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Monterey, CA

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Sakura Japanese Restaurant

3.9 (368 reviews)
ModerateSushi Bars, Japanese

Sakura Japanese Restaurant Photos

SAKURA JAPANESE RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Dogs allowed
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Sakura Japanese Restaurant

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Sushi and nigiri combo - huge portions at a reasonable price!!
Wendy T.

Kazu was always so friendly and just a sweet man! We got the sushi and nigiri combination to share. It was a LOT at a very reasonable price and we loved the hamachi toro and unagi nigiri! The rice was a bit too sour and since I'm not eating much rice, I would probably ask him to cut the rice next time. I love the yellow tail and next time I'm going to have the scallop, rainbow roll with tempura, and their other variety. Met Josh, another friendly customer who is like a son to kazu And it was a very nice and great experience! We also bought more California roll to go for on the road back to the Bay area :) He's open everyday from 5:00 to 11:00 but he will be closing for a day or two or when he has corporate big orders for catering. So best to call first before coming in.

Rainbow roll, Philadelphia rolls and negihama roll.
Tiffany S.

If you want sushi after 9pm your options are very limited. We went to a movie and hubby wanted sushi after. I had been here eons ago. Tonight we arrived about 8:30? Definitely a local spot. I think the sushi chef and the waitress gal are the owners- which is pretty cool. We ordered a Rainbow roll, 2 Philadelphia rolls and a negihama roll. All was tasty. The green tea is HOT. I mean borderline scalding, so watch out for that. Service was slow, but honesty I didn't mind one bit. This place just feels cozy and a spot you could linger over some rolls, some beverages and good company.

shirts!
Maikayeng V.

My boyfriend and I are visiting from Chicago and we came here after reading the reviews. There is a sushi place very close to here but we are SO glad we came here instead. The reviews are right- this restaurant is ran entirely by an elderly Japanese couple. They are so hard working and welcoming and the vibes in here are immaculate. We seated ourselves near the sushi bar. I highly recommend sitting by the boats especially if it isn't busy. It was a pleasure chatting with the owner and he sent our orders down the boats which was entertaining in itself haha. We enjoyed the atmosphere so much we stayed and had a couple Sapporo beers, which they served us with chilled glasses. Before we left, the owner brought out a giant bottle of sake and gave us and another couple sake glasses and we all drank together and toasted! He even asked us all of our shirt sizes and made sure we left with merch! We love the shirts we got and will cherish our memories here. I cannot recommend this place enough. If you're looking for an authentic, friendly experience as well as fresh sushi you MUST come visit Sakura.

Rainbow and #5. Sooooo good
Jeremy N.

So here is what I care about when it comes to sushi; fresh seafood that smells good; more protein than rice; good flavor. This place checks all my boxes. It was dead quite when we got there, which scared me, but it turned out amazing. Chef came out and chatted with us and is just so awesome. Knew the sushi place in our town (auburn) and was just so personable. Really enjoyed our dinner.

Outside
Janelle N.

Sakura Japanese Restaurant is owned and run by a cute elderly couple. They literally do everything at the restaurant from making the food, to serving, and to cleaning the tables! The entire time we were there, the couple was so busy making the orders from dine in and take out orders they had to sadly turn down customers ): While the wait was long, it was totally worth it. The tempura and teriyaki combo was crazy good with the perfect portion. The rainbow tempura roll had a good amount of sashimi as well and was plated in a cute mini boat. We made sure to not leave any food to waste (: You can really tell how much effort this couple takes to run their restaurant. I will definitely be back to support them the next time I'm in Monterey!

Sushi & sashimi combo
Ashley C.

If you're in the area, please give this place a try. We ended up choosing this spot because it happened to be one of the only nearby places by our hotel that were open late on a Monday night. We ordered the salmon sashimi app, the sushi & sashimi combo, and Sakura special roll #5. The sushi and sashimi combo alone was filling, but glad we got to try a roll. It was such quality food for a price you can't beat! Staff here was so sweet & we definitely enjoyed our visit.

Chef's Choice Sashimi Platter
Angela L.

