Tokyo Express

I liked the food. I ordered a lot of food and we couldn’t finish it…
So I ask for To-​go bag but the guy on the counter said he needed 10 cents. I really don’t have coins but he really doesn’t want to give me the bag even though i already gave him the card to pay for the bag, and started to get mad…
I said «so what we gonna do? I can’t hold the container by myself… «Then, he said «in the beginning u should order a bag even if ur eating here so we could charge it to your card…»
Then he finally gave me a bag when I’m starting to raise my voice but before he handed the bag he said this is the first and last time I will give u bag… Then I said don’t worry cause this is the first and the last time I’m eating here… Too rude that’s make the place uninviting…

Superb sushi and great value for money. My go-​to sushi place. Unpretentious atmosphere.

You come in, stand in line to order and pay, they give you a number, sit anywhere you like and they serve you your food. They have cute deco and presentable plates. Easy, quick and cheap! The only thing I don’t like about this place is when it gets hot, it’s a little musty inside so I usually sit by the front door. Other than Im sold!
I don’t come here as often as I used to because I’ve discovered other sushi spots but their pretty good! They’re in a really convenient location and one of the busiest spots of east SF. Their raw sushi isn’t as fresh as others but it’s cheap and full-​filling. I come here for their generous portions of salmon teriyaki, chicken teriyaki, miso soup is tasty and jumping tail roll is packed with flavor/​crispy goodness! Their happy hour is a must here! Happy Hour: 3PM– 6PM I think it’s every day. Happy Hour choices of $ 3 Lemon Basil Chicken or Chicken Wings or Calamari Rings, $ 2.50 Seaweed Salad or Basic Hand Rolls, $ 5.50 Hamachi Kama (fatty collar of yellowtail fish), $ 5 5 piece sashimi sampler, $ 6.50 Nigiri Sampler and choices of hot sake– cold sake for $ 2.50-$ 6. They might have updated their menu since last time I’ve gone so I might not be as accurate.
Give this place a try. You wont be disappointed!

3.75
12pm on a Friday, was supposed to meet up a friend here for lunch but ended up going to the wrong location =(Screw it, imma eat anyways.
Salmon Teriyaki Donburi– served with soup and salad and self serve water/​ice tea. Rice was drenched in sauce. Vegetables were still tender which is a plus, and they had zucchini! 2 medium cuts of salmon. As my mouth inhaled the first bite, I noticed a weird smell; like feet or something. Perhaps it was the cabbage? I had just walked 8 blocks in the rain so feet smelling salmon wasn’t going to stop me.
I finished my meal just in time to meet up my friend for another meal =/​
Good service but don’t think I would come back.

The Japanese food here isn’t the best of quality but it is cheap, satisfying, and filling. The portions are quite generous as well and the location is quite convenient. The happy hour specials are quite good as well.
The menu is massive and there are heaps of things to choose from. This is also a great place for take aways. I enjoyed this place so much that I practically ate there everyday and got sick of it and burnt out. But anyway I highly recommend this if you are after something not to pricey and quite casual. Great for Lunch or afternoon tea.

My fave place for seafood udon. Nothing fancy and it’s simple but not too plain. Prices are great and the happy hour menu is def worth taking advantage of!
Sad I don’t work downtown so I can’t come here as often!

Looking for a decent Japanese place for a quick lunch/​dinner? This is the place.
1) First Impression
It was Saturday, close to 8:30 PM after the Super Bowl City /​NFL Experience.
It didn’t seem dirty and had some nice decoration.
There was only 1 person in front of us in line and a lot of seats were open.
The menu was quite overwhelming at first because everything seemed $ 15+, but then I saw the Chicken Teriyaki for $ 9 and ordered that.
2) Wait time
Receiving our food for a party of 5 was quite fast and arrived within 10 – 15 minutes.
They give you a number and you are supposed to sit at a table and they will serve the food to you. However, you have to order up front at the counter first, so it’s kinda like a fast-​food restaurant styled place. The time went by faster because you can get your own water /​tea near the counter and bring it to any table by yourself.
3) The Food
I actually did not have high expectations coming into this restaurant, but the food quality was actually better than I expected. Compared to every other restaurant, this place actually had the largest portion of Chicken Teriyaki I have encountered in a single order. However, keep in mind, this could be due to the fact that it’s not really bento-​styled and did not come with any rolls and tempura, but just Miso Soup, Salad, and 2 Slices of Oranges.
The Salad, in particular, I believe had a peanut sauce/​dressing and was quite unique, but very good. There did not seem to be too much rice in comparison to the Teriyaki Chicken.
Keep in Mind:
*It may be due to the time, but this neighborhood is definitely not the best and I did not feel completely safe here.
*The waitress/​cashiers didn’t seem to the friendliest but did come by a couple times to collect our dishes and such. While leaving, she was at the door and did not greet me until I thanked her and left.
*Final Verdict*
If you’re in the area and you’re looking for some quick Japanese food, then this is where you should go. It wont amaze you, but it definitely will satisfy your craving for Japanese food. Even though I did not try the sushi, the Chicken Teriyaki was quite delicious.

