Came here for dinner on a Sunday night and the place wasn't busy. Parking can be tricky to find but it's easier to find on the less busy side streets. Once seated, you'll get served either tea or water. The staff were nice and efficient with seating and taking orders. We ordered: - grilled whole squid: such a great appetizer! The presentation was nice, highlighting the shape of the whole squid. The squid was cooked perf with a chewy texture. Also, it had an aromatic charred flavor but was not burnt at all! The dipping sauce was a slightly sour vinegar, but it goes well with soy sauce also. - black dragon: contains tempura shrimp, cucumber top w/unagi, avocado. The cucumbers and avocados were fresh with the cucumber and tempura shrimp adding a nice crunchy flavor. - orange blossom: contains tuna, avocado, salmon, tobiko. The presentation was unique and the sushi was held up well with the salmon wrapped on the outside. Very generous and thick slices of salmon! - lion king: contains imitation crab, cucumber, top baked salmon, unagi sauce, mayo, tobiko. A classic option that you can't go wrong with! The sauce was just enough since I usually prefer when the roll is not drenched in sauce and you can taste the salmon. Overall, this sushi spot is my go to in the area! The staff are nice and attentive with service. The fish was fresh and the rolls contained a generous amount of ingredients. Will def come back when craving sushi! read more

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I had a great time I made a reservation 2 hours ahead of time and then were happy to fit us in. When we got there it was not too busy but then after we were sat it started to get packed. We had the 2 bento dinners it came with miso soup for starters and it came with 2 items chose California rolls and chicken teriyaki. We also has a new sushi because we were adventurous called the crunchy roll with shrimp tempura and cucumber plus unagi sauce... so delicious. We also ordered gyoza and rack of lamb as appetizers. For drinks we got a very cold crisp Sapporro Japanese beer definitely a good call to go with dinner. All the food was so scrumptious and it came out pretty fast no waiting for us and the service was nice and attentive. Definitely recommend if you want a nice quiet dinner. Also, it's kid friendly as well. read more

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So lovely. Always the most friendly service, quick seating and consistently quality seafood. By my second visit I was a regular. And yes I love that kind of thing, but it speaks to their work that they get the little things right while still nailing the big ones. I am usually a same sashimi gobbler but here, it's all about the Hamachi. Delish. Chill layout and location in the heart of Alameda's Park St shopping and dining strip. read more

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Always great service! They know my usual orders with the hot sake. Sashimi is always fresh! read more

Sakura Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

Stopped in on a whim and was pleasantly suprised, the staff had such warm energy and greeted us right away with a smile, even when they were clearly busy they still checked on us without being annoying, I ordered a few different dishes and each one came out hot and fresh, the flavors weren't too bold but felt very natural and comforting, kinda like something homemade but better, I appreciated how the ingredients tasted clean and not overly processed, the seating was comfy enough and there was a decent amount of space between tables so we didn't feel cramped, lighting was soft which helped keep things mellow, I liked that nothing felt overly fancy or stiff, just a good place to sit and eat without any stress, price was fair for what you get and I think the way we were treated made the whole thing feel even better than expected. read more

*Open for indoor dining* Have come here quite a few times and this place wasn't bad at first. Was a little disappointed by my most recent visit. Service and staff: - The service here is good - staff is kind, accommodating, and gets orders out as soon as possible - Staff don't wear masks Food: - Golden Roll: this roll was not the best. I'm not sure if it was the differing temperatures between the ingredients - 49ers Roll: this roll isn't bad. This is one I typically get and is filling - Sakura Roll: this roll is good, but a bit difficult to eat due to the texture of the peeled cucumber, causing the fish to fall out - Side salad: this salad is tasty with the miso dressing Miscellaneous: - Street parking is available - The menu has many, many typos. In the "futo" roll, one of the ingredients listed is "oshiko", which means pee in Japanese. This should say "oshinko", which means pickled radish in Japanese, and is what is in the roll. - Overall, the hometown feel of this restaurant keeps us coming back to support. In regards to quality of fish and the menu, it's so-so read more

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Always great service. Fish is fresh and they give generous portions on nigiri and in rolls. read more

