Sakura Japanese Restaurant

Most bland california rolls I’ve ever experienced. Tasted like they were made from cheap crabsticks. Only giving this a 3 star review as the staff were friendly enough.

Small, family-​run, unpretentious hole in the wall place on a commercial strip with great food and a pleasant, homey atmosphere. Nothing fancy, but fresh and good. Exactly what we needed after days of eating fried food like a tourist.

You can probably find complainers to talk down about this restaurant, but if you arrive with a smile and are open to eating and maybe singing with new friends — including the staff and owners — you might find a little magic here, in the food and in the «heart of a Saturday night.»

We visited Sakura on our first visit to Monterey Bay. Yes, the restaurant is a little bit different. Yes, the service is slow. But the reason that we had to give this Sushi Restaurant 5 stars is that the fish is so fresh and the sushi was so flavorful, it deserves nothing but 5 stars.
We ordered the Sakura roll, the Philadelphia roll, and the spicy tuna roll. All were amazing, but the spicy tuna was the most amazing of all. We have sushi regularly and have visited many sushi establishments, and we can honestly say that the spicy tuna roll here at Sakura is the best we have ever had.

I am blown away by the quality and flavor of the KimChi ramen! Kazu (the chef and owner) comes out and drinks with the crowd. He and his wife have truly built something special here.

Excellent Sushi in a very welcoming and heartfelt atmosphere. We love the staff. Everything was freshly made by the owner. Plus… …:…:.:He stays open late for that midnight craving. …

Unagi donburi bowl is the best thing around. Tons of food and truly fresh. His catering is in most of the big events you go to most likely. Try the nigori unfiltered sake.

Really fun place! Great food and an excellent atmosphere. They have delicious sushi and their ramen is so good! A must go!

It was the end of our 4-​day trip to Monterey and the parents (and us «kids» to a lesser extent) were craving something hot, soupy and Asian. As we did not see any ramen places in the area, we settled on sushi and would see if they had halfway decent udon or soba.
We’d driven by Sakura on Lighthouse a few times and based on Unilocal ratings, had set it aside in our minds in favor of higher rated sushi places. However, as we drove by on our way to another sushi spot, we spotted their «Now serving ramen» sandwich board outside. After a quick debate, we had hubby bang a U-​y and we ended up dining at Sakura.
The interior is not much to look at. It’s kind of run down with more clutter than a restaurant should have but it had its old-​school, hole-​in-​the-​wall Japanese charm. Empty boats floated serenely around the sushi bar, waiting to be loaded with offerings from the sushi chef (who actually looked legit in appearance).
As for the food, we each got our own dishes and then shared a few pieces of nigiri (sweet shrimp, masago, yellowtail). Brother ordered the nabeyaki udon, parents and I got the giant ramen bowls (deluxe — free for all on the toppings) and hubby got the salt fish bento box.
The fish was surprisingly good. We were surprised about the sweet shrimp. Based on the texture and taste, they weren’t live (which explains the great bargain price) but they were still delicious. Mom ate 4 of the six pieces we ordered and even dared to say it beat the live version we had at our local sushi place earlier that week.
However, the real shocker was how tasty the ramen was. Total sleeper… we expected a mediocre, half-​hearted attempt at attracting people like us who would, by this time, settle for something just ok. However, the ramen knocked us out. Keep in mind the broth was, by no means, the brewed for 24 hour variety so it lacked that depth and richness. However, it was still very flavorful and had enough miso to make a difference. Noodles could have been cooked harder but all in all, a respectable showing for ramen.
Service was good and we notice that while the place never got busy, it did have a steady stream of customers. Good for them! We will definitely keep them in mind next time we’re here.

We had a wonderfully delicious dinner here. He had the Sakura ramen and the chicken yakitori and I tried the kimchi ramen and maguro sashimi. I ate till I was stuffed and still took some ramen home for leftovers~
The maguro tuna tasted so fresh and clean. It melts in your mouth! The ramen were so flavorful!
The husband and wife duo there are so nice! We loved them! The other waiter was not friendly and he didn’t take orders well. But we’ll definitely be back for more whenever we’re in the area again!
どうもありがとうございます！^ — ^

A few notes on Sakuras.
This is NOT a turn and burn restaurant
The owners work everyday and appreciate you and the time you spend here.
The BEST RAMEN in town period.
Be patient, enjoy the experience
Amazing sushi– more traditional then Crystalfish, I. e not fried and slathered in sauce.
Chirashi is amazing, Kazu knows what he’s doing.
My favorite combo– Philly hand roll and Chashu Ramen!

The tuna sashimi was horrible. So fatty and chewy that it was inedible. Plus the service was… weird. I’m confused why there are so many good reviews for this place. Not a fan

Awesome sushi. I’ve taken down the Sakura Special #1 with groups of friends many a time. It’s an epic platter of maki, nigiri, and sashimi goodness. The ramen at Sakura is delicious too.
Kazu really is character. Super nice and sociable guy. My trips to Sakura have entailed drinking sake with Kazu for years now. Man, if you get the chance to sing karaōke with him, you’re in for a real treat.
Meals at Sakura can be something of an event and… can take a bit of time. Absolutely worth the wait.

