Tokyo Japanese Food Store

For the size this store is, the selection isn’t bad and the staff is friendly. We always check it out when daughter comes back to school for her Japanese necessities. Parking is a drag tho which is the worst part. They have some bakery items as well which we always enjoy.

I have been here a few times and always find something new to try. The staff are a delight and I have great back and forth banter with the elder gentleman who is usually at the counter.
My latest visit here was to get supplies for a friends Hot Pot night. Both of the staff were incredibly helpful with my questions. They directed me towards the best cuts of meat (I knew thin cut beef and pork worked well but not the specific type — i.e. fatty or lean). There was a great selection and variety of fresh vegetables which were well priced. Self control with respect to the assortment of red bean paste-​based sweets was difficult but I managed!

This Japanese food store has a nice selection of East Asian goods which are tougher to find in the East End. For example, I was able to find sushi grade fish, seaweed sheets, uni, pickled carrots, and green tea ice cream.
Unfortunately, I left the store empty handed because they did not have ice prepared to pack the fish in so that the fish would remain at a safe temperature during my trip home.

It should be a 3.5. The bento box is tasty and they offered 10% off until the end of the year. But we were there around 2:00 pm. There were not a lot of selections for bento boxes. Maybe we should go earlier next time.

Slightly pricey compared to what those things usually cot in the west past. But it is in the burgh so stop by if you really want some authentic ramen, instant miso soup or even the bento (lunch) made by the oner!

This place has a great selection of imported Japanese stuff. Mainly food, but some kitchen stuff and DVDs. Fresh sushi every day too. Just don’t expect much English. The people do speak it fairly well though.

Wow. I just recently learned of this store from a good friend, and must say I have no idea why I hadn’t heard of it before! I love asian food, and have been looking for the ideal market to stock up with things you just can’t get from Whole Foods and Giant Eagle.
The quality of the items here is unmistakably superior. I love the fresh shiso leaves that I can get here; I love the wide variety of japanese mushrooms and produce they stock! Because of this market, I have been able to delve deeper into the wonderful world of the Japanese one pot meal I so love, and have been busily trying new recipes over the past several months.
I haven’t yet purchased their sushi grade fish, but it certainly looked fresh and I will certainly buy it from their market the next time I feel adventurous enough to make sushi at home…
My wife says I am addicted to having a lot of obscure Japanese condiments around the house, and after looking in the refrigerator the last time we visited Tokyo Japanese Food Store, I absolutely agree — Arigato gozaimasu!

«Sugoi! Suki! Hontou!» (Wow! Love it! Really!)
Just a few of the cute little responses the cashier exclaimed as she rang my items up (I’d like to thank animé for my informal understanding of the Japanese language).
Tokyo Japanese is one of the most comprehensive Japanese groceries I’ve been to. Sure there are other Asian groceries where you’ll find common items like soy sauce and pocky sticks, but when it comes to rare Japanese cooking staples, look no further. I loaded up on shiratamako, fukujinzuke, natto, okonomiyaki sauce, okonomiyaki flour, takoyaki flour, shimeji mushrooms, tenkasu, yakisoba noodles, and more. They also have sushi grade fish, produce, bento boxes, and baked goods — all fresh. I couldn’t not find anything if I tried.
The staff is very pleasant and friendly. Some items can be pricey, but they are the harder to find items that justify the cost.
Tokyo Japanese is as sugoi as it gets, so they get 4.5 stars rounded up.

The bento lunches made by the owners at Tokyo Japanese Food Store are the bomb! They satisfy any Japanese food craving that I might have. They typically either have something fried or grilled along with a small salad, rice and some other tiny sides, which can be found in the fridge in the back of the store.
If you want to make any type of Japanese food this store would have anything that you would need though a little pricey. However their fresh fish is out of the world if you want to make your own sushi or sashimi. I also bought the largest carrot that I have ever seen (for under a buck!) to go with a cold soba noodle dish that I was making.
You won’t regret popping in here as the owners take pride in their shop and keep it clean and all food fresh though note there is a $ 10 minimum for credit card.

