Have been coming here since they opened- a place I trust to eat in Alameda. Was not, as usual, disappointed.

It was getting late, and I wanted sushi without the long line, so I came here for dinner before my movie. Everyone there was nice and fast (we were the only table, with some take out orders). We ordered the soft shell crab, futo maki, and the lion king roll. It was ok. Everything that you would expect from these rolls. What they definitely have going for them versus other sushi places in town is that it's open later, and no line. read more

The food tasted good with sweet sake. The restaurant itself is not a high class experience. It is more family and couple type for a quick meal. The service was average not too friendly but polite. Overall 4 out of 5. read more

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My boyfriend and I came here for dinner since Sushi House's wait was too long and we were seated immediately by a waitress. She was attentive and served us drinks/ rolls in a timely manner. We ordered two miso soups and fried calamari to start off with, lion king roll, aomori roll, black dragon roll, and baked mussels. Surprisingly, the fried calamari was my favorite out of all dishes. It was one of the two dishes we finished. The sushi rolls were okay... not the worst nor the best. I didn't like how some of the rolls were drenched in sauce. I had a good amount of left over rice on my plate that I couldn't eat. The waitress recommended aomori roll and we liked it. The roll was just right! My boyfriend ordered baked mussels for himself and he rated it a 3.5/5 stars. Would I come here again? Probably not. However, the service was excellent. The waitress put all of our leftovers in boxes for us which was kind of her. I know Cheesecake Factory does that as well. read more

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I usually go during lunch hours as the Bento box lunch specials are pretty reasonable in price for the amount of food you get and the taste overall is pretty good. I usually order the Lion King roll which can either be really good one day or average on another and the rainbow roll is pretty good, but not exactly wow either. My mom and aunt always love the ahi poke from there though, seems to never disappoint them. Price wise I would say during dinner can add up a little, but it's sushi it is never exactly cheap and I don't want it to taste cheap either so like I said it's reasonable for its quality/quantity and price, I can't complain. During lunch hours is a great time to go because it doesn't get too busy, but during dinner time it can definitely get packed and service will slow up. NOW, for the food and price I give this place 3.5 stars. The reason for 3 stars is because they only have ONE single really nice lady, who I see as the only one working as the hostess, waitress and bus lady. So when's it's a busy Friday night (for example) she's all alone and I've witnessed both inside service to slow up (and my lion king ends up tasting more average) or take-out can take up to 30mins at the least. Just a suggestion, but maybe one more employee I think would be very beneficial around the weekends. Overall I would recommend this restaurant and I always come back and leave with a happy full belly. read more

We've gone there twice this week alone (it's only Tuesday, mind you) and felt compelled to add an update. Know I've already bestowed a 5 star review on this place, but it truly is a hidden gem on the island. Don't be fooled by the low-profile this place has on Santa Clara. We've been almost 2 dozen times and have never left disappointed. We always drive by Kamakura and see it totally packed - wonder if any of these people know Sakura exists? Staples during our visit include: Black Dragon Roll - both agree this is one of the best rolls we've ever had. Kamikaze Roll Rock & Roll Various sashimi - special kudos to the Salmon, Octopus and Tuna. This on top of the great Miso soup, Green tea, and frosty Sapporos. Don't be swayed by the ridiculously over-rated (and totally packed) Sushi House. For the money, this place cannot be beat. I'll go ahead and add that the couple that run the front of the house are two genuinely sincere people who care for each person who walks through the door. If only the management staff at Habanas would stop by - they' certainly learn a thing or two. Needless to say, we'll keep coming back, time and time again. It would behoove you to stop by and give it a shot. You won't be disappointed. Cheers. read more

It's pretty spacious for a Japanese restaurant. The charshu ramen was okay. Pork was pretty salty. Philadelphia roll, spicy scallop roll, golden roll (tempura ship withe fresh salmon on top), Hawaiian roll (tuna and avocado) were all okay. Kind of sloppily put together (bulky, uneven rice). The best of them was the golden roll. Place was maybe half full with three sushi chefs and our rolls took forever to come out. I wondered if they wanted us to finish each one before bringing the next (which I would not prefer as I like variety), but the last two came out at the same time. Not sure what the deal was. Many other Japanese options in Alameda so probably won't be back. read more

