Really good and fresh sushi with terrific variety. Such nice people. Easy to order online and then pick up.

Rough night at Sakura. We have been coming here infrequently for 5+ years. Usually before a movie. Weekends are busy but last night was a disaster. We sat at 6:35. Didn't get water or drink order for 15+ minutes. Sake and water took another 15 to arrive. Table of 4 behind us got up and left having only received on of their rolls. Waitress' were overwhelmed and the "manager" Just walked around handing out checks, not helping in any other way. We ordered at 6:45 and got up and left with out seeing any food at 7:40 to make our movie start time. Left $15 for the Sake and had popcorn for dinner. Still angry after seeing 2 people pick up theirs large to-go orders while we headed for the theatre. We have generally liked their food and realizes it's a small place subject to over crowding. Going to think hard about going back. read more

Our new favorite sushi spot. This place is very hidden, so well hidden that after a year and half of living directly across the street, today was the first time we discovered Sakura Sushi. The ladies gave us great service, fresh toro and Hamachi, and some really fresh and tasty rolls. Smith Ranch and Ninja was our favorites. They have seats outside and inside, and had a pretty large menu for all kinds of taste buds. read more

When I try a new Japanese restaurant, I often order the saba shioyaki (salted grilled mackerel) and request daikon-oroshi (grated daikon). If they don't have daikon-oroshi, or if the saba is too dry, etc., I take off one or two stars. Their saba shioyaki was just right, and they included daikon oroshi. They also,had very nice miso shiru with enoki mushrooms. Wife and son also,enjoyed their beef teriyaki and gyoza (but wife said her beef was a little too chewy--she can write her own review :-)). read more

To be clear, this is a Japanese-ish sushi restaurant, not a real Japanese restaurant. It appears to be run by Cantonese speaking staff, which, on its own may not mean anything. However, when the sushi came out, it's clear it's an imitation Japanese restaurant. The rice is not prepared sushi rice. The fish are cut into irregularly shaped pieces and placed on top of a small ball of rice clumped together haphazardly. A sushi chef this person is not. The taste is also off, lukewarm with a slimy layer. You can't leave raw fish outside in room temperature for too long. It has to be sliced quickly and put back in, covered. When you go to a real sushi restaurant, the chef is meticulous in cutting fish to exacting shapes and placed on sushi rice that's also about the length of the fish. Each piece of fish is firm and easy to pick up, and it isn't meant to fall apart like jello. This place is certainly popular, and its prices for sushi are just slightly higher than real sushi restaurants, but if you want a Japanese sushi restaurant, my advice is to go elsewhere. read more

It's a small sushi place but the food is great. Their fish is fresh and tastes amazing, their salmon nigiri and tuna belly nigiri is to die for. Will defiantly come back again. read more

Sakura Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Rafael, California

Pretty pricey, very small portion of chicken teriyaki on the bento and sushi is just okay

Great spot! Food was fresh and delish. If you're ordering pickup, definitely call them instead of using Yelp, it's cheaper!

Food quality is excellent, but be ready to spend A LOT of time here. Service is veerrrryyyyy sssslloooowww. Waitress was nice, but oblivious. read more

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This place (which had a solid 3.5 star rating when located in SF) appears to have an abundance of Marin-based fans judging from reviews of the new site. I tried to let the reviewers settle down and the review volume grow (I mean, how could we go from 3.5 stars to 5 stars with only a change in geography?) but then found myself watching Lincoln abolish slavery, end the Civil War, and get assassinated all in the same day (at least that's what Spielberg seemed to imply) and thought, well, if he could do all that, maybe a sushi joint really can up themselves to "WooHoo! As good as it gets!" simply by crossing a bridge. I call this the "Lincoln hypothesis". Sakura San Rafael is located across the parking lot from the Century Theaters in San Rafael, which is where I saw "Lincoln" then tested the "Lincoln hypothesis" and I'm here to report that Sakura Sushi is no Abe Lincoln. I opted to share the "Sakura Boat" ($45.95), described as "12 pieces sashimi, 8 pieces nigiri, California roll, and Rock n' Roll". I should know better. The nigiri was the usual uninspired selection (shrimp, maguro, hamachi, unagi, salmon...) with more of the same selection (hamachi, maguro, salmon) served up for the sashimi. I didn't care at all for the California roll (sort of hard and miserable), the Rock n' Roll was MIA, and the ginger tasted like ammonia. None of the fish tasted bad, but none tasted wonderful either, and I'm always leery of raw salmon. Perhaps this was an end-of-night phenomena or perhaps I ordered wrong but there was just nothing inspired, memorable, or truly delicious in what I sampled. Plus, my "boat" was a round platter. I really wanted a boat. read more

