Sampa

Overall good food. As of today they are considered a "dry restaurant", a restaurant that doesnt serve alcohol. A liquor license can take up to a year to get. The hostess mentioned that theyve been open for about a year, which makes sense. As a Filipino eating in a Filipino restaurant, i'd consider Filipinos as the worst customer to get. They are the ones who complain the most in Filipino restaurants because something isnt "traditional" overall i'd consider this restaurant as a "modern" Filipino restaurant.Drinks: overall goodEspresso martini: Overall good flavors, it would be better with alcohol. Price point is good, making a milk punch/ clarifying, takes alot of work. Probably shouldnt call it a martini without a martini glass. If it has a citrus peel, it can pull off being a espresso old fashion. They should look into Filipino roasters so they can add that to the description. Melon pandan cooler: Tasted like sweet ginger beer. Didnt taste the pandan and melon too much. Overpriced.$16 for sweetened ginger beer with no alcohol. Price point should change. After they get their license, these prices are going to be over $25 with alcohol if they did their costing correctly. First dish: Hamachi Kinilaw: fish tasted good. A really good amount of fish for the price point. Food cost can be questionable with this plate, it could be priced higher. I really like the shrimp cracker looking side. It gave it a nice touch. Improvements: adding a crispy pickled vegetable would be good. I was looking for a bit more acid when eating. Adding a non traditional Atchara, maybe small diced pickled vegetable or like atchara style pickled ramps. Also with tobiko already in the dish, adding a few sprinkles of shiro dashi would also be tasty because i was looking for a touch more salt.Second: Ube gnocchi w/ uni and tobiko: I dont like uni, but i like this dish. That says alot. This restaurant needs to get spoons. Filipino food is usually eaten with a spoon and fork. I had to ask for a spoon. Slurping an uni shell to taste the sauce is painful3rd:Kare-kare tamalesOverall good. I like the masa flavor. Beef inside was tasty. I wish there was more bagoong. I really enjoy it when the servers are trained to talk about the dish and how to eat it. Adding bagoong on the side would make it tastier. 4thCrab fried riceYummy, large portion5th Wagyu salpicao, It was ok, presentation is nice. Needed side of salt or something. Chimichuri needed vinegar, but it was my first time trying filipino chimichuri, i dont know what its suppose to taste like. Philippines has so much sea salt. Getting filipino made fleur de sal and putting it on the side would make it better. Dish was missing salt. Even making their own flakey salt with by dehydrating patis with salt would add more depth into the dish. Potatoes were cooked perfectly, just again missing a little flavor. Taking cheap chinese mushroom powder and grinding it in the spice grinder and dusting it on the potatoes would make the dish tastier. 6th Iberico pork ribs with tamarind I wasnt expecting a tamarind flavored bbq sauce. Pork looked like lamb chops. I forgot we ordered porkribs and was expecting to taste lamb for no good reason. No appologes for my bad grammer and speling. Short term memory, egh... 7th Ube souffleGave the texture of a soggy warm mamon. Server should mention not to put all the sauce inside. They did something cool with powdered sugar, it looks nice. Waste of space though, such a huge plate. The plate looked like the island of phillipines with how much space was on the plate. It would be better on a rectangle plate. 8th calamansi key lime pieOverall tastyTasted like lemon curd. Look like cheesecake. Polvoron, didnt add much to the dish. Couldnt tell it was a polvoron crust, maybe adding milk powder. Served on a broken plate. Hostess gives boss vibes. Manager is friendlyWaitress is nice and gave good recommendations. Chef looked super busy in the kitchen, on the line cooking, on expo, etService improvements. Price point and atmosphere theres a Couple things expected. Iam not picky so idc, butChanging plates after courses should be a thing. Offering slightly larger plates for entrees would be a plus, but not required. Spoons again, this restaurant needs to make money to buy spoons or get a dishwasher. Clearing the table entrees and giving out new plates and spoons once the dessert is out would be nice. I used the serving spoon from the previous dish to eat the dessert. Bathroom: broken toilet seat, couldnt lift it up. Mirror is aesthetically annoying. Why is it so dark in the center... Price: 10 items for over $450Overall: i can see the hard work and the vision. I'd like to come back in a year or two

