Tonight we decided to go to Samurai 21 in St. George, Utah for my daughter Rebeckiah's birthday. We have gone here a number of times and she really likes it and we have always had great service. However this time was different!
We arrived around 4:30pm for dinner. There was 4 adults and 3 children in our group. I did order one kids mealfor the children at because they don't really aren't fond of Samurai 21. I was thinking they may take a bite or two of rice. I paid for my daughters meal and Bridgette and Craig paid for their own... There is a reason I am bringing this up, so please read on...
We sat down and ordered our drinks and food. I ordered a Diet Pepsi, yay for Pepsi products and my brother-in -law had Diet Pepsi as well. Everyone else had water.
We placed our orders which ranged from $15.50-$17.50 per person... The price includes salad, soup, and rice and if you want fried rice or noodles it is slightly more, or should I say it use to be slightly more... I had the steak and scallop combo and as far as the food goes the flavor was really good. My scallops were fried beyond recognition however. They had alot of sauce and was overcooked, which made them somewhat rubbery. Everyone else seemed to be happy with the food, except my grandsons, who doesn't like this type of food as I stated earlier. We chose to eat at the Hibachi? You get your own chef, right at your table... He cooks your entrée and entertains you with spatula tossing and pyrotechnics. My grandsons were happy with this except for the fires. This did scare them or should I say, it scared JJ more than anyone. He hid under his jacket the entire dinner and cried.
Something must have changed with Samurai 21 since the last time I was there. Usually it is alot of fun and we come out knowing we got our moneys worth. We were to say the least very disappointed. I am not sure if they changed owners or what. But the people that worked there seemed very blah and didn't seem to enjoy being there. It was like they were going through the motions and that was about it.
I was extremely shocked when I got our bills. Please remember that 2 of the boys did not order dinner. I did order one kids meal at $6.95. They had water since they didn't like this type of food. But I got my check for just my daughter and I and it came to $62.00 and some change. They added an 18% gratuity on top of my bill. They did this for my niece Bridgette and my brother-in-law Craig. Their meals came to over $24.00 each in addition to the same 18% gratuity . I can understand when they say parties of over so many guests there is an automatic gratuity, but there were only 5 meals, of which we were charged over $100.00 after all was said and done and we had terrible service and the people seemed cold and didn't really care. There was actually only 3 meals that was with my party. There should have been no charges for the kids who didn't eat. We were shocked to see the price and if they didn't add the gratuity, there is no way their service or food would have even gotten that much. Normally I tip 20% for great service, they would not have even gotten 10%.
Over all Rating:
Service: The service was ok, but nothing to write home about
Cleanliness: Very Clean
Price: Watch out for hidden costs, can easily cost alot more than going to a really nice place.
Hours: They Open at 4:30 in the afternoon, not sure when they close.
Atmosphere: It was fun for adults, not advisable for toddlers. Not a kid friendly place.
Overall Experience: I use to love going here. Most of the people have changed since the last time I was there, the quality and quantity of food has decreased. I don't think this will be a place where I would recommend people to go to. I feel like I was cheated by the way they did the bill and took advantage. I was suppose to do a special visit for this place, not thinking I will now...
Samurai 21
(435) 656-8628
St George
245 Red Cliffs Dr Ste 11
St George, UT 84790
I agree the place has gone down hill since we went last. We had 5 seperate meals on sperate checks but they didnt add anything to our checks but that was quite awhile ago since we went. this review has turned me off of ever going again. Thank you for this review and letting me know about the sudden change in atmosphere. i was going to try to take my husband there on a date but i think we will go to Carlito's instead.
ReplyDeleteYour welcome... I use to rave about this place... I talked to a guy today and asked him if he knew what was going on with the place and he said that they changed management, not owners and they were doing things differently... I know I won't be going there again.
ReplyDeleteWe went there about six months ago. Had been there before and enjoyed it. However, this time we had to wait a bit to get a seat at a hibachi. Once we were seated they brought the menus. Whoa! Prices had jumped. Having been there before and knowing what was coming, I didn't think the prices were worth it. So we got up and left. End of story. If I'm going to pay over $50 for a meal, I want excellent service, I want a super clean restaurant, I want to be appreciated, I want par excellence food. Since we didn't feel that was forthcoming, we got up and left. I think we went to the Painted Pony instead. If you're going to spend that kind of money...at least you want to feel appreciated and well served.
ReplyDeleteI agree totally Chris, I have yet to try the Painted Pony... I have heard alot of good things about it... My daughter Beckiah loves or should I say loved Samurai 21. She was very disappointed. I saved up to take her there, and I knew it was a bit pricey because we have been there before. We weren't ready for the bill when we got it and all the hidden charges. We could have gone to Red Lobster cheaper than that and had alot better food. Maybe I will do a food review on the Painted Pony next... I also had a request to do the new little coffee shop that is in Washington.
ReplyDeleteI love Samuri 21 and go there quite often. I read the review where Sandie stated that she was charged an 18% gratuity even though some of the party she was with didn't eat. It doesn't matter if they ate or not, they were taking up seats at the Teppanyaki grill area that could have gone to other paying customers so I think it was completely appropriate for the restaurant to tack on the gratuity. Also why would you take a child to a restaurant where you already know they don't like the food ?
ReplyDeleteThe reason you would take a child to a place even if they don't like that kind of food is to give them exposure to other types of foods. I have brought my children to Samauri 21 and not always did they eat, but they did try it. If the service is worth the gratuity, then fine. There has been many times others in our group wanted to go there and I was against it and the service was terrible and overpriced. If I had my children with me and they didn't eat and they were small, I would sit them on my lap. They should not have been charged if they weren't eating and not taking up a seat. I would agree with what others have said about Samurai 21. If I wanted to spend that amount, I would go elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your review, it seems like you were looking for something to complain about. Whether it was the tip, or your grandchild being terrified after you chose as an adult to take them to a hibachi grill, you probably would have found something to complain about one way or another. This place is decent, and I'm sure losing you as a customer won't be any loss to them in the long run.
ReplyDelete