Sakura Ya Japanese Market

We are very grateful to have this market in our area. In addition to the Japanese specialty products such as natto, mizuna and soba noodles, there are freshly made gyoza, sushi and dinner plates.
The store is small, and parking in Forest Hills? You know the deal.

This store is very small and have narrow aisles. Overall there is a variety of different Japanese snacks and food you can find there. I was so excited just to browse around to see what goodies they have. This is the first Japanese store I have encounter in queens. I can’t wait to go back to pick up more snacks

I have no problem with Sakuraya. What I didn’t like was Yamato Transport Inc. USA’s service, which I could receive at this grocery store. Their attitude over the phone was especially unprofessional. They do not have any rules or format as to how to treat their customers.

This is a fantastic shop to get Japanese groceries and ready made dishes like chicken or salmon teriyaki or bento boxes for a few dollars. The food quality is great, the shop is chock full but clean, the employees make it feel like a family run shop (perhaps it is) and the selection is great. I go out of my way to come here and get my staples and meals when i’m lazy.

My boyfriend was in the mood to eat some onigiri but we did not want to travel out all the way to the city at Café Zaiya where I first introduced it to him.
Sakura Ya is a great alternative for someone like me living in Queens. Not too far off from the shops on Austin St, this quaint Japanese store is a gem.
They have onigiris, bentos, dons, and all the good Japanese snacks. The only con I have is that the croquette we bought was cold. Probably because we arrived there almost at the end of day.
Overall, we’ll be back to get our Japanese fix. Luckily, it’s in the way to his house whenever we get the urge.

I love this place!
I go here about once a week. The staff is EXTREMELY kind.
Sakura Ya has a large selection of: candy, savory chips/​snacks, fresh cooked food, beauty supplies, bento supplies, ramen, ice creams, fish and meat, vegetables, and anything you’d expect a grocery store to hold.
My favorite things are the strawberry mochi, yuzu drinks and candies, and the AMAZING prepared seaweed onigiri!
The store is moderately small due to the tiny aisles. However, it rarely gets super crowded so I’m sure the size will not be a problem to anyone.
Sakura Ya convenient and also probably the cheapest place to find Japanese groceries. Definitely recommend this place, be sure to check it out if you’re in the area!

I love this place they have such a large variety of Japanese food products that you can’t go wrong. the process are great and the staff is always super nice. I’m here every Friday without fail. I love it

I love this place. Reasonable prices and extremely friendly helpful staff.

I love this market and always recommend it to people who visit Forest Hills. I overheard them even tell a customer who was looking for a specific item to let them know what brand or to show a picture to them and they were willing to order the item and ship it to the store for them. The workers here are always friendly.
The only negative part is how small and tight squeeze it is when you stroll around the store.
My sister loves the green tea noodles I buy her from this store.
I love the edamame shu mai, seaweed, Sriracha peas, grilled octopus, and the list can go on. Definitely check out this spot if you like Japanese food!

Sakura Ya was an unexpected find. It doesn’t take long to deduce that its target clientele is ostensibly Japanese. There’s a variety of merchandise stocked that doesn’t cater to Americans, cramped set-​up akin to many a market in Japan, a host of Japanese language ads and flyers on the windows, and a video rentals section. What is curious is its location at the southeast end of the Austin Street commercial strip in Forest Hills; the nearest Japanese population hub is in Astoria; nearby but by no means close. The bigger hub in Manhattan have their own markets to choose from. Yet here it is, and has been, apparently for many years.
After finding it incidentally while strolling down Austin Street, I all but scampered inside in delight. This was just a few days after a trip to Mitsuwa in Edgewater, New Jersey, and I left impressed, not disappointed, if there was any comparison to be made. Sakura Ya is a tiny store, but its size is misleading. It stocks up its small footprint effectively. There’s an extensive selection of Japanese groceries; not much choice per item, but a far-​ranging variety so chances are, if you’re looking for a very specific Japanese food item, there will be at least one option sold.
There are sauces and spices (yuzu kosho, sweet mayonnaise (not Kewpie!), mirin, ponzu, shichimi), serving-​size season mixes for rice and pasta, dried and instant noodles, a variety of domestic Japanese rice, an aisle of candy and snacks, teas, kombu, nori, and dried shiitake, and soup bases. Several freezers hold noodles (including Sun ramen), dumplings, Berkshire mini sausages, raw meat and seafood. A fresh vegetable section has neatly wrapped produce such as eggplants, leeks, shiso, kabocha, and Napa cabbage.
Besides food items, there’s a small selection of household goods, primarily kitchen-​related tools, cookware, and serving ware. Some cosmetics and body care products too.
Always fun is to come by and check out the prepared foods for sale. The best choices are earlier in the day, where there can be a variety of bento boxes, meat or tempura rice bowls, cold udon bowls, gyoza, onigiri, salads (seaweed, potato), seafood (sushi-​grade fish, ikura, tobiki), oden, and more. Grab one of many Japanese soft drinks to go (less sweet and not carbonated, for the most part).
Sakura Ya is a very good small Japanese market. Its location in an ethnic-​market scarce neighborhood makes it a gem to have, a must-​go for Japanese goods, and an above-​average stop for prepared foods. Pick up a customer card if you plan to go regularly; it may take a while but one-​hundred $ 10 purchases earn a $ 20 gift certificate. Spend that on a box of uni!

