Samurai Sushi — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

Samurai Sushi is a hole in the wall type of restaurant with a definite streak of uniqueness.

The atmosphere is nice, UNLESS when it becomes extremely crowded, moving can get difficult since there is not too much space in between some tables...but don't get me wrong, it's spacious enough to walk around even with the crowd.

The waitresses are generally nice from the ones we had. When it's not busy, we have excellent service. However, when there are many people, the service takes longer, which is not surprising and it's understandable.

(The food they serve is only sushi. Unlike other Japanese sushi restaurants, Samurai strictly works with sushi. It is their specialty. So if you're looking for foods that are hibachi-style like teriyaki or bento and you're not much of a fan of sushi, this place is not the place to go. However, if you haven't tried sushi and would like to, this is a great place to start.)

Sushi is their absolute forte so some (not saying for all rolls) rolls that I got the chance to peak at look different than most sushi I'd normally see at other sushi restaurants. It sometimes gets to the point when it gets hard to eat because some rolls look so aesthetically pleasing that you don't want to touch it!

I do not remember the name of this one roll I ordered, but it had kiwis and strawberries. (..??!) I haven't seen anything like that at ANY other sushi restaurant I've been to. I thought to myself, "Is this actually sushi? It's strange, for sure. I'm not used to this!" but I thought again and came to the conclusion that Samurai Sushi has the talent to create sushi in a more spectacularly innovative ways.

Another time when my husband and I went there, we came to know the owner of the restaurant and found out that he's actually a neat guy! Initially, we were intimidated because of his stern look but we managed to have a decent conversation although there were a few cases of miscommunication due to our language barriers. (His native language is korea and my husband I speak french) Other than that, I can tell he's a good person - meaning that he not only cares about the sushi he makes, but also his customers. Very friendly, devoted, and a hard-working man!

Hopefully, the next time we visit America, we'll go to Nashville and see and talk to him again AND of course, eat their delicious sushi. In the meantime, we'll be waiting in France. Till then, my friend!

Overall, Samurai Sushi is the avant-garde of sushi-making. It's undoubtedly ahead of the Sushi world.

Mr. Choo, if you happen to read yelp reviews, thank you once again for your hospitality! Best wishes and we hope to see you again...

Sushi was pretty good. Ordered 3 rolls and asked for some spicy mayo. That's where the 1 star deduction comes from. Would've rather gave a 4.5 because it's small but service is still important.

It took a while for me to turn in the sheet with my sushi rolls marked. The waitress was doing countless other things. She finally made it over to me so I could give it to her. I sat at the sushi bar area so I asked the sushi chef, who's standing right in front of me for some spicy mayo on the side. He proceeded to look for the waitress (mind you, he just sat the spicy mayo container down in front of him) and was about to tell me to ask her (like he did when I went to hand him my sheet with my sushi order. I gave it to her and then she gave it to him so he would know what sushi to make.) then he reached over to put spicy mayo in my container that was for my soy sauce.

I just didn't ask for a soy sauce container and ate. Seemed like it was too much to ask for anything.

The prices don't match the sheet and the menu either. I probably could've raised a stink and I'm sure someone could but they should...

Note to self: NEVER listen to yelp or Google reviews for sushi places. I'm not sure how this place has been voted the #1 sushi place in Nashville so many times, but I beg to differ. For starters, it was dark and just felt dirty, with flies buzzing around, etc. My first course came out and my miso soup was the worst I've ever had in my life. Muddy water would have had better flavor. Then, the first thing that struck me about my sushi is that I could "smell" it before the guy ever set it down in front of me. I've eaten sushi for years, and I must tell you, I've never smelled it like it was today. I had serious reservations about ever putting it in my mouth, but it looked fantastic. Looks can be deceiving unfortunately. I ate it, only because I was hungry, but it was far from the enjoyable experience I am accustomed to when eating sushi. My one and only time to visit here. Praying for NO foodborne illness...