Sushi Samba Park

(212) 475-9377

245 Park Ave S
New York, NY 10003 40.7381 -73.9878

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Neighborhoods: Gramercy Park, Midtown

SUSHISAMBA.COM

Price:

$$$$

Last updated 8.16.11

Category:

Restaurants, Bars & Clubs, Lounges

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Travelers Check

Bar & Pub Special Features:

Bar Menu

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining, Fine Dining, Brunch, Bar Scene

Cuisine:

Japanese, Latin American, Brazilian, Sushi

Bar & Club Special Features:

Specialty Cocktails

What People Are Saying About Sushi Samba Park

Featured Review

Karen Hudes

Contributor

The Scene – Bringing to light the harmonious appeal of Japanese sushi and Latin seviche, along with a shared taste for brisk, fragrant drinks, Sushi Samba offers a meeting of cultures that is bright, simple and energetic. Inside the colorful geometric exterior, a full crowd of downtown trendies, international fashion types and unassuming professionals gather in fuzzy red booths and around the central sushi bar. – – The Food – The tantalizing selection of sushi and even finer marinated seviche includes basics like yellowtail, salmon and fresh crab, and a variety of…

Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:
Groups can reserve the intimate Sugar Room for parties, where a prix fixe menu is served. A sliding door separates the two spaces and keeps things very private.
The Extras:
Check out the review of Sushi Samba.
Brunch:
Brunch runs on Sunday from 11:30am to 3pm.
ambiance
86.87999725341797% positive
  1. excellent food, good value for manhattan, cool atmosphere, funky decor, squshy somewhat uncomfortable seats, really fun place to take a date and not blow a wad of cash, friendly and informative waiter, seviches were great, seating at the sushi bar is cool
  2. The drinks were wonderful(get a Nina Fresa) and the bartenders were fun and flirty!
  3. The decor is also very "cool" and trendy, and the drinks are out of this world (try the signature Brazilian drinks with cachaca!)
  4. Great atmosphere and great food.
  5. enjoyed the atmosphere, but that's not enough reason for this place to be so successful.
  6. The staff is friendly and fun!
  7. Service was excellent, lively atmosphere in the roof garden, and the food was perfect !
  8. bad service, not great food, terrible atmosphere, tables on top of each other, rude hostesses.
  9. Fun atmosphere with great latin music in the background.
  10. The bartender was fun and knew his drinks and our waiter was perfect.
  11. The prices are very expensive but the decor is modern and chic.
  12. Good food that is fun and interesting to eat- its like every dish is a brand new toy to play with.
  13. The specialty drinks are very good, but I'm afraid I'll have to go to the other location to get them!
  14. the atmosphere was fun.
  15. First off, the hostesses were beautiful to look at, and the decor looked trendy.
  16. The ambience is also great (when the place is empty, which only happens before 7pm on weekdays)- the space is cavernous, elegantly flamboyant yet still tasteful.
  17. Amazing sake, delicious sushi and an atmosphere that wipes out any memory of a bad day.
  18. Get the miso sea bass and a killer cocktail; it's a great date spot and fun for girls' night out!
  19. great place to catch up with friends in a upbeat, trendy atmosphere.
  20. Great location, great wait staff, great food and drinks.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. Our waiter was great and helped us order the best things off of the menu incld the crab cakes!
  2. If you are looking for creative sushi, trendy latin/sake themed drinks, and a variety of appetizers entrees, and desserts, make a reservation and bring your credit card.
  3. The service was great, even though it was really crowded but thats a good thing, i had the special mango martini, and the special banana dessert, everything was delicious, would definately go back
  4. Finally the deserts are excellent and keep up with the unique style of the other dishes on the menu.
  5. It was probably the best mochi ice cream I've ever had, with very different flavors--the day I went there was Mango, Vanilla/Chocolate Coconut, and Lychee.
drinks
93.2699966430664% positive
  1. and the mango drinks were great, the calamari just rightly spiced, everything was great!
  2. We had to wait awhile for our reservation, which was ok b/ we had great mango mojitos at the bar, and when we sat for dinner she sent us over Tuna Tar Tar as well as beef skewers to apoligize for the wait.
  3. At that point I didn't bother to order the 3rd drink for fear he would not be able to remember a more complex alcoholic drink order.
  4. The specialty drinks are very good, but I'm afraid I'll have to go to the other location to get them!
  5. Sushi Samba lives up to its name--very good sushi, eclectic menu and good drink menu.
  6. The bartender was fun and knew his drinks and our waiter was perfect.
  7. great drink!
  8. delicious sushi, great drinks
  9. The drinks are AMAZING.
  10. the hype is just that hype for miserable service, overpriced food and watered down drinks.
  11. They use fresh fruit and juices in their drinks so they're just really good.
  12. 15 mins later when he returned to tell us the specials, (now 30 mins after being seated,) without any drinks and a request to ask the second person's order again.
  13. With a unique selection of drinks, colorful interior, and somewhat trendy crowd, Sugarcane offers a good destination for romantics and small groups of friends.
