The food is great. I really like the spicy tuna roll. Some people say it is expensive but it is cheaper than the other Japanese steak houses I have been to.
(5)
Heather N.
I would love to review the food, the service, the ambiance. I would love to...but I can't, since I was unable to enjoy any of those things on my recent visit. I visited on my birthday with my two kids and husband. It was over 2 hours before closing, and we wanted to sit at hibachi. The hostess acted like it was an odd request and said she had to speak to her manager. Ok. She comes back to tell us that her manager doesn't want to open another hibachi station this late. Again, TWO HOURS before closing. What? We have been there later than that before, so I can only attribute it to the manager not thinking our party of 4 was worth the trouble. If hibachi has recently started to close 2 or 3 hours before closing,.... one, that is a horrible way to run a hibachi restaurant and two, maybe make that known with some signage. If you want to be at the whim of the manager as to when you may be able to enjoy dinner as you would like, this is the place for you. If you would like to know what to expect, go somewhere else. I only give it one star because our past visit was decent enough, and the hibachi cook we had last time was nice, even though he totally threw hot sauced chicken on my new white shirt. That was an accident...this visit was just plain bad customer service and it ruined my modest family birthday plans.
(1)
Brennan P.
Great sushi! Nicely decorated, but a little bit expensive. At night, the prices are outrageous. It cost us $45 for the hibachi (even though the hibachi was delicious). $4.50 for 6 pieces of sushi (California Roll)? I can do better by going to Kroger and getting 12 pieces for $5 or going to Panda in downtown Huntsville and getting 6 pieces of sushi for $3. But the sushi is still remarkable. But when I went yesterday, the waitress (I think it was her, I don't know) filled up my Sierra Mist (or Sprite, I don't know, they're too damn similar!) too high, so when I went to drink it, a little bit of it spilled on my lap, and our friend, who came with us, got the wrong order. But that doesn't mean I won't come back!
(3)
Eliza P.
I have really enjoyed this place the two times I've been. I've been once for dinner and once for lunch. Had Hibachi each time and I probably ordered the same thing. Place always looks clean and the food seems to be very fresh as well. I'll have to read thru some of these reviews to see why people aren't big fans. Probably b/c of the price - but earth to you earthlings, it's Hibachi and thus always $$$. Go to Mickey D's if you'd like to save money on your next dining experience.
(4)
Ashleigh S.
I've always had an OK experience here until this one particular visit. We sat at the hibachi grill with two other families. The chef didn't really perform like they normally do... so that was a dissapointment. Toward the end, the chef was finishing the steak that an older gentleman, a younger man, and a child had ordered. He ended up giving just the kid and the younger man steak and forgot about the older gentleman. When the man told the chef about the confusion the chef turned and grabbed food off of the child's plate while he was eating and attempted to give it to the older gentleman. The older man quickly stopped him and requested a new steak. This situation had nothing to do with me but it definitely turned me off to this place. This place is definitely overpriced but their food is pretty good. I definitely found it worth going to when they had the groupon out for their restaurant. Now, not so much...
(2)
Aaron S.
Not much to say here other than it being overpriced and extremely mediocre. I shared the spicy tuna roll, shrimp tempura roll, and the fire mountain roll with another person. Not only was the amount of food subpar, but the quality wasn't great and our check was $26. This will be the last time I eat here.
(2)
Jeff N Sandra C.
My wife and I have eaten there several times and the food and service has been great!
(5)
Cowgirl M.
