With so many AYCE options now, this place was just eh. They have a decent menu with a fair variety of things to chose from. Of course, we got some appetizers, nigiri and a few rolls. The fish was fresh enough, but could have been better. The jalapeño bomb was pretty good. I guess I can't remember how exactly the food was since everything was so mediocre. There weren't many people eating there but my goodness, it took so long to get the food. I guess that's what happens when you stray from your favorite places. read more

This place is super underrated!! For $28.99 on weekends, you can do all you can eat sushi. Unlike sushi kuni (one of my former favorite spots), the sushi doesn't come with a ton of rice and the fish is nice and big. I really LoVE the knife details to the squid.. although I'd eat it even if it wasn't that pretty! We got a few rolls, gyoza, seaweed salad, tons of nigiri, and 2 sprites. For my 8 year old, it was $14.99. The soft drinks are included with the ayce dinner choices. I can't emphasize the value of this place. We got tons of big slices of fish... all tasty. Why haven't we been here before?! Maybe it's the window paintings that make it look a lil phony but whatever the case is, I regret not trying it before. We will definitely be back soon!!! read more

See all

This is my third time here. Best AYCE sushi sashimi place I've been to and I'm quite the AYCE sushi expert if I may say so myself. I'll let the pictures tell the story. The boss Johnny is super friendly and helpful. He always goes the extra mile to make sure my table of 6 is well taken care of. I feel like home whenever I come here. Freshness 5 stars Taste 4 1/2 stars Creativity 4 1/2 stars Price: super affordable $$ out of $$$$ My favorite go-to AYCE sushi place when I have the cravings! Highly recommended! read more

Sakura Sushi House - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

See all

This is a great sushi place in the area. If you're very hungry, the all you can eat option is the way to go. The fish is always fresh and very delicious. I just wish they spoke more fluent English so i could communicate better with them. I recommend the Hawaiian roll and the rainbow roll, which are my two favorites. read more

This review is sadly long overdue! We live locally and often frequent this sushi house...they are consistently good with their fresh fish! They also often have decent coupons in one of the local Monrovia magazines (either Monrovia Living or Monrovia Quarterly). Their portions are huge for a sushi restaurant! There are always leftovers, even when we order only 2 rolls between me and my husband! Our faves are the Crazy House Roll, the Monrovia roll and the #1 Roll, but especially the crazy house roll...can't go wrong with fresh fish and cream cheese lightly fried so the cream cheese is all soft and warm! Perfect! And they deliver in the local area...super fast delivery and the staff are always so friendly and attentive! read more

We were craving sushi and the fiancé has been wanting to try Sakura for a whole. The AYCE dinner is $21.99, but the selection is kind of limited. The sushi chef kept missing items from each round of of our AYCE selections (half of our nigiri first round; two rolls second round). The quality of the fish was ok, but nothing was super great. The best tasting nigiri was surprisingly the white tuna (which I normally don't like). The fish to rice ratio is actually kind of generous! For the rolls, I kind of wished you had that option for half rolls or hand rolls to try more items. I love salmon skin rolls, but they are so much better as a hand roll! One roll that stood out was their sweet potato & eel tempura roll. It had way too much sweet potato and you couldn't taste the eel over the soggy tempura batter. If you go for the AYCE, you might be disappointed when you start noticing that half of their speciality rolls are not on the AYCE list. The best part of their AYCE was the nigiri being generous pieces of fish in proportion to rice. I wish that they had more speciality flavors like garlic tuna or something spicy for a garnish sauce like other sushi restaurants. Yelp 100 Challenge - 63 of 100 read more

See all

Disclaimer: I got delivery during the Super Bowl. This may have affected the quality. I ordered miso soup, edamame, and the popular Dragon Roll and Salmon Lover's Roll. The delivery was fast and very friendly. No issues there. Not thrilled with the food, though. The soup and edamame were fine, not noteworthy. There was something off about the rolls. A flavor I couldn't put my finger on. Still, they weren't awful. I was extremely off-put, however, when my first bite into the salmon roll contained a rather large bone. I've eaten a lot of sushi in my life and I can't say I've ever gotten a bone before. Honestly it killed my appetite and definitely affected this review. :/ read more