  14. The food and cocktails at SushiSamba were very good; however the seating is so tight and uncomfortable and the service so rushed that I will probably never go back.
  15. The food is good and the drinks even better.
  16. The drinks were great.
  17. My fiance and I went to sugarcane a few months ago and loved their drinks and snacks, so we decided to try out Sushi Samba.
  18. If you are looking for creative sushi, trendy latin/sake themed drinks, and a variety of appetizers entrees, and desserts, make a reservation and bring your credit card.
  19. Their sushi menu is extensive and really fresh, as is their drink menu.
  20. excellent food, good value for manhattan, cool atmosphere, funky decor, squshy somewhat uncomfortable seats, really fun place to take a date and not blow a wad of cash, friendly and informative waiter, seviches were great, seating at the sushi bar is cool
  21. The sushi was great and the drinks were strong and tropical.
  22. We start with the Caipirinha's because it takes a while to get seated, but after one or two of these great drinks with the great latin music playing we don't mind the wait for a table.
  23. We decided to stay and order quickly, we order some sushi and some corn (the best in town)and some drinks, drinks came promptly as well as the food and was as good as always.
  24. the cocktails were great as usual.
  25. and they have a great drink menu.
  26. highly recommend their drinks and the service was great despite being full.
  27. The food and drinks at Sushi Samba is good, but not outstanding for the price.
  28. The decor is also very "cool" and trendy, and the drinks are out of this world (try the signature Brazilian drinks with cachaca!)
  29. their cocktails are amazing.
  30. love this spot, great food, great drinks.
  31. However walking past at 12:30, the sushi bar looked fairly open, so I stopped in, and in a time period of 45 minutes had a great lunch at a good price.
  32. I'd been to Sushi Samba a few times and enjoyed their interesting rolls and drinks.
  33. The drinks were creative and although expensive - they were delicious and strong - ha ha we may have had one too many!
  34. The food and drinks are incredibly unique and tasty.
  35. the bar staff will be friendly, chatty and will take the time to make recommendations.
  36. Great location, great wait staff, great food and drinks.
  37. sit at the bar, order a couple of rolls and enjoy.
  38. We waited in the Sugarcane lounge and had amazing drinks!
  39. The drinks were wonderful(get a Nina Fresa) and the bartenders were fun and flirty!
food quality
81.16000175476074% positive
  1. My last day visiting NYC, I went last night to great Thai food ( Tiny Thai ) and today I had lunch at the unique sushi samba restaurant.
  2. The dish was so flavorful from the scallops down to the vegetables it was cooked with.
  3. The sushi here is delicious, especially the lobster tempura roll.
  4. Good food- interesting combinations
  5. excellent food, good value for manhattan, cool atmosphere, funky decor, squshy somewhat uncomfortable seats, really fun place to take a date and not blow a wad of cash, friendly and informative waiter, seviches were great, seating at the sushi bar is cool
  6. didn't find this sushi particularly better than most decent sushi places in NY.
  7. However, food is great, but order was missing & the bill didnt come out right.
  8. the shrimp with chimichurri was NOT good.
  9. We arrived in our Halloween costumes and were given excellent service and the sushi was amazing despite it being well past 1am on a weekday.
  10. The food was excellent.
  11. The food and drinks are incredibly unique and tasty.
  12. The sushi was great and the drinks were strong and tropical.
  13. The sushi was subpar at best and rather bland.
  14. DO NOT recommend this restaurant if you want a good time and good food.
  15. Very good sushi if you have the $$ to pay
  16. The food is heavenly.
  17. The food was great - sushi was good, but the cooked food amazed us.
  18. constantly bring my friends that have either never tried sushi before or didn't like their previous sushi experiences.
  19. If you're not angry and revolted by the time you get a table, then you'll have decent (nothing to brag about) food that is incredibly overpriced (even for sushi).
  20. The food is good and the drinks even better.
  21. However, the food was very good.
  22. The food was great and I got them quite quickly.
  23. great mojhitos & sushi
  24. The food is not great.
  25. its loud and noisey and so much FUN, the food is great too.
  26. The food is amazing here.
  27. It's more of a hip, trendy spot than an authentic sushi-serving Japanese place!
  28. There was something on the menu for everyone in our group, including great steak, seafood and vegetarian options.
  29. sushi is always great and service but this timei had to say management sould pay a little more atention to this kind of thing, i mean.
  30. have never had a bad meal or service (on a couple of occasions I waited past my reservation time).
  31. The service was great, even though it was really crowded but thats a good thing, i had the special mango martini, and the special banana dessert, everything was delicious, would definately go back
  32. The food and drinks at Sushi Samba is good, but not outstanding for the price.
  33. bad service, not great food, terrible atmosphere, tables on top of each other, rude hostesses.
  34. all done with fresh ingredients, not syrops.
  35. The restaurant is nice looking, the food is OK at best.
