Great little free museum on the Japanese Samurai culture with an amazing collection. I was visiting a friend who lives here and insisted we go and she had never heard of it, so definitely a bit of an undiscovered gem, we were the only ones touring while we were there. The entrance is a bit tricky to find, just go inside the restaurant and there are a set of stairs that will take you up to the museum. The collection was breathtaking and there was even a quaint study/reading room that might make a nice study or work spot if you are local.

Such an awesome little hidden gem! My husband and I were in Dallas for the weekend for his job. So I looked up some museums beforehand - this had consistent high reviews and worth it! It’s Free - but you have to reserve your time slot online via their website (super easy) take note that it’s inside the restaurant! It feels a little awkward getting to the stairs, but it’s a very short walk and you can’t miss them. Anyone who is interested in Samurai Culture should visit.

Amazing museum with a very cool samurai exhibit! It's free entry but you do reserve a time on the website. There's a nice restaurant downstairs and it's in a very neat historic building.

Arrived at the Museum, free valet, they work off of tips. 1 building. Saint Ann's restaurant is on the first floor, the free entry museum is on the second floor. You have to make a reservation, takes about 3 minutes to complete on your phone. I made one in the small lobby, by the concierge desk. tours are every 15-minute-is a self guided tour. Interesting and educational Museum of Samurai warriors garb and crafty iron / steel etc. craftsmanship. End of tour is a room with loads of books of Samurai warriors, culture, geography and video related to the museums subject. Very detailed craftsmanship!! I enjoyed the walk thru the museum!

A very cool museum above the Saint Ann’s restaurant. We were looking for the restroom, when we stumbled upon this hidden gem. It’s intimate, with not too many pieces that feel overwhelming, the staff is friendly, and it’s free! Sounds like a win to me ☺️

Really well done and totally worth a visit. It's inside Saint Ann's restaurant which is a little awkward to find but once you're there, it's a really nice exhibit with very interesting stories. Can't beat the price either (it's free!)

We made a reservation to visit on a Sunday. (Reservations aren't required.) It's a nice, well kept museum curated with Samurai armor, helmets, masks and helmets. It's such a unique little museum! The collection and history are neat. It's one of the many free things to do in Dallas and I highly recommend it!

Amazing samurai collection! Totally worth checking out. It's located in uptown Dallas. We parked in the garage right next door. Signage was a bit difficult for us out of towners to see. Nice people at the front desk with cute little gift shop. Great place to pickup their samurai collection book (it's much more expensive everywhere else). We enjoyed every minute of it.

SO COOL! What a rare treat to experience a free museum built with such attention to detail and history. I absolutely adored every second on my short trip. I highly recommend swinging by.

This museum is tucked away on the 2nd floor of a restaurant. It is really well done and informative for being so small, I understand that the collection shifts with some frequency and also it is free (just reserve your ticket online or at the door). They also have a book store with great options, especially for kids!

It was incredible to see these works of art up close AND FOR FREE. The history is amazing. They also have displays in several of the surrounding building lobbies. We went on weekend so a lot of them were closed or inaccessible but the displays were close enough to the window to see.

I love this gem! If you happen to visit the Harwood District, this is a must visit. Admission is free, but you’ll need to reserve a ticket in advance. I recommend going early to get a more private experience. Spend some time in the library to learn more about samurai culture and the making of the museum.

A small but very nice museum. I had no idea it existed until I happened to see samurai armor in the window of a dark building on my way to a bar late one night. It’s hard for me to complain since it is completely free, however I wish there was more swords/weapons on display. The armor was top notch, however the katana is one of the coolest weapons ever created in history, making it a bit disappointing to see only a couple on display. There’s a little study room in the back that is filled with books to look at, so they definitely encourage reading up as much as you can. Despite the lack of swords, it’s definitely worth checking out

We did not even realize we were in a museum- we were just trying to from the parking garage to Mercat Bistro for lunch, but when we stepped off the elevator, we saw the stunning row of holiday trees and decorations, and the somewhat juxtaposed exhibit of samurai, and figured we should stop and take a look. The Samurai are really cool- but I was disappointed they weren't wearing santa hats or something... (J/K). Enjoy these weird selfies I took to commemorate the experience.

If you should happen to find yourself in Dallas for the weekend and you are interested in Samurai history or culture in the slightest, then you REALLY should make the time to visit this amazing exhibit. You have to register in advance and it's only open on the weekends, but it is free and you can see everything in the place in about an hour. It's a private collection owned by the guy who built the Harwood district in downtown Dallas, so, you know, he's TOTALLY broke (that's sarcasm btw..). I recommend you take the time to watch the short documentary about how they actually make that amazing Japanese steel. If you happen to be there at lunch time, the whole exhibit it's right above what appears to be a very decent restaurant.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit here!! This is a gem that I certainly hope gets more publicity. It's so well kept and so welcoming!!! I'll definitely be back to stay in the library next time. So many books to read through about the culture!!!

A very unique museum located above a restaurant in the heart of Dallas. One should not miss this hidden gem chock full of amazing pieces of Japanese samurai armor and art. Extra kudos for the way the exhibition is executed - world-class, giving even the famous museums a run for their money! Great things do come in small packages!

An amazing collection of samurai pieces, including weapons and armor. We came down from Oklahoma, and this was one of our favorite spots on the trip.

Japanese art is underrepresented in the United States and this excellent museum on Samurai armor is helping to change that. Anyone who doesn’t think armor can be art will have their minds changed by this well thought out and beautifully designed museum. The museum is small, but you could still easily spend an hour here; they have videos on how they make the iron and steel for the pieces and a lot of explanatory plaques to let you know what you’re looking at. Most of the pieces are just gorgeous. The end of the museum is a nice library room with books related to the collection to peruse, and a video on the ancient Japanese castle building technique being used today in Dallas. I left the museum with a new respect for the armor of the samurai. I highly recommend going.

Super cool museum! The detail and descriptions given for all the pieces really help you understand the craftsmanship and the art that went into the armor. They also had a short film showing the process of making the iron from iron sand in a furnace. It's on the second floor of the red brick St. Ann’s School Building (above Saint Ann Restaurant & Bar) so you have to go inside the restaurant and then the staircase is in front of the bar area. We got a little turned around and went into the building across from it which had more horse and rider displays and the security guard directed us to the right place. When done at the museum I do recommend going to the glass building beside it to check out those displays. There is also another building past the Rolex and Magnolia buildings that has more horses but we didn't go see those.

Definitely a museum to visit if in the area. Free to visit just request a free time slot to go in. Super cool samurai armor and items. Not a big place but still a great stop to learn about samurai. 100% recommend to anyone in the area.

The museum is on the second floor of a restaurant , kind of hard to find but highly recommend going and learning some samurai history! Is not huge, requires a reservation but is free, overall great and fun experience.

It's a small exhibition but they have awesome pieces, I loved the vibe of this place. The best part: It's free. But I wouldn't mind paying some fee to get it.

Had no idea where to find this thing, I think its a bit odd that its above a restaurant, in a way I think it takes away from the museum itself. Really cool historical things here to see. I remember it being warm here though FYI.