Sakura is a teeny tiny little Japanese convenience store in the Sunset with all kinds of little treasures, healthy and delicious snacks and bento boxes, and Japanese pantry items. They get their bentos from Delica in the ferry building I believe and they also have the prettiest cakes, pastries, and sandos. I stop by for their ume onigiri whenever I'm in the area and it's the perfect little snack to hold me over on my drive home to the Valley. Their prices are really good compared to j town and it feels good knowing I'm supporting local small business by shopping there. The people working there are also always really friendly. read more

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Really yummy pork katsu sando wish it was a little warmer. Very yummy and fluffy white bread it was super soft. read more

Sakura - Pork katsu sandwich - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

Cute little store with a few fresh food items! The cake was super cute and the perfect sweetness. The strawberries were very red & juicy too! It was just a bit small :,) read more

Sakura - Strawberry cake - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

It's a cute little store that has some prepared foods and lots of little things to look at. I'll be back when I have more time to browse. Staff was pleasant. read more

Very cute little store with tasty bento boxes with just the right amount of food. Only $11 for a box with salmon, some veggies, and tofu. All was pretty tasty, but the Salmon was a tad overcooked/dry. The store is bare bones but also a cute spot with food and gifts. I hear that the bento boxes run out pretty quickly, usually by noon. read more

Sakura - Salmon bento box ($11) - 3.5 stars. Just the right amount of food, tasty and healthy. Salmon a tad overcooked/dry. 2024-03-20 Wed lunch - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

I loved the original owners of Sakura and shopped there for years. When they retired and turned it over to someone else I was worried and excited! I LOVE the new owner! She's kept the best of the old Sakura and brought in new things including all of the food in the cooler. It happens that she's a caterer. I worked with her for two special bento boxes for myself and husband for an anniversary. I was upfront about my food intolerance nightmare! It begins with gluten and gets worse. But she didn't bat an eye lash - she worked with it and presented us with two incredible bento boxes! The flavors are perfect. Lively vinegars brighten up her unique seaweed salad - which is big pieces of seaweed and nice slices of cucumber. Everything comes in a compostable paper box. Rice is at the bottom and on top of it are small cupcake cups with the various treats inside to keep them separated. We ate at home so we put each cup of deliciousness on a plate, and kept the bowl with the rice. She gave us salmon, a beef dish I can't really describe other than to say it was great. I told her I love mizuna and she presented us with this hard to find green. Hands down our favorite was unagi!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thick pieces with the right amount of not-too-sweet and really flavorful sauce. Dang, next time I'll get an unagi bento box it was that fantastic! We loved every minute of our lunch today - thank you so very very much. You've got fans and loyal customers. Knowing you do full-on catering will make parties and such really easy. It was so easy picking up at Sakura! Thank you again. You are truly a treasure !!! read more

I've walked by this Japanese gift shop many times, but honestly, I was never motivated to stop by until recently when I heard through the social grapevine that they were selling packaged housemade food. In particular, I heard they had sandoitchi, Japanese-style sandwiches, just like a Family Mart or Lawson's in Japan. They had closed to renovate the space into more of a grocery store. When I heard they finally reopened as a convenience market, I was so there. Now it didn't really turn into a Family Mart. That would've been wonderful, but they now have a refrigerated section with quite a packaged food collection. Prices were quite reasonable, so I scooped up my lunch to take into Golden Gate Park where I found a quiet bench in the AIDS Memorial Grove. I bought the $8.50 Egg and Pork Katsu Mix Sando which had egg salad on one side of the sandwich and on the other, a huge pork katsu with shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce (photo: https://bit.ly/45B7HSi). They used Japanese milk bread which lent it the authentic soft texture I was expecting. I also treated myself to the $5.50 Mitarashi Dango, three skewers of glutinous rice balls (photo: https://bit.ly/45B7Jto). They were covered in a sweet soy sauce glaze. It was all good stuff, quite welcome - though I prefer the more streamlined style of Japanese native sandoitchi, and while I like egg salad, tamagoyaki would've been nice. Still, when I closed my eyes, I felt I was next to the big pond in Ueno Park on a brisk day. But then I opened them and saw a homeless man urinating in the bushes. Welcome to San Francisco. FOOD - 4 stars....good sando and dango, made me want to catch the Shinkansen AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...looked like they're still organizing things, no cafe seating SERVICE - 4 stars...friendly TOTAL - 4 stars...good to know I now have a source for sando RELATED - Exploring the Sunset? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2EI8eIJ read more

