The sashimi was fresh and definitely the highlight. That said, the service was slow and a bit disorganized - we didn't get our edamame until we were basically done with our meal. Good quality fish, but the timing and flow could be much better. read more

Came twice so far on this Girdwood trip, it's been a few years since I've been here. I have still been very impressed with the food here. We've tried the seaweed salad, a couple of their sushi rolls, and an assortment of other items. My new favorite thing might be the crispy spicy ahi bites. Each bite a perfect size, so crunchy and with a thin slice of Jalapeño on top. I also enjoyed the steamed pork gyoza, each one super succulent and tasty. My husband tried the fried chicken thigh with tartar sauce, which was delicious. The chicken was super flavorful and the tartar sauce was like egg salad but worked with the flavors which was a nice surprise. We like splitting a large 22 oz bottle of Sapporo, but we have also liked ordering a small bottle of sake to share in lieu of dessert. The last time we went I got the gluten-free chocolate cake which was pretty good but laughably tiny in size ($10). Wait times can vary depending on the day you go and time, we've been seated immediately (party of 2) as well as waited an hour for a table. Speaking of which, you may be seated at their largest table which they also seat other parties, so it feels a bit communal as opposed to private. Sakura has maintained their quality in food over the years and their waitstaff are excellent each time we go. I always look forward to time spent here and you can't go wrong with anything you choose on the menu. read more

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I'll start this review by saying the food at Sakura is really good. If you're in the mood for sushi, you certainly won't be disappointed. The food comes out as it is ready, so it's always fresh, albeit it becomes difficult to remember what you've ordered and pace and appropriate amount of food. We could barely eat by the time our final rolls came out. Only docking a star for the service/organization. It's a very small restaurant, so a large table is certainly a challenge, but we felt like we basically had to organize our seating ourselves, even though we'd had a conversation with the hostess about it about 30 minutes before our group showed up. When we came back with our group, it was like that conversation hadn't happened. read more

Sakura Asian Bistro - Truffle salmon! - Seafood Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

What's not to love? The Hamachi Jalapeño is the best. Shu and crew are amazing. Definitely one of my favorite spots in Girdwood. read more

Sakura Asian Bistro - Seafood Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

Black cod was great, but came à la carte. Spider roll had soggy soft shell crab, cowboy roll was ok. I expect excellence from a sushi restaurant at Alyeska hotel, not sub par to my local place in fairbanks. Server was helpful and kind. read more

Nothing against the staff, they are doing the best they can. even the sushi masters are friendly with good presentation. however the fish is just terrible. i highly recommend the purchasing manager to eat their own fish or ask for patron honest feedback. i was not at all impressed with any of the fish (sushi, sashimi, etc). the best part of my meal was the steamed rice and hot sake. that's not good. please do better ps - the miso tasted pre packaged read more

loose roll of rice with a little flavor. good ambience. slow crowd, maybe 10 people. read more

Sakura Asian Bistro - Seafood Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

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We sat at the sushi bar and it was fabulous. The chef was engaging and made delicious sushi. He overheard about our birthdays and offered us a dessert in celebration. We chose the matcha coconut ice cream. Delectable dinner with hospitable hosts. read more

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Best food and service at Alyeska - HANDS DOWN. And I tried them all, including Seven Glaciers (which was terrible). Clint was my server and was friendly, gave great recommendations, and was attentive but not invasive. Same with the rest of the staff. My water was kept full and dirty dishes were cleared immediately. The miso soup was average, but the nigiri, rolls, cocktails and dessert were all very good and fresh. I wish I had come here the first night of my stay instead of waiting until the last! I am just taking off 1 star for ambience. The space feels like an afterthought...like they forced it into an area that used to be something else. Seating is tight and there isn't much charm. Still - I would absolutely come back! read more