Finally!!!! They opened there doors to the Public. Michael the Owner took over the Sushi Boat Location on Smith Ranch Rd and converted it to a Authentic Sushi Bar. Finally!!!! Marin County will have the sushi that sushi patrons have had to drive to SF for. They are still gearing up and are only open for lunch right now 11:30 AM - 2PM They are also planning to do delivery in the near future. If you know your fish then this will be your go to place for quality and freshness. There sister restaurant on 26th and clement street has been around for years. Hopefully they will also start doing there $1 oyster and $2 beer all day happy hour like they do in SF. If they dont have the fish you are looking for tell Michael and he will have it for you next time. There UNI is from Fort Bragg. They have any TORO you can imagine, (just ask in advance in the Marin Location for now) Finally!!!! read more

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Luv this place., sushi always tastes fresh and rolls are super good. I have tried this place at least three times, and have been impressed with the sushi on all visits. I've tried the red dragon, which is shrimp tempura topped with red tuna and avocado, really good! I think my favorite roll is the butter face roll :D spicy tuna topped with butter fish, heavenly. I also tried the hamachi toro sashimi, oohhh my goodness, it literally melted in my mouth. That was one of the best hamachi toro sashimi's I have tried. Service is great too! The owners are a couple who run the place, and they are super friendly people. Cute ambiance with jazz music playing in the background. I highly recommend this place. read more

Sakura Sushi - Butter Face roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Rafael, California

This is a hidden gem and I'm never disappointed! Don't be fooled by the unique location! Their cuts of fish are always fresh and nicely prepared. Food is delicious and the menu is not overdone nor too light. The Service is friendly as well. Have not had a bad experience here and I plan to go back! read more

Very delicious tartar . It comes on a deep fried leaf and you also can customize it. I usually ask for 2 salmon 2 scallops. It goes little bit pricey but well worth it. Tasty read more

respect. Sushi is great ,but the customer service is too poor, they need to employed professional server to have a right ,smile,right act,behavior to any customer come over there. read more

That is a very hidden place for a great sushi place! Regardless of picking it up on your own or getting it delivered, this place is worth a shot. The sushi is tasty, fresh and creative.... yes, it is more in the $$$ dollar range but it is clearly worth your savings. And if your wife allows you to sneak in a bottle of sake with your order, go for it. The selection is great and it will compliment your dinner!! read more

I usually avoid sushi takeout because sushi is best at its absolute freshest and the extra time that takeout adds can take away from its freshness. But we and our houseguests were craving sushi and with a two year old, one year old, and one month old in the house, going out was just not a viable option. So we decided to give Sakura a try. This may now be my takeout restaurant of choice. Everything tasted as fresh as if the sushi chef prepared it right there in front of us. The spicy tuna was a little too spicy for some, but I thought it was just right. The only roll I would not recommend is the spicy scallop roll, which was a little too small for the price and too spicy for my palate, at least. read more

After moving to the area recently, we stumbled on to Sakura Sushi as this was the closest restaurant to us. And boy, aren't we lucky to have this hidden gem so close to us. We ordered a variety of sashimi and nigiri and all was amazing. The sashimi was expertly cut and fresh tasting and just melts in your mouth. The nigiris were superb and each comes with a slightly expected twist. The ika comes with a wonder left of mint which brightens up the flavor. The sake toro was wonderfully paired with a tiny wedge of lemon with the rind on, the torched, which gives it a sweet, yet refreshing and ever so slight bitterness that goes perfectly with the fatty melt in your mouth creaminess of the salmon belly. They also featured a great list of sakes and the usual suspect of Japanese beers on tap (Sapporo, Kirin) though you can also get the beers in bottles. If you are looking for formal dining and service, this is not the place for you. Though if you enjoy a friendly and open atmosphere with great food, you have come to the right place. The owner Michael is very friend and open. Take a seat at the bar, order some sushi and drinks and enjoy a nice evening and have a chat with him. He's a great guy. Things to note: - This place is hidden from the main road. It's inside a complex of office buildings on the ground floor, and you can't spot it from the main road. Trust your GPS. - It is also directly across from a movie complex, that has nothing else nearby except for this and Mulberry Pizza across the road. So you may find the packed with movie goers looking for a meal. Wait 20-30 mins and the place will empty out. Or book ahead for a table. read more