Sakura Sushi House - Salmon Lover's roll on the left Dragon Roll on the right. Above them is the unfortunate piece of bone I bit into. - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

This place is good. Good service. Quality of the food is good. Food came out in a decent time. First time having a salmon skin that's crunchy on the inside In which I've enjoyed. Food came in decent sizes, not too large So I can try out other food. We had the all you can eat special. For lunch $18.99 special, there wasn't much option so we had to get the dinner $21.99 ayce (option was just the sashimi) Cons: not much options on the menu for ayce, no free dessert /miso soup/ teriyaki dishes, uni roll, sashimi salad, mussel cheese, no bake rolls, etc. So I wasn't as satisfied as I would be like other sushi places. So I will give 3 stars because I wasn't fully satisfied with their limited options. read more

See all

Tried the all you can eat. so overstuffed with rice. rice doesnt taste like sushi rice. its got a strong vinegar taste. this is more of a fast food teriyaki restaurant quality sushi spot. quality is very mediocore. 2 stars for a very nice staff but theres only 1 sushi chef and the service is slow. they kept forgetting our orders and we didnt even order much. they gave us some comped roll for our AYCE sushi stuffed with rice and cream cheese to fill us up before we even got our 1st sushi we ordered. stick with Hon, momijis, or maki sushi for authentic sushi place is chinese owned which can be why its not that great. read more

Sakura Sushi House - so overstuffed with rice with a small sushi piece - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Today was a weird SoCal day, it actually rained. So my wife and the rest of the family was craving some sushi, hot sake and warm tea for comfort. We were so lucky to have found this place. The food and service was great. Talking to the waitress we found out that there is new ownership. The sashimi was fresh and the rolls were bomb. We did the ACYE with the crunchy roll, spider roll and had ton of sashimi. Must try for someone who is craving sushi around the area! Oh the hot sake was money! Cheers! read more

Sakura Sushi House - Sushi porn - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

I had come here for lunch with my coworkers and noticed that it was actually pretty empty. I had ordered the chirashi box (sashimi over rice) and it was pretty good. Everything here was nothing more or less than my average expectations. It was great knowing that they could accommodate to the fact that my coworker wanted the E1 lunch special. But since she doesn't like raw fish, they were kind enough to make an exception and substitute he first roll with a crunch roll. It didn't seem possible at first but then the waiter went to the back and asked and got the okay. After we had ordered our food, we decided we wanted to order the Lion King roll as well. Our waiter simply told us "it would take too long," which made it really awkward. Again, in the end we still got it and it came out in a decent amount of time (it seemed the same as any other roll). So aside from the awkward moments with the waitress, I say this place is nothing out of the ordinary. Not amazing, yet not terrible. read more

Sakura Sushi House - Chirashi Box - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

See all

My daughter and I went here on a Saturday around 1:00pm. We both got AYCE, kids are half price and it also includes a drink. The sushi were fresh and delicious. The sushi rolls come in 8 pieces and are huge. We ate around 4 rolls (salmon, spicy salmon, eel w/tempura shrimp and tempura shrimp). It got us really full. I will definitely come back with the rest of my family. read more

Sakura Sushi House - So good! - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

See all

Anyone who says this place is better than Sushi Kuni probably lost all their tastebuds. Came in tonight with my boyfriend. Probably should have walked back out after we realized NO ONE else was in the restaurant. It was prime dinner time too???? Anyways, we ordered off their AYCE menu and let me tell you, that is the SADDEST AYCE menu I have ever seen. TOTALLY NOT WORTH $28.99/person!!! We only did 1 sad round because the fish is NOT fresh. My boyfriend just threw up because he felt sick after eating. We left the restaurant still hungry and out $72. Go to Sushi Kuni or Sushi Me instead. We only tipped because we felt bad for the guy serving us. NOT one table came in during the time we were there, that should tell you NOT to go into this establishment. read more

Sakura Sushi House - "AYCE" menu - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Love this place, food are amazing. High quality fish, if you like sushi come try this place, you will love it. Definitely going back soon. Service were good and owner was really friendly too. read more

