Sakura Buffet — Restaurant in Jacksonville

GO TO ANOTHER PLACE - AVOID Let me start by saying all the good reviews on here must be from people that like how the place looks are perhaps used to eating fast food.

Visited this buffet on Sunday 8/19 around 7:30pm. Found many of the items room temperature. Was convinced to visit this location because of the salad bar.

When we approached the lettuce it look old, withered, moist and not unappealing. (See pic, worse in person) We spoke to one of the women working there and asked her if more salad was coming out.

The response? She looked at us nodded and walked right by us without a word (Ok...)

So we stood there for several minutes watching her fill up other trays and come in and out of the back never once did she approach the lettuce and replace it.

Ok, so... I decided to go sit down and eat some of the other food that I had gotten Meanwhile my partner kept watch of the salad bar to see if the lettuce was coming out fresh.

During this time I discovered that my beef ribs were undercooked and almost raw inside, still bloody, and tasted flavorless. Nice touch Sakura...

More than 30 minutes go by... no one has come near the salad bar. That is, besides fellow customers who wanted lettuce too. They all walked away and took none. (Do not blame them)

We actually counted a dozen or so people who went up and turned it down! Take a little look at the picture attached. Would you eat it?

We asked our waitress if they were going to be replacing the lettuce at the salad bar. She basically said yes they're doing it right now. We watched for another 15 min and no one lifted a finger. We brought it up to waitresses attention again that the salad hadn't been replaced...

HER REPLY: "Well, we are open all the way up until 10pm tonight, so no rush." Then she walks away with a smile.

Huh... What? I'm lost now. So you're suggesting I wait even longer than I have to see if the salad bar gets refreshed??

Poor service, poor manners and not so clean. We left right after that and won't be back.

📣 HEY SAKURA 📣 This review could have been EASILY preventable. It was multiple factors described above and you lost 5 customers that night over something simple.

👎Place is sloppy 👎Food isn't very fresh some undercooked 🤢 👎Your help needs some manners training for interacting with paying customers.

👎 You would get one star if not for your chicken wings which seemed ok. I can not recommend this place. There are better buffets in Jacksonville if you're looking.

Stay away...

Noooo! Went to get fruit and as I moved the peices --- a swarm of gnats flew out! That was just the nail in the coffin so to speak... where to begin...

A few items smelled wrong. Like an ingredient in them was past it's freshness. Another 2 items on the salad bar had obviously soured. Probably just been there all day (or been there again 2 or 3 or 4 days in a row?) --- & not rotated out.

Sushi too sparse in selection and the Sushi Chef didn't even bother to replace California Roll. (And this was at 730! I mean come on! Not having California Roll in the selections is like Panera having no bread!)

Ppl in the restaurant industry will tell you if a place is good on a weeknight then it will be great on a weekend. If that's the case then hopefully this place will be better then - but judging by this experience I don't have high expectations.

But it should at least be fresh, taste good & show some pride of place!

Be nice if the staff would act like they were awake! Not one interaction at all.

Although we did get a small "goodnight" from the Hostess as we walked out - which was actually appreciated.

Mgr never walks the floor or engages you with even a cursory glance & polite smile. Wait staff did come by and take plates but we never saw them or spoke with them at the table once except when given the bill.

It's not like your going to a 5 Star restaurant - but for $15.00 bucks a head the fish shouldn't be a chunk of dried up mess & things shouldn't smell "off" & the Sushi Bar selections should be kept up & replaced (esp Cali Roll - thats usually pre-made & kept ready to go!)

Maybe the Grill would make it a better overall experience? We didn't do the Grill bc after experiencing the swarm of fruit nesting gnats we just wanted out of there!

Haven't these operators ever heard of the concept of placing small FANS on the bars ends - or on the underneath edge of the glass rails - to blow flying insects...

The waitress was so rude! We arrived at 8pm they close at 9:30. The hostess had to get our drinks cause lack of language I’m guessing. We went to the buffet and the Buffet was already being taken apart had to ask for them to move aside to get food, the bottom of the barrel food.. almost tripped over an large hose running through the buffet area. No plates, No bowls , no noting to even enjoy anything In buffet. Finally found one place that had plates went through I did grab two plates cause I was like yeah Gianna need it! Went sat down to eat, while eating the shrimp cocktail not split nor de veined had an side plate for the shells this waitress not ever seen nor know her name came and grabbed it up with the napkins on the table and took my shell plate and my food plate and walked away! Tried saying someone is eating that and nothing! Notice the table next to us same thing and the other across the dining room same thing. I went back to buffet to get more food and yes grabbed two plates again one with the limited sushi they had and other things returned to the table to have waitress standing behind my table on service station wall say we close in 45 minutes! Hurry! Mind you I got there at 8pm they close at 9:30pm! Oh and I had an cup of egg drop soup last of barely notice and took one sip out of it and she came to table and out our napkins in the soul bowl and removed it! The table behind didn’t tip and she called them out about it! While we were eating, then again while I was eating of second Kmart of peel and eat shrimp took my sushi and noodles plate I tried saying no I’m eating that nothing! Just gone the table in other side of dinning room said the same! Never again! There is lots but now i just over it! This lace is terrible!...