My husband and I are pretty avid sushi lovers (he even lived in Japan for a bit), and since we split our time between South Florida and Franklin, NC, I was very hesitant to try sushi in the mountains of Appalachia. But wow... I was so pleasantly surprised. My husband had been coming here without me and kept telling me how good it was, but I kept putting it off--and honestly, I'm annoyed with myself for waiting so long. This isn't a fancy, bougie sushi spot, but it's definitely not a hole-in-the-wall either. The food is consistently fresh and delicious, and when we sit at the bar, everything comes out pretty quickly. The sushi always tastes super fresh, and the staff is always kind and welcoming. The restaurant itself is surprisingly spacious with plenty of seating. The décor is cute-kind of this fun mix of mountain charm and Asian touches. You'll know exactly what I mean when you walk in. Our go-tos: the veggie gyoza (fried, but more lightly pan-seared than deep-fried), my husband's eel/avocado and salmon rolls, and my favorites-the yellowtail roll and the tempura chicken roll. Everything we've ordered, however, has been delicious. They also have a great beer selection and a nice variety of wines to choose from. Don't let a few negative reviews scare you off. We come here at least once a week when we're in town, and we'll definitely keep coming back. 5 stars!! read more

My husband and I love Sakura! We dine here whenever we are in town. The portions are generous and prices are great. There are so many options to choose from and the service is always excellent. read more

The food is okay, but it isn't spectacular. We were a large group, and were waited on promptly, and all the orders were correct. Reasonably priced. read more

My husband & I ate at the new location for the first time since they moved. Everything about the meal was superb, from the decaf Honey tea to the special dressing on the salad to the Hibachi Steak with fried rice & crispy steamed veggies to the fried desserts. (We sampled the Fried Ice cream, fried Cheese Cake & fried bananas). We will definitely be back! read more

We arrived on a Friday afternoon in July around 1:00 PM. There is plenty of parking. They weren't very busy, and we were immediately taken to a table. There are lots of tables and bar seating. The inside much more decorative than it looks from outside. Service was good although the plates could have been picked up a bit quicker. We all ordered a draft beers. My spouse had the Dragon roll. I ordered the Shrimp Teriyaki Lunch box. I asked for light teriyaki sauce and subbed a Philadelphia Roll for the California Roll. There was an upcharge of $2.00. Our friend got the Hibachi Lunch Chicken and Shrimp. The food arrived fairly quickly was plated nicely. The small salad had crisp lettuce but too much ginger dressing for my tastes. We all enjoyed our choices. If you have a hankering for Japanese food, this will hit the spot. read more

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Finally a sushi restaurant in Franklin! When we walked in I was impressed by how pretty it was. They have a sushi bar with seating which is where we'll sit next time. I love watching them make the sushi. And the sushi chefs are fast! We had 4 different rolls and all of them were very good. The waitress was very sweet and very busy but she stopped by to check on us several times. I want to try one of the cooked entrees the next time, they looked so good coming out of the kitchen. The prices are on par with other sushi I've had. We will be back. read more

awful hibachi cooked in kitchen..overdone meat. soggy veg soaked in teriyaki..we won't be back

Wonderful food! Love it! Staff is friendly & informative! Lots of different choices !

Amazing cuisine. Very friendly staff. 100 rating shows in their cleanliness and warm atmosphere. I recommend it.

The food is always delicious here. Their new location is beautiful and so roomy. Also the staff was wonderful! I had the tempura shrimp roll and the veggie roll. Both were amazing. We also got the tempura veggies which are always one of our favorites! We will always be eating here. read more

Used to be a really pleasant place to have surprisingly good sushi (for a town like Franklin). Since the move to their new 'warehouse' the ambience is....gross, the service is graceless, and the food is terrible. read more

The meals are the same price as cook in front of you hibachi places. They only let you pick from soup or salad not both included. The food was about half the portions we usually receive when paying that much. The food was just ok but over sauced. for a family of 5 with kids that all got water our bill was $170. Positives.... Place was clean, good rating of 97.5 in cleanliness, everyone working there was very nice. read more

Love the new place enjoyed the new atmosphere they have created. Food was better too! read more

Sakura Restaurant - Hawaiian Sunset roll - Japanese Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

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Food was horrible. Said no MSG and asked for no carrots or onions in food and they still put it in there. And something (I think MSGin the food caused me to become flushed, hot, and itching. Clear soup had no taste sent it back to the kitchen. Other food was watery or to dry. Waitress was rude. And the wait for food and to check out was longer than needed to be. Would not go back or recommend. read more

Sakura Restaurant - Turning red and itching from food. - Japanese Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

In Appalachia, this is one of the few sushi restaurants and I find very delicious. The prices are a little bit more expensive but it feels like a Japanese restaurant and the sushi taste very good. read more

This place is AWESOME! We always order take out for our group but the new place looks really cool. Sushi and noodle bowls are excellent!

