Samba Rooms

From what I can recall, this was probably one of the worse places I have ever eaten at and will never go back. The waiter seated us at a random table because there wasn’t anyone there. He handed us the menus and the prices did not match the price that was advertised, it was more expensive than the advertisement that was placed on our doorway for the exact same foods. The waiter shrugged and said that those prices were only for when they deliver.
Fine. Since we were here already, we might as well order. The when we were ready to order, the waiter didn’t come back for about 10 minutes – he wasn’t busy with other customers, he was hiding in the back or something. Finally, he comes out to ask us for our order and leaves again. The next time he comes out was to seat another guest, who was there for the buffet portion of the restaurant, which seems more popular than ordering from the menu, and few more people trickled in.
+30 minutes past – no food. I was getting really hungry and impatient and the waiter was nowhere to be found. When we finally got the food it was nothing special and I don’t recall it being good either. It would have been nice if we did not have to tip the waiter who was totally MIA and barely did anything. Also, I doubt their delivery would be any better.
Side note: It has been a long time since I ate here. It was really so horrible that I wanted to give this place an ugly review on Unilocal – my first ever. Since then, I didn’t have time, so I forgot the details of my bad experience.
Bottom line: Horrible. Avoid this place.

This place has to be a drug front. Had some pasta, it sucked. way over cooked. how do you screw up pasta? Picanha was tasty but the rest of the crap that came with it… well i’d rather shit a knife than eat that again.
The one redeeming quality is their ability to deliver tasty pizza at 230am (although I have never met a pizza after last call that i didn’t like). and the guys that work there are pretty nice.

Hell no, we won’t go!
So, post-​Ghirardelli chocolate festival, Papa and I are hungry but need something nearby. Samba Rooms was right near where we parked, so we head in.
Now, as a Unilocaler, when I see the ‘People love us on Unilocal!’ sticker on the outside of a business, I am calmed. Then we went in.
The place was empty, which should always be a red flag. But, it is very early so this is excusable. Or so I kept telling myself.
The menu seemed promising, but limited. We both went with kabobs. I think I must have angered the waiter by asking for food, because he was annoyed with his one table. I’m a server, one table=one tip. If that’s all you have, you work to make it one decent tip. Meaning= don’t be a dick.
The food comes, and unfortuantely, we do not go. I was hungry, but the food made me lose my appetite and start thinking about going through the chocolate samples I had stashed in my purse. I had the chicken kabob which came with stale rice, diced tomatoes, and beans which were just a touch too off. The chicken had no flavor, and I couldn’t finish it, because I love my stomach too much and don’t like putting it through pain.
I will always opt for something else. Samba Rooms, never again.

1 star!
I would never ever ever come back to this place again. My friend had bought a $ 25 certificate from
because he wanted to try brazilian food. Since we do not know anything about Brazilian food and what is considered good, this review is more about the service and restaurant itself, not the food.
We walked in and there was no one and I mean NO ONE, not even a staff, in the restaurant. We waited until someone came out from the kitchen/​back to seat us. We were seated and the waiter disappeared. This became a reoccuring theme for the remainder of our meal.
We ordered the toasted ravioli, chicken wrapped in bacon skewer, and some brazilian dish that I can not say or remember for the life of me. The food took forever, FOREVER to come out. We were the only patrons in the restaurant and we ordered 3 dishes. We should have been in and out in 45 minutes tops. We ended up being there for almost 2 hours. The waiter would come back with our drinks and disappear in the back. Then he gave us the raviolo and disappeared again. I will give one positive note here. The toasted ravioli was pretty good, although I prefer the ones at Mr. Pizza Man. After another long wait, out came the entrée and the chicken skewer. Uhm, so the chicken skewer had 6 pieces. it was one skewer. ONE. You’d think we’d get at least 1 skewer a person. But nope, 1 skewer for $ 7. I mean yeah it tasted good, but really? The entrée was okay, I can’t make judgement on the dish because I have no idea what it was suppose to taste like. No sign of the waiter again. When we were done we had to wait for him to come back out so we could tell him we wanted the bill. Again, disappeared and took forever to come back with the bill.
So I’m going to make an assumption and tell myself that the service was horrible because they were making pizzas in the back. However, that is no excuse. This is not just a delivery place, it is also a DINE IN restaurant. Do not ignore the patrons you have sitting in the dining area who are waiting for their food. We could have easily just walked out of the place and not paid for our food. We were by ourselves inside the restaurant for the whole two hours other than for those moments when he would drop off food at our table.
I will never come back to this place again. Even with the $ 25
certificate, we still had to pay a little over $ 20 and that $ 20 was not worth it. Save your money and go elsewhere.

