Review Samurai Bowl - Christchurch

Loved the Vegan Yakisoba. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Simplistic setting and service but delicious food. Embrace the simple and just enjoy the great food.

Friendly staff, had a spicy miso ramen with pork.

I am happy with this friendly environment. The Ramen soup is so delicious and tasty. The curry was what I was expecting to my limits. I came on Thursday for dinner and was getting treated with the most nicest staff. There were two girls working. And she was very kind to me, the person who served me. I would recommend for lunch and dinner 😇

One of the tastiest and affordable Japanese eateries in the city centre. I always try to dine here at least once everytime I visit Christchurch. Love their gyudon, karaage and spicy miso ramen.

My first ramen in Christchurch, it was yum and pleasant. Affordable price, pretty much quick service since order to get food ready. Might be need to change little bit of atmosphere inside the for dine in.

Just went here today with my daughter and I would just like to say that it’s absolutely amazing. First the service is great , my daughter and I had a rough day And our server made us feel happier and feel welcomed which was good and made our day much better. Oh and THE FOOD WAS AMAZING!!! I had a ramen soup bowl that was so yummy the ramen broth was so tasty with just the right amount of spice and I added this nice ramen egg which really pairs greatly with the dish. My daughter had this Crispy Karaage Chicken on Rice meal which looked really delicious. She described it as Really, Really, Really, Really Good which must mean it was pretty good HAHA she ate it all up. Anyways I just think I had to write this review because this restaurant deserves all the best recognition it should have. Highly recommend!!!!

Food was delicious and came quickly. Prices were expensive for the portion size. I’m happy regardless, I visited just after 1pm, there was only two tables occupied. I got the unagi don with a ramen egg and the karaage chicken (because I was fully aware of how small Japanese portions are) and I was full just right and not in a food coma. Total came to about $34, which is way more expensive than Maccas, but at least I got to eat eel and didn’t have to queue up for ages.

Tasty food, friendly service and when i thought that deserves 5 stars itself - i had their dessert of mocha ice cream with Azuki donut. My family had been hungry for more since then...

i haven't been to town samurai bowl much since the wairakei rd one opened, but we did recently and were blown away! awesome rich broth, perfect eggs and chashu. tried the new mayu ramen which was delicious ☺️ and of course the classic tonkotsu. don't forget to get it all topping! some of the best ramen i have had in a while!! 🥲

I’ve just moved over from Melbourne and honestly this is one of the best ramens I’ve had outside of Japan! It’s No frills, sure, but big on flavor and these people know what they are doing.. it feels very homely. 💕 I work around the corner and will be adding this to my lunch time rotation!

Pretty good ramen, but can be better. Chashu pork is amazing, tender and flavorful, the broth is salty enough to taste but lack of umami, soft boiled egg is done well, but easily ruined by bad peeling skills, karaage chicken is crispy, juicy, but bit bland, it might need more time in marinade. The raindrop cake is surprisingly nice, really enjoyed it!

Interior is showing its age. Cups in particular need to be changed. But more importantly, Tonkotsu Ramen soup is bland and watered down, and yet they don't give you enough to soak the extra noodles you can order. It's thoroughly disappointing to see that they have finally compromised on the one thing they managed to keep up for the last 10 years - taste.

Very good food with polite staffs! They have a range of things you can order that can satisfy your love for Japanese food. Further more, it isn't expensive, very affordable instead.

Staffs are pretty friendly and polite...food is unexpectedly acceptable 😬😬😬 and the price is great!!! Love it...definitely considered a cheap eat in the city, cheap yet edible 👍👍👍

Good selection of ramen and donburi for anyone who would like good quality filling japanese casual dining at affordable prices. <br/><br/>The combo meal (~$20) is recommended for the hungry as it comes with ramen and half rice (pretty big half rice serving). There was also a good selection of sides.<br/><br/>

I had dinner at the restaurant for two night in a row lol I took away the food on the second night.<br/>The Spicy Miso Ramen is really nice.The broth is really smooth. Highly recommended. I haven’t tried other ramen yet but I’m sure they are also really amazing.<br/>The Karaage Chicken is great if you eat on the spot. Don’t take away as the chicken becomes really oily somehow.<br/>The Teriyaki Salmon Don is okay.The salmon got an off taste to it and very oily. Maybe it would be great if I had dine in.

