Sushi Samurai

For those wondering, the Sushi Samurai has reopened at the City Plaza center in Artesia at the former Kin Sushi restaurant. The sign is officially up!
The address is:
11 700 South St
Artesia, CA 90 701
Drop by and say hi to Jim and Ann… and spread the word.

They are back!!! I found them in the City Plaza in Cerritos. I peeked in and saw Jim. Unfortunately they were about to close. I will be going tonight. I’ve missed Sushi Samurai so much.

so sad its gone… wish it would come back… what took place you say? REVOLVING SUSHI!!! i mean WTF?! thats so gross… COME BACK!!!

I miss this place so much… decently-​priced sushi in Cerritos that hasn’t been butchered by Korean-​style interpretations of it…
RIP Sushi Samurai… sadly, the place that took over your spot in the plaza is a Chronic Tacos… sigh…

Came here with a friend, when they were remodeling the outside of the stores in this small strip mall.
Pretty good tempura.
I liked the atmosphere in here.
Prices were not bad.
I like their sushi!
The place is pretty small, but I guess most sushi places are pretty small?

Was searching reviews on Yahoo! and found that this place had some good reviews. I was getting a little bored with the Kabuki down the way so when I heard about this place I was pretty excited to go for a visit.
It’s a small sushi joint with a little bit of seating with about 4 to 5 tables and the bar top. I haven’t been since they started renovated the front, which I’m almost positive isn’t going to change the inside. Service lacked during our visit. Almost unacceptable since there were only 6 people in the whole restaurant.
When the sushi came it was sadly disappointing. The fish was decent, not melt in your mouth fresh. The salmon roll we got was small and mostly rice. The rice was also not so sticky at this time. Our visit was near closing– 8:30ish. I wish I was impressed but I wasn’t. I’d visit again to see if things have changed, but not anytime soon.

Went the other night to dinner with a friend and the only reason I’m giving it 3 stars is for the sashimi. Ordered the hamachi sashimi and the portion was way more then expected! Presentation was nice, fish was fresh… not the best tasting but it was good.
We also ordered 2 rolls, not sure what they were called, the friend ordered them buuuuut, way way to much rice! Hardly anything in the middle of the rice! Kindea looked like the sushi you see pre packed in the grocery store… yea, no lie! Wasn’t feelin” that.
Seaseme chicken appitizer… meh…it was ahhright… nothing like «wow» or «hmm that was good» it’s literally a…“oh” haha…
Staff was friendly, attentive, place was getting kinda busy later into the evening but not at the sushi bar so maybe the other food besides the sushi is good.
Overall, I wouldn’t come to this place on my own for sushi, and if I was to be dragged here again, the sashimi is all I would get. Oh and the sake hehehehe…

Went here tonight for dinner and I thought the food was great. I love Japanese food and not much around here in south OC (that I know of) and coming here was just satisfying my love of Japanese food.
Since I haven’t really had Japanese food in awhiles, I decided to just go for the combo — chicken teriyaki & tempura. My other friends ordered the sushi and saba, I believe. The sushi + sashimi combo was ALOT of food… it looked good and fresh. I think I will order that next time. The price was very decent… not overpriced or anything. It was worth it!
I deducted 1 star as the service can be kinda slow as there was only 2 waitress running around. The place is not that big — I think like 6 tables and the sushi bar, so expect a wait. Not great if you have a big party.

This place has been a staple of ours for years.
We had to-​go lunch yesterday.
Perhaps I was just hungry but it was just plain good.
For a sushi place, the portions are generous. The fish is ALWAYS FRESH. The service is almost always great.
Tuna roll, lobster roll, edamame, some tempura, some baked salmon, and plenty of Ginger and some fresh fruit to clean the palate when all is done.
I really enjoy Sushi Samurai but they don’t get 5 stars for this visit alone. They get 5 stars for being consistently good. Thanks for another fine meal.