Very expensive and small but organized and clean store, but it’s got all my fav foods so I come all the time to stock up my pantry. Get the various ramen noodles, steamed japanese cheese cake, bento to go, lots of green tea and they even have some great japanese shampoo and conditioner if you ever need them. Right next to a laundry place, parking is almost always available in that little plaza. Come check it out!

This is a pricey Japanese grocery store with a wide variety of goods. I know it better as our Saturday go-​to place for BENTO BOXES. Oh yes, they are so good. They are made fresh daily by the nice Japanese mom and pop that own the place. They make sushi as well and it is expensive but it really does taste a million times better than the Giant Eagle stuff. They also sell SASHIMI grade fish so we tried our hand at sashimi cutting one afternoon as well.

It’s the first and only Japanese grocer I’ve been to, so I don’t have much to compare them to, but I think it’s a great little store! I first went there looking for miso soup ingredients and was pleasantly impressed with their selections of goods. They had everything I need for the soup plus so much more. The store is very clean and people working there are very nice and friendly. It’s fun trying new foods and also nice trying authentic versions of food I already enjoy. They have awesome green tea! I’ll no longer buy any tea bag type tea and will be sticking to just their lose leaf variety. Although the store isn’t huge, I believe you can find everything you need to prepare Japense cuisine and their price are very good. Their price for tofu is fantastic and I believe it’s worth going there for even just that alone.

I love this little grocer. They prepare little bentos (perfect for lunch while you do your laundry) and have a ton of niche items you can’t get anywhere else. Plus, the produce and seafood is some of the best in the city. If you haven’t found this place, then stay away, I don’t want my selection lessening.

This place was so cool! I went with my Japanese friend and it was great to have someone to explain to me what the products were, as all of the packaging was in Japanese. It was very authentic though and the bentou lunch was great. The shop had a great selection. However, I went on a Sunday afternoon and the place was packed. It’s a little small and I kept bumping into people, so be prepared for that. All in all a fun shopping experience!

Tokyo Japanese Food Store is the only Japanese grocery in the area with a nice selection of produce, fish and processed foods. Not all, but many things are overpriced, and I would check out Lotus (Asian market) in the strip district for certain items such as sauces, noodles, etc.
They are known to sell things past expiration dates: sometimes in the form as a «sale» without explicitly notifying the customer of the condition. Now, I don’t have a problem with buying slightly expired non-​perishable (boxed, canned) foods for less… but I expect an honest business.
Many of their raw fish look discolored and old, making me ponder the honesty of the packaging dates…
In the end, many of the Japanese items can only be attained here, in Pittsburgh — having a small, but formidable selection to suit your needs. I would just be weary with expiration dates and the perishables they sell.

If you’re looking for Seafood City, 99 Ranch Store or some other all-​Asian megamarket, this isn’t the place. After tracking the place down, my first look at the outside was kind of disappointing, because I was hoping for something larger.
But when I went in, I was glad to have made the trip.
What you will find when you go through the door is a neighborhood grocery store, primarily specializing in Japanese food. It is not a large place, but is well-​stocked, clean, and fresh-​smelling. They clearly take pride in their establishment.
The staff is pleasant, and they have a good selection of products and brands. Even brands seen in American stores were labelled in Kanji.
They do well with their limited space — instead of putting a whole case of each product on the shelf, they put enough of each for you to find (or, of course, you can ask). This lets them carry a far greater variety than you would guess from the size of the place, especially of candy and snacks (Morinaga and Pocky fans will find a wide selection). Hi-​Chew is $ 1.19 per pack (May 2011) in the various flavors, below the price I’ve found in Asian stores on the West Coast.
It seems that they are able to keep prices low by volume of sales, judging by the number of customers (about half a dozen in the few minutes that I was there).
The parking lot is small, and shared with a laundromat and another store or two. There is on-​street parking.

