Sams Cafe

TERRIBLE SERVICE! LONG WAIT TIME!!! I placed an order online through the ordering system, and within 5 minutes got a call and had to repeat my credit card info over the phone, the guy confirmed the order would be delivered with in 30 minutes. THE WAIT WAS OVER AN HOUR, I called back to check on the order, then I got a phone call from a rude Asian woman saying that the order was on its way, THE RESTAURANT IS ONLY A MILE AWAY! There is no excuse for the delay, and rudeness.
Update 1÷7÷15 FOOD POISONING

We walked in at 2:59pm and specifically asked the two ladies at the front if we could get the lunch special, which ends at 3pm. She smiled and nodded yes encouragingly, and then after making our selection, she put in our orders.
Our bill came out to be more than I expected, but neither of the ladies said anything as we paid. Then, after we sat down, I realized that they had charged us the dinner prices, even though the only reason we ordered here was for the lunch special.
When I brought up this issue, she just stared at me and said that she could not change the computer, and that our only option was to cancel. I couldn’t believe the service. What’s a few dollars difference to them when they had verbally agreed to give us the lunch price? Why didn’t she say anything when she handed us a bill that was higher than what was agreed on?
I rarely ever give 1-​star reviews, but the deceit and lack of cooperation from the staff nullify whatever quality of food they serve. I am extremely unhappy with the service and will not be returning, nor will I be recommending this restaurant to anyone I know.

Not sure whats more amazing our waitress Michelle or the house lo mein no beef no onions add broccoli and chicken. We love the food we love Michelle and thier friendly staff

Sadly. Things have changed. The hot and sour is not the same. The seasame chicken is not the same. The double cooked pork is Defiantly not the same. I’ve been back a few times since the new owners and it’s ok. But it used to be sooo good. And I just can’t get over that.

New ownership. Food quality is up to par, egg rolls are amazing, and the crab puffs are the best I’ve had. Not to mention you get an entrée, rice, egg roll, and soup for about $ 10. This is my go-​to quick-​Chinese food restaurant.

Orange chicken was not greasy or highly battered, it was all white meat and perfect. Egg drop soup was great, too!

I was looking for american chinese food yesterday evening. I got it as take out.
The positives:
1) Very Fast. Went in to order, food was cooked in less than 10 minutes, letting you know they have a very hot wok ready to go.
2) Food was hot and I was satiated to some extent.
3) Looked like a clean establishment (for fast food chinese).
The negatives:
1) Egg roll– smallest egg roll ever. Descent taste.
2) Sesame chicken was too salty for my taste and had too much soy sauce (could actually taste the soy sauce independently while eating the dish).
3) Lo mein — was okay.
4) They did not have beef chow fun, a classic and favorite of mine — very limited small menu.
5) The bill for two dishes and egg rolls (one noodle which is usually cheaper) was about $ 28.
For this value, could certainly have gone down the street to pei wei for higher quality ingredients for similar price and quantity of food. Will not be back on a regular basis. Will need that cheap american chinese food craving again — and it will have to be a huge craving.

They mess my order up every single time I use the eat24 app — I always ask for no shrimp in the house fried rice & no spice in the sesame chicken because peppers & shrimp make me stop breathing. They never EVER pay attention to the extra notes that I add and now I have a $ 35 dinner of which I cannot eat a bite.

Was hesitant to order from here based on some of the reviews but glad I did! Delivery was quick and accurate. Food was fresh and tasty.

Horrible horrible horrible! Lived in the area for ten plus years and first time ordering here. So disappointed! When I called back to explain what I ordered wasn’t what I got, the lady was rude and argued with me. Never have experienced that at any restaurant around here. Will not be returning !

This is my first time ordering from here… Delivery. I was happy with my order. Shrimp with mixed veggies and brown rice… Simple. Wonton soup and egg roll come with it, and that’s OK. (I think the portion size was appropriate given the fact that you get the soup and egg roll). For a nice change, the delivery driver followed the instructions and the order was prepared exactly how I requested it and for this they get 4.5 STARS! #HAPPYLADY #GRUBHUB

As far as delivery goes I tend to have high hopes. Mainly because I’ve packaged a couple togo orders myself. (By high hopes I mean seriously I’m paying a delivery fee and I also tip 20% please include utensils.) Sam’s did just that! Got everything I asked/​payed for and the delivery gentleman had no qualms while dropping off in regards to our large dog. Currently eating the best veg dumplings I’ve had in Houston. Which I wish I had ordered 20 of. You get 10 in a full order MY HEROS! And enjoying my soup and Netflix. Thanks guys!

