Sakura Japanese Sushi & Grill — Restaurant in Tallahassee

TLDR: Do not go for anything other than the sushi.

I went with my fiancee for a date night. The atmosphere was great and we were seated very quickly. This is the primary reason this isn't a one star review. Proceeding step by step through the meal:

Appetizer: Gyoza: We ordered vegetable because I can't eat meat, and we got the pork. That was disappointing, but accidents happen and we didn't complain. They came out luke warm, which was the first bad sign. The flavor was underwhelming and way too sweet. If they add a little bit of rice vinegar to the sauce and more ginger and napa to the gyoza themselves, they would be much better.

Soup: We both got the miso. It is a white miso, which has a subtler flavor, which I enjoy. However they failed to re-hydrate the wakame prior to adding it to the broth, leading to it being a little hard and looking very unappetizing. We both were able to eat it and enjoy, but the spoonfuls with wakame all tasted wrong.

Salad: typical greens, cucumber, and ginger dressing. Nothing special, but it isn't expected to be.

Entrees: Unagi Don: The unagi itself was good. A sign that their sushi is likely high grade (as stated in other reviews and based on looking at other tables). However there was not nearly enough eel sauce, so after about 6 bites, you were left with a ton of just white rice. While it was decent, I ended up with a stomach ache after eating it, and for that reason would not order again.

Chicken Hibachi: 3 parts: Chicken:The chicken itself was very tender, but the sauce left us with a "not quite right" taste. It was essentially soy sauce with a small amount of teriyaki. No ginger, garlic, white pepper, sesame, or any of the other things you expect in a sauce when you order chicken hibachi. Vegetables: The vegetables were advertised as "button mushrooms, zucchini, onions, and peppers." While they were cooked adequately, the amount of each vegetable you got was 50% onions, 40% peppers, 7% mushrooms, 3% zucchini (literally only 2 small pieces on the whole plate). While I understand the desire to cut costs, this was extremely disappointing when you expect the plate to at least pretend to give you even amounts and they cut the healthiest of the vegetables significantly. Fried Rice: This was literally just white rice tossed in oil with frozen vegetables (peas and carrots). It had absolutely no flavor. There is too much to be improved on for it to be worth...

Alright I'm going in now. I've looked at a lot of reviews for Sakura and I'm shockingly surprised that people would give this place anything but 5 Stars. It hurts my heart. People are saying the sushi's not fresh and it's not the best sushi in Tallahassee. Hahaha you people make me laugh (and cry) about how little you know about what good sushi is. "Oh Kiku is definitely the best in Tallahassee" or "Jasmine by far is the best". If you have ever heard anyone put together a phrase like this, CUT THEM OFF. You don't need them in your life because they don't know what they are talking about. They are bad influences on you and you need to not have people like that holding you back. Listen to me, Sakura HAS the BEST and FRESHEST sushi in Tallahassee. No questions asked. They don't have any competition! You need to try the sweetheart, sham, Picha, mermaid, etc. You won't find any rolls better than these in Tallahassee. If you are in the mood for sushi, treat yourself and go here. It's better to spend a little more and get amazing sushi than to try and save money for poop rolls. Oh yeah and the hibachi steak/fillet is to die for. I'll always love you Sakura :) You're number 1 in Tallahassee don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I live in California now which has incredible sushi and you fit right in with...

Just ate here on Friday night, I have passed it many times but never stopped in. I generally like Japanese and used to go to a "buffet" in town that closed. The location was a little cramped for parking but we managed to find a spot. They were pretty busy on this night but we didn't have to wait, and the waitress/server was at our table pretty quickly. Service was quick and polite, and it was refreshing how affordable their appetizer options were. Not your typical $9+ options which are close to the price of an entree. I ordered a vegetable hibachi ($14) that came with hibachi-style veggies, fried rice, soup, and salad. Overall the meal was very good. Flavors were on point and everything tasted fresh. For comparison, think Benihana's but it wasn't cooked in front of us. Not sure if they have that option but the space doesn't quick look like it could handle it. The only thing that I would change about this place is the serving size for the food. The rice provided with the meal was in a very little bowl that was barely enough for the veggies. Also, the plate came looking like some food was missing, which I suspect is intentional. This is probably not a big deal for some, however, I like my plate to look full! :-) For a local comparison, Japonica gives a lot more food but the quality/flavor is...