Tokyo Central had a surprisingly wide selection of Japanese snacks, specialty items, and premade meals. The produce section was not as extensive as those at other Asian markets, but it was still adequate. However, the store carried many unique candies and snacks that I have not seen elsewhere. Notably, sakura flavored products were especially common during my visit. There were two large sections dedicated to premade meals, including rice bowls, hand rolls, onigiri, and sushi. The rolls seemed overly heavy on the rice, with relatively little fish filling. The prices also felt somewhat high for the portion sizes. However, the store offers a 20 percent discount on sushi and bento boxes daily after 6 PM. I ordered the nigiri combination, which included salmon, tuna, and scallop. The scallop was plump, and the tuna was sliced thickly. The salmon was slightly thin but still rich and fatty. Overall, the fish quality was good. The sushi rice was above average, with a distinct vinegar flavor despite being refrigerated. The total cost for the eight pieces was close to restaurant pricing, though the convenience factor partly justified it. I would rate this market a 3.5 out of 5 but rounded up for the good sushi rice. I would recommend shopping elsewhere for produce, but this is a good place for snacks and premade meals, especially after 6 PM. read more

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Tokyo Central as replaced the former Marukai Market in Cupertino. I didn't realize it initially but the iconic Don Quixote chain in Japan is the parent company, which explains why their private label Jonetz products are featured in the store. The store is clean and popular, with all sorts of Japanese items. There's Andersen bakery items, food to-go, big variety of Japanese soft drinks, and a rotation of weekly features with goods from different parts of Japan. Great location with very good adjacent stores like Izumi Matcha, Daiso, Curry Hyuga, Hui Lau Shan dessert, etc. read more

Needed to get some Chashu for making Ramen and unfortunately there really aren't any good Asian markets I know of in the South Bay. We came here on a Saturday afternoon and got lucky when a Tesla pulled out of a spot on the street in front of the shopping center because parking in the lot is pretty much a joke. Just about every spot seemed to be full. Just like trying to park at Mitsuwa, which is only a few miles away. This place seemed to have pretty much the same selection as Mitsuwa, so not sure if I prefer one over the other. Paying here is a little weird because we saw pretty much everyone lining up in front of the register at the far right of the store, so I thought you had to line up there and someone would tell you which register to go to, but after getting to the front of the line, I noticed that a girl that had been directly in front of me and left had just walked over to one of the other registers and lined up there. They need to do a better job of directing people where to go. read more

Tokyo Central is a good Japanese supermarket. While there's some Donki Quijote branding, there weren't that much Donki Quijote merchandise or that song they play at the actual Donki Quijotes. I like how they have some of the Japanese souvenir food boxes but not the popular ones like Tokyo banana or the Japan only Kit-Kat flavors. If you pay attention to the tags, there are a lot of promotional prices like 20% off the food after 6pm everyday. My haul was a bunch of snacks, ramen kits and rice balls. The rice balls were sorta meh. read more

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My first time shopping here since they officially changed the name to Tokyo Central. They still offer the same quality produce, meats, sashimi, prepared sushi, etc. I didn't check, but I assume they still have restrooms for their customers. Support your local business. read more

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Blue penguin mascot, wait omg is this a Don Quixote?! Huge popular retail store in Japan. Just under a different name! Did not know! Was so funny to make the connection. Blue Penguin everywhere, yes you little guy Ahh how cute! They carry Bright Spot designs by Emily Chan. Insulated Bags, acrylic keychains, merch is super adorable it was love at first sight for me. They also have many of their own Tokyo central (don Quixote in Japan) reusable bags with nice designs, if you're a bag collector or just can't resist buying more Supermarket / retail merch. Lots of Japanese snacks claw machines in front of cash registers at front of store read more

