I love sushi and maybe I'm just a sushi brat. I love trying different places. My bf lives in the city so you would expect a good part of sf would have fresh fish to serve. out of all the times I've eaten sushi this is the first time i EVER threw up. at first it tasted good but i was super hungry so everything tastes good when your hungry. after about 3 pieces of my dragon roll i felt a rolling in my tummy. i was thinking it might have been me being hungry and finished the whole thing. boy was i wrong. after i finished i sat around for about 5 minutes and threw up. i felt sick. i had been food poisoned and felt sick the whole day. my bf doesn't think it was this restaurant is what made me get sick and wants to revisit it. i definitely dont think so after throwing it up. hell to the fucking no. i wasn't even drunk. read more

My company catered lunch from here and we had giant party platters of sushi which were surprisingly good with decently fresh fish. I've had many bad experiences with catered sushi which usually turns out bad, but the ones from Tokyo Express were really good and we finished all of it! There were not much fancy rolls or fancy sushi, but it was pretty decent for catered sushi. Definitely hope to have more food catered from here in future! read more

My vision of a bento box lunch usually involves smiling Norii cat whiskers on rice balls, bunny carrot cutouts and teeny teriyaki chicken wings. A giant rice plate complete with tempura veggies with a side salad and miso soup in their own plastic containers? That, my friends, is American-sized bento. Not that I didn't mind. I was hungry anyway, so I was glad to try this place recommended to me by a coworker. So I called in an order of the beef teriyaki bento lunch. Added one order of hamachi on the side just for fun. The restaurant was packed but moving well enough. They sure know how to handle a lunch crowd. I took my order back to the office and dove in. It was ... decent. The teriyaki was okay but the rice was underwhelming. A bit too sticky. The tempura was better - nice and crispy. Not too salty, thank goodness. I liked the salad dressing. Mental note - ask them next time what it is made of. As for the hamachi, it was a good size. Good texture too. I would have preferred a bit more seasoning on the sushi rice, but that's being nitpicky. It was better than the beef. Overall, not bad for a bustling lunch spot run quite efficiently. I'd go back and dine in. It's a good workday lunch spot. read more

Tokyo Express - Beef teriyaki lunch bento, plus one order of Hamachi - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Average rating for average food at an average price. I would recommend their hot food over their sushi. We had an office party and ordered loads of sushi rolls both raw and cooked, but the rolls left a bad, salty aftertaste in my mouth, which made me wonder how fresh their ingredients really are. On a positive note, their lemon basil chicken was a nice surprise and was lightly breaded and fried. The chicken was tender and tasty and I would go back for this...but only for this. read more

As a sushi restaurant I can only give this place 3*; the fourth comes from the fish (snapper) donburi bowl, which is amazing and somewhat unique (I've yet to see it anywhere else). Basically it's a simple pan-fried snapper fillet with steamed vegetables (carrot, zucchini, and daikon), rice, and a wonderful sauce that I've unsuccessfully tried to replicate at home. With soup and salad it's under $9. The mystery about this dish, however, is that they only have it on occasion (though it's a permanent fixture on the menu). Most times when I ask for it I'll get some story about snapper being out-of-season, but over three years I've yet to observe any seasonal pattern to its availability. In any case, It's rare availability actually makes me enjoy it that much more. read more

Very decent spot for lunch time sushi. I'd give it three starts because it's nothing exceptional but exactly what I was expecting for quick meal pal sushi. The line gets kinda long if you're looking to actually go in and place your order so I highly recommend taking your time to order ahead on meal pal or ritual to skip that line. There are some tables and chairs if you want to sit down for your meal but it's pretty central (right by my office) so I typically just walk it back and eat it back at the office. One thing to note that I love and pushed them to 4 stars for me, they offer soup and salad for almost all lunch combos. Key for me :). read more

I like it! The sushi is made fresh to order, its fast, its priced right and delicious. I will be back for more... read more

