Sakura Steakhouse

An update to my review. We came here with a group of about 12 people (making a reservation a few weeks in advance) and they couldn’t have been more accommodating. This was my first time having hot sake and it was great but like I said it was my first time so I have nothing to compare it too. I think I’ll have my birthday dinners from here on.

We ate here for the first time tonight, we’ve been hesitant to try it because of other reviews. We had Filet, chicken and shrimp and found it all to be fresh and delicious! The chef had just enough interaction to not interfere with the table conversation. The salad was just okay but the soup, rice and veggies were great! The waitress was very attentive. We would definitely come back again, but not regularly because it is pricey.

My first hibachi experience turned out to be a disappointment. I ordered the chicken and steak, which tasted great. I was just expecting more of a cooking experience. Chefs just merely cooked the food, nothing else. I can’t say that I’ll be back. Price wasn’t worth the experience.

The food is always good!
I ordered the steak and shrimp with fried rice! You have to have fried rice which is normally a few dollars more. We also ordered a sashimi platter to share. The price justified the amount of fish we got. The show is always fun to watch. They make a smoky volcano out of onions.
If you’ve been to Benihana and Tanaka of Tokyo and your craving that kind of food then visit this place! They serve sushi too so you can get your sushi fix as well.

This is a beginner sushi place. If you enjoy real sushi, look elsewhere. Half of their sushi menu includes ‘imitation crab meat’ and very little outside of the standard sushi. The wait staff had minimal knowledge of the sushi roll ingredients, prompting me to order something that wasn’t as described. The atmosphere is 95% hibachi and it’s attached to a low rate bar. The layer of dust collected on the plastic orchids at the bar was almost enough to turn my stomach.

This review is for their hibachi — I’ve never had their sushi.
I’ve been here twice and found the food and presentation to be average. Their menu is like every other hibachi place — soup, ginger salad, shrimp appetizer, rice, yum yum sauce. The food was good but nothing outstanding. The chefs were ok, as is the décor.
HOWEVER, the prices were $ 5 or more per meal than other hibachi restaurants in the area ($ 18 for the basic chicken meal, and $ 4 to upgrade to fried rice!). If they lowered their prices (or offered coupons like they used to), I’d give them 3 stars. But as is I don’t plan to go back.

Loved Spicy Tuna Roll!!! My husband and I had an amazing evening at this restaurant. Food was delicious, our chef was funny and made lots of tricks, server was fast and always there for us!

Awesome! I luv getting sushi here! Only bonus to living on the Westside!!! Plus it’s better to sit at the sushi bar when it’s crowded! I don’t need all the craziness of the regular tables!

It’s OK, but I prefer the Sakura in Lawrenceburg. It is in better condition and larger, but have had better experiences at the other location. The sushi was a little better at this location vs. Lawrenceburg.

This place has talented chefs & good food! Judge for yourself & go try it. I am a Foodie & I have eaten in many places, had Sushi in several states, I know food & I know good Sushi. This place is a great hidden Westside Gem :) Great place for a date, a celebration, or just because! I will be back.

Weirdest location ever… not great service, overpriced for overcooked food ($ 2.50 extra for fried rice instead of white… seriously?). Also a few people in my party had entertainment book coupons which they said, «they don’t honor»…kind of a mistake in my opinion.

Where do I start? Terrible waitress. She couldn’t answer any questions about the menu or drinks. She didn’t even know what was in the salad dressing. We had to ask for water 3 times. When someone asked for lemon and it was finally brought, it was almost thrown on the table as she walked by. We specifically asked for «top shelf» long islands and they were NOT top shelf, very tiny and all ice (like 3 – 4 sips and they were gone). They tasted more like they were made from that generic long island mix. Someone in our party requested a Bombay Sapphire martini, slightly dirty. The first martini came back very dirty and clearly made with cheap gin. My friend took it back to the bar and had to tell the bartender, step-​by-​step, how to make a martini and she still got one with ice in it. The bartenders are basically bottle openers.
The hibachi chef was lackluster and acted like he would rather be anywhere else than where he was.
The food was just «ok». Over all, it cost over $ 140 for 3 dinners and 3 drinks. Way overpriced. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem paying for a nice meal, but this didn’t even come close to giving any value for the money.
Save you money and go somewhere else.