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We stopped by Tokyo central after dinner. I needed to get some golden curry. Since the market was in the same shopping center as the restaurant we had dinner at, it worked out perfectly. I've been here a few times and always found the items that I need. They have so many interesting food items, mostly imported from Japan. I found the isle for the curry. And as luck would have it, they were on sale. I bought 3 boxes. That should last me, for a while. We also found some Japanese cakes and decided to purchase one to try. I think it's fun trying new things, and Tokyo central has many fun things to try. The checkout line was fast. The employees are very friendly and helpful. read more

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My visit was around 5 on a Sunday. We were third in line and waited approx 10 minutes. To keep crowds and check out lines down, they are currently letting groups of people in at a time. By the time we were let in the line was roughly 40 people long. Walking into Tokyo Central brought back memories of my recent trip to Japan with all the familiar foods and products. I really wanted to love this store more than I did. A lot of the shelves were empty and the prices don't compare to Japan. The crowds weren't really the issue for me, Japan is crowded, but the behavior was the problem. In Japan people are quiet and considerate. Being here felt more chaotic with people pushing, talking loudly and making a mess of the store. Overall, it still gave me glimpses of my favorite country and the ability to purchase some of my favorite foods and snacks so I'm willing to give it another try once they've been open a bit longer. read more

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Very impressed with Tokyo central with freshly made sushi rice bowls and rolls Offers various fresh vegetables and sashimi, ready to consume Place is not big but is doable and grocery is nicely stacked read more

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Tokyo Central reminds me so much of Don Quijote in Hawaii. The pure joy on my face when I saw their little mascot says it all. The food was amazing, and I even picked up a few bento boxes for lunch. The service was great, and the Matcha selection was fabulous. Whether you're looking for fresh produce or ready-to-go meals, this place has it all. I'm definitely coming back. I highly recommend this location--if you're craving your favorite Hawaiian snacks, they have them! And they even carry my favorite drink for only $0.99 a can, which is such a bargain. Overall great experience the location is beautifully organized. read more

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I hadn't been back to Tokyo Central in a while, and after not being successful with parking at another local market I had to pivot and come here to grab some food for a gathering. There was plenty of parking but when I entered there was a big jam up right at the entrance because everyone was sampling the gummies. I'm not sure if that is the best place for them to be doing samples as the store is small and hard to get in when people are crowded right there. However, I was able to maneuver through and found the ready made rolls. I was hoping to find some sort of inari pockets but could not find any today. I also saw the potato croquettes and was tempted to get those as I needed a vegetarian option, but those were cold. I am curious if Tokyo Central would consider putting some of warm oven for some warm foods. I did notice while I was waiting in line that there was a small sweet potato oven that was empty. Speaking of line...that is the ultimate reason why I am giving 3 stars instead of 4. From the time I entered to the time I left with 3 boxes of rolls, it took 25 minutes, of which 20 were spent waiting in line. This is at a peak time noon on Saturday. There were only 3 cashiers working and the lines were backed up. I counted 8 sets of customers in front of me in the line that went to one cashier. The other line did go to 2 cashiers but the customers in those lines had cart full of items so I gambled with the one line. I would have appreciated another cashier, an express lane opening, or even a self-checkout as I noticed many in my line had just 5-10 items. I think I won't be able to stop here during peak times if I'm in a time crunch, but maybe during less busy hours I will revisit again soon. read more

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Pricier than most supermarkets, but eye candy for those of us who love Japanese food and snacks. I can literally waste quite a bit of time here just cruising their aisles. Great selection of ready-to-eat sushi and onigiri. They've got everything from sweet smelling Japanese air fresheners to Hawaiian popcorn. This store is located in a plaza with a large shared parking lot but it does fill up on the weekends. I wish I spent more time in this area since Daiso is nearby and so are Melo-Melo and Beard Papa. read more

Tokyo Central - Sushi Aisle - International Grocery Near Me - Cupertino, California

