Reviews of The Samurai Collection (Museum)

Connor Scanlon

What a beautiful and meticulously curated collection. The museum is small but substantial and the artifacts, the descriptions and the interactive guides all provide a wonderful window into Samurai culture. This place could charge $10 like some of the other museums about town and it would still be worth it. The fact that it’s free is a bonus, but it is a must-see regardless. Ask for directions - it’s on the second floor of a restaurant.

Udumb Dumb

The collection is pretty interesting and informative. Also, it is the only Samurai collection in Texas and it is free. The place is upstairs inside a restaurant, so it can be hard to find.

Donna

Very interesting, learned a lot and had a great time

Nancy Lalonde

Very interesting!

Lynn Gable

As a practitioner of martial arts, being able to come to this part of Dallas and see the samurai collection was an incredible experience. There is authentic armor from different dynasties of feudal Japan, and a must-see for anyone coming from out of state.

Anthony Omes

Excellent exhibit and well worth the time.

Steve Garcia

Pretty sure this place is haunted...

Matt Blakeman

Like walking back in time to 1870's Japan. Magnificent collection!

Adrienne Cole

This was amazing. I took my nephew's. They had calligraphy and Japanese writing. The kids made samauri helmets and tried on armor. They we're read stories in Japanese. The collection was small but very nice. They also had a scavenger hunt.

Zack Riffe

Wonderful place very neat except the people that work there follows you around very close very rude doesn't talk just watched you great place to look at and eat

Neil Hendrick

I really enjoyed this collection of Samurai historical items. It's a free museum even though it's a private collection and it makes for a very nice hour or so while you are downtown.

Patience Hamilton

My son found this and wanted to do it. It is through a restaurant (which is kind of weird), but they are use to people going through and even help direct you. It was great.

texhepcatt

Small museum, but super cool

Shawn McNaughton

Great bit of history right downtown

Beth Cummings Dawson

Loved it was awesome!

Jernel Escober

This is only about 10% of the collection! It's located on the second floor of an upscale café restaurant. This museum has FREE admission! The museum and bathrooms is very clean and organized. Many of the artifacts are displayed in glass cases and in mostly pristine condition. There's even a library with a TV that plays videos about the Japanese lifestyle and culture during the samurai era. I learned a lot. Would definitely come back with more friends and family.

Thomas M

Very nice, but hidden. My kids enjoyed it, but you will be interrupting peoples dinner while cutting through the restaurant.

Wes Blue

Absolutely loved the Samurai Collection. Pretty small, but overall incredible items on display. I would strongly recommend stopping for a visit. Super confusing to find the exact location.. You have to walk through an upscale restaurant, go upstairs and there you are. In the second story of an old, renovated Catholic school. Surrounded by the artifacts of highly respected Japanese warriors. Did I mention, it's FREE?!

Giancarlo F

This is an excellent collection of samurai armors outside of a big museum. It however needs more weaponry.

Jonathan Sowell

It's in the middle of a restaurant up the stairs and it's free.

Joanne Diaz

They have a very nice collection, some interactive activities for the kids and best of all it’s free!

Andrew Snyder

Very cool little museum above a very cool restaurant. The installations are professional and impressive. If you want to get a taste, you can see examples of the exhibits in the lobby of the building next door. The first Saturday of each month is free from 1-3pm.

Rachel Curl

Really fascinating information & polite, resourceful employees!

Ryan Ryan

Total AweSomeNess

Amber Richardson

Hidden. In the restaurant, up the stairs!! Logo on the building. People don't tell you full directions. Passed it a couple of times. Excited when finally arrived. Employees weren't thrilled. Interactive stuff didn't work. Very small...

Maria Hamidani

Located on top of a restaurant. Totally worth the visit! Nice collection

Sharon Ory

Everything about our visit was wonderful - close convenient FREE parking, the staff at the wrong building we went into first as well as the restaurant staff were all so very kind, the museum was everything we expected and more. The museum staff was knowledgeable and welcoming, clean bathrooms. My only regret was that slivers of light from outside made for few opportunities for quality photos. But that could be lack of skill or proper equipment on my part. It's not large, but they change out items on display twice a year. Beautiful outdoor area for lounging after museum visit as well.

andrew kobets

Great little stop

zack miller

Awesome place to see and beautiful pieces of history

Jesse Klee

an unexpected find above a restaurant. definitely worth your time.

Catalina Martinez

A wounderful museum with amazing stafe. You get to see and learn so much. Perfect for a small addition to your day. The museum is free and just a short elevator ride or walk up the stairs from restaurant.

