Sakura

We kind of skeptical to Hibachi/​Sushi near Cedar Falls/​Waterloo area however I was very surprised. My group did Habachi for dinner. The place was clean and looked to be a good size. There was barely anyone in there which allowed us to sit down quickly. Our cook was AMAZING! I never got a name but he was probably the best Habachi cook I’ve had. In was funny, interacted with us and obviously did a good job with the food! He definitely was entertaining. Their «yum yum» sauce was really good as well. Our waitress was on point too so that made it nice.
One down point! I ordered a Crab Ragoon sushi roll and did not like it. Not sure if it was the taste/​texture or just an off day but I was not about that roll. Sounded good at first.
Anyways I do recommend this place and would for sure return if I ever am in that area again!

I love Sakura. The sushi is always delicious and delivered very fresh to your table. The food is delicious and prepared well. Appetizers come quick and always tasty. I don’t use the hibachi grill but my wife likes it we just don’t sit at the grill. Food comes hot and delicious and we always love it. Some of the best sushi in the cedar valley!

The food is not as healthy as it could be, but it’s a fun place to go on occasion. Especially with a group!

Chef/​ninja highly skilled, personable and funny. Food pretty solid. One waitress was good. Another knew nothing and they were out of several desserts. Fun for a group of people.

Big hibachi fan and stopped in on a business trip. This place was great! The soup and salad were excellent, the shrimp were jumbo, and the filet was fantastic. Even the veggies were cooked to perfection… and I’m not a huge veggie fan. Can’t comment on the sushi but highly recommend this place if your into hibachi. Great service too!

I didn’t think I’d find decent sushi in Iowa; I’ve had sushi in Japan and South Korea, even the sushi in Brazil is awesome. Much to my surprise Sakura is very tasty. We don’t do the stir fry; once you’ve seen that show, no need to see it again, although the food is good. We get a booth, have a cocktail (very reasonable prices), the clear soup and a roll each. I always think it won’t be enough but it always is. Most of the time the service is great, there have been a few times when it was a little slow, but no complaints.

TERRIBLE service. We were seated at a grill, and we waited and waited and waited. We kept looking at the front at the people that say us at our table… nothing. The people next to us hadn’t even started having their food made and it was almost completely cooked before we were waited on. The waitress was completely rude when she did show up. I said I was thirsty and she said «No one told me you were here.» I asked what was in the veggie roll and she said «What does it say?» «It says veggie roll.» I asked if she could go find out and when she came back, she started saying what was in the roll before I could even see her face. I asked again and finally I just said we weren’t going to be eating here and that we would take the edamame and drinks and then be done. I’m writing this review 30 minutes after we arrived and we still don’t have the edamame. BAD experience for us. It’s too bad because the other reviews look like the place is yummy! We are heading to another restaurant where our business is wanted!

Went grab a quick lunch with my girl. Seafood udon was good, great broth. However, the lady’s room was very dirty, which totally ruined the whole experience.

I really wish I could «star» the food and the service separately. The food is truly delicious (I would give it 5 stars) but we have had such terrible service over and over again we’re almost to the point we won’t go back. Service deserves 1 star.
Food:
The hibachi entrees are tasty. But we go for the sushi. We have eaten at sushi places all over, from Chicago to the East Coast, and Sakura’s rolls are definitely some of our favorites. Tons to choose from. Fresh and delicious.
Service:
The hibachi and sushi chefs obviously do a great job, however the waitstaff is some of the worst I’ve ever had. Slow, inattentive, constantly forget things. For example, we ordered edamame to start and after repeatedly asking for it, the server finally brought it out AFTER we finished our entrees. No apology. Other occasions they forget soups and salads, etc (and they rarely check back with you so you don’t even have the chance to ask for it). Something like this happens almost every time we go. I even saw a server TALKING ON HER PHONE while she took drinks out to a table!
Because the food is so good, we were going to give this place one more try before we completely boycotted it, and actually had a decent server this past time. We asked for her name and will request her from now on. But if service does not improve overall, we will not go back.

Went here on Saturday Night with my family to celebrate our anniversary. My husband and I went here a few years ago on the weekend and it was extremely busy. So we decided that we would go at 4 o’clock and try to beat the dinner rush. It was successful because we were able to be seated right away.
We chose to sit at the grill because we thought our kids would really enjoy that. Our waitress came and took our drink order right away but didn’t deliver it until 15 minutes later. We had to sit for a while because we had to wait for more gas to come to fill up the grill.
I ordered a virgin piña colada to drink. It was not very good at all. It wasn’t well blended and had so many huge ice chunks you couldn’t even drink it with your straw. At four dollars it wasn’t worth it.
Or cook who prepared our meal was excellent. He had the same cheesy jokes as he cooked the food as they always do. But he was sufficient and the food was wonderful. I ordered the chicken and shrimp meal. I have zero complaints about the food.
For five of us it was $ 100 for meal. Pretty much what I kind of expected bus this is why it’s only for special occasions. My kids enjoyed the food as well as the spectacle of having it cut in front of us. Will be back for the next special occasion.

The BEST sushi in town. Their Alaskan roll is unbeatable. The place is clean and staff are friendly. No wait time whenever I go.

Excellent sushi — it gets my vote for the best in town. The food from the grill is a little too rich… my insides are always churning the next day.

I’ve been to Sakura on three occasions in the past two weeks. The sushi has been on point each time. I am impressed. Today I met some friends for the lunch special. Had hot tea, ginger salad, and two rolls all for under 12 $. Can’t ask for much more!

