The Red Lantern Kitchen

First time at Sakura but I've eaten at many hibachi type restaurants. We went with a group of ten…read moreand generally everyone enjoyed their food. I had the steak hibachi with shrimp and most others had the same. Some had sushi rolls which they said were good. The decor felt a bit dated and the air conditioning was poor in the part of the restaurant we were in even before the hibachi grill started. The food was ok generally with the typical preparation and show with fire and rattling of cooking utensils. I found my steak a bit overcooked and it needed a side sauce to give some extra flavor. The accompanying vegetables were fine with a mixture of broccoli, zucchini, onions, etc. The fried rice was terribly undercooked and crunchy. I took only a couple bites and couldn't eat the rest. Overall, it was a typical hibachi experience with nothing special food wise or presentation wise. It's ok if you want to take kids out for their first time to a hibachi or maybe if you want sushi but there are other options around town or in El Paso for Asian cuisine.

On our first night in Las Cruces, we decided to get dinner near our hotel and mix up the cuisine a…read morebit, so we settled on Sakura. I would say that the effort put behind the food is high, but sometimes when you overreach you tend to miss the target. The food was fine... the fried rice was very salty due to the high amount of soy sauce it was drenched in. The proteins were adequate, but had "rubbery" texture to it which makes me believe all the meats are frozen, then thawed for service. I'm thinking back on the meal and nothing stood out... In terms of service though, the team is enthusiastic and the cook certainly put on an entertaining dinner show!

Haunted house

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Nothing looks rare...

Sansei Japanese Cuisine

3.5(13 reviews)

0.6 mi

Today, for lunch, we stopped at the Sansei Japan restaurant in the Mesilla Valley Mall. My wife…read morehad the chicken teriyaki and I had the beef teriyaki. We both had the entrees with chow mein (noodles) instead of steamed rice. Both of our meals were very good and they did not scrimp on the noodles or veggies. Mall ambience. Excellent service with no chance of your meal not being hot, since it is cooked right in front of you.

The food at this mall location tasted great, service was 5 star. Only one man working in the back…read moredoing all the positions he did a fantastic job, ambiance is great it's inviting, definitely going to come back

Counter

Storefront photo. Located in the Food Court in Mesilla Valley Mall.

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Mix Pacific Rim

4.0(126 reviews)

1.5 mi

I had the teriyaki chicken, & was pleased with the amount of meat that it had. It wasn't just a…read moreplate of steamed rice, with tiny cuts of chicken lol had a good amount of flavor to it as well My friend had a bento box, with the same meat, spring rolls, & potstickers. She had no complaints The service was good. Food came out at a decent amount of time for their lunch rush Ambiance is a mixture of hipster/asian culture. It's a very small place, but they were playing "The Dark Crystal," on repeat on their tv, so I was happy

Got the Bento Box for lunch today. Teriyaki salmon and potstickers were excellent and the…read morevegetables, miso soup, and rice were quite nice as well. Our server was very attentive. My only knock is that the seating arrangement could use a little work, as we were sort of jammed in a corner and the vegetables, while nice, weren't completely softened. Not bad!

Lobby

Ginger beef bento

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Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

3.8(27 reviews)

30.2 mi

Me and my partner decided to try this spot today! Let's say, there are better options…read more For starters with atmosphere it was great! Very clean establishment and good vibes with shoji screens and lighting. Our service was very good too! We explained how we have never been here before and our waitress explained in full detail the how to and their menu. She came back at a good rate and was very nice. Me and my partner got the standard course for two. It was around $68. That's a lot in my opinion for not that much food compared to a Korean bbq. The galbi short ribs for example, they only gave us 3. They couldn't even give us 4? Two each? That in general is also crazy small. The rest of the meats were flat pieces like brisket and little steak bits. That's not a lot of food. It looks like a lot but when meat shrinks it's just tasters. I'm not impressed with the amount I'm spending with the amount of food. It's honestly not a lot when you really break it down. We did try the mochi and me and my partner agreed that was probably the best mochi ice cream we have had. Plenty of options, very delicious and tasty. If you want some sort of BBQ experience, I would not come here as my first option. You're just wasting money when you can go to an all you can eat and order practically everything. If you wanted Individual plates of soemthing, for example the galbi short ribs for a plate was around $14. Cmon now. We wouldn't come back here. It was decent, too expensive for what you're getting. There's just better options to try. Thank you.