Lizbeth Santiago

Great!!

pm0808

This place is found on the second floor of a restaurant. It's a small treasured spot that not a lot of people go to. I do want to underline the fact that it is small, so if you are expecting big museum like DMA or Perot, then you will be very disappointed. It contains a Samurai collection that rotates every so often based on what the person on the front shared with us and it's also part of the travelling collection that goes around globally. The collection is exquisite. Best of all, it's free. I've been there numerous times and every time, it never fails to impress.

Danae Caporin

Very cool, the whole family enjoyed it!!

Steve Shaha

Lots of neat things to see!

Esmeralda Serrano

Amazing. A restaurant is in the first floor.

Kat Grogan

Great stuff!

Nitin Gupta

Very beautiful, and serene museum. Loved the location.

thetafoyas tafoya

Loved this place, for a free museum it was great. If you like history and of course Samurais this is a must go to place.

K C

Very detailed collection of both Armor and weaponry from feudal Japan up to the end of the 19th century. Very well displayed, and free admission would recommend.

Hollis Banks

Very beautiful and lovely

John Luker

Diverse group of samurai armor, small weapons collection, and some interactive video and audio stations. Educational explanation of what and why the armor and culture was important to feudal Japan eras.

Vivi Lethanh

Difficult to find but once you do, completely worth it!

Carson Hammett

Yes, it is hard to find and I consider that a virtue as I'm not sure such a small space could handle more than a dozen people at once. This is a compact and suitably deferential display of samurai items from a private collection. The layout is coherent and easily managed in 30 minutes, or you can linger a bit in the study and compare the intricate armor you've seen while walking through the collection with the handful of crude European armor from the same time period.

Carlos Hawkins

Awesome collection

T Hollins

Although my time was very brief the exhibition pieces were all in great condition and plenty of background information on the subject at hand

Berserker King

In one word; incredible! There is so much here and the level of detail that the descriptions go into is truly awesome. Any fan of history would enjoy the 30min to an hour it takes to walk through and truly enjoy it all. If your a fan of Samurai history (like myself) though the space is somewhat small, you could spend over an hour taking it all in and then enjoy a book in the library room or perhaps watch the full video they have playing of the entire sword making process using old world methods. Either way, I quite honestly cannot recommend this place enough.

Keith Andrews

Nice museum and free

Dann ROrtiz

Ok good

Ryan Parr

A very interesting and atypical hidden gem of Dallas--and a great extension to those that may not realize the Crow Museum isn't the only place to have a very in-depth Japanese and Asian history exhibit--though specifically focusing on the Samurai armor (in addition to a few European helmets; which for those in "the know" the Japanese armor took on some European influences, which the exhibit demonstrates with one, but also you will find some European helmets in the library that are available to look through.) And by atypical, I'm not just referring to the exhibit itself, which unless you visit the Saint Ann Restaurant will you likely even know this exists (I almost felt like I was expected to be asked the 'house password,' in which I would respond, "Fidelio" to someone wearing a tengu mask.) I parked in the parking garage adjacent to Mercat Bistro. When you get inside the 5th floor (or 6th?) doesn't require a reservation to park in, and when you arrive to ground will you notice some impressive full body armor and horse armor (with real taxidermy I might add) on display on the ground floor, with Mercat Bistro right behind it, as well as a service desk. When you step outside you will see that Saint Ann restaurant I was talking about, where when you enter an elevator awaits (or if you walk past the bar a staircase will take you up there,) and an entrance (and a false entrance that will sound the alarm if you try to pry it open, which I didn't) will let you walk through the second floor that is entirely dedicated to this exhibit.) It's worth it (though the parking situation has me a bit confused, as I think I snuck past someone to get in.)

Natasha Norton-chelf

Loved our time. Seeing things from around the world. Free to the public. Was great

Clayton Westphal

Very cool little nugget hidden away upstairs at Saint Ann’s restaurant. A wealth of Samurai history and artifacts. Well worth the stop.

wwmnprn nn

Good experienced

RUNTARO R

They don't have a lot katanas. I would like to see more katanas in other exposition. First floor you find a good restaurant. I liked it.

Maria Rosenberg

I really enjoyed the Samurai Collection. Not only was it a free museum it has free valet. I liked that each piece was labeled with the period it came from and a bit of what and how it's made. This is definitely a great place to go for a bit in Texas heat to enjoy some nice cool air and history.

