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SATO, Buffalo, NY

SATO

4.5 (202)
$30 and under
Japanese
739 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222

About this restaurant

  • Romantic
  • Innovative
  • Neighborhood gem
SATO is a modern Japanese restaurant with traditional roots, located in the heart of Buffalo's Elmwood Village. At our upscale yet casual restaurant, you can enjoy food that is fresh, healthy, and sophisticated, with authentic Japanese flavors blending with local and seasonal ingredients.

SATO considers itself to be a modern Izakaya (think Japanese tapas and shareable plates) which blends traditional Japanese cuisine with contemporary flare. The menu changes with the seasons and local finds in combination with creative and traditional dishes inspired by Chef Satomi’s culinary roots in Japan. Pair them with the widest selection of premium sake in the Buffalo-Niagara area. The owner Josh is a certified Sake Sommelier.

Along with the smaller plates, ramen and Japanese curry are specialties of the restaurant. Chef Satomi's pork (tonkotsu) and chicken (torigara) based ramen noodles are a tweaked recipe from her family's restaurant in Fukui, Japan.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, Contemporary Asian, Sushi
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Fri–Sun 11:30 am–3:00 pm Happy Hour Tue–Fri 4:00 pm–7:00 pm Dinner Daily 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Satomi Sakai Smith
  • Neighborhood
    Buffalo
  • Cross street
    Cleveland / Breckenridge
  • Parking details
    The Elmwood strip is a busy shopping area but parking is free after 5pm weekdays and all weekend on Elmwood Avenue. Parking can also be found on many of the surrounding side streets free of charge.
  • Public transit
    There is a bus top at the corner for the Elmwood bus.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 202 people are saying

SATO reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

4.5
4.5 based on all time ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

202 Reviews
  1. MelissaF

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined on July 23, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Friendly staff, authentic and delicious food. Also had the cucumber and coconut sake which was amazing! Definitely going back!

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  2. OpenTable Diner VIP

    New York City8 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on July 21, 2019

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 3
    They ran out of salmon. They being a sushi place ran out of salmon !!!

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined on July 18, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing food, super friendly service

    Is this helpful?

  4. TheresaZ

    New York City4 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on July 6, 2019

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Sato is a very nice upscale Japanese restaurant, food is vey good!

    Is this helpful?

  5. KerriR

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined on June 22, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Amazing food!! Wonderful staff and relaxing atmosphere.

    Is this helpful?

  6. ANTHONYO

    New York City1 review

    4.0

    Dined on June 22, 2019

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Had my first visit, recently, and I wasn't disappointed. We had a California roll, the cucumber was crisp and fresh, sashimi, omg the scallop, and miso ramen. The food, and drinks, took a little long to make their way to the table, but it was worth the wait.

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    New York City4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 15, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Great Ramen bowls and awesome beer

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  8. JacqueleneB

    New York City1 review

    3.0

    Dined on June 8, 2019

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    My husband and I have been to Sato before twice and have loved the food and experience. This time we took a few friends with us and the food was still amazing but the service was very slow. The waiter never came to to table to ask if we needed more water or anything. Then we waited 20 minutes for the bill. There was a couple that even sat next to our table, the waiter never even came to grab their drink order so they left.

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  9. NicholasP

    New York City1 review

    5.0

    Dined on April 19, 2019

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food is amazing the service is outstanding I would go back again and again!

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  10. AlexandraM

    New York City1 review

    4.0

    Dined on April 7, 2019

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Food was amazing and the portions were a great size. Our waitress wasn't super personable and it was a little noisy but everything was so yummy I really didn't care.

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FAQs

SATO offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (716) 931-9146.

SATO is rated 4.5 stars by 202 OpenTable diners.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Upstate New York
  4. Western New York
  5. Buffalo

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing
Google Map for SATO

739 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Cleveland / Breckenridge
  • Neighborhood
    Buffalo
  • Hours of operation
    Lunch Fri–Sun 11:30 am–3:00 pm Happy Hour Tue–Fri 4:00 pm–7:00 pm Dinner Daily 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Japanese, Contemporary Asian, Sushi
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    The Elmwood strip is a busy shopping area but parking is free after 5pm weekdays and all weekend on Elmwood Avenue. Parking can also be found on many of the surrounding side streets free of charge.
  • Public transit
    There is a bus top at the corner for the Elmwood bus.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Satomi Sakai Smith
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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