SUSHISAMBA London

The view is amazing, the food was very good and the cocktails were clever and (for the most part) quite good! I recommend the Pesco sour. The rolls were inventive and interesting and there is plenty of good stuff to choose between. The spicy squid stater was my fave! I’d definitely go back… If work was paying for it again. ;)

The food is overpriced. This is where you take tourists for the view. Now I don’t mean to be cruel by giving 3 stars, but the food is overpriced and the quantity is lacking. The cocktails however… Worth every penny. If I would do it again I would just do the cocktails in the bar and look out at the city. No need for food.

The food rating 4 from 5 and the view is amazing must see. Nice interior design good service. We went for dinner but should go at lunch time, average price for this view and location, we order many sea food and beef, beef was amazing and the chicken too, avocado roll nice 2

One of the few places where I can eat fish. Sushi has made me learn to eat fish. What better way is there to do that than Sushi Samba. I had one of my the best new year’s eve parties ever here with my girl.
Absolutely loved the atmosphere, awesome service, very cool interior, cool music and nice drinks. We ordered a VIP table and experienced outstanding service. Canapes, sushi and other fishy snacks all night long while enjoying champagne.
With such an amazing view on the city of London and this incredible overall experience I do not mind the very high bill I had to pay in the end at all. My review might appear uberpositive, but I can’t say negative things about this place so far.
Maybe one thing. I would not place a VIP corner right under a flight of stairs. The steps did not let anything dirty through, it’s just that VIP would need some extra special style. The view was freaking dope however.
So yeah, nothing really negative. From Holland with love, Thom.

Very high profile restaurants carry very high expectations. Sushi Samba certainly exceeds many of those expectations, it is one of the most enjoyable evenings I’ve had in London. The wonderful staff is extremely well organized and they were able to accommodate me despite being 45 mins late for my reservation. The experience of dining at this place is hard to match, thanks in big part to stunning views of London.
Food, on the other hand… well, I’ve already forgiven them the fact that it is not the best sushi I’ve had in my life. Then again — it really doesn’t matter. You don’t go to sushi samba for sushi. You go for the experience.

Hands down one of the BEST dinners of my life paired with one of the best views of London’s cityscape. How cool is that dizzying elevator ride up, amiright?
Started with the pork belly (which was SO tender and juicy) and the toro tiradito. Shared the Sao Paulo roll. It was my first time trying sushi with truffle oil and you better believe I am a fan. Finished with the With Love from Rio dessert. Smoked plum negronis all day.

Food and views are to absolutely to die for. I still have dreams of the yellowtail sashimi. A great mix of Brazilian and Japanese flavours, and a perfect place to take someone who may not be as hardcore of a sushi fan as you are as there are plenty of non-​raw dishes to order off of the menu.
The only thing I don’t like is how they rush you throughout your meal as they only allow a certain time for each reservation. I feel that to do this at a restaurant that exceeds a certain price point is just a bit tacky to be honest. We went to dinner with friends that we hadn’t seen in ages and wanted to just relax and enjoy our meal. However, we were pressured and rushed to order ASAP and it just didn’t feel very relaxing. They obviously value turning tables over a high quality dining experience. For that reason alone, I wouldn’t return here with someone I wanted to really catch up with. Would probably only come back with my husband alone when we were happy to have a quick dinner.

Spectacular view and decent food. There’re a handful of AMAZING Japanese restaurants in London. I don’t think SUSHI SAMBA stands out from the crowd in terms of their food. But it’s more about an experience anyway.
It is slightly overhyped but definitely worth visiting, especially for tourists. I would recommend to book a window table at night: D

My husband and I had to check this out as it’s received so much hype! We went on a Friday evening at 6:00
The décor is just amazing. Twinkling lights, Asian vibes, beautiful tables and chairs, plus an amazing outdoor patio with a HUGE orange twinkling tree! I mean — could it get any better?
Oh yes it can! The food! We started with the SHRIMP TEMPURA which ended up being our favourite. It was PERFECTLY crispy and the sauce was exploding with flavour. It was the perfect start! Then we had the most interesting thing I think either of us have ever eaten… CORAZON DE POLLO which we found out meant chicken heart skewers. They had the texture of a little sausage and a very smoky flavour. I didn’t hate them, but the little artery in the heart was a little hard for me to get over. Let’s just say I only ate a few! ! Then we had the sushi! We had 2 different ones: TOKYO SKY TREE & TIGER MAKI. Both were fantastic! The fish was so fresh and the sauces were so flavourful! It was awesome. We each had a glass of saki to compliment our meal!
Overall — great. Save it for a special occasion. It’s EXPENSIVE. I’d prefer to have a meal at Duck + Waffle and do drinks at SushiSamba in the future!

