The environment was not as good, we were first placed at a table right outside of the bathroom, after requesting for a change we got moved to the backyard when the hot kitchen fan was constantly blowing at us. Not a good idea to eat outside because the floor was not even and our table was rocking, and there were flies around. Waiting for a long time, ppl came later got their food before us. Order the sato ramen, the soup has a heavy grassy taste. Also order the seafood ramen, the soup was only warm but not hot like it supposed to be ( can't even melt the small butter) and the ramen itself was hard. The soup is salty. The water they served is coming right out from the sink water because it has a metal taste. read more

SATO - Outside dinning area - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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FINALLY I was able to give this place a try. I managed to get a few friends together at the last minute and it was worth the planning. First, when you walk in, you'll see a large table (communal seating), along with a few seats along the front window. It's a fairly small restaurant but has enough room to seat maybe 20 people or so. The menu has a decent number of options, including appetizers. There are some alcoholic beverages on the menu, including a plum wine, but I decided to stick with the water. I went with the Gyu Don and it was yummy - the dish was the perfect size, the beef was nice and tender, and I liked the hint of ginger. I'll definitely be back for more! :D FYI, there is waiting service, which was a nice bonus. If you want to grab a tasty lunch or dinner, you must give this restaurant a try! read more

SATO - Gyu Don rice bowl - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Overview: A decent spot for a quick bite on the Elmwood strip but it won't blow you away. Ambiance: I only stayed in the front bar area and haven't seen the upstairs dining area. Where I sat was clean and somewhat classy for the space they have. Sitting at the bar, you see lots of items normally behind the scenes such as glassware and a toaster oven. It is cool you get to see them making sushi though. Overall, I felt a bit out of place especially with all the mobile app delivery services coming in constantly to pick up orders. Food: I had the Spicy Miso Ramen. It was good, but not great. It had just a little spice which is good for those who don't like it too hot and for those that do, they offer a spice bomb. I didn't try the spice bomb, but they have a decent selection of spices you can use brought over to you as well that I ended up using. The broth had excellent flavor, but the combination of flavors in the included ingredients was a bit bland (you can add whatever you want for an extra cost). The noodles themselves had a doughy-like flavor which I wasn't a huge fan of either. A plus is this meal came out much quicker than I expected. Drink: I had the Irish Goodbye cocktail and it was excellent. I've never had it before and looked like there was quite the process in making it but well worth it. I would've been happier if it was maybe a buck or two cheaper but overall worth getting for an after-dinner drink. Staff: I mainly talked to the girl behind the bar who was personable and friendly. Parking: Street parking read more

SATO - Spicy Miso Ramen (large) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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First time here. Everything on the menu looked so good. Finally decided on the spicy ramen soup and sushi. Everything was amazing and the manager even came up to check up on us. read more

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The jam spot. This is my favorite sushi by far. They make many classic sushi rolls but with style, flare, and gorgeous plating. The staff is excellent and the seating is very comfortable. They also have a nice back garden area, although I haven't dined out there yet. read more

My favorite Sato establishment is Sato Ramen, but this location is closest to where I live. And since Sato Ramen is small, I'd recommend this location or Sato Brewpub if you're dining with a bunch of people, since they're roomier. But more about this Elmwood location: the menu has a little bit of everything when it comes to the most popular Japanese dishes, sushi, ramen, curry, etc. You won't find all the ramen varieties that Sato Ramen offers, but they have the basics. The veggie ramen I've had here seemed consistent with the veggie ramen I've had at Sato Ramen, with a nice array of vegetables, but a broth that's a bit too salty for my tastes. I'm a vegetarian, and Sato offers a good number of vegetarian-friendly rolls, both the single-vegetable kind (e.g., just avocado or just cucumber) and the more fancy combination kinds. In the latter category, I tried the Sweet Potato Tempura roll and the Green Mountain roll. If you love seaweed salad like me, I recommend the Green Mountain roll, since they top the pieces with seaweed salad, though they are tricky to eat. I liked the crunch factor in the Sweet Potato Tempura roll, but didn't feel it had much taste besides the big dollop of spicy mayo on each piece. The servers are friendly, but can drop the ball. On my most recent visit, our server was good at first and checked in on us after we had started eating, but then forgot about us. We sat for a long time with empty plates in front of us, hoping to ask for the dessert menu. The restaurant had gotten busier since we had first arrived, and he had quite a few tables to look after, but one of those tables was less than two feet away from us. Our server stopped by that table at least twice after we had clearly finished eating and didn't look over at us. When I finally made eye contact with him (and scowled, according to my husband), he came over and apologized, and asked if we just wanted the check. We decided to just cut our losses at that point, pay our check, and find dessert elsewhere on Elmwood. Given Sato's convenient location, I expect I'll be back, but might go across the street to Wasabi first when in the mood for sushi. read more

