Sushi Sam - Sushi restaurant in Kailua-Kona - 75-5626 Kuakini Hwy, USA

Incredible! This sushiya is at a level few people will ever experience, especially Americans. I’ve been lucky to be guided through some of Japan’s best sushi restaurants by my wife, a Japanese national with extensive experience entertaining VIP guests in international business, so she knows her stuff. What puts this, or any, sushi restaurant at such a level is the source, quality and freshness of their ingredients - which can be very expensive. Fine differences in species and source can make a huge difference in price. (Most to all of the ingredients are from Japan or Hawaii, yum!). In short, the head chef / buyer is at a level far beyond what most will ever see - and this restaurant is at a top level even for Japan. I will note the highest level restaurants in Japan have a much more refined dining room; Sushi Sam’s dining room is lovely, but not at the same level as top Japanese restaurants. They are also a small restaurant so they don’t have as extensive offerings, but that’s a function of volume. To me this is good, I don’t want to pay extra for atmosphere. The chefs and service was outstanding, the food highly nuanced and truly incredible, at a level to which the most experienced diners can respect. However, a lot of sushi lovers probably don’t understand, they may be annoyed that… 1) Things weren’t like ‘the restaurant back home. 2) They didn’t have my beloved ‘X’ fish that I always order. And 3) the prices are very high. Comments like this reveal a lack of intimate understanding that can only come from extensive experience in Japan, and a thick wallet. (Example, watch the 2011 movie ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’). It’s not that folks don’t know what they like, rather it’s almost impossible for most to gather enough experience in high-end Japanese dining. I’m extremely lucky to have a guide like my wife to (constantly) explain the difference in sourcing, nuance and exact species. While this place is expensive, you will pay much more in a top level restaurant in Japan. If you really know your sushi, can afford it and want to try a truly amazing top level sushi restaurant; this place is for you! If you don’t have an experienced Japanese guide, I strongly recommend you let them help you order either at the sushi bar or from a Japanese server. Tell them in general what you like and go with an open mind and savor every bite!

Location and restaurant interior are good and that's about it. The "sashimi" including the toro is so stretched out and thin it's ridiculous, it tastes about as fresh as every other Japanese restaurant on the island though they wouldn't survive in Oahu. Btw, this is a restaurant where only tourists dine at, locals eat at Sakura. Way overpriced for non tasty food. Rice stuck on the exterior of the uni nigiri tells you just how attention to detail is lacking. You can also tell by the rolls, if they spray this much mayo and other sauces on rolls that's a sign of cheap food being offered at tourist prices. Once was enough. Diners leaving 4-5 stars sadly have never had good sashimi/sushi or were sweet talked to by the owner/"sushi" chef, we both pitied and were angry at the ignorance of their reviews. But as always each diner must try it for themselves.

Hey Sam is the real deal? All of his sushi was so good and fresh. Great quality fish, and the flavors were just like being in Japan. The location is pretty central in Kona town easy to find.

It is not often a place impresses me enough to feel the need to write a review. I have been to more than my fair share of sushi places and usually even like the average stuff. This is FAR from average. I had the special roll and I honestly cannot say if I have ever had a roll better. The salmon sashimi I tried was also amazing and in a true rarity it was very obvious even the soy sauce is of high quality. The miso was another hit across the board. Thank you Sushi Sam for the wonderful experience!

I’ve had a lot of sushi in my life and I must say this was one of the best. Incredibly fresh and everyone was so kind

RECOMMEND!!! The sashimi is top quality and the food is very delicious.

Mediocre sushi, a pretty poor appetizer (veggie tempura), and absolutely horrendous service. Really not much good to say about this place. I guess its high rating comes from being a rare sushi joint in a tourist-heavy area. But based on my experience, it certainly doesn't deserve 4+ stars. The veggie "tempura" was a hastily breaded nightmare. It featured a poor patchwork of tempura, and was clearly fried too quickly/in cold oil. The veggies were raw, it was such a waste of an appetizer. For sushi, I got a "spicy" ahi roll. Zero spice, but this place can't do much right, so I guess that's to be expected. And then otherwise a very pedestrian roll, absolutely nothing stood out. Finally, service was comically bad. The sushi chef denied me counter seating, claiming all remaining three seats were reserved. The female server begrudgingly allowed me to sit at a table, under the condition that I had to finish in roughly 35 minutes. Both the sushi chef and the server then refused to make eye contact with me for my entire meal, which I finished in under 20 minutes out of respect for the artificial time limit imposed on me. While I was there, three tables were empty, and the entire counter emptied out save two seats for a couple who walked in, no reservation. I don't want to speculate on why the chef and server were so rude to me, but if you have a mediocre restaurant near a major hotel, don't be such a curmudgeon about serving tourists. I left a 20+% tip but they truly did not deserve it.

Such a treat! We had gone to another sushi restaurant in the village that was far busier but Sushi Sam was a much more elevated experience. The flavor, texture, and presentation of each of our nigiri and sashimi were well-balanced, and the few things we ordered from the kitchen were spot on. Highly recommended!