It is about time we have a Yakiniku place in El Paso, and I'm happy it's GyuKaku!…read more The location is really nice and can suit one well for a birthday, dinner date, entertain the visiting executive from out of town, or just because you crave Yakiniku, which I often do. The menu is amazing! I ordered so much I forget what I even had specifically, I just know we started with Kalbi and ended with garlic chicken and had everything from crispy rice to spicy pork in between. The service was great! And we met the owners, Dennis and Ran, and expressed our gratitude for bringing such an establishment to the borderland! Can't wait to go back

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Cafe de Paris French Cuisine

3.0(3 reviews)

0.9 mi

What a find! With all the mobile food trucks in Las Cruces, this has to be the most unique!…read more This was started by a California couple. The owner is French and his wife is Japanese so they serve food from both of their native countries. FYI: The Japanese food is only served on Wed and Sat. They even have a few Mexican items. We tried: Don Quiehotte: A crepe of strawberries, cream cheese mix and whipped cream. The Meat Crepe: Ham/mushrooms and cheese (this is the best crepe I've ever had!). Ham & Bacon Quiche: includes mushroom and cheddar. Croissant Panini: ham, mozzarella w/salad. Big Beef Burrito with green chile, potato & cheese. We were please with everything so far! The prices range from $2.50-$5.75. We haven't had the opportunity to try the Japanese food yet. This is served on their Farmer's Market days. Their hours are: Mon, Tue, Thurs Fri - Water @ Griggs St, Las Cruces Wed & Fri - Farmer's Market in the Downtown Mall, Las Cruces, NM Give them a try!

This morphed into Bite of Belgium on Alameda, a block south of Picacho, and is pretty good. Good…read morebreakfasts and lunch. My favorite is their lamb sandwich, fairly large and worth sharing or getting as a half with a salad. The brioche French toast is only good in the middle part.

Teriyaki Chicken House

3.8(39 reviews)

2.2 mi

We pick this up almost every other week. Easy with the drive through, great price, and much…read morehealthier than other fast food options. Love the teriyaki chicken and spring rolls. Not in the best spot of town and an older building, so I don't know if I'd sit in and dine.

Chicken was very tough, veggies not cooked quite enough. Floors so dirty that waitress asked one of…read moreour party to take her purse off the floor. Help was pleasant and quite efficient. They are not the issue. Wish I was able to write a better review.

Drive thru menu

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Matsuharu Japanese Restaurant

4.3(197 reviews)

35.8 mi

Searched on the web for a restaurant that served Tonkatsu Curry after seeing it on Anime show . My…read morehusband I found this place 1st and we were blessed because their food is delicious!! The Chicken Tonkatsu is bomb as well! And my personal preference. They also have bottled drinks that are really good! Dining in: it can get crowded, understandably they are busy because food is delicious. Simple eatery. If that's not your style though just order to go. Service is excellent very nice folks.

Food was amazing. Love the place, my fav was the curry Katsu. Everything was great though…read more Service was good too. Waiter was very attentive and threw out a couple of recommendations. Ambience: it was popping.

Booth seating

Nabeyaki Udon- my absolute favorite

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Bangkok Tokyo

3.8(125 reviews)

60.4 mi

Craving Thai food and we almost turned this place down because it looks closed outside! Curtains…read moredown, sign light off, not sure why? Glad we walked in instead. We were greeted by very good customer service and tasty Thai food that hit the spot! The food was a bit on the greasy side but the flavors and quantity of protein/vegetables in their dishes was great!