SATO - Sweet Potato Tempura Roll and Green Mountain Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I've eaten at the Sato on Main Street many times, so me and my friend decided to check out the location on Elmwood. The decor and ambiance is definitely different, but in a good way! It's super cute inside and there's a patio to eat at on nice days. The menu is larger than the menu at Main Street (this one includes sushi and tons of drink options), but it is just a bit pricier. Nothing outrageous though! The food is on par with the quality of the Main Street location and I could've eaten what I ordered forever. Spicy Miso Ramen is my go to! The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is that our server didn't check up on us as often as we would've liked when we needed something or when we were ready to pay. We sat on the patio, though, so I could understand why we had to wait a bit. Overall great experience! read more

Went for dinner with another couple! Service was excellent! We started with the Alaska roll and the dumplings! Both were good! I ordered the spicy miso ramen. My wife ordered the Sato ramen and we were very pleased with our choices! The spicy ramen was perfectly spicy. Not too hot. Excellent choice! read more

Always one of the best places to! Super great staff and food is incredible. Have never had a bad anything!!!!

I am a Indian curry beast I love them. Normally Japanese curry has to be really special to even register. I had the tonkatsu to start it was great. But the vegetable curry was the star. The flavour was a peppery (as in black pepper) hot which many places get completely wrong, not so here. I also had the shimbo lager and it was really good. As a Brit I can tell good from bad. This is a local brew and really nice light drink. Great job given the difficult circumstances. By friend had gyoza and spicy miso Ramen. He is also a very experienced eater and was very happy with the meal. Last but not least the service was great the knowledge of menu and friendliness was really pleasant. read more

Food and service were both excellent! Refreshing drinks and a great atmosphere. Our server Shayla went above and beyond to make our dinner wonderful. read more

This place is adorable! The front bar area is so cute, and then up the stairs to the dinner area...great atmosphere! Started with the pork gyoza and it was excellent and freshly made. Then, I had the sushi roll and a sweet potatoes roll which was out of this world. Do yourself a favor, and try the sweet potato roll. For dessert, I had the cinnamon ice cream and it was very good (from Sweet Jenny's) but the pic I shared was my friends dessert. A take on s'mores. Keep it up Sato, delish! read more

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Shio Butter Ramen- I added the soft boiled eggs and spice bomb and I got the lavender lemonade which was AMAZING. Great service, great location, great food. 0 complaints..for now read more

SATO - Shio Butter Ramen- I added the soft boiled eggs and spice bomb. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

I cannot belive it has taken me so long to visit Sato on Elmwood. Boy was I missing out! I went there for lunch on a Friday. The space is beautifully decorated with a modern flare and some floral accents. My friend and I both ended up ordering the same thing. They have a lunch special for $12.99 which includes any of their small size ramen with a choice of spring rolls, edamame, green salad or sea weed salad. They also have another lunch special for the same price and a choice of 2 rolls, from a specific list, with misp soup. We both got the spicy miso ramen and spring rolls. The spring rolls came first and were stuffed with shitake mushrooms, glass noodles and carrots. They were crispy and full of flavor. The dipping sauce was interesting. I couldnt quite decipher the flavor, but it was creamy pink in color and complimented the spring roll well. The ramen were served in a chicken and pork broth mixed with miso, which gave it some body. It also came with carrots, corn, bean sprouts, a soft boiled egg and slices of pork. The broth was stick to your ribs good. The ramen are made in house. They are buttery and delicous. As with fresh pasta, they weren't al-dente necessarily, but still had a nice bite to them. Perfectly cooked and not overdone. We washed it all down with a cold beer and left very satisfied. The service was excellent and the server was knowledgeable about whatever questions we had. I will definitely be going back and will also check out the other Sato locations in the area. read more

