Sakura Sushi

Just moved near this little gem. I ordered some sushi to bring back to my place the other night. They said it would be ready in about 15 minutes and at 12 minutes, they called back to tell me that my food was ready. That alone was very outstanding in customer service standards. Next, when I got home, the sushi looked great of course, but the taste… Wow. I have enjoyed sushi from coast to coast… Literally, all over the US… Shakura gets my favorite vote without question. You will not be disappointed.

I’ve only eaten here once, but it was delicious enough to make me want to come back… we had 4 rolls and 2 drinks (for 2 people) for right under $ 40 pre-​tip. (Note — it would be easy to spend much more, but we got an assortment and stayed away from the $ 16.95 rolls.)
CRUNCHY ROLL — HUGE, almost 2x the girth of a typical sushi roll… filled with delicious smoked salmon and much more (this was our favorite)
LADY IN RED — a nice, complex flavor with sweet and savory and green chili all working well together… this was also a large roll, but not as big as the crunchy roll (a close second)
PICKLE ROLL — very small girth roll with a mild but flavorful delicious pickled something inside. We really liked it! (a fun way to break up the «heavy» flavor of other rolls)
CHICKEN TERIYAKI ROLL — another very large roll filled to the brim. This was our least favorite — not that it was bad, but it just wasn’t our favorite style of sushi. It also fell apart a little bit and was hard to eat. (this is the only roll we’d skip next time… luckily the huge menu has many other options!)
We dined at lunch and were treated to complimentary miso soup, which was really delicious.
SO, why only 4 stars? They lost a star in my mind because of the cleanliness and upkeep of the restaurant itself (nothing to do with the food). We’re already a long way from the ocean — if I’m ordering something that will be served raw, I want to feel like I can trust it was handled and prepared in a clean and save environment. I have no idea how clean or dirty the kitchen is, but our menus were sticky/​gritty and the bamboo table runner was visibly stained with dry sauce and messes from previous patrons. These may be minor things, but they made me feel uneasy to order uncooked items.
Just FYI: the atmosphere is casual, not fancy — the décor /​paper window coverings are worn and inexpensive looking, so this would not be a place I’d recommend for dinner with the boss or a first date. Some tables are perhaps a bit too close together (we bumped chairs with the people behind us).
But, all said, we’ll certainly be back for the great sushi!

I love this place, I love their sushi, and if you don’t like sushi but someone else does, there is plenty to choose from.

My 13 yr. old son & I ate here. He loved his fried rice dish & I ordered the laarb, inspired after seeing Ming Tsai win a Top Chef/​Masters contest with this dish. My taste buds were blown away with the bright, freshness of this pork dish. It was not a bit greasy and was served with baby spinach. I couldn’t finish the portion and am still angry with myself for accidentally leaving my doggy bag on the table!

This is where we go when we want sushi +. It’s a small restaurant with usually only one server for the room, but it works.
The sushi is sometimes messy, always delicious. You really can’t go wrong with any of their rolls. Seriously. Get them all. Just be prepared to use your hands.
Their Thai tea is pretty phenomenal. They serve it over ice and even sometimes in a big fancy wine glass. It’s sweet, refreshing, and tastes a little chocolately.
They have Thai, Laotian, and Japanese food. The yakisoba was good but not the best. Pad Thai is good, just understand that they go heavy on the spices unless you get mild (the guy across from us got medium and said he was tearing up – he also said he must just be delicate). The phở is also good, but different than the usual phở you’d get at a Vietnamese restaurant. It’s darker and sweeter, and doesn’t come with cilantro or lime. I don’t recommend adding lime.
Overall, this place is good and diverse. We have been many times and will go back again and again!

Sushi was great, the sushi combos are a nice option.

Two words. Laos menu. I’ve had the beef laab and the homemade Laotian sausage. Both are fantastic I see no need to order anything else.
The Unilocal description of this resaturant says «Asian Fusion» but that’s not entirely correct. There’s a sushi menu, Japanese menu, Thai menu and Korean (I think). Maybe even a couple of Chinese dishes. So, something for everybody. It’s not one of those disastrous massive menus with 400 items, but just a few dishes from each cuisine.

Hands down, currently my favorite sushi restaurant in Albuquerque.
The service is excellent and the fish fresh and well prepared in all forms.
My usual lunch for two consists of a spicy tuna hand roll, one large roll, one small roll (usually California) and two or three orders of nigiri. That, along with the excellent miso soup for starters, is a feast.
Sushi is edible art — I can definitely state the sushi at this establishment tastes as good, if not better, than it looks.

This is our go-​to place for sushi! We love this place, great food, delicious sushi, and definitely need to try to homemade dishes on the menu as well.
The staff and environment is very warm and welcoming! I would definitely recommend this place! And very affordable as well.

Very nice small sushi Thai and loas cuisine! Very very friendly service! Delicious food! The atmosphere was nice and relaxed. Decent prices. Had never been here before and I’m definitely coming back! :)

The service and the food were outstanding! The tempura sauce was different. I prefer the original sauce versus with ginger mixed. Probably just me.

