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    Samurai

    3.9 (312 reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Japanese
    Closed • 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM

    Samurai Photos

    SAMURAI ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Samurai

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    Reviews With Photos

    Uber sake.
    Rachel H.

    Quick update for Samurai Mill Valley, our pick over Sushi Ran locally for a creative take on Japanese cuisine, rolls and nigiri. It's been a solid staple for us in terms of meeting a sushi craving. Favorite items include: Hamachi crunch, the Una Mega Three Roll, the Hokkaido Spice Roll and nigiri offerings on the daily menu. Hamachi Crunch features seared hamachi & steamed spinach with crunchy pops of rice cracker & a creamy ponzu dressing, and can be addictive. Our favorite rolls incorporate citrus and tasty sauces. The Hokkaido Spice Roll has steamed asparagus, fresh orange, avocado, and on the outside has Hokkaido scallop, spicy tuna, a kaiware sauce with spicy cream. The Una Mega Three roll has an eel, avocado and mint center and outside has fresh salmon, tuna, yellowtail and shaved lemon slices a with sweet tare & white-miso sauce. Nigiri cuts are generous and fish is reliably fresh and flavorful. Pluses include: creative and fresh ingredients in a small town setting. The main negative: a no- reservations policy which can mean a long wait.

    Hamachi collar
    Richard W.

    We were glad that Samurai stayed open until 9:30 during the week - later than most other places in Mill Valley. Pretty massive list of menu items. I whittled it down to the following: Tahini Tofu Salad Tofu, avocado, organic green, tomato, and radish sprout with tahini red miso dressing. Great mix of ingredients with the kind of dressing that can be the star of the show, but I'm not sure how serving the dish untossed helps - the presentation is rather drab. Hamachi Nigiri - 2pc Yes, not being super creative here, but I wanted to get a baseline on quality and portions and it did not disappoint. Melts like butter. Nice portion size. Hamachi Crunch Seared Hamachi and steamed spinach with rice, cracker and creamy Ponzi dressing. What a unique dish! It looks like couscous but it's better - little crunchy bits in a heavier nutty sauce. They probably had too much sauce to balance the fish slices - which come seared but hard to tell behind the tan colored sauce. The flavors jump out, and this is a must order for newbies. Sakekawa hand roll Salmon, skin with cucumber, radish, sprout, scallion, and burdock root. I think it was the root that gives a hint of off-putting nutmeg that distracts from the salmon. The presentation is gorgeous, however. Hamachi Collar Yes, we did end up eating hamachi three ways! This one was a clear winner - the grilled collar, thinly seared to a light crunch and juicy supple in the middle. You don't really need the light ponzu sauce imho. Portion size impressive. For $13.5, simply a steak. Overall service was courteous and responsive. Any request was met with a quick return. For food quality and menu originality, this one is a tough call between 4-5 stars. That's all...

    Pickled cucumber
    Joyce S.

    Restaurant was a bit crowded but also cozy for a rainy day. We had about a ten minute wait before being seated. Staff were responsive and hospitable, prompt with service but also polite to give us time to look over the menu and to decide what we want to order. They checked in with us a few times during our meal to make sure we have everything we need. We ordered the seafood yosenabe and the beef sukiyaki. The beef sukiyaki can also come as a set, with added miso soup and tempura. I loved the yosenabe broth, had a good balance of flavor. Seafood was cooked and noodles were al dente. No shrimp in my dish but I got a large piece of scallop, some clams, fish and veggies. The sukiyaki broth was overly sweet for me, but had a good amount of beef and veggies with both clear noodles and udon. Both dishes came with a generous serving of pickled cucumbers and a bowl of rice. Portions were also generous. I brought home a little less than half of my portion and was happy to reheat it for lunch the next day.

    Gohar K.

    Saturday night with family while on a weekend trip to Mill Valley we ended up here for dinner. We enjoyed our food very much, the service was great. The rolls were delicious and the fish fresh. A lot of options for rolls and sashimi. I loved the jimbo maki roll. Ordered a second Jen. Overall a great place to dine at, a bit small and gets really crowded but a great ambiance.

    Stinson roll, Dragon roll and spicy tuna roll
    Emily G.

    One of the best sushi restaurants in the bay! Seriously stumbled upon this restaurant after a trek to Muir Woods and I was met with great service and fresh sushi rolls. This easily became one of my regular spots. I'm leaving CA and had to celebrate one of our last meals here. The Stinson maki is 10/10 and love the eel and avocado roll in the dragon roll. I always love spicy tuna and they have a tasty one with fresh tuna and a nice sesame oil flavor.

    One of the best sushi places in the bay! The sushi taste so fresh! The rice is always perfectly cooked! The roles are nice and packed and stable they don't fall apart! The owner and workers are always so kind & ready to help or get anything you need! It is a small place so it does feel a bit crowded and on weekends there usually a 20-30 minute wait but it's all worth it!

    Beef sukiyaki
    Ken D.