Hole In The Wall . But in this case its a good thing . One Sushi Top Chef and One Waitress team up to take all comers. Its kind of hidden away . I wandered in and sat at the Sushi Bar .I was presented with a Menu. I ordered a 3 Item Bento Box with Chicken Katsu,California Rolls and Sashimi. It also comes with a Salad and Miso soup. The Miso soup had a lot of Seaweed and Tofu. in it very nice. I was presented with my Bento Box 15 minutes later. Really nice size portions . The Sashimi was Uber Fresh and melted in my mouth like Butter.Yum. The Chicken Katsu was a nice piece of Chicken Breast nicely breaded and deep fried. It was a good dinner Sakura did not disappoint. It was a joy to watch the Sushi Chef in action very fast and efficient great knife skills. read more

The service here isn't just a little slow, it is just plain slow. We (group of 5) got in there at 9pm, and everyone was finally served by 10:20pm. All our food was served at different times. I didn't get my hamachi rolls until about 10. I was the second to last one served and I was angry. The waitress didn't tell us why the service was being so slow, even though she came by our table many times to give us more tea. There were only 2 other people in the restaurant and the only people who were getting any food were people who ordered take-out. We complained after everyone was served, and the waitress took off 10% of our bill. But I still felt like a complete idiot paying all that money for that shitty service. I'm never going there again. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Don't waste your time and go to another sushi place. Yokohama on Webster has better service, better sushi, and better prices. The one star is for the little soy sauce dishes they have with painted fat kitties on it. nothing else! read more

I discovered this place two years ago with my fiance. His sister introduced us to Sonny and Michelle (the owners/chef/host). They are extremely nice and very friendly people. We always get the miso soup (w/real seaweed and tofu!), seafood salad, and white dragon roll (not on the menu)... So let me tell you about their freakin amazing seafood salad... For about $4, you get a small dish of chopped-up tuna, salmon and yellowtail. Sonny marinades it with Japanese mayo, i think 7-seasoning Japanese spices, and a lil bit of Siracha (He knows that I like it extra spicy so he puts a little extra Siracha for me each time!). I'm sure I'm missing a few other secret seasonings, but the sushi sits on a bed of thinly sliced crunchy cucumbers. The texture is just unbelievably amazing! The soft fresh sushi goes well with the crunchy spices and cool cucumbers. It's such a delicious palate, it literally melts in your mouth... Order it and Sonny won't fail you! I promise! Also, you'll never find this roll on the menu, but if you're a garlic lover, ask Sonny if he can make the "white dragon". It's a baked roll... I think its a tempura roll with baked scallops on top of the rice. And you get Sonny's special sauce with garlic and tobiko topped over the scallops.. Soooo good and rich for the soul! Last but not least, we always order the salmon skin hand roll. Sonny adds a little bit of cucumbers in this roll which makes it so good to eat with the crunchy salmon skin. I like to pour the leftover sauce from the seafood salad into the hand roll. Omg, just thinking about it makes me want to drive over the bridge to Sakura's! Their price is very reasonable ($45-$50 for two, if you order everything I mentioned plus an extra deep-fried roll) . I love their unlimited brown rice tea that Michelle brews in the back! Also, if you're a fan of deep fried sushi, order their "monkey roll" or their "light my fire"... hella good! read more

I would rate Sakura slightly higher than sushi house on a scale of sushi quality. The sushi tasted fresh and was presented well; no sloppy knife cuts and each piece was quite consistent. I liked that they are reserved with the sauce to let the ingredients speak for themselves. Sushi house is much more heavy handed with the sauce- less authentic but tasty, depending on your preference. (+) Rock and Roll~ 6.95 they do a slight variation by adding imitation crab and cucumber with the standard avocado and unagi. It was a nice addition and wasn't too over soysauced. (+) Lion king ~11.95- salmon was cooked well although I wish the roll had more variety instead of just the imitation crab. A little spicy. (+) Salmon skin ~6.95 Crispy and tasty chips of salmon skin. Not the first time I heard of this concept but first time trying it and I would definitely have it again. It seems like they changed their location and renovated- very modern looking and servers were very friendly. read more

i changed my mind. been there a few more times and its great service and the prices are right. BETTER THAN SUSHI HOUSE"S OVER_RATED RESTAURANT. seafood salad is a must!!! i am now a regular here =] *** lunch break everyday from 3-5pm. they close at 9pm monday-thursday and 10pm friday and saturday*** read more