I’m an overall fan of SushiSamba & Duck and Waffle, and I find the drinks and the food delish if not a tad minimal.
We tried a load of different sushis and rolls, and though arguably not big portions, the quality of the dishes themselves is high. The uni was SO fresh, it was shocking. We all know I loves me a good uni.
I wish the menu were more extensive. I hate not being given much of a choice, especially when starving after having been at D&W for an hour chugging on the champers. Omg I just said champers. Shoot me soon, please.
Also — this place is expensive kids — Dinner for two with a bottle of champagne came out to £ 312, and considering we had had drinks upstairs before, the soirée came in at over 500.
But that view is DAYUM. Like, DAYUM.

Really nice sushis, probably the best I’ve had in London. The price may seem high but I think it’s worth the money. Delicious.

Han ja scho rächt viel g‘seh… aber die bar, location und Ambiente hät mi um‘kaueh!!! ich Chan nur säge… ein MUSS für all wo mal gern öpis neu‘s erläbe wänd!!!

As far as food goes and views, this place is five stars. Service however? Extremely lackluster.
We came in this evening, a group of seven, and were seated near the bar on a couch, which was fine considering we were last minute but the entire sushi bar was open… and large enough for our entire party. When I requested it, they said no, there was another party to take it, it was empty the entire time.
Each of us got a roll of some sort and a cocktail. My roll was I believe the Tokyo Sky roll, which was delicious. I tried the chucomber cocktail as well as the Nina Fresa, both were refreshing. The mango cocktail looked amazing.
My issue here is with our service, it was non existent. We had a waiter who didn’t necessarily seem busy, took two of our orders and then walked away for thirty minutes and left the other people in our party not served. She came back, and they ordered, but it had to be 20 minutes later. We got our food from a food runner, which did look amazing, we waited a bit as it had been 35 minutes and our cocktails hadn’t arrived, asked about our cocktails, got attitude from our server, then decided to just begin eating, we finished our food and ten minutes later she said she was sorry and that she didn’t put our cocktails in yet. Needless to say, they finally came twenty minutes after the food was already eaten. She came back and took another two orders which she didn’t seem thrilled about, and finally everyone just started ordering at the bar, because she took off on a break (for 20 minutes) without having a relief take over or even a warning.
Then came the tab, that had the service charge, we paid it, but honestly there was hardly any service besides the food runners and the sushi chefs. The cocktails and food were delicious, but you had to work to get any type of service when it was a Monday night. This is in a beautiful establishment, one would think service would be exceptional but it just wasn’t there.

SUSHISAMBA is definitely a destination dining experience, both due to 38^th floor location and the price of its food.
The other Unilocal reviews are very useful in terms of food recommendations and we particularly enjoyed the green bean tempura a few people mentioned — the black truffle aioli was divine. We also enjoyed the black truffle vinaigrette with the shrimp tempura (which is quite a substantial dish so good if you’re hungry).
Our delightful and attentive French-​accented waiter recommended several other dishes that had frequently popped up on other reviews, including the Samba London and Sao Paolo rolls. I thought they were both pretty good but I almost missed the taste of the fish (which as far as I could tell was fresh a good quality) with all the other stuff going on. If I went back I would try some of the normal sushi too so as not to miss out on the fish.
The kobe beef mini burgers he recommended were a disappointment, and at £6 each a rip off compared to some of the very high quality full size burgers you could get at a fancy street food event for the same price. The wagyu gyoza however, was pretty tasty. I didn’t really like the yellowtail taquitos which tasted mainly of the not so interesting sauce they were drenched in.
The Sauvignon Blanc we had was particular delicious and served by the snootiest sommelier ever, who did not crack a smile or, as far as I remember, speak. Hilariously, he later nearly dropped the bottle when refilling our glasses.
The only blip in otherwise good service came at the end when our waiter clocked off and we were ignored and left waiting for the bill, which if I had any regular readers would be known as my pet peeve.
We neglected to go out to the restaurant garden which probably had the best views — ironically the restaurant and bar garden look out over slightly less interesting East London (although I enjoyed spotting my old stomping ground of Bethnal Green). The Friday after works drinks crowd seemed pleasant enough, it’s definitely a place where people come to be seen. Cocktails were good, I had what was essentially a rumspresso, always a favourite of mine.
Overall, although I generally enjoyed my experience, if I were going to spend this much money on a meal again I would choose Duck & Waffle upstairs or Salt Yard or one of the other really pricey London sushi restaurants I haven’t tried yet.

