Sooo happy that I finally tried this place! Came with my family who were visiting and the service there was so friendly! We called just before 5pm when they opened and were lucky to score a table that they needed back by 6:30pm. We ordered a lotttt of food, but all the nigiri were so good! We also had the deluxe nigiri combo, which had a good variety and can order à la carte for whatever else. Uni is from Hokkaido and was so good! They had kampachi kama on the specials menu but another table had ordered the last one so she offered a smaller one which we also enjoyed. Wagyu gyoza was also a special and we liked it as well! Definitely worth checking this place out if you like sushi!! Would honestly love to come back! read more

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Loved our visit to Sushi Sam's! I recommend making reservations as it is a smaller restaurant and very popular. I ordered the deluxe chirashi lunch set and it was delicious! The fish was all very fresh and it came with miso soup. We also ordered some appetizers for the table and every item was a hit. Service was top notch! They are located in a smaller complex so parking can be tight. read more

Great service, even better quality sushi! Highly recommend making a reservation. They do take walk ins. But may push you to finish faster than you'd like, so the table can be cleared for an incoming reservation. Would like to see a Omakase style of offering for those sitting at the sushi bar. Overall very good food, and service. read more

If you are looking for a traditional Japanese restaurant, look no further! Sam's does it pretty good! I love the lunch specials and the other day, I ordered tempura udon lunch special and they do a great job! The udon noodles comes with the tempura side and you can put your tempura in the soup as you eat so that it won't get soggy because you put each tempura as you eat. The tempura batter is not super thick so you can really taste the ingredients. Then you also get side of two pieces of cone sushi (inari) and this is how we do it in Japan!! Double starch . They have bento box lunch (I reviewed it also) and chirashi sushi. Great place for both lunch and dinner!! read more

Sushi Sam’s - Tempura Udon lunch special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Sushi Sam was so delicious! We made reservations for lunch which I would recommend as it is a smaller space and very popular. For lunch, I ordered off the lunch specials and got the deluxe chirashi which comes with miso soup. We also got vegetable & shrimp tempura for the table. All the fish was very fresh, miso soup was very flavorful, and the tempura came out freshly made. Service was quick and very friendly. It's attached to a smaller parking lot that is shared with a 2-3 other businesses so be prepared to have to look for parking. Looking forward for my next meal here! read more

Sushi Sam’s - Deluxe chirashi (comes with miso soup) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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Great service , definitely recommend making a reservation due to it being a smaller space. Fish tasted so fresh and melts in your mouth. Didn't take picture of the rolls we had but everything we ordered was delicious. On the pricey side but definitely worth it read more

Sushi Sam’s - Torro - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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I'm not the best at making reservations, so I've actually been turned away at Sushi Sam's a few times. The food was delicious, beautifully prepared, and every bite lived up to the hype. Service was personable and quick without feeling rushed. It's just as scrumptious as all my neighbors and friends have been telling me for years. Sushi Sam's has definitely earned its reputation. read more

Sushi Sam’s - Volcano Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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In comparison to low class service from Quinn's Here's a wonderful place to try good food and great service... and I think that's on me ... because I wanted better food than your average redneck meals around the corner so I took a chance and paid for the quality of food and service I found at Sushis Sam's Again thank you sushi Sam's, the price is a bit high for a single dining but you get what u pay for... awesome ribeye and tempura mix read more

Sushi Sam’s - Tempura mix appetizer. Oh so yummy - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

The best sushi i had so far. Great service and clean facilities as well. Will definitely come back to this restaurant. read more

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If you're looking for amazing sushi on the island, Sushi Sam's is the best! Also they are open for lunch Tuesday thru Friday 11:30am to 2pm. My favorite is the Avocado Bomb spicy tuna wrapped in an avocado with sweet sauce, hot sauce, and crunchies! read more

Sushi Sam’s - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

I don't usually award 5 stars to anyone, but Sushi Sam's has earned my heart to write this review, and I'm grateful to have been there to experience it myself. 5 stars for service! What an experience, and the wait was totally worth it. Not that we waited long; we had a reservation and got seated right away. 5 stars for service! Our waiter, Yuki, was super friendly, responsive, and really attentive to what we needed. We even met the owner and toasted to his hard work. 5 stars for food quality and quantity! The quality was super fresh and just the right amount. Each plate was plentiful and looked amazing. We had a bunch of sushi dishes, and the rib-eye steak was to die for. Cooked medium rare and so tender. 5 for the venue! It was clean, organized, and cozy. read more

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The highest quality sushi in Kona is found at Sushi Sam's! The restaurant is small, minimalist, and clean. Service is helpful and attentive. Reservations are a must to secure a table here, though walk-in seating at their bar might be available. You honestly can't go wrong with any choice here. The fish is astonishingly fresh and delicious. The raw scallop nigiri and baked scallop gunkan were my favorites, while my partner enjoyed the salmon skin roll and squid and eel nigiri the most. We both highly recommend the A5 wagyu if you want to treat your taste buds to something incredible. So rich and wonderfully unctuous! While prices are high ($5-10/nigiri), you get what you pay for in terms of quality and taste. The sushi at Sushi Sam's tastes just as good as the sushi we had on our trip to Hokkaido. If we didn't live in Hilo, this would be our go-to sushi spot! read more

