One of the best authentic sushi places in New Jersey. The sushi here is amazing. The fish is fresh and you can really taste the quality here. Service is nice and attentive without being overbearing. I didn't try anything other than the sushi but looking at the other tables, the rest of the menu seemed delicious. If you can, try to sit at the sushi bar - thats the best spot to sit at where you can see the chefs making the sushi and have a conversation with them. 100% recommend this place! read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Sushi boat!!! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

Had another great lunch at Sakura Bana. Yes, Sakura Bana has been around forever and it's not exciting or cool, but for authentic sushi, like you'd find in Japan, it's still one of New Jersey's top spots. They have a super lunch special that varies from day to day, and is only $10. My father had that. Today it included four pieces nigiri sushi and a spicy tuna crunch roll. I was impressed by the roll. which I expected to be like every other spicy tuna roll, however instead of the chopped up tuna and mayo you normally get, this roll had a solid piece of bluefin tuna with spicy crunch. It was really tasty. My favorite item though, the thing I drive 45 minutes for, is their futomaki. While futomaki appears on many Japanese restaurant menus, I've yet to see any futomaki in NJ that uses the traditional Japanese ingredients like they do here. I suppose it's just too labor intensive to make and most Americans don't know about it, so even though you might see it on a menu, it's not the real deal. It's usually some westernized take on the dish. Here you get homemade tamago (egg custard), Yamagobo (Japanese pickled burdock root), Sakura Denbu (a sweet ground seasoned codfish powder), Kanpyō (stewed sweetened gourd), boiled spinach, marinated shiitake mushroom and kani (imitation crab stick). The roll is huge and it is a filling meal all on it's own. Also be sure to always check out their daily specials, which are displayed on two boards next to the sushi bar; one for appetizers and one for sushi. The selection changes daily, although some items they seem to always have. I highly recommend you ignore the reviews that suggest Sakura Bana is past it's prime and try it for yourself. You might find that "past it's prime" really means "old school", and that's a compliment in my book. read more

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They have a solid $20 sushi B set, but I was pretty disappointed with the rice to fish ratio. The fish is great and big to start with, but the rice was just as big and that made me not want to enjoy the food. It's good sushi and the wait staff are all great, but I wish they would trim down the rice or something. However, I am willing to give this place another try one day. read more

I love coming into Sakura Bana. The freshest possible seafood. Kind and efficient wait staff. Parking remains a challenge, but it is a challenge worth overcoming. Moderately priced and an excellent value, read more

I was not impressed with food nor service. Went with group of 9 people including young children. To be fair, It was a busy Saturday night, and they don't seem to have enough helping hands! Server's finger nail was touching my miso soup(only a little bit)! Kids also ask for soup, but they brought up salads instead! After explaining the confusion a bit. They just took back the salad, my kid did touch the salad with folks! I feel bad for the next customer who will received the salad! The sashimi was from frozen inventory, because you taste the ice! I think you can find better choices for a good sushi restaurant out there! PS, not sure if it's related, but had really bad diarrhea after eating there read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

Awesome dead raw fish. I love it. I wish they had a bigger place. The seafood selection is large and I particularly like the Unis, Hamachis, Toros etc. If you want authentic Japanese Sushi and not just the plain 'touristic' variety of rolls, 'red and orange fish' then this is the place. read more

Negative 0 . Does not honor reservations. No one acknowledges patrons waiting . No system doesn't matter how good you think your food is, service is y important. I am sick of everyone saying they cannot hire people due to Covid. If your running a business wake up and run it properly. You won't care about my review or that you lost my business but it will come back to your bottom line if you don't respect patrons read more

I was impressed, very authentic, sushi fresh, the food are great! Everything I ordered were delicious. I had Sukiyaki, sushi, roll, tempura and two delicious dessert, they served the best WHITE RICE in USA and when come to the bill --- very reasonable price !!! read more

