Samurai Sam’s

Ok, so 4 stars is a little generous, it’s more like 3.5, but since this is pretty much the only Japanese/​Asian lunch option in the area, they get the extra 0.5 point.
On my first visit, I had the Shrimp and Pineapple bowl. It’s shrimp, bell peppers, onions and pineapple chunks stir fried in teriyaki sauce and served over rice. Nothing fancy, but it was cooked pretty well (although some of the onion pieces were little too raw for me) and tasted good.
I like that they have a bento box deal. You can pick 2 items and comes with salad and rice.
Friendly customer service. All in all, pretty good Japanese-​ish food at a pretty good price. Better than Sansai down the street.

I wasn’t to crazy about this place! Just average food IMO! I had the beef with shrimp bowl and veggies which was just ok, nothing special! Not sure if i would eat here ago! Just no wow factor here in the items i tasted!

A friend of mine mentioned that this place was a decent place to get sushi the fast food way. Well, I decided to give it a try but unfortunately they don’t serve sushi between 3PM-​5PM. Bummer. They should put up a sign that says that they don’t serve sushi during those hours because two other people walked in & wanted to order sushi & walked out disappointed. I ended up getting a beef & chicken bowl. I waited two minutes & my food was ready. What? That was quick! I liked the fast service. But after taking my first bite, I then realized that my food wasn’t made fresh. The beef was dry & crumby. Was the food pre made? Is that why I got my food so quick? Doesn’t matter. The food was gross & I’ll never come back.
The two stars are for the young lady working at the cash register. She was very friendly & courteous.

We had an all white Chicken teriyaki bowl. The flavor was ok, the chicken was overcooked and as a result dry. The gyoza waa delicious. Ok, but had better.

LOVE this place. They have a GREAT sauce (that you can buy a bottle to take home). I love the spice sauce – just add red pepper flakes.
The first time I got the chicken bowl, I wasn’t a fan of the chicken… really chewy. So now I just vet the veggie rice bowl. The baked chicken egg roll is good (and healthier) too!

Love Samarai Sam’s. As there is not much Asian restaurants in the area, is it always great to get some quality Japanese food quickly.
I love their bowls and the sushi is very fresh. Make sure to try the Kim Chi and Beef Bowl with brown rice.

I come here often for lunch because it is across the street from my office. The employees at the register are friendly, and the food comes out within 10 minutes.
I usually order a regular (e.g. dark meat) chicken veggie bowl, which is big enough to make me full but not stuffed. I recommend ordering with «no Teriyaki sauce» and adding it yourself because the default amount they use is way too much. At $ 6.50 (inc. tax), it’s not exactly cheap nor expensive, but on par with other nearby options.
The chicken itself is just decent. Not as good as Flame Broiler, but not bad enough that I’d drive the extra 6 minutes to go to Flame Broiler. However, Samurai Sam’s yakisoba noodles are actually pretty addictive (in a carb-​y, MSG kind of way).
The best things about Samurai Sam’s are probably the shaded patio seating and extensive magazine rack. It’s pretty relaxing to sit outside and browse The Atlantic for half an hour after eating. There is also a Yogurtland right next door, which is great for a quick dessert during the summer.
The one thing I definitely do not recommend ordering is the white meat chicken. It is quite dry and flavorless — think cardboard — and actually costs extra (!!!). However, I have never paid extra for it; I only get it when forced to substitute on the occasions they have run out of regular chicken.

In an area with very little Asian food options that will work within a lunch hour, Samurai Sam’s is the best choice. Fresh ingredients, not cheap but decent prices and big portions, plus several favorites to chose from.
My go to order has become a a spicy california bowl (but not spicy). Check the printed menu and side wall for some other choices. The Yakisoba is another comfort food I crave. The sushi (more fast food style and not high end), teriyaki and tempura are all good options too.

Their wraps are delicious, Las Vegas Role oh geez they are mouth watering. Never been a big fan of so sushi till I ate here. Good place, good food. Definitely coming back.

A favorite spot, where the food never fails. You definitely get your money’s worth. This place is great!!! Enough said.

The best to me. I love this kinda food. Lunch time hurry and it’s not the big mac. It’s adult food. I eat here weekly. The owner very nice told me where to get a great haircut.
See you soon.

Samurai Sam’s is in the same shopping center anchored by Bristol Farm, It shares a common area with other restaurants, but I think it’s the only one that doesn’t deliver the food to the table.
We ordered a salmon and tempura bento. We also requested the ahi poke salad, which, I kid you not, consisted of leftover raw fish scraps that were at least a couple of days old. It had a fishy stench and taste that bore tell tale signs of decay. Oh, and the poke salad was $ 8.99.

