Another dinner at Sakura in Westport. Hard to believe they've been serving hibachi since 1982. Walking through the door feels a bit like stepping back in time, and I mean that as a compliment. I think the first time I ate there was around 1986 or '87 as a kid, and honestly, it looks much the same today. Is it high-end dining? No. But that's never been the point. It's solid, reliable, family-friendly, and consistent. Where else can you get a salad, soup, a generous hibachi dinner, and a little entertainment from the chef for around $35 a person? Kids are under $20, too. In an era when a casual dinner out can easily cost twice that (or even a sandwich and coffee), it's refreshing to find a place that still delivers good value. Some restaurants spend decades chasing trends. Others figure out what works and stick with it. After more than 40 years, Sakura is still doing exactly that, and I'm glad it is. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Hibachi chef putting on a show! - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

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Just brought my family here for the first time (Saturday night, eve of Fathers Day) tonight. I was a little nervous after seeing some mixed reviews. Here's my opinion/experience on everything that others complained about. 1. Parking. There's a giant lot surrounding the restaurant and we were there at 7 PM on a Saturday. No issues. Parked right by the front door (the place was packed & parking was a non-issue). 2. Wait times. I called at 4 and made a reservation for a party of 4 at a hibachi table. They were able to give us a 7:15 reservation and we were sitting by 7:19. 3. The crowded lobby. Yes, it's crowded. They do a good job of trying to get people through and to their respective tables. 4. The food. I thought the food was amazing. My seven year old even tried things she normally does not. We all had an amazing dinner and the food was perfectly cooked. 5. Atmosphere. The hibachi room is loud (like really loud) when it's busy/full. This really was the only less than ideal part. There's like 8-10 hibachi tables in one room with low ceilings so it's a lot of stimulation. My grandma couldn't hear anything throughout dinner. And idk why anyone would say the place was looking aged/worn down. It looked perfectly fine to us. 6. Service. Absolutely amazing! And our hibachi chef was so entertaining. More entertaining than any hibachi I've had anywhere else. Overall, 5 stars! We will be back. Probably soon! read more

Ordered takeout from Sakura Japanese Restaurant and overall had a pretty good experience. It's not the best Japanese food I've ever had, but it's definitely a decent, reliable option in the Westport area. I got both sushi and hibachi, and everything was packaged well and still warm and fresh by the time I got home. The sushi was clean and nicely prepared, and the hibachi had solid flavor with good portion sizes -- nothing mind-blowing, but satisfying. For takeout, the process was smooth and quick, and the staff was polite at pickup. Prices are somewhat expensive but it's in Westport, and it's a convenient choice if you're looking for a mix of sushi and hot dishes without dining in. If you're nearby and want a no-fuss Japanese meal to-go, Sakura is worth a try. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

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Growing up in the 80's/90's, SJR was always a special treat restaurant where my family and I went to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, etc. The food was always mouth watering good, and something we looked forward to. Fast forward to 2025 and there is quite a difference. My husband and I went on a Saturday night with no reservation, which I found meant quite a wait in the small lobby with everyone else, even those with reservations. The manager shouting out directions to staff about seating people was loud and a bit unsettling. The decor itself hasn't changed since I was a kid, in turn this means it's a bit run down. The bird cages near the bathrooms are falling apart and empty with no life. There are restaurant awards on the wall in the lobby area, but most seemed to be from many years prior. After a half hour wait, my husband and I were seated in the table area (hibachi tables in the other room). We ordered the following: appetizer of shrimp shumai, a chicken teriyaki bento box for my husband, and a steak and shrimp hibachi dinner for me. The shumai was tasty. Then instead of coming staggered, our soups, my salad, rice, and our entrees all came out at once. This was not only overwhelming for us but also for our small table, where everything barely fit. My husband tried his chicken and very quickly found it to be over cooked and dry. My steak (which I asked for well done) was cooked just right. It used to be that hibachi dinners were full of meat and veggies back in the day, but this time around noodles overflowed on my plate instead. Bean sprouts also used to be included when I was a child, but not this time around. And my rice which used to overflow in the bowl was now a small ice cream scoop size. The wait staff was quick to try and take dishes from our table, to the point where they almost put their fingers in my rice bowl, which was not cool. Ultimately we felt like we were being funneled through a factory at warp speed so the next set of customers coming through the door could have our seats. When you're spending that kind of money for food and ambiance, that is not acceptable. I'm not sure if we'll return to be honest, which makes me sad as I have so many fond family memories tied to this restaurant. Pictures were not taken as it felt like there was no time to do so. read more