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I have been a regular going to Sakura Bana for years because of their consistent quality and authentic style, mostly there for lunch. During the first Saturday of September 2020, I wanted to have sushi for a party and instead of going to one sushi restaurant (korean owned) that is five minutes away, I decided to try the Sakura Bana which is 15 minutes away from where I live. I chose the Sushi Party Platter K for $100+tax. Long story short. The sushi rice was acceptable but kind of dry. The fish lack flavors and were cut noticeably thin. Overall experience is B-/ C+. I kind of regretted ordering Platter K. May be other choices would be better. One week later, from my daughter's mentioning and her friends positive feedback, I decided to go for sushi party platter two consecutive Saturdays!! This sushi restaurant located in Dumont (10 minutes away) is also Korean owned but for the same $100 price, you get miso soups, plus sashimi, plus a number of exceptional rolls. Overall experience is A. Out of the eight rolls, the Eskimo roll and Crunch roll are our favorites. Having the miso soups is a bonus also. I will certainly be a repeat customer in the future. Google search shows three sushi restaurants in Dumont. You can easily find out the one I highly recommended by browsing their menus. Just sharing my experience and I hope Sakura Bana will take this as a review with positive intents. Sep 13, 2020 Sun Sep 12 - Special Roll Platter + Sushi + Sashimi Sep 5. - Party Platter K from Sakura Bana read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Platter K, Sakura Bana - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

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My bf's family has been coming here just shy of 20 years. I've been here about 3 times already. I love this place. Everything is so good; all the sushi and sashimi so fresh. The udon and soba noodles are always perfectly cooked. The waitresses are the absolute best (if you need anything just ask!). My bf and his grandma absolutely love the nebayaki udon. The hamachi Kama is a staple here; comes with an amazing slightly vinegary soy sauce. The sashimi here is perfect. I can't love this place enough!! read more

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Sakura Bana is awesome! I recently discovered this little gem in Ridgewood and I've been back several times in the past 6 mo (and am now the proud (?) check-in Duchess). I've dined in and ordered food for pick up and have had fantastic experiences all around. I've tried a variety of food on the menu (from appetizers, sushi, noodles and rolls) and can't find anything to complain about. The staff is awesome, always accommodating, polite and efficient. I highly recommend for anyone looking to find a new sushi favorite! P.S. Additional thumbs up for BYOB! read more

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Great place for fresh sushi. I love the chirashi here. It comes with a generous portion of sashimi on top of a bed of sushi rice. I love the service here. read more

I've been dining to here some time. Since I was 12. I'm now 54. I have seen changes and they were all good. I've eaten all over the country and have probably had sushi more than one time in 50 states. This location it's owners chefs and waitstaff are nothing less than spotless cordial and very professional on top of it some of the most welcome young people I've ever met. I feel like I'm at home here and so do my friends that eat here with me. Absolutely authentic food absolutely amazing flavors preparation and cleanliness a class act and nothing less! Money well spent. The reason I keep coming back at least once a week for years. read more

Tired of poor-service trendy sushi places in the Ridgewood area? Add this to your best of Bergen County list. This inexpensive BYOB sushi restaurant is simplicity at its finest. You don't need reservations, or a deep wallet to partake of this well-executed raw fish proposition in Ridgewood, NJ. Sakura Bana is a rare combination of immaculately organized service, with attentive, competent waiters, mixed in with extremely high quality sushi and sashimi. There's really no downside, except perhaps the low-rent interior--and I willing to sacrifice the latter to minimize the number of zeros on the check afterwards. You can feed a family of 6 and not break $150 after tip. Sakura Bana is my go-to location for treating non-discriminating relatives from out of town when I know I'm picking up the bill. (you can even let them order the Mochi ice cream at the end!) The only issue you may experience is parking--the street is the only real option unless you are accustomed to schlepping several blocks to your destination as you often do in Manhattan. And I wouldn't normally bring a date here, since the romantic glitz and glamor factor is not really up to par. In terms of food choices, my recommendation would be to try the special rolls, Glen Rock, or the Dragon, with any Sashimi Combo, since the quality of fish is quite respectable. This place has been around for years, and it's easy to see why. read more

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Great Service Tight But Nice Restaurant Excellent Variety Of Japanese Food Don't know what it is about the restaurants on Franklin Ave but they mostly seem off the radar in Ridgewood. Sakura Bana (Cherry Blossom) fell of mine for the past seven years and realizing that I decided to return, this Japanese owned and operated eatery has been here for over twenty years for a reason. Not a lot has changed physically inside but the charm of this quaint restaurant is quite enjoyable. The service was very good with a menu covering all the bases including the requisite curry dishes and a nice cup of tea to enjoy as you look things over. The specials board featured some intriguing options, not normally associated with Japanese food but a nice touch at flirting with yoshoku. Yes, the obligatory specialty rolls can be found here as well. The fish served is of superior quality and the chefs take pride in it's selection and preparation. Good knife skills and proper handling was evident in my menu selection, sashimi A. The only problem I had was by default you get a steaming hot bowl of rice as an accompaniment, I would have preferred a tepid sushi rice. I know now to be specific when ordering. Good Food - Good People - Good Prices Before You Eat Any Fish http://www.sustainablesushi.net/ Protect The Worlds Oceans http://www.youtube.com/user/LastOceanNZ read more

