Happy Samurai in Canterbury

Might be some of the best food for value I've ever had, always leave full and satisfied, still working my way through an extensive menu but never been let down, friendly staff and cosy atmosphere

Second visit, just as great as the first one!

Our favourite restaurant for lunch in Canterbury. Extensive menu. Daughter says ‘it’s my favourite place’.

This place is godly. Go to of shoyu with cha Shu pork. Second best bowl of my life. Shout out to suburashi ramen in Paris. This place is to die for. The takoyaki made me ascend and 50p for Infinite green tea is amazing. Would recommend to everyone.

Overpriced and wasn't worth the money 1. My spicy tan tan men was just a bowl of sadness. Underseasoned. The minced pork is not even minced and seasoned. It was overcooked and tasted like some 5 year old cooked it. Was nor worth 14.80£ at all 2. We all ordered different types of ramen, and the menu mentioned different noodles, but all of our noodles looked the same. 3. We ordered chicken karaage, it was not bad but could be seasoned a bit more. 4. We had to ask for water three times. It took them about 10 minutes. Unbelievable.

If 2 of you want to share 1 ramen soup (with toppings already could end up £20) and nothing else consumed, you not allowed to have it. Manager rule! It was Thursday 5pm, quite restaurant and we walked away. Menu placed outside without prices. Choose more welcoming place in the city.

Visited with my partner, order came nice and quickly. Service was very friendly! Food was absolutely amazing ! Will definitely be coming back !

Amazing food going there every time possible.. space little bit too small.. when its busy literally siting next to strangers and listening their convo..thats a bit annoying but food tho🤭😗

Happy Samurai pleasantly surprised us with its good food. It would not be incorrect to say that this place serves the best Japanese food in canterbury. The in house sake was remarkable.

Very nice, busy restaurant with lots of different options! We had to wait for a table to begin with but not too long, glad we waited as the food was very enjoyable!

Many places advertise Japanese fare, but are in no way authentic. This place is, and staff preparing meals included Japanese. Happy Samurai is both eat in and take out. I would say what the offerings are close to the same dishes I have eaten while living in Japan. Happy Samurai is certainly popular, and we had to return after 20 minutes to secure a table - on a Sunday at 2.30pm. The downside is to be prepared to wait: it took 25 minutes to be served. A bowl of ramen is around £12.50, a plate of yaki udon, £13. The dining area, accessed by a narrow staircase. is slighty cramped - perhaps reminiscent of budget Japanese eateries. Staff were friendly and helpful - for those knowing little of Japanese food, some pictures on the menus might help.. We left feeling broadly positive. My wife intends to pick up some sushi as a take out in the next few days.

Great quality food, highly recommend and will definitely be returning. One of the best restaurants in Canterbury.

A simply lacklustre experience. Had to wait 30 minutes outside the restaurant in the cold, which was fine as we had not previously booked, though it speaks volumes about the service, especially as it took 12 people to leave the restaurant before my friend and I were seated. What was most infuriating was not only that the waiters took the order of 2 separate groups before ours (who came after us), it took 35 minutes for our food to come, with everyone else in the restaurant who came at the same time or later, having almost finished their food by the time we got ours. Don’t even think the waiters made an attempt to feel remorse/apologise for making us wait so long. Just wasn’t worth the 1 hour wait before getting any food.

On arrival there seemed to be a miscommunication between the staff and we were left waiting at the top of the stairs with all tables full or reserved. No one came to seat us or paid us any attention until we could stop a staff member going past. When we were seated in a position that required climbing up steps with no handrail or wall, and stepping down into the table and bench (not for older people or the less able), service was decent albeit with an added 12.5% service charge. The sushi was good quality and I would recommend it but the noodle bowls were a bit disappointing. The spicy bowl was too spicy for even the bravest in our Anglo-Asian family.

Gorgeous food, best gyoza/ ramen I've had yet.

Since I moved here 4 years ago, I have tried many ramen places, but this one stands out as one of the best. Our go-to order is always the tan-tan ramen with the char siu pork because it is simply delicious. Despite the small size of the place, the service is impeccable.

