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    Sakura Express

    3.8 (46 reviews)
    ModerateJapanese, Sushi Bars
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:30 pm

    Order Sakura Express Takeout or Delivery

    Sakura Express Photos

    SAKURA EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Very loud
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Sakura Express

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    Reviews With Photos

    Mimi X.

    I am actually surprised how much I ended up liking this place. Do not judge this place from their location or from their exterior. This place is a gem to find. I came here with my cousin and ordered some sushi to go and we were both very pleased and satisfied with our choice. Sashimi deluxe 4.5/5. Yum yum roll 4/5. Crazy dragon roll 5/5. Dynamite roll 4.5/5. The sashimi is fresh and the cut is generous. The miso that came with the sashimi deluxe was perfect. Not too bland and not too fishy, in the perfect median. The rolls were good and delicious. We will certainly come back and try other menu items too! Also, there to go packaging was so nice. They provided generous amounts of soy sauce and they even provided to go soy sauce dishes! That's the first I've ever seen. Amazing. The service was great and the waitstaff was nice. Overall a 4.5/5 star review.

    Chicken H2. Hibachi Teriyaki Chicken

    Very friendly, fast service and food, food is really good Quiet place to have a nice lunch or dinner! Will be visiting again!

    chicken and broccoli in a sauce
    Z+A R.

    We decided to give two stars for two reasons. We orders sushi and they placed it in with the hot food, instead of a separate bag so by time we picked it up and brought it home, the sushi was warm and mushy. We love sushi so that was really disappointing. The other reasoning is the crab rangoon had little to nothing for a filling. (the soup that came with the sushi wasn't good, I guess it's a hit or miss with people) We also ordered Singapore rice noodles and I guess there was a misunderstanding and they don't have that and we were charged $14 for Singapore chicken but other then that the food was okay, and would have given four stars if there wasn't a issue.

    Lunch Menu
    Mark L.

    Sakura Express is an unassuming eatery tucked back in a little strip mall that is quite the surprise! I wasn't sure what to expect with an all you can eat sushi place. But this place is great. Basic Asian decor when you walk in - greet the fishy! Nice and roomy booths, which is important for a portly fellow as me. This is a fave place to take my daughter who enjoys sushi as much as I do. In fact, though we come for the sushi the menu has many other great items. I should note that if you don't want all you can eat, you can order from the menu. But assuming you come for all you can eat, you will get a paper menu upon which you mark your choices and the very helpful and nice servers bring you your food. Depending on when you go, lunch or supper, it costs about $20 to $30 per person, depending on your add ons like the seafood boil. And there is an up charge if you aren't able to finish the food you order. But the food is very good. Highly recommend the friend wontons and egg rolls. All of the food is fresh and comes to you hot. Not like the chances that you take at a regular buffet where it may be warm or even cold. The sushi options are fantastic from sushimi to specialty rolls. For those that may not like sushi as much, there's hibachi options, soups, seafood offerings, and more. I have yet to order something that has not been good. Parking is adequate as it is a strip mall.

    a close up of a receipt

    This place is a 0/10. The food was okay, but the service was so horrible it outweighed the average rating of the food. It is an AYCE but you must lick your plate clean or they will heavily charge you extra for every little piece of food leftover on your plate. The owner likes policing you to ensure you finish every crumb and if you don't, she prematurely brings out the to-go boxes and starts calculating how much she is going to charge you extra right there and then. Every time we placed another order, she would come back to our table and question our ability to finish all the food that we ordered. We felt extremely uncomfortable. It was almost like we had to convince and reassure her we can eat it all before she processes the order. You pay an extra $5/person if you want to eat seafood boil. Each order comes with corn. They charge an additional $5/pc of corn if you don't finish it. I was treated so rudely by the owner, Sophie, when I brought the excessive corn charge to her attention. Instead of acknowledging where I was coming from, she straight up yelled at me in front of all the customers. What shouldve been a mutal conversation turned into a heated confrontation initiated by the owner. So unprofessional. A couple with kids sat behind us. The dad ordered AYCE seafood boil and he shared a piece of corn with his daughter. Waiter rushed up and told him he now has to pay an extra $5 for the corn because he didn't pay for her to eat seafood boil in the first place. She didn't eat seafood. IT WAS CORN! It is also "mandatory" that each protein order comes with rice and vegetables. They refuse to omit it. They add rice and veggies into all their orders because that is a way for them to pile up extra charges on your bill since one can only eat so much rice and vegetables at an AYCE sushi place. This place will try and squeeze every penny out of you. They are stingy, unreasonable, and how they treated me and that family behind us was such a shitty thing to do to your customers. Don't waste your time supporting a place that charges you for nanoscopic things. But most importantly, don't support an establishment that interrogates and disrespects their customers. This restaurant is far from valuing customer relationships. I'd rather eat at a mediocre restaurant that provides good customer service/experience than a place that has good tasting food but are extremely discourteous. *Look at how she outlined the extra charges so we don't miss it And you're damn right I packed my half eaten corn home. Costed me $5! Note: if you only got like 5 pcs of sushi left, best to just bear through the fullness and shove it down. Or itll cost you an extra $28.

