SUSHISAMBA West Village

My credit card number was stolen here!
Long wait for the food when the restaurant was not that busy, dissatisfying food, and I have reason to believe that staff at this establishment stole my credit card number.
After eating a wilted, warm Cobb salad, with un refreshingly warm Chardonnay, my debit card was compromised.
Overnight, more than $ 1,000 in charges were racked up on my debit card beginning immediately after eating here.

First let me start by saying this deserves 3.5 stars not 3. I sat outside, and had my drinks and apps served very quickly. Had flash fried river crabs which sounded great on the menu but didnt meet my expectations…
Had several sushi rolls including ehat i think was called the Samba 7. All the rolls were good but speed of service lacked after the apps.
I think i actually am penalizing the place a half star just because i had high expectations of rhis place and they werent met.
Definately give place a shot, but dont set expectations too high.

This place is serving sushi with a twist. The décor is very modern and I have not complaints about our server.
I had the El Topo, Hamapeño and two Nigiri. The El Topo had an interesting presentation. It looked like marshmallows with coconut shavings. It actually had salmon, melted mozzarella cheese and crispy onion amongst other ingredients. This roll literally tasted like cheese melted over white rice. Considering all the ingredients this roll had it was quite bland. The Hamapeño was also a disappointment. This was a yellowtail roll with smoked jalapeño. All I could taste from this roll was hot sauce. As far as the Nigiri, these did not taste fresh and the shrimp tasted like it had been frozen prior.
Final Thoughts:
Overpriced and not very tasty.

I’ll preface this post by saying that I’ve been to sushi Samba over 30 times. I know the food inside out and that’s why I keep going back.
My boyfriend and I came to sushi Samba tonight for our one year anniversary. He made reservations week and a half in advance.
We drive an hour to the restaurant, we wait at the bar for 15 minutes while the table is being set up.
We were brought to a small table for two. It had small wooden chairs, and I have a horrible back and major back issues. We see two tables with booths that have 2 settings on each table. We asked the host if we could sit at either of the bigger tables set for two but he told us no, this is the only seats for us tonight. We traveled far so we had no choice but to accept these seats. My boyfriend asked twice more if he’s sure we can’t sit there and the host said no.
Five minutes later, two couples were seated at both those tables. 2 people filled the 4 person table. Pissed off isn’t what I was. We ordered 10+ dishes and for our meal my back was killing me.
Not relaxing. The food as per usual, was delicious.
I told myself I’m a somewhat regular at this place and I should definitely voice my opinion to management and I asked my waitress to call over the manager, michaela.
She was absolutely sweet. SushiSamba did one thing right by hiring her. Not only did she diffuse the situation in an amazing manner, she reduced the bill for us and sent over 2 desserts. My boyfriend was so impressed with this customer service, he’s never experienced anything like that before. She put in the system that any time we were to make reservations in the future that they would sit us at a booth with back support.
My somewhat shabby experience was single handedly turned around by michaela. My boyfriend couldn’t stop talking about her!

I recently discovered the upstairs outdoor bar which is great for people watching in the village. The drink menu is so unique with a bunch of flavors that shouldn’t work… but they do. If you want a cool place to have a drink, this is it.

When I hear Japanese & Brazilian fusion, the first thing I I think of is a really attractive date. Or perhaps a really cute baby – not an awesome meal. Sushi Samba has changed that.
I was skeptical, but who would have thought that the clash of Asian and Brazilian flavors would actually be a fantastic mix? Our table pretty much went wild, but everything we ate was pretty amazing! The Chilean sea bass was a favorite– soft flavorful bites of sea bass, atop of huge corn kernels with the texture of rice. This was very easy to share, as they came on skewers and highly recommended by the staff. Easy and very fun to eat. The rock shrimp tempura is a pretty solid dish anywhere you go – in sushi samba’s case, it’s no different. As is the same with the pork belly lettuce wraps. The wagyu gyoza are more name than flavor – although it was good, it wasn’t anything crazy special.
We shared a bunch of different rolls, and were the bomb in their own unique ways. The ones that stood out to me were the Umami, San Paolo, and Misti rolls – mainly because they’re such unconventional ingredients, but they made them work so well.