See all

We came here for lunch and my coworker is allergic to avocado. Thankfully they got our orders correctly as I love avocado. Yummy Roll was actually pretty good with hamachi on top. Shrimp was small but had a nice texture unlike the softer ones I've had at other places. Spicy mayo sauce was not that spicy but if you're not used to eating spicy foods, it has a bit of a heat. Spiderman Roll was pretty good but topped with panko crumbs and I didn't particularly like their unagi sauce. The crab itself was coated with breadcrumbs rather than tempura. Not bad with a coupon for buy 2 rolls, get one of lesser value (like crunchy roll) free, but I wouldn't make it a point to eat there again. Service was pretty cool and they revamped the place since it was a Shanghai place before. read more

See all

We called the number. They said they were open. We went there and it was closed. We called again and said why are you closed, and they said we open. We said why is door locked and they hung up on us. Front for an illegal perhaps??? read more

We enjoy this place for its genuinely nice staff and decent sushi. What I love most is that it is rarely crowded. Would give 5 stars, but it feels like almost every one of their specialty rolls is based on the California Roll and I'd much rather have real fish and less mayo in my diet. A favorite is the Foothill Roll which has jalapenos and some bite! Miso soup could be better. Good people and a great little joint for a quick meal. read more

Sakura Sushi House - Tuna Lovers' Roll. Just the right amount of kick...plus 1. Delicious food. Great company. Attentive staff. - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

My boyfriend and I were in the mood for sushi. We actually got it delivered. The estimate told us it would take about 45mins-60mins. The woman delivered it in less than half an hour. We live maybe 5-7mins away. I got the salmon teriyaki with miso soup and salad. My boyfriend got snow crab roll, hamachi roll and miso soup. My salmon was very good, firm, flaky and melted in the mouth and the sauce was just right. The accompanying rice and veggies was also very good. The miso soup was perfect. Gave us both that happy warm body feeling. His rolls were all perfect. Didn't need soy sauce. And the salad was fresh. Also, all the cooked food arrived perfect temp, so didn't need to be warmed up. My boyfriend gave a 4.5 for food. I bumped it up to 5 stars because of the fast service on top of good food. Will actually go into the restaurant next time but at least we know if we don't want to go out there's somewhere great to go for delivery. read more

Sad to hear this place closed. I live in the area and loved this place for affordable take home sushi. I would get a large order for the whole family and take it home. This was a great little secret in Monrovia. The staff were super helpful and friendly too. read more

Best sushi food in the area. Friendly service and good quality food. This is my first time, but will come back again for sure. read more

Sakura Sushi House - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

See all

We were going to get AYCE so we could get Nigiri, but they recently changed their menu & this costs $5 extra. Johnny didn't want to disappoint so he gave us 20% off all Nigiri from the menu so we ordered 3 assorted. Afterwards, he asked which fish we liked best & have us an extra one on the house! These were one-time hook-ups, but the customer service was great & Johnny made sure we'd come back for more! read more

Been here a few times now. I'm not big on a lot of seafood but this spot's fish is so fresh that I don't even feel like I'm eating seafood. I personally love their Golden California Roll with an order of Gyoza. I recommend that 100%. Especially if you're not big on seafood or just looking to try something new. Thanks to their all you can eat special, you can actually try most of their sushi at a super reasonable price. The seating area is a little small, but very open. And the music isn't obnoxiously loud like other sit down restaurants which makes for an intimate lunch/dinner. The place is also very clean and there's no fishy smell either like other seafood spots. Of course the staff has been very friendly every time I've been. And you could even see them making your sushi rolls behind the glass counter in the lower seating area. Just adds to the charm. Will be back again 5/5 read more

Best sushi in town and amazing staff!! Tried most sushi in the area.. this is now our official place when we are in a sushi mood. It's a tucked away treasure.. eyes up or you'll miss it read more

Sakura Sushi House - Best sushi place in town and amazing staff !! - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

If you order sushi rolls, it's ok. But don't order sashimi. Chefs are not professional. We order Sashimi dinner $29.99 15 pcs chef choice of the day. They gave you cheap fish but cut in half inch thick per piece. Also, 2 kinds of Sashimi was super cold. Temperature control and cut is not professional. If you don't have expectations, sushi rolls are still ok and taste good. read more