The lunch specials may be cheaper but they leave a lot to be desired. I got the Mongolian beef but it was all vegetables and 3 pieces of meat smothered in sauce.
The crab Rangoon was so hard I could only eat half of it. 8 bucks for half a meal… And the fried rice was so dry I had to add soy sauce to keep it from hardening. I will say that the egg rolls were phenomenal as well as the sweet and sour sauce.
I wanted so badly to love this place but it just wasn’t up to par. Especially after having to call back 3 times and having my delivery order take almost an hour for a place located 1 mile away.

I got sweet and sour chicken but when they delivered they forgot the sweet and sour sauce. That just makes it chicken nuggets.

Oh No! I had no idea that Sam’s doesn’t have the same owners anymore! The food is sub-​par ingredients and zero flavor. I have gotten the Curry Chicken many times over the years from Sam’s and it is always delicious. What I received last night had a near clear broth and no flavor. How in the world is it possible for curry to have no flavor? They didn’t use much curry in the dish. The egg rolls are very noticeably of poorer ingredients. After 10 years of Sam’s I am forever done. What a shame.

Boo!!! They changed owners and food is just not the same. My favorite hot and sour soup in Houston is no more. This is a very sad day. :(

I am a regular customer here, and the chicken fried rice is SO good! The lunch and dinner specials include the entrée, rice, soup, and either an egg roll or wonton, so you get a lot of bang for your buck.
This place is by far my favorite Chinese take-​out place!

Not a fan. I tend to be somewhat of a Chinese food snob in that I tend to prefer more authentic options like beef in xo sauce over over Americanized versions like Mongolian beef. I do however enjoy the occasional bite of some of the stuff I grew up with like general Taos chicken.
I was rather disappointed at Sam’s café though. Good Americanized General tso’s should be somewhat crispy and glazed with a sweet but spicy sauce.
The first thing I noticed when the dish came out was the color and luster of the meat. Yes. I do mean luster. If you think back to all of those wonderful Chinese dinners you may recall the glassy, reddish look of the sauce used to make general tso’s chicken. That luster is created by the corn starch used to thicken the sauce.
In contrast, Sam’s general tsos chicken was covered in a thick brown sauce that was more like a thin gravy than a sauce. The batter coating the small chunks of meat was too soft like it had absorbed too much sauce, or been somehow steamed; but wasn’t quite to the point of sogginess.
The characteristic spiciness that really sets general tso’s chicken apart from the other chicken dishes like sesame and orange seriously was lacking here. But that isn’t too odd. There are quite a few restaurants that tone down the chile to appeal to a wider audience. What was surprising is that they toned down the sweetness and overall flavor as well, resulting in quite possibly the most bland chinese food I have ever had.
The same blandness carried over to the egg roll and the fried rice. In fact, the only part of the meal I actually enjoyed was the egg drop soup which was a bit thick but had a very nice comforting chicken soup flavor.
I will likely not return unless it is solely for convenience.

This place is not awesome, nor good, landing squarely on mediocre. Did you grow up in the 80’s in the suburbs with a very Americanized Chinese restaurant down the street, I know I did and this food takes me back about 30 years in that respect and not in a good way.
General Tso/Tao’s chicken whatever you desire to call it was clearly made with dark meat, which I’m fine with but the very distinct taste of freezer burn marred what might otherwise be a good dish, kind of off tasting. The broccoli was fresh and probably the best part of the dish, but having paid $ 11 for this I expected far better — I might even say that your average chain place has better general’s chicken, so strongly suggest you take that into consideration before ordering this — all the rave reviews are pretty misleading.
The hot and sour soup, while alright, made with fresh ingredients is neither hot nor sour, tasting more like chicken soup/​broth with some soy, black fungus and bamboo shoots, again felt betrayed again by the rave reviews to be found here. I added my own vinegar and chili oil making the soup a little closer to what I was expecting ie. hot and sour.
House special fried rice, wasn’t anything special either weirdly no roasted or bbq pork, just chicken (far fresher tasting that the above chicken dish) and bait sized mini shrimps, again sorely lacking soy or flavor but was reasonably competent — this I will doctor up tomorrow for lunch. Not bad just boring and lacking seasoning.
Egg roll while fried fresh and hot, tasted straight out of the chung king frozen box ala 1987, while that brings back fond memories isn’t exactly unique or even good. But oh well.
Very underwhelmed, a little expensive, and the quality was sorely lacking. One and done for me, your mileage may vary but I was not impressed. My quest to find good Chinese in the Montrose area continues.

Being vegan most restaurants will work to meet your requests. Not the case here. Just a simple question of could they make sweet and sour tofu (as does Golden Hunan) and I was told no and told there was tofu and vegetables. I had that before and was not impressed.
I would be weary coming here if you have special dietary needs. Not to mention there are plenty of better tasting Chinese restaurants out there.