Lucky Samurai

Where to start...since ownership has changed, I have not had anything but bad experiences. I continued to go every now and then hoping that eventually something would change; they have the best ginger dressing and I enjoy their bento box. Today I went into the establishment with my mom; we were the only people inside at the time. We were hungry, hoping for good food and a decent experience. We went to order at the register and were greeted by a young lady which we never got her name. When she came up I immediately noticed she had an ear pod in her ear. She was barely listening to us and over talking us and rushing. I had to repeat myself several times as did my mother. She kept saying "I'm sorry?" And while we were trying to tell her exactly what we wanted to order she kept over talking us to ask us what we wanted and rushing to the total even though we were not finished. Had she been listening fully she would have caught everything she needed. I specified I wanted the small bento box. I ordered teriyaki chicken, sushi roll #21, gyoza, salad with ginger dressing and a tea to drink. My mom ordered fried rice with onions and egg only with a half and half tea. She asked for a side of teriyaki sauce which usually is given to us but she said it would be a charge and hey we understand food cost; no real fuss there. However she did the same exact not listening fully and over-talking to my mom as she did to me. At this point my mom is irritated because of how much she had to repeat herself. If you are struggling to hear us, taking the ear pod out would be ideal. Even so, while you are at the front dealing with customers, it is common courtesy to remove your ear pod to ensure there isn't obstruction to hearing to keep the experience as low stress for both parties as possible. Finally, we get done ordering and are sitting at the table I chose to eat at. Our food comes out, I notice that my food is incorrect. I noticed there were mushrooms in my chicken which I never get and was unsure why they were there. I bring it to the attention of the young lady who ran our food out that I didn't order mushrooms. She proceeds to say that the hibachi typically comes with mushrooms. In my reply I toldher I never ordered hibachi and that she must not have heard me say teriyaki. So they come back with my bento box with the correct ordered chicken and rice. I check my sushi and see there is avocado and the kani is not tempura. I again never order sushi with avocado and remembered the roll I ordered did not include that and the kani was tempura. So I go up to the register and the young lady who took my order says I thought you said #20. I said no maam in fact I never order that and I order the same thing every time I come. So she was about to come and take the one I had then changed her mine and said she would bring another half sushi that was correct. She brought the right roll but it was still missing ingredients of the roll. At this point I was already annoyed and just did not feel like it was worth the bother. There is a difference between those who are passionate about what they do and those who just treat it as a job. I used to LOVE this place when it was ran by Christopher. Him and his wife were lovely at running this establishment and I feel that my standards are very high because of them maybe but the least I feel one could do is active listening. I will not be back for quite a while if at all at this point I have given up on having a good experience. My mom left underwhelmed, unsatisfied, and disappointed. As a Chef, I want to submit that when it comes to small hiccups like these, they can lead to bigger issues down the road. Not paying attention well in food service can become law suits waiting to happen, what if I was allergic these things I ended up with? And leaving them in my presence isn't ideal either. While I thoroughly inspect my food before eating it not many do and something simple as active listening is an easy fix.

Left: #28 Tiger Roll Right: #29 Rainbow RollNot pictured: App of Fried Gyoza (dumplings) Dumplings were okay, but I wouldn't order them again. Young man at the window was kind, patient, and very helpful. Also, informed me they have BOGO sushi on Fridays! I've had their hibachi before, it was delicious -- unfortunately, I've never been inside before. Overall, I recommend for the location, price, and certainly would pick this over buffet with sushi down the street!

The crunchy rolls from Lucky Samurai are my favorite. I usually order three types and Teriyaki Chicken.

They call it teriyaki but there's NO teriyaki sauce. The meat is tougher then leather. It's a hard pass on this one!

The food is absolutely delicious but the service however is not . We've been to the drive through twice and a guy always comes and takes our order and collects the money .. well we waited 30 mins the first time for our food and 45 min the second time . If we hadn't already paid we would've left . Very disappointing since they now have new management

I used to eat here between 2015 to 2020. It was always good. I love their tea. Then I didn't go to Gastonia for a while. I ate here in April 2022. It was good. My husband and I ate here January 24th. The tea was good but the food was plain and dry. We had hibachi chicken and hibachi shrimp. The chicken was tough and none of it had any flavor except for the carrots. Shrimp weren't seasoned much. The rice, mushrooms, and rice were really plain. First time I've not liked it. Sorry that I talked my husband into going there. They have many choices for sushi. I don't know much about it. The descriptions of much of it seem similar. I'll have to give them another try some time when I am by myself. The service is always great and they are very nice. I felt bad for the fellow out taking orders in the rain. He seemed to take it in stride. We used the drive through because of the weather. We had an appointment at the hospital so we just parked and ate.

Our family of four have been wanting to try this place and so glad we finally did on the Saturday before Easter. Knowledgeable and friendly staff. I'm so taken back with the options you get here especially with the bento box and the sushi. The Hibachi and Sushi are such great quality and value. I couldn't stop raving to my husband about their noodles alone. We recently moved from Charlotte and we're learning that Gastonia has so many great options surprisingly and this place definitely does not disappoint and I find it to be a real treasure. We would love to come support here every chance we get. Thank you for spoiling us!

The service was great but the food just isn't that good. Ordered hibachi steak and shrimp with broccoli only The rice was plain whiteStill had corn peas and carrotsNever againIf it looks like a hole in the wall...... it is what it is

This place has some of the best food in Gastonia. They deliver exactly what they advertise, and no less. Portion sizes are great, staff is incredibly friendly. I visit this location regularly and as long as they're open, Sake Express doesn't exist.

Went through the drive thru and food was still hot when home. Flavor was nice and portion was generous.