Three Samurai Reviews

New ownership.
Food was fine.
Price was very good.
I will come back.

Great service and good food. I would go back again. They have a big sushi menu.

Over priced food for what they have. Not impressed.

I am a repeat customer! This place is amazing! I highly recommend the Ginger Beef Bento box. Sadly you can only get it during lunch!

Amazing and delicious AUTHENTIC Japanese cuisine. Great sushi and bar selections. Their Bento boxes come with soup, salad, rice, veggie tempura, sushi and entree all for only $10!!

This was a quaint yummy place. First time ever going there as we are passing through Iowa and wanted a quick bite of good sushi. Rolls were descent. Tuesday was when we went and it was HAPPY MENU DAY. all appetizers were 3.00 and 3.00 Martinis and Margaritas! Plus, all sushi was 25% OFF! Yippee! All in all it was great because the customer service was so freaking HAPPY and FRIENDLY. THAT is what it is all about, happy people make happy places and happy customers!!! Thank you.

Great food and good prices, especially during the times when they have a discount (I think it is during the day on Sunday). Service may take an hour, though, so come with people you want to talk to.

Sushi is good! It's a little higher on the price side compared to its competition however.

This place is awesome. My girlfriend and I come here all the time. The staff is friendly and the sushi is da bomb!

I've been to over 100 Japanese style restaurants this is the worst I've ever been to

Very romantic, very good food and service. It's a bit rustic in the atmosphere, but the service is spotty. On the other side is somewhat more expensive than all the things considered (but worth it). Great experience !!!! It is strongly recommended! 5 stars

The places recently changed ownership. It is not as good as before. The price are still the same, service still very slow, and it offers good variety. However, food is not as good as before. My favorite still the oxtail soups, but I really miss the old chefs! Hope it will get better.

The service was very slow and the waiters did not appear to care. We saw another couple leave after the waiter didn't come to their table within 20mins. The floors were sticky. The sushi has gone down hill from what it previously was. It is sad to see this place fall into disarray. We used to frequent this place, but will not go back now.

The area's finest, without question. Under new ownership the restaurant has really taken off. There seems to be a real premium made on making exceptional hot entree's with excellent sushi. There is a more casual atmosphere as well, and I wasn't a huge fan of the Hibachi outlook. Utilize the back bar for your drinking needs. I also would strongly recommend getting the Ramen if you're in for something incredible. The Cubbie Roll is always a winner as well. If you're in the area and looking for sushi, you should look no further.

Yes the food might be good but I had to wait nearly an hour before they even gave us my food

Great food, just please dont sit people in the sun.

With as expensive as the food is I would expect it to taste way better and better service. Our chef was so drunk we couldn't understand him.

We stood at the hostest stand for least 5 minutes before anyone even greeted us, while wait staff walked by numerous times, then finally we were told it would be a 10 minute wait. Fine, we sit down, meanwhile several tables leave and 24 minutes pass before another party of the same size came in, without call ahead or reservation (I know this because I heard them put their name in) and were seated before us. We ultimately left. Unfortunately this isn't the first time the service has been extremely poor and we will not be returning.

The food was ok. It just took us twice as long to eat there than it should have. It was pretty pricey too. We had to sit at the bar and wait for a table. Then when we got the table, we had to flag down other waiters just to get drink refills. I suggest going downtown for sushi. It's much better and the service is sooooooo much better at Takanami. This place is just not worth the wait.

This is one of the best restaurants in Coralville and Iowa City to get sushi. The staff is amazing and the food is outstanding. Great atmosphere and reasonable prices. If you want great sushi this is the place!

Great atmosphere and the service leaves something to be desired. The food however is just decent. Our appetizer was tolerable. Sushi tasted old and dry.

I ordered 7 or 8 different rolls a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I did not like them... it was very blend, tasteless and unflavored as if no seasoning was done on the rice. Most of them tasted pretty similar even though they were all different menu items. Rolls were not visually pleasing either. I would not recommend it.

Had amazing service! We had 12 people and they moved us from the grill to a private room because we didn't know we couldn't get the full menu at the grill so they willingly moved us right before their rush. We managed to get our food after only 45 minutes and they gave us free miso soup and salads because of the wait. Such an amazing place and the food was delicious!

Good salmon sashimi and rolls! They served it on a bamboo boat and it was delightful.

Great food and the service is good. Frequent, satisfied customer!

Our go-to for sushi! If you need a recommendation, Captain Crunch roll is the best.

Hands down the best sushi I've ever had. I have had sushi in San Francisco and at some of the finest sushi restaurants and it does not compare to this, plus the prices are great! The service was fantastic. We were in and out in less than 30 minutes and the waiter was very attentive. We will continue to come back!!

Very slow service, the grill guy was great and food was good.