  36. Shrimp was real good, grouper was ok, yet the crumb and the sauce was awesome.
  37. This place is a great divergence from the same old sushi menu you can find anywhere.
  38. Solid staff, fresh fish!
  39. The waiter was horrible and brought us the wrong food, not to mention the prices were astronomical.
  40. The chilean seabass is the best seafood dish I've ever had.
  41. The food, Japanese, Brazilian, Peruvian mix, was good, though on the pricey side.
  42. Every meal I've had here has left me floating and thank god for that because the wait for a table can be ridiculous with or without reservation!
  43. Creative food, creative service.
  44. The food and cocktails at SushiSamba were very good; however the seating is so tight and uncomfortable and the service so rushed that I will probably never go back.
  45. Their sushi menu is extensive and really fresh, as is their drink menu.
  46. The drinks were creative and although expensive - they were delicious and strong - ha ha we may have had one too many!
  47. The smoked fish plate was delicious, the sauce was one of a kind.
  48. If you want to be treated badly and eat mediocre food, then come here.
  49. Thought may be the food would make my experience more pleasant, well.
  50. Good food, but small portions and it's by no means cheap.
  51. Great location, great wait staff, great food and drinks.
  52. We had to wait awhile for our reservation, which was ok b/ we had great mango mojitos at the bar, and when we sat for dinner she sent us over Tuna Tar Tar as well as beef skewers to apoligize for the wait.
  53. bit overwhelmed by the menu we let the waitress order for us and were totaly surprised by the variety of appetizing dishes we were presented.
  54. Go for the house specialities - the El buro is about as far from normal sushi as possible, but it was a great combo.
  55. Good food, lousy service
  56. love this place, frankly; the food is great and the mojitos are the best I've had outside of Havana.
  57. The seviche was yummy, Chilean Sea Bass - excellent.
  58. Yes the sushi was very good, but we paid for that.
  59. $15 for 4 great dishes, can't beat it.
  60. Sushi Samba lives up to its name--very good sushi, eclectic menu and good drink menu.
  61. I'd gladly pay $15 for a golf-ball portion of seviche that was worth it, or for rice that was really unique in some way.
  62. Samba Park roll made with some really delish spicy lobster.
  63. the food's not bad, but the restaurant is way too small and loud to have any conversation.
  64. Great sushi, horrible management
  65. we did a tasting menue of 7 courses it was the best meal i have ever eaten at sushisamba, and i eat there atleast once a week.
  66. the only good thing about my meal was the beautiful hostess and my sapporo, which was twice as expensive as it should have been.
  67. The service here is great and so is the food!
  68. ceviches were poor with overpowering sauces masking bad fish quality.
  69. The fish is as fresh as it could be.
  70. The meal was great!
  71. just got back from a great meal at sushi samba.
  72. overpriced sushi/latin flair.
  73. My girlfriend and I were seated as close to closing as anyone could get because we had a late night craving for some awesome sushi the night of the Halloween parade.
  74. Aside from the hostess, the experience was decent, but that and the unremarkable, expensive food is enough reason for me to not go back.
  75. Good food, terrible service
  76. fresh sashimi and sushi PLUS food for non-sushi eater!
  77. The food is horrible, the scene in done with and washed up.
  78. Too bad the sushi is so great, because the customer service stinks!
  79. Oh yeah, the food is great too.
  80. The food is good (not great) but overpriced.
  81. Amazing sake, delicious sushi and an atmosphere that wipes out any memory of a bad day.
  82. The food was good, but not worth the prices, and everyone who works there should be fired.
  83. could not enjoy what would have been an otherwise good meal because we had to wait so long!
  84. However, the food did not taste as good as it looks.
  85. We were guided through the menu and had some great appetizers,(especially the kobe beef with spice scent) and sushi.
  86. The "4" assortment dish of sashimi was not as good as the waiter said it was.
  87. Service was excellent, lively atmosphere in the roof garden, and the food was perfect !
  88. The food was acceptable, the portions small, and the waiter was into himself way more than his customers.
  89. And the steak and eggs was the best I've ever had.
  90. The food is good but kind of expensive for what it is.
  91. best sushi!
  92. Our waiter was great and helped us order the best things off of the menu incld the crab cakes!
  93. The variations on more traditional sushi was fabulous.
  94. It was absolutely fantastic food and I don't even like this type of food normally.
  95. Also, they have specials that add to the menu of excellent dishes.
  96. And the food is ALWAYS good.
  97. Finally the deserts are excellent and keep up with the unique style of the other dishes on the menu.
  98. The sushi was fresh and crisp - I cannot wait to go back.
  99. Great atmosphere and great food.
  100. If this is the 8th best sushi place is the city, then I am going to start making my own sushi.
  101. the food was overpriced i would not go there again!
  102. The sushi was not fresh, the seaweed was soggy and chewy, the rice was flavorless.
  103. and with that I highly recommand this place for the people who love sushi but want a twist in there normal sushi style.