Sakura-​Ya is a good place to go to when there’s specific Japanese groceries you want that aren’t as easy to find in the very many non-​Japanese Asian markets in Flushing. I’m talking about things like matcha powder and Japanese pickled vegetables. They have some of the lowest prices on tofu that I’ve seen. Sakura-​Ya also carries bento boxes, cooking supplies, and some Japanese beauty supplies. They may not be anywhere near as large or as stunning as Mitsuwa is, but I’m so glad they’re in Queens!

A small Japanese deli on Austin. Japanese supermarkets are a rare occurrence here in Queens so if there’s one near you, feel blessed.
Like what I said its small so do not expect to find fresh raw seafood here. They do have those packets of ramen that’s way better than that orange one you’re used to. And some other Japanese treats. It’s always worth to come and check this place out.

An authentic Japanese supermarket located on Ascan and Austin st. Once you step foot in the door you have the japanese cashier woman greet you on the left, and then theres a ton of green tea snacks immediately to your right.
The store is very small with cramped spaces which makes it hard to get around if the store is filled. They carry sushi fish which I think I’m more comfortable getting from here than my usual H-​Mart.
Overall satisfied with the nice staff, variety of products, fresh fish, and their rewards card.
Get a card and you get a stamp for every 10 dollars you spend. 100 stamps later, and you get 20 dollars off your next purchase.

My love for Asian supermarkets knows no bounds. But when I moved to Forest Hills, going to the closest Asian market became a chore! One day, curiosity brought me further down Austin street than I normally go. Low and behold, what do I find? The cutest little Japanese market!!! It was like i found the promised land, I was so excited!
Naturally, they have an awesome selection of snacks and sweets. But they also have servings of hot food, like onigiri and unagi. And the quality of their small produce section (specific to Japanese dishes, of course) is beautiful! I love the fact that they give half-​portions, like half a head of cabbage, because many times I buy a whole head and end up wasting the other half. And then there’s the selection of my beloved dried fish! Although I’m sure my neighbors hate the fact that I occasionally come home with bags full of the stuff, fry them up, and stink up the apartment hallway. But the pure happiness in my tummy dictates that I care not for what they think!
Other than food, they also carry household items and I believe, DVD rentals.
This awesome little market totally makes Austin street special for me. The other shops around the area are cool but they don’t excite me as much as this place does. =)

Such a hidden gem in Queens! It’s hard to find Japanese grocery stores outside of Manhattan or New Jersey. Even though it’s small, it’s packed with lots of goodies. They have a decent selection of sweets. I missed out on their onigiri, it was sold out around the afternoon. I assume they’re pretty good then. They sell other hot foods like gyu son and miso cod as well as potato croquette.
Make sure you pick up a stamp card so you can get points for every $ 10 you spend here!

I love love this store. The staff is so friendly and the food is so awesome. This place is my GO TO spot for things like miso paste, kombu, matcha green tea, mochi, shiitake mushrooms, and other Japanese food staples. They also have a great selection of Japanese candies. Most importantly it has the most delicious rice balls ever! Truly a great spot and recommended.