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I came to Sakura in a party of 3 on a Saturday evening. I was surprised to find the restaurant packed given its location in an industrial plaza. Instead of waiting for a table, we got seated at the bar. The sushi bar is oddly set up so the chefs are elevated above you and you cant watch them work. I really wanted to love this place because every single thing we ordered was delicious and fresh. However, our experience with the sushi chefs left a bitter taste in our mouths. We started dinner off my ordering a couple specialty rolls. One arrived and the other didn't. We proceeded to order other items. Then over a half hour later, the recently ordered items began to appear, but still no roll ordered an hour ago. When we asked our waitress about it, the sushi chef snarled at her/us, "I told you we were out of eel." Perhaps it was her mistake, but even if it was, his tone was very disrespectful and we were a little shocked at his reaction since we were never told our order would not be fulfilled. Then, the rudeness continued as the night went on. For some reason the second sushi chefs was laughing when his co-worker presented us with one of the rolls. They exchanged "inside-joke" look of understanding and the second one told him to "shut up." Further, we never got octopus we ordered among other selections but were charged for it on the bill. When we brought it to the attention of our sweet waitress, she seemed confused. Of course, it didn't take long for the sushi chef to snap back that he served it to us. Pretty sure we would have noticed octopus as it is hard to confuse. We did not want to argue so we just paid and left. I might try to come back again for the delicious food, but I would never sit by the bar ever again and I would not recommend anyone to subject themselves to such unprofessional and disrespectful service. read more

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Fantastic service, and the freshest sushi and sashimi I have ever had. Portions were perfectly-sized, and menu was extensive without being overwhelming. Location is a nice addition to the neighborhood, and now with expanded hours, hopefully business will become brisk! Prices commensurate with offerings, and surroundings very clean. Happened to stop in for dinner on their first night and was happy to see other patrons enjoying themselves. Discount card available and will be stamped for each $25 purchased. With 20 stamps receive $50 off. Make sure to ask for your card. read more

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Tasty food and the only thing that deserves a star! But please get more staff and stop using paper cups, plates and plastic forks. They're also the cheapest quality possible. The chopsticks are even the cheapest possible. Your dining room, looks cluttered and clearly being used for storage only. The outside tables need more ambiance, very plain and boring. I was brought a fork when we we're almost done eating. Also saki menu came after asking three times and when were almost done. Tried paying bill and there were five other people waiting to pick up food and pay. They seemed quite upset as well. More staff! read more

Mediocre sushi and on the pricey side. Located in a business building across the parking lot from the Smith Ranch movie theater. Kinda hidden had to drive around to find it. Sushi bar and table seating. The decor is very traditional. Started off with lukewarm miso soup with enoki mushroom (optional & surprisingly they give you a decent amount) and overdressed salad. Pretty good presentation on the food. Got the Yuki Hana roll and Sushi Deluxe. The sashimi slices were decent size. Everything was okay until they handed us the bill. It was around 830 and they were already getting ready to close because it was pretty dead. They close at 9. After they handed us the bill, they proceeded to turn off the lights where we were sitting! What?! What were they even thinking?! Could barely even see where to leave a tip or to sign!!! I'm still confused!!! read more

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This place I believe is under new ownership after pandemic. We chose this place from previous dining experience, consistent food and flavor. Well the prices were higher cost but that's understandable that most restaurants had to increase most menu items $2/5 more. and have to make up for lost. I'm alright either the average dinners $18 on up. The tempura dinner was downer and disappointing. It wasn't even tempura batter for shrimp tempura dinner. It was definite on the dark side and tasted rancid for not using fresh frying oil and it looked burnt also over cooked or over fried. read more

