Sushi Samba Rio

10/09/07

Possibly the worst service I have ever received

by footera52 at Citysearch

I am from Denver and my friend and I decided to check out this restaurant, due to the fact that Sushi X was closed for a private event that evening. We were able to sit outside on the patio which was nice, but......that was about the only nice thing about the evening. The girl who "waited" on us (I say that with extreme hesitation) was AWFUL. We were there for about an hour and a half and saw her maybe 3 times and that was only when we could flag her down. The sushi was nothing to rave about. I ordered the chef's inspiration and she came out with salmon, yellowtail, tuna, shrimp......what is so inspiring and different about that????? The coke came in what looked like to be an 8 oz glass and we were charged $3 for each one we ordered!!!! Everyone around us was asking for the waitress wondering where she was and then she had the nerve to respond very rudely to some customers wanting her attention. Unbelievable. She was unapologetic. I have never in my life left less than 10% on the tip, but this time called for it. I also left her a note on the receipt. What a tacky place.

• Pros: NOTHING
• Cons: EVERYTHING

10/07/07

Good Food, Great Atmosphere!

by ladykaos_01 at Citysearch

I loved this place. I went here with some friends from florida. We had a ball. The staff was super sweet (we even got free expressos!). The food was soo yummy. One of my friends and I split the prime rib dinner (to save some money. and calories), and it was mosit and delicious. The portions are good (not too much not too little). You'll definitly leave full. Our waitress was a little dopey, but she was one person. The hostess was great, the bar tender was great, so they made up for her shortcomings. I loved their pacific role! YUM!! The atmosphere was a lil over done, but for tourists it was glittery and trendy. Even though we did have the unfourtunate pleasure of sitting by some girl who had her thong hanging out, the place was still cool. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and will be going back when I save up the money (because please believe this good food is in NO WAY cheap..LOL!!). All in all pretty good.

• Pros: great food, great staff, fun atmosphere
• Cons: weird part of town, ditzy waitress

09/25/07

TERRIBLE--twice!

by k8tg at Citysearch

I have given Sushi Samba a try twice, and each time it was terrible. Shame on me for giving them a second chance. The food was almost inedible--poorly prepared and not fresh at all.The service was slow, surly and uniformed. Why is this place still open? As for the scene, it is all old men and cougars on the prowl--or people from Naperville trying to experience the big city. Awful. I can recommend NOTHING about this restaurant.

• Pros: ummmm....none
• Cons: expensive, food, service, scene

09/24/07

TERRIBLE, AWFUL. NO GOOD AND HORRIBLE

by kiki80 at Citysearch

This place is unbelievably bad. Service=awful. Food=terrible. Scene=ugly tourists. Avoid it like the plague.

• Pros: Fanny packs!
• Cons: food, service, everything...

09/24/07

Awful service, I feel taken advantage of

by blondandfun at Citysearch

There are two reasons why I feel taken advantage of after eating at this overrated restaurant. One is the service, which was deplorable. The waiter was pushy and spoke very fast. Not only that, but I ordered a main course, which was around $25, and ended up with a soup. I had no idea it was a soup or I would not have ordered it, and he did not mention it. The soup's broth smelled and tasted like seaweed and fish guts. Overall feeling of the soup was I couldn't eat half of it and it was sickening. Considering that most people in Chicago are American, the menu is extremely confusing and having a waiter who explains it SLOWLY would be essential. Overall rating of restaurant would be 2 of 10. The decor was awesome, btw, but apparently the owner belongs to the breed where looks are everything.

After the $25 soup, a $10 tiny serving of uncooked fish, and 2 $10 drinks left me hungry ($50 meal btw) , me and my friends went over to a local sports bar and had better luck with their chicken fingers and onion rings. There our hunger was satisfied and I was finally pleased. Unfortunately, however, my favorite football team lost.