The food is fine, though not as tasty as Tamago's. The service was good and the staff went out of their way to help us choose dishes. The problem lies with the layout and ventilation. The seating area is small and very cramped, and situated above the kitchen. This means that it's hot, humid and smelly. You can tell when something has gone in the fryer as you are bathed in the smell of hot oil. Signs tell you not to open the windows, even though the place desperately needs fresh air. After dining, we had to shower and wash our clothes. That shouldn't be necessary.

Kind waiter, platter was expensive and tasteless but was redeemed by the rice bowl, best I’ve ever had

Amazing food, excellent service, generous sized portions. Best ramen l've ever had!

Always have the best food here. Service is always great!

Probably the best sushi I've ever had! You know its good when you see Japanese people eating in there. Highly recommend

Really lovely great value food and friendly stuff.

OMG visited this place today after a recommendation and travelled 45 mins to take our daughter for her birthday - it’s well worth the trip - the staff are brilliant and the food is out of this world. We will definitely be going back for sure. Thank you guys !!!

Mum's birthday lunch with the girls.

Average ramen, very long wait despite the friendly service. Wouldn’t come again.

Good food, good service and affordable prices. Good for starters and small plates to share.

This is the best Japanese restaurant in Canterbury - at least in my opinion. It's a bit pricey but well worth the money for the experience. Defiently worth checking out

This palce is dirty! DIRTY Walls,toilet, and sticky tables. We ordered sushi platters, a literally miniature version of sushi. Absolutely ridiculous overpriced!

Amazing kitchen! Best sushi in Kent. The ramen is to die for. Thank you!

Fantastic Japanese restaurant offering a wide range of authentic dishes. The place offers quite a good representation of an authentic Japanese restaurant but with quite a wide range of foods on offer. You can get sushi, ramen, tempura, yakatori - all sorts. There will be something for everyone on the menu. Lots of veggie options, they also explain most menu items in more English terms for those less familiar with the Japanese terms. It would be great if there were more authentic Japanese veggies on the menu, e.g. lotus root, and if they had a tablet/ticket ordering system like a lot of little Japanese restaurants, but otherwise you can't fault the service. A great improvement would be a range of alcohol free beers - although the ice teas were really delicious - not too sweet, and very flavourful. The food came quickly and the hosts were very friendly.

Great place, about as authentic as it gets. If anything they have too much selection but if you have a vibe they can pretty much fulfill it. Only wish they had seasonals like odin

Limited choice for vegetarians but delicious

Firstly I would like to say that the food was very good, but. I found the food over priced for the amount we received. We ordered 2 dishes with the second given to us 20 minutes after the first which wasn't great. All topped off with Christmas songs being played, it's September! When I asked why a Christmas playlist was on I was told it seamed fitting for such a cold day, it was 20'c and sunny??? I didn't hate the place and I will return to try one of the Ramen bowl's one day. I just feel that it's overpriced and left me feeling cheated out of £60

The Unagi Donburi (eel rice bowl) is amazing

Possibly one of the worst meals I’ve ever tried to eat. I ordered fried udon noodles with vegetables. I got udon noodles that hadn’t been fried with mandonlined veg. That’s it. No sauce, no flavouring. Literally a packet of noodles + 20p worth of thinly sliced peppers/cabbage and whatever else- it was so thinly sliced it was basically tasteless. The young Japanese guy serving us was sweet and friendly, unlike the girl who would rather have been anywhere else than serving at this restaurant. How can a Restaurant with so many glowing reviews have served us a meal that even a student would have disowned? My companion ordered mackerel sushi he said was good. He also ordered seafood udon with noodles that were equally underwhelming and barely warm with frozen prawns and mussels. We dined here thinking it would be better to dine at an independent business wish we’d chosen Pho or Wagamama instead. Had we been charged service we would have refused on the basis of the waitress’s attitude.

Best Place for Ramen Noodles. The only down side to this restaurant that i wish it was opened more. every time me and my girl friend are looking for a place to eat, this place is closed...

Every single dish we tasted was terrific. The waitstaff seemed like they were in training, very polite and lovely but learning the ropes. The food was sensational. We truly enjoyed it. We were with a couple of foodies and they also gave it two thumbs up. So delicious and reasonably priced. Would love to visit again.