When you’re in the city and craving some quality sushi but don’t want to spend too much so you can order more than one roll. This is your place. It’s a hole in the wall that I think a lot of people overlook because its not in an appealing location, but I’ve gone out of my way to come here when I have the time to and especially during lunch when it’s busy everywhere else.
If you know what you like, you just walk up to the counter and go ahead and order. Walk all the way to the back and on the right wall side is a huge menu of theirs, if you don’t.
I gave them a ⁴⁄₅ because the drawback I didn’t like was that their beverage station on the left doesn’t look too sanitary especially the serving cups. I’d be cautious of the lemon wedges as well since it’s out in the open but I’m not sure if they cut them while using gloves but that goes for any restaurant!

Pros
Fast food
Inexpensive
Good selection
Tempura
Free tea
Order upfront, they bring food to you
Don’t feel compelled to tip or tip small amount
Ample seating
Clean
Cons
Beef teriyaki, cheap beef– don’t recommend
Average quantity or less
Quality fair
Have repeated. Quick food that’s decent and inexpensive.

This place hasn’t changed in years, its always been a) fast b) good c) reasonably priced.
You order at the counter, they give you a number, you get your food quickly.
In 2015 $ 4 for a good Tekka Maki near Moscone is unbeatable.
You can also usually get free Kimchi at the front and they always have free Barley Tea.
I know its fast food, but you can order reasonably fancy stuff there without breaking the bank.
Chirashi (my default order at any Japanese place) is very reasonable and plentiful.

I like this place cause it’s spacious, clean and organized.
The service is great and super fast! That’s my favorite thing whenever I’d like to eat sushi
Got a sushi combo and was actually enough for 2 people.
Hope you guys enjoy!

For delivery, this place get it done for Japanese food. Given the quality factor, delivering Japanese food is like delivering a fragile package and needs extra care and attention. They do a great job packing hot separate from cold which helps maintain the freshness of the fish. They work fast too so you don’t wait forever. Not the greatest Japanese you can find but a better than average delivery option, no doubt.

My friend and I was exploring San Francisco one day when we suddenly got hungry and decided to stop here and check it out. With its close vicinity to the mall, this was an ideal place.
The atmosphere here was very homey. I thought it was pretty cool how they arranged the inside of the restaurant. Later, I found out that they didn’t have air conditioning and only had fans — which covered only about 30% of the patrons.
I would say that it was borderline cheap here, but it’s ridiculous that an extra curry with your order was $ 3 and what’s crazier was that you can’t order curry itself.
Another factor that led to having this place such a low-​rating was the rude female employee that took my order. She gave me and my friend this look as if we we’re asking for too much.
The food was great though! I had chicken katsu and it was amazing! The texture of it in your mouth tasted right. It wasn’t undercooked nor overcooked which was great!
Would I come back here? Eh, maybe. Would I recommend this to a friend? We’ll see…

I stopped by this Tokyo Express location for a quick bite before catching a movie at Westfield Century. I ordered their Teriyaki Chicken Entrée (
) and as expected, they served a very hearty plate of Teriyaki Chicken and it came delivered to my table very quickly along with a small bowl of miso soup and a salad. As just like all the other Tokyo Express locations, they live up to their namesake with decent Japanese food and fast service all in a clean restaurant. You can’t go wrong with eating here if you want to satisfy your sushi, bento, or donburi cravings without breaking your wallet.