I've heard about this place for years as it is a popular local staple and decided to finally give it shot. It's located on the post road so very easy to get to, however since it is very popular it can get busy and parking is limited. There is no street parking as it is a busy road. That being said, I recommend you make a reservation ahead of time. When we got there the wait for regular dining was 10 minutes, although not bad, confusing as I saw plenty of open tables that opened up sooner. Friendly service from hostess and waiter. Large menu with plenty of options for hibachi style eating, sushi and Asian cuisine. We ordered a plate of shrimp and chicken teriyaki and a couple rolls and a side of hibachi noodles. The shrimp and chicken was average. They did bring me rice instead of noodles, which they quickly replaced. I love sushi but I found the sushi here a little interesting... mushy. I gave it a try but did not leave such an impression that I would go back. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

Famous for their noodles and hibachi sauce. Good quality sushi, fun ambiance and environment with the tables and multiple rooms. The service is good with a well staffed establishment. Not open for lunch on Saturdays which is sad. read more

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This place is PACKED on a weekend! An absolute favorite with the locals, you'll find the hibachi tables fully booked for parties and the dining area full of reservations. We like to saddle up to the bar - we often can sneak a couple of seats to enjoy a drink and dinner. But don't expect to just walk in and be seated if it's a Friday or Saturday night. Shoot - I had to part in the parking lot NEXT to this restaurant last time it was so full! I absolutely LOVE getting their sushi, and this is my personal favorite here. About any roll I've tried has been fresh and good. read more

This is my favorite place for hibachi in my area the food has consistently been really good for over 10+ years! Very clean and I always eat all my food because it is so delicious! The restaurant is gorgeous I always come here with my fiancé the dim lights are romantic and it is very comfortable to dine here, its clean but not cold and uncomfortable like most places now a days read more

I was excited to try this place and ended up leaving highly disappointed. Our hibachi chef burned our food and it had no flavor. The food was so bad I had a few bites and left it. Usually at hibachi you get a show all we got was silence and bad food. when we arrived the front was very aggressive and loud. The felt like I walked into a factory. Never again! If you are looking for quality this place is not it! read more

The restaurant is amazing and the food is so good. There are so many options and the hibachi here is simply the best. You have to try this! The chefs are so nice and so talented, as they make amazing food and can do so many tricks. This restaurant is perfect for birthday parties and celebrations, and I went for my friends 14th birthday party. It makes for the best time, and I would recommend coming for lunch if you want a mellow experience and dinner for a loud celebratory experience. I would 100% recommend to all clientele and demographics. Our chef Michael Jackson was the best ever! read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Our chef - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

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A good time! Came here with my family on Christmas Eve and it was very busy as expected. The reservation link on the website is down so we had to do a walk in. We waited at the sushi bar for over an hour and the host was able to accommodate our table of three for hibachi sooner than our reserved time. It was cool watching the sushi get made but it was a tight squeeze between that and the actual bar. It was super entertaining and the food was great. The chef included every parties allergy and food preferences. I recommend the lychee martini. It was so tasty. I'd come again but I'd call ahead to make a reservation regardless of the season. read more

