Samba Steakhouse — Restaurant in Sugar Hill

This will be long, but worth the read if you plan on dinning here for any reason.

We were seated and told how the restaurant worked. Several of us in our party had been to other chains similar to this style. The buffet stuff was kind of cold but ok. That happens with buffet food at times.

The meat going around was pretty rare, but the people bring the food were very attentive. However, nearly each time they came I had to ask them twice for meat for my young child’s plate. His plate was not free, I shouldn’t be treated like I’m just trying to get the most. Several of us were empty on drinks for the majority of our meal. Those that did bring drinks were not even our waitress.

We did not see the waitress during our whole dinner except for when we were seated and when she came to collect the check. Our waitress stated “with large parties we usually just do one check.” We told her we would need seperate checks due to each household paying seperatly. This this she informed us that “we don’t usually do that, I have a few things to do first and then I’ll get it taken care of”. Splitting a check is no different than if you had different tables. We kind of assumed it would be because we had a party of 9 and they would want to include the tip. However, upon getting the check we realized that she was able to include gratuity in all of our bills so we were unsure on why splitting the check was the issue. However, one person in the group asked to speak to the manager since we felt 20 percent added on was high considering we didn’t have a drink half our meal. Someone from the kitchen came out instead.

The man from the kitchen explained that part of the gratuity comes to the kitchen and the other part the waitress. We told them we would be ok with tipping if it went to those bringing the meats, but that we were really unhappy with the service from our waitress. He told us there was no way to split the gratuity that way. We told him that it could be fixed by taking it off the receipt. He proceeded to get very upset. Said he had been working there for 14 years and just wanted us to still come back and give it another shot. He finally said he would take it off the bill and pay it out of his own pocket. We told him that we weren’t asking that of him. He got really irritated and went to get the waitress. After getting something for her he slammed the receipt books down on the counter. A member in the party told him that it wasn’t very professional. The man from the kitchen had already raised his voice at us. He said “man it’s been a really long night, you don’t even know”. Maybe since we weren’t as dressed up as others, we weren’t considered such valuable guests. However, we had 2 business owners in the group, a social worker, a store manager, a store support,and an engineer. We aren’t uneducated or unaware of how to talk or treat people. We do it for a living. This was very unprofessional. By the time it was done I was so upset over the added gratuity and then more upset that I spent over $100 to be berated and spoke down to during our meal.

Not to mention, the table next to us had their waitress sing them happy birthday. When a member of the group mentioned we were actually celebrating 2 birthdays she gave an awkward smile and never once volunteered to sing or make anything of the experience.

The only real good part of the night was at least I got to see family I drove 11 hours to celebrate the birthday with. Oh and the pineapple was amazingThat’s why they get the few stars I did give and most of the people serving meat did try.

I’ve regretted money spent before, but never as badly as this.

Please remember that not everyone is going to be dressed fancy. That people do not mind tipping those who have showed great customer service. However, the service was bad and then the “management” experience was bad. He did sarcastically say as we left to “at least give a good review”. I’m not 100 percent convinced he was even a supervisor with how I...

We highly recommend this restaurant! We actually visited there about a month ago but due to some personal matters, I am just getting around to writing this review.

Full disclosure: First of all, we were graciously given 2 complementary passes by the owners to attend their grand re-opening celebration. But having said that? It has no influence on my review, nor was there ANY pressure to try and influence us.

It was very evident upon entering this restaurant that the owners had taken a lot of time and effort to make this a very warm and inviting space. To us? This was the perfect sized restaurant. Large enough to accommodate a crowd, yet it felt very cozy and intimate at the same time. They spent great attention to every detail and it shows.

The staff / service was impeccable - the tables are VERY WELL spaced out so it makes it easy to feel comfortable and intimate. I would highly recommend this for a special occasion, special date night. It would be very impressive for even a first date. If you wanted to make a great impression? This is the place to go!

My husband and I grew up outside NYC and have dined at many well known restaurants there. And I can truthfully tell you? This place surpassed them all. It's hard to put into words what a great dining experience this truly was.

I was thinking the whole time how lucky we are that we have such a world class place here in our backyard. Great location - no need to travel into Atlanta.