My hubby & I went here for my birthday. But before we went here, we were checking out the other Japanese steak house restaurants & we decided on Sakura. Now, we have been to places like Benihana & their food was okay so we were not expecting the food to be good. Boy, we were wrong. Our hibachi chef was Japanese & he was awesome w/ his performance on the teppanyaki. After he was done, we a couple of bites of our food & we were blown away on how fresh & yummy it truly was. I ordered one of the emperor combos (steak,shrimp & scallops) & my husband ordered the bonzai from the Sakura combos (chicken & shrimp). Sakura has the hibachi shows & food are only serve during dinner. Their atmosphere is wonderful & inviting & their host & staff are friendly. And yes folks, they got our orders right! My husband was very impressed on how mouth watering the food was & he is a major tough critic when it comes to food & how it's prepared. We had a lot of food on our plate that we asked for a take home box & that's how yummy the food was that we want to take it home. The hibachi dinner comes w/ soup, salad, fried rice (steamed rice), noodles & shrimp appetizer & our main course order. That's a lot of food & we love it! Ha, I laugh at the folks here who complain that the price for it all is way too expensive. Well, dur! Y'all are paying for the show, experience & the awesome food so it's perfect for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries & etc. if y'all wanna save money & eat for cheap, go to McDonald's, Burger King, or Taco Bell. I heard their prices are cheaper & you also get a free souvenir like heart problems, high cholesterol & high blood pressure. We will definitely be coming back to Sakura Japanese steakhouse again. Way better than shogun & Tokyo Japanese steak house! 4 thumbs up, way up!
(5)
P M.
I really want to adore this restaurant because it is so close to home. After dining there over 6 times, I just don't love it. At each visit my party has eaten at the tiny sushi bar, which I think seats 7. The good: Their wine is reasonably priced. The gratis small roasted fish salad that each person receives is super-heavy on the fish flakes (?) or some type of flake on top. I'm sure I could ask for those to be removed, but why look a gift horse in the mouth? The following appetizers (as noted on the extensive menu) "From Kittchen" are good: Gyoza (pan fried pork dumplings); the beef appetizer was good, however it's not listed on their online menu and the miso soup is decent. The sushi and the sashimi are OK. The sushi chefs keep really busy and are very likeable. The restrooms are clean and modern. The not-as-good: There is a large staff for the amount of business they do, and many of the servers/hostesses are just standing around. Also, several times my order not been right. There seems to be a language barrier with the server we typically get. The Crispy Salad **always** comes absolutely swimming in Ginger salad dressing. I mean it is literally soup-like. I wish I could communicate that I would like the dressing on the side, but I doubt that would be understood. There always seems to be something missing for at least one person in our party (i.e., a sushi order sheet, a pencil, a menu, or the server when we would like a refill). The hibachi tables are generally pretty full and can be a bit noisy, but, hey, folks are having fun! Nothing like catching a flying shrimp in your mouth!!!! I do hope this restaurant makes it, because, there are not many good places to dine in this part of town. Try dollar Tuesday, it looks like they offer 10 sushi selections for $1 and Yelp about it. I'd love to hear how you like it!
(3)
Katiya M.
My husband and I have visited numerous times over the past few years and have consistently enjoyed our meals of sushi, hibachi and udon noodles.
(4)
L B.
Last time I visited with my 3 & 5 year old, the hibachi chef said a lot of inappropriate, racist things to my kids. My 5 year old is now repeating them at school, at church, to family members... it is very embarrassing and I can't express how appalling that experience was.
(1)
Herb B.
Seems the restaurant has gone downhill since I last visited. It was very good when they first opened. I did check the reviews before I took a party of 7 for my daughters birthday.Reviews gave them 2.5 stars. But I thought I would try again, mainly for my mom and a friend from Greece. The reviews were correct; mediocre show by the chef, so-so food for the price, sushi was good though, especially the house special. Too bad, we seem to need a good Japanese restaurant in the area.
(2)
Jennifer M.
We were in Madison on some errands and decided to stop in for dinner on a Saturday night. No wait at almost 6 PM. We opted for the hibachi. Typically, when I want to have hibachi, I bypass Shogun and go to Ichiban at Whitesburg/Airport. Ichiban still remains my favorite in town. At Sakura, you get the traditional miso soup, salad, fried rice, meat, noodles, 2 shrimp and vegetables. FOOD: Miso soup: Contained the chives, mushrooms and fried type onion things. Darker broth and very flavorful. Cup was only half full though which seemed a bit cheap. Salad: Iceberg with ginger soy dressing. Similar to another review, they use way too much salad dressing to where it's puddled in the bottom. Tastes fine but within the norm. Fried rice: Tasted fine. We were the last to be served at the table and ended up short changed. The chef asked someone to bring more rice which was nice. Meat: I had filet and chicken. The boyfriend had regular steak. This was mediocre. The filet was fine but small - maybe 5 ounces. It was cooked fine. The chicken was very tough, with no flavor and dried out. It wasn't that great or flavorful. The boyfriend's steak just tasted like plain steak - no real flavor to it. Vegetables: Typical combination - zucchini, broccoli, onion, squash and a bit of carrot. Tasted fine. PRICE: Here's where the 3 stars comes in. The prices were significantly higher than at Ichiban AND Shogun while the portions were less. ATMOSPHERE: The 'show' aspect was a bit better - they'll throw vegetables for you to catch but it's so dang loud in there that you care barely hear. Bottom line: I was disappointed in the meat. Truly, barely any flavor to it and the chicken was really tough. I used a lot of the white sauce to give it some sustenance. For the price I paid and the better experience at Ichiban, I give this place 3 stars.
