Sakura has the Bento Box Lunch Dialed-In!!! A little wait....well worth the service & price. Thanks for All the Fine Years of Service!!! read more

See all

My family & I have been eating here since Sakura's original location. I love their authenticity and family style feeling. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Chirashi bowl - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Sakura used to be so good, especially when it was on Forest Drive however, every since the non-ethnic owners came in, portions are smaller and the sushi seems not as fresh. The California rolls are so thin, the rice did not even cover the seaweed. The shrimp was soggy and the wine tastes like box wine or wine that was in a bottle for too long. The beer was/is always good. The teriyaki was somewhat salty. Quality has definitely taken a dive. Also, this couple sitting across from me blew their darn nose consistently, they will blow their noses anywhere. Friendly service but definitely my last time. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I'm from out of town just had a long day of work. Decided I wanted to give this place a try since the moment I entered I could tell it wasn't gonna be good. I'm assuming the owners are the elderly couple there. I'm trying to watch a video in peace with the volume I'm by myself and the owner comes and he can hear it from the kitchen when I have the volume at 30% and no one around me has complained. The food was terrible not just because of the horrible customer service But it felt like I had Covid all over again because I couldn't taste shit. To the young white kid who served me I'm sorry that I didn't tip you, but I hope you let your employer know that he fucking ruined your tip. read more

Stopped by for a dinner and had an amazing experience. Great food with even better prices which were all extremely authentic! The eel rolls and soup were a standout. The owners and server were all very friendly! I'll definitely be back soon! read more

Reservation at 7. Didn't sit down until 7:40 Took 30 minutes to get water. Proceeded to sit here for an hour before our chef even came. Ridiculous. The slowest service ever. I was honestly so disappointed. Had literally 1 server. It's truly disappointing. Such a waste of time. read more

I don't understand how Sakura could possibly have 4.3 stars. The food was barely edible. We ordered basic hibachi meals and they were SO salty we couldn't even finish them. And the white sauce they serve with their hibachi was overly sweet. Can't speak to the quality of the sushi because we didn't try it. The waiter was very nice and friendly though. read more

Best sushi in town. Consistently delicious. Still using Covid safety precautions and I love that. Staff and service is excellent. Sushi & Shashimi B is my "go-to" order. Tempura shrimp is excellent. Hubby & I always share an order of steamed gyoza. The gyoza & sauce is outstanding every time. Rainbow Rolla dn tempura shrimp roll are always a good choice. As is the Moonflower roll. Fresh, delicious and beautiful! read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Miso soup...yum! - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

I used to love Sakura when they were in forest acres, but I've tried the rosewood location 3 times and just do not like it. It tastes like grocery store sushi. The rice is too firm and the roll selection is small and boring. The people are nice, but this is a hard pass for me. read more

The hidden gem of Japanese restaurants in Columbia. Sakura has been around forever, I've been going there since I was a kid and I have to say that the thing that's always kept my family coming back is the consistent quality of food and service. Sakura has always remained close to its roots and hasn't ever stray from their path. You can expect traditional style atmosphere and a traditional style menu. The food itself is amazing and I've never once had a less than perfect experience. They have everything you'd expect from a Japanese place of this style. If your looking for more modern, crazy fusion rolls, or drink specials you've come to the wrong page. They keep it old school here so make sure you set the right expectation before you check it out. My family continues to eat here once a month and probably will as long as it's standing. Sakura did relocate from their original location on Forrest drive after the 2015 floods in case you remember them from back then. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Sushi Combo B - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

This place is soo good!! This is legit old school sushi! The sushi is super fresh. The rolls are rolled to perfection with the perfect balance of rice to filling and they do not fall apart. Rolls are not loaded with tons of ingredients and sauces. I like to call establishments like this, PURIST SUSHI! The atmosphere clean, sleek and inviting. The staff is awesome! Will definitely return!!! read more

Fresh & high quality sushi that is hard to find these days. Tuna is deep red with ideal fatty content and the salmon is a rich orange color striated with healthy fats. Friendly and fast service! Best in Columbia! read more

The miso soup was absolutely delicious and I love the style of the restaurant,and the waiter was great definitely would come here a again.

