A buddy of mine took me here earlier this year when a mutual friend and his kids came to visit. We had an awesome experience with out chef, who clowned the kids and delivered a show and great food on a random Tuesday afternoon. Came with my family hoping to replicate the experience on Saturday afternoon around 1:30pm. Place was mostly empty and we were promptly seated. Ordered off the hibachiunch menu and wete brought our soups or salads. Took about 15 minutes for the chef to come out and start making out food. It was a much younger guy and he was not into it. He had an airpod in and was on a 9 way video call of some sorts with his phone on the food cart. He did a little perfunctory interaction with the kids and spatula whacking/egg balancing/fire column at the beginning and then just proceeded to cook out food and mutter into his call. Kinda off putting and definitely a much poorer experience than my first time here. My family liked the food -- we got steak and chicken, chicken, and shrimp hibachi. Portions were all very large. I loved my steak and thought the chicken was dry, veggies a little hard but my half Asian wife thought everything was good so maybe it was just my unhappiness with the chef. I'll probably try again, but maybe go during a more prime time when hopefully the better chef is cooking. read more

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At this restaurant, you can choose to sit at a regular table or at the community table, where you can watch the chef cook. The food was delicious, especially the sushi rolls. We tried the Southern Rock 'n' Roll sushi, which was great. However, the fish tank could use a cleaning, The fish couldn't see anyone. The bathrooms are clean but a bit dark. Overall, we will definitely return to eat here again. read more

This was not a good experience. The food was as good as we thought. My wife got the steak habachi and it did not sit well. By the time we. Got to the car she was spitting up her food. read more

I ordered the Sakura for dinner It has chicken and filet mignon. The food was absolutely amazing, it tasted really good. Even though its expensive it is a good meal; when you order off the Hibachi menu you get a starting salad and soup. It comes with big portions of noodles, rice, and your choice of protein. The chef wore a nice hat and cooked our food super fast, however he didn't do too much of a show. read more

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After being a longtime patron, my latest visit was so disappointing that it will be my last. Both appetizers I ordered, the gyoza and the tuna tataki, were completely inedible. The gyoza was dry, stale, and flaky--a clear sign that they were not fresh. The tuna tataki was the worst I've ever been served; the tuna was slimy, barely seared, and tough to chew. It was served over a bed of old, bitter grated radish. When I returned the dishes, the owner was incredibly dismissive, claiming, "you don't know how it's supposed to be." This arrogant attitude and unwillingness to acknowledge the poor quality of the food was shocking. A restaurant owner should stand by their products, not insult a customer, especially a highly knowledgeable one. read more

We decided to get takeout from here. Got the chicken hibachi and a Snow Maki roll. First off, the role was very tightly jammed into this small container. The rice was hard and not fresh and there was way more rice than fish. It's almost like this roll was premade and had been sitting in the fridge all day. The hibachi chicken was very plain, flavor was a 4/10. Still received everything we ordered in a timely manner. Not for us though. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Snow maki- jam packed into a container - Japanese Near Me - Madison, Alabama

This place used to be amazing. I've been a regular for a long time. Unfortunately the service has degraded over time. You have to pay to switch noodles with an equal amount of rice, previously you didn't. You get charged dinner prices at lunch by default, previously they charged lunch prices during lunch by default. The main lady has been increasingly more rude over time. I can no longer recommend this place and will discontinue my business with them for a long while. read more

Some of the best sushi I've had. The fish was fresh, and the rice was seasoned perfectly. The rolls were made with care, and each bite was packed with flavor. The miso soup on the side was a nice touch. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Madison, Alabama

My family and I give this restaurant 4 stars. The server (Kyleigh) was amazing and did an excellent job. She always had a smile and willing to serve. Not to mention our cook who put on a great show. He even got the table to sing Happy Birthday for my son. My kids had options to choose from and got plenty of food. My wife and I had got the more expensive choice of steak, scallops, and shrimp. The meal filled us up and took some home. The restaurant had great vibes. The two reasons we subtracted a star are below. 1. Women's bathroom stunk of sewage. 2. No military discount. read more

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Dinner at the teppanyaki table. Local neighborhood place. Fun show. Great service but mostly average food. Had the steak and lobster combo. read more

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Excellent food! The chef we had was not the most entertaining, but he was talented and absolutely knew his stuff. Our food was hot and delicious. Drinks were tasty as well. A fun experience for a night out! read more

Got the Tokyo and we had two meals out of it. The server was amazing and did an excellent job. She always had a smile and willing to serve. Not to mention our cook who put on a great show. read more

The food was subpar I was expecting so something a little more at their price point and the experiences I've had at other Japanese steakhouses. While I did appreciate the quick service as well as the way they ensured I was well taken care of the location is very nicely set. read more

