Simple Sams Eatery

Friendly, helpful staff! Managed by great people that care about their locals.
Great prices and diverse selection

This place is great! Though I wouldn’t classify it as Italian. More like in Indian Deli Liquor store. The prices are reasonable and the people are friendly.
They also deliver!

We have been trying this place for few years now. You can find some well made Indian food here. People working there are quiet helpful. They make some really nice Samosa’s, chicken vindaloo, chicken butter masala, buffalo chicken pizza. Actually Pretty much everything.

I live in the area this place pretty much has everything! Everyone had a rough time during Sandy so don’t put blame on them. Aaaand this is one of the ONLY places that is open until 10pm 7 days a week! Can’t beat that!

we have been coming here for a few years, ever since we moved to the area. first off, let me say how so VERY happy we are with this place. its kind of our life saving go to spot for everything.
they have organic eggs/​milk for our youngest, and thats a life saver when we forgot/​didnt have time to get to the grocery store much further away. they also have anything else you would ever need in a pinch.
second, and most importantly there alcohol selection is pretty darn good. they have a TON OF BEER CHOICES and all the wine options you would need to either have a
low priced bottle at home, or take a nicer bottle to a friends house.
finally, they make a pretty fierce pizza, its very tasty and always hits the spot!
all in all we cannot say enough good things about this place.
oh, almost forgot, the customer service is top notch, if they dont have it they will see if they can get it in stock for you!

Been a regular to Sam’s for sometime. Good selection of beers, ice cream and soft drinks. Great staff who will go to great lengths to cater to special orders. I’m a huge fan of the breakfast sandwiches and coffee. As a Brit it’s been incredibly convenient having great Indian food across the street :)
Sam’s is a true neighbor, in black outs or storms they go the extra mile to be there for their customers when everyone else is closed!

Most of the negative reviews here are old, so I will comment upon some things I have noticed about Sam’s recently. First off, if you enjoy ice cream, this is the place to go. They have an excellent selection of Ben & Jerry’s and HaagenDazs. Second, for it’s small size, Sam’s boasts a respectable selection of beers. From IPAs to lagers, I guarantee there will be something you like. Sam’s likes to shake things up, so don’t be surprised if you see a new type of beer the next week.
Sam’s also offers authentic Indiana cuisine. Check out the «Spirit of Laxmi» page, where I review some of the food.

My husband my daughter and I love the Hawaiian pizza and also the Indian food in here.

Only place for fusion Indian-​themed pizza in town. They make some great paneer (cottage cheese) tikka pizzas and paneer-​65 pizzas. We have had these on a couple of occasions and they don’t disappoint.

This place is beyond horrible…
— inventory management is poor, many times they will not have much and when they do, it is complete crap (i.e. The bacon)
— they do not open at the hours they have posted on the door (6:30 am). I called once and the answering machine said they open at 7 am. Checked to see if they were open then and still no sign of life in the store
— once went to buy beer, noticed that the fridge was not working. I told someone there that they should move the beer to the working fridges or it would go bad, seemed like they didn’t care. Weeks later went to buy beer, cracked it open and found that it was bad
— bought soda from there twice and it was completely flat
This place is in such a great location and it is super convenient. That being said, a REAL business deserves to operate there. I have never tried their Indian food or pizza but all their convenience store downfalls scare me away from their takeout.
I look forward to the day that Simple Sam’s is no longer tainting the streets of Jersey City. I have given them the benefit of the doubt too many times now and I am completely fed up. My business is going somewhere worthy, no matter how inconvenient it is.

I refuse to order any of their prepared foods because the place is just gross. It’s ok if you are in a jam and need a half gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. Basically the shelves look ransacked. I went in looking for bread crumbs and the guy looked at me like I had 3 heads. The workers lack a basic understanding of American food. They also have an awful selection of wines which have most likely turned to vinegar because it’s typically a thousand degrees in the place. They have the potential to be an absolute GOLD MINE but they have no idea what they are doing. How can they even make the rent?