Bianca Chiaese

Great collection

Kevin Shum

Hard to find entrance but good exhibition

Daniel Thompson

Very enjoyable displays. With good explanations.

Mallory Lee

This was a really interesting collection! I love asian culture, particularly Korean and Japanese so it was really interesting learning about one of the most notable warrior types in existence. Also a great place to practice Japanese, if you're learning the language. A lot of plaques and descriptions are in the language so it was fun trying to read it without bad english translations. A very fun date day, I plan to go back on my own soon so I can really take my time studying it in detail.

Lobo & System

Kind of confusing to find if yiu have never been before, but worth the visit. No access issues with my service dog staff was helpful guiding me to the museum

The Awks

Small museum with a great collection

Spencer Tullos

Incredible collection of historic Japanese samurai armor. The collection is fantastically curated, cared for, and presented. Can't recommend enough to history fans, and people who appreciate fantastic craftsmanship.

Preston Hawkins

We spent over four hours looking through the collection and reading the many informative plaques. It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be but the content was enthralling. Best part is, it's free!

Robert Liptak

This place is great place. Lots of beautiful displays and open to public for free. There is so much to see. You can literally spend all day here. So glad they did this, a visit is definitely worth it.

Ryan Wilson

This museum is free. This museum contains objects (samurai armor and related objects) that are hard to find elsewhere, at least in the quantity that they have here. Though small, it is well worth the effort to get to. To access the museum, you must enter through the restaurant that it is located above. To park, uss the parking garage in the building behind the restaurant/museum. You cannot miss the building with the parking garage, but you can easily miss the sign that says that the parking is also for the museum. Excellent museum.

Lisa

A fascinating view of Samurai history with meticulous descriptions, diagrams and x-rays of equipment. Esthetically beautiful scenerio for the engineer mind.

Benedet Lopz

Stunning collection of samurai’s armors! Such an interesting place to visit, most of the exhibit is inside of the Saint Ann Restaurant, plus 6 horses and samurais armors inside the building next to the restaurant. Free entrance. A must for museum lovers and visitors to Dallas. So much history, details and beauty.

duranjames61

Beautiful collection!

Luis Hernandez

Free and short exhibition, it was okay. Plus, you can do two things, there's a nice restaurant below this little museum.

Rachael Snell

Getting here is awkward though. We had to literally walk through the restaurant to get upstairs to the museum. Is believe there is another way, if you park underneath the building and take the elevators to the 2nd floor. I mentioned this first so potential visitors may see this info and avoid confusion :p The museum itself is very nice. Lots of helmets. It's amazing how well they have been taken care of to centuries. Dont miss the library in the back - there were beautiful ceremonial helmets, for weddings in the far left corner. Beautiful

Jorge Vancegonzalez

The place was great. Small venue which keeps it quiet and intimate. The collection was awesome and very nicley displayed.

Omar Palacios

Most awesome collection ever

D Stephens

Laura, one of the event coordinators at the front desk was very helpful! Chad, who was suppose to be our guide and answer questions was zero help. I hope he's a volunteer and not on the payroll? On his phone the entire time.... Besides that, this place was a hidden treasure! Very, very detailed. Thanks to the family for sharing their private collection. Laura said it's the largest collection outside of Japan. It is tricky to find because it is above an upscale restaurant (go inside and upstairs) as some previously mentioned, which also means parking can be difficult. Definitely worth the time spent!

Lisa Weisman

This was the most amazing experience! The museum is beautiful and well laid out so that you have an opportunity to take your time and enjoy all of these wonderful pieces. I would definitely recommend stopping here if you are in Dallas!

Wesley Sorensen

A treasure.

Amber Vail

Beautiful samurai collection and it's free to get in.

Gordon Sanders

Wonderful exhibits and happy to see this in Dallas

Susana Contreras

We got confused about how to find the entrance at first. We accidentally entered through the back which is the kitchen. One of the employees pointed us to the right direction. You take the stairs inside the restaurant to the second floor. The museum is small but it has a lot of great displays of armor and weapons and lots of detailed information. And the better thing? It’s free. We were pleasantly surprised that this free, small museum was as impressive as it is.

Hysterical History

Amazing collection of some unique artefacts from samurai era. Couldn't quite understand why it was above a restaurant as this was heaving on a Sunday morning but the museum was empty. Worth visiting anyway.

Zoltan Cserni

What a gem! We had a great time learning about the Samurai culture!

Bernard Douglas

Awesome museum at a great location!