This has always been our go to restaurant for special occasions. It's where my kids (now adults) always want to go for their birthday dinners. Last night was unfortunately our last time going. We have noticed the food going down hill for awhile, but kept hoping it would improve. This was our third trip this year. I always get the filet and lobster. After our last trip in early May, I decided not to get the lobster. It's been so overcooked that I feel like I'm chewing rubber. Last night I stuck with just filet. While the filet was cooked well, it had no flavor. The ginger sauce that I usually love, looked watered down. The chef had the heat turned up to high and burned all of the shrimp, that then turned into rubber. The friend rice had a burned egg in it and had no taste at all. The chef was somewhat friendly, but it was not a show. We have had this same chef several times and he is always the same. One of the people at our table had all seafood and I watched as his fish, lobster and scallops were turned into burnt chewy bits with sauce on them. They have stopped asking if you want an appetizer or a desert. I hope that they will get better, until then we will not be back. read more

The first thing that I noticed when I walked into the door to Sakura was the distancing of the tables. Then I noticed that all of the employees were wearing masks. With the resurgence of Covid, I've again become a little edgy about safety and Sakura's precautions put me at ease. Like the majority of the lunch patrons, my friend and I opted not to do hibachi and did table service instead. The lunch menu offered several teriyakis and tempuras. There was also an extensive sushi menu of which we didn't partake. We both opted for salmon teriyaki and were not disappointed - well, except for the salad. The salad was the prerequisite iceberg lettuce but the lettuce was literally floating in watered down ginger dressing. Luckily for us, this was the only real downpoint of our meal. The presentation of the lunch box was a little messy - like someone was in a hurry to get it out of the kitchen. It consisted of the salmon served over sautéed onions with a touch of broccoli, fried rice (though next time I'll opt for steamed), 4 pieces of California roll and some cute little dumplings. There also was a large orange slice on top of a little swirl of peel that really was a nice touch. The salmon was excellent, with the sauce a little carmalized around the edges. The rest of the meal was nothing out of the ordinary but really, the salmon was so good it made up for it. Surprisingly, the orange was extra juicy and sweet and made an excellent dessert (my friend ALWAYS orders dessert and the orange turned out to be enough of a dessert even for her). Service was passable - the wait staff consisted of one overworked girl who was also hostessing and running to-go orders all while answering the phone. It's no wonder the service wasn't really what we expected but she did the best she could. There also was a sushi chef and a hibachi chef but they were busy doing their own thing and couldn't lend her a hand. Although most of the meal and the service were just there, the salmon was so good that I definitely will be back. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Salmon Lunch Box - Japanese Near Me - Madison, Alabama

If you want lunch, be sure to specify lunch!!! We ordered from the lunch menu while looking at the "lunch menu" and they charged us dinner prices. The food is mediocre at best and gratuity was also included for 5 people. We won't be back. read more

Amazing service and food. I loved my steak and rice. The hibachi was so good I recommend to go! Praise Jesus!

Came here for a birthday dinner, and I'd give the food a 8/10. The atmosphere was 1/10 though. I kept thinking "if they'd clean this place regularly and update the decor just a touch it would be so much nicer". The women's bathroom was very dirty. We got the hibachi dinner; soup was good, salad was not our favorite but hubby asked for a different dressing and liked it better with the yum yum sauce. Their ginger dressing was unlike any ginger dressing we've had... The dinner was great, and chef was nice and respectful of our kiddos when we asked him to not be as loud since one isn't fond of loud noises. Server was very nice. I like this place, I just wish the atmosphere was improved and clean. read more

Very expensive for bad food. The server forgot half my order (tempura shrimp roll). The sesame ginger on the salad was overwhelmingly strong with an awful flavor. Didn't even get miso soup but a really salty mushroom soup. The kids' chicken katsu was ok (not great) with terrible katsu sauce (too much ketchup?). I guess I should have known better when none of the patrons were Asian (they knew better than me). I will not be returning and I recommend you don't even bother trying here. read more

Large selection of sushi. While not my favorite for sushi in Madison County, it's good sushi. The hibachi is very good. read more

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The food was bla and the whole experience was not good plus it was expensive! Will not go back.

Let me first state that the women working there are quite rude and discourteous to PAYING DINERS - they are getting worse! Next I'll address the downward spiral in the quality of service over the past two years. Soup is merely a tasteless broth with a few thin mushrooms to 'dress it up.' It didn't work. Wilted, unsavory iceburg lettuce bowl loaded with a deluge of ginger dressing wrapped up the first course. Never in all my life have I had one dish after another served as a meal -- fried rice first, followed by meat, waiting for chicken and shrimp to be delivered separately. Each item placed on our plates by itself. The came the spaghetti-like fat lomein noodles, which were followed by SOGGY vegetables. We ended up eating cold items with hot items - WTF is that about? This was an absolutely terrible meal for $25.00 and it is also our last visit to this restaurant, which has steadily declined in quality and service, while the prices have escalated. read more

