Sakura-Bana is an excellent Japanese sushi restaurant in Ridgewood, NJ about two blocks from the Ridgewood train station. This intimate restaurant has a number of tables as well as a sushi bar.
There are a number of handwritten daily specials posted on boards above the sushi bar--a little overwhelming, however, do check, as some of these items aren't to be missed. We enjoyed one such special, recently, that I'd highly recommend. It was the Charlie Roll (shrimp, avocado, jalapeno pepper and dusted with tempura chips served inside out) and The Caribbean roll (smoked eel, mango and tuna dusted with tempura chips). Both rolls were served cut and made for a satisfying lunch. My guest enjoyed a sashimi lunch of tuna, yellowtail, tekka maki and salmon. The meal included miso soup and a fresh green salad tossed with ginger dressing. In case you're wondering, tempura chips are the lightly toasted panko bread crumbs that are deep fried and usually used in tempura. Nice touch.
The restaurant has a full sushi and sashimi menu with the requisite number of entrees, including tempura, ton or chicken katsu, negimayaki, nabeyaki udon noodles and donburi. The sushi and sashimi were impeccably fresh.
Service was polite and efficient (my green tea was filled without asking). There's no liquour license, however you can purchase a bottle of wine right next door. Prices were reasonable--especially at lunch. Biggest drawback is the limited parking in Ridgewood which means you may have to walk a few blocks. However, it's worth it. We'll definitely return to Sakura-Bana.
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