Been coming here everytime I am in Tahoe and I love it!! A break from burgers and pizza! Food is amazing and so is the staff.
Jesse M.
Best Japanese dining in Lake Tahoe. Dined at samurai several times before and after Covid. The food is always delicious. It's a gem in South Lake Tahoe. Samurai has a central fireplace seating area and sushi bar seating along with normal tables. Sapporo beer there was one server and assistant for all tables when I last visited. Our waitress and her assistant did great. It's not fair to compare samurai to other Bay Area Japanese restaurants. I will return to samurai next time I'm in South Lake Tahoe.
Wanda A.
Went in one cold evening. Delicious food, so very, very fresh! Loved the interior fire pit. Sushi always adds up, especially when my grandson ordered four orders of octopus. Will go back!
Kyle Baughan
We waited nearly 1 and half hour to get our food. I thought maybe they went to the ocean to get the fish, but no. Mediocre sushi. Poorly managed. Lot of hangry people in the restaurant.
Ralph Dias
Really enjoyed this dinner stop on the long drive home. Sushi rolls were cut to small bites so it's easier to eat than most sushi places. Tempura was tasty. Central gas fireplace was a pleasant treat during winter. Service was friendly in spite of being busy.Parking: Had to park in the car wash next door, since there were only a few spaces at the restaurant and snow blocked most of the street parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll
Devin Chandler
My favorite place in town for sushi. I’ve lived here my whole life and no where else has ever even compared to the fresh, delicious taste of the sushi here. The chefs are so nice and interactive. 10/10 would recommend. My favorite dishes are the baked baby octopus and the amaebi and scallop
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael C.
The tempura ice cream was one of the best things I've ever eaten. Great staff too. Highly recommend
Jeff D.
Well the service was attentive. Unfortunately when we called they didn't tell us they had a large party of friends of the owner. So we sat and sat and sat and sat and finally they felt guilty enough to give the 4 of us a small bowl of edamame. Meanwhile plate after plate of sushi went out to the owners friends. So 1.25 hours later and still no food. Nice people, terrible experience. And because it got so late and the doors were closed and they still had this large group, there wasn't any opportunity to order more food. So we went home barely fed and disappointed. Try down the street a block at Off The Hook.
Doug Rangi
Great place for casual sushi fix.The appetizers are amazing, and the rolls are a great value.More of a local spot; those that are fussy should try naked fish if willing to pay 40% more
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Lauren Sporck
I go here at least every two weeks. My favorite items are the Japanese bbq ribs, the bbq albacore, bbq yellowtail collar, soft shell crab roll, J-Lo role, Crabby Craberton, and Grease Lightning roll. Its also alot cheaper than other sushi spots in town. I love Naked Fish too but its spendy.
A great atmosphere inside the restaurant, the food was good and staff were friendly. Would not hesitate to eat there again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Janan T.
A lovely atmosphere inside the restaurant, the food was great and the staff were friendly and helpful. Would not hesitate to eat there again.
Brennan C.
Chef embarrassed a patron about a month or so ago because apparently the patron didn't tip the waiting staff. That patron was spending over $100 literally every week, but still the Chef thought it wise to call him out because apparently spending over $400 a month at their business wasn't enough for him. How about instead of ridiculing the customers that keep your business afloat, you instead just pay your staff a livable wage so they don't have to go begging tips from patrons?
Skip M.
FAIL..... ouch. Went on a busy night, they had one adult waitress the rest were kids who had no idea what was going on. Needless to say it was a disaster, waited 45 min for anything to come out and ended up going to the bar myself to get drinks. Looked around the restaurant and everyone was not happy. All this continued so we went elsewhere. Someone trying to cut corners by having cheap labor from inexperienced kid staff. Shameful! Go to OFF THE HOOK SUSHI right up the street. Great vibe and adult staff service and food.
Dev Wadhwa
A very very long wait with average food, good ambience.
Been coming here everytime I am in Tahoe and I love it!! A break from burgers and pizza! Food is amazing and so is the staff.
Best Japanese dining in Lake Tahoe. Dined at samurai several times before and after Covid. The food is always delicious. It's a gem in South Lake Tahoe. Samurai has a central fireplace seating area and sushi bar seating along with normal tables. Sapporo beer there was one server and assistant for all tables when I last visited. Our waitress and her assistant did great. It's not fair to compare samurai to other Bay Area Japanese restaurants. I will return to samurai next time I'm in South Lake Tahoe.
Went in one cold evening. Delicious food, so very, very fresh! Loved the interior fire pit. Sushi always adds up, especially when my grandson ordered four orders of octopus. Will go back!
We waited nearly 1 and half hour to get our food. I thought maybe they went to the ocean to get the fish, but no. Mediocre sushi. Poorly managed. Lot of hangry people in the restaurant.
Really enjoyed this dinner stop on the long drive home. Sushi rolls were cut to small bites so it's easier to eat than most sushi places. Tempura was tasty. Central gas fireplace was a pleasant treat during winter. Service was friendly in spite of being busy.Parking: Had to park in the car wash next door, since there were only a few spaces at the restaurant and snow blocked most of the street parking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll
My favorite place in town for sushi. I’ve lived here my whole life and no where else has ever even compared to the fresh, delicious taste of the sushi here. The chefs are so nice and interactive. 10/10 would recommend. My favorite dishes are the baked baby octopus and the amaebi and scallop
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The tempura ice cream was one of the best things I've ever eaten. Great staff too. Highly recommend
Well the service was attentive. Unfortunately when we called they didn't tell us they had a large party of friends of the owner. So we sat and sat and sat and sat and finally they felt guilty enough to give the 4 of us a small bowl of edamame. Meanwhile plate after plate of sushi went out to the owners friends. So 1.25 hours later and still no food. Nice people, terrible experience. And because it got so late and the doors were closed and they still had this large group, there wasn't any opportunity to order more food. So we went home barely fed and disappointed. Try down the street a block at Off The Hook.
Great place for casual sushi fix.The appetizers are amazing, and the rolls are a great value.More of a local spot; those that are fussy should try naked fish if willing to pay 40% more
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
I go here at least every two weeks. My favorite items are the Japanese bbq ribs, the bbq albacore, bbq yellowtail collar, soft shell crab roll, J-Lo role, Crabby Craberton, and Grease Lightning roll. Its also alot cheaper than other sushi spots in town. I love Naked Fish too but its spendy.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Roll
Restaurantji Recommends
A great atmosphere inside the restaurant, the food was good and staff were friendly. Would not hesitate to eat there again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A lovely atmosphere inside the restaurant, the food was great and the staff were friendly and helpful. Would not hesitate to eat there again.
Chef embarrassed a patron about a month or so ago because apparently the patron didn't tip the waiting staff. That patron was spending over $100 literally every week, but still the Chef thought it wise to call him out because apparently spending over $400 a month at their business wasn't enough for him. How about instead of ridiculing the customers that keep your business afloat, you instead just pay your staff a livable wage so they don't have to go begging tips from patrons?
FAIL..... ouch. Went on a busy night, they had one adult waitress the rest were kids who had no idea what was going on. Needless to say it was a disaster, waited 45 min for anything to come out and ended up going to the bar myself to get drinks. Looked around the restaurant and everyone was not happy. All this continued so we went elsewhere. Someone trying to cut corners by having cheap labor from inexperienced kid staff. Shameful! Go to OFF THE HOOK SUSHI right up the street. Great vibe and adult staff service and food.
A very very long wait with average food, good ambience.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2