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Sakura is so cute! The owner always seems to be donning a big smile and her selection of freshly made Japanese pastries, sandwiches - in addition to her well curated selection of pre-packaged Japanese sweet and savory treats - is truly lovely. Having spent my Freshman year of high school in Tokyo - I can distinctly remember making a daily trip to a close by local patisserie and picking up my favorite after-school treat - a freshly made Japanese-style Mont Blanc. A Mont Blanc cake, if you're not familiar with it - is "composed of a sponge cake covered with spiraling vermicelli of yellow chestnut puree, and topped with a yellow preserved chestnut." (taken from Wikipedia). That Mont Blanc excursion in High School was a special ritual for me and I used to love unwrapping the stunning cake and admiring its perfection before indulging in its sweet bliss. I was excited on my most recent trip to Sakura - to spy a lovely looking Mont Blanc cake in their freshly made refrigerated section. It was nestled among some delicious looking carefully made Japanese sandwiches and pastry delights. It made me smile and a wave of nostalgia rolled over me. If you're in the neighborhood and looking for some delightful picnic fare for Golden Gate Park, or enjoy stocking up on fun Japanese products and treats - definitely stop into Sakura. Trust. read more

Sakura recently had a grand opening and kinda changed to more of a japanese convenient store. during grand opening week, they had a TON of sales! A bunch of plushies on sale for $5 - I got two cute pandas! I went back the other day and it looks like they're all sold out. I am excited to try their food though - i've only tried their salmon onigiri so far and it was ok. A bit dry for my liking and too much rice, but they seem to have a pretty good size of selection for other foods that I'm excited to try in the future. They do sell out fast on some days so try to go early for fresh food. // edit 8/23/23 came back again to Sakura to try out more food items. Got their (1) chicken katsu sando (2) strawberry sando (3) onigiri again Chicken katsu - a bit disappointing; chicken was relatively dry and overall flavor kinda bland Strawberry sando - cream was super good, bread was dry, wish it had more strawberries because I think the whole sando only had about 4 strawberries Onigiri - was ok; i've had it before. see my onigiri review in the 3rd paragraph. read more

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Cute establishment. I got spicy tuna onigiri. It was wrapped incorrectly that I just opened the darn thing as it was. It was flavorful but dry. Good thing I had kewpie mayo on hand. Katsu sandwich was okay. Support local! read more

Cute little asian market. Came for the pretty strawberry and cream sandwiches but they didn't have any. Instead we got a strawberry and cream roll. It was also 50% off so that was a score! Lots of snacks, stationary, medical, toys, and trinkets. read more

Little local market selling japanese sundry items and food. Not the easiest to find as it's ticked in between what looks like residential homes. A little on the higher priced side, but then again we are talking SF Bay Area pricing. Cashier was present but not very attentive. The fruit sandos were cream heavy, the onigiri were fresh, but the rice to filling ratio was rice heavy. read more

This store has a little bit of everything (prepared foods, pantry items, grocery items, housewares, stationery, hair/skin products, gifts) that it's always fun to stop by. I often get the onigiri or bento boxes, and sometimes pick up a notebook or hair product (fun place to find Japanese shampoos/conditioners or soap). Sometimes there are freshly made mochi stuffed with strawberry, and those should not be missed. read more

Strawberry Sando great. Service great love it! My go too convince Japanese store!!! There is a big selection of candy and snacks.

