Restaurant seems dirty. Bathroom smelled like old poop. Carrots mushy and not edible. Given a filthy soy stained menu. Waiter was very nice. But not the restaurant of a few years ago read more

Stopped into Sakura for my father's birthday. There was only one other group eating when we arrived. We started with some tempura shrimp. The dipping sauce was good but I kinda wanted some flavor in the actual tempura batter. I got a hibachi plate with chicken and shrimp. It came with a salad or soup. I asked for soup. They brought out a salad. . . oh well. . . I ate the salad. The entree arrived. I didn't really love how it was plated with all the foods sectioned off by themselves. Chicken, shrimp, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, rice, all in separate little areas of the plate. Everything tasted ok. Nothing was great. My Dad got two sushi rolls and seemed to enjoy both of them. The service was good but that might be attributable to the fact that we were basically the only people there. I would return but it might not be my first choice in Winston. read more

We decided to go to Sakura based on the reviews of several Triad yelpers and because we were looking for a different spot to enjoy sushi. (Normally we ate at the Sushi bar at Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse). So, the first thing I noticed about the place was that the neon on the road sign is only half lit. Not sure what that meant but little things are important when making a presentation to your customers, and this is the first thing that you see. We were seated promptly and our server was polite. We decided to order Sunomono, a Crab salad, and tako yaki for appetizers. Both the salads had julienned cucumbers and seafood. The tako yaki is octopus inside of a dumpling. It was pretty good, the Tako Yaki was a tad underdone on the inside but still good. We ordered a platter of Spicy Tuna, Spicy Salmon, Fuji Maki (tuna, salmon, crab, avocado, etc), and a Volcano Roll (a spicy tuna roll topped with a octopus, crabmeat, shrimp salad. The sushi was (again) good, but quite honestly not as wonderful as I was expecting. Another thing that kind of disappointed me was that the only draft beer that is available are domestic mega beers. I can get Sapporo on draft in other places. I am starting to agree with other yelpers around here that, at this point, great sushi isn't really available in the Triad. read more

Sakura - Japanese Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

I've only been here once, but it was an enjoyable experience. A friend and I went for the 8-piece such rolls. I got a Philadelphia roll and she ordered something with salmon (the name escapes me). We shared rolls, of course, and I can say first hand that both were delicious! However, the real treat of our visit was sharing a slice of fried cheesecake. I had never tried fried cheesecake and I'm not sure why I denied myself of it for so long. It was incredible! If you go, leave some room, and order a slice. If you've not had fried cheesecake before, it may change your life. read more

Sakura - Philadelphia Roll - Japanese Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