My most recent visit here was for beef pho on a gloomy day. It was later in the day, so there was…read moreno wait. Typically, the same 2 delightful wait staff are always working. Aside from myself, there were 3 other tables seated so the service was very prompt. It was a quiet evening. The food here is never a miss, always on point! The same consistently great flavor and freshness!

Exterior: my EV (aka eBikeKit-assisted CruzBike) parked outside the entrance

Red Curry

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Exterior: panorama of BANGKOK TOKYO and adjacent WHITE SANDS MOTEL

Sushi Itto

3.8(105 reviews)

40.0 mi

After first discovering this restaurant ten years ago in Mexico City, I was pleased to learn they…read morehad a location in El Paso and decided to give it a try. The sushi roll I ordered was very good and lived up to my expectations. However, the fried rice was a major disappointment. It was overly greasy, with far too much soy sauce and an overwhelming spiciness that made it inedible. In addition, the vegetables were undercooked and served raw more like a garnish it was odd which further detracted from the dish. Unfortunately, it's not something I would order again. That said, if you're looking for a lively atmosphere and enjoy the energy of a sushi bar, this restaurant definitely delivers on ambiance. The server was nice and removed the rice from my bill.

Just great! The place is cool. Ambiance is nice. Service is fast and friendly. Evey single thing we…read moreordered was great. They did have a wierd single pice of nigiri on the menu but they were quick to tell us an order of nigiri was a single piece. We opted out if that, had a rice dish, karaage, and a sushi roll. Oh and started with a tempura shrimp dishe tossed in a special sauce. Everything was great. We will be going back the next time im passing through.

Dining area

Matcha churros are delicious- comes w a trio of sauces

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Cha cha matcha

Sushi Freak

3.5(26 reviews)

1.3 mi

This restaurants honestly awful, they tell their workers they aren't allowed to call out sick so…read moreyour food is probably contaminated by some sick worker that is forced to be there, theres ants in the food area, DISGUSTING, I received foil in my food from a MANAGER and there are so many more things I could go on about, like how when I went in one girl sighed as loud as possible and started cursing under her breath. This place isn't worth it go to the other one. I have been going here for months straight and it's bad almost every time the only good workers that they have had the owner fires, I give up trying with this place they've gotten so many chances from me and they've failed me every time. They also have one manager writing fake good reviews which the owner admitted too.

Not bad for fast food style sushi. Is it the best sushi restaurant I've ever been to? No, but…read moredefinitely satisfied my craving. I had the rock star roll and the crunch roll with a side of spicy mayo. The biggest reason for a star removal was how dirty the establishment was. There was something sticky on the two different tables we chose to sit at, and on the floor. Also, the employees could work on their customer service a bit. No one said hi or can I take your order so we stood there awkwardly at first.

Rock star roll in front, crunch roll in back

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Pat W.

1 month ago

Attentive service and delicious food make this a worthwhile destination. Arrive early, as tables and booths fill up quickly.

The Red Lantern Kitchen - japanese - Updated August 2026

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Love this place! Always delicious and great service. Potstickers are excellent!…read moreWill definitely be back.

Came for lunch with my son. There was a guy who sat us who had an attitude. Our waiter was super…read morefriendly and fast. Explained that they were busy, but our food came out after a few minutes. We ordered the miso ramen and was super good! We folded the green onions, nori, and saffron in and the flavors exploded. Eggs were cooked perfectly. It came with these little pieces of pork that were seared and tasted phenomenal. Broth was a tad on the salty side. The noodles were great and cooked well. They had a perfect bite and weren't too soft or al dente, but just right. Two giant bowls of ramen and two waters was $20.58! Definitely coming back!

La Hot Pot & Bbq

3.6

(20 reviews)

Amazing quality and presentation of food. Everything tasted amazing and authentic. Been to several…read morehot pot locations and this one hands down has been my favorite! Love the sauce bar where you can make your own concoction to add to your soup or eat with your meat! Service was also great!

