Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse

Had a wonderful time at the new Sammy's last night. Food, music and service were great. They are a well oiled machine

I was very disappointed that they no longer put pump/syphon type seltzer bottles on the table - they've been replaced with supermarket plastic bottles. You go to Sammy's for a particular experience/ambience and replacing the old seltzer bottles detracts from this mood and atmosphere.

Space for dancing much more limited now. Not enough fans/air conditioners to cool off the place. There were many in our group who did not get up to dance because of the heat.

On the whole Sammy's does not disappoint. We had an amazing time ... it's like going to a Bar Mitzvah with old friend's

Where do I begin? P'tcha with so much garlic no vampire will come within 100 feet of you, chopped chicken liver with Schmalz, caramelized, onions, and shaved radish; rye bread, vodka served encased in blocks of ice, pickles, potato latkes, egg creams, live music with a Jewish ethnic flare! If you have to be somewhere quickly, do not go to Sammy's Roumanian. But if you have some time, want to have a culinary feast unlike anything you have ever experienced anywhere in your life, and if you are not driving yourself, I recommend you go to 112 Stanton St. for an unforgettable time.

Unbelievable ethnic experience! Wonderful family style food. Just a great time! Music was on point. Drinks flowed. Great time was had by all. Chicken liver was the best.

So glad this restaurant has been able to find a new space to reopen in. Just celebrated my dads birthday with great food, lively music, and special friends. I threw my parents 25th wedding anniversary party here 10 years ago and so glad we were able to celebrate my dads 80th here as well!! We will definitely be back. The stuff cabbage was delicious, steak and flat chicken was tender and full of flavor, and of course the chicken liver and analy

OMG, how the mightly have fallen. Was once a avid patron of the former restaurant. Firstly a security person @ the door. Why? Did they expect pro palestinians try of enter a mostly Jewish clientele? Air conditioning practically non existent on a Hot NY evening. What was AC was assisted by wall fans. Food served family style, bread was just plain bread, karnatzalachs were dry, stuffed cabbage was tastless, tenderloin was also not spiced, what happened to the garlic of past. Served sliced, some pieces were well done. Weren't asked your desired "doness". Chicken was a flattened dry tastless cutlet. Rugalach was also tastless, egg cream was a bust.
The best, lol, was they charged for 2 adults & one child full $75, when on making reservations was told children half price. When asked for clarification it was changed. Another fact that they automatically added on the tip on total amount post tax. I personally tip on subtotal. So disappointed. We left food behind. I don't know how long they will last. Son can't manage like the original "Sammy."

Can't believe I hadn't been here before!!!
While passing this place once with a couple friends, one of them casually mentioned it and explained the food and atmosphere. She had us with "old school Jewish food" and "schmaltz".
(This place is not Kosher, and there were both Jewish and non-Jewish and mixed groups of people having dinner there that Tuesday night, and every table was full when we left.)

I mentioned the place to my Eastern European Jewish father and it turns out he had been here a LONG time ago, he thinks he was just a kid back when he went.

5 of us went for dinner - all 5 either Jewish or part-Jewish, and therefore all appreciated the singer's Jewish-ish jokes, the pickles brought to the table, and the giant portion of chopped liver "Sammy's Style" that was fully loaded and mixed at the table.

We REALLY wanted to try the stuffed cabbage, but with the pickles, chopped liver, latkes, kreplach, and our entree, we knew we wouldn't have room.

We each ordered the Romanian Tenderloin (skirt steak) - 2 of us ordered medium size and the rest ordered a small. Either way it's a huge portion, we all had leftovers, but only a $2 difference in price between small and medium... so for $2 you can have even more leftovers LOL.