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The ambiance wasn't my favorite, the restaurant is very small with limited seating for a huge ski resort. You are sitting on top of another party. The ventilation isn't the best. You smell horrible when you leave, wear something you don't want to wear the rest of your trip! The service was great, the staff was friendly, knowledgeable and kind. The food was very good, large portions, fresh fish for the sushi, the ramen was average not the best for the price. I think the cost was expensive but you're paying resort fees. I think for this ski lodge they could definitely improve on the restaurants! read more

Sakura Asian Bistro - Seafood Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

My family came here last Fall when my mother and sister were in town visiting us. We were waiting for this restaurant to open for the evening so we got seated right away. It is a smaller restaurant but tastefully decorated. There is a small bar area you can see the chef making sushi. Everything was delicious from the drinks, appetizer, sushi, ramen and dessert. The flourless chocolate cake was beautifully presented. Sunomono salad with octopus was tasty and flavorful. We also got the Crispy Rice Spicy tuna appetizer; good portion...delicious. Albacore & Onion; another delicious dish. We liked everything we had ordered and ate. All the sushi was very fresh. Would recommend and will come back. read more

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This place was the cure for what ails me. My wife Karin just remarked, "that was honestly the best meal I had in the state of AK. Salmon sushi and the most incredible seasoned steak I've ever had in my life" I likewise had salmon sushi and the crunchyroll. Our server, Clint, was the most gracious, low-key dude. Shoutout to Clint. read more

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Great spot for dinner at Hotel Alyeska. It's a small restaurant, so call ahead for a reservation. Luckily, we are staying at the hotel and they texted us when our table was ready. There is a large table that seats about 20 in the middle of the restaurant. Everyone shares the table. I'd rather have a little privacy while I eat with my family, but it's a small restaurant and you have to make do with what you have. We got: Edamame - They were really good. Definitely enough for my daughter, wife, and me to share. Ramen - The picture of the Ramen in the elevator looked prettier than what I got, but it was still very good. Highly recommend it. Black Cod - This was really good. Surprisingly, it was a very large piece and not expensive at all. I'm getting this if we ever come back. White King Salmon nigiri - It was OK. I would not get this again. read more

Sakura Asian Bistro - Tonkatsu Ramen - Seafood Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

We had a great dinner here on 11/9! Service was good, a little small inside. Everyone sits at the same table, so you're sitting with a bunch of other people. We ordered the hustler sushi roll (VERY good), pork steamed gyoza (INCREDIBLE), tempura (not that good), and the ramen (it was okay). The tempura was very hard and not like others I've had before, not the greatest. The ramen could have used more broth, as depicted in the elevator photo. I'm glad we came though, we will be back to try more sushi rolls and also get the pork steamed gyoza. They do not take reservations in advance (at least when we came) and waited about 25 minutes, they do send you a text when your table is ready which is nice. read more

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Highly recommend!! The sushi here was super fresh and very tasty!! Our server was great and our food was served pretty fast even with our party of 6. Not a lot of seating inside so recommend making a reservation. read more

Sakura Asian Bistro - spicy tuna - Seafood Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

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Excellent from start to finish. Fresh, delicate, generous. If you go to Alyeska Resort, be sure to go for Sakura only and forget all the rest. You just have to make sure they're open. Wow. If I can have this every day, I will move to Alaska. Small. Busy. Friendly. Worth the wait. read more

Went here for my 40th birthday. Bit of a strange set up as far as dining experience goes but I don't meant that in a bad way. They have a very large communal table in the center of the restaurant which is where we sat. A few other smaller tables off to the side, a couple private booths as well as sitting at the sushi bar. They don't take reservations so for 2 we waited about 40 minutes when they quoted us an hour. We just went across the hall to aBar and had a cocktail. We split the sushi board but told the waiter I was really interested in winter king salmon if they had any. It's a thing you might want to google. Anyway the board came out and we were not disappointed. Sushi was nice and fresh, chilled, and hearty portions just like we like. They do a combo of nigiri and sashimi on the board as well as your choice of two rolls from the menu, I preferred the nigiri but it's a great way to taste how the flavors change just by adding some rice and a dab of soy sauce. Clint was our server and took very good care of us. Thanks for helping me celebrate my birthday Clint!! read more