Tokyo Express what happened? I went there yesterday to order take out. I ordered tonkatsu and they told me they sold out. Really at 1:00 PM? Wow. So I ordered their chicken katsu special with tempura. I waited in that stuffy restaurant for 30 minutes for my meal. Normally you are in and out 10 minutes tops. When I got back to my office, the katsu was cold. WTF?!?! It's not fresh. They had it sitting on some cutting board somewhere until they got around to boxing it up for me. Everything was cold. The tempura was overfried. I've been coming here once and a while for my Japanese fix but unless they hire back the original kitchen staff, I won't be coming back. read more

I wish this place was better. I wish it was. I had high hopes for it after seeing how crowded it always is, but it's not great at all. In fact, it's not even good..it's just okay. Definitely disappointing. Why do a lot of the places that serve sushi in FiDi serve bad quality sushi? I'm not particularly picky with sushi (although I should be), but buffet sushi is better than the sushi I've had in FiDi. Even the chicken teriyaki bento box I had was bad. $10 for a giant portion is a good value for lunch, sure. But the chicken was so bland in flavor, and it was dry too. I had to pour a lot of the sauce on the table on it as well as soy sauce to make it edible. I also saw that they have brown rice so I asked for brown rice but they still gave me white rice.. The sushi platter they have is over $20 and is a total rip off. People on other reviews rave about the giant portion for a good price, which is valid, but I want my food to taste good, not just fill me up. All in all, 3 stars for me. I wish it was better though..I wanted it to be my go-to lunch place like when I was in college (Sushi Cuisine in Merced, CA was my go-to bento box/sushi place for lunch in college that did everything right). read more

This is a small hole in the wall sushi place. That said, they have a convenient location in the financial district and a pretty big selection of sushi, including vegetarian sushi items. I passed over the vegetarian sushi combination to get two separate rolls - the crispy tofu roll and the classic avocado roll. They were both pretty good and relatively filling for a ~$8 meal. read more

Some hole-in-the-walls are great, others are just holes. This is the latter. I ordered a tuna hand roll, crunchy California roll, and avocado/cucumber roll. There was something not fresh in the avocado, which ruined both the cucumber and California roll. The tuna hand roll was ok, but nothing great. Plus, they had a hard time understanding why I wanted a tuna, rather than spicy tuna, hand roll. They asked me three separate times and then had to check with the kitchen to see if they could "accommodate." Seriously, am I the first person who has ever ordered a non-spicy hand roll here? read more

(See pics) Yes it's very crowded but people eat and go so if you wait for a minute or 2 you will find a table. I also realized even at times when I only order my noodle soup they would give me the salad, which I find to be very nice! read more

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I ordered the Combo 3 and was very happy with it. It came with 6 pieces of California Roll and 6 pieces of mixed Nigiri. My order was prepared in about 5 minutes. The sushi and nigiri were quite small, but it was a satisfying lunch - not too much and not too little. I actually liked the way they prepared the nigiri with way less rice than you'd normally get - the slice of fish was the size you would normally expect, but the rice under it was very small - I liked that a lot. It also came with a small container of miso soup which was very good. The total with tax and tip came to $22. The combo before tax and tip was $17.50 (they have several variations of their menu, but the one inside, on the wall says the combo is $17.50). I'll definitely be back. Everything tasted great and seemed super fresh and skillfully prepared. If you have a big appetite though, you'd need to spend a pretty penny in order to fill up here. read more

I'm honestly not sure if they were the people to cater our lunch at work or not, but I was told the food was from Tokyo Express and this was the closest location to the office, soooo this is me assuming that the two places are one and the same. We ordered many different items from them, but I personally loved the tempura vegetables and shrimp (but this is also hard to mess up, unless the tempura isn't crunchy and is drenched in oil). The edamame was also pretty good, though there wasn't much salt on the soybeans. The sushi was only okay though -- nothing to write home about. The teriyaki was also only just okay. Decent food, but I guess I'll have to order from them specifically to be sure that this is the same place and give a more specific review. read more

Tokyo Express - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

The food's decent, but it's great considering the location in the FiDi. There's a reason why it's "express," but definitely not the worst I've had. Apparently you can order online? Which would be a huge advantage so you don't have to wait in line and you can actually read a menu.. I could barely see the menu til I got up close but then was rushed into ordering. Got the Salmon Donuburi with a California Maki on the side for a total of just under $10. The California Maki was decent enough and the Salmon was actually pretty good! Liked the egg in with the donburi although it was a bit overcooked. I would definitely have ordered it without carrots though if I had known ahead of time.. flavors didn't bode well for my taste. read more