We were dying of hunger at 9pm and were looking for a quick bite when we saw this little, warmly lit place. We walked in and were greeted with a wave of warmth from inside, both physically and by the smiles of the owners, a cute elderly Japanese couple. We sat at the bar and had a great conversation with the owner/sushi chef who boasted over 36+ years of perfecting the sushi craft! He even showed us the fresh catch of the day "toro" tuna, which is locally sourced! Good we ordered was the Sashimi Platter which came with a house salad + ginger vinaigrette and miso soup. Be mindful, the owners also are the only staff so add some time to your restaurant-ing plans (they are meticulous, really 'take their time'). Overall great experience and would love to visit again when we vacation in the area. TLDR: Highly recommend, great atmosphere, authentic cuisine, lovely owners!

Unagi roll and ume kyu (I think?)
Evany W.

I heard good things about this restaurant from a colleague and what sold me was that this place is Japanese owned and operated with a reasonable standard price. I loved the "hole-in-the-wall" vibe I got from this place. And loved that the chef/owner was really upfront about the back up they were having from a party of 10+ ppl. Seeing as how he was the only chef there, I wanted to be patient and wait for it. The restaurant is dimly lit from little lanterns and had an authentic feel to it. Service was still pretty good for how busy they were and we were taken care of and checked in on. At some point, the chef himself came to deliver updates on our orders whenever he delivered a part of our order. The staff was overall pretty engaging. Head chef was like seeing my own grandpa working in his old chefs attire. Quite heartwarming. The rolls were really simple and really yum. The sashimi tasted fresh and cool which was really refreshing during a heat wave. I would definitely come back for the vibes again.

Sushi Combination
Debbie L.

My husband read good reviews about this place. It seems that it is run by an elderly Japanese couple and they do everything! The husband is the sushi chef. The wife takes orders and does the cooking in the back. I only have a photo of the sushi combination platter. We had also ordered a side of tempura. Every thing was delicious and the sashimi very fresh! We would definitely go back. But as there are only two people doing all the cooking and serving, it was definitely a leisurely meal. The food is worth the wait!

Kid friendly restaurant
Alberto W.

The restaurant was empty when we came in. We were greeted by an elderly lady. We thought she was taking care of the restaurant by herself. We ordered all the nigiri options they had and others. After she finished writing down everything, she called another elderly man to make the sushi. The sushi was good and fresh. We decided to buy 4 shirts to support the 2 elders, and to my surprise, the man gave one little shirt free to my daughter. OMG, I was so moved by their generosity. Not only did they filled my stomach, they also filled our hearts. We left a pretty nice tip, but we also want to recommend this place to everyone to fill both your stomach and heart. Great place to think about life.

Ricky C.

We are two east coasters on a west coast trip and were craving some sushi. We came in this place for the reviews and I can't recommend it enough! Both the food and the atmosphere are awesome. Definitely recommend dine in instead of take out. The place has been (34 years) and continues to be ran by a man and his wife (owners) who are such hard workers and so passionate. The food might take a little longer than usual if it's busy or a big order but you can tell it's authentic and prepared so genuine. I highly recommend sitting near the chefs table at the sushi bar and definitely talk to the owners. The man sat down with us for a good 30 minutes after our meal and it was so great hearing his story and learning about the area.

HIDDEN GEM!!!! (Front of restaurant)
Rebecca C.

Sakura is a hidden gem! The owners/staff are absolutely delightful. My cousin is a frequent customer and couldn't wait to share this charming sushi restaurant with us. Everything we tried was super good and you could taste the quality of the fish in the freshness. This is very much a go-with-the flow type of dining experience. Don't be in a hurry if you plan to stop here. It can take a while for food to come out but never fear, you will be quite pleased with the flavor and quality of your order once it arrives. I recommend ordering some sake and settling in. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that it's not exactly pristine. The cleanliness leaves a little to be desired, but overall, Sakura is a treasure. We bought some sweatshirts to commemorate the experience and I can't wait to go back!

Ama Ebi - YUMMY
Marco S.

In town for a conference and decided to have dinner here again last night. Place is busy for a Monday evening. Ordered an Ama Ebi and Chirashi. Food is still fantastic, Ama Ebi is fresh as can be, fried prawn head is nice and crunchy and prawn it self is nice and sweet! Chirashi is much much better than the one I had at Morimoto's in Napa, fish is fresher (hamachi is one of the best I had), portion larger and sushi rice is spot on! After dining, I chatted with the chef/owner. What a delightful guy! I mentioned to him that he gave my son a shirt 7 months ago, he got super excited and handed me another shirt for me this time! This will definitely be a go to when in town!

the interior of the restaurant

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6 months ago

Excellent food... I had sushi rolls and my friend had ramen, with an array of appetizers. All was excellent. Friendly staff, fast service.

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9 months ago

Just moved here and the locals suggested. Was not disappointed. Friendly staff and food was pretty Japanese-ish

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

We love this place! Always a good meal here! Golden roll is my favorite. We have tried almost everything on the menu and everything is good.

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3 years ago

Great family owned restaurant. Loved sushi sashimi combo. Priced very reasonably.Sashimi Combo

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I have been wanting to give this place a try and finally got the opportunity. Unfortunately I was…read morein the moment so I did not take any photos. Everything was really fresh and prepared well. The restaurant has beautiful vaulted ceilings and great vibes. Only note was the music was all over the place but not a big deal at all. We ordered a lot since we were both very hungry and left satisfied. Starters: Spicy garlic edamame - great flavor and not overly done (5/5) Shrimp & Veggie tempura- perfect amount of batter (5/5) Gyoza (5/5) Mains: Chicken Teriyaki served with miso soup, salad, and steamed rice. (4/5) only because the salad while good had a little too much dressing, not a deal breaker. Sake sashimi 5/5 Tiger roll 5/5 Would definitely recommend as a great sushi spot and will be back!

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Züm Sushi - zum zum roll

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One of my travel companions craved sushi so our Saturday lunch venue was here. We found street…read moreparking across the street a little before they opened around 10:50 am. As we walked towards the entrance, we noticed the building looks to be a house converted into the quaint eatery. The greeter led us to a table on the far left next to the fireplace for our party of five. They really did an interesting display above the fireplace (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=120&select=r42btqKfvvKsIOYknRbdjg). We studied the menu and discussed how we would craft our meal and what to order. We agreed to do everything family style. We started with the beef asparagus (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=24&select=RlbIYWT6B9eQt-RagCVKig), 6 pc, an interesting appetizer with a tender, lean beef piece wrapped around an asparagus spear. We also shared the combo tempura (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=24&select=QNLssRbP07gLE1f9UXJygg), comprised of two pieces of shrimp and assorted be vegetables to that include sweet potato/yam, onion, and zucchini, I believe. This was okay as I had the squash and one of the shrimp. The two meals that we ordered came with miso soup and salad (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=24&select=QNLssRbP07gLE1f9UXJygg) and I enjoyed the soup for this slightly chilly noon meal. We shared the chef's choice sashimi dinner (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=72&select=gDhRF8lrf4084V0nlOwLRg), 16 pieces assorted sashimi - tuna, salmon, hamachi, scallops, shrimp, and surf clam; everything tasted fresh and the fish pieces were generous. Next, we shared the sukiyaki with beef (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=24&select=f40nJOx1Pt_G1i3TnJkHkQ), tofu + vegetables, glass noodles, soy-based soup; this came with a bowl of rice and we apportioned the sukiyaki into personal bowls to enjoy. I liked that the flavors were balanced and there as plenty of glass noodles. Our last item was the King Kong roll sushi (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&start=24&select=XMUp9bipmbbacgqUG13mRA), In - shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, and cucumber, Top - Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, tobiko, and secret sauce. We were their first customers and the dining rooms gradually filled to about 3/4 capacity by the time we left. There were guests dining at the outdoor tables too with the comfortably sunny weather. Both the hostess and a waitress tended to our needs in bringing our food, removing empty plates and bowls, and refilling our water glasses, both friendly and efficient. We enjoyed our meals and it was convenient. *** note - I started having stomach issues later that afternoon so, though not confirmed, I am unsure whether there was an issue with one of the sashimi items. Our meal was on Saturday 9/12/26.

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Our second time dining at Toro in Carmel-by-the-Sea was just as enjoyable as the first! We sat…read moreoutside on the patio, and the weather was absolutely perfect. We've made reservations through OpenTable both times and have been seated quickly. We started with a salad, edamame, and cocktails while enjoying the beautiful setting. Our server was attentive, and the service throughout the meal was great. I ordered the Tuna Togarashi roll, which had shrimp tempura, avocado, and snow crab on the inside, topped with tuna togarashi, unagi sauce, and green onions. It was absolutely delicious,fresh, flavorful, and perfectly prepared. My husband is vegan and tried the shiitake mushroom and kappa maki rolls. While they were fairly basic veggie rolls, they were good and met his needs nicely. Overall, Toro is a great spot for fresh sushi, attentive service, and a relaxing atmosphere. We'll definitely be back the next time we're in Carmel!

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Sakura Japanese Restaurant - sushi - Updated October 2026

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