Sakura
6534 E Tanque Verde Rd, Tucson, AZ, 85715
Sakura Menu
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Address :
6534 E Tanque Verde Rd
Tucson, AZ, 85715 - Phone (520) 298-7777
- Website https://sakura.tritigerdemo.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Alana J.
This was my brother's most favorite place ever to have his birthday celebration. As a vegetarian, I guess I never really got the full experience. I always had to eat just veggies, since there was nothing else on the menu I could enjoy. I always loved the show and the fire and stuff, but this wasn't my most favorite place ever. I came back recently as a pescatarian, and let me tell you, I am a WAY bigger fan than I was when I was 9. My parents and husband and I all went to grab dinner here at the Teppan table before going to Creative Juice, and though I wasn't super excited about this, I was happy to see the fun show. I ordered the salmon teppan dinner, every one else had either steak or chicken, and my dad ordered some tuna nigiri along with his dinner. We also got some crab rangoons to start. I will say this: if we did not get the rangoons during happy hour they would have been really overpriced. It evens out to about two bucks a rangoon, which is quite a bit more than I would be willing to pay. On happy hour, though, they were reasonable. My mom got a Blue Hawaii drink, which she liked but I thought was too sweet (just a matter of taste. Her drink WAS really yummy, but I like less sweet drinks.), my dad had a martini and I had an Angry Orchard. My dad's nigiri fell apart while he was eating it, but he did enjoy it. To be fair, it may have fallen apart because he was using the chopsticks too ferociously. It was then time for our fun show to start! Our chef, Daniel, seemed like he was new, but he did the typical things. You know, he flung shrimp into our mouths (mine ended up down my shirt, which made for an embarrassing extraction), he made the onion into a choo-choo train, made the fried rice look like it had a heart beat...we all had a lot of fun watching him make our food! My. Salmon. Was. Amazing. It was cooked really well, so it was still juicy but totally cooked through. It had the yummy soy sauce glaze on it...it was really delicious. The veggies were cooked perfectly, so they had the right amount of seasoning and were still crisp. My dad ordered mango-shrimp, and Daniel even asked if we wanted mango sauce on our shrimp, to which we all said yes. It was pretty tasty, also. I know what you're thinking. "It sounds like your experience was straight from Heaven! Why the four stars?" Well, the table service was a little lacking. Our server talked over us when we asked questions, left in the middle of our sentences...it wasn't the most stellar service of all time. But four stars it is! We all really enjoyed our meals! My salmon was delicious, watching our chef cook our food was very fun, and, somewhat disappointing service aside, it was an entertaining way to spend the first part of our outing!
(4)Jaime W.
Tried this place last night for Workin Women's Night Out for the second time. Service was a little better. Our server TJ was really nice & very attentive. He was the only "saving grace".. Food was just mediocore. Chicken was very dry. Portions were smaller than what we remembered. Even for 1/2 price happy hour food prices were kinda high. Would still recommend going to either Lotus Garden or Great Village for good food and even better prices
(2)Gretchen W.
Sakura has really gone down hill. We did an early dinner with some out of town guests. It had been about year since our last visit and WHOA! The place is really run down, dirty, and just outdated. Because we were so early, we didn't have any trouble getting a Teppan table, and our service was great. (But we were only one of 4 tables at that time...5pm). The Teppan chef was good. He wasnt 'super showy...almost seemed like he was just going through the motions, etc. But the food was good. Meh...all in all....it wasn't the worst experience I've ever had. But it was kind of a let down. Going to Sakura used to be a special place for us to bring friends. Now, it seems a bit embarrassing. If I'm going to spend $125 for dinner for 4 people, I'd like to the place to at least be clean. So. Yeah. Sakura, we're breaking up.
(2)Kim C.
Haven't been to Sakura in a few years but decided to do a Saturday dinner with the family and it did not disappoint. SERVICE Staff was super friendly and efficient. For a teppan-yaki experience it was probably one of the fastest meals I've experienced. Waitresses were very quick. Chef wasn't the most talkative person ever but he was still fun. FOOD The chef cooked all of our food exactly how we wanted it. We had filets, chicken, shrimp, fish and fried rice. All very good. PRICE Not unreasonable. I didn't pay the final bill but menu prices were on par for what I would expect any teppan restaurant to be. ATMOSPHERE Lots of families. Nice setting. Not too loud. A little dark but, again, most teppan restaurants are similar. A little far from our house but kids liked it so we'll be back in the future.
(4)Mike M.
Well, came out for happy hour, waited 15 minutes for them to clear off and clean the table of the dishes and ashtray full of cigarettes and ash all over the table. We did have servers walk by, on gal was nice enough to take some stuff, then never came back. If they can't even come over, clean and take a drink order, come on. We're out of here. On to the next place for dinner.
(1)Barbara E.
So my hubby and I went for happy hour. It's been a while since we've been here. We sat at the bar and the bar was so sticky. It was humid that day so we were hoping it was just the humidity.. The bartender was not very friendly at all. We ordered drinks and started looking at the menu. We happened to look to the left of us and we saw a lime jar on the counter and it was gross! It was a old pickle type of jar like you would get at Costco and it was all crusty and nasty! After seeing that we decided not to order anything else and left.
(2)Neil G.
This place is very very good! I took my family and friends, a group of about 10, and we had a great time. The food was excellent (Filet Mignon & Shrimp), service was great, and it overall was very entertaining. I will definitely come back when I am Tucson.
(5)Erica A.
So I went to dinner on Saturday before an event and I ordered the Shrimp Tempura($18) I asked to sub fried rice for white($2upcharge) and I was fine with that. When my plate came, it had large tempura shrimp(4), various veggies(including a big circle of SWEET POTATO), the "fried rice" and a green salad. ALL on the SAME plate. The salad was dressed so it seeped into my rice, the rice had corn, Lima beans and green beans in...you know the frozen kind you've got in your freezer right now. My problem is why would you #1 serve a dressed salad on the same plate as your mains and #2 why the hell would you put those mixed veggies in ASIAN fried rice. Service was shoddy to boot. I ended up paying over $20 for basically 4 shrimp. I will never eat there again.
(1)Andreas H.
Sat on the patio for half an hour. Watched the wait staff walk by many times. Not one sign of acknowledgement. Called the main number, asked to speak to manager. Was told they were busy. They now lost our weekly patronage. Worst service ever since new owner took over.
(1)na a.
My daughter brought us here as she and her husband ate here before and really liked it. The chef was very good, the food was pretty good.We had calamari chicken shrimp and beef. It was all cooked as requested. The service was good and the place was pretty busy. The vegetables were not as precious I like them. They charge you extra for fried rice. The happy hour drink was good.
(3)Amanda M.
I hadn't been there in about 8 months and wow what a difference. I had a feeling this would happen after the change of ownership and slowly I've seen it. Food is good, but when I'm spending 28.00 a plate I want better. The food had no flavor. I used to love the fried rice, but it had no flavor and the rice was crunchy in some bites. This is the first time I had to use the sauces to flavor my shrimp and steak. Steak was cooked good, but no flavor. I guess we have to pay just for the show and they don't care as much about the food. Too bad this was a favorite spot for my kids.
(3)Amber C.