***DISCLAIMER: Have not visited this place in person; this review is only for the paneer pizza.***
Egads, this place is NOT getting the Unilocal love from my fellow trusted Unilocalers. I’m here to add my opinion of the paneer pizza and that is all!
I was visiting my friends who live in Paulus Hook and they had been raving about the spicy paneer pizza from Simple Sams. She sent me home with a few pieces and we heated them up in the oven the next day for lunch. The paneer was reddish-​brown in a garlicky, spicy, complex sauce. It looked like tandoori chicken but was definitely paneer — smooth, firm texture and delicious taste. The pizza dough was a little soft and doughy for my taste but had good flavor. There was a copious amount of caramelized onion woven in and around the paneer chunks and that was lovely as well. It was, however, almost too garlicky for my taste! If you like LOTS of garlic, run here immediately to give it a try.
I’d definitely recommend the pizza, and my friend said that if you are into the flavor, but not the spice, there are less spicy alternatives available. I’m sorry to see the poor reviews, but I’ll reserve judgment on the service until I visit in person.

Simple Sams should be SO much better than it is, but it seems obvious they’re simply coasting on the steady stream of customers they get due to the location. With few other options within a couple blocks, this place never seems empty, but if it got any competition, I think they’d be out of business in no time. They’re taking their customers for granted, and that is pretty frustrating.
First of all, Simple Sams simply isn’t that clean. It’s always a little messy and seems a bit dirty. It feels a little gross getting food there.
Things are very expensive. Okay, it’s a convenience store charging convenience store prices, but I still only use this place in an emergency.
The shelves are usually half empty, and the wine section is the saddest wine selection you’ve ever seen. Based on the wine section, you’d think the place was going out of business in the next week.
I have found their food a very mixed bag. I ordered a bagel with cream cheese, took it home, and unwrapped it to find the cream cheese was spread so thin it could hardly be seen. Who eats a bagel with cream cheese this way? You’re supposed to schmear it on thick and tasty! On the other hand, the sandwich I ordered was pretty good, if pricey. I also stopped once to get a pound of sliced beef, and after paying around $ 12 per pound, I opened the paper wrapper (no plastic?) to find the meat dried out.
It’s nice to have a place like this in my apartment complex, but frankly the residents of the neighborhood deserve better. Simple Sam’s really ought to be trying a bit harder. Lots of folks would love to support a locally owned business, but they just are doing enough to get by.

I ordered from this place last week for breakfast and they didn’t have the beef meatloaf. I just figured that it was too early and I ordered a hamburger instead. This minor mix up took 2 hours to fix. It took 2hours for me to get a simple hamburger and fries. You would have thought I had learned my lesson, but no.
Tonight I order from Simple Sams. Because it is 7:30pm on a Sunday I assumed that they would have the beef meatloaf. After 15 minutes they called me and said that they didn’t have it, so while on the phone the cashier said that he didn’t have any beef at all??? But when I asked if he had a meatball sandwich with fries? he said yes. 10 minutes later the same guy calls me back and says that he doesn’t have fries at all. I was starving at this point, but I just couldn’t keep placing orders just to be let down 10 minutes later. I canceled the order and WILL NEVER ORDER FROM THEM AGAIN!!!

I feel bad downgrading this place since it is a neighborhood spot. I really think it’s important to support local businesses, but they have got to meet us halfway.
I had 2 very hungover house guests this morning… and I was nursing a pretty sizable Stella+shots headache myself. I popped in here to pick up a paper and a some Gatorades for the ailing crew back at my apartment. They barely had any in stock. Then I looked around the their glass coolers were pretty bare. C’mon, it’s the weekend. You’ve got to be well stocked for the weekends. As I looked around, I noticed that there seemed to be less of anything. I guess maybe they are making so much on beer, wine, and alcohol now that they aren’t concerned with the stables of a deli that originally brought me to this place.
It made me think about the last few times I tried to ordered food here also. The last time I had to explain to the young woman behind the counter what I meant by «sausage egg & cheese.» Seriously? Then when I unwrapped my hard earned sandwich at home it had bacon on it! The time previous to that, someone took my sandwich order only for some other guy to come over and tell me I had to wait to order because they were busy. OK. That’s fine, but the guy already took my order. I asked about how long, and the guy said 15 – 20 minutes. I only ordered a turkey sandwich. You couldn’t squeeze it in with whatever colossal orders were going to take up 100% of his 4 person staff for the next 20 minutes.
Honestly, Gotham Deli has this place beat on all fronts except they don’t sell adult beverages. I guess that is better because they concentrate on being a deli. The sandwiches are better, made fast, and the staff is always at the very least polite, if not truly friendly. There shelves are well stocked too.

