Sambi Restaurant of Tokyo

Can someone please tell me what the name of the starter soup they gave you was?! I loved it when I went there!

I used to come here a lot when I used to live in Downey. The last time I came here for Sunday brunch, OMG it has gone downhill. It has turned Barrio/​ghetto. It used to be the place where upper/​middle class Downey residents go for good Japanese food. Not anymore.

BAD news. Sambi is closing the door after 37 year, on Oct. 24.
Will be miss!

This review is based on their Sunday Brunch only.
Sambi serves an eclectic mix of American and Japanese foods at this brunch. The sushi is limited as far as variety, but is decent. They have a salad bar (get the Japanese dressing), miso soup, clam chowder, strips of steak, teriyaki chicken, rice, crepes (pineapple and strawberry), fried chicken wings, soba (cold), and a few other stir fry items.
I honestly couldn’t recommend any of their desserts.
The service is always good here. It’s a personal preference, but I’m just not a fan of the pond in the middle of room.

LOVE LOVE LOVE my SUSHI — came in today after 1:45 totally sucked. didnt get the 15% OFF thats ok maybe nxt time.
I ordered spicy tuna roll yummlicious, spicy shrimp roll not very good too fried the shrimp and i also ordered the spicy baked scallop with spicy sauce very nice… toooo much mayo for me (next time i better read the thingy, lol) and then i ordered the sushi assortment… oh my goodness. the salmon, ahi, shrimp, and the other 2 i didnt recognize nigiri — — blew me away!!! Also had 2 miso soups yummmlicious!!! Server was very nice Manuel!!! He was so nice and even took off the spicy shrimp roll… will come back of course!!! SERVICE ROCKS!!!

— Locale destination —
I don’t know where to start… It’s so OUT OF DATE… Décor is so 80s, dark and dingy with huge chandeliers. Out dated photos for famous?! customers on the wall at the entrance… The place is so huge — regular tables around a pond/​water area, teppan tables, sushi bar, drink bar etc… With a live piano… Most of the customers were senior citizens…
— Gluttony expedition —
Scallop ($ 21.50): salad bar (with fruits), miso soup, and rice. Tons of scallops. Good. Sautéed zucchini and onions were good but they were served a lot BEFORE my scallops… It was too slow till I get to my scallops. Shrimp was good. Filet Mignon was too bloody and stinky and I didn’t like it at all.
Mille feuille: I love it in Japan but this was too dense and pies didn’t seem fresh… Avoid cakes…
— Conqueror’s deduction —
It was a big portion. Lots of foods for the price. Benihana was a lot quicker service and better quality. (Though I only recommend Benihana for lunch) My scallop was not bad.

Sambi’s used to be a great place in the Downey area to come and enjoy a little night life and a cool décor. Today, that same Sambi’s is more of a run-​down place that still seems busy as ever.
Their menus are falling apart, the floor is a mess, the place looks and smells old and the service is just «par». I don’t want to knock it too much but they really have let the place go.
Food is always good. I only go for the Tennpan eating entertainment. And while I go for that, that in itself has gotten pretty «average» too. :(
I used to love you Sambi… now I just deal with you.

This place is 1 star shy from a perfect score, due to its expensive menu,
but everything is near perfection.
your will leav here feeling so stuffed that you are sick!
i have never ever, had to not leave here with out (so help me i will admit) unbuttoning my pants
the atmosphere is pretty ambient, place is pretty big and consist on 1 giant room with a little pond in the middle, and the piano man soothing away your appetite.
my suggestion, is sit at the grill table with you the chef cooking away and chopping away with his little quirky jokes,
food is pretty damn flavor full
just tooooooo pricey

I went to this restaurant at my colleague’s suggestion. We met here for lunch. There was a buffet table, which was pretty versatile. But the food was absolutely horrible! Low quality. It reminded me of a 99cent buffet, except it wasn’t 99 cents but totally inflated.
This place if probably going out of business soon. It has way too much square footage for the poor quality and bad economy.
Awful awful awful

This place is ginormous!
It’s a little pricey but honestly, there are not many choices for japanese food aside from a couple fast food teriyaki spots in the area.
Only checked out the sushi bar with my friend this past Saturday night and were pleased with the service and sushi rolls from the sushi chefs. They were ultra friendly, not the kind that usually yell «Hai» everytime someone walks in and out, but just plain nice and accomodating.
I ordered a pink dragon roll (I know, kinda kinky if you ask me) and alaska roll combo. Alaska roll came with a garlic ponzu sauce (ponzu= citrus soy vinegar sauce) and the pink dragon had salmon on top with a spicy mayo. I love spicy mayo, but that may just be my future heart disease talking (j/​k, don’t wanna affirm that!). I couldn’t choose between the two rolls and the chef was nice enough to make half and half (so I wouldn’t have to pay 14 bucks twice!).
Salmon was great and melts in your mouth. The fish quality overall was pretty good, but I am NO expert. Otherwise, I think it is reasonable to say, it will depend on what you want and what you order if you like this place or not. So if I am jonesing for some sushi and I don’t want to drive far, you may find me at the sushi bar…