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Five star food, five star ambience, five star location, Zero star customer service on my most recent visit. I ordered the spicy miso Ramen with chicken and it was as expected, absolutely delicious! Our server/bartender was very friendly and helpful and good throughout the entire dining experience. The issue came at the end of the meal where the check was brought and I found out that I was being charged an extra five dollars for having chicken with my Ramen. Apparently they have an upcharge for changing meats and don't have any allowance for substitutions. Leaving aside how ridiculous that is, my server made absolutely no mention whatsoever that there was a charge or that there were no substitutions. When I questioned it, she said it's in the menu and you have to pay for anything that you change and walked away. I was bewildered, and had I been told from the get go about their no substitutions policy I wouldn't have asked for it and I especially would not have agreed to give them five extra dollars for a different meat (other than pork). I walked my check up to the pay station to again question the charges and not being told, and was told very rudely that it's written in the menu before she walked away from me again. It's very bad customer service to not allow your customers to make substitutions and make things to order, and it's much worse service to not tell them about an upcharge. But what is truly unacceptable is to treat your customers disrespectfully in the process and walk away from a paying customer on two separate occasions. I was very disappointed in the customer service experience and I will not be coming back. read more

So the place randomly closes 45 minutes before the stipilated closing time in Yelp because of "the smoke." On top of that, the receptionist was snotty about it when I asked why they stopped seating early. Not very good business practices and I would never go to this poorly run restaurant. read more

Everything is decently priced for the food you get. Leans a bit more on the pricey side. The waitress was kind and the food came out quickly. We ordered the Butter Ramen, Karaage chicken, Tonkatsu curry rice, and Gyudon, it was extraordinary and tasted amazing! The atmosphere was a nice modern vibe and I would definitely recommend visiting read more

SATO - The Tonkatsu Curry Rice from SATO - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Good stormer service nice little area to hang out I went with two of my friends the ramen could be better, I would have rated higher if there wasn't so much salt in the ramen and it wasn't just my bowl but same for my friends. Would I come back if I was hungry I think so hopefully less salt on the ramen this time? read more

SATO - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Fantastic food, amazing drinks, and friendly service! Would go again and again. Definitely suggest the shrimp tempura sushi.

Arrived at 8pm the sign says they close at 9:30pm and the kitchen closes 30min before closing and the hostess said she can't seat us because the kitchen is closing in 30min. Doesn't make sense at all. Unfortunate, really wanted to try this place. read more

Sato is fabulous and a must try for all ramen enthusiasts! I've never had better ramen in my life and as an avid souper I've been very impressed. read more

Been for lunch a few times. We typically get some sushi and some ramen. The sushi is good. We've never had their nigiri, nor anything fried and showered with panko, but the spicy tuna roll and the Alaska roll are great. They serve sushi on slate tiles, which feels quite fancy! I have mixed feelings about the ramen. I ordered the spicy miso ramen. It's beautifully presented with nice springy noodles and an assortment of vegetables. But the broth really didn't do it for me. It wasn't spicy and it didn't have the deep flavor base we all prize in ramen. It was good and comforting on a cold day, and I'll probably order it again. But I was disappointed it wasn't better. The corn is a nice addition but on this day it was steamed for too long and so mushier than I think it should be. The soft-boiled egg was also cold. Apart from that: we sat at the bar, and the service was great. They have a nice selection of beer. Compared to e.g. Wasabi across the street, the atmosphere at SATO is really wonderful. Big beautiful windows, clean and modern inside. Take a date. Take parents. Stop in for a quick lunch. It's a great place to have in the village. read more

SATO - The spicy miso ramen. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

This is the second time I've been to SATO and I feel like it's just *average*. I tried ramen for the first time here and it was underwhelming. Positive is though that it was a large bowl. Their sushi is pretty good. My main issue is that my group of 4 and I (who had reservations), had been at our table for 50 minutes. We were given our second round of drinks 5-10 min prior, when, our server came up to us and warned us that there was another reservation in 15 minutes. So... we were being kicked out? When we just got our second round of drinks? We felt rushed then. This is the first time any of us have ever been told by a server that our time was almost up. Hey Sato, if you can't accommodate groups of people, then maybe you should spread out your reservation times. It's not like we were there for hours! read more

Truly great customer service. The food is delicious. I devoured my plate completely. It's only a four out of five because it's a little bit chilly in here. Other than that I would totally come here a second time. (Not expensive at all) read more

Worst customer service I've ever received. Poor management. Staff was very rude and biased towards my date and I. Hostess wouldn't even do her job by properly greeting and seating us. Will never return back. read more

