Sam’s Sushi and Japanese Restaurant

Reviews

• Chie W.

  star star star star star 10 July 2026

  I love the food and service at Sam's! I like that we can eat sushi and sashimi along with Korean food and side dishes. I'm glad we found this restaurant in the area. We'll definitely come back.

• Dave M.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 10 July 2026

  I dropped $162 on a sushi/sahimi dinner only to get both old fish and side dishes. It's was likely something from lunch that they spilled over to dinner. The waitress was upselling hardcore so the bad quality food made it that much more upsetting.
  
  The service wasn't as attentive as the past and neither was the quality (e.g., reg. rice rather than fish egg rice). I don't know what happened but that's the end of my relationship with Sam's.

• Alin R.

  star star star star star 6 July 2026

  My boyfriend and I came to Sam's Sushi for Valentine's Day, knowing that they have the private rooms to dine in. I usually hate going out to eat for Valentine's Day because of all the chaos, but this place was perfect for us.
  
  I came in knowing I wanted to order just sashimi because I freaking love sashimi but was disappointed​ to see that the (English) menu only had sashimi sushi combos, which is what I didn't want. I was about to suck it up and just order one of the combos but then I referred to good ole' Yelp photos to look at what else there was and I saw a sashimi only dish. I kept looking through the menu to see where this was, but I could not find anything... anything in English anyway​ so I showed our waitress the photo and she said yes we have this and pointed to the menu on the side that was in Korean. I was assuming that the Korean side was the same as the English side but APPARENTLY NOT! So for all my sashimi lovers, do not be afraid to ask for sashimi platter!
  
  I was soooo happy I asked because the sashimi platters come with a bunch of banchan (Korean side dishes), which I love! The waitress told us what all of the side dishes were... I don't remember ALL of them were but I do remember there was corn & cheese, pork skin, grilled shrimp, clams, mushrooms, mushroom wrapped in radish,  dumpling, potato balls, edamame, fish, and gingko nuts. The platter also came with an interesting but good tasting rice "soup"... more like porridge, roe rice, and spicy fish soup (SUPER spicy!)
  
  As for the sashimi platter (we got the platter for two), it came with herring (I think...the one with the yellow roe), salmon, tuna, yellowtail, white tuna, abalone, conch (i think) and tako (octopus) with wasabi.
  
  Service was great and for all the food you get with the platter, price wasn't so bad either.

• Daniel B.

  star star star star_border star_border 1 July 2026

  Sam's Sushi (or Sam's Japanese Restaurant) is a Korean owned and operated sushi restaurant where a lot of Koreans in Gwinnett County go for sushi and other Japanese food. Sam's also serves Korean food. This place has been around for years. A couple Korean friends of mine told me about it years ago (they're fans), but I didn't get around to trying this place until relatively recently. I'd always noticed the restaurant's low-key exterior during my visits to Star Daepo (Korean BBQ) and Sound of Music (karaoke) next door. These businesses are located in what's called the Esplanade at Gwinnett, a small shopping plaza filled with Korean businesses (it didn't always use to be that way; years ago, this plaza housed a LongHorn Steakhouse).
  
  I thought the sushi and other food I tried here was A-OK. The food was authentic and the service was good. While I wouldn't put this on my list of top sushi restaurants to try in metro Atlanta, the food is acceptable and I don't think you'll be too disappointed if you're craving basic sushi and Japanese cuisine.
  
  The interior of Sam's Sushi is unlike any other sushi or Japanese restaurant I've seen in metro Atlanta. In true Korean fashion, every dining table is in its own private room. In this regard, it's similar to other Korean-owned Japanese restaurants like Kang Nam on Buford Highway. However, Kang Nam has a small dining room in addition to private rooms. Sam's does have a six-seat sushi bar at the front of the house. Aside from patrons sitting at the bar, unless you peer into the private rooms, you won't see any other diners seated here except for the ones at your table. The design and decor is a mix of traditional Japanese and Korean: wood panels, curtains, paper lanterns, etc. The atmosphere is casual and this place works well for groups. I believe their biggest room can seat 16.
  
  The menu features appetizers like seaweed salad, edamame, and gyoza (priced at $4.95 to $15.95 each). If you're wondering what the 6-piece "sushi" or 9-piece "sashimi" apps consist of (the menu doesn't say), they include the most basic cuts of sushi like salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and escolar. About 20 different kinds of nigiri and sashimi are offered, priced at $3.95 to $13.95 for typically 2 pieces. There are sushi combos which allow you to get an assortment. For example, the sushi "regular" combo comes with 10 pieces of sushi and a California roll for $21.99. Of course, they have a nice variety of rolls too, including both regular rolls and hand rolls ($4.99 to $17.99 per roll).
  
  Outside of sushi, Japanese cuisine served includes various bowls (e.g. fish salad, fish roe, BBQ eel), katsu, tempura, udon, teriyaki, and stir-fried dishes (e.g. fried octopus or squid and noodles). Korean cuisine includes Korean seafood soups and stews (mainly cod), steamed fish and fish intestines, grilled fish, and Korean pancakes. They also offer porridge. These dishes range anywhere from $10.99 to $34.99 each. Specials, which are written in Korean only, are posted on the wall. If you don't read or speak Korean, you can try and get your server to translate these specials for you, but results may vary. Most of the servers are older Korean ladies and English is not their first language.
  
  I visited for lunch and had the following:
  
  * Sushi chirashi ($16.99) - assorted sashimi over sushi rice
  * Sea urchin (2 for $8.95)
  * Toro (3 for $12.95)
  * Chef's special tofu dish in stone bowl ($9.99 at lunch, $11.99 at dinner) - this dish came from the wall menu written in Korean
  
  I love a good chirashi. I thought Sam's chirashi was OK at best. I was expecting it to be better. The chirashi came with 3 slices each of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and a fourth fish that I'm not too sure of. I don't think it was listed on the menu. It was a light, almost translucent, cream-colored fish. The slices were served rolled together as opposed to stacked and spread like the other 3 fish. The meat had more of a chewy and rubbery texture. Overall, the fish in the chirashi wasn't bad. The freshness and quality was fine. I was just disappointed in the variety and, to a lesser extent, the portion size. Furikake (Japanese rice seasoning) was served over the sushi rice and pickled carrots and shallots were served on the side.
  
  The sea urchin and toro were satisfactory. The sea urchin was on par with most other sea urchin sushi I've had. It was fresh and flavorful with an appetizing consistency. The toro was on the lower end of toro I've had. It wasn't bad, but I could tell the quality wasn't top notch or even above average. This was a colder, more dense toro that wasn't as smooth, soft, delicate, and buttery as I would have liked. It didn't taste as "premium."
  
  The chef's special tofu dish was fairly basic and something I probably wouldn't order again. It consisted of cubed tofu, white onions, scallions, zucchini, chili flakes, and sauce, all mixed together, sort of like bibimbap.
  
  Banchan (kimchi, fishcake, japchae, etc.) was included with our meal.

• Pil C.

  star star star star star 19 June 2026

  Sushi was so fresh and I loved everything that came out. Best sushi I had in the area. I love it.