Sakura Woodfield

I’ve tried a lot of different things on their menu over the last year and I’ve never been disappointed by their food! Especially their lunch menu, which is more on my price point.
The reason I don’t give it a full 5 starts is that the service is terrible, not a very friendly staff. Also it’s summer now and I’ve noticed that the restaurant only head air conditioning in part of the building. It was a little strange.

Used to live in Chicago. We went here every week; never missed a week. The reason I want to move back to Chicago, despite high taxes… this sushi place. It’s the best sushi restaurant of all time. When I’m in town, which isn’t often enough, I go to this place. I’ve had sushi all over the US, including Hawaii; this is the best I’ve had. The wait staff is excellent; its frequented by Asians; do not miss the opportunity to try this place. Their spicy tuna hand rolls are hands down the B-​E-​S-​T!!! There’s a place in Key West that Comes close, but no cigar!

This sushi spot has been here as far back ad i can remember and i was driving by yesterday and decided to try it.
It was about 5pm on a Saturday, it was pretty dead there. I only saw two other people eating there.
We were quickly seated and given menus. The service was super friendly, i loved the bubbly personality our cute little older server had.
The rolls were quite inexpensive, but i just wasnt that impressed. They dont give you a miso soup while you wait or anything like they typically do at sushi spots around the area. The rolls were good, but rather small. I dont think ill come back again, ill probably go to nikko further down algonquin.

I was hoping for a delightful, different experience when I saw the strong reviews. What I got was a fair level of disappointment. I ordered the Philadelphia Roll, which was a clumsy mess of low quality salmon and cream cheese, without real consideration for proportion. The 911 roll showed more promise, but again it just failed to deliver any real finesse.
Sushi should be a thoughtful experience where chefs understand their ingredients and dare the guest to experience excitement in each bite because each element is so exposed. This, this is what I’d expect to eat after sweating out a 12-​hour day in a warehouse. A Burger King level of two stars for a Burger King quality experience.

Too bad this restaurant is so far from us… but whenever we are in the area, we make sure to stop by. FIsh is always fresh. my favorite dish is the Yakisoba. You can sit at the bar and watch them make your food. Very friendly guys.

My husband and I love Sakura! It is by far one of the most authentic Japanese restaurant that you will find in the Chicagoland area.
We would literally come here once a week to get my favorite dish their tonkatsu curry! As an Asian that has tried tonkatsu curry at every Japanese restaurant that offers tonkatsu curry, it is by far the best tonkatsu curry I have had in the US. It is super hearty and warming to the soul. Their curry is perfectly flavored with nicely sized chunks of carrots, onion, and beef. The tonkatsu is only 1 deep fried pork cutlet, which may be the only downside because it is so crispy and complements the curry so well. Beneath the tonkatsu and curry is a bed of rice that is well-​portioned.
Their miso soup and house salad are also excellent. The Japanese salad dressing they use is so GOOD! My husband loves futomaki, and the futomaki at Sakura is amazing! Their spicy tuna roll is great and comes with a good amount of tuna. I could go on, and on about all the wonderful dishes they have made for us that we have thoroughly enjoyed (Niku Udon, Menchi Katsu, Zaru Soba, and more!)
As for the service, Sakura is a family-​owned restaurant and everyone there is very friendly! The restaurant is located in a non-​descript plaza that seems a bit run-​down, so try not to be put off by your initial impression. Inside the restaurant is separated into two rooms that you can select to be seated in. One side is where the kitchen, sushi area, and bar is located, this has seating for smaller groups of 2 or 4. This side is where my husband and I usually sit, because it has a more intimate ambiance, and we come during slower hours (8:00−9:00pm on weeknights). The other side is a lot brighter and can accommodate bigger groups, on weeknights you will see a lot of Japanese businessmen gathering in this room eating and drinking pitchers of Sapporo. That’s how you know this place is good. The other side also has a great jazz band that plays on some weekends! If you are looking for an authentic taste of Japanese cuisine, Sakura is the place.

Worst service by far. Lady was rude and disrespected our entire table. Left the restaurant without even eating… will never go back here again!

If I could give less than 1 star I would. The server was the worst I have ever experienced. I have been in the hospitality business for over 40 years and never have I witness such terrible service. She actually told us to stop talking, pushed one person to get around them. So mad, we didn’t even stay. Just paid for drinks, which I should have refused to pay. Too many other good Sushi restaurants in the area. Recommend Asian Tokyo much better ambience too. Stay away or sit at sushi bar.

Had awful service here. Girlfriend’s order arrived within 10 minutes of ordering. 30 minutes after she finished her food, I approached our waitress to ask if my order had been misplaced. She hadn’t visited our table since taking our orders 40 minutes ago. She apologized and said it would be right out. I saw the chefs make two more orders before even starting mine. If I hadn’t approached the waitress (if I can call her that), I don’t even know how long it would have taken.
They weren’t even busy.