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Came by for some groceries the other day under the Tokyo Central branding and it was a decent experience. Tokyo Central used to be under the more premium Marukai branding and now it's a more pedestrian grocery store. It's still under the same Don Don Donki ownership out in Japan. Meat quality is now more pedestrian. I wasn't able to locate premium Japanese wagyu during my perusal. Ended up getting a frozen Japanese dessert and it tasted like it had been in the freezer for quite some time.... the Japanese desserts at combini's in Japan are much fresher! Front end staff all wearing tight disposable gloves while performing cashier duties. Parking is plentiful in the private strip mall lot. read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Cupertino, California

Checked this place out as it is similar to Osaka Marketplace in Foster City. Much smaller and less items to choose from than OM. Seafood, Meat and hot and cold sushi items is onna smaller scale. Definitely serves the need of the Japanese community in the area. read more

Always seen this place but decided to go in today and they have everything Japanese. You can get fruits, veggies, snacks, cooked food, sushi, etc. They have a bunch of stuff straight from Japan like these strawberries. I picked up a box of instant ramen that my buddy brought back from Japan last year and looking forward to eating that soon. This place can be overwhelming as there's a lot going on when you first walk in, but take your time, go isle to isle and you'll eventually find someone you'll need. read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Cupertino, California

I'm so excited to have a Tokyo Central shopping center near me! They have an extensive selection of authentic Japanese groceries, snacks, and drinks, along with high-quality pre-packaged sushi and sashimi. Really fresh produce and meat, and the hot food bar is bountiful with fresh options! They carry a wide variety of authentic Japanese products, including snacks, drinks, and household goods. I hear that they may have the largest selection of Japanese drinks outside of Japan! read more

In the ice cream section, I tried several ice creams, packaged sundaes, and parfaits. Of the bunch, there are two parfaits that I recommend. These need to be thawed out in the refrigerator: - 4.6: Domremy Mochi Parfait matcha: Layers of matcha mousse, matcha jelly, red bean, and cream mousse. $3. - 4.6: Domremy Mochi Parfait ichigo (strawberry): Layers of strawberry mousse, strawberry jelly, cream mousse and red bean. $3. read more

Tokyo Central - Domremy Mochi Parfait matcha: Layers of matcha mousse, matcha jelly, red bean, and cream mousse. - International Grocery Near Me - Cupertino, California

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My husband came to buy tempura with rice bento to go. It was $7, not bad. You need to heat up the food yourselves. We happen to be in the area yesterday afternoon, so he wanted to get a bento to go. There are a variety of bento selection. This market is a smaller version of Tokyo Central. But grateful to have a location here. read more

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Tried Unagiri Fish at Tokyo Central, which just opened about a week ago. You can tell they're still in soft-opening mode. The unagi itself was pretty good--flavor was there and cooked nicely--but selection was very limited. There wasn't much available yet, and a lot of items were already sold out. The market overall still feels understocked, so don't expect a full variety right now. I think this place has potential once everything is fully stocked and running smoothly. read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Cupertino, California

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First time here, I stopped by after work to grab some groceries for dinner, but found the bento section. It was around 5 pm and the sushi were marked down 20 percent. Ended up grabbing a few boxes instead for groceries . The Spicy California rolls were pretty good value! It was a bit heavy on the rice, but the crab salad had good flavor. The unagi roll was a bit fishy to me. Maybe it was late in the day or picked up other flavors from all the sashimi in the area. I added wasabi and soy sauce it cut out the fishiness. Overall it was pretty good. The unagi roll had a lot of filling. The scallop and salmon nigiri was decent. I liked the other rolls, the nigiri also had a lot of rice. The rice was well seasoned so I didn't mind it too much. They have a good amount of selection. I would definitely get the California rolls again. Probably not the nigiri. Would love to try their other stuff. read more

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Love this store due to its variety of products and delicious to-go items. Go for the produce, sushi, and general quality of the store's selection of items. The grocery store sushi at Tokyo central is on par with some of the quick stop sushi eateries in the Bay Area. Definitely worth a visit if you're hungry and don't want to pay a high price when craving fish. Even got 20% off for sushi that had to be sold by today. We have a lot of yam fans in our family so we were so excited to see them back on the roaster and available as a quick to-go snack. read more