We stopped in sort of randomly and ended up being glad we did because the food was better than expected and the people working there were just really nice from the start, they greeted us with a smile and seemed genuinely happy to have us which already set a good tone, the place itself was cozy and had a nice atmosphere not too loud but still had some good energy, what really stood out though was the food, it was flavorful and fresh and you could tell it was made with some care, nothing tasted like it came out of a freezer or was just thrown together and even though the dishes were pretty simple in concept they were executed well and left us feeling satisfied, also they didn't rush us out and made sure to ask how everything was going which felt sincere, we didn't feel like we were just another table and that kind of attention makes a difference, I'd say it's the kind of place you'd go back to without hesitation. read more

This place is still the best sushi in town. Yelp app is jacked up so the only way I can post pics is via the web and posting a review read more

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Nice spot, staff was friendly and food was bomb.com. Cozy little vibe, got salmon lover rose and crunch monkey. Gyozas best I've had on the island read more

Sakura Restaurant - Top: Rose roll Bottom: salmon lover - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

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Our expectations were surpassed on our visit yesterday evening! Food was all above average quality. I especially enjoyed the Fresh tempura in our veggie tempura roll. Service was friendly and the prices are very good for what you get. We'll be back when we want a casual and affordable sushi night. read more

I've traveled to many other cities recently and always eat in restaurants. I've noticed when coming home to Alameda how little effort our eating establishments invest in their sit-down, in-house customers. The pandemic is over. People leave the house to eat. Treat them better when they are in your establishment. At least be willing to be equally (if not more, you don't have to pay the debilitating platform fees!!!!) as responsive to your in house customers as your delivery business. In-house customers provide you a higher profit margin, treat them better!!!! Food here, okay. Bento dinner, Katsu chicken and beef, plus an Alaskan roll. Bento arrives first. Roll arrives 15 min later. Roll tasted room temperature, kinda gross really. Nothing great. Food grade B- on the generous side--mostly because I'm about to come-in high and tight on the service and environment. This part I hope the business owner reads and understands (actually reread the first paragraph) people come to your restaurant for service and environment. Your food can skate along at a B- level If you have good service and a cool environment. And you don't have either here at Sakura. There is maybe 8 people in the whole place on a Thursday night at 7p. There is a large screen TV above the sushi bar, is it on? No. Meanwhile A's are playing, Giants playing, even a preseason NFL game on. What's on instead? And the reason I'm writing this post--the server standing at the hostess stand has her cell phone speaker on listening to something, who knows what. Can we all agree, cell phone speakers are annoying even if your mothers voice is coming from it!!! Turn off your damn cell phone!!! It's annoying. It's painful to hear. I'm in your restaurant to relax and eat a meal; I'm reading a book dining by myself. Last thing I want to hear is a cell phone. You're an adult!! You're not a kid. Why are you watching a show on your cell phone while working? My god. There are options for sushi and this is no longer one for me. Hope you enjoyed your show. read more

*Vegan review: We love this local sushi spot! We've been frequenting Sakura for 5 years now and the quality has stayed consistent. We order all their veggie rolls and are always pleased. The staff are friendly and food comes out quick. read more

Love these guys over here at Sakura! Always so friendly with great food and also a really great environment, nice dim light with good music, the ambiance here is great, food is awesome as well, always consistent with the service and quality of the dishes read more

We've been coming to Sakura for years now, and it's as excellent as ever. Fresh, delicious, reasonably-priced sushi in a friendly environment. Michelle the hostess is lovely, and always takes great care of us. IMO this is probably the best sushi spot in Alameda for the price point. read more

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Back again in Alameda CA! We came in late, about 8:30 after freezing while watching youth baseball. The staff was nice and let us warm up before ordering. I had some tea and hot Sake, that will warm you up! We went to eat at Sakura with regular diners and they literally ordered by the numbers 24, 34, Shrimp Tempura, etc. I had no clue what was coming to the table. I was ok with that, I had my Sake. We ordered Seafood udon and shared with the table. The food was good, warm and delicious. The staff was friendly and the sushi came to the table quickly. We'll definitely be back and let our friends order by the number again. read more

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Very friendly service, although sometimes slow. Their hamachi nigiri s always fresh and I love their black dragon roll.