Fast and friendly service. The sushi (for the price) was very good, generous rolls the most part. The fish was fresh and rolls skillfully made. The sake selection also is not terribly expensive. Definitely would recommend to any local or visitors in the ‘burbs.

I discovered this gem when I was attempting a visit to the Mitsuwa food court, only to find it closed… And boy, am I glad it was closed! Sakura is definitely one of my favorite Japanese spots in the Chicagoland area.
Having lived in Japan for 6 months, finding authentic, quality Japanese food can be difficult – so many watered down, Americanized versions out there. Sakura, though, is not one of them. It’s true, Japanese home cookin’. The saba shioyaki is excellent & perfectly seasoned. The sushi tastes fresh, though maybe a tiny bit pricey for the amount. The udon is a good, solid udon, as is their miso soup. I often gauge Japanese restaurants by their miso soup; it’s so simple, and yet at some places it tastes more like salt water. I figure, if restaurants take the time to make a good miso, they probably put in a strong effort into the rest of their food as well.
The service is friendly, and the vibe hospitable. The room is a little on the warm side, especially near the kitchen, but it’s nothing unbearable. If you’re looking for good, authentic Japanese cuisine, Sakura is it.

One of my favorite go-to’s for sushi! Price point is great for the quality.
Great atmosphere. Will be back soon!

Very casual, sushi tasted fresh but not the best I’ve had. We wanted to order more food but the older lady working said the kitchen was closed; even though per their hours, they weren’t closing for another 45 minutes.

We have been going to Sakura for years. The food as usual was first rate. The service was playful and generally right on. There were a couple of times we had to wait a bit as the restaurant had a sudden influx of customers.
Will definitely be going back again.

I used to love this place and I am not sure what happen. It was a Saturday night from picking my husband from the airport and we wanted good Japanese food. There was only 3 tables in the main room, we ask for a high chair. The host stated they dont have any high chair, my husband goes to the restroom and there were tons of high chairs. The husband order a set and I had the tempura udon with a couple of rolls. Not one thing was fresh and nothing taste right. I was a little annoyed that my udon came with just noodles and 2 shrimps and a sprinkle of green onion. Seriously… no veggies at all? To make it all worst we all had food poisoning for days after we left with out finish our food and no dessert.

All I can say about this place is the sushi is too expensive for the quality they put out. I was not satisfied with what I ate. Also ordered the tempura dinner and it was alright. The miso soup and the salad was pretty good.
Maybe their entrees would be better, but the sushi was definitely not worth it.

It’s true what fellow Unilocalers say: this place isn’t much from the outside. Appearances can be deceiving, however, as inside features some nice maki choices and a pleasant enough atmosphere. On the night I went (a Friday), they had a live soft jazz band playing.
Upon entering Sakura you’ll likely be greeted enthusiastically by one of their sushi masters. Chef Morimoto (no idea what his name actually was) seemed genuinely happy to have our business. Our server was much less spirited – in fact, she was pretty meek and spoke almost too softly to understand. What was more of a problem was when I asked about the specials, I received a blank look and no response.
Me: «You know, the daily specials… I think the sign outside said softshell crab?»
Her: «Sure, crab, yes, mhmm.»
Me: «Uh, okay then…»
So I got two orders of nigiri sushi which was adeptly prepared by said friendly sushi guru. As he handed it off to my hungry eyes, I politely nodded my head and said in my best Uma-​Thurman-​in-​Kill-​Bill voice, ‘arigato’. He smiled, appreciating that the whitest dude ever (me) at least made a bilingual effort to thank him for being a master at his craft.
Sakura is one of the few places I’ve been to (can count them on one hand) that has Sapporo beer on draft. SCHWING! When it came time to ring up the tab, I received no itemized receipt, as I would get at literally any other restaurant on the planet. Instead, I just got the final amount and had to request a play-​by-​play tab so I knew how much my Sapporos were (they were $ 6 each). The check total was a bit more than I expected, but you can’t really put a price on carefully prepared sushi. Or can you???
TL;DR: 4 stars for sushi quality, 3 stars for value, 2 for service – average 3 stars. Plus ½ a star for having draft Sapporo, and in rounding up/​down Sakura gets the benefit of the doubt. There’s dozens of other places I’ve been where the sushi maki is the same quality in a greater quantity at half the price.

Amazing service, all the staff were very welcoming and friendly. Doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the food and the atmosphere are great.
I tried the miso soup and agree with the recommendations here. It’s simple but really good. We had a few different maki rolls, all of which were great. The spicy sauce on one of them was creamy and delicious. My girlfriend, who usually doesn’t like spicy things, kept dipping her philly roll in it. The waitress recommended a really good sake, which I’m sure was a lot better than the one we almost got (not knowing much about sake). My one complaint is that the green tea mochi we ordered after our meal was a little freezer burned and frozen as hard as a rock, which made it hard to eat. Not enough to bring my review of this place down from 5 stars. The food and service were that good. I wouldn’t make a special trip out to Rolling Meadows just for Sakura, but if I find myself in the area again then you bet I will be back.

After watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I had a craving to eat sushi from a Japanese chef who has dedicated his life to the art of sushi. I was looking for an old short bald sushi chef to bring me to nirvana. My search for a true shokunin led me to Sakura — one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in the area.
Surprisingly, the sushi items were quite limited. You have the classics but the stellar items like toro (fatty tuna) and uni (sea urchin) were missing. As a result, I ordered maki and specialty rolls and some a la carte items. The spicy scallop roll was definitely the favorite since it was made from big raw scallops. Often times, spicy scallop rolls are made from smaller cooked pieces since it’s cheaper but this wasn’t the case at Sakura. Several of the maki rolls were only $ 6 – 7 for eight pieces which is reasonable. But based on my order, it appeared that the meal was prepared by the apprentices rather than the shokunin.
After the meal, I didn’t smell the sweet scent of cherry blossoms and left the meal a bit unsatisfied. Maybe their known for other items rather than the Americanized maki roll? I am to blame since I made the gaijin mistake of not sitting at the sushi bar and just allowing for the chef’s choice. The yakuza in me was about to offer a finger as a form of apology but the owner insisted that it wasn’t necessary. I didn’t perform seppuku but will not make the mistake a second time.

Today was Community Manager Appreciation Day. It’s not a real holiday and I know nobody who isn’t a community manager even cares (though I did get one shout out– thanks, Christian K!), but for whatever reason I felt like celebrating this made up day by treating myself to a solo sushi dinner at a local independent business.
I’d been wanting to check out Sakura ever since I stumbled upon Yanyao N’s review, because, ya know, her word is as good as gold in my household. No joke. If I say I found a place I really want to visit, the peanut gallery at the G household happily ignores me. But if I say Yanyao went somewhere and loves it, well, all of a sudden we’re running out the door to get there.
So anyway, I head on in to a semi empty Sakura and get to pick my seat from the 2-​tops in the first sectioned off room area. I had my pick of seats at the sushi bar but personally, when I go out to eat alone, I like to eat alone as well and not put myself in any kind of position where I might have to talk to people who aren’t directly affiliated with restaurant.
My server was soft spoken and sweet and brought the miso soup I ordered out in exactly the blink of an eye. The general vibe of the service on a Monday night wasn’t overly attentive or friendly, but I’ve waited tables before and the absolute worst is when it’s slow and you get stuck waiting on a single person, trying to decipher whether they’re just sitting there looking all all blank because they need something or because they just enjoy the silence. So I guess for my being a single diner who was just in it to enjoy the silence, the service was pretty spot on and my green tea was always full and hot.
The broth in my miso was some of the best I’ve ever had– so much so that I was tempted to follow up my appetizer miso soup with a second serving of miso soup. For sushi, I went with my standard spicy tuna, which was fine, but I tried it after having started with the 911 roll (tuna, jalapeño, double wasabi, and spicy sauce) that was by far and away, the spiciest tuna roll I have ever had – and I always seek out the spiciest thing on the menu and 100% of the time I’m disappointment with the lack of spice… but not this time. It was perfect. Perfect and spicy enough that I had to take a break and chow down of the lobster salad to cool my mouth off, so I could even attempt to taste the spicy tuna roll. LOVE.
They didn’t have a ton of sushi options, but they have other dishes beyond sushi like noodles, tons of appetizers, salads etc. The atmosphere isn’t fancy, there isn’t much ambiance, but you probably weren’t expecting the Ritz if you paid any attention at all while pulling up to this somewhat dilapidated parking lot and outdated suburban strip mall.
When I went to leave my server stopped everything she was doing to thank me for coming in and I turned the corner to the exiting path past the sushi bar, all the elder sushi chefs stopped what they were doing and took the time to thank me for coming in and trying their food. Then, as I walked out the door, my heart, now warmed by the kind gesture of appreciation by the staff, grew three sizes larger when I saw this sign:
It’s got the head chef’s photo on it (from his younger days) and handwritten at the top in silver marker and red, glittery puff paint it reads: Thank you very much. See you tomorrow. Have a nice day.
And that was it. So much heart in so few, short, simple interactions, yet I felt more appreciated than I have in, well, a really long time. And you know what? I probably will be back tomorrow; Showing my support and appreciation for independent businesses like Sakura that truly appreciate their customers.

Sehr gutes japanisches Restaurant, was vor allem von der Japanischen Community besucht wird. Selbstredend von sehr guter Qualität und Frische. Insbesondere die Bento-​Boxen sind Spitze. Leider so in Deutschland nicht zu finden.