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Sakeya Japanese Restaurant
Rating Details »
Neighborhoods: Rittenhouse Square, Avenue of the Arts South
1420 Locust St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 735-1144
1420 Locust St
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 735-1144
Happy Hour
5 to 7pm every night 20% off Entire bill
we host birthday party or any event up to 250 people after 10 pm with dj and special drink
- Hours:
Mon-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street, Garage, Validated
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat, Sun
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- Yes
15 reviews for Sakeya Japanese Restaurant
Sakeya has since rearranged their space. They moved their bar to the back wall, so it's loads bigger and a lot easier to get drinks!
My organization at school just held a Halloween event here. The owners were totally great - accommodating and easy to work with.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
6/2/2009
I've never been here to eat, only to drink and party.
I like that there's a good amount of space and… Read more »
I just went to The Sakeya last night for a friend's birthday. Overall, this place isn't bad. We had already eaten dinner, so we didn't try their sushi, but we did have a few appetizers and drinks. Some thoughts:
Drinks: The house drinks seem kind of expensive and average. I ordered the house Sauvignon Blanc, which wasn't very dry and tasted a little too sweet.
Apps: Despite my usual dislike for overly salty food, I really believe edamame should be generously dusted with thick, coarse salt. Their edamame, though tender and yummy, was barely salted. We also tried the shrimp shumai, which was pretty average.
Worth trying:
--the organic Sho Chiku Bai sake
--the Japanese sausage (sort of like a regular, grilled, plump mini-dog with spicy mustard, but really tasty)
By the way, the waitress told us that they DO have karaoke, but only on the weekdays.
The food is moderately priced but the quality was nothing to rave about. My teriyaki chicken was pretty salty and a bit dry, but my friend's sushi rolls were fairly decent. When we went for Center City Sips, the drinks were reasonably priced, but I've been to several parties here where the prices are a bit steep for the quality and amount of alcohol they give you.
Our waiter was incredibly slow, to the point where one of us had to stand and wave our hands around to get him to notice us.
If you're looking to throw a party here, they are pretty reasonable with their rates. The venue is nice enough- big enough to accommodate a good amount of people and small enough so that the space doesn't look too empty if there aren't really that many people there.
Really good Uni! It was pretty empty when we went, but our waiter was really attentive!
Pretty awesome place, and it's about a block away from where I live!
I'm not a huge fan of super dark restaurants, and this was a little on the "too dark" side. I almost fell down the steps going down to the bathroom, which was almost as dark as the restaurant. Bleh.
But the food was pretty good, as was the strawberry soju (tastes like Kool Aid!). The tsunami roll packs a punch, and their nigiri sushi was good. Not amazing, but solid.
My favorite part of the whole meal, though, had to be the uni. The presentation was the BEST I've ever seen, and the actual uni was yummy and buttery.
Good service and good, solid food. I'm coming back!
Honestly, this place was a good 2.5 stars. Monday night, we were the only people in this place. The server was a very nice man with good service. The food though, not so much. Although the a la carte sushi/sashimi menu looks extensive, they didn't actually have some of the items on there including uni or amaebi. The oysters I got didn't have a fresh bite or taste to it, so they were probably previously frozen ones. Plus the sauce that was put on them was way too salty and overpowering. I didn't end up eating all of them, and there were only 6.
The takoyaki we tried were obviously fried so I can only imagine they were the store-brought frozen ones as well. I mean, I guess I didn't expect them to have a person make me actual takoyaki using a takoyaki grill and all, I guess.
From my last adventure looking for good sushi and giving up, I didn't bother to get anything from the roll menu (See my dissertation on fusion rolls and how they aren't a good gauge for fish quality or freshness, as well as missing the point of sushi).
Surprisingly, a place called "Sakeya" actually didn't have such a great sake list either. Granted, "Sake" can mean any generic alcohol, but I was disappointed that their rice-sake list was only about 6 kinds long, 1 of which was unavailable when I ordered it. 2 or 3 of them are from the Coors lite version of sake - Cho-Shiku-Bai. There is no top-shelf sake here. And they don't carry any Japanese shochu, only 1 type of Korean shoju.
I did like the look of the place, and I can imagine that on a Friday or Saturday night, it could be a good place to go out to grab drinks when there are more people there. But other than that, this really is not a good Japanese restaurant more than it is a Japanese-themed bar with some expensive mediocre Japanese-y food.
