Just had our coworker holiday lunch out at this location. Very good customer service while scheduling and planning bill beforehand. Location was clean and was able to seat all our members at adjacent tables. We did need to wait until all members of our party were seated before the appetizers could be served. However, some individuals had the opportunity to order from sushi bar while waiting. Chef was professional and talented. My coworkers had a great time! read more

Ordered carry out, asked for shrimp flambe side dish for $7.50, the person cleverly tricked me into ordering the entree for $25. The shrimp is not deveined i have taken pictures which i will upload soon. Bad stuff, I'm sure i'd had a bad stomach had i eaten that. The soup is more water than soup with an unhappy looking mushroom slice floating. The salad is a dismal looking heap of shrivelled lettuce and nothing else. The steamed rice is generous, but that's not what we pay $25 for. The kids Teriyaki chicken for $9 is so less, its not even 4 ounces like the manager claims, more sauce than chicken and more rice than needed. The called the manager immediately who just said "that's business". He dared me to go to the HEALTH DEPARTMENT!!!! He even said that kids menu items cost the same but portions are less. What crap! read more

See all

I sat at the bar had a entree chicken and steak came out fast and hot and 2 drinks everything was good read more

Sakura - Soup and salad - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

See all

My family and close friends celebrated my daughter's 30th Birthday at Sakura on Sunday January 27, 2019. It was a total of 23 adults and one high chair for my granddaughter. Everyone showed up almost on time; you can't be seated until your whole party arrives which makes sense. I requested the space in advance which the front desk staff maintains a calendar. The staff from the front desk to the clean up staff are so nice. The food and alcoholic drinks are delicious. The food was especially good the next day after the seasoning settled in. I had the chicken teriyaki with the chicken livers; delicious!! No complaints from my party about the food. Only complaint and room for improvement: I had to bring my own folding table to put my daughter's birthday cake/ candy table together. To management: Please buy a folding table on two to accommodate your guests who are celebrating birthdays with cake especially because you advertise that you celebrate birthday. Most people have cake for a birthday celebration!! read more

Went this place yesterday for lunch and had to complain to their manager. We had 3 ppl and only 2 of us got there early. Manager seated us to the hibachi grill table becuz there was no seat in restaurant side. (During the lunch, sakura dnt show you any performance but just serve the food) they were understaffed and nobody came to us and take the order. When i complained to the manager, she said they never seat ppl if not everyone is there, but she made exception for us. ‍ idk i think she shouldve just informed us that in first hand. I already knew what my friend wanted to order anyways. read more

Great family night at Sakura Steakhouse in Ellicott City, Md. Haven't been to this place in a few years but the service and quality is still superb! The chef interacted well with all seven of us. One of the members of our group had to eat gluten-free and the chef was very conscientious of this. The server was attentive and always filling up our drinks. The food was so delicious that we are still talking about it 24 hours later. We will for sure be back on our next trip to MD. read more

Sakura posted new, updated hours as a consequence of COVID, which is reasonable, but does not follow with those updated hours. My party arrived at 8:30, a full 30 minutes before Sakura "closed". As we opened the door and walked in the sign flipped from open to closed, and we were informed that the restaurant was now closed. We and other customers were turned away. Completely ridiculous that Sakura cares so little about their customers that they're unable to maintain even those standards which have already been adjusted to a pandemic now entering it's third year. The food is good, but it doesn't matter if you can't even be seated. Arrive well before closing and be mindful that Sakura does NOT put their customers first. read more

Sakura was a great place the waitress took the orders she was very nice. If you go there her name was Vicky. the man that was cooking my food he did great. But there were two people they told him when to flip the food how long to keep our on. They were very annoying I just didn't want to say anything. But anyways a thing that I like to get. Is the steak and rice and you can get extra rice but almost everything is good there. I recommend that you go there because you have a chance to catch a shrimp in your mouth. Also they have lots of Berri good food and drinks. Well that's all I have to say it's your turn to go and checkthis out. read more

See all

The Ellicot City location doesn't open for indoor dining until 4pm. Wish they would've updated their webpage. We showed up for lunch.

