Sampan

Rick Abraham 3 months ago

Have you ever taken a bite of a meal and immediately made that involuntary "mmm" sound? That's exactly what happened here. Everything was outstanding. I ordered the Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry with steamed rice and the roasted broccoli with pine nuts, along with a Strawberry Lychee Lemonade. Every dish was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. The Szechuan chicken had the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spice with a great texture and presentation. The broccoli was cooked perfectly and complemented by the pine nuts and seasoning. Even the steamed rice was fluffy and spot-on. The Strawberry Lychee Lemonade was refreshing and paired wonderfully with the meal. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, and the presentation of the food was just as impressive as the taste. This was one of those meals where every bite made me want the next one. I'll definitely be back and highly recommend it to anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience. Highly recommended.

Ernest Thomas (Randy Jr) 3 months ago

Let me tell y’all something… I came to Sampan tonight as a party of one, and from the moment I said “table for one,” it felt like I had announced I was there to inspect the fire extinguishers. Now, let me be fair. I’m a huge fan of the owner, which is exactly why this review hurts my feelings more than it should. They sat me at the prep station bar, which was fine. I actually enjoy dining alone. What I don’t enjoy is sitting there so long waiting for service that I started learning the employees’ schedules through observation. When service finally arrived, my table wasn’t fully set, I had no napkin, and nobody seemed particularly interested in making sure I was having a good experience. I ordered the chef’s tasting menu thinking I was about to go on a culinary journey. Turns out it was more of a culinary Uber ride. Fast, confusing, and over before I knew what happened. No questions about whether I’d been there before. No recommendations. No explanation. My server was moving so fast I felt like I was trying to catch instructions during a fire drill. The ceviche was okay. The cheesesteak bao had less flavor than a corporate training video. And somehow it was greasy enoug

T 4 months ago

Our waitress was super nice and the food came out very fast, almost too fast lol. The tasting menu is the best way to get a feel for everything, the wagyu beef and the mushroom shumai are must haves. The restaurant can be on the loud side so it might not be great for a first date, but good for a group of friends or an established couple.

Olivia Vidal 4 months ago

The restaurant was nice and pretty. However; the atmosphere was very loud and overstimulating. You can find yourself having a tough time having an intimate experience as the tables didn’t have much personal space from one another. As for the food, it was delicious and my steak was cooked to perfection. I would suggest to sauté the garlic a little bit longer to give it more flavor. The short ribs lo mein had an unexpected sweet taste that was not mentioned on the menu description but it was very good and still enjoyed it! The drinks were amazing, flavorful and will catch you by surprise.

Mike Sperando 10 months ago

Went to Sampan on a Saturday night with no reservation and was told it’d be a little over a two-hour wait. They texted us after about an hour, and when we came back, we were seated at the bar overlooking the kitchen. At first I was annoyed it wasn’t a regular table, but it ended up being a great spot to eat and watch them prepare the food. I had the edamame dumplings, roasted broccoli, salmon entrée, and Korean beef BBQ — all absolutely delicious. One of the most consistently great spots in Philly.