(3)
Jim C.
Ordered food from their new Hazel Green site. Food was hot but bland. I had the hibachi chicken which was a little tough. My wife had teriyaki vegetables which could use some more seasoning. Our granddaughter had the children's chicken nuggets which were over cooked and had too thick of batter. All dinners came with large portions of rice which was good and the best part of the meal. Hope the owners read the reviews and improve the food. We had take out but the cafe was hot.
(3)
Kelly Ann D.
We stopped here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch - sushi and sashimi. Let me say this up front - I lived in Japan for 4 years. The sushi rolls we get in the US aren't what they eat in Japan. Sashimi and the simple sushi (fish on rice) are the norm. Nor do the Japanese make a great show of cooking on a hibachi, tossing shrimp tails into their chef's hat, or pouring oil Ito a stack of onions, lighting it on fire and pushing it across the grill making choo-choo noises. you can get that at Sakura - along with countless other Japanese steak houses. We didn't come for that, and we never will. We came for sushi rolls and sashimi. We sat at the sushi bar and watched the chef prepare our two sushi rolls (fire and ice and a Tomo roll). While we waited, he gave us (gratis) two small roasted fish salads that were amazing. When the rolls were served, both tue presentation and the taste were spectacular. Best of all, however, was the sashimi. The 15 generous slices were cut thick - the tuna and salmon were easily 1/4" thick. The fish was amazingly fresh and tasty - easily the best sashimi I've had since leaving Japan. The staff were pleasant enough, the decor was mediocre, and the fish tanks were being cleaned. We won't go back for any of those reasons -- we'll go back for fresh, tasty sushi and sashimi.
(4)
Charles G.
While listening to all the Mandarin chatter coming from the sushi bar area was refreshing, as was hearing "Take Me to Your Heart" (an unbelievably bad and cheesy song wildly popular in China a few years ago), the overall experience was not gratifying. A waiter came by to take our drink order and got it mostly right. I got my sweet tea and my wife got her hot tea, but he didn't bring her water until she asked for it. When my wife accidentally dropped a chopstick somewhat noisily on the floor there was no move to bring her a new one until we asked. The waitress came very soon after sitting down and when we asked for more time she said "Just ask and I'll be here to get your order" or something to that effect. A few minutes later when we had decided what we wanted she was nowhere to be seen. The guy who brought our drinks walked by and I said "Excuse me" well within his hearing and he acted as if he had not heard, although he had turned his head slightly when I said it. One of the hostesses several feet further away heard and came to ask what we needed. A couple minutes later our waitress reappeared. Pretty much every Asian staff member seemed to ignore most of what we said when they were near us, made no attempt to be friendly, and even gave kind of a "I'd rather you were not talking to me right now" attitude. I am super opposed to any business that acts like the patron is in their way. As I've said on multiple other reviews, when I'm giving someone money for their service I want them to be happy about it. The food was okay. The rolls were overpriced, which I basically expect from most places now. We had the South Side and the Fire Mountain (I think these are the right names), which were decent. My wife's udon and my fried fish were very bland, which I've come to expect from most Japanese food. We both left still feeling hungry and wishing we had gone to Sun Cafe, Phuket, or Viet Huang instead.
(2)
DD K.
Met a friend here for dinner. Food was just OK and the service was terrible.
(2)
Matt P.
If it were a little more economical, I would go much more often. The quality of th sushi is great and the chef's performances are great.