My wife and I have patronized Sakura twice; once by take out and once dining in. In both cases the food was delicious but we preferred the dining in experience much better. Our waitress Leanne was very attentive and friendly and our cook was polite and entertaining. We will definitely be back! read more

I really don't like giving businesses a low rating... but I'll suck it up this time and speak some truth. After leaving Arundel Mills on an extremely-uncessary-like what in the hell busy March 2 (I'm assuming people got their tax refunds back and didn't know how to act), we decided to go find somewhere to eat and landed on Japanese. We wanted to go to the Sakura in Bowie but said F*#K THAT that's alot of gas, so we picked figured the Ellicott City location would work fine. Damn you gas prices, cuz we were wrong. The service was cool upon entering the restaurant. The hosts were nice and funny and the bartender was really friendly. I'm assuming our waiter was also a manager there or maybe one of the cooks in the back. That's the only explanation I can come up with for seeing him only twice during the whole night. I swear, he came to take orders and give bills. Even my 6-yr old niece asked why she never got more juice. Sir, if you're reading this review, if a little girl knows your don't do you're job so well, may be time for a career change. The food was just ok. Parts of the rice were undercooked which is extremely unpleasant because who wants to feel and hear a huge crunch when they're eating whats supposed to be some fresh rice. Overall it was kinda bland but I'd rather have to add my seasonings than have really salty food so that didn't bother me much. What really blew me was the cook apparently don't know how to give out the right amounts of food because he somehow ran out of rice and shrimp before serving the whole table. And it wouldn't even be such a problem if they just had the kitchen cook up some extra real quick but instead we had to wait even longer for him to cook little individual servings before he continued cooking the rest of the meal. Lesson learned, we will stick to our favorite location. Guess that waiter's tip can be our gas money. ^_^ read more

This restaurant, in my opinion, is tied for best sushi in Howard county. It's always fresh and timely. The prices are fair but you can find cheaper. I'm not a fan of the teppan layout but I understand that a lot of people dig it. It's got a great layout going for it. The left and right sides of the restaurant have teppan and lots of space. The middle is occupied by a sushi bar and some seating for those not interested in teppan. Unlike other restaurants (cough, Nichi Bei Kai, cough) they don't make you feel awkward and uncomfortable if you're not eating at a teppan. I order take-out from here at least once every two weeks. Yes, I drive my lazy ass from Columbia in spite of three sushi restaurants being within five minutes of my house. OH! And they're open on Sundays--MAJOR POINTS FOR THAT! read more

Can't go wrong with hibachi, only thing was the food wasn't as well seasoned as it usually is! But other than that, we had a great time.

Okay, This place is alright. It's a Tepanyaki place a la Benihana, but this joint does it up a little differently. The chef guy doesn't do as many tricks. you don't see the salt and pepper shakers being thrown around. It's brightly lit... open and... noisey. The last time I went to a tepanyaki, it was dark inside, it felt a little more private, and the chef guy did more tricks. well, the fillet was soft and juicy... which saves this place from two-dom. But this place is not up to snuff as far as tepanyaki places go. for those of you who like the sushi here. well, good for you. But this place is not a sushi joint. It's a Tepanyaki joint, and that's what I reviewed. I didn't really eat that much sushi, so i can't really judge the sushi quality of this place. What would improve this place? Turn down the lights... provide some barriers between tables so that it doesn't like like one giant expanse. have focused lighting on each table. this might help this place and might allow for no barriers between tables because the aisle will look darker while the tables will look brighter creating a sort of phantom private space around every table. I have no idea who taught this guy about restaurants (the owner that is), but he didn't school him on how you can create a better ambiance. Would I come back here? Only if I was going to another going away party or something (that's why i was here in the first place). oh and you can't freakin see this place from the street. even with a GPS it's hard to find. Note to the DC suburbs. PUT THE FREAKIN LIGHTS UP ONCE IN A WHILE! and these service roads are trash. get rid of them and just freakin widen the main road. I can't find places in the dark cuz of it. but that's another review.. ha ha. read more