A late review from Dine LA.I love traditional Filipino foods and decided to try the fusion style at Sampa.Everything was delicious, especially the CoCo shoots, Hamachi Kalawin, and the Ribeye w/ Filipino chimichurri.The tamale felt a little short on taste snd mostly masa. The duck pancit was my least favorite. Duck was tough and the pancit was just pasta. It wasn't much to rave about. I much prefer the original pamcit noodles. Ube Cheesecake was yummy, buy Calamansi Key Lime pie hit it out of the park! It was refreshing and delicious.I only wish they served more than just two-bite size.The overall vibe is sophisticated and good service. I feel the price point of the actual menu is on the high side.I hope this restaurant survives the finicky Angelenos' taste buds and not just another short lived trendy eatery.

This is our second time trying SAMPA. We absolutely love this restaurant! My girlfriend is Fillipino so we are always looking for new Filipino restaurants to try. SAMPA is unique because it is a modern twist of famous Filipino dishes. They execute this amazingly. The power Josh is awesome & you can tell he is passionate about what he does. 10/10 recommend! Kalamansi Wings- 10/10 (our favorite) Bangus Benedict- 9/10 (AMAZING)Kare Kare Tamales- 8/10 Palabok Pasta- 8/10Lechon Fried Rice- 8/10Bibingka Pancakes- 7/10

On a mission to try every restaurant in the Arts District. Samoa popped up with an open res - and a few of decided to check it out. Across the street from Resident and right next door to Urth Cafe, easily found street parking.Absolutely loved the black and gold decor and the bar was stunning, but a bit bare. We were told when we sat down, they are still waiting to get their liquor license so only had mocktails at the moment, (which is why I only gave it 4 stars). The mocktails were really delicious though. I love kalamansi and had the coconut and calamansi mocktail.Since we had a party of 4 we were able to try a significant portion of their menu. Starters- Salted egg caprese salad - didn't really taste the salted egg. It was fine- Kare Kare tamales - better than I had anticipated as tamales just aren't my thing, but pretty good- Escargot - this was delicious with the coconut butter- Hamachi crudo - it was your standard crudo. I liked the rice crackerMains - they were much better than the starters- Crab Fat Fried Rice - a MUST order, added a squeeze of calamansi which gave it a nice bite- Crispy Duck Pancit - also yummy, duck cooked well- Ribeye Salpicao - this was a showstopper, you could smell the delicious aroma throughout the dining area with the rosemary Dessert - ALL AMAZING- Calamansi Key Lime Pie - YUMMY- Ube white chocolate soufflé - also wow, really delish- Scoop of Kopiko ice cream - so creamy. Made me want to go home and figure out how to recreate at homeAll in all, great service, good ambience, mocktails were good - so is a good sign when they obtain their license that hopefully their cocktails will be just as good. This place went from a pop up to a stand alone - hope this place does well!Will definitively be back.