This is a wonderful place with very friendly people. They stock a number of items that are not easy to find elsewhere and most importantly, have absolutely the best fish anywhere in the city if you want to make sushi or sashimi – my opinion not scientifically tested. The prices are not low for this fish, but the quality is really brilliant. You can get salmon that is super dense, with no muscular separation. I have been told, but have absolutely no evidence or sources to refer to that the folks at Tokyo and at UMI (the big Burrito group sushi place right next door) source from the same place. In any case, it is the only place I have found (and perhaps there are others – but none within walking distance – ) that I would use to purchase fish for completely raw preparations.

Tokyo is a great place to get some hard to find japanese ingredients. The bento boxes are delicious and inexpensive. Store is clean and the workers are very friendly. They have a good selection of things that are difficult to find in the city like yuzu and ginko nuts and fresh shiso leaves, lotus root etc. They also have a good supply of sushi grade fish, gindara, kimche and other picked items like plums. Very good. it also happens to be right across the street from Umi which I can also say has excellent sit down food. Try the omekasi, you wont be dissapointed.

I visited Japan for a month and this store reminds me so much of a true Japanese grocery store that nostalgia hits me every time I enter.
Unlike most Asian grocery stores (I’m looking at you, Strip District) Tokyo is VERY clean and has really fresh produce and meat. Every time I walk into Lotus Foods in the Strip I’m hit with a certain smell and it’s always so dusty. It’s awesome to be able to go to a grocery store that’s small enough to keep their stock fresh. I also really appreciate how dedicated they are in keeping their store as Japanese as possible.
They stock the staples in Japanese beverages and snack foods as well. It’s so hard to find Pocari Sweat and other soft drinks in Pittsburgh that you’d find in any vending machine in Japan but Tokyo stocks it in a variety of bottles; chilled or room temp. I always buy a big bottle of Pocari Sweat when I visit to put in the fridge. If you’ve never had it, it’s a sports drink that has a hint of grapefruit. The grapefruit is so subtle that there is almost no aftertaste. It’s almost like water but not sickeningly sweet like flavored water in the US.
They also have prepared foods available by an in-​house chef. They come in the form of bento boxed lunches that have sushi and tempura and, while I haven’t had one yet (some day I’ll remember to go before I eat), they look delicious and fresh and are packaged in an appetizing way.
If you’re Japanese and have never heard of this place you should definitely check it out. It’s an incredibly authentic grocery store and just as clean as one found in Japan. If you’re an American and are a bit jaded about Asian grocery stores because of the dirtiness and grumpiness found in many of the ones in Pittsburgh definitely check Tokyo out, it’s incredible.
UPDATE: It took me until just a few weeks ago to try out their bento lunches. They’re healthy and delicious. They’ll heat the bento up for you on premises if you’re eating on the go. The owner of Tokyo has also recently started selling his bentos and sushi in Lotus Foods in the Strip. Give them a try for a quick, healthy lunch.

You’ll probably find more variety in Asian groceries in the Strip district. But Tokyo Japanese food store supplies things that even Bai He (lotus) doesn’t and is closer to the universities.
There’s an aisle dedicated to ramen. There’s a shelf dedicated to cute drinks like ramune, green tea, calpico, and pocari sweat. There’s also a shelf with bowls and cups which might make a nice present if thats what you go for.
They have fresh shiso leaf, frozen sushi fish, and specialty vegetables that you would find in Japanese cuisine such as lotus root. They also have half a cooler section with different types of miso. I like to get a red miso and a white miso. You can get actual asian tofu instead of the american (very firm) kind. By the cashier, you can get buns and breads from an Asian bakery. It’s not particularly fresh, but if you’re missing the taste you might want to try it.
I’m pretty sure there’s a ramp for a wheel chair. The aisles though are pretty narrow so be careful.