Ahh good old Sakura, been going strong for several years now. Favorite Japanese hibachi spot in Ho Co ever since beloved mainstay Nichi Bei Kai in Columbia bit the dust a few years ago. Sakura is a splurge in every sense - food is unapologetically rich, as the chefs liberally slather on the butter, oil, salt, spicy mayo, etc. But this meal is a special treat, so try not to pay attention! Meat, seafood and fresh veggies are of the highest quality, but your wallet definitely pays the price. Nice selection of beers and drinks as well. My dad really enjoyed his warm saki on this cold night. All in all, definitely a great spot to celebrate special occasions with the entire family. The kids will love it especially. read more

Maybe it's just that they had a problem on the day that I went here, but the first thing I noticed upon walking in was that it smelled like some mix of urine, cleaning chemicals and old fish. Appetizing, right? I stuck around because my friend who'd taken me there said that she really liked the sushi. We sat in the sushi area, not at the hibachi tables. Some of the rolls we got were questionable, but most were okay. Overall, it was really just unremarkable (I can't even think of anything remarkable to say in this review!) and I didn't think it merited the slightly higher-than-usual prices. Service was good, yawn yawn yawn etc. read more

Not impressed. Our food was all overcooked and bland. Very disappointing. We had tough lobster, steak, scallops and shrimp. read more

Sakura - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

See all

This is my initial review of this place, but there was so much food here that looked good, but I didn't get a chance to try that I'm sure I'll update in the future. We brought the family here to try out their teppanyaki. In case you don't know what that is, that's when the guy prepared your food right in front of you, putting on a little show and if you're lucky launching a few shrimp into your mouth during your meal. We had the chicken, shrimp, and beef as well as the freshly prepared fried rice. Very good stuff. To me the food is more important than the show and the food was excellent. Our neighbors were having sushi as well, but we simply didn't have room. Next time we will! The price was reasonable. Less than $100 for five people. read more

Good place for groups. Each "table" seats 10 fyi. I've been here about a half dozen times or so...back in simpler times when there was a Fun Jungle, China Legend was good, and Soft Stuff was still a motel. You can get your choice of meat or seafood or a combination. They start you out with a soup and salad and you get a choice of appetizer which consists of shrimp or chicken liver. Depending on the chef, he will do different tricks and play around while he makes the fried rice and vegetables. Food is decent. I generally get the filet or filet + seafood. The scallops were surprisingly really good. If you are counting the calories, then try not to pay attention to the block of butter they use while cooking. The server was non existent. He took our initial drink orders and then never came back until the end of the meal as many drinks needed refilling. Portion size is large, which at least makes the high prices not hurt as much. Cheapest dish is chicken for $18. Would I recommend for a group looking to have a good time and be lively? Yes. Would I rush back because the food and/or experience was so good? No. read more

I believe that Sakura has changed hands in the last couple of months. I used to love this place. The staff was friendly, the place was clean and while it wasn't fine dining, its definitely one of the best Hibachi restaurants I've been to. ITS TOTALLY DIFFERENT! The vegetables were all wrong, the fried rice was just rice and a few corn kernels and the meat - ugh. The chef cut RAW meat, holstered his knife then took it out to cut the rest of the meal. Plus my fave "yummy sauce" tasted like ass. read more

Average sushi and hibachi. I like that they have vegetarian options- you can get veggie or tofu hibachi. I recommend the tofu since it comes with grilled veggies. I just wish they had brown rice- they only have white or fried. The sushi was average as well. I ordered the sakura roll- it needed a hunk of wasabi for added flavor. read more