Best Sushi and Ramen in town. Service is spot on. The restaurant is small, even when it is full it is not too loud to have a conversation. My only suggestion is to go back to putting containers of soy on the table rather than packets. read more

One of our go to stops to satiate that constant 'real Japanese' craving. Love sitting at the sushi bar, as always, to interact with the foodie staff. Whether it's sushi or ramen, you can't go wrong.And don't forget to wash it down with one of the beers from their downtown brewery. read more

Enjoyed an exceptionally pleasant evening on the patio (which I did not even know they had!). We were served by Regan who was an absolute sweetheart. We put the fate of our meal in her hands and she did not disappoint with her recommendations. We spent some time at the end of the evening having great conversation with the rest of the crew. read more

Visiting Buffalo from out of town and was really craving ramen. Found this on Yelp and decided to try it out. I got the veggie ramen and it was delicious. I also tried their sake nigiri and it was delicious. They had a wide range of sake and other drink choices. I had the miso caramel donut for dessert and it was FABULOUS!! The vibe was super chill, which I'm always after. Parking was tight, but don't let it run you away from the awesome restaurant!!! read more

The help was downright affable and professional all at once. Rare these days. That CBW Yuz IPA is killer, and you can only get it at Sato, at least for now. Love how they have Hitachino White on tap, and a fine selection of Japanese whiskey and Sake. I found the atmosphere lovely, and the back patio was beautiful. Nice place for a dinner date. Very attractive place. I had a medium sushi plate. It was a nice value for $17 and a nice presentation on a rectangular slate stone. I found the fish fresh and of the perfect temperature. The seaweed was crisp (not rubbery, my pet sushi peeve) and the rice was fresh and perfectly dressed with rice wine vinegar. Nice and light. I appreciated having fresh crab in the roll and a scallop (my favorite! and super fresh) and a squid sushi in addition to the standard mackerel, tuna, and salmon. I found the sushi on par with my favorite sushi in the neighborhood - Kuni's. My friend had eel tacos and he raved about them even if they were a bit light. Will definitely go back for noodles. read more

Amazing I go at least twice a month and I'm never disappointed! I tell everyone this is the place to go for ramen!

Great service, excellent ingredients, chef likely a bit inexperienced. Service was excellent. No, not as fast as typical Americans rush, but friendly, helpful, accurate, attentive. The nigiri were not as tightly made as should be, but ingredients were of excellent freshness and quality. Very good sự selection at reasonable prices. Service again was really great if you have time to enjoy your meal like my family did when we came in: very attentive, friendly, professional and helpful without being intrusive. read more

This place has beefed up the meal I was too familiar with eating while in college; ramen noodles. Who knew ramen could be so delicious and appetizing looking. I never knew this place had a back patio, it was very quiet and peaceful back there and the chairs were very comfortable. It was the first nice day in a while and also a Monday so I'm sure it was busier than normal. So the service was a little slow but was understandable. I ordered the spicy ramen, it was kickass. So many different flavors and it opened up a world of soft boiled eggs to me. I've never tried them in soup before but think I will be addicted now. I can't give 5 stars yet until I try more things. We ordered 2 cold appetizers that turned out to be like fancy Chex mix. Error on our part for not asking for more details, but beware when ordering the cheaper appetizers they sound fancier than they are. Gave us a good laugh. read more

