We were staying in a hotel very near this restaurant. Out of my group of 12, I was the only one that decided to have hibachi for lunch. I saw that the place had a couple of bad reviews, but I decided to try it anyway. I'm sure glad I did! I didn't experience any of the complaints that were described in the bad reviews. I found the decor, ambience, and the people working there to all be pleasant. I ordered my usual hibachi meal... filet and chicken combo, fried rice, no vegetables. Of course, it came with soup and salad. The salad was fresh, and it was a nice size portion. The soup was just as expected. The chef appeared shortly and verified the orders of the few of us at the table. He was an older man. He was very skilled at his job. He didn't go overboard with the show part, and the food was cooked perfectly. This was actually among the best hibachi experience I've ever had. Both the filet and the chicken, were a good sized portion, and cooked exactly as requested. I can't say I cleaned my plate, but there wasn't enough left to ask for a to-go box! And that is just how it should be, in my opinion. The price was also very good! Less than I usually pay for similar meals. Honestly, I can't think of one thing that I have a complaint about. That evening, I was talking to my friends that I'm traveling with. I shared my experience with them, and that said "Okay, that's it. We're having hibachi for dinner!" All I can say is that, maybe the few bad reviews prompted a change, or maybe there was something else. But I'm happy that I gave Sakura a chance. They earned this review, by giving me a great lunch experience. read more

Sakura Japanese Steakhouse - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

When husband recommended this place for a birthday celebration, i looked it up and yelp says only 2.5 stars, i rejected it. But husband insisted as our granddaughter love this place. So i reluctantly came with the group, and to my surprise, it's great! The staff are super friendly and the cooker is super skilled with throwing the raw egg as well as the bowl with full rice up and down. It's very entertaining to watch! Every item came out of the grill tastes perfect! I'm glad we came here! They even brings bowl of ice cream with little fireworks and sing the happy birthday song for us! It's very nice! I highly recommend this place! read more

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Absolutely delicious and really reasonable prices! The portions are huge so come hungry! There's a good selection of appetizers and drinks available in addition to the hibachi. We came with a very large group for a birthday party, I think there were at least 20 of us. We were taken care of quickly and there was no problem with doing multiple checks. read more

Sakura Japanese Steakhouse - Steak & Shrimp - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Everything was delicious. I ordered the scallops without the egg yolk sauce because I'm not a sauce person and my husband ordered the chicken and shrimp combo.. we started with soup and then there was a salad with delicious salad dressing that you can only get at a Japanese steakhouse and then there was a shrimp appetizer with Yum Yum sauce, which I don't use and I said to my husband, although they used to have a ginger shot sauce and our chef hurt us and gave me some of that sauce usually they give it to you right away, but I don't know but at least he overheard me and gave it to me so it was it was delicious followed by veggies, bean sprouts, rice and scallops so sweet and juicy. Are there some people would look at the price and say it's pricey if you look at the amount of food you get it's definitely worth the money. Can't wait to go back. read more

Our party was entirely gluten free. We were assured when we sat down that our meal could be prepared entirely GF after our table mates agreed to using tamari instead of soy sauce. Our protein was prepared with vegetable oil and steamed, that's it. It was awful. Rice was served when you sit down, completely cold before entree was served. GF hibachi I've had other places tastes 100% like everyone else's. No offer to adjust our check. Not even apologetic. read more

They need an air freshener near the front of the restaurant. There is a very fowl odor

I am pleased with this order. The presentation of the food packed in to go boxes was clean and orderly. The clear container was free of fingerprints and there was no spillage in the bag. The flavor of the food was powerful and the texture of the vegetables, fish, and both starches- noodles and rice, was what I wanted. I would order this meal again. Glad that the restaurant handled the food with care. Good job. I ordered through Uber. This was my 2nd time doing so, the first for this restaurant. I may not Uber again, but I'd eat here again. Also, if you are sensitive to salt, you may not be able to eat here often. I don't normally eat lots of salt, so I could taste a bit more than I am used to, but Moderation is key. read more

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Have done our daughter's last two birthdays at this location and have had a great time! Both times we had a part of 12-14 and they accommodated nicely. Kids love the location! read more

