Sakura

Idk why this says there temporary close bc I went to Sakura like a few weeks ago an I love in Salem an they always have there open sign up??? Anyway! The dessert is amazing, they ha e really good Japanese Asian cuisine, the staff are really helpful and nice and there sushi (rolls) have so many to pick from its good to be able to try such a variety

I’ve been to Sakura four or five times since moving to Salem in February and it’s become one of (if not) my favorite restaurants in town. The sushi is fantastic and you really can’t go wrong with that. I forget which roll it is, but they have one that comes to you «on fire» and it’s absolutely delicious. I’ve tried various appetizers and some of their lunch bento boxes and have been pleased each time. If you enjoy sushi or Asian food it’s a great place to check out. Each time I’ve gone, I’ve been with other people and they’ve also enjoyed their experiences. (Important to note that I’m not the only one who likes it!).
One thing to note is that their service is not the quickest since they have a small wait staff and only one sushi chef. However, they’re very attentive and the wait is well worth it.

The food is fresh and delicious. It’s the real deal. The sushi offerings were exceptional! We had several but the honey, Chicago, and kiss of fire rolls were fabulous! We also had ramen and yaki udon both delicious. The miso soup was the best we have eaten in America so far. Definitely worth the visit!

Great food! My husband and I are originally from Salem and return often to visit family. Sakura is one of our favorite spots to visit, and we are so thrilled that there is a restaurant like this in Salem! We took both of our mothers for lunch recently on consecutive days, and everyone had a good experience. We have also been for dinner with friends. Both the sushi and bento boxes have been very satisfying. We love the pork dumplings as an appetizer! My favorite lunch is the shrimp tempura bento. My husband also recently enjoyed the chicken yaki udon. The hot tea is good also — I enjoyed splitting a pot with my mother!

Love everything about this place. You want culture in a small southern Illinois town, make a trip here

I had dinner here with a party of five and had heard good things from our landlord. Our server was very nice and tried to do everything she could, but the place was clearly understaffed. There was only one chef making sushi and one server in our section.
My biggest complaint is the timing of the food. Most of us ordered a cooked dish and sushi, but some ordered sushi only. The cooked dishes came out and were nearly finished before any sushi appeared. One of our party members did not receive any of her food until everyone else was finished eating, which is unacceptable at any establishment. The chef was clearly not prioritizing orders since another table in our section received their sushi before our last party member received hers. The miso should’ve been a little warmer and was a bit silty, but tasted fine. The shrimp gyoza was horrid with a strong, fishy taste.
Our server was very apologetic and upset that we waited so long, but there’s only so much she could’ve done to speed things up. I’ve had better sushi, but Sakura was still good. Our cooked dishes were great. I don’t know that I’ll eat here again, but I want to give it another try.

Awesome food at a great price. We had the chicken teriyaki bento for lunch and it was great.

Awesome sushi! Have been here about ten times and every time is top notch. Very superior to any other sushi this side of the Louis.

If this restaurant had local competition, I’d give it just two stars, but Salem needs more restaurant variety.
The spicy pork bento was pretty good, and I heard one of the chicken dishes was too but not another chicken dish and unfortunately I didn’t figure out which one.
I liked the way the bento came with a few pieces of tempura. The salad and miso were both fine and typical.
The ginger honey tea was ok, but I was disappointed that it was brewed before they brought out the teapot. I couldn’t let it sit to deepen the flavor, or enjoy smelling the fresh leaves/​ginger.
The sushi was not good. I tried the tuna, the unagi (eel), and the tomago (egg). The tuna was dry and none of them had much flavor.
Unfortunately it took over half an hour just to place our orders, even though the restaurant only had a couple of other occupied tables. I heard that they are trying to hire waitstaff (how hard is that?), but more than 15 minutes between sitting down and placing my order starts to really put a damper on the experience.

A restaurant like this needs to be in a large cities because the food is excellent and you would pay twice the price.
Don’t pass this one up.

Great food! A real treat for authentic Japanese. Sushi is a real delicacy for Southern Illinois. I hope they stay in business.

No pleasant surprise here. The food is more expensive than most excellent sushi establishments like Sake in O’Fallon il. The sushi chef has no clue how to treat the sushi. The rice lacks the flavor of the rice vinegar (tastes like plain white rice) and the chef has has no respect for the sushi. He squeezes the living daylight out of the rolls so the rice is compressed like vulcanized rubber. All the rolls tastes the same, does not matter what you order. The ingredients don’t seem to be too fresh. The chicken teriyaki, absolutely aweful. The most expensive pile of crap, they cut the precooked dry chicken length ways then squirted teriyaki sauce like you would a hot dog. Not sure what that was about. I can get cheaper and better teriyaki from the mall food court. Never going back to this crap hole.

After reading the reviews, I wasn’t expecting much. But, I was pleasantly surprised. The sushi wasn’t excellent, but it wasn’t terrible either. The service was good and the atmosphere was nice. The only thing we were disappointed with, was that the bento box wasn’t a typical bento box. It was a served on a platter with steamed vegetables.

Patience is a virtue, and I know I have been patiently waiting for another dinner option in Salem for some time now. Salem residents should be happy having yet another culture integrated into their lunch or dinner choices. I know as a regular visitor to the town I was happy to have this as an option. I also know during this visit for dinner, my patience was tested.
Please remember to take into consideration prior to visiting the slightly higher prices that are present in this type of restaurant.
The sushi menu has many rolls to choose from. Another menu, for those who do not enjoy sushi, is available. There are multiple appetizers, the lunch menu has roughly 6 options, and the dinner menu provides 12 options where some (6 – 8) include soup and salad with your meal.
With all the positives noted, I now must provide my concerns, or recommendations, for things that must be addressed for this business to stay successful in Salem. Please know that I am not a restaurant manager, but anyone knows that service can make or break success. During our visit, on a Saturday night, there were 3 servers sitting around the bar or messing with their phones in the open. For having only three tables occupied I would not have been so critical had our server been able to keep our drinks filled. Also, when asked the server should be able provide the list of ingredients in my wife’s order of Raman. Your servers must be able to educate the customer on the good choices, and they must be able to keep the drinks full. Without proper service your customers won’t continue to visit.
Hopefully these items brought up are simply new restaurant training issues that get resolved quickly. If concerns above are addressed this could be a four star option for dinner in Salem, and if the concerns are not addressed my future review, as well as others, will mirror the only existing review of one star.

I recently stumbled on this establishment upon taking my nightly walk. I thought to myself, a Japanese restaurant, Salem needs something different. I love Asian food, culture and the people. This spiked my curiosity. I decided to try this place out a week later. The aesthetics are beautiful! I walk in and the people ignored me. They were not even busy! They had maybe 5 tables occupied! I walk to the front of the house and the staff still ignored me. One of them kept cleaning after clearly seeing I was standing there. The food is sub par and the staff is beyond rude. I won’t be back. They are going to have to do better than this if they wish to stay open.