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I've been going to Sakura for 10+ years, but I've noticed the service has been deteriorating. Yesterday I picked up take-out hibachi for $100+. When I got home, I noticed that there were no sauces for the hibachi dishes. So I drove 15 minutes back to the restaurant. The "Maitre de" treated me very poorly - she said she had checked with the kitchen and they confirmed they had included the hibachi sauces. I was basically called a liar. Reluctantly, she handed over the sauces. I asked for additional sauce, and then a manager got involved. It was an atrocious experience, played out in front of other guests dining in. I'm very disappointed and will not be returning. read more

I don't understand how anyone eats here. I cannot believe this place is still open and in Westport - do better! It's dark, outdated, and dirty inside. The food was not even like any other hibachi - such low quality American food choices including canned vegetables. This is supposed to be fun and a show and instead our chef literally just came out, didn't say a word or do anything fun, cooked the food and left. Disappointing is an understatement! read more

The service and food met our expectations! Went out with my girlfriends, and we had a nice time.

This is a popular hibachi place in Westport. Definitely call ahead for reservations on the weekends. The noodles are thinner than typical hibachi noodles which I enjoyed as it didn't feel as filling. The food was well cooked but overall lacked a bit of flavor. The side sauces they provide helped give the food more of a kick. The portion sizes were fair for the price and staff was attentive. The non hibachi seating areas are quite large so if desired, you could always order hibachi to a table and skip the show. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

Absolutely phenomenal. I have eaten in the restaurant multiple times, both at the hibachi tables as well as the normal tables. Let me say... there is no other restaurant that even comes close to the immensely mouthwatering, delectable hibachi noodles served at Sakura. AND THE MUSTARD SAUCE. The mustard sauce is just the cherry on top. I usually go for the hibachi shrimp, and when feeling a spark of spontaneity may even treat myself to the shrimp and filet. Tonight, in order to tend to my cravings, I ordered the shrimp hibachi noodles for pickup. I was filled with jubilation as I took the first bite while seated in the comfort of my own home. JUST AS GOOD. I find that when ordering takeout, oftentimes, one is conforming to the fact that the food may not be quite as satisfactory. This is not the case with Sakura. So, I would like to say thank you to Sakura for being a long standing pillar in this community that never fails to satisfy my cravings. Compliments to the chef! ‍ read more

My family and I usually come here for celebrating birthdays. My cousins and I LOVE this place! Whenever I go I always get chicken and noodles! The noodles are always so delicious and chicken is too! This location has private rooms where you can enjoy your meal at a table but you sit on the floor. They provide cushions and you are supposed to take your shoes off. This Location also has live birds in a cages as you walk to your tables. I believe they are parakeets. They add more to this already wonderful restaurant!:) read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - The delicious Noodles and Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

Extremely popular hibachi and sushi restaurant in Westport. Hibachi is almost always crowded and you need a reservation in advance. Food is always good, as is the experience. It also is a pretty good value as you get salad, soup, a healthy serving of rice, noodles, veggies and the protein of your choice. read more

Food was delicious, table service was great but really the whole meal was ruined by the woman handling the reservations at the front. We went to celebrate our dads birthday- we arrived a bit early and this woman immediately said we were early and told us we couldn't sit until our party was here- which is understandable. When she realized we needed a high chair she was upset- visibly upset rolling her eyes, although we had requested a high chair when we called for our reservation. Lastly, my siblings and I wanted to split the bill before our father tried to pay, again, she rolled our eyes at us, shook in her head at us, and muttered under her breath. Our bill was over $300 and this is how you treat us? I don't know if she needed a snickers or something but that was probably one of the worst "as soon as we enter" experiences. Maybe 20 years ago there was only sakuras for hibachi, but now there are so many places- so there is no need to rush to a place that has an incredibly rude person greeting you, read more

Food was ok. They took forever to give us our food more than an hour. I wouldn't recommend coming here if u hungry and want ur food in a reasonable time. read more

service excellent. worst sushi i have ever had. portions were horrible chef got order all wrong atmosphere good Go somewhere else!!! read more

