This is an updated review. Hands down, this is the best restaurant in this area. Even if you don't like sushi (which is exceptional), the bento boxes and teriyaki bowls are awesome. This place has the second-best gyoza in Hampton Roads, with Tanpopo Ramen in Newport News being just slightly better IMO. Service is always excellent. The ambiance is Japanese, to include low tables for seating. If you are visiting this area, do yourself a favor and stop in here. If you are local, then dining in is great, but they also do a fantastic job boxing up to-go items as well. read more

This was not the quality of food that I expected from Sakana. I ordered the chicken fried rice. The fried rice itself was fantastic. It was hot, flavorful, and cooked just right. The chicken though.... It had weird black marks in it and had a terrible smell. I couldn't eat it. There was no flavor at all - it almost tasted raw or broiled. I have never had such terrible chicken before. I tried putting yum yum and soy sauce on it... this did not even help. They also wouldn't honor the lunch prices even though we went at lunch time on Sunday. The service was very slow. Nice ambiance though - super cool seating! read more

Sakana Sushi - Japanese Fried Rice - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrollton, Virginia

We haven't eaten here in so long so we decided to give it a try!! First, I absolutely love their combination dinner -- 2 classic rolls + miso soup + salad for $18.99. I thought that was a pretty good deal and the miso soup tastes awesome. They have a really big menu with lots of options for specialty rolls. There is a few reasons why I didn't give them all 5 stars. First, the spicy tuna roll is just okay. Compared to the other restaurants around, this one lacks flavor. Not great, would not recommend. Secondly, we spent about $25 more dollars here than we do normally on the exact same rolls at other restaurants. The specialty rolls are definitely more pricey for the same quality. Overall, good experience and good sushi but much more pricey for no apparent reason. read more

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I got three different rolls. The rainbow($14), King Snake Roll($15), and monster roll($14). They were made in about 15 minutes. The rolls were extremely good. I loved the monster roll the most with a good balance of its crunchy bit and salmon. Staff were very friendly and energetic which I liked. Restaurant was clean and had nice decor/theme. Very happy and impressed with the quality here. Definitely worth checking this place out. Food(50%): 8.6 Staff/service(25%): 8.3 Value(25%): 7.3 Overall: 8.2/10 read more

Sakana Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrollton, Virginia

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Sakana is by far the best sushi place in Tidewater! Mango Passion is amazing! Ping is the bright spot in the restaurant! She is always so happy and upbeat! read more

Our Miso soup arrived, cold, didn't say anything. The tofu was actually ice box cold. Nasty! Husbands drink arrived before mine, no big deal. Mine finally arrived. My husband's dinner arrived, and I waited a little over 5 minutes before mine arrived. I ordered Sushi and Sashimi Deluxe, (#5 on the menu) received Sushi only. While I pointed out the mistake, I didn't send it back. It would have been wasted, and I don't like to waste. One of my options on my plate was imitation crab. I have never been served this in a Sushi restaurant before. I think it is a very cheap thing to serve in a restaurant. Needless to say, we won't be returning. read more

Absolutely delicious!! The service is also amazing!!!! I will go out of my way to drive here anytime

Tried eating here recently based on recommendations. I was not disappointed! The food was fresh and tasty with good service! I highly recommend giving it a try. read more

Food is always perfect and service is excellent Sushi is fresh and made with warm rice

Love the food and friendly staff!! Fresh fish and creative rolls make Sakana sushi one of our favorite restaurants for many years now!

The best sushi I've ever had, and I've tried many places. Also the nicest people ever. Never a bad experience.

This is one of the best sushi places I have ever been too and everyone that works there is lovely.

Food was hot, fresh and Delicious Pleasant environment. Friendly staff. I will definitely be back. I want to try everything on the menu.

best service around. sushi is very good but it is not cheap. very friendly service. tables are quaint.

When the Mrs and I visited apparently we came right after a power crash according to the hostess. The restaurant was full to capacity and we were asked to wait for approximately ten minutes. It was crowded however I still place them at the top of our restaurants for quality sushi and other Japanese cuisine. read more

Everything was absolutely delicious! Service was amazing and we all loved it!! Our favorite was the Golden Dragon and Rainbow Roll.

