I went with a group of friends for lunch. The food is ok, we went for hibachi, I think the food was a bit bland. Our waitress didn't seem like she was happy to be there, but our cook was nice and we enjoyed watching him cook our food, the place is good for large groups. read more

Samurai - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

Rating: 3.0 Date: 12/21/2019 Samurai is located right across the shops at the Falls. It has been there for decades, and tonight was my very first visit. It was one of those places that my family considered at "pricey" growing up and therefore we always drive pass it. For this visit, we are celebrating our work holiday party so we had a huge group of about 18. As it was a weekend during the holiday season, it was the only place that would take our reservation. But it took forever. RESTAURANT: The restaurant is up to date. Very clean on the outside. Parking is horrible during this time of the week (and this time of the year) but you may try your luck parking next door at the shopping plaza. They do have valet which ofcourse cost money. Inside, the restaurant is decorated minimally with many Japanese themed decor. There's a huge bar in the middle and a beautiful wooden case for their fancy wines. But there were not many seating available at the waiting area and it go really uncomfortable outside. There are several types of dining area; there are huge rooms with several small hibachis for small groups and rooms for larger parties like hours. We had the most unfortunate experience at the women's restroom (someone had an enormous accident) and it took a long time for someone to finally do something about it. But it atleast got cleaned eventually. It nearly took my appetite away. Moving on...our private area consisted of two huge habachis that fit about 10 people on each end. It was not very spacious and really, there was nothing you can do to get away from the smoke from the all the cooking. On the tables were nice red cloth napkins and their signature samurai plates, which are little details that brings the restaurant up a notch. The chef hats were so fun since the adults enjoyed putting them on as well. SERVICE: Again, I understand that it was a Saturday night during the holiday season and that we had a large group and that is why it took so long to get our private dining area ready. The hostes on the front desk did not look very approachable. Must be a cultural thing. And once we were seated, it took forever for the two Chefs to get started with the cooking. When you're hangry, everything seems like an eternity. But I guess that is how it works, they seat everyone, they take drink orders. They bring those out eventually. They come back to take everyone's order, all 18 of us, and if you ordered an appetizer, that arrived eventually but if you didn't, you waited until everyone's order was placed and 45 minutes later the chefs finally came rolling in with the food to cook. The chefs were very entertaining, there's no doubt about that. And our server was patient and thankfully, he pretty much had all of our orders right. FOOD: Ok, as we were all coming straight from work, we were all famished! Including the kids. Salads and soup were brought out. I ordered a Las Vegas sushi roll because it did not appear that anyone was coming out to do any cooking anytime soon. I also went ahead and placed my son's order thinking that would come out sooner. I was wrong, his order was also part of the whole cooking presentation. The sushi was cooked one, it was a nice portion and it was still hot. But I was still hungry and ended up ordering a Shrimp Crunchy Roll which my favorite roll for the night. I love that its some on the outside and crunchy on the inside. The presentation was very pleasing to the eyes as well. Finally, the cooking exhibition began. The hibachi chefs starts with the sauces, then they start making the fried rice where they do their egg cracking tricks and heart shape rice and then distribute it aroudn the table. Then, they do the veggies especially onion volcano which was very entertaining for the kids. Then the entree meat and seafood culminated the entire experience. Again, there was no getting away from the smoke so make sure you come prepared to leave there smelling like the hibachi. We had the steak meal and it was nice and tender and well seasoned. They do give you a hefty portion of rice and vegetables so it looks like you're getting a massive amount of food. The kids got ice cream for desserts. Overall, it was not a bad first visit. Aside from the long wait, the unfortunate restroom issue, the small space and all the smoke, our group had a wonderful time and enjoyed the show very much. My coworkers also enjoyed their special drinks. The price point is a bit high for me but on a special occassion, I guess its not a bad place to splurge. I did learn that the lunch hours are not as busy and therefore I am definitely open to coming here again. Besides, I also learned that they have an awesome birthday reward program. A $30 gift certificate is certainly a good reason to come back. Final bill does include service charge AKA tip so pay attention. read more