Delicious sushi! The nigiri we ordered was some of the best we've had. Service was attentive and very friendly. We sat by the window and watched the people walk by but it was nice that they couldn't see us because of the tinted windows. We'll definitely be back read more

Sushi was okay, not the best ever definitely had better. I came in at lunch time only two other parties were there and the service was pretty bad. They just never come back to check and see if you need anything else. We had to call the waitress 3 times just to order additional items. Ordered calamari as an appetizer it wasn't at all what I expected. This I would definitely never have again or recommend to anyone. The Kamikaze roll was good it seemed fresh. I liked this place because it's small and cozy. I wouldn't say that I wouldn't come here again but it's definitely not up there as one of my top choices. If you are in the area and want decent sushi on the fly then maybe this is a good stop. read more

Sakura Restaurant - Lion king and Kamikaze Roll - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

I picked up an takeout order for dinner an a night where it was too warm to cook. Since Covid-19, I've been playing it very safe and have only gotten takeout 5-6 times in the past 6 months, but I'd like to start supporting my local restaurants more. This place seemed to be taking fairly good precaution. When I picked up my order, I saw 2 people inside, both properly wearing masks. You pick up your order from a table by the front door (propped open). Deducting 1 star because they cannot accommodate contactless pickup. They don't take CC on their website, nor can they take it over the phone, so you must mess with a card exchange + signing. Beyond that, it was a good experience (better than some I've seen in Alameda). Oh yeah, the sushi was great! read more

A pretty nice spot for Japanese food. It should be noted that most Japanese restaurants are closed on Sunday, so my friend and I managed to find Sakura opened. I didn't get their sushi, but from their donburi, it was pretty decent. My friend got a katsudon and I got an oyakodon, both with extra eggs ($1 extra), both included miso soup and a small dish of salad. The total came out to around $22 with tax, so not too bad of a price. I would say that it's pretty decent from what I ate, and I would probably stop by again if I want some Japanese food on a Sunday. read more

Sakura Restaurant - Oyakodon and katsudon! It comes with miso soup and salad (not pictured) each. - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

This place is "a hit or miss" kind of restaurant! Some dishes are really good, and some aren't as good. We ordered: California Roll: There was nothing special about this it was just a crabmeat stick with avocado and didn't look very appealing. Volcano Roll: It was a little over fried and a little dry. It looked amazing. Fresh Oysters: the server who said it was super fresh recommended them us! It was hands down really fresh and sweet. Their spicy sauce was super yummy too! Baked Mussels: The mussels were not baked? It felted like it was steamed and they put some mayo and garlic bits on top. The mussels tasted fresh and not bad! Avocado Bomb: It looked super appetizing, but the spicy tuna inside tasted like had been in the refrigerator for a few days. Black Dragon: The fried tempura was not fresh and tasted a little stale. Spider Roll: The soft shell crab tasted a little stale, and it felt like they had fried it a day before serving it to us. The ambiance of this restraint is chill, and it wasn't super crowded like other sushi restaurants. The server was very informative and super helpful (she gave us a free seaweed salad and edamame). The price of each dish was a little on the more pricey side. It was hard to find street parking since it is an area filled with other restaurants! ***********My overall ratings************ Taste: 3 stars Price: 3 stars Environment & Cleanliness: 3.5 stars Service: 4 stars read more

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We just had such a delicious dinner at Sakura! The spider roll was especially delicious (if you're in the mood for something fried) but we loved the kamakazi roll as well. If you're looking for good, solid, reasonably priced, reliable sushi, this is the perfect spot. read more

I have hit or miss luck with sushi restaurants, but Sakura is consistently great. Great fish is the basis for great sushi, and that's why we love this place. I love the Kamikaze roll and spicy tuna roll, and my wife loves the Salmon sushi pizza, and the avocado bomb. read more

Sakura Restaurant - Covid hours as of 2021-01-14 - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

One of the best sushi places in the Island! Very friendly owner and staff and great sushi! read more

The hamachi sashimi was one of the worst I have had this weekend. Obviously frozen and then thawed out. Unforgiveable. Upon closer examination, MANY of the rolls have imitation crab as filler. Skip the faux sushi in Alameda, I think it's a complete miss on this island. The South Bay has it down to a science. Take note East Bay! read more

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me and my partners go to spot over here! great prices i love the hamachi roll and the seafood salad

The lunch specials here are the way to go. For $10.95, you can choose two items from their list of standard entrees (gyoza, tempura, chicken teriyaki, etc.) It comes in a bento box with rice and salad. The salad and dressing was delicious. I am adverse to certain vegetables so I asked the waitress which ones are included in the tempura. She provided an inadequate list and I ended up getting some veggies that went to waste. Otherwise the waitress was friendly. I went here (pre-corona) at 12:30pm on Thursday afternoon. The place was completely empty and I was the only person in the restaurant. The interior is clean. This might be a good spot for a date if you want sushi. The restaurant sits in the busy Park St. business district, but I can usually find parking within 2 blocks at a meter. Bring some change for the meter. read more