SATO - Spicy ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

What does SATO stand for? It is often debated, in fact leading to many fights and a few shootings, one of which I witnessed (there was lots of blood, it was awful)... Sometimes the fights start as mere fights, but then Shootings Always Take Over. After my friend was shot, the bullet severing his artery, I rushed him to hospital but the ER was admitting patients with Swollen Abdominal Tensions Only. So I grabbed a doctor at gunpoint and took him to the restroom and forced him to perform a Severed Arterial Tract Operation. He survived (the Doctor didn't). The owners of SATO come from a country with no real freedom, Speech And Talking Oppressed and lots of misery. They originally survived in the USA by Selling Already Tested Opium, but then opened this restaurant. Their food is excellent, but their Spellings Are Truly Orrible - just look at the menu board. So I was with a girl on a first date, here at SATO. Tall brunette, very dark tanned (sorry), high heels, false eyelashes, and so on. Taller than me and I'm okay with that. I was trying to charm her with my intellect, Speaking Ambivalently Towards Onomatopoeia, but she kept putting her hand on my leg. I said "we shouldn't do that in public", but it didn't stop her, she was Still Acting Truly Oddly, and then a guy leaned over and said "I used to date her, She Always Touches On guys in public... and then some." This kind of got me worked up, I felt a Strong Animalism Taking Over, and tried to do the deed with her in front of everyone. She said I couldn't do it the regular way because she didn't want to end up with any offspring, so we agreed on Slow An** To Org*** as the preferred consummation method of choice. When we finished, we had put on such a fantastic show that the whole restaurant cheered. She yelled "Stop Applauding! Time Out!" got up, and ran out of the place. I never saw her again. Anyway, on to the actual review. I come here for one thing and one thing only, and that is the Ramen. The bowls are absolutely HUGE and can feed a family. I have been here three times. Once was not to eat (I was late, so I just sat with my Yelp friends, and noticed the girl that inspired the story above, sitting on the other side of the room. Not even kidding this time). Another time was for a Yelp Elite Tasting event. And the other time was to enjoy the amazing Spicy Ramen which everyone and their mother must try. The eel tacos are interesting, the shitake mushroom is good, the desserts are good, and the curry rice is excellent, but nothing compares to the amazing Spicy Miso Ramen. It's $14 at dinner and $12 at lunch. My review of the Yelp Event included the following about the staff and food: The hosts were AMAZING, the Japanese chef (the wife) is spectacularly talented, the Buffalonian host (hubby Josh) is a great guy and made a great decision in having this event at his place... I have to be honest, I don't even usually like Japanese food, but when they brought out the curry, and especially the Spicy Miso Ramen. I absolutely loved it. It has pork and some egg in it, and a spicy (but not too spicy) broth, it's just heavenly. The Spicy Miso Ramen and the Curry mean that this place is going to get a 5/5 from me, I am certain of it. And a bad-attempt-at-comedy-review. I'll come back for those dishes. The desserts were also excellent. As was the lovely, helpful server - also named Josh. Please come to SATO and have some utterly delicious spicy Ramen. The curry rice bowl is also excellent. Also they have a cool glitter ball hanging from the ceiling. And super cute girls with fake eyelashes eat here. That inspire me to write obscene fictional stories into food reviews. They are usually with their boyfriends. And said boyfriends would kill me if they read this review. Gulp. PS My review officially bumped SATO up from 3.5 to 4 stars overall, and I am very proud to declare that. That's what happens when you generously invite a bunch of Yelp Elites to try your amazing food, and many of them fall in love with it! Other business owners, take note! PPS The spelling comment was a joke (you don't say?) but then I noticed on the menu for this place, the explanation of Spicy Miso Ramen stops randomly halfway through the sentence. So if the owner is reading, check it out and fix it! Once it's fixed, I'll remove this portion of my review. read more

This place was recommended to me by many people for their Ramen Noodles it looks much bigger on the inside than i expected, modern decor with nice bar We ordered sea weed salad that was much better than any sea weed salad that i had in Buffalo, it has a variety of different weeds with red pepper flakes for an extra kick The edamame is sprinkled with either regular salt or spicy salt, i never tried spicy salt before and it was perfect with the edamame Their best seller roll is the seven spice roll, the rice is not sticky as expected in sushi so it was fallen apart easily, the seven spice over powered the taste of the tuna and salmon For a place known for Ramen, i would expect more variety, they had 4 Ramen kinds, 2 pork, one shrimp and crab, one vegetarian. But to be fair they have extra additions at the bottom that included chicken, and a lot of vegetables I ordered the shrimp and crab ramen, and they were very nice to change the pork and chicken stock for me with the vegetarian one cause i don't eat pork, the broth is flavorful and clear just how it should be, but the ramen was thick and very starchy I had authentic Ramen in Indonesia and the ramen here is not comparable to the authentic ramen in freshness and lightness read more