Samurai - First visit in a long time! - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

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The food was good, but the food and service were not worth the price. They don't allows you to make reservations and have people standing out front for over an hour while they wait for a seat. The restaurant was crowded and the chairs were ripping. You don't get a private table to yourself and are paired with other guest and the seats are all crammed around the tables trying to make more room than there actually is for more guest to sit. Once you actually sit down it takes another half hour for them to take your order and the another half hour for the chef to get there. The food was alright, but definitely not worth the price on the menu. The stove top also didn't look the cleanest, but I could just be nitpicking. All in all, was it the worst experience of my life? No. But would I recommend it to others? Also no. Your money is better spent elsewhere to be honest. read more

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The place is exactly the same as Benihana if you were wondering. Same menu and everything. The service is good and I never waited more than 15 mins to be seated. They also have accept the birthday coupons from Benihana. read more

Samurai - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

What a fun experience experience my girlfriend and I had We both love hibachi and we really love entertainment It's a great spot to enjoy and get some exciting food done by an entertaining chef Come enjoy some good food You will love it Lots of flavor and excitement read more

We found out they do not accept Reservations.... so we waited for an hour and a half for our table. Then, once seated.... for some reason, our Chef took a long time to show up. Food was okay--not too exciting and EXPENSIVE. I truly believe this place is more for tourists and for the "show" than its food. We will not be returning. read more

We have been coming to this restaurant for 40 years. Tonight we had the BEST server that we have ever had. Her name is Stephanie. Her attention to detail was incredible. She was super sweet and personable. She celebrated us with ice cream and singing as we were celebrating our 51 wedding anniversary. Stephanie, we thank you for your kindness and making our evening special. read more

Gregory was AMAZING. Best meal i've had here probably ever in my 20 something years eating Hibachi! Our server Chris was very attentive and quick with everything even after the long wait. Could not have asked for a better experience here for our late night outing. Thank you! read more

Generic run of the mill hibachi restaurant. Food tasted like everyone else, and the staff were friendly. The parking is mandatory valet but I think given the past complaints it's the right thing to do. read more

This restaurant always has a wait time, I suggest going during lunch since they have more seating and offer lunch specials (at good prices). I always order the shrimp combination with chicken fried rice, it's one of my favorite spots. read more

I've been coming to samurai for 20+ years. Gregory is SUCH a great chef. He made the experience 10x better. The best chef I had yet coming here! Will request him every time moving forward. read more

We went to try their lunch specials and let me tell you, they have great deals on those. For a little less than $30 my daughter and I had a fresh and delicious Tepanyaki lunch. We each had a soup, chicken, and rice. The device was extremely goo and they took care of my food allergies. The chef was so much fun. read more

Samurai - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

The food and fried rice is so good! You must go and check it out for yourself. You want be disappointed! Drinks were yummy also! read more

I brought my daughter to have the entire hibachi table experience for first time. However, for no reason or without explanation, they said no lunch price is applicable today after we had already sat down. The cook was Ok but not really great. Therefore, I was pretty much pressure into a mediocre lunch that was over $100 for 2 and I left disappointed as my daughter didn't think it was a good experience at all. read more

Samurai - Hibachi table... - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

I have been coming here for decades with my whole family and the quality has always been great. I can't forget to mention Martina, the best waiter. She always welcomes you with a warm smile. Daniel Sr was our chef today and his seasoning was right on point. Thank you for a pleasant experience. read more

The food here is great and always hits the spot. Spicy chicken fried rice with extra garlic butter and steak is my go to. My wife loves the chicken noodles. Staff is always nice and very accomodating to my shellfish allergy. The only bad thing here is the parking, you're now forced to do valet. read more

Just wow! Service needs improvements but the food will have you coming back! Best hibachi in miami!