Everything was delicious. Would've loved to try more from the menu.
The large party at the table next to us ordered the chilled vodka bottle and I was kinda jealous.
The atmosphere is casual - it's an old style with old furniture and the walls are covered with pictures. But this was part of its charm. It was like being in a family event in the party room of a Jewish temple in the early 80's.
By the time we left, every table was full and most people we saw had the Romanian Tenderloin steak as an entree.
For example, there was a table of about 6, non-Jewish 20-something aged men (I know non-Jewish because the singer asked everyone who was Jewish in order to know the audience/victims for his jokes), and each of them had the Romanian Tenderloin. So Jewish and non-Jewish alike seem to really enjoy this place!

Photo was taken 1/2/21. RIP Sammy's. At least you could've left us a note. So many customers now arguing that you couldn't be closed. We feel like we've been left at the alter!

This place is something else. Coming from the PNW where were known for our polite friendliness, I'd never find a place like this back at home. The staff have the stereotypical New Yorker hospitality, a little gruff, not afraid to poke fun at you but all in a nice way (I think). The night we went they had live music. A older man who played the piano and sung. Somehow he got everyone in the restaurant on their feet and dancing around for at least one of the songs. He also acted as our stand up comedian for the night.
The food was excellent. Nothing special was done with the lamb chops - in terms of presentation or fancy sauces - because nothing was needed. It was perfectly seasoned and delicious.

Sammy's is a damn good time. Just make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. The restaurant is old as hell and totally cramped, the service is not particularly friendly, and the food is only decent (the chopped liver, sweetbreads, and the steak were actually surprisingly good to be honest...but the old school Jewish food at this place might scare some people).

But that's not the point. The point is getting a large group of family and friends together, ordering some (overpriced) bottles of frozen vodka, dancing the hora through the narrow aisles between tables, making new friends, and laughing uncomfortably but whole-heartedly at the awkward Jew jokes make by DJ Dani Luv. It's an absolute blast.

Every time I'm at Sammy's, I am claustrophobic from the low ceilings and cramped quarters, taken back by the shoddy ambiance, gasping at the expensive markup, shaking my head at the cheesy music, feel a tinge of guilt for not being Jewish, and only eating a portion of my above average food. Yet, I still have a great time here. In short, Sammy's unique nature is unmatched; there really is no other steakhouse like it.

Get reservations. Have the hostess seat you anywhere in the house. Establish what you'd like to order (go for the set deal at $100 a head) and begin drinking copious amounts of vodka encased in ice. While eating a cornucopia of Jewish foods fit for any bar mitzvah party, be tickled at the older Jewish gentleman sitting at the keyboard and trying to get the crowd fired up. Eventually everyone will get up and dance. They'll start screaming, clapping, and eventually laughing. At some point you will end up wondering how you got here. During my first experience, I was eventually called a North Korean Jew. (#1)

The atmosphere went from drab to electric in only a matter of minutes. No one is safe from the torments of the MC and ladies, expect many fruitful comments to come your way as well. Uptight people stay home. Shy and introverted folks will have the night of their lives. Keep an open mind and appetite and everyone wins.

On the food front, the chopped liver (while looking somewhat unappealing and loaded with chunky onions) is actually quite tasty. Smear a ton on some bread and it tastes tons better than it looks. The latkes are Jewish potato pancakes and are dynamite with the applesauce. It might be a little to easy to down three or four of these babies. Then there is the stuffed cabbage, which is nothing short of awesome. Each one is massive and the cabbage to filling ratio is just perfect. Just beware that even though it is classified as an appetizer, it is just as easy getting full on them.

The Romanian style skirt steak deserves its own paragraph. Whether one orders small or large, it is worth its weight in meat. I always order mine at medium rare and it is perfectly cooked, while remaining incredibly juicy and tender to the bite. There is usually a pool of juice that collects at the bottom of the plate and it will eventually become room temperature and cake itself into a solidified mound of grease. One would almost thing this slab was cooked with a stick of butter.

I can't stress it enough: Everyone should go at least once. Sammy's doesn't try to be classy or refined like so many other steakhouses in the city. Instead, it highlights a traditional take on Jewish classics and instills a lot of fun that all patrons should experience at some point during their time in New York.

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(#1) Not offended in the slightest. Plus, I'm happy to be out of North Korea and eating steak.