Sam's Sushi Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Seattle

Short version: excellent value for everyday sushi, great food and quiet calm atmosphere. Don’t go here to impress someone, go when you want good sushi without a second mortgage.

Long version:

I’ve been going to Sam’s for years, and love it. Friendly wait staff, quick service, and the best value for everyday Sushi in Ballard by a long shot.

They have a fairly standard roll selection, and the nigiri cuts are enormous relative to the price. The fish is always fresh and delicious, though they’re clearly not purchasing the top tier sashimi grade cuts for everything.

The downside? The salmon is farmed unless otherwise specified, their sashimi option is just the nigiri minus rice, and it’s never a mind blowing experience. But I don’t to Sam’s to have the world’s most amazing sushi, I go for delicious fish at a reasonable price. My girlfriend and I can be stuffed at Sam’s for $50, versus a comparable meal at Shiku or Billy Beach for $80+.

Bottom line: it’s a solid joint and worth a visit any day of the week... especially because you can afford it any day...

The food was good, however, the prices they charged me were different from the price on the menu. When I pointed it out to the first person, they said they would check on it and never came back. When I pointed it out again to the second person they said it was because the price of fish went up and seemed unconcerned. I have no problem with a restaurant charging whatever prices they want but out of integrity to the customer, whenever they make a price change, it should be reflected on their menus and website. I checked two menus, their website, and their Uber eats and the prices were all different in each place. It’s very unprofessional, even if your food is good it doesn’t make me want to keep coming back.

Leaving the 1-star in order that the restaurant would see this and hopefully make changes. I’d be happy to leave a much better review if not...

Small, sushi restaurant squished between a coffee shop and cobbler. I wouldn't have thought to try it if I didn't see people constantly eating here. We arrive around 7 PM on a Saturday and it was busy, but we were still seated immediately. The staff was polite and brought our rolls out in about 10 minutes. The rolls were decent - we ordered the Crunch Roll, Seattle Roll, and Unakyu Maki. Unfortunately, our waiter seemed to have forgot the Crunch Roll, so it never arrived. The rolls were both large and tasty. The Unakyu didn't hold together very well and was difficult to eat. The flavor was OK, the barbecue eel tasted strange. The Seattle Roll was good. Good sushi spot, but there are cheaper and better tasting...