I agree with previous reviews stating that this place has lost its luster and trendiness. We came here for «samba hour» and it was a very 2.5 experience. It was a fairly hot day and it seemed as though the AC wasn’t working properly. Since we came for samba hour we were seated in the lounge. The lounge was a small area with couches that were already showing much wear and tear. Our waiter seemed very disinterested with us but still provider decent service so can’t complain too much. As for what we ordered:
Drinks:
Lychee mojo: good but a tad too sweet
Caipirinha: strong but good!
Food:
Yellowtail taquitos: delicious but the serving was microscopic
Chicken anticuchos: standard chicken skewers in a very delicious spicy sauce
Gyoza: tasted like Costco dumplings, not a fan
Ezo roll: bland
Spicy tuna: fresh but not amazing
Desert:
White chocolate mouse with matcha brûlée: amazing! Come with a raspberry sorbet and all 3 flavors compliment each other very well.
Overall it was nice to check it out and the food was okay but not worth the hype this place has. I’d choose somewhere else for happy hour/​dining experience.

Like sex and the city this past its prime place is showing its age. I do not think the pealing paint in in the bathroom is because it going for an authentic favela look. No place stays trendy forever as people move onto the new thing.
There is nothing wrong with that as still get decent drinks and sorta of Brazilian fusion sushi. Might though want to hit place for either there 4 – 7 or after 11 happy hour and grab yourself a tasty 5 dollar caprinha.

The food here was the absolute best meal that I’ve had in NY and overall in a long time. Sushi Samba delivered with every single dish that we ordered. My cousin and I ordered about 5 dishes and 2 different drinks to try. Everything– absolutely everything– was so delicious and was beautifully dressed and cooked! I would recommend this place for a nice dinner with a loved one, a girls’ night on the town, or a meal with that special someone. Prices are a bit on the higher end depending on what you order but for the consistent goodness– it is worth it! The ambience is sexy and warm. Our waiter was AWESOME. He should be the poster boy for service delivered the right way! I can’t recall his name but I’m pretty sure that he is unmatched in terms of service there. Sushi Samba is definitely a favorite for me whenever I visit NY and I will be back again and again!

4.5 Stars
Still as loud and hoppin’ on a Friday night — this time I was seated on second floor.
The Seabass anticuchos were delicious. The fish skewers was soft but with good taste and texture and a sweet sauce basted on top. It was accompanied with chewy Peruvian corn.
The assortment of seviche and tiradito was enjoyable, I like trying the different flavors. The kanpachi was white fish in a lime juice — very mild. The seviche de mariscos tasted of coconut milk. The salmon flavor tiradito stood out with the flavor of salmon. And the tuna tiradito was sweet and spicy with a hint of ginger — very tasty. I liked the tuna the most.
The samba 7 was a sushi roll of tuna and lemongrass wrapped with soy paper, topped with lobster. The lobster was a bit tough and chewy, and the roll was very mild with a kick of heat. Pretty good though not my favorite roll.
The chocolate banana cake was a very American dessert. It was good — tasted like a moist chocolate cupcake with vanilla rum ice cream smooshed on top. There was a plaintain chip on top.
Good meal, very satisfying, enjoyed dining here!

Came here on a Sunday in a party of 2 and got the tasting menu. I don’t recommend the tasting menu option unless you’re absolutely too lazy to look at the menu since how much you pay is really a sum of individual dishes you get instead of a per person flat rate. Luckily we liked most of the stuff we were served. I would order yellowtail taqui and sea bass skewers again. The other stuff — crispy scallop, wagyu sliders, tuna tataki, lobster seviche and rolls were just decent enough. Service was a delight and water refill was prompt. Happy hour was also a great deal so we grabbed drinks at the bar and brought them to our table.