Love this place so much you can't go wrong with their onigiri - they are really nice. Bento boxes, musubi, onigiri and more

I hope this place survives the turn over you often see on Irving st. This place is a gem - you wouldn't know they are selling the most authentic desserts, japn snack food and bentos and sandwiches that will remind you of favorite aunt prepping lunch for you. It's a treat beyond how anyone can describe, you must have a little of everything so you can plan your next visit. read more

the sushi was delicious! it was ordered and made within 5 minutes. I was very impressed

I love popping in here for a quick grab-n-go onigiri, bento, or sando (thank you for having vegetarian options!). They also some tasty-looking cakes. Convenient, fresh, and healthy, plus it's a great option for a picnic in the park. They have been steadily increasing their food options and I hope it continues. Happy to shop local and support small businesses! read more

Cute shop with good selection of Japanese snacks, drinks, and gifts. They also have food to go, but this is purely a take out store, so no seating. read more

Yummy Musibi and Onigir ! Their sandwiches and bento boxes look good. Will definitely return. Cute little Japanese food and market spot. read more

Cute little Japanese store with lots of cool goodies. Vibes inside are really great as well and people at cashier were super friendly! read more

Sakura - Miscellaneous goodies - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

Bamboo charcoal soap,lace toe socks for wearing inside shoes..normally u get nude socks but I got some nice lace socks ..seaweed ,wasabi mix

I wholeheartedly recommend Sakura if you're interested in Japanese snacks, drinks, and bentos! I stopped by last week and picked up a chicken katsu bento, yuzu soda, and shrimp chips. The bento was delicious. One slight drawback was the bento was somewhat pricy (around $15 or so). But it was reasonable considering the amount, variety, and quality of food (chicken katsu, rice, egg, spinach, squash, and pickles). The shopkeeper was friendly and asked if there was any other merchandise or food items they should consider carrying. I'll stop by again in the future! read more

Cute little shop with some food available in the back. The workers were extremely friendly.

I've been coming here over the span of a few months since they've opened but never got a chance to write a review on their food items, which are very high in quality! I'm a big fan of their fruit sandos and roll cakes with strawberries in the center--I specifically sought out these items when I saw the photos on the store window during construction. The roll cakes are not too sweet and tastes like the kind you would get in JapanI can't explain it other than--if you've been to Japan before and tried a cake at a patissiere or coffee shop there, that's the taste. It's a very unique treat and practically no one else in the Bay Area makes these fresh. As for the fruit sandos, not everyone may be a fan of fruit and cream sandwiched between bread, but it's very aesthetically pleasing and very light! The only catch is you must reserve these with the staff beforehand to ensure they have it in stock. I've also tried the salmon onigiri (crispy seaweed just like the kind you get in Japan combini! and reasonably priced and fresher than Nijiya's) as well as the pork katsu sandos (larger than they appear and magically crispy without reheating!) I'm very impressed with the freshness of their food items, and while the price point may be high to reflect that, I think its worth it. Especially the cakes. If there is a way to have more items available without having to call ahead to reserve, then this place would be perfect. read more

Sakura - Fruit sando - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Just went today for the first time when I was wanting a snack. I had the Japanese egg salad sandwich and it was great! Also grabbed a tea and a sweet cake that was there as well. It's a cute little shop that has amenities as well as candies, some sandwiches and other treats. I want to get back and try the chicken katsu sandwich next. read more

The cutest little shop ever with the cutest Japanese man working Me and my boyfriend stumbled upon this cute little shop after we had brunch and we were not disappointed! This reminds me of my childhood where there used to be these kinds of stores everywhere but now there isn't any around! Upon walking in you're greeting by the cutest worker? Owner? And you can find an assortment of Japanese snacks, dried goods, accessories, gifts (clothing, plushies, toys, face masks, handmade things.... etc) and more! Just go check it out and support local business! There's also a fridge and freezer filled with goodies ranging from ice cream to mochis to frozen foods! I bought a lot of Japanese chocolates because it reminds me so much of my childhood! I can't wait to be in the area again and grab more goodies. read more

A quaint Japanese discount store with cute wares and neat finds. Compared to Daiso, the variety and location is a lot smaller. However, they do offer a lot of unique items! From classic Japanese snacks, cute tote bags with Japanese prints, beauty products, to fun knick knacks this place has some unique items to offer. I do wish that they offered more variety for their snacks selection. But overall I think it's a nice addition to the various stores and attractions within this part of San Francisco and definitely worth checking out! read more