(4)
Brooke D.
I tried this place out for the first time for a friend's birthday. It is a very typical hibachi style restaurant that offers a full hibachi show. Sushi is offered and I liked what I got, although I felt like I should have had more pieces in the roll I ordered. The sushi at Tokyo is a little cheaper and you get more pieces per roll. I would not go to this place just to eat sushi, but it was fine for an appetizer. As a previous reviewer stated, the main difference between this place and every other hibachi style place I've been to is that they give you both rice AND noodles with your hibachi meal. The noodles were absolutely delicious and I actually gave it an extra star because of this difference (I would have never ordered noodles on my own). I don't feel as though the chefs at this place are as good as some others I've seen, but they do the typical show which is fine. They did not have a free birthday treat for my friend. If you wanted the happy birthday drums and the cheesecake you had to pay an extra $5. I thought that was pretty silly. So, all in all we had a good time but the noodles were really the only special part.
(3)
Panda B.
It was spookingly empty for a Friday night dinner time. It was freakishly cold in there. We ordered the sashimi love boat or something like that. The fishes were not fresh; several pieces weren't completely thawed yet. We saw our waitress 2 times: 1) got our order and 2) brought us food. I had to walk to the front to get some attention to refill our drinks...
(1)
Blake H.
My wife and I ate on the regular dining side of the restaurant. The decor of Sakura left a lot to be desired. One of the fish tanks was empty, but still sitting in the middle of the restaurant. Also, one of the walls was suppose to have water running down it, but that also did not work. The employees seemed uninterested with their work, and for the food we got, it was very expensive. To me, it seemed that Sakura is a restaurant that is barely hanging on.
(2)
Ari W.
While the restaurant is nicely decorated, I can't seem to find anything to be hyped about. I had sushi, not the habachi bar. The fish was average fresh, service is average friendly, and priced average. Their sushi was fair, not 100% authentic, but not like Shogun the ridiculously clueless Japanese-wanna-be type of food. Business seem slow for a Saturday night, at least there's no wait. :) I'd eat here, if Miso House, Edo's or Miyako's are all closed.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
Dan S.
The food is great. I really like the spicy tuna roll. Some people say it is expensive but it is cheaper than the other Japanese steak houses I have been to.
(5)Heather N.
I would love to review the food, the service, the ambiance. I would love to...but I can't, since I was unable to enjoy any of those things on my recent visit. I visited on my birthday with my two kids and husband. It was over 2 hours before closing, and we wanted to sit at hibachi. The hostess acted like it was an odd request and said she had to speak to her manager. Ok. She comes back to tell us that her manager doesn't want to open another hibachi station this late. Again, TWO HOURS before closing. What? We have been there later than that before, so I can only attribute it to the manager not thinking our party of 4 was worth the trouble. If hibachi has recently started to close 2 or 3 hours before closing,.... one, that is a horrible way to run a hibachi restaurant and two, maybe make that known with some signage. If you want to be at the whim of the manager as to when you may be able to enjoy dinner as you would like, this is the place for you. If you would like to know what to expect, go somewhere else. I only give it one star because our past visit was decent enough, and the hibachi cook we had last time was nice, even though he totally threw hot sauced chicken on my new white shirt. That was an accident...this visit was just plain bad customer service and it ruined my modest family birthday plans.
(1)Brennan P.
Great sushi! Nicely decorated, but a little bit expensive. At night, the prices are outrageous. It cost us $45 for the hibachi (even though the hibachi was delicious). $4.50 for 6 pieces of sushi (California Roll)? I can do better by going to Kroger and getting 12 pieces for $5 or going to Panda in downtown Huntsville and getting 6 pieces of sushi for $3. But the sushi is still remarkable. But when I went yesterday, the waitress (I think it was her, I don't know) filled up my Sierra Mist (or Sprite, I don't know, they're too damn similar!) too high, so when I went to drink it, a little bit of it spilled on my lap, and our friend, who came with us, got the wrong order. But that doesn't mean I won't come back!
(3)Eliza P.