No reason to go here.
Food is less then mediocre. After a longtime makeover, not much has changed. I promise you you’re neighborhood sushi bar is 900 times better quality and cleaner. So, in West Village with out of towners at 10pm? Maybe go here for cocktails. Maybe.

I was torn between 2 — 3 stars with this one. I went last night with a friend and ended up leaving with a bill of $ 80+ dollars for two drinks, two rolls, and an app. That price is pretty ridiculous.
Don’t get me wrong, the food is good, the atmosphere is fun (seems even better in warmer weather), but the price is ridiculous.
Would I go again??? Ehhhh… Not so sure.

Came here with my boyfriend for my birthday and it was quite the amazing birthday dinner! We had the Wagyu Gyoza and theYellowtail ceviche, which were both out of this world good! The gyoza melted in your mouth and the ceviche was so unbelievably flavorful! I really liked that a lot of the dishes on the menu are tapas style it gives you the opportunity to try a lot of the things on the menu and share with the people who you are there with. For our entrees we each got one of the specialty rolls and one of the regular rolls. I got the Sao Paulo roll which was so delicious and the spicy tuna roll which was also really good. I honestly don’t think there is any bad choice on this menu! We had the mochi and the mango tres leche cake for desert and both were outstanding. The passion fruit mochi in particular was a stand out! The ambiance is great for a romantic dinner or an outing with friends. I cannot wait to come back here again!

Came here on Valentine’s Day with my best friend. Amazing dinner, from the cocktails, to the sushi, to the Peruvian /​Brazilian apps were delicious. We had a very attentive waiter, our food came out in perfect sequence. The rib eye app and spicy tuna roll were among our favorites, and the smores dessert.
Sushi rolls were so good, we had to reorder some of them! Would definitely come back next time I’m in NYC. Great ambiance, not too fancy, not too casual. Great spot for a date!

I chose Sushi Samba as the location for my birthday brunch. The interior of the restaurant is well lit and beautifully decorated. The service was great and very accommodating. The winner here was the brunch pre-​fixe menu that they have. You get an entrée, a roll and dessert! My friend received the wrong roll but the waitress was fast to replace it with the correct order. We even received a roll for free! Everything was amazing and so yummy. I definitely plan on coming here again! Highly recommend.

Went to Sushisamba for brunch and was very impressed with the food and service. We had the Lobster Eggs Benedict and the Shrimp and Polenta and both were excellent — great preparation and flavor! The sushi and rolls that came with brunch were also terrific and they also have a very good children’s menu. Our server Katelyn was extremely friendly and helpful. Will definitely be back!

Lunch special is an amazing deal! Salmon teriyaki with rice a whole tuna roll, salad and miso soup. It’s a better deal than random two star seamless restaurants. They also have roll deals. Definitely go for lunch!

Dinner food portions are small but I highly recommend this place for their Samba Hour specials. Their drinks are soooooo good. I suggest you make a reservation for dinner, it could get a little crowded towards 8pm and the seating is a little cramped. The sake selection is good but I think it’s over priced but then again, it’s the west village so what would one expect. Over all, it was a good experience, the service is very good so I’d go back. My food recommendations are: the Chupe de Camarones, Seared Duck and Banana Chocolate cake.

Ambiance: Fancy, upscale, trendy and sexy. Most of the crowd was 30 and up. We got there around 9pm on a Saturday and we were seated within 10 minutes.
Service: Everyone including hostess, bartender and waiter were friendly and attentive.
Food and drinks: I had their lychee martini and it was yummy but not the best I have had. We had the Sawagan for appetizers and we had no idea they would be actual tiny crabs. It was weird eating them whole but they were soo yummy; I highly suggest it. We shared the Hamapeño, Ezo and Misti rolls. They were all yummy but I guess not out of this world. I think there is such a big hype over this restaurant I was expecting a food orgasm.
If I was invited I would go again but I can’t say I would rush to do so on my own. Overall, I was glad I tried it.

