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    Samurai

    3.9 (311 reviews)
    ModerateSushi Bars, Japanese
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM

    Samurai Photos

    Business Info

    SAMURAI ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - Samurai

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    Reviews With Photos

    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!

    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

    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.

    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.

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

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    4 years ago

    The food is excellent and nicely priced! Always busy! Call for reservations before 4:00.

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    4 years ago

    Fresh, delicious sushi. Excellent quality and very reasonably priced. Friendly staff.

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    4 years ago

    super fresh sushi, awesome atmosphere, and wonderful waitstaff! couldn't recommend this place more. great prices, too.

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    Page 3 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

    Oni Kuma

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

    Came here for a date night. It has casual hole in the wall vibes. We sat outside the night was…read moreperfect. I ordered the angry edamame, Brussels kushiyaki, and tempura veggie roll. My husband ordered the Hirame Carpacccio, Salmon lemon roll and bacon wrapped mochi. He claimed the bacon wrapped mochi had the best bites of the night. It appeared to have the same sauce as the Brussel sprouts which was delicious. The angry Edamame had a delicious chili garlic oil. The food was solid. The service was attentive and friendly.

    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.

    Photos
    Outside Patio
    Outside Patio
    Karaage Chicken
    Karaage Chicken
    Yasuo head chef

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    Yasuo head chef
    Show de Carnes

    Show de Carnes

    4.6
    (1.1k reviews)
    2.1 mi
    $$$$

    I saw an Instagram ad for half off the rodizio experience on Memorial Day and had to make a…read morereservation. Matt had been talking about Brazilian steakhouse every time he saw something that reminded him remotely of Fogo de Chao, so I figured this opportunity might be of interest to him. Come to find out that the day after I make the reservation he asks if I'd be willing to go a Brazilian steakhouse for the long weekend, so I got to surprise him with the fact that I already had a reservation. I'm not the biggest fan of Fogo de Chao based on my prior experiences there. I do believe that I have been to a Show de Carnes location before and had another great experience, but also Show de Carnes's Memorial Day promotion was slightly better than Fogo's and I much preferred that their location was outside of the city even if on the other side of the bridge. I did have to call the morning of to delay our reservation slightly, but it was taken care of for us without hassle. We even got seated closer to the original reservation time when we ended up running early. There isn't much space to wait in the front lobby area especially on a packed night, but everything looks very upscale from the wine bottles on the wall to the crystals above the self-serve side buffet. As far as mandatory meats, I have a couple of personal rules when it comes to Brazilian steakhouse, including go light on the sides and only go for the beef. Picanha is my favorite, extra rare too, so I made myself a whole pincanha meat salad while probably giving the guy cutting the meat a good scare. The grilled pineapple is also a must, followed by the cheese and honey. Matt got a lot more variety but it takes a while for the guys to come around with meat that has already been sliced up some so I can get to the parts that I like. We got a papaya cream and passion fruit mousse for dessert, which we probably really didn't need but enjoyed thoroughly as we are both dessert people. As it was a busy night, it was not too easy to flag a server down. I saw picanhas skip our table left and right so I'm not sure there's an established route for them to bring the meat around. The staff did seem to work together with great teamwork, and someone always stopped by to make sure we had more water and our choice of sides. I would definitely go back and recommend it to anyone that is a protein or all you can eat fan. The regular price per person is definitely steep in my humble opinion, but if you can catch a promo it'll be a great time. Also, don't choose between still or sparkling, ask for tap. I will not be getting got again next time.

    Very good service. Salad bar is excellent with some warm items as well…read more Meat--very good

    Photos
    Sushi
    Sushi
    Show de Carnes
    "Salad bar"; but much more; had sushi, shrimp, fruit and much more.

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    "Salad bar"; but much more; had sushi, shrimp, fruit and much more.
    Pacific Catch

    Pacific Catch

    3.6
    (832 reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    I attended a conference in Corte Madera, and treated myself to dinner at Pacific Catch the final…read morenight. I ordered the fish and chips, with a green salad instead of fries (aka chips), and a gin and tonic. The meal was perfect. The salad was fresh, lightly dressed. The fish was flaky, the batter crispy, the ratio of batter to fish perfect. In addition to fresh tartar sauce they bring out malt vinegar. The coleslaw was tangy and tasty. My only disappointment in the meal was the g-and-t. I expect tonic to be carbonated, and there was zero effervescence in my drink. I didn't send it back, so that's on me. A person at the table across from me ordered the taco trio and those looked scrumptious. Maybe next time... I would definitely go back, and just be more assertive about my cocktail. Very good food.

    This was one of the most upsetting customer service experiences I have ever had…read more I made a reservation for outdoor seating because I was dining with my mother, who uses a wheelchair, and my 8-year-old child. When we arrived, we were suddenly told that the outdoor tables were "not wheelchair accessible," despite the fact that I had specifically reserved an outdoor table. As I write this review, an outdoor table for four has remained empty directly in front of us for the entire time. We were still refused that table. When I questioned why our reservation could not be honored, the manager, Adriana, responded, "Go ahead and give us a bad review." I found that response dismissive, unprofessional, and completely lacking in empathy. My family and I are Brown, and the way we were treated left me with serious concerns that we were not treated the same as other guests. I cannot know the reason with certainty, but the combination of refusing to honor our outdoor reservation, claiming the outdoor tables were suddenly "not wheelchair accessible," leaving an outdoor table vacant throughout our visit, and the manager's response left me feeling humiliated and unwelcome. I hope Pacific Catch reviews the reservation records, available security footage, and the actions of its staff so that no other family has a similar experience. This review reflects my personal experience and observations.

    Photos
    Pacific Catch
    Pacific Catch
    Pacific Catch

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    Samurai - sushi - Updated August 2026

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