Tokyo Express - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

My new favorite lunch spot in the city... i love that you can order online and just walk in and pick up. the food here is always tasty. I love that you can add a 6 piece california roll to your meal for dirt cheap (I think it's like $3 extra or something). convenient, fast, and very good. read more

Tokyo Express - Chicken katsu plate with side salad - Sushi Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

I can say that Tokio Express is the best Japanise restaurant in this area.. I love the jumpin Tail roll.

Great place for a quick bite. Better to come earlier because it gets crowded pretty fast. I usually order the chicken teriyaki bento with tempura. It's a lot of food and very reasonably priced for the area. Sometimes the chicken is overcooked, but it's hit or miss. read more

Food was okay, but pricy for what it was. I got the chicken teriyaki with the nigiri add-on. Couldn't choose what nigiri, no substitutes. The chicken was burnt and dry, the nigiri was slathered in wasabi. Clearly no passion in the food whatsoever. Service was quick, though. read more

The teriyaki chicken bento box combo was pretty damn good. Not sure that I'd be begging to come back here day in and day out but maybe that's just because it's fresh in my gut and my stomach is filled to the brim with rice and protein. I had a little bit of trouble communicating with the cashiers. I kept asking for teriyaki chicken and they kept pointing me to the box. I was like, but I don't want any of that other stuff, still...box. Then he said to me, "This is your first time here, isn't it." ::exasperated look:: Fine, give me the damn box. Just leave out that nasty salad with the iceberg lettuce and red dressing. read more

I cannot come here any more. I've realized that after I eat here I suffer from some sort of MSG-infused deadliness which leads to my mouth puckering up and completely drying out no matter how much water I suck down. See ya around, Tokyo Express. read more

Thanks for the recommendation Spiff E. Hell yeah! I got a rock'n'roll, spicy tuna roll, miso soup and salad for not even $10 - and it wasn't half bad either. They're rock'n'roll special totally rocks my world and not so much my wallet. read more

If you like the spicy then order the spicy scallop roll here. Oh lordy lordy! I couldn't tell you if the scallops were fresh or not because I didn't taste anything but fire on my tongue. It looked fresh though, so I will have to say that it was. This is a nice little stop for some quick inexpensive sushi in the FiDi. They have cute little booths along one wall that are nice to sit with friends and have lunch in. They have a ton of lunch specials and a very diverse selection of rolls and nigiri to choose from, as well as sashimi and bento boxes all of which are reasonably priced. read more

I go here sometimes for lunch with my friend Marie W. when we are craving sushi. I only go sometimes because I pretty much crave sushi 24/7... mmm... sushi! Anyhoo... the food is good, VERY good for the fact that it is a little "fast food" sushi joint. The fish is fresh, the sashimi is well cut, the portions are really decently sized and their teriyaki chicken is quite the yum. The problem with Tokyo Express is twofold: 1. The price... who really wants to spend $14.00 on a "lunch special"? Granted - for good sushi and sashimi I am willing to pay much more than that - but, I can't help but think that when I eat a Yokohama I pay a dollar more for a really huge combo meal. So, while the portions are decent sized (as in they are large enough to be filling, not so big that you guiltily leave fish on your plate because it's too much - which is a sushi lover's cardinal sin) - the value? Ain't so good. 2. The service - the service is friendly and attentive... but, in my opinion it shouldn't take a half hour to bring me roughly 10 pieces of salmon sashimi. How can Marie get chicken teriyaki and fixings (which has to be cooked) 10-15 minutes faster than I get my raw fish? Just a strange little thing which drives me nutty. And, given the fact that it's more than half way between my office and home - the delay in service really kind of makes this place some place we only go every once and a while. read more

Always busy little lunch spot. I order ahead on Eat24 to skip the line. You also get free edamame when ordering over a certain amount. Been meaning to sit down for lunch one of these days. The servers are all sweet, but super efficient. read more

