Sammy's Restaurant

10/05/09

Phenominal

by CSMobileUser2

It was my brothers birthday. There were about 20 of us. We all had a blast. The people, the music, the energy... superb. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. If you're looking for a place where you can be yourself then this is the place for you. Great food, great service, great everything.

09/16/09

It's about the culture...not the cholesterol

by NewTrition

Anything but trendy or stylish, the atmosphere is created by the clients themselves, with, of course, the aid of the mucsic/musician(s). It's all schmaltz! You don't have to be

Jewish to enjoy...just alive and not a vegan/vegetarian, and even then it could be fun...they serve vegetables (pickled); if they drink...that's from plants, too. And for all those tossing about the word cholesterol like it's sin and evil incarnate, try catching up with contemporary science...it'd sure be great if the AMA did. Excess of anything is another story...and there is the air of excess here, but it's because it's a party, silly. Enjoy it!

• Pros: Great Romanian-Jewish food, vibrant atmosphere and music
• Cons: a mean tab is hustled up here...bring some money

04/23/09

What a Dump!!!!!!!!!(Worst Restaurant in NYC)

by foodcritic106

I went to Sammy's Restaurant a few weeks ago for dinner with a group of 10 people. It was the worst restaurant I have ever been to. I'd rather eat at Taco Bell with dead animals in my food. The service was awful, the food was awful and the entertainment was the worst of all. It's better watching a Hobo crossing the street. The atmosphere was terrible, for a second when I walked in I thought it was a subway, but then I saw them serving food. It was an embarrassment taking group of friends there. Then when I looked at the Bill, I almost died. Over 750 dollars for eating nonsense. They should be paying me. What is this? If you dare to take someone to this Restaurant I recommend bringing a throwup bag and extra food because you'll get hungry after not eating the atrocious food. Also they have Alka Seltzer waiting on the Table for you there so they pretty much expected you to have a stomach ache. Don’t get me started with the Bathrooms; I'd rather make a dudi in my pants; its worse then a gas station or a train. Sammy's Restaurant was an awful experience and good luck if you plan on dining there. I thought I was being Punk'd by MTV.

• Pros: Their are non.
• Cons: Everything.

02/09/09

Don't understand why this place get 4 stars on this site.

by tortuesd

I have been to Sammy's last Saturday with 5 friends and among them a Romania friend.

What a disappointment. The food was just not good at all. I promise. I don't even know how the chief could have dared serving this. Run from the veal cutlet. It is overpriced and uneatable. The only thing you may try is the steak. That is it.

We were all so disappointed. The food was a kind of joke.

01/27/09

Some will get it, some won't (don't bring the latter)

by nookienate

Last Saturday, went to Sammy's with 30 close friends for a fantastic birthday party. The aftermath: this was one of the best nights many people ever had going out in NY (and a very rough Sunday). The secret: great atmosphere, a dozen bottles of vodka, dancing and non-uptight friends. I'm sure there are nights that the crowd doesn't vibe this place but we were into it full-force like the year was 5999. If you have ever had eastern european food, you will get the cuisine. Form that perspective, the food was terrific. Everyone loved it and and lots of folks even sampled the more exotic stuff. The steak was spectacular. On the other hand, if you're from fly-over country, and Outback is the fanciest restaurant in your town, this steak is not for you. I was p*ssed they took some of the steak away while we were dancing around the place to Fiddler on the Roof or something like that. The prices: we got the prefix menu which came out to around $60. This is fantastic for the amount and variety of food they kept bringing us, especially by NY standards. The alchohol probably came out to about $40 per person. Considering what drinks cost in NY and how much we drank, we were thrilled with this as well. Add tax and a very well deserved tip and the bill came to around $130 per person. We'll worth a night of eating, drinking, and dancing. Bottom Line: Come with a big group, relax, get drunk, get up and dance.

• Pros: Food, Music, Service
• Cons: Just because I'm drunk, don't mean I don't want a doggie bag

12/08/08

A bit underwhelmed

by papakimou

I came here with a large group (about 15 people). The food was OK, but certainly not extraordinary. The waitstaff was fantastic, however. And the entertainment superb. I am still not convinced that it was worth all the money we paid ($30 plus for a bowl of soup and potato latkes--this included a $4 service charge and automatic 20% gratuity). We could have gone to chinatown and had REALLY good food for a fraction of the cost. In any case, certainly a tourist spot, if you like to hang out in rooms that remind you of Grandma's basement.