Our friend Tracy took us to this wonderful restaurant, Tracy did the ordering and lets just say it was a interesting and good experience. We have a eclectic range of sushi of which the gold foil on one of the entrees was out of this world. i would highly recommend if you are in that part of NYC you need to go and experience it for yourself. it is something you need to experience

Pro: Restaurant week. Con: If you go for Sunday brunch, be sure to scroll down past lunch and dinner menu to the last page where it says Brunch menu… or you’d be like us two idiots who travelled all the way from midtown on a Sunday morning and discovered that there IS NO chicken teriyaki or tuna ceviche.
Pro: It’s fusion. Con: It wasn’t so much fusion as it was just serving two types of food together.
Pro: It was fun. Con: It was confusing.
Pro: Japanese + Brazilian = exploded flavors. Con: Prepare to STUFF YOUR FACE. I repeat, STUUUUUUFF YOUR FACE because their appetizer is more than a regular entrée. (depending on who you are, this might be a pro.)
Pro: Feijoada (however you say it), Ezo platter. Con: Frittata
Pro: Staff is half Japanese, half Brazilian. Con: Layout somehow feels like an American diner (despite a few fake bamboos — did like the colored, bouquet-​shaped ceiling lamps tho)
Pro: Waiter was kyuuuuuuuuuuuute. Con: came with a date.

Pro: Restaurant week. Con: If you go for Sunday brunch, be sure to scroll down past the lunch and dinner menu to the last page where it says BRUNCH… or you’d be like us two idiots who travelled all the way from midtown on a Sunday morning and discovered that there IS NO chicken teriyaki or tuna ceviche.
Pro: It’s fusion. Con: It wasn’t so much fusion as it was just serving two types of food together.
Pro: It was fun. Con: It was confusing.
Pro: Japanese + Brazilian = exploded flavors. Con: Prepare to STUFF YOUR FACE. I repeat, STUUUUUUFF YOUR FACE because their appetizer is more than a regular entrée. (depending on who you are, this might be a pro.)
Pro: Feijoada (however you say it), Ezo platter. Con: Frittata
Pro: Staff is half Japanese, half Brazilian. Con: Layout somehow feels like an American diner (despite a few fake bamboos — did like the colored, bouquet-​shaped ceiling lamps tho)
Pro: Waiter was kyuuuuuuuuuuuute. Con: came with a date.

Came here during 2016 Winter Restaurant Week. It was Sunday brunch time. I had the Shrimp and Polenta, the Neo Tokyo sushi set, and Banana Chocolate Cake.
The Shrimp and Polenta was really delicious, but the sushi was just okay. The dessert was way to sweet and, if without the caramel sauce that soaked up part of the cake, the cake tasted a little dry.
I also had one of the glassed sake, plain with no ice. It was priced at $ 12, but when it came to me, I almost laughed out because it was too little. Far less than what other sushi restaurants would offer.
Our waitress was nice and friendly. The only thing was that, she kept rushing us to order after we were seated. Literally, she came every minute within 5 minutes!
Overall, the brunch has good portion of food. You’ll be fed up with some level of satisfaction. But as a sushi place, although not a hardcore one, this place need to improve its sushi quality. I think I won’t go back.