  104. the hype is just that hype for miserable service, overpriced food and watered down drinks.
  105. we have amazing dishes with tuna w/ mango type flavors.
  106. love this spot, great food, great drinks.
  107. The food is the best cuisine that you could ever find.
  108. delicious sushi, great drinks
  109. But while the cuisine is innovative and the menu is fairly diverse, nothing I tried was so great that I'd order it again.
  110. Good food that is fun and interesting to eat- its like every dish is a brand new toy to play with.
  111. why go there to deal with staffs' attitude and eat bad food?
  112. I've been to many sushi places and although their menu was very creative and the ideas were all about thinking 'outside the box', the food itself was nothing special.
  113. They use fresh fruit and juices in their drinks so they're just really good.
  114. The El Topo roll was good, the plaintain crusted chicken hot plate app, which was basically a sour chicken tender, was not.
  115. the food is great.
  116. The calamari appetizer with cornmeal breading was interesting and fairly good, the tuna seviche with jalapeno and almond was fiery but somewhat one-dimensional, and the pork tenderloin entree was well-prepared but un-adventurous.
  117. Worst Staff Ever, good food
  118. The more exciting dishes were mediocre, such as the random chili additives to typical sushi.
  119. the chef there cooks totally differently and the dishes are SO BAD
  120. The food was really yummy!
  121. think the place is definitly worth while if you like places that are in the "scene" and trendy, but if you just want quality sushi many other places might come to mind.
  122. This is my favorite restaurant in the city- food is incredible every time, consistently fresh and wonderful.
  123. Ceviches were fresh and unique and our server made excellent recommendations.
  124. The problem is, the portions are rather small, and everything is pretty expensive (four dollars for a tiny bowl of rice?
  125. Yet I still love this place for its great diverse culture inspired unique dishes and great atmoshphere at night.
  126. It is served on a huge plate with assorted fruit and pastries.
  127. The food was subpar.
  128. They have a GREAT variety of different food something for everone.
  129. We decided to stay and order quickly, we order some sushi and some corn (the best in town)and some drinks, drinks came promptly as well as the food and was as good as always.
  130. If you are looking for creative sushi, trendy latin/sake themed drinks, and a variety of appetizers entrees, and desserts, make a reservation and bring your credit card.
  131. Stick with the sushi and creative ceviches.
  132. Go in on a slower evening and enjoy the whole experience not just the crowded scene and sushi.
  133. just went to sushi samba last night for the first time and I really loved my experience.
  134. The food is really good, I love the ceviche tasting, and its the typical trendy nyc vibe.
  135. Altho I never tried their special sushi dishes, Im not planning to, just becuz I have eaten real great sushi at other authentic sushi places.
  136. The food is good -- but not good enough to warrant that high price tag.
  137. Despite some of the negative reviews, my boyfriend & I loved the food & thought that it was priced accordingly.
  138. yummy tuna frois gras sushi
  139. However walking past at 12:30, the sushi bar looked fairly open, so I stopped in, and in a time period of 45 minutes had a great lunch at a good price.
  140. The eggs benedict was a cool twist from the usual with smoked salmon instead of canadian bacon.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. With a unique selection of drinks, colorful interior, and somewhat trendy crowd, Sugarcane offers a good destination for romantics and small groups of friends.
  2. Sushi Samba lives up to its name--very good sushi, eclectic menu and good drink menu.
  3. Also, they have specials that add to the menu of excellent dishes.
  4. and they have a great drink menu.
  5. Yet I still love this place for its great diverse culture inspired unique dishes and great atmoshphere at night.
  6. I've been to many sushi places and although their menu was very creative and the ideas were all about thinking 'outside the box', the food itself was nothing special.
  7. This menu is extensive.
  8. They have a GREAT variety of different food something for everone.
  9. Our waiter was great and helped us order the best things off of the menu incld the crab cakes!
  10. The only thing good about this place was our friendly waiter and the initial service with the menus and the water.
  11. Finally the deserts are excellent and keep up with the unique style of the other dishes on the menu.
  12. But while the cuisine is innovative and the menu is fairly diverse, nothing I tried was so great that I'd order it again.
  13. If you are looking for creative sushi, trendy latin/sake themed drinks, and a variety of appetizers entrees, and desserts, make a reservation and bring your credit card.
  14. There was something on the menu for everyone in our group, including great steak, seafood and vegetarian options.
  15. One particular thing on the menu stood out and that was the 'el toro' it was sooo good and that was where I really saw brazilian meet japanese - dont pass it up!
  16. We were guided through the menu and had some great appetizers,(especially the kobe beef with spice scent) and sushi.
  17. bit overwhelmed by the menu we let the waitress order for us and were totaly surprised by the variety of appetizing dishes we were presented.