Great rooftop! Go there early to start a crazy party (well dressed) or just have a drink on Sunday… Mango cocktail and mojito are just insane and when you’re a little bit drunk find the monkey in the tree…
And of course don’t miss the view…

Wow! Great Peruvian and Asian fusion! We ate what our waiter recommended and it was all very delicious! From the shiitake mushroom filled miso soup to the scalloped ceviche… And then some ! Everything we ordered was pretty spot on! Not only is it bursting with flavor in your mouth but the presentation is art! The service these guys give is also top notch! We loved it so much we will be visiting the one in Miami soon! Errol and Jason, two managers there, came to our table and were the most pleasant sweet people!
And yes… Let’s not forget the beautiful view you get of London while you eat!

Well finally after over a months wait for my 12pm table it was finally time to see what all the hype has been about!
Just a short walk from my office you arrive at the Heron Tower, which is impressive before you even step into the glass sided lift that whips you up to the 38^th Floor. Since I’m not a fan of heights I remained front faces during the 30 sec odd ascent, but a brief glimpse showed me that it was a lovely view on the way up.
You are greeted by a efficient lady and her clipboard, where they promptly assign you to someone else to take you to your seat. We were not lucky enough for a full window seat, but we did get seated next to the outside terrace so we had a bit of a view.
The restaurant has very high ceilings bringing a massive feeling of space and the Asian/​oriental style décor compliments the space.
Next for the menu & food… Menu is fairly compact, there are not endless choices which is a good thing especially with sushi are it can sometimes be overwhelming. My lunch date had been before so she recommended a couple of things to try and the other two dishes we just made a call; it’s quite difficult to know what some of the items will actually be like, as the descriptions are a bit cryptic!
The food we had was very good, excellent flavors and combinations of ingredients — perhaps the portions a tad on the small size but nothing that wasn’t unexpected given the place and it being sushi after all.
The only thing that was slightly annoying were the wait staff. I’m not sure if it’s because they want to get you out quick to turn the table around; they don’t have that many tables to attend or they have been trained to be super efficient, but they were constantly at our table — asking if we needed something else and clearing the plates away as soon as the last bite was in your mouth!
Obviously the other thing is it’s pretty pricey, but given the place, atmosphere and food it’s worth a go. I would def like to go again for a special occasion, maybe try it at dinner time and in the summer to sit out on the lovely terrace.

I finally got to test out Sushisamba and it was as good or even better than I had imagined. We went there without a reservation which I’m very well aware is a big no no, but we just thought we would try our luck and at least have some drinks in the bar and enjoy the view while we are at it. We went in on a Sunday evening around 7pm and there was still a line outside. So if you want to go there for dinner, be sure to make a reservation at least two weeks in advance! There is also a dress code so dress up people ;) Seriously you won’t get in not looking the part.
One of the best moments of the Sushisamba experience is definitely the glass elevator ride up to the 38^th floor. The view is absolutely breathtaking on your way up.
So we got in and put our names down on the waiting list and went to the bar. I ordered a Santazumi and later a Fukuko Cloud from their seasonal drink list; both a variation of my all time favourite drink the Whiskey Sour. They set you back 13 pounds a pop but believe me when I say it’s well worth it! The first sip of the Santazumi was just perfection — one of the best drinks I’ve ever had in my entire life. The other drink was absolutely heavenly too and as it happens the bartender who had created the drink was serving that evening so I got to tell him personally how much I loved the drink.
We got a table after waiting about an hour so not too bad. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a table in the actual dining room but got a place at the bar which was perfectly fine considering we just walked in. We ordered green bean tempura with black truffle aioli for starters and it was divine. I haven’t had tempura that good anywhere outside of Tokio. Amazing! For main we had the Samba London and Yoyogi rolls and the 7 pieces of Nigiri, and I have to say it was some of the best sushi I’ve ever had — if not the best. The ingredients were impeccable and so delicious I think I died and went to food heaven. The white wine we had was a perfect paring as well, nice acid and kind of tart at first but with the sushi it transformed into pure silk in your mouth.
My experience at Sushisamba was nearly perfect but I do have to say that I wasn’t completely happy with some aspects of the service. For example when we were seated to our table (or at the bar in this case) the waitress told us very bluntly that «here is your table, you have it for one hour!». I thought it was quite rude to be honest — especially the way she said it. Anyway we did get to eat in peace and nobody came to trough us out after an hour but that is still no way to talk to your customers. The cloak room girls and the bouncer downstairs were quite rude as well, but I guess this is the style of the restaurant. I just don’t agree with it. I don’t think there is any reason to treat your paying customers badly no matter how posh the restaurant is.
That being said I’m still giving the restaurant 5 stars since I loved the view, the food, the drinks and the lovely bartenders! Sushi Samba is a must for everyone living in London at least once!