This Tokyo Central location in Cupertino is nothing like the exciting Tokyo Central grocery stores in the larger Los Angeles region. It used to be Marukai Market which I think they should have kept because it was unique with great sales deals on snacks/cookies/candies/etc. Everything was better. Tokyo Central here doesn't have a food court, but the deli in back is ok/still affordable bento box meals. I think it's still a desirable place to buy red meats and vegetables or soup bases. Beautiful bowls and plates are worth checking out. Today, it feels like most inventory items are low or downsizing in available items. It's only Friday. I really wanted to buy some delicious Japanese cookies in gift boxes, but wow, prices have gone up much more than when it was still Marukai Market. No longer affordable here. Staffs are busy with lines of customers as usual. Place feels a bit cramped up for a Tokyo Central location. I've always been a Tokyo Central fan, especially in Southern California, but this location is a bit lacking in many ways. It's really not the same impression. Overall, I still like the location, but with rice crackers, cuttlefish snacks, and other goodies going up in prices, I would prefer a Mitsuwa nowadays. Mixed feelings here. There weren't too many customers wandering around inside at lunchtime. Tokyo Central should make it more exciting here. read more

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Tokyo Central is a great chain we used to frequent in SoCal quite often to buy things like Umeboshi, Natto, and more! This particular Tokyo Central was average as far as Tokyo Centrals go - with a few things that were weird and confusing. For one, the receipts and credit card charges all said Marukai. For another, it didn't have the ambience of other Tokyo Centrals - it was more haphazard (and yes, I do realize that cramped aisles full of stuff is part of the charm, but this didn't have any of the cool ambience or decorations that other Tokyo Centrals do). But if you don't care about this, then it's great! The food was also of a quality you'd expect and hope for from a Tokyo Central. read more

Excellent market! It's not big but has just about everything you need and the ready made food is really diverse, fresh and well priced. There's a good selection of everything else, including snacks, beauty items and candies. A lovely store, can't wait to go back read more

I visited the store for the first time today after it had become Tokyo Central. For the most part, the store looked pretty much the same; produce prices are higher than other Asian markets, same as before. After reading many positive reviews I was a little disappointed to find the meat display area almost empty; many of the grocery shelves were not fully stocked on a weekday near noon time. There are varieties of bento boxes and premade sushi which is a welcome expansion. I bought a box of Yakisoba (chow mein) with a few pieces of Karaage chicken ($7.25), a roll of Unagi Futomaki ($10.99) and a bottle of Mirin ($4.99). Cashier lady was friendly, interestingly I was asked to produce driver's license because Mirin contains alcohol ..... The Yakisoba was greasy with very overcooked pieces of pork paired with tasteless dry fried chicken; although priced reasonably I would not buy again. The roll was the better of the two and quite large, didn't find any Unagi (eel) but tasted decent. I was hoping to be more impressed than experienced today; perhaps this is just an off day and I will give it another try in a few weeks. read more

Great selection of mochi and assorted bento boxes. I also loved the Hawaiian section for other fun treats. I can't wait to go again and try more things out. read more

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We had read that there is a Tokyo Central scheduled to open in 2025 in Emeryville. During breakfast this morning, our friend mentioned this store and we decided to make the drive down to see what it was all about. The store appears to be clean and organized. There was a bit of grab and go bento to choose from and we purchased a few sushi items to try. I'll take pictures of those later. The selection of grocery items in not huge but certainly covers all the bases. Prices seem to be slightly higher than their competition, but they also carry more imported items from Japan. The cashier was the only employee that we interacted with and she was friendly and efficient. read more