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This place is awesome. It's so clean and perfect inside. We ordered the hamachi and tuna app which was great. We also got the collar tuna (not my fav) we got the special roll and another roll I can't remember the name of but they were so good. We also got grilled eel which was amazing. The service was amazing. She was very informative. I would def come back! read more

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My husband and I were looking for sushi close to our hotel and stumbled into this place. It turned out to be a hidden gem! We didn't have a reservation and the host was very gracious and seated us at the bar anyway. The sushi was amazing! We live in Oahu and the sushi can be very hit or miss, but Sushi Sam's blows anything we have tried in Oahu out of the water. The prices are very reasonable for the high quality of the fish. Not to mention the miso soup is amazing. If you are looking for sushi in Kona this place is a must try in my opinion! We were only visiting for a week and went back to this restaurant multiple times. read more

We were recommended this by the tour guide of the submarine tour.The rolls were goid, the tempuras great and we liked the udon soup. The Avocado bomb, seemed to be an experiment and we will not be ordering that again:-) read more

By far the best sushi on the island. Love Sam! This is a great place. I'm hesitant to even post this because I don't want it getting more crowded. Reservations are a must! read more

Hands down the best sushi on the Big Island. Ahi tataki is delicious too. Highly recommend this restaurant when you're in Kona!

We had dinner here, and from start to finish the service and meal is exceptional. Every chef and our servers were warm welcoming, knowledgeable and they made everyone feel right at home. This is a very classy, clean and a pleassent setting for a sushi restaurant that offers lunch and dinner service. read more

I'm a sushi aficionado and I say without any reservations, the sushi at Sushi Sam's is top notch! All the food is fresh and top notch. Uni from Japan - oh baby. We had the nigiri deluxe combo with uni and toro added to the regular combo. Delicious. Also had the hamachi collar and seafood sampler (I think that's what it was called), and enjoyed them immensely. If you want authentic Japanese, look no further than Sushi Sam's. Mitzuki the hostess was wonderful. And what a small world it is - she spent her younger years in Atlanta, and her mom was a server at a Japanese restaurant we frequented. Mitzuki and the rest of the staff are outstanding! read more

Ran in here for quick bite, and so glad we did! They were full for dinner and had two seats left at the bar for a 630p reservation and sat us for dinner, giving us 30 minutes to eat. Their sushi chefs were so quick, We were done in 20. Yellowtail hamachi with jalapeños was so fresh, thick juicy cuts and perfect ponzu sauce. The avocado bomb was a pleasant surprise. Chopped spicy tuna tucked under thinly sliced avocados on a bed of crunchy tempura flakes. The combination of different textures and sweet from sauce and spicy fish was so good. The volcano roll was a great addition to round out our meal. Just enough food to hold us over before going to dinner. Fresh fish, clean restaurant. Service was fast, and I mean lightning fast, super kind and hospitable and greeted and thanked by everyone. Would love to come back the next time we have more time. Definitely make a reservation though, I can see why they are always so busy! Highly recommend. read more

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Great service. Such good sushi. Had toro and yellowtail sushi then a special roll. My son had miso soup which he loved, chicken teriyaki and rice. We shared edamame. Staff was friendly and everything was yummy.. read more

Sushi Sam’s - Special roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

BEST SUSHI IN KONA!! And on our trip!! We tried a couple of the places that were recommended and I have to say Sushi Sam's is the only place that truly lived up to the referral. The place is small but we were driving in from a day in Hilo and they gave us an hour wait with a reservation so our drive got us there in exactly an hour and it worked out perfectly. The special sushi roll was the bomb! We had two! The ahi Tuna ball was great but too small for the price. They should give you at least 2 if not 3 for the price and the waitress didn't tell us it was so small for our party because you cannot split it with 4 people. But so good! Enjoy! PS. Ambiance was typical sushi ... small but very sushi restaurant read more

I cannot recommend this place enough! The fish is so fresh. The tuna may be the best I've ever had. Order as much tuna nigiri as you can, insanely good. Beautiful, quaint space, and great customer service. INCREDIBLE QUALITY in every aspect of this restaurant. read more

Hands down the best sushi i've ever had. The fish was so fresh!! The service was also amazing. Make reservations ahead of time!!! read more

Sushi Sam’s - Assorted sashimi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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We had dinner at Sushi Sam's again last night and decided to sit at the sushi bar. So glad we did. Had an amazing dinner and enjoyed a pleasant conversation with the chef as well as another frequent customer Chris. The food is always delicious and so fresh. We had the hamachi with serrano and ponzu truffle, seafood sunomono, ahi tataki, tempura, oysters on the half shell and a super California roll with real crab and unagi on top. Everything was executed perfectly and the flavors were divine. Two draft Sapporos and a delightful house sake completed an excellent meal. read more

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I saw Ray reviews. I was craving a mommy and miso, the miso was delicious but small for my preferences, I recommend it the flavor is unique and one I'll remember read more

Sushi Sam’s - Updated menu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

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The food is incredible The service is sublime The ribeye was delicious and the Chirashi deluxe is amazing. The Avocado/Ahi bomb is fantastic

Really great sushi made with fresh, quality ingredients. Good service. Convenient parking. Consistently good.