I’ll start by saying this place is pretty trendy looking– fitting for the west village. It had a Steven Starr feel to it with the swanky eccentric hues of red and orange light fixtures and a colored mural against all the white. Not too many tables on the first floor and somewhat unique shaped tables. We were a party of 10 with reservations scheduled 2 days in advance. We were seated in a corner spot past the lounge area which was a nice idea if not for the fact that table was against the floor to ceiling thin glass windows and there was no pillow or backboard between us and the window and there was no heat on in that area so you felt quite a cold draft on such a chilly January winter evening. We asked for a pillow or something to put between the window and our backs on the bench seating and the staff said they would bring pillows, but never did. The staff did being out a space heater that didn’t feel like there was anything coming out for much of the dining experience. By dessert time, we all started to feel heat coming in from somewhere– so they do have heat over in the corner icebox? Or we just had enough of a liquid jacket at that point?! It would have been nice to be compensated for this given we ordered tons of food and drinks.
On to the food– we ordered drinks, sushi, apps and desserts. The apps took a little while to come to the table, but once they arrived, they all came in at once. Drinks were severed after the apps arrived, but they were worth the wait.
Sushi was fresh!
Tuna sotki (tuna tar tar) was so smooth, a hearty slice of tuna on top of a touch of sauce sat on top of spinach leaves with a garlic chip on top! Amazing for the tuna lovers.
Beef skewers are a classic favorite. With a good portion of beef per stick
Edamame– classic and done with a nice crisp taste– not over cooked. With just enough sea salt
Mushroom with poached egg small plate– loved the poached egg and variety of wild mushrooms were fresh. Didn’t care for the sauce nor the croutons in this
Seaweed salad– OMG fantastic. Done tom perfection. Green and black seaweed in this one!
Fish tacos– everyone devoured these little guys. Looked crispy and filled to the top with seafood and toppings.
Scallop skewers– too salty of a sauce for me, but others enjoyed this one
Drinks:
Lychee cooler was like a nice smooth piña coolata — coconut milk with lychee!
Cabernet Sauvignon– not recommended. This tasted like watered down house wine.

I’ve walked by this place a good number of times, but after looking on Unilocal for a nice sushi spot, I’m glad I finally stopped by.
The décor, ambiance, and sushi were great. It’s moderate to high on pricing, but the food was well worth it. Definitely coming back, but service was lacking. We were sat and it took around ~10 mins for someone to greet us. The restaurant wasn’t even busy (reservation was at 630) so I was a bit taken aback on how long it took. The server that took over even apologized that he was taking over the section. It started with a bad first impression, but the quality of the food really stood out.

When it comes to the never ceasing hype of SUSHISAMBA, I can pass. It is by no means a terrible place, I can see the creativity dedicated in the process, but it was too «fashionable» to the point that everyone who works there seems to be so indulged with that kind of sense. Or I shouldn’t bring someone over 50 years old here the next time.
All that I could recall from my order was that ingredients were nice, timing was good (they delivered them right on time), and the food arguably tasted nice (too much sodium, but this might just be me), yet the portion size is just abysmal. And we barely filled our stomach when that $ 100 bill showed up.
There’s got to be more things justifying this place’s popularity, and unfortunately I haven’t realized yet. I need someone who actually gets this place to bring me here next time.

Great helpful service. Fantastic food; the restaurant week menu was delicious. The cocktail tree came with nice flair; the nashi cocktail was refreshing, the lychee cooler was thick and almost creamy, and the brisa caliente had a very nice spicy kick. The ambience is very cool and laid back.

My husband & I visited Sushisamba for restaurant week. We had visited similar restaurants in the city and this was still on our list. I liked that the restaurant is inspired by foods from Japan, Peru and Brazil and that it wasn’t all about sushi, there were plenty of options.
I really enjoyed the food. For starter I had the sweet corn kakiage, which I really enjoyed, it had black truffle sauce, which made it delicious and it was a good portion size. My husband had the Tuna Seviche, which he found really tasty. I tried some and it had great flavor.
For our main courses, I had Asado De Res (short rib with vegetables) and my husband had the Samba Sushi plate. The short rib totally exceeded my expectations, it was so good! The meat was tender and the sauce was really good. My husband really liked his sushi plate, but didn’t think it was as good as the sushi at Nobu, he felt it didn’t seem as fresh as compared with Nobu.
The dessert was also really good! Sometimes on Restaurant Week menus the dessert can be a let down, but not here! We both had the chocolate banana cake as it just sounded too good to miss. It was a generous portion and the flavors were just great, I would definitely order it again!
Staff were very friendly, service was quick and our water was constantly kept topped up. I would return again.