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I can't express how happy I am that Sato is here in Buffalo. My partner and I used to go to Serene Gardens a lot, over on Grand Island. With the delicious food and fun garden shop, it was well worth the trek, but now that they opened up a restaurant in Buffalo, we're definitely going more often! :D For our starter, we ordered the Kale salad. Oh man! It was amazing. I don't often like kale because it is so bitter, but the chef was able to complement the bitterness with saltiness, which I enjoyed immensely. The salad also had a beautifully fried Lotus Root as a garnish, which was probably my favorite part of the salad. If I could just get a side of Lotus Root with my next salad, I would be in heaven! :D For our entree, I ordered the Chirashi Zushi and my partner ordered the Vegetarian Ramen. He loved it, which was great. I tried it, and I thought it was missing an element. It tasted very single note with the soy sauce. It just needed something, je ne sais quoi. My Chirsashi Zushi was amazing. I loved the beautifully cut fish over the sour, vinegary sushi rice. Eating that meal was how food should be eaten. Slowly, savored, enjoying each bite. I also liked that I got to try Uni again. (Not a fan!) But I am happy to try it as it is such a unique delicacy. For dessert I ordered the Kumquat Sponge Cake with Green Tea Ice Cream. It was so pretty, I almost didn't want to eat it. The fresh thinly cut kumquats on the side were genius. Also, the candied kumquat was exactly how candy should taste. Completely rich, sugary, with not a sense of artificial flavor to it. And the candied kumquat was designed perfectly. It looked like a little orange flower. The cake was dry, and definitely needed the big dollop of whipped cream on the side. The whipped cream also had powdered green tea sprinkled on top which was AMAZING. I told you that dish looked beautiful. :) The green tea ice cream was also deliciously rich and creamy. My partner ordered the rice pudding for dessert, and he loved it. He said it wasn't incredibly sweet at all, which was perfect because he prefers less sugary desserts. Overall, I loved Sato. I'm definitely coming back on a regular basis if my pocketbook can handle it. :) With the great owner(s), chef, waitstaff, food, atmosphere, what's not to love? I just can't wait to try all of their different sake. That's for next time! *Suggestions? I would want to bring back the Tempura Shrimp. My partner's mother loved Chef Satomi's Tempura Shrimp, so it was a little sad to see it drop from the menu. Plus, it makes sense because Buffalo loves its fish fries! Secondly, what about a sake flight? That sounds genius, and I would love to see it on the menu. *hint hint* :D read more

SATO - Chirashi Zushi Entree - Sushi Bars Near Me - Buffalo, New York

Many years ago I had a pen pal from Japan and my curiosity of the Japanese culture was fulfilled with our many letters back and forth. Over the years we lost contact with one another and went on with our lives. I'm not sure what Norika Kiamati is doing today, but I realized I knew nothing of the Japanese culture - least not in food - until now. Not long ago I went to Sato for a Yelp Elite event and I was amazed with everything, but unfortunately a Yelper doesn't get to write about a place that provides for a Yelp event - the reason are many, but sometimes it just doesn't seem fair when a place seems so amazing. Therefore, with this place - I HAD to return to check them out and ensure it wasn't just a fluke - perhaps behind all that amazement was just a brick oven that later would serve pizza and subs! Today - I had the chance to return with my wife and son. Let me tell you - it is NOT a fluke and I seriously doubt there is a brick over and pizzas being cooked by Chef Sato. This amazing chef didn't just bring a piece of Japan to Elmwood - she is helping to make Elmwood a food destination! It's so hard to talk about what I/we liked best today because everything is SO darn good. We tried two types of sushi - spicy ramon - curry - chicken teriyaki - eel tacos - and amazing deserts too - mochi ice cream (strawberry and green tea) and the very best rice pudding ever! Yes - and 4 different sake - OMG are they ever good. I am sure that the spicy ramon is a health soup for a cold - and any of the curry will fill you up on a cool night. I can't pick my favorite and I won't - until I've gone back and tried everything, which will be hard seeing that Chef Sato changes the menu constantly. OK - let's talk price - I travel all over the United States and this by far is the best value I have ever found. I mean there are cheaper places, but none that compare to this place - you get what you pay for and at Sato you are getting so much - from the local ingredients to the love that goes into her recipes. Cleanliness is spot on - I do believe one of the cleanest of all restaurants I've been too - that means a lot to me! Service was OUTSTANDING - A.J - Molly - Josh - all super fantastic - Chef Sato - she even delivered some of our food. The knowledge they all have about the menu - the ingredient - it's simply amazing and I look forward to a return trip - many of them actually! I know I missed selection - but trust me - there is something for you on at Sato - vegan - vegetarian - meat eater like me and plenty of drinks to select from as well. In the near future there are plans to include a Japanese Garden outside in the back too - if they do that half as good as the inside - it will be a great addition. Thanks to the entire staff at Sato for giving us a night to remember! read more