Ordered hibachi shrimp and ribeye combination. The steak clearly was not ribeye and it was over cooked. I would say the flavor was okay, but the bait and switch of the steak was disturbing. Unfortunately the serving sizes seem to get smaller and smaller. read more

Sakura - Hibachi Ribeye and Shrimp - Sushi Bars Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

**3.5 I give Sakura a 3.5 simply because I had my first Tepanyaki experience here and it was an enjoyable one. It was homecoming night, so this place was packed. At any other time during the day, or weeknights, Sakura is definitely not as busy. Sakura is a good place to come with a larger group of people (more than 4) and definitely promises a good time. A few fellow Yelpers mentioned that the chefs don't do as many tricks, but I think that just depends on who you get. Our chef was really fun! He made a volcano with onions, caught the shrimp tails with his hat & interacted the diners. The food is good, but not really any better than any other Tepanyaki place (since all the sauces are pretty much the same, so it just depends on how well the beef was cooked and the quality of the beef, but I don't think I got beef, so I can't really be a judge of that) I came here once during the day when I was looking for a part time job and noticed that they also have a sushi bar. I've never tried the sushi here, so I think I'd like to come back and try that & maybe do an updated review :) read more

Pretty bad I'd have to say. The hibachi chef was great as usual but the waitress was very neglectful. She forgot our sushi order and brought it to the table while our cooked food was ready. I told her I'd like to hold on to the menu so that I could see what drink I wanted to order from the bar and she never came back to take my second drink order. She only came by with boxes for us to pack up and go and the check. I complained to her about it and she just brushed it off. I complained to the hostess about it and she didn't care. read more

The food is pretty damn good. Tasty for sure. I like it for what it is, and also because the "show" doesn't stop you from having an actual conversation with the people you're with. It's not a three ring circus with balloons and clowns jumping out of little cars - but it's still cool. Go for the food, decent pricing, nice ambience, don't go because you want to be completely wowed, unless you've never seen this kind of thing before - in which case you will be. Never had the sushi, but heard from friends it's fantastic. read more

I wasn't impressed with this Japanese steakhouse at all. The food wasn't that great to me. I guess it's the only one in the area now though. So, if you want a Japanese steakhouse, this is your only option. Nichi Bei Kai was 500 times better but it is no longer in business. read more

I have always come to any Sakura for dinner so when I came for lunch today, I was kinda thrown off. I've always loved the food & still do. But if you've never been for lunch it's different than what you're used to. It was after 1 and a party of six. So you order like usual but it's cooked at another grill & they bring it to you. And no miso soup & salad. If you come for the atmosphere & show, don't come for lunch. But today, my lunch was great, tasted the same, the above mentioned is the only difference. And probably price. read more

On New Years Eve 2021, I placed an online order, expecting it to be ready when I got there. When I got there and asked for my order, the one hostess did not even bothered to check the orders on the table. She just told me that it will be 30 - 40 minutes. None of the THREE HOSTESSES never bothered to follow up with me or my order. After 30 minutes, I finally had enough of their dismissive attitude and asked for my order. The same hostess then decided to go to the table. My order was there! Judging by the fact that my food was COLD, my order was ready when I first arrived. The food itself was bland, unimpressive, and tasted like cafeteria food. I dropped $134 on this order, thinking I was treating my family to something special. Never again! read more

Since my first time eating at a Sakura, I have loved it! A couple of months ago, I had a celebration with some friends, and we decided to eat here. The restaurant was relatively clean, and it had a nice Japanese indoor structure, and our cook was nice. The food was absolutely prolific, and I plan on returning here very soon. food: 5 stars service: 5 stars employee kindness: 5 stars cooking presentation: 5 stars cleanliness: 4 stars read more

I took my parents and my inlaws , they loved the show but the menu was so short. I dindt have other options. I felt so bad taking them there. I dont thibk i will come back. Its like one time place.l for the experience and still very expensive for just rice with diferent meats. read more