I actually finally joined Unilocal just so I could review this place. Now, this review is just for their Sunday Champagne Brunch. Let me give you the logistics first:
I went in on Valentines Day. Alone. With a book in hand. I grew up on buffets — my father took us out to eat every Friday night, Saturday morning and evening and Sunday afternoon when I was growing up. I know restaurants and I know buffets. And while I disappointed my father (and ex-​boyfriend) with my inability to eat the money’s worth in quantity, I always make up for it in the quality of what I choose at the buffet.
Okay, the review. First, the SERVICE:
When I walked in, there was no well-​defined host/​ess stand — this might be something worth considering on their part. I didn’t know where to go to ask for a table. There was a gentleman behind the desk at the door, but he was on the phone and didn’t seem interested in my presence. I took several steps inside and some people came in behind me. The man immediately asked them how many were in their party and sat them, leaving me to stand there bewildered.
Finally, he came back and found me a table. I sat down and was greeted by a server who asked me what I’d like to drink — champagne, naturally! :) She brought it to me in one of those little wedding champagne glasses and I thought that was really quaint. However, after watching her pass me (and my empty glass) three times with a champagne bottle, it lost its charm. This is my reason for a low review — after she got my champagne the first time, she didn’t revisit my table the entire time I was there until I asked her for the check. As a former waitress (yes, I’ll call her a server because it’s PC, but I was always a waitress and proud of it!), I was a little disturbed by this. Yes, I’m alone, but that doesn’t mean I don’t exist. The busboy actually visited my table more than the server did.
Next, the FOOD:
It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t spectacular, either. Actually, it was eclectic, and not in the good way. There was breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon and [cold] crepes), other American stuff (marinated veggies, frozen potato wedges that have been cooked, etc.) Japanese/​Asian (rice, lo mein, teriyaki chicken, tempura veggies and sushi [which I did not try]) and, randomly, a pan of tamales. They also had strips of steak (think fajita-​style) which I assume they mean by «prime rib» on their list of buffet items. A few fruits and salad items along with minimal desserts sat on another table as well. And that pretty much is the list of what’s ACTUALLY on the buffet at Sambi.
Finally, the PRICE:
The advertised price for the brunch is $ 19.95. Definitely not worth it. About a half-​mile east of Sambi is a little place called Acapulco and they also serve a Sunday Champagne Brunch for just $ 15.49. It’s not a random collection of whatever’s leftover from the weekly grill items and they actually home-​make their breakfast foods and other items. The champagne flows freely there and the service staff doesn’t think you’re an inconvenience. As for Sambi, I was highly disappointed. $ 20 NOT well-​spent.

So I have managed to hit two places on my bucket list this year. One was Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner on the way to Vegas and the other was Sambi. I’ve always wondered about this interesting little place in Downey. A friend of mine used to tell me that this was her favorite restaurant. Hubby and I happened to be in Downey visiting someone in the hospital and decided to give Sambi a try since we were so close.
I walked in and immediately fell in love with the Koi pond in the center of the restaurant. I also liked how they had the restaurant in sections. Not tacky like a buffet, but more like one large room with different specialties. You had the bar area, the sushi bar, and the teppan area all along the perimeter. In the center you have tables, booths, etc.
There was so much to choose from on their menu but I was craving sushi and opted for their Tuna Sushi plate. It had a variety of tuna, prepared differently, but all of them good. Hubby had a steak and said it was okay. I told him that it was probably because steak is not their forte.
I had sake, hubby had a beer and our waitress asked us if we wanted to make sake bombs. *LOL* We went on a Thursday evening and the majority of people were in the bar because their Happy Hour is always 2 for 1.

This is almost not even worth writing a review.
Décor is cheesy
More expensive than my beloved Sushi Murasaki
…yet fish quality is somewhere along the lines of a C-​Grade Sushi spot.
I’m appreciative that the bill was taken care of since it was a family get together, but my Unilocaler job isn’t to rate a restaurant high because I got a free meal. It’s to tell you whether or not it’s worth spending your money.
.

