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Mon-Tue. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon-Tue. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Wed-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Wed-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
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I went here with Rosalind C. and also enjoyed it. To be honest, the quality of the sushi much surpassed what I was expecting since another restaurant the night earlier had made me figure Tampa just didn't know how to do sushi. I was pleasantly surprised! I had spicy tuna, the Hawaiian roll, and salmon sashimi (I was hungry!). I have to say I don't usually stray from traditional sushi but the Hawaiian roll was pretty tasty. I also had one bite of the deep fried cheesecake and it was amazing. The girl who ordered it said it was "better than sex!" =P
Atmosphere was alright...I saw a lot of people on dates and that seemed to be a good idea since they have a few kind of intimate booths. It's a small space so not great for a large group but they were really accommodating and we definitely had a good time.
My favorite Sushi place in Tampa. The rolls are always fresh, the service is great and the decor has a feel lacking in most places around here. The spicy Tuna is good and the Volcano roll is my favorite. Try the raspberry Saki.
It looked promising because there were three sushi chefs behind the bar, but I was pretty disappointed. The tuna was not even close to fresh. (It was a pale brownish pink. Not that it had gone bad, but it was going to soon. The redder the tuna the better. It's rare to find a place with fresh tuna, but usually a good sushi place won't serve tuna that's weeks old.) I think I actually got a stomach ache from eating it, that's what I get because I should've known better. They have a variety of rolls, but like I said it was just decent. They had a good cocktail list though.
Excellent excellent sushi. Who would have thought that in crappy ass Tampa (sorry), you could find such good food? The prices are perhaps a little on the pricey side, but the quality of fish was pretty good. I really liked how inventive some of the combinations were (as a general rule, I stay away from anything with cream cheese). I had the spicy sashimi salad, which was, as warned, really spicy. I also had a spicy white tuna roll and a tempura roll of some sort. Both were delicious and good sized.
I liked the atmosphere, although it can get a little loud. Not cozy at all, more industrial in style, but definitely trying to be hip.
I will say, the fried ice cream dessert was disappointing.
all of the rolls we had were relatively fresh. I know that many sushi bars have a bit of a fishy smell, but the fishiness in Samurai Blue was overbearing and made me a bit queezy. they need add a brown rice alternative to their rolls
It's really just ok. The fish wasn't bad, but some things were just off-putting. Like not a single asian chef at the bar. Or lack of decent soups. Or an insane amount of rolls with cream cheese. Or rolls with pickled jalapenos. I mean, WTF, have they even tasted it before putting it on the menu?
There is nothing here you can't make at home with a sharp knife and some sushi grade fish.
Great atmosphere, good location, and open late so you can eat there before clubbing. However, the food is not good. Usually the onion soup is amazing at sushi restaurants, flavored with Benito, scallion, and tempura flakes. I noticed it is not on their online menu, maybe they removed it for a reason. This one however, seriously just tasted like water. The sushi rolls are very skinny, with not much filling compared to any other sushi joint. You will need to order about four (8 piece rolls @ $9.50 each) to get full. The ginger salad dressing did not even taste like ginger. I did like the Agedashi tofu ($4.50).
I would be very scared of ordering one of their dinner entrees for fear of completely wasting more money at this place.
Since the time I last wrote a review of Blue Samurai, I have had tons of better sushi experiences, but upon my return on Saturday Night with my friend, we enjoyed a few rolls. I have to say their Mexican Rolls were very good, some of the best I have had. We also split a Florida Roll which was Salmon and Tuna (I believe) put together and it was pretty tasty, they are some of my favorite type of fish to have as sushi, the combination was not disappointing.
I was glad to find that their sushi wasn't suffering from saltyness like I have been experiencing lately at sushi bars in the Tampa Bay area. Still a cool place to visit if I'm in the area, but not my favorite.
The atmosphere of Samurai Blue is great, the building is gigantic, while the place could be much… Read more »
Atmosphere First, Sushi Second.
Unfortunately, Tampa doesn't have a strong challenger in the Sushi Date Restaurant category.
If you want great atmosphere and sushi for dinner in Tampa, then this is your only option. You will walk away with an average sushi dinner, but don't try the volcano roll because the conch topping is tougher than a Goodyear.
The sushi is fresh and they have a great menu. It's a little loud, but you get that with a popular cool bar.
Best sushi place I have been to and I have lived in San Francisco too. Great ambience. Price the only concern.