I came in on Saturday night for the first time. The first thing I noticed was that while the place was not packed full, there was only one waitress for the whole place, and she was quite overwhelmed. It's not terrible, but we had to wait a while before she was able to take our orders -- we;d hail her down and ask to order, she would say ok, but then come back after 10 minutes. She was clearly very busy -- I wondered if she also had to help with the dishes after she takes them back to the kitchen. That said, this food here is pretty good -- I enjoyed my authentic chicken udon and my toro nigiri. I thought that $9.95 was pretty inexpensive for toro as they tend to go for $12 to $15 at many other places. The roll my husband ordered was also very delicious. I would definitely come back again. read more

We wanted lunch that wasn't a sit down for hours or a 'sustanance only' meal. My husband, an Alameda native, drove down Park St, and we decided to try sushi. The resteraunt was clean, and quiet. We had tea, and my husband had a Sapporo. He ordered the Bento box lunch with California Roll & teriyaki beef. I had the Spider roll& Black Dragon roll. The Spider roll was good, but the Black Dragon roll was the winner for us. Prices were reasonable, and we left happy and full. read more

This place is definitely under rated and should be packed. Yes it may need a bit of sprucing up, but its still a cute small business. Service is fast and the sushi chef doesn't skimp on the fish! What to order: Tuna poki app. Is soo good with the furikaki (sp?) Black Rose Cherry blossom Hawaiian roll was so soft and fresh read more

Sakura Restaurant - Delicious cherry blossom - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

Had lunch. Good sushi, fresh, reasonable (even low) prices. Quality of their sushi and rolls was really yummy. They initially brought us the wrong roll and it turned out it was on the house. The waitress didn't even skip a beat, which, as an Asian immigrant, impressed me. Sakura Roll looks tantalizing since it includes 4 types of fish rolled together in pickled radish. My recommendation is to pull off the radish because it's too vinegary and overpowers the taste of the fish itself. Thumbs up and I'll be back... numerous times, I'm sure. Too bad it's closed on Monday! read more

The only thing that drew me to this place is the fact that they don't really close after lunch then open at 5pm for dinner. Because I was hungry at 3pm and the other sushi places weren't open. Called in for take out, it was quick took about 10 minutes. Came in to pick up and there's an employee laying on one of the benches engaged in his phone while another lady was watching a drama on her iPad. Basically not another customer in the place except me. None of the employees looked up from their devices to even greet me. A lady went to get my order, I paid, and left. The food was mediocre. Reminds me of generic Chinese food. Nothing about it was worth finishing. Steak teriyaki was thin and dry, rice was mushy, salad was flimsy, California rolls were whatever, and even the miso soup wasn't worth drinking. Tempura was also not up to par. I mean all you gotta do is batter it and fry it. I'm just going to say that this place is not worth my time, and it's not worth your time either. read more

WOW! Can't believe I didn't even know Sakura existed... all the hardcore Yelping & exploring Alameda over the last 9 months & this tiny place eluded me till a couple days ago! I kind of love Sakura now. Intimate (and I mean TINY) interior seating area complete with sushi bar, beautiful decor, and a warm, friendly feel (not to mention sweet and efficient service). Gf & I shared a "pick three" bento box (we chose salmon teryiaki, Cali roll, and tempura) which came with salad, rice, and miso soup (which was GREAT by the way). Loved the salmon & the tempura was quite tasty. Prices were right. Open till 9:30 every week day which beats our fav, Kai's, that closes at 9pm. I'm thoroughly excited to have another fav. Alameda sushi restaurant! S. A. K. U. R. A. ^ . ^ Don't drive by too fast, you might miss 'em!! read more

Newly renovated. Better looking, more comfortable and expanded menu. Same great service and quality of food.