Had a to go order due to COVID, the lady who took the call gave me wrong information over the phone as far as what to expect with my meal and now I have to wait even longer. So happy I checked, and the salmon looks like wet chicken. I really hope it taste better than it looks read more

Ordered chicken terryaki for carryout. The chicken literally tasted plain, and there was only 10 little pieces for 20 bucks. This place used to be awesome 10 years ago, but now it sucks. Not going back there again. read more

I went here to celebrate my buddy's birthday. The hostesses were pleasant and we were soon seated down. The first problem was the smell of the place -- it smelled like a greasy kitchen, but I guess they couldn't help that since the hibachi is cooked in the open. That is why I am not a fan of hibachi shows. I ordered sushi since the reviews for the cooked foods didn't seem good. Out chef was amazing and extremely friendly though, which is why there is at LEAST one star. He made sure to check on all of the fish I requested. He also celebrated my buddy's birthday in a good fashion. I had a regular roll, sea urchin, and surf clam. The roll was decent. The sea urchin was so old that the rotting taste made my stomach flip and tainted my chopsticks. The surf clam is okay, but it was very small and it was wrinkly; as if it had been dehydrated and left in the fridge for a month. I would go back to this place (I would honestly never go here in the first place based on the reviews) or bring my family here. read more

Ahhhh Sakura's...Reminds me of a hibachi in Florida where I once called home, called Mokoto's. However, Sakura out does Mokoto's any day of the week. Every year, we visit this establishment about three times or more, mostly for birthdays with fellow family or occasions in need of celebration. The food is (for me) to die happily in my grave for. Also am very glad that they serve sushi, one of my favorite foods. I will admit, each chef has their own take on preparation of the food. Each one has their own unique cooking style. This makes it so the the experience is not the same each and every time. The flavor with seasoning may be stronger one visit than the next who used more oil or soy sauce, overall dish still tastes the same. The sushi is also a good compromise if one person cannot have...let's say SALT or items with Iodine, good compromise. The servers are willing to accommodate certain diet needs and warn people if there are foods which are allergy inducing on their menus and/or you question the servers. The dinner show of trained talent and knife work is entertaining to watch, even if I have to catch a shrimp piece with my mouth. So far, every experience I have had was excellent. read more

We've been here a few times. Had dinner last night with some friends. I am lactose intolerant and asked the chef if he could make my meal without butter or yum yum sauce... he accommodated my request with ease. I'm very thankful for that, many chefs have an attitude when you make a request like that. The chef was entertaining while cooking our meal and the food was, of course, delicious. Great place for a social meal with friends or family. read more

The service we received when we first arrived is what spoiled this for me. We arranged for a large group (14 people) to have dinner here for a work dinner on a Monday night. 13 of us arrived, checked-in, but the hostess refused to seat us until everyone was there. We were missing ONE person! We had the option to sit, but we were told we'd have to order right away, without the other person there. The whole experience was difficult and rude. read more

Food is always so good! Today I was super impressed with the hostess! She was so kind on the phone for our reservations and modifying them as well as being extremely pleasant when we came in! The hostess staff is doing a great job!!! read more

It was okay we all asked for extra fried rice but the server only wrote down for 3 and he gave some of my fried rice to tje other person and then brought a whole plate of fried rice to the people that already got double and the cook definitely favored the two girls at the other they had the same amount as us and they didnt ask for extra read more

This place has so much potential to be great, but falls short. Very spacious facility, but you are elbow to elbow with people at your table. Its awkward sitting at a table with strangers and so close. The chef looked like he was either high or had just fell out of bed. His presentation was a bit cheesy. The food was OK. Not top shelf, but enough to fill you up. Great for groups. Not sure I would be aching to return. read more

Amazing as always. The BEST fried rice I've ever had. They offer a "yum yum" sauce which is to die for. Lunch is a lot cheaper and more typical. Dinner is more expensive but you receive live entertainment of the chef doing cooking tricks! Fun for the whole family. read more