Samurai bowl has existed for over 10 years in Christchurch now. It has two outlets, one close to South City on Colombo Street, one brand new outlet located on Warakei Road in Burnside. In its inception, Samurai Bowl used to be located nearby Cathedral Square. I often went to the Cathedral Square location, before the earthquake- The food and service were outstanding at that point in time. I wish I could claim that it is as good as it used to be but, in all honesty, I cannot! I went to the Colombo Street outlet on Saturday the 1st of September, after not having eaten there for almost 9 years!! I was accompanied by a group of friends. I had a Gyu Don, priced at $12.50. It is basically beef on top of a bowl of rice. The meat was, although eatable, quite unappetizing and the rice was so bad that I could not finish my bowl- The rest of my accompanying party had ordered sides that they were happy to share with me. They ordered the Negi Mayo Gyo-za dumpling, the Prawn Twisters and the Octopus Balls. The prawn twisters were soggy, the octopus balls were appetizing but had too much sauce in them to my liking, but the Gyo-za were good, even though I had one by mistake since it has pork in it and I am trying to observe Kashrut. It seems that during its expansion, Samurai Bowl, at least the Colombo Street location, is not living up to the quality of yesteryear. I would not recommend this location and I hope that the other outlet is capable of restoring my faith in this franchise.

Had dinner at Samurai Bowl on a Monday evening. Fantastic place! It wasn’t crowded and the staffs were friendly. The serving size is generous and food is yummilicious!

Its a paradise for Japanese food lovers . The place was quite busy during lunchtime when we reached however we enjoyed their hospitality ,food and ambiance. Good work guys !

I love this place. The spicy miso ramen is to die for. Amazing service and great atmosphere <br/>One of my favourite Japanese restaurant in Christchurch

yummy food but their ramen is a bit salty.. good price and people were very welcoming.. the service was fast too even though it gets busy. hoping they improve their ramen because it is one of the best i've had so far..

very bad service. The waitress no smile and always watch you when you eating. <br/>Very small size. 6 of us no one eat enough. <br/>Don't come and eat. <br/>Shit things.

Pretty average flavor, nothing really exceptional. They are cheaper than other Japanese restaurants in ChCh so you can't expect fine dining like Kinji.

Great food, service and atmosphere. I'd eat here again if I was back in Christchurch. Scollops and curry don were great. You finish a good meal like this and you feel great.

Price was decent $149 and a bit for 9 people. However, the beef i ordered was hard and cold and made me wanted to puke slightly afterwards. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their meal. <br/><br/>

Samurai bowl has been around for quite a long time and fairly well known for their good food.<br/>The ramen and rice dishes are one of the best Japanese options around Christchurch.<br/>The price is also decent, which is a plus. Can be very busy, reservation will be recommended

Easy cheap and probably one of the best quick eating Japanese places in Christchurch. The fried chicken was surprising nice! Tbh their ramen broth is pretty average apart from their spicy miso ramen and I was upset that my tamago was not half cooked in the centre!

Dined here one evening due to Mr Wasabi wanting some Japanese food, so we Googled for some decent Japanese places close to our hotel and Samarai Bowl popped up on the list, also serving ramen.   We thought great, ticks our boxes.<br/><br/>The restaurant was surprisingly full, mainly with the student crowd and I can see why, as the prices are fairly cheap.  Food here is mediocre to say the least.   We ordered a few things to share, to get a decent tasting of the menu<br/><br/>Please check out my website for an indepth review

I often come here with friends to enjoy the atmosphere. Small place and is usually packed for a reason; the food is great.<br/>Stand out dish is spicy miso ramen, brings me back to Japan!

Ambience is what you would expect for a cheap and cheerful, the Raman Noodles were OK but not overboard on the flavours, the best part was the miso flavoured broth. Octopus all had a small obligatory piece of octopus. It was cheap and the service was friendly and efficient.

Been here several times with friends and colleagues.<br/>If u are an ambience person then this is not a recommended place.<br/>Food however is good and service is good.<br/>Highly recommended for people looking for a quick bite in city

Probably the only ramen pork base soup that matches my taste buds the most throughout Canterbury, I'm not a fan of tough big noodles but I won't be complaining because others do like it. They have good enough food slightly above average, many choices for Donburi (rice bowl meal). They do have efficiency that I'm impressed of, meal do serve fast here :) Hubby & I have been here countless times for a quick bite.