I took my daughter here for her birthday on a Friday - we were about the only people there until about 5:45pm, then it started filling up. We had tried Mizu before, but I wasn't impressed - she thought they were okay, but their unagi had a freezer burn aftertaste, and I thought the sushi was a little bland, so we wanted to try to find someplace better. Having relocated here from Texas, we were used to a lot of options, and good sushi wasn't that hard to find there. We pulled up and her first concern was the drive-thru. Well, we had carry-out in Austin, so why not a drive thru? It's a good thing it didn't deter us. We started with a nigiri appetizer, tempura vegetables and miso. All of this was good, but not outstanding - just up to par. The miso was apparently lacking because she didn't finish it, and she always finishes a bowl of miso. They do need to use a different sauce for the tempura - what they use is far too sweet. The tuna on the nigiri was, however, melt-in-your-mouth good. After that we had nigiri eel (some people call this barbecue eel, but we know it as unagi, or cooked freshwater eel). It was tasty, and had none of the freezer burn or stale taste I've found at poor sushi bars. I judge a sushi restaurant by it's unagi - if they can't do unagi right, I can't trust them to do anything else right. The second test is their use of roe. The red & black tobiko on two of our rolls was generous and tasty. Some restaurants don't bother with roe - and that's a darn shame. And while there is room for improvement at Sakura, they still have the best sushi I've found in Winston Salem so far. Accompanying the eel we had the following rolls: Captain Crunch (I do NOT recommend that one. Frankly, I'd avoid any fried roll - why fry sushi anyway?), the Sakura Lobster, the Screamin' Demon (or was that Screamin' Deacons? I don't know, but definitely look for it), and my youngest had the Teriyaki Steak. The youngest looked at it and said "it looks like dog food", then took a bite and said "MMMMmmmm!" That's an absolute first from her - usually I'm lucky if she even eats rice when we go to Asian restaurants. Granted, she didn't touch the carrots, mushrooms or zucchini on the side, but that's because the child refuses to eat vegetables. Seriously. It's a wonder she's taller than me. Of the rolls, the Sakura lobster and the Screamin' Whatsit were amazing. So much so that we ordered another Sakura Lobster and some Nigiri Eel to take home. Yes, we still had half a platter of sushi left, but it may be a while before we get back there, and it was my daughter's birthday. I was a little dismayed that the to-go Sakura Lobster was served on a well presented plate with a sweet orange sauce and orange slices - which was missing from our original order. I'm glad they did it, even if I did have to maneuver it into the take out box, but it would have been nice if it had been part of our first order. They also need to think about making their rice a bit stickier. The rolls and nigiri would have held up better with stickier rice. If you are older and have trouble reading menus in dim light either take your glasses with you or ask for a table instead of a booth. The light is somewhat dim, and the booth seats are so close to the table you have trouble holding the sheet of sushi items out far enough to read. The service, however, was awesome. Our drinks never ran out (even when they got busy), and we were checked on regularly. Requests for additional napkins and wasabi were not forgotten. Overall, this place looks like a renovated Whataburger from the outside, but they have some great food inside, and excellent service. We'll definitely re-visit this one. read more

Sakura - Sakura Lobster Roll (right) and Nigiri Eel (left) - Japanese Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

amazing crunchy roll. we were very impressed, service was great and we didn't have to wait long at all! we will definitely be back read more

Sakura - Crunchy Rainbow Roll - Japanese Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Went to try out their cute patio. It wasn't BAD just not GREAT...rolls were not very neatly rolled (presentation counts for me) and they were pretty boring. I guess I am spoiled by Mizu who HANDS DOWN is my favorite sushi spot. Staff was friendly. Hubs had chicken tempura and portion was small- he had to eat something when we got home. Two dinners, two wines and two beers was $50....expensive for a meal we didn't TOTALLY enjoy. read more

Very affordable lunch. I had the chicken salad with avocado, mandarin oranges, and dried cranberries. It was a good portion for $7.95, and very tasty. My mom enjoyed her hibachi chicken with fried rice and vegetables. There were bean sprouts, along with the zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, and onions. All very tasty. Can't say much for atmosphere, but service, food and price were very good. read more

I have been here many times before & tonight I had the scallops that are now definitely on my list of favorites. I am never disappointed with the sushi, love it here. Tonight I only can have one small complaint & that was that my steak was well done when I said medium well. read more

Yum! Ordered customized sushi and it was delicious! I had requested no roe on one of the rolls, but it was served with roe. Still five stars because it was delicious and since I had it delivered via Postmates, they didn't have a chance to fix the problem. Friends got the grouper and said it was delicious. Portion sizes are filling and a good value for the price. I recommend giving them a try! read more

The best place in Winston to get sushi! I've been coming here for ten years always leave full and extremely pleased. The staff always treats me like family. I just spent my pas birthday here and really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. The sushi is great as well as the apps and I would definitely recommend the green tea ice cream to anyone. read more

My daughter and I eat here very often and it is amazing! Good is super fresh, the workers are nice and friendly! We don't even need menus and they remember us and bring our drinks with us having to ask or tell them! 10/10 we love it here!! read more

Food was delicious but I have to say I was IMMEDIATELY disappointed immediately after opening the box there is NO WHERE NEAR ENOUGH RICE . ‍‍ read more