A small but spacious sushi bar/restaurant. The staff is really attentive and friendly also dinner for AYCE is cheap! 23.99 for dinner and selected sushi rolls. But all fresh fish and doesn't take long for the food to arrive. Their sushi is worth the price! They don't make too big portions, very fair. I highly recommend the yummy and dragon roll!!! They are really delicious especially the dragon. read more

Sakura Sushi House - Dragon Roll - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

See all

Good all-you-can-eat sushi seems to be a rarity in the 626 and unfortunately, this place proved no better. I'm not a fan of making the drive all the way out to Corona for Asahi Sushi or San Dimas for Sushi Show, but it seems as though perhaps I have no choice. I came here with a couple of friends for their AYCE lunch. Should've taken it as a bad sign upon entering, because we were the only diners there at the time. We didn't quite overstuff ourselves like we usually do at other establishments, since it was lunch time and we weren't quite feeling up to eating like beasts. However, we did indulge in the salmon sushi, white tuna and mussels, which tasted of pretty good quality and was almost up to par with other well-known sushi establishments. So why am I giving this place two stars? Two reasons: 1. The sushi was overstuffed with rice. Hey, AYCE sushi restaurants, it's no secret that when you overstuff your rice, you're hoping that the rice will fill us up faster, thus decreasing the likelihood that we will order higher quantities of fish. Hey, some of us like to get our money's worth. And believe us, we notice when you do that. 2. They charged nigiri at the dinner price during lunch time. As in, you are free to come in for lunch during lunch hours. But if you order regular nigiri, as in fish on top of rice, you will be charged the dinner price...all because you ordered nigiri. Forgive me on my confusion here but what exactly is the point in offering lunch prices when you cannot even offer the most basic selections for the same price? Last time I checked, nigiri is a standard part of AYCE sushi. If a patron was trying to order sashimi, then I would understand. But why would I opt to pay $20+ for regular sushi during lunch time when I can go to another AYCE sushi restaurant and pay lunch price for the exact same items? Doesn't quite make sense and it's almost misleading to customers. I don't mind paying a little extra for excellent quality fish, but this wasn't even the case here. So there you have it. I hate it when restaurants creates all these loopholes for new customers to jump through. If you can't offer basic items like regular nigiri at your own advertised price, then you might as well not say you offer different pricing for lunch and dinner. Had I known about this ridiculous and dishonest rule, I would have never bothered to agree to coming here. read more

We were craving sushi and stumbled upon this gem, which we learned recently changed ownership. At the recommendation of the owner, we had the Lobster Roll, sashimi (so fresh and great portions!), grilled hamachi, and Spider Roll. All were delicious and so fresh. We wished we found this place in time for holiday parties as their party trays would've been a hit. We will definitely be back! read more

Went here on Sunday night at 8pm for AYCE. Only one other couple was there besides us. red flag one. Heard the chefs and waitresses talking mandarin.. red flag two. Pros: Service Nigiri sushi actually had fish that actually covered the whole rice bit. rolls were packed tightly together, didn't fall apart when picked up. Cons: Rolls had bits smaller than my pinky section of fish. -_-- all california rolls and rice and bits and pieces of fish on top. fish wasn't really fresh, sort of tasteless.. ;/ (only rolls) Ordered this one roll with lemon slices on top, it was literally a sliver of lemon sliced sooo thin, it was almost like a hair width. The infamous playboy roll was merely, meh. The service was excellent, didn't constantly bother us when our mouths were full and checked up on us once in a while. Music was playing, but chinese songs in piano form .. haha. Anyway, atmosphere was nice, bathrooms were clean. Since we were the only people there besides the other couple, their food should have been way better with all these 5 star reviews we were reading online. Nope, disappointment after disappointment. I wonder why are there so many five star reviews when there is barely any fish at all on the rolls.. makes me wonder if these people are legit customers .. conclusion: meh. stick to yoshino sushi in sg for ayce(cant believe this actually tops sakura sushi house), crazy mikes in west co, or asahi in rside. update: notice how everytime a 3 star review or lower is written up, a 5 star review immediately pops up after.... HMMMMMmMMM shady??? read more