This is one of Franklin's best kept secrets. It is an amazing restaurant! Whether you are new to Japanese cuisine or are a true die hard of sushi. I highly recommend trying this restaurant at some point while in Franklin! read more

Went in for a late Saturday lunch. Sat at the bar - the place was pretty busy, but my server greeted me quickly to take my drink order. I tried the Sapporo beer they have on draught which was good but not cold enough for my liking. She said they were having an issue with the cooler. I'll have one another time when the cooler is fixed. I opted for a bottled Kirin. I ordered the lunch special with 2 rolls. Comes with soup or salad. I had the clear broth soup. Needed a little salt but the mushrooms in the soup were fresh. The sushi was good. Standard sushi, but filling. I enjoyed my first time there and it will not be my last. read more

First visit to Sakuras new location and was wowed! An impressive venue with multiple seating arrangements from booths, to bars to tables, to private room. Beautiful spaces. And the sushi is still outstanding! Congratulations to Feng and his crew and best wishes for continued success!! read more

Well, I had to go back... It wasn't too busy, about 5pm on Sunday evening. Maybe 20% occupancy. My wife & I split 2 sushi rolls and beef Teriyaki.. I had a hot Saki (small) and a cold Sapporo (They also have Kirin Ichiban in the bottle, but I prefer draught) We actually had enough extra food to take some home. Service was great (disclaimer, Liz is a family friend). We'll going back soon. read more

Every time I have ever been here, the food is fantastic, fresh seafood and the best sushi! Used to go weekly but have not been in a couple of months, I was shocked when I pulled up the last time to see they had moved locations, I have not been to their new location yet, hopefully it is as nice as their previous place, but I'm sure the food is still amazing, will try again soon! read more

If you love miso soup, sushi and a relaxing atmosphere, then Sakura is your place. They have a wide variety of sushi, Japanese dishes and drinks. One of our go to Japanese in Franklin. read more

I've kept trying, truly. This place is just as inconsistent and abysmal as always. Had a friend in town who wanted to give it a go. Against my advice to stick with the few basics we stepped outside of the safety zone. Tuna Tataki, just don't. On the way to the restroom and spotted the sushi chef texting on the phone at the sushi bar.. in their service gloves used to make the food. Gross. I'll stick to occasionally ordering the basic rolls Togo when I'm truly desperate. read more

Waitress was polite and helpful. Food was offensive. The sushi was alright, but the "thai" "curry" was essentially shrimp sauce and water, with chicken and frozen vegetables boiled inside. Seriously. I'm one of those people who thinks everything is too spicy, but I've had tap water more flavorful than this. The chef needs to find another line of work or maybe get checked out for some rare taste bud disorder. I hate leaving bad reviews of small businesses, but at 7:00 on a Thursday, should've been much much better. Ambiance was decent, with some cute fish in their fish tank. Pretty much it. read more

Sakura Restaurant - The Thai curry in question. - Japanese Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

Food was perfect. Staff was very polite and efficient. I'm sure they are working above and beyond in this age of no workers to be found. So nice to go out to eat again when you have a nice experience. read more

No - don't go There are details but how about this is the first bad review I have ever given to any restaurant- ever. Panda Express is way better than this place When the kitchen made a mistake the waitress didn't catch it and then tried to double down that there was not a mistake made Just avoid if you want flavor and service and cooked food read more

We walked in today for lunch, saw the new health score of 76 & walked right out. This score happened on Dec 29th, 2022. Not going back until the score returns to the high 90s again. read more

I was surprised to find a Japanese restaurant in Franklin. The service was good; the food was okay. Probably not easy to get fresh fish in the mountain towns? In either case, a good dining spot in Franklin. read more

We have been here a few times and the sushi has always been great and the Pad Thai is amazing!

Always excellent food. Great sushi and hibachi. Always go there when we are in Franklin. Highly recommend this olace

If I could give this place a zero I would have. Terribly understaffed. Waited 2 hours for food just for it to arrive cold and not good. Food had no taste. DO NOT COME HERE. UPDATE my family and I got food poisoning from this dinner. read more

We walked in at 4:25 on a Monday afternoon. It took 30 minutes to be served our food. The food is good. Our server was less than up to par. Little bit of an attitude. We had to ask to see the manager twice. Food is very good. read more

Our party of four ordered apps, dinner and drinks and we were happy with everything. The restaurant was clean and the service was great.

We moved to the area from Brooklyn and this is the best sushi we've found without going to Asheville. The hibachi is also a good option but it isn't a typical hibachi restaurant where you get to watch the chef cook. The service is hit or miss. The drink menu is bigger than you see at most Japanese restaurants. read more

Sakura Restaurant - Japanese Near Me - Franklin, North Carolina

Ambiance could use improvement, but the food is always fresh and the service is always excellent. When we visit Franklin we always enjoy eating at Sakura. read more

Bungled on this passing through town. Surprisingly deep vegetarian options, solid beer list, clean, and good-sized portions at pretty respectively prices. No issues with service, and food was on par with comparable restaurants in larger cities. So appropriate shoutout where due: great restaurant in a small town, worth dropping by if you're passing through. read more

In Franklin and was looking for a non fast food meal. Sakura was open unlike most other restaurants. It was delicious. Hibachi steak was cooked just right and was melt in your mouth. Service was quick and efficient. Highly recommend! read more

Ordered (to go) Filet Mignon/Scallops and Filet mignon/Chicken. Sides were Miso soup for both orders one with noodles and one with fried rice. Order came with extra sauces but we did not use them because food was seasoned well already and very tasty as picked up at the restaurant. Portions were excellent. To be fair, overall the food really was satisfying and delicious. Other than the "Quote" Filet Mignon being precut into cubes (I would much prefer to cut the Filet myself) and the chicken being a touch dry, we experienced no other negatives with our meal. This is a place I would return to. Oh by the way, Sakura is pronounced sa Ku da if your interested. Here in Franklin NC you can just imagine how they pronounce it. Remember Domo Arigato? (Ahh di gat tow) Ya' all come back now ya hea!!! read more

Great service one food. This is our "Go-To" restaurant. We have never had a bad meal or service. A special shout out to Emily!

This is hands down the BEST food in Franklin! We always make sure to stop here on our trip to Franklin. The sushi is prepared perfectly and the other dishes are always great as well. The wait staff is very helpful and kind. Support this great local business! read more