The $10 bento box lunch is a big platter of food and a small bowl of soup. Not for a low sodium diet but pretty tasty. The sushi rolls taste nice and fresh. Good service and tons of seating.

Great sushi, friendly staff, and amazing experience everytime we come here. Don't steer away from this place because of the bad reviews. The new owner/management has significantly improve this place. The service is quick and didn't have to wait long for our food. I love the Cubby roll, spider roll, subarashi roll, and philly roll.

This restaurant is a great choice. The lunch specials are wonderful and great price!

I love this place! Great deals on Sushi and appetizers. Many choices from Pho, Ramen, Sushi and Teriyaki. I highly recommend this place!

The food were amazing ! I ordered mushroom in a can with crispy rice. That one is my favorite. So creative and creamy. We also tried pork belly. It is good size for 3,4 people and again, super delicious. We also ordered beef curry. I can feel the beef melting in my mouth...And don't forget to try their iced tea and cocktails. Worth the wait.

The food was excellent, the service was very good and the atmosphere was pleasant. I will definitely eat here again when I am in town. I had the seared Ahi Tuna, which came with a smattering of tempura selections and a salad, some rice & soup, all for $10. My companion had the Bibimbap Bowl which looked quite tasty, especially the bar-b-que. His was $12 I think. Truly an excellent meal at a great price.

Guy who says he owns this place was at the nail salon, Grace Nails in Iowa City, doing nails and essentially saying he really doesn't do nails either. Whoever he waa, he was incredibly rude to me and supported the mediocre job done on my nails today. I won't be going to this restaurant if this is the case. Looking forward to hearing from you to see if this is indeed the owner.

Noo!!! I have came here for about 8 years now. I dont live here in iowa, I decided while visiting I would go to a well known place. The veggies were not good the rice had that sorta crunchy "left out and dried up" texture. Worst part of it all.. no hibachi. What kind of Japanese steakhouse doesnt have hibachi??!! Will never return.

It was a somewhat busy night when we got there, so we sat at the hostess area for a good 20 minutes before we got sat. We know what it's like to be busy and understaffed for a rush so we were patient. Hope was a great server honestly, the Octopus salad was amazing. The rolls though, we absolutely pathetic, they were so tiny and not satisfying in the least, I got a 10 dollar Calamari roll and it really was about worth 6 dollars in my opinion. We were there in December and the rolls were decent sized. I don't know what's changed but I don't think we'll be coming back anytime soon.

Our party tried the catfish baked in a pot, a special sushi roll, and several nigiri choices. The catfish was very tender and had a rich carmelized flavor. Our diners enjoyed the sushi choices. Restaurant seemed a bit stuffy and not sufficiently ventilated. Paper menu had names of items, but were not sufficiently described.

Great service and delicious food! They even had the Hawkeye vs Cyclone game on for us!

Great sushi, for a decent price. Very satisfied, and coming here again in the future

Used to love this place. I have been here 3 times now since the management change and it has been increasingly bad. My bento box today contained miso, salmon, salad (with no dressing, seasoning or anything else-just lettuce and a single spinach leaf), a sweet potato tempura roll (tempura was chewy) and a bit of rice. I have so many great memories with friends of this place, but I have to say I m done here.

Some of the best sushi in town. Great quality rolls and often have special deals for discounted specialty rolls.

First time ever going to this restaurant. Ordered soup and 1/2 the ingredients are missing. They need to train their people better.

Updated review!
In the last few months I think this place has improved! It's my new favorite lunch destination in Coralville / Iowa City. $10 bento box deals are incredible in quality and quantity of food for price.
good food and service overall. Main points: fast service, great wait staff though. Wide variety of menu options, sushi, sashimi, cooked/hot menu items including tepan/noodles/poke/etc. This has become one of my favorites. Never had something i didn't like honestly.

They still seated us when there was 5 minutes til close.

Group of 4 in booth. Took a hour and 15min to get 4 rolls and 2 dishes to the table. Rolls were room temperature and half normal diameter. Hibachi fans barely function so you get to marinate in smoke AND disappointment.

Okay so it s not the WORST. But if you re a person who regularly gets sushi, this is below mediocre sushi. My wife and I got 4 different rolls and 3 of them tasted almost identical (and not very good at that). They all had comepletely different ingredients. No flavor due to more than likely mediocre/ not fresh ingredients. ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH IT IF YOURE A SUSHI PERSON. Hope this helps. Staff was very polite however.

When in Iowa City, I normally dine here once per week. The specials are phenomenal and the food is delicious. For sure the best sushi deal in Iowa City. Their menu is also fantastic beyond just the sushi. I highly recommend the Nabeyaki Udon soup as well as the Elephant roll. I believe Monday and Wednesday are the best discounts, but most nights they have some sort of special! 100% better than Formosa!