First off there nigiri is not offered on AYCE They can't make handrolls I literally walked in and it was quiet and dark I didn't even try the food The ambience was horrible read more

It's a local favorite for some. Sushi is mediocre but service is excellent. They have a spicy tuna that is worth going for and it will light your Mouth up. Tempura is very unique to this restaurant because it's light and airy. I come here usually for lunch menu and they move quickly. Not the best I've ever had definitely not the worst. Middle of the road sushi house. read more

Eh. I'd drive a little further to get a better value for sushi. Only worth it if you have a coupon. AYCE - not worth the price - limited menu (doesn't include specialty rolls) - too much rice in ratio to nigiri SERVICE - good, attentive - they remembered us one our 2nd visit - even turned down the AC for us cause we were cold And they charged us for hot tea! Who does that? read more

Sakura Sushi House - salmon / super white tuna / albacore - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

See all

This place was horrible! I came here for the AYCE deal but was completely disappointed. We were told that if someone chooses the lunch price for AYCE, we have the option of opting out and ordering on the menu. But if someone chooses the dinner price, we all had to do it. What? The menu list is limited, nigiri is only offered for dinner price, and many of their speciality rolls aren't on the menu. They have pretty basic rolls on it. Thr service was horrible. One waiter, one chef. We were the only people in the restaurant and it took forever for us to get our food. We ordered nigiri and rolls. The first half of the nigiri took like 15-20 minutes to get. We finished that batch before our next one came (10 minute later) and sadly, it only had one type of fish on thr plate. I didn't like thr fact that I wasn't given a variety to eat or that it just didnt come with other our nigiri. Rolls took forever. Was brought out two separate time with 10-15 minute intervals. They didn't bring back our menu to order until after we finished all our food, which meant we couldn't have our second round ready and had to wait once again. Fish wasn't the worst, but it wasn't the best either. Rice to fish ratio sucked. The cut of the fishes were relatively small with huge portion of rice. Usually there's less rice on nigiri and more on rolls, this place did it thr other way around. Thr nigiri had lots of rice and the rolls had less in comparison. Plus the seaweed was a little chewy, not good. And disappointed at the fact that almost all their rolls on the menu were like California rolls or just stuffed with imitation crab topped with fish. It got tiring and boring eating the same thing. The only nice part about the visit was that they gave us all separate bills for everyone. Aside from that, never coming back. read more

This place is a hole in the wall and a hidden gem! It was recommended to me by a friend and it was so worth trying! The ayce sushi deal is the best. The salmon tastes so fresh and the service is fast and reliable. Our server was so nice! Since it was our first time there, he allowed us to try the Lion King Roll even though it's not typically on the ayce menu and it was a flavorful Hite to eat! Dragon roll was delicious! I love that the ayce sushi comes with complimentary miso soup and oranges at the end! Mochi ice cream was also really good! They make it look like a sundae for you by adding some whipped cream in the middle with a cherry on top! My sister and I left extremely satisfied and happy. The service was probably one of the best I've had :) read more

Sakura Sushi House - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

Well Sakura, I guess our love relationship could only last this long. Something down the line changed, was it me or was it you? I remember my first experience with Sakura was so astounding. The food was awesome, the service was great, and I just couldn't figure out why there was only my table at lunch. Alas, things have changed. Let's talk about the service first. I think that Darren is most likely the owner or at least the person in the business who does a lot of the business decisions. He has always been so kind and consistent to me, my girlfriend, and my family. There is no one in his restaurant that works harder or wants it to succeed. He has always been polite and understanding and willing to be flexible. So, take these words I'm about to say as really constructive criticism for your restaurant that I know you really love. The food has gone very downhill for the last few months. About six months or so ago, there was a new sushi chef working at Sakura. It was the very first time I took my sister to the restaurant and she was absolutely blown away by his take on your menu. She declared it the best sushi she had ever had. I agreed, and when we returned a week later and discovered that the sushi chef was on break, we still thought that the food would be good. The chef that was serving us that day was Darren's brother. His sushi was a bit more clumsy and less elegant. Somehow the sushi that he put together was very uninspired. As a result, for the next couple of months, I would call in and ask who was the chef for the day. Every single time it was Darren's brother. Finally about three weeks ago, convincing myself that Darren's brother might have improved, I set off with high hopes. As you can expect, the sushi was mediocre and our trip was disappointing. Darren was around and when I asked him what happened to that amazing sushi chef from before, he told me that he quit to become a truck driver and since then they didn't find a sushi chef to replace him. While I appreciate keeping family in the family business, it's disappointing when you know that the restaurant can do better than what they have to do work with. I sincerely hope that Sakura will take the time to reevaluate and consider practicing to get things right. Then again, this is just one loyal customer's input after all. read more