DineLA Jan/Feb 2025Last (published) night of DineLA. I say published as several restaurants have extended their promotion beyond last night. Anyway, I stopped in, without a reservation, hoping that I would even be able to be seated at the bar. I was. Good things happen when you arrive early. Or in my case, before it was open. Basically, Ran time. Found street parking about two football fields away. The parking lot across the street was empty. But I knew I was going to eat so I could use the post meal walk. And, street parking is free. If you don't know me - I like free. Like I mentioned before, I walked in, no reservation. But was greeted and seated at the bar. Totally excellent service. The duo behind the bar made me almost every drink on the menu. Mocktails btw. No liquor license. Didn't bother me because I enjoyed the drinks and how they didn't clash with the dishes I ordered. See pics and the list of dishes i ordered below:Off the regular menu:Tamarind Salad & Kuhol (Escargot)Off the DineLA menu:Hamachi KilawinPasta PalabokCrispy Duck PancitCalamansi Key Lime PieDrinks:Tuba Sour, Melon Pandan Cooler, Tita's Favorite and a Calamansi MojitoAs for the food, I enjoyed every single dish. The explosion of flavors and how once flavor or ingredient wasn't overpowering in each or subsequent bites. This will be surprising to hear from me (dessert is never optional), but if I had to choose one dish I wouldn't order again - it would be the Key Lime Pie. If you don't like the citrusy tartness that usually is associated with Key Lime Pie, this will be for you. That tartness that almost makes you wince when you take a bite was missing and I not just expect, but enjoy. Texture was good but was just muted for me. Sadly, I didn't lick the plate clean. Service was excellent. There was a minor mix up which delayed my order, but it seemed to bother the staff more than me. I was busy enjoying the drinks and it wasn't so delayed that my stomach was gnawing on my backbone - it happens and once everything was on track, from viewpoint, everything was great. I left fat and happy and without a thought of a minor delay, which happens. I had been here before. Years ago when it was Simone. Then it was Kaviar. Now, Sampa. Guess I don't need to say it - but here goes - Yeah, I'll be back. Hope it's not something new. I really want to try other items off the menu that looked awesome when I saw it served at nearby tables.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Sampa, and it was an unforgettable experience! From the moment we walked in, the ambiance was inviting and vibrant, setting the perfect tone for our night.We started with a selection of mocktails, and I can't recommend them enough. The Tuba Sour, a delightful twist on traditional palm wine, had a lovely sweet-tart flavor that made me wish I could have several glasses. My second favorite was Tita's Favorite, a refreshing coconut, pineapple, and cucumber drink topped with a slight salty-sweet foam--absolutely divine!For starters, we were treated to a fantastic array of dishes: the Care Care Tamale, Hamachi Kilawin, and Tamarind Salad were all 10/10, bursting with flavors that awakened taste buds I didn't even know I had!Moving on to the main course, everything was served family-style, allowing us to enjoy a variety of small tastes. We had the Filipino Bucatini with sweet tomato nage and longanisa, and even as someone who usually isn't a fan of duck, I was blown away by the Crispy Duck Pancit--it was simply delicious! The Banana Leaf Bass, prepared with red curry butter and crispy leeks, was another highlight that kept me coming back for more.But the star of the show was undoubtedly the Crab Fat Fried Rice, so good that we ordered it twice! We also tried a unique take on Beef Salpicao using ribeye; I highly recommend ordering it medium since it comes sizzling on a hot plate. The chimichurri sauce, with its lovely sour and spicy notes, perfectly complemented the ribeye.For dessert, we indulged in a trio of treats: the Calamansi Key Lime Pie with a polvorone topping, the Halo Halo Tiramisu, and the Ube White Soufflé--all worth every calorie!The service at Sampa was impeccable. Toffer/Chris, our server, was truly the best. He took the time to explain each dish and provided excellent drink recommendations. He frequently checked on us and even took some photos to capture our special night.I can't recommend this place enough! The ambiance was amazing, making it perfect for our Galentine's celebration, but I would happily return anytime. Thank you, Sampa, for making our Galentine's one for the books!

The decor was very classic and minimalist. Street parking is available but could be difficult. There's a lot across the restaurant, it's about $15 for a day parking. Our hostess was very friendly and gave us updates since they are running behind their reservation schedule. My fave dish is the Kare-Kare Tamales, it was very tasty and unique. Sadly, they ran out of Pasta Palabok, I really looking forward to it. We had Crab Fat Friend Rice and Crispy Duck Pancit, both were tasty but nothing special. The Hamachi Kilawin was very fresh. I ordered Melon Pandan Cooler and was really excited to it. I thought I ordered calamansi because it was just sour, I didn't even taste any melon or pandan in it. I love the ube cheesecke than the halo-halo cake. We wanted the Calamansi Key Lime pie but they ran out as well. We got a free Ube White Chocolate Souffle for free because the Crispy Duck Pancit took a long time to be served. Our server was great; however I noticed most of the servers were just overwhlmed and tired in general. I probably think they didn't expect much crowd for the Dine LA. Overall, this is a great introduction for anyone who's interested in learning about Filipino food but if you are looking for an authentic Filipino food, this is not going to be it. This place is more Filipino fusion cuisines.

