Sakura — Restaurant in Hawaii

I went here with a large group. They were very happy with the service and the presentation of the sushi. If you can get something deep fried or lots of the sauces you will be happy.

I was disappointed to not see really any options for gluten free people.

I am very sensitive to cross contamination. Even though I took 3 pills to protect me from gluten both before and after dinner- my stomach still hurt when I left. Maybe the dressing was the issue??

Having just visited Phoenix where they had a seperate menu with gluten options everywhere I went (they also had vegan and vegetarian menus in Phoenix) I just thought they would have some sushi option that would be gluten free and flavorful. Afterall, you can buy soy sauce that is the real deal and made with soy. You can make sauces from scratch or customize something. Offer to put a jalapeño on top of my sushi or something?

I was told they could not really customize me anything. I spent $9 on two 1.5 inch pieces of rice and fish without any real flavor. $13 I think in a salad the amount of fish on top was reasonable the dressing was pretty good, but the lettuce wasn't crisp. It was wilted. Sigh. Just overall a disappointing way to spend $100 on my family and leave still hungry with a stomach ache.

Our waitress was very nice and everyone else was very happy. This is just a general FYI for people with gluten sensitivity or people with celiacs.

Also, plan on buying like 3 items at least if you want to be full. Even an 8 year old is going to be hungry after an $17 dollar...

First night on the big island and stopped by Target to grab some snacks for our hotel stay. I asked one of the employees, who was local and grew up on the island, where he would grab dinner if he could at the moment. His recommendation was Sakura…

After locating the small restaurant, we were greeted nicely at the entrance and seated immediately. The longest wait was for someone to take our order which was probably between 6-8 minutes but the food was served even faster. I ordered some gyoza 🥟 as an appetizer and within a couple minutes, they were brought out fresh, hot, and delicious as ever. The soy sauce served in the mini pota at the table taste completely different (in a good way) compared to other soy sauce I’ve had before. No clue why it was so good. My dinner was the sushi platter which had multiple nigiri and a simple spicy cali roll. The platter was great and filling, served at a proper temp and did not seem overly fishy like it had been sitting for a long period of time. Other orders were the Chicken teriyaki and Tofu teriyaki. Both came out extremely hot and the chicken was very tender/moist. Both cooked perfectly to our liking and not overly sauced with teriyaki. Overall a great experience at this restaurant and no complaints regarding...

I'm really picky about my sushi, and Sakura wasn't the highest rated place in Kona. Also read some of the really negative reviews. But, it was the only place open at 7pm on a Sunday night. So, I went.

Seated immediately, no wait. Table and restaurant were clean. Several small TVs on the upper walls. Waiter was a bit abrupt and hard to understand, but no different than other sushi places I've been over the years.

Normal wait time for food, maybe 15 minutes. Simple presentation, no frills. Got 12 pieces of nigri, a Super Volcano roll, and hot sake. Fish was fresh, all was fantastic by my standards. Saba and Ikura were especially great. The Volcano roll was amazing, one of the best I've had.

Finished up, got the check, and left. No frills, no issues. Total was $71, very similar to mainland sushi prices.

Lots of complaints about how Sakura staff handles large parties with kids. I'd leave if I walked into a sushi place and saw a table full of young kids. For many, sushi is a reverent experience, to be enjoyed with a certain atmosphere and silence. The $80 I pay for that experience includes expected atmosphere. It's not Chuck E Cheese. Get a babysitter or go someplace else, don't ding the restaurant. Rant over.

I'll...