Not sure why all the hate for this place!! IMO ratings should definitely be higher. Service was timely, they tried to make it fun, food was good and very large portion sizes!! The biggest recommendation I would give would be, get better yum yum sauce!! It was very watery and not that flavorful. But everything else was great! I'm glad me and my group came here for dinner. read more

We have eaten here on many occasions. It's a good idea to show up with everyone in your party present. Otherwise, you will need to wait. The food is consistently good. Note: they do not have noodles. Beyond that, it is entertaining, and the food is good. I have never tried their alcoholic beverages so no review on that. This is a great local version of Benihana for the up-county. read more

All these "bad reviews" because they're bitchy or to highly self centered! Foods great service is great I love eating here every time I do. No complaints the lady upfront always makes sure I have what I need and makes sure my foods good. Don't usually eat where they cook infront of you but maybe if you're "concerned about cross contamination" don't eat where they cook everyone meal dumbass??? ps I'm white my wife's black never had a problem with my meal or drinks. If you're treated like shit it's probably because it's what you deserve! Have a better attitude and you'll get what you deserve. 10/10 always will love eating here the 8+ years I've came. read more

BEWARE! found myself with incorrect orders due to the chef cooking food without checking orders. Hidden charges at the end of your meal due to servers who know they're receiving gratuity and the more charges they can sneak in the better. also to seat people at the last minute after the whole table has ordered so they can fill the tables for gratuity, now the peaceful dinner I going to have is now packed shoulder to shoulder in a empty restaurant. read more

Sakura Japanese Steakhouse - BEWARE!!! - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Had scallops and shrimp with fried rice was really good Really good service and clean environment would recommend read more

Great food, great chef who was fun and personable. On time service and was able to seat our party of 13. read more

Sakura Japanese Steakhouse - Chicken & Shrimp - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

I ordered through door dash and the food tasted very old .. the yum sauce or ginger sauce tasted the same . Must have different cooks . Not good at all read more

I have been going to this restaurant since it opened. I have never had complaints... I think it's the best hibachi around. People are mad they have to wait on a Saturday? Haha, okay...... that checks out. I love the yum yum and literally have no complaints. I continue to go back! read more

Two stars. Very slow service on a Saturday night. Food was good but not top notch lole Benihana. Place is run down and very ghetto. Staff not educated about the menu. read more

We go for Christmas Eve every year. Service was great. Egg yolk sauce was DELICIOUS. I got the steak and scallop combo.

The yum yum sauce was watery and no seasoning was applied to the vegetables so the taste was quite bland...so sad because the majority of my party shared the same sentiment. read more

Sakura Japanese Steakhouse - Shrimp and lobster hibachi - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Sakura needs to be called out for their discrimination. They need to do better. No one wants to talk about racism, however when it comes to serving food, mincing words is not an option. First, whenever there are white people and black people dining at this Sakura at the same time, the white people are always the first to be served, regardless of their position around the table or when they arrive. If there are any extras, they get that too as if it's company policy. I've been there several times, and this has been the case every time. On my last visit, the cook realized he forgot to include one person's shrimp even though most meals were being served. My dish was next to be served and still on the grill when he decided to go back to the kitchen and returned with raw shrimp and began to meticulously lay it out on the grill. Then, without changing or cleaning the spatula, he attempted to serve me my dish using the same contaminated spatula. When I stopped him and said that he just used that spatula on raw shrimp, and he needed to either change the spatula or clean it. He responded by saying, 'what raw food? ' I pointed to the raw shrimp that was still raw. He then placed the bottom of the spatula on the grill to kill germs but didn't address the top. He then reluctantly wiped the top off with a dish towel and proceeded to serve my dish. At this point I couldn't really eat it and waited until I got home to thoroughly heat it to be certain there was no cross contamination. It tasted ok but I've had better. Three stars for the flavor. If people choose to discriminate, that's their problem. But because they don't like the color of your skin, does not give them the right to knowingly contaminate your food and take your money. People with problems like this should not be serving food. Money does the same thing regardless of who it's coming from. This is the first restaurant that I've been to where the discrimination is palpable. read more