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This is a really beautiful restaurant in Aleyaska Resort. We are here back in 2019 and decided to return as I was craving sushi. The menu seems to have changed a bit, and I would say it's still averaging $30 per person if you're doing 2 entrees and either alcoholic beverages or tea. The host seated us promptly and our server was timely in service, in relation to basically being the server for the entire seating area (!).  The seating seems to try to encourage mingling, as there's a very long island/bar where most guests are seated. It's interesting because PNW people are notoriously introverted but that said, the table is pretty so I can't complain.  We watched the sushi chef at the bar preparing orders and serving those who sat at the bar. He seemed nice. Overall, the food was good. The karrage had a little flour still on it but tasted good and was cooked to order, the okonomiyaki was delicious.  The nigiri was cut in a way that there was either some muscle or skin so biting it had a little extra chew ...like a little tougher but I opted to not say anything. Otherwise, it was very fresh.  And finally, when you order tea you get a pot and sand timer to enjoy it at it's best flavor, and we paired that with yuzu meringue pie which was the highlight of the evening--so beautifully plated and tasty! read more

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I think if you are craving pretty good sushi and happen to be staying at the resort, Sakura is a pretty solid choice. The prices are a little resort-y but it did the trick. We were celebrating the eve of my wife's birthday and asked the sushi chefs at the bar to make us a nigiri plate, their choice. They knocked it out of the park. The hustler roll was also a very very good choice. However the katsu sandwich appetizer was pretty bad. It was severely over cooked. It was fried so hard that meat was just out of control dry and rock shard. The bun was also super dry too. Plus for an appetizer, the portion was incredibly big. Stick to the sushi and nigiri and you'll have a great experience. read more

Sakura Asian Bistro - Asked the sushi chefs at the bar to make us a special nigiri plate, their choice. Was epically delicious. - Seafood Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

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For a resort restaurant, it's pretty good. Decor is good, service is friendly. The food is better than expected, even if a bit on the expensive side, but this is a resort restaurant, and I'm a tourist, goes with the field. I ordered a daily special, the "ski bum" (even if I'm a snowboarder but whatever), spicy alaska, sakemaki, hamachi jalapeno (in urban setting it's basically a carpaccio plate), and saikyo yaki (alaskan black cod). They're all decent. Again, might not be best for the price, but they aren't going to put a frown on your face. The highlight without a doubt is definitely the black cod. If you're new to Alaska, you must try it. The most juicy and savory cod I've ever had. read more

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We decided to dine at this restaurant when we stayed at the Alyeska recently and thank goodness we did. The food was SPECTACULAR! Our server Clinton made it even better with is exemplary service. Everything was sooooo delicious!!!!! read more

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The seating situation is a little awkward. Two table choices. Tiny high top tables for two people or large 8-10 person tables. Which meant our group of three was in a weird situation. We ended up in a two person table and it requires some creative movements. It also meant that the wait was really long. I don't completely blame them for this as they are trying to figure out the COVID mitigation policies. It did mean that nearly every table was about half full. It just made me wonder if there was a different way to make use of the space. The drinks, service, and food were solid. All three of use ordered different drinks. They came out timely and were well made. They also weren't too pricey (considering it's a restaurant inside of Alyeska). Each order contained plenty of food and the server was very helpful explaining the gluten free options. The server was spunky and fun! read more

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food was good waiter was tuff but the water tasted like avocado and apparently it's cucumber but my boy james did not appreciate that.