I went here on a Friday night with a group of 11 for a farewell dinner at 8pm. Some of the best sushi I have had in the city!!!!! The staff was nice in a not overly nice way, sushi and other food were amazing, and they even suggested that instead of getting 5 sake bombs, just get some beer and sake cuz it'd be cheaper!
My only issue is that we were literally the only table in the entire place. It was a little quiet and I just prefer a bit of noise.
I might return if Im nearby and want good sushi.
Stopped here for after dinner drinks and to meet up with a friend's friend.
I really wanted a good dessert, but they only had the standard tempura fried bananas and mochi. I know chocolate isn't japanese, but to me it isn't dessert if it isn't chocolate. So failing that, I got a yummy drink instead. I'd really wanted a lychee martini, but they couldn't make that - just a cocktail with lychee and nigori sake - ehhh....so, I ordered something else. I can't remember what it was called, but it involved coffee liqueur, vanilla liqueur, and coconut milk. It was quite tasty. A little creamy, not too strong. A good substitute dessert.
I, too, was a little surprised that there was only 1 other group there that night. It seems like this should be a cool place. Fado was packed that night...come on people. Leave the Irish (chain) bar and try something new.
So so food with awesome cocktails.
This place would easily be a four star place if they emphasized more on the alcohol with an actual bar. instead of endless segments of sushi bars.
Good thing is that the kitchen is open late and they do have $2 Coors Light as late night special.
Merits a return visit the next time I am in town.
Sakeya is a new restaurant near the Academy House. It's pretty big since it doubles as a club after hours. I really wanted to like this place because the wait-staff was so friendly and attentive. Unfortunately, the food was just ok and the portions tiny!
The good: They serve food until pretty late. We rolled in around 12:30am on a Friday and they still served us. They also have drink/food specials during happy hour. Music (mostly dance) was blasting - so beware if you're not into shouting over dinner. The menu has a decent assortment of offerings- lots of sushi, rolls, noodles, and izakaya appetizers to choose from. We ordered the beef salad, the spicy tuna roll, tuna nigiri, chicken karaage, and beef short ribs. I picked up a postcard that says ladies drink free from 9-10, but not sure how long that's going to last once word gets out.
The bad: Portions were tiny. Some of the items were hit/miss (e.g. Chicken Karaage somewhat soggy). Split between two people...I was still pretty hungry when we left.
If you have a hankering for Japanese food this is a decent place to go - but be prepared to order (and pay) a lot if you're very hungry.
A few of my friends and I went to Sakeya last night and we had an amazing time.
I am a sushi lover and it was definitely on the top 5 on my list. It was fresh and tasted just right. I tried a few Japanese beers including Kirin Ichiban and Sapporo, both were delicious. We tried their house sake and their organic sake and it went down smoothly.
The atmosphere was very relaxed and the music was pretty good. I enjoyed the big projector near the bar.
The service was excellent, whenever we needed anything, the server was there!
The location is in the city, obviously parking is a problem but other than that, it's near other bars and clubs if you want to go somewhere else afterwards. I would recommend anyone to come to Sakeya.
Check out Sakeya. Their rolls are scrumptious and reasonably priced. The service is extremely friendly and the decor is comparable to that of Raw and other contemporary sushi joints. As a bonus, some of the tables have curtains that the server draws down once you begin your meal, lending an air of intimacy to the evening.
man i miss philly.
came here for my early birthday dinner with the fiance on a friday night. we were running a little late so i called to let them know and they were accommodating which was great.
our waiter was nice and suggested different rolls to try out. we ended up getting the sunset and lotus rolls, udon, and another roll which i can't remember the name but i posted pictures!
ended the meal with some green tea mochi desserts -wow i was one happy lady.
i agree with brad about the tables with the curtains. we ended up sitting in one of these tables and it was nice to hide from the restaurant. mos def would recommend for date night!
saw they have outside seating which looks like a fun time when the weather gets warm.
i heart good sushi
I went here for a birthday party for a friend. I enjoyed the style of the place and the staff was very friendly. Wasn't very hungry so I just had an alaskan roll and sake. Both were excellent. This is definitely somewhere I would visit again with a date.
This place reminds of me of Umi in Seattle or any of the gazillion Izakaya/bar places in Vancouver. It's a little overpriced, and the food is just okay. But I'm not sure why this place hasn't taken off. The half club/half izakaya-sushi thing seems like it's a winning formula everywhere else. Maybe they would do better in the city of brotherly love if they added some cheesesteaks to the menu.