I wasn't particularly hungry when I walked past Samurai bowl, but after seeing the colourful adverts littered throughout the window, the legs turned of their own accord. With very limited dining options available on a public holiday, I was glad to have been given the last available table.<br/><br/>Menu is comprehensive and contains a large range of sushis, ramens, dons and stir frys. Ordered the samurai ramen set (that is what they're known for after all) with a side of karaage don and a salmon avocado salad. Ramen was hearty and well balanced. Portion size slightly smaller than anticipated but all your usual staples are there. Karaage don was unfortunately mediocre and slightly boring, as was the salad.<br/><br/>They sell take home ramen packs ($12 for 2 serves), great value and idea if you're over the 2 minute varieties; but sadly I don't think my hotel would've appreciated me cooking up a storm with their bar fridge and kettle. Hopefully one day they will export it to Sydney!

First time here today for lunch and wow! Had the fried chicken and karange chicken and they were both amazing! Chicken was so tender and yum! Can not wait to get back there for lunch again next week! Highly recommend!

Awsome place if you want a change in your menu..wasn't spicy to the point but yea it's really something to try out!<br/>Ambience is quite good and gets really busy by evenings..tried their prawn twisters and curry don one of the best dishes l liked..worth it!!

The decor is endearingly mishmash  - AC/DC and Green Day posters battle for space with endless adverts for their take home packaged ramen and a wealth of other oddities.  Everything's a bit shabby - the battered menu book is physically one of the tired-est that I've ever seen.  We started with Gyoza dumplings and seaweed salad. The dumplings needed further frying and tasted mostly of ginger. The salad was small but well balance (it's a hard salad to get wrong!)  Both arrived quickly and were followed almost immediately by two dons.  The salmon on sushi rice ticked the right boxes.  The galbi did not.  The tiny cubes of beef were chewy and  lukewarm.  A pity as the bbq sauce was really nice.  Overall a mixed bag.

Love the tonkatsu ramen here!! broth was full of flavour with bouncy noodles and yummy soy ramen egg. We also had the karaage don, prawn cutlet which was both good. However we felt that the unagi sushi had way too much rice, would have been better if they kept the ratio of rice smaller. Nonetheless a good place to have affordable yet authentic Japanese cuisine.

Went in after reading good things, dumplings were great, samurai ramen was also pretty good, kaisen Toji-don overpriced and super gluggy rice. Edamame average.

Reasonable prices and decent portions. Service was super quick and friendly. <br/><br/>Had the kara-age curry rice. Curry was hearty and tasty while the chicken was crispy and juicy. <br/><br/>Large tasty meal for a fair price!

Samurai bowl is one of my favorite restaurant to visit in Christchurch. The decorations of the shop, steaming ramen soup smells and friendly staffs always remind me the time I was in Japan. It is great to have a decent price ramen place to go in Christchurch when you crave for hot soup and noodle. Their rice donburi dishes area also good, I especially like the chicken katsu with curry rice. If you like Japanese food and ramen, definitely a place worth visiting.

Loved this place was super cheap and was amazed that you actually get your money's worth. Was a funny experience trying to eat with chopsticks for the first time :)

I love this place! Based in Christchurch CBD it is a fun quirky Japanese restaurant. Though it's very plain looking inside and out the food here has some of the yummiest traditional Japanese food I've ever tasted! The smiles on the staff are very welcoming and did I mention the food!!!!! Definitely a cute place to go eat on a date, if they're not too fussed on what the decor looks like. I assure you that the food will make them love u and you'll be a happy lad, win win :D

Compared with its price, the food is definitely of great quality. Is it really that great? I'm afraid I wouldn't say so. But still it provides good food. The portion size generally is not big but feasible. The staff members are friendly. It's an enjoyable place to eat casually.

Love this place. For a quick cheap nosh up Japanese style there is nowhere better in Christchurch. Love the Japanese curries great food good service. The restaurant is a bit dated and not the best itself. But I recommend this little gem of a restaurant in the city.

I come to Samurai Bowl pretty regularly and they're very consistent. I love the veggie curry don, with edamame beans as a starter. Service is always friendly, food arrives fast and is very affordable. The location is also great with the massive South City car park on the other side of the street.

I love Samurai Bowl, Japanese at a very reasonable price. As you walk in the door the staff greet you with a friendly "Iirasshaimase"  (Which is a Japanese expression meaning welcome specifically when entering a shop or restaurant). This greeting along with the wall decor makes you feel like you are getting a very authentic experience. The food is delicious and filling. I usually have the Negi Mayo Gyoza as a starter (japanese dumplings) and Prawn Toji Don. All Don's come with Miso soup as well which is nice wee bonus. This cost just over $20 for everything. My only gripe I have with Samurai bowl is the service, the staff can come off a bit dismissive at times but they are very quick and make ordering easy.