Let me start by saying that I love Korean food - hotpot/BBQ especially - and have eaten it all…read moreover (including in Korea) for 40+ years. More than that, I enjoy not only the food itself, but the whole package that characterizes it: consistency, convenience, and unobtrusive, lightning-fast service (e.g. rice and _banchan_ being slid onto the table while you're still getting your butt in the chair is uniquely Korean; I've always found it charming.) Having said that: this place disappoints on every single metric. That makes me sad, because I *wanted* a good KBBQ place in Las Cruces... and this was so bad that I wouldn't go back if they paid me. Seriously. More than anything else, it brought to mind the image of some clueless teenager who had no service experience, bought a food joint with his parents' money, and was trying to figure it out with you as the first ever customer. Issues, just off the top of my head: 1) Hotpot/KBBQ menus are fairly standardized: two columns, price at the top of each, combo price if you want both. This mess of a menu was so confusing that I, with all my experience, got lost in it. 2) The hotpot "thing" is pretty much universal: choose the base, then go choose and mix exactly what you want from a set of frozen trays full of delightful goodies and start dunking - and go back for more when you're ready. Surprise! Here, you don't get a choice: it's ONE tray of pre-chosen stuff that *they* decided on for you plus a choice of one more meat. An Army mess hall gives you more options. I blew it off. 3) Ditto the BBQ thing: usually, you sit down, they immediately crank up the cooker and pour your tea, you go get your stuff, and start frying (because it's glowing hot by then.) NOPE! I got seated, the lady decoded the menu weirdness for me took my drink order, then walked off. Some minutes later, she came back to take my food order. Some minutes after that, a young guy came back, out the meat on the table (without any plates to eat it from, any chopsticks/forks/spoons, or any napkins on the table; when I asked, they brought one tiny plate - so I had to ask again) - and only then cranked up the heat. Call it 15 minutes wasted when it could have ALL been done in two. 4) I asked about _banchan_ (various pickled veggies Korean places usually serve along with a bowl of rice while you wait for your food), and was told "oh, we only have kimchi!" and asked if I wanted rice. When it came, both the rice and the kimchi portions were *microscopic*: maybe a tablespoon of kimchi between the two sauce-and-spice dishes and maybe a quarter cup of rice (for which I later found out there was an extra charge.) 5) I was told, proudly, that they have a FREE dessert bar. This turned out to be some sliced oranges and two types of melon - two large trays with maybe 10 tiny pieces of melon on each one. Oh, and some plastic ice cream cups. 6) The pork belly was more or less OK, but the short ribs were unbelievably greasy. For Koreans, who are better at prepping meat than damn near anyone else, that's just... awful. The whole thing plus a 15% tip - the young man *did* try to be helpful with the cookery (even though I didn't need it), but it came out as hovering and obsequious - came to ~$55. KBBQ isn't the cheapest thing in the world, and I'm usually fine with that, but being nickel-and-dimed for the iced tea and the rice on top of the usual was a little... tasteless. The whole experience left me sad, especially for people who decide to try KBBQ/hotpot for the first time and get... _this,_ the literal opposite of what it's supposed to be. This doesn't sound nice, but: I hope that they do a complete 180 turnaround - OR go out of business. I said what I said.

Sansei Japanese Cuisine

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Zero Degrees

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Craving soup and Vietnamese is usually my go to. Had their beef pho and spring rolls and broth had…read morelots of lemongrass, and full body broth! It is a small little place that was worth the trip there.

This place is decent so a really late dinner since there wasn't much around here. Didn't want pho…read moreso went with the chow fun. It got flavor but a bit oily for my taste. As a Chinese person, it's consider decent to get away from the usual chow fun you get in Chinatown. The eggroll was okay. The ambiance was quite sad there. A bit run down restaurant that it looks like it's holding to its last leg but it's a strong last leg lol. Service was a hit or miss type. The guy was too busy watching the World Cup so didn't really attention to us. You pay up front when you finish your food. He doesn't bring the check to you.