As soon as we walked in I was hit with the smell of a old, oily and dirty restaurant. The smell of old food immediately turned me off to any hopes of having fresh sushi. I know it is a Teppan-Yaki style restaurant as well but they should really have better ventilation. I also have a feeling it's just a very old place that hasn't been cleaned in quite some time. The interior design looked like it was from the early 80s. The sushi roll we tried was not good and we left after that first course. The staff was very nice. It's unfortunate that the places in this kind of shape though. They need a Restaurant Impossible intervention!
(2)Lindsay K.
My family and I just recently moved to Tucson from Northern Virginia, and part of the experience of familiarizing ourselves with a new area is trying every restaurant we can. In the month we have been here, we've tried several restaurants, and Sakura is the favorite. Sakura offers an unbeatable happy hour, patio seating, great service, amazing sushi, and, in the evenings, live music by torch-light. This place is fun, affordable, and the quality of the food and service debunks the myth that you have to spend a fortune to get high-quality sushi. Sakura also offers hibachi, although each time I have gone, I have sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the music and atmosphere. If you like great food and happy hour specials, then this is the place for you!
(5)Shijie F.
I drove almost half an hour to Sakura for a Working Women's Night Out event hosted by mixfm. Before I came, I was told there should be some sort of happy hour at Sakura. But not only there was no happy hour menu, the waitress was apparently ignorant of whether there was such a thing. Based on the yelp reviews, someone, somewhere, somehow, had seen a happy hour menu. I was just blown away that everyone else's experience contradicted mine. Also, the sushi rolls were lame. I don't say that lightly--all the three rolls we got (and paid full price for) were small (1/2 size of what I would get from sushi garden's happy hour), limpy (falling apart if you use chopsticks), way tooooooooo cream-cheesy, and not enough other filling (like, more fish in my rainbow and vegas rolls plz?). Other than rolls, all the other items on the menu are way too expensive. The Working Women's Night Out was apparently fun to some, but not the others. You would think it's a networking, or meet-others type of thing. Nope. Absolutely not. People only mingle with the people they come with. But Sakura was absolutely booming that night. Don't know why.
(2)BabY.Eate R.
I looked through the menu slowly rubbing my chin pondering what it was that I hungered* . Being forever observant I over heard others speaking of kobe and how they were going to order it. With I devilish grin and adventure in my heart I quickly skimmed through the menu to find the legendary kobe beef. Alas it was found, The 60 dollar steak I have only tasted in my dreams. I placed my order and waited with anticipation, my mouth was watering with the thought of that beautiful cut of beef. As the other peon stakes where cooked on the taipon table I stuck my nose up at the filth before me. When he was finished with the peasants meat he cleaned the table. *plop* there was the kobe. Surrounded with a gold aura, it almost sang. He cut it into cubes and you could observe the marbling on the fine cuts of bovine. I ordered medium rare, a little pink. The steak was gathered onto the spatula and headed for my plate. I raised my plate as if I was receiving a gift from the gods. I locked my eyes on what I was about to consume. I pinched a piece with my chop sticks and popped it in to my mouth. It melted there as I closed my eyes taking the experience. I opened my eyes and stared off into the distance, and shed a tear.
(5)Jason N.
Years ago, this would have been an easy five-star review, but the restaurant has gone downhill steadily ever since Mr. An sold it. Since then, food quality and portions have declined. Now, don't get me confused here. They still put out a great product at times and most of their teppan chefs are still very good at their craft, but if you order that same food in the bar, off the same menu, the quality diminishes drastically, which indicates that it's likely be cooked by line-cooks who simply aren't as skilled as the man who comes to your table and puts on a show. But somewhere along the line since An's departure, this place lost its mystique and charm as well. For starters, An took the vast majority of his sports memorability out of Sakura (And that's totally understandable considering how much money that collection is worth), but their effort to fill that void has been pretty comedic. I mean, painted black plastic sporting equipment including.... wait for it ...... badminton rackets. Don't patronize me with that type of decor. I'm not asking you to go full bro-UFC style, because that would suck too, but a little more effort would be greatly appreciated. Maybe hire an interior designer who happens to specialize in sports bars or something. Do those exist? Also, why are they leaving the old TV's that aren't in commission up to collect dust and provide an eye-sore? Replace those monstrosities down with smaller HDTV's. I mean,HD isn't just an expensive novelty anymore; it's quite essential in the sports bar realm and their lack of attention to this area speaks volumes for how much ownership and management really cares. Sakura still gets a lot of business, so I would assume they have the means to make much much-needed, interior alterations. The staff, though, is always fantastic and friendly. Some of the waitresses on the restaurant side have been employed there since the 90's (possibly longer?) and are cordial, attentive and thorough. The bar staff has experienced a bit more attrition over the years, but the unit still seems to operate with minimal problems. The girls behind the bar are some of the best you will come across in Tucson and the cocktail waitresses are usually a friendly group who cater to the customer's needs. Really, what seems to have happened to this place is that Mr. An sold it to someone who wants to squeeze every last little bit of profit out of the Sakura name before they need to make any drastic alterations. But, inside, this place needs an overhaul. I am not a sushi person, but I hear nothing but good reviews regarding their sushi and the teppan chefs deliver quality food in an entertaining fashion. The entire wait / host staff is a friendly and determined group on both sides of the restaurant. The real issues appear to be sub-par cooks for the bar food and careless ownership and management. With that being said, I will still periodically give this place my business and the overall product is still acceptable. It's just a shame to see something with such great potential get treated nonchalantly.
(3)Amy L. H.
I went to Sakura this weekend with a large group of people (a good-bye dinner for a friends co-worker). It was about 8 on Saturday night and was pretty packed but I'm not sure about the wait because there was some of our group already there. We were sitting on the patio, which is entirely too dark, and they had a band out there as well. Personally the band was not that great and they had the volume WAY to loud, I couldn't even hear the person next to me even while leaning closer to talk/hear. I've only been one other time and I wasn't impressed. The tepan tables are typical and I personally think you pay for the show because the food isn't that great. Anyways, we were outside not at a tepan table this time and I ordered a Prickly pear margarita, which tastes almost the same as their regular one. My friend and I shared the Yakisoba that was on special and that one was actually reasonably priced for the quality and was pretty tasty, although not something I would drive across town for. We started with the shooters next (jager bombs and fire bombs) Both had a good ratio of flavor but it was as if they heated the glasses up (I prefer my drinks cold). At this point it was happy hour and they have good prices for that and I ordered the Wonton Ragoons something I order anywhere that offers them) and they were quite good but the sauce they came out with was really unappealing in flavor and looks. Our server was OK at best. I understand we had a large group but she didn't even ask half our table for their food orders and then said nobody wanted food, which was clearly a lie. She also never brought out orders all together so we'd have to wait. Then lastly we were about to leave and we had to track her down for our check, again she brought a few and vanished. There are so many better places to eat the same type of food in Tucson, go to one of them.
(2)K J.
The service was good, but the sushi chefs were very slow. There were only 4 tables of people, and it took 40 minutes to get half of our order. The rolls were good sized, but mainly due to LOTS of rice.
(3)Paige W.
Serve the hot girls (who got here a half hour after us) their overpriced food before my family. Yeah, good idea, dude. I understand it's busy on a Friday night, but if even one server had been somewhat friendly, I would feel more sympathetic. We waited about an hour for our order to be taken, and we had to ask someone for our table to be bussed from the people before us. You get one star because the band that's playing is awesome.
(1)Ashley J.