Small hole in the wall restaurant. A small sushi bar, a few tables here and there, but we were able to fit a table for 8 in the tiny place. Not crowded, no wait. Quick and efficient. - Seaweed salad: good sized portion. Tasted normal like everywhere else that I have ordered this dish. Sprinkled with sesame seeds and chili flakes. - Black Dragon Roll: This one tasted and looked like a regular dragon roll, I couldn't tell the difference. - Unagi Pizza: Just a deep fried rice patty with unagi (eel) pieces on top with sauce. I also tried a piece of the Salmon pizza and it tasted better. Presentation wise, the salmon one looked better with a bit of green onions for garnish. - Lion King Roll: I think they baked it a little too long. The salmon on top of the roll was a bit chewy. Not bad, but not the greatest. The portion sizes served were a great deal when compared with the prices. I agree with Danny P., I would not got out of my way to come here, but it would be another great lunch spot to add to my list when I get sick of my usual lunch spots. P.S. I found out the waitress spoke Cantonese too, the majority of the patrons the night I came were Chinese and spoke to the waitress in Cantonese too. One sushi chef making all the orders too, props to him for keeping the food coming in a timely manner. read more

Stumbled upon this place while looking for same late night eats. When we walked in to check out the menu the sushi chef was already wrapping up the fish & the last customer was paying their bill to leave. they were closing up shop. But they had no problem with taking our take out order since I had 2 starving kids in tow after basketball practice. We went ahead and played it safe and ordered only sushi rolls for the time crunch. 4 rolls, 2 temakis and $60 later we ended up with 2 clear clamshell take out boxes. The prices are I guess comparable to other "sushi" places. But portion wise & quality? Not so sure. I don't even remember which rolls we ordered because nothing really stood out to me besides the 2 salmon skin temakis that were not bad. A nice generous portion of crunchy skin always makes my tastebuds & tummy happy read more

Sakura Restaurant - Salmon Skin Temaki, Salmon Pizza & tekka maki - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

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I had lunch at Sakura today with a friend who lives in the neighborhood. We had a lovely, leisurely meal, and when we lingered to talk some business, the waitress kept us supplied with tea, very cheerfully. I appreciated the warm welcome that continued AFTER the bill was paid! I am wary about sushi places, because I like sashimi, and there is no rice or fussy stuff to cover up shortcomings in the fish. The sashimi combo at Sakura was quite good, and she didn't blink at my "no shellfish" request. Tasty fish, very fresh, and I hear from my companion that the Dragon roll was excellent, too. The menu has many unusual things on it, rolls I'd never heard of, and for those seeking novel kinds of sushi, it is worth a try. Very plain little place, but pleasant and with excellent food! read more

My honey and i were in the mood for something fresh and light after a long warm Father's Day hanging out with friends. As we wandered aimlessly around Park Street in Alameda, we tripped into this quaint and quiet sushi joint and had ourselves a wonderful dinner! The menu is quite simple (as I personally love because I'm so indecisive!) and so I ordered some nigiri and a special roll. It was perfect! The nigiri was delightfully fresh and the roll was super tasty. Just enough food to fill me up without overdoing it. The waitstaff was very attentive, but not overly so and the chef was very friendly. This little sushi spot will definitely get us back again because it's kinda hidden and really great! What a nice discovery :) read more

Sakura is definitely a hidden gem sushi place in Alameda. Usually for sushi, I always go Kamakura, Sushi House, Kansai, or Kai's until a friend told me about Sakura and I was in love. This place is small but the decor is creative. It's a local moms and pops shop so there is one cook in the front and one in the back. Also, they have break between 3pm and 5pm so avoid those hours. When I come here, I usually order the Lion King Roll, the Yellow Tail with garlic, and the Alaska Roll. All are very delicious and fresh. In addition, they don't go cheap on their fish either and the prices are cheaper than most places. If you plan to order the Lion King Roll, order it when you first get there because it takes awhile for them to bring it out. Friendly service and great food!!! I will definitely come back soon! read more

