little too much. read more

Sushi and ramen were average for the price. Too expensive for mediocre food.

Very aesthetically pleasing place, dimly lit with nice layout. While visually it feels like an upscale place, the price (probably $15-$20/person) makes it feel more like business casual and the volume level makes it feel like a great place for friends to meet, catch-up, and have a good time. Food wise I was able to try out their sushi taco ($6 for two pieces) and a Nikujil kake udon ($14). First of all, their sushi taco is in fact a piece of sushi with a square piece of sushi wrapped around it - as if it were a taco shell. While visually very creative, I was expecting some sort of mexican-japanese fusion so was slightly disappointed... at first. Taste wise the sushi taco was great and I could tell it was fresh. However, at a price of $6 I kind of feel 2 pieces is a little stingy. Now the udon. The broth was a little salty for my taste and the noodles were in my opinion above average but not mind blowing. The meat, however, was most definitely mind blowing. It's cooked pork belly, and somehow maintains its form in my chopstick but at the same time instantly melts in my mouth. They unfortunately only give two pieces of the meat, and because I'm a person who likes to share food with the people I'm eating with, I offered the second piece of meat to my friend. Thank god she politely refused the meat because I really wanted that second piece, but at the same time I'm conflicted that she couldn't enjoy that delicious piece of meat herself. Oh well, I'll make it up to her some other time haha. In summary, a little bit higher end place for friends to meet up over good food and great ambiance. One small caveat though that this place is CASH ONLY. I was thoroughly embarrassed when I tried paying with credit card, realized they didn't accept credit card, then realized I didn't have enough cash, and then had to ask my friend to split the check. Don't make that you. Bring cash, save yourself the embarrassment. read more

Nice communal table. Really nice style with the agedashi tofu and sushi bowl that I ordered. A bit over-priced and the sashimi was just OKAY. The salmon sashimi could have been fresher, but the presentation distracted from the taste. The scallops were really good though! Cash only, which sucked. Don't go here if you're looking for a traditional sushi spot. It is not it. But, it will give you good service and a hipster-sushi experience. (I don't even know what that means, but you can figure it out) read more

This is a good place for regular noodles. But the rolls/sushi isn't that great (maybe my tastebuds aren't ready for them). My sister and I come here from time to time, but much less now that there are many other offerings in the area and in LIC/Astoria. read more

Food was *gorgeous*. We went here before a movie one evening (since it's right next to the theater). We sat at the communal table but it wasn't awkward because the table itself is big enough to not feel like you're crashing someone else's party. We had a little of everything, tacos (which are delicious and texturally interesting) and sushi and dumplings and udon...everything was fantastic. read more

I would say that I am a pretty friendly customer but the waiters here probably have some personal hatred towards me because they were RUUUUDEEE. I was constantly doing a michelle tanner when asking to kindly charge my phone or asking to order or telling them that no we would not be having anything to drink. Just water please. There are plenty of other places you can get mediocre udon with better service. read more

Came here for lunch and was satisfied. Ordered the sushi tacos. They were good and came with the three spices that sushi bombs comes with (if you've ever been to momos sushi shack of Boku then you're with me) Anyway if they could add some crunch to those tacos it would be similar to a mcbomb and taste fantastic. They have a lot of rice so beware if you're the type that cares about carbs. Also got some beef and udon noodle meal that wasn't on the lunch menu, but I'm not sure I'll get that same one again. All in all, I like their spices and would definitely come here again and try other things on the menu. read more

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