I've only ever had their sushi (not the hibachi), but I think the sushi is a bit lackluster. If you go during happy hour its excellently priced, but the quality isn't great and drinks aren't all that cheap. The calamari is great, as are the panko-fried veggies. But, really, I'd rather go to Ra for happy hour any day over Sakura. Their redeeming quality is sitting out on their massive patio with a group of friends during happy hour when it's cool out. Nice ambiance. They also have live music sometimes, which can be fun but its sometimes way too loud to hear each other!
(3)Kathy N.
Steer clear, the appeal of this place has long left the building. I've given Sakura several tries and have never been impressed but our experience on Friday night was the worst. We came for a birthday happy hour before moving across the parking lot to a paint party. Our group trickled in by 2s or 3s on the patio to be a final party of 8. The place wasn't that busy for a Friday evening. Our server, Brittonee was either very preoccupied, just didn't care or she was a very new server. 3 of us ordered drinks at the same time but she only brought 2 to the table. I waited another 5 minutes for my drink and finally flagged her down to ask about it and she proceeded to tell me it was at the bar...she didn't want to spill it when bringing the other 2 drinks out. Really? K ordered sake for her and the birthday girl and also had to flag down Brittonee a good 10 minutes later to ask once again for the sake. Then she finally brought it out with only one sake cup. After waiting for the 2nd cup for a bit, she had to go to the bar herself to get the other cup. K once again had to serve herself when Brittonee brought the sushi rolls to the table and never returned with soy sauce. Brittonee also brought the wrong roll out to one of my girls and it took a good 15 minutes for the correct one to come out. My drink, the Sawayaki (cucumber vodka and citrus martini) was mediocre and lacked flavor. L's MaiTai was served with a volcano of ice on top where all the liquor pooled....obviously not mixed. When she sipped the top to try to mix the ice in and got a mouthful of alcohol, the drink suddenly turned in to Kool-aid. We asked Brittonee about the Volcano, "a special concoction....served with a flame!" but she said she wasn't allowed to say what is in it because it's their special recipe. She couldn't even tell us what kind of liquor is in it!! She did say no one has ever ordered one from her though. I wonder why?!! The worst part was when the last friend showed up and had forgotten her wallet at work. One of the other members in our party ordered a drink for her and when Brittonee was asked to bring everyone's bill - she asked for everyone's IDs. Even though everyone had been ID'd at the beginning. Now, I know it was wrong that T ordered a drink for G when G didn't bring her ID but G is obviously over 30 and there was no way she could have been mistaken for someone under age. But the group was harassed about IDs at the end with the blond female manager staring down at everyone over Brittonee's shoulder. This was the most uncomfortable and most unwelcoming feeling any of us have ever experienced at any establishment. I will not be returning to Sakura and will not be suggesting this establishment for any further gatherings. The food and drink are average at best but I refuse to be harassed and made to feel uncomfortable by a server and manager. Ridiculous.
(1)Nancy W.
I used to love eating at Sakura. Hadn't been back for years and after reading the reviews, I was skeptical about going back. My friends had a groupon and invited me to dinner at Sakura. SO....went there last evening and, even though I was no longer expecting much, it was just as I remembered it, both the food and the service were excellent. From the soup and salad to the Teppan chicken and shrimp, it was ALL good. I will be back. It's also a really fun place for kids and grandkids.
(5)Kyndal S.
I have been to this establishment many of time with quick, friendly service. I went on a friday night (8-15-14) with a group. First, there was no parking due to an event in the shopping center. Then, we were not allowed to be seated until everyone in the party arrived. Unsure of how many would be able to make it due to our profession being in healthcare we decided to wait in the bar. We waited thirty min. and were seated for six at Teppan table. Minutes later our order was taken and the five others in our party arrived. The staff made no effort to seat the other members of out party with us. That really was a spoiler. Food was fine. When I attempted to pay with a Groupon, the waitress said "we don't recognize those!" She didn't even bother looking at the Groupon. Goes to show that one bad apple can spoil the bunch. I did not make a scene as I did not want my group to be aware of my issue and other time constraints. I rarely go out to eat due to my financial situation. Sakura has no way to email complaints. Just a phone number on their website. That is all around poor customer service. I won't be returning.
(2)Jacque H.
Maybe I'm a party pooper, but I feel like incredibly you have had the Teppanyaki experience, you've checked it off for a lifetime. Once, sure it's great, but they all do the same tricks (no matter the restaurant) and it's a slightly awkward set up to try to enjoy your guests with conversations. Don't get me wrong, it can be very fun and provides a good show (our chef was more laid back and funny), but it's a little too chaotic for me to relax and enjoy. Not only that, but the prices are always jacked up, and honestly the food doesn't seem worth the price. I mean, that's what happens when everything tastes the same because you cook it all together, you just have a variety of meats. Eh, been there done that. I think if you would like to enjoy this experience come at a slow town so they restaurant isn't filled with yelling at cheering. Just my two cents. On the flip side, the sushi is wonderful! Very fresh and tasty and great presentation. I'd say the prices for it are pretty average and I'm more likely to shell out money for that then the grill. I'd say if you haven't experienced it, it's definitely fun and something you should try, otherwise try the sushi or keep on driving!
(3)L L.
This place reek of old dirty carpet soaked in old kitchen grease! I just wonder how anyone can stand working in such condition. The food is not good, soggy sushi rolls & dried out rice! If they could give the whole place a facelift & improve the menu, I would come back again.
(1)Jen N.
This used to be a great place for sushi and teppanyaki. I placed a to go order for 4 items with the hostess. It took her 45 minutes to let me know she would be "bagging my order". I informed her that I had not seen the bill yet and she gave me a verbal total and a ticket with no dollar amounts, just the items. I checked each container to verify the order. One item was missing and two were wrong. How does someone screw up 3 out 4 items ordered? When I pointed them out, on one item she said, "well I didn't charge you for the extra" as if that makes it okay. Between the poor service and the employee attitude I won't be going back. There are better choices in Tucson.
(2)Tera E.
I have always loved teppanyaki places. Sure they're a little cheesy but it's fun (especially if you come with kids!) and the food is always delish. My favorites are usually shrimp and a steak of some sort. The veggies are my favorite part though! We went here to celebrate a birthday a while ago and after ordering a tuna roll to start decided that we definitely needed to go back for the sushi. When I saw there was a Groupon for Sakura we had an even better excuse to head back up that way. I really liked the Cherry Blossom roll... I hardly ever order any specialty rolls but this one called to me and my regular tuna and yellow tail nigiri were great as well. My fiance ordered some rolls and the plain tuna and yellow tail rolls had so much fish in them! Definitely what we like. It's so frustrating when you get a roll and it is practically all rice with hardly any filling. We also like that we can order that delicious Sakura house salad with the ginger dressing to start! Miso soup is also included at no charge. Very happy to come here every now and then :)
(4)Matthew J.
My wife & I came here for our first date night after our little one was born.... Service: Awesome Atmosphere: Great! & Inviting! Food: Stellar! This one is short and sweet but we had a really great time, the food was all cooked to perfection and even though a baby was only a 1 month old she slept right thru the whole dinner ! Great dinner! excellent food and company! Couldn't ask for anything better!
(4)Marlene R.