Let me start out by saying I always enjoy the food. It's consistently delicious, however they need to improve their customer service and their wait times are always crazy. What makes it more irritating is when you have rude front desk employees. I walked in last weekend and there was a long as usual and a wait time of an hour. I decided to wait an hour goes by and I wasn't called so I asked the front desk guy how many more people are ahead of me. He yells I told you there's a 2 hour wait and it's only been 15mins. Um no it's been an hour because I texted my daughter at the same time they gave me the timeframe as she was meeting me there. Secondly I didn't ask how long it's been and he did not say 2 hours from the beginning. I simply asked how many people where ahead of me to gauge how long more I had to wait. At this point I was pissed off and decided to cut Samurai off. I expressed professionally to the front desk guy how rude he was and all of a sudden the person next to him is calling on my cell to tell me my table is ready. I look at him and said oh I thought it had been only 15mins. He was so embarrassed and started being nice to me. It's a shame because the food is great but the customer service and parking sucks. Don't think I'll be back. read more

Samurai - Lychee martini - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

Amazing experience! Excellent food and service!!! A must try, go early but so worth it.

Where do I begin! I'm not the type to write these reviews but this one has three strikes with me and I will never be back. We arrived they said the wait was one hour. We ended up waiting 1:36 minutes to be exact. We then got seated and waited another 25 or so minutes then someone came to take our drink order. That's not the worst part. We got seated in an area where the AC was not working. Although they had portable machines to make up for the broken AC (which were not asthetically pleasing) they were also not working because the water needed to be emptied in them. Did I say not asthetically pleasing, the walls in there needed to be painted it looked like a horror house but I digress on that topic. Me knowing a thing or two about ACs I notified the manager and only one of the three machines were emptied and set to run like 30 minutes later. By the time my drinks came me and my family and I were sweating. Two babies crying red as a tomato. To top it off The exhaust fans were not working in the room atleast at my surrounding tables. The amount of smoke was eye piercing. I mean this should have been illegal. Our Chef was bottom of the barrel. Sure he was nice but terrible and doesn't belong doing something he doesn't love but how can I blame him. I mean his sweat maybe added to the over saltiness of the food. I mean I Gallic butter but darn you gotta know how to cook because it as repugnant. I couldn't even finish my food so I asked for the check and left. The place gets atleast two generous stars for the quality of the food itself and the server himself was nice and trying to be as accommodating as possible. The manager on the other hand was a disaster. What a terrible way to run a Resturaunt. I have been going there since I was 11 years old and I'm now 37. The last three times I have been , which has been recent, have been a nightmare. Sad to say I will NEVER GO BACK! Nothing was done to accommodate us. Do not got here! try UMAMI in Doral or Benihana in the gables if you want this kind of food. read more