Great food, attentive staff but had to wait a long time for meal to be served. Didn't spoil our evening though.

We have been visiting happy samurai for close to 2 years now and have never had anything bad to say about them. Recently my girlfriend and I went there and thought it would be another good experience. We received our ramen and immediately found her order to be wrong, and then found a long strand of hair attached to the meat. We called the waitress over and she made a face and asked if we wanted a new bowl of ramen. We were not offered any compensation and no apologies were made. Food good, customer service poor. We unfortunately won’t be going back.

Only the Ramen is good, sushi’s ok, noodle dishes Luke warm and the service is embarrassingly awful. Management weren’t in the least bit interested, literally getting away with the bare minimum to take your money. 3rd visit- same each time

The quality of the food was okay , the place look real authentic. The portion were a bit small . Was a bit expensive but like most of the Asian restaurants in the uk.

Very popular Japanese restaurant, you generally go upstairs, although some bar seating for busy days downstairs. The food is good and the service is polite and typical Japanese. Drinks and food tasted great, and service was fast. Busy place and well worth a visit for authentic food and experience.

Love this food so much. Everything I could want in a Japanese restaurant. I have been here before. Service is very slow, so you can’t be in a hurry. We got forgotten about once we were seated as a family, with many other people after us being served before us. This is unfortunate as it does leave a bad taste. I had to literally go and ask someone to take our order after 30:minutes waiting with no drinks etc. Busy or not, it’s a very small restaurant! Considering we reserved a table it makes us think again about going. Such a shame, but we will try again. Previously service was also slow so I’m hesitant

The seafood ramen soup is very light, but it doesn’t match my taste. Whereas the seafood like, sea bass, shrimp, and squid are tasty. Fried tofu is not the type I imagine as crispy outside but soft inside, if it is the case, it will be wonderful. Also, if the noodles can be customized, to be harder not soft as dough, it would be my type.

Waited nearly an hour but didn't get our food, it would be less annoying if we hadn't seen people who had come in after us being served first

Must try place for some heart warming ramen

Quite surprised with what we got considering the many positive reviews. We had rice with teriyaki chicken. The chicken was chewy and not good at all, I do believe I spotted them heating it up in the microwave (and perhaps overdoing it). All in all, I’d avoid and go somewhere else.

In Canterbury for shopping, stopped off at the Happy Samurai for lunch, we asked if they could cater for Gluten free and they produced a Gluten free menu. Very pleased. We had a triple choice of Sushi and the spicy tan tan Ramen Very enjoyable, its really nice to see Japanese families eating here as well. Staff were very helpful and knowledgeable, service and food was superb. We will certainly be eating here again

Food was good, the only things was the ramen which was overdone but relatively minor. Defo de was friendly but slow. Would definitely go again for the sushi. Good variety and quality.

The food here is absolutely excellent. It's a favourite haunt of the local students who typically eat the exceptional value ramen dishes. We tend to be more adventurous, starting with the tempura prawns and soft-shell crab, both of which are great. We then also go for platters of sushi and sashimi. These are all substantially more expensive, but still good value and top quality. The issue is that service time becomes a nightmare when you stray from the most popular dishes. Be prepared for a long wait. I'd normally have dropped it 2 stars for poor service, but the food is so good I only dropped it one. Will still go back despite the wait.

This place was a surprise and one thing f the best Japanese restaurants I've ever been to. The most difficult part is choosing what to eat,... it is the only place I have been to that has great sushi and at the same time really good ramen... Ohh and take their homemade Kimchi

One of the best ramen places I’ve ever been to! What a lovely experience! Thank you!

The food is spectacular!! The staff there is very kind but the only problem is that there was a mosquito flying very slowly over our food. Really recommend it though!!

Mouth-watering and incredibly tasty food, wonderfully helpful staff. Staff were really accommodating when we visited yesterday with our 8 month old, allowing us to park our buggy downstairs. As for the food itself, it was to die for - easily the best meal I've had in months. My partner and I both had kimchee steak donburi and we had a selection of other plates. Honestly, I think it's a little underpriced for what you get, particularly in the middle or Canterbury. We visited whilst on holiday which is a crying shame as we'd be coming back as regulars if we lived in the vicinity.