We were passing thru Winston-Salem and wanted sushi. We had a pleasant visit here. Our sushi, gyoza, kids chicken katsu were delicious. My husband also ordered hibachi ramen, he liked it but I didnt, it was very plain.. anyways the server and hostess were alsl very nice. I would go again if I lived closer. read more

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After multiple visit here at different time. I would say that this Sushi restaurant is the real deal. The service is consistent and friendly staff. The sushi portions are generous and priced well. The parking area is easily accessible. If you want to try for the first time or you're a seasoned sushi eater, this place should be on top of your list. read more

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I have eaten at this establishment for many years and I so enjoy the friendly staff and service. The sushi is beautiful and the hibachi is the best! Today they were out of steak (they order from local farms) and I had the pleasure of the Filet Mignon which was flavorful and cooked just right. I miss eating on the patio and can't wait for to reopen!!! read more

I really love this restaurant. I literally eat here at least once a week. I've eaten sushi at a lot of restaurants in Winston Salem, and I truly like Sakura's sushi the best. For me, it seems to always have the right ratio of ingredients (and the right price). The sushi is plated in a pretty straightforward way, nothing fancy in terms of presentation really. But that's totally fine with me -- it means the food gets out quicker! Also, I've always thought the hibachi was pretty good (especially the steak or lobster), and for like $7-8 for a hibachi dinner, you really can't go wrong. I think Sakura gets a bad rap because it's a chain restaurant and it's prices are cheap, but don't let that deter you. It's a matter of setting your expectations I think. Of course, this is not like the fancier up-scale hibachi restaurants with the grills at each table and the knife shows. But if you come in expecting a good lunch or dinner, with good service, at a great price (you can often be out of this restaurant for under $20 for lunch or dinner for two), that's what you'll get! read more

I gave this place a 2 star because the staff are indeed very helpful and friendly. One star is for them and the other star is for the fresh salmon and tuna. The uni is kind of gross. The worst is the chicken teriyaki. I agree with the review below by Jon T. Like him, I am from Northern California and been to Japan so I know what good Japanese food is. But I travel all over the country a lot and I've had great Japanese food in Texas, Tennesee and Ohio among others so location is not an excuse. Chicken teriyaki is one of the easiest food to cook honestly. Grill the lightly salted chicken, do not over cook coz it will be very dry. And then add a good teriyaki sauce. Not too hard isn't it? You never, fry or ever put batter in a teriyaki chicken. It's really gross. It doesn't need much seasoning coz it ruins the taste. I don't have to tell you where to buy good teriyaki sauce, you'll have to do that on your own. They're not hard to find. People from all over the country who knows good Japanese food travel to your area. If you want them to come back, you need to improve your food. There's a Thai restaurant in Texas that I love going back to each time I'm in the area coz they're food is just so delicious. Hire a consultant or something. Being in North Carolina is not an excuse to have crappy Japanese food. You and some of your patrons may not know any better but other people do. read more

Sakura has become our go-to place for sushi. We visit 2-3 times a month. Last month my wife and went 5-times. We always start with steamed edamame. It lightly salted, hot and always delicious. I'm tired more than half of the rolls and several of the Sashimi and Nigiri assortments. We took friends there in April 2018 and ordered their larger Love-Boat samplers. My friend still raves about it. Now, I love tuna, good tuna, I always have; I prefer it as raw or close to raw as possible. On the other hand, I love cooked salmon, but raw salmon, not so much. I love octopus and scallops and a host of other seafood items, but I don't have a fondness for eel. This would be true wherever I order sushi, sashimi or nigiri. One of the things I really like about Sakura is that they'll customize my assortment plate or my sushi-roll. When I read down thru their menu, I always pay attention to the whats in each roll or assortment. I tell them about the salmon and the eel and they don't put them on my plate. I recommend that folks who a squeamish about some of the rolls start with the Wake-Forest Roll. It can't be beaten. And we always end our meal with a bowl of Green Tea Ice Cream. I say a bowl for two because a bowl is more than sufficient for the two of us. It may not be the snazziest place in town, but I come for the food and it's always good. And that keeps us coming back. (Oh, my wife tells me that their "regular dinner plates are great too. I really wouldn't know; because other than a taste from my wife's fork, I've ordered something else... read more

