Samurai Hibachi Sushi Japanese Steakhouse — Restaurant in Shrewsbury Township

AVOID - Gave this place 3 tries, every time I ended up disappointed. The one good thing* Money Bag (Crab rangoons ), but it comes at a steep cost of $9 when they can be found way cheaper in the area

First Experience Opening Day, I called in an order and was told it would be done in 20 min. Ok figuring its opening day I waited 30-35 minutes before leaving the house. It takes me 6 -8 minutes to get there. Once I arrived there was NO one at the front except the sushi who made no attempts to help or speak to me even when I tried to ask him if anyone was there. The waiting room was filled with people. After about 15 min a 20 some year old girl runs out saying sorry opens a drawer by the register and grabs a card out a disappears again... I walk half way into the dinning area looking to flag any one to see if anyone is working the font desk... They just walk right past me... about another 15 minutes pass when a girl finally comes out with two bags, an order for another guest and 1/3 of my order. When I ask if she has my main dish (the udon soup) she says she forgot to put it on the order... I tell her just to give me my sushi and appetizers. Then another man comes out from the back and says he will make my sushi fast, after another 10 min then hand me a bag. The bag has my hot food and cold food mixed... by the time I get to my car the sushi is warm...

Second time It was a little after dinner time on a Monday. I call to place an order. I am asked to hold on the phone. I say ok, thinking nothing of it. I am out doing some errands and think how long can it take? After 12 minutes of waiting I head to wendy's place an order, get my food, and drive to the restaurant. 28 minutes has passed by now and walk in to find no one is at the front desk again... but some one promptly comes out and asks if I would like a seat. I tell them I have been on hold for almost 30 min... I show the woman my phone and she is like omg, and starts to look for the phone. Shortly after the same younger girl from my first trip comes running out saying sorry again and again... She says she got distracted... again maybe one family was there... I left without food because I couldn't believe how bad there staff was...

Last Try, I gave up and mom invited me over for dinner. She said she would get take out from there because she loves the filet mignon and rice hibachi the old place had. I got the shrimp. She got a combo, that was around 30 bucks, she got maybe 4-5 tiny bits of STEAK(there is no way that was filet). My shrimp was floating in a pull of brown watery liquid. All the vegetables were very soggy and the rice didn't taste very good at all. it very much so tasted like white rice some one splashed seasoning on. it wasn't crispy like it was fired at all. There were also what seemed to be canned mushrooms in it as well. For the price the food was very bad quality. The miso soup has not the right consistency making it thick and gross. and the salad used mixed greens normally not found at hibachi restaurants. It also tasted like it had been soaking in water, and was very soggy. I ended up throwing most of it away and we spent over $70 on two meals and some apps.

I will never go to this...

TLDR: Excellent hibachi and sushi right off I-83. Come for lunch to take advantage of their affordable lunch specials.

Vibe: 4/5. Located right off I-83 in Shrewsbury, Samurai conveniently sits in the center of a large strip mall with ample parking. Inside, the restaurant is larger than one may suspect. In the front, there is a small sushi bar as well as non-hibachi table seating if you don't have time for the show. As you head towards the back of the restaurant, there are several hibachi tables situated in 2 adjacent rooms. Each table holds approximately 10-12 people, with everyone sitting in a U shape surrounding the grill. This allows everyone to have a front row seat to the show. The entire restaurant seems to be well maintained and very clean which is always a perk when shrimp are flying around the dining room.

Service: 5/5. The staff at Samurai have always been great at providing a memorable experience. I have dined several times as well as ordered take out and they have always been friendly, professional and punctual. The hibachi chefs are also very talented, with the shows being very well choreographed and funny.

Food: 5/5. Easily some of the best eats in Shrewsbury, PA. As mentioned, I have dined in for the hibachi as well as gotten sushi to go and everything has always been very tasty and generous in portion size. Budget hack: come for lunch during the weekdays and Saturday from 11-3pm. Samurai has a significantly reduced price menu for sushi and hibachi during these times, but offering the same portion sizes. This is easily the best deal in town if you are looking for Japanese food in Southern PA. As for the quality, both the sushi and hibachi are fantastic. Sushi rolls are always made fresh with generous amounts of fish, especially in the basic maki rolls (tuna, yellowtail and white tuna rolls). The hibachi is also extremely satisfying, with fan favorites being the diver scallops and the filet mignon (both available at lunch for less than $20). Overall, I highly recommend Samurai for your sushi and hibachi fix if...

I love hibachi restaurants, but this is not a favorite.

Pros: The restaurant is clean and very pretty inside. Some chefs are more enthusiastic than others, depending on what you like it could be a good or bad thing. The chicken & vegetables from my meal was delicious. Salad was good. I passed on the soup. Portion size is large. You could definitely get at least three meals out of it!

Cons: The noodles were bland. They were warm, but raw. The fried rice was way too salty, and I typically love salty food. When entertaining, they toss raw zucchini in your mouth, which tastes awful. I was expecting cooked shrimp, like every other Hibachi Restaurant that I have been to tosses (at least in Baltimore.) The yum-yum sauce was ok.

All in all, it was okay. It is worth giving it a try. For what I am paying per meal, I will make the trip to Hunt Valley and go to Sakura.

I am not a Sushi eater, so I don't have a review to...