Quality/Quantity - One of our favorite Japanese supermarkets in the area. We always get our quick prepackaged sushi from here, amongst other quick prepackaged items. Their seafood department is also one of my favorites, yes prepackaged, but they sure look fresh. In my opinion, this company is a more "authentic" Japanese supermarket than others I have been to. Atmosphere - Good size, has all the departments; see pictures. Plenty of parking, but I suggest parking further as many of the people who frequent here have limited driving skills... Open 7 days a week from 8am to 9pm. Service - Good. I like the fact that they offer free ice, self-service. See picture. To keep our foods cold and fresh in this hot summer heat. Price - $26, reasonable price for what we got. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1965 and with your 13 locations, 12 of them in CA. read more

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First time here and discovered they sell Green Tea Roll Cake (organic)!!!! You must try as I was pleasantly surprised with the overall quality and price! I arrived around 7 so it was pretty much close to closing and their bakery options were already running low. Glad I found a couple more and grabbed myself one of these Green Tea Roll Cake! I will probably return in the future to try their other deserts and groceries. This establishment is pretty clean and well kept. read more

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Been coming to Tokyo Central a long time, since they were Marukai Market. Their prepared sushi sale is something I'm tempted to gatekeep, but it's just so good. I usually get the best variety when I go before 5pm. Staff are always friendly and helpful, and the store is clean and well organized. It's not the largest store or the cheapest, but they have good quality and diversity of items stocked. The produce and frozen sections are smaller than other Asian markets, but TC is my go-to for prepared sushi and fresh packed seafood like their uni and sashimi. I always find something new to try when I go. read more

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Nigiri and dragon roll were really good from this supermarket! Located in the same plaza as Daiso and Izumi matcha, the takeout sushi here is pretty fresh! Quick grab and go meal while grabbing matcha to take home as well! read more

Tokyo Central - International Grocery Near Me - Cupertino, California

We went to Marukai Market to just check out the other day while waiting for a table to a restaurant. There was a lot of people in there because of the upcoming New Years Day event Japanese people plan. There were a lot of people buying Japanese foods to help them prepare their meal for New Year. Marukai has a variety of Japanese foods and goods. Last year we came and found a nabe pot to give to my husband's parents. They have a good selection of pots and they even sell the butane fuel and portable stove. They have a lot of Japanese produce but they had no gobo on the day we went. Everyone was buying to make their gobo dishes. I really like looking at their bentos and fresh made items. They have all kinds of musubis, bentos, and desserts in that section. Marukai is a good spot to check out if you have never been. read more

As I was exiting from the store, a security officer stopped me and stated that he thought I had put something into my bag. I voluntarily opened my bag in front of him and showed him its contents. The only item inside was a set of nursing scrubs that I carry for work. After looking inside the bag, the officer stated that he thought he had the wrong person. I then asked whether he had any evidence or specific reason to believe that I had placed merchandise into my bag. He responded that he did not and that he believed it was someone else. I asked why he was not following up with the person he actually suspected, but he did not provide an answer. I was stopped at the exit and questioned based solely on a suspicion that was later acknowledged to be mistaken. While I voluntarily opened my bag and demonstrated that I had not taken anything, I do not believe customers should be accused or treated without reasonable evidence or a factual basis for the accusation. My intention in writing is not to criticize the need for store security, but rather to encourage more professional training and procedures so that customers are treated respectfully and situations like this can be avoided in the future. I sent an email to the store manager regarding this matter one week ago but have not yet received a response. This is a follow up on my previous email. read more

Tokyo Market has what I was searching for--egg yolk sauce for rice bowls. I also bought a few boxes of mochi. It's a great grocery store located in a pleasant area. Great customer service! read more

Tokyo Central - Egg yolk sauce for plain rice bowl - International Grocery Near Me - Cupertino, California