Fulfilling Asian cuisine when you have the craving! Originally, I was planning on giving this place a 3*, but they really did crush the delivery order. I will say there's nothing too different from other, similar restaurants I have received deliveries from, but they packaged everything very well, the food was fresh and it was a decent price for the money. We ordered crab rangoon, shrimp tempura sushi roll and two entree dishes (Spicy and sweet and sour chicken). The crab rangoon is actually unique with how they encase the crab in a pouch as opposed to a shell. The sushi was fresh and so weren't the meals. If I have a craving for Asian cuisine, this would probably be my easy go-to. read more

Sakura Japanese Steakhouse - a variety of food items - Japanese Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

My wife and I were seated for 20min, already through the soup and salad courses, when they sat a family of six at our table, effectively resetting the clock to get started. After another 20min there was no sign of our chef and the kids began playing with their soup noodles. Epic fail Sakura. It's not our fault no one came in immediately after us. The family should've had their own table, you weren't busy, and we should've started. read more

Good service have been back multiple times, the cooks are always great for hibachi and the atmosphere is great, the food is even better they cook the hibachi perfectly. read more

awesome cook bro was literally cooking chat this is the best place ever and bro gave me a birthday party for my birthday and they are the kindest people I've ever meet. easy 5 stars read more

Ordered the steak and shrimp hibachi and the Crab Rangoons. The Rangoons here aren't the typical folded triangle that seems very common in this area. These are rolls that are tied up like little bombs. The filling is delicious, and the shells are thin and very crispy. The accompanying red sauce is my all time favorite for Rangoon dipping sauce. The steak was flavorful, and the shrimp were good. The rice was cooked well. No complaints about the taste, or portion. Will be ordering from here if I ever want some takeout hibachi, and will certainly be getting the Rangoons any time I order from here. read more

Okay, here goes nothin'. We got a group together for a birthday party, figured it would be best since hibachi is great for parties of 6+ (we had 10). Got there at 6:30pm--there were no other tables in the restaurant. The "host" said that we weren't allowed to sit at a table until our entire party arrived. Ok, fine--maybe if they were super busy or something. But there were at least 10 open hibachi tables and whatnot. What if we wanted to order a drink or an appetizer before we began our dinner? So, I asked if there was a happy hour or something until 7, maybe I could get half-off sushi or sake--something to soothe my hunger until we got seated. Well, gues what, they didn't have a happy hour. Just dandy. Then, once seated, we were looking at the menus. Which, by the way, were super sticky and gross. I don't think they've ever been cleaned before. We put in our drink orders with the same guy who was the "host". Drinks came out alright, and then we were asking about the sushi (which is a GREAT PORTION of the menu). We had two people with us who weren't super hungry for the hibachi, so they wanted something lighter. Guess what?! SAKURA DIDN'T HAVE ANY SUSHI. What kind of a Japanese restaurant doesn't have sushi?! What's even weirder is that the "host/server" didn't feel the need to tell us that when we arrived, or sat down at the table, or looked at the menu. That's quite shocking to me. He said that they had a dispute with the supplier so they just didn't sell sushi anymore. Um... what? Wouldn't you just get an other supplier? I'm sure that everyone who sells sushi in the greater 614 has a different supplier. Maybe the supplier didn't want to sell to them? Who knows. Then we decided to order our meals. We ordered at approximately 7pm--our food didn't get started until about 7:45pm! But, our friend who wanted sushi got her appetizer (which she clearly stated was her meal) literally a half hour before we even started our progressive meal. However--they did make a special non-alcohol version of the hibachi (made with non-alcohol soy sauce) for one of our party's members. And that meal also came out roughly a half hour before everyone else's was to begin being cooked. Once the "grill master" came over, we realized he was the only one working there. That's what took so long. Since it is basically a show, he was tending to the only other table in the entire restaurant. So, we waited and got hungry--and hangry. He was super nice, you could tell he was trying his best. He made half of us fried rice (which the "host/server" didn't feel the need to inform everyone who ordered it that there was a $2 upcharge--which normally I totally understand since I'm in the industry, but $2 is not the same as a $.50 upcharge, I dunno). So, while half of us were eating the yummy fried rice, the "grill master" continued to make the rest of the meal. There I was, no fried rice (since I opted for white), hangry, tired, and just kind of over the whole event... and my food started to be served to me. But, where was my rice? It was no where to be seen. I had to ask for it--which is so stupid. IT COMES WITH THE MEAL. The food was actually quite tasty and the "grill master" was super nice and you could tell he was overworked. Frankly, I felt bad for the guy. Then, once we finished our meals, the "host/server" comes out and asks us if we wanted him to bring the cake (that we brought with us) out in a to-go bag. What? No. We want to eat the cake here--HENCE WHY WE BROUGHT IT WITH US. He did ZERO pre-busing, so we took off of the HUNDREDS of plates from the 10 of us and put them on the dusty shelf next to our table so we could make room for our cake (that we brought). There were a few other things that just made this meal put a bad taste in my mouth. The only saving grace was that the food tasted good and that the "grill master" was trying his best--which we all took note of. But, oh yeah, if you REALLY want to know why we aren't going back again, ya know... besides the lack of sushi, employees, patronage, helpful associates, etc... just take a lovely gander at the photos I took. I think the health department needs to close this place down. NOTHING WAS CLEAN. The ceiling above the hibachi was SO gross (and the "grill master" threw the egg up there to crack it). Obviously, they've been doing that trick for at least a decade--and the ceiling shows it so. The bathroom was absolutely disgusting. It was so bad so, that they even had a PURELL stand waiting for outside the bathroom area. Food = tasty, everything else = Sakura slaughter. read more