Like others have said, this is a local favorite for especially the youngsters. Dramatics aside, the hibachi was incredibly salty. Almost inedible. Plenty of leftover salty stuff to take home if that's your thing. Very busy. Limited parking. Poor ventilation inside. Add to that the traffic of parents dropping off and picking up kids for birthday parties. read more

We found a wriggling parasite in the food. At first they apologized then they refused to refund saying it was a tendon or a blood vessel and not moving. After showing this picture (video shows it moving) they refunded and said it happens all the time. We have been coming here for 15 years and that will be our final visit. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

The chef's attitude made my day!! The food was incredible and very tasty. Very cozy in here! Can't wait to come back!

Horrible service and employees. We made a reservation for 7pm for 5 people. We arrive at 7pm, and we're told it's going to be a few minutes. Ten minutes later, a party of 10 people come in, wait 5 minutes, and are taken to a table. While we're still waiting like idiots. I complain, and the Asian woman at the front desk starts yelling at me, telling me that I didn't check in with her even though I checked in with the employee standing right next to her. The food is good, but not worth the hassle and wait. I wish they would honor reservations and order of arrival. And not have rude people working there. I would give one star, but my son loves this place so we compromised. I still think the front desk woman was too rude in yelling at me because I complained. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Menu - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

A friend of mine and I were here on a Tuesday evening in the rain with 2 kids. Some pros: entertainment for kids. They have light up ice cubes, chef made us some balloon animals at the end, very cute stuff. My Uber driver said the restaurant has been open for 30 years and has changed hands, but decor remains the same. Ha! Food was decent. I'm not into having someone throw food in my mouth but the performance was good. Service took forever tho- we definitely had a new waiter, but he did eventually get us all the sides that came with our meals. Fried rice and noodles were 100% soy sauce flavored, shrimp and chicken were cooked with minimal seasoning. Had to use the side sauces for any flavor. Adequate food and experience overall. I'd come back for the kids - they really liked looking at the parakeets and playing with their balloon swords afterwards! read more

Meh. Sushi was ok, rolls were ok, not great but decent....however, for atmosphere, I would give it a D: dark, dated, dingy and dirty looking. Menus are plastic-covered. Prices are too high, not in line with the market. There's a bar when you walk in the front door (not a sushi bar, but a bar) with people sitting there just having a beer, watching the game on TV like an average "locals" bar, very much detached from anything Japanese-like. So it was like two places: a bar and a Japanese restaurant. Weird. This place really needs a total overhaul, remodeling and new life. And it needs to decide what it is. Although convenient for us, we won't go back. Too many other good choices for sushi around. read more

Where do I start? Poor service - at the table and by management. The server was rushed us through the service and the chef as well....even coming out with takeout containers as we just started eating. So weird. The food - ok. But we weren't there for epic cuisine. We went for our child's birthday dinner and they offered nothing for the special occasion (even though we specifically told them in making the reservation it was a child's birthday dinner). Tables around us (also having hibachi) had birthdays and there were staff members singing - and even chefs making balloon animals! We asked if we could get a balloon and were told no. We asked if it was a special price or service and would pay to get one as it's was a kids bday not a grownups...and they said no. Huh? We tried to speak to a a young girl at the counter to ask for a manager and she couldn't tell us who was "in charge". Finally figured out it was the woman next to her who ignored us and let this poor girl awkwardly stand there knowing that and not help her or us out. Truly bizarre. So we had ice cream with a candle in it at home and had our kid make her bday wish. read more

Very disappointing. Been going to Sakura since they opened in the 80s. Won't be returning. Terrible customer service. Hostess makes too many people wait in the narrow hallway for hibachi seating when all of them have reservations and they are 2 open tables waiting. Left before we were seated. After reading the rest of the reviews, I'm glad we did! read more