Good food. Not worth the nearly 2 hour wait to get it though.

Visited for weekend and I'm already itching to be back. It's one of those places that easily becomes a "I must try everything before I die" situation. The place is super clean and fresh. It left us feeling special and they served me quick with so many delicious foods (Rock N Roll Beef, Orange Shrimp and Soybean milk for a beverage)! I'm sure this is my favorite restaurant in the town!

Why are so many gems hidden? Three Samurai may easily serve the best Japannese Food that I have eaten. Everything, from the gracious welcome at the door, the friendly service by a very help server, to the excellent food (chicken teryaki served with white rice) makes this restaurant in the Clock Tower Centre in Coralvile, IA, a must.

I have only ever had sushi here, but it's the best so it's my go-to. Their sushi is great, service is good, and flavored sake is delicious. My favorite sushi place in Iowa City.

The restaurant is under new ownership. So, if you are expecting what you had a year ago it is different. Not bad, just different.

Always like the oxtial soup. But the waiting time is also pretty long, plan you visit accordingly

Nice and spaced out. Delicious food! Service was great.

The rolls at Three Samurai are pretty good but the service is EXTREMELY slow. We waited 1 hour and 30 minutes to get just a few rolls with a waitress who stopped by only twice to wait on us. When we brought this to her attention, she was combative and argumentative. My friends and I will not eat there again as the service seems to be a common complaint of the establishment.

Fancy seafood in Iowa city! The sushi is just okay.

Ordered sushi and seaweed salad to go. Was ready quickly. Asked for 2 sides of spicy mayo. Was charged 50 cents per container. There was about a teaspoon of spicy mayo in each container. Quality of sushi has as lso gone down. Seems like they are starting to cut corners. Not sure how much longer I'll be ordering here.

This place has come a long ways. The previous owner didn't know what he was doing. The new owner has extended the menu, lowered the prices of several food items, and improved the general quality of the food being served. My home cooking isn't even this good. Very well done and keep up the good work.

One of the worst dining experiences I've ever had. Waited 25 minutes to even be acknowledged at our table and get a water. During that time a waitress walked by several times bussing tables before stopping. Originally went there to get sushi but never got a sushi menu and wasn't going to risk having to wait longer for one. They were out of the first 2 things we wanted to order. Then the edamame was freezing cold, like literally thought I was going to bite into a frozen bean. Waited another 45 minutes to get our entrees. The beef in my entree was mostly grissle. Ended up getting to go containers and leaving. No one ever apologized for the ridiculous wait and the waitress even tried cracking jokes about it. Checked on us maybe once in between bringing apps and entrees. I could maybe understand if they were packed but they weren't busy at all. You couldn't pay me to go back.

We sat outside, and started with the mushroom tour. She has chicken and I have ribs, both delicious. Serving sizes are also good. Complete our food, but very satisfied. The chef visits the table and greets and is a very enthusiastic and charming person !!! Want to introduce!

Pretty reliable standard sushi at the West end of the coralville strip, entrance on the backside. Usually not too busy these days, all staff inside wearing masks as of 10/5/20. Reasonably attentive staff, inexpensive but good appetizers delivered quickly along with good selection of rolls!

Wow has this has gone downhill since falling under new ownership around a year ago. Definitely not somewhere I'll go again.

Chili-ponzu Yellowtail was amazing! Awesome service as well! Definitely recommend!

There are a couple of Sushi restaurants in and around the Iowa City area and I would consider Three Samurai as either being the 1st or 2nd best. It offers a good variety of rolls at a decent price. It can be crowded on certain days of the week. It is located about 10 minutes from downtown Iowa City.

We like to stop in for appy Fun day deals.
The Sushi Burrito is very good.
I also like the handrolls.
My wife loves the Cubby and Creamy Hamachi rolls.

This is my favorite place in town. I come here at least once a week and I LOVE the food here. Tonight I came and they were busy, which is fine I get it - I've served too. I ordered something and it was not very good, it was pretty awful. I told the server and was hoping to be offered another option, which was really hard for me to do in the first place, I hate sending food back it's so embarrassing. But i was told that - that's how it was always and hallways been made and too bad basically. I wasn't offered an alternative and was Instantly snubbed. It was the only time I've had this bad of an experience there. I asked for it to be taken off the bill, which again, I NEVER do but it felt wrong after the terrible service too. I would have rather a meal alternative but wasn't offered. I didn't want a free meal, I didnt even eat it. Our waiter came, dropped the new ticket on the table, rolled his eyes and didn't say a word. It was SO bad. I love this place, I won't be deterred from coming back but I needed to mention to awful service.

the food here is ok, but the service was lacking. They also have no clue how to apply gift cards, and the waitress lied about having to add a 20% tip to make it work. here is a tip, dont try to BS your customers when you dont know how to do something.