A very good Japanese restaurant in the Alyeska Resort. Very fresh fish, nice selection. We are fans of sashimi and nigiri, which were perfect. We sat at the bar and the chefs made some beautiful rolls for others. Also tried the noodle soup that had pictures in the elevator and it was good. Last had their coconut ice cream. read more

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Was anticipating a bit more than we received. We ordered Tonkatsu and it didn't come or they didn't bring rice? Had to ask for a bowl. The tonkatsu was decent other than that. The decor was good and it was unexpected to find a sushi/japanese restaurant in a ski resort in a small town in Alaska. But not providing rice (and for that matter should have also included miso soup) is a failure read more

I really was grateful to have Sakura in the hotel that we were staying. It was really wonderful to be able to have ramen to go and some salmon our first night here. The second night I sat at the sushi bar and took the chefs recommendation for scallops and it was really good. I took the miso soup to go, but my girlfriend said it was too salty. I thought it was OK they're very generous with the edamame and the sake was Lukewarm when it arrived, but they heated it up for me. No problem. The staff is very nice and I may hit it up again tonight. read more

It sushi was not bad but the ramen soup was a little watery in my opinion. They also have this restaurant advertised around the resort and in the elevators but don't list the hours. I went on Thursday night to find out they only open Friday-Monday? I think they should list the hours more. I liked the little sushi bar it gave a Japanese vibe to it. read more

The hostess held a table for her friends for over an hour while we waited to eat. She kept telling me that we were next even though the table was open until her friends came. read more

Avoid their ramen. I'm certain that they used packaged ramen seasoning in their broth. My pork belly was hard to chew. I'd bad feeling about this place when my friend ordered General's chicken with her bento box. Granted I was here in November, my local friend said it there off season. The quality of their food was way down, but not their prices. Totally not worth it, good thing I came with a pizza from Moose's Tooth. Service and ambiance was acceptable. read more

This place is awesome! Super fun experience. I'm from SF and my husband from Vancouver so we know good sushi and surprisingly Alaska doesn't have a ton. We decided to try Sakura since we were staying at the Aleyska resort and there weren't a ton of options... We're fairly adventurous eaters and chef Johnny recommended the chefs special.. basically each of the 3 chefs makes you a roll. And WOW they delivered. Everything was absolutely fantastic and the experience was unique. Highly recommend coming here. The place is fairly small and quaint with a fun ambiance. read more

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Great sushi and happy hour specials! The spicy rolls were really good, and the cocktail menu was unique and paired well!

This is our favorite restaurant so far in Girdwood. Other restaurants are nice, but this is the best in my opinion. I don't expect good sushi in Alaska as I live in San Diego and lived in NYC before, we have a lot of great Japanese foods there. But this is surprisingly good as a restaurant in a resort. I highly recommend Combo boat if you like sushi, the ramen is amazing if you love ramen. All the other dishes we ordered are all successful. You should give this place a try! read more

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The sushi was gone before I could take a picture. The service was outstanding. It was worth the wait. What a little gem. I highly recommend this place. read more

Excellent food, highly recommend the spicy scallop roll, didn't take a pic it was gone fast the seed weed salad excellent. Highly recommend read more

Sakura Asian Bistro - Excellent food, atmosphere and customer service. Was here about 12 years ago and it never disappoints - Seafood Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

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During a pandemic I've lowered my expectations and standards significantly because it is only fair and affects staffing and supply chain and what is possible in a kitchen and front of house. However, for a place so close to proper seafood cold chain the quality and selection is beyond subpar (especially at resort pricing), and the kisses here aren't easily attributable to COVID. Further, I've never, anywhere in the world (even grocery store sushi!) had to ask (three times to boot!) for wasabi and pickled ginger. It wasn't served with any of the 8 plates of nigiri and sashimi our party ordered and it took 15 minutes to get faux wasabi paste and canned pickled ginger. Fine for some sake bombs and some California Rolls if you're into that stuff, I guess, but not even grocery store sushi quality or process despite nearly Nobu pricing (not that Nobu is great, but at least they present and serve the full flavor profile of given nigiri or sashimi). Further, we ordered an $85 bottle of sake and were brought a $25 bottle yet charged for the $85 bottle. "Mistake" we were told. Maybe. Maybe not. If we hadn't caught it someone would come out ahead and it wasn't us. The final "ok, this isn't a bunch of accidents" was the obnoxious oversell on dessert. We didn't want it at this point and it was incessant and a turn off. I'd rather have gone elsewhere in Girdwood where the prices are reasonable, the food good, and not trying to be something it isn't by fleecing people visiting simply because it's near the accommodations. No wonder Alyeska needed a $50M buyout. read more

waitress was super friendly & had good recommendations. they don't take reservations, there was a line before it even opened! it's small inside with about 8 sushi counter seats and then 3 ish tables inside for groups of 4 or 6. one huge table with separate parties seated at the same long table. we sat there but it was totally fine, i didn't feel crowded. the albacore & onion was incredible. crispy rice was great but very spicy. we got the steak as well, amazing. great cocktail menu too! read more