Samurai Bowl offers some of the most authentic Japanese meals at fantastic prices. Most mains are between $10-$16, and are large portions. Highly recommend the ramen, kaarage (fried chicken), prawn-toji don (6 big pieces of prawns, deep friend and coated with an egg sauce over rice), but really just about all their meals are amazing! The food comes out very quickly too (usually between 5-10 mins even during busy hours). It is one of the best value-for-money establishments in Christchurch, let alone for Japanese restaurants (which usually overcharges for simple fushion meals).<br/><br/>The only downside has to be that there are not many waiters/waitresses. There is one at the counter who is usually swamped by people ordering meals (meals are ordered at the counter here), while another is busy delivering meals from the kitchen and cleaning up tables. Because of this, it can be quite hard to get the attention of them without having to queue up at the counter. This is a minor gripe though since they are very friendly and they do try to be as attentive as they can.

Not exaggerating when I say Samurai Bowl is the best value for money in Christchurch. The service is always friendly, the food delicious and quick to arrive no matter how busy they are. Their ontama gyudon is absolutely to die for.<br/><br/>While the decor is nothing to write home about, after a few visits it simply becomes part of the charm; especially the Ghostbusters poster on the wall.

I just recently arrived in Christchurch and the first thing I did was to look for a good bowl of ramen. I'd stumbled upon Samurai Bowl and thought to give it a try. I ordered their Samurai Ramen with Ramen egg. Cheaper price, huge serving it was good but I'd tasted better.

I come here frequently and it is perfect every time there is so much variety and flavours and the price is phenomenally good <br/>I really like the ramen and the sashimi is really fresh but the curry is my absolute favourite. i have yet to try many other things from the menu!

Firstly let me start by saying this is one of the best value for money propositions in town. The food is excellent, both big services and full of flavour; yet there is a compromise. Don't turn up here expecting candles or ambience. It's the perfect place to go with a few friends, eat for sub-$15 a tasteful large meal in a busy thriving environment. I won't lie, the decor is shocking but it's a bustling cheap business that beats the hell out of anything else in it's price range.

One of the best deals in town for genuine Japanese food. Delicious food, big portions, cheap prices and did I mention the food is delicious? Karaage Toji don and Spicy Miso Ramen and now staples of my diet. Just don't expect high class digs, it's not the place for silver service but the staff are really good and friendly.

Samurai Bowl, Use to be a fantastic place to dine when they were out their pre earthquake location on Gloucester Street.<br/><br/>Decided to go along to eat at their new premises on Colombo Street this evening. Haven't been since the earthquakes.<br/><br/>...What an absolute disappointment this turned out to be.<br/><br/>Myself and my partner are frequent patrons of Japanese Restaurants and have sampled many throughout NZ and this I regret to say would have to be the most disappointing experience.<br/><br/>Food lacked flavour and wasn't at all what you would expect to receive. Prawn Twisters (A normal Favourite) Burnt with only a tiny piece of prawn inside the burnt batter. Pork Ramen, contained only two slices of pork about the size of a coin. and left a very oily/fatty feeling in mouth for hours later.<br/><br/>To me it didn't have the feel or atmosphere of your typical Japanese Eatery.. Kind of felt like a cheap Chinese rip off of a Japanese restaurant. Even though I regret to say this is a Japanese run restaurant.<br/><br/>Change of owners? Not sure but my experience has left me very disappointed how this place seems to have slipped well below par.<br/><br/>Will not be returning. Would not recommend.<br/><br/>Sorry.

Great little place to eat! Always go there when friends ask to go to a cheap but delicious place, Samurai Bowl is definitely a place I'd always recommend! <br/><br/>Quick service, the girls who work there are very friendly. Love the side dishes they have available, get a little overwhelmed with the menu sometimes, just so many delicious options to pick from! They have a great range of ramen, rice dishes, sushi, and curries. Their side dish options are great too! Definitely recommend the wontons and octopus balls :)

I had the Tonkotsu Ramen and my friend had the spicy miso ramen and we shared the 6pc dumplings. We were both impressed with the food and especially loved all the things that they put in the ramen and it was very authentic japanese ramen. Cheap price and the food came fast.

Awesome value for money, very casual atmosphere, fast friendly service. :)