This is one of the only (few) Sushi houses I would go to, if I’m in Cerritos. They give generous portions and sometimes* they give you a free salmon appetizer (on the house). Their sashimi is very fresh compared to other houses I’ve been. The only downside to the restaurant is that it is really small/​compact and it’s better if you sit in groups of 4 or less. If you bring a bigger party, you would probably have to sit on separate tables. Their noodles are very delicious.

Honestly, this place is way better than Kabuki, but not as great as RA sushi. Though, they’re sashimi and spicy tuna are super fresh, and super great! The spicy tuna isn’t tooooooo spicy, it’s just right, just the way I like it. They’re not overpriced, and keep the authentic Japanese taste.
I love going during lunch because they have really good specials. The boats are great, and big enough for a group of 5. I wouldn’t recommend for groups of 5 or more to go because the place is really small. Sit by the sushi bar, I love how the sushi chefs hook it up with something :)

I used to live by the rule of never eating Korean owned sushi places. Don’t get me wrong, i love korean food, but i always have issues when i eat at a korean sushi place. I thought i might have been a passing phase because of sushi gallery in Cerritos, but last night i went to eat at sushi samurai also in cerritos from the recommendation of eric and roland. I thought it was going to be good with the classical old japanese restaurant, but i missed out on some signs blinded by my hunger.
Before i knew it we had ordered some hamachi, albacore, unagi, yellowtail collar, dynamite roll, but quickly into the meal i started to get that disturbing feeling in my throat. I have yet to figure out what the culprit is, but i have a feeling its the time of vinegar, or seasoning they use in their food and rice. I tried to power through with it, finishing off most of the meal, but by the time the roll came out i was done. We drove to Yogurt Land after wards, and before i could get my dessert i went to the bathroom to get rid of some of the contents in my stomach. The rest of the night my stomach felt bloated, and uncomfortable enough to keep me up all night.

they make a mean toro that you have to try.
I love there odan and the hand rolls are killers.
price is good and Moto make the best hand rolls.
you rock bro.

i keep saying to myself that i’m an idiot for not noticing this place sooner. I’ve been driving to sushi restaurants across the city when a restaurant this close to home blows them all away. This place rocks!
The food is great! Not only is it great, they usually give you a lot of side items for free without skimping on the quality. The food is absolutely awesome, and the quantity in which they are presented in is very filling. My favorite so far is their chirashi bowl. A chirashi bowl at other places usually consists of mostly rice and vegetables with some small traces of sashimi, but this place overloads it with sashimi and other fish.
Their service here is unbelievably talented. Members of their staff can fluently speak english, spanish, korean, and japanese. Their staff frequently checks on you and caters to your needs quickly.
I had to go back to this place about 2 – 3 times in order to decide what grade to give it just to be sure, and each visit procured the same result. This place is absolutely fantastic for sushi. The prices are really affordable too, especially during lunch hours.
*the mirrors on the wall are pretty cool cause i don’t have to turn my head to see the TV, i can just watch TV in the mirror: D

Sushi Samurai is located in an area I would never find on my own. Also due to its location, I would rarely ever be in this area for lunch or dinner. But, on a day off, I was able to check the place out.
The first thing I noticed was that it’s tiny. There are not too many tables, and apparently everyone is deathly afraid of sitting at the sushi bar. After a short wait, we were seated. Glancing over the menu, we settled on a lunch sushi platter special.
The amount of food for the price was decent (although the price increases during the dinner hours). I was also impressed with the variety that came on the platter, including some tempura vegetables.
What I was not impressed with was the sushi. PROTIP to anyone who will eat here, they add wasabi to all sushi. I hate this particular practice, as all it does is make all the sushi taste the same — like wasabi — which is a taste I don’t really like. If I ever returned, I’d be much happier with the end result if I specifically requested no wasabi. The rolls that came with the platter do not stick out in my mind.
All in all, I was expecting a little better than what I got, but I’m rounding the 2.5 stars up to 3 for the price to food ratio at lunch. I may try again another day, but I still much prefer Niko Niko in the Town Center.