Sakura is the only decent place to get sushi in town. They have a large sushi menu of both maki and temaki and an average accompanying cooked japanese menu including teriyaki and "hibachi" dishes. I parenthesize hibachi because it's kind of hibachi style - not prepared in front of you, but served hibachi style. If you want real Hibachi, go to Kanpai. The clientele tends to be a younger crowd and the restaurant itself looks like it was some sort of fast food joint in a previous life. It still has a drvie through window, making it the only drive through teriyaki and sushi place in town :) Food is consistently above average and the only reason it doesn't get five stars is because I've had five star sushi, teriyaki and hibachi, and this ain't it. Enjoy! read more

For the value of this place, it's pretty dang close to as good as it going to get in Winston-Salem without breaking the bank. (Look at the menu for prices, because I swear a-la carte, stuff is expensive! I was a dork my first visit and was distressed and didn't look at the menu at all and just started to order stuff. BAD MOVE!) Although if there was ONE thing I would order a-la carte is the clear soup. Seriously, THE BEST in town. (I'm a little bit of a freak when it comes to clear soup...see Ichiban review.) Greatest gift to a calorie counting girl ever! I'm re-doing this update because now that I've been to Winston-Salem a little longer and have tried more places, I can truly say that this is a place I could frequent often. It's like the Cheers of sushi bars. Everyone knows my name, and they always ALWAYS greet me with warm wishes. It's been like that since the beginning, and it's never been any different. It's not pretentious, you can go with cut-offs and a ripped shirt if you want to (seen that, didn't even stare!) or wear pedicure flip flops (I did the latter my last visit, because my toes were still wet!! hahaahaha!!)...it's just good food at a pretty reasonable price. I'm all for that! Finally, I wanted to add the hibachi part of this, because it is an update. My fiance likes the hibachi, but he pretty much sticks with steak or a combo with the chicken. It's good when I can sneak a bite. The vegetables are a good mix, and doesn't look or taste like all filler onions or what not, and the fried rice is kind of made for my fiance. The meal is hearty but not too heavy . I always come out of here with a food coma. It's a good balance between my fiance being happy with his food and me being happy with mine, and I'm grateful to Dori & the bunch for giving me food love when I need it. read more

Excellent service. Outstanding localized sushi rolls with hand-crafted care. This is my favorite outdoor spot to enjoy sushi on a lovely afternoon or evening. Your staff is excellent. read more

Came in for dinner and was craving some sushi. They have two menus, so make sure you have the insert of for their sushi menu inside your normal one. It looks like this place used to be a fast-food restaurant that was converted. But they did a good job hiding it. They had a 2 for $20 dinner special going on when we were there, so we both got the Hibachi Steak. It was excellent, a good size portion of veggies, meat and rice. We also ordered their egg roll, which was a variant on the common eggroll, reminded me more of a fried sushi roll. Of course, I ordered sushi as well. Some great picks to choose from, and all of them were tasty. It wasn't fancy like some other places, but that's fine with me. Overall a good experience and I might try and check them out for lunch as they have some awesome specials then. read more

Although this was our least favorite of the 3 places we tried, we really have no complaints. The rolls were fresh and the staff was friendly. We ordered the Sakura Lobster and Angels & Demons rolls. Something seemed to be missing that we cant put our finger on, maybe the atmosphere or customers? Overall it was a-ok. read more

Sakura - Sakura - Japanese Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

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Back when we lived in Winston, this was one of our favorite Japanese places. The food was always great...which is why it pains me a bit to leave this review. When we went the other night, after having not been there for a while, we were definitely underwhelmed by the experience. The food not up to the standard we had come to expect from Sakura. The steak was really very bland and even though it was supposed to be Teriyaki, the sauce (what there was of it) certainly didn't seem to actually be teriyaki. My wife said the same thing as we left and even said that the shrimp sauce was watery and generally lacking. I hope it was just one bad night....but if not then I'm really sad to have seen such a great place fall off that far. read more