    Average food, but good enough to eat at since it's the only Japanese restaurant in town. I had the beef sukiyaki. It was served In a regular porcelain bowl. The broth was decent but it was super simple. Lacking in cabbage and only came with a little bit of clear noodles. Sukiyaki is traditionally served in a shallow clay pot, not giant soup bowl. My friend ordered 2 rolls and the pork gyōza. I tried a piece of gyōza just 5 minutes after it came out and they were already cold. Would not be a first choice of restaurant to visit, but if I were in the area and really craving Japanese food, I could give it another try.

    a close up of a menu on a table
    Kiyomi W.

    Came in on a Saturday night around 5:15. It wasn't too busy then around 6 it was packed and super loud. This place is really cold so bring a jacket. It made the dinner a lot less enjoyable and I heard a couple ask if they could turn on a heater and the waitress didn't even let the dude finish and she said no. Got the crazy horse roll and negihama roll. My friend got the 15 piece sashimi, cherry blossom roll, and 49er roll. The food is pretty good and the fish is fresh! The sashimi came out kind of fast and then we waited another 20 minutes for the rolls. I'd rate the food 5/5 but the experience as a whole wasn't a 5/5. So getting togo is probably the better option.

    Uni nigiri
    Stacie V.

    My new fav sushi spot in Marin! I snagged a seat immediately at the sushi bar on a Friday evening. The staff is extremely attentive. Prices are reasonable considering the quality which is a rarity nowadays. The place was loud and very family friendly. Lots of crying kids... I'd recommend getting takeout if the wait is too long and eating at a neighboring picnic table near the parking lot.

    suppose 2b ton katsu , taste as if it's DRY pork chops . sauce suppose 2b katsu sauce pic salty teriyaki sauce ,

    Suppose 2b ton katsu , taste looks as if it's DRY PORK CHOPS , was given salty teriyaki sauce in place for the katsu sauce . Very disappointing

    Edamame, Nigiri - Hamachi, Maguro, Bincho Maguro, 49er roll, Crazy Horse roll, and Spicy Scallop roll.

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    4 months ago

    This is one of our go to spots in Mill Valley. Always good and great service. The nigiri and rolls are always delish.

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    1 year ago

    Our local favorite. Reasonably priced, consistently good. We've often done takeout, occasionally eat in - small busy place.

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    2 years ago

    Food was tasty and service was terrific. It was pretty crowded at the bar, but that's not a bad thing.

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    Page 1 of 8

    Samurai Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Samurai

    Do we need to make a reservation for 3 people tonight at 6pm 03/22/24?

    They do not take reservations for less than parties of four.

    Do they still use that amazing sesame mayo in their rolls?

    Yes

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Oni Kuma - Hokkaido Uni

    Oni Kuma

    3.9(122 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    Family-owned & operated
    Free parking

    Was very excited to try this place…read more Arrived at around 11:50. We had dogs with us so we were waiting to be sat outside, the server made eye contact from inside, but only came to greet us after we waited a few minutes and finally called out to her from the doorway. After being seated and given menus, we waited another 10 min with no service, and I decided to walk in and wash my hands. On my way out of the restroom, the server was finishing chatting with the only customer inside of the restaurant. I asked if we could have some water brought to the table, and she nodded. 5 min or so after I asked her for the water, the customer who was inside was walking out, and we chatted for a bit. Come to find out the sushi chefs and kitchen staff were not available due to the traffic on the freeway. I was in the same traffic, and I knew it was really bad. That was not the issue. The server never came out to our table. She never told us what was going on. We were left hanging for almost 20 min with zero contact, other than dropping the menus, and requesting waters that we never recieved. At an empty restaurant. There was no notice posted out front, there was nothing said from the server. If I was stopping in during a lunch break, I would not have been able to dine elsewhere due to the time I wasted sitting at this place waiting for service. All it took was for the server to let us know the situation and I would have tried to come back some other time. There were 20 full minutes - plenty of opportunity - to make best of a bad situation, and none were taken. Absolutely unacceptable.

