Sakura Japanese Restaurant

A group of friends and I ate here earlier this week. I advised the waiter that I was vegan and specified clearly that I did not eat meat, fish, dairy and eggs. I was told that I couldn't have the tempura, as the batter was made with eggs and so asked for the Pad Thai to be made vegan. When it arrived, it contained all sorts of meat in it ... ? and so I advised that a mistake had been made, as I specifically requested no meat etc. When the correct version eventually arrived, all of my party had finished eating. Most had left already and the few remaining were getting ready to leave and so I had no option but to leave my meal. The whole experience was really poor considering my party spent over £700 in the restaurant that night 😳



Updated from previous review on 2016-12-10

I visited Sakura, a Japanese restaurant located in Botanic Avenue over the weekend. This was only my second visit and since starting a vegetarian lifestyle this year I wanted to find out how their food fared for vegetarians.
Being a sushi bar the vegetarian options did initially appear a little limited and sadly Sakura do not have a separate, dedicated vegetarian menu which is unfortunate. However, our waiter did advise us that the Chefs could do any dish on the menu as vegetarian, so that was a huge bonus. Nonetheless, clearer ‘suitable for vegetarian’ labelling on the menu would help.
We opted for deep fried avocado and tofu tempura roll starters and mains of stir fried ramen noodles with mixed vegetables. The food as absolutely delicious and fresh tasting, wine (pinot grigio) lovely and service impeccable. I did notice a ‘Chinese Kitchen’ section towards the back of the main menu which included options of mixed vegetables with black bean, Szechuan, satay and salt and chilli sauces. I’m looking forward to a return visit and to trying out Sakura’s lunch and take away menus as the food was scrumptious. Plus the restaurant itself is beautiful with Japanese décor, relaxed atmosphere and reasonable prices.
Updated from previous review on Monday August 17, 2015

Updated from previous review on Monday August 17, 2015

Never been to a Japanese or sushi bar because I generally don't like sushi, but the fried avocado and tofu tempura was much tastier than the normal sushi and the vegetable ramen noodles were really good too!!!

We always pop into Sakura around 9:30-10pm and are greeted by their friendly staff for a take out order. The avocado, cucumber rolls are delicious as is the tofu. The food always comes out super quick and the prices are very reasonable. But heads-up for vegans: I asked about the tempura batter and was told is has egg in it!

If in the Queens area, check out Sakura for all your Asian fusion and sushi needs!
Updated from previous review on Saturday November 08, 2014

Updated from previous review on Saturday November 08, 2014

Updated from previous review on Saturday November 08, 2014

Great staff, great food. Avacado and tofu tempura is my new favourite thing to eat!!!! Reasonable prices.