Had a very weird experience at this restaurant. Being seated was very easy and quick, we were brought menus and within a few minutes a waiter came to ask for our drinks. My friend ordered a beer which came super quickly and I ordered sparkling water which took a while. We asked the waiter for a few more minutes while we decided on food. He didn't come back for about 20minutes. As we waited I noticed a gentleman (I'm assuming the manager) continuously checking in with the table next to us(I assumed they were important patrons to him?). When the waiter finally came we placed an order of 3 different kinds of rolls and some edamame. The edamame came after maybe 10 minutes. We ate all of the edamame and still waited an additional 20 minutes for our rolls. Mind you the entire restaurant had only 4 groups there, including ourselves. The food came and we finished. I flagged down the manager because I couldn't get the attention of the waiters. I asked him for the check which I thought he went to go get but about 15 minutes later I see him checking in with that same table next to us. He noticed I was waiting still for the check and asked a waiter to bring it. After some time we received the check and I immediately put my card down because I wanted to just leave as we were done eating almost 30minutes ago. Finally I decided to get up and go pay at the front, where I was immediately followed up to the front by some of the wait staff. I think they thought we were going to dine and dash. I paid my bill and just left. All in all the experience was weird but the food was pretty good, nothing out of this world but still good. Definitely won't be coming back for a while, hopefully next time if try this place the wait times aren't so long. read more

I'd recommend the American Favorite roll and Cherry Blossom roll. Other than that, the other rolls we ordered were good but didn't stand out from any other sushi restaurants. The Banana tempura with vanilla and green tea ice cream was a pretty large plate that you can share with 3+ people. What was frustrating was that we were the only table there for lunch but all the sushi/plates came out super slowly. We were there for 1.5 hours and most of it was waiting for the food to come out. With so many sushi restaurants in Alameda, I'd recommend others over this store. Parking: mainly street parking around the block, Sundays are free. read more

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Came in around 230 on a thursday. I was the only person there. Person who was maybe owner was on her phone or looking down doing something [i forget] and didn't notice me when I walked in [strike 1]. Decided to sit at bar and since I am recovering from sniffles, I decided to get tempura udon. Wanted toro and uni..didnt have..shame. Decided to settle on sake and hotate nigiri. Guy behind bar worked really slow. nigiri was terrible. Hotate was tasteless and just...no freshness. Tasted like it was filled with water..gross.[strike2] Sake was alright. nothing amazing. Rice was soggy and way too sour. [strike3] Tempura- was again meh. Shrimp which I was saving for the last since I thought it would be the best, was terrible. tasteless and also kinda soggy. it was not your usual firmness you would expect from shrimp. Not sure if they are using super old or constant refrozen shrimp. gross. [YOURE OUT!!!!] Udon was boiled for way too long so they were also too squishy and chewy- not in the way I like my udon. Either they are seriously overcooking their noodles or they are buying some really cheap quality. Broth was ok. Not overly salty which was nice.. I GUESS. In the meantime that I was eating, the "owner" was on the phone with her daughter, I suppose. She said she had to hang up and go to work but the kid was screaming and crying. dude. I get it , it is your daughter and you love her...but it isn't an emergency that you have to be on the phone at work...and worse of all, it was on speaker so I could hear the kid screaming and crying ..... DID NOT make my crappy meal any better. usually I try not to go to chinese run "japanese places" and had I known, would not have come. Not to poo poo on my own race, but eh... legit japanese food is an art; not something you just half ass and throw together. Would I come again, even if it was a free meal? Heck. no. Prices aren't even that cheap. In fact it is kinda expensive for what they are serving as well as the quality. Srsly not sure where these 4 and 5 stars are coming from. Super disappointed. read more

Sakura Restaurant - Notate and sake nigiri. Absolutely gross. Tastes like watery defrosted seafood - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