Quiet place tucked into a strip mall. Food is great, whether you prefer tempura and rice, dumplings, or sushi. They also have some fun Japanese grocery items for dessert. Service is always friendly. My daughter repeatedly asks to go back. read more

Everything we had was great. Very good quality food. Chicken teriyaki, salad dressing and sushi where our favorites but everything else tasted just as good. It's a cute small little spot with a smaller menu which is great! Excellent service. read more

If you're looking for an authentic Japanese restaurant then this place is definitely it. Not only are the prices so amazingly cheap, it's good quality and everyone is nice. Definitely my favorite Japanese restaurant in Columbia now. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Steamed gyoza, ginger salad, rice, tuna roll - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Definitely one of my all time favorites, love the tempura shrimp and the ginger dressing and salad are suburb, best in town IMO. I pay extra for the larger salad, rather than the small one that comes with the entree. I also get an extra side dish of ginger dressing for dipping the shrimp... although the dip that comes with it is quite good also. I like to have both and mix and match. The Iced tea is very good as well. To top it off the two young servers are very polite, very well spoken and professional. Very nice atmosphere as well, and never crowded or noisy. Perfect for my taste. read more

Authentic, fresh and fast. Service was friendly and helpful to a first-times reading their menu.

I love miso soup and all the dishes here. I will try ramen next time. This is the only place i got my proper potion (the other places, all dishes are way too big for me) read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - I really like the atmosphere here. Good foods and nice services. - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Sakura is a mainstay of the local offering of Japanese restaurants. Nothing trendy, just reliable, fresh, friendly, and good value.

Tried this place for the first time today and I will definitely be back. Delicious, fresh sushi and the prices aren't bad either! read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Spider roll, Columbia roll, Yellowtail roll - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

I have been in love with this restaurant for over 20 years! Great sushi and great ownership.

I am by NO means an expert in Asian food. However, the group I ate with claims to know their Japanese food. As some of the other reviews noted, Sakura was NOT easy to find. Even w/ the reviewers tips to locate the place, we still had problems. The restaurant had quite a few patrons, so maybe they were repeat customers or not directionally challenged. The only complaint is there is no Hibachi. It was very inexpensive and a good meal. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

the food is good and fresh but the nigiri sushi portion sizes are much smaller when compared to Inakaya. Place is nice and clean and friendly staff. read more

A little difficult to find but well worth the hunt! We go here at least twice a month because it is crazy delicious and an awesome deal. Their menu includes a large selection of very filling bento boxes and sushi. Everything is reasonably priced and you receive plenty of high quality food. Lunch is especially inexpensive. My favorites are the chicken teriyaki, shrimp tempura roll and steamed gyoza. The sauce on the gyoza is a dream come true... I pour it on everything. The sushi pieces are not the giant, mostly rice pieces like I've had at most other restaurants. The pieces are smaller but I prefer the balance on the pieces at Sakura. I also tried the red bean ice cream on my last trip and it was super delicious. They have green tea ice cream too. I'm not sure if the ice cream is on the menu but just ask! The restaurant is located on the back of a building (behind Coplon's on Forest Drive) and is a pretty casual place. It has about 10 tables or you can sit at the sushi bar and watch everything being made. Groups of 6 would probably be comfortable here but much more over that and it would be a tight squeeze to fit everyone at one table. You can also order to go and pick up from the restaurant too. read more

See all

Got an order for my kids bday. Fantastic sushi, fresh and delicious. Highly recommend. read more

Great local place! This is probably the best Sushi in town. I am grading on a curve, as nothing compares to the Sushi in Seattle and Portland. There is a very good menu of sushi, teriyaki and bento box in this small family-owned place. It's hard to find, but worth it once you do! read more

While I can't give this place a 5 star because I have tried some humbling sushi on numerous occasions at Mitch's fish market in Hawaii, it is definitely worth going to while in Columbia. I suggest the Columbia roll. It is tasty, good sushi ghat will not let you down. It is also reasonably priced, and has rather attentive service. My wife and I will go here at least once a month. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Salmon nigiri is on point. - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

Well handmade sushi. Small rolls, but the price is cheap. I loved how fresh the sushi rolls tasted. Staff is also very friendly. Will keep going back here for sushi. read more

This place is one of the best kept secrets - only because it's location makes it hard to find. Sakura is a casual japanese restaurant that serves amazing, if basic, sushi. My friends and I went last night and it was delicious. My friends had their teriyaki and said it was great! I just wished there was a sign on the road or something so folks could find it easier. It's across the street from Publix, behind a business that I have no idea what the name is. I just remember that it's a creamed colored building w/ a black awning. read more