i don’t know if we came on a bad night — Monday night — but the fish was so NOT FRESH! the fish tasted like it had been frozen and defrosted under water — texture was spongy and just tasted like freezer burn.
The Sushi Boat we got was filled with inedible rolls… like they had been made the night before, the NORI was so stuck on the rice and so chewy — soggy not at all like anything was fresh. BLEEEECHKKK!
Our glasses were not rinsed well and after pouring our beer into them, of course the soapy taste just pretty much ruined the rest of the meal for me. After requesting a replacement, we still got one soapy glass out of two.
I don’t see how they merited all the stellar reviews. i hated it here.
If you are going to call a place SUSHI anything, the sushi better be good!

A Great place for regular sushi for watching the budget, they have lunch specials.
Lunch combos!

brace yourself… ready???
click…
It’s only 11.50!!! Eleven dollars and fifty cents!!!
Cheaper than a thai hooker and soooo much more bang for the buck!
Have you ever seen so much sushi on a plate? awwwhhhhhhh heaven.

Damn you Sushi Samurai… I did not finish my $ 11.50 sushi/​sashimi combo even though it was such a steal. But I will be back, this battle is not settled… I will be back with a vengeance and a pair of bigger size pants.
… Oh and for the sake of being useful and perhaps cool?!
1. I would not recommend taking a date here so you can wow her into believing that you’re a sushi connoisseir.
2. Order the sushi/​sashimi combo… $ 11.50 what a steal!
3. Don’t expect the freshest fish… just expect fish.
4. Service was fairly fast at the bar.
5. Come here for the food with relativity to the price.
Thanks for reading! =)

With a name of Sushi Samurai, you just know you’re asking for it. It sounds like it’s for kids and Ninjas, but you know it just sound so cheesy.
As many considered this to be the best sushi place in Cerritos… I don’t disagreed, but considered that there’s only three legit sushi place in town and one of them is in the food court of Cerritos Mall. Yikes!
I don’t have any high expectations coming in because I would automatically assumed it’s a B-​grade sushi place like Kabuki or Karuta (in La Palma). Yet, this place always get jammed packed. Every night, it’s crowded and have a waiting list at the front lobby entrance. Make sure you specify where you want to sit (either at the table or bar).
The place is very tight and very small. If anyone ever put a vote for «good for group» in the business info at Unilocal,I know they’re lying and never been here.
There’s only about half dozen booth table and realistically it only can seat 4 people at each booth. There are seats available at the sushi bar counter which I would suggest people getting. It’ll seat about at least a dozen more.
The quality of the sushi is give and take about what I suggested before as B grade as it like not the most impressive ones you’ll ever taste. Majority of the sushi range about 2 pieces for $ 3~$ 4. You can get the sushimi for about $ 10 or more. There’s the ever popular rainbow roll of 5 piece for $ 4.
The knock I have against this joint was the fact that the seaweed wrapping of the sushi is very soft or soggy. It probably the experience of the sushi chef that complicated that matter.
The taste and quality of the majority of the item I ordered was good. The lobster, spicy tuna, and manago was good. The only that didn’t lived up to my liking was the yellow tail. It was a little bit stale, but otherwise the majority of the item was good.
The service was good and very friendly. I have plenty of refills and the sushi chef was very courteous and very engaging. The good thing about the sushi chef was that he offered the fruits for desserts for me right on the spot as I was getting ready to pay for the bill. Cut the apple and melon right right then and there. Even the server was courteous by offering me refills to my ice tea even though I just finished paying the bill. Most places want you out the door after you hand them the credit card receipt with your signature on it.
To me, it’s above the other local sushi place. I definitely would recommend it over Kabuki across the street or the plain awful Kurata in La Palma.
Of course if you still want the bigger sushi joint, then this probably will not fit your bill. The A-​grade sushi joint will have to be travel either Westbound to Gardena or Southbound to Costa Mesa.
— — — — — — — —
P. S. Please do sit at the bar because the sushi chef do give out freebies like fruits or other leftover rolls. It’s very cool of them. You don’t get that by sitting in the booth seats.