  18. Great variety
  19. This place is a great divergence from the same old sushi menu you can find anywhere.
  20. Their sushi menu is extensive and really fresh, as is their drink menu.
  21. They recommended the 5 course tasting menu for 60$.
overall
98.61000061035156% positive
  1. excellent food, good value for manhattan, cool atmosphere, funky decor, squshy somewhat uncomfortable seats, really fun place to take a date and not blow a wad of cash, friendly and informative waiter, seviches were great, seating at the sushi bar is cool
  2. The ambience is also great (when the place is empty, which only happens before 7pm on weekdays)- the space is cavernous, elegantly flamboyant yet still tasteful.
  3. great place to catch up with friends in a upbeat, trendy atmosphere.
  4. If this is the 8th best sushi place is the city, then I am going to start making my own sushi.
  5. This is my favorite restaurant in the city- food is incredible every time, consistently fresh and wonderful.
  6. great place!
  7. but if you like that kind of thing -- including the bright colors -- it's a pretty nice place.
  8. The only thing good about this place was our friendly waiter and the initial service with the menus and the water.
  9. My last day visiting NYC, I went last night to great Thai food ( Tiny Thai ) and today I had lunch at the unique sushi samba restaurant.
return potential
80.0% positive
  1. Aside from the hostess, the experience was decent, but that and the unremarkable, expensive food is enough reason for me to not go back.
  2. The sushi was fresh and crisp - I cannot wait to go back.
  3. the food was overpriced i would not go there again!
  4. The service was great, even though it was really crowded but thats a good thing, i had the special mango martini, and the special banana dessert, everything was delicious, would definately go back
  5. The food and cocktails at SushiSamba were very good; however the seating is so tight and uncomfortable and the service so rushed that I will probably never go back.
service
72.3799991607666% positive
  1. Good food, terrible service
  2. the hype is just that hype for miserable service, overpriced food and watered down drinks.
  3. the bar staff will be friendly, chatty and will take the time to make recommendations.
  4. The staff is friendly and fun!
  5. The snooty hostess just stared at me blankly when i asked for a table for 2.
  6. bad service, not great food, terrible atmosphere, tables on top of each other, rude hostesses.
  7. Solid staff, fresh fish!
  8. The host was extremely rude when we asked when we'd be seated.
  9. Our waitress was so pretty and sweet, I wanted to be her.
  10. the only good thing about my meal was the beautiful hostess and my sapporo, which was twice as expensive as it should have been.
  11. excellent food, good value for manhattan, cool atmosphere, funky decor, squshy somewhat uncomfortable seats, really fun place to take a date and not blow a wad of cash, friendly and informative waiter, seviches were great, seating at the sushi bar is cool
  12. The "4" assortment dish of sashimi was not as good as the waiter said it was.
  13. Bad service
  14. and with that I highly recommand this place for the people who love sushi but want a twist in there normal sushi style.
  15. Playroom of the beautiful people
  16. The host was very rude, and incredibly unhelpful.
  17. Best people watching around
  18. sushi is always great and service but this timei had to say management sould pay a little more atention to this kind of thing, i mean.
  19. But I don't mind a crowd when I am surrounded by happy people (a testament to their skilled bartenders).
  20. The service was great, even though it was really crowded but thats a good thing, i had the special mango martini, and the special banana dessert, everything was delicious, would definately go back
  21. The food and cocktails at SushiSamba were very good; however the seating is so tight and uncomfortable and the service so rushed that I will probably never go back.
  22. The waiter was very polite and friendly.
  23. the waitress Taylor was ontop of everything and the managers Andrew Udi and Uriel were so good to us as usuall and that samba tree they got us filled with shots was NUTS!
  24. My server was super nice and very informative.
  25. poor service and management
  26. Anyway our waitress was friendly and very knowledgeable.
  27. The waiter was horrible and brought us the wrong food, not to mention the prices were astronomical.
  28. call back 4 hours before dinner to see if I can add another person (from 5-6), and the rude receptionist tells me I'm only down for 4 people.
  29. The hostess (i think her name is Dana) was sooooo nice!
  30. The drinks were wonderful(get a Nina Fresa) and the bartenders were fun and flirty!
  31. Creative food, creative service.
  32. The service at Sushi Samba is fantastic; the servers have a relaxed, hip, and friendly demeanor when they interact with you, but the service style is professional and formal.
  33. really like this place, I've always been treated really well here by the staff.
  34. The only thing good about this place was our friendly waiter and the initial service with the menus and the water.
  35. The minimum is 2 people to order this plate of goodness.
  36. Unfortunately the service is not that great.
  37. went there for dinner on friday night, the waiter had a terrible attitude.
  38. However, the service is horrible.
  39. The food was acceptable, the portions small, and the waiter was into himself way more than his customers.