    Yelp really needs to offer zero stars--or negative stars--for experiences like this…read more STAY AWAY. Terrible service, cold pre-made food, questionable seafood freshness, and a staff attitude that ruined a family birthday dinner. We came here for my sister-in-law's birthday during a weekend getaway. Our 5:30 p.m. reservation for party of 5 was easy because the restaurant was empty. We chose to sit outside since the weather was nice. At first, everything seemed fine. The waiter brought menus, dinnerware, cups, and water quickly and took our order in a reasonable amount of time. Then the food came out suspiciously fast. The chawanmushi was lukewarm, which is completely wrong for a steamed egg custard that should be served hot and freshly steamed. That made me wonder how much had been prepared too early and left sitting around. The chicken karaage, lemon salmon, tempura udon, agedashi tofu, sashimi, and nigiri sampler were all forgettable. At best, it was average Japanese food for an area with limited options. Worse, the fish had a noticeable "fishy" taste, which raised serious concerns about freshness or storage. The final item we ordered was Curry Tonkatsu, but regular tonkatsu came out instead. We left it untouched because we wanted to send it back or exchange it. By then, we were almost 40 minutes into dinner, everyone had run out of water, and the waiter still had not checked on us. When we finally saw him after another long disappearance, we asked him to come over and clarify the order. That is where the entire table lost its appetite. When we explained that we had ordered Curry Tonkatsu, the waiter became defensive and insisted, loudly and condescendingly, that he had asked whether we wanted curry and that we had said tonkatsu. My sister-in-law explained she said tonkatsu because the menu offered a choice between tonkatsu and chicken katsu, but he kept scolding her. The worst part? She apologized repeatedly--on her own birthday--while he doubled down and said, "Besides, we already made it." So we were supposed to accept the wrong order because the kitchen had already made it? There was zero ownership, zero hospitality, and zero professionalism. My husband asked if we could at least get a side of curry, and we also asked for water. The waiter left and did not return for another 20 minutes. When he finally came back outside, he served the large table next to us first. By the time he reached us, the pitcher ran out, so only three of five people got water. We had to share what little we received before he returned again. The curry side did not arrive until about half an hour after we asked for it. When it finally came out, it was cold and served in a plain white bowl. Either it had been made far too early and left out, or they are microwaving pre-made food for guests. By then, the meal was already ruined. At that point, we just wanted to pay and leave. Everyone was still hungry, but no one had an appetite after being talked down to, ignored, left without water on a hot summer evening, and made to feel punished for questioning a wrong order. The waiter never checked on us again, so we went inside to pay at the register ourselves. As we left, we passed him, and he did not acknowledge us at all. Maybe this place gets a pass because the area has limited Japanese options, but calling it an izakaya is a joke. The food was mediocre at best, and the service was worse than anything I have experienced at far more ordinary restaurants in the midwest like IOWA or MINNESOTA. I will never come back, and I will warn others. Cold food that tasted pre-made or microwaved, seafood that raised freshness concerns, non-existent service, water treated like a luxury, and a waiter more interested in proving a point than fixing a problem. I am genuinely appalled. Avoid this place.

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    Sushi Ran - Uni, ikura and quail egg

    Sushi Ran

    4.1(2k reviews)
    3.7 mi
    •$$$

    Everything was absolutely wonderful, from the exquisite food to the attentive service. As a…read moredelightful touch, the chef even treated us to a complimentary starter! I really enjoyed the thoughtfully curated omakase menu arrangement. A standout highlight for me was the tender baby ginger sourced from Hawaii and marinated fresh in-house--I've never had anything like it anywhere else! The chef was engaging and informative, explaining each course so you know the exact origin of the ingredients and how they were expertly prepped. The final dessert course was way beyond my expectations: the slightly warm, chewy green tea mochi paired with the creamy vanilla gelato was an absolute match made in heaven. My sole, minor complaint is that they charge extra for tea. For a high-end omakase experience at this price point, it really should include complimentary tea to provide a seamless, complete meal.

    Got a reservation for the omakase here. Overall, the quality of the fish was good and there was a…read morenice variety throughout the meal. They also had some more interesting creations, like the sesame salmon with lemon cream, which was a fun change from the more traditional pieces. The highlight for me was a dish prepared by the kitchen that had a piece of fish lightly fried in potato starch and served in a seaweed and vinegar broth. That was probably the most surprising dish of the meal and one of my favorites since the different flavors were subtle and worked well together. They also had fresh wasabi, which was a nice touch. The chawanmushi didn't have quite the smooth, pudding-like texture I was expecting, but the flavors were really good. The mushrooms, ikura, and subtle hit of yuzu worked really well together. Super popular spot with lots of seating and different seating options, and pretty much everything was full when we went.

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    Kuro Nami - Kuro Nami Roll

    Kuro Nami

    4.5(117 reviews)
    5.7 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    Eco-friendly

    My favorite sushi place in Marin smaller menu comparing to Susbi Ran but the quality of fish is…read moreexcellent. Their lunch and dinner menu are different, if you want Ramen you need to go for lunch. Dinner options mostly sashimi and sushi. A quaint place and could get busy for dinner on weekend so recommended reservation to avoid the wait. The ramen was a tad bit cooked so I asked for aldente the second time we visited and it was just perfect. We enjoyed all our dishes, the omakase lunch is a great deal. The softshell crab salad with wasabi dressing was great. We tried both the tomatoes broth and garlic tonkasu brotth both were equally great so all depends on your mood. The aburi nigiri is a must try. Overall, we would come here if we are in the area and wanted a good nigiri. Great service too smaller interior you will sit close to your neighbors, sit outside if you want a bit more space.

    We had been too long in trying this gem. We ordered food to pick up and were delighted. Ordering is…read moreeasy and quick. The restaurant doesn't allow modifications, which was one reason we waited until now to try, since both of us have food allergies. We selected the miso soup (my husband said it was difficult and he liked it, but has had better), the seaweed salad (I loved it-clean and not dripping with dressing), four types of sashimi (all very flavorful and fresh), and two rolls (ocean, and soft shell crab). The soft shell crab was delicious and the ocean was very good. The outside patio will be our next destination. Everyone was very nice and friendly. We're looking forward to trying a meal in the patio soon.

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    Samurai - sushi - Updated September 2026

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