Sakana is pretty amazing for both ambience and food. I enjoyed it that much I have hired the upstairs for my wedding reception venue. The food is classed as pan asian which is great as I love all asian food. However, the sushi, although very good, I feel it is slightly overpriced for what you get. The duck, especially at lunch, is amazing value though. Plenty for 2 to share. This is definitely a place to try out if you love asian food. read more

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Bit of a disclaimer with this one: sit us in a restaurant with a 50% January discount and of course we're going to order twice the amount of dishes - but it's healthy, omega-packed Pan-Asian cuisine, so it's completely acceptable... My first visit to Sakana and I was pleasantly surprised at how its interior looked (more so the delicious smells wafting over as you passed by their open kitchen). We were seated in a corner with decent views of the goings-on, and set about conquering the menu - the group was almost military in its tactics, dividing the menu's sections between ourselves to make sure we got to sample lots of different dishes. Three of us ordered a bottle of their house red (a Merlot) which was actually quite good - a bit on the peppery side but I really liked it. The food started to arrive after a bit of a wait, but we'd had some prawn crackers to whet our appetite. The sashimi platter that I ordered for us all to share was a bit disappointing (usual price £28 for 15 pieces). I can't think of anything else that was particularly underwhelming; the combo of orders was all rather good - but the highlights for me were the Taiwanese buns which you could have with shredded duck or pork belly (we ordered both). These were absolutely heavenly, for want of a better word. Service was friendly, if not a tad haphazard at times; it's definitely somewhere to consider for date night. That being said, you'd have to be happy 'flashing the cash' as I don't think it's worth the full price they'd ordinarily be charging diners. read more

Sakana - Asian Fusion Near Me - City Centre, XGM

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I have dined twice at this restaurant. The first time, a friend had a taste card so we managed to get 50% off all food (only a mid week offer) which was amazing value for money, it wasn't too busy The second time I went on a Saturday night, it had such a great buzz to the restaurant (felt like the "in-place" to be) as it is also next to LIV nightclub, a lot of people were drinking in there before heading over to the club. I ate the spicy tuna rolls and californian rolls which were delicious. The chicken wings are absolutely amazing!!...the sauce/dip that comes with them is yummy. We also have the duck buns which I highly recommend. Make sure you save room for dessert!!! read more

Sakana - Dessert platter - Asian Fusion Near Me - City Centre, XGM

We were actually heading somewhere else for lunch in manchester but Sakana had caught our eye a couple of weeks before and as we walked past we decided we would eat here instead. This is a new restaurant in Manchester and is just next to the albert hall and revs de cuba. It looks huge from the outside and as we walked through the double doors we noticed it opened up even more round the back and upstairs. First impressions are that yes, it is quite pretentious. But then again, they could have just put effort into the decor. I didn't really want to let a previous review put me off this place and I rocked up in a jumper and ugg boots and other half had trainers on and this wasn't an issue at all. We were sat in a booth opposite the large open kitchen. It was quite quiet for a Sunday afternoon but this benefitted us as food came immediately and the staff were very attentive. In terms of food they do a taster lunch menu where u can have 2 dishes for £10, up to 4 dishes for £18.50. I ordered 4 dishes plus we had salmon, tuna and scallop sashimi. The vegetable tempura and sashimi came first and WOW the scallops were incredible. Marinated in lemon and absolutely melt in the mouth. Everything else was very good and presented well. I also ordered a ramen which was ok but could be improved on flavour, it has loads of pork, noodles, veg and an egg in however the broth was a bit lacking in anything really. Probably wouldn't order this again. We had the 3 roasties which were 3x3 pieces of meat (pork belly for example) cooked in various ways that came with sticky Japanese rice. These were lovely. And also the hoi sin duck buns where you get a cooked duck leg which falls apart beautifully as soon as you touch it, cucumber and spring onions with hoi sin sauce and two fluffy white japanese buns. Overall the food was very good and was great value for money, we had an alcoholic drink each and with the food it all only came to £58. Although character in this place may be a little lacking, maybe it's not so pretentious after all.. read more