If you are a woman, don't expect service at Sakura. I invited a friend to join me at Sakura on Tanque Verde to listen to the music on the out door patio. It was pretty crowded but, we did manage to find a table to sit at. It hadn't been cleaned off. After about 10 minutes we did manage to flag down a busser toclean the table. In his attemp to clean it, he managed to drop a beer bottle on my friends foot. Beer bottles dropped on a foot wearing sandals hurt. After waiting more time and still no service I went to bar to get our drinks. Had to wait a bit even though there were no other patrons waiting. The second round was worse. There were 2 women tending the bar, one was making drinks, the other washing glasses. Neither acknowledged me, a man came and sat down, he was immediately waited on by the woman who seemed to be the bartender. The other woman kept washing glasses. The bartender finally took my order, a man sat down and the woman washing glasses immediately waited on him. I guess you have to be a man in order to get service at Sakura.
(1)Breanna P.
So every year my husband and I go here to eat for our daughters birthday . It has slowly been going downhill and this last trip Thursday had sealed the deal. We were sat with very strange people which was interesting. The menu was cheap looking but the prices had gone up $6 so I was confused. The tepan chef was very lame. Didn't do any tricks. Plus he forgot our order of shrimp and had to ask someone to go get more shrimp. The food was not special and the veggies were under cooked. After all that the bill for a family of 4 was over $100. I don't mind spend money like that but it should be worth it. The only saving grace was the waitress she was great.
(1)John R.
HOSTESS STAFF = GIGANTIC THUMBS DOWN!!! Upon first walking in, you will be ungreeted by: your typical cliché! 98 pounds of fresh out of high school, just broke up with her boyfriend, flirting with the sushi chef, good looking but sadly frowning "hostess" who will plop your menus down and then run away to get back to her text messages. This is what starts your experience, which might explain why the place is DEAD for lunch: real business people don't want to be greeted by that. The ONLY exception is Julia, a very pleasant and professional hostess who was fantastic. Don't worry Sakura, you are not the only one suffering from CHS - crappy hostess syndrome - the FOX restaurant chain has a chronic, highly contagious strain of this disease. Plan of attack: 1) Fire the hostess staff (except one) and retrain all the new ones to be ungrumpy - even if you have to hire less attractive people - it will pay off greatly. 2) Offer a business lunch and start promoting it, in the $8 - $11 range (they are only off by a hair here) 3) New paint, new chairs, new dishes, new chopsticks, fix the damn front door panels and the peeling tint - how much could this really cost? DIY for about $5K... 4) Have the owners pop in more than once a month. Food is very good, chefs are fantastic - especially Danny and Carlos, and the service is usually perfect ESPECIALLY in the daytime. I will be back, but not for much longer if things keep going this way!
(2)Carmen G.
Went there with a co-worker for lunch. Not sure if the place is just getting old and Mr An no longer cares about it. It was a weekday and there were only 5 people there (that should have been a sign). We sat at the sushi bar, and our first impression was that it wasn't very clean. Greasy fingerprints on the equipment and the insulation from the refrigerator that the fish sits in was falling on the counter where we sat. We ordered a couple of rolls, as their lunch menu is a joke. Ex: California roll, chicken tenders and rice, $9.95. We ordered spicy Tuna, spicy Yellow tail & a spicy Dragon roll. When the rolls were delivered we were never given any thing to eat off of. We asked the waitress and she picks some plates from a stack sitting out on the corner of the counter (Is this sanitary?). They were those small beige plates like from a hospital cafeteria, or Furr's. Then the waitress reaches in front of my face to hand the plate to my co-worker. As for the rolls, the tuna roll was good, Dragon roll was excellent, but the yellow tail was bad. Not just bad tasting, but the fish was bad! We've had yellow tail before and this was not how Yellow tail has ever tasted. It was acidic, and really fishy tasting. It was so disgusting we had to spit it in the napkin. We told the waitress and she tried to give us an explanation on how it depends on what part of the fish it came from. At least she let us order something else. From eating one piece of that Yellow tail we both got sick. My co-worker lives in Oro Valley and didn't even make it home without having to pull over, and this lingered into the next day. They get one star because my last two visits there were not pleasant, and I will never return to Sakura again.
(1)Ashlie L.
My boyfriend took my family out to treat for dinner for the first time. The atmosphere is fun and family friendly. The only negative is the food is expensive but we'll worth it. Come to Sakura and u will be entertained by the chef with great food and laughter!
(3)Elyse P.
I've been to Sakura several times for sushi and always really enjoyed myself and my meal. Via Yelp I have read some not-so-raving reviews, and was becoming hesitant to return even though my own experiences have always been positive. But after my New Year's Eve dinner with the teppanyaki, I'm definitely a fan. We had made reservations since it was New Year's Eve (which is also my Mom's birthday and this was her pick) and were seated right away. The place seemed to be functioning like a well-oiled machine. Our "performer" was low-key, but super funny and was just right for our group. Plus, the food was delish and my plate was heaping! We all really enjoyed the sushi too. I left totally full and with leftovers. It was an overall great experience and I'll be back for both sushi and teppanyaki.
(4)Christian M.
Teppanyaki Chefs perform at your table in an outdated, rundown restaurant that still is pretty cool as a spectacle, not so much from an eating or drinking standpoint. AMBIENCE: 2 stars. Dated. The smell of cooking oil, fish, and sweaty Tucsonans pervades the place. STAFF: 3.5 stars. Host staff was not super helpful--we arrived about 5 minutes prior to our reservation for and were not seated until 10 minutes after our reservation time. Wait staff was good--keeping the drinks flowing, and educating our group in the proper etiquette of the Sake Bomber (who knew?). The chef was great--very skilled and able to entertain us all without looking like he was working up a sweat. FOOD: 3 stars. It is cooked right in front of you--so you are pretty sure it is not under a heating lamp someplace in the back! Our dishes ranged from chicken to shrimp and lobster, from NY strip steak to Filet Mignon--and it was all cooked as we requested with pretty good fried rice. ALCOHOL: 3 stars. Sake Bombers were the bomb.com for our group--the other drinks were pedestrian at best. VALUE: 3 stars. The "show" portion is worth the price of the food. OVERALL: 2 stars--the reason this place gets two stars is that back in the day it was THE place to go for fun/food/drinks on the East Side of Tucson (represent!), and it was not uncommon to see celebrities there (we saw Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger back when they were celebrities... well I guess he still is)--not anymore--the smell alone when you walk in the door makes me think the place needs a visit from Robert Irvine of Restaurant Impossible for a makeover. To be fair--the place was still packed on a Saturday night, so maybe they don't need any help in the money making department--but I can't see going back again unless some changes are made.
(2)Eleana H.
I hate to say it but this place is terribly overpriced!!! If you are coming here looking for entertainment and a good time.. turn the car around and go someplace else! If I could I would give this place 2.8 stars.. I would!!! (I rounded up due to my generosity) Came here to celebrate a birthday... and although the atmosphere and the food was not bad, the price + service was not. Our teppanyaki experience was sub par.. The chef hardly said anything to us.. and just looked like he wanted to go home. He did some tricks half heartedly and then left as soon as he was done cooking our food. Not only that. but the prices were really outrageous.. I mean $15.00 for a plate of chicken, rice and veggies?? The couple seated next to us ordered the lobster dinner.. and man did I feel sorry for them.... I believe it was like $50.00 or $70.00 for their lobster plate... and it was just the smallest piece of lobster I've ever seen plus their rice and veggies.. I'm sorry but for that price I would go anywhere else to eat!!!
(3)Chris C.
This is the best Happy Hour in town! The drinks are cheap, the staff is friendly, and the food is great! Both on the sports bar and on the restaurant side, I have never had a bad experience. I have been coming here for years and it has only gotten better. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a great date spot, some live music, or just a couple drinks. Cheers!