Whenever i visit canterbury i will have my lunch here with my partner & we been having lunch here for 2 years but recently the quality is going down hill, soup rymen taste nothing like how it used to be, last time it was tasteless just like water & full of burn stuffs, i said i will give it another try but again, it just not worth £15, i can easily get a pack of rymen with better soup pack inside for as low as £2, me & my partner both agreed that we will not come again knowing you pay for something not worth it. Very disappointing.

Lovely foods, all done freshly at time of orders. One of the best Japanese foods I've ever tasted up and down the country. Warm and friendly atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Went with my 21 year old daughter. Great choice of food, lovely friendly staff, tried a Japanese lager , very nice. Good Central Canterbury location

The food was good. We had the sushi party platter with extra unagi. It took a while to come because there was only one sushi chef on. The server was really helpful, informative and friendly. They seemed a little overstretched however and couldn't focus their excellent service enough to make the evening seem like it was managed efficiently. The atmosphere was lively but also a little stuffy. The kitchens being downstairs and producing a lot of fried food means that the environment is warm and greasy. I would love to give more stars as the food was really nice - the unagi was fantastic - but the environment and lack of support for their excellent servers takes the shine off this dining experience.

Love this place Great food Great staff Great price. Will be visiting again

amazing food, lovely staff and great service 10/10!

I have been to Happy Samurai (Canterbury) quite a few times now with my girlfriend - this is what to expect: The food is great, best Japanese food in Canterbury, plenty of options, I LOVE their Tantán Ramen and it’s great to have an option for extra noodles for a fee. Everything is hand prepared and very tasty, they have a sushi menu and a ‘specials’ menu too. DO NOT COME TO THE RESTAURANT AT 3pm AS STAFF TAKE AN HOURS BREAK UNTIL 4pm and it does not tell you on Google, this has happened to me 3 times in the past after travelling 30 minutes. The service is quite sub-par though and I have encountered rudeness over the phone whilst booking and when walking in. The waiters and waitresses are quite young and the busier it is, the more chaotic the staff. We also made a booking and was told we could not be seated for 30-45 mins. It’s a small restaurant with seating upstairs and can get very hot on hot days. After coming here around 10 times this year, our last experience with service and rudeness, we will not be returning for some time.

Seems to be genuine Japanese cuisine. Both staff and clients mostly Japanese

Since they changed the Japanese waitress and chef, the downfalls began. Hope I can see the restaurant serving good quality food again.

Best Ramen in town. I literally dream about this food and it's my go to place now when I want to eat in town somewhere

I've visited the happy samurai on multiple occasions and I always love it. I love going to grab a takeaway on my break at work or going for a sit down meal. Always excellent 👍

Slow service and the amount of times I’ve been here where soft shell crab is not available is unbelievable.

켄터베리 갔는데, 애기들이 파스타를 제외한 뜨끈한 면이 땡긴다해서 어쩔 수 없이 갔는데...식당이름이 너무 역사적으로 거부감이 들어서 들어가기 싫었으나...짜증나게 라면이 너무 맛있었음...종업원도 어쩜 그리 부지런하고 싹싹하고 잘하는지...탄탄면 짱, 해물라면 짱, 모두가 좋아하는 면도 짱..ㅠㅠ

Better go on weekdays as they are quite busy on weekends. Ramen was good although the soup was not as rich as the authentic Japanese’s, while the roasted pork was really good. As an Japanese restaurant in a Western country, Happy Samurai is above average.

We came on a hot day and started having regrets the minute we walked up the stairs into a virtual oven! Things could have been improved by either opening the windows or switching on the precarious looking air con unit, but we managed with my fan. A Sunday lunch soon got busy and there was just one poor lad trudging up and down those stairs bringing and fetching. He was sweet natured and remembered everything asked of him which we admired. We ordered a salmon sushi platter, fried chicken with chilli, 2x bao buns and a small tuna roll. It was SO worth the wait! The most delicious food we have experienced in a long time! The bao bun has stuffed with char Sui pork and crunchy shredded salad, the sushi rice was amazing and of perfect temperature, the fish was exquisite and chicken seasoning dangerously hot! We loved it all and cannot wait to get back to it! Former subscribers to Super Noodle down past the King’s Mile, now cannot WAIT for an excuse to go back to the Happy Samurai! The toilets need a bit of love and care (also a mirror for my lovely face please 😉). A hidden treasure.