Food… Disgusting.
Delivery… took forever (5 blocks away).
In-​N-​Out may have to save the day after all.

Unfortunately, this place is not very good, at least not for delivery. I was really looking forward to some Brazilian food… especially the mousse de Maracuja (Passion Fruit mousse) which was the main reason I ordered the food.
It took 1 ½ hours to deliver when I was assured it would be at my door in 45 minute. The food was cold and dry and here’s the kicker… they gave me flan instead of passion fruit mousse.
I will not be ordering from them again. It was definitely not worth the price — $ 23 for a dinner that was dry, cold and not what I ordered.
I do really like Brasilian food and am still on the look out for a yummy and inexpensive restaurant.
BTW — also ordered Pao de queijo (Brasilian cheese bread) — it was also dry — not at all like the authentic bread.

I have only ordered delivery and both times I was increadibly disappointed. Everything is tasteless except the chicken wrapped in bacon… but really you cant fuck up bacon.

FOUR STARS for the PAO DE QUEIJO, and 3 stars for everything else.
I love pao de queijo (brazilian cheesy bread)! i would be surprised if they have the best PDQ in the city, but i have no idea where else to find it, PLUS they deliver.
note: i’ve only ever had delivery from here — no idea what the restaurant is like.

Since July of 08 I’ve spent 632.17 at this joint (save my receipts).
What have I gotten in return for my loyal patronage?
1. an hour and fifty minute delivery
2. wrong order brought to me twice (separate occasions).
3. an incomplete order and another 25 minute wait for them to bring my 2 cokes to me when I only live 8 blocks away.
Oh Yeah I tip these retards fatty style too and this is what I Get?
So, in short, while I’m stoned their food is jammin but my sense of decency and good business ethic doesn’t respond to the weed I smoke so I WILL NEVER EVER ORDER FROM THEM AGAIN!!!
The restaurant business is not that complicated. Good Product, good service, Success!!! Decent product, Poor service, GO F@CK YERSELVES!!!
THE END.

Really not good. I ordered from work the other night based on the reviews here and I went hungry rather than eat this stuff. I had the picanha skewer, and the steak was no picanha — it was tough, fatty, and overcooked. The bean mixture side was not good, and I actually ended up giving my leftovers to a homeless guy and kind of felt bad I was giving him such unappetizing food. It is cheap so I guess you get what you pay for, but there are plenty of other places to pay for better food in this city.

I give four stars fro convenience. I use Samba Rooms for office events when we need some pizzas fast. They have a decent menu, and acceptable pizza, but more importantly, they can make them on the double.
I recommend the Hot Special. I have yet to try their specialty ‘desert pizzas’ but the idea is intriguing. Chocolate, Coconut & Strawberry? I’d try it.
Looking over their menu, I would really like to try their Brazilian food. I think I might have to make a special trip, but the place lacks atmosphere. The spot they are located in is seriously cursed. In the three or four years I have worked in the neighborhood, I have seen as many businesses open and fail here. I hope this one works out because I really don’t want to see another cookie cutter franchise, or a psychic or something lame.

A guy from Yokohama
(same as girl from ipanema)
” Short and fat and old and urgly
the guy from Yokohama goes walking
and when he passes, passes the place he goes — Fuhhhck.
When they cook, the sandwich like a vulva
Salad so old and smells so badly
and when he passes, passes the place he goes — Fuhhhck.
Ohhhh why this place is always so empty?
How can they make a business goin’?
Cuz the Brazilian hamburger was so soggy.
So each day when he walks on Northpoint Street
He looks straight ahead, not at here
Short and fat and old and urgly
the guy from Yokohama goes walking
and when he passes, they smile — but he doesn’t see
he just doesn’t want to see
… «
Well, I don’t know.
People were nice but the Pizza.
I don’t know.
Always open but always Empty.
Doomed place that once before Chinese, Thai and believe it or not, it was once take out sushi & tenpura place before!
Nothing Worked!
Someone put a curse on the land or something.
How about a laundry matt or froyo in stead?
But please no more nail salon or another FXXXin’ coffee place.