While I love living in Forest Hills, I do miss the Asian supermarkets that were so abundant in my old neighborhood of Elmhurst. Sakura Ya is a tiny store that does it’s best to fill the void Forest Hills has in regards to Asian grocers.
While there’s no comparison between them and the large, big name stores like H Mart, they offer a very respectable variety of products ranging from fresh produce, boxed snacks and frozen offerings. I go there when I need anything from enoki mushrooms to seafood gyoza to silken tofu. The people are extremely friendly and pleasant and the store is bright and well maintained.

Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with youuuu~~!
I can’t tell you how happy I am to have found this Japanese market (and to have it literally across the street from my apt)! Needless to say, this is going to become my go-​to spot for snacks and quick lunches. Although small and quite cramped, this store has a bit of everything: fresh/​frozen produce, ramen, beer, snacks, drinks, tea, Japanese beauty products, kitchenware, bento boxes, hot prepared food, etc. If you’re a fan of Japanese goodies, you’re bound to fall in love with this market! It’s also extremely rare to find a Japanese market outside of Manhattan if you live in Queens. I think this is actually the first one I’ve come across, with the exception of a few specialty shops in Flushing that provide a small smattering of snacks and drinks (but no hot food).
Gluttonous and greedy, I snatched up much more food than I could handle, then proceeded to stuff my face when I got home. Their ramen selection is limited but they have certain flavors and brands you can’t find readily elsewhere (ie. udon, miso ramen, etc). I got several cups of those and haven’t tried them yet. They’ll come in handy when it’s too cold to even walk across the street (yep, getting there…). Next thing that caught my eye were the small packs of daifuku! Gosh, do I love daifuku! Goes fantastically with tea and are so addictive, once you’ve had one you’ll want more. If you like mochi and sweets in general, I highly recommend you give these a try. Then as I was checking out, to my infinite surprise, I noticed that they even had hot, prepared food set out by the counter — glorious bowls of tempura shrimp and oden (fish cakes)… mmmmm! So yes, as if I didn’t have enough food already, I grabbed a bowl of tempura shrimp, a chicken katsu, and a fried potato-​beef patty. I highly recommend the tempura shrimp! It’s super filling, fairly cheap, and the shrimp is delish. The chicken katsu was a bit over-​garlicked for me and the potato patty was only ok. Still, for a couple bucks each, these are all worth a try and would make great, quick lunches for later in the day if you’re like me and don’t have the time or energy to make yourself lunch everyday. While I was loading up on food, my bf loaded up on Kirin Ichiban beer (nice selection in the back) and pocky. Speaking of pocky and snacks in general, Sakura Ya has a fantastic selection of flavors (where else are you going to readily find mint chocolate pocky and green tea kitkats??).
Sitting here now, bloated and hugging my food baby, I only wish I’d spent a few extra bucks to get a nice yogurt drink or some ramune. …I’ll be back!
Variety of foodstuffs: ⁵⁄₅ — For a store this small, you don’t expect this much variety! I love how you can find flavors and brands here that you rarely find elsewhere.
Quality of foodstuffs: ⁵⁄₅ — As far as I can tell, fantastic! Just judging by the freshness of the daifuku, I’m thoroughly impressed.
Service: ⁵⁄₅ — Friendly and it seems most if not all of the staff are fluent in both English and Japanese
Atmosphere: ³⁄₅ — Granted, it’s a tiny, cramped space and you constantly have to shimmy past staff to get to stuff, it’s still a fantastic shopping experience cause the shelves are just loaded with goodies — no space goes unused!
Overall: ⁵⁄₅ — Fantastic! I’ll be back… hungry for more! (in an Anton Ego voice)

So nice to have a Japanese food store in the neighborhood to find a good selection of noodles, spices, and even frozen meats and fresh fish. Though it’s small, there’s a good selection of all the basics – I just wish they had more room for a greater variety of fresh veggies!
For credit card users – the minimum charge is $ 10.

I absolutely love this place. Sometimes I walk here during my lunch break to get some onigiri, seafood pancakes, noodles, and some fried crab. I also love to stock up on my beloved shrimp chips here. This is also one of the only places that have round shrimp chips the size of my head (see pic below).
They also have some Japanese makeup, kitchen tools, etc. I just love browsing in here and «finding» stuff that I need.
Also, they sell burdock here. It’s an Asian root used by a lot of herbal doctors for individuals suffering from high blood pressure.