  40. We arrived in our Halloween costumes and were given excellent service and the sushi was amazing despite it being well past 1am on a weekday.
  41. Plus, the waiters are cute and they have a pretty cool bathroom too!
  42. The service was good, the servers and busboys kept staring at us for unknown reasons, so it was kinda weird.
  43. Great location, great wait staff, great food and drinks.
  44. Good food, lousy service
  45. Our waiter was great and helped us order the best things off of the menu incld the crab cakes!
  46. she was nasty and rude and i could not believe that a hostess of this type restaurant ($$$$) would be so ridiculous after she sat us knowing we were an incomplete table.
  47. Also a lot of beautiful people, so good eye candy too.
  48. Aside from the hostess, the experience was decent, but that and the unremarkable, expensive food is enough reason for me to not go back.
  49. The waiters are pretentious and tip driven.
  50. The service was great and the environment was upbeat yet relaxed.
  51. The service was too fast- the second we finished one course, they shoved the next one in front of us, as if to get us out the door.
  52. highly recommend their drinks and the service was great despite being full.
  53. Ceviches were fresh and unique and our server made excellent recommendations.
  54. and the staff could not have been more helpful.
  55. The managers are very helpful and the wait staff is very knowledgeable and friendly.
  56. The service here is great and so is the food!
  57. Our waitress was pretty good, even though she forgot to order edamame, at least it wasnt on our bill.
  58. have never had a bad meal or service (on a couple of occasions I waited past my reservation time).
  59. bit overwhelmed by the menu we let the waitress order for us and were totaly surprised by the variety of appetizing dishes we were presented.
  60. Too bad the sushi is so great, because the customer service stinks!
  61. Most of the wait staff had a bad attitude starting with the hostess.
  62. The bartender was fun and knew his drinks and our waiter was perfect.
value
53.13000202178955% positive
  1. The drinks were creative and although expensive - they were delicious and strong - ha ha we may have had one too many!
  2. The food is good -- but not good enough to warrant that high price tag.
  3. the only good thing about my meal was the beautiful hostess and my sapporo, which was twice as expensive as it should have been.
  4. The waiter was horrible and brought us the wrong food, not to mention the prices were astronomical.
  5. The cooked entrees were okay, but not memorable- the sea bass was decent but too pricey for the small portion.
  6. The food was good, but not worth the prices, and everyone who works there should be fired.
  7. The food and drinks at Sushi Samba is good, but not outstanding for the price.
  8. the hype is just that hype for miserable service, overpriced food and watered down drinks.
  9. The food was acceptable, the portions small, and the waiter was into himself way more than his customers.
  10. The prices are very expensive but the decor is modern and chic.
  11. However walking past at 12:30, the sushi bar looked fairly open, so I stopped in, and in a time period of 45 minutes had a great lunch at a good price.
  12. The problem is, the portions are rather small, and everything is pretty expensive (four dollars for a tiny bowl of rice?
  13. The food, Japanese, Brazilian, Peruvian mix, was good, though on the pricey side.
  14. Aside from the hostess, the experience was decent, but that and the unremarkable, expensive food is enough reason for me to not go back.
  15. I'd gladly pay $15 for a golf-ball portion of seviche that was worth it, or for rice that was really unique in some way.
  16. the food was overpriced i would not go there again!
  17. The food is good but kind of expensive for what it is.
  18. overall good, watchout for tiny plates at expensive prices
  19. excellent food, good value for manhattan, cool atmosphere, funky decor, squshy somewhat uncomfortable seats, really fun place to take a date and not blow a wad of cash, friendly and informative waiter, seviches were great, seating at the sushi bar is cool
  20. It is served on a huge plate with assorted fruit and pastries.
  21. think the place is definitly worth while if you like places that are in the "scene" and trendy, but if you just want quality sushi many other places might come to mind.
  22. Food was expensive and horrible
  23. The food is good (not great) but overpriced.
  24. Overpriced and tiny portions.
  25. If you're not angry and revolted by the time you get a table, then you'll have decent (nothing to brag about) food that is incredibly overpriced (even for sushi).
  26. overpriced sushi/latin flair.
  27. People are complaining about not getting seated fast because they came late, that they don't like the hostesses, ooooh it's too expensive (go to a diner then if you want to get a DISCOUNT on FOOD).
  28. Good food, but small portions and it's by no means cheap.
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. 15 mins later when he returned to tell us the specials, (now 30 mins after being seated,) without any drinks and a request to ask the second person's order again.
  2. could not enjoy what would have been an otherwise good meal because we had to wait so long!
  3. However walking past at 12:30, the sushi bar looked fairly open, so I stopped in, and in a time period of 45 minutes had a great lunch at a good price.
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