Wonderful. The best in the area and notches above the competition. The stir fry is amazing and quality steak and chicken the vegetables are truly caramelized sautéed and the rice is moist and didn't need any sauce. Highly recommend. Friendly. I called in and picked up. Easy. read more

The best in the area and always very friendly and the restaurant is always clean and fast and make your food to your liking

Going to Sakana is a pleasure always! I've visited this restaurant 2 times now. I even had the same waiter. Both times my service was the same. DELIGHTFUL. Our very kid waiter was very respectful to my friend and I both times we went to have lunch here. We have had the miso soup and wonton soup, which were both a punch of savory flavorful umami! My friend and I order the 3 rolls for around $13 lunch meal and split it. It filled us up each time and with every bite it left me wanting more. Shirley temple could have been lighter on the cherry juice but was still great! 10/10. Chef's Kiss read more

We ordered to go on a Sunday, the menu pics on Yelp were very dated and prices had increased dramatically in the year since the update. I'd guess they get shipments on Monday or Tuesday as the tuna and salmon did not seem super fresh. It wasn't bad by any means, just wasn't great. We got Yakitori for my 5 year old, $7.95 for 2 skewers of 3 big pieces of chicken and hardly any vegetables (2 small pieces of I think some type of pepper on each skewer). It was decent and I felt like the price was fine. It would be a good lighter lunch. My wife and I had the Philly roll $6.95. Was pretty standard. They boxed it with the mango passion roll so the sauce from that got on some of the pieces. Spicy Tuna roll $6.96, I liked it, my wife did not.... They did overdo it on the sauce and it lacked a bit in presentation. King Snake roll, $13.95.... This one was good, but pricing is getting up there and I'm not sure that it's that good. Mango Passion Roll $12.95.... was good but the sauce kind of took over the box. The people were nice when I picked it up and it was ready to go when they said it would be. Place looks quaint and nice inside. I'll definitely go back as it's convenient to my house, but the five stars this has definitely feels rich. I'll update if my feelings change after a couple more visits. read more

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Would have been nice to k ow they are on Vacation until July 10th. One heck of drive to not get sushi.

Always excellent customer service and food. They taught my 20 year old son to use chop sticks when he was 3 (the Suffolk location) and the food is still top notch! read more

It's been years since I've reviewed this place and so I figured it's long past time. This was my favorite restaurant when they opened and still remains my favorite spot to go in the Smithfield/Carrollton area. The service is amazing, and the food is always delicious. My favorite items to order are the Mango Passion Roll and Shrimp Yakisoba. It is a great place to bring your family, have a date night or go solo like I did today. read more

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We LOVE this place! The seating feels authentic, the staff is friendly, the portions are big! I came a second time with my mom and she did have a bit of a challenge getting into the booth, so if you have mobility issues, keep that in mind. read more

Pleasantly surprised a place like this exists in this neck of the woods. Reminds my husband and I of our time in Japan. And as someone who's from that part of the world and has worked in sushi restaurants, I can honestly say how authentic Sakana is - the service, the food, the atmosphere, all of it. It's definitely my favorite local sushi restaurant. 100% recommend. read more

Sakana Sushi - a variety of sushi dishes on a table - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrollton, Virginia

Yummm. I am very picky when it comes to sushi and anything raw fish, however this place has never disappointed. Definitely my favorite place for sushi. I have tried multiple different things and have never once not liked something. I almost always get my food to go and it's always a great experience. They are always quick to answer the phone and it's always done within the time they say or even sooner. They also often have free volcano roll coupons on their to go menus and it's always nice to have a freebie. Highly recommend and so happy this place is just a few minutes from home. Will continue to be a paying customer. read more

Theyre simply the best. Sushi is great, bento boxes are fantastic, atmosphere is the best in town!

Food was very good, probably one of the better sushi places on this side of the water. I would go back.

Hit or miss with the steak. Sometimes its juicy, sometimes its dry and chewy. Also they stopped doing the free volcano which was the reason i kept coming back. One of the female server was a smart ass and told my wife she cant have the can of sprite that she brought with her because my wife doesnt like tap drinks, this server insisted the we only buy drinks from them. WTF read more

I love Japanese food! After this restaurant came highly recommended by my neighbors, who know a lot about the cuisine, I knew they it was a must-try. Also, they have a 5-star average here on Yelp, so that too speaks volumes! The restaurant isn't big, but they offer a bit of seating, where you are able to maintain social distancing. We were greeted by the sweetest hostess. We chose a booth, which I loved! They have an extensive sushi menu + bento boxes + rice & noodle dishes. I was all over it! My husband and I started with vegetable tempura, then ordered 3 kinds of sushi + a Gue Don bowl that was filled rice meat and mushrooms. Everything we ordered tasted fresh. Quality was excellent! Customer service was superb and I cannot wait to go back! It's about an hour or so from where we live, but totally worth it to go out of the way. We will definitely be returning because I'm not sure I want to eat sushi anywhere else now. read more