Sushi guys at the bar were great but the waitstaff could use some tips. Based on what others around me ordered, it is a great place for teriyaki plates more than sushi so order that instead. Tip: Dragon balls are not sushi, just fried tuna salad. Gross.

This is the best hibachi place around here. Quick service and very attentive. Entertaining for a 2 and 4 year old and the staff was very nice to younger patrons. The sashimi and rolls are great. We had yellowtail, spicy tuna, and the hawaiian roll. All good. The raw salmon and yellowtail was really good for not being near an ocean! For hibachi we tried scallops and shrimp between the 5 of us. I swear there was 2 lbs of scallops and 2 lbs of shrimp. The orange dipping sauce was the only disappointment, I think Ohana in Des Moines does that much better, they have more of a Hollandaise. All in all, very impressed and worth the price.

Four stars kudos to the sushi rice. For Iowa, this place is not bad with sushi. Hibachi wise, not very surprising or impressive.
Bf got Hibachi combo, which came with a salad, soup, then pretty stereotypical Iowa style Hibachi. I didn’t try salad but the house dressing looked pretty much like ranch. Soup was HORRIBLE… it was like someone ate two pack of 99 cents ramen packs, and only used one pack of flavoring powder; the other one went into this soup (where was my 99 cent instant miso soup powder!?). So pretty gross there. Food portion was tremendous (which is fairly Iowa). I was still pretty tick of with the idea of US restaurant would possibly EVER service rice with noodle. That was such an insult to Asian culture. But again, it’s Iowa.
On the other hand, this place had by far the best sushi rice I’ve ever had in Iowa. Perfectly cooked and not oversized. The choice of fish was pretty decent, however the squid turned out to be slimy and gross taste, so do not recommend. Sushi roll was also too Americanized and probably won’t do them again. Still though, I was pleased that I could possibly find something remotely decent sushi wise.
Sake taste very cheap and spicy. Again shouldn’t expect too much and should be happy they even have some. Waitress was okay.

A great fun experience for the whole family. Great prices considering you get dinner and a show. Food tastes well, and if you eat at the grill you are in for a double treat!
Took my girlfriend here for a surprise birthday, we had a great time and had no issues at all with service, or accommodating our needs.

This Japanese steakhouse definitely ranks as one of the best restaurants in Cedar Falls to visit. If you have never been to a Japanese steakhouse before you are certainly in for a treat. Hibachi Chefs come out and prepare your food on a grill right in front of your table. It’s an awesome showing.
Each meal comes with soup, salad, noodles, fried rice, vegetables, and your entrée. Proportions are very generous and most of the time I’ve noticed people usually have left overs. I am always very pleased with my meals. Quality and quantity is certainly not an issue here.
I would say the price of Sakura is definitely proportional to the amount of food you receive. Also the chefs come out and prepare your food in front of you, adding value.
I have noticed the service is always excellent here. The waiters are always very attentive and check up on you. The chefs will also flag them down for you if you need anything as well.
Overall a top restaurant for me in Cedar Falls. Definitely one to bring people to when they are visiting the area. I suppose the only complaint from me would be that they are not open 24÷7÷365, then again it is fine dining…

I frequently visit this restaurant when I make the trip back home. I always enjoy the time spent at Sakura Japanese Steakhouse and is something I look forward to when going to Cedar Falls.
Sakura is a great place to go with a group of friends to have fun and sit at the grill, as well as a great place to go with just a few family members and sit at a table on the sushi side. The chef’s who prepare your food at the grill for you are entertaining and usually very friendly. Although sometimes you hear some of the same jokes. The staff who serve the tables on the sushi side are not the best I’ve ever seen, but are attentive and can be helpful with menu options.
On to the food. The full meal you get here at Sakura is a delicacy. It is not everyday that each element of your meal expertly crafted to fit all of your desires. With your order you get soup, salad, vegetables, rice, and noodles. Soup: The soup is just a classic chicken broth with a mushroom in it. A great warm up for the rest of your meal. Salad: The salad sets up the entire meal. House or ginger, pick your dressing, they’re both stupendous. I kid you not I have come to Sakura and only purchased some salad dressing to bring home for later. Next comes your meal. (I’ll cover the entrees later) the sides are your choice of rice, noodles, and vegetables. They all are tasty. For the entrees, I usually go with hibachi chicken although all of the entrees I’ve had have been delightful. I am not a big sushi guy, but I’ve only heard positive things about it at Sakura.
The atmosphere here is fun, and I would definitely recommend coming here at any time. It may not be the cheapest option, but definitely worth it. 5 stars.

I come here at least once a week. Definitely my favorite place in town. It is a hibachi steak house with sushi.
You have the option to sit at a grill where they cook the food right in front of you or you can sit at a booth. They give very generous proportions and include lots of sides. Each meal comes with soup, salad, noodles and rice. Fried rice is $ 2 more than the steamed rice which is included in it, so that is kind of annoying but understandable.
I always get the combination hibachi chicken with filet mignon. It is $ 28 with all of the sides and a pop, but I think it is well worth it.
The service is somewhat so-​so. I have had some waitress’ that need to display some proper manners for working at an upscale restaurant. It is always completely packed on a Friday or Saturday night, so plan ahead for a wait.
The only thing I would not recommend about Sakura is I was not satisfied with the egg-​rolls when I got them. They were unlike any I’ve ever had before and I did not eat them after the first bite.
I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for dinner. It is most of my friends favorite restaurant.