The fish quality was absolutely great. My Negitoro roll definitely had too much rice, but still had wonderful buttery texture. My partner's nigir combo was also stellar. I really like that they chop fresh ahi for the spicy tuna and you can taste the difference. Unfortunately the service was atrocious. Our waiter was far more interested in talking to someone at the bar and at one point 2 tables had not one, but 2 rounds of sushi in the time it took to take out my single roll. The wait became so bad that we left hungry as we didn't want to have to sit another 30min for a few bites. Another group had the same issue, but certain tables were getting very prompt service. I would maybe try it again, but wouldn't recommend going there. read more

Everyone in Kona knows this is the best and freshest sushi on the island. It can get busy, so reservations are a must. You will not be disappointed. I only wish they had a still nigori sake, but they only serve a sparkling. The wagyu steak dumplings blow my mind every time. Keep up the great work, Sam! read more

best sushi on the island! my best friend and i had our first meal here and ended up coming back 2 times after that! hands down the best miso soup i've had outside of japan. when we sat down a local said, "you can come here or you can go to japan".. and that's 100% right. amazing service and staff, they even remembered us! definitely recommend to anyone staying on the big island! read more

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It a nice place but the menu is limited. Sushi is great I did enjoy it. My husband prefers to eat other things but not too much to choose from. The wait help was attentive read more

Really love this place! Super intimate, def pays to make a reservation. Loved the sake as well read more

Sushi Sam’s - Delicious food! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

We managed to get into this quite small restaurant by calling right at 5. Apparently they mostly take reservations, and we scored secrets at the sushi bar. The menu is mostly traditional, and the quality of the nigiri is SUPERB. I loved the ama-ebi (served with head) and the Hokkaido uni nigiri in particular. Excellent quality! The sushi rise was also excellent, I've definitely found my new spot for sushi in downtown Kona. read more

They prepare actual fresh wasabi here which was an unreadable surprise to me! I thought I would have to go to Japan to experience real wasabi! The special roll was one of the best scallop rolls I've ever eaten. The sushi here is actually fresh and they do specials here of locally caught fish. The waiter and waitress were very warm and welcoming. read more

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The sushi was great and the service was amazing. The ribeye steak was my favorite by far! The restaurant has a nice vibe to it! read more

Sushi Sam’s - Ribeye Steak - Sushi Bars Near Me - Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Absolutely blown away by this spot. Having had sushi all over the world, this place competes with all of them. The service is absolutely top notch, the sushi is absolutely top notch. If you know of a place with better Unagi I'd kill to try it. I will honestly fly back to the island just to go here, I feel very fortunate to have come across this spot read more

Excellent sushi and sashimi, discreet and prompt service in a cozy atmosphere. The staff is friendly and attentive and if sitting at the counter you may be served by the man himself. This is a very small place so reservations are always a good idea. read more

We loved this place so much, we came back at the end of our stay in Kona. Some of the best sushi we've ever had! I ordered the combo plate and my husband ordered his sushi a la cart. We devoured the simple, but delicious nigiri pieces one by one. And I also tried the house sake which was a fun touch in the little wooden box. The servers were very sweet and kind creating a nice, cozy environment. Nothing fancy, just good! read more

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Mediocre sushi, a pretty poor appetizer (veggie tempura), and absolutely horrendous service. Really not much good to say about this place. I guess its high rating comes from being a rare sushi joint in a tourist-heavy area. But based on my experience, it certainly doesn't deserve 4+ stars. The veggie "tempura" was a hastily breaded nightmare. It featured a poor patchwork of tempura, and was clearly fried too quickly/in cold oil. The veggies were raw, it was such a waste of an appetizer. For sushi, I got a "spicy" ahi roll. Zero spice, but this place can't do much right, so I guess that's to be expected. And then otherwise a very pedestrian roll, absolutely nothing stood out. Finally, service was comically bad. The sushi chef denied me counter seating, claiming all remaining three seats were reserved. The female server begrudgingly allowed me to sit at a table, under the condition that I had to finish in roughly 35 minutes. Both the sushi chef and the server then refused to make eye contact with me for my entire meal, which I finished in under 20 minutes out of respect for the artificial time limit imposed on me. While I was there, three tables were empty, and the entire counter emptied out save two seats for a couple who walked in, no reservation. I don't want to speculate on why the chef and server were so rude to me, but if you have a mediocre restaurant near a major hotel, don't be such a curmudgeon about serving tourists. I left a 20+% tip but they truly did not deserve it. read more