Occasionally I don’t mind eating and dining Japanese food, just as long as there is no seafood involve in my meal.
After a night of shopping in the Westfield mall, I skipped the mall’s food court and decided to check this place out, which is only up the stairs on the Bloomingdale’s rear on Mission Street. The new Japanese restaurant was a Jack in the Box for many decades. I am happy the Japanese restaurant has eliminated the disturbing patrons that used to allocate in the fast food diner.
On my debut, I ordered the Tonkatsu Pork Donburi rice bowl. For $ 8.75, I get fried and panko-​breaded pork meat in scrambled eggs and rice. I also get a bowl of Miso soup and a side of salad with my meal. For the affordable price, the rice bowl wasn’t too bad. Every item in my bowl was cooked very well.
For an additional $ 3.00, I also added a four-​piece of California Roll. I only managed to eat one piece of the California roll and it was okay. Afterwards, I did not get violently ill from the lone piece of sushi.
This restaurant is clean and price is affordable compare to others including the Westfield food court.

I came here during happy hour and the line was extremely long. It’s a good place for a group of friends because you pay for your food first rather than splitting the bill.
My friend and I wanted to dine in but there were no clean tables available. It was a extremely busy day so we ended up finding a small table near the door. Then the waitress brought over my food. I got two rolls, Gyoza, and a Sapporo. The spicy roll was no good. The philly cheese was not bad and the Gyoza was overly deep fried. There was barely any meat on ythe inside.
The food was bland and had no flavor to it. But what do you expect from a fast food sushi restaurant in the middle of downtown! I’ll probably go back for the $ 3.50 large beer

Surprisingly good. The sashimi was super fresh and tasty.
The seating area is ok and the outside sign looks worn down, but he quality of sushi is on par with the place in Yerba Buena gardens. For about $ 25 you can get a decent sushi lunch. This is a great place for take out if you want to go to your hotel room and work on your meeting presentation.

Dropped by Tokyo Express spontaneously with a friend on a late Saturday afternoon around 3PM. There are many empty tables at this time of day. This restaurant can definitely accommodate a lot of people based on its size. As you walk past the tables that take on the arrangement of a «food court» vibe, you reach a counter where you can order your entrée.
The woman, who I assume is also the manager, was actually not friendly at all. She lacked a smile and definitely looked like she did not want to be there. I ordered a Chicken Katsu with Curry, but she misheard me and charged me for a Chicken Katsu. When I corrected her, she wasn’t apologetic about the mistake, but just waited for me to pay the extra fee for curry. She also threw the table number card at me in a very unprofessional, uncaring way and she pretty much set the low standards of customer service at Tokyo Express.
However, what changed my mind from rating this restaurant a 2-​star to a 4-​star was the kind gentleman serving our entrees. He was very kind and hard-​working. Props to him for smiling throughout his shift and not looking like he hated working there like his boss!
As for the quality of the food, I really enjoyed my Chicken Katsu to be honest. It was much better than your average Chicken Katsu for two reasons — tender chicken meat and fried to a perfect degree. The katsu was not dry or dough-​y like other katsu entrees I’ve tried. $ 3.00 for a bowl of curry is a bit steep of a price in my opinion and I kind of wish I didn’t order the curry — there was nothing special about it. They have plenty of sauces on the sides of each table to use, ranging from Tonkatsu sauce to Sririacha to Soy Sauce and more. As for my friend’s entrée, I tried his Chicken Teriyaki dish and wasn’t impressed at all. In fact, I was a bit disappointed. The chicken was much tougher and drier than the chicken in my dish and left an unsatisfying feeling in my stomach.
If you’re looking for quickly served food, this is definitely your pitstop. The food is adequate, but don’t expect great customer service here (except from the nice male worker who helped us today!)

I wasn’t expecting much from the décor. It’s not dirty, it’s just cheap and sterile.
The lunch special is 4 pieces of nigiri and a rainbow roll for $ 13. $ 13! In San Francisco! The sushi was not the best I’ve ever had (I’ve been fortunate enough to travel extensively and been spoiled by food), but it is very good. Especially for $ 13! In San Francisco!
The staff are very friendly and they offer free water/​coffee/​ice tea when you dine in.
Next time I’m in town, I will seek this place out, and you should too.

