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I ate here 20 years ago and I have fond memories of really good ethnic food-like my grandparents prepared. We had dinner at Sammy's this week...4 of us. Best part of the meal: the pickles, peppers and bread served as you await your food. We sort've liked the chopped liver. Absolutely dispised everything else. Bland chopped eggs; old, hard fried kreplach; ineatable veal cutlet (the price was removed from our bill); skirt steak that was a tasteless, chewy mess that even ketchup couldn't improve; stuffed cabbage that looked good but was lukewarm and lacking in flavor (do they know how to use any spice other than garlic?); potato pancakes that were made two weeks ago and kept being reheated until they were a hard, dried out mess. If they thought the ruglach that was brought as dessert was good, then they have never tried the ruglach from Costco! Now that is fresh, tasty, flaky and good! After our many complaints, our very nice waiter suggested we come back on a Thursday or Friday since that is when they make fresh food!!!!! (quote, unquote!) The ambiance is friendly surrounded by dirty menus, dirty walls, and dirty floors. The singing piano player was the only thing good that evening (next to the vodka...which I am thankful for otherwise I never would have stayed!!)

This bozo is not qualified to rate a McDonald's. Sammy's has been serving same food for generations. Must be doing something right! Some people do not qualified to be a judge on food. World Culture and food has to be judged by people with open mind and great taste buds.

The atmosphere was a blast and the service was inviting and fun....but the food was not good. We were served chopped liver as part of a prix fixe special. I thought I was eating Alpo with onions in it. Catfood was also represented quite well, by the mysterious nuggets made of minced fish meat (I think?). I'm not really sure if the skirt steak was actually really good, or if I was just really hungry from avoiding all the other food items. A lot of fun if you go with a party, though.

This is the real jewish treat in nyc! I still remember going to this place more then 20 years ago w/my grandparents...and its still a hidden jewish treasure on the LES. I love the mashed potatoes w/the chicken fat...one of the gems in the city!

The perfect place for a group or someone who wants to experience the Lower East Side of the early-1900's Jewish Diaspora. Combine with a trip to the LES Tenement Museum to connect with your great-grandparents' daily lives. The food was authentic Eastern European Jewish food. Don't miss the chopped liver! Service was attentive and skilled. The guy playing the keyboard was hilarious and got everyone dancing the hora (note when it's your turn to dance: this is a grapevine-step dance, not a kicking Russian thing as the tourists seemed to think). Two tables of tourists and one table of real NYC Jews (us) had a wonderful time, even dancing and chatting together though the 3 tables did not know each other. Highly recommended for an instant party!

First timer to Sammy's and I was pleasantly surprised and shocked at the ambience! I drove up from Philadelphia for a friend’s 50th birthday party last night, and I can see this place can get really out of hand. My wife's main concern (besides someone removing my radio, battery or tires from my car in lower Manhattan) is whether the restaurant was kosher. Kosher food really sucks and is the basis for a bar mitzvah being held at 13 since most will not survive into their 4th decade of life eating that crap. Fortunately, we arrived prior to sundown on a Saturday Night and this place was open, so we figured we were on safe ground. The food and atmosphere was straight out of a shetel, providing the ghetto was not starving and surrounded by Cossacks or Germans. My grandparents, may they rest in peace, would have poured the schmaltz on that fantastic rye bread! The picked vegetables would have satisfied my kids! But the skirt steak is a meal for the next three days for me and my lovely wife. We wrapped up the steak(s) and headed back to Philly. Our dog has not stopped following up around for even a tiny morsel as her sense of smell is quite amplified by the garlic and tender beef we brought home. The entertainment could have been any Bat/Bar Mitzvah on Long Island complete with audience participation. Danny makes that place come alive considering we were way off the beaten track from Chinatown and Canal Street. Personally, I personally dislike NYC after living there for several years in the 80's. And for that matter Philadelphia too which is my hometown. But a special place like Sammy's to have a party, reunion, outing etc... is well worth the price of admission given the frequency most groups can get together on a regular basis which is all too infrequent as time goes by. I would go back in a heartbeat if we have another chance to celebrate a mitzvah. And the owner who greeted me at the door and asked if I was Jewish? I was just about to pull a Larry David and show him my circumcised schlong if he had any doubts. My wife would have cracked up but the rest of the restaurant might have found issue. He has that Mr. T starter kit going around his neck which must keep all the Israelis in the jewelry business alive in NY and Miami. I jogged a few miles this morning and took extra Zocor. I think I shaved 3 years off of my life last night with that meal, but it was well worth it! Mazel Tov

This place is hysterical. you should go with a big group and drink a lot of vodka. DO NOT come here for the food. My steak still had marks where the jockey was hitting hit. The food is Vile with a capital V.