John Scott

The museum is free, and the collection is changed from time to time. The exhibit is absolutely wonderful, and the staff is knowledgeable. We went during an after hours cocktail tour. The staff was very friendly and allowed us to view the collection on our own before and after the tour. There is also a library inside where you can study the various books collected there. There is a giftshop, but I didn't get a chance to look. The collection spans from the 11th century to the end of the Edo period for the collection during our visit. It is a great representation of Samurai equipment if you're interested in getting an up close and personal look at it.

Jared West

Although small and a bit hidden (upstairs from the restaurant), this is a really great museum with some pretty cool displays. I wish that there were more stories told, but the items they have collected are incredible!

Lauren Naomi

Some really well presented and well maintained Japanese armor from the Edo period. There are a few signs outside for this installation, and I have heard that people have a hard time finding it. I think if you are looking for it - you can find it. It is on the second floor of the Saint Ann Restaurant and Bar. The staff of the restaurant is very friendly and helpful and directed us to the stairs for the second floor right away. Unfortunately the library was closed when we were there, but the lady working at the desk was very knowledgeable about the pieces and really seemed to geek out with us about it. The collection is open to the public and free of charge. If you are in the area, I would really recommend looking at this awesome slice of Japanese history.

Chris Robins

Small but stunning collection of historical Japanese arms and armaments. Friendly staff. Free parking in the attached parking garage. No cost for admission, great place.

Shayne Fisk

Kind of an obscure gem, but definitely worth seeing. No cost to visit. It is above a restaurant in a standalone building. The address will take you to a hotel/skyscraper. The lobby has some decor with horses and suits of armor and wall art and banners. They'll direct you to the nearby standalone building. Go there, head upstairs. Anything less than a full suit feels too casual. Very high end feel. Ignore that, though. Desk workers will direct you to head into the museum area. Fantastic collection of armor, helmets, weaponry, artwork, and other artifacts from the region and time period. I'm not huge into Samurai history but the information is great and explains time period and uses, among other things. Really cool experience, really unable to find this kind of stuff in the US as far as I know.

tiffany Massey

So cool. Lots to see

Mallikarjun

It was a great experience to witness up to 3,000 year old Premium Samurai Warrior Art collections. I'm really happy to know an American Mr Chad who had read the complete "Bhagavad Gita" and conversed more than hour about India, Hindu culture, religious practices and beliefs. It's was a great conversation with you Sir.

Emily Glover

The exhibit was very well done and the staff was knowledgeable and very attentive.

Valerie Enriquez

I thought it was a little weird that it's above a restaurant but overall I had a great experience.

Shelby Aesthetic

Wicked cool place! It's small but packed with a beautiful collection of everything Samurai. Front desk was made us feel welcomed and excited for what was inside Every piece is well catalogued with dates and special information on the pieces. They had touch screens in some areas for learning. We brought our 10 y/o and he had a great time with the interactive screens as well as a library in the back with books for people of various ages. There were a few drawbacks was like the glare on the around the displays, which did make it a bit difficult to really capture the beautiful collection. Also, finding the place can be tricky, as you must be valet parked(complimentary) by a hotel, then once you walk into the building you must pass through a restaurant and go upstairs/elevator to find the collection.

Marielle G

Really hard to find and parking is confusing but timeless peices and very beautiful collection. Very educational and it's free!!!

An Vu

Beautiful display and great amount of things to learn about Japanese samurai culture. Best of all, it's free

Angela Starnes

Pretty cool! Not too extensive of a collection, but a neat place to spend an hour if you’re into samurai history.

Jonathan Bradford

Amazing collection

Melanie Vancegonzalez

Awesome collection

Miguel Garza

Fun, free and educational Samurai Museum. It's a fairly small exhibit (read most of the displays in under 30 mins), but it's still a unique attraction if you're visiting Dallas and struggling to find other things to do.

Joseph Ramirez #YoutuberoGringo

A really fascinating look at the history of the samurai class from Japan in a small museum.

Daniel Alvarez

This hidden gem of a museum is a must for anyone that appreciates Japanese culture. Though relatively small in space, the collection holds an impressive amount of well curated artifacts that let you deep dive into the Samurai culture and history.

Mary Tran

You have to go inside the restaurant and go upstair from inside. A bit dark but stilla pretty cool to see the armors up close.

Andres Ayala

Its a small collection but very interesting to see items hundreds of years old.