• Pros: Nice ambience
• Cons: Terrible food, service, lack of explanation of menu, over priced

08/21/07

Yum!

by eatinginphilly at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I had the pleasure of dining at SushiSamba while on vacation in Chicago. First of all, the ambience is very cool, which was one of the things that had intrigued me when I saw the pictures on the website. Thankfully, the food did not disappoint. We started off with the cornmeal-encrusted calamari, which was excellent-- a nice twist on the usual fried calamari appetizer-- the cornmeal added an interesting flavor, and it was doused in a slightly spicy sauce that was also very good. We then ordered the $30 ceviche sampler, which included 4 different types of ceviche-- all were excellent ( the shrimp and king crab were my favorites), and the portions were fairly generous for this type of restaurant. We tried a couple house specialty sushi rolls, which combined classic sushi combinations with uniquely latin flavors (such as jalapeno peppers, mango, cheese, etc.). Both rolls were quite good, though I must say I enjoyed the calamari and ceviche a bit more. We also shared the "coco duo" for dessert, which was very yummy, though admittedly probably not the best chocolate dessert I've ever had at a nice restaurant (I have high standards when it comes to chocolate!). In the end, all this proved to be plenty of food for the 2 of us, and we left quite satisfied. I would definitely go to this restaurant again-- mostly just so I can try more items on the menu!

• Pros: unique ambience, excellent food
• Cons: expensive

08/08/07

AC Broken?

by dionne505 at Citysearch

Food was ...ok. I would not recommend ANYONE to to eat sushi with mozzarella cheese on it. YUCK! The atmosphere is AMAZING, great place to have a drink either at the bar upstairs or down. Very Beautiful place, fun for groups and also date spot. Funky spot, great people watching. The only thing was that the AC was BROKEN!! And eating in a place where its packed and hot is not so hot... My only suggestion is to make sure the air is working before you go.

• Pros: Hot spot, great people watching
• Cons: AC was broken in the middle of July.. I've had better sushi from Whole Foods

08/02/07

Great Ambience, Great Decor, So-So- Sushi

by pinkfacedbunny at Citysearch

Obviously, and in accordance with so many other reviews, the decor was enthralling.. great place to bring somebody you want to impress. The food was decent, but having been spoiled with all the good sushi places on the West coast, I found that the sushi was just so-so. Nothing very special about the rolls or the sashimi. I ordered oysters to start, and one of my oysters gave off an extremely foul odor. Thankfully, the bespectacled Asian waiter was very kind as to replace my oyster. Impeccable service. I guess it's a great place to bring someone on a date, because it's all glitzy and stuff.. but personally, I think the food could improve by miles to match the standards of its decor.

• Pros: Great place to be seen eating sushi for the sake of 'exotic' dining.
• Cons: Below average sushi if you're an experienced Japanese-food eater.

07/14/07

recommended for the atmosphere....and entertainment

by sleopold at Citysearch

I went here with some friends, it was loud and busy as hell. The sushi was very good, definitely overpriced but nice to try something a little different sometimes. After the dinner they had entertainment...it really was entertaining. I enjoyed it so if you think about the price, think about it, you are getting food and a show...still expensive but again something a little different. I have to agree with a previous review about the A/C...it definitely wasnt on. It was hot and slightly uncomfortable...I still think it was a pretty cool place to check out....like once

• Pros: entertainment, cool scene
• Cons: expensive, hot

07/10/07

turn on the freaking A/C

by indy1972 at Citysearch

If you are looking for a reprieve from the summer heat in Chicago do not go here. We were out in the 90 degree heat all day and the last thing we wanted was to sit in a hot restaurant all night. You would think they could afford to turn on the A/C given that the sushi nigiri costs $4 to $5 per piece (note, not 2 pieces but per piece). If you are looking for a scene this is your place. If you are looking for good sushi, go elsewhere

• Pros: the scene
• Cons: overpriced sushi/ low quality sushi/ no air conditioning