This is real Japanese food carefully prepared by one of the owner/chefs. Â The menu is limited but varied, and offers excellent vegetarian choices. Tokyo Garden is not a Shaw Ave hot spot and doesn't want to be.
They have a back room for large groups with a traditional Japanese chabudai tables. These are low tables at which you appear to be seated on woven mats. However, there is a depressed area under the tables so you don't have to sit on your legs. I have taken large groups there twice (graduation and a wedding rehearsal) and been very pleased. Â
Tokyo Garden has been owned and operated by brothers Toshi and Tommy for at least 35 years. Go for dinner on Sunday and you can enjoy the weekly jazz by some of Fresno's best. Â There is a full bar separated from the dining area and lots of parking. Have a good time.
You will not find a more authentic Japanese dining experience in Fresno, period. If you're looking for Teppan Yaki or some trendy bar experience like Wassabi, you're in the wrong place. It's dark and dated, and that inflatable Godzilla has been at the bar for like 25 years now. I've been coming here since I was a kid, I learned how to use chopsticks in this place. When I was of age, this became a place for sushi, beer, karaoke, and indie and rockabilly shows. They have a lot of different live acts in the evening, so if you don't want your dinner ruined by loud music, go early.
Best sunomono (cucumber salad) I've ever had. But really, everything they serve is incredibly good. The menu is small, so I've tried everything!
Also, they do have sushi, you just have to ask for the menu. And if you ask nicely and they are available, they have private dining in the back where you can have an authentic Japanese dining experience on low-lying tables, tatami mats and sunken floors.
I came here specifically for the nigiri sushi for lunch. I wanted tuna but they were out, so I had the salmon. All together, I had the octopus, tamago, shrimp, and the kanpyo rolls. The octopus was dry and too chewy, same for the shrimp. I enjoyed the salmon, kanpyo and tamago though. I loved the decor and would love to come when it's a lot livelier. Other than that, I wouldn't be opposed to trying the other things on the menu.
Review Source:this is probably my new favorite sushi place in town, even though its got some definite drawbacks. I'm not going to list them, because i dont want to put you off going there, but just believe me, its down-right great food, but this place still lacks a lot of other aspects needed to be a truly great dining exp.
Review Source:In my opinion, this is the only place to get real Japanese food. Â Most sushi places in Fresno are not authentic. Â The owners are native of Japan. Â They have a standard menu (sukiyaki, tempura, teriyaki, sashimi etc) and a sushi menu (you will probably have to ask for that one). Â For dessert, I would recommend the peach ice cream (it's home made by the chef). Â The drinks are good, too. Â They have several Japanese beer varieties, though I prefer the Japanese plum wine, the Singapore Sling, or "The Gozilla" (that one's pricey). Â
Highly recommened.
I went here because of the 4 star rating and was also I was in the area. That night there was only one waitress but we saw at least 2-3 people helping her carry the food/clean. We ordered 3 small rolls (4-6 pieces) and a hand roll. It took her literally 15 minutes to take our orders and being in the restaurant business we all gave her time since she did have 1 big party of probably 10 and a full bar and also maybe 2 small parties. Our rolls came out 30-35 minutes later and our sushi rolls had this " not fresh" taste to it but we did enjoy the band that they had there.
Review Source:i really like this place because
1. its local
2. its easy on the wallet
3. food is DELICIOUS!
the sukiyaki made traditional style. i always get the beef. it has so much flavor. i love it with the side of rice.
4. service is good.
5. big portions
my only complaint, tokyo garden isn't open throughout the entire week. lol
This place is amazing! If you want fresh, authentic sushi this is the place to go! They also have a room in the back where you can sit on the floor (don't worry, there's a pit under the table where you can place your legs) and eat! It's amazing! You take your shoes off and settle down on the soft red pillows. I went there for my birthday and ordered a dinner which came with Miso soup, cucumber salad, Sashimi, Fish and Vegetable Tempura, a plate of delicious bites that I did not recognize, and dessert. The staff was very friendly and it was so much fun! Their sushi is the best in town, as long as you like it legit, and not covered in mayo or whatever else people put on it! Great place! Great atmosphere! I can't wait to go back!
Review Source:2 stars for the location and atmosphere
Ordered the Sashimi plate....about 12-14 pieced of 4 different fish...Tuna, Salmon, Octopus, Yellow Tail for about $16. Â The slices of Sashimi were too small for the amount charged.
Went on a Friday night about 6PM and we were the only ones in there.