In love with this place! Albuquerque roll is perfect. Staff is friendly. Environment is inviting. One of my favorite lunchtime stops! Clean restaurant. Food made fresh to order. I can’t say a single negative thing about it! :)

* Hidden gem in Albuquerque!*
I’m disappointed in myself for not writing a sooner review!
This has to be me and my husbands favorite place to have lunch and we’ve been coming here for about a year now. We try to come here at least twice a month and just relax and enjoy ourselves. Its always a must that we start off with their monkey balls for our appetizer (there so delicious) and I also get a nice, cold, refreshing Thai tea.
The staff here is always so gracious and welcoming and practically know our usual lol. Sakura Sushi hands down, is the best sushi in NM! You can taste the love they put into all there food. Its awesome cause they have so many different varieties of foods to choose from and whats even better is that there all equally delicious. Definitely try their Pad Thai and in house Laos Sausage.
So do yourself a huge favor and come check this place out for sure =)

I always go here once a week before! Except now I go once a month -.- lol I like eating here eaves they aren’t cheap when I eat sushi. I wouldn’t mind eating here again since it is good just I feel fat when I walk out.

Been coming here for years. The sushi is the best I’ve ever had and the service is top notch! Amazing family owned and operated spot that will keep me coming back.

What did I just eat?
This review is for the sushi. Not the the Thai or Laotian menu items. I dined here after a recent recommendation in the forums. It was close and I was in the mood for some nigiri.
First off, this is not a sushi or a Japanese restaurant. However, they do offer sushi-​esque items. It is pricey especially the nigiri menu. Two hamachi and two unagi cost $ 12. The portions were small and the yellow tail was mushy. I like a little firmness with my raw fish. My girlfriend ordered the pork spring rolls. They were decent but every time I put it up to my mouth, it smelled like stinky feet. I even sniffed it to make sure I wasn’t picking up a scent from something else. I got the seaweed salad and it had WAY too much fish sauce for my liking. Then the rolls came out. I normally don’t order rolls just because they are just some westernized creation with too much sauce and crap and are all about fancy presentations. Since the nigiri was so expensive, I opted to try one. The rice was way too sticky, like they rinsed it too long. Each piece was stuck to the plate. It was very hard to keep everything intact. We had to fight with every single piece. It was ridiculous. Even the water tasted funny.
Now the actual facility. It’s small and that’s fine. Our table was the one next to the kitchen and restroom. I let my girlfriend have the seat facing out and I had my back to the front door. Looking into the kitchen I noticed a plate of food on the floor under a prep table. What or who are they feeding? Directly in front of me was a wall with a row of light switches. They were very dirty and each switch had a little piece of paper above it taped to the wall with scribbling which I assume is describing the function. Do yourself a favor: spend 10 minutes with a clorox wipe and get a label maker. It’s little things like this that I notice that drives me crazy. Perhaps ghetto may be the right description.
Now the restroom. As soon as I walked past the curtain and into the hallway I noticed a strong presence of sewer gas. Do yourself another favor and call a plumber or atleast pour some water into the traps of all your floor drains and floor sinks. The mens restroom paper towel dispenser was empty, but apparently this is where they store all of the toilet paper and paper towels. I had to tear a piece off of a roll on the shelf. Not very sanitary.
Now to conclude my diatribe. If you have read this you’re probably thinking «what a nitpicky jerk». I’m sorry but I have a problem with someone touching and preparing my meal with all these deficiencies in their eating establishment especially after spending $ 60. A divey place that serves sushi should not exist.

First time trying this place out. Very cozy seeing, small number of seating which is nice. Had the yellow tail, tuna and a phili roll tempura’d. Tuna was of a good consistency, had the typical previously frozen taste issue but still good flavor (it’s NM– it’s always going to be previously frozen). The owner/​chef has awesome rice handling techniques. The roll stayed together perfectly and the nigiri was nice and tight. The tempura was flaky and was not greasy which is awesome.
I pride myself on good sushi being from San Diego– not comparing this place to SD– but as compared to the dozens of places I’ve gone to here: easily in my top 5.

LOVE the Dr. R roll. Fresh tasting and spicy! The monkey balls are also amazing. Second time in. Might be our new favorite place. Can’t wait to try more.

I’ve gone here a couple times since my move to Albuquerque in the late spring of 2013. Every time I go, I’m greeted by fantastic service and the sushi is amazing!
Their monkey balls are really good and have a nice kick to them. Their tuna rolls and salmon rolls are fresh & tasty. Our favorites chef specialty rolls are the «Rock n Roll,» «Sakura Roll,» and the «Rainbow Roll.» But I highly recommend the Sakura Roll, its a personal favorite!
This is a small little place, quaint and got a nice vibe to it… Try it out, I sincerely doubt you’ll be disappointed!

I’m new to ABQ, and this was the first place that was recommended to me. Very attentive and personable service. The waiter knew the menu inside– out.
— Monkey ball appetizers: unique and tasty tuna balls
— Volcano roll: not the best I’ve had, a bit watery with very small scallops. Good portion
— Lao’s glass noodle dish: tasty, plenty of shrimp
All in all, I’m glad to have dined here. They have sushi with an new mexican flare. Unique and pleasant dining experience. I will definitely be back for a second meal.