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I almost didn't come here cause of the low star rating but then I read the reviews and people complaining about take out, as if this was a fast food joint. Great service, awesome show, the cook me t to us was making beats with his spatula. Food was great. The gratuity was added in and very misleading. read more

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First time going and was highly disappointed ugh, Food wasn't good. The service was not acceptable, and to top it off the employees was not friendly I will not be going back. read more

Classic Japanese Steakhouse. Great ambiance and good location with plenty of parking. We went on a Saturday night with a group and it was not busy. The service was rather slow for the lack of customers they had. I ordered the lobster and shrimp apart of the hibachi style dinner that is served with a soup and salad. Overall, the food was good. The Lobster and shrimp was perfectly cooked. The rice was perfectly seasoned and the vegetables included were onions, zucchini and broccoli. The fun about Japanese steakhouses is the show. The chef looked tired and rather annoyed. He cooked the food and kept it moving. Not my favorite but it is local and decent. read more

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This place left a lot to desire....starting with the food and HORRID customer service!!! The hostess / lady at the bar was so rude and didn't even seem to want to help at all. We were overcharged and were not told about the automatic 10% tip for carry out orders!! She couldn't explain why this was added or the procedure. The food was "alright " but nothing to call home about. I thought it was bland and for all the money we spent it was small portions. Also noodles are not included read more

service was not good. There was four of us they added gratuity to each one of our bills. The food was nasty the veggies were burnt when o asked for my food to be redone they denied me. The worst experience ever! That location should be closed!!!! read more

extremely unhappy!! I love hibachi but this one was such a waste of time and money. Extremely unfriendly staff and food was gross. I will never go there again. Please don't waste your money and time. read more

We went to Sakura for my friends birthday excited for a fun night with good food. We were a bit disappointed. We had a party of nine, which I will admit is pretty big, however when we tried to call to reserve a table, no one answered, even after four tries. When we got there, there was only a few other tables there with less than four people at them, so we were a little concerned as to why it wasn't busier. We found out why pretty quickly. For a start, getting drink refills took forever. This was a little annoying but we brushed it off once we flagged a server down and got them. The meals came with soup and salad, which we were excited about. Sadly both were gross. The salad was just lettuce with some weird dressing that tasted like a combo of yum yum and ranch. Then we got to the soup.....nasty. It tasted burnt like it had been sitting on the burner all day. They brought out the Yum Yum sauce and it was watered down and a little vinegary in flavor. When we mentioned it to the chef he just replied " Everyone's Yum Yum is different". Well, he was right. It was definitely....different lol. Then dinner came.... We did enjoy the chef, he was playful and funny and seemed like a cool guy. His cooking skills weren't half bad, HOWEVER I splurged and got Filet Mignon and Lobster and was upset again. I am pretty sure I got the same cut of steak as the cheap cut as others when I ordered and was charged for filet mignon. On top of that the Lobster was NASTY. It tasted like it was really old. The chef cooked it well, the food quality itself was just terrible. Overall I doubt I will return. There are much better alternatives that have better servers and better food. The only thing nice was the Chef himself. read more