I have really enjoyed this place the two times I've been. I've been once for dinner and once for lunch. Had Hibachi each time and I probably ordered the same thing. Place always looks clean and the food seems to be very fresh as well. I'll have to read thru some of these reviews to see why people aren't big fans. Probably b/c of the price - but earth to you earthlings, it's Hibachi and thus always $$$. Go to Mickey D's if you'd like to save money on your next dining experience.
(4)Ashleigh S.
I've always had an OK experience here until this one particular visit. We sat at the hibachi grill with two other families. The chef didn't really perform like they normally do... so that was a dissapointment. Toward the end, the chef was finishing the steak that an older gentleman, a younger man, and a child had ordered. He ended up giving just the kid and the younger man steak and forgot about the older gentleman. When the man told the chef about the confusion the chef turned and grabbed food off of the child's plate while he was eating and attempted to give it to the older gentleman. The older man quickly stopped him and requested a new steak. This situation had nothing to do with me but it definitely turned me off to this place. This place is definitely overpriced but their food is pretty good. I definitely found it worth going to when they had the groupon out for their restaurant. Now, not so much...
(2)Aaron S.
Not much to say here other than it being overpriced and extremely mediocre. I shared the spicy tuna roll, shrimp tempura roll, and the fire mountain roll with another person. Not only was the amount of food subpar, but the quality wasn't great and our check was $26. This will be the last time I eat here.
(2)Jeff N Sandra C.
My wife and I have eaten there several times and the food and service has been great!
(5)Cowgirl M.
My hubby & I went here for my birthday. But before we went here, we were checking out the other Japanese steak house restaurants & we decided on Sakura. Now, we have been to places like Benihana & their food was okay so we were not expecting the food to be good. Boy, we were wrong. Our hibachi chef was Japanese & he was awesome w/ his performance on the teppanyaki. After he was done, we a couple of bites of our food & we were blown away on how fresh & yummy it truly was. I ordered one of the emperor combos (steak,shrimp & scallops) & my husband ordered the bonzai from the Sakura combos (chicken & shrimp). Sakura has the hibachi shows & food are only serve during dinner. Their atmosphere is wonderful & inviting & their host & staff are friendly. And yes folks, they got our orders right! My husband was very impressed on how mouth watering the food was & he is a major tough critic when it comes to food & how it's prepared. We had a lot of food on our plate that we asked for a take home box & that's how yummy the food was that we want to take it home. The hibachi dinner comes w/ soup, salad, fried rice (steamed rice), noodles & shrimp appetizer & our main course order. That's a lot of food & we love it! Ha, I laugh at the folks here who complain that the price for it all is way too expensive. Well, dur! Y'all are paying for the show, experience & the awesome food so it's perfect for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries & etc. if y'all wanna save money & eat for cheap, go to McDonald's, Burger King, or Taco Bell. I heard their prices are cheaper & you also get a free souvenir like heart problems, high cholesterol & high blood pressure. We will definitely be coming back to Sakura Japanese steakhouse again. Way better than shogun & Tokyo Japanese steak house! 4 thumbs up, way up!
(5)P M.
I really want to adore this restaurant because it is so close to home. After dining there over 6 times, I just don't love it. At each visit my party has eaten at the tiny sushi bar, which I think seats 7. The good: Their wine is reasonably priced. The gratis small roasted fish salad that each person receives is super-heavy on the fish flakes (?) or some type of flake on top. I'm sure I could ask for those to be removed, but why look a gift horse in the mouth? The following appetizers (as noted on the extensive menu) "From Kittchen" are good: Gyoza (pan fried pork dumplings); the beef appetizer was good, however it's not listed on their online menu and the miso soup is decent. The sushi and the sashimi are OK. The sushi chefs keep really busy and are very likeable. The restrooms are clean and modern. The not-as-good: There is a large staff for the amount of business they do, and many of the servers/hostesses are just standing around. Also, several times my order not been right. There seems to be a language barrier with the server we typically get. The Crispy Salad **always** comes absolutely swimming in Ginger salad dressing. I mean it is literally soup-like. I wish I could communicate that I would like the dressing on the side, but I doubt that would be understood. There always seems to be something missing for at least one person in our party (i.e., a sushi order sheet, a pencil, a menu, or the server when we would like a refill). The hibachi tables are generally pretty full and can be a bit noisy, but, hey, folks are having fun! Nothing like catching a flying shrimp in your mouth!!!! I do hope this restaurant makes it, because, there are not many good places to dine in this part of town. Try dollar Tuesday, it looks like they offer 10 sushi selections for $1 and Yelp about it. I'd love to hear how you like it!