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My partner found this place on twitter so we decided to go have a look for our reception party when we get back from are wedding abroad, I thought it was lovely really well decorated, modern and clean it was exactly what we were looking for. We went in on Saturday to try some food we got a selection from the lunchtime menue my favourite was the crispy duck and pancakes and the thai green curry with jasmine rice it was a little spicy but really tasty definitely reccomend this place for food. The staff were really friendly and helpfull and I loved the atmosphere. I willl definitely be going back trying more food before our wedding reception next year cant wait now. read more

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First time visit to Sakana other night and enjoyed it. I remember seeing it being built, taking the place of the Chicago Rock Cafe place. There were 5 of us and we all decided to order several small dishes, "tapas style". Its nice to try lots of different things. Also, it was 51% off all the food :) - which did mean we probably ordered more than we would have on a normal visit. (To get the 51% off, they say you need to book online - and quote a code - or use a special link. When I tried it every single slot was booked up. I ended up calling them and got a table. Maybe there online system wasn't working properly?). What we tried including sushi (nigiri selection), Taiwanese steamed buns (which are sort of the trend now especially in street food type places) with different toppings including shredded duck and pork belly. Also had soft shell crab tempura - I love soft shell crab, love tempura - great combo - although sort of used to the crab having a bit more of a kick to it and more garlic etc - still really good! The filling for the Taiwanese buns came separately for you to add how much you wanted. The kimchi filling and aubergine filling (2 separate fillings) came on the same plate (well slate!) and there was some confusion what it was. The aubergine looked like fish. The beer selection wasn't the most varied. Although I am more of a lager drink - and boring lager drinker at that, I was OK with the only things on draught being Becks, Stella and Leffe Blonde. I had a Stella. I have seen since though they for bottles, they had Asahi which is my favourite beer so would have had that. As Michael has mentioned, it would be a bit on the expensive side if paying full price - like the £28 for 15 pieces of sashimi. Actually, I have just realised that the nigiri selection says its 18 pieces in the menu but we got 8??! Service was good but with 1 or 2 little "stumbles" including confusion with water and waiting a bit longer than expected for some food. But nothing major. read more

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Making the most of the January food sales, we decided to take advantage of the 51 % offer here. Having booked the table for 20.30 online we did arrive a smidge early. The receptionist told us they were fully booked and we had to wait for our allotted time . However she did not take our name down so we were not seated until 20:50. While we waited at the bar I pondered over the drink selection. All the cocktails looked artistic and vibrant , so I chose a lychee lemonade mocktail for £4. This tasted OK but was more ice than drink. The walls are emblazoned with cool Japanese looking art, and you could also wait In a snug looking conservatory. Following the waitress to our table, I marveled at the calm quiet atmosphere of the open kitchen . A stark contrast to the chaotic diners around them. Browsing the menu I was dissapointed how ramen soup dishes were only available before 7pm. There was plentiful sushi though priced averagely. Tuna and scallop sashimi, tuna and avocado maki, salmon and truffle maki, eel nigiri were swiftly ordered. Along with some pork dumplings and hot sour soup. The waitress who served us was amazing. You heard her constantly dealing with complaints due to the food delays. She honestly confirmed with us that food would be awhile but she would chase our starters. These all arrived not long after , minus the sold out scallops and porkless dumplings. These were pulled from the bill later after a polite reminder. To mop up we feasted on half a duck (which was dry) but graciously served up and a pad Thai. This was tasty but not worth the full asking price. Overall we enjoyed our feast, considering the hustle and bustle..I would only pay the full price for the sushi though..and contemplate a ramen. The waitress again made it a pleasant experience, to a point we dismissed the service charge and personally tipped her. read more