Sakura is a nice small Japanese Steakhouse. A group of us went there for a birthday party. We all got the traditional hibachi dinners of steak, chicken, and shrimp. The prices were reasonable and the service was great. The steak, chicken, and shrimp lacked flavor; it needed a big sprinkling of salt and pepper at a minimum. The cost was $63 for two people. read more

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We went for hibachi and it was very good. We tried chicken, salmon and shrimp. We liked all of it, table mates had steak and it looked very good and well cooked. Also comes with soup and salad. We ordered a chicken nugget appetizer for our child which she really liked and she still tried some of the rice and noodles from the hibachi. Seemed some of the other chefs put on a more elaborate show than ours but it was still fun especially for our kiddo. We got there early on a Friday night and didn't have to wait but looked like there was a wait by the time we left. read more

Food was good and service went well overall. Tried this place because seen positive reviews and wanted a Japanese place closer to home. We got the hibachi steak and chicken dinner and cooked very well. Only downside was the salad and I enjoy salad usually, different kind of sauce that they put that I don't care for as much as other places. Other than that very positive experience and most likely will be back. read more

Sakura, the "Guys Night" Selection Waitress: Sarah Hibachi Chef: Ron TL;DR: Try the hibachi filet, cooked medium rare with some "yum-yum" sauce. For those of you who are turned off by the pink or red in beef, the steak WILL APPEAR TO BE OVER COOKED EVEN AT MEDIUM-RARE. Trust me, it's cooked and if you eat it as soon as they put it on your plate, it melts in your mouth! It was a Friday night and somehow my 10-year-old son and I found ourselves on our own for the evening. Oh, man this does not happen often! I decided to leave it up to my son and he selected a gem. We arrived at Sakura around 6:30 PM and we were immediately greeted by a smiling face. We advised the hostess that we would like to eat at a hibachi grill and we sat at a grill with an older gentleman and his college-aged daughter. I know what you're thinking and yes, I also get a little uncomfortable sitting at a table, family style, with complete strangers. Fortunately, the mood is so relaxed that you don't really have to talk to anyone else at the table unless you really just want to say "hi" and strike up small talk. I interjected in our neighbor's conversation once, but only to agree with the good advice the Dad was giving his daughter. So, if you're one that is either extremely or slightly introverted, it is fine to sit with strangers. They will not bite! Once we were shown our seats, I strolled up to the bar. Now, if I have a complaint, it would be the lack of a bourbon selection but since I was driving it wasn't a big deal. I decided to have a single cocktail (Jack and Coke) while I waited for the show at the grill to begin. I ordered the Filet Mignon Hibachi and my son ordered King Salmon and Steak combo (yes, that's right, he's 10). After we ordered I really had a chance to take the place. They were busy with most tables filled with patrons. The staff was culturally diverse. Sarah was very pleasant and just a sweetheart. We had another couple and their 4-year-old daughter (cute as could be and stole the show at the table) that joined us after we ordered. The lady ordered soup for the daughter before they ever got sat down and that request was followed with the words "immediately." Now, having waited tables before, I got that familiar vibe from them and sure enough, I was right. They turned out to be pretty needy but Sarah took it all in stride, meeting every request expediently and she never even showed the slightest bit of frustration (that is unless smiling is how she shows frustration). Bravo, Sarah! The couple's little girl was very intelligent. At 4 years old, she truly spoke like a 9-year-old. She was very engaging, kept everyone's attention, and made everyone at the table smile as she praised our chef's efforts and cheered him on. Chef Ron is pretty easy to spot. He is the only one that wears a mask. Regardless of your thoughts and beliefs, I find it refreshing that a food service worker is wearing a mask while preparing food before a large gathering of people. Chef Ron put on a show that left the 4-year-old cheering and made my son laugh and grin and ask me "how did he do that?". Now be warned, when they first light the grill ablaze, sit back in your seat or you may lose your eyebrows! Also, there is another chef, who is the tallest of the three, who is pretty loud but in a very entertaining and exciting way. He may scare you a little (from the other side of the restaurant, he made me jump twice) but it is all in good fun. Chef Ron did some pretty cool tricks of his own using his utensils and a few of the ingredients that were pretty cool. The first thing he prepared was fried rice. I personally like to pour my yum yum sauce on my rice (and anything else for that matter) and it definitely takes. Next came the veggies next came my filet (medium-rare, please) and my son's steak (medium-rare too), and King Salmon. My steak was phenomenal! Cooked perfectly! And my son made his King Salmon and Steak vanish in minutes. Chef Ron even slid us a couple of shrimps on the side. Once we signaled, we were tapping out, we got the "sneak-away boxes" (to-go boxes) we bid farewell to our table and we thanked everyone who took care of us. Overall, it was a great experience in a little bit of a smaller Hibachi restaurant. Never judge a book by its cover, whether it is food or people. I happily recommend Sakura Sushi & Steak House. read more

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Service. The waitress rushed me and talked at me like a kid. I walked out before I even ordered my food. She was extremely rude!!!