After soaking in more art and haute couture fashion history and her-​story at the Legion of Honor, I came to Tokyo Express to chow down for lunch and recover from taking a minor tumble whilst browsing at Bloomingdales. Moving right along…
I have wanted to try this location of Tokyo Express since reading the reviews of some of my fellow Unilocalers. I have been to the locations on Spear Street and Sacramento Street back in my working girl days. I used to meet up with other fellow working girls for lunch and girl chat at either one of the aforementioned locations.
The name «Tokyo Express» sounds rather appealing as well, particularly the «Express» part. I did not feel like dealing with the lunch crunch rush at the Westfield Shopping Center. Just like their other branch locations, this one is pretty fast.
When I walked in, I was surprised by the fast-​food atmosphere and environment. The interiors had the basic fast food booths, chairs, and tables. I wonder if this was the location of IHOP and/​or Denny’s back in the day. I was overwhelmed by the size of the place and the fast food atmosphere, not a tranquil Japanese restaurant. The menu over the till and on the wall was just as overwhelming.
Once I was able to get my bearings with the menu, I went with my litmus test of pork tonkatsu, tamago, and avocado roll. After placing the order, the cashier hands me a number, and I can get complimentary green tea and water before I go find a table for one. I sit at a table not too far from the till with other table that can seat one to two people comfortably. Over this group of tables is a large flat screen telly aka television showing K-​Pop with the volume turned down.
Food is cooked and prepared to order at Tokyo Express. My pork tonkatsu was brought to me first by a server, and I was surprised that my sushi order was not with it. About five or so minutes later, I see my sushi order yet the server took my number away prematurely. I had to flag him down and inform him that the sushi order on the tray was mine. (And I had my receipt to prove the sushi there was mine.)
I am glad I finally got to try this branch of Tokyo Express. It is just as good as the other aforementioned locations I mentioned earlier. I will be back if I am not In the mood with the food places nearby.
Kampai! SYOY!

Preis– Leistungsverhältnis stimmt hier. Nicht das beste Sushi aber durchaus gut und meist auch schnell. Das war bereits der zweite Besuch. Gern wieder…

Le Tokyo Express n’a pas grand chose de charmant et je né recommanderais à personne de traverser San Francisco pour aller y manger. En gros c’est une cafétaria à sushis.
Oui MAIS j’y ai mangé un chirashi délicieux, et ça, ça n’a pas de prix !
Et on peut s’y servir gratuitement en thé pour accompagner son repas !
Donc en gros, si vous vous retrouvez sur cette portion de Mission St, si vous avez une forte envie de sushis et un petit budget, entrez chez Tokyo-​Express, il devrait bien vous le rendre !

Wenn man mal die Nase voll hat von Kohlehydraten, bieten sich Fleisch und Salat ja nahezu an. Mein Weg führte mich zu Tokyo Express, wo ich mir Teriyaki Beef mit Reis und Salat bestellte. Da für mich kein asiatisches Essen komplett ist ohne Edamame bestellte ich noch eine große Portion dazu. Von der Bestellung bis zur Mitnahme des Essens fühlte es sich zwar nach einer Ewigkeit an, aber nur, weil ich extrem hungrig war, denn tatsächlich dauerte es keine zehn Minuten.
Das Fleisch war gut durch und hatten einen herrlichen Grillgeschmack. Der Salat war jetzt nicht so der Bringer, denn die Sauce war irgendwie zu salzig und fett, aber die asiatische Küche ist ja auch nicht gerade weltbekannt für ihre Blattsalate. Die Edamame waren perfekt, nicht zu roh, nicht zu gar.

Este sitio de sushi y teriyaki, muy cerca de los jardines de Yerba Buena, es todo un descubrimiento. Se comen bien, mucho y barato.
Tienen una variedad de sushi muy grande y con una pinta estupenda, pero como también tenían teriyaki, y a mí me vuelve loco, pedí un menú con las dos cosas. El menú incluía sopa de miso, ensalada, cuatro piezas de sushi, tempura de verdura y gambas, arroz blanco y pollo teriyaki. Todo en cantidades pequeñas, pero en conjunto era mucha comida y toda muy rica. El teriyaki era muy muy suave, pero estaba muy rico.
A mediodía suele estar lleno, pero si hace buen tiempo puedes hacer como nosotros, pedir la comida para llevar y disfrutar de ella en los jardines de Yerba Buena.

Genialer Laden für ein Lunch Takeout und nach all dem fettigen Essen war ich über eine schöné Portion Sushi doppelt froh. Die Qualität ist hoch, die Preise niedrig, für 12 Stück Sushi nur 8 Dollar, das ist für SF Verhältnisse Diskonter Preislevel. Zum Sushi erhält man außerdem noch Suppe und Salat, das Ganze ist also ein wirklich guter Deal. Ich würde allerdings empfehlen, das Essen mitzunehmen, das Lokal selbst wirkt so wie McDonalds ohne direkten Lichteinfall.
Neben Sushi gibt es noch diverse andere asiatische Speisen, die mich aber zumindest optisch alle nicht überzeugt haben.