This is a small, low-​key Brazilian restaurant/​pizzeria. It’s right across from the Fairmont boutique hotel in Ghirardelli Square, and there’s a flat-​screen TV where you can watch Brazilian TV. Depending on where you sit, you can get a view of the hotel doorman freezing his butt off or watch Brazilian hotties on TV. Guess which side my bf sits on.
Just don’t come here during weekday lunch hours when Galileo H.S. students throng to the pizzeria next door. You won’t get served until the lunch rush is over.
The best dishes are the chicken bacon skewers, and the top sirloin and brahma bull hump brazilian steaks. If you never had brahma bull, it’s a fattier sirloin, more moist and tender.
They also have a buffet from Mon thru Sun, 11 am to 5 pm. I like their chicken stew and ham lasagna with bacon.
The dishes that aren’t so great — don’t order any of the Brazilian steaks that come with fries. It’s the kiss of death. The fries seem to signal that you are 12 years old, enjoy a lot of starch, and eat very little meat. The chicken filet is dry and thin. The scant beef with onions is a carbo-​load that comes with fries and potato salad. Plus, the only condiments available for your fries are (get this) salt, pepper, and dry chili flakes.
If you want to go into cardiac arrest, order the Portuguesa, Brazilian pizza with ham and eggs.

What a great Brazilian restaurant. Some other posters obviously do not understand Brazilian culture and food. This place is the quintessential Brazilian experience. That, and the food is freshly prepared when you order it and is delicious. There is Brazilian and Brazilian-​style Italian on the menu.
Four colleagues and I went for a long lunch and everyone enjoyed their food. Everyone is also passed out at their desks now because we are so stuffed. It seems that you can’t go wrong with whatever you order.
I hope this place succeeds. The other Brazilian restaurants in town are too expensive.
Samba Rooms gives you lots of good authentic Brazilian food,

Great idea in principal — down to earth brazilian-​italian place, something other than those churascurria places where you pay too much and eat more food than you can comfortably digest.
Execution is a little bit to be desired.
I had the beef rump skewer. The meat was tasty, but the portion wasn’t very big. Paid 6.99 for a plate that was mostly beans & fried yucca. The fried yucca was good, but the beans were only so-​so.
Waiter also seemed clueless. He couldn’t figure out which item he was short on – beef rump or chicken hearts. He also forgot my fizzy water.
The place needs work. But I’d be willing to go back there again, especially since it is one of the few restaurants that is non-​touristy at that particular part of town.

Cheap food. But. its really not that good at all… their pizza tastes kinda funny. i prefer alcatraz pizza but it closed down… its also got some crappy construction… but what can a girl ask for to be close to galileo high school
–x3 shells

I ordered the Samba Room Special pizza which was basically identical to a Supreme Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut, sans tomato sauce. So, good but not great. Also I found a hair mixed in with the melted cheese, which I could have done without.
With the exception of the restroom, the interior of this place is very bleak and poorly lit. The whole time I was there I just wanted to get the hell out.
The service was very lackluster. It seemed I had encroached upon the staff’s free time. Sorry guys. Next time I won’t disturb you when I’m wandering around North Point looking a place to eat.

This was a fun venue, with personal, friendly service! I planned my surprise brunch (party of 8) the day before — reservations not accepted — and Samba Rooms was happy to seat us. Granted, we were the only guests dining at the time, but the owners were more than happy to chat with us and recommend their favorites from the menu.
Our group ended up eating food ranging from quibe to coxinhas to pizza steak to chicken hearts to flan, and everything was delicious.
Not sure I’ll make it back until the next time I am in Fisherman’s Wharf, but in the event that I am in the neighborhood, I’ll definitely visit Samba Rooms.

I give two stars because the food was edible.
We ordered «the brazilian sandwiches» — which were nothing more then a hamburger with a slab of ham, half sliced hot dog, lettuce tomatoe… and a regular store bought hamburger bun too small to handle all that meat.
Second — we ordered 2 greek salads. They were obviously very «pre made» — days old lettuce — our lettuce was brown — no dressing — and the «feta» was in a shot glass size plastic container — also pre-​packaged days before. It was horrible.
In total — for two bad «hamburger/​hotdog/​slab of ham» sandwich and two «greek» salads… we paid $ 41 bucks including tip.
Who ever wrote 5 stars must be the owner or friends of this place because this was the most basic stuff from their menu and it was a D– to be nice.
It’s too bad. We’re Brazilian and are always looking for a good delivery Brazilian restaurant in SF. It’s good they’re in the wharf — tourist wouldn’t know any better and will keep them in business — one time visits at their prices… they’ll do fine.

Those unfamiliar with Brazilian food might not know there is a large Italian population in Brazil.
I’m surprised the review from a ‘Brazilian’ who didn’t know that the hamburger /​hot dog sandwich is a common Brazilian sandwich called an x-​tudo. I will agree though that it needs a strudier bun. They didn’t order a single other Brazilian dish … just Greek salads and complained that it wasn’t good Brazilian food… huh?
The majority of the Bay Area Brazilian restaurants are Pizzarias AND Brazillian food.
It is WONDERFUL to have a Brazilian bakery attached as well. Give a small business a chance.
There is also a Brazilian buffet available.