One Liner: Lots of food for lots of money
Food: (scale of 0 – 4) 2.5
After having Hawaiian BBQ for lunch on Tuesday, we decided to eat a bit healthier. I have no idea why my colleague and I ended up in this restaurant. We ordered a love platter for 2 (without the love). We couldn’t finish it. The plate was full of carbs!!!
Anyway, the food was ok. We were looking for a special Japanese restaurant. Instead, we got a dime a dozen American Japanese restaurant. Like most American food, it’s good at filling you up. There is just nothing special about the taste or presentation.
We did witness Angels playing little league baseball. It didn’t make the bar patrons too happy.
Update: Apparently I also left my credit card there… they were nice enough to hand it back to me the next night. Hopefully no one went on a shopping spree with it.
Extras: (Scale of 0 – 1) 0.4
Service 0.1:
Décor 0.1:
Speed 0.1:
Dessert 0.1:
Prices 0:
My score for this experience is 2.9 stars.

For those that know me… this review will disappoint. Absolutely no mention of desserts (except for my disclaimer…)
When you’re not familiar with the area, one tends to go by what the locals recommend. Hence the reason I ended up here.
My boss, our client, my co-​worker, and I came for a casual business lunch on a Thursday. The atmosphere was nice, though it was surprisingly empty. Come to think of it — the place is pretty pricey for lunch and in these recession times, I shouldn’t be so surprised.
Anyway, the sushi was SUPER fresh — and I really liked the presentation. I messed up though. I ate TOO much sushi and didn’t leave room for dessert! That NEVER happens, but since I was with a client, I decided not to gorge myself and end up with a food coma.
Had it not been for my client, I would have never found this place. If I’m ever in the Downey area again — I will definitely be back! Hopefully I’ll be back on a Sunday because they have a Sunday brunch buffet with champagne for $ 20! You can’t beat that!!!

BEST
HAPPY HOUR
EVERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
2 for 1 drinks!
I loved their Benihana-​styled food as well! A bit pricey though.

Great Happy Hour special 2×1
They offer a lunch buffet and menu choices also they have a good Sunday brunch, the sushi bar atmosphere is good but for the area one of the best.

So I’ve been going to this place for years and for some reason, I keep coming back! Haha — don’t get me wrong, it’s not horrible… but it’s not great either — it’s definitely «A OK»! I’ve only ever been for lunch, but right when you walk in, you’re intrigued by the indoor pond in the middle of the restaurant. As another review stated — it really is somewhat reminiscent of like a 90s restaurant.
They offer a lunch buffet as well as menu choices (which oddly include some pasta dishes). Their rolls are fairly priced (around the $ 10 range) and are pretty hit and miss in my book — some are great, some aren’t. They have some combo meals which would include things like sesame chicken, tempura, NY strip steak, etc — which range in price from about $ 10-​$ 15 I believe. The combo meals include the miso soup, salad, and your plate comes with a few veggies on the side. The lunch buffet has things like fried rice, noodles, some chicken dishes (more Chinese than Japanese I think).
All in all, on the different occasions that I’ve come I’ve had the combo meals, the buffet, the sushi, and even the udon — all were OK. Would I come back? Probably.

2 for 1 drink special during happy hour!, 3 — 6:30 PM. What a deal!
I was meeting a client who worked near the area and told her that I would take her out for drinks and sushi. Sambi was the first place that came to mind. I usually only come to Sambi for birthdays and family get-​together dinners, so normally I don’t come here in the early afternoon.
While waiting for my client to show up, I decided to hit up the bar to have a drink. I ordered a tall Asahi dry and to my surprise he brought out two because of the 2 for 1 special. My client showed up a little late, so needless to say, having two tall Asahis gave me a pretty buzz which left my client wondering why I was in such a good mood.
Sambi has a 70’s décor with a mini lake and fountain in the center and 4 huge erotic Japanese tapestries adorning the walls. There is a piano player there, who takes request and sings happy birthday a bunch of times during the night. They have separate areas for sushi-​only dining, a bar and a teppan section.
The food here is decent, but nothing really stands out as a must have. The bar has half-​price appetizers during happy hour, but only on selected items.
The place is popular with Downey residents and can be crowded on Friday and Saturday evenings.

My girl friend and I randomnly stumbled on this place.
From the outside, we were quickly reminded of a strip club. There are no windows, and cheesy neon-​lights in pink-​purple color served as the signs for this joint.
Despite our initial judgement, we went inside.
We were very happy about our decision. To our surprise, the place was huge. All sorts of Japanese style meals are served here. A sushi bar, a teppan grill, a mini sports bar, to a sit-​down table.
We only had the sashimi here, but I can say that the price was very reasonable for the cuts that we had.
I think the best part about this place was the décor. It felt like old school, downtown Las Vegas all over again. From the Japanese singing saloon-​style pianist… to a waterfall and huge pond in the middle of the restaurant, ambiance was soothing. We entered Laughlin for all we knew.
Moral of this story: Don’t judge a restaurant by it’s strip-​club cover.