Sakana Sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrollton, Virginia

I love this place. It is small and Intimate. They have cool booths that you have to climb into. Their rolls are fantastic. Definitely worth a drive over the JRB read more

Service is always amazing, inside is clean and nice. I could probably eat a bamboo roll from here every day, but there are many other greats. The yaki meshi, the tempura, even the simple side salad is always fresh and crisp. This place is a favorite and the staff are great people. read more

Everything, the food, the service. I can't decide what is better the food or the staff. The little place is just amazing. Probably my favorite restaurant I have been to in Hampton roads. If I want great food and a friendly staff this where I would go. read more

Great little out of the way place. Enjoyed the food and ambiance. Service was good also.

Amazing roll and sweet potato roll are incredible! Great service! Staff are very friendly and nice! Very quiet and quaint ambiance too! Cannot recommend enough! read more

So many people recommended this place and my boyfriend and I finally got around to trying it. Can't believe we waited this long. The atmosphere is pleasant, our waitress/hostess was amazing. Very friendly. I noticed she knew a lot of her customers showing she has great reputation around. We ordered so many things. But I'll share what I got a picture of. We didn't have to wait long for our order either. I'll be back! read more

Sakana Sushi - Spicy Volcano, Super Crunch Roll, Tnt Roll, Yummy Roll, Spider Roll. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Carrollton, Virginia

"I'm happy to see you today." That's how I was greeted by my waitress at Sakana Sushi (SS) the other day. She made me feel like an old friend, or at the very least, a valuable customer. I wish all places I frequent made me feel like this. The service here is top-notch and you will be well taken care of at SS. Opened in November of 2014, SS is located in the small town of Carrollton. It's in a strip mall that shares with Animal Clinic of Eagle Harbor and Tropical Smoothie. I didn't even know about this place until I was searching on Yelp for lunch after another restaurant at closed. I saw their high ratings and decided to give it a chance. I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I don't like sushi. Yeah, I said it. So, why do I go to a sushi place if I don't like sushi? 1) I knew they would offer other items that I would enjoy. 2) My oldest son really likes sushi. 3) I am trying to find some sushi that I will like. The first time I visited SS, I ordered Gyoza, Chicken and Shrimp Yaki Meshi (fried rice), and a Sweet Potato Roll (SPR). Everything was delicious, but the star for me was -surprisingly- the SPR. If you're like me and don't really like sushi, try a SPR. It's the nori that I don't like, and I didn't taste it on this one. The warm, slightly crunchy of the tempura inside contrasted with the sticky rice around the outside made a perfect bite. I couldn't believe that I actually loved it! During my second visit to eat-in, I decided to order their "Create Your Own Combination," which comes with soup, salad, and 2 rolls for $13.95. I got miso soup, an Awesome Roll (AR) and my favorite SPR. AR has real crab meat, cream cheese, avocado and deep-fried. My son loved it, but it was just okay for me. It was more about the texture--too soft I guess. But don't take my word for it! My oldest has tried many different rolls and he has learned a lot about sushi from his dad who was stationed in Japan. SS's sushi is very professionally made and displayed in an authentic manner. Each cut of sushi is fresh and the tempura is crispy, and not soggy. My son said the miso soup was fantastic, and their California Roll was the best he's ever had. Carrollton is lucky to have SS especially since they don't have many locally-owned restaurants. Between the wonderful customer service and the quality, delicious food, I have no doubt that SS will be around for a long time. I know Carrollton is a bit of a drive for most of you locals, but you won't regret it, and there is lots to see in nearby Smithfield. So, bookmark it and go check it out. read more

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I ordered a hibachi and chicken and scallop and a Philly roll spiral. Roll and salmon roll. Everything was amazing and cook. Amazingly I highly recommend this place grab the bag with two hands they will hook you up. Trust me. read more

Such an unexpected location for awesome sushi! Lots of vegan options-I only tried the avocado roll this time (delicious and fresh).

Very tasty, fresh and fast friendly service. We ordered the kids each a bento box. The yakisoba was cooked to perfection. The adults ordered a love boat (came with fresh ginger salad and true miso soup). Everyone wanted a few sushi rolls so we got the Asahi, Christmas Tree, Volcano, and Eel Avocado. Their California roll in the love boat had the best version I have ever had--and I consider California rolls fake beginner sushi so I never have good things to say about those in general. Delicious! We left very happy and not a single word of we won't get that roll/item. read more

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