Love love love their sushi. Hadn't had a chance to eat from Sakura for a while due to pregnancy but now I can! My husband & I have ordered take out twice now & it's been delicious both times. Highly recommend them! Everything tastes amazing & fresh. read more

Amazing sushi! The sashimi was SO fresh. I finally had the chance to try Sakura & it was incredible. I highly, highly recommend. I've had a lot of sushi in my life but I would say the Yuki Hana roll is pretty bomb. Their lion king roll has to be the best one I ever had. Will definitely be coming back for more. read more

Six stars! This is our go-to sushi place. We used to go in-person, but now we get takeout. The rolls are nice, and the nigiri is all super-fresh and nicely presented. Have never had a problem with orders being ready on time in the last few months. Call them rather than order on-line if you can - it's better for them if you do that. The people at this restaurant are so nice - help them out if you can by ordering takeout while all this Covid stuff goes on. Back in the day we also tried their other entrees, like katsu, and all was uniformly good. One hint: if you order one of the combo dinners that includes miso you can ask them to put the miso in a separate bag, if you're the kind of person that likes to head off potential accidents at the pass. Just saying. read more

Not that great. My salmon lover roll tasted odd. Tempura was ok. Rice was good Not the best I've had. read more

I'm giving this four stars because my friend and I used to go here everyday for lunch and sometimes dinner. It's embarrassing but we sometimes went there twice a day. We became really close to everyone that worked there and used to love trying their specials. Here's why we decided to stop going: - the price compared to another place in San Rafael is very overpriced - the fish compared to other places in San Rafael is not quite as fresh or plentiful - we had bad sake, bad unagi sauce and bad fish at one time or another (not each time of course, but we both have had one bad experience with each) It is really wonderful that one of the waitresses works at another local restaurant and we are able to see her. However, the memories of this place and the tens of thousands of dollars spent there will not be forgotten. read more

Sorry, but the beef Teriyaki was tough and tasted a bit like leather. This was the first time I tried them and was very disappointed. The miso soup was good. Salad and dressing was good. I will try again and see how it goes. Stay tuned. Thanks. read more

Just found this this place. We've gone twice now. Here's my take. The sushi is really, really, really delicious. This is why people come. This is why people wait. But the reviews are right. The place is tiny and the staff are completely unprepared. Not sure they all speak enough English or perhaps they're just super shy. They barely acknowledge arrivals and have a loose system to keeping track of who is next. I wish I could just step in and organize them! They need two bus boys to take away food and clean tables. You can sit waiting quite awhile while a table is open and dirty. That makes for frustrated people. They need at least 1-2 more waitresses. The super nice sushi chef genuinely looks concerned when you come in to wait. It helps ease frustration. He points to tables and you - with a look- maybe that one's yours next? Alas it doesn't make the staff move any faster. Note there's like maybe seating for three people to wait and not much room so get ready to stand. If they handled the wait situation better and added some little theme like to yell hello in Japanese when you walk in and maybe add a theme to the movies on the TVs or something cute with related decor - this place could be a huge winner. They need to find a way to expand into 3x their size. They could fill it no problem. So you read all this and ask - ok but why would you go? We ordered a dynamite roll and wow was it dynamite! We sat at the bar and watched them make the rolls and each one looked really really good. My eight year old didn't want to be there but the waitress won him over with this super cute Japanese soda she suggested and really yummy gyoza. Of course after we were finished we waited probably ten minutes just to get the check. So I'll keep trying this place by arriving early with reservations (doesn't help much) and maybe will just move to takeout more often than not. Let's hope they get the wait staff situation under control because the irony is they've slam dunked the hardest part about keeping a restaurant in business- great food and a line of people waiting!! read more

This place is delicious and great for a pickup dinner during COVID! Cannot wait for them to open for in-house dinning eventually. But for now, great service and delicious food, the dynamite roll! Yummy! read more