It’s definitely a locals hangout. Several came in and helped themselves to the beer and just made themselves at home. Cleanliness is questionable (floor is horrible) and it might be because of the décor, it’s old looking. That’s the reason I gave 4 stars. If you can get past that, you are in for a descent meal. We went with the Ramen Noodles and strongly enjoyed them. I had a tuna roll and a Special #2 (eel with avocado) roll. Both were delicious.
So if you can over look a few things this place is worth the try. It’s been around for 2+ decades for a reason, it’s good. It’s not a stuffy place, it’s casual… Real casual.
Check it out, it’s worth it.

Sakura is both good and bad. Don’t go here for sushi if you, like me, have eaten good sushi in places like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Nothing interesting here.
Instead, get the ramen. That’s where they shine. Broth has fantastic flavor, and the whole bowl was just a pleasure to eat. It’s hard to find legit ramen where I’m from, so this was really a treat.
Owner was pouring shitty bottom-​shelf sake for free. This place has plenty of charm.

Order the CHIRASHIIIIIIIIIII. They just handed me the biggest bowl I’ve seen served for Chirashi… nice folks all around!

First time late-​night run!
I went to this place with my brothers because were were going around Cannery Row late in the evening and we wanted a bite to eat. I’m always for eating at local businesses whenever I visit a different place. We ordered the Sakura rolls, Spider roll, and Philadelphia rolls. I also got udon soup with tempura. We sat at the island where there the sushi boats were. Sakura is a nice cozy place that’s open until midnight. Shortly after ordering, the chef called out our orders and they were coming down the sushi boat. This place is located conveniently near Cannery Row, and parking was on the street. They have a smaller selection of rolls, but they are more reasonably priced. My brothers really liked the place, even complimenting their ginger. If I’m ever in the Monterey area again, I’m definitely coming back!

This is a GREAT Japanese Restaurant. I came in during not so busy hours on a week night. I got in at about 7:55pm, and paid the bill by 8:20pm, such fast service! There looked to be about 3 – 4 people working the floor, so everything was so quick. Servers always came by and refilled our drinks and food came out pretty fast.
I personally got the Ahi ahi appetizer, it was OK, since I have had better. My lady got the Sweet Chicken, such a big portion! Came with chicken, rice and salad. We also got a couple rolls.
I would definitely come back to this place!

First off, if you are pursuing Unilocal for places to eat, look at the reviews carefully.
This place is a leisurely wait, especially during a holiday, but like the saying goes, good things come to those who wait.
While it is true we waited for close to an hour for our food, it was New Years Day people. Can we have at least one day we are not rushing. That’s the problem today, rushing around and people can’t and more importantly don’t want to wait.
This place probably use to be jammed packed and hopping back in the day and is probably still run by the couple who still take pride in making their food, not some cheap labor that gets taught how to make have ass «authentic» food and probably half their staff called in «sick»
anyhow I ordered green tea, spider roll, salmon skin handroll and tempura udon.
The owner did thank us for waiting and staying and for the kids who were waiting a while for their food he gave them big boxes of Poky chocolate covered cookie sticks.
The Green tea was not a tea bag, but the ground tea and in a big metal tea pot like you get a Chinese restaurants.
My spider roll was really good. and the salmon skin roll was huge, and quite honestly I was getting full from just that. Then the udon and tempura soup came out. Fresh made and in a small cast iron pot.
I’ll be back next time I’m in the area. It forces you to actually stop for a minute, enjoy life and your company.

First and foremost, do not come here, if you are in a rush. Do not come here, if you’re famish and dying for food. Do not come here, if you want a really classy restaurant.
This is a mom and pop place, with only the wife helping out, and the husband making the sushi. They’re a nice older couple, but their speed isn’t terrific. They tend to stop to talk to loyal customers, engage in a conversation with new customers, and when there’s a lot of customer… you’ll starve!
The quality of the food and sushi are amazing. He makes the nigiri the traditional way and the fish is definitely fresh! The tempura is light and flaky, not oily or hard at all!
The price is unbeatable for the quality! This place is really inexpensive. A must go for sushi fans, when you want to engage in a long conversation with friends. This is a good hang out spot. It is one of the few Monterey restaurants that open late on weekdays and weekends (until midnight).
Now, I went here not knowing that it’ll be slow service, so I was starving. I took one star away because looking at the reviews. They’re consistently providing slow service. So that’s something that they need to improve on. Hire some servers or something to speed up the process or only take a certain amount of customers at a time to ensure everything is satisfied with the wait time. The interior of the restaurant isn’t bad or good, so they can improve on that, also.