Sakura Restaurant

I have been to multiple sushi restaurants... but this place is my #1 favorite! The staff is always nice and the food is great! more

This place has the best sushi in town Pros: best sushi in town, fair prices Cons: parking can be difficult more

Made a reservation at Sakura and showed up late due to traffic. Not only that, but we were going to a show at the Ordway, so we told the host that we only had about 40 minutes. He was very accommodating and prioritized our order. We were very appreciative to have received such great service. On top of all that, the sushi was some of the best I?ve had in the Twin Cities. The restaurant itself is unique and inviting. Can?t think of anything negative to say about this place, other than the fact that it is in downtown St Paul, which is too far away from me to afford me the ability to dine here frequently. Pros: Great service more

All I have to say is AMAZING and YUMMY. I could eat here everyday of my life if I could !!!!!!!!!!! more

Sakura is by far my favorite sushi restaurant in the Twin Cities area, and I have been to quite a few. Compared to others, the food is just as great if not better but more affordable. Since it is in St. Paul (hence, more low-key), it is almost never too busy to accommodate walk-ins (I've only made reservations once) and the food is very authentic, offering not only great sushi and sashimi plates but also bento boxes, shabu shabu, tempura, yose nabe, and other Japanese dishes. And the service, contrary to what some reviewers have said, has always been superb. Highly, highly recommended to all my friends. Pros: Parking (meters free @ night), Service, Sushi, Price Cons: Quieter (if you're looking for a more happenin' place, go downtown or uptown) more

I love Japanese food, especially sushi. I've eaten at several sushi places in the Twin Cities, and I think Sakura is one of the best. The fish always tastes fresh and is prepared very well. They also have a great selection of sushi at pretty reasonable prices. (For sushi!) The parking is easy if you take their advice and park in the Lawson ramp and they also validate your parking afterwards; so it's free! The only reason I did not give them 5 stars is that sometimes the service feels a little impersonal (especially when they're busy). But they've always been friendly and for the most part, I've always received my food fast. I recommend the Adam Hall roll (eel roll with salmon and yellowtail) and also, their Sakura Sushi Entree is great. And if you want a real treat, order their Toro (fatty tuna) - it is SO good and SO worth it! :) Pros: Great sushi, reasonable prices, free parking, friendly staff. Cons: Sometimes a little impersonal. more

I've been here many times and the seafood is always incredibly fresh and delicious. Service is attentive without being intrusive. Plus if you're not a sushi eater, there's something here for you, too. Pros: good sushi and other Japanese food for non-sushi folks Cons: nothing more

Shortly moving from New York City and deprived of good food, I found this place refreshing. I called atleast 10 Japanese restaurants to see if they served Shabu Shabu (thinly sliced beef dipped in boiling water at your table with veggies) and this is the only one that did. The service was good and the staff was super nice. The shabu shabu was Amazing! and I'd totally recommend this to anyone that's ready for an authentic Japanese dish and ready to try something totally different from the way OVERDONE downtown/uptown minneapolis sportsbar/restaurants. Pros: great staff more

I called Sakura and was glad to hear they could take 8 for dinner and made a reservation. First time here. Afterwards, I thought, I better read the reviews. Some said the service was bad, and yet, some liked it. So, I called back, mentioned we had a show at 8 and wanted to know if they really could accommodate us with prompt service? The lady (mioko) on the phone said she would make sure. I felt better after the call. We got there and the table wasn't ready for us. They took a long time to take our order. When the rice and sauce came out before our meals, the lady (a different one) passed only some of them out and left. My family noticed that she left the rest of them on the other table. We waited for her to return and pass them ourt, she didn't. So, i did. Finally six meals came. Two of us had ordered sushi, and she said it takes a long time to make. We waited. And waited some more. Finally, we flagged Mioko down. It's not ready yet, ""Last time I ask the chef to try and hurry he was mad at me for 6 months, do you want him mad at me,"" she asked? Our sushi arrived and it was time to go. We got it boxed, ate a few while waiting for our check. It tasted old and dry. Normally, we both really like sushi, and have eaten it at other restaurants in other states. There is no comparison, it definitely is not fresh. If we weren't in such a hurry I would have had her remove it from the bill. Would we ever go back? Never, never, never. Normally I do not take the time to write a bad review. But I felt maybe I could spare some people the distress of a bad night out at this restaurant. By the way, who gave this restaurant a 4 star rating? It needs to be changed to a 1 star. They may have gotten an award in 2001, but this is 2008 and I think they have ridden on that good word for too long. This restaurant needs to be humbled. Stay away. Do not give them any business, and then maybe they will get better or better yet, go away. Pros: Ummm...I'm still thinking. Oh, you get a discount on parking. Yippie Cons: Wish I could write my bill off on gambling losses on my taxes. more

My friend and I went here on a Monday, so it was a slower night. The food was good; we both had their shrimp tempura which was delicious. The service was good; the server wasn't too pushy but was still attentive at the same time. I would recommend this restaurant if you're ever in the St. Paul downtown area and crave sushi. Their menu is also pretty big so you?ll have a lot to choose from. Pros: Good food, good service, ambience is nice. Cons: Parking is kind of difficult to find. more

Since moving to the Twin Cities four years ago, I have eaten at Sakura seemingly countless times. I love the terrific ambiance, and I can't get enough of the selection of authentic Japanese cuisine. I found their sushi to be of very high quality, and their entrees are fantastic (I'm a huge fan of their tempura dishes). This is an ideal spot for a first date. Pros: Wonderful entrees and sushi, great ambience Cons: the sushi adds up fast on your bill, don't go the night of a Wild game more