Extremely surprised by how amazing the food was here! The quality truly is bar none, and every fish variety on offer is diverse and rich in flavor. I highly recommend the spicy tuna hand-roll which mimics the look of a snow cone! The staff are nice and very friendly, though when busy be prepared to wait patiently until they are able to assist you. Occasionally, though rarely I will see some dust in a place that might get overlooked in a cleaning of the establishment but aside from that the food is incredible, and when was the last time you saw a sushi restaurant offer bento boxes Monday-Sunday, 365!! read more

Warm bright decor with interesting ship and other nautical decorations. Cozy atmosphere with lots of space at the bar. Extensive list of rolls and main dishes as well as lighter than air tempura. Friendly helpful staff just added to the positive experience. read more

Sakura Sushi - Sushi bar - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Rafael, California

Just picked up a take-out order during the COVID-19 pandemic. My order was ready when I arrived, safe set up for all the worriers out there. The mushroom miso was flavorful and hit the spot. They also have a traditional miso. We ordered the swamp roll (spicy tuna with seaweed salad on top), hamachi sashimi, and spicy scallop in seaweed paper everything was so fresh and amazing. Can't wait to come here and dine in when things get back to normal. Support local businesses! read more

Sakura Sushi - Take out order--plated at home. So fresh & delicious - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Rafael, California

After reading many positive reviews about this place I was expecting decent sushi, however, that was not my experience. We ordered the four different rolls $100 plus, the salmon lover, 49er, triple toro, and super California roll and everything was mediocre. The fish was lacking flavor, the nori, the rice, all mundane and flavorless. We live near Tahoe and frequently visit local sushi restaurants in Truckee and Reno, and in all honesty even the sushi we get from Raleys 1 in Truckee is 100% better, and for one third the cost. The Sushi Pier in Reno is 1000% better. read more

I notice the art in the food and in the making of the food I could tell it was made for me. She respected me and it was a joy from start to finish. Tempura sauce was the best I've had. The sushi was BIG. Thankful for Sakura sushi. Keep compassionate. read more

Sakura Bistro' s location is connected with a larger building. I had one of their lunch special, a two item bento for $10.95 that included soup and salad. The service was very attentive, and the waitress was very accommodating. I felt that the Teriyaki chicken could have been a bit more flavorful, but the rest of the items were good. Reasonable place to stop and get your appetite satisfied. read more

Sakura Sushi - Lunch special of CA roll and teriyaki chicken - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Rafael, California

I've tried this place twice and was pleased with the quality of their chirashi. They are using real sushi meshi as a base (instead of plain rice), real shiso leaf (instead of plastic) and high quality fish. I could have sworn two of the pieces were otoro! Even the tomago was very, very well prepared. The saba sashimi and saba nigiri were very good and didn't have that "chemical" odor that you get in cheap restaurants. We'll be using this as our go to sushi place in San Rafael. read more

Literally just the best sushi spot for the right price. It's affordable and the quality is one of the best. You literally are getting away with eating top quality with paying the average price. I have been going here for over 15 years. They used to be in San Francisco on 27th and clement which was two blocks from my old house. We became aquatinted with the original owner Mike who then sold it to the new owner who you see now. I have been to so many other sushi restaurants and nothing compares. This place is forever my number one sushi place. My family and I actually were the ones who suggested the Novato and San Rafael area when they were looking to move. Good people, great food, great price range. I mean I have no complaints! read more

Well I was picking up my fiance from the bus stop near by, and I was yelping a sushi joint on Feb.14. Yes! I was looking for sushi for a valentine's day dinner and when we arrived we had to wait for an hour then we got to seat at the bar and met the sushi chef and I think owner (Micheal). He is amazing and make sushi like it supposed to be made. Now my fiance and I come here almost every Friday when I pick him from his bus stop. The Shiso Tartare is a good appetizer and you can choose from Scallops, Tuna, or Salmon. We had all three and my choices are either tuna and salmon, but my fiance chooses scallops. I also get the Honey Walnut Roll which is has tempura shrimp with walnuts and topped with avocado. They also put a sweet sauce with is house-made. Salmon Lover is amazing because I love salmon and avocado. He tops this with topiko on top. I order everything I mentioned every time I show up. After my meal i get an order of a scoop of Ice Cream and just this week they had this new ice cream which i love dearly which is called Jasmine Green Tea. read more