Went for lunch on Thursday (6/20/19). Was waiting for two friends who were 5 minutes away. I ask the "host" if he could sit us at table 45, he says "table 45 doesn't exist"! I say ohhh ok my friends were requesting it but ok. I'm thinking my friends were pulling my leg and I felt stupid for asking and trusting that he would know the restaurant right? Wrong! I politely asked ok, can I just sit by the sushi bar. He was just like ok go ahead with the most dismissive attitude as if it hurt him to be polite. I had to tell him that he wasn't very helpful or pleasant! I didn't want him to turn my day's energy around so I thought let me just let him know how unhelpful he is and proceed. My friends cane,, found me and pointed to a table that was near the sushi bar. When our server finally came, which took an extensive period of time, we asked her if the table had a number and she replied "yes, it's table 45!" Really! I really had to breathe and find forgiveness and compassion in my heart. Thinking to myself ok maybe the kid (host) was having a bad day or is going through something. And I'd be understanding if that was the case but he still doesn't have to take it out on me...anyway, e was so wrong and his attitude is what sucked but you can't teach someone in service to have a better attitude I guess it's not my place. Moving on to the soup I ordered. Samurai Onion Soup! I 'was expecting something amazing but it was mediocre. The bowl was actually half empty. I was bewildered and asked the server if that was the correct portion since it was literally below half of the tiny bowl. She said "yes that's the way we serve it". I'm thinking to myself this can't be, it half empty! I see a gentleman passing by that looks like a manager and he agrees that his the manager so I presented the half empty soup bowl to him. He says "it's supposed to be 3/4 full". I thought that was more like it. He takes the bowl from my hands and says that he would bring me a new one. The new one was indeed 3/4 full! So thank you for that! The manager is the only reason I'm giving them 2 stars. Otherwise I would 1 Star them. The server was really nice and apologetic but the service was soooooo slow! So frustrating that my other friend and I had finished our salads and my other friend still hadn't received her food, she ended up cancelling it because we were in our lunch and had to go. Not sure what's happening at Samurai but it really was not a happy experience at all! Overall: Greeter/ host at door rude and not helpful Service: server was nice but service slow Price: overpriced for the quality Time to get your food: make sure you get an extended lunch, cause it's going to be a while... read more

Samurai - Half way full Samurai Onion Soup! Good thing I saw the manager go by and ask about the quantity! - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Was there Saturday night for dinner...is always a treat to go and watch the place always packed...the food was delicious I just wish they gave a little bigger portion....Our Chef Jessie was awesome and his assistant Irvin was on top of the game...he didn't stop not only on our table but other tables giving amazing customer service...Hats off to both of them and thanks for a great experience. read more

Another great night at Samurai! Shawn was our chef tonight - he was incredible. Fun atmosphere and just a good dude. Plus a great cook. Always enjoy my nights here since I was a kid. Still as great as ever. read more

Samurai - Fried rice, veggies and filet mignon getting cooked! - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

What can I say, I love this place. Love the fried rice, the steak and shrimp sauce. The whole experience is great for my family and I. They take no reservations so depending on the time of day or weekend you may find yourself waiting a while. If you haven't been there before, if you are not a big sorry child you will be seating with other diners who may or may not be fun individuals but then again, you are with you your party and that's all that matters. Make sure that you buy the Japanese sodas for your kids, they will enjoy opening the bottles. read more

Samurai - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

First time at this samurai and here is what I thought... Atmosphere: dim lighting, great for families or small parties. I went for a birthday dinner and they were extremely accommodating especially since we brought our own cake and tons of balloons Food: was delicious! Loved the onion soup, fried rice and zucchini Staff: was great and efficient, the hibachi chef was hilarious Issues:the prking and entrance is the only complain I have- go early it gets pcked BUT they do offer valet so thats a plus Loved the overall experience read more

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What has happened to this place? Walked in and instantly felt the heat, but no explanation. Was told it would be 20 minutes and we waited almost an hour. Not the end of the world, but once seated took forever to get the meal going and now in front of a burning hot grill. Hope they at least offer some kind of discount. read more

Everything is top shelf at this Pinecrest gem right across the street from The Falls mall has got it all amazing hibachi style Japanese bar b Que with the best service in the area. I have never not had a memorable family meal here. Also a great date place. If you've never been here stop by and see why I give this place 20 out of ten stars. The hibachi chef Shawn was very talented and very entertaining as well. And our waiter Irvin was the best!The whole staff is amazing but Irvin really stood out and made our anniversary celebration feel special with his friendly smile and vip service. A special thanks to both. We Will return to our new favorite place soon. read more

Have not been here in forever but has always been my favorite teppanyaki place. We got there before 5:15pm on a week day yay!!! This for us is a miracle. Honestly no complaints everything was perfect. Greeted by a smiling hostess sat by 10 minutes. The people at the table super cool our waiter & cook awesome we had Cedric I don't recall the waiters name but very friendly helpful young man. Food delicious as always! We have tried teppanyaki in many places in SF & even in Disney's Epcot & Samurai will always be our favorite read more