Diana Brown

Wonderful museum, helpful and knowledgable staff

Aidan Aannestad

Downsides: It's hard to find. You have to go through the restaurant to get to it, which is a bit awkward. It's also a bit small, but you can still easily spend an hour or more if you take your time. Upsides: Absolutely fantastic collection, with quality explanations and a lovely atmosphere. You can see just how much effort has been put into researching and displaying this stuff - it's phenomenally well done. The free admission is just a nice bonus - I'd happily pay to enjoy this place. It's truly a hidden gem, and worth hunting to find.

Gabriel Franco

Interesting museum. I recommend to anyone interested in asian culture. The carving pieces they have are mesmerizing.

Maheen Mansoor

It's a nice informative place. They also have a great selection of books. Their pieces change every once in a while. Also, it's free!

Brenda Saenz

My serverDanny

Olga Varchuk

Не большая выставка, но она стоит внимания. Интересно.

Kit Van Arsdale

Visited this museum on Thursday, August 8th, 2019 with my 17 year old son. The collection is impressive. I have never seen that many sets of armor in one place. The additional pieces are great as well. If you have an interest in Japanese culture, this place is a must visit. And it's free!

Scarey Berry

Very cool exhibit. They send someone to lurk over you (I guess so you don't use flash & touch things you're not supposed too) but he just played on his phone and sat in a corner so we felt rushed

usman ahmed

Sensational collection. Small but amazing. Efforts of Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller very commendable. And it's free admission. Worth a visit.

Neke Flowers

Hidden gem! Odd location but perfect adventure to see an intimate and amazing collection with rich history on every piece.

George Thomas Rey

The collection was beautiful.

César Romero

Beautiful collection for free

Lisa Hickman

Saw this and decided to go in the spur of the moment. Be aware this exhibit is NOT inside the Ann and Gabriel Barbieri Mueller Museum. It's next door, on the second floor above a restaurant. Yes, you'll have to walk through the restaurant to reach the museum. No, it's not a big deal. The display was more comprehensive than I expected. There is a lot of information provided, along with Samurai history, and often who owned the armor originally. All of the items are hundreds of years old and most are still stunningly beautiful. I highly recommend visiting this place.

Preston Potter

It's not a huge collection, but very nice! Takes about an hour depending on how fast a reader you are to get through everything.

Jedediah Bone

Cool place above the restaurant.

Ashley Mercado

Huge collection, very informative, posh restaurant and bar below

Nicholas Robertson

Fun little stop if you were on a walk about Dallas. I am not sure if it was just my visit but, they did not have any music in the back ground so it was a very quite almost uncomfortable visit.

Kenneth Rehme

Very interesting and thorough discovery of this era of the Japanese culture. A wonderful display of amazing artifacts. The video presentation was extensive. Free to the public is a real bonus!

Andy Harris

A hidden gem in the Hardwood District of Dallas. The largest Samurai collection in the USA

Niomi Brawley

The staff are knowledgeable the museum is small and its free year round so small children won't get bored before you finish looking around also there is a restaurant and a coffee shop near by so if you go you can make it a date or just a small family outing

Curva Lish

The Samurai Collection is one of the most unique on-display collections by a Texas family yet not that many people even know it exists! Generously funded by a family whose passion has lead to owning one of the most vast and intentional collections of Samurai warrior authentic armor makes for an eye opening experience. And unlike other Dallas museums, The Samurai has such in-depth stories of each piece that the space is small (meaning, not Texas sized) but very focused and mesmerizing. As you turn each corner you get a unique effect unlike anything you’ve ever seen. I particularly think children will live this museum and they offer periodic educational opportunities for both children and adults.

*queenizzydeigh*

Breathtakingly beautiful exhibit. It's a shame that my son got kicked out of looking at a portion of the exhibit and I had to exchange words with one of the staff just so they could let him see it. I don't know what you need to do to get a tour of the exhibit but they don't voluntarily give them. In short, exhibit= fascinating. Perfect for history buffs and those interested in weapons and armor making. Staff= could be better. Also, the parking area is on the 4th floor of the building beside it as opposed to the 1st floor as the sign in the elevator says.

Justin Hilliard

A wonderful experience of samurai culture hidden away in the heart of Dallas. A bit hard to locate if you don't know where you're going, but my three young children had a great time once we found it!

Adam Sowder

Great collection

Dallas Girl

Great stop on your trip downtown! While the space is small, the collection is large. My 18 year old daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Here is a snap shot of what you will see.

Kimberly

It was a nice place. Not big but still just as interesting.

Chloe Elise

Excellent exhibit. Definitely worth a stop by!