I ate here once four years ago and I vowed never to come back again. Just having eaten here a month ago has put Sakura back on my list of the best Japanese restaurants in the Twin Cities. The service was excellent; the food was fresh and very tasty. Love the redesign of the restaurant. Will recommend this place to others for sure. Pros: Quality and freshness of food more

This was my first venture into a local Japanese restaurant and I definately wasn't disappointed. The... more

This was my first venture into a local Japanese restaurant and I definately wasn't disappointed. The service was great and the staff was very frien... more

I have now been to Sakura 2 times. The first time I went I ordered a bento box. I got the shrimp tempura and teriyaki steak. Both were delicious and the shrimp were fairly large. This also came w/ tempura veggies which were wonderful as well. The second time I went I had another bento box but this time w/ teriyaki chicken and the shrimp tempura. Again the shrimp was delicious, but the chicken teriyaki was loaded w/ fat. And I would think that would be hard to do w/ chicken considering they are usually fairly fat free. It was like I got the left overs of the chicken and was disgusting. I couldn't eat it, mostly b/c I was grossed out, but also b/c I couldn't chew it! My mom on the other hand ordered only teriyaki chicken (not part of a bento box) and hers was delicious. It was obviously a chicken breast and not a piece of fat was on it. So if you want teriyaki chicken do not order it as part of the bento box. My husband also really likes their sushi although I have never tried it. I am going to next time. And I'm going to stick w/ the shrimp tempura and teriyaki steak! Pros: tempura, extras (soup, salad) Cons: fatty teriyaki chicken, slow wait staff at times more

We ordered the sushi deluxe, but we didnt get full so we decided to order more. Our waitress suggested the tempura fire roll special so we ordered it. It did not take too long to make and the presentation of the roll looked delicious and appetizing. As I drank my tea, my husband asked,is that a fly on the roll? So he turned the plate towards me and there was a small insect that appeared to be flapping its wings, but was stuck in the creamy sauce.Since we could not agree what kind insect it was or if it was part of the meal, we pulled the closest server and asked her what she saw and if she saw the insect to confirm that it was not part of the meal. She said ""no"" and did not give an explanation but grabbed our server to deal with the issue. Our server also confirmed that this unknown insect was not part of the meal.The waitress apologized and replaced the order w/o saying anything further. We felt ignored the rest of the night as we ate our questionable fire roll. A server knocked over a full pitcher of water next to our table and left a puddle on the floor. It took nearly 20 min. for them to clean up the mess. The waitress was kind enough to offer not one but two free scoops of ice cream for the unknown insect incident. After finishing our ice cream we were surprised and wondering why the manager/owner didnt come to apologize and instead the waitress brought our bill, to our surpise there was no discount we were charged for everything. We could have made a scene throughout this time,and tried not to let the incident ruin our night. Before leaving we pulled the owner aside to complain. I told her about the insect in our order, her respnse ""I know, I heard"". I was appalled and offended. If she knew and heard why didnt she say anything to us.She then added that it was not put there intentionally (have you heard of a restaurant that put insects intentionally).She didnt apologize and didnt seem to care so we left. By far the worst customer service weve EVER experienced! Pros: free ice cream if you get a surprise in your dish Cons: horrible customer service more

Ridiculous! Even at the most busy restaurant, we often receive the requisite and expect the most standard of service. But, at Sakura, after allowing an entire hour to lapse, and waiting patiently for someone to come over to explain why not a single item of our order had been brought to our table (nor had anyone cleared the towels or detritus that was left), I asked the manager to look into the matter since our waitress had disappeared. A few minutes later our food finally arrived. I wondered if they forgot the order. Our waitress's excuse was that the seaweed salad took a long time to plate. ""A whole hour!!"" was what I was thinking. Impossible. Japanese restaurants don't make their own seaweed salads. In the states, it is purchased in bulk and plated simply but scooping a heap onto the plate and throwing some inexpensive garnishes. Pros: Not a thing, except the sushi and sashimi Cons: The service - the slowest in the entire twin cities and the most incompetent. more

I liked the layout of the restaurant and the service was very good. I just found the sushi and sashimi menu to be very limited compared to what we are used to in Arizona, believe it or not! We'll try other sushi places before considering coming back this one. more

The service at Sakura was just horrible. I went there with a few friends on a Saturday night at around 8:00 pm.. It took us 45 minutes to get our appetizers, and nearly 2 hours to get our food!!! When I complained (to whom I presume was the owner of the restaurant), she told me it was very busy and this was the best they could do. Not even an apology, so I can only guess that this is how long it usually takes at this restaurant. The food was ok... nothing too extraordinary. If you like good sushi with better service, I suggest a different restaurant (there's one just a few blocks away from Sakura). Plus, parking around Sakura was pretty bad too. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. Pros: I don't have any Cons: Service, Sushi was not great, and bad location more

My husband and I try and come here at least once a month for sushi and tempura. We've tried other places but we keep coming back to this one. Other than the fact that the fish is very fresh, their prices are also pretty reasonable. I always get the same thing, the sushi deluxe, and although you can't pick which nigiri comes with your meal, the chefs are good at giving you a nice variety. It also comes with the california roll which is the best california roll I've had so far. Big pieces with a lot of crab filling! I'm not really big on tempura but my husband loves the tempura here because it's so light and crispy and comes with a flavorful sauce. Pros: SUSHI!!! more