I visited Sake Sushi Grill and Thai Bar once before it closed and I remember the location being so out of my way that I never went back. The owners of Sake Sushi Grill and Thai Bar recently celebrated their anniversary at their new location under a new name. Located in a strip mall across from Towne East Mall, Sapporo Japanese Sushi Restaurant may still seem out of the way; you can only enter the parking lot from northbound Rock Road or winding neighborhood roads southbound from Douglas. While mildly inconvenient, it did not deter us or any of the other 10 tables there on a Thursday night. The owners of Sapporo Japanese Sushi Restaurant learned a lot from their previous restaurant and made improvements for the better.

This location used to house China Inn and looked incredibly outdated before Sapporo Japanese Sushi Restaurant came in and completely redid the interior. It looked clean and spacious, and without that musty smell that can come from older restaurants. Along with a more modern interior, the menus appeared redone as well, although keeping mostly similar dishes to Sake Sushi Grill and Thai Bar.

We ordered sake and their namesake Sapporo to drink, as well as appetizers, sushi and hot dishes. The sake came in a ice bucket and the Sapporo came with chilled glasses. The appetizers of mixed tempura and calamari came out piping hot and crisp. The huge sushi rolls came adorned on an equally large plate and sakura (cherry blossom) decoration. The salmon teriyaki left something to be desired at its price point, but we left with an overall good impression.

I want to make a note about service as well, because we received phenomenal service with only two servers and a fairly busy restaurant that night. Other restaurants should take a note out of Sapporo Japanese Sushi Restaurant’s book and emulate their service model. We were not overly bothered, but there was always someone checking in on us at the right times. Our drink and food always arrived to our table at the appropriate temperature because of the care and attention to detail provided by the staff.

I am glad to see that the owners of Sake Sushi Grill and Thai Bar took another chance at restaurant ownership because Sapporo Japanese Sushi Restaurant appears to be doing very well at its new location. I hope that they continue to see good business to fill the sushi void of the southeast side.

Sapporo Japanese Sushi Restaurant
8065 E Peachtree Ln, Wichita, KS 67207
316-977-8808
Monday-Thursday 11:00AM-10:00PM
Friday-Saturday 11:00AM-10:30PM
Closed Sunday