• Pros: Wonderful, singing waitresses and great singer
• Cons: very expensive, not extraordinary

11/22/08

Outback's is better than this place!

by Lordasphalt

Was at Sammy's last night for a friends birthday & I don't know what he was thinking when he chose this place. When I arrived & saw the outside I wanted to turn around and go home. The waiter was an annoying, condescending man, only three different brands of beer (WTF!?) and the food was embarassingly average at best. The steak, which is what I was looking forward too, was flank & will not give your average Mexican restaurant owner any sleepness nights. Bland & rubbery, sorry to say. The other food, from the chicken to the stuffed cabbage was forgettable as well. What was not forgettable, however, was the price- we went family style, and it ended up being 130$ per person, and there were ten of us!! CHUTZPAH!!! Take it from me, if you want a REAL steak joint, Peter Luger's, Old Homestead, and Keen's are the way to go here. They are pricey, but you do get what you pay for, unlike Sammy's.

• Pros: none
• Cons: food, service, price

05/14/08

Rude host, sub-par food, entertaining atmosphere

by sillypea718

We've been to Sammy's before with large groups because of the highly entertaining atmosphere; it certainly is not the food that has kept us coming back. I made a reservation earlier in the week, and when half of the large party canceled the day of, I tried to call numerous times in the morning and early afternoon and was unsuccessful, as they do not have a voice mail system. Upon finally getting a hold of someone at 5pm, I was berated for canceling last minute and then hung up on. Not exactly incentive to try to reschedule. We will find a place with better food, better value and better trained hosting staff.

• Pros: Fun atmosphere
• Cons: rude host, expensive, food not great

05/05/08

Great place for a party

by geoff2424

I went here for a Bachelor Party, and not being from New York I wasn't really sure what to expect. I have to say when I walked in the door I was really put off. The place is fairly messy and really cramped, plus they have alka seltzer to give out instead of mints which is a kind of creepy statement to see before you eat. I endep up loving the place because Don Love, Brother and Sister Love were great entertainers. They kept the night fun, the food was very heavily seasoned but overall really good. The steak was tender and smothered in Garlic, the potato pancakes were crispy, the pickled vegetable were excellent. The stuffed cabbage was outstanding, plus the family style meal is all you can eat for $60 which is not bad in NYC.

I think you have to keep a few things in mind with this place, it is more dinner theatre than anything else. You are paying for the whole experience, plus you have to be ok with strongly flavored food and lots of vodka. I would not eat here on a date or with a small group, but they accomodated a large party with ease and provided great entertainment! As there are only two seatings they also let us take our time and did not rush us at all, which is rare. It is one of the best restaurants I have ever seen to host a party.

• Pros: DON LOVE!

04/06/08

Great Atmosphere, but HORRIBLE FOOD

by sexybeast25

Celebrated a friend's birthday there. The music is super fun, the guy on the microphone really keeps the mood upbeat and everyone ends up dancing around the restaurant after a couple of bottles of vodka. However the food was inedible. We had chopped liver (wouldn't give it to my dog). It smelled gross and tasted even worse. The veal dumplings which are fried breaded pieces of minced veal were ok. The salad was just iceberg lettuce a few cucumbers and i found one tiny piece of red pepper. Very low budget and swimming in dressing. Make sure you get the dressing on the side. For the main course I had the small steak which tasted so awful I couldn't even swallow one piece of it. It is difficult to describe how you can make a steak taste so bad. I think they marinate it or put some sauce on it that is just FOUL. I did not get the garlic on top so they must use so much of it so it masks the awful taste of the meat. I offered it to a few other people at our table and they all agreed it was terrible. Let's not forget that the bottles of seltzer on the tables are dirty on the inside and outside.

The only thing on the menu which was good was the salmon. Watch out for all of the bones though. Also it will come out about 10-15 mins after everyone else gets their meals.

Finally the bill arrived and it came out to $120 a person. Great price for a couple of pieces of bread, a vodka with dirty seltzer and a veal dumpling.

This place needs to clean up their act.

• Pros: The music is fun
• Cons: the food is terrible