My friend and I decided to grab Japanese food today. I suggested this restaurant that I always walked by but never went in. It always looked busy - so that's a good sign. It's a cute restaurant with tables and booth. We went into the restaurant and we waited....just stood and waited by the door. The waiter finally looked our way and I said "table for 2 please". Well apparently it's not one of those kind of restaurants. We actually have to order & pay first, then they give you a number and they bring you the food. Oops. Wish I known that before I stood there like an idiot. We both ended up getting the deluxe bento box ($10.99). I got the salmon teriyaki, and my friend got the chicken teriyaki- all deluxe bento boxes comes with vegetable & shrimp tempura, salad, soup, rice and your choice of either sashimi, sushi (2 nigiri's & 3 pieces of California roll), or 6 pieces of California roll. Everything was pretty good - the sushi was so-so - prob not the freshest or best sushi I've had, but it was alright. You can get a self-service hot tea or ice water too on the side. Overall, food came out quickly, it was pretty good, and good portions. read more

This is a great spot for a quick sushi fix. I agree, it is not the *best* sushi I've ever had, but some days, I want fast and efficient sushi. This is a great spot for that. They also have decent udon for days when you want something hot and soupy to fight away the germs. FYI - They also do corporate accounts and will deliver for big orders. read more

I have new found respect for Tokyo Express. Prices are still high, but what do you expect right? It's in the FiDi. Sushi rolls are still small, but again what do you expect right??? Anyhow, my new found stem from their udon! The broth is not overly msg-sy. big plus. And I actually liked the broth. Udon noodle has nice texture. I usually get the Nabeyaki udon. Pretty good portion of goodies in the bowl, grilled chicken, fish fillets, shrimps, fish cakes, spinach, tofu, and half a egg. Pretty tasty stuff! I top my noodle off with japanese 7 spices chili powder, ooOo I want that at least once a week. Occasionally I would get the seafood udon. No egg, but plenty of seafood. Yum! read more

Affordable place with yummy sushi close to work! I love this place.

This is a great spot for fast food sushi. My office has been ordering from here for 5 years though none of us have actually eaten in the establishment. In these 5 years, they have never gotten our orders wrong and they pack our lunches in individual bags with our name and items labeled. Their rolls are of a good size without too much rice and the fish is fresh and they give you decent slices of sashimi. We love their Agedashi Tofu and their Udon, Donburi and Salmon Bento Box are just as tasty. They offer brown rice but not for the sushi rolls. Some of our favorite rolls Francisco Roll, Heaven Roll, and Spider Roll. My vegetarian colleagues and those who don't eat raw can find a number of great things to eat here. read more

So I eat here ALL THE TIME, for the following reasons: because it's front door is the back door to the building I work in, they have good lunch specials, and the portions for hot items are huge. ***Notice, nothing about the amazing-ness of the food, reason being that it is mediocre. I have tried pretty much everything on the menu (I also order it for catering for my team), and haven't found anything particularly great or gross. I don't really have any complaints (which is rare), but something about this place is just sooo... what's the word? Generic, lackluster, mundane... All of the above. The price isn't crazy for what you get (soup and salad with every meal for under 10$), if you sit in house, you get free tea, and the Chicken Teriyaki bento box is enough for 2 servings. I generally choose the hot items over the sushi from here unless I'm ordering it in large quantities, just because it lacks passion and is a bit pricier then I'm willing to pay for average sushi. The udon never disappoints. If you're stuck in the Fidi like me, not a bad place to be. ***Update: I figured out what Tokyo Express's sushi reminds me of... MALL SUSHI!!! read more

I'd give this four stars, but it's getting five stars because I'm reading all these reviews where people talk about how much they like it and then give it three. Stingy. For what it is (a hyper-fast-food-high-volume version of normally slow food), the only comparable one is Sawaii... which is not as good (but faster). Their bentos are really well put together, and they don't seem to use the cheap-o ingredients like the criminal enterprise known as Sushi-Rock. Don't get me started on Sushi-Rock. read more