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This is a great Japanese restaurant that is consistently good. The sushi is fresh and tasty. I was amazed at how I was able to taste a difference in a simple tuna roll. The quality of Sakura Bana's tuna roll is way more superior than most in freshness, how it's rolled, and taste. Anything else I've eaten here has been great as well. I would come here more often since the food is so good and the service is great, however, this place is often always busy and the wait long. If you're in the mood for high quality Japanese, come here. It's worth the wait and the price (they're kind of pricey). Call ahead to ask how long the wait is. read more

Mmmm, quality sushi! This place opened at 5:15PM on a Saturday and when I got there people were already waiting. That's a pretty good sign! We were seated quickly but I can easily see why this place is worth waiting for. Everyone in my group either got Sushi B (sushi + tuna maki) or Sashimi B menu options. They come with either a miso soup or salad. I had the miso soup which was already a good start to the meal--did not taste like the packaged powder kind even though it may have been. The dressing on the salad was delicious as well. My Sushi B meal was fantastic! There was a limited variety (typical choices) of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, shrimp, fish roe, etc. but everything was fresh and of excellent quality. Easily worth the $20 for it. In addition to our meals we each got a piece of toro (fatty tuna) sashimi. Soooo good, sooo fatty that it just melts. Yummy! Service was great, the waiters/waitresses were attentive and kind. They filled our tea cups frequently. Wish I had grabbed a bottle of wine--being in MA makes me forget that NJ is awesome and many places are BYOB. Overall an excellent choice for sushi in the Ridgewood area! Pricey but well worth it especially for the choices you get a la carte that aren't normally offered in restaurants. read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Sushi B - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

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Love this place! Made the mistake coming here on a sunny Saturday evening sans reservation. We waited about 25 minutes, not so bad but it took us 20 minutes to find a parking spot. *You can park in the local banks when they are closed. Make sure you look at the specials on wall, I missed it in the beginning. I ordered the sunomono, fresh fish, great flavors, not overly juicy like a ceviche as I've seen before; sashimi appetizer, very light tuna, fresh and awesome; chu toro sashimi, buttery and awesome (2 pieces per order); beef tongue sushi! Broiled and awesome MUST TRY, I couldn't believe how tasty it was!!! Wife had a roll with spicy tuna, very good, and we also had shared a chocolate mouse, awesome. Everything was great, for the price and the selection, it was all really awesome. The best sushi I've had in New Jersey. read more

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This is one of the best sushi spots around my area. The sushi was really fresh and they put the perfect amount of wasabi in each piece of sushi. The chicken teriyaki dish was nothing special and I would not recommend it. The complimentary green tea is very good. My waitress Dani was extremely helpful but the food took a bit long to come out. The red bean ice cream was also really different and I never had red bean ice cream so sweet but I really enjoyed it. I will definitely come back. read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

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I have been a faithful patron of this place for years. The fish is very fresh, and the sushi reflects that. Try the bento lunch box which is fabulous. Lots of delicious food from seafood salad to miso soup and salad, along with sushi rolls and whatever "main" you want - ranging from sushi to chicken to salmon. It's a great deal. Due to Covid, now can't eat inside, but on Fridays pick up the bento lunch for lunch (can save for dinner) and enjoy. The kind help there is always quite gracious as well. read more

Now this is authentic Japanese food in Bergen County. Reality is that all the AYCE or "half price" sushi places in the area serve mediocre sushi. Sushi that's ok-fresh with 'sushi rice' that is basically scooped right out of the rice cooker. Sakura Bana's sushi is much higher quality in terms of freshness and the care that is put into preparation fo the food is much more evident. However, you are definitely going to be paying a higher cost for this type of sushi. Lunch specials are terrific. I will always go to Sakura Bana on a day off from work for lunch! Service is polite and friendly. read more

The wait staff was the shining star (5/5). The food on the other hand was average at best. From the a la carte, majority was good except the imported fish which was too fishy and ruined my tastebuds. The rolls that we got didn't fully close so as soon as you picked it up it was bound to open up. Tempura had way too much batter and ours was over done. read more

