Sakura Japanese Delicatessen

They are closed for business! I just went there the other day and sad to say but, they closed down! I am sad to not be able to eat their yummy seafood casserole and mochiko chicken!!! Any one know who has similar casserole? SAKURA YOU WILL BE MISSED!

I heard they might have closed. Anyone have any news on this? I will really miss the Mochiko chicken and gobo. Depressing!

Emi H.‘s review is spot on. It’s Granny’s okazu that you take to the beach except that it’s not as good and you pay $ 1.50 for a plain musubi from a dirty, hole in the wall. I actually think Sakura is 3.5 stars good.
That being said, I come here all the time for two things: tofu salad and vegetable tempura
I’m not sure what kind of magic they use, but their vegetable tempura stays crunchy allllll day. I love it! Give me some tofu salad, veggie tempura, throw in some shoyu hotdog, rice and I’m a happy boy.
Apparently I don’t listen to Emi H.‘s advice and go crazy at this place.
«I’ll take this and that and that and that and that. Oh and that and that»
«14 dollars please»
*sigh*
I’ll never learn.

What to talk about some good okazu from this side of the island, then you gotta try Sakura. If you are tired of Kabuki, Sun’s BBQ, etc… get your tush in this place.
I always get
Nishime
Shizo musubi (ume leaf)
Some kind of deep friend fish tempura
Chow Fun
Shoyu chicken
Shoyu hot dog
You may want to try the
Kabocha
Gobo
Spam musubi
and the other great choices…
Be careful cause the dollas do add up when you buy here but to me, it is aok cause I like the food for sure and if I cannot make it out to town… this is the place I shout at… holla!

Sakura became my breakfast spot for the week that I was taking EKG classes. My usual was the hot dog sushi roll and the chow fun. I have to admit, the chow fun was pretty salty, but the hot dog sushi was alright. It made me think of my childhood, and the kind of stuff I’d eat after school.

Japanese Okazuya place, closed Monday and other days closes early afternoon.
Tofu Salad — This is what I really come for. The peppery taste of the watercress, with the fishiness of the sardines, acid/​sweetness from the dressing and tomatoes all go well together. Very tasty, for something healthy. I just wish the order came in a larger quantity.
Green River Drink — This takes me back to small kid time. I don’t even know what flavor it’s supposed to be. Lemon-​Lime?
Luncheon Meat — Not SPAM but luncheon meat in a teri sauce.
Hot Dog — Also in a teri sauce, tasty and salty. One order is only a half a dog though.
Corned beef hash — More like a croquette, not much corned beef in it.
Chicken Salad — Typical Oriental chicken salad.
Seafood Casserole — Very tasty, but lately haven’t been able to eat it, trying to cut down on the fat intake.
Fried Ahi — I would avoid this as it is soaking in a teri sauce in a ban marie so it is cooked way beyond what it should be.
Mochiko chicken — Tasty, not too sweet for me. I a little on the dry side but what can you expect from an Okazuya place, where everything is pre-​cooked.
If you are really, really hungry I would avoid this place because it is ala carte and it can get expensive, especially when your stomach IS as big as your eyes. I’ve walked out of there spending $ 11-​$ 12 on just myself for lunch. This place does have good food, good variety. If you used some strategy picking your choices, it can be a fairly reasonable meal.

What to order here:
Spam Musubi
Eggplant thing?
Chow Funn
I usually stop here on my way to school and get a plate for under $ 8. It fuels me up throughout the whole day.
The setting is not the prettiest but the taste usually makes up for it.

I was craving okazuya and since I’ve never tried this place I decided to give it a try. Overall the food was on the salty side. We ordered the fried ahi, shrimp tempura, mochiko chicken, seafood bake, maki sushi, fried rice and tofu salad. I would go back only for the tofu salad. I added a star because of the yummy tofu salad.

Sakura is where you go in Aiea if you feel like eating food made by your Japanese Grandma. It by no means tastes as good as your Japanese Grandma’s food but is an okay substitute for those days when you’ve just got to have tempura. The prices aren’t crazy expensive, comparable to other places around town, but boy does okazuya add up if you’re not careful. $ 1.50 for a plain musubi? Isn’t that just rice and some salt which you pressed together? Oh, extra because you rubbed the salt on your hands. Okay I get it! I’ll have the corn beef patty, two musubi with ume, teriyaki hamburger patty, two pieces of fried chicken and some gobo.
Years ago Sakura was run by the family that owns it and the food was really excellent but since then they’ve either sold the business or have just replaced themselves with hourly workers. It’s just not the same once Obachan isn’t there watching over how everything is made and sprinkling bits of love into everything. The shop shows obvious signs of wear and tear so grab your box of Japanese Grandma cooking substitutes and run away to your real Grandma’s house and share it with her.

