Welcome to Sakura Express

“ This is single-handedly the best sushi I have ever had. They are family owned and have all fresh ingredients and it shows in the quality of their food. My family and I ordered 8 rolls and 1 order of gyoza total and they were all handmade and out to our table within 15-20 minutes. The staff is very friendly and sociable, and made sure the quality of our food was amazing. The atmosphere inside is very calming and puts the mind at ease to actually enjoy the food and flavors in front of you, not to mention that they hand make all of their sauce. 100/10 they are very reasonably priced and will be the only sushi restaurant my family eats at from now on ”

“ This is yet another place I drive by all the time, yet haven't ever set foot inside. This was a real shame - I like some good sushi from time to time and this place is pretty close to my apartment and right off my normal route to work. Well, tonight I ended the sad tragedy of not having eaten at Sakura Express - it was well past time to do so. While I'd always noticed the windows to the restaurant were pretty dark, I finally understood why - there are shades pulled down along all of the windows. Nothing wrong with this, it just looks a little strange. I wonder if it's a carryover from the depths of COVID times, just like the wooden structure built right inside the entrance designed to separate the dining area from outsiders while effectively serving them their requested take-out? I didn't ask. At any rate, upon stepping into the dining room I was allowed to sit anywhere, so I quickly chose a comfy looking booth (it was indeed comfy). After a quick perusal of the menu, I decided on a shrimp tempura roll, edamame, and gyoza. The server took my order and I was left to ponder while waiting for my meal. Besides the window coverings and wooden barrier, there's not much more unique or interesting about the space. All of the walls present are a light powder blue, the floors consist of large wood laminate panels, and the visible drop ceiling consisted chiefly of white 2 x 4 foot white panels. Lighting in the space is a mixture of florescent fixtures and suspended fixtures above some of the booths. In short, the space was neither remarkable in visual appearance, but was also completely inoffensive. Pretty much what would be expected of a small Asian restaurant offering a mix of a small dine-in space with a carry-out service. I dug it. The only other thing perhaps a bit odd about the space was the music of choice. The entire time I was there, a series of sad piano and voice covers of pop music from the 80s, 90s, and 00s was playing. It wasn't offensive or anything, just kind of slow and sad the entire time. I'm also certainly not complaining, as the music was sufficiently quiet to support low conversation and contemplation. My food arrived in stages: first the sushi, then some edamame, and finally the gyoza. No issues there - I enjoyed the slight shake up in dining order. The sushi was great - the tempura crunchy and the sauce with it a balanced combination of sweet and savory. The edamame tasted fresh and still had texture to them. Finishing off with the gyoza was fantastic - they are one of my favorite things at Japanese restaurants. I want to come back here again - specifically to try some hibachi, fried rice, and seaweed salad. Thanks for the great meal, Sakura! ”

“ (Preface: 3=average, 4=good, 5=excellent and I hardly give out 5 star overalls) Fast and friendly service. Tasteful classic rock playlist. Great for a quick lunch or takeout. I had the Steak hibachi and an order of mackerel sushi. Spent about 25 before tip. The mackerel was about average for the area in both portion and taste. The hibachi was good and featured plain friend rice as well as veggies (large portion of steak). It was definitely adapted to Midwest taste - but that isn’t a negative per se. ”

“ Wow is an understatement! I can honestly say that this is the best place to get some incredible sushi! I live in the Quad Cities, and I’ve tried many of the places that serve sushi, but Sakura really tops them all. Their fish is of high quality, and their roll sizes are perfect. They also have really great gyoza with a house made sauce that is magnificent! I’ve dined in a couple of times now and the workers are incredibly nice. I ordered a special roll that is not on their menu and the owner came over to make sure they were making it correctly. After having come back again to order the exact same sushi roll because it was that good, the owner decided to name that specific roll after me. Truly amazing customer service if you ask me! If you are a sushi connoisseur, and you are looking for the next best Sushi spot, Sakura Express is it! ”

“ Great place for sushi! Huge selection and always fresh. Nice place to come after an afternoon movie at Cinemark ”

“ Our first time here was great! Staff was extremely friendly and the sushi rolls were delicious. They had bottles of Coke products to drink. The rolls came out in a prompt manner and were not light on any ingredients. We will be back soon for more! Thank ms for the wonderful experience! ”

“ Finally got to go in post pandemic after ordering take out for years. Very friendly staff and as always excellent food! She even special orders coke zero from a single customer request. You don't really find kindness from business like that anymore. Google asked for an Update 2024- still fantastic! Still has coke zero lol. Everyone is super friendly and makes you feel right at home. We have ordered quite a variety of menu items and never had a bad one. ”

“ I've been coming here pretty regularly since they opened back in 2016. Everything all around is pretty good, but I've felt that the quality has gone down in the last couple years, mainly for their entrees from the sushi bar. ”