05/05/11

great food

by yesenia63

fun night out

1 Star Rating: Poor

04/26/11

the worst dinner i ever had in nyc

by kristine Murtha

Maybe the worst dining experience I ever had & horrible customer service. This is the first review I ever wrote due to huge disappointment. I was just getting out of work with out eating all day. Myself & coworker decided to take a coworker here for her 50th birthday. Upon arrival the group before us was arguing with the hostess that lost their reservation. Luckily we were seated in a minute. As soon as we are seated they asked us to order & we had to ask them for a minute. We ordered a couple of appetizers & 3 meals with drinks. We were rushed thru the entire meal. Half way thru my stomach was not feeling well. Before leaving I excused myself for the bathroom. Upon arriving back to the table I seen my co worker standing saying we have to leave, they are waitng for the table, so we grabbed our stuff and the staff also helped us grab our stuff and rush out. I had to put my coat on outside. Yes outside. As i reached my train station I noticed I left a tote bag filled with my personal items at the restaurant. I left the restaurant at 9:00 and called them by 9:40 regarding my bag. at this time my stomach was a mess. the girl on the phone said they are busy but hold and i will check briefly. i told her where I was seated before she put me on hold. 10 minutes later she said she does not see anything & to call back later b/c it was crowded. I called back 2 hours later and she checked said she didn't see anything but she will call me back and asked for my number. I never got a call. I called back the next day at 2:30 & again she asked for my phone number and was going to call me back if they found it or not. At 8:00 (24 hours & 4 calls later) I call again. THis time I get the manager. I tell him the blue tote bag I left there and that I called 4 times and i really need what is in there for work he says he is in the office and will check if its there. he put me on hold for less than a minute & He rudely tells me the girl told me last night it was not there. I explained to him nicely no she said she was busy and looked quickly & was going to check the office when she gets time. He then tells me i am sure none of my employees took it and are you sure you left it here. I replied ," I never said any of them took it ". (I am sure no one can fit into my uniform since i am 107 lbs. and size 5 sneakers, i use for the gym. lol ) The manager then said its not here so dont say they took it. I never said that because if he knew what was in it and the size I am not sure anyone would want it. I have never seen such rude and bad service in my life. To top it off I was sick from the food the rest night. I eat at the one by my miami apt all the time & love it but this location has a horrible staff , bad service and food that made me sick to my stomach. not even worthy of a star!! I WILL NEVER EAT AT ANY LOCATION NOW.... I have never been so turned off that it forced me to write this. I never even wrote a review before, SO BEWARE OF BAD SERVICE AND FOOD

4 Star Rating: Recommended

06/11/10

Friday date night!

by tineeyy

We arrived at around 7:30pm with no reservations but was promptly seated. The place was pretty swanky with, of course, samba playing in the background.

