Sakura Sushi Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Pickering

As a friend who is bipolar and whose disease and medication can result in his speech being slightly slower than usual, I was shocked to hear that this friend who does not abuse alcohol, was refused service at Sakura.

My friend ordered a meal and a beer but was denied by the owner, Yuna, who stated that he was drunk. When my friend tried to explain that his disability caused the symptoms she was concerned about, Yuna barred him from the restaurant.

My son worked for Sakura for many years and my family have been familiar with Yuna and her family and restaurant for years. I thought I could speak to her and mediate this situation to each parties benefit.

Shortly after the original incident, my friend expressed interest in taking me to Sakura for dinner so I said I'd call him back and phoned Yuna in an attempt to advocate for him and explain the misunderstanding to her.

Yuna was aggressive towards me on the phone and was unmoved by the explanation that refusal of service was discrimination based on Mental Illness. Yuna first only agreed to allow us to order take out food. I countered that we wanted to eat in the restaurant. Yuna acquiesced to a small degree, stating we could sit and eat in the restaurant but she would not serve us alcohol.

Then she added the most offensive comment that, "When you come, don't bring your mental illness with you". Shocked, I still attended the restaurant to show that my friend could eat a nice meal there and show her that there was nothing to be concerned about. I don't even drink alcohol nor am I mentally ill yet she treated me also like an undesirable. Our money was, however just fine.

Afterwards, the full effect of the truly offensive comments and blatant discrimination began to sink in. I became indignant.

Yuna is a fully assimilated Korean immigrant, who is a University of Toronto graduate. She has run her business for about 15 years. She should know better.

I wrote an email to the Sakura website calmly and professionally explaining how she had violated The Human Rights Code by refusing to serve us in her restaurant and as such, put herself at risk of Civil Litigation. I also instructed her to consult the Human Rights Commission and or her lawyer if she did not understand.

I reiterated that this was not a threat but advised her not to continue to treat others in the same manner.

I did not receive a response and am quite sure that neither my friend nor I are welcome back in Sakura.

Draw your own conclusions about this experience.

I will not be returning and hope that people who support the rights of all the disadvantaged will...

Stuck in COVID times?!?! It was the strangest DINE IN experience ever being served piping hot udon soup in a plastic takeout bowl with plastic cutlery, and the smallest bento meal in a plastic divided tray. For a person who is very concerned with avoiding toxins, eating hot soup out of a plastic bowl is concerning!!!

The only actual real dishes were the melamine shaped dishes to hold the soy and wasabi. To be fair, there were signs that stated you have to bring your dishes to the back when finished but we did not imagine we would get a food court experience.

My udon soup was super bland and flavourless however the only saving grace were the chewy udon noodles; they weren’t overcooked. The beef in the soup was bland so I only ate one bite and gave the rest to my husband. The spicy maki rolls were just okay. However I did hear a loyal takeout customer say “I love your food!” To each his own—having recently come back from Tokyo, this was not the case for us sadly.

In all fairness, the staff are very friendly and respectful. A nice young man did bring the food to our tables but that was it.

We noticed there were many locals picking up takeout so we’re glad they can keep their business afloat with takeout but there is much room for improvement for the dine in experience. Please readjust your dine in practices to post COVID times by tweaking the flavour and serving size portions of your entrees. We wish your...

Atmosphere and Cleanliness (4/5): The place looked clean and tidy. There were no smells/odours from where I was seated at. From a quick glance, all the tables were clean and soy sauce containers were full. Typically means that the staff have finished setting up the place prior to opening. Great impression so far.

Staff and facilities (4/5): The lady that took my order (whom appears to also prepare the sushi behind the counter) was very friendly. She had offered me some tea to start.

Food (3/5) and Value (4/5): I had ordered the $15 lunch combo, (which is also available during weekends) consisting of 4 pieces of nigiri, 8 pieces of sashimi, 1 order of spicy salmon and rice on the side. The fish was ok, not as fresh as I come to expect, but it was still good (not smelly, which typically indicates either poor food handling or the food is starting to go off). The rice was a bit too firm and would have preferred it just a bit softer. Typical sushi places kind of overcook the sushi rice to a point that it's close to being mushy (which is bad), so I was surprised to find the rice was more firm. Overall, for the price paid, the food is pretty good.

Overall (3/5): Comparing to other Durham region sushi offerings, this one is the best one I have tried so far. Considering all AYCE offerings are terrible, I would definitely come back to this...