Sushisamba is sort of a West Village staple. It’s a beautiful, open space restaurant with 2 levels. It’s not straight Japanese but however a fusion Brazilian and Peruvian.
I came here for lunch one afternoon and the place was relatively empty. As an appetizer I ordered the ceviché which was okay. The rolls here were fresh, as was the sashimi. I ordered the «Samba Sushi» which is basically a sampler wth eel, yellowfin, salmon, tuna, etc… It was really tasty. I had the chocolate banana cake for dessert to finish filling me up at the end of the night.
I’ve had better sushi at more authentic Japanese restaurants however Sushisamba offers a nice fusion twist at times.

The service here is fantastic. I think our waiter was Thomas and he was a super cool guy. Really cute vibe and love their booth seating. We ordered several appetizers and as always, they were delicious. This place is on the pricey side. Sea bass skewers with peruvian corn are highly recommended. This is my favorite dish! The lobster tacos were expensive… for such a tiny bite of food. $ 9 EACH! Yes, each little thing! The green bean tempura was good with that delicious dip. Only drawback was a waterbug that flew onto our table. Pretty gross but the team took care of the situation and apologized. I get that bugs are hard to control but you can’t help but feel freaked out when you see a critter flying over you. Thankfully, it happened after we finished our food. Besides that, our experience was good.

(this may be the most or least comprehensive review due to the fact I tried everything on this menu in one night)
A birthday gives a fine chance to try a place you wouldn’t normally splurge for and check out, this of course is why we all gathered up on a rainy city night to experience sushi samba. It was miserable out, and stepping into this oasis was just what was ordered.
I’ll start by saying the place… It’s different, I don’t know how else to describe it… «Eclectic chic?» I will say it was quite warm inside (temperature wise)
The hostess was a wretched soul who was nasty with everyone who crossed her path. She was a good looking black stuck-​up model type chick who needs an attitude adjustment because it renders her hideous and puts a damper on the sushi samba experience.- Strike one
The drinks once finally ordered took about half the night to arrive, then our orders were taken at which time the table decided to order more drinks making note of how slow they did absolutely everything here. — strike 2
A great redemption however was the lychee cooler being the best cocktail ever created— OH MY GODDD get this drink!
I had also tried a few others like the Tam Yam I believe which had the nice bonus of being served with an amazing yellowtail sushi on top– which was an awesome little amuse Bouche of sorts.
The food took light years to arrive but when our orders sporadically trickled in, man were they fantastic.
We were lucky enough to order almost half the menu and go to town. Only problem being the end of the night.
We had a party of 7 plus the birthday girl but she wasn’t part of the bill; it came to 130 bux a person after tip…
This food was great but 130? Nahhhht worth it. I had a kebob on the way to the train so that’s gotta say something.
Here’s what’s important though, if you go, there is nothing is steer you away from, here is what I tried in no particular order.
Maybe a little order;
Drinks:
Tom yam– light on coriander if any, but the ginger and lime was nice, served with a hand made nigiri for $ 17. It was good, the nigiri was great, the drink was too much money, then again it was tall, strong, and NYC.
Lychee cooler– steals the goddamn show. Get it!
Nina Fresca — not for me, sweet n soapy.
Brisa Caliente — mmmmmm cool refreshing heat.
FOOD:
Crispy Hokkaido scallop — so different, so unique, great crunch, super fresh… Maybe masking the size of the scallop? This was a great bite, $ 5 each one.
Edemame — it’s edemama, nicely salted, good $ 6
Salt and pepper squid — like the best calamari you’ve ever had, more substantial and «meaty» crispy and delicious! $ 14
Kuromitsu pork belly lettuce wraps — in my girlfriends words «on point». (My words: almost perfectly on point; awesome! but could be even more flavorful, for $ 14 you’ll get 4.
Portuguese Octopus — holy crap what is that thing in that plate?! Omg it’s octopus, something I never would have ordered myself, tentacles and suctiony cups oh my: oh my was this fantastic! Crispy and saucy, I loved it! Not rubbery, not chewy, succulent and savory! $ 16
*Crispy Taquitos — both the Yellowtail and Lobster they were great but the yellowtail was out of this world! Get this taco in your mouth, now! Come two to an order. So the yellowtails will run you $ 12, the not as good but still great lobster will be $ 16
Coconut rice — super creamy… Just ok, but really good coconut flavor
Peruvian corn– I’ve been lucky enough in life to have some real home cooked Peruvian meals and this corn matches up wonderfully, it had some sort of extra spice on it and it was pretty good, the corn was cooked perfectly, which has been hard to come by on Long Island.
Onto the sushi, at last, (writing all this I realize we were well within that pricey $ 130/​p budget, whoa)
Samba 7 — lobster and heaven rolled in one.
Umami — small shimp, tender beef, and truffle heaven rolled into one
Sasa — shrimp and quinoa cilantro and heaven rolled into one
Hamapeno — yellowtail heaven, and smoked jalapeño rolled … into one
Kari Kari– this is a bunch of single fishes sitting atop a fried rice and plated in (you guessed it) heaven!
Every single hand roll was fricken fantastic too!
Like I said nothing let us down besides maybe the extremely slow service, the waiter was a super friendly guy but we rarely saw him and everything took forever.
The bill for the 7 of us was about $ 625 as the other two apparently got their own separate bill and tried all of everyone else’s food while hoarding their own like cheap fucks– annnnd reviewed.
Enjoy!
The only reason I would give three stars is that cost to portion ratio, both time and money was overspent I feel but the food was all phenomenal.