Delicious. Remember to register your email address so that you can get the $30 certificate for the month of your birthday. read more

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Our experience was spectacular!! Andres and Erving went above and beyond to make everything right! The food was absolutely delicious and just so much better than what I remembered from the last time I came.... The service was spectacular! Definitely on the food bucket list read more

Ive being here before but this is the first time The chef its "not in the mood" I ordered white rice with chicken teriyaki but it was the first time that I was "left over" from the others on the table... I had to wait more than a hour to get my order wile the others were eatting. I understand he got "stress" because one of the ladies that were sitting with us told him he wasnt japaness and also when he started cooking she comment somthing and he told her "can you let me cook?!" After that the table was not fun at all... and we just have to wait for the food and thats it. read more

My absolute favorite restaurant -- because of the taste of the food and entertainment. I've been here countless times. Here, you get traditional Japanese dinner and a show. You watch the chef cook your meals to perfection and get it hot on your plate from the stove. The chefs also showcase their skills in hibachi tricks. To me, it doesn't really matter which chef you get (but I've heard you can request a favorite), the food always tastes great. If you have a specific request, for example, if you want extra lemon or garlic on your shrimp, you can ask the chef. They'd be happy to do it. Some chefs are more entertaining than others but they're always courteous. The meals that are all-inclusive with the salad, soup, rice, hot tea, and ice cream are HUGE so go hungry. The food is DELICIOUS. Just watch out for the shrimp--sometimes they are dirty, but you can politely ask for clean shrimp. That's one of the reasons why I didn't leave 5 stars. For all that money you're paying--they should be cleaning ALL of the shrimp before it gets to the chef. I've never had a rude chef or a rude waitress. Not to say I haven't had a few that were turned off, but never rude. Humans have to have an off day sometime. No one is up and alert every single day. Bathrooms are clean and fully stocked for the majority of the time. I have seen the bathroom a bit messy on busy nights when they are very full with an overwhelming amount of people. The rest of the place always looks clean and I always see employees cleaning the floors and tables after a group has left. Plates and silverware are also always clean. Parking is a breeze. You just drive to the entrance and they park your car for you. No charge but you should always tip at least a small amount. If you go early enough before the restaurant gets full, you can park the car yourself. The other reason why I didn't leave 5 stars is because of the wait time. Everyone loves this food so a lot of people go and I understand that creates the wait time but I think an hour and 45 minutes wait time is just ridiculous for any place. I always go early now for lunch because of that. I haven't experienced a dinner here in years. Also- the restaurant seats you with another family if you have few members in your party. So you're kind of forced into this socially awkward situation with strangers that you have to eat with. This can be good and bad. I've had great experiences with other families; laughing, drinking, making fun of each other, talking about whatever. I've had awkward and bad experiences with other families too; where the other families are not polite, don't feel like being social (which is ok, that doesn't bother me but you can't tell off the bat so you kind of have to feel the energy first), or just plain assholes that roll their eyes once you are seated. It's always a roll of the dice. You can just get a larger group of your family and friends together to go with you...that way you'll have the table to yourselves. The table seats 8 comfortably. If everyone in the group is obese, then 6 comfortably. Hope this was helpful. :) read more

Imagine it's News Years Eve, just picked up my family from the Airport around 8pm or so. They are hungry after a long flight from the West Coast, and they are in the mood for "Chinese"... I must have drove around and and stopped at over 4 places before we landed at Samurai, and it was OPEN. We decided to sit at the grill and get a show. We also ordered some apps, we were so hungry and it was so good. The chef did his thing and he was super fun and friendly. But the waiter was definitely the star of the show. He was fast, friendly, customer service oriented, had a great attitude. It's rare to find someone who possesses all these traits in one person. He definitely made our New Year's Eve Chinese dinner that much more special. read more