My fellow sushi lovers–
Here is the setup. Holiday Inn Express sits directly behind this joint. This joint is attached to a bar and they are both attached to a motel. I have a window facing the motel. The strange thing is, the motel has no sign. For the last two days, I have watched some really shady people come and go from this motel. The building is dark and old. Like out of some horror flick.
So I have established this is strange, well I walked by it two or three times before I entered. Strange layout, the first thing I saw was a bar, I was like, where the hell is the sushi bar??? So I walked up to the bar and some oriental guy said I could not eat there and to go to other side. Around the corner was the sushi bar, like friggin’ hidden.
Let me clarify. Last night was Bamboo House, totally was a 2 star, like barely. The Unilocal rates were okay, which makes me thing Cincinnati people are smoking crack (possibly at the motel). I ONLY went to this place casue the Holiday Inn Express had a buy one get one free appetizer deal listed. Just show your room key, blah blah blah.
Before I get to the food, let me tell you why I DID NOT rate this place a 5 star. The manager was a total asshole. Rude as fuck, when I asked him about the special, he actually was pissed at me for asking, he told me he has told Holiday Inn Express a dozen times to take that special down. Well excuse me asshat. I should have left, but I already ordered my favorite Saki.
Also, no 5 star cause the air conditioner was broken, hot as hell in there.
Glad I stayed, any sushi bar that has regulars, is a sushi bar I want to be at. The sushi bar was full and Chef Jason knew each person by name! Impressive. Chef Jason made me a Dragon Roll, maybe a 3, nothing special, but a Dragon Roll is easy
I conversed with my neighbors, most were local and raved about the place, they also said it is fun to eat sushi and watch the line dancing in the other bar… Ummm, okay. I said strange, right???
Chef Jason prepared his specialty roll. Called the Poppy Roll. Folks, rarely does sushi bring tears to my eyes. This was warm crab and cream cheese in the roll and broiled scallops on top with some kind of sauce. It was out of this world. Keep in mind, I love cream cheese and crab… Chef Jason took personal interest in me and took pride of his works… FYI the hibachi grills were all going and I heard several positive comments about the food from that area.
Okay, Chef Jason let me in on why Bamboo House is what it is… But I am here to rate Sakura and not bash Bamboo House, I guess you will have to ask him…

Our drinks were so-​so. Service was average nothing to complain about there. The problems come in when you actually start eating. It’s the same fun loud family & friends experience as a place like Benihana but the food quality is a couple notches down. Don’t expect to pay less either as they keep the prices the same as a place like Benihana. You definitely leave with the impression that this place is gouging the local customers because it’s the only Japanese steakhouse for miles. Not worth the price in my opinion but not horrible either.

I will not be returning to Sakura for several reasons. A girlfriend and I decided to check out a different sushi spot on the West side last night (a Thursday) for drinks and carry-​out sushi.
I knew from other reviews that the place was not well marked or easy to find, but after several circles around the area, we stopped at a gas station and asked a clerk who kindly explained it was behind the Hilton hotel (through the parking lot) and attached to an abandoned motel. It was indeed very isolated and creepy looking, but we were still excited. When we approached, we entered the restaurant entrance and hesitantly «greeted» by what looked to be a manager or owner. I told him why we were there and he told us to sit at the bar (attached next door). The entire time he was playing or texting on his phone…
The bar was extremely dark and dreary, but didn’t look dirty… just dated and eerie with unlit open rooms surrounding the area. There were 4 or 5 other patrons that I believe were regulars. I can’t describe the strange vibe of the place, but I can say it felt like we had walked into a scene in «The Shining».
Our bartender was a blond woman, very pleasant and friendly. That’s about the best I can say for Sakura. The «manager» just wandered around playing with his phone and switching television channels. I told him I had a question about the sushi menu and he just looked at me. I asked if the chef made tempura lobster rolls (which I had seen on the Facebook page). He quickly went back to the sushi bar and came back to tell me they did, which was nice. I ordered the Tempura Lobster Roll, the Wild Summer roll and the Fire Scallop roll along with two beers while we waited. The bill came out to $ 53. Not terrible…
When I got home and opened the containers I instantly realized that one of the reeked! My friend and I both smelled the rolls and quickly figured out that it was the Fire Scallop. I had to throw it away. $ 15 in the garbage! Fresh fish (scallops included) does not smell like fish and this was sooo stinky with a greyish appearance. I was really worried about the freshness of the other rolls, but had just dropped a decent amount of money so I took my chances and we ate them.
On a positive note, I must say that the rolls we did eat were pretty good and the presentation was very nice as well. I also survived through the night and today without any illness :)
The place was VERY unwelcoming in environment and management (aside from our brief encounters with our bartender) and I really can’t excuse what seemed to be unmistakably rotting seafood. I will not be back for a second chance…