Been wanting to try this place since I have been following them on ig before they relocated. Love the concept of filipino fine dinning and fusion with other cultures. This place is super unique!Located in the arts district next to urth cafe. Plenty of street parking and paid $10 parking. Busy for a weekday. Was able to take walk-in and seated right away with option of bar seating or regular seating. Tried dine LA $65 per person. Everything was expected to be bite sized for the 4 course meal for 2 ppl. We wanted to try a little bit of everything so we shared or at least we tried to share.ahahSo since this is filipino owned...where is the CARBS? Only 1 (crab)fried rice? Most of the dishes had a lot of sauce and i wish we had bread to soak it up and eat with. Or i should have packed my own rice! Bahaha...so much for fine dining..SUGGESTION: make ur own version of pandesal/ dinner roll/ roti? 1st course:- Hamachi Kilawin with shrimp chips. Delicious. Great appetizer to cleanse the palate. Idk about shareable bc not much to share lol. Can be scarfed down in 3 bites! -Kare-Kare Tamales: the bomb! My favorite hands down! The sauce is perfection! I need to know the recipe! An elevated version of kare-kare.***this contained peanuts for those with peanut allergies sucks for u! More for me! Lol. Jk but just fyi!2nd course-Pasta Palabok: instead of finger licking good more like plate licking good! The sauce is fire! Love the chicharon sprinkled on top.SUGGESTION: should have the whole shrimp cut in half like how they have it in actual pancit.-filipino bucatini: it was sweet but not too sweet with the longanisa.SUGGESTION-- i think tamis anghang sauce would also work!3rd course:-Crispy duck Pancit: the duck was not Crispy, but still savory. The noodles were on point it even had calamansi to add to the flavor.-Ribeye Salpicao: an additional $24 for an 8oz prime ribeye served on a hot skillet...we got medium rare. To be honest it was ok. SUGGESTION: I think a different take on sisig would have been a better fit. You have all these dishes with soo much flavor and idk it just fell flat for me because its any normal dish.4th course:- Ube cheese cake: i love ube! aka purple yam and not taro! I love that polvoron was used! Sooo delicious.- ube halo halo tres leche: we got to try since they ran out of the calamansi key lime pie. They serve this during brunch. Its no halo halo but its jus as good! SUGGESTION: Would have loved some ice cream to go with it! When i think of halo-halo i look forward to the ice cream part thats why.Beverages: calamansi mojito mocktail...tasted like fresh squeezed calamansi. I wish there was less ice. LolOverall: i would come back. For the kare-kare tamale, palabok, and the desserts as well as try all the other beverages!

A+ all around from the food to the ambiance, the service to the presentation, it altogether was a spectacular dining experience. I brought my friend here for a birthday dinner, not expecting much. We were blown away by the dishes we ordered - the hamachi, escargot, uni gnocchi, crispy red snapper, Wagyu. The standout was the uni gnocchi and second was the crispy red snapper. We ALMOST didn't order the uni gnocchi, but luckily our server talked us into it. It's such a creative concept and actually has a lot more gnocchi than you expect when you first look at it! Good but not overpowering flavor, sauce had a nice creamy consistency, and the gnocchi was perfectly al dente. Highly highly recommend this dish. Our server mentioned this was a seasonal dish that was so popular that it made the main menu. Lucky us!Crispy red snapper was cooked perfectly and the plating was beautiful. I personally wasn't the biggest fan of the beet sauce under the snapper, but it was wonderful to look at! The other sauces on the plate also paired very well with the red snapper. Some things to note - - you could get lucky and snag free parking in the spots right as you enter the street - they don't serve alcohol yet so it's all mocktails for now! Luckily there are many bars nearby if you want a drink - they switch out the dishes so a plate you see on yelp may not be on the menu by the time you dine- choose the dining room for seating! The bar and bar tables felt very small. We were very glad we didn't choose those during our reservation

My sister and I came here with a friend who's a LA local for lunch. Everything we ordered was so flavourful!! Our service was excellent! Thank you Chris and Chris for being attentive. Chris overheard us talking about my friend and I getting engaged one month apart and he gave us free ice creams! Thought that was really sweet since we didn't want to drink.The restaurant is pretty dark inside and I personally loved it since I'm a bit of vampire at home. I wish I had more appetite to order more food because I want to try everything on their menu.I will definitely visit this restaurant again soon when I'm back in Los Angeles!