Great Sushi. This place was a little hard to find. It is located behind Coplons. I had a fast lunch with a safe choice of a California roll and tried the Miso soup. Both are excellent in the time I had for lunch and cheep. All under ten bucks. I rated my lunch today a 4 out of 5 stars. This is only due to waiting over 5 mins before greeted with a menu and offered a choice of beverage. I look forward to enjoying many more meals here at this hidden Gem. Cheers! read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - California Roll - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

Food was good and fresh, Service was good also! The red bean icecream made the night even better. For the price it's definately better than the other sushi restaurants in cola! read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Chirashi! Sogood - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Went in for a quick dinner the other night. Walked in the door about an hour before close and was greeted right away. I asked about bringing my bike in out of the rain and the chef offered to store it in the back. After I got my bike situated with help from the itamea, the hostess invited me to sit anywhere in the dining room. Took my seat, ordered a Kirin and checked out the menu. Pretty standard stuff for a sushi bar. Couple things I'll have to try next time like the negimayaki or maybe the tatsutage. Opted for a few pieces of nigiri a la carte and the unagi miso soup. Soup came out before I could even pour my beer. The broth was really comforting, filled with mushrooms and nice big chunks of eel. I'll be back for this bowl of goodness all winter long. The sushi shows up soon after the soup. Fish was fresh, good temperature, with straight forward presentation. All about the protein. Really enjoyed my yellow tail and salmon roe. The cuts of white tuna could've been bigger (but when can't they be?). All in all, great first impression of this little neighborhood sushi bar. My respects to the chef and kitchen. Courteous front of house, clean tasting food, fresh fish, and cold beer. What more do you need? I'll recommend and be back soon. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Fast, tasty and relatively inexpensive meal for sushi. It was fresh and filling. The ambience was okay and restaurant is casual, and the menu was impressively extensive. Honestly, the outside gives a much different impression that the inside. Altogether a very nice meal. read more

See all

Food was awesome. Sushi was amazing. Stopped in twice during our trip. Service was awesome. Would highly recommend. Wish I took pics of the food read more

While this is definitely does not have the best fish (nigiri, and sashimi), the flavors are certainly the best in Columbia. I love the bento boxes, and the sushi platters. This may seem super inauthentic, but their California Rolls are the best I've ever had. Period. For extra flavor, dip them in the tempura sauce. Favorites: Sushi and Sashimi Tempura, California Roll, and Sushi Bento Box Eel, Sashimi, Tempura, California and Hosomaki Roll Bento Box read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - #28 Dinner - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

See all

This is my favorite sushi restaurant of all time. I compare every sushi restaurant to Sakura. This is not a trendy sushi spot or a restaurant with a bar scene. This is is a delicious, low key, traditional sushi and Japanese restaurant that I have been enjoying for over 28 years. My absolute favorite place to go anytime. read more

Had a lovely meal at Sakura tonight. I had several rolls--salmon maki, crab maki, pickled radish roll, and the Sakura roll. Each was delicious--fresh, tender and beautifully presented. My companion had the vegetable tempura C box--a very generous serving of sweet potato, acorn squash, broccoli, green beans, zucchini and onion rings all in a light tempura batter. This came with a small salad with delicious carrot-ginger dressing, a California roll, and shredded cabbage with light mayo dressing. Service was friendly, unobtrusive yet attentive, and the prices were very reasonable. We will definitely visit again--highly recommend! read more

Unfortunately I was served 2 pieces of OTORO that were RANCID! $10.50 was cheap for it so I tried the "special bluefin OTORO" and had to IMMEDIATELY RUN away from my family to the restroom. I informed the staff who were nice but NOT knowledgeable. For the really terrible experience with my family we didn't finish our meal but were only given an apology with the $10.50 from the bad fish removed. $53.00 (after "discount" with no alcohol) for 2 and a 19 month old child with NO children's menu. We drove from the other side of town for this... NEVER AGAIN. RANCID FISH AT A SUSHI BAR! read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - RANCID Pre-frozen "special bluefin OTORO" for $10.50. Still icy in the middle too. - Japanese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Always good food and a good atmosphere. The staff is welcoming and the food is delicious. Small place, but they also offer good takeout.