Price is decent and the food is fairly good. We had the beef slider with foei Gras. The meat was juicy but the foei Gras was too tiny. I don’t mind to pay more for slightly thicker piece. I need more kick of it. Pork belly appetizer was heavenly, tender and cooked into perfection.
The drink was a little pricey for the quantity.
Server was attentive but my friend said that he was not grateful that we tipped him 25%. Lol.
Well, they were not busy so he was attentive. I think that the service is just ok, not great. For that price, did not expect much.
Did not try their sushi because we were a little full after we had a little bite from one if by sea, two if by land at barrow st. and some chocolate tasting at Royce.
I like the restroom setting. Pretty unique. Kind of reminded me of THE SEA from Williamsburg.
Overall: 2.2

Excellent food and good service. Sometimes busy depending when you go. Recently went for a bite to eat and drinks with friends and then for brunch. Drinks are delicious and very fresh with exotic flavors. The samba juice is like an alcoholic smoothie so good. The brunch cocktails were good too. The tuna tataki is a must! The rock shrimp was good. I love their spicy tuna too As I don’t love minced fish and theirs is a solid piece of tuna with spicy mayo on top. The Sao Paolo roll is gold, I am a sucker for truffle though.

Never felt the need to write something on here until tonight!
I had made a reservation here for 9pm on a Saturday and just like many other NYC spots, there was a bit of a wait so I ventured upstairs (with a date!). While waiting at the bar, I was approached by a server (Nikki) and the manager (Stephanie). They assured me that we could be accommodated and that they appreciated that we waited.
Talk about being accommodated! Not only did they keep their word, they also sent an appetizer to our table just because we waited! The drinks were delicious (lemon samurai) and the green bean tempura was fantastic!
Fast forward to the meal where we had excellent dinner and more great drinks! I’ve had good sushi elsewhere but Nikki and Stephanie really were the reason behind my 5 star rating! They truly made me look/​feel like a VIP customer… go upstairs and ask for them!

This place is awesome to celebrate a special occasion. The ambiance is great and the service was amazing. From the minute we entered until we left the staff made sure we were enjoying our time there.
The food is incredibly fresh but the portions are a bit small. Everything else was great and will definitely return. Would recommend for a date night spot As well.

