Sakura Sushi

awesome spot. kinda torn now i used to have my Richmond sushi dialed for every airport trip but now its a toss up… will have to go back and see

Staff lacks any form or organization or common sense. Super slow service, tables sit dirty for a long time while customers wait for tables, and no one has a sense of urgency or ability to prioritize. Food is decent but certainly not worth dealing with the incompetence of staff.

It’s a small unassuming restaurant along the plaza next to Richmond Skytrain Station. However, once I was served my meal, I could immediately tell the quality of the food was excellent. For instance, things like the texture of the rice, was firm and flaky without being too moist or squished. In addition, when it came to sushi rice, it was not overly sweet or acidic from the sugar or rice vinegar, the amount was just right (many other restaurants make the mistake of adding too much — which either arises due to lack of care or the difficulty level in maintaining consistency in extremely large batches). Lastly, the quality of the fish, is always served extremely fresh, I’ve never gone to this restaurant and had a old serving of fish, meaning they have tight watch over their stock management. As for salmon, many restaurants serve farmed cuts, but I think they use wild salmon, the colour is redder with thinner lines, and firmer texture. They don’t neglect their cooked dishes either, a lot of detail is paid to those as well, but I normally just come for the rice and fish.
The portions are average and consistent every time I go. It is evident they focus primarily on quality over quantity. You get an excellent price for incredibly good cuts and careful attention to preparation. The selection is limited to standard offering of types of rolls, but they have good combos and lunch specials, I like it this way because it means they are very focused and you can trust the menu. Service is okay, they are very neutral, they execute their regular duties well, pay attention to details, I haven’t seen them make a mistake yet, and they will be very upfront to you about wait times etc. But I definitely feel it’s strictly business, not particularly personable and feel a bit distant from them. Limited seating, during peak hours you may need to wait considerably long, I notice they get a large telephone order backlog sometimes.
If it matters at all (which in theory it doesn’t), they appear to be authentic Japanese, at least that’s what they speak fluently. I’ve seen other restaurants run by either Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean (based on what they speak). Some were to my liking, some were not, most catered to high volume low cost market. This is my go-​to place for sushi.

Great sushi and nice atmosphere. The chefs always greet you when you come in and leave. Only downsides are the prices and very little dining space.

With so many middle of the road sushi places around the lower mainland area you generally expect to get decent food/​service with nothing too surprising. However, my recent visit to Sakura Sushi was a wonderfully pleasant surprise for my taste buds.
The regular sushi here is great and they do a good job of preparing it. It tastes fresh and you definitely want more of it. Cool, that meets the general requirements. However, what really got my attention was their yam tempura roll. Whoa, Yam explosion! Instead of simply inserting the yam right into the roll, it is perfectly fried, and placed on top allowing the middle of the sushi roll to be filled with a generous amount of cucumber and avocado. This means optimal crunch with delicious refreshing avocado/​cucumber action. if you are getting take out, this may not hold up as well, but eating right in the restaurant. Awesome!
It’s a hole in the wall, but don’t let that fool you. Leave your preconceived notions of what should and should not be at the door, and allow yourself to be whisked away.

Price is fair for portions on the small side. Thin pieces on Nigiri… not really worth the price per piece
Fish was fresh, service was quick. Menu descriptions we lacking but fortunately I know my way around a sushi bar.
It’s definitely a small hole in the wall, but to be fair at least the prices were in line with the space
All in all a short walk from local major hotels, food was fresh. It’s a solid 3.5. Portion size, presentation, creativity keep it from a 4 star

The quality for price is sub par. I am actually surprised at how high the ratings are for this place. Everything is very low quality and basic. For any true sushi guru keep looking.

Fast. Cheap. Fresh. Good sized portions.
Solid 3.5 stars. The only reason they got rounded down to 3 and not up to 4 stars? This is definitely a hole in the wall type establishment, and while that’s totally a ok with me for Chinese food, there’s just something missing when it’s a Japanese shop… Can’t really put my finger on it.
Plus, I guess if I’m in Richmond, I really would rather have Chinese food with all the options out there. :)

Everything tastes authentic and fresh
It’s small and more expensive than other sushi around, though

Everything was so good and fresh. Server friendly and service was fast. I wish they were in my hometown. Very reasonable.

Miss the real japanese food? This is the place to be. Highly competitive price too
Don’t judge by its appearance. The chef knows what it takes to make japanese food

I came to Sakura at just after 5:30 today to find the sign flipped to «closed». I was like no way Unilocal said you were open! I saw people inside and decided to open the door. At first they said they were closed due to a number of takeout orders that they were still filling. They then advised me that food would be at least a 30 minute wait if I was willing to sit around that long. I stayed and ordered the chirashi don ($ 15) and my daughter ordered the tempura udon and a kappa roll.
I found the chirashi don very satisfying as the fish tasted fresh and there was just enough rice to compliment it. Another plus is that you get wild salmon not farmed.
As others have mentioned, the size of the place is tiny so if you plan on going there for dinner, go early (5pm or so).