I haven't been to this store since it was still Marukai - I stopped by as I was in the area shopping for something else at a nearby store. While browsing for some snacks, I found a bunch of cooking stuff that I needed to restock on, so it was good I decided to stop by. The store is well stocked in many different things and I was able to find what I needed/wanted pretty quickly and efficiently. The store is clean and things are laid out well. While it wasn't extremely busy, I kept running into other customers as I guess we all wanted the same stuff - snacks. Or does that I mean I have way too many snacks? The items in the store can be somewhat pricier than other asian markets with not much better quality. One (odd?) funny thing that happened was that I was carded for buying cooking sake and mirin - which was surprising, but at least they just didn't assume I was over 21. read more

At lunchtime they have fresh rolls, boxed meals, and snacks. They have a variety of items locally and from Japan. I remember when this location was a Marukai, but it's now a Tokyo Central. I had bought sesame oil, mirin, and cooking sake wine. I was surprised that I was carded for buying mirin. It's all good, it is the law to be carded for buying something that has alcohol in its ingredient. read more

Tokyo Central - So which one do you think I was carded for? Cooking sake, mirin or sesame oil? - International Grocery Near Me - Cupertino, California

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It's just OK. This is NOT BY FAR, an authentic Japanese shopping experience. There is a bit of everything, but not that many imported products from Japan. Don Quijote's best signatures are their wide selection of candies, especially Kit-kat and cosmetic products. There is none or barely anything in this store. The food selection is great, still a little bit expensive. Cashier lines are very long because of the hype. H-Mart, Nijiya Market and Marukai still provide a better and wider selection. read more

This store mistreats their vendors. They don't pay on time. I've actually heard this from vendors (even big ones) and other stores. Small businesses are the backbone of every community. Most low income workers, work for small businesses. Sad, when rich companies care so little about the little guy. Great products - bad business practices. read more

SoCal Tokyo Central has much to offer in Japanese snack/grocer items and meals. It's one of those fun places to explore and discover Japan eats from home. Tokyo central in Cupertino...is the only one in the Bay until Emeryville opens, riding off the brand name hype but have none of that magic. I don't go to nijiya, mitsuwa, etc often enough to be able to tell if Tokyo central is offering distinct items or better pricing, but overall it's convenient if you live locally, as the store seems to have a large enough variety if you need to grab a quick/basic stock item. However their sushi compared to socal and even compared to our local Hmart is atrocious. The selection is much smaller here which rly isn't the issue and isn't at all a reason why a star is getting deducted, but it's just a heads up if anyone is coming after visiting socal's location. The hubs and I decided to try the tuna, salmon, and scallop (nigiri style, it wasn't offered cut-up/sashimi style when we were there), and we got the shrimp tempura roll. The shrimp tempura roll was hard rice with a soggy batter (a lot worse than Safeway quality) and the raw items were not good at all. The salmon/scallop was really stinky/fishy and ofc the nigiri rice wasn't good either. The tuna was ok but being within the same container as the other fish, we lost our appetite. The fish were not at the point where we were concerned about food poisoning, but it was a major turn off. We decided to just throw everything away and eat a cup of noodles. Hmart is much much better and for the proximity between the two locations, it makes sense to just go to Hmart. Hmart would actually be the better bang for your buck because while it's similar in pricing but Hmart sells it in sashimi style and they are consistently fresh. I used to live in East bay and we went to Tokyo fish market in Berkeley if we wanted fresh fish, hmart became our decent substitute. On whim, we decided to try Tokyo central with much regret to be discovered later. Tokyo central should just eliminate their meal selection (we didn't get the hot meal bur tbh that didnt look good either) and stick to selling grocer items. The food is a 0 star rating but since the main purpose of visiting Tokyo central should mostly be for grocer items, sure, it could be at a 3 star rating. read more

I love Japanese markets for the variety and the little knickknacks they have laying around at the store. Was pleasantly to surprise to find this to be converted from Marukai to Tokyo Central. I've been to Tokyo Central in Southern California so I was really excited though I will say this location is much smaller and doesn't have as much above a variety of stuff. Overall, good place to stop by to pick up your Japanese essentials and sushi. They do have a variety of offerings that have been imported from Japan as well. Cashiers are friendly and effective. read more