W-​O-​W. Just, wow. This place is right next to my apartment, so I have really wanted to see these guys improve. But after countless disappointments, and lots of money spent, I have to say that this place is just awful. HORRIBLE. I mean, it is so bad, that they made me change an old review of a pretty unsavory restaurant experience from a 1 to a 2. I had to rethink and restructure how I was RATING RESTAURANTS because Simple Sam’s demanded a class of inadequacy to call its own.
It’s such a shame that a business in a great location, with a vast potential customer base in an affluent and densely populated neighborhood could suck this hard. This is what happens when you put your profits before your customers. To begin with they are overpriced on all their items, and what you get is nowhere near what you pay for. Think stale bread, VERY skimpy sandwich fillings, fermented tomatoes, etc. Ordering by phone has always been a struggle. They managed to screw up a turkey club the other week, which is no short of an abomination. Oh, and the service, don’t get me started. These guys clueless, incompetent, and apathetic to boot.
I have been served by the owner once and I will say that that was my lone satisfactory experience with the place (granted I still overpaid). He was friendly and he prepared my items well. I know that he owns Spirit of Laxmi around the corner as well, which is excellent. So, not just for the sake of my convenience, but for his sake, I really, truly hope that he reconsiders his staff and his priorities so that this place does not sink into the ground.

It’s true what others have said – the people in here act like they have no idea what is going on. Goodness. I’m reading off of the menu. YOUR menu. Why are you looking at me like I’m growing a third nostril. Items are very overpriced, too. The only reason I would ever go in here is its super-​convenient location across the street from my apartment.

The pinnacle of incompetence.
Be prepared for blank stares no matter what you order: coffee, Tylenol, cereal. You name it, and these guys have never heard of it (even if its on the shelf). And may God help you if you try ordering something as complicated as cold cuts. I’ve never seen a deli clerk so baffled by someone ordering cold cuts.
I would blame the language barrier, but I’m pretty sure these guys speak English. I can’t imagine what these guys eat, since anything you order is totally foreign to them.
I’d suggest you keep it simple, but that’s not going to help. I thought that nothing could be simpler than ordering a loaf of bread… until I met Simple Sam…
Example:
You: «Do you sell French bread?»
Them: «What?»
You: «a baguette; a loaf of bread»
Them: «French toast??»
You: «No. Bread»
Them: «We don’t have French bread»
You: «Oh, then can I have one of those baguettes behind the counter?»
Them: «What is that?»
You: «One of those loaves of bread»
Them: «We don’t have»
You: «What about the one right behind you?»
Them: [thinking…consulting with each other… thinking some more] «What do you want on it?»
You: «Nothing. Just the bread.»
Them: «In a bag??»
You: «Whatever you think is appropriate»
Them: «We don’t sell that»
At this point, if you’re smarter than me, you probably just gave up. If not, you’ll be there until closing.

Me: Hi, where’s the whole milk?
Guy behind the register: *mumble, mumble* out of stock.
(How are they out of stock on whole milk when they sell coffee?)
The only reason I come here is when I don’t want to drive all the way to Target to pick up milk (and they didn’t even have it in stock). I used to pick up sandwiches here, but I always found them substituting ingredients that they didn’t have (and the sandwiches are sub par). They do sell liquor, wine, and have a good beer selection (in case you are in a pinch and don’t feel like driving to Buy Rite).

This was one of the most disgusting places I ordered delivery from.
The classic Stromboli is tiny and lame, looked like a panini or cold cut sandwich. the sausage and pepper sub had almost no peppers and was so soggy by the time it got here i had to eat my 3 slices of sausage with out the bread.
The mac and cheese with bacon was the worst. the strips of soggy bacon sat on top of soggy noodles that were slightly covered with cheese. well actually the cheese didnt even make it to the edge of the plate, there was only cheese in the middle.
if you dont believe me or thing that i am exaggerating the horror, check out the reviews on seamless web… i sadly found them after the fact.