Sakura

THE WORSE RESTAURANT EVER!!! The service is really really really horrible.. The waitress and even the MANAGER are really really RUDE! Basically, my friends and I ordered 3 portions of Shabu and we didn't know that it comes with beef. One of my friends can't eat beef so I asked the waitress (before the meal serve) whether can we have 1 portion of Pork and 2 beef instead. She said can't do that because the food is already prepared and didn't offer any solution for us. I said there is no written in the menu that it's a beef in Shabu so how can we know cuz it's our first time. She wasn't try to be helpful at all and she said what can she do she is not the manager! so I said then call the manager.. Now it's even worse!! he didn't try to help solving the problem and the way he talks was really rude.. he said just can't change then walk away!!!! so I was really upset and thinking to write a complain to their email or something.. so on the way out I ask (nicely) the cashier for the name of the manager.. Then the manager came and refused to give us his name (although the cashier lady already wrote it on the paper and wanted to pass to me.. he just took it away from her hand!!).. this makes us even more upset.. So my bf just saying in sacastic way that Thank you.. very nice.. and he said to us "PLEASE DON'T COME AGAIN"... I can't believe this can happen in Japanese restaurant in London.. There r much better place in London so please don't support the restaurant that doesn't treat customer right. They treated us like we are begging for their food..

This is the first time that I decide to write a review about a restaurant because it is really a worse experience ever.
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E.
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Monday, June 29, 2009

Wow. Wow. Wow... is all I can say. ( from reading the reviews )

My wife and I have been treking 30 minutes into London for the past 10 years to a number of 'favourite' restuarants.

SAKURA has always been high on the list when and we regularly take visitors from other countries there to show them a really down to earth, reasonably priced Sushi Restuarant.

We are called "Regulars" by them and in general haven't experienced the problems everyone else describes. Have been there 50 - 60 times since '99

There was a guy there for a few years '05 -'07 who didn't like us at all. To be honest the clientele is generally 80%+ Japanese and not sure if they appreciate Westerners taking over the place. To be fair, we don't understand their culture and probably come across rude to them as well???

Anyway, would always recommend this place to anyone... but am weary of the comment below. Think I need to go back and see for myself! ;) as it's been 4 months since I last had the pleasure :) :) :)
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Rob
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Thursday, June 18, 2009

Went there with my boyfriend and the staff were very rude. We took 2 free japanese magazines on our way out and the head waiter came and told us these were for customers only. He thought we were waiting to be seated as there were a lot of people. We said we just ate there and were leaving but he said we were lying! He then asked the chef something in Chinese (not Japanese) and when he shook his head, the head waiter demanded we leave as we were not paying customers! Absolutely horrendous. We are never going back.
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Y. Suzuki, Harrow.
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 3
Monday, June 08, 2009

I love this place, and so do many others who presumably don't write reviews. It's been full for 10 years and probably before that. The staff aren't rude: the place has a system and they observe it. You won't get pampered but then this is very good food at reasonable prices in Mayfair, so pampering might be a bit much to expect. Their set sushi lunches are not great - the sushi is sometimes pre-made, I think - but a la carte sushi and everything else is very good. The best gyoza in town.
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Chris
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 8
Friday, May 22, 2009

Terrible service and bland food...

Am a huge fan of Japanese food and have been to this restaurant a few times but will NEVER go back. It was once a bastion for good value sushi etc. These days, sushi is not very fresh and service is the worst of any restaurant in London. The rudeness of waiters is legendary.
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Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Sunday, May 03, 2009

We made the mistake of eating in this restaurant again today. The staff including the manager are still very rude. The food used to be good value for money but now it has got downhill, the sushi was not fresh and the batter on the prawn tempura was too thick, the miso ramen was horrible. One dish arrived when we had finished our meal, so we asked for a container to take it away and was charged for it! I did not even mind that much paying for it but it was just the bad atitude of the staff. They seem to want your money but insist on treating you with total rudeness. Don't let them spoil your day, go somewhere else.
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Tim
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Sunday, April 12, 2009

I dine here regularly because I think the food is good quality at a reasonable price. BUT, like the few previous reviewers, I completely agree that the service is terrible. It is almost as if they dont care and treat you like a commodity rather than a customer. Five of us came to eat and they squashed us onto a 4 person table, we grabbed the table next to us when the people next to us left and they said we coudlnt do that and must leave unless we moved back to a 4 person table, despite there being at least 5 other tables free.

We were agast at how rudely they treated us, particularly as we are regular customers. I am relucatant to go there again.
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James Butterfill
Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Friday, April 03, 2009

I don't understand how this restaurant gets a rating of 4.9. It is way to high for the absolutely appalling quality of both food and service. They should get a NEGATIVE score. It was the WORST dining experience I've ever had in my entire life. The staff were very ghastly and treated customers like we were begging them to be there. The place was unhygienic and the food was totally rubbish. My friend and I were meeting another friend there and we got us a table whilst we were waiting for our friend to arrive, only to be told that when our friend arrived he could not join us and would have to sit ON HIS OWN at another table (!!!) I asked the manager to explain the reason, but all he said was that it was the 'restaurant's policy'. Has anyone ever heard of this stupid policy before?? The restaurant was half empty. There were plenty of tables available. The whole experience was vile and the staff had no manner.

I strongly recommend everone to AVOID this place. There are plenty of other nice Japanese restaurants in London.
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Jane Smith
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Friday, March 27, 2009

We made a reservation for ten at this restaurant. And even though 9 of us were there ON TIME, with 1 running late (he was just 5 minutes away walking to the restaurant), the manager refused to seat us. When the last friend arrived, just 5 minutes past our reservation time, the manager told us the table has been given away, and in a very rude manner! This is despite the fact that we could see a table for a large group, still free inside the restaurant. We were just stunned as it defied all logic. There was a queue of people so perhaps there will not be any lost revenue for the restaurant. But come on, we made a reservation, and it ought to be honoured. Otherwise, we would have queued like everybody else for our table, or just gone to another restaurant. AVOID this restaurant like the plague!!!!!
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

1 star is too high.

I was meeting 2 friends for a business lunch at Sakura and was 10 minutes late. My 2 friends were sat at a table for 4.

After I sat down and joined them the duty manager told us I could not order and that this table was for 2 so I must leave despite my friend asking for a table for 3 when he arrived and he tried to order my food in advance of me arriving shortly so it would be ready when I arrived.

I said it's fine, if that's your policy I just won't eat and I will sit with my business colleagues and finish our discussion. He insisted that table was for 2 only and one of us must leave. (there were 4 chairs at this table).

As we left we said we wouldn't be returning. He told us he didn't need our business. I hope his boss reads this in the credit crunch.

We all left and won't be returning to this fuzzy logic rude restaurant. Good luck if you are late for lunch. AVOID.
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disappointed
Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, March 18, 2009