-
February 2024 by M M.
Wonderful shop in the Inner Sunset with fresh Japanese daily take-away items! Nice selection of unique food items and novelties!
-
February 2024 by Abraham Nassar
Sakura is maybe the best hidden gem in the neighborhood. Their bento boxes are *chefs kiss*
-
January 2024 by Breanna D.
Sakura is amazing! The onigiri is delicious and you can really tell it is fresh. I love their options for Japanese snacks and it's nice to have these options in the neighborhood. Worth a visit if you like onigiri and Japanese snacks! Very friendly service as well and free candies when you buy stuff :) I had a wonderful experience
-
January 2024 by Jessica T.
Sakura is so cute! The owner always seems to be donning a big smile and her selection of freshly made Japanese pastries, sandwiches - in addition to her well curated selection of pre-packaged Japanese sweet and savory treats - is truly lovely. Having spent my Freshman year of high school in Tokyo - I can distinctly remember making a daily trip to a close by local patisserie and picking up my favorite after-school treat - a freshly made Japanese-style Mont Blanc. A Mont Blanc cake, if you're not familiar with it - is "composed of a sponge cake covered with spiraling vermicelli of yellow chestnut puree, and topped with a yellow preserved chestnut." (taken from Wikipedia). That Mont Blanc excursion in High School was a special ritual for me and I used to love unwrapping the stunning cake and admiring its perfection before indulging in its sweet bliss. I was excited on my most recent trip to Sakura - to spy a lovely looking Mont Blanc cake in their freshly made refrigerated section. It was nestled among some delicious looking carefully made Japanese sandwiches and pastry delights. It made me smile and a wave of nostalgia rolled over me. If you're in the neighborhood and looking for some delightful picnic fare for Golden Gate Park, or enjoy stocking up on fun Japanese products and treats - definitely stop into Sakura. Trust.
-
January 2024 by David G.
Discovered Sakura during a recent visit to Enjoy, and I'm really happy I did. Sakura offers all those adorable Daiso items but seems better stocked despite its relatively small size. The staff member working in the store was exceptionally friendly as well.
-
December 2023 by Jenny T.
I've been coming here over the span of a few months since they've opened but never got a chance to write a review on their food items, which are very high in quality! I'm a big fan of their fruit sandos and roll cakes with strawberries in the center--I specifically sought out these items when I saw the photos on the store window during construction. The roll cakes are not too sweet and tastes like the kind you would get in JapanI can't explain it other than--if you've been to Japan before and tried a cake at a patissiere or coffee shop there, that's the taste. It's a very unique treat and practically no one else in the Bay Area makes these fresh. As for the fruit sandos, not everyone may be a fan of fruit and cream sandwiched between bread, but it's very aesthetically pleasing and very light! The only catch is you must reserve these with the staff beforehand to ensure they have it in stock. I've also tried the salmon onigiri (crispy seaweed just like the kind you get in Japan combini! and reasonably priced and fresher than Nijiya's) as well as the pork katsu sandos (larger than they appear and magically crispy without reheating!) I'm very impressed with the freshness of their food items, and while the price point may be high to reflect that, I think its worth it. Especially the cakes. If there is a way to have more items available without having to call ahead to reserve, then this place would be perfect.
-
December 2023 by Theresa T.
I wholeheartedly recommend Sakura if you're interested in Japanese snacks, drinks, and bentos! I stopped by last week and picked up a chicken katsu bento, yuzu soda, and shrimp chips. The bento was delicious. One slight drawback was the bento was somewhat pricy (around $15 or so). But it was reasonable considering the amount, variety, and quality of food (chicken katsu, rice, egg, spinach, squash, and pickles). The shopkeeper was friendly and asked if there was any other merchandise or food items they should consider carrying. I'll stop by again in the future!
-
November 2023 by Michelle M
Finally tried the food from the new Sakura! This is top-level Japanese cooking! Everything is so delicious, so flavorful, so thoughtful, so subtle. Two of my Japanese girlfriends and I got mini bento boxes. We were sooooooooooo happy. They are not so mini - it's a great meal. Everything was cooked perfectly. Nothing tasted too much of dashi, soy sauce or sugar, but somehow each element was so flavorful, so delicious, and so Japanese!!! There was great variety of flavor, texture and color. It comes in a compostable container, too.I also tried the veggie curry bowl (which comes in a microwaveable container) and it was full of veggies, comforting, and delicious. The pickled onion on top is just the right contrast. Chicken katsu sandwich was simple and delicious, with just a hint of tonkatsu sauce and a such thinly shredded cabbage.I would say this is as good as my grandmother made, but my grandmother was not nearly as beautiful a cook as this.Bento boxes seem to sell out after lunch time. I'm already planning to bring bento boxes to work on days where the schedule works out.The store part is sparse, but has the essentials, Japanese treats and Japanese grocery/pantry items. They had a very good brand of soy sauce which I will bring to family friends as a gift. All in all, a welcome addition to the city! No more driving to Japan town for disappointing bento from the grocery there! Looking forward to trying karaage and cakes!!
-
October 2023 by Julia R
The store is actually tiny with a rather small variety of items. I guess it's ok, we were just imagining it to be much larger based on other pictures
-
September 2023 by Masa S.
I love their Bentos, Katsu Sandos, onigiris and other prepared meals. Reminds me of Japan...The owner and staff there are very friendly and nice...The old Sakura store had more grocery type items but, I really do appreciate the pre-made food items for easy lunch and/or dinner options, along with homemade dessert options as well...
-
September 2023 by Christina S.
Love this cute little shop. I wanted to start by saying I'm doing 3 stars because they are keeping hot/warm food out without refrigerating/keeping it warm so I worry about bacteria growing. According to the USDA "Bacteria grow most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. This range of temperatures is often called the "Danger Zone." Never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours." I would be a lot happier if they kept either a heat lamp on the food or just keep the hot items in the refrigerator! Aside from this, the cakes are delicious and I love the item selection!
-
September 2023 by El M.
I am disappointed. I relied on old store for staples like Yamamotoyama teas, S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil, kimnchi, wasabi furikake, etc. I also loved the couple who ran it & bought handmade pillows & many small perfect gifts for myself & others. Now they mainly seem to have candy, snacks, cold drinks & pre-made food. Sort of a semi-stocked semi-convenience store. Also, despite a supposed mskeover, the store is not a very welcoming place. It used to feel full of life & magical. I always brought visitors there. So far I've only bought one thing--some fukujinzuke, pickled vegetables, because I was making Japanese curry. Every time I go in I ask the people (always different people) if they will be getting more grocery items. They seem friendly yet totally uninterested or unable to respond. I am getting everything I bought regularly from Sakura at other further awsy stores--at the Tokyo Fish Market in East Bay or in Japantown. It's a huge loss for the neighborhood unless you just want lunch or snack food.
-
September 2023 by H L.
A little disappointed. I was sorry to see the original store close but highly anticipated the new store opening. After months, the store opened and I went in. The new store had a quarter of the inventory of the last store. It felt empty and not much to buy.
-
September 2023 by Alice Wang
This cute neighborhood shop has different homemade Japanese dishes made fresh every day -- bentos, onigiri, curries, katsu sandwiches, just to name a few. I've been coming here every day and haven't gotten tired of it yet. Everyone who works here is super friendly. So lucky to have them in the neighborhood!!
-
September 2023 by Christy Zaragoza
So glad to have this open in the neighborhood! Everyone who works there is super friendly and they love giving my pup a treat when we go in too ☺️ big variety of snacks as well as yummy onigiri, musubis and bentos