(3)Katiya M.
My husband and I have visited numerous times over the past few years and have consistently enjoyed our meals of sushi, hibachi and udon noodles.
(4)L B.
Last time I visited with my 3 & 5 year old, the hibachi chef said a lot of inappropriate, racist things to my kids. My 5 year old is now repeating them at school, at church, to family members... it is very embarrassing and I can't express how appalling that experience was.
(1)Herb B.
Seems the restaurant has gone downhill since I last visited. It was very good when they first opened. I did check the reviews before I took a party of 7 for my daughters birthday.Reviews gave them 2.5 stars. But I thought I would try again, mainly for my mom and a friend from Greece. The reviews were correct; mediocre show by the chef, so-so food for the price, sushi was good though, especially the house special. Too bad, we seem to need a good Japanese restaurant in the area.
(2)Jennifer M.
We were in Madison on some errands and decided to stop in for dinner on a Saturday night. No wait at almost 6 PM. We opted for the hibachi. Typically, when I want to have hibachi, I bypass Shogun and go to Ichiban at Whitesburg/Airport. Ichiban still remains my favorite in town. At Sakura, you get the traditional miso soup, salad, fried rice, meat, noodles, 2 shrimp and vegetables. FOOD: Miso soup: Contained the chives, mushrooms and fried type onion things. Darker broth and very flavorful. Cup was only half full though which seemed a bit cheap. Salad: Iceberg with ginger soy dressing. Similar to another review, they use way too much salad dressing to where it's puddled in the bottom. Tastes fine but within the norm. Fried rice: Tasted fine. We were the last to be served at the table and ended up short changed. The chef asked someone to bring more rice which was nice. Meat: I had filet and chicken. The boyfriend had regular steak. This was mediocre. The filet was fine but small - maybe 5 ounces. It was cooked fine. The chicken was very tough, with no flavor and dried out. It wasn't that great or flavorful. The boyfriend's steak just tasted like plain steak - no real flavor to it. Vegetables: Typical combination - zucchini, broccoli, onion, squash and a bit of carrot. Tasted fine. PRICE: Here's where the 3 stars comes in. The prices were significantly higher than at Ichiban AND Shogun while the portions were less. ATMOSPHERE: The 'show' aspect was a bit better - they'll throw vegetables for you to catch but it's so dang loud in there that you care barely hear. Bottom line: I was disappointed in the meat. Truly, barely any flavor to it and the chicken was really tough. I used a lot of the white sauce to give it some sustenance. For the price I paid and the better experience at Ichiban, I give this place 3 stars.
(3)Jim C.
Ordered food from their new Hazel Green site. Food was hot but bland. I had the hibachi chicken which was a little tough. My wife had teriyaki vegetables which could use some more seasoning. Our granddaughter had the children's chicken nuggets which were over cooked and had too thick of batter. All dinners came with large portions of rice which was good and the best part of the meal. Hope the owners read the reviews and improve the food. We had take out but the cafe was hot.
(3)Kelly Ann D.
We stopped here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch - sushi and sashimi. Let me say this up front - I lived in Japan for 4 years. The sushi rolls we get in the US aren't what they eat in Japan. Sashimi and the simple sushi (fish on rice) are the norm. Nor do the Japanese make a great show of cooking on a hibachi, tossing shrimp tails into their chef's hat, or pouring oil Ito a stack of onions, lighting it on fire and pushing it across the grill making choo-choo noises. you can get that at Sakura - along with countless other Japanese steak houses. We didn't come for that, and we never will. We came for sushi rolls and sashimi. We sat at the sushi bar and watched the chef prepare our two sushi rolls (fire and ice and a Tomo roll). While we waited, he gave us (gratis) two small roasted fish salads that were amazing. When the rolls were served, both tue presentation and the taste were spectacular. Best of all, however, was the sashimi. The 15 generous slices were cut thick - the tuna and salmon were easily 1/4" thick. The fish was amazingly fresh and tasty - easily the best sashimi I've had since leaving Japan. The staff were pleasant enough, the decor was mediocre, and the fish tanks were being cleaned. We won't go back for any of those reasons -- we'll go back for fresh, tasty sushi and sashimi.