SushiShamba is trendy. It’s been trendy since it opened. I believe it will be trendy for it’s entire life.
This means a few things. To start, it is beautiful. You ride that glass elevator at supersonic speeds up to the 38^th floor and it’s so beautiful overlooking London. Come at day for the clear views or at night for the lights and either way, breathtaking. And inside, with it’s soft neon lighting, bamboo covered main room with hanging lights and the giant glowing tree outside is just as stunning.
You need to make a reservation to sit for dinner or try your luck at the bar. For weekends it can take up to two months to get a reservation, which is crazy but they’re literally packed all the time.
The food is high quality, but for some reason, it just doesn’t do it for me. Maybe because sushi, as sort of a principal, never fills me up. It’s well made but the last time we went, we spent about £150 on two of us and were still hungry at the end. Damn, that’s hard to swallow.
However, it is damn tasty. The Green Bean tempura is lightly fried and crispy. The crispy taquitos are crunchy but not overly fishy. The Samba London roll is one of the best in the city, freshly made and delicious.
I’d stay away from things like the Sasa Roll, which is more of a cone with meat than sushi (and for £11 at that, insanely over price for two of them.) Or things like the pork ribs or edamame, which taste like anywhere else in the city, but at a bunch of pounds higher.
So yes, you’ll pay and pay high and may still walk out hungry, but it’s an experience with grand food and a trendy one at that.

5-​Star View
3-​Star Décor/​Ambiance
2-​Star Cocktails (especially for the price)
I am a bonafide rooftop/​vista-​oriented bar addict. If there’s a bar with a view in any of my travel destinations, better believe it’s on my tentative itinerary.
The open-​faced, ear-​popping elevator ride is worth the trip to the 38^th floor of Heron Tower alone; the view from above is simply unmatched. Personally, the strong highlights of Sushisamba starts and ends at the panoramic views.
The drinks are pricey, as expected. I came with 3 other friends, and I had the Smoked Plum Negroni (Hibiki whiskey, Aperol, sweet vermouth, and umeshu) for £13. As a barhead, this was one of the most disappointing drinks I’ve tasted; I found the drink too watery (from all the ice stuffed in the glass) and too uneventful in taste. I tasted my friend’s cocktail, some sort of martini, and I wasn’t greatly impressed with it either. Thankfully, I was distracted by the good company around me and the breathtaking views on either side of the bar.
Music was good-​ish, the crowd was nice enough and the glowing orange décor a bit too gaudy for my tastes.
If you want the same incredible views with a better bar experience, I highly recommend Duck & Waffle bar upstairs (40^th floor) instead.

I loved my experience here. The service was excellent, the food was amazing, and the VIEW was breathtaking!
The entire experience is pretty cool, even beginning at the lift… Which moves surprisingly fast. The décor is trendy but really beautiful.
I would highly recommend the pork ribs, Sao Paolo roll, and shrimp tempura. I was still thinking about the ribs the day after… They were THAT good. I wasn’t too impressed by the ceviche so maybe skip it and order another portion of ribs. :)
Sushi Samba is pricey but it’s definitely worth it for a special occasion. I can’t wait to come back!