No Sushi bar
Love this place, both for the food and the night life. To me their sushi is better than any place in North Fresno. Also this is one of my favorite places to do karaoke, and I have no problem buying a drink in exchange for singing. Some places charge you per song to sing, here they don't and the least you can do is buy a beer. Only issue I have is parking can be difficult sometimes, but don't let that deter you from going here on a Friday night.
Review Source:Pretty authentic food. Â They have vegetarian options which is awesome. Â My boyfriend called to make reservations on Valentine's Day and the guy who answered sounded rude, but we brushed it off and tried it anyways. Â The place has been around since I think the 1950's, so it's definitely got history... making it more exciting. Â It's def family owned... a hole in the wall kinda place. Â I like!
I ordered the Vegetarian Sukiyaki and it was way cheaper than most other "Japanese" restaurants in town. Â It was about 10.50 or so for dinner! Â Yum. Â It came with Sukiyaki which was ok... didn't really fancy me but it was different and I liked the glass noodles in it. Â We were first served with miso soup and sunomono (cucumber salad) and it was delish. Â The miso wasn't oversaturated with salt like some places can tend to do it. Â It was really good. Â My meal also came with a roll, steamed rice and it ended with some ice cream.
Our server was nice and our dinner was awesome. Â I was really surprised with their prices, the tastes and options! Â Very authentic Japanese restaurant, compared to many bigger "Japanese" restaurants around town. Â I can't wait to try it again SOON :)
Very friendly service. The building is so small you could miss it passing by, but inside, it is nice and cozy. Â The food is surprisingly very good. My friends ordered the sukiyaki and the teriyaki, I had the tempura and I have to say that all of them were very good. We went on a Thursday night so there was no karaoke or live music so the ambiance is very relaxing. I also ordered an alcoholic drink that is sweet, bartender gave me a Singapore sling, and now it is my favorite drink ever. I will go here again for sure, maybe try the karaoke night.
Review Source:I finally remembered to give this place a shot. The fact that they have multi Godzillas makes them fab in my book. The sushi is honest to goodness sushi sans the gobs of grease mayo and spiracha like every other trendy joint in town. The sashimi is perfection on a plank too. The beautiful and thoughtful presentation of each dish coupled with great flavor makes me love them long time. Real good stuff. Just don't eat  dinner here if  you're not in the mood for a leisurely meal. They operate at slow speed. Rumor has it lunch is nice and speedy though.
Review Source:When I moved from Southern California to Fresno several years ago, the only disappointment I had in terms of the quality of sushi was the difficulty I had getting a hold of first rate Yellow Tail here in the Valley. My search has ended. The sushi at Tokyo Garden is done in a very traditional style and the cuts of Yellow Tail (straight from the belly) that Toshi prepared for me tonight were on par with the best sushi restaurants to be found anywhere. Unconscionably good.
Note: if your plan at Tokyo Garden is to ask for a bar menu or any kind of sushi roll monstrosity ("Uh, yeah, I'd like a Playboy Roll, please?") stuffed with mayonnaise, dripping with soy sauce, and overloaded with some sort of wasabi/ginger oil dressing, don't bother coming.
Okay so this is only the second time I think I've eaten out in Fresno...I only seem to come to Fresno for my husband's job activities that bring him out to the central valley, so I'm by no means a Fresno expert. With that said, I had an enjoyable time at Tokyo Garden. Upon arriving in Fresno and trying to decide where to eat dinner, I immediately went to yelp and typed in "Japanese." This was one of the places listed that was close to our hotel. After reading the promising reviews, we decided to give it a try.
Previous reviews about the place being in sort of a random location are correct. At first I thought we had taken a wrong turn, but then I spotted the glowing neon sign. Not what I'm used to, but kind of fun. So we go inside and it's very quiet, which is odd because it was a Saturday night. I figured more people would be coming later for the nighttime events, but was still a bit confused when I walked in. The decor is very true to the fact that it was built in the 50's, but is sort of charming in an odd way.
Anyway, our waitress was friendly, the food was good, and it was decently priced. Keep in mind, this restaurant does not serve lots of sushi. I had a sashimi dinner, but didn't really spot much else in the way of raw fish on the menu. All dinners come with an assortment of goodies, like soup, sunomono, and an extra "small plate." Everything was very tasty. I especially enjoyed the sunomono, salmon sashimi, and green tea ice cream. I also was given plenty of sashimi, even though I only ordered the small version.