(5)Caleb T.
Sakura is as good as it gets as far as fine dining in Tucson goes. You can get anything off this menu and you will NOT be disappointed. They are able to put on quite a show also which can be enjoyable for the entire family, even the youngsters. Go!!!
(5)Debbi W.
Was very excited all day thinking of enjoying some jazz, food and good friends. But it was canceled because of the cold. :-( Still had a good time. Would have been better if there was jazz instead of sports but, the chocolate martini and lettuce wraps were just what the doctor ordered after a long days work. (Half off appetizers and $1 off drinks) YUM!!!
(4)Alma B.
This review is solely based on the sushi. We visited Sakura on a thursday night around 7pm. We were limited on time and the waitress, which is the reason they get 2 stars was very good at accommodating our request to not only have separate checks, but to be out in 50 minutes. This lady was awesome, she had our drinks refilled at all times and was very pleasant. Now onto the food, I had a vegas roll, some nigiri salmon and a spicy tuna roll. It was all very disappointing. Portions where small, and I can deal with that if the sushi is good, but this was the worst sushi I have ever had, the pre-packaged stuff they sell at fry's can taste better than this overpriced sushi. Maybe the teppanyaki is better there, but as far as sushi, even the all-you-can-eat places do better than sakura.
(2)Ruben Q.
the place is rundown,with outdated decor,,, not your typical Japanese restaurant. but the locals seem to like it because the place was packed. we made it in time for happy hour and had some apps, chicken lettuce wraps and chicken on a stick and fried won tons. they were good..with a Mai -tai. the drink had too much juice. overall its has the ambiance of a regular bar with a live band . i have to say that the place was really busy but the apps came out fairly quick. overall it was good, would i come again? probably not.
(3)Lorin D.
Sakura was disappointing. I'm a big fan of Hibachi, but just about everything about my experience here was a let-down. The chef was pretty rude. I'm not sure if it was his particular sense of humor or what, but he should probably find a new line of work. I was shocked to see that he dumped FROZEN veggies on the grill. Seriously? I can do that at home! Cocktails were very weak. The sushi was about the same quality I'd expect from a cheap Asian Buffet. It did not taste fresh. The one redeeming quality was the hostess. When my group told her it was my birthday, she made it her personal mission to make sure that we had a good time. They even took a group picture, printed it out, and presented it to me in a card at the end of the meal.
(2)Brad H.
This review will cover the teppan yaki and the service. My heritage is Japanese, I grew up eating Japanese food and I ate it while in Japan for two years and I cook some of it. Sakura's food is mediocre. We went tonight for our anniversary. I had the teppan yaki chicken and my wife had the shrimp. We feel both were slightly over-cooked. For teppan, it is best to cook the ingredients in the sauces. They didn't and poured the sauces on the meat & vegetables toward the middle end of cooking. As a result, there was hardly any flavor to the food. Rather bland. Even the fried rice was not so flavorful. And the chicken was just a hair too dry. Portions were enormous, however. We took our leftovers home. But we didn't eat any as the food really was not outstanding. You know how you usually look forward to eating your Asian food leftovers? Not in this case. The soup they serve is just a salty stock soup. Cheap and not miso. It was a big whoop and I only had a few spoonfuls. The gyoza was deep fried, not pan fried then steamed like they are supposed to be. They tasted OK, but they were not true gyoza. The chef gave the usual show that everyone expects. He was OK, nothing spectacular but OK. The waitress and hostess were very considerate and gave very good service. The couple next to us ordered sushi (which he had to remind them to bring out). I was not impressed. It looked like whoever put it on the serving plate did not care. It was a bit sloppy and not very artistic in it's presentation. You may wonder why anyone should care about that, but in a true Japanese restaurant, presentation is everything. Food is an art to them and if a Japanese restaurant doesn't care about it's presentation, then it makes you wonder about the quality of the food. The couple didn't complain about the sushi, but they didn't say it was great, either. They didn't eat half of it and gave it to the family sitting next to them. I forgot to mention that when the gyoza was initially served us by a serving assistant, it was cream cheese wontons. He brought it out and said here is your gyoza specifically. My waitress came out just after that and saw that it wasn't gyoza so she took it and replaced it with gyoza before I needed to bring it to her attention. Points to her for remembering we ordered gyoza and doing something about it. But I wonder why their staff doesn't know the difference between gyoza and stuffed wontons? They definitely look different. I would think the stuffed cream cheese would have been definitely a give away. Prices were about what you would expect for a Benihana-type restaurant: My teppan yaki chicken was around $17 and my wife's shrimp and vegetables was $22. Oh, it was billed as "oriental" vegetables and had the usual suspects of Napa cabbage, carrots, sprouts, and onions but had only a couple of snow peas. If all you want is entertainment then I guess go. If you are looking for great food then don't. I do not know how this is supposed to be one of the top go to restaurants in town because I am not impressed.
(2)Kenneth F.
First time here. I suggest stoping at Safeway to bring your own sushi.... I'll probably not be alive in the am. Damn the man, save the empire!!! Just don't try the sushi!!!
(1)Kristin W.
Great place for happy hour during the week! Just walk in and seat yourself in the inside bar area ! Friendly staff , service with a smile ! Always a different roll on special each day , makes it much easier to be adventurous ! Easy on wallet and heaven to the taste buds ! Chicken lettuce wraps , yum ! Philly roll yum yum !!
(3)Susan C.
I brought my kids here for dinner. I would say the food was mediocre, but the kids had a blast! Not really a place you would think of taking kids, but they loved the teppan table and watching the food cook. Pretty kid friendly food too- chicken and rice. They were entertained, I will bring them again. I will agree with other posters that the décor could definitely use some updating.
(3)Bernadette C.
The first time we went to Sakura was back in 2009 when we came to Tucson for a soccer tournament. I remember seeing a commercial of it while watching tv @ the hotel, so I suggested it to my husband and his friends. I remember the whole experience being great. Great sushi, service, & ambience. So when we decided to move to Tucson in 2011, I told my husband that he would be taking me to Sakura. We went in on a Wednesday night (I believe it was ladies night) and we decided to sit on the patio. It was seat yourself and we had trouble finding a table, but we finally did. It took a few minutes for the waitress to come over and take our drink order. It seemed as if we had to flag her down everytime we needed something including the check, we can tell that she was very busy. As for the food, we ordered a couple of rolls (that I don't remember the name of), we also ordered the fried calamari & gyoza. The rolls were just ok not something I would rave about or peer again. The fried calamari was really good,probably my favorite dish of the night. It had fried onions and yellow chiles and a sauce that complemented the calamari very well. The gyoza were very good too. I loved sitting on the patio because there was a live band. It was also very fun to watch a few people dancing with one of the band members. I haven't tried the teppan yet, or sat inside. I will definitely give it another try and hopefully my 3 star rating will go up.
(3)Jay J.
We took the in-laws to Sakura for a teppan dinner during our Thanksgiving visit to Arizona. We had a 6:30 reservation and were seated within 5 minutes. Amy, our server, was very helpful explaining the menu options to the folks. (They have never been to this type of restaurant before.) She was very quick with the soup and salad and made sure our beverages never got low. Chef Carlos arrived shortly. He was quite entertaining and worked to get everyone engaged. I had a fillet and chicken combo dinner, which I found to be an excellent value at $27.50. It was a hearty portion prepared exactly as requested. (Portions large enough there were leftovers shared with the shepherds at the house.) The only thing I found odd were the Lima beans in the fried rice. In all it was a wonderful experience. The staff was pleasant and attentive, and the food was very good.
