Sakura - Governors Bay

Lovely little restaurant in Upper Riccarton.  The decor is quaint and welcoming.  Full house when we dined but the service is very efficient and the staff are just lovely.  The food was interesting and varied.  We had a variety of entrees and couldn't fault any of it.  Cooked perfectly and in particular the tempura mixed platter was delicious.  The sashimi was fresh and beautiful.  Definately worth visiting, and will be back.

Sakura's well-thought menu and great daily combo meals keep making me want to go back. I've been there three times and have had great meals. I had a regular chicken and avo sushi roll with mayo, which had great presentation and was served steaming hot. It was much larger than normal sushi rolls and would easily have it again with the decent price. The second time I chose the spicy teriyaki and karaage chicken bento. I was highly disappointed as it was drenched in sauce and didn't resemble the name at all. The third time I ordered the daily combo which included a plethora of variety, including pork with pickled veggies, sashimi platter, tempura and karaage chicken served with rice and miso for a wonderful $16. All I could ask for in a combo and is very annoying that it is on the menu. This cute little place with an amazing price and menu is a high-quality place for Japanese food.

Made a reservation for two during the week for dinner and ordered the Pork Udon which was originally fried noodles but I asked if I could have it as a soup, staff were happy to do so. Very very yummy food, happy service and great atmosphere. I would recommend booking as it can be quite packed due to its amazing food and service.

Fantastic food. super yummy and only $5 per bottle for corkage. definitley worth going again . would highly recommend. : you would probably need to book in advance

I always manage to get a table here without reservation, which I consider quite lucky because this place is tiny, but that also means it needs to be more known because the food is delicious, including the dessert choices. Due to the small size, there's a very homely feel to it, which is great.