Sakura Japanese Restaurant

There’s nothing I really enjoy about this place. I’ve been a victim of their infamous SLOW SERVICE, but I always believed it was justified since it’s so busy there. Well, yesterday I went in and was the only person in the whole restaurant. Still, it took ten mins to even get my menu! I ordered a ginger salad and received tomato in it that still had the sticker on. Ewwwwwwww:((((the only plus to this restaurant is that it is EXTREMELY cheap compared to all the other sushi restaurants. I do not recommend Sakura, you can find better food at ANY other sushi place in Miami. Trust me, I eat it three times a week.

— High quality food (a lot of neat stuff on the menu)
— Good service in a family friendly atmosphere
— Reasonable prices
— My partner’s favorite lunch special spot, and soon to be mine too, since I will no longer patronize Lan Pan Asian Café for their horrible customer service

Get take out!!! Also a victim of ridiculously poor service. Just so happen to come on a Friday night when a lot of people ordered take out. After being told it would be only 5′, we waited 15′ to get sat, I’m sure it’s difficult to tell when a place with only 8 tables will have a free table. But what’s worse is we waited over 50′, watching ToGo orders being filled and picked up while we waited for our rolls. Had to ask for water and more sake from the staff after they mange to somehow avoid our table in that time despite the whole place being about 150 sq feet. Lesson learned: Get take out!!!

Ordered takeout and remembered just how good their sushi is. Everything was fresh and delicious! Especially loved the dragon roll (fish), crazy roll & Sharon roll… yum!

The best sushi ever! My brother, his husband, and I go all the time. We try to go once a week. I drive from the gables just to eat sushi there, when there are a million sushi places in between. I love the chicken livers. I get two orders. Sue is the best. She’s so sweet and attentive and makes sure we’re always ok. «Sushi and sake Sunday’s» Love love love Sakura.

Great sushi. I love love love sushi. This place has the best sushi in Miami. The restaurant is kinda a hole in the wall so I order take out, but the staff is very courteous when I do dine in.

JUST SAY NO! This was the worst service I have ever received at a restaurant in my life! I went with my teen kids and husband and we all sat down in this cramped, microscopic hole in the wall with overactive AC and ordered meals. I should have let the dirty bathroom that I used when I first got there give me clue to get out, but unfortunately, I stayed. My kids’ meals were all cooked, tempura and teriyaki chicken, and came right from the kitchen. My husband and I were served a decent side salad and then the kids’ meals came out and were hot. My husband and I didn’t get anything and so we waited. My daughter shared her tempura with me because I was starving and it was good but my son’s chicken was bland. I kept asking where our other food was and was told that the sushi bar was backed up and our meals included CA roll.
A full 40 minutes later, long after my kids had finished eating, our food arrived and the steak on my plate, which was supposed to be hot, was completely cold. It had sat on the sushi bar for about 30 min waiting for the CA roll. I didn’t even think it would be safe to eat at that point and asked for a new steak but the waitress, who barely spoke English, said that the kitchen was backed up now and it would be a very long time to wait for a new steak. They weren’t willing to make me one right away, even after I waited for 40 min and then got cold steak! I told her to take it off my bill and I’d eat the CA roll, which wasn’t very good and I only ate 3 pieces.
When the bill came, she had charged me $ 14.95 for the small salad I ate and the CA roll, and another disgusting dish made with imitation crab that came on the plate. She said she had charged me a la carte prices. The whole meal with the steak was priced at $ 18.95. I told her I wouldn’t pay so much and it should be comped. She was confused and got the manager, a surly, sour-​faced woman who was totally unapologetic. She decided to do me a favor and take half off the bill, then threw it back at me. I just wanted out of there so I paid and for the first time ever in my life, I left no tip. I have never been so disgusted when leaving any type of eating establishment. They have no regard for the customer and act insulted if you complain about anything. STAY AWAY!!!

Small place that gives you that hole in the wall feel of authenticity. This Japanese place offers authentic food. Seaweed salad app was delicious but a little small in quantity. The Georgia Heat roll was terrific! And the Tuna Tataki was very fresh. They also have a nice selection of sakes. Will definitely go back.

Love this little spot, they are very traditional. I’ve been there several times over the years and everybody is always so polite. They prepare everything in the little bar. It feels so Japanese, it’s a traditional kind of place. It is a spur for locals to come get great sushi at an affordable price.

