Samurai Sushi — Restaurant in Florida

Samurai Sushi is by far my favorite place to get sushi in the Lake Mary area. The menu selection is incredibly varied (including the non-sushi portions), all the sushi rolls and the sashimi are delicious, and some of the rolls are very inventive in the way they are offered.

On top of having excellent food, Samurai also has a staff that is second to none. The wait staff are all incredibly polite and informative, and I have even taken up friendships with some of them.

The atmosphere is fairly casual, this is not a hoity-toity establishment, but you can still dress up and go on a nice date there without feeling wildly overdressed. When compared with Amura just a couple miles away, you can notice a real difference. Amura has more of a high-end aesthetic, and if you enjoy that, that's fine, but do be aware, you will pay extra for it, without getting any better sushi.

Finally, Samurai Sushi is not too costly, especially during their happy hour (5-7 PM Monday-Friday) where they offer many of their basic rolls for as little as $3.95 each. When compared with other local sushi options (like Amura) Samurai is much cheaper. Not only that, but the sushi is just as good if not better than the...

Not bad, not amazing, run of the mill American Japanese place. Pretty good sashimi.

First, the good: The fish quality was good, though we only tested salmon and yellow tail. I would definitely eat it again. The sushi tasted more fresh than Publix, which isn't a high bar, but a good sign. The udon noodle broth/flavor was good and the cast iron pot they served it in kept it piping hot and authentic looking. The server was friendly and food came out quicker than expected. People seemed relatively happy with the place, including the bar flies. They had a nice size crowd for a Thursday night.

The not so good: Tempura batter was really heavy, not real tempura. Udon veggies were somehow undercooked while noodles were very soft. Nigiri sushi rice was coldish, not warm or even room temperature, and worse, the nori was mushy, not dry and crispy. A real sushi place always has crispy nori. Wasabi was not fresh ground, but store bought. Ginger not palatable. The bathrooms weren't the cleanest. Bar flies were a bit loud. It's a very Americanized place with non-Japanese staff.

But at least they were fairly busy, suggesting that the average American likes their sushi and this...

First time here and ordered the volcano roll for lunch. The other people at my table ordered the bento box which I should have. When it finally came out, it looked nothing like a volcano roll. It did not come out as described and the entire roll including the fish was warm. At that point I could not eat it. I asked the server for a refund and was instead offered a replacement meal. I was also told that since I had never been there before, I should not expect it to taste like anywhere else I had had it. I have been to many places and personally the volcano roll is my favorite. I know enough about sushi to expect slight variances, but the quality was bad the fish was warm and there was little to no "crab and scallop" toppings as described in the menu. The fact that I was insulted by the server and basically told I didn't know what a volcano roll was supposed to taste like was the end for me. I could have overlooked the bad sushi and given this place another chance on some other food, but the way I was questioned about my sushi knowledge ensured I will not be back. There are many other sushi...