By far the best Japanese restaurant in Bergen County, in terms of taste, food quality, service, cleanliness, and setting. The employees are so sweet and polite. The restaurant itself is clean, and the food presentation is superb. It is always packed so get there early before the lunchtime rush. Food: -Sushi and rolls are always fresh and taste terrific. The sushi bar is in clear view so you know they're preparing it on the spot. The dragon roll and hot Okinawa roll (spicy tuna with breading on the outside) are my personal favorites. -Though the menu often doesn't list it, ask them if they have the Hamachi kama. I'm not sure what kind of fish it is, but they grill it to perfection. The outside is grilled but the inside is soft and very delicious. -The Don katsu is very well cooked, without any excess fat or too much grease in it. Plus the portion is very generous. -Everything I've tried here, from noodles to teriyaki, is fantastic. If you are a fan of Japanese cuisine, you need to eat here. read more

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Authentic and oishii Minasan yasashii shi Sabisu 100 ten man ten Osusume! Highly recommend! read more

It's been over 10 years when I first dined here and the food is still top notch. I had a sushi craving this past weekend and happened to be in Ridgewood at the time, so I wanted to make a trip down memory lane. When I was younger, I used to order the Sushi Heaven every time I would dine here. It's nice to see the menu has not changed much, other than pricing going up. I ordered the Sushi B, which included 9 pieces of sushi and a tuna rolls for $20. It also came with a soup or salad. The quality of sushi here is very good. On par with quality NYC sushi restaurants. The restaurant is run by a Japanese family from my understanding and it shows. Everyone is very, very polite who work here. The atmosphere is loud, but very calm and relaxed. We never felt rushed or pushed to finish our meals even with people waiting. The restaurant is BYO. No reservations, so there will probably be a wait later in the night on weekends. This restaurant is a bit pricier than other Japanese restaurants in the area, but the quality of the food justifies the few extra dollars. read more

Good, fresh sushi and BYO is really the bottom line at Sakura Bana. Tables are packed in tight , made me feel like we were in NYC. Decor seems a bit dated and probably due for a facelift, plenty of waitstaff which was needed as the place was mobbed (granted it was Sat 6pm). All in all sushi was very good, waitstaff was friendly and attentive and the place seemed clean. If you are looking for a good sushi meal, this spot will more than deliver. If you are looking for a trendy place to "hang w your peeps" for a few hours over a few bottles of vino, keep looking, this is not the place. read more

This place is absolutely fantastic and its BYOB. Let me walk you through my experience tonight. Parking in ridgewood is a nightmare on saturday at 7pm that is really the only downfall. We walk in the front door and are told there is a 20 minute wait. This is the only place I've been that 20 minutes actually means 20 minutes sometimes less. We get seated kindly greeted by a yound lady and place a drink order. A couple minutes pass and we place our order. Fried Gyoza - taste was fantastic. It was crispy and the beef was really flavorful. Edamame - speaks for its self. Crisp not soggy at all. Garden Roll - spicy salmon and cucumber on the inside. Avocado and tuna on the outside with crisp and spicy sauce. Mochi - easily my favorite dessert. Personal favorite is the red bean. You can tell its fresh because the shell was soft and chewy not dry and freezer burned. All in all this was another great experience. 3 people 4 rolls 3 appetizers and 2 desserts and it came out to just under $100 which is a great price. read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Garden Roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

Presentation is everything? It's nice but not everything especially when it comes to Sushi. Let's talk about freshness, quality, service, price and presentation. Sakura has some of the freshest seafood and the quality is top notch. It's always nice to come back to Ridgewood to remember the 7 great years we had living there. Why? The restaurants are plentiful and whatever your palate desires it's served in Ridgewood! read more

Our favorite sushi place in Bergen County HANDS DOWN! We have done a serious tour of sushi places in the area and this place comes on top every time. Personally I think it's the best sushi I've ever had in NJ with the exception of a place that closed down in Teaneck several years ago that was called Hiro. Since Hiro is gone and either way it would be a battle of Titans, this place is our go to sushi place. The quality of the fish is on par with many of the best places in NYC so we don't bother going into the city for sushi when we can just go to Sakura Bana. I wouldn't necessarily say this place is my favorite for their rolls but I'm all about the fish. We generally order the chirashi special and, for those who don't know, you essentially get a bed of beautifully colored fish of top quality over a bed of rice. They also have specialty fish and specials that I rarely see at the run of the mill sushi places, for example, they have live uni, aji, and ingawa. Getting a full aji fish to me is a treat and a rarity unless you go to a place with a well trained sushi chef like this one. I honestly hesitated to write a review because I would prefer people not like it and stay the hell away because I hate waiting on line to get in when we're craving sushi. By the way, Thelma is awesome. read more