(4)Charles G.
While listening to all the Mandarin chatter coming from the sushi bar area was refreshing, as was hearing "Take Me to Your Heart" (an unbelievably bad and cheesy song wildly popular in China a few years ago), the overall experience was not gratifying. A waiter came by to take our drink order and got it mostly right. I got my sweet tea and my wife got her hot tea, but he didn't bring her water until she asked for it. When my wife accidentally dropped a chopstick somewhat noisily on the floor there was no move to bring her a new one until we asked. The waitress came very soon after sitting down and when we asked for more time she said "Just ask and I'll be here to get your order" or something to that effect. A few minutes later when we had decided what we wanted she was nowhere to be seen. The guy who brought our drinks walked by and I said "Excuse me" well within his hearing and he acted as if he had not heard, although he had turned his head slightly when I said it. One of the hostesses several feet further away heard and came to ask what we needed. A couple minutes later our waitress reappeared. Pretty much every Asian staff member seemed to ignore most of what we said when they were near us, made no attempt to be friendly, and even gave kind of a "I'd rather you were not talking to me right now" attitude. I am super opposed to any business that acts like the patron is in their way. As I've said on multiple other reviews, when I'm giving someone money for their service I want them to be happy about it. The food was okay. The rolls were overpriced, which I basically expect from most places now. We had the South Side and the Fire Mountain (I think these are the right names), which were decent. My wife's udon and my fried fish were very bland, which I've come to expect from most Japanese food. We both left still feeling hungry and wishing we had gone to Sun Cafe, Phuket, or Viet Huang instead.
(2)DD K.
Met a friend here for dinner. Food was just OK and the service was terrible.
(2)Matt P.
If it were a little more economical, I would go much more often. The quality of th sushi is great and the chef's performances are great.
(4)Brooke D.
I tried this place out for the first time for a friend's birthday. It is a very typical hibachi style restaurant that offers a full hibachi show. Sushi is offered and I liked what I got, although I felt like I should have had more pieces in the roll I ordered. The sushi at Tokyo is a little cheaper and you get more pieces per roll. I would not go to this place just to eat sushi, but it was fine for an appetizer. As a previous reviewer stated, the main difference between this place and every other hibachi style place I've been to is that they give you both rice AND noodles with your hibachi meal. The noodles were absolutely delicious and I actually gave it an extra star because of this difference (I would have never ordered noodles on my own). I don't feel as though the chefs at this place are as good as some others I've seen, but they do the typical show which is fine. They did not have a free birthday treat for my friend. If you wanted the happy birthday drums and the cheesecake you had to pay an extra $5. I thought that was pretty silly. So, all in all we had a good time but the noodles were really the only special part.
(3)Panda B.
It was spookingly empty for a Friday night dinner time. It was freakishly cold in there. We ordered the sashimi love boat or something like that. The fishes were not fresh; several pieces weren't completely thawed yet. We saw our waitress 2 times: 1) got our order and 2) brought us food. I had to walk to the front to get some attention to refill our drinks...
(1)Blake H.
My wife and I ate on the regular dining side of the restaurant. The decor of Sakura left a lot to be desired. One of the fish tanks was empty, but still sitting in the middle of the restaurant. Also, one of the walls was suppose to have water running down it, but that also did not work. The employees seemed uninterested with their work, and for the food we got, it was very expensive. To me, it seemed that Sakura is a restaurant that is barely hanging on.
(2)Ari W.
While the restaurant is nicely decorated, I can't seem to find anything to be hyped about. I had sushi, not the habachi bar. The fish was average fresh, service is average friendly, and priced average. Their sushi was fair, not 100% authentic, but not like Shogun the ridiculously clueless Japanese-wanna-be type of food. Business seem slow for a Saturday night, at least there's no wait. :) I'd eat here, if Miso House, Edo's or Miyako's are all closed.
(3)