This spot is great and used to be a steakhouse back in the day. It’s a great hibachi spot and the sushi bar is a welcome addition/​option. For some reason, it tends to be a spot we go to for special occasions. The kids love the chef’s hibachi routines. The service and the food are great too.

I went here last night for my birthday dinner, and it was marvelous! I love Hibachi in general because you can watch them make your food and see exactly what they put in your dish. The food was incredible fresh, especially the vegetables. Each Hibachi dish comes with vegetables, steamed rice (you can get fried for an extra $ 2.50), onion soup and a salad with ginger dressing. The prices are slightly high, but you get A LOT of food for your money. I got the teriyaki chicken and it was wonderful! I took half my dish home and was more than full. Our Hibachi chef was very funny and he made conversation while he cooked, which was definitely a plus. We did not get sushi, but the other party at our table did, and it looked marvelous! I cannot attest to the taste, though.
A few things to caution you about before you go:
1. The «spicy» dishes are on a scale of 1 – 10. Make sure you tell the person who takes your order, because our chef forgot to ask us.
2. Ask for the ginger dressing on the side for your salad. They put way too much dressing on my salad and although it was good, I wish I would have told them to put less.
3. The sushi is not on the menu. You have to ask for a paper on which to place your order.
Despite the aforementioned warnings, you should DEFINITELY go! This is a wonderful addition to the West Side of Cincinnati and I will absolutely be returning soon.

Hibachi, YUM-​YUM and ginger, OH MY! Hibachi, YUM-​YUM and ginger, OH MY! Whether you’re in Kansas or Oz, you should give this place a try!
I can’t say the food is much different than any other Hibachi restaurant, but the people are much more friendly!
I enjoyed my soup, ginger salad and hibachi style chicken very much and washed it all down with a couple glasses of plum wine with extra cherries! Oh, and warm sake as well, which was VERY tasty! There was unique entertainment too! A guy came out banging on a huge drum! How fun and what a nice guy!
Sakura has access to a huge bar next door, complete with a dance floor for late night fun!

Jason behind the sushi counter is an artist! Makes the best plates of sushi in town! The hibachi is cool but the sushi counter is where we became a regular. Love this place. Also, it is in same building as Poppy’s lounge which is a great place to get a dance on with my beautiful bride. The bands they choose bring smiles to our faces every time.
Drinks are inexpensive, sushi is unless you eat as much of it as I did.
Great food, cold drinks, friendly staff in an absolutely unique building, makes it a fun night out on westside.

No where but the west side are you going to find a sushi bar, hibachi, sports tavern, and a DJ’d dance floor all tucked into the same building outside a dead motel. (At least I think its dead, too scared to actually get close enough to tell)
In fact if this place was anywhere else, it would probably only rate a 2 or 3, but this is high falutin’ for the west side and for some reason it works. The wacky combination of sushi and Poppy’s Sport Tavern somehow combine to make a pleasant, if not unique, evening and please any palate.
I have to preface by saying we go there a lot, so we get phenomenal service from the sushi chefs, as they know us by name. However, every time I am there, they are awesome with all their guests. They always make us something extra that we didn’t order to surprise us or just let us try something different. And every time we bring our kids, (YES they love raw fish), the sushi chefs always make them a fancy dessert made out of oranges or shape their rolls into fish. Basically go above and beyond! They truly are amazing artists!
If you want to stay later and hang out, you walk right across the room into Poppy’s Sports tavern where they serve up drinks behind an ancient bar and have a DJ or live music on Fridays and Saturday’s. The dance floor is huge! The crowd is SO very different every weekend. It can vary from 50+ couple who actually dance together ball room style or young ladies dancing in a big group to the latest BEP’s song.
Overall, great sushi on the west side. I recommend you sit at the sushi bar and in the winter, steer clear of sitting near front door. Brrrr!