SUSHISAMBA Las Vegas — Restaurant in Paradise

I usually write nice reviews and this isn’t going to be one of them. My experience at Sushi Samba tonight was disappointing and doesn’t come close to the ratings others are giving it. First if the restaurant is asking me if I’ve dined with them before and I say no, I would expect they’d use that information to explain the menu and the options. There’s a lot on there- grill stuff, sushi rolls, raw options- so a little explanation about something listed as Vegetable- Eggplant might be helpful. I ordered the tempura green beans upon recommendation just to start. When the server came back, I ordered a glass of champagne. She went away again and came back to take the food order. I asked a few questions including how large a ribeye skewer was and got finger circles rather than a weight portion size or perhaps the info that there were 2 skewers with 3 pieces each which is what it ended up being would have been nice. She went away and eventually I called her back and inquired about the champagne that I hadn’t received. She then came back and gave me a happy hour menu - after I had already ordered- and said she put the chardonnay through under the happy hour price. (Champagne is not Chardonnay and not included in happy hour) But I don’t say anything because I figure if chardonnay comes I’ll just drink it. Still no drink. Eventually a server comes with tempura green beans and about 30 seconds later, the shrimp tempura roll followed by the ribeye skewer. So now as a solo diner, I have all 3 things I ordered even though I specifically didn’t order them all at the same time, and still no champagne before dinner. The first chunk of ribeye is large and so tough I consider that I’ll be chewing for 5 minutes as there was no knife for cutting. The corn was spread on the plate and not in a bowl and didn’t look anything like google photos. The shrimp tempura roll is shrimp in rice without any other sauce or filling and is quite mushy. At this point it’s pretty much time to eat fast since 2 of the 3 dishes involve tempura and aren’t going to last long once they cool. Finally the champagne arrives and it’s flat. I realize there’s just no way I can fix any of these problems with the meal because the waitress isn’t helpful. I did ask for a fork and first she forgot and then came back to say she would go get it and then did deliver the fork and knife which was necessary for cutting the meat. Also, why didn’t anyone inquire as to how the ribeye should be cooked? At this point I just want to get out of there so I don’t drink the flat champagne and I eat parts of the food. When I received the check it was true the waitress had put the champagne through as Chardonnay and removed the cost and pointed this out to me. At no point does she ask about the untouched glass of champagne or if it was OK. Another table ordered champagne and I could see the bubbles from across the room while mine sits flat and yellowy and not at all enticing. Now I know the saying is that you should tell the restaurant so they can fix it while you’re there. That’s usually what I do because that’s fair. But I had no faith that anything I said was going to be understood or fixed. You can’t start over so I can have the drink before the food once you’ve brought the food. And you’re just going to think I’m a difficult diner if I tell you that the champagne is flat after it’s delivered late and the meat is tough. You could cook me a new skewer I suppose but the moment is ruined and I just didn’t want to go through all of that and the waitress would have to check in a timely fashion about that- not once I’ve had the food in front of me for 15 minutes. I think the kitchen let the staff down by serving all 3 items at once and the bar let the servers down by sending flat champagne and the managers let the waitress down by not properly training on portion size or menu information or when to deliver a happy hour menu. Timing of service and poor food quality sum up my review. Maybe my experience is not common but I don’t know what I should have done to avoid...

Another wonderful experience at Sushi Samba. Each and every time I’ve eaten there, it’s been one of my best eating experiences. The food is always fresh, flavorful and plated to perfection. The Samba Strip, chilean Seabass skewers, yellowtail ceviche taquitos, yellow tail tiraditos are a few of my favorites. I also highly recommend the Nashi drink, (made by Erica the bartender). The atmosphere and decor are phenomenal and only enhance the fabulous food which you will consume. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

6/10/24 (Updated)

I’ve always been a huge fan and a regular at Sushi Samba. Their amazing and flavorful food coupled with the beautifully designed bar and restaurant always makes for an enjoyable evening.

However, tonight, I was pleasantly surprised to see “Louie” a bartender that we’ve known for sometime was back working at sushi Samba.

Louie was always one of our favorites and one who we considered a master mixologist. After learning he returned just (4) months ago, I was elated to welcome him back.

Louie’s was and still is a people person and possesses a friendly and welcoming personality. His attitude and professional demeanor speaks volumes of his character and his ability to relate to his customers.

In the food service industry, customer satisfaction is paramount and is a major factor in one’s decision to return to the restaurant or go elsewhere.

Louie is definitely an outstanding representative of the Sushi Samba brand and we look forward to conversing with him at our next visit.

Sushi Samba should feel very fortunate to have someone of his caliber, knowledge and experience back behind the bar.

However, I would be remiss if I did not mention one issue I found very disappointing.

I was looking forward to ordering my usual, “Samba Strip roll with lobster.” However, I learned that this item was no longer being offered on the menu. This has always been my go to dish and one which, I would order multiple times in a single visit.

This was also a favorite of another customer who happened to be sitting next to us and wanted to order the Samba Strip but was told it was no longer available.

I’m not sure why it was removed but speaking from personal experience, It was definitely an extremely popular item.

Whomever’s decision it was to remove it, I would kindly ask that it be brought back. I’m certain the customers who enjoyed this roll would very much appreciate it...

Sushi Samba was a random but pleasant find. This not so hidden gem is located in the Palazzo Grand Canal Shoppes when entering from the bridge that runs over the street connecting to the Wynn property. It is easy to walk by as there are many restaurants throughout the resorts, many of which are overpriced and leave something to be desired as far as food quality and taste. This restaurant was not one of those. My wife and I ended up there randomly after wandering around the shoppes we wanted a place to grab a quick bite. This was one of the few restaurants around that were actually open for lunch so we decided to try it. The restaurant is a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines. I usually don’t like fusion foods like that as they tend to be poorly executed and more gimmicky than anything else, however, this restaurant delivered on the theme. The service was friendly from start to finish. We were greeted and seated right away. The restaurant had a nice relaxing atmosphere. It wasn’t overcrowded and was quiet and easy to have a conversation in. The food was very well executed (highly recommend the ceviches, miso sea bass, and banana chocolate with the liquid toffee sauce). What was most impressive was our server. We had plans to eat at a buffet that night and so we didn’t want to have too much for lunch. We had initially been interested in the tasting menu priced at $100 per person. Our server quickly pointed out that it is a good amount of food and probably not what we want if we’re planning an all you can eat later that evening. He gave us great recommendations for food. There were a couple of other things we wanted to try but again our server recommended that we start with what we had already ordered and see if we want more later as we were going for a lighter lunch. To his credit he was absolutely right. We enjoyed every dish we had and the amount of food was just perfect. He didn’t try to upsell us and even told us when to pull back when he though we might be over ordering. His honesty was refreshing and his recommendations were excellent. We ended up going back the next day for the tasting menu and fortuitously ended up with the same server!

Atmosphere: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Food: 5/5 Overall Value: 5/5

Price: $$$

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