    tuna roll, spicy tuna roll, yummy yummy roll
    Abigail B.

    I've been looking for a good sushi place in the area where I can become a regular, and I think I've found it! I tried my usual--inari (tofu), salmon, and tuna sushi, tuna and spicy tuna rolls. Fish was the freshest I've had in the area, so I HAD to try the sashimi. It did not disappoint. Being from Hawaii, I definitely crave raw/fresh fish in MN. Glad to have somewhere close to me! We also had the hibachi steak, gyoza, shumai, and yum yum roll. Thank goodness they now do an all you can eat deal. Best in the St. Michael-Albertville area, hands down.

    Soft Shell crab appetizer
    Dina P.

    We Decided to visit after reading other Yelp reviews. We had the Maki dinner which has a CA roll, tuna roll and salmon roll. It comes with miso soup, but we asked to upgrade to the qyoza soup. The soup was amazing! They add crispy fried onions to the broth and three qyoza. We also order the oysters which are only offered Wed and Fri for $3 each. Those really hit the spot. Soft shell crab appetizer was ok. I have had better, but I usually don't expect a great soft shell crab since they aren't fresh and are typically frozen. Overall, we were very satisfied with our food, though we didn't get any of their special rolls or anything. We live in Loretto, mn and typically have to drive 20-30 mins to go to town. I am thinking this will be our new sushi destination. I like that they offer lunch and dinner specials with several MAKI rolls. You can't find that option on most menus.

    A lot of food and tastes great. Miso soup, five pieces of sushi and a California roll to go.
    Tony C.

    This place is awesome and very reasonable on the price. I went there on 8-09-2020 and enjoyed the sushi lunch special. Great food and will order again while working in St.Michael! Thank you!

    The Monstor Roll, The Green Dragon Roll, and The Amazing Roll.

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    10 months ago

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    1 year ago

    I loved it. Food was great and it tastes even better with their prices. Very underrated establishment.

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    4 years ago

    Foods good every time. I do wish they would put a little caramel or chocolate on the side for the cheesecake.

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    8 years ago

    Yes! Saint Michael needed this! So tasty! Same taste as Benihana but way more affordable. I love the hibachi.

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    8 years ago

    Very friendly. Best Chinese I've had in awhile. They give you a lot of food! Pretty cheap but wish it was a little less spendy

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    Hajime

    Hajime

    4.4(135 reviews)
    8.5 mi
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    Very nice and delicious sushi spot in Elk River. Hands down best chicken fried rice in MN! Sauce is…read more10/10 too!

    Date night! Hajime in Elk River is a solid local spot if you're craving Japanese food. I ordered…read morethe filet mignon hibachi and my husband went with the spicy crab roll and the Anchor's Tattoo roll. Everything we had was flavorful and fresh - the hibachi was especially delicious, even if it wasn't the full show-style experience you might expect from a traditional hibachi place. The rolls were well-prepared, with good texture and balance. Service was friendly and quick, and our food came out without much wait, which is always a plus. That said, the interior could definitely use some updates. The decor and furniture feel worn and outdated, which stands out more when you consider the price point. It's not enough to ruin the experience, but a little refresh could go a long way. A few small things: the spinach salad served with the hibachi wasn't my favorite - the dressing was a bit off for my taste - and I missed the usual mushroom soup that typically comes with hibachi meals. Also, a heads-up to fellow diners: the fried rice came with chicken by default, which wasn't listed, and I would've preferred the plain white rice instead. All in all, Hajime delivers on food quality and service. With some minor adjustments and a facelift inside, it could easily be a standout. We'll be back!