(4)T A.
Some of the specialty rolls here are worth a visit.
(2)Jim C.
This used to be one of our favorite spots. The food was good, not great,but the fun at he tables made for a happy night. The last several visits have been bad. Food was way too salty and rice was burned. The cooks are tired of their own antics. I told the waitress of the bad food, but she did not care and no manager came over. We will pass next time.
(1)John D.
I'll be forthright in saying that the only reason my wife and I visited Sakura was because we had bought a Groupon a couple months back. For the value of what the Groupon cost plus how much extra we spent while dining, it was worth the money. But would we ever go back and pay full price? Unfortunately, no. Sakura is not a bad sushi/teppan restaurant, it's just average. We did not partake in the teppan, so I can't speak for that side of the restaurant, but the sushi was decent. There are pages and pages of sushi to choose from--at times it feels like almost too much--and they are all moderately priced when compared to the rest of Tucson's sushi establishments. My wife and I had no problems finishing both of our rolls and the sushi chef behind the counter was very eager to interact with us. Not a bad experience eating sushi at all. Where Sakura goes wrong is its appetizers and desserts. We ordered the Rangoon and for $8.95 we got five bite-sized servings of rangoon made with imitation crab. It was mostly cream cheese filling and very little imitation crab and while it was still tasty, it was not worth the price at all. The same thing can be said for the Tempura Ice Cream, which was basically a ball of ice cream with soft dough surrounding it. Again, it was tasty (it tasted like a funnel cake), but for $5.95 I would have rather just bought dessert at a grocery store... or a funnel cake.
(3)Chelsea P.
I LOVE sushi. That being said, I'm not overly picky. As long as it is cool and tastes fresh, I'm pretty happy. Sakura sushi makes me happy. It's not the best ever, but it's consistently good. I went to Sakura for happy hour last week, and love the specials. Dollar off beers and half off appetizers is great - we had the lettuce wraps (usually really good, but this time the lettuce wasn't sufficient for the filling), and the egg rolls (good, basic, but with a delicious dip). If I could change anything, it would be adding sushi specials to the happy hour menu! Even when I'm there during happy hour, I'd love a couple bucks off of my favorite Rainbow Roll! So, for a solid, consistent, and fun time, with decent specials, Sakura delivers.
(3)Chrissy K.
This is all I have to say: There. was. a. ROACH. ALIVE. IN. my. sushi. NO BUENO.
(1)Joseph L.
Tried the dynamite roll last night. Its was so bad its disgraceful they can even called that....its so sad you have to be there to find out why so many 1or 2stars and come out gave such review. Its so sad I had just crossed out another sushi place in Tucson.
(1)Joe N.
I have to admit that I was a bit shocked and plesantly surprised and the sushi and tempura feast that my friend and I partook in the other day. Iwas a little weary because word of mouth on this place is that it isn't so hot. Well I saw a groupon for this place. It was a good deal and so I figured I'd check it out for myself. I have to admit that I was happy I did. I'm usually not a big fan of raw fish on top of my sushi rolls, and I almost never eat raw nigiri. However, when our specialty rolls came out (my favorite was the cherry blossom btw) I saw it was covered in raw fish. Well, I took a bite and was very happy. It was extremely fresh, not overly chewy and just really tasty. Our tempura was also a treat. So, for the price, the quality isn't bad. There is no all you can eat option here as far as I can tell. IF there was, I'd probably be eating at Sakura more oftne. The teppan steak looked good and I would definately go back if I were in the mood for either. The tikki bar and patio area is also pretty cool. There was decent music and some people dancing. If you're looking for a fun night out at a local Tucson establishment, this is worth checking out. It's not going to be some sort of upper class, my poop doesn't stink cuisine....but it is definately a step up from a lot of the local fare.
(4)Courtney M.
If I had hit up Sakura as soon as I moved to Tucson from the west coast I might have given it three stars based on my low expectations for sushi in this town. However, I have been proven wrong and have eaten some EXCELLENT sushi. Unfortunately, it was not at Sakura. *Please note, this review is for the sushi, not the Teppan* So my husband and I went tonight, Saturday around 10:00. The parking lot was packed and the band out on the patio was kicking. However, i was just there for the sushi (serious craving going on) and so we sat inside. Service was prompt and friendly which is why there are two stars instead of one. Our drinks were served quickly and refilled regularly. We ordered albacore, fresh water eel, dragon roll, vegas roll, spicy tuna roll and tamago. The miso soup that came out before the meal was pretty flavorless and watery. Reminded me of the powdered stuff you can buy at the grocery store. The fish was all covered in sauces and even then the flavor (what little I could taste after the sauce) was meh. My albacore (which is my favorite sushi EVER) was slathered in so much ginger that it was overwhelming even AFTER I scraped it off. If you are in the mood for sushi, keep walking. It is possible to get yummy fish in this town, just not here.
(2)Sandyy E.
Came for Happy Hour which was 3-5pm. First impression - I loved how the waitresses dressed in kimonos. Lettuce wraps were good as well as the cream cheese rangoons. Also ordered the Las Vegas roll which was great, and a California roll which didn't impress. We sat in the dining room which consisted of just a few tables. Most of the restaurant was for teppan. Overall it was alright. I'd like to come back to try their teppan.
(3)Mama H.
Only people who've never tasted REAL Japanese enjoy the food here. And maybe children who like the whole "show". Besides that, I went to eat there for my daughter's birthday once, with me and 3 others, so a party of 4, and the waitress automatically put on the gratuity on my bill. Like the b**** thought I wasn't going to tip her or something. How RUDE! They're only supposed to do that for large groups. How stupid of her to make such an assumption because the fact is that because I've been a waitress before, I always give 20% tips. Anyways, the food is not even worth the cost, the "kobe" beef is a joke. A Japanese restaurant owned by a Korean family, ask a Japanese person about the food at this restaurant, they'll laugh.
(1)Anthony B.
Been here about three times and they have some of the freshest sushi in tucson, a little pricey and a little too night clubbish after 7:30 8:00 at night great lunch specials and service
(4)Amber N.
it was good but it used to be a lot better we did the teppan grill I love the salad dressing and soup but the quality of the food is not what it used to be
(3)Sarah M.
I was driving by this place on my way to Beyond Bread to grab a salad for dinner but I saw a sushi sign and quickly did a U-turn (alright, I realized afterwards that was was going the wrong direction). This place looks fun from the outside with torches and a live band on the outside patio and the parking lot was pretty packed. All good signs. So I walked in and placed my take out order for a spicy dragon roll and albacore and fresh salmon nigiri. Well, the staff was certainly friendly. But the food was pretty blah. The roll didn't really stick together and oh dear god that unagi sauce was so, so gelatinous. The fish quality wasn't terrible but it certainly wasn't anything to write home about. Kinda wish I had just found Beyond Bread and gotten a salad...
(2)Adrienne L.
We sat outside on a Friday night. There was a great live band playing, and we indulged ourselves in lettuce wraps, sushi and drinks galore for half price. That's all well and good, but the food was awesome! I'm not sure where the bad reviews come from. We didn't sit inside so maybe that was the difference, but on a beautiful Friday night in Tucson, this place can't be beat! The chicken skewers were great, the sushi rolls were fresh, and for someone who is on a dairy and gluten free diet, this was quite the treat for the taste buds. If you're expecting some swanky sushi restaurant then go somewhere else. If you want good food and a nice chill atmosphere on a temperate Tucson evening, (btw the wine selection was quite nice) then this is the place to be.