**LOVE**
I have moved away from Tampa ... and I miss Samurai Blue. It's pretty much the only reason to brave Ybor City. Wondeful sushi ... very accomodating staff.
It's a little hard to get in here during peak weekend hours. It can also be a little loud - but the building is super cool. The drinks are yummy and it's the perfect way to start out a night at the Improv (which is just downstairs)
Freezing!!!!!! It was so cold in this place that it was uncomfortable. Even some of the waitresses complained about how cold it was.
Has a nice atmosphere....high ceilings and exposed brick walls. Though if you look closing, you will notice that the place is a little dirty. Check out the couches and chairs behind the hostess podium. They are extremely dirty.
We sat at the bar and started by ordering some sake and cocktails.
They have a great drink menu....saketinis!!! I tried The Geisha's Plum....blend of plum wine and sake. Really yummy! Would definitely recommend.
A really nice selection of nigiri, sashimi, and specialty rolls. I tried the lobster tempura roll and the samurai roll. Both were pretty good. Though the tempura didn't seem cooked enough and wasn't as crispy as I think it should have been. Also, one roll was serviced on a plate with a martini glass, filled with soy sauce, in the middle of the plate. They used wasabi to "adhere" the glass to the plate. Didn't seem appetizing looking at a glass stuck to a plate with a glob of wasabi.
Nice atmosphere, great drinks, good sushi....bring a sweater!!! Wish we could rate with 1/2 stars. This would be 3 1/2 stars.
I had never tried sushi before, but my brother is a big fan (of this place in particular). He convinced me to go and he picked out just the right dishes to ease my way in & it worked. I loved it. If you are ever in Tampa and in the mood for sushi or you have never tried it and are feeling adventurous head over to Ibor City. It was wonderful. Thanks
When I lived in Tampa, this was one of the places that would make it into my weekly dining expereince. The ambiance is great, the location is supurb, and the food is remarkable. But don't waste your time with the menu. Go right for the good stuff. My favorites are the Catepillar roll, Kato roll and Volcano Roll.
Dont park in the garages. Use the valet parking behind the movie theater and then have Samurai validate your ticket for $3 parking.
Enjoy!
I like to think of myself as well versed in the ways of sushi. Or rather, well versed in the menus of sushi restaurants. Samurai, however, had selections I had never seen before. Obviously this meant we were taking a palatable journey into the realm of the latin sushi chef's mind. And on this journey our seats were up and our tray tables were locked into position. Feelings of euphoria came upon me as I sampled rolls with such names as "spontaneous combustion roll" and "endless summer roll." When I washed that down with a glass of sake (not distilled - read cloudy like coconut milk nut delicious nonetheless) I couldn't be happier. Needless to say I will be returning again if I am ever in the area.
Overpriced, overrated, Not bad, but I am sorry. They use old carrots to garnish sashimi instead of Daikon radish. I know it is cheaper. It stain orange and sweeten the fish. I am not going again. If anyone visiting Tampa looking for good taste for sushi, go Kaisen or Yoko. Although it is a cool high ceiling open hip restaurant in historical middle of Ybor City for fun.
Sea Urchin to die for. Literally.
Meh. Most of the rolls were filled with new-school crud. I had the Tokyo roll, which was OK but not great. Service was just OK, and the atmosphere may appeal to the ADD club-hopping crowd (which seems a good thing in Ybor!)
First rate sushi. As good as I have had since living in Japan. The rolls are creative, fish is super fresh, and they have a good list of cold sake (yes, cold. that is even better than warm in my opinion and also how the Japanese drink it in hot weather). The only downside is that it is loud & crowded, not much atmosphere.
Their signature ribeye steak was suprisingly good.. my favorite place for steak in tampa actually, and suprisingly at a sushi restaurant. The wait is long so if you don't have a lot of time, this is not the place.
Our favorite Japanese style restaurant in Tampa. Not quite as traditional but lots of variety and the food and the atmosphere are excellent. Generally good service and you must try the raw tuna offerings on salad - excellent.
An enjoyable place to dine, drink, talk, people watch and relax and talk. We continue to visit this restaurant almost monthly - always a pleasure - 4-11-09
Tampa, FL
Category: Sushi Bars
Tampa, FL
Category: Pool Halls
Tampa, FL
Category: Japanese
Tampa, FL
Category: Japanese
Tampa, FL
Category: Nightlife
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