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    View of the bar area from my table.

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    Ten Sushi Japanese Restaurant

    Ten Sushi Japanese Restaurant

    4.7(241 reviews)
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    This was my first time at Ten Sushi and I ate so well! Ngl, i sadly don't remember what rolls we…read moreordered but they were all fresh and delicious. I ordered 2 unagi nigiri, those were probably the weakest on the plate but still good. One of the rolls had a mango sauce on it that was amazing. I've always been scared to try rolls like that but the sweetness went well and enhanced the whole bite. I also tried plum wine for the first time and it was soooo sweet and tasty. Also got pretty lit off just one glass. I wanted to order sake too but didn't need it. The environment was very chill and relaxing. We were seated in a big, roomy booth. I am super excited to return and try more yummy sushi and even experience their hibachi items. Definitely give this place a try!

    We had a mixed experience here. The food overall was good. The American Roll was especially tasty…read moreand the hibachi was decent, but the California roll was disappointing. It was about 80% cucumber with barely any crab, which wasn't what we expected. Unfortunately, the service really overshadowed the experience. We weren't greeted when we walked in, and things felt off from the start. We had a stroller with us, and instead of helping us find a comfortable spot, we were initially directed to a booth that clearly wouldn't work. When I asked about it, the waitress moved a couple of tables and pointed us to an end table with an uncomfortable chair. I politely asked to sit somewhere else, which felt awkward to even have to do. There were also a few moments that felt careless, like when she reached over my baby and stroller to grab a drink instead of going around. That's just not something you should risk. When I finished my salad, she told me to keep my fork rather than bringing a new one for sushi, which came off as odd. I also know how to use chopsticks so it seemed weird to assume that I didn't and would reuse my fork. The waitress didn't seem friendly or welcoming, and we didn't feel acknowledged at any point..even when we left, despite being the only customers there. It's a shame because the food, music, and overall vibe had potential, but the service really took away from the experience.

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    View looking to the left from the front entryway.

    Ten Sushi Japanese Restaurant - Tuna rolls.

    Tuna rolls.

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    Beef negimaki, close-up.

    Nagoya

    Nagoya

    4.3(69 reviews)
    20.5 mi

    He Said: I really like this place for AYCE sushi. I have…read morebeen here several times with my little kids and we have enjoyed each trip. There are many options for AYCE sushi, but this is one of the best places. You sit down and order per round. There might be a limit to how much can be ordered at a time, but I have not "hit the max". There is a good selection of food categories to choose from--appetizers, sushi (nigiri, rolls, sashimi), noodles, fried rice, and more. To top it off, the restaurant is connected to a mochi donut place. Get some Donuts for the road! Pros: They have weekend lunch prices Very consistent with food quality Ramen is included with the AYCE Great prices for kids Cons: The food service has been slower during peak times. I occasionally had to find someone for a fork replacement or something else, because no one came by for a while.

    We went to Nagoya on a Sunday evening around 7:45pm and the space was about half full. The…read morerestaurant is nice and clean, brightly lit, and pretty big with lots of seating. It is handicap friendly, and fine for kids. They have an all you can eat sushi option (which we did), or you can just order by the roll. They also have poke bowls. There is a selection of beer and wine. The food is really fresh and quite tasty. We have been here before and have always enjoyed it, and would recommend it. The down sides; 1) The restaurant is pretty loud. There is no carpet or anything to absorb the sound, so it just bounces off the walls and seems very loud. It isn't horrible, but it could be an issue for those sensitive to loud noises. 2) Even though there are a lot of employees buzzing about, service is pretty slow. This trip we received our first order of food before we got our beverages, and after that we had to wait for each order of food. Our server seemed to be new, and was very apologetic, but when we have been there in the past service has always been a bit slow.

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    Nagoya - Inside

    Inside

    Nagoya - Handroll needs more filling

    Handroll needs more filling

    Nagoya - Spicy Tuna Roll  Philly Roll

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    Spicy Tuna Roll Philly Roll

    Sakura Express - japanese - Updated May 2026

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