You get what you pay for. The hubby and I ordered bento boxes for lunch. I had the miso red snapper and the California rolls and he had the chicken katsu, tempura, and sashimi. The bleh: * California rolls made with imitation crab meat. * Chicken katsu was breaded with the wrong kind of bread crumb (not panko) * Tempura was greasy and tasted like old oil. Tempura'ed zucchini was oddly a bit sour tasting. * Sashimi portion included salmon, tuna, and hamachi. One or two slices of each. Adequate, but nothing to write home about. * Salad greens were precut days before and served with dried out carrots and limp iceberg lettuce. The truly awful: * The miso red snapper was not fresh at all. It had a strong fishy odor that was weakly masked by some miso paste that was slathered on right before grilling. The restaurant overall looks tired looking and unhygienic. We should have walked out the door when confronted by the old musty smell and wrinkly menu. Avoid. read more

I've always walked by this place without even making a glance at it. This place is probably a bigger hole in the wall than Yojimbo (a small sushi joint on Park St as well). One evening, my friend introduced me to this place. After years of living in Alameda, I never knew Sakuras existed. What's even better is that this is my friend's uncles joint. Nothing but appraisal for this place... I highly recommend the sashimi here. The sashimi is very fresh and is sliced to a generous portion. I believe you get 12 or 14, but the value is affordable and the size is more than expected. I also recommend their lion king roll here. Those two things alone had me leaving Sakuras satisfied and completely full. The place is in between La Penca Azul and Citibank. Check it out, you won't be disappointed! read more

Delicious! When I'm too lazy to dice it up on the stove, this small sweet family owned sushi joint gets it done with their Red Dragon Roll and Philadelphia Roll =) read more

Great food. Super friendly and attentive staff. Their sushi never disappoints. Comfortable and casual atmosphere. read more

Sakura Restaurant - Caterpillar Roll - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

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Went here for a late night dinner because I was craving sushi and wanted to try some place new. The one star is for service . The place is really small and the lady who worked there was very nice but the food was awful!! I dont know how this place got 4/5 stars!!!! So we ordered: Gyoza: Really oily Beef udon: Noodles were way over cooked to the point where it was like mush and the soup had no taste, just tasted like meat water... Chicken Teri Don: The chicken tasted burnt, the sauce was really thin and salty Lion King: I think it was baked in seaseme oil.....and the tobiko felt like rubber! The last thing we order was some sort of salmon pizza: The raw salmon was okay, but it was on top of this deep fried rice cake type of thing which was really weird and not good at all, we just ended up eating all the salmon on top. Our bill came out to be $43 plus change which isnt bad for the amount of food we order but I would NEVERRRR go back! read more

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE! First time I came here was 10 years ago to try poké which was recommended to me by a cousins girlfriend. This was before the big craze about poke so this place serves it authentic not like those build your own shops we have now. Hidden gem. If you like poké and sushi come here. Order the poké with rice, it is a tad spicy so I hope yall love spicy! read more

My wife and I used to go to Sushi House as our regular sushi restaurant. One day a couple of years back, Sushi House was so crowded that we decided to go to another place in Alameda and stumbled into Sakura Sushi. Ever since that day, we have not returned to Sushi House which to me is like a Sushi Clinic. Sakura is a small hole in the wall restaurant with great service. The waitress, although there's only 1, is very attentive and the sushi chef (only 1) is very personable with limited English. The sushi is very fresh (especially compared to Sushi House) although I've eaten at other places that are better. But for the price, it's great. My favorite for those who are afraid to try is Salmon Sushi Pizza. It sounds weird but trust me it's the best and very unique. We are pretty regular there and have asked the sushi chef to let us sample something new ... and he has obliged with a great creation of tuna appetizer (ask for special tuna appetizer which is not on the menu). Overall, I've had a great impression of the little tiny hole in the wall ... and would recommend to anyone who's looking for a small regular sushi place to hang out. It is by no mean a place for office meeting or a place to impress your date ... but a place that you can go regularly for good sushi. read more

Tiny little place with amazing Sushi... We were recommended this place by a friend, which is how you would find out about it cause it's tucked away around the corner from Park St. but MAN can they hook it up! If you request it, they will use REAL crab where imitation crab would normally be and for a nominal fee. The lady whom is usually serving there is very nice and friendly, service is pretty fast, and everything tastes very fresh. read more