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This hurts me since Samurai is my all time Favorite but this was just plain gross! I didn't take the pic when it was just placed in griddle because I was in disbelief! The shrimp had not been cleaned properly and had poop all over them. NASTY! read more

Samurai - Shrimp poop! - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Terrible service and takes forever for service and staff is not friendly at all. For a restaurant that seats 233 people I would expect to have more than 2 bathroom stalls (that are in serious need of cleaning) read more

Samurai - Terrible food. - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida

Worst service and treatment I've ever had. After having to wait over an hour, 3 parties of the same amount of people as mine came in and were seated within 15 minutes. After I complained to the manager, she proceeded to show me that I had 5 more people ahead of me. I promptly left and went to Longhorn Steakhouse, where I had a great dinner, only to be surpassed by the server. Needless to say, Samurai can Shove their sword where it hurts the most, cause they'll never de me, my family or friends ever again. read more

Burn baby burn! Up go the flames in a live show where the chef proudly presents your dinner. :) First thing's first, you haven't lived until you've gone to Samurai. I know, I know, it's another hibachi place, but honestly speaking, this one tops the rest of them - Aoki Teppanyaki, Benihana, Kobe, etc. One thing to note, though, is that unfortunately most people are aware of this and good luck coming here and not having to wait. Somehow, MIRACULOUSLY, this happened to my friend ONE TIME, but it has never happened to me and I've been coming here for years. But anyway, I digress. I went the day after New Year's to take advantage of their Chef's Table coupon. Woohoo, birthday girl! Admittedly my birthday was in December, but still... I got to celebrate! Party hardy! My friend and I went, and holy smokes, this was extremely packed. They didn't even have the valet working anymore, but whatever, it happens. The wait was an hour to an hour and a half, and well, it was worth it. As soon as we were sat, the waitress immediately got to it and I relinquished my birthday coupon. Both my friend and I ordered the Rocky's Choice platter, which included chicken, steak, fried rice, vegetables, two or three pieces of shrimp, as well as onion soup, ginger salad, and hot tea. Oh, and my friend also ordered a hot sake that I must say I was not a fan of, but he seemed to enjoy it well enough. Anyhow, our chef was polite, entertaining, and a good cook. The amount of food we got was massive, but then again, I'm a petite girl, so I lived the stereotype and had leftovers the next day. Surprisingly for as wonderful as Samurai is, the food the next day, or at the very least the steak, seemed ridiculously under seasoned. Oh well. The hot tea was amazing as per usual and I even got sang happy birthday in Japanese with some ice cream. Still, while I enjoyed my time at Samurai as I always do, I cannot in good conscience give this particular occasion five stars. I can deal with the valet, the wait, and even the seasoning as they are trying to cater to everyone, but I did not appreciate that I felt rushed as soon as the show was over to leave. Seriously speaking, the waitress was giving out boxes as soon as the show ended. Until the next time I am your guest, Samurai, you will proudly receive four stars from me. read more

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Samurai never fails- always good food, good vibe and especially a good time. Since it's not just people in your party you get to sit and meet new people-who knows you might spark a conversation with them and makes you experience better. read more

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Be prepared to wait, as this place is a local hot spot! BUT WAIT! It's so worth it! The food is delicious, I've really never had a poor experience here. If you go, request the server, Jose! He's worth the wait and you will most definitely not be disappointed. He makes the experience all the better. I love the ribeye and shrimp and the fried rice! Anything on that hibachi grill is to amazing! read more

Food, service and ambiance were all good. Valet was an added bonus. I had hibachi steak and colossal shrimps and they were cooked perfectly. Salad was fresh! I was tempted to try their yum-yum sauce but was afraid I will get addicted so I skipped it. I had to try their purple yum colada and I was not disappointed. Will definitely be back here. read more

Samurai - Purple yum colada - Steakhouses Near Me - Miami, Florida