(4)Jessica G.
Sushi was good but overall overpriced and service could have been better.
(2)Madeline G.
We didn't eat here because the wait was too long, the hostess was rude, and to top it off it was WAY TOO EXPENSIVE! Like, ridiculously expensive. Sayonara Sakura. Not worth it.
(2)Saba B.
Sakura's a tried and true happy hour stopover on restaurant row with a great half-price menu until 7:00 pm weeknights and a big hoppin' patio with live bands on the weekend. The happy hour menu is heavy on the deep fried side, but enormous, crisp veggies make up for the light batter and the appetizers are a great deal.The sushi has been improving steadily for the past year or so - fresher ingredients, decent-sized rolls, and rice with the right consistency. The special roll last Saturday was the Playboy - salmon and yellow roe, which didn't impress (bland) but was okay. The spider roll disappointed (no crunch) but the shrimp roll was big and tasty and not minced into oblivion. The patio ambience is laid back and sweet at sunset. Sakura is a venue that knows how to do sound properly before 10pm - sweet funky riffs as background create a mellow, SoCal vibe. Inside, the whole teppan yaki show goes on all night, and these are some of the best teppan chefs around. Fast, professional, and attentive to detail. This is NOT the case at the west location, but the Tanque Verde Sakura has it goin on. Aregato.
(4)Chuck M.
What can I say, it's Sakura! One of the only places in Tucson you can go that has an outdoor patio with live music on the weekend. The atmosphere is what keeps me going back. Always friendly staff, they have the best bartender in town, Deb Ruiz and Charity is our fav waitress! Best place to take a date, multicultural crowd, nice ambiance outside, good music with 360 Degree band as well as Jay Faircloth. There are other Sushi places in town but none that have all the attributes you can find at Sakura!
(5)John S.
Did the teppan thing, service ok, neither great or sloppy, had the chicken and veggies, portions large, yet flavor bland, nothing stood out, so u go for the friends and the experience, not necessarily for the food, would not go back any time soon.
(3)David F.
We went there last night to use a Groupon that was about to expire. We had a mixed tempura and terraki chicken. The tempura batter was a little greasy and old oil tasting. The chicken (16.95) was dry, served with a cup of white rice and some julienned vegetables. This was our first visit here and will be our last. It must have been good at one time but not now
(1)Shawn T.
This place used to be a lot better. If you love sushi and teppan, go to Mr. An's instead. Their restaurant is clean and beautifully decorated; the food is excellent and the servers are friendly.
(2)Mike A.
After having eaten at Sakura for the past 6 years I was highly disappointed in all aspects of our dining experience. We had no wait staff, our chef was uncooperative and lacked any measurable energy. After my first drink, I was unable to even get a glass of water. The food was mediocre (fillet and lobster), the vegetables tasted like the were boiled, its just wasn't good and was no where near what I had come to expect from Sakura. Good luck.
(1)Sheri B.
First off, this place is not a sushi bar. It's a BAR with sushi. We only went here because I had purchased a Groupon and we wanted to watch the U of A basketball game. The miso was good, but we had to ask if they had any. It wasn't listed on the menu. We ordered a spicy dragon roll, yellowtail, salmon, and another roll I can't remember. None of it was great. The eel did not taste fresh and several pieces of the rolls fell apart as soon as I tried to pick them up (no wonder they don't have a sushi bar where you can watch them "craft" their sushi!). It was a very strange environment for a sushi place. Lots of older men with much younger women on dates. THe whole place is a bar atmoshpere - no restaurant type section. They were having a radio station party on the patio and a band was playing. The service was good and that's the only reason they are getting a 2nd star. If you are looking for good sushi, go elsewhere! It is however a good place for drinks and watching the game. ETA: I guess we missed the restaurant part of the place with the teppanyaki tables. We had walked in the back door to the sports bar. We walked all throughout the patio area, wandering around and didn't see an entrance to that part. Wouldn't have mattered, we wanted to watch the game and the sushi would still have been bad.
(2)princessaja g.
All the years that I lived here I never ate at this sushi bar. I heard alot of good things about it so I finally decided to try it out. Im not a Fan of fish at all but they do serve steak and chicken. So I tried the chicken Yakitori, I must say that it was very tasty! The terriaki sauce was really good . I have to give it a thumbs up
(4)Yvett R.
Did I ever mention that I was the junior world champion no-hands shrimp catcher? No? OK, maybe I wasn't but where else am I able to show off such a useful skill? Sakura! I loves me some teppan yaki. I cook at home every day, so I love having someone cook for me while entertaining me at the same time. LOVE it. I also love taking the kids to see a good teppan chef. You can't beat the wow factor. My son said he only had his face burned three times. Don't you love how little kids explain things? I must say that the service was excellent. I felt like the wait staff was at the ready like ball boys at a tennis match. Each time we finished a bowl of soup or salad, they'd remove it within seconds. Our glasses were never less than half full. I was scared about the prices from what I'd read, but it really wasn't that bad. We're a family of four and paid just over $75 (before tip). If you have little ones, keep in mind that there are "Karate Kid" meals which include soup, rice, entree and dessert. That was really more than enough for my kiddies. I was glad to find out that I won't be having to pay a college tuition for my kids. They've decided that she will work at Sakura as a waitress because she loved the kimonos and he's going to be a teppan chef and throw shrimp at people. Lovely.
(4)Boo R.
If you have a designated driver and want to get drunk, or want to eat whatever "Teppanyaki" is, then perhaps Sakura is for you. If you want Japanese food, however, this just isn't the place. I've been to Sakura a couple of times at the behest of friends. I don't eat "Teppanyaki" because I don't consider it to be Japanese food, so I had to make my determination from other parts of the menu. The last time I visited, I had a hankerin' (yen?) for some Tonkatsu, a breaded, fried pork cutlet that yes, also isn't really Japanese but since it has been regularly eaten in Japan for hundreds of years it is close enough. Much to my disappointment, it was not on the menu. How could it not be on the menu? Few non-seafood things are as common as Tonkatsu. A former boss of mine was a Narita airport protester back in the day, and when he was arrested and thrown in jail for weeks without being charged or allowed to see an attorney the upside was that the prison ran its own pig farm. He told me that the best Tonkatsu he ever had was when he was in prison. He might even be compelled to go punch out a cop just to have it again. And Sakura doesn't have it on the menu? Ok, so no Tonkatsu. I decide to order the chirashi-zushi, a sushi dish where strips of fish and shellfish are artfully arranged atop a bowl of sushi rice. This has become my standard means of judging sushi when not at the sushi bar itself. Typically chirashi-zushi is served in one of those lacquered stacking bowls and when created by a talented person is a marvelous work of art. Most people pick up the bowl and use direct shoveling maneuvers with their chopsticks when working down to the bottom. But my chirashi was served in something like a broad, shallow western soup bowl with a wide brim. How was I supposed to eat this, with a spoon? The contents was average, but the presentation was all wrong. I was befuddled.
(1)ran k.
I don't recommend about the place the service was awful and slow and they should have mention that when you order a steak it doesn't come as steak sorry but i wont go there anymore
(1)Ed G.