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We decided to pop in here on a Thursday night after work to try out the pre-theatre menu having heard good things from friends. We booked before heading there but one of my friends was running slightly late and the waitress had us on edge to order even though it was 20 minutes to 7. After ordering (with 10 minutes to spare on the pre-7pm menu) we waited for our drinks and prawn crackers to arrive. Alas the service was a bit slow and the prawn crackers got lost in translation. On prompting we soon had our thai crackers and sweet chilli dip to delve into. For starters I opted for the prawns wrapped in thin pastry served with a sweet and savoury dip. For an early bird set menu the portion sizes were huge - there was 5 prawns for just one person! The dip was also something else - not just your standard sweet chilli goodness it was served over a slightly more savoury sauce - amazing. Washed down with a glass of house white it was a good start to the meal. Next I went for the lamb curry. It was supposedly spicy but not overpowering - served with jasmine rice. It arrived again another huge portion - served separately so you could spoon it out to your own taste. The curry was tasty - I was hoping the lamb to be more tender it was just slightly on the dry side. The sauce however was tasty but I couldn't finish it all! We were offered desert and my friends went all out and got the house special. A plate arrived with a mixture of different cheese cakes, macaroons and mousse. It looked amazing complete with edible flowers and I must say after trying a couple myself they were also very tasty! read more

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I'm a California native but I had to give a review. Open late with straight up equisite food. The best food I had Manchester without question. read more

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we went for the opening week at Sakana and it was still in its teething stage. However, I've been since and it is much better. I am not mad keen on sushi or Japanese food but they do cater for people like myself with mains that are not only delicious but also well presented. If you like Japanese food then this is the place to go and the bar is a nice place to have a relaxing cocktail after your meal! read more

Sakana - Sakana - Duck!! - Asian Fusion Near Me - City Centre, XGM

Beautiful setting inside. A great ambiance with the bar separating the dining area and open kitchen at the rear. A meld of pan Asian cuisine to appeal to most palates! Not my favorite but thats just me. I had teriyaki beef which was delicious with Japanese rice. For starter was duck and the usual trimmings. The toilets were very clean and modern, an important aspect to any restaurant. read more

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Sakana is a gorgeous Asian Fusion restaurant in the heart of Manchester City Centre. The interior is dark and purple, with a view right into the kitchen to watch the chefs making your food! This is one of my favorite places to eat in Manchester because the service is exemplary, food absolutely delicious and the atmosphere is fab! I've been here with friends for a catch up, my boyfriend for dinner and a group of us for a meal out too! It's somewhere to go if you fancy something on the scale of Thai. I'd recommend the chicken satay and Thai curry! My flatmate who I went with once is vegetarian, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. So there is no restrictions here in that sense - plenty to choose from if you are veggie or not! They have prosecco they decorate with flowers which is great for Instagram, and lovely desserts too. One of the best places in the city to have a lovely meal out! read more

Sakana. What can I say? Went to an 'industry soft opening' and I shan't be going back. First of all, I'm well into the ambience of a place. I don't like pretentious places where you need to wear anything other than a tee shirt to get in. I just can't be arsed with glamming up, to spend the night sipping cocktails with silicone-inflated wags and simple-minded douchbags. If you feel the same as I do, don't bother with Sakana. When I was initially invited to the venue, I thought the Peter St location would mean they would catch all the Revs De Cuba cast-offs. And they might do, but the atmosphere is that of a hospital. Too clinical for me. Everyone on edge and no one really feeling like they can 'let loose'. The opening night seemed dead and the conjoined personality of the bar staff left a lot to be desired. After forking out a small fortune for a couple of their mediocre cocktails, my friend (drunk yes, but absolutely coherent) was refused a further drink at the already overpriced bar. Sorry, has the world gone mad? 'Four cocktails please,' 'Yes madam.' 'Two more.' 'Oh no sorry, we think you've had enough. Can you leave?' Oh do one!! Next it will be someone throwing us out of a swimming pool for being too wet! Hate bars like this. A big thumbs down from me. read more