Whenever I’m craving okazuya… i immediately think of Sakura. They have all kinds of musubi including my favorite: chiso musubi (the purple one!).
The gobo kinpira is awesome as well. It can’t compare to any other kinpira that i’ve tried! I have to mention the mochiko chicken because it’s one of their specialties (but a little too oily for me).
THey have awesome tofu salad as well when i’m in a veggie kind of mood. Their chow fun is yummy, too! i like it better than other okazuyas because it’s not greasy at all and oh so good.
They are one of the little places i know that has the «Green river» drink (the drink tastes like a melted down green otter pop). love it.
Overall, i love this place. It’s good for the days when i’m craving just a musubi and shoyu hotdogs or days when i want to make a big plate lunch full of yummalicious food :)

If what you want is great food this is the place. I also know for a fact you are getting the best quality of food because i had worked here many years ago when i was in high school. Let me take you through the steps of ordering so you’ll feel comfortable when going there. This is Okazuya for those who aren’t from Hawaii meaning that you order everything ala carte. First off i suggest getting the chiso musubi as your starch. If you don’t want a musubi then ask for a scoop of rice or two because they have it in the back. As for vegetables i’d suggest the chicken salad (great oriental dressing), gobo, and one of the best tofu salads i have ever eaten. Next you’ll see the fried rice and noodles. If it looks like a new batch was cooked you should get an order of the fried rice or the fried saimin, not to get that confused with the chow mein. For the rest of the food my suggestions are the mochiko chicken, mahi/​salmon casserole (if there’s any left), seafood casserole, vegetable tempura, shoyu chicken, teri eggplant, teri burger, teri ahi, hash patty, and if you feel like splurging get the miso butterfish. Just remember they are not open on monday. Even though i’ve known this for over ten years i still go there and disappoint myself every time. One last tip, if you go there later in the day (about 2:30) before they close you will probably get a lot extra on your plate because any food not sold will be thrown away.

This was on my MUST GO TO list during my stint in Hawai’i. We hit this up right before a strenuous day of Aloha Stadium swapt meeting. Sakura was the perfect fueling station.
Sakura is located on Ewa side of Kauhale, opposite from Aiea Hights Drive.
My problem with this place is that everything is good and there are lots of vegetarian options. I end up leaving with $ 20 worth of okazu … for myself.
My favorites: kabocha, vegetable tempura, sweet potato tempura, Okinawan sweet potato tempura, mochi balls (poi mochi, I think) and the thing that sold me: the shiso musubi. I also tried the spring rolls today … look better than they taste. Also on the look-​better-​than-​they-​taste list is: teriyaki ahi. My bf liked the shoyu chcken and mochiko chicken.
If you pack an obento just big enough for only yourself, you probably spend about $ 8 – 12. Not the cheapest.
The food isn’t superb, but the variety is a huge merit.
I always feel like this place is dirtier than a dining establishment should be. There’s this greasy grime all over everything. But I like grease, so me and Sakura get along okay.

Sakura is a great okazuya that has quickly become a favorite stop for me in the Aiea area along with my already beloved Aiea Manapua. Kudos to Lisa I. for Unilocaling about this place first and for giving me very good directions, as I am challenged in that area and being hungry and lost does not make for a happy motorist.
Food: To use a Rachael Ray-​ism, totally delish.
Chicken Yakitori on a skewer — tender, flavorful and not too sweet.
Seafood casserole — awesome with potato, rich mayo, crab (imitation) and the nice crunch of waterchestnuts. You must try this.
Eggplant — a little oily and a little bland, but a perfect foil for some of the more savory items like the chicken yakitori and the…
Mochiko chicken — they give a good-​sized portion of chicken for your $ 2.55. It is very tasty, almost too much flavor/​salt, so it is good with the eggplant or…
Corned beef hash patty — good starch dish because it isn’t too salty. Nice heft and stick-​to-​your-​ribs heartiness.
Spring roll — different from the lumpia wrapper, this one is white-​ish and a little porous, but still crunchy. Nice flavor with veggies inside.
My only disappointment is that they do not have that kabocha dish… wedges of kabocha fried (?) and in a shoyu/​mirin type sauce. Not the one with the dried shrimps, the other one. They have that at Nuuanu Okazuya (still my fave). Yum!
Service: Go to the counter, view the bounty of food, let your mind consider the myriad of delicious combinations, order to your heart’s content. Or your stomach’s content. Your stomach will thank you for stopping by.
Ambiance: Kind of squishy, although there are a few tables and chairs for you to sit and eat there. I usually get my food to go and eat where I can sigh and lick my fingers and nobody looks at me weird (basically not in public).
Overall: I think this place is better than Kabuki in the Waimalu Shopping Center (which has fallen to #3 after Sakura and Nuuanu). Just remember, it is a Japanese Okazuya, so it is not open on Mondays. Unfortunately I found that out the hard way.
One last thing, I like that they put the more «messy» or «liquidy» items in a little paper bowl thingy rather than just scrunch some waxed paper or parchment paper to keep that type of food to one end of the plate. Keeps the crunchy things crunchy and the liquidy things liquid.

I can’t say I’m a die-​hard fan of this place. Most of their food really isn’t great. Their prices are reasonable and comparable to the other okazu-​yas around the island.
There is one thing only that I come to this place for: mochiko chicken. Without a doubt, they make the best mochiko chicken I have ever had. (Which makes sense since they call themselves the «Mochiko Chicken Place») An order is $ 2.00 and consists of about three pieces depending on who’s serving you. 2 orders of that and 2 scoops of rice pretty much make up my favorite plate lunch!

Local okazuya in Aiea Town Square near another favorite of mine Young’s Kalbee. They are open early in the morning and have an extensive spread of everything from musubi, garlic chicken, chinese chicken salad, beef teri sticks, seafood dynamite, potato salad, tempura, local style sushi, japanese vegetable dishes and the list goes on and on. Great place to go to if you’re not in town and can’t make it to the other okazuyas in town. Eat in or take out and. There is plenty of parking too!