The food didn't taste very good and the yum yum sauce tasted way too sweet and was not very good either. Our chef didn't give us sauces before our food so I had to ask for it after we got our food and he got an attitude with me. The place was very empty for dinner time so that should have been an indication that it wasn't very good. There were only 2 other tables with guests in the whole place around 7pm! The bathroom was not clean either. read more

My friend and her boyfriend had a dinner date at Sakura. They found this adult roach in his salad. Manager stated "this happens sometimes." Ummm, no TF it doesn't Sir!! He was not apologetic at all!!! read more

The food and service are great. I would give them a 5 if it wasn't for a particularly rude deception in their billing. They don't just suggest a gratuity. The receipt they print for your credit card already has a gratuity added in, and then you have the option to add more. Furthermore, the credit card slip you sign does not indicate this increased amount is not the true bill amount. I generally tip 20% as a starting number and go up from there for good service. During the pandemic I've bumped up my tipping to even higher. BUT - when the restaurant bumps up my bill without asking - they lose out. That's beyond rude. Which is too bad because they really do a nice job on the meal itself and the service is great. read more

We have been dining here for 4+ years. However, the past two visits weren't near as good. The food just isn't what it used to be. Yesterday, (Monday) we ate lunch here. We ordered from the Lunch Menu: Steak & Shrimp and Chicken & Shrimp and we each ordered noodles and fried rice. The service was great. The soup and salad's were fine. As were the fried rice, noodles, and steak. However, the chicken, not so much. It had a rubbery/kitchen sponge texture to it. I don't know how to describe it. It just didn't taste like chicken. The Yum Yum sauce was sour, almost like it had sour cream in it. No steak sauce given. I wish the veggies still included mushrooms. The zucchini was a little off, kind of like it was lying next to something in the fridge that was spoiled and it took on the flavor. The shrimp was okay, it did taste like shrimp, but, you only get maybe 5 pieces. The total was $42+, they had already added in the $8+ gratuity. We also had two soft drinks. Not sure we will return. read more

We have been going here off and on for years. The food is usually pretty decent. The service is spotty depending on the server. The forced gratuity thing I is an absolute deal breaker. Last night we had a party of three and were charged almost $15 I in forced gratuity. I don't know how this caN even be legal. I did notice a decrease in cleanliness from previous trips in. This will be my last trip to this place due to the gratuity issue. This is a common trick for businesses who are struggling financially. I doubt this place will be around much longer. Also, our dinner was too come with ice cream. After the meal, our server ignored this and never mentioned it. read more

They advertise carry out but every time you try and order they make up some lane excuse. Cooking food is the same eating in or carrying out!!!!! read more

I would give it a zero if it was a choice. Terrible scam! CHECK YOUR BILL FOR ACCURACY! Food was terrible and they got our orders totally wrong. The waiter brought our check, i gave him my card and he comes back having charged me gratuity of $11 for a party of 4. Asked to speak with manager and the "manager" comes in from outside clearly have just smoked Marijuana as the scent was extremely overwhelming. The "manager" proceeds to tell me that all restaurants charge gratuity for parties of 4 or more which isn't true. He said it was listed in the menu, to which i insisted to see. It said they MAY charge gratuity but did not say anything about the party amount. The menu online says parties four or more, which is probably how they are covering their butts. Worse restaurant experience I've ever had....its a scam. BEWARE! No wonder no one there when we walked in at 6PM. read more