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My Order: "Award winning" stew/soup, Spicy Miso Ramen, Goat Cheesecake Pros - the ambiance and environment seems very pleasant; there are fresh flowers & candlelit, it's a perfect date night location - their korean wine selection is amazing; Buffalo is particularly lacking in serving authetic Asian products Cons - the stew/soup was lackluster. Blame it on my authentically Chinese heritage, but I don't understand how this soup won a "Best Soup/Stew in Town" award. It was watered down Chinese soup, at best. However, I can understand how it can seem "exotic" to the more westernized culture in Buffalo - the Spicy Miso Ramen was very salty; don't get me wrong, I am a ramen-fanatic. I live, breathe & eat ramen almost 1-2x a month back home in Toronto. It was relatively comme-ci comme-ca (so-so), but the saltiness wasn't the greatest. - the goat cheesecake was DISGUSTING. I absolutely love cheesecake. I've never not liked cheesecake before. that was a complete disappointment. Overall, SATO is relatively mediocre based on the ramen places that I've been to. However, I think it's the "best" I've seen so far in Buffalo. Please don't assume that their cuisine is indicative/representative of ramen in general. It can be done SO. MUCH. BETTER. read more

There are a few reasons why I want to give this place 4 stars instead of 5, but they're minor and my overall experience was fantastic, pretty much as good as it gets, actually. Came in at 6 and the place was empty, only one other table seated in the dining room upstairs. The restaurant itself is strangely shaped, small entrance area with only two seats at the bar. There is a side table that faces outwards so it's a good viewing spot for those who want to people watch but not sit outside. However, if you have more than two people in your group there really isn't much of a bar option. There is an extensive saki list which was really cool. I went with a glass of Malbec to start. The wine here is served in stemless glasses. Definitely a preference thing, but I prefer ones with stems. The glass needed to be cleaned, no dirt, but leftover dryer wet marks all over the glass, no biggie, wine was fresh and yummy. Also, so many flies by the bar, EEEK. Again, not too much you can do about those, it's summertime. The servers and bartender were awesome. They had some down time because there wasn't a rush of people coming in yet so we all chit chatted about life, the restaurant biz, what food they recommended, etc. It was nice, I love some good friendly banter. Finally my friend joined me and we took a seat upstairs. I wish there was a salad with ginger dressing but there were other cool options like the Tuna Tataki salad, couldn't have been any more perfect than it was. Pan seared tuna over mixed greens in a soy wasabi dressing. The tuna was fresh and immaculately cooked. Greens were SUPER fresh and the dressing was so flavorful, not too much, just seriously mouth watering, and BIG. Very shareable for two! My friend and I were catching up on old times and our waiter, Chris, was completely understanding. He was exactly what we needed in a server, lively, upbeat, funny and not breathing down our necks to place our next course. He was informative about the menu, gave excellent recommendations and kept up with refilling our water and alcoholic beverages. Went with a glass of bleeker red next, which was a blend of syrah and petite syrah, just scrumptious. We ordered the edamame with spicy sea salt flakes. I didn't want salt, my friend wanted salt, I asked for mild salt and it came out just that way, perfect. We went with a small order, just enough for two people. Next we had the tuna tartare, I know borderline mercury poisoning last night. It was AWESOME. The tuna was again, so fresh, the avocado bits on top were the perfect pairing and the basil dressing was seriously sensational. The dish was refreshing, perfect for two once again. The timing of the food was just right. Enough time for us to chat, eat, digest and get ready for the next bout of food. We did the asian slaw and we could have gone without this. Not because it was bad, but it was slightly boring. Just cabbage, lettuce and peppers in a very VERY vinegary dressing. It was too heavily dressed and made us make the, "OOOO that has a lot of vinegar in it" face. We got two rolls, the echizen, which had crab meat, cucumber and avocado. It was very fresh and yummy. We also got the hamachi roll consisting of yellowtail, asparagus and avocado. This one delicious as well. NO BROWN RICE THOUGH. This was a MEGA bummer for me. My friend and I have been on strict diets trying to avoid all refined carbs. All sushi restaurants should have a brown rice option no matter what. I wanted to deduct a star for this but didn't, get some brown rice for real though. It would make many customers very happy. Bill.was $85 for all that. First we were like WHOA $85! Then we were like, WHOA we ate a lot and had two glasses of wine each, not too too bad when you think about it. Can't wait to come back and try some more goodies and hang with the super cool staff! read more

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Great selection of ramen and house made beer! Interiors are small so wise to make reservations ahead of time!