Sakura Japanese Steakhouse — Restaurant in Saint George

Wow, this place is amazing! We were in St. George visiting and stopped her for dinner based on the great reviews, and a desire to try something a bit different - and Sakura didn't disappoint! It was so good, that we decided to come back the next night for dinner as well.

First, we lucked out and they seated the three of us in a private room, which suited us perfectly since we don't particularly like restaurant noise. We ordered the edamame as an appetizer, and it was top-notch - definitely ranks in the top three edamame that I've eaten. We ordered several sushi rolls, including the Mango Tango, Zion Roll, Fisher Roll, and the Mexican Roll. They were all fantastic - some of the best sushi I've had in Utah. I can't claim to have a favorite roll - they were all substantially different flavors that we just embellished in the variety and enticing flavors.

For dessert, we ordered the sticky mango rice pudding, but apparently they did not have any ripe mangoes, so instead of serving us a tart dish, they apologized and asked if we'd like to order something else - very professional. We tried the tempura cheesecake and mango mochi ice cream instead. The tempera cheesecake honestly wasn't that great - deep frying cheesecake just isn't a good idea as the end product is greasy on the outside, and a melted mess on the inside. The mochi ice cream though was incredible! Much better than the stuff you can buy in grocery stores.

The following evening, we ordered chicken coconut soup, mango shrimp, teriyaki chicken, and the hibachi steak. The chicken coconut soup had a very unique flavor that I enjoyed simply because it was different, but my daughter absolutely loved this soup - so we swapped and I gave her mine, and I enjoyed her miso soup

I had the mango shrimp and absolutely loved the dish. It was a perfect execution of pairing the sweetness of the mango with the spiciness of jalapenos as the accompaniment to the grilled shrimp. The hibachi steak was delicious as well - the steak was very soft and tender, and cooked and seasoned to perfection. The teriyaki chicken was the only disappointment - and when I say disappointment, it's because it was simply average and not spectacular like the other two dishes.

Both times, the service was very attentive and friendly. They are professional and that is conveyed in how they conduct themselves, and how they engage with the patrons. The atmosphere is beautiful, from the blooming cherry trees that line the front entryway, to the very ornate front doors, to the digital imagery of the fish tank as you cross the restaurant threshold.

As a fun addition, they have a robot server that is used when a party has a birthday. The robot navigates to the table and provides a complimentary dessert. My daughter was so fascinated by this, that the waiter set it up to come to our table to provide a complimentary dessert even though it was not any of our birthdays - it was just a fun gesture of goodwill!

This place has made it on my list of restaurants to attend every time I either pass through or stay at St George. Highly...

A little confusing at first with parking lot. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to park in parking garage or where but luckily kept going and saw main parking lot around the corner. Beautiful building, pleasant landscape, nice big digital signs showing great food! Walking in front doors was a bit of a challenge lol. Many children just looking down at the display/game on the floor stomping the display screen. Which is what it is there for obviously...but maybe would have been better if that was moved off to one side and not right on other side of entrance doors? Parents were busy trying to find seating for waiting so I can't blame them for not watching their kids who were stomping on customers toes lol.

Service was good, friendly...but could use maybe a microphone or something to call out people's names to be seated? I am sure the host/hostess would appreciate that since they had to yell over all the noise of people talking/laughing and kids stomping on floor.

Experience sitting at the grill was great! We had a very friendly, funny and experienced chef! They do lots of tricks with preparing the food. At times though a bit hard to hear the chefs. I think it maybe the building layout and how everything is set up? Our chef cooked wonderful though!

Food was delicious! My son had been there previously on another occasion and his food that time was 'okay' he said. He said this time the food tasted better. So I guess it just depends on the chef and the day...kind of a luck thing.

They have a cat robot (like a 4 ft tall one obviously lol) there and it was getting much of the attention from many customers...I have to admit it was unique to see and watch as it helps the servers out by bringing them salads and soup, etc. for their tables/customers.

Gorgeous aquarium tank in main waiting area when you walk in but couldn't really enjoy it because too many people standing and waiting in front of it. Maybe needs more seating for waiting?

I definitely advice making a reservation as it appeared to me that if you just came without one the wait was pretty long.

All in all a great experience! Young kids, teenagers...I suggest sitting at the grill tables. I viewed many ages enjoying that experience with the chef and the grill right in front of them...even a baby only a few months old liked it lol and didn't even cry!

Prices are a bit high but not too bad. Seems like the combination plates are the best way to go. You can order sushi and egg rolls right when you sit down. They have a paper and pencil so you can mark down all that you would like for sushi and egg rolls. Than hand the paper to your server. Your server will actually take your main orders and ours was very efficient.

Give this...

This place is wild!

I've been hearing about their new location for quite a while and heard it's awesome but busy. All of that was true. We went in around 4:30pm to try to beat the dinner rush, but ended up waiting about 30 minutes, which from what I've heard is actually pretty quick. The reason is that there are a limited number or hibachi grills and chefs, so you kinda just gotta wait for those tables and chefs to rotate and open up. It might be faster if you don't want hibachi, but that is one of the fun and unique parts of this restaurant is the 'show' that comes with it. The hibachi chef was only at our table for probably 20 minutes. Enough to cook the rice (beware the fried rice is $3.50 extra per guest!) and then to cook the meats on the grill and then throw some shrimp around to the guests. Not complaining by any means as everyone had a great time, but just to set the expectations that we waited for some time, got our orders in, and then once our soups/salads were finished the hibachi chef came to our table. We had a couple kids with us and they loved it.

As far as the hibachi goes, the chicken wasn't very good but the steak stole the show. I didn't try the shrimp but I'd definitely get the steak if I were to go back.

We also did try some sushi rolls and they were okay. We got the Zion, Mexican, and another one with some lemon on in. The Zion isn't worth the higher price in my opinion. The Mexican had a ton of jalapeños. The cilantro was a good accent but I wasn't amazed by it. The lemon one we got was probably the best of the three, but overall it was so-so. I also wouldn't recommend the spicy edamame (seemed like it just had sirachi sprinkled on it) for 2$ more.

I think the draw here is if you have a group or event and want to celebrate with a short show. It's hard to maintain a conversation with the table/grill set up but that could be a perk with family.... Lol... It is on the high end cost wise but the restaurant and building is top notch. I felt like I was in Vegas almost, which I'm not a fan of but those vibes for the showmanship, design, food factor are definitely present.

All in all, I did give 5-stars just because there's nothing else quite like it in the St George area and there are some unique dishes here. For our small party of 4 it was over $120, so just be aware of that. Still super fun though and the wait can easily be an hour, so it's definitely popular!...