Overall, we had a good experience here. Like I said, we were a little suspicious at first, but once we got used to the idea that it's staying true to its 50's roots, it was good. Seems like it has potential to be a fun nighttime hangout, but we didn't stick around to try that out. Give this place a try if you're in the Fresno area!
Great, still-authentic Japanese food.
And yes, as reviews suggest, it HAS become more so the spot for local indie bands and a general night spot for 20-something hipsters as of late, but trust me, the sushi is still prepared authentic. No big, creamy, deep fried, full of sweet sauce rolls found here -- go to the more commercial sushi spots for that garbage. The sushi here is still bite-sized and scrumptious, as it was MEANT to be.
Also, the sushi is NOT made by young, non-Japanese idiots, but by the older (I believe) brothers that are owners of the restaurant.
My only gripe, is that during busy times, they are way understaffed, taking forever to prepare the food. The management is honestly just not done well, it is clear -- they cannot handle big crowds, especially the business clientele at the 12 o'clock lunch hour.
I highly suggest calling in your order before dining or picking up to-go.
Other than this, the food still speaks for itself. I really can't remember a time Ive went and NOT enjoyed the food.
If you still long for AUTHENTIC sushi in this town, not the new standard of commercial 'white people' sushi, than this place is one of the very few places who will do it for you.
All I ate here was miso soup, so i don't have much basis to make a review, but i went there with 10 friends for drinks and we had a good time. The waitress was on top of things and kept the beers coming. Not sure what the whole music scene thing is that people are talking about, at around 9:30 they started doing karaoke.
Props to the waitress who supplied me with a band aid after i knocked over my beer and about sliced my finger off.
To begin I haven't ever eaten here, I'm not even sure if they have food, so I can't speak to the food menu if there is one. But it is always a good time out here. They have a good priced bar with a great selection of Japanese beers. The decor is ha-dorable, like super kitschy Godzilla stuff all over, looooooove it. Especially the spinning godzilla in a twinkly light adorned bird cage. They also host quite a few local bands and I hear they have a good jazz night. Good times downtown fresno, GT's
Review Source:A niche aesthetic blending stuffy old garage meets stuffy old japanese restaurant. In these uncertain times, two japanese entrepreneurs took it upon themselves to subsidize their business by offering up their humble karaoke stage for any band with the proper tools and an appeal to Fresno's refined scenesters. A more economical alternative without losing Tokyo's flair could be drinking PBR's in your friends' garage while they learn how to play drums.
Review Source:could somebody take a freakin dust buster to everything in there for gosh sakes? i mean come on yeah they have music... but some freakin cleanliness would be nice. where is the food? tokyo garden.... dont just rely on the music..... get some cleaning supplies and get some food that can hold it"s own!..... it makes me sad
Review Source:LOVE THIS PLACE! Toshi & Tommy rule their roost in their own individual ways. Characters, both of them! I don't get there enough, but when I do get down there I know that I am somewhere special. This is the kind of place where the music plays steady and gals often feel compelled to dance on the bar. Niiiiiiiice!
Review Source:Tokyo Garden is the spot for good music at a club in Fresno. Â They have regular Jazz nights (1st & 3rd Sundays of month) and tons of indie rock shows.
Tommy & Toshi, the owners, are great guys that are good to talk to. Â They get to know their customers. Â Tommy's a great bartender, although his accent can be a bit difficult to manage at times. Â But still, great guys and great service. Â The Tokyo Tea and Singapore Sling are recommended mixed drinks, but Tommy also pours a good 7 & 7, Jack & coke, or whatever you want. Â Good selection of both import and domestic bottled beers. Â Of course, they have several Japanese beers, and I recommend the Kirin Ichiban.
The food is excellent. Â I've eaten their sushi, as well as some of the other traditional style meals. Â The rib eye was recommended to me, and it was spectacular (I've had it twice). Â I haven't had the sukiyaki, but I've been told it's good, too.
And, they even bottle their own teriyaki sauce.
The meal prices are good, as well as the drink prices. Â I've checked the moderate ($11-30) because it all depends on what you have, how many drinks, and so on.
Isn't Tokyo Garden now known for its music scene? Â I remember, way back in the day, when it was THE place to go for upscale Japanese food. Â I seem to remember that the seating was sunk into the floor so that the table was at floor height. Â The last time I was there was in the 80s and the carpet was pretty dirty and the whole place looked like it was on its last leg. Â but, from all I hear, it has become quite the hangout for the young 20s crowd.
Review Source:
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