I decided to try this place out since it is local and seemed to have pretty reasonable prices. A lot of reviewers have criticized their rice to fish ratio, and their lack of selection on their AYCE menu. Yes they have a limited AYCE menu but it has a good representation of standard sushi that this white Californian male has grown to expect. I have been to some places where their full menu was less then this places AYCE menu. Overall I give the place a B rating on their sushi flavor, but it's just $22 for AYCE dinner, so I'm really not expecting more. Honestly I have paid more for worse sushi. Remember this isn't Hollywood or Vegas, this is the storefront that was the Video Bus for many years. Their portions are pretty substantial and I thought their rice to fish ratio was perfect. I give them an A for service, the place wasn't busy, and the staff made sure all our drinks were full at all times. I will ding them for the decor, cheesy contact paper bricks that aren't even put up straight, crappy fluorescent lighting. Then again it's on par for the neighborhood, and you get what you pay for. Maybe over time they can kick the decor up a notch. Overall I left with my wallet and gut full! Frankly I'd rather go to a local place like this with good service, then some expensive trendy sushi joint in Hollywood or Pasadena and pay a bunch of money for lousy service. Update: Last time I visited I was really disappointed. Quality is slipping. I'll be going elsewhere. read more

Came here with two coworkers for lunch on a Wednesday (11:30) and surprisingly we were the only customers the whole time we were there. The food, price, and presentation were all pretty decent. They offer an AYCE option but it didn't include all of the rolls on the normal menu so we opted out. My coworkers ordered lunch combos (bento boxes). They both enjoyed the variety of the tempura but thought the meat was just okay (steak and salmon). All of us received a bowl of miso soup which was filled with a nice amount of seaweed. I ordered the chirashi bowl and was pretty impressed by the quality of the fish. Very fresh and they gave a generous amount of fish. I wish they had sliced them thinner as I found it was somewhat hard to eat/bite off. The presentation was very cute but because the bowl was so small it was difficult to get the rice on the bottom without fish falling out. We ordered agedashi tofu (appetizer) and a roll wrapped in cucumber to share. The tofu was forgotten by the server and I almost wished we hadn't asked about it because it wasn't amazing. The pieces were thin and the breading was mushy. The roll was tasty but you couldn't pick it up without it falling apart (no rice). read more

See all

We loved it ! Great presentation and very reasonably priced . Took my teenager for a nice lunch Numba up from Andrew read more

Sakura Sushi House - We loved it ! Best place locally reasonably priced and my 14 year old loves it such a win - nice presentation too - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

This is a great little sushi spot! The sushi is super yummy and there's friendly and attentive service. It never gets super busy. They're AYCE menu is extensive and decently priced. read more

Sakura Sushi House - Playboy roll - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

See all

Mmmmm... sushi delivery on a rainy day? My boyfriend ordered us 2 lion king rolls and 1 chicken gyoza through grubhub. The food is on the pricey side but it's so delicious and has a lot of flavor to it. read more

Sakura Sushi House - 2 lion king rolls and 1 chicken gyoza! - Japanese Near Me - Monrovia, California

In my humble and honest opinion, I wouldn't go back to this place. I ordered to-go and by the time I got home (I live around the block), the food was already cold. The ingredients seemed like they hadn't been refrigerated the best. You'd be better off going to the sushi place on myrtle and foothill next to starbucks. read more