The best sushi in Canterbury, my go-to.

We tried Ramen. For a good Ramen, the noodle, the soup and the pork are all very important. To be honest, it failed the first two if it is in Japan Ramen standard. But it is ok when compared to Wagaxxxx standard.

Sasimei is fresh, noodle taste good, good taste for the food and nice enviroment.

The Ramen at this restaurant is amazing, I've experienced several Japanese restaurants in UK, but the Ramen at Happy Samurai is my favorite Ramen. Japanese style restaurant's decoration and extremely good service. I will definitely come here next time 🍜🍜🍜

The Food was very tasty and fresh but their service is very rude. Waiter does not have way of speaking and forced us to pay bill the way they wanted and did not allow us to split the bill. Waiter was saying we’re very busy,...

One member of our party had good sushi and would recommend. Another had a disappointing Ramen-Yakisoba. The Chicken Bao, the bun was fluffy and sweet, the chicken filling was not exciting. Generally would not recommend. You will be paying for a takeout container and each soy packet. Note, minimum of 5 pounds for card payment. TLDR: Get the sushi

Best Japanese restaurant in Canterbury

Dobre jedzenie ( oczywiście jeśli ktoś lubi kuchnie japońską). Polecam

Nice small place with the most old castle and cathedral

I loved everything!!! Delicious!!!

Zeer vriendelijk personeel, eten smaakte goed.

Ramen is good but waiting for over 30 mins

It is my favourite place in Canterbury. Great service and excellent food. It is a popular restaurant so better book in advance.

Eating in is always a pleasure. Great food every time, I can't get enough.

Not the most prepossessing of locations the Happy Samurai is a Japanese restaurant in the upstairs of a barn-like building in Butchery Street with room for a kitchen and bar stools for sushi on the ground floor. I arrived shortly after its 2pm afternoon opening...

Consistently good food throughout the hot food and sushi, one of the best restaurants in Canterbury.

Very good, and affordable, Japanese food. Always busy so book if you want a table Bao buns and sushi are top notch (as are the octopus balls) Tempura Prawn Sushi worth a try as well

Great little place. Canterbury is a food town that deserves more credit fir such hidden gems

Very poor quality food… don’t be offended but happy samurai definitely seems not run by Japanese …

Ordered sushi platter today and all the raw fish was warm, didn’t eat it . Told the lady downstairs and she was not interested. Have had one good experience when the owner was there but otherwise it’s not great food. Paid the bill and left,...

Since yo sushi closed, finding a place in Canterbury to get well made sushi became a mission, the happy samurai takes their food to a whole new level offering not just exquisite sushi but a wide range of tasty, beautifully presented jampanese dishes. The prices are affordable and the food is delightful! Would highly reccomend!

Bon restaurant japonais dans Canterbury. Leurs ramens sont vraiment biens, surtout le bouillon qui est vraiment riche en goût.

the very young staff didn't know what they were serving the BAO buns were amazing.. sushi mediocre and alcohol selection very limited

We did not expect much, because the restaurant is newly opened, but they managed to surprise us with a very good ramen and delicious sides.

We love Japanese cuisine and have a hard time finding anywhere decent for a meal. This was out of this world. We wanted to order everything on the menu. It'll be a place we get to go any chance we get and will get to...

Ramen was so good! Cannot believe I did not try their food before!!

Fantastic food , could not fault it . You need to be prepared to wait a bit longer so don't go if you are in a rush. Take your time and enjoy the food as it is well worth the wait.

Had California sushi roll and two bowls of delicious ramen. This place is a excellent and much better than the chain alternative round the corner. We live an hour from Canterbury and will happily drive this again just to come to Happy Samurai! Thanks guys!

The best Japanese food in the area! Super affordable drinks, starters, mains and desserts. The food is absolutely delicious! 100% will be coming back here again! After we was done and paid we ordered extra sushi to take home for later!

Cold beer, hot Gyoza. Winner any day of the week

Always love coming for dinner here. Fantastic food and lovely staff. Would highly recommend a visit.