The food was SO GOOD!!! So much to choose from on the salad/hot bar/charcuterie table - every single thing I tried was to die for! In addition? The waitress/staff would bring dishes of other things to try such as vegetables or desserts. I have been dying to go back ever since, so we are planning to make a reservation this week.

To some? The price might seem a little on the higher end but you have to remember that it is All you can eat - and honestly? It was so hard trying to decide which meat you wanted to try next! And the QUALITY OF EVERYTHING OFFERED WAS OUTSTANDING. If I want to have a great meal? I don’t mind paying for it as long as the QUALITY is there. Sadly, we have spent about the same amount elsewhere at some places that their restaurants were all hyped up, only to feel disappointed because the ingredients / meat were not the quality for what we were paying.

The servers came around and would tell you what type or cut the steak/meat was on their skewer. Each had several selections as to whether you wanted it medium rare, medium, well done.

As most of these type of restaurants do, they have a coaster that one side is red/one side green. If you want them to come by your table? Flip it green. If you need to stop or take a break? Flip it red. Which I love as if you are on a romantic dinner or having an intimate conversation? Just by flipping it red? They know not to interrupt your meal. Simple concept right? Yet it just shows the attention to detail you can expect to make this a great dining experience.

There is every kind of steak you can imagine, as well as lamb, pork, chicken, etc. I'm told they do have fish as well for vegetarians. And if it tastes as good as the meats? It will be a home run for those of you who are in-fact vegetarian.

I cannot tell you what a pleasure it was to speak with the couple who owns this restaurant. They are both a warm and engaging couple. It is apparent they strive to please and make this a truly wonderful dining experience for their clientele.

You can tell they are working hard to make sure each and every couple or visitor has the best dining experience! I strongly recommend you give them a try - you will not be disappointed! As I said? I have literally been dreaming of returning back there. I...

Went on a whim as my wife, friend and I drive by there all the time. Made a reservation online 1 1/2 hours before we arrived and had no issues, though it was a Tuesday so probably not the busiest time. Parking was not an issue, and seating was quick.

What a wonderful experience. Sat very quickly and was introduced to the concept of how it worked without it being overbearing and difficult to understand. Which is great since everyone in our had the Brazillian steak house experience before but over 15 years ago, so they were understanding and patient with us.

The buffet bar was amazing, and the selections were outstanding. My wife was over the hill about the olive and cheese bars, my friend loved all the extra small things like the meatball and salmon, and I loved the Bisque there. The heart of palm was a HUGE win for all of us. Topped with a little chimuchurri and a nice hot piece of steak. Glorious. Oh the potato salad was great also. The only thing that was slightly a let down was the Mussels were a little cold, but they were still tasty.

We were served by a wonderful person named Ben who was very low key but obviously knowledgeable. He read our vibes perfectly and was able to bring out a very diverse but incredible selection of meat. All the meats were great, with the Rib-Eye and Lamb being absolute standouts when paired with the Chimichurri. The only "weak" one was the Garlic Picanha, and that's because we sampled a well done piece and all of us favor Medium rare in texture. The flavor of the Picanha was outstanding, it was our own fault for not asking for meat cooked to our preference. If you go make sure to tell them your favored meat temp. Ben made sure to make the cooks aware and had pieces brought out to us that were cooked to the perfect temp.

Long story short, let's just say we only found out that Ben was the owner later and he never made a big thing out of it. It's a family run business. He took a little time to chit chat with us and it was wonderful. Him, his wife, and everyone else in the restaurant were quick to be available to give more meat or chat some, but were always respectful and considerate of our company and privacy. It really was a great experience.

Cost wise, it was pricey but well in line for what was expected. The total experience was great. We also added a Tres Leches cake, Pina Colada, and the Brazillian lemonade along with 3 buffets. Everything was incredible. My wife LOVED the Tres Leches cake, the Pina Colada does not skip the booze, and that Lemonade is outstanding.

While it didn't bother us at all, the restaurant isn't probably going to wow anyone when it comes to aesthetics or vibes. It didn't have trendy music playing, it's pretty open, and the buffet is on one side of the room so if you are a introvert try to sit as close to it as possible so you don't have to make a long trek (I pretty much went to the buffet bar to save my shy wife the walk all the time). What it did have was lots of flavor, a great selection of food, and a knowledgeable and...