Izakaya Sakura: Authentic Japanese Sushi and Noodles in San Diego

This restaurant is kind of secretive because they always have their screens down. Inside it is quiet and nice decorated. The salmon poke bowl is good. It comes with a miso soup, potato salad, sauerkraut and fried toufu. My favorite is the potato salad.

The quality of the food is great. It's a small authentic place and it's always very very busy so service may be slow. The staff is all very friendly though! I'm very picky with sashimi and this place has really good salmon. It doesn't taste watered down, but rather, very flavorful and rich.

We were actually trying to eat at another restaurant in the same plaza but couldn't get a table for Friday night (all tables there were already booked for the entire night). So we ended up here. We weren't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered the uni and ikura rice bowl which came with miso soup, fried tofu, and pickled cabbage. Everyone else ordered other items (poke bowls and chirashi bowl). We all thoroughly enjoyed the food. My favorite were the dishes with tofu, you can tell it was freshly made. Even with the miso soup, it was so soft and silky. The restaurant itself felt homey and something you'd stumble into in Japan. It was a little small/tight, but we had enough room to sit comfortably. The staff were all very nice. I'd definitely come back again.

Very good authentic Japanese food. Great service. Comfortable seating. I went because they had Okonomiyaki on the menu and it was excellent. It wasn't on the lunch menu but they made it for me anyway [happily I might add].

Great lunch at Izakaya Sakura! Delicious, authentic Japanese cuisine. Love the ambiance of the restaurant with the wood and Japanese decorations. The Chirashi bowl was very yummy, always fun to get a taste tour of the sea. We enjoyed the curry omelette as well. Friendly staff and quick service. Luckily we didn’t need to wait but after us around 12:30 there was a small wait. Recommend!

Authentic Japanese food, great quality fish and curry! I ordered the chirashi bowl with a side order of the grilled salted mackerel - it was so good. Definitely would come back.

If you are looking for authentic Japanese comfort food in San Diego you must try Izakaya Sakura!! It was everything I was looking for. They have a nice variety of different dishes. We tried the Champon Ramen and the Sara Udon. For an appetizer we had Okonomiyaki. Everything was delicious, and generous portions. The atmosphere is inviting and clean. The service is amazing, the staff are very friendly. Next time I come, I will definitely try the sushi, the fish looked amazing and the owner is the one behind the sushi bar. They also have a wide range of alcoholic beverages that I will try next time too! If you have ever been to Japan, and miss the food, come here to be transported back.

Overall, I enjoyed most of dishes but it might not be 5 star due to they were super busy with tables before us. Our dishes arrived super late due to high traffic but they did let us know the sashimi would be late. I will come back if I am craving for some late night Japanese food.