The saying, "it is what it is" applies here. A 3 star rating is a little misleading... I eat here a lot since it's consistent, decent, and right across the street from work. Everything is pretty good here. My old standbys are: Nabeyaki udon Sushi Combo B Sashimori A Salmon donburi over brown rice California roll Jumping tail read more

My boyfriend decides to take me to this "secret" spot where he was raving about their delicious udon. The restaurant seems a bit worn down. Nonetheless, it still carried its cute Asian charm with the Japanese curtains to hanging over the dividers for the booths against the right side of the room. With the line moving swiftly, we were ordering at no time at the front register. I was a bit disoriented from all the options clustered onto the huge white backboard. Imagine looking at a menu pamphlet with a pictures of sushi and a caption underneath. That is how the backboard looks like. Overwhelming, but thorough and impressive. I ordered the tempura udon and received a numbered placard to carry back to where ever my boyfriend chose for us to sit. They have that sesame-tasting tea for you on a shelf as well as water to bring back to the table. They gave us a small side salad with thousand island mix dressing. We noticed that others received miso soup alongside their salad. Of course, our udon orders do not include a side of soup. For future reference when I order their bento box, you get soup at no additional cost! My udon did live up to my expectations. It had perfect texture, the tempura was a great addition to each spoonful of noodles. I had to have my boyfriend finish the rest of my bowl because I was that full. Yay! New addition to my favorite lunch spots near work. read more

TO GO OR FOR HERE, TO GO OR FOR HERE you have to answer this first; the ladies at the register won't talk to you unless you answer that question. crazy ladies. just try, it's pretty funny. I don't succumb to their need to hear a TO GO or FOR HERE, for awhile and they go nuts. udon is good here. why would you eat sushi at Tokyo Express then complain about it? read more

Three stars are because of the obvious "fast food" atmosphere. But, then again, they did name it "Express", and boy, oh boy, do they ever MEAN it! I really enjoy the food; it's very good for a typical, cheap sushi joint. Very fast and friendly service. Decent prices. I almost always order the bento with beef teriyaki, maguro sashimi and tempura, an extra roll of some sort, edamame and a juice. Yes, I am a sushi PIG. I LOVE sushi, so I usually can't get out of here for under $20. Still, for the big, fat tummy I leave with, that's not bad at all. (... I see no point in not extending a compliment when I see something pleasant - besides, it makes people feel good) I was in there for lunch last week, dining solo, and looked up to see this absolutely gorgeous little Asian girl (about 5 yrs. old) sitting in a booth a row up from me. I said to the bus boy "that little girl is beautiful" and he said "that's the owners' daughter". So darned cute!) read more

Meh. If it wasn't next door to my office, I'd happily never go here ever again. Alas hunger and convenience occassionally override my brain. read more

I'm a fan of the sushi - anything california and with shrimp is good. I've shared a bento box with another person and it was great. Lunch is always served fast (call ahead if you want a to-go order or be prepared to wait for a seat) and always warm and cheery. Only complaint is I usually end up spending around 10-12 each trip..eep. Also - they do deliver if you place a 45.00 minimum. Good if you need a real quick sushi fix during the work week. read more

I've been here a couple times during lunch, and this place packs 'em in. It's a relatively small space, but there are enough chairs, tables, and booths to get a good buzz going. Order at the register and then find a seat if you're lucky, or I prefer to take away my food and graze in the Redwood Park, just down the road. The ordering part takes a bit of patience as you get asked to bend your body from side to side to dodge the servers whizzing by, and the diners on the other. On the wall behind the register, is a cheerfully lit menu with a large array of tasty choices, so it may take a while to decide what your tummy craves...but once you're at the helm of the line, be sure to know what you want...afterwards, you'll be instructed to "Step to your left", to wait for your Take Away order, or if you're dining in, go look for a table. All-in-all the food is worth the effort for a good, casual FiDi lunch. read more

Quick. Fast. and good bang for your buck! This place is constant on our lunch menu. You can eat there, but spots are tight and it's a bit crowded. If you have a table in the main walking areas, prepared to get bumped consistently by traffic. The chicken teriyaki bento box with salad and soup is standard and good. Sushi is fresh and satisfies those cravings. It's comfort chinese and an easy place to get a japanese food fix. read more