Sakana have changed their menu a bit and while I still like it, I like it a bit less, so they're dropping a star. The previous lunch menu was called A Taste of Sakana and was tapas style, with four dishes for £18.50. This menu still comes up on their website but they don't seem to serve it anymore. Instead the lunch menu is much smaller and comes in courses, eg. two courses and a side for £13 or something like that. We managed to order most of the menu between five people. For starters we had fish sushi, fish ceviche, and duck salad. For mains we had chicken karaage, teriyaki salmon donburi, and tempura aubergine hirata buns. For sides we got egg fried rice, kimchi, and corn on the cob. I really don't understand why the menu now comes as starters and mains because the main courses were tiny. The salmon donburi was a decent-ish portion for a not very hungry person perhaps, but the chicken karaage was truly pathetic masquerading as a main course. I don't know why Sakana have chosen to do it this way and I think it would be much better if they went back to tapas style dining. Rant over, back to the food. Everything was really tasty as I was expecting. Sushi and ceviche were both excellent, very fresh and flavourful fish. Overall there were no weak points, and the aubergine buns were a lot tastier than last time. The kimchi was excellent - one of the people I was dining with complained that it tasted of celery, but I really liked it. I would advise mixing some kimchi into the egg fried rice with some soy sauce and then devouring it. Yum. To celebrate gin day (because that's a thing) they had some special gin cocktails on. I had an Asian Aviation which was really good. Oh, and another thing: you get a soft drink included with the lunch menu. This isn't specified but that only includes coke, diet coke and juice. I was not allowed a Vimto. Boo. Overall the food at Sakana is still of a really good standard, super tasty and very affordable at lunch. But I'd rather have the tapas menu back, please. read more

When I stepped in to this place I was warmly greeted by the front office staff. She is very warm and welcoming me to Sakana. She asked me whether I want to wait for my friends at the bar or at the restaurant. I told her that I want to wait for my friends at the bar. She also offered to take my coat as it was raining outside. At the bar, Beau - barman told me that it is happy hours for the cocktails while I am deciding what to drink. I asked him what would he recommend to drink because I would like something that is fresh and not heavy on the liqueur. He has extensive knowledge of all the cocktails available at the bar and his service was good. After my friends arrived, we are showed to our table and the menus too. Honestly I really look forward to the new menu, which will be featured in the restaurant at the later time. We had Crunchy California Rolls and Spices Tuna Balls as for our starters. I was blown away with the freshness of the fish and rice that was used in it. You really can feel the spice and freshness of the food once you put it in your mouth. For the mains we had Beef Teriyaki, Thai Green Curry and Steam Seabass served with ginger, spring onion and leek and sides of fried rice, Japanese rice and Asian greens. It was really good. Most of the mains do have enough seasoning and spice to it which we really like it very much. We never thought that it was so good till we finished all the food. We ordered the entire item on the menu for desserts. We really enjoyed it very much. The only thing that you might want to give it a try if you are the adventurous one - that is matcha green tea cake with wasabi macaroon. Luckily the wasabi in the macaroon was not that heavy. Overall it was a good experience and it is a place not to be missed when you are in Manchester. The food presentation was very good and almost the same standard in the Michelin star restaurant. You really cant find any faults from the moment you step to Sakana. Top notch service and keep up the good work. I will be coming back soon for their afternoon teas. read more

I have been to Sakana quite a few times over the last few months. I regularly visit with friends to take advantage of there happy hour (times and dates vary so best to check their social media or I sometimes give them a call!) The happy hour is great value, you can often get a seat, background music is at a good level so you can have a conversation and I like the unusual cocktails you can have. I have also visited a couple of times for the afternoon tea which again is a lovely experience. When we have been for afternoon tea the restaurant has been quite quiet but I think this is best for something like afternoon tea! I can recommend the Matcha Tea Latte with the afternoon tea - it's a strong and unusual flavour - I love it! My most recent visit to Sakana was on Friday night for dinner to take advantage of there January 51% off food deal. The restaurant was busy and there was a good atmosphere. The food was good - I preferred the sushi and curry (the Rendang we had was very good!) I was a little disappointed by the Big Plate Duck and Sea Bass options we had - they were ok - just not as much flavour as the other things! We also ordered one of the Taiwanese Buns - another OK dish but not as exciting as I was expecting! Service was very friendly although it was a little slow (this didn't bother us too much as we were just enjoying a leisurely Friday night dinner with friends). I enjoyed the meal and will definitely be back for the cocktails, sushi and curry! read more