A hole in the wall place. Has about 4 tables and a very small window seating area. The service was basic but good. However, the tuna and salmon sashimi were of excellent quality. The salmon and tuna just melts in your mouth — I love it…
We also had the spider roll, dynamite roll and the unagi roll. All good. They also have combo bento boxes available and with reasonable prices…
I would definitely go back when I visit Canada again…
Keep in mind, the wait can be long if coming during peak hours…

Wow, I wondered why it took me so long to write this review. Maybe it’s because I was too busy craving more of their sushi, but who knows. Since my favourite sushi place in Richmond had closed down a while ago (RIP Let’s Roll), I figured I would go hunting a bit. I found this little place and been here three times already, with each visit I come out happy.
Located in Brighouse Square, across from Richmond Centre, this authentic, sushi place is accessible by buses and adjacent to Richmond-​Brighouse Canada Line station. Many people prefer to do take out at this place due to the size of the premises, but I like to sit inside. If you decide to eat in, they serve complimentary green tea and miso soup, both of which I find tasty. Not many sushi places I been to do this, so this was a nice bonus.
Their quality of sushi is not what you would find in, say, a $$$ sushi bar in Downtown Vancouver, but it certainly is on the better side for an inexpensive place. The wild sockeye salmon they used in my salmon nigiri is bright red and has a unique flavour. The saba (mackerel) was properly marinaded, packed with juicy flavour, and it quickly became my favourite. Yes I even tried tako and it was surprisingly tough but tender. The rolls I ordered were simple but they were equally as flavourful as the nigiri.
They also have a loyalty program; every $ 6 purchase you get a stamp on a stamp card. Every 5 stamps will reward you with free rolls.
This is now one of my favourite sushi places around Metro Vancouver. I live in Vancouver and whenever I’m in Richmond, I’ll be sure to stop by here for a quick snack.

PROS
+ Great portions at cheap prices
+ Lunch boxes are great deals for your buck
+ Complimentary miso soup
+ Fresh ingredients
+ Location, right next to the Richmond-​Brighouse skytrain station
CONS
— Ambience is not the best
— Small tables
— Mediocre service
RATING
Food 3.5÷6.0
Ambience 1.0÷6.0
Service 1.5÷6.0
Price $

I don’t know why it took me so long to finally check out this place. I popped in for an early dinner and was pleasantly surprised. If only I was prepared ahead of time and printed off their coupon available on their website.
Sakura is hidden around the corner in its strip mall which was a bit unexpected. Yes, its opposite Richmond Centre, but it’s a little hidden. There are not many seats in the place and while I was there, plenty of people came to do take out.
We ordered a couple items: panko dynamite rolls, saba battera sushi (a pressed sushi), papaya avocado roll, spicy tuna roll and assorted tempera. I loved the batter on both the dynamite rolls and the tempera. Light and crunchy. The papaya avocado roll was an interesting combination which is why I ordered it. The spicy tuna roll was pretty good — I liked that the spice was mixed in and not just slathered on top. The saba battera sushi was unique and being a lover of the fatty goodness that is saba (mackerel) I really enjoyed it.
Prices were extremely reasonable and the portion size good. I started my stamp card with them so I’ll definitely be back!

Ordered chicken teriyaki on rice. Came with miso soup and green tea is served along. At first my choice was Bento box but I had to cancel that coz I just realised that I can’t eat seafood for the time being coz of allergy. That’s why I had to choose the later. Since I cancelled my bento box I was expecting just the chicken and rice. But when it came they added some yam fries. Made me happy! Good service! But didn’t love it as much as I wanted it. Maybe coz my taste buds not cooperating… Lol! Will try again!

Fresh and good quality at moderate price.
My standard order at any sushi place will be a spicy tuna roll, spicy salmon and toro nigiri.
It’s not devastatingly cheap, but it’s the right quality for the price.
You will spend about 10 $ per person for a meal here.
Japanese owned.

Sakura sushi is cheap, quick, delicious and authentic.
First of all, the location is excellent, as it is in the center of Richmond and situated right across from Richmond’s largest mall. I used to come here all the time for their delicious lunch bentos, which are all reasonable priced around $ 9. (comes with a piping hot bowl of miso soup!)
The quality of their seafood is quite decent for the price you pay ($ 8 – 12 for lunch and $ 10-​$ 14 for dinner) and I remember my boss dining here alone quite often even though he’s the type of person to take out his business clients to places such as Miku!
Tip: Check their website for coupons! They often post up a coupon for a free roll with purchase.

One of the better sushi places in Richmond. This place gets busy and crowded as it’s small and has limited seating. It’s best to avoid peak times if you want to have a place to sit and not have to wait a long time for your food to be prepared. You can also call ahead to do take out and not have to wait. As for the food, there’s no complaints… fresh and tasty. The sushi rice was made just right and the fish was good quality and fresh tasting.
If you plan to be a regular, they also have a stamp card system which is a nice little bonus :-)