I have been coming here for years and they are still my go to sushi spot. They are affordable and always have creative specials. Food also comes out very fast. The staff is very nice and remember all the regulars. If you are with a group small enough to sit at the bar I definitely recommend it. They are also good for food other than sushi. Their ramen and hibachi are tasty. read more

Yeah, I like this place better than Ishi and Ichiban. Its my favorite sushi place in WS by far. I havent had a roll there I didnt like. They have all the usual stuff, nothing special, but everything is done fairly well. read more

Horrible sushi. I believe you'll be better off going to Harris Teeter and buying the store made, almost frozen pseudo sushi than Sakura's. Fish is not fresh, rice is dry and tasteless and they put some sauce that looks like a mediocre ketchup... and: EXPENSIVE. Go to Ishi (half mile away) or even Whole Foods instead. read more

I have never had one problem here. The quality of the food is good, but presentation is a little weak. The sushi rolls that I get (almost always the same) are fresh & delish. We love to sit on the patio, which has plenty of room. Although, the tables are a little worn and wobbly. But not so bad as to not eat on them. All in all, not a bad joint for some quick sushi/dinner. The prices are great, and if your a student, even better, they have a discount for you guys. read more

Best sushi in Winston Salem hands down. Staff was extremely friendly and fast. If you're looking for the best sushi in Winston then look no further! read more

Sakura - Best sushi in Winston Salem! - Japanese Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

great food, great prices, and great service. I don't do sushi so the other food is amazing. I have heard the sushi portions are quite generous. I like my food cooked and the salmon was amazing. HAVE A DRIVE THRU read more

Always great food and service here! I love that they serve edamame it's so yummy and good for you too.

I have only been here once so I am hesitant to be too harsh. I ordered a roll that came with spicy mayo but it was served with eel sauce. One of those I love, the other I strongly despise. I ended up not being able to eat the roll. Simple complaint but greatly disappointing. read more

Affordable but unfortunately bland. I ordered the teriyaki chicken entree and I was not impressed. I gave them 4 stars became it was okay but also because I haven't ordered sushi from there yet. read more

This spot is terrible. There teriyaki chicken was dry no teriyaki sauce and their sushi was ok but not as good as other places

The sushi was meh. I ordered a Fuji Maki because it has everything in it: tuna, salmon, crabmeat, avocado, topped with shrimp, salmon, tuna, and chef sauce. The roll was way smaller than I expected for the price ($14 including tax and tip). My friend's steak hibachi smelled/looked good so maybe I'll try that if I go back. As for the sushi, I found another place in town I like better. read more

Just tellin' you up front, I'm only here to review their japanese style fried rice. Yeah, they've got sushi, and I'm sure it's good, but their fried rice is SO good. It's not your typical fried rice you'd get anywhere else - no soy sauce, or overloaded with frozen veggies... nuh uh. I don't know what they do with it, or how they make it, but this stuff is like CRACK to me. It's lightly seasoned but OH SO flavorful. It's got little bits of egg and you get to pick your protein - shrimp, chicken, beef, etc. Get the shrimp. And ask for a side of the white sauce to go with this and you're set. So yummy! Oh, and they've also got a drive-thru window - never used it, but sounds like it's a great way for take out without getting out of your car! read more

Fair good Japanese food to the price. I had some sushi there and my friend had soba(?). Mine was quite good and the soba looks delicious. Will definitely come back in the future! read more

Terrible. Gyoza were soggy. The volcano roll without the topping was edible, but the topping was extremely fishy tasting and served hot?

I agree, this is the best sushi place in W-S. And it just so happens that it was also the first place I ever had sushi. Good food, decent service. Have no problem recommending this to anyone looking for sushi in Winston. read more