Sakura Asian Bistro - albacore & onion - Seafood Near Me - Girdwood, Alaska

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Just had dinner here, and it was a very disappointing experience. I'm trying to not let it ruin my stay at AR. We're day 10 into our 2-week Alaska trip, dining out 1-2 times each day to try as many places as we can, and this place is the absolute worst so far. Food: overpriced and below average. I think they're going for a fusion style, and it's just not done well. We ordered the Lemongrass Roll and the bento box with steak and halibut. The food was underwhelming and poorly-flavored. The steak and the halibut tasted like something from Panda Express, and the roll from a mall food court. The miso soup is the saltiest I've ever had. For the price point and its location in a nice resort, I really wish we could've turned back time and skip this place. The higher prices don't bother me, given the nice location, but I did expect better quality and flavor of food. Service: We put our name down at 8.40pm, and the hostess said we'll get a text when it's our turn. They close at 10pm, so at 9.40pm, we go down to see what's up. It's another 15 min before they sat us. We order, and about 1/3 way our meal, all the other customers finish and leave. We're left alone awkwardly trying to rush our meal while the servers clean up around us. We were literally the last ones eating. I couldn't finish eating with all the clean up process around, so we just get the check and box up the leftovers. I don't know what happened here, whether it's poor customer service because we're Asian, incompetence in facilitating flow and turnover, overbooking, random mistake/accidentally skipping us, or the restaurant being understaffed. Either way, it was unpleasant and awkward to be the last party sat, and have the restaurant empty out when you barely started eating. If I'd known this would happen, I would've just ordered room service or try the other restaurant on site. Finally, this restaurant's table setup makes very little sense to me. It's communal eating, so there's a giant table in the middle, 3 big tables around, and 8 bar seats. So almost every two-person party is sat next to strangers. If I had to guess, at least 60% of the customers felt uncomfortable, being forced to sit next to and across from strangers while they ate. Kind of awkward imo, but I'm sure some people enjoy this style of dining. Well, that's almost $100 we'll never get back for below-average food and even worse service. The only good thing I can say about this place is that it feels trendy. read more

The best sushi in all of Anchorage/Girdwood. Creative rolls and fresh fish. The service is great

You like Patrick Nagel, right? Have you ever dreamed of living _inside_ a Nagel print? Well, my friend, you have found your bliss. Sakura Asian Bistro is Nagel 1980s to the hilt; yea, verily, even unto the music track. If you didn't live through the '80s, well, SAB isn't the '80s -- it's the dream of the '80s, man. If you did live through the '80s, SAB is what you were looking for. If what you were looking for is a Nagel print come to life, like a benevolent Videodrome. Whether the Nagelian decor is a plus or minus for you, the sushi is pretty good. 4/5 good. The tempura's more like a 3 or 3.5/5. Small sake list, but they do have sake from Saké One, which is definitely a plus in my book. And our server was super nice. I wish I got her name -- she was great, obviously knew her sushi fish, and did a good job steering a few folks unfamiliar with sushi to good choices. So, yeah, worth spending an evening in Nageland if you're at the Alyeska or environs and looking for sushi worth scarfing. Just wear your raddest Pet Shop Boys T-shirt. read more

Delicious rolls! The edamame, gyoza were yum! This place hit the spot when we were hungry and tired. Service was very good. Ambiance is nice. The floors were a bit sticky for a nice restaurant, but overall a great experience! read more