My wife and I decided to celebrate our wedding Anniversary in the city. The difficult part now was deciding on a place to dine, since we both wanted different styles of food Sushisamba was the perfect blend for our culinary taste buds combining Asian and latin inspired flavors all in one!
We made reservations for a weeknight and it was not crowded. We were seated promptly and asked if we wanted to sit outside/​inside, we elected to stay inside. The place is very dimly lit and the noise level is quite loud, so if you’re looking for a quiet night to dine out, this is not the place.
Our waiter was very nice and recited the specials for that night and gave us time to go over our choices. When we were ready he memorized our order and executed our meal flawlessly.
For starters we ordered the Caipirinha drink, sort of like a Mojito, but the active alcohol is called «Cachaca» after one sip I then knew why they called it Cachaca, it sounds like Gotcha! The alcohol has got some kick to it!!!
We started with yellow fin tuna tacos, filled with delicious fresh diced fish and avocados. We also had the sea bass skewers served on top of peruvian corn bits. The fish was moist and delicate, I really enjoyed the large kernels of corn, they were not too sweet but had a light nutty flavor.
The spicy tuna and Kari kari rolls were fresh and delicious. The highlight of the night was the main dish, the Moqueca Mista, sort of like a seafood stew, the dish was served in a round skillet filled with clams, mussels, squid, shrimp, fish and a bowl of Chimichurri rice nestled right in the center of the dish. I wish there was more rice to absorb some of that sauce, the sauce was BUENO BONITO!!!
I elected not to have dessert here but my overall experience was Awesome! I will be Back!

I am a big fan of this restaurant. For me the only thing holding back the 5 stars is it is very pricey and portions are very small for how expensive it is.
The sea bass, evo roll, green bean tempura are some of my regular orders. Soooo yummy.

Update: I came back for restaurant week brunch the next time round and it was lovely. The portions were generous and the sushi is fantastic. The desserts weren’t that interesting but I suppose that’s not really their area. Same as last time though — the mimosas were a bit too juice-​like for my taste!
Lovely environment. Went for restaurant week and the menu was excellent and surprisingly varied. Food was thoughtful and well presented. Only downside was that the cocktails were too juice-​like for my taste.

New Yoooork, Neeeeeww Yoooork… Aah New York! Aaaah Sushi Samba! Là, soyons clairs, c’est LE restaurant auquel je pense quand je pense à New York. LE restaurant qui me fait regarder illico les prix des vols pour la grosse pomme et regretter de né plus y aller aussi souvent… Quand il y a quelques années j’y allais régulièrement pour raisons sentimentales, c’était LE lieu fétiche à réserver obligatoirement pour que je sois 100% heureux.
Mais c’était une autre époque quand on m’a fait découvrir ce lieu exquis… Je vous parle d’un temps où les Sushishop et autres Makisu n’existaient pas! Un temps — pas si lointain — où le sushi bruxellois se résumait aux traditionels Tagawa, Yamayu Santatsu, HamaShin,… et où Sushi Factory était quasiment l’unique tentative de Fastfood à sushi un peu occidentalisé!
Pour moi qui adorais le sushi mais né l’avait jamais imaginé autrement, Sushi Samba a vraiment été le pavé dans la marre des traditions.
Imaginez un restaurant fashionista (On y a croisé Tyra Banks avec ses copines) au look résolument comptemporain — dont le sushibar circulaire est au centre de la pièce — et son bar d’attente (là où l’on a envie qu’elle se prolonge).
Imaginez un restaurant qui mélange cuisine japonnaise, (sushi, tempuras,…) bresilienne et péruvienne (ceviche,…) avec une carte de cocktails à faire pâlir les barmen bruxellois, le tout dans une ambiance électrique lounge soft et vous avez le cocktail explosif — addition comprise (!) — de Sushi Samba!
C’est simple, en repensant à la fraîcheur des «King Crab Leg» qu’on prennait en entrée au raw Bar j’ai inévitablement l’eau à la bouche et
sur BRU-​JFK. Mais je dois terminer cette courte review ici, ma dernière visite datant — malheureusement — trop (snif) pour vous décrire toutes les saveurs qu’il me tarde de redéguster un jour…

Mélange Japonais, Brésilien et Péruvien, les plats sont étonnants et vraiment délicieux!
Mes papilles ont été heureuses de découvrir ce mélange de saveurs!
Les cocktails sont vraiment très bons, je me suis régalée autant par les plats que les cocktails! Mais l’addition a fait un peu mal, je trouve l’endroit un peu cher.