Sakura - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place recently reopened under new management and items they sell. They still sell Japanese snacks and toys but I believe they are shifting to more of a Japanese convenience store where there main focus is Japanese to go food such as bento, chicken katsu Sando, cakes and onigiri. I went in there during lunch and got a onigiri. It was a little dry and not the best I've had. I think they are still figuring it out and hopefully they start selling better food items. read more

Sakura - Katsu and egg sandwiches - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Always love this place. Love finding new products and things to try. So sad when I can't find things I fall in love with but are no longer available, but I'll keep coming back until they are stocked again! Matcha latte, I'm waiting for you!! read more

Sakura - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very cute small store for Japanese grocery imports. Their bento boxes are superb, I really enjoyed the deluxe one. Everyone is happy they're back in operation in the neighborhood after they had a short closure. A great place to grab a quick snack and drink before walking to the botanical gardens close by. read more

Love the combination of discounted Japanese goods and freshly made Japanese meals, snacks and now sweets. The owner is very nice and has very competent staff. read more

I love browsing all the cute items and treats in this store. Always fun with something new to see. The owners are very sweet and helpful. read more

Sakura - Sir Nugget has already moved into the cat nest I bought at Sakura. That didn't take long - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

I've been going to this place since I was little and the owner of the place at multiple times with my family member. I love the place and I love the food that has been offered. It's more of a little market that you can get sweet and savory items along with cute clothing, jewelry and stationary true Japanese experience and if you love Japanese culture, I would definitely recommend it. They updated the building so they don't have as much as they used to offer but it's still really cute place. read more

Wonderful shop in the Inner Sunset with fresh Japanese daily take-away items! Nice selection of unique food items and novelties!

Sakura is amazing! The onigiri is delicious and you can really tell it is fresh. I love their options for Japanese snacks and it's nice to have these options in the neighborhood. Worth a visit if you like onigiri and Japanese snacks! Very friendly service as well and free candies when you buy stuff :) I had a wonderful experience read more

As many have mentioned, this is definitely an unexpected gem in the Sunset area. I've walked by it many times and once or twice wandered in out of curiosity, but never purchased anything. Flash forward, and we are in the days of grocery and toilet paper hoarding. My boyfriend and I were searching high and low for rice flour to make one of our 'shelter in place recipes' and could not find it anywhere. We ended up buying a few boxes at a grocery store all the way out in Oakland, but on our walk the next day, found that Sakura actually carried the same brand for 20-30 cents cheaper per box!! We also noted that they had a bunch of nonperishable grocery items and snacks for a very decent price. Not only that, the gentleman who runs the store was very kind and let us borrow his hand sanitizer after we checked out. Since visiting, my boyfriend has been begging to go back to the store because he cannot believe how affordable the items are. We are going to do a sushi bake this weekend, and I cannot tell you how excited he was to hear me tell him that we should make a trip to Sakura to pick up some dried seaweed and Kewpie mayo! read more

Love this cute little shop. I wanted to start by saying I'm doing 3 stars because they are keeping hot/warm food out without refrigerating/keeping it warm so I worry about bacteria growing. According to the USDA "Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours." I would be a lot happier if they kept either a heat lamp on the food or just keep the hot items in the refrigerator! Aside from this, the cakes are delicious and I love the item selection! read more

Sakura - Hot food not being refrigerated and clearly an environment for growing bacteria as you can see the condensation on the lids! - Gift Shops Near Me - San Francisco, California

To say Sakura is a a "candy store" would do this neighborhood staple no justice. You'll find Japanese crafts such as super warm hand knitted slippers and quirky bags and tabi socks. All the little comforts you'll need to live in a tiny apartment in Shizuoka. :) All of my favorite pandemic face masks have come from here. They're high quality, pretty, and the kind that form a good shape on your face so you aren't inhaling cotton as you walk down the street. read more

The previous Sakura owner has retired but the new owners still sell Asian goods and snacks! They now have added fresh food and desert options. The food menu changes each day but I had spam musubi, Oreo cake, and soboro Don, and everything tasted great and was so affordable! I will definitely be coming back. The new owner is extremely nice too go support :) read more