I was pretty upset with this place for serving what they claimed was "toro" and it was a hard, flat, chewy piece of crap. Really, I'm not normally that rough on a place, but it was unacceptable and showed a complete lack of interest in serving quality product. Maybe their teppanyaki is better? I would hope so. It would be hard to be worse than the sushi.
(1)Dennis D.
Food and service are both great. Both times I've been there I ate at the bar and the bartenders were friendly and attentive. The only downside to the service would be that on both occasions in there I over heard what I'm assuming was the manager (little asian man) reprimanding employees. Both times he used swear words while doing it, very unprofessional. Another thing that needs improvement is the decor. There's old dusty football helmets above the bar, nails from where there used to be pictures all over the place, and a bathroom that has not been completely painted. The decor does not match the food and service, I hope the management gets it together.
(2)Matthew S.
Go to their Sushi bar and ask for their sushi chefs to make you one of their specialties...you will not regret it. Really like their sashimi as well as their tempura sushi rolls
(4)Skylee E.
I live in L.A and am from Tucson originally so I have definitely tried some amazing sushi,not to mention I know how to make my own. My spouse and I were weekly patrons at Sakura for over 2 years religiously because we liked it so much. After moving to L.A we had great tasting sushi but the service was always below expectations. We visited Tucson last month and of course had to return. We never order teppan, we just sit at the same exact table in the sushi area and each time we have a different waitress but we've never once left unhappy. This last time was far beyond any experience we've had ANYWHERE! Our waitress was extremely attentive. My spouse has this pet peeve of having his drink empty and if it gets to the point where he places his cup on the edge of the table you know he's upset. Our waitress was filling his cup every single time it was half empty. She brought us our squid salad lightning quick and the portion size was phenominal, the most squid salad I've ever had anywhere. We have tried a ton of different restaurants' squid salad and this is still hands down the best we've had. We've never received sushi rolls that were smaller than other places but this night they were larger than usual. I dont' know if they recognized us from all the times we frequented before or if they were just feeling generous but we didn't argue! I am a huge fan of octopus and unagi and I have had some really nasty gummy ones at other places but I've never ever had a negative experience with it at Sakura. All in all, it was such a wonderful addition to our vacation and I look forward to going again next time we visit!!
(4)Arissa C.
Ok always dependable sushi and the teppan tables are of course always fun to watch the master chefs at work...go next door and hang out for a bit and dance the night away! kore wa saki bombs :-)
(4)Sandy M.
I was visiting Tucson recently; my brother and his wife and her brother joined me at Sakura. We had been there before several years ago. We all had versions of the Teppan-Yaki....steak and shrimp, steak and chicken, or scallops. All were delicious....as were the stir fry veggies and the fried rice (get fried vs. white rice for a small extra charge). The miso soup was so-so, as was the salad. Salad dressing was a little heavy on the ginger. Overall, the food was very good. Our chef was very good and made the preparation enjoyable; he interacted well with the diners. The service was prompt. I do have one complaint about this restaurant....I have tried to order a gift card via their website and it is impossible. The website needs attention. I do not live in Tucson and would like to be able to order gift cards on-line. Cannot do that at this time. But if you are in Tucson, worth a visit.
(4)Leo B.
Meh. The teppan yaki is pretty good but the sushi is expensive and small. Service is spotty.
(3)Jodi H.
I would have given a one star if stictly based on the quality of the food, and service of our waitress. I upped it because of the band and the bartender Deb. Both were fabulous! Our waitres, a young asian girl was awful. Yes, she was busy and I understand that but she was busy taking care of her own section and then stealing all the tables from the other waitress that was there. A party of three came in and sat in the table behind us and she quickly approached the table and moved the people telling them you don't want to sit in "Stephanies" section. Our waitress already had almost all the tables including a very large group of about 30. She should have concentrated on what she had already instead of trying to hog all the tables/tips for herself. She presented us with our check before we were even ready to leave. We were planning on having a couple drinks after dinner but I guess she figured we didn't need anything else. There were still tables available so its not like we were preventing others from sitting down. Her service was very cold, unfriendly and brisk. The bowls were nearly thrown onto our table plopped down roughly and our soup and salad were served at the same time, our sushi and our meal delivered simultaneously, so of course our food was ice cold before we even got to eat it. Perhaps the food would have been better if it was actually warm but I doubt it. The fried rice was dreadful. It was completely plain with no flavor at all. Ditto for my chicken and shrimp. ($23). My boyfriend who will eat anything had the lobster, shrimp, and scallops which were outrageously overpriced at ($43) His was equally dreadful no flavor at all. I had the vegas roll it was sliced very thin and fell apart with I tried to pick it up the flavor was decent though Boyfriend had the crunch roll, he thought it was ok. It appeared to be made with fresh ingrediants I don't mind paying a lot of money for a good meal. But our tab total of $136 was ridiculous for dinner drinks for two people who had an awful meal. Here is the most awful thing our waitress did. She put our uneaten meals in the SAME BOX! WTH? I love my boyfriend to death but I do not want to eat my food from the to go box that has been mixed with his food that is just gross. I DID give her 18% tip which upset me greatly but I just have to tip I cannot just NOT tip someone. I am hoping our dreadful meal and service has not become the standard at Sakura because the atmosphere is just fabulous! I will go back but I am not sure I will order dinner again unless it is inside where my food will hopefully be served by course as it is intended. I will NOT have this waitress again. I will ask for a different server if she happens upon our table. One thing that made me smile. The thirty top table only ordered drinks and had all seperate checks. So no big tips for dinners for that server. LOL.. must be Karma.
(2)Brooke R.
Fun to go to with friends. The chefs prepare the food in front of you and are very comical and friendly. The waitresses are very prompt with appetizers and water. The taste of the food, however, is only sub par.
(3)Jennifer H.
WAY OVERPRICED! We lived in Japan for 5 years and went to the same type of resaurants for 1/4 of the price they charge here in the states and the food could actually be called "fresh" (meaning caught that morning) as opposed to "fresh" here which means caught weeks ago and frozen. Expect to pay at least 100 for a family of 4. Definately NOT worth it.
(2)Chloe O.
This place is god awful. 7pm: arrived 8pm: waitress FINALLY took our order (after many attempts to get her attention) 8:45pm: our food FINALLY arrives (we ordered THREE rolls) 8:46pm: hated our food, the fish tasted old, the rice was under-cooked, and all of the pieces fell apart) 9:30ish: our waitress FINALLY comes back around (did not check on us ONCE) 9:45pm: we were out of there (FINALLY) this place sucks in every way a restaurant can suck. do not come here. if you do, don't complain about it. I, along with everyone else who has reviewed this place, has warned you.
(1)John H.
Though Mr. An is gone, it is still a good experience and a great meal. Not like it was but certainly worth a dinner or two as a special occasion.
(4)Kathy H.
Reasonable happy hour prices and deals. DELICIOUS SUSHI and lettuce wraps and soups! I was shocked this was not rated better. Don't fall into the Tepanaki trap. Eat at a table and order from their awesome sushi menu and appetizers. Excellent and friendly service from the staff as well.
(5)Carrie B.
I loved my girls night out here in the sushi side of the restaurant. Cute mixed drinks, sushi and items for non-sushi peeps made for a nice evening out before we attended a Creative Juice painting class next-door afterwards. I thought the service was great and we never felt like we were missing anything. The quality of the sushi was A-Ok but I have to admit, I still really love Sachiko a lot! Can I love 2 sushi places? I hope so!
(5)