Oriental Palace

3.0

(38 reviews)

MOM AND POP ORIENTAL RESTAURANT.....AND IT IS NOT A PALACE…read more The Oriental Palace is a small mom and pop Chinese restaurant in a little plaza on Idaho. This is certainly "not" a palace. It has about twelve tables and offers nothing special as far as ambiance. To get to the restroom you have to walk through the kitchen. Yet, it is neat and clean enough for casual dining. Definitely not a place for a special occasion or a pleasant dining experience. The menu has many of the usual suspects for a Chinese restaurant but it seems to have a surfeit of chow mein offerings....a lot of shredded cabbage, carrots, and crispy noodles. Prices are very reasonable....the food is a good buy for the buck. The service I have always found to be friendly and somewhat efficient, but certainly not at the professional level. No complaints. It's just fine for a quick, casual meal. The food is prepared timely and refills offered regularly. When last there I ordered their MONGOLIAN BEEF. It arrived in a covered dish. In addition to the sliced beef there were the usual carrots, green peppers, and lots of onion (not scallions). The portion was hefty considering the price. The beef was tender and had a nice flavor. The sauce was a little sweet but pretty good. The meal was advertized as "hot" (as Mongolian Beef should be) but there was little heat to the meal. Overall, this was a decent presentation of Mongolian Beef but nothing unusual. This is "FAIR to MIDDLING CHINESE FOOD. Not bad but not great. When I sampled their chow mein I have found the food to be prepared fresh and beautifully presented. The veggies.....the cabbage and carrots were not limp and overcooked. The fried rice was just "rice" with no onion, eggs, peas, or carrot....just rice. The chow mein had little pieces of chicken in it, but the chicken lacked flavor. It was ok but not the most flavorful chicken. The food I had was somewhat bland. The sweet-and-sour sauce was not your traditional sweet-n-sour but rather strange. It too lacked flavor. All-in-all, the food at the Oriental Palace was ok but not something to go out of your way for. I do not find myself eager to return. But, it's all right in a pinch. What to expect if you go: A small, casual restaurant, ok service, good prices, and sort of fair Chinese food. Restaurant rating = THREE-AND-A-HALF STARS....meaning, better than average dining but not reaching the level of a really good dining experience. The food itself isn't bad however. Just don't expect anything great!

Was craving Chinese food. I don't understand why there is not a good Chinese restaurant in Las…read moreCruces. I really wanted to like & support this place. Unfortunately the food was blah. The chicken in the chow mein was brown... and the chow mein cabbage was yellow.... And very little chicken. The sweet & sour chicken was ok. The sauce is the only thing that tasted original. The egg drop soup was weird. Was not yellow and not much flavor.

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Mom and I were in town visiting family. My cousin suggested we meet up at Chachis for a good meal…read more She was right! The food was delicious and the servings were plentiful! I had tacos with beans and rice. Mom had enchiladas and my cousins had fajitas. Everything was delicious. My cousin and I had monster margaritas. I thought I was going to be twisted after drinking it, but it obviously had little alcohol. Neither of us felt the effects. Oh well. I had the cucumber monster margarita and it was tasty, but... don't think there was any alcohol in there! There was 6 of us. It did take awhile for the food to be served, but I'm sure that was because it was fresh! Good stuff. Check it out.

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I have been to this place twice. I really enjoyed it. The owner is really nice to me. (I LOVE…read moregood service). The chicken wings though are really tasty. We come just for that. However, if you can't eat spicy stuff, which I can no longer do (so sad), then you might want to ask for them made mild. The pic I posted this visit was a to-go order and I forgot to ask for mild. I could only eat one bite. (I wanted to cry...for real). So the hubby ate his part and will have mine later. I will definitely remember next time because these wings are smelling something good in my house and I cannot eat them. Oh lawdy!

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