The sushi chef is always so nice. The gratis salad at the sushi bar is nice. The doors are mucked up right now and it takes hirculean strength to open both doors. My big beef is do NOT get the spicy tuna roll. I don't know if you can tell from the picture but it is the texture and consistency of cat food . It is minced tuna and even has an odd color. I couldn't eat it and no one asked about it sitting on my plate untouched. Mental note to self. Do not get spicy tuna again, Sakura makes it badly. Everything else was good and it was packed. Only other complaint is the A/C was blowing directly on the sushi bar as were the greasy exhaust fans from the hibatchi tablc closest to it. read more

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Great restaurant for take out. The Hibachi wait can be a little long but we live across the street and love to come in for the Spicy New Orleans roll. read more

We had a family dinner here and were all very happy with our visit. We have visited before and it was so so for us. This visit was beyond our expectations. The food was great, cooked and seasoned perfectly. The service was outstanding, even with the super super busy night they had. This is the type of visit will make us visit again! read more

Service was quick and great. We didn't sit at the hibachi grill since it was later in the night when we went. We ordered calamari which was delicious. The squid was super tender and not tough at all. My only complaint about the calamari is that the outer breading was a little too hard. Hubs and I both ordered hibachi. He had steak and chicken and I had shrimp and scallops. Hubs and I enjoyed our main dishes which came with fried rice and veggies along soup and salad. Overall a good experience and would come back. I would recommend this place if you're looking to enjoy a nice hibachi experience. read more

Came here for the first time last night and had a great experience! We sat at the hibachi table. We didn't have to wait long for the hibachi chef to come cook for us. I got chicken and shrimp and my husband got steak and chicken. Everything was cooked great! We liked the flavor of everything! I also got a Philly roll. It was only 6 pieces, so I felt it was not worth the price of the roll. Prices are a little expensive, so next time we go, we will try to go at lunch. Would definitely recommend if you are wanting hibachi cooked in front of you and you are in the Madison area. read more

Food, service, and show were underwhelming at best. We will try a different restaurant in the future.

The food was pretty good. Our hibachi chef was not the best. Comparing ours to the others around us we definitely got the least desirable. It's unfortunate, but it's my only data point at this restaurant. read more

Having just located to the Madison area, I am enjoying trying all the local restaurants that serve my favorite cuisines. Setting at home Tuesday night, the mood for sushi hit me and I started looking on yelp for a local Sushi restaurants. Much to my surprise I found Sakura less than 2 miles form my house, when I read they had dollar sushi on Tuesday, I jumped in the car and headed over.... Walking in you are greeted with several Hibachi Grill tables in the middle of the resturant. Can't say I have been in a Hibachi restaurant with an open floor plan but OK.... One table was just getting started when I asked to set at the Sushi Bar... I was quickly seated and the wait staff provided me a sushi selection sheet, water, soy source bowl, chop sticks, etc.... I placed my order and then Sushi Chef presented me with a salad that was most excellent. By now I noticed that the noise in the resturant had picked up and I turned around and noticed all the Hibachi tables were full and people were waiting to be seated. I was impressed that the places was so busy for a Tuesday night. I really enjoyed my Dynamite roll, spicy tuna roll, Ebi and Salmon... I was impressed that it was as good as it was. I will still be trying out other sushi restaurants in town, but rest assured I will return to Sakura time and time again.... Especially for Tuesday Dollar sushi !! read more

I got takeout food. My girlfriend got the Steak and Salmon and I got the Chicken , Steak and Shrimp and a sushi everything was excellent and staff was very friendly when greeted . Would recommend :) read more

Food is always good, love the sushi and chicken teriyaki. The service is excellent, very attentive and polite. One of my favorite local restaurants. read more

Food was delicious but atmosphere was distracting. Also there were odd smells in the restaurant.

My sister and I wanted to share a meal . The server was very rude about this and was spoke fast and slurred her words so we never really understood why we could only get soup or salad instead of both. She never checked on us and threw the check at us. We won't be back after this experience. read more

I very disappointed in this place. I came with a group of 8 people. I am snob when it comes to my steak and I can tell the different in taste. I ordered the filet mignon another person of my group ordered it as well. Another 2 people ordered shrimp and steak. He gave our steaks to someone else and and he gave us a mixture of sirloin and the filet not what we ordered. I don't know if it was because we looked different from the rest of our group. (Call a spade a spade). Yes we were the only 2 of of a different race. I will not be coming back. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - If you can zoom in you can see the difference in the two steaks on the plate. - Japanese Near Me - Madison, Alabama