We have gone here twice in the last 2 months, and each time we had a different experience. The first time we went on a Monday night and didn't realize we needed reservations. We have 5 in our family and they were so nice and accommodating. They were able to get us seated within 15-20 mins. We had an amazing time and the chef was great. The food was delicious and the show was entertaining. We loved our experience so much we came back the following month to celebrate my husband and daughter's birthdays. The second time we went we did make reservations for a Friday night. We still had to wait about 20 mins to be seated after our reservation time. The chef was not entertaining at all. He barely did anything fun, he didn't acknowledge or ask if anyone was celebrating anything. We could hear so much laughter and fun coming from the other tables and were disappointed in our boring visit. The food was good as usual, but not worth what we paid without an entertaining show. Overall, we would probably go back and give it another chance as we have a lot of friends who rave about the place. I think we just got a chef who was having an off night. read more

The radishes are brown, the salmon is stale, and the salmon tastes like mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are a little tastier. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - The radishes are brown, the salmon is stale, and the salmon tastes like mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes are a little tastier. - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

There hours are extremely confusing it says a different opening time on Google,the website and over the phone.

I haven't been here in a very long time so we decided to give it a shot. It was around one thirty in the afternoon so there was no wait. We went for Hibachi but we were told that they no longer perform the show for the lunch crowd, but they would make it and bring it to the table. The staff were attentive and took good care of us. The food came out quickly ( the lunch service did not include salad but the meal has both fried rice and noodles). My scallops were cooked perfect and we enjoyed the food. The ginger sauce was tasty but the other sauce (sorry, forgot what it was called, was a little salty for my taste), but it was a pleasant meal overall. read more

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Always consistently good food and service. my absolute favorite is the hibachi noodles but the entire hibachi dinners and sushi offerings are great. Have been coming here for years and never disappoints. read more

This is a Westport staple. Not cheap, but good food and fun experience that is great for celebrations!

From staff to experience to the food, Sakura is a must visit in Westport. Its an institution. From gathering around hibachi tables, to the private rooms to the main dining, its great. Its where you go for birthdays, anniversaries, family visiting, or a change of pace for dinner one night. Quality food, good service and a place to see friends from town. Their take out experience is great too. Enjoy. Reservations highly recommended for hibachi tables, especially now with restrictions on indoor seating. They have done a great job of managing safety and quality during COVID. read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

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Our first time trying this hibachi spot. It was Henry's birthday. Compare and contrast our local Greenwich spot, Abis and of course Benihana. I thought very comparable to Abis - more hijinx and theatre and showsmanship even if it came with increased risks of salmonella. My wife reminded us that the spatula used to catapult zucchini into our mouths had just been used to place raw chicken onto the grill. The onion soup and salad were nice starts. Fried rice not too oily. Filet seemed like legit filet and the shrimp were good. Competent all around. One gripe might be the two sauces weren't as tasty as they should have been. read more

Met a friend for dinner last Wedneday and it was my first time at Sakura. What a nice interior, with different areas: large cocktail bar room, sushi bar, hibachi tables, private dining rooms in the traditional style and the upstairs regular dining room with a fireplace. We ate in the fireplace room which was nice since it had a very rainy day. The spicy seaweed salad was a large portion size and very good. I wound up taking quite a bit home. My 2 special rolls were delicious, the fish very fresh. My friend enjoyed one of the chef's choice plates with mostly sashimi. All super fresh and very good. I'll be back!! read more

five stars is not nearly enough. They truly deserve six. The service is amazing and the staff is incredibly friendly and welcoming. The food is delicious and the portions are very large. We love their sauces and no other hibachi place has delicious sauce like Sakura. The ambience is unparalleled. read more

Hibachi meal at Sakura hit the spot! We made a reservation for a Friday night in the dining room. Staff was so attentive to our table with multiple staff members checking in on us. Vegetables and chicken were perfectly cooked. Everyone left with leftovers and feeing very satisfied! read more

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Hibachi Chicken - Japanese Near Me - Westport, Connecticut

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