I came here and I was the only one in the restaurant. I've been meaning to try their sushi for a while and since I was in the area, I finally went. I really liked their Miso Soup, it was flavorful. The Lion King Roll and the Cherry Blossom was okay, I mean it wasn't bad but I've had better. The server was nice but she never checked on me during my meal even though I didn't need anything, it's common courtesy to check in on a table to see how everything is (a little nitpicky on service.) The outside windows makes it look like it's closed because the glass was tinted dark. I would come back sometime in the future and try other rolls, maybe I'll find something I'd like better than what I had. read more

Sakura Restaurant - Lion King Roll and Cherry Blossom - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

Oh man... The workers were nice, the pricing was decent, but my food would not digest. Me and my friend Jannette went to bed feeling unsettled as ever. Nuclear bomb hit her toilet and I had to eat some tums.. Overall the food tasted good. Bento box was small but it was decent. Come here for a quick bite. nomnom read more

Pretty good place for an assortment of Japanese food...plus kimchee fried rice haha. Salmon Pizza had always been a go to at this place n it's still good after all these years. Crispy fried rice topped with fresh thick cuts of salmon. Got the Rose roll and lion king roll. If u want a roll with some sauce the lion king is a good option. Ordered the 7pc sashimi combo... Which was $17. Considering the price, I thought it was a combo with rice, salad, and miso soup...but it didn't. Completely over priced! It was decent sized cuts n it was fresh, but I've gotten that freshness for more reasonable places like Geta in Oakland. read more

Best sushi i ever had, all dishes were prepared with great detail, excellent service, good location and not expensive at all. Highly recommend, they deserve to do really well. Would be five stars if they can improve on interior lightings. Will never go back to sushi house!!! read more

Sakura is a hole-in-the-wall that is never as crowded as Sushi House or Kirala, but incomparably better. The current sushi chef took over almost a year ago, and he is every bit as good as the previous owner. They have a good selection of both classic and innovative rolls. Their rolls and nigiri are very large, and the fish is some of the freshest we've found. Don't go for a quick meal; the service can be a bit slow, but sushi should be savored anyway. However, they are friendly, and if you're in the mood for something different, try asking for a surprise roll. Overall, this place is the best sushi we have ever had. read more

Two people can eat at Sakura for the price of one at Katsu. That said, Sakura houses the smallest sushi bar I have ever seen. The tables aren't much better. Sakura is very quaint. My cousin and I occupied a small table at the back of the restaurant. We had a nice dinner. I had fatty tuna and a Rainbow roll. My cousin had a Bento box. The chicken terriyaki tasted fresh and tender. The vegetable tempura had a light batter. The sushi tasted great!!! Sakura offers a small wine selection. Next time we'll try the sake and the Alameda roll. Update: We went back to Sakura last night. My meal tasted terrible! I ordered a Rainbow roll with halibut and yellowtail on the side. Some of the fish on the Rainbow roll looked a little different. The halibut and the yellowtail looked fleshy and thick and tasted like rubber. I couldn't finish my meal. The waitress asked, "Oh, you didn't like it?" I said, "I'm too full." I couldn't tell her the truth. No one else seemed to have that problem, strangely. I spent a wretched night tossing and turning as the sushi tried to digest. I'm glad I spent the night alone. I had the worst gas. It rained all night too. I contemplated making my bed in the street, if only to be washed down the storm drains. No more sushi. No more sushi. No more sushi. read more

Really really Slow services, we waited a long time for our food. And the order of our food that serving to us is messy, but the food is good! read more

Sakura Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Alameda, California

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The decor is nice since they remodeled. Second time here, I found it surprising they don't offer bento boxes on the menu which is a bummer. They were frugal on the ginger, I ordered a sushi roll and no ginger was on it. I also ordered tempera udon and they were frugal on the tempera. I got one shrimp, one onion, one broccoli, and one carrot. There are many Japanese places in alameda now which makes it hard for me to come back and try it again. My husband and I were not too happy perhaps some other customers might have a different opinion. read more