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Let's start from the beginning, This place was suggested to us by a friend as a pretty decent sushi place in Ridgewood. I have to agree with him on this but then again I had expected a little better in terms of quality of the food. But first things first. Came here on Tuesday night for dinner. The place was packed, so the level of expectation became sky high even though the place is right next to the train station. So we sat down expecting great food and great service. Gotta mention that service was actually great, fast, polite, no nonsense. But food seemed somewhat mediocre considering the number of people that are passing through the place given a full house on a Tuesday night. Me and my wife both ordered Sashimi B (16 pcs) of Sashimi with no white tuna but it seems that Tuna is the fish of choice, where as I would have expected more variety like Mackerel instead of Albacore. And the fish seemed to have that "frozen aftertaste" though it wasn't as prominent as some of the other places I had a chance to visit. Overall I would say this is a good place to visit and I think after the renovations that they were closing for it may be better but it still needs a little bit of improvement. read more

Best creative sushi rolls I've had. A friend, an avid fan, took me here while I was visiting her in Ridgewood. I'm not normally a huge fan of crazy, saucy sushi rolls, but I'd make the exception for Sakura Bana.... I drool thinking about the Laurie roll. (...I'm not kidding.) Concerning all their rolls, the rice is seasoned so well. And they do not skimp on fillings. My friend ordered a california roll--and, I admit, I initially judged--but then I marveled at the generous amounts of avocado and crab the chefs put into it. These rolls are substantial, so don't be too blown away by the price. They're not dinky mediocre pieces of sushi that you see at amateur places (seen quite often in my neck of South Jersey). Now, why not 5 stars? I ordered a small assorted platter of sashimi and was rather disappointed in the fish quality. I had high expectations seeing how much care went into the rolls, but alas, I've definitely had better sashimi at lesser places. However, at the least, it didn't cost me an arm and a leg here. But there is something to be said about a sushi place whose sashimi isn't spectacular. So, 4 stars. (That Laurie roll, though..) read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Laurie roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

Would give 3.5 stars if possible. Came highly recommended, but I think it did not live up to the hype. Yes, fresh fish - would definitely recommend getting plain sushi/sashimi to enjoy the cuts of fish. Want to give them the high stars because the freshness of the fish offered. Specialty rolls seemed a little flat - not much imagination. In a town where sushi places out number pizza spots, though Sakura Bana was going to blow me away. read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Garden Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

American style good sushi place. Good thing is Big amount of foods. BYOB. Nabe udong was tasty. But, sushi should more fresh. They use so many frozen fishes. read more

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One of the best Japanese restaurant in town. They are actually owned and operated by Japanese people. The food is extremely fresh. If you are ever around the neighborhood, give them a try! I bet you won't be disappointed. P.S. lunch special is amazing! Great value, amazing price! read more

I came in for a quick lunch last week and had the Laurie roll, tuna roll, and miso soup. The sushi was excellent. The rice was not anywhere near bland, and the tuna roll was extremely flavorful. The Laurie roll was heavy on mayonnaise, but it did use actual crab and not imitation crab like other sushi places. Plus, it's actually run by Japanese people. It's not the cheapest, but the quality is worth it. read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Tuna and spicy tuna roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

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Very good sushi. They won my vote more than a few times when i was working in the area. Consistently pleasant and tasty each and every visit. I would give this place 5 stars except for the fact SF has so many great places that make it hard to compare. When I am back in the area Sakura Bana will be a go-to sushi house for me! read more

I've been there for more than 10 years. Their sashimi portion became so tiny a lot of rice instead. I don't think that I will go back. read more

Fresh sushi & good prices. I think the menu could be a bit more expansive but good sushi, apps, and salad. Nice atmosphere. Clean restaurant. Good service. Recommend for a quick sushi! read more

Disappointed last night. I used to love this place my wife and i went and it just wasn't any good:/ i used to love love love this place but the food wasnt that good last night. It wasnt average either some of it was cold. The staff is always nice but the food quality has gone down. read more

Sakura Bana Restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ridgewood, New Jersey

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What just happened? Everyone told us this was THE sushi place. It was disappointing. We ordered the chef's specials, fish smelled/tasted bad. The cuts were uneven, fish is not fresh. Tables and floors are not clean, and space is so cramped. Not even the tempura was adequate, batter is spongy and oily, ingredients not fresh. Two people cost over $130, without alcohol. And then there was the atrocious service. Friendly, but slow, and does not deliver the requests or orders unless reminded two or three times. Sakura Bana, more like Beni Hana. read more