Columbia, South Carolina Dining, Music, Events and Entertainment

Sakura Japanese Restaurant - Columbia, SC

Sakura Japanese Restaurant
http://sakurasc1.com/home.html
(803) 738-9330
4827 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC 29206
Mon-Sat: 11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Mon-Sat: 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Atmosphere: ☼☼☼☼☼
Price: ☼☼☼☼☼
Presentation: ☼☼☼☼☼
Portion Size: ☼☼☼☼☼
Staff: ☼☼☼☼☼
TASTE: ☼☼☼☼☼

Food Ordered –

From the Appetizer menu:
Chicken Tatsutage
Fried chicken with soy flavor. $5.00

From the Dinner menu:
Sushi Assortment B
10 pieces of freshly prepared sushi with an order of California rolls. Choice of Miso soup or salad with ginger dressing. $13.25

Chicken Teriyaki & Tempura C
Bento box with tender bite-sized pieces of chicken in a teriyaki glaze with assortment of tempura, served with California rolls. Choice of Miso soup or salad with ginger dressing. $14.75

Experience:

Hidden away in little shopping center, you would probably never know of this little gem of a restaurant if you weren’t told about it, taken there by someone else or just found it by accident. (This is actually how I introduced it to Jerry. He’d never heard of them before.) Their address is listed as being on Forest Drive – and while that’s true, you can’t really SEE it while on Forest Drive. It’s behind a clothing boutique, “Coplon’s”. This shopping center is directly across from Trenholm Plaza. Still need helping finding it? It’s on the corner of Trenholm Road and Forest Drive!

Ahh… Now that we’ve arrived at our destination, let’s find a place to park. There are plenty of parking spaces available on both sides of the building that Sakura is located in. There are two wheelchair access ramps as well. Neither of which are very close to their door so be prepared to walk a little… or in my case, roll! :)

“Irasshaimase!”, (いらっしゃいませ!) meaning “Welcome to the store!” or “Come on in!” in Japanese, is cheerfully exclaimed as you first enter. Friendly waves and smiles flood to you as a member of the wait staff greets you to escort you to your seat. The seating is limited since the restaurant is a little on the smaller size but you get the choice of a table or a seat at the sushi bar. It’s also a nice touch that their sushi bar isn’t raised, therefore the seats are regular chairs and not stools to climb onto. Sakura is probably the closest to a traditional Japanese dining experience you will enjoy in Columbia. They offer fresh and top quality sushi and sashimi, as well as other delicious menu choices.

As we looked over our menus we ordered drinks and an appetizer. Be aware, there are free refills for their sweet/un-sweet tea but not for soft drinks! A few moments later, we received our drinks and appetizer. We ordered our entrées (opted for the salads versus the Miso soup) and began to enjoy the delicious Chicken Tatsutage. Nothing fancy or flashy here at Sakura but nonetheless all of the foods are still presented visually appealing and with their own flare. After we were about halfway into our appetizer, we received our salads topped with the most amazing ginger dressing. The salad is in a small bowl – fresh, cold and crisp chopped lettuce, shredded carrots and shredded red cabbage… again, the ginger dressing is absolutely outstanding.

It was quite enjoyable to watch our chef prepare my meal, the Sushi Assortment B. I received my entrée first. It was all beautifully arranged on a large white plate complete with a chunk of very potent wasabi and some fresh ginger slices. Moments later, Jerry received his order… A simple bento box filled with delectable treats for your taste buds! At Sakura the Chicken Teriyaki is prepared in a traditional manner rather than teppanyaki style like you would typically find in a lot of other Japanese restaurants and hibachi grills. Both entrées were far from lacking in flavor. The Sushi Assortment B was very filling and very tasty! The Chicken Teriyaki seemed a little dry inside but had a generous amount of teriyaki sauce. It wasn’t something we turned our nose up at though… Jerry’s overall opinion was that the chicken portion was too small and he’d wished there was more! The Tempura assortment was cooked to perfection! We loved that the batter was cooked crispy and wasn’t too thick where it might overpower the vegetables. Too often at other eating establishments, I’ve ordered tempura and received more breading than I did meat or vegetables.

We finished our meal and requested the check. Quickly it arrived and Jerry went to the register to pay. Did you know that the servers split all of the tips at the end of the day? :) A couple of dinner mints and receipt in hand, we left smiling with several employees telling us “bye” and “thank you”.

Similar Restaurant Comparison:

I would have to say that Sakura reminds me of Inakaya’s, located on O’Neil Court. Sakura is much smaller in size and their menu has less options. But they don’t lack in hospitality, atmosphere, prices or taste. I love the wasabi at Sakura as well as their ginger salad dressing. I definitely recommend this place but also suggest trying them during lunch for cheaper prices. They are a lot alike but can be also very different… So fairly comparing either one to the other is a challenge. I would have to honestly say, Sakura is in a first class all to itself. There really is no other Japanese restaurant like it in town.