After walking past this restuarant every day I decided that tonight it was the place to go for a Friday night treat. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a vast cocktail menu, which includes both the traditional style mixes along with some of the staffs very own creations. I studied the menu for quite some time before deciding what to order, the staff asked what we liked and also made some suggestions which was a refreshing experience. Happy hour is from 5pm til 8pm with buy one get one free on cocktails. The decor is fresh and contemporary, which works well as the place is full of light. There is also a good sized seating area outside ready for the summer months. The staff are very attentive and take care of their customers. I will be recommending this place to friends. Definitely a great new addition to the area!! read more

Never have I been more dissatisfied at a restaurant. I ordered a Thai Green Curry at £9, the waiter said it came with rice. The dish was served after about 30 minutes in basically a ramekin with no rice. I was told it did not come with rice, but then they offered to give it to me anyway due to waiters advice, again waited ages for a tiny pot of rice as the food was cold. There were literally about 20 waiting and bar staff, about 2 staff to each customer, and still it was slow and inefficient. How they dare charge nearly £10 for basically a bar snack (a mediocre one at that) is outrageous. There are Thai restaurants in Chinatown at much lower prices with better tasting food and with quicker competent service. I sent the food back and turned down a drink on the house which was offered half-heartedly, I think the manager just wanted to get away from the reality there basically is no management at Sakana. They need to get rid of half the staff, train the others properly and get their prices down to reflect what they are- a middle of the range Asian restaurant. read more

Three visits and I really can't fault the food. It lives up to it's pan-Asian theme with everything from spanking fresh sushi (get a platter, they are all good) and bao buns (the duck and pork versions are good but try the aubergine and you won't even notice it is veggie) to prawn summer rolls and beef skewers in black bean which will blow you away. Oh and if it is on the menu, get the yuzu tart for pudding. However, service can be hit and miss. We went in Jan when there was an offer on, and our server was brilliant, friendly and efficient. However, we went a few weeks ago and it took ages to get served, our drinks only arrived half way through the food and ended up not having pudding after waiting an age for someone to come and take the order. Such a shame as it is some of the best food in town. read more

Went to this restaurant after seeing it on Manchester Confidential. I used the online booking system from the website which was very easy. We picked an early Saturday evening mealtime of 6pm. There were only a few people seated in the restaurant but the drink/bar area was quite full, they have a reasonable cocktail list. We had the teriyaki edamame, crispy duck, tuna ngiri, squid tempura and the pork buns. All the dishes were excellent, the squid tempura was more like crispy chilli squid but that is exactly how we like squid. There was a small problem with the pork (brought the wrong dish) but the waiter immediately rectified it and then apologised. We had no alcohol and the bill was very reasonable indeed, overall a great experience and will definitely go back again, recommended to all. read more

I've always wondered what Sakana was like, but finally decided to give it a try this week - the 51% discount was too tempting to resist! Sure enough, it was amazing. Really cool interior - lounge/house music and dim lighting set an ambience that would make it a great place for drinks on a night out (or dates!) as well as food. However, we were here for the food - will have to try the cocktails another time! The menu was pretty extensive, with a wide selection of starters, tempura and sushi alongside the bigger plates (main dishes). We decided to go tapas style, and were recommended to order four dishes to share between two. We opted for two sushi dishes (the rainbow rolls and the duck) and two starters (crispy crab wontons and tiger King prawn tempura), each neatly presented and very colourful on the plates! Generous servings of sushi and just enough of the starter, and full of flavour throughout! Beware of the wasabi - I love hot food but I got a bit overexcited with this and nearly blew my head off! the pickled ginger is lovely too. If you can save room for dessert, the caramel tart was absolutely delicious. Served with blueberries and ginger ice cream it was the perfect sweet touch to end the meal! Can't wait to return soon. read more

Favourite place in Manchester to go for sushi - a little pricey but worth it! Lovely restaurant with a great atmosphere, always recommending it to friends. read more

