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    Happy Express

    4.1 (212 reviews)
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Happy Express Photos

    Business Info

    HAPPY EXPRESS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Happy Express

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    Special rolls sushi menu
    Jeanelle S.

    Dinner time!!! It seemed a little quiet because there were no one else is dining in but us . However, we noticed most people do take outs . I deducted one star because they were mopping near where we were eating and the smell of the chemical is pretty strong and we have a baby and a kid with us. It still burning through my nostrils even when we left and gave a slight headache. We had to put the kids inside the car , as soon as we were done eating. Although, the lady that helped us was pretty nice and helped us with our to go bag. Also, make sure to double check what you order before paying because, they ended up adding up another sushi order that I didn't want they probably misheard but other than that I just hope they won't start mopping when there is still customer nearby, because the place isn't the biggest so the smell can be trapped in for awhile.

    Shishi W.

    It's an interesting restaurant with a wide variety of food on the menu. I specifically came here for the sushi but I was sadly disappointed, the rice to protein ratio was horrible. The rice was plain and tasteless. They didn't even put any rice vinegar or seasoning to the rice and the protein was very little to barely taste and top it all off, even after ordering almost eight different types of sushis, they only gave me two packs of soy sauce with no chopsticks or cutlery. I don't know about any other thing on the menu, but I would not recommend the sushi here

    I think this was a 10" diameter bowl of "Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup"
    Scott B.

    I stopped in for lunch, wanted to try something different, something Korean, maybe a "soon" (tofu soup). It was a hunch - they feature Chinese and Japanese (but not Korean). But I believe the new owners (as of 2 years ago) are Korean... so I asked. They didn't have "soon", but they have "Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup" for $16.95. I gambled and WON - the best kimchee based soup I've had in a long time, and twice the size of any "soon" I've ever had. It was served with the typical Chinese plastic spoon and chop sticks. The waitress immediately apologized and offered a fork - recognizing most Americans can't use chop sticks, and especially with noodles! I fooled her, "no fork!", I said. After 10-15 spoonfuls of soup, and many pieces of cabbage, the seafood and noodles appeared - oyster, octopus, shrimp, imitation crab (which is fish), and a huge mussel. And beneath, a generous bed of stringed noodles! Oh My God was this a delicious meal! (see the pics below). I reviewed the previous owners and this was an equal 5-Star experience. Try the soup if you have any Korean food memories on your palate!

    Barely any teriyaki sauce. Rice was very dry and salad container only filled half way. New standards I guess.
    V A.

    Happy Express: This use to be a good spot for teriyaki. But the last two times I've gotten the chicken teriyaki it was so bland and not good. There was no sauce on the chicken except at the bottom of the container. Normally the chicken is glazed with sauce. The rice was dry and salad container was half full. The prices have gone up which is fine, but to skimp out on quality and normal portioning is not good for business. Anyways, I forgot to take a picture right away since I thought my meal would be fine. It definitely wasn't. I wish the business luck as I don't want anyone to fail. But, I will be going to other teriyaki spots in south Auburn. The prices are higher, but the food and quantity is excellent. EDIT: Pic of my teriyaki wit barely any sauce on it. Only ate some of it. I've never seen such lack of sauce. In some cases they give you a small container of extra sauce.

    Under new management, new menu (4/14/23)
    Monica S.

    As of 4/14/23, it is under new management with a drastically changed menu. They no longer offer sushi (in fact the sushi bar is completely gone) and they have no more beef, only lamb. You can see two business trucks parked outside that show you what the new owners previously specialized in. Prices have also changed.

    a person holding a plate of food
    Lauren S.

    We love an update!! Happy to report that Happy Express is still doing a phenomenal job of providing fresh, delicious food. I ordered via Yelp today and went with an Ahi Tuna Poké Bowl rather than sushi rolls. So. Satisfied. My order was delivered quickly and easily, can't complain there. You're given the option of greens or rice as the bed of the bowl - I went with rice. Greens, avocado, cucumber, shoyu, and ahi tuna complete the bowl, and then I asked for a side of their spicy mayo to put on top. I can't resist the stuff. Delicious. The whole bowl tasted fresh and was the perfect lunch for a warm Friday afternoon. Run, don't walk, to try out Happy Express! Can't speak highly enough about their delicious food.

    William L.

    I came by here for a quick lunch in the Auburn area and we ordered two of their teriyaki specials - teriyaki chicken & chicken katsu and teriyaki chicken & Mongolian beef. The chicken katsu was very crispy and juicy and was better than their teriyaki chicken, which was a little dry. The Mongolian beef was good but on the sweeter side. At first I was a little upset that even though we were dining in, they served our food in takeout containers and disposable utensils, but it was really convenient when we packed the leftovers to go. We didn't notice their extensive selection of sushi options until after we ordered and noticed an entire separate menu for Japanese options, so we might come back to try those a different time.

    Butter Chicken and Garlic Chicken

    The service was quick, food was full of flavor, the location is low key and was not busy, very clean! Leave satisfied EVERY SINGLE TIME

    Sauced beef short rib mmm good
    Rich S.