Came here on a Friday with the family after a long day at work. This place is cozy and charming; the food is amazing and the ambiance is great! I had a couple of hand rolls and the grasshopper roll, which I highly recommend. My wife ordered the salmon and loved it. The kids shared a salmon only combination and an udon soup, and said this is the best restaurant they’ve ever been to!

Service sucks. Mediocre at best. Oh your food is almost ready… ok liar, I’ll just wait forever. Two thumbs down.
Why this place receives so many stars is baffling. They should watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi until their eyes pop out of the heads.

I can’t speak as to it’s authenticity, but it’s tasty and fresh. I’ve only really eaten cooked rolls from here (have only been while pregnant), but they were pretty good. The sushi rice is really delicious. It’s always the perfect texture, holds together, etc., and has really great flavor. It’s a nice place to go if you’re in the neighborhood and want a quick bite. I wouldn’t really go out of my way to eat here though.

Authentic, delicious Japanese food. Very small restaurant with efficient, kind servers. Thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Not much more to say.

My family literally calls this please the Japanese hole in the wall because it’s so tiny. We lived in Japan for five years so I am pretty picky on my Japanese food because I was it to be authentic. This place is! It has items you don’t find on every other run of the mill Japanese restaurant. The sushi is fresh and their ginger dressing amazing.

A solid just ok experience. A typical sushi place. Nothing more nothing less.

This place has been a cornerstone in this part of Miami for my entire life. It has a pretty small dining area, but the quality and freshness of the food, friendliness of the staff, and comfortable atmosphere of the restaurant has kept me coming back for over a decade.

Cozy, only 8 tables and 6 stools at the sushi bar. Pleasant pop Japanese music. Prompt, friendly service. Spicy tuna roll was VERY spicy. Angus beef Yakisoba is a huge heaping dinnerplate full, enough for 2 plus left-​overs to take home. At $ 10.95, this dish is an astonishing value. Dynamite roll and Tone roll were superb, each under $ 9.
We’ve lived nearby for over 10 years and had never tried this place. We’ll be back many times. Check it out.

I do not generally review restaurants online but after my dining experience at Sakura, I’ve decided to start doing it.
The sushi and rolls were tasteless and the rice watery.
The hostess was not pleasant at all and reluctant to answer any of our questions regarding the menu.
The price is too high as regards the quality of food and general atmosphere.

Sakura is a Pinecrest landmark and staple. One of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the area, and the oldest by far in Pinecrest, I can remember going to this tiny little restaurant with my family since the 80s.
As you walk in, the size and traditional décor will catch your eye. There are maybe 8 tables, and spot for about 7 at the bar. There are two signs by the kitchen that tell you what specials they have and what fish. They have all the basics — Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi, Eel, etc. For this trip, my father special ordered Mirugai — also known as geoduck — a large clam. On the sign is usually a rib eye steak, which I’ve actually seen people order.
As I said, I’ve been coming here for years — from the time I was a little kid just eating chicken teriyaki, to teenage years where friends would meet up in the neighborhood sushi bar, to after college where it is when my father and I would grab a bite and not tell my mom how much the bill was. He knows the whole staff at this point, and that’s a great thing about this local, long standing restaurant — you feel welcomed if you’re a regular. I love Matsuri, but its always a hassle to get in, and same with Akashi. But here you can tell where you’ll sit, and they’ll be happy you walked in. As with a local spot, don’t be surprised if fishermen come in with their fresh catch and have it prepared for them, which I always consider a nice treat.
I’ve had so much on this menu — tried the Jellyfish and Duck appetizer once (not great, but it was worth trying to say «I had Jellyfish»), have had almost every type of fish they serve, but their specialty is shellfish — clams, scallops, oysters. We’ve ordered hotate (scallops) and it gets served in the shell, which shows the excellent craftsmanship of the chefs.
There is a full kitchen in this small place, so for those that don’t enjoy fish, they do offer chicken and beef dishes. But I highly recommend Sakura if you’re in Pinecrest/​Palmetto Bay, looking for the best quality for your dollar sushi.

I can’t believe I’ve never been here. It is so close to my parent’s house. This place was a nice breath of fresh air after all the bad sushi I’ve had in Miami. It think there is an actual Japanese person behind this place. either in the ktichen, as the owner, who knows but it was nice to eat sushi at a real Sushi restaurant.
My favorite dish of the night were the enoki mushrooms. They looked so blah when they came to the table but as soon as I put it in my mouth I was like «WOAH» — amazing.
The fish was fresh, the specials were fun (giant clam, monkfish liver, salted cod).
This is my new sushi place down by my parent’s house.