Quick service. Friendly employees. Sports on tv. Magazines and newspapers to read. Indoor and outdoor seating. I went for dinner after a full day of workshops at the nearby Marriott hotel.
I was solo and hungry, and I just wanted something satisfying where I could enjoy the time to myself. And this place exactly fulfilled that need.
I ordered the chicken noodle bowl, slightly spicy. It was pretty good. The chicken had a good grilled flavor and sauce. The noodles were your standard «chow mein type» of noodles. The serving was a good size. Despite being so hungry I was unable to finish my serving.
If I come to Manhattan Beach again for another conference then I’ll definitely walk the 3 minutes it takes to get here from the hotel.

Love this place.
What a surprise!!!
I did not expect this kind of quality meal from franchise looking teriyaki store.
I ordered chicken teriyaki, it was so tender and chewy. Their sauce was amazing as well.
I will be definitely coming back if I am around.
I don’t know why they are 3 stars~~

Awesome place!

Came here to grab a quick lunch on a late saturday afternoon. This place seems popular because even at 1:30PM, it still gets pretty packed. Ordered at the counter then sat down to wait for our food. The server brought our food over in about 10 minutes! Super quick which was AWESOME because I was starving and getting cranky.
Ordered the Spicy Tuna bowl, and also the California Roll. When you order any roll, they let you add a miso soup for only $.50! Miso Soup was pretty generous! It’s larger than what most japanese restaurants give.
The spicy tuna bowl came with your choice of White Rice, Sushi Rice, or Brown Rice (brown rice has an extra cost). I chose sushi rice because I like the extra stickiness! They were super generous with the tuna in my spicy tuna bowl too! But I would prefer the tuna to be more spicy. I didn’t taste any spice. Any who, it was worth the $ 8.99
Overall, I would recommend this place for a quick bite, and service was great for a japanese fast food restaurant!

While popular with workers from local businesses for being inexpensive, Sam’s is not the best example of teriyaki, or sushi, or gyoza, or most anything else you order. The teriyaki sauce is out of a big bland bottle, and nothing tastes that great or fresh. While the service is good, the food is passable at best.
If you absolutely MUST have some form of Asian food at lunch, need it quick, and you don’t want to spend more than $ 11, well, this is the place for you. But see that big bottle of Sriracha sauce on the counter? If you want some flavor, you’re going to need it.

Best place for sushi ever!
I ordered the spicy tuna bowl and it was absolutely of high quality and delicious.
Samurai sam is much better than Bristol farm sushi. It’s also fresher, tastier, and made to order. My co-​workers used to go Bristol farm got there sushi and rolls. And now they love this place.
I strongly recommend coming here and giving this place a go. You will absolutely love it! The food itself tastes healthy and hearty!

From what I saw during lunch hour, folks seem to come in to grab teriyaki bowls to go but Samurai Sam’s was also my only sushi option (not including supermarket sushi at Bristol Farms) in the entire strip mall.
I had the spicy tuna bowl and ate it at the bar with a full view of the busy kitchen. Essentially a deconstructed spicy tuna roll, you get the nice option of white, brown, or sushi rice and a generous helping of ingredients including spicy tuna, fish roe, avocado, and seaweed salad. The spicy tuna is excessively spicy though — really heavy hand with the jalapeños that made it difficult to finish the bowl. I believe the emphasis here is on the teriyaki meats where sushi happens to be an add-​on. It wasn’t great but sufficed for my sushi fix.

Is it Chicken Teryaki with rice, or Rice with Chicken Teryaki? When the main dish is the meat, give me the damn meat Samurai Sam. Listen, even though us manly men like two good sized breasts as a portion size, I won’t turn away one full breast if its offered. But if you give me 4 mangly little strips of meat, I will not be satisfied, nor will I be pleased.
See Samurai Sam, here’s the dealie-​o. We are men. Hungry men. We’re the kind of men that carved the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower from metal and brawn. When you sell me meat sir, I expect it. It’s my birth right, I’ll be damned if some greasy… ummm…yeah meat. We want it… now…the meat. What is he doing back there… I never know what he’s doing.
Seriously Samurai Sam I will nunchuck you in the stones if you let me down a 3^rd time. I always give a hearty two tries to a place before a review, unless in certain circumstances you amaze me, or disappoint me.
I find the prices good with you Sam. You are walking distance to my office. You have small rolls to add on to a bowl, that come with a miso soup… this is a meal for a man. Or a woman. Or a man the wants to be a woman. Or a woman that used to be a man… I want to like you Sam… I don’t want to have to take Grandma Samurai Sam out for a nice seafood dinner and never call her again… is that what you want?
Next time Sam… more meat, less rice. They say that spooning leads to forking… but if you don’t satisfy me, it will lead to knifing and that ain’t good.
Now somebody get me some gotdamned pie.