    Had to knock it down the 3 stars for completely removing beef from the menu and replacing it with lamb. Very odd for a Teriyaki spot. Indian cuisine sure, but the beef short ribs were why I came here often.

    Honey garlic chicken. Used to be amazing, now it's overcooked, not crispy, and underwhelming flavored. A waste of money.

    My family used to love this place, however under new management the food has changed. Our favorite dish was honey garlic chicken, it was tender with a crispy outer coating and a sticky sweet honey garlic sauce. Now it is over cooked, not crispy, not sweet and underwhelming flavored. When i told the new owner, he said it was because the previous owner was using dark meat. I told him that i never had it with darkmeat amd he told me that I could believe it or not. He did not offer to remake it, return my money or do anything to "fix" it. So I paid $16 for a dish the was left on the table with only one bite missing. We will NEVER be back. That doesn't even cover the mediocre teriyaki and egg drop soup. Don't waste your money, there are much better choices in Auburn.

    Chicken Teriyaki Chicken
    Yana S.

    Service was great and place was clean. Food was mediocre though, ordered chicken teriyaki, spicy chicken teriyaki and a California roll. Spent quite a bit for the quality of the food.

    White tuna & salmon nigiri in the front. Yellowtail and sweet shrimp in the back.

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    3 years ago

    Not fresh sushi, scary. Don't try to send back, you'll pay anyway. Just hoping none of us get sick.

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    8 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Good food and good service. I definitely recommend this place. We're regulars. Love the shrimp chowmein

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

    They brought beef back yay! This is my favorite teriyaki place to eat and I'm so excited they brought some of my favorite dishes back.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Solid teriyaki and chicken katsu. Very affordable combo meals that can feed my whole family.

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    7 years ago

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    5 years ago

    The chef making sushi's behind the bar was not wearing a mask properly and very rude to customers.

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    Page 2 of 6

    Ask the Community - Happy Express

    Is this business open for limited dine in services?

    We've only ordered takeout. When we were there awhile ago they didn't have any dine in option. You… Read more

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Pork belly with shredded radish
    Exterior

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    Exterior
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    Regarding the origin of the buffet, the most widely circulated theory is linked to the Viking…read morepirates of Northern Europe during the 8th to 11th centuries. · Nordic Viking Era (8th-11th century): To save trouble, the Vikings simply laid out food for everyone to take on their own. This custom was preserved in Sweden and gradually evolved into the Smörgåsbord (Scandinavian cold buffet), which is the direct and continuous ancestor of the modern buffet. · France (18th-19th century): The French adopted the word "Buffet" (originally meaning a sideboard or serving table) to describe this self‑service style of dining and promoted it among high society. · Perfection in Japan: The modern buffet model we know today--featuring cold dishes, hot dishes, desserts, and a wide variety of options--was established by the Imperial Hotel Tokyo in 1958. · Las Vegas: The now‑popular "all‑you‑can‑eat" model originated in Las Vegas, USA, in the 1940s. Casinos offered cheap or even free buffets to keep gamblers on the premises, a strategy that quickly became widespread. · Introduction to China: The buffet was introduced to China in the 1930s, initially appearing only in foreign‑funded hotels. It was not until the late 1980s that it reached the general public through tourist joint‑venture hotels. Here's the English translation of your review: Ambience: This buffet restaurant seems to have been around for a long time. You can tell it was quite luxurious about 10 years ago. Relatively speaking, it's still fairly clean. Taste: There is a huge variety of options, covering dozens of items including Chinese stir-fried dishes, Western food, Japanese cuisine, teppanyaki, fruit, seafood, salad, as well as drinks and ice cream. I mainly tried the Chinese stir-fried dishes, boiled shrimp, and teppanyaki. Considering the price per person, I think every item met my expectations. Service - unexpectedly good: From asking how many people in our party at the entrance, to guiding us to a table and asking if the seat was comfortable, to explaining the dining process, and clearing plates during the meal - all of it was very good. Room for improvement: Some of the items are pre-made dishes that only need simple deep-frying or grilling. Pre-made dishes can be categorized into a few types: easy to cook, easy to eat, easy to heat. Based on my experience in the industry, the essence of pre-made dishes is really an issue of trust. If the selection is done properly and customers don't experience any adverse reactions after eating, then it's a good business.

    This restaurant was our favorite buffet. Food was served, used to be fresh and hot…read more Now the food is barely warm but mostly cold, even coming fresh from the kitchen to the buffet line. The only way to get hot fresh food is to have it cooked at the Mongolian counter. We gave it 2 more visits and nothing improved. Quality has decreased and the price has doubled. Hopefully they can fix it. Out side exterior need some work,

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    Dinner with friends!
    Dinner with friends!
    Hibachi Buffet
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    Photos
    Flowering cactus in the entry hall
    Flowering cactus in the entry hall
    Inside of a fried spring roll
    Inside of a fried spring roll
    Their menu

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    Their menu

    Happy Express - japanese - Updated June 2026

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