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Really enjoyed my experience at Sakana today. We were warmly greeted by the receptionist who took our coats and led us to our table. The restaurant looked stunning. Really classy and contemporary with clean lines. Our waitress was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. We decided to have the Asian afternoon tea which was beautifully presented on an oval shaped stand. There were 3 layers to work through, the bottom layer had a mixture of duck and aubergine spring rolls as well as deep fried kimchi balls which were all delicious. On the next tier was the sushi. There was an interesting selection such as tempura crunchy Californian rolls, salmon and fresh vegetable. All were very fresh and we were able to see the sushi chefs prepare them in the open kitchen which was a nice touch. Our final layer was the cakes. These were very delicate and included chocolate brownie, toffee cheesecake, mango and passion fruit slice and a meringue and chocolate moose. The afternoon tea was accompanied by a pot of tea and being an Asian restaurant there were a selection of jasmine and green teas to choose from. The afternoon tea cost £19.95 and was good value for money. We rounded things off we a lychee and rose cocktail which was gin based and tasted divine just like a delicate Turkish delight. We will definitely be back to try a few items off their ala carte menu which looked really exciting and different. read more

Went with my work mates during January 51% off. The food was delicious, with great flavour and beautifully presented. Everything felt really fresh and healthy (although I'm sure it wasn't!!). I very much enjoyed the dragon roll and rainbow roll (uramaki) - being a little of a sushi novice these went down well! The duck pancakes always a winner and the tofu and mushroom spring rolls were an interesting combo with a delicious raspberry chilli sauce. My only gripe is that they advised it was similar to tapas where they would bring dishes out as and when they were ready.. But this seemed to be all at the same time.. So we felt quite rushed to eat the first plates to arrive at our table simply to make room for everything else coming our way! The staff seemed surprised that there was no room, even though they had encouraged us to order more as we were sharing! This made the eating experience a little uncomfortable and didn't give us time to properly enjoy all the amazing food we'd ordered. I'm undecided whether this is the same service we'd receive had it not been a January special offer - surely this is the time for them to attract new customers to return and pay full price! We were also asked to leave our table and finish our drinks at the bar so they could reset for another party, however there was no space in the bar so we ended up outside on the terrace which would have been lovely had the heaters been working!! I'd like to give this place another try, however I'll definitely order less! (I only managed to take a couple of pictures before the mayhem of plate jigsaw began!) read more

Sakana - Asian Fusion Near Me - City Centre, XGM

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Here in Manchester on business and this establishment was near my hotel. Had the spicy tuna rolls, beef teriyaki and the miso soup. The tuna rolls were easily the best part of the meal, they tasted fresh and were put together nicely. The beef teriyaki was just ok, while the flavor was decent, there wasn't anything special. The miso soup was easily the most disappointing, the broth was bland and the overall taste was only ok. I had the Sano Grog drink, way too sweet for my tastes. The staff was friendly and somewhat attentive, probably about what I'd expect for 3 stars. For 4 stars I would've expected more from the teriyaki and miso soup, and staff that paid a little more attention. read more

From the outside it looks like a nice bar restaurant. When I walked in... I thought I'd see a teppanyaki kitchen as I was told that bar table reservation are for such. However I discovered that the open kitchen concept felt like a fancier Chinese cooking kitchen. What didn't help was the music playing club tunes that was banging into my ear drums where I had to raise my voice to try to have a conversation with my dinner date. The food felt for Chinese Japanese infused into of fusion. Despite the fast service that I give a thumbs up, it's definitely not a place I would return to wine and dine again. The atmosphere has too much going on to really kick back and enjoy a good soulful hearty meal with good company and be able to talk in. It would be ideal if the music had more dinner feel and the music is played softer. There should be a clear separation between the ongoing of the bar and the restaurant. It should let the hype stayed just at the front in the bar and have a restaurant as it is. It's not my sort of fusion to return to read more

Came when it was 50% off. Sushi was really nice. Greys flavour. We order a lot of everything. Service was really good. Tempura was hot light and tasty. I really like the place and ambience. read more

overpriced resteruant... food is fine but not enough for me... the background music noise...