We ordered the Pan Seared Scallops - which is highly recommended!! The dish was so flavorful from the scallops down to the vegetables it was cooked with.

If you like a fruity cocktail like me, the Samba Juice is great! You don't taste the alcohol at all. (It might get you into trouble later...)

Now on to the rolls...

Samba Park roll made with some really delish spicy lobster. I am lobster obssessed... if you read my other reviews, you'd know my ultimate epicurean weakness. Also, great on the list, Pacific rolls with king crab meat, topped off with the BoBo Brazil's seared Kobe beef bites. Now that is how you do sushi Japanese-Samba (Brazilian) style :)

Ended the night of that gastronomical meal, we ordered the Vairhona Chocolate Fondue. The minimum is 2 people to order this plate of goodness. It is served on a huge plate with assorted fruit and pastries.

I sure know how to indulge.. :)

2 Star Rating: Below Average

01/13/10

Poor Service, Food Okay, Far Overpriced

by anynomous2010

I had dinner on a weeknight for the second time at this location and feel compelled to write a review about my crappy experience. It took the waiter about 15 mins to come to our table of 3 after being seated. He then asked for drink orders and took 1 person's order and left without a glance around the table. We had to catch him as he passed our table later to put in the other orders but in his hurry he only managed to take one. 15 mins later when he returned to tell us the specials, (now 30 mins after being seated,) without any drinks and a request to ask the second person's order again. Apparently "Sprite" is a complex drink to remember. He then returned to take our orders....and brought with him the one Sprite. We then proceeded to remind him about the first order to which he did not acknowledge having ever received. We had now been there for over 40 mins and could not seem to get two soda's ordered properly. At that point I didn't bother to order the 3rd drink for fear he would not be able to remember a more complex alcoholic drink order. Service continued like this throughout the meal. He chose not to write any of our orders down and ended up coming back twice to ask for parts of our order again. Somehow, we managed to get everything we ordered in the end. Food was okay, unique, but not everything worked. The El Topo roll was good, the plaintain crusted chicken hot plate app, which was basically a sour chicken tender, was not. The seafood entree was overcooked. Nothing was really notable or worth the painful service and prices. Lastly, the place is laid out poorly with tiny tables jammed next to each other on the edges and gratuitously large sushi bar in the center. The girl sitting at the table next to me was literally 6 inches away and had to push her table into the aisle to get up to go to the bathroom. Our table itself was tiny and I was slightly amused (although mostly annoyed) when watching the servers try to place 3 entree places, soy sauce dishes, and apps on one tiny table. Their solution was to float 1/3 of each plate over the edge of the table into our laps. Ridiculous.

  • Pros: Unique concept
  • Cons: bad service, poor layout and cheap decor, bad value
1 Star Rating: Poor

11/08/08

Bad Service, Rude Host, Very Expensive with OK Food.

by sternbss

I went out to eat with 10 friends for my best friends birthday, Saturday night November 1, 2008. He called in advance to make a reservation, and they took his credit card to charge a $25 cancellation fee if anyone less than 10 didn't show up. They would not seat us until all 10 people showed up, which meant that he had to wait 35 minutes to sit down. After that they then told him there would be a $50 minimum for dinner, and were trying to push a "prefixed menu" on us. Finally, fed up we pushed to get an a la carte order, but they still placed a minimum $50 dollars per person. The host was very rude, and incredibly unhelpful. Additionally, he had a very slimy appearance. The bill ended up being horrendous, which was probably the hosts plan. The food itself was ok, but I have eaten far superior sushi, with MUCH better service for literally a third of the price. Unless you are very desperate, I would not recommend Sushi Samba to my worst enemy.

  • Pros: Food OK
  • Cons: Terrible Service, Rude Host and Waiter, Very inattentive, Horrendous Value.

The Details on Sushi Samba Park

Place Categories:

  • good cooked food
  • great sushi
  • great themed drinks
  • overpriced food
  • great initial service
  • friendly waiter
  • love sushiserving japanese place
  • favorite restaurant
  • bad service
  • beautiful hostess
  • flavorful dishes
  • interesting rolls
  • great meal
  • sweet waitress
  • fun lively atmosphere
  • great everything
  • decent miso chilean sea bass
  • friendly bar staff
  • creative ceviches
  • afraid specialty drinks
  • great drink menu
  • great mango mojitos
  • delicious smoked fish plate
  • great whole experience
  • beautiful people
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