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I've been eating at Sakura since before its remodel. It was small and charming back then, but now boasts a sleeker, more modern look and more space. They play good music here, too. Last night, we dined to Santigold and Phantogram. The food doesn't disappoint. I really enjoy the salmon "pizza" dish, which is actually a lot tastier than it sounds. A lightly fried rice cake that's crisp on the outside and soft, slightly chewy on the inside, topped with salmon sashimi and tobiko with spicy sauce. The chirashi bowl is very nice and, as an uni junkie, I always enjoy their uni...fresh, firm, sweet, and creamy. The staff is consistently friendly and kind and are appreciative of their diners' business. I'm surprised this place isn't packed every time I visit. I think it may be because of the lack of visibility. They are right around the corner from the forever bustling La Pinata. I think a neon sign that can be read from the side will bring more business to the restaurant, especially in the evenings. read more

Sakura Restaurant - Uni. - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

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My go-to spot for sushi in the Oakland/Alameda area! Food: My regular order here is the Wakame salad with tuna and the grilled whole squid. While I really enjoy the Wakame Salad with Tuna (super well made with fresh fish and not dressed in weird dressings like other poke places) the grilled whole squid however, is quite average. I feel like whenever I am craving this dish, I'd come here to satisfy that but overall its very average and I've definitely had better elsewhere. Aside from these two regular dishes I find the other dishes here very average and ordinary, there is no one roll or actual sushi that I feel like is extraordinary or worth obsessing over. Service: I am giving this place 4 stars based solely on the amazing service! The waitress knows me as a regular and is always friendly and acknowledges my friends and I. She is very good about keeping our tea refilled and alway remembers my particular special order requests. Overall, great place to get your sushi cravings satisfied but definitely not the most amazing in terms of food itself. read more

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Seats were ready, place was clean, service was great, food was amazing!!!!! Avocado bomb is BOMB! Cherry Blossom w lemon- DO IT! Spider Roll ... get it! read more

Sakura Restaurant - Avocodo Bomb w/ Spider Roll back! - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

First of all I'm not sure why this place has such low reviews. This place is awesome! I've gone to a lot of Sushi restaurants and this restaurant definitely makes their shrimp tempura fresh. You can feel the warmth and taste the freshness of the tempura. The chef Sunny is so sweet and will remember you the next time you go back. He might be a little shy but start a conversation up with him. My favorites sushi roll are: Sunny roll, Golden with thin slices of lemon, Rose, Rainbow with Shrimp Tempura, Cherry Blossom (love how they put Salmon in the middle with avocado, yum) and 32 (forgot the name of it. read more

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Quiet night with all the trick or treaters about and, I guess, no one gives out sushi on Halloween. Their loss, my win-- I had the sushi bar to myself and the full attention of a very talented and friendly sushi chef. I chose some things (nigiri, rolls) and all was fresh, super tasty, well prepared and nice portions. The miso soup was tasty but lava hot! I also asked for and enjoyed some recommendations by the chef and will definitely be back for more! read more

I loved all the sushi I ordered. I'm pretty picky about good sushi and the fish was very fresh and tasty. Portion size was perfect. I totally recommend the "dragon bomb" which has crab,unagi, sashimi and a special sauce. Also the price is very reasonable for the quality of the food. read more

Food was just ok. Still looking for another Japanese restaurant in Alameda. Nothing to share about. Good service.

This restaurant offers a nice, relaxing environment for any couple or family to enjoy an evening out. I'm not going to judge their prices here, as sushi is always expensive, but their quality is great for the price and their menu offers everything from the classic Bento box and Nigiri to house custom rolls. You really can't make a bad selection here, everything is well prepared and fresh, but one thing you should try is the house salad with dressing, the main ingredients are so so, but the miso dressing has an unforgettable flavor, I'd be willing to bet you'll be dipping your sushi rolls in it, but you aren't wrong for that :) read more

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Came here with two friends recently, and we were one of the only tables there. Friend #1 ordered two rolls, Friend #2 ordered the Sakura Roll and tamago nigiri and I ordered the Sakura Roll as well. Friend #1's first roll arrived, and at least 5-10 minutes later, our Sakura rolls arrived. Another 5-10 minutes later, Friend #1's second roll arrived. Among all four plates, there was only one small serving of wasabi and ginger, and when we asked for more, the waitress told us to finish what we had first. We were slightly taken aback, but finished, asked again and waited another 5 minutes before she finally brought ginger and wasabi. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants, but after